"You know you should just tell him already," Steve said and Bucky huffed.

"Shut up, Rogers."

"But it's getting ridiculous. You're like a love sick puppy, all wagging his tail and eager to please," Steve continued and Bucky swatted his head.

"You're one to talk. I don't see you and Sam making out yet," he replied and that always shut Steve up.

Before Steve recovered, Bucky's phone chimed with a message and he opened it up.

"He's coming back early," he mumbled and could hear Steve laugh at him. "Rogers, I swear to god, shut up. This is not funny. He did something. He said I'm not allowed to be mad."

Bucky worried his lip and Steve sighed. "You two are already so domestic it hurts."

"Stevie, what if something happened? He only gets like that when he's hurt," Bucky said to him and now the worry really set in.

"He also acts like that if he did something he's not supposed to. Since Jarvis didn't alert us, or rather you, I guess it's gonna be that."

"Don't leave yet?" Bucky asked when Steve was about to go. "He might still be hurt and you were always better with first aid."

Steve sighed but sat back down on the couch. "Fine. But you tell him soon. It's a wonder he hasn't caught on yet anyway."

"I will say something if you say something," Bucky shot back, but he was too wired up to sit down.

They bickered like that the entire time it took for Tony to come back to the tower and when the elevator opened Bucky was already rushing forward.

"Tony, what happened, are you hurt?" he asked in a rush and was met with a box that was shoved into his arms.

"I may have accidentally sort of adopted five cats," Tony said from behind the box and sheepishly grinned at Bucky.

"You...what?" Bucky dumbfounded asked and then the small meow that came out of the box caught his attention.

They were tiny little things, barely old enough to be away from their mother Bucky guessed, and they were stumbling all over themselves. It was adorable.

"You adopted five cats," Bucky repeated and heard Steve chuckle yet again.

"I did. Don't be mad? They will be in the workshop a lot and you don't hate cats, right? Because that would be a problem," Tony chattered away, while he took the box from Bucky again and settled down on the couch, next to Steve.

Two of the kittens, Bucky guessed they were a bit braver than the rest, already poked their heads out to look around and Tony gently scooped one of them up.

"Huh, cutie? Like what you see?" he asked it with a crooning voice and cradled the kitten against his chest.

"You're gonna be safe here, I promise," he breathed into the kittens fur and Bucky didn't know how it happened but suddenly all the cats were out of the box and climbing around on Tony.

One was sitting on his head, one was curled into his neck, Tony still had the first one on his chest and the other two were playing in his lap. Tony was smiling softly, petting all of them in turns and promising them that they were safe now and Bucky just snapped. There was just so much a guy could take.

"I'm in love with you," he blurted out and dimly noticed that Steve almost chocked on nothing before he started to laugh hysterically. Bucky kept his eyes trained on Tony, but he still flipped him the bird.

Tony was staring at him, cats still all over him and Bucky was flooded with so much fondness it was a bit dizzying.

"You're what?" Tony asked him, now cradling the cat to his chest like he needed to hold on to something.

"I'm in love with you?" Bucky said unsure now, because he really hadn't meant to blurt it out like that.

Tony continued to stare at him and Bucky wasn't sure if that was joy he saw or utter terror and so he just rambled on. "But, you know, we can also pretend that this never happened, if you would prefer that, because we can definitely do that and..."

"Please tell me you like cats," Tony suddenly blurted out and Bucky was stunned into silence for a few seconds.

"Ehm, yes? I mean, yes. I do like cats."

"Thank god," Tony breathed and Bucky was sure he got lost somewhere along the line.

"Why is that important right now?"

"Because I am in love with you too and I want you to live with me and living with five cats would make that difficult if you hate them."

"I don't hate them," Bucky weakly said and Steve burst out laughing again.

"You two are hopeless," he wheezed and Bucky turned around.

"You shut your mouth, Rogers. At least we managed to say it. I don't see you making progress with Sam," he hissed and that shut Steve right up.

"I think I'll leave now," he mumbled and quickly left the floor and Bucky turned back around to Tony.

"What was that about?" he asked and Bucky waved his hand.

"Doesn't matter," he said while he carefully sat down next to Tony, one of the kittens immediately climbing over onto his lap.

"So, living together, huh?"

"We can also wait with that?" Tony questioned and Bucky shook his head.

"Nah. I like the idea."

"Great!" Tony exclaimed and then gently plopped one of the kittens in Bucky's hand. "Help me name them?"

"Of course," Bucky said and leaned over to kiss Tony lightly. Bucky knew that he would be forever grateful to these cats.