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The bushes rustled.
Tony grabbed the amulet that hung around his neck and whispered the first few words of an incantation. Usually he didn’t need the extra power boost that came from his amulet that doubled as a storage tank of his magic, but his father had volunteered him for a long night of enchantment and power sharing with the coven. Dawn had peaked over the horizon an hour ago, and Tony was wavering on his feet.
A wolf slipped out of the foliage and approached Tony, gaze intent on his next meal.
These types of situations were why Tony had a back-up. He let the final word of his spell fly as the wolf shifted onto its hind legs and -
Turned into a human?
A tacked-on twist to the last syllable directed Tony’s blast of power a hair to the left, letting the man dive out of the way. The tree that remained in the line of fire didn’t have that option and so was toppled over as the blue light of power ripped through the trunk.
“What the hell, Bucky?” Tony asked, holding a hand over his chest as his heart tried to burst out. “I nearly took off your head!”
“Yeah,” Bucky agreed as he blinked at the pulverized tree. “Maybe you shouldn’t be castin’ spells when you’ve stayed up all night, huh?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be sneaking up on me.” Tony sat on the ground and rubbed his eyes. His body felt the drain of that last spell two-fold, charging him up with magic and then letting it flow out. “We should move in case someone heard that.”
“You should go back and get some rest,” Bucky said softly as he took a seat next to Tony.
“Like hell.” Tony snorted. “When is the next time we’re both going to have a chance to sneak away at the same time? Too long, that’s when.”
Bucky laughed and tugged Tony into him until they were leaning together. Tony snuggled in and sighed. Bucky was warm and smelled good, and the headache that threatened the base in his skull started to retreat because somehow Bucky had that power.
“I missed you too.” Bucky kissed the top of Tony’s head.
“How did you even do that thing?” Tony mumbled into Bucky’s chest. His eyes were only resting closed, nothing to worry about. “The wolf thing? Is that a spell or -” Tony jerked upright, blinking himself awake. Maybe he was too tired to be with Bucky. “Forget that, I didn’t ask, don’t tell me anything!”
Tony’s coven had built a reputation, thanks to his father. Specializing in offensive battle magic was a lucrative trade, but it wasn’t a specialty that put the neighbors at ease. When rumors spread that the Starks were looking to expand - and there was truth to the rumors, if Tony was reading Obie correctly - nearby covens like Bucky’s had pulled back and prepared for war.
There wasn’t outright violence yet, but it was a near thing. Bucky and Tony had almost been the spark that set tempers aflame when they’d run into each other and tripped into a den of chupacabras. They’d nearly killed each other while fighting before instead deciding to save each other’s lives, and the rest was history.
Or, the rest was secret dates after sneaking away from their respective covens whenever they could. Tony had Rhodey to cover for him back home, Bucky had someone named Steve, and they both got tons of grief for the ‘star-crossed lovers bullshit’ as Rhodey said but they made it work.
But part of the trust they had to give each other was that neither of them were spying for their coven. Bucky didn’t ask Tony about the spells he used, and Tony didn’t ask about Bucky’s.
The transformation was new though and so cool, now that Tony had a moment to get over the fear-inducing giant wolf that he’d thought had wanted to eat him.
“It’s okay,” Bucky said, laughing at Tony’s panic. “It’s a thing for me now, I guess.” He lifted his sleeve and Tony peered down at the new black ink that scrawled across Bucky’s forearm. "I think I could show you if - well, someday, I'll show you."
“That would be amazing,” Tony said as he traced some of the lines. The work was graceful in a way that the spells and runes that Tony was used to weren’t. His books were filled with spiky writing and harsh sketches, like the cutting force of the spells required an equally cutting depiction. If he could transform -
His father would want something that could deal a ton of damage. A rhinoceros, maybe? Obie would suggest something small and discrete for spying.
Tony would just want something that could fly.
“Makes it easier to sneak away,” Bucky said with a wink. “But try not to blow my head off again, doll.”
“Hopefully the next wolf I run into doesn’t want to eat me either, then.”
“Never said I didn’t want to eat you.” Bucky pushed Tony to the ground, cushioning his head, and hovered over him with a predatory smile. “But I was thinking more of a kind you’d enjoy.”
Tony groaned, full of suffering.
Bucky backed away. “Uh, Tony?”
“I almost wore red!” Tony slammed his fist into the ground. “That would’ve been perfect! But no, Rhodey convinced me to stick with the stealthier greens and browns.”
The kiss Bucky gave Tony was terrible because he was too busy laughing.