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When Tony had first met Steve in a little café round the corner from his office, he would have laughed in your face at the idea that they'd be seeing each other romantically in a few short weeks. The man was so handsome he made people walk into lamp posts, had a smile to die for, and a laugh that probably brought fairies back to life. Still, spilling coffee on someone's white shirt, promises to buy replacement coffees, and exchanging numbers for dry cleaning bills slowly became texting and late night phone calls, and dates when they had compatible schedules. It was wonderful.
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When Tony had first met Bucky in the mechanics around the corner from his gym, he would have laughed in your face at the idea that they'd be seeing each other romantically in a few short weeks. The man was so gorgeous Tony had seen people actually whimper when he flexed, trip over their own feet when he came out from under a car covered in grease, and choke on their drinks when he smiled. Still, getting into a bit of a heated argument over what classic car colour was the best, agreeing to disagree until they'd both seen the Jaguar E-Type at the NYC Concours, and then agreeing to go together had turned into sending each other memes, lunch time phone calls and cooking each other dinner when they had compatible schedules. It was wonderful.
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It was at that point that Tony should probably have realised that everything was almost too good to be true. Which is why he wasn't as surprised as he should have been when he was whacked hard around the head. That this had wound up with him kidnapped and tied to a chair in the middle of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse was just the icing on the cake.
Pulling at the bindings around his wrists Tony soon realised that there wasn't any give and the more he wriggled the more it hurt. Sighing, Tony decided to take a moment to look around the room he was in. Room was probably doing it a disservice, it was more like a large barn, only outside walls and bare wiring holding a few lamps from the ceiling. Tony himself was positioned under one of those spot lights, and as he turned his head once more he heard a noise like the scuffing of a boot on the floor.
"Hello…? Who's there?" He asked more boldly than he felt.
Another scuff and a dull chuckle followed his words.
"I wouldn't worry about who I am, I'd worry about why I've got you." A voice ground out.
Squinting into the dark, Tony tried to work out the shape of the figure that had spoken.
More scuffing brought the silhouette and then the body of man into view. Fairly well dressed with a healthy growth of stubble on his face - there was something in his eyes that made Tony want to shiver. Trying to hold back his reaction, Tony plastered on something of a smile. Still, it obviously looked less strong than he thought because the man stepped forward chuckling and reached a hand forward to stroke down the side of Tony's face.
Half flinching away, Tony quickly found his chin grabbed with a firm hand.
"Now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. I don't want to have to rough up this pretty face," the man smiled sickeningly as he used his hand to tilt Tony's head from left to right. "I can see why they like you, pretty little face, practically snack sized compared to them. Still it'll be interesting to see what happens when they both get here."
The more the man spoke, the more confused Tony got. Who were the people he was talking about? Tony wracked his brains to try and think if he knew anyone that would be bound up with a man like this but he was drawing a blank. Probably not entirely helped by the fear and shock that we're running through his body.
Seeing the confusion on Tony's face the man let out a deeper, cringing laugh. "Oh boy, this'll be even more interesting if you don't know," he said, dropping one hand on Tony's left shoulder heavily. The jolt of the hand landing sent Tony leaning over and caused him to pull on his wrist bindings. He let out an involuntary grunt of pain, and it was at this point that things got even more confusing.
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When Steve and Bucky had first met Tony, in two of the spaces he seemed most at home, they would have laughed in your face at the idea that they'd be seeing him romantically in a few short weeks. Both of them had spotted Tony from afar months earlier but it had taken a number of serious conversations about potentially bringing a third into their relationship, what that would mean for their jobs, and mean for the way they lived their lives before they had decided to make a move. The man had an ass that wouldn't quit, a smile that lit up his eyes, and a brain the size of a planet all wrapped up in the cutest person they'd ever met. Whilst neither of them had mentioned the idea of a trial to Tony, the time they were individually having with him was breathtaking and they shared snippets with each other when they could. Working to fit in time with each other and time with Tony into their schedules when they could. It was wonderful.
They probably should have realised that it wouldn't be long before something happened to burst their happy bubble.
It was almost laughable how long it took them to realise Tony was missing. It was Thursday which meant Bucky had stayed over and made breakfast in the morning but left fairly soon after because he had work to do and Tony needed to get to the office. Because of their schedules they would try and message during the day, as would Steve and Tony but Thursdays were notoriously awkward and it could be hours without a message. Then Steve would be getting in touch nearer the evening to arrange a date or a phone call and things would continue on course. So, when both Steve and Bucky didn't hear anything for several hours they just thought Tony was too busy to answer their messages. It was only when they compared notes and Steve rang Tony’s work to see if he was still there and discovered that he'd been missing since lunchtime that the pieces began to click into place.
It wasn't like Tony to be so flighty. Yes he had a tendency to get distracted but never on this scale. A little bit of sniffing around and asking their staff if they had heard any whispers finally paid off. Tony had last been seen at the entrance of an alley near the coffee shop he frequently refuelled at but hadn't been spotted since. Further poking suggested that it had been the work of one particular man, The Snake, who had been sloppier than he should have been. Which meant Tony had been kidnapped for a reason, and whatever it was wasn't going to end well for The Snake.
Getting their gear and some loyal people together, the two arrived at opposite entrances to the warehouse they believed Tony was being held in. As they quietly approached they heard parts of the one sided conversation, but it was Tony's grunt of pain that was the signal for everyone to move.
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Seconds after Tony had grunted from pain, his head snapped up as he heard footsteps heading towards them from two different directions. Seemingly anticipating this, the man moved to stand fully behind Tony's chair and placed a hand on each of his shoulders.
" Well, well gentleman. What have we here? I wasn't sure if you'd both turn up but now that you have it'll be good to sit back and watch you fight it out." You could almost hear the cockiness ooze out of his voice. This man was sure he knew what was going to happen.
Hearing what the man was saying, Tony felt no more enlightened until out of the darkness stepped two of the people who he would have bet his last dollar on not seeing. Tony felt the man behind him straighten up as Steve and Bucky walked into the light. A quick sharp intake of breath was the only sound for a moment as Tony tried to get his head round both his nearly-boyfriends being here and both looking much more serious and dangerous than he'd ever seen them before.
Whilst Tony didn't really notice Steve and Bucky doing a visual once over of him, the other man certainly did and used that opportunity to open his mouth once again.
"Oh yes, pretty thing," he said, moving to stroke Tony's face again, "let me introduce you to two of the most feared mob bosses this side of Manhattan. The Captain…" he pointed at Steve, "...and The Russian…" he pointed at Bucky, "both notoriously dangerous and the only thing more legendary than their names is their hatred of each other."
Tony had been listening but he felt like he was underwater or in a dream. What was the man saying about mob bosses? Those names meant nothing to him but the mention of them hating each other caused a cold chill to slide over Tony's body. 'Oh god, had he managed to find himself in between two of the city's most dangerous people without even knowing it??'
Whilst the man had been talking, Steve, Bucky and their people had been scoping out the warehouse and preparing for their next move. Whilst this wasn't the way they had hoped to tell Tony about their relationship or their jobs, they needed to make the best of this situation and hope that things could be salvaged.
Luck appeared to be on their side though, The Snake obviously hoped that their so-called hatred of each other would cause issues once they learned that Tony was in a relationship with both of them. There was always the possibility that it could cause something of a war that he could take advantage of (mob wars had happened over less)… but he was going to be surprised.
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The Snake was feeling confident. This was going to work out so well for him. He’d be able to get rid of two of the greatest threats in Manhattan and carve out a place for himself where he’d be feared and respected. The man who had brought down both The Captain and The Russian! Who’d have thought that it would be something as simple as kidnapping their toy boy, of course he wouldn’t explain it like that - wouldn’t gain him quite the reputation he wanted. But with all of them dead or too scared to do anything, no one had to know how the bosses had really died.
The Snake had looked up when he finished speaking, a smirk crawling easily onto his lips, so very sure of what was about to happen and what it would mean for him.
If only he had known that seconds later he would regret every action that had led to this moment.
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It was obvious fairly quickly that The Snake thought he had the upper hand, but Steve and Bucky weren’t here to play games. They need to rescue their boyfriend, have a conversation with said boyfriend, and deal with this puffed up grass snake who was trying to act like a viper.
Seeing the smirk steal across The Snake’s face, Steve nodded to Bucky and they made their first move. Together they turned and moved to stand side by side facing the trapped Tony and his kidnapper.
“It’s ok Sugar,” drawled Bucky, “give us a couple of minutes to sort things and we’ll explain everything.” Bucky’s entire focus was on trying to reassure their worryingly pale boyfriend, whilst Steve moved to wrap his left hand round Bucky’s waist. All the time his gaze fixed and his right hand never wavering as it pointed a gun straight at The Snake.
At hearing Bucky call him by his new nickname, Tony jerked a little more upright trying to pay attention. Nodding slightly at the earnest look on Bucky’s face, he concentrated on nothing but the place where Steve’s hand rested on the outside of Bucky’s left hip. If he’d been less scared, Tony was fairly certain he’d be pleased by the development he was seeing. Maybe letting Steve and Bucky know the other existed wouldn’t be the big deal he’d originally thought. As it was, that revelation would come in useful a little bit later.
It was at this point that The Snake started to come to the realisation that maybe his assumption and plans might not be so fool proof after all. As soon as he’d seen these enemies move to stand together, he’d been frantically trying to work out what was happening. The combination of Bucky’s words to Tony and Steve’s casual movement brought about a horrifying reality he’d never thought could be possible. What happened next was the nail in his coffin.
“I’d step away from him if I was you, Snake,” suggested Steve, in a voice that could only be obeyed. He used his gun to make a small movement to his right, suggesting that if Snake knew what was good for him he’d follow directions.
If he’d been more sure of himself, or if life had instilled anything like a backbone into him then Snake might have put up some kind of resistance to such an order. But as it was, he knew his time was coming so he took the opportunity to do something very very stupid. As he turned to move to his left, following the direction the gun had motioned, he grabbed hold of Tony’s hair and used it to fling the poor man and his chair to the right. Maybe he expected them to be distracted and he’d be able to make a leg for it. Maybe he thought if he was going to die anyway, he may as well make the bosses miserable by hurting their boyfriend. But whatever it was that went through The Snake’s head was the last thought he had.
In that moment a number of things happened. Bucky pulled away from Steve and rushed to try and catch Tony before he landed on the floor. Bucky and Steve’s staff were suddenly ready to do whatever was needed to make sure this guy didn’t leave. And Steve, Steve took one deep breath and fired one bullet.
Down The Snake went, and down he stayed.
Leaving checking on the body to one of his people, Steve rushed to Tony and knelt at his feet as Bucky started to undo the ropes that held Tony to the chair.
Gently Steve placed his hand on Tony’s knees, and looked up into his boyfriend’s tired, wane face and asked “Hey sweetheart, how are you doing?”
Hearing his question Bucky snorted a little and Tony did a tiny glare down at Steve’s face. “How am I doing? How am I doing?” he grumbled angrily, “how do you think I’m doing Steve!? I was hit over the head, some guy tied me to a chair and called me pretty and stroked my face, and then my maybe boyfriends both appeared and they had guns, and then there were names, and then you knew each other, and then I was falling, and there was a gunshot, and holy shit I think I’m having a panic attack!!”
As Tony had started speaking both Bucky and Steve were relieved that he seemed to be his normal self. However, as his answer became more rambling and faster, it was obvious that he was working himself up into a panic attack. Before he’d even finished speaking, Bucky had untied him and Steve pulled him out of the chair and onto the floor between his legs. Bucky sat in front of him and started trying to calmly talk Tony down, while Steve started taking exaggerated breaths to try and get Tony to mimic his breathing.
It took what felt like a lifetime for Tony’s breathing to get back to normal and for him to begin answering Bucky’s careful questions. Finally collapsing back into the strong hold of Steve’s arms, Tony reached out to entwine his hands with one of each of Steve and Bucky’s. Squeezing gently, he smiled at Bucky and was relieved when he got a smile back. Ok, so whatever had happened hadn’t damaged things yet.
“Ok, so after the rather dramatic happenings of the last number of hours. Could we please do two things?” Tony asked tentatively. Steve and Bucky locked eyes over Tony’s shoulder and nodded slightly to each other.
“Of course Tony, whatever you want” replied Steve as Bucky nodded.
“Can we get somewhere warm and comfy, and can we talk about the fact that you two obviously know each other, and know about me, and are apparently some pretty scary people?”
Steve sighed, “Absolutely sweetheart, we can do all those things” he said carefully. Motioning for Bucky to stand up first Steve made sure that Tony could use him as a stand to push up from as he got his feet under him. Once he was standing he moved as if to pick Tony up but stopped just short, wondering if Tony was going to let him, he’d just heard someone be shot and leant some things he probably wasn’t ready to know. Maybe he didn’t want to be close to them now.
Seeing Steve hesitate nearly broke Tony’s heart. Regardless of what he’d learnt today, these men cared about him. Not only had they rescued him, they’d sat and worked through a panic attack with him.
Smiling lightly at Steve, Tony reached out to him, “Go on Steve, I know you want to. I’m not worried about you. I know you’ll explain, and I know you’ll take care of me. So, let’s get somewhere warm and comfy, ok?”
The relieved noises that punched their way out of both mob bosses' mouths would have probably made some people think twice about their reputations, until they saw what happened when you kidnapped their boyfriend. Swinging Tony into his arms, Steve headed for one of the exits secured by their staff. Bucky walked in front, making sure everything was ok as they stepped out and climbed into one of their cars.
“Once we get home, we’ll explain everything ok?” Bucky tried to reassure Tony. He was stopped from trying to speak any further by a hand reaching out and squeezing his arm. “It's ok, Bucky Bear, I know you will.”
Nothing else was said as the car started up and headed out onto the road, a quiet calm settling over the occupants.
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An hour or so later the trio sat on the sofa in Tony’s flat. Each had taken a shower and were now dressed in the comfortable clothes they all had in Tony’s drawers. Whilst Tony had been in the bathroom, Steve had made tea whilst Bucky had ordered from their favourite takeaway. Then, as each of his boyfriends took a turn in the shower, Tony showed the other how he’d organised their stuff so it fit into his life without being obvious to the other boyfriend. This had caused some slightly outraged giggles when it became clear that the top Steve had thought he’d lost weeks ago was in fact in Bucky’s drawer whilst the sweatpants that Bucky favoured (and had assumed Tony had knicked) were hidden away in Steve’s drawer.
Having finally made it to the sofa, Tony sandwiched between the two other men, explanations were finally forthcoming. Steve and Bucky explained their lives, explained how they’d been a committed couple for nearly 10 years but that there had been something about Tony that had drawn them both in and made them want to try bringing him into their relationship.
At this point Tony, understandably, had questions. Why had they approached him separately? When were they expecting to tell him? What would they have done if only one of them had liked him?
The men did their best to answer, being truthfully and honestly emotional with their answers. They talked for a couple of hours over more tea and the promised takeaway. More questions, more explanations - each asked and answered with hope for progressing their relationship and not it breaking up.
Finally, they seemed to have exhausted everything they could think of. Over time the three had got closer, until Tony sat on Steve’s lap with his legs draped over Bucky, whilst Bucky had his arm over Steve’s shoulders.
“So, are we doing this? All three of us, together completely?” Bucky asked, his voice soft but vulnerable.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Ok, good. Then can we please get to the kissing and the making out?! It’s been a long day!” Tony’s words burst through the building tension and brought a laugh out of both his partners.
Bucky swooped and scooped Tony up and headed for the bedroom. “Come on Steve, you heard the man! Let’s get to the kissing!”
The last thing that could be heard before the bedroom door shut was muffled laughter, the squeak of bed springs, and the tentative sound of lips on lips.
The End