Avengers High School - Winter Soldier

8- Tony's House and Natasha

Whilst he hadn't slept at all the night before from a monstrous flashback, Bucky still found himself wandering around the school with his friends the next day, laughing and chatting.

The rest of the night had been torturous, as it always was, and Bucky ended up leaving to walk around the city at 5am. He only ran into one group of crazy guys who wanted money, but solved that problem easily.

An old woman was lost at a bus stop and he even walked her all the way home, with her latching onto his metal arm.

She had patted his gloved, left hand and said "You're a good young man."

His heart swelled.

"Oh," Tony said during lunch at the end of his long story about some engineering breakthrough, "you're all coming to mine tonight for pizza."

So at 5:30, Bucky found himself walking down the stairs of his flat to wait out the front for Steve and Sam who were coming to pick him up.

He had insisted he would bike it - because he really didn't want them to come to his house - but Steve could be very stubborn and Sam overly-kind, so they were picking him up.

It started to rain just as he stepped outside so he pulled his navy corduroy surf cap further down his head and waited on the footpath.

A blue SUV pulled up to the curve slowly to not splash Bucky and Sam's face appeared through an open window.

"Get in, Barnes," he smiled. "You look real dodgy standing there."

Bucky grinned and got in the leather back seat. He pulled his cap off and shook his wet hair like a dog.

"Told ya you should've put the seat covers on," Sam said to Steve.

"I didn't know I was picking up a dog," Steve smirked.

"You're welcome," Bucky said. "Now drive! I'm hungry."

As they drove through the sketchy neighbourhood, Bucky intently watched Sam's face for any reaction. He could tell Sam was thinking.

"I don't know many who live in this area," Sam said innocently.

Steve's eyes flicked cautiously to look at Bucky through the mirror.

"Me neither," Bucky said.

They passed a gang of guys hovering by an alleyway, angrily glaring at the car as they drove past, fists clenched.

"Those typa people ever bother you, Buck?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

They're eyebrows practically flew off their heads in shock.

"By yourself?" Sam spluttered. "How you still alive, man?"

Bucky shrugged. "They're not as tough as they look... Some actually stopped me this morning, wanted money. Only three though."

"Punch-up?" Steve said.

"You could call it that," Bucky smirked. He had left the fight with barely a bruise or cut on his knuckles.

Sam chuckled to himself and turned up the radio.

***

They got to Tony's house 15 minutes later. Bucky didn't even realise it was a house.

"The hell we doin' here?" He had asked.

Sam and Steve shared a joking look.

"Do one of you work here? Are we picking something up?"

It was a big building with three stories and lots of windows and balconies, it looked very business-y. There was no company signage or label anywhere though.