Avengers High School - Winter Soldier

2- Bucky

Steve's first classes were extremely uneventful. He had maths and a study class, with Thor telling him some random story while he tried to do his homework.

The two walked back to the quad together, easily shoving passed people as Thor was a whole head taller, with Steve not much shorter, and put together they pretty much took up the entire hallway in shoulder width.

Bruce was walking in front of them, and Thor left Steve to tell Bruce the same story.

Steve met Sam and Natasha at the lockers. "Should we go introduce ourselves?"

The new guy was at his locker a few metres away and Steve wanted to take the opportunity. Sam looked sceptical.

"I dunno," he said. "He doesn't look like he wants people talking to him."

Steve frowned. "Give him a chance, Sam."

Natasha spoke up. "Be careful, you don't know who this guy is." And she left.

"What the hell does she mean?" Sam questioned, but Steve was already walking towards James.

With the aggressive slam of a locker door, James Barnes turned around to go back to his people-watching spot when a blonde boy equally as buff as him stood in his way. He looked at him expectantly, and then back at his darker-skinned friend who hesitantly followed suit.

Steve held out a hand and accidentally spoke quite forcefully. "James, right?"

James' eyes went wide in what looked like fear at the sound of his name, before quickly shaking Steve's hand. "Call me Bucky."

"Where you from?"

James - Bucky - scanned their surroundings quickly. "Brooklyn."

"Same," Steve smiled.

"How come you moved?" Sam questioned.

Bucky thought about it. "Family stuff."

~~~

Steve and Sam were walking towards their friends who were sitting at their bench.

The sun was beaming down on them and there was light breeze ruffling their hair.

Sam felt eyes on him and Steve as they went and sat with their well-known random group of friends, but as he looked around he realised that most people weren't watching them anymore- instead it was Bucky behind them.

Steve had bothered Bucky to come sit with them - he was really overly friendly like that - but once Bucky declined a few times, putting up a tough exterior, he gave in and followed them, a hint of relief on his features.

As Steve thought about it, in that brief time he had spoken to his fellow peer, he noticed barely anything cross his face. His eyes gave way to subtle emotion but there was nothing else. He remained unnaturally expressionless and laid-back ... much like Natasha.

The new friend dragged his feet behind the pair, occasionally glaring back at his peers. The group of girls that Natasha sometimes sat with all started talking excitedly. Bucky raised an eyebrow at them.

"James!" Thor's loud voice boomed. If you didn't know him as the big softie he really was, it sounded threatening.

Bucky whipped his head towards him, his whole body immediately tensing up.

Thor didn't notice. Natasha did.

"Come join us!" Thor said.

Tony moved over towards Bruce to let Steve and Bucky onto a seat as did Natasha towards Clint for Sam.

"Call me Bucky."

Steve started to introduce everyone.

"This is Thor Odinson," Thor grinned at him. "Clint Barton," He waved. "Bruce Banner," a shy smile from Bruce. "Tony Stark," who nodded at Bucky, to which Bucky quickly avoided eye contact and tried to hide an expression of shock on his face at what was assumed was his recognition of the name. "And Natasha Romanoff." She looked him in eye and narrowed her own, brow furrowed in thought. Bucky tried to hold her gaze.

"Have we met before?" She said.

The brunette's jaw clenched. "No I don't think so."

Natasha leaned back in her seat in thought. "Ok..."

They all fell back into conversation while they ate their food, Clint laughing hysterically about some story Bucky didn't catch onto. Steve kept offering him food - chips, grapes, crackers - to which Bucky declined.

"Already eaten?" Steve said, concerned.

Bucky nodded.

~~~

By the end of the day, Bucky had come out of his shell a bit and actually started talking. All of his classes had at least one of his new friends. He was comfortable around Steve and found himself making conversation and laughing.

For the last lesson, they found themselves heading to English with Nat and Sam.

"Mr Mac is a nightmare," Steve said.

"Why?" Bucky said, laughing as Sam nearly tripped on a younger student at their locker.

"He's memorised the entire school handbook and is picky about everything," Nat said. She had grown more comfortable around Bucky, but was still cautious. She knew him but she didn't know where from. It made her uneasy.

Steve readjusted his books in his arm. "Rumlow and them cop it every lesson."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "Rumlow? Are they in this class?"

"You know them?" Sam questioned.

"They're in most of my classes. Seem like real idiots," he frowned.

"They are," Steve said defiantly.

Nat took note of Bucky's downcast and confused face as they discussed the so-called 'bullies' of their grade but didn't mention it. She had lots of mental notes regarding him now.

"But about Mr Mac," Steve continued. "I'm just warning you."

"What'd I do?" Bucky said innocently.

"I'm surprised you haven't been caught 'coz you're breaking like five school rules," Sam replied.

They stopped out the front of the classroom.

Bucky was clueless.

Nat sighed and started listing it off. "Shoes, shirt's out, hair's too long and the chain."

The brunette quickly tucked the chain underneath his shirt. The others noticed that it wasn't a thick kind of chain, but a ball chain with... dog tags. He tried to pretend they didn't see. "He's not going to come at me with scissors is he? That's ridiculous!"

Steve shook his head. "At least tuck your shirt in, that's his favourite thing to pick on."

"I'll look like a dork."

Steve and Sam pulled a face in offence as they stood with their tucked-in shirts. Nat sauntered past them inside. "You got that right," She smirked.