Distractions 3

"In a short while" turned in to two hours and it was only nearing 5 in the afternoon when the door to the meeting room finally opened and Harry walked in.

"Hi," he greeted the assembled group, looking absolutely gorgeous in his tailored business suit. Bucky may not know a lot about clothing, but he was certain that that suit probably cost more than he was comfortable with. It was another proof, added to the ever-growing list, that Harry probably wasn't just a normal businessman working an ordinary 9-to-5-desk job. Who he really was was still a mystery to Bucky and for some reason, that didn't bother him as much as it should.

"Hello," Tony greeted back as Bucky moved forward to hug the man hello. Bucky would have wanted to wait for his lover alone – a little piece and quiet after the debacle that was the balloon float attack would have been nice – but Tony had insisted on staying. It didn't take a genius to deduce that the engineer was curious and with no urgent matter requesting the latter's attention, Bucky would have had a tough time driving him away. Steve, on the other hand, was long gone, mumbling something about rest. Bucky, of course, knew him too well to believe in such bullshit. Steve was uncomfortable with his new relationship and was doing a pretty bad job at hiding it.

"You look fantastic," Bucky told Harry as he let go, Teddy still clinging to the green-eyed man's neck. "Did you meeting go well?"

"It did," Harry told him, looking delighted, "But I'm glad it's over and done with."

"You must be hungry then," Tony interjected, coming to stand closer, while ignoring the way Bucky was now glaring at him. It took a moment for the soldier to realize that Tony's expression has turned serious; something that only happened on rare occasions. He really wasn't playing anymore, Bucky realized with a start, Tony Stark truly believed that he was onto something. "How about I bring everyone out for an early dinner?"

"I am hungry," Harry admitted, either oblivious to Tony's tone or refusing to play his game, "I didn't eat lunch."

That distracted Bucky from whatever thought he had about Tony's behavior.

"Really Harry," he chided gently, "That can't be healthy."

Harry laughed easily at that.

"I was busy," he admitted, "And if Mr. Stark doesn't mind inviting us for diner, I would be happy to go."

"Yay! We're eating out," said Teddy, smiling toothily. "Can I have ice cream?"

"If your dad agrees," Tony told him, hand rising to ruffle the boy's hair once more, "We wouldn't want to get on his bad side."

Harry's eye roll was so pronounced that it was probably visible from the moon.

"Tony Stark," he said dryly, "Always the comedian."

After some discussion – in which Bucky didn't participate on account of him not knowing any restaurants in New York from this decade – it was decided that they would go to Lumiere for their diner. Even without knowing what it looked like or what the dress code would be, Bucky already had an idea that the restaurant would be pretty posh.

"It is one of the most upscale French restaurants in New York," Harry admitted, moving Teddy from his right arm to the left. The boy had refused to come down and his weight was obviously starting to bother Harry. "But unlike all the other pretentious bullshit places that tends to litter this city, Lumiere is actually worth the mindboggling amount of money they charge."

They waited in silence as Tony called the restaurant and tried to convince them to give them a reservation for the night.

"They have a long waiting list," he finally said as he came back, cellphone in one hand. He looked a little bit put out and Bucky guessed, for some reason, his name hadn't gotten him the reservation he wanted.

Harry must have come to the same conclusion because he smirked, looking amused.

"Did you manage to get us a reservation?" he asked innocently, as if he didn't already know the answer.

Tony scowled deeper in response.

If Bucky didn't know that Tony had the ego the size of the Earth, he probably would have told Harry to stop messing with the man. You didn't have to know Tony intimately to know that he wasn't used to getting rejected. Since childhood, the Stark name and fortune had opened doors wherever the family went. Tony had grown in to adulthood with certain expectations on how people reacted to him and to have such expectations dashed – and in front of a guest too – was probably making him revaluate his life.

"Why don't I try?" Harry offered, "Maybe my negotiation skills will work better than your approach."

"Be my guest," Tony grumbled, crossing his arms like a pouting child. Bucky resisted the urge to laugh.

Harry just gave him a smile before leaving the room to make the call.

It took 2 minutes before he came back with the news that the restaurant had agreed to gave them a reservation at 6.

By the time their little group had arrived at the restaurant, Tony was still asking Harry how he had managed what he did.

"I'm an ambassador," Harry replied, "I negotiate with people on a daily basis. I know some tricks to get what I want."

For some reason, Bucky just knew it wasn't all there is to it. Harry was like a bundle of contradictions all rolled in to one pretty package. A lot of things about him simply didn't make sense and the more he got to know the guy, the more he realizes there are things Harry wasn't telling him. Bucky knew that any lesser man would have started pressuring Harry to give up some of them in the name of the relationship, but Bucky was a patient man; he can wait until Harry was confortable enough with him to start talking on his own. Besides, he wasn't about to risk what was probably the best relationship of his life in order to satisfy his curiosity.

"Whatever," Tony grumbled, obviously unsatisfied with the answer. Before he could ask more however, Teddy intervened, grabbing Harry's attention and requesting to go to the bathroom.

"I'll bring him," Bucky offered. "Why don't you two wait at the table?"

The couple in front of them had finally finished and it was their turn with the Maitre D. Since it was the only logical thing to do, both men agreed.

The bathroom was fancier than some hotel rooms Bucky had seen, complete with a flat screen TV for guest to watch as they were waiting for their family or friends to finish their business. Leather seated sofas lined the wall and lilac scented air freshener made the place smell like the inside of a flower garden. It looked less like a bathroom and more like a posh waiting room.

Bucky sat in one of the chairs and waited as Teddy went to one of the stalls to do his business. He waited about 5 minutes before the little boy came back out and headed directly to the sinks. Washing hands took another 5 minutes or so and by the time they were done, 10 minutes have already passed.

"I hope they hadn't started ordering yet," Bucky told the little guy as they made their way back in to the main dining room.

He found Harry and Tony easily enough and was about to head over when the sight of both men in deep conversation, heads slightly bent together and ignoring the world around them, made him pause. Whatever they were talking about was obviously distressing Harry because he was frowning and trying not to glare.

Their menu laid beside them, forgotten.

"…you should really tell him," was the only thing Bucky heard before Harry noticed his presence and turned towards him, smiling.

"Hey," he quickly pulled out a chair for Teddy and the little boy clambered on to it with enthusiasm. Bucky sat down on Harry's opposite side in a more subdued manner.

"What should you really tell me?" he asked Harry, trying to sound as normal as possible. He ignored the way Tony perked up at that and concentrated all his attention on his lover.

"Bucky," Harry started; looking awkward for the first time he had known him. He sighed a little when Bucky just continued to stare at him, refusing to back down. He may have told himself that he will wait for Harry to talk, but there was no way that rule applied when he knew Tony Stark was aware of what was going on. "Fine, but not here."

Bucky could give him that. But once they were home, Harry wasn't going to escape until he admitted just what Tony had found out and think he should be informed.

"Right," he said brightly, picking up the menu, "Let's order."

TBC

A/N: Thank you so much for all those wonderful reviews and I do apologize for the late update. Things are finally starting to change as Bucky is slowly learning who Harry is. Can their relationship survive the revelation? Find out next time.

Thanks for reading. And drop me a comment. See you guys soon.