"That never gets old," George laughed, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. When he spotted Bucky, he patted the spot on the couch beside himself, "You're just in time!"
Taking a spot on the floor, Bucky accepted the coloring page that Tibby handed him and started coloring. Asking his little sister, "You ready for Halloween?"
"Uh huh," Tibby confirmed, her face scrunched in her concentration.
Well, what did I expect?
Bucky chuckled to himself before trying to ease into the conversation again, "I bet you're ready for all that candy."
"Uh huh!"
Nodding to himself, he teased the six year old, "Will you share with me?"
"No way!" Tibby quirked a brow, "I'm not handing out candy!"
"You're not?" Bucky started tickling the kindergartner, "I thought you were going to hang out here with me and Steve while we pass out candy."
"No! You're trick-or-treatin' with me!" Tibby argued, scandalized. "And Steve too!"
Bucky stopped tickling his youngest sister and feigned reluctance, "Well, if that's what you want."
"That's what I want!" Tibby nodded, sitting back in her seat, proud of herself as though it was all her idea to begin with.
"You're terrible," George good-naturedly scoffed. Leaning over, George ruffled Bucky's hair.
Bucky smiled up at his father. Seeing the lines of his own features on his father's aging face. At least Bucky knew that he was going to still be handsome twenty odd years from now.
Wonder if Steve thought I was handsome, Bucky pondered while Tibby handed him a yellow crayon.
Wanting to talk about the artistic blond, Bucky told Tibby, "You know, Steve is a good colorer."
"Really?" Tibby asked, intrigued.
"Yup," Bucky confirmed, realizing that he had been turning, Strawberry's Shortcake's friend, Huckleberry Pie, into Steve. Briefly, Bucky wondered how much Clint would tease him if he hung the coloring sheet up in the dorm.
-----
It took practically the entire week before Bucky decided that if he didn't ask Steve to -- not only the Halloween mixer, but also -- trick-or-treat with him and Tibby, he'd lose his nerves entirely. So, the day of both events, Bucky trudged through the snow to get to his History of Western Art class.
Steve was already in his usual seat. The tip of his nose and the apples of his cheeks were red from the cold, and Bucky wanted nothing more than to warm the petite teen with his own body. To cuddle him close and drink cocoa.
YOU ARE READING
Caught: Falling Series 4 (Modern Stucky College and Domestic AU)
Fanfiction"And, oh, he snapped back to himself. That one thought echoed inside his head. Friend. That one little word and Bucky's heart slipped down into his stomach. Just that one word brought the moment into harsh perspective. They were friends. They were o...
The One with the Invitation
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