Raising Hybrid Puppies [a Starker coffee shop AU]

Chapter 10

Author's note: I published TWO chapters today (March 8) since it's been toooooo long (apologies!) so make sure you didn't skip chapter 9, dear readers =)

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It's already five minutes past ten on Saturday morning when Bucky enters the Hybrid Puppy, in uniform even though off-duty.

Peter waves at him – a bit too enthusiastically, though, and he almost spills the Low-Fat Sugar-Free No Whipped Cream Are You Crazy Caramel Latte over the Executive Assistant glancing at her StarkWatch every few seconds.

"How long?" Bucky mouths with a grin.

"Give me..." Peter sizes up the line from the counter to the front door. "Give me fifteen minutes?"

Fourteen minutes and three "Is Tony Stark really a regular?"s later, Peter leaves Lorinda and the new guy to handle the midday lull and carries boxes with Bucky and Sam.

The Neighborhood Avengers sometimes help people move, especially to and from more dangerous areas. Bucky's uniform scares off most troublemakers and Sam manages to talk down the rest. Peter's mainly there for his upper-body strength and his ability to charm grandmothers into making them lemonade.

"Thanks, brother." Sam downs his glass in one go with Bucky cheering him on.

Said grandmother – a tiny lady called Edith residing next to Bradley and Suzanne, the couple they're helping – seems to find Sam adorable and pulls him into her apartment with a comment about photos of grandkids.

Peter is too busy laughing to remember why he shouldn't unbutton the collar of his shirt.

Bucky's eyes find the hickey with a sniper's precision.

"Oh, no," Peter says immediately, "that's not what it – well, it is, but not from the m- the person you're thinking!"

Bucky arches a dubious eyebrow at him.

"Seriously!" Peter vows. "Steve's talk, it, uh – he really talked some sense into me. You know how he is," Peter adds with a shrug and mentally sighs in relief when Bucky's brow unfurrows and he grins fondly.

"Yeah, he does that, doesn't he? Annoying little shit. So, Peter... Tell me all about this new guy."

Panic floods Peter again. He's able to push it down as quickly as it came – but now he needs a cover story, any cover story.

"Uh, he's, uh, he's not out yet and we're, uh, we're keeping it on the down low, you know?" Peter swallows. "He's my age, though, literally even. Uh, his name's Eugene." Peter prays to whatever deity is listening that Flash will never, ever find out about this. "And it's, uh, it's good, we're having fun..."

Bucky's nodding along with a sort of 'my little brother's getting some' smile. Steve would have been a lot more suspicious and asked about whether they're being safe, but Bucky either actually bought Peter's Eugene cover story, or figures that Peter's smart enough to know about condoms. Which he is, for the record. He totally listened during Sex Ed.

"But, um, there's one thing..." Peter bites his lip and Bucky leans in with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

"Oh yeah? Tell me, little gay duckling – what secrets do you want to know?"

Peter can't stop his face from heating up as he stammers out a, "Do you, uh, do you have any advice on, on oral sex?"

Bucky throws his head back and barks out a laugh.

"Advice? Peter, you're talking to the fucking guru of oral pleasure! Just ask Steve – or better don't, he's always so uptight with other people. Come on, let's ditch Wilson, grab some pizza and let me impart some wisdom on your innocent little brain."