Archive of Our Own ^beta

The First Night

Harry was understandably nervous as he decided that, yes, tonight was the night he would try to sleep in a bed with three other men. His soulmates.

He’d known them for a few weeks now and he was starting to enjoy their company, the banter they shared, the dynamic they had together as a group and as individuals. It was too soon for love, he reasoned, even as his heart wanted to thunder on ahead with such deep emotions, but despite how short a time they’d known one another, Harry could not imagine his life without Sam, Steve, or Bucky. He didn’t want to be without them, not for a single moment.

He had never shared a bed before though. He was eighteen, a month away from nineteen, and this would be the first time he had ever shared a bed with someone and, now, he suddenly had to share with three rather large men. It was understandably a little nerve-wracking to him.

It didn’t help that he was still having nightmares and, sometimes, he woke up in a cold sweat, or even screaming and fighting. He had been flailing so much at times that he had fallen out of bed and injured himself, including a fractured elbow, a few broken fingers after he’d hit the bedpost, and a broken wrist, all on separate occasions.

He didn’t want his soulmates to be subjected to that, to see him in such a state, but he couldn’t sleep in a separate room forever. They would want to know why he was keeping his distance, if he somehow found fault with them and he really didn’t, he just didn’t really want to explain that he didn’t want to continuously wake them up through the night, or even hit or hurt them in their sleep.

He sighed and tried to calm himself down. It wasn’t that big of a deal. They knew he had never slept with anyone before and that he had never had sex; the bastards were all pleased and proud of that fact, despite that it had been because of the war, because he’d been hunting for Horcruxes and being on the run, and not strictly through personal choice. But they knew that this was a big step for him, and they had been so understanding and they hadn’t tried to push or chide him into the communal bed. They were happy to go at his pace, despite how slow it was.

That was part of the reason why Harry wanted to take this step now. Because they were so nice and kind and understanding. He liked that about them and he was really seeing now why they were all soulmates. He needed their kindness and acceptance after a lifetime of harshness, cruelty and rejection.

“You doin’ okay? You look upset.” Sam said, sitting next to him and throwing an arm around him casually.

Harry automatically turned to snuggle in. It was an ingrained response now to turn and cuddle with his soulmates and he liked that doing so had become an instinctive move on his part.

“I’m fine.” He assured Sam, even as he pushed his face into Sam’s neck.

Sam snorted. “Sure you are. You want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Besides my last two brain cells fighting for dominancy?”

Sam let out a short laugh.

“Don’t mock me.” Harry said teasingly. “I do have at least two brain cells left, you know.”

“Wasn’t that, sweetheart.” Sam told him, turning serious again. “Something is clearly bothering you, and your attempt to hide it by putting yourself down is so commonplace that even after a few weeks together we’ve all picked up on it. So, do you want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

Harry picked at the sleeve of his shirt and, suddenly, he couldn’t make eye contact.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but it’s good to talk, to share how you’re feeling.”

Harry heaved a heavy sigh. “It’s…it’s difficult for me to share anything. I’ve been self-reliant for so long…I mean, I have my friends, but I don’t really need to explain anything to them, they were there for the most part, so we all understand one another and what happened during…” Harry trailed off, but he’d told his soulmates very early on about some of what he’d gone through, so Sam could read between the lines easily enough.

“You find it difficult to talk to us about what you went through, I get it, Harry, but bottling up all that pain and anger isn’t healthy. I’ve said the same to Bucky and he’s doing much better since he started going to therapy.”

This was a familiar line to Harry, as his soulmates urged him to go to therapy. To talk about everything he had been through with a professional. Hermione had been nagging him to do the same. Maybe they had a point. Maybe it was time to consider going to a mind healer and getting everything out of his head and his heart. It would be difficult, he knew that, but surely it had to be better than holding on to all of this pain.

“Maybe I should look into it.” He admitted softly.

“Hey, no ducking your head when announcing something like that.” Sam cajoled him, gently but seriously. “Therapy isn’t something shameful to be hidden away. You’ve been through a lot, you deserve to find some measure of peace and healing from what you went through and therapy is an amazing tool to help you achieve that.”

Harry tipped his head back a little and smiled up at Sam,

Sam cupped his chin and cheek with one hand, then bent forward to rub their noses together, which is about as much as Harry would let them do to show physical affection. Not today however. Today, he had decided to sleep in the same bed as them, even if that was all they did, so he felt a little more emboldened. Enough so that he wrapped his arms around Sam’s neck to keep him in place and then angled his head for their first kiss.

It was soft and sweet…to begin with, that was. Sam let Harry lead for a moment, to explore tentatively, and then he pulled Harry in tight to his chest with both arms and took over.

Harry could barely keep up, so he just let Sam dominate his mouth, going soft and pliant in those strong arms, trying to follow Sam’s lead and learn how to kiss as he went.

Harry tried to break down everything that he was feeling, the small burst of joy he felt at being joined to one of his soulmates so fundamentally, the brief spark of pleasure and arousal, the small flash of heat coiling in his gut.

They broke apart panting heavily. Harry had to suck in several deep breaths to control himself. Then he smiled shyly and buried his face into Sam’s neck, feeling embarrassed.

“First kisses with soulmates are always a little overwhelming.” Sam told him kindly.

“Was it that bad?” Harry asked, his cheeks heating up with shame.

“Bad? No! It wasn’t bad at all.” Sam assured him. “Was it bad for you?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I liked it.”

Sam cuddled him back into his chest and Harry went willingly. He liked Sam’s aftershave and he was always happy to put his face to skin and just smell him, as weird as that sounded. The thing was that Sam bloody knew that Harry liked his aftershave, so he’d started wearing it every day, instead of occasionally. Steve and Bucky had noticed that right away, and they had started wearing aftershave as well but, so far, Harry only really liked Sam’s. Of course, Sam had taken to teasing the others that their ‘old timey’ aftershave wasn’t good enough for Harry’s modern tastes. It was now an ongoing joke.

Harry threw caution to the wind and he sighed and threw his legs over Sam’s lap, twisting further into him. Sam’s hand immediately splayed out on his thigh, right up high, pulling him in closer.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Sam asked.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, just trying to get some things straight in my head.”

“Well, me, Steve, and even Bucky, we’re your soulmates and we’re always gonna want what is best for you. It’s part of what being soulmates is about. So if ever you wanna talk, we’re here for you.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

“No problem, babe.”

They stayed there, cuddling, and, sometimes, Harry angled his head for another kiss, but nothing more than that. There was no pushiness or expectation for more. It was nice.

Sam’s phone started ringing and he cursed, but he didn’t move to get it.

“You can get that if you need to.” Harry said, trying to slip his legs back over Sam’s lap, but his soulmate held him tight and kept him in place.

“It can go to voicemail.”

“What if it’s your sister or your nephews?”

“It’s Steve. You’ve all got personalised ringtones.”

“What’s mine?” Harry asked with a grin.

“You’ll never find out.” Sam told him with a matching grin.

Harry chuckled. “I’ll find out.”

Sam kissed him again and Harry sunk into the feeling, wondering what he had even been arguing about.

Harry shuffled forward more, trying to get impossibly closer, until Sam pulled him up easily and Harry was then in his lap, not quite straddling him, but it was close enough as they snogged properly, arms wrapped tight around one another.

“Oh!”

Harry got startled and pulled back from Sam with a gasp, but it was only Bucky and Steve coming into their rooms.

“Sam, you never answered your phone so I thought you were in a VA meeting.”

“It ended early so I came back to spend some time with Harry.” Sam explained eyeing the two other men. “Wanted a bit of fun together?” He added teasingly.

Harry blinked and looked at them closer and they had clearly been kissing, and Steve looked a little rumpled. He snorted a laugh.

“Same.” Harry said with a smile up at Sam. “Sam’s a really good kisser.”

“You have low standards.” Bucky teased immediately. “Steve and I have had decades’ worth of practice, you should kiss us first, before saying that Sam’s a good kisser.”

“Hard to get any practice in when you’re frozen for decades too, genius.” Sam quipped.

Harry was still getting used to the very strange dynamic that Sam and Bucky shared. They both swore that they didn’t like one another, yet they were soulmates too. They had this sort of love-hate relationship going on, where some of their teasing and banter could be rather cruel or hurtful, but other times they could laugh and joke together, usually at Steve’s expense, like best friends. Harry didn’t really understand it, but Steve wasn’t worried about it, he just rolled his eyes and sometimes told them to knock it off, so Harry took his cues from him. He had known them for a long time after all and Harry hadn’t, so even if he did find it odd, he wasn’t going to say anything about how they interacted.

“Show me then.” Harry challenged.

Bucky blinked at him, breaking his staring contest with Sam.

“Show you what?”

Harry smirked and slid off of Sam’s lap and walked over to Bucky, wrapping an arm around his neck and the other around his waist.

“How good a kisser you are, of course.” Harry said.

Bucky turned on the charm like a tap and, suddenly, Harry was being cradled in strong arms, dipped down and snogged.

The kiss was so passionate and thorough that Harry forgot where he was for a moment…and that they had a rapt audience.

Bucky broke the kiss and Harry just clung to him stupidly.

“That’s how you kiss someone.” Bucky announced, staring at Sam again.

“Must you two turn everything into a competition?” Steve sighed. “Buck, that was your first kiss with Harry and you’re more concerned with Sam!”

Harry let out a soft giggle, ignoring the soft smiles it got him, before he turned to Steve and gave him a grin.

“So, how good a kisser are you?” Harry asked, more wondering aloud. “You are allowed to kiss aren’t you? No red tape preventing you from doing anything too naughty?”

Bucky laughed and Sam snorted.

“Don’t let his good guy act fool you.” Sam said. “He’s broken more laws than everyone in this room put together.”

“I doubt that. I broke into a bank once.” Harry confessed, then wished he hadn’t said anything as his three soulmates stared at him.

“Did you actually steal anything?” Steve asked, looking part impressed and part horrified.

“Well, yeah. I didn’t break in for shits and giggles, I broke in for a reason. I had to have four months of peace talks with the bank managers before they stopped trying to kill me on sight. Even now, they don’t like me and I have to have a chaperone if I dare enter the building.”

“The Death Eaters?” Bucky asked.

Harry nodded. “They’d hidden something I needed in a bank vault. I had to break in to steal it.”

“You little rebel! Steve, he is the most like you after all.” Sam said, laughing.

“God save us.” Bucky added.

Steve gave them both a glare, which only made them laugh more.

“So, do I get a kiss, or you know, a time out or something for breaking into a bank?” Harry teased.

“I don’t think I should give you positive reinforcement for admitting to breaking into a bank.”

Harry smirked, because he could see the teasing light in Steve’s blue eyes.

“Please, you break into Hydra bases for fun.” Harry pointed out. “You still get kisses for that.”

Steve laughed and swept Harry into strong, muscled arms, and damn, yeah, Harry definitely had a muscle fetish. He almost fucking swooned into Steve’s arms, as he was dipped again and then kissed. How had he held out for weeks without these kisses? Why had he held out again?

“Very nineteen-forties, gentlemen.” Sam announced, giving them a slow, sarcastic clap.

“I think I like the nineteen-forties kissing.” Harry said, grinning stupidly.

“So, who was the best kisser?” Bucky asked him.

“Stop making everything into a competition.” Steve said sternly.

Harry grinned and looked at all three of them.

“You know, I’m not sure who was the best. Maybe you should all kiss me again so I can figure it out.” He said with a cheeky grin.

Sam laughed first, coming to hug him from behind, big arms wrapping around him securely, making Harry feel safe.

“Should we go for a date?” Bucky asked, looking at the two of them and then at Steve.

“Seems like you two already had plans.” Sam teased. “Maybe me and Harry should go on a date and you and Steve should take one another to bed.”

Harry laughed this time.

“Maybe you should all take me to bed.” He offered.

“We swore we wouldn’t rush you.” Steve immediately cut in.

“It’s been three weeks, you’re not rushing at this point. We’ve had fourteen proper dates.” Harry pointed out. “The glossy rags are all talking about me, even.”

That was a downside to all of this. He was famous in Britain and his soulmates were famous in America. This was an issue they had to face on either side of the Atlantic, so they had decided to handle it together and, personally, it was kinda nice to have the papers speculating on who he could be instead of just knowing. He liked being the unknown one in the group.

“If we go any slower then I’m going to start thinking there’s something wrong with me and none of you are attracted to me.” He added. “I get it, I’m young, some of those glossy rags are saying terrible things about my age, but we’re soulmates! For some reason, we’re meant for one another. Though, I still think I can do better than a couple of centenarians.” He teased.

Sam pulled him backwards and into a tighter embrace.

“Ignore those fucking rags. I won’t have you taking anything they say to heart, Harry. It’s none of their damn business.”

“Sam’s right.” Steve told him, cupping his face in a large, gentle hand. “We love you, cheek and all.”

Harry grinned. “I knew you were all weirdos. Imagine wanting me to dunk on you all the time.”

“You could try to take a break.” Steve offered and Harry’s grin was evil.

“But then I wouldn’t be your little brat.” Harry pointed out.

Steve pulled him into a soft kiss, clearly relishing that he could now they’d moved to that level of their relationship. “I love you being a little brat.”

“I knew it!” Harry said with a grin.

“You’re exactly what we need, Harry.” Bucky assured him, reaching over to play with his hair.

Harry licked his lips and tried not to let the nerves take him over. He didn’t want to back out of this now that he’d decided that it was time. He wanted these three men. He felt whole with them. Supported. Loved. He wanted to share everything of himself with them, despite how difficult it was.

“Take me to bed.” He said more seriously.

He didn’t need to ask again. Sam swept him up into his arms, making Harry laugh as he was carried with purpose towards the bedroom.

Harry kissed at Sam’s neck and chin as he was carried, making his soulmate walk faster.

He hummed happily as he was gently lowered onto the bed and he dragged Sam over the top of him.

His heart was beating so fast, mostly with excitement, but there was a touch of anxiety there too, a little bit of worry. He’d never done this before and, he was no idiot, he knew sort of what to expect, but knowing and experiencing was entirely different when it actually came down to it.

“You with me, brat?” Sam asked, looking down at him with a grin.

Harry blinked and smiled up at Sam. “Yes. I’m just working through everything I’m feeling. This is all new.”

“You’re going too fast.” Steve chastised sternly, using his super strength to haul Sam off of him.

Harry’s expression was of shock as his bed partner was suddenly pulled off of him. “Hey! I was enjoying that!”

Bucky used the distraction to get onto the bed and he covered Harry with his own body. Harry grinned up at him as he heard Sam complain about it.

“Are you going to make me happy?” Harry asked softly.

“Very.” Bucky insisted, leaning down to kiss him.

Harry abandoned himself to the kiss, his hands finding their way into Bucky’s hair so that Harry could pull his soulmate’s head to where he wanted it, keeping him in place so that he could kiss to his heart’s content.

What he was feeling was exhilarating. His heart was pounding, but it wasn’t fear. It was adrenaline, but not the awful sort he was used to. It wasn’t raising his fight, flight, or freeze reflex, just the opposite. He didn’t want to fight or run anywhere, he wanted to stay right here, on his back on the bed that he was going to be sharing with his three soulmates.

“Will you slow down.” Steve commanded.

Harry was beginning to see that Steve saw himself as the leader in all things, even in the bedroom. That was going to stop, right now. Harry was going to be the one leading things from now on. He wasn’t a child, he never really had been. It was time for him to take charge.

“If you dare go slower I’m going to leave and find someone who will fuck me without a fuss.” Harry threatened.

His threat was a little hollow, of course, there was going to be no one he was going to trust enough to put himself in such a vulnerable situation, but the sentiment was there. He would leave them if they didn’t let him explore at his own pace when this was the first time he’d let himself relax around other people, enough so to do this sort of thing in the first place.

“Harry, I just don’t want you to regret your first time.” Steve told him.

Harry hummed, still holding Bucky in place by his hair, but his soulmate was pressed body-to-body with him and was kissing his neck; the touch of lips on his skin was making him stupid. He couldn’t think.

“How am I going to regret this when I asked for it, Steve?”

Steve’s hand went through Harry’s hair, petting gently. “You have been with us for three weeks, Harry, and this is the first time you’ve allowed us to even kiss you. Are you sure you’re ready to go straight to sex?”

Harry sighed heavily and threw his head back against the mattress. “Damn it, Steve. It wasn’t a lack of interest or fear of sex that held me back, it was…” Harry trailed off and sighed again, ending with a groan.

Harry sat up carefully, bringing Bucky up with him. He folded his legs over and stared up at Steve, with his earnest, sincere blue eyes and he knew he was going to have to explain everything, properly, before they went any further.

“I’ve wanted to jump into bed with all three of you the moment I realised we were soulmates.” Harry told them seriously. “Desire and sex weren’t the issues…I…”

“Take your time, sweetheart.” Sam told him, moving to sit behind him, though none of his soulmates could cross their legs. Sam sat with his legs stretched out in front of him and reclining on one arm, the other went to play with Harry’s hair.

“I’m not good at sleeping.” He told them, finally admitting to one of his biggest issues with having soulmates, and sharing a bed with them.

“What time do you actually go to sleep at night?” Sam asked, after a very pregnant pause that lasted for minutes too long, making Harry’s anxiety and nervousness rear their ugly heads.

Harry let out a humourless laugh. “Sometimes, I’m still awake at six or seven in the morning. There’s something…insecure about the night. It’s probably all psychological, but there are times when I just can’t sleep when it’s dark, or too quiet, and when I do drop off…”

“Nightmares.” Bucky supplied, sounding so certain. A certainness grown from experience.

“Why wouldn’t you tell us before now, sweetheart? We would have understood.” Sam assured him.

Harry shook his head, trying to get his thoughts in order so that he could explain.

“The nightmares are bad enough.” Harry said softly. “I often thrash and fight during them, I usually hurt myself and I didn’t want to show that side of myself to you. Not right away.”

“We wouldn’t have minded, Harry.” Steve told him.

“I mind.” Harry said stubbornly. “I care that I could hurt you, that I hurt myself, that I can’t sleep and when I do, I thrash about and scream. I didn’t want that to be one of your first impressions of me.”

“I understand.” Bucky said carefully. “I felt the same way when…when I was coming around from Hydra captivity. I couldn’t even sleep in a bed. I would drag my blankets to the floor.”

Harry averted his gaze.

“Are you also doing that, Harry?” Sam asked him.

Harry nodded. “It’s easier to sleep on the floor. To just push myself up against two walls and surround myself with pillows and blankets. I was injuring myself by falling out of bed. I broke my fingers once when I accidentally hit the bedpost when I was caught in a nightmare. It was safer to sleep on the floor. I haven’t slept in a bed in months.”

“You’ve been sleeping on the floor while here?” Steve asked, sounding so worried and upset.

Harry nodded. “Yes.”

“Can wizards silence rooms?” Bucky asked him then.

Harry snorted a humourless laugh through his nose. “Yes, we can and, you have probably already figured this out, but that is what I’ve been doing. I wasn’t ready to talk about any of this. We’ve just met and it’s not really something I’m proud of. I don’t want to tell people about it.”

“We helped Bucky through this, Harry, and we’re all going to help you.” Steve told him sincerely.

Harry smiled at him and then sighed, throwing a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess…”

“No.” Sam interrupted. “Don’t you dare. That is nothing you should apologise for, sweetheart.”

“Truthfully speaking, we’re all messes, Harry.” Bucky pointed out. “But, it’s been forced into my head that we all deserve help. I got that help, I’m still receiving it, so we’re going to help you too.”

Harry tried not to let his chin wobble, tried not to let the tears prickling at his eyes fall. Clearly, it was time for him to look into therapy. It was time for him to start dealing with all the shit he’d gone through in his life and start sorting himself out…for his soulmates and for himself.

He was so grateful for the offer of help, of support, that he reached out to Bucky and they hugged tightly, nothing sexual in it, despite what they’d been doing before, but Harry needed the comfort of physical touch after so long denying himself human contact. He needed it. He really did.

All three of his soulmates touched him, comforted him, and the bliss of all of them touching at once…it truly was indescribably. He felt whole. Complete. All the other shitty cliched words the romantics used to describe being with their soulmate. It was all actually true. He could have laughed at the absurdity of it.

“I think we’re all in agreement that we’d like you to stay here with us, Harry. In this bed.” Steve told him, a hint of that authoritativeness peeking out again that made Harry’s hackles want to rise and disagree on principle. He was getting better, though.

“Let us hold you, cuddle you through this stage.” Sam added. “We want to help you.”

“It’s not easy.” Bucky said quietly. “It’ll take time. But, being in a bed with your soulmates really helped me, so I hope that it helps you too.”

“I’m willing to try.” Harry said softly, still hugged tight to Bucky’s chest.

“We’ll take it one step at a time.” Sam assured him.

“Can step one be carrying on where we left off?” Harry asked with a hint of his usual cheeky self.

“Well, do you still want to?” Sam asked him.

“Yes. Definitely. I’ve made up my mind and now…now you all know why I was a little hesitant to share a bed with you. If you reject me now, I’ll take it personally.” He added, only half joking.

“We wouldn’t want that.” Bucky said, bending down to give him a kiss.

Harry allowed himself to relax into the kiss as he was rested back against the mattress and he melted into it, trying to mould himself to Bucky’s chest at the same time.

It truly was euphoric to be with his soulmates like this. All of them around him, touching him, loving him. It was addicting.

It was one kiss after another. Harry was feeling dizzy. Almost empty-headed. He always had his lips pressed to someone else, his tongue in their mouths, or their tongues in his mouth.

He was up on the pillows now and Sam was lying next to him. The two of them were on their sides, turned toward one another.

Harry didn’t know when he’d lost his shirt, or when Sam had, but he was very much enjoying touching the firm skin of his soulmate’s body. Sam was ripped and Harry loved it. He definitely had a muscle fetish and he was not short on muscled lovers. He considered himself to be exceptionally lucky.

A hand went from the back of his knee, up his leg, and settled on his arse. The fact that he didn’t mind was all the proof Harry needed to know that this wasn’t a mistake. He was more than ready for this. In fact, he was eager for it now that the dark secret had been let out of the bag. His soulmates knew about his sleeping issues and they had insisted that they would help him. There was nothing now holding him back from exploring and he was relishing every moment of it.

“Fuck, we don’t use condoms.” Sam said, pushing himself up onto one arm and reaching across to the bedside drawer. He came back holding a bottle of lube.

“So?” Harry said. “I trust that you three have only been with each other and I haven’t been with anyone, so what are you concerned about?”

“Condoms can make it easier as you get used to sex, darlin’.” Bucky told him.

“I’m sure just lube will be fine.” Harry waved off.

“It’ll make the prep more fun.” Bucky said with a sexy grin. “We’ll have to make sure you’re thoroughly prepared and stretched out.”

“Why do I get the feeling that I’m not entirely aware of what I’m getting myself into?” Harry asked, smirking.

“You couldn’t ask for better teachers, love.” Sam boasted.

“We will take care of you.” Steve assured him, his large hand cupping Harry’s cheek.

Harry licked his lips and then sat up, wrapping his arms around Steve’s neck and snogging him. It felt amazing not to have that looming secret between them anymore. He wanted to kiss and touch them. He had wanted it from almost the first moment he’d seen them and, holding back, pretending he wanted to go slowly just because he was afraid to tell them about his nightmares, it had been torturous. They were the three other perfect parts of his soul, together they were complete, so of course he wanted to be closer to them, together in all the intimate ways that would make them feel closer. Would make them feel whole.

He had been holding them back, for all that he had allowed the jokes about Steve and Bucky being from a different era and needing to take him on so many dates first, that hadn’t been the case. He was pretty sure that if he had insisted on being taken to bed on the first day they had met, then he likely would have gotten his own way. They would have been feeling the urge to make themselves complete with him too, he was a part of their soulmate bond, a fourth of their whole soul. The three of them had already been together for years, or in Steve and Bucky’s case, decades on and off. He had been the missing piece. The one they had been waiting for.

Sam kissed him hard. They were always gentle with him, and this was no exception, but he was kissed so thoroughly it stole his breath and he was panting hard, his brain short-circuiting as he went stupid with pleasure. He wanted to cling to them, all three of them, and just melt into them. To make the four of them one.

He allowed himself to be moved about without complaint or fuss; allowing his face to be cupped and moved into kiss after kiss by all three of his soulmates. He didn’t know why all three of them were so wholly focused on just him…no, it was probably because this was his first time with them, or with anyone, and he was the new addition to the bed. If he’d had something new to play with then he’d have been wholly focused on them too.

It was getting addictive. He was short of breath and getting shorter on patience. He couldn’t stop himself from gripping at his soulmates’ hair and tugging on it, trying to get them to move, to do something other than kiss and touch him. His body felt like it was on fire and every nerve was tingling with pleasure and anticipation.

A hand swept up his body to gently roll a pebbled nipple between a finger and thumb and Harry gasped, trying to turn his head to see who it had been, but his mouth was captured in another kiss. Someone else was nibbling on his neck and there were lips on his bare thigh. When had he lost his jeans?

His mind felt muddled, as if he was starved of oxygen. The kiss broke and he panted hard, trying to gasp in some much needed air. His skin was so sensitive now, due to the attention he’d been given, that when the lips drew back from his neck the whisper of chilled air made him moan softly.

He was restless, reaching out to touch his soulmates as well, shifting his hips to entice them back to him. He had no idea what he was doing, he no longer cared, all he knew was that if his soulmates weren’t touching him, he was going to explode.

“Take a deep breath for me, darlin’.” Bucky coaxed and Harry tried to focus for long enough to do as he was told.

After a few stuttered starts, he managed to inhale deeply and, as he did, a finger was slipped into his body and the breath he’d just taken was knocked right back out of him.

The intrusion was new, it felt strange, but he was kissed again, fussed over, as that finger inside him pressed around, just feeling about, getting him used to having something inside him.

He calmed quickly, of course the kisses helped. Having his other nipple rolled and tugged on gently helped, and he was gasping again in pleasure before he even really had a chance to be uncomfortable.

Someone, probably Bucky if he was the one down between his legs, was stroking gentle fingers over the inside of his thigh and it was setting his nerves on fire. Harry’s tongue was coaxed into someone’s mouth and he went willingly, eagerly. The attention was making him greedy. He wanted more.

He wrapped a leg around Bucky and tried to pull him in tighter. Of course, being a super soldier, Bucky didn’t even budge, but he did get the message and the finger inside him was slowly withdrawn. Harry took a moment to breathe, to writhe as much as he could between three sets of hands and mouths and bodies. Then two thick fingers were pressed into him and started teasing and moving around, stretching him and getting him used to the feelings and Harry thought he would melt on the spot.

He moaned and his leg around Bucky squeezed his soulmate tighter, the heel of his foot digging into the hard, muscled body. One hand reached out and found skin and Harry wrapped his fingers around a muscled arm, squeezing, tugging, trying to get them all closer to him. He wanted them all touching him, all of them on top of him. He didn’t want any space between them.

“More.” He managed to moan out, not really knowing what he was asking for. He only knew that he didn’t want them to stop touching him. He wanted them closer. He wanted more kisses, more touches, more of everything.

“He’s nice and relaxed.” Bucky was saying.

“How many fingers?” Sam asked, ignoring that Harry was desperately trying to meld them into one person.

“Two, but I can go to a third if you’re concerned.”

“Are you getting a touch impatient yourself?” Sam was teasing. “Prep him properly, Bucky. He’s tiny and a virgin, and none of us are small.”

The two fingers slipped from his body and Harry moaned unhappily, squirming, hardly able to make sense of anything. He heard the squirt of a bottle and then those fingers were back, touching him, sliding easily back inside him.

There was a slight pinch, a burning stretch as another finger found itself inside him, but it was nothing Harry would consider pain.

“Breathe, sweetheart.” Sam coaxed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Harry huffed in quick, shallow breaths. His legs were kicking restlessly and he couldn’t seem to regain control of himself. It was as if he were reacting on instinct alone. It was frightening to have his control taken away, even with pleasure, or maybe because of it, but if he couldn’t trust his soulmates, then he truly was doomed to lifelong isolation and loneliness.

He said nothing about it, perhaps a testament to his growth and how much he did trust them, that he didn’t want them to stop. He wanted to carry on and experience everything they had to offer him. It was all new, there was a hint of exhilarated fear, he wanted it, but he didn’t know what he wanted. It was very far away from terror.

His relaxed state was the biggest clue, he thought, as he couldn’t seem to get any of his limbs to move. He was floppy as his soulmates touched his legs, his arms, his chest. He knew that if he had been at all truly frightened or apprehensive, he would be as stiff as a board and very uncooperative. The only part of him that was remotely stiff was his dick and he needed someone to touch it.

“Please.” He moaned unhelpfully, unable to get enough breath in his body to tell them exactly what he wanted. Instead, he was hoping, fervently, that they would just know.

Sam hummed and looked down at him with a smirk. “You look good like this, Harry.”

Harry couldn’t swallow with his dry throat, so he just ended up mouthing silently, trembling with anticipation. Now that he knew exactly what he was missing, there was no way he could be without this sort of attention or the pleasure that came with it.

“The blush is very cute.” Steve added, stroking his large hand over Harry’s body, up his neck, and to his cheek.

“You’ve gone a very attractive shade of dark pink.” Bucky told him.

“In all the important areas.” Sam chuckled.

Harry could hardly focus on what they were saying now. He just wanted to be touched. He wanted a release from the building pleasure. He tried, and failed, to swallow around his thick tongue. He was panting hard, his chest heaving as if he’d been exercising. He supposed that this was a kind of workout. One which he could easily see himself dying from.

“We’ll call this shade arousal.” Steve said, smiling at him.

“You’re the artist.” Sam waved off.

Harry couldn’t focus, he couldn’t understand what they were saying. He could hardly breathe.

“Please.” He begged pitifully.

Sam hummed again. “I suppose we are being a little cruel to him. This is his first time.”

“He doesn’t even know what he wants or what he’s asking for.” Bucky said.

“Let’s fix that.” Sam answered, directing his smirk at Bucky this time.

Bucky chuckled, then moved away from Harry, sliding his fingers from inside him. Harry moaned with displeasure and disappointment, making the three older men laugh before Steve regained control of himself.

“Alright, enough teasing, he’ll be resentful of us if we take it much further.”

“We love you as you are.” Sam told him, running a hand gently through Harry’s sweat-soaked hair. “This is an experience for all of us too, we’ve never been complete like this before, Harry.”

“You belong with us.” Bucky assured him and Harry was glad that he’d said ‘with’ and not ‘to’ or he didn’t care how much pleasure he was feeling, or how floppy and weak his legs were feeling, he’d have gotten up and walked out with all of his stubborn pride.

He got a sweet kiss to the mouth and he chased whoever it was with his tongue. Someone else latched their mouth to one of his sensitive, swollen nipples, licking it with a hot tongue and gently sucking it.

Harry came undone. His head was all over the place and the only thing that mattered was the pleasure. He was dimly aware of a conversation going on over his head.

“Don’t you dare make this into a competition!” Steve snapped angrily, with all that authoritativeness that made others stand up and pay attention, which was probably why those words broke through the fog of lust that was clouding Harry’s mind.

Harry tried to speak, but all that came out of his dry mouth was a pathetic whine of fear. It was dangerous to be this vulnerable when there was anger in the room. He didn’t like not being in control of himself. He’d passed his safety over to his soulmates, trusting them to look after him as he explored sex.

The moment passed. Harry was touched and shushed gently. Someone kissed the side of his head lovingly. A nose gently brushed up against his neck, followed by lips, a pattern of butterfly kisses that calmed him back down.

“You are not ruining this experience for him with selfish games.” Steve said, calmer, but no less sternly. “Make up between yourselves and then ease with the mood. We will not put more value on his first time than any of the others that will follow. He is important, his virginity isn’t, do I make myself clear?”

The absence of loving, arousing touches was bringing Harry out of his pleasure-fugged head. Enough to understand what Steve was angry about, and Harry fully agreed with him, as he realised that Sam and Bucky had clearly started another of their little competitions, only this time it had been over who got to have sex with him first. He agreed with Steve that it was childish, it was selfish. He didn’t care about his own virginity. It hadn’t been ‘kept’ through choice or desire. He put absolutely zero weight or value on it. It meant nothing to him. He’d just wanted to have sex with his soulmates for the first time. To keep feeling the pleasure and love they were giving him. He didn’t care who was first, only that the three of them were the very first people he had ever trusted enough to be this vulnerable with. That was the only part of this that he put any stock in. The only thing that mattered to him.

Harry sat up, decision made, and he wrapped his arms around Steve, rubbing his cheek over him as he tried to lined their mouths up. He kissed him, trying to pull him back down, over the top of himself, though he was aware that there was no way he could move any of his soulmates if they didn’t want to move. Not without magic, at least.

Steve, thankfully, allowed himself to be pulled down and Harry heaved out a sigh, letting himself sink back into the warm, soft bubble of love and pleasure he’d been in previously.

Steve was overly gentle with him, touching him carefully, always aware of his strength, and it made Harry feel cherished. Precious. It was a novel feeling, one that was rapidly becoming addictive.

Harry arched himself up into Steve, feeling firm muscle and bare skin against his stomach. It caught his breath in his throat and he slipped one of his hands into Steve’s blonde hair.

He moaned as he was cradled in strong arms, pulling him and pressing him closer to Steve’s body. His mind had gone stupid with pleasure again. He was whittled down to lust and instinct and he didn’t even mind.

“Take a deep breath for me, Harry, love.” Steve coaxed him.

It took him several attempts to catch his breath, with the soft words of all three of his soulmates encouraging him.

The first deep inhale was accompanied by something a lot bigger than some fingers pressing into him and it caught his breath and tightened his muscles with the shock of the difference. It wasn’t quite what Harry would call pain, not after the Dursleys and the war, but it was still startling.

“Breathe, darlin’.” Bucky was saying soothingly, stroking his hair.

“That’s it, sweetheart.” Sam encouraged. “Nice, deep breaths.”

He was breathing fast, in desperate, ragged pants. He was grateful that Steve held completely still, and that he was held still so that he didn’t wriggle and inadvertently hurt himself as he got used to everything.

It didn’t take him long to ease his breathing, to calm a little, and he thunked his forehead against Steve’s shoulder, his face turned inward, towards his lover’s neck.

Steve turned to face him, pressing a gentle kiss to the bridge of Harry’s nose, just a little shy of his forehead. The loving gesture made Harry exhale on a soft chuckle.

Now that the surprise of the initial penetration was over, the euphoria of having one of his soulmates inside him, as close as he would ever get to making them whole, it made his eyes prickle with tears, even as his hands scrabbled over sweat-slick skin to pull himself and Steve closer together.

“There’s that soulmate burst of joy.” Sam said happily, watching them.

Steve was very gentle and tentative, as he moved within him, minimally at first as Harry got used to this part of sex too.

There were more hands on him, someone was kissing his chest, someone was stroking his hair out of his eyes, and Steve pressed a touch deeper into him and Harry’s body arched in reflex, a deep moan pulled from his throat as heat coiled in his gut and his toes curled with pleasure.

Steve was still being exceptionally careful with him, even as he pressed deeper with every stroke, until it was all Harry could feel. It was all he could think about. His body felt like it had been heated and he was glistening with sweat. He was panting so hard that he couldn’t catch his breath, but he didn’t want this to ever end. His hips moved of their own accord, he couldn’t stop himself from digging his nails into Steve’s back, his shoulders, all in an effort to drag them both closer together. Harry’s head fell back as a quick, deep thrust made his eyes roll into the back of his head. He moaned happily as his thighs tightened. His dick was caught between his own body and Steve’s hard, muscled one and the faster he moved his hips, the more it rubbed at his dick, and he couldn’t stop moving. He couldn’t stop chasing the pleasure, it was becoming too much, too overwhelming, but still his body moved of its own accord.

His arms were wrapped around Steve’s neck, holding his head in place as he lost himself to mindless pleasure. One of Steve’s hands was wrapped around his back, the other was holding his thigh, big fingers wrapping around his leg and holding him in place, even as Harry rocked and rolled his hips into every thrust.

From one moment to the next, from one thrust to the next, Harry splintered and screamed, his head thrown back, his body arched, his toes curled tightly. His fingers were scratching at Steve’s back, though his soulmate didn’t seem to care at all as he chased his orgasm.

Harry could barely breathe when he came down from his own orgasm. He was gasping and dripping with sweat. He was drooling and there were tears on his cheeks from how overwhelming everything had felt. His body ached pleasantly, he felt as if he were floating, and every single nerve ending was tingling, making him feel hyper-aware of every touch, every slight whisper of air over his exposed skin…he was getting aroused again, despite how exhausted he was. Perhaps a part of his instinctual brain knew that he had three soulmates to satisfy. He wondered how amazing he would feel if he had all of them so close together, connecting their souls together as they should be.

Someone was cradling him tightly. Steve had fallen to the side of him, so that he wasn’t crushed, and his breathing was calming, as was his heart rate. It was merely proximity that had Harry rolling over, and pulling Sam into a kiss.

“Oh, is someone still not satisfied? Steve, you left him wanting.” Sam teased.

Steve merely laughed, not rising to the teasing.

“Come here, sweetheart.” Sam said to him, shuffling him in tighter. “Are you hurt anywhere? Sore?”

“No.” Harry replied, even though his limbs had gone to jelly.

Fingers probed at his hole, checking for something, looseness? Blood? Swelling? He didn’t care as they slipped inside him and he moaned happily, encouragingly, slipping his leg over Sam’s hip and then sliding it higher, giving him easier access.

“You’re so beautiful.” Sam told him.

Harry blushed harder, his already red cheeks darkening.

“We’re gonna have to get you more acquainted with compliments. You deserve them and more, sweetheart.”

Harry was once again on his back, what seemed to be the most comfortable position while he lacked critical experience, and he wrapped himself around Sam this time.

Harry seemed to get riled up quicker. Perhaps with anticipation now that he had some idea of what to expect? He was very much looking forward to it. There was no fear, not even any apprehension. He was eager.

“I love that look on your face, Harry.” Sam said, lowering his head to nuzzle at his cheek before moving to kiss him.

They were all so gentle with him. So loving and attentive it threatened to make him cry. He needed this. Their softness, their gentleness, their love and care. He appreciated it so much that they gave it unhesitantly and in spades. He clutched at Sam tighter, trying to pull him even closer, but they were already as close as they possibly could be. It wasn’t enough and Harry let out a cry of frustration.

“I hear you.” Sam said, laughing. Harry was kissed, his breath stolen. He was panting when they broke apart. “Deep breaths, Harry. Come on, you can do it.”

Harry struggled to follow the instructions, to focus long enough to do as he was told. The first proper inhale he managed, and Sam slid straight into him, as far as he could, and the surprise of the intrusion warred with the euphoria of being as close to his soulmate as he could ever be. It was a heady confliction. A unique sensation that could never be replicated. He was in love. It had taken being connected to them in this way to realise it, but it was love and he would do whatever he had to to protect it.

“Breathe.” Sam was coaching him. “Breathe through it, Harry.”

His lungs felt too small as he tried to do as he was told, but he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. He rolled his hips up into Sam, then moved his heavy legs to wrap them tight around a trim, muscled waist, squeezing to encourage Sam to move within him.

“Not until you breathe, Harry.” Sam told him, moving a hand to cup his face, a thumb moving gently over his open, panting mouth.

It took so much effort to focus on anything else. To slow his breathing enough to take the air in deeper.

“There we go.” Sam said, moving to kiss down his neck before shifting his weight and putting himself squarely above Harry.

Harry was lost to the pleasure the moment he received it. He couldn’t reach Sam’s back, so he gripped at those muscled arms with his fingers and nails instead. It was so intense the second time that his thighs started trembling with the pleasure and his body felt so tight he was likely to snap.

He was moaning so desperately that it was coming out as a pitiful whine and he couldn’t control any part of himself. He was rubbing the back of his head into the pillow beneath him, squirming, writhing, and his legs kicked out, his toes curling so tightly he was in danger of giving himself a cramp.

Harry was sobbing when Sam reached a hand down to stroke over his dick, teasing the tip and working Harry to the very edge of his orgasm. When it came, it hit him so strong and sudden that Harry couldn’t even make a noise. His head flung back and his scream was silent as his entire body locked up with pleasure.

Harry blinked open his eyes, feeling that he’d lost a bit of time as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

His chest was still heaving, his breaths were gasping but even, and it felt like every drop of energy in his body had been wrung out like a wet tea towel. He had never felt so relaxed and mellow in his entire life as he let the pillows and the mattress cradle his body.

Someone was stroking over his head, through his hair, and that was keeping him nice and relaxed. He hummed happily and the soft mumble of conversation above him stopped.

“How are you doing there, love?” Sam asked him.

Harry hummed again.

“Has he gone non-verbal?” Steve asked in concern.

Steve crowded in on his other side, touching him and looking him over.

“Fine.” Harry forced himself to say, to stop them from worrying.

They relaxed back down themselves as he spoke and Harry shuffled his shoulders deeper into the mattress. His breathing was more normal now, and he blew out a deep breath, sinking even further into the mattress. Had he ever been this comfortable before?

“Here, have a drink, Harry.” Sam said, offering him a bottle of water.

Harry was supported by a muscled arm, pulled upright enough to drink without choking, and he drank deep, only realising at that moment that he was incredibly thirsty.

“Easy, love.” Sam said calmly, holding the bottle steady for him. “Nice and slow, so you don’t choke or inhale it into your lungs. You can have as much as you want.”

Harry gulped some more of the water, drinking half the bottle before he’d had enough and he reached up a shaky hand to push the bottle away. He was passed into Steve’s arms while Sam turned to put the bottle back on the bedside table and Harry relaxed back, feeling completely boneless.

He’d been cleaned up, or at least wiped down, as he was no longer covered in sweat, cum, or his own dribble. He liked that they had taken care of him in such a way.

“How are you feeling now?” Bucky asked him, reaching over Steve to rub his thumb over Harry’s hot cheek.

“I’ve never felt this relaxed. Ever.” Harry said, glad that he was now able to speak. Clearly, he had needed that drink rather desperately.

Bucky bent to kiss him and Harry hummed happily, reaching up with heavy arms to wrap them around Bucky’s neck to keep him in place. He’d connected with two of his soulmates, there was no way his pride would allow him to stop short by one.

“We don’t have to take this all the way today.” Bucky assured him. “Don’t hurt yourself because you think you have to have all three of us every time we have sex.”

“No. I want to.” Harry said insistently. “At least this first time. I need…” He trailed off and tried to put his thoughts into some semblance of order. “I need to be connected to you all. I need to know what it feels like with all of you.”

“Then, let me show you how to take things slowly.” Bucky said sensually.

Bucky took him from Steve and settled Harry in his own lap, wrapped in his arms, and Harry arched his neck back to get a kiss. It was readily given, slow, passionate, and devouring. As slow as it was, it did nothing to calm his heartbeat, which was racing.

Harry loved kissing the three of them. He would never tire of this and he held Bucky in place, greedily kissing him.

“Maybe we should have fed you too.” Sam teased.

Harry was breathing hard, having trouble catching his breath, but he had enough braincells in one place to turn and throw a hand at Sam, who laughed while catching that hand and bringing it to his mouth to kiss it. Harry turned fully around in Bucky’s lap to face Sam, watching as his hand was kissed so gently.

“He’s enjoying his kisses, Sam.” Steve said. “Leave them be.”

“I can’t tell whose enjoying it more.” Sam chuckled.

“I think that might be me.” Harry said. “I love it!” He said empathetically.

“Come back here then.” Bucky said, one hand running down Harry’s chest and to his belly, pulling him further back into his lap and bending to kiss him again.

With his back pressed against Bucky’s chest, being upright was an entirely different experience and he couldn’t stop squirming and moving.

“You’ll be the death of me like this, darlin’.” Bucky told him, breathing heavily and trying to keep Harry still.

Harry threw his head back onto Bucky’s shoulder, trying to get a kiss, but the angle was bad. He whined and arched his back, putting his arse further into Bucky’s groin, but also putting his head back further, so that he could get his kiss. It was readily given, but Harry could feel Bucky straining at his back. He felt big. All of his soulmates were big.

The anticipation of sex, knowing what it was like now, threatened to undo Harry completely. He’d turned into some wanton monster, all grasping limbs and endless kisses. These were his soulmates. The perfect pieces that had been missing from him for so long. He could never get enough of them. He wanted to be complete. He needed it so desperately.

He wriggled in Bucky’s lap, hearing the foul-mouthed, ragged curse as he did. Both of Bucky’s hands gripped his hips, pressing him in tight and keeping him still. The metal hand felt cooler than the flesh hand, but Harry didn’t mind, his hips rolled of their own accord and Bucky hissed through his teeth.

“You’re gonna cum before you even get inside him.” Sam teased.

Bucky ignored him as his mouth attached to Harry’s neck, kissing and sucking gently. Harry wrapped his arms around Bucky’s head and clung to him, gripping at his hair and keeping him in place so that his soulmate could keep giving his neck some attention. Every time he sucked on Harry’s neck, his entire body tingled and he couldn’t work out why, but he liked it.

A large hand wrapped around Harry’s straining dick and his back arched again, pushing his dick into that hand, but also thrusting his arse back against Bucky, who hissed through his teeth and clutched at Harry tighter, as if he would pull him away from that hand.

“You’re not helping, Sam.”

“Of course I am.” Sam insisted, and Harry could hear the grin through his words. “Poor Harry was going that lovely shade of arousal again. I’m just helping relieve the pressure a bit.”

The dark chuckle from Steve made Harry quiver. He was so addled by pleasure he didn’t know which way to turn. He ended up putting his head back on Bucky’s shoulder, arching up for a kiss. It was Sam who gave him that kiss, though, and Harry happily latched onto him, going willingly, at least until Bucky snatched him back. Harry made a wordless complaint, a cry of anger, disappointment, and interrupted pleasure.

“You’re taking too damn long.” Sam told Bucky. “Poor Harry is already trembling with need and you’re gonna leave him like that?”

“I’m trying to take things slow.” Bucky argued.

“I’m gonna recommend that you don’t.” Sam insisted. Harry heard Steve laugh again. He made a wordless noise of complaint, wriggling in Bucky’s lap, and Bucky held him tighter, moving them until Harry was once again facing his soulmate. It was so much easier to wrap his arms and legs around Bucky like this and Harry relished being able to squeeze as closely to him as he possibly could.

Bucky made a soft noise, a moan of pleasure-pain as Harry rubbed against him and Harry was pulled quickly into a searing kiss, pinned in place by a warm, muscled arm.

“Do you need a hand?” Sam asked teasingly.

“I don’t want to hurt him with the bionic arm.” Bucky replied quietly, as if hoping Harry wouldn’t hear him.

“You’ve never hurt me.” Harry said, pulling back from their kiss.

“This is the first time we’ve been in this sort of situation, darlin’, I’d hate to ruin it by accidentally hurting you.”

Harry blew out a massive breath, trying to think when his brain seemed to be short-circuiting. He didn’t want to repay their softness, their kindness, their patience with him by pushing Bucky too hard right out of the gate, but he also didn’t like the thought of Bucky avoiding him, or refusing to use his metal arm to touch or initiate sex when it was just them together, just on the off-chance that Harry might be hurt.

“We will be working on this in future.” He said sternly. The only compromise he could think of when most of his brain was currently in his dick and the throbbing of it was all he could really think about.

“We’ll work on it.” Bucky said, pulling Harry into a sweet kiss.

Bucky gasped softly, then blew out a breath on a moan and Harry assumed that Sam had taken him in hand.

“You’re so damn hard that has to be painful.” Sam commented.

“Sam.” Bucky growled, part in pleasure and part in warning. “Steve!”

Harry blinked open his eyes when he felt hair brushing over his face to see that Steve was pressed right up against Bucky’s back, kissing up his neck.

“You’re taking so long, you’re having all of the fun. I thought I’d join in.” Steve answered, speaking directly into Bucky’s ear.

Harry shifted forward as much as he could, reaching up to grip at Steve’s neck, pulling him into a kiss. It didn’t last long as Harry broke the kiss only a moment later when Sam pressed a finger into him and the suddenness of it, the pleasure as already sensitive nerve-endings fired up, had him moaning loudly and gasping for breath.

He didn’t have time to complain or admonish Sam for it, as his soulmate had taken hold of his hip and gently lowered him down and onto Bucky.

There was no pain, only pleasure and the sensation of being stretched, filled, wholly complete with his soulmate. It was euphoric and Harry curled up around Bucky, clutching at bare skin, trembling as he experienced the full connection between all four of them for the first time.

It was as if he had shattered into pieces and then reformed into one person with all of his soul intact. The joy of it. The pleasure of it…it was indescribable. He wanted this forever. For the rest of his life. He was finally where he belonged. He’d found his home.

There was movement, growling, a snapped comment that made Harry whine softly before he was shushed and kissed and petted gently.

Everyone seemed to be shuffling around and Harry couldn’t make sense of it. He didn’t want to stress his floaty brain into making sense of anything. He just wanted to feel. To experience.

Harry rolled his hips and there was an answering grunt and the tightening of an arm around his back.

“Sit still a moment more, Harry.” Sam coached him.

“Ready.” He moaned.

Sam chuckled. “It’s not for you, sweetheart. Bucky’s the one who needs the moment.”

“Shut up.” Bucky snapped.

“Enough.” Steve warned, large hand moving to cup the back of Harry’s head, stroking through his messy, sweaty hair.

“Ste…”

Harry’s mouth was taken in a dizzying kiss that left him gasping for breath and rolling his hips in reflex.

Harry heard Bucky’s dark cursing and he felt the metal hand on his hip, trying to still him, but Harry couldn’t stay still and holding him couldn’t prevent all movement.

“Ah, fuck.” Bucky said, sounding rough and gravelly.

“Stay strong, Bucky.” Sam teased.

Bucky surged forward and Harry thought that perhaps Bucky had pushed Sam away from the laughing, but it had thrust Bucky inside him and he moaned happily, clutching tighter and rolling his hips faster.

Bucky was breathing heavily, but he had hold of Harry’s hips and, as Harry was desperately rolling and writhing his hips, Bucky pulled back a little and then thrust into him.

The two of them struggled together for a moment, out of sync and a touch awkward, and then they found their rhythm and started moving together.

Harry’s heart was racing, his skin slick with sweat and he tucked his head into Bucky’s neck, holding onto his soulmate tightly, his hips still rolling on instinct, out of his control, as Bucky moved within him.

“Move.” Bucky growled and Harry thought, for a moment, that he was speaking to him, but someone shuffled away and then Bucky turned them both, being exceptionally careful as he laid Harry down on the bed, on his back, still pressed inside him.

Harry sunk into the mattress, letting it cradle his body so that he felt supported and he arched his back, his neck, his hands flinging up by his head, clutching tight to the pillow on either side of his head.

Bucky went to his knees, arching over him, and then he carefully pressed into Harry, then kept pressing, pushing as deeply into Harry as he possibly could and Harry’s thighs trembled, his fingers curling and gripping the fabric tightly. His breath had been pushed out of his lungs and he couldn’t get enough breath to so much as moan. His head rubbed restlessly against the pillow and his eyes went up into his head.

“You’re torturing our poor, sweet soulmate, Bucky.” Sam said.

“I’m testing limits.” Bucky replied breathlessly.

“You fit!” Harry complained, digging his knees into Bucky’s ribs and squeezing.

His soulmates all laughed at him, before Steve moved to lie beside him and gently pulled his face around and into a sweet kiss.

Bucky took Harry at his word and eased backwards, pulling out of Harry torturously slow, dragging against every nerve inside his body and Harry strained every muscle, groaning softly into Steve’s mouth. His hands moved from the pillow, one going into Steve’s blonde hair, the other going to Bucky’s neck, rolling his hips up, his back arching.

He didn’t know what he was doing or why. Everything he was doing was now completely instinctual, out of pure reaction, as he gripped at two of his soulmates and rolled his hips up, clenching on Bucky, who cursed and growled above him and shoved straight back into him, as far into Harry as he could get and Harry cried out in pleasure, his neck arching back and his eyes rolling up again. One leg lifted to wrap around Bucky’s waist, clinging to him. The other one felt like jelly, trembling and quivering, unable to follow direction.

“Oh.” Harry groaned happily as another thrust knocked the breath from his lungs.

He could feel his pleasure building, the warm knot in his belly tightening, his skin felt so sensitive, every part of him felt over-sensitive, that just breathing was causing ripples of pleasure through him. Harry blinked and two tears rolled down his face.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Steve asked, noticing immediately, a large thumb brushing away one of the tears and its track.

“Yes! Yes!” Harry said desperately, his body still moving of its own accord.

“He might be a little overwrought.” Sam said gently, on his other side, moving to stroke over his cheek, swiping away the other tear.

Harry turned his head to get a kiss that was given eagerly. Harry made a soft noise in the back of his throat, almost a hum, not quite a moan.

His entire body was trembling now, it was impossible to control himself, his brain couldn’t string a full thought together, his body was aching from the tension running through it, from the pleasure curling every muscle and joint until he felt like he should certainly snap.

He was panting desperately, unable to slow his breathing. He’d managed to wrap both legs around Bucky, sinking his heels into his lower back. His arms were around Bucky’s shoulders, pulling them both impossibly closer and Harry was biting into Bucky’s neck, grunting and groaning with every movement.

Bucky was moving quickly now, thrusting hard into Harry’s body, barely pulling back before pressing as deeply as he could into Harry’s body again.

Harry was sobbing with the pleasure, trying to keep up, to make sense of everything, but the best he could do was hold on tight and ride the experience. And what an experience it was turning out to be. He couldn’t wait to do this again.

He swallowed heavily, he was drooling again, but he couldn’t help it. A deep thrust had his entire body clenching tight and his breath caught on a gasp, the noise getting stuck in his throat and, as Bucky dragged himself back out of him, the sensation threw Harry over the edge and he shattered as his orgasm was ripped from him. His back arched, his head thrown back, there was a mouth on his throat, hands at his waist, his hips, his chest, one cradling the back of his head, making all the hairs stand up on end as he trembled and collapsed into himself.

Harry was exhausted. His body went boneless and he let himself float, his mind drifting. Noise seemed distorted as his blood pounded through his ears. His body was limp, every part of him was relaxed. He felt safe, which surprised him, but it was that revelation that had his eyes tearing up again. He was safe with his soulmates. He could rest, he could relax, as he could trust them to look after him and keep him safe.

Harry was smiling as he let his mind finally float off into unconsciousness. This is definitely where he needed to be and these were the people he needed to be with. He didn’t want to be anywhere else.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

Steve was excessively gentle as he cleaned Harry up with a warm washcloth. His soulmate was sleeping deeply, a show of complete trust that made Steve feel amazing that Harry could trust them this much. To just let himself rest and sleep, safe in their care.

He dipped the washcloth again, carefully wringing it out before he continued wiping the sweat and cum from Harry’s body before he got too cold. He deserved his rest after today and Steve didn’t want anything to wake him up.

“I got some pyjamas for him.” Sam said, carrying the clothes over his arm and smiling down at the sleeping Harry.

“I’m almost done.” Steve assured him, dipping and wringing the washcloth again.

“We’re all set for tonight?” Sam asked, looking worriedly at Harry.

“We’ll deal with whatever happens.” Steve said firmly. Whether that was a nightmare, the fighting in his sleep that Harry had mentioned, or any injuries, they’d deal with it. They would get Harry more comfortable with them, they would get him sleeping in a bed again, and they would ease him through therapy to help him overcome the trauma that was causing the nightmares.

“Harry is going to need our support, but we’ll get him there.” Sam said, nodding.

“As if we’d do anything else.” Bucky complained. He was still lying in the bed, arms crossed behind his head, looking smug and very satisfied.

“You look so pleased.” Sam chuckled.

“As if you’re not.” Bucky argued.

“Do not wake Harry up.” Steve warned as he cleaned their sleeping soulmate’s body.

“How about we take a shower together.” Sam offered, giving Bucky an appreciative look. “Get all cleaned up properly and get the last of that energy out.”

Bucky moved, sitting up.

“Steve, hurry up and tuck Harry in. I have plans for you after the way you teased the hell out of me when I was taking a moment with Harry earlier.”

Steve threw a look over his shoulder, appraising the naked body moving towards the bathroom.

“As if you don’t melt the moment Steve gets you under him.” Sam chuckled.

“He can’t get me under him when we’re in the shower.” Bucky said confidently.

Steve huffed a soft laugh, oh so gently dressing Harry in the pyjamas that Sam had brought in before tucking Harry into the bed, covering him over and bending to kiss the flushed cheek. Harry was still a delicious shade of pink, though it had faded from the bright red he’d been at the point of his last orgasm. He stroked a hand through his nest of hair, which was much worse than it usually was, and he hoped that Harry didn’t have a nightmare in the time it took him to fuck Bucky and Sam in the shower.

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Harry’s mind was black, dark, and he was already throwing out his arms as he fought to wake himself.

There were soft words in his ear, someone gently petting his hair, someone else was stroking his chest, shushing him.

Gasping, Harry forced himself upright and three bodies came with him, shushing him and calming him down.

It was sinking in what had happened. He’d had a nightmare while he was in bed with his soulmates.

He put his face into his hands and bent in half, hiding himself.

“You’re safe.” Sam was telling him, cuddling up beside him.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Steve assured him. “Don’t hide yourself away.”

Harry swallowed and gathered his courage, sitting back up and peeking out at them.

“Was it one of your usual nightmares?” Sam asked him carefully.

Harry nodded. He saw flashes, memories, of fighting, of the final battle at Hogwarts, having to step over dead bodies to carry on fighting…the horror of recognising the faces of the dead. He gagged and surged up in the bed, rushing for the bathroom.

Someone had dressed him in pyjamas, which he was grateful for as it saved his knees when he threw himself to them in front of the toilet so that he could retch and vomit.

A warm hand rubbed his back as he shivered and shook on the floor.

Bucky came in with a blanket, clearly having had experience of this and he knew exactly what was needed as he wrapped Harry in the blanket and then rubbed at his arms vigorously to create friction, warming him back up.

Steve brought a bottle of water for Harry to swill his mouth out and take some careful sips.

His mouth was sore, his stomach felt sore, but he was calm again.

“Sorry.” He said quietly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Sam told him firmly. “We care a great deal for you, sweetheart. Let us look after you.”

Harry hesitated, feeling a little shy and ashamed, but he nodded his head, ducking it down and trying to hide.

His soulmates crowded around him, touching him, soothing him, and it felt so damn nice that Harry sunk into their care, trying not to let his tears fall.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” Sam asked him.

Harry was sitting in his lap to keep him from the cold bathroom floor and he was wrapped in warm arms. His stomach was settling, so he nodded.

He went to get to his feet, but Sam merely stood up with Harry still in his arms.

It was a strange, dual feeling of being infantilised and feeling so utterly cherished as he was carried, actually carried, back to their bed. He didn’t know whether he wanted to fight against it or sink into it. There were parts of him that wanted to do one or the other, there was also a part that wanted to do both. The confusion and indecision kept him quiet, saying and doing nothing as he let himself be carried in strong, warm arms back to their bed.

He was settled down and he pulled the blanket he was still wrapped in tighter around his shoulders. He was still feeling cold from the sudden vomiting.

“Do you want a warm drink?” Bucky asked.

Harry wanted hot chocolate, but he felt too self-conscious to say it, so he shook his head instead. He inhaled deeply and then blew out a sigh, trying to calm himself down as his heart still thundered in his chest.

“Do you wanna talk about it, sweetheart?” Sam asked, sitting back against the headboard, giving him space, but he was there, on the bed with him, and that meant a lot to him. It meant everything, actually, that his soulmates hadn’t just left him to deal with this on his own. They’d promised to help him, but he hadn’t realised quite how much they were willing to help. Harry hadn’t understood exactly what they’d meant or how very far they were willing to come with him when he had accepted their offer of help.

“It was the war.” Harry said in a quiet, shaky voice. “It usually is, but…they’re mostly memories of what happened and…having to step over the dead, people I knew, just to keep fighting…” He trailed off with a heavy sigh, putting his face back into his hand.

Gentle, careful hands touched him. His back, his shoulder, his head. Harry had to suppress the urge to squirm away. He wasn’t used to comfort anyway, but certainly not after he’d just had a nightmare.

He breathed carefully, measuring his breaths to calm his heart.

“That’s it, keep breathing, sweetheart.” Sam encouraged him.

It was actually nice. Harry liked that he had company as he calmed himself down. That he was being soothed through it, despite that he’d woken them all up at…a quick look to the almost antique clock on the bedside table told him it was one in the morning. He’d had a few hours of sleep before he’d had the nightmare, at least. That was surprising, but given what had happened just before he’d fallen asleep…hey, maybe exhausting himself with sex would actually help, he’d gotten more sleep than he usually did.

“Are you tired still?” Steve asked carefully.

He wasn’t. After the nightmare, and the vomiting, he was wired. Completely wide awake.

“No. I won’t be able to sleep now.” He confessed.

“You really are too much like me.” Bucky said. “I can’t get back to sleep after a nightmare either. Come on, let’s go and cuddle on the couch and watch some shitty movies.”

“You don’t have to keep me company. You can go back to sleep…”

“We’re staying with you.” Bucky cut him off. “You think Steve ever let me stay awake alone after a nightmare? No, he sat up with me all damn night and then went running in the morning like an idiot.”

“Hey!” Steve complained, though he was grinning.

“What he means is, we’re not gonna do less for you, Harry.” Sam said. “If it means sleepless nights, that’s what it means and we’ll deal with it. We’re here for you, even if it does mean shitty movies and hot chocolate.”

“I…I usually drop off back around dawn.” He said.

“Then, I guess we’re taking a morning off running and having a nap instead.” Sam said with a grin.

“Just because you hate being lapped by us.” Bucky teased.

“Pfft.” Sam blew out a sound of denial. “Maybe I’d just prefer to stay in bed with Harry!”

Their familiar teasing felt good. It relaxed some hunched, tense part of his shoulders and Harry was able to breathe more easily, his body easing away from his adrenaline overload that was forcing his brain into a panic; fight, flight, freeze.

“Come on, darlin’.” Bucky coaxed, holding out his hands.

Harry clutched the blanket tighter, but he took the offered hands, letting Bucky pull him up.

They moved to their personal living room and the cosy settee that was big enough to seat the four of them. It had clearly been bought with their tetrad bond in mind, though they had overestimated his size, so there was plenty of room.

He had Bucky on one side of him and Sam on the other. Bucky was lounging on Steve, who was stroking Bucky’s hair absentmindedly, an act of familiarity that spoke volumes that they had been together for a long time…that they were comfortable with one another.

The film they put on was light-hearted and meant to be funny. Something Sam had called a rom-com, but Harry barely paid attention to the plot. He was more interested in the company he had. He’d never had company after a nightmare before and he was deciding whether this was better or not. It was certainly different.

“You keep shifting, sweetheart. Are you uncomfortable or did we hurt you during sex?” Sam asked him.

Harry blinked. He was feeling pleasantly sore from the sex. He was exhausted from it still, but his brain was alert and awake, which was the problem.

He managed a small chuckle. “I’m fine. No injuries from the sex or anything relating to it. I just…I’ve never had company during the night like this before. It just feels different. It makes everything about it feel less heavy. I’m not sitting here, going over and over the nightmare, reliving it again and again. It feels better.”

Sam pressed a kiss to his head. “We’re always gonna be here now, you know that?”

Harry snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I sort of figured that out.”

“Let yourself rest.” Bucky told him, lifting an arm and inviting him to lounge on him as he was doing to Steve. “It’s exhausting to keep yourself alert and on guard all day and then all night too. Let us do that for you. You’re safe here and we’d never let anything happen to you.”

“As if anything could get into this damn compound.” Sam snorted. “Any idiot that decides to break in to the Avengers compound will deserve what they get.”

Harry blew out a breath and then shifted himself sideways, laying on Bucky, who snuggled him in with his arm.

Sam tucked him in with the blanket more firmly and then kept a hand on him, rubbing soothingly as they went back to the cheesy film.

A while later, it was with surprise that Harry realised that he had, in fact, relaxed back down from his alert edge when his eyes started drifting closed. He blinked and considered how he was feeling and, just why, he had calmed down so quickly after a nightmare. He’d had nightmares before in this compound and he had still been awake until dawn. Was it being in the company of his soulmates? Was it their verbal assurances that he was safe here and that they’d protect him? Whatever it was, it had seemingly worked, and far quicker than usual.

He didn’t want to go back to bed just yet, not so soon. He would be humiliated if he went back to sleep and had another nightmare, waking them up a second time, but he got the feeling there was no way they’d let him sleep in the guest room he’d been in previously, nor would he be able to slip out without them noticing. So, with that in mind, he chose to try and invest himself in the second rom-com that had been put on the TV, trying to keep his attention on it and from going to sleep.

It worked for a while at least, but his soulmates soon noticed that he was drifting, that he was yawning too often, and that he kept nodding off.

“Let’s go to bed and try again, Harry.” Steve said gently.

“We had a lot of sex, it was your first experience, you might be more tired because of that.” Sam told him.

He was definitely more tired than usual because of the sex. It was the feeling of being safe, however, that was easing him down and making him feel sleepy despite the nightmare.

“I don’t want another nightmare.” He said quietly. “I don’t want to wake anyone up again.”

“We don’t care.” Sam told him. “You could wake us up every damn hour and we wouldn’t mind, Harry. We’ll get you through this. Come on, we can try to sleep again and if you do have another nightmare, we’ll be there and we’ll deal with it.”

Harry swallowed. He nodded his agreement. He was slightly worried, but he wanted to trust his soulmates. He wanted to be able to lean on them, to have someone else take control for once. He was so tired. He was done with being held back by the war, especially now that he had his soulmates in his life. He wanted to move forward with them. He didn’t want to drag them down, into the memories of a war they hadn’t even been there for. It was time for him to go to therapy. He was ready now. He was ready to move on and let go of the past so that he could look forward to his future, with his three soulmates. His lovers. He smiled to himself as he thought that, looking at them and then taking a breath. He held out his arms, finding that he actually wanted to be carried again.

There was a small squabble as Sam went to pick him up but Bucky shoved him out of the way and did it himself.

Harry chuckled as he was carried, still wrapped in his blanket, back to their bedroom.

Bucky kept him in his arms as he clambered onto the bed and then Harry was snuggled up with Bucky as Steve and Sam joined them.

The chances that he’d have another nightmare were high, but he was exhausted and he needed the sleep. It wasn’t so bad being with his soulmates, he vastly preferred the company as, if he’d been on his own, he would have had a panic attack and been awake all night. He’d felt more secure, safer with his soulmates with him. He hated that he’d woken them up, it was humiliating, but he was grateful, and relieved, that they had stayed awake with him.

There was a shuffle and a kiss to his forehead that made him smile. Maybe this would be for the best. Maybe he could learn to let go and be safe with his soulmates. He was willing to try.

“Night.” He said softly and he heard the sentiment being repeated, even as he was hugged and squeezed.

He might have another nightmare, it was almost assured. This was only his first night spent with his soulmates, after all, but he was more hopeful for the future now and he knew, even if he did have more nightmares, at least he would have some company in the early hours of the morning when he inevitably woke up. He liked that. It made it easier to deal with and helped calm him down. He could relax knowing that he was safe and he would be looked after. This was the first night of forever. They would be together for the rest of their lives, their souls were one and nothing could rip them apart now. Not now that they’d finally found one another.

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