The Asset had counted on the fact that the target was drunk. That was half the reason his handlers had send him in during the day. It wasn't usually done that way, but since the target was all alone in that flat of his, and that he was already 'drunk off his ass', like his handlers had said, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
The Asset silently broke into the place, without any difficulties at all, and stood over the chair the target had slumped in. He seemed dead to the world, fingers still lightly curled around a bottle, but when the Asset took his gun out of the holster, bleary brown eyes looked at him.
They swept him over once before the target slurred: "Is there something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
The target added a little wiggle of his brows to his sentence and the Asset stumbled a step back. There was no way the target was supposed to be this coherent, and his targets usually didn't have the chance to speak to him. Not to beg and especially not to do whatever it was this target was doing.
"It's a gun," the Asset said, not only surprising the target with that, but also himself, and in that confusion he decided it would be best to leave. He had no idea where the hell that answer came from and he knew that his handlers wouldn't be happy with him, but he needed to leave right now. So that was exactly what he was doing.
Tony had recognized Bucky the moment he stepped foot into the tower. Sure, he looked a bit different, and Tony had been drunk the last time he saw him, but there was no doubt in his mind that this was the man who had tried to kill him all these years ago, and had been distracted by a little flirty line.
From then on Tony always had the line on the tip of his tongue, but he could never bring himself to say it. It didn't look like Bucky remembered him after all, and why remind him of something he did, or didn't do, as the Winter Soldier.
So Tony kept his mouth shut, though he came close to asking him that a few times.
When he got smashed into a building by the villain of the week and Bucky was the first who found him, Tony blamed it on the concussion he had.
"Tony, lift the faceplate. Are you okay?" Bucky asked, once he rushed to his side and Tony did lift the plate. But what came out of his mouth then had nothing to do with his well-being.
"Is there something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" he asked Bucky, voice a bit slurred from his headache and Bucky stared wide eyed at him before he snapped "It's a gun."
Tony chuckled at that and after a few more seconds of staring Bucky started to laugh as well. Tony could hear Steve asking them what's going on but neither he nor Bucky responded to that.
"I remember!" Bucky suddenly said, and grabbed Tony's arms. "I remember. I was sent to kill you and you used that ridiculous line on me."
"And I put you to flight with that! Cheesy flirting saved my life," Tony responded and they were laughing again.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Bucky asked, once their laughter died down.
Tony shrugged, to the best of his injured capabilities. "I thought you wouldn't want to remember. You never seem overly pleased when you remember something from being the Soldier."
"That's because it's usually death and destruction. This was a good thing!"
"I'm sorry then," Tony told him and they both looked up when Steve came rushing to them.
From then on Tony regularly used that line when he saw Bucky, on or off the battlefield, and it had been some time.
This day was no different than most. Bucky walked into the kitchen, after he was out with Sam to get something to eat probably, and walked up to Tony, who hogged the coffee machine.
Bucky pushed him out of the way, to get his own cup of coffee and Tony smiled at him.
"Is there something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Tony asked him, the same leer and eyebrow wiggle in play as usual and Bucky groaned.
"We've been over this," Bucky told him exasperated. "It still is a gun." Tony smiled nonchalantly at him, not giving away how much he wished the answer would be a different one one day.
"Rituals are good for older people with brain damage," he said before he slid out of reach, so that Bucky couldn't cuff him on the back of his head like he so obviously wanted to do.
It took Bucky some time to realize that he was in love with Tony. A year ago he wouldn't have thought he would reach that point at all and so he needed some time before he recognized the warm feeling in his chest for what it was.
When that point came though he nearly couldn't wait for Tony to use that cheesy line on him once again. For that he had to wait nearly a week, which might just be a record for Tony, though Bucky wasn't in any mood to celebrate that.
Tony was lying on the couch when Bucky entered the living-room, working on a tablet, and only sparing a quick glance at Bucky, but Tony's lips still curled up in that absolutely gorgeous way and Bucky knew that now was the moment.
"Hey, Buckaroo. Is there something in your pocket or are you just really happy to see me?" Tony asked him right on cue and Bucky smiled.
It wasn't his normal reaction, he usually would already be complaining, and that prompted Tony to look up again.
"I'm just really happy to see you," Bucky said, voice soft and Tony's eyes widened.
"This is not how this normally goes," he eventually muttered and Bucky laughed.
"We'll it's not normally the case that the guy I'm sweet on gives me this perfect opening."
Tony blushed a bit at that and Bucky couldn't help the happy smile that broke out.
"We've been doing this for months now. You'd think there was an opening before," he complained but held out his hand for Bucky.
He took it, fingers curling around Tony's and answered "You've held back on me this past week. And it took me some time to realize what I was feeling."
"Well, better late than never right?" Tony asked him with a smile and pulled Bucky down to him. Bucky easily went and snuggled up to Tony.
"Not that I want to complain, but that feels more like a gun, than anything else," Tony eventually murmured into his hair and Bucky snorted.
"Really? Just because I might or might not have a boner, doesn't mean I walk around without my gun."
Tony laughed at that and pulled Bucky that bit closer. He didn't seem to mind that much.
Bucky's admission seemed to have reignited Tony's need to say that cheesy line over and over again and it kinda became a thing with them, but to his dismay Bucky's answer was only different that one time.
"Is there something in your pocket or are you just really happy to see me?" Tony asked him when he plastered himself all over Bucky's back and Bucky sighed.
"It's been years and you still fucking say it. It's a gun. You know it's a gun. I know it's a gun. Why do you still do this?" Bucky asked back, more exasperation in his voice than he really felt and Tony shrugged against his body.
"I'm still hoping for a different answer, and you know it."
"We keep those to the bedroom and you know that as well."
"But we're all alone today," Tony whined. "Clint and Natasha are on a mission, Thor's with Jane, Bruce has a very sensitive experiment going on and lives in the lap and Steve is out for his run."
"He can come back," Bucky said and Tony nuzzled his back.
"If you wouldn't be so stubborn, we'd be done before that happens."
Bucky turned around in Tony's arm, looking down at his boyfriend. He contemplated that and finally gave in to the need to kiss Tony.
"Does that mean I win," Tony breathed once they parted.
Instead of an answer, Bucky rolled his hips, pressing them closer to Tony's, whose breath hitched at the contact.
"There might be something different than my gun in my pocket," Bucky admitted after a few more seconds of delicious friction and Tony let out a breathy laugh.
"Great," he said to Bucky's lips and then captured them with his own.
They lost themselves in the feeling of kissing and groping each other and only came out of that when there was a startled "Guys! Not in the kitchen!" from Steve who just came back from his run.
Bucky grumbled something into Tony's hair and Tony was pretty sure he'd just said "And that's the reason we keep this to the bedroom."
Since Tony could admit that Bucky might be right with that, he simply took his hand into his and dragged him along behind him. The bedroom might be the better place for this after all.