Junior Year
Campus was buzzing with students as they wandered around campus trying to find the right building and room. Your first class didn't start for another hour, but you liked getting to campus early to get a coffee and sit in the quad to relax before a full day of lectures. The sun was warm on your face and you were people watching as you sipped your latte. A handsome guy walked past you and stopped a few feet down the sidewalk, staring at a piece of paper.
He looked around and then turned around to look behind him. Your eyes wandered over him as he looked around at the different buildings surrounding the quad. His long, brown hair was blowing lightly in the wind and whipping against his sharp, stubbled jaw line. His plump lips were downturn into a confused frown and his light blue eyes hinted that he had no idea where he was going. The black t-shirt and jeans he wore clung to his large, muscled body. His gaze fell to the ground as he dug the toe of his beat up boot into the concrete in frustration.
"You lost?" You called out to him.
The campus wasn't huge, there were just over six thousand students, but it was still large enough to get lost if you didn't know where you were going. His head lifted and turned quickly to look at you. He looked you over and then nodded as he stepped closer to you.
"Uh, yeah. I just transferred and I missed the orientation, so I'm not sure where I'm going."
"What's your name?"
"Oh, it's James Barnes. Everyone calls me Bucky, though." He jolted forward towards the bench you were sitting on and held his hand out to you.
Your lips quirked in amusement at the man standing in front of you. He seemed a little awkward, but it was adorable.
"Y/n Y/l/n, but everyone calls me Y/n." You joked as you took his hand. "Take a seat, Bucky."
He sat next to you and smiled as you scooted closer to him and took the schedule he was holding. Your eyes scanned the paper and you noticed that you and Bucky had several of the same classes.
"What's your major?" You asked, still eyeing the paper.
"Astrophysics with an astronomy minor." He said softly and lowered his head.
You peeked up at him and saw his cheeks flushed in what looked like embarrassment.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just that sometimes when I tell people, they think it's...dorky."
"I must be a dork too, because I'm an astrophysics major as well. We actually have a few classes together, so I guess we can be dorky together."
That made Bucky's grimace turn into a confident smile and you felt your stomach flutter slightly. His eyes locked with yours and you couldn't help but stare at the beautiful blue surrounding his pupils. It was a mesmerizing bluish-grey color that stood out against his tanned skin and dark hair. Clearing your throat and pulling your eyes from him, you gathered your bookbag and coffee cup before speaking again.
"Come on." You stood and turned to face him. "I'll buy you a coffee and then we'll head to class. We both have some time after it's over, so I'll give you a condensed campus tour."
"You are a lifesaver, Y/n." Bucky sighed in relief. "How can I return the favor?"
"Buy me coffee and a bagel on your way to class tomorrow and we'll call it even." You quipped and looped your arm through his to take him to your favorite campus coffee shop.
~
After your first class, you walked Bucky around half of the campus before heading to your second class of the day. You swapped numbers with Bucky and told him you'd meet him at the student center so the two of you could grab lunch and then finish your campus tour before your afternoon classes began. After making sure that he knew where he was going, you headed to your Modern Physics class.
The professor droned on and on about Planck's constant, but you couldn't focus. Your mind kept wandering back to Bucky. It was rare that someone could put a smile on your face if they weren't a close friend or family member, but you hadn't stopped smiling while in his presence. He was intelligent and funny. Sarcastic, but not mean. Sweet, but genuine. He was the type of man you could see yourself falling for.
It was too soon to be thinking about that, though. You had known Bucky for less than half a day. He was bound to have some unforgivable flaw. All men did. That's why you barely dated and that was why you were still a virgin. The majority of the guys you met on campus were all after one thing and you weren't planning on being part of their conquest to conquer every female in the school. Instead of trying to find a diamond in a heap of coal, you devoted yourself to your studies and your job. The right guy would come along eventually and he would be worth the wait.
Once your class was over, you walked to the student center and snagged a table by the window to wait for Bucky. He still had a few minutes left before he'd be free, so you pulled out your phone and let him know that you were waiting.
You: Already got us a table. See you in a few.
Bucky: Leaving class now. Be there in ten.
Bucky: If I don't get lost.
You: FaceTime me and I'll come rescue you again if you do, my little damsel in distress.
Bucky: Not funny.
You: You're right. It's hilarious.
You chuckled to yourself and placed your phone on the table. Every few minutes, your eyes wandered towards the entrance of the student center where Bucky would most likely enter. A few minutes later you saw him walk into the dining area and begin scanning the room for you. When his eyes found you, he smiled and navigated his way through the tables and students positioned around the room. Bucky was two tables away from you when a busty, raven haired girl in tight hip huggers, tall heels, and a crop top blocked his path.
"Ugh, Willa Taylor. Seriously?" You grumbled and slumped back in your seat .
Willa was your best friend from kindergarten through middle school, but the summer before high school she changed...and not in a good way. She filled out, started dressing in skimpier clothing, wore caked on layers of makeup, and made friends with the popular kids thanks to her older sister. You became nothing but a forgotten memory to her and she had been your sworn enemy ever since.
Even when your body finally developed and you began feeling comfortable enough in your own skin to wear something other than t-shirts and jeans to school, Willa was so far gone that your friendship was irreparable. She was your real life Regina George and it was a damn shame that she couldn't fall victim to a little bit of karma and get hit by a bus. You picked up your phone and pretended to scroll through Instagram while trying to hear their conversation and side-eyeing the pair.
"Hi! I'm Willa. What's your name, cutie?"
Her voice was squeaky and annoying, but the guys on your small college campus seemed to find it attractive based on the fact that she had a different boyfriend every few weeks.
"Uh, James." He said, annoyance clear on his face.
"You're new here, right?"
"Yeah. Just transferred."
His eyes shifted to you and he tried moving around Willa, but she placed her hand on his chest to stop him. His gaze drifted down to her hand and then moved to her face. Bucky took a step back and let her hand fall away from his body.
"Where are you off to so fast? I thought we could have lunch together." She almost purred through her maroon painted lips.
"No thanks. I already have plans with a friend."
Bucky looked at you once more and Willa turned to follow his line of sight.
"Y/n?" Willa laughed airly. "Trust me, I'm a much better option."
"I doubt that." Bucky shot back.
"If you're looking for some fun, Y/n isn't the person. She's a prude and it's safe to say that she's still a virgin. If you want someone who knows how to please you, all you gotta do is ask." Willa batted her eyes at Bucky and plastered on a sexy smile.
"Like I said, no thanks. Merry-go-rounds really aren't my type."
Willa scoffed and stared at him as Bucky pushed past her and fell into the seat across from you. You bit down on your lip trying to hide your smirk, but failing miserably. Chancing a look at Willa who was still standing glaring at Bucky, laughter bubbled from your lips and her eyes cut to you. She stomped off in a huff with a scowl on her face.
"I'm a little shocked." You said, turning your attention back to Bucky.
"About what?"
"You refused the advances of the campus queen bee. I don't think she's ever heard the word no before."
"She's not my type." Bucky shrugged.
"Willa Taylor is everyone's type."
"Not mine." He said, face stony and unflinching.
"Huh." You replied, staring at him for a moment. "Are you hungry? The cafeteria isn't bad, but the food court is better."
"Starving. I was too nervous to eat this morning and I think my whole Astrobiology class could hear my stomach growling." Bucky stood and waited for you.
You took one last look across the seating area to see Willa glowering at you. She wouldn't give up her pursuit of Bucky. Even when she was younger, she always went after what she wanted until she got it. That much hadn't changed once she'd become popular, however now she didn't care who she had to walk on to get what she wanted. Bucky drew your attention away from her when he slung his arm around your shoulder and motioned for you to lead the way to the food court.
~
Bucky became your only friend on campus and you his. The demanding course load and time consuming work schedule didn't leave you much free time to socialize with many people. Some would say you were antisocial, but you thought of yourself as more of a studious, hard-working woman who had dreams to achieve. When it came to Bucky, though, you made time for him. There was never a time before him where you felt drawn to another person or desired to be more than their acquaintance, but he fit into a spot in your life that you never realized was empty before he came along.
Willa seemed jealous of the attention he gave you. She was still trying to catch his eye, even going so far as to come to the university's observation nights and asking Bucky if he could help her identify different celestial bodies in the night sky. It made you giggle as he rolled his eyes and left the telescope you were sharing to deal with Willa. He had made it clear he wasn't interested, but the girl didn't know when to stop.
She'd casually press her breasts against him, bend over seductively to look through the lens, or brush her hand down his back or arm when he was pointing things out to her. It was mildly amusing, but more so pathetic in your eyes. He didn't want her, but she didn't understand that. In fact, Bucky hadn't shown interest in any of the girls that had approached him.
He was the most attractive guy on campus and that wasn't you being biased because he was your best friend, it was the truth. Bucky put the other men to shame and could've had any girl he wanted, but he never gave them a second look. It was making you question if maybe he was actually gay. At the risk of being rude and out of line, you'd held off from outright asking and were trying to figure out how to approach the subject.
"She is fucking getting on my nerves." Bucky whispered harshly when he took his spot by your side.
"Join the club, we meet on Fridays. New members have to bring doughnuts." You smirked.
"It's not funny." He whined. "Why won't she leave me alone?"
"Because you haven't fucked her yet." You leaned down to look through the eyepiece at Jupiter.
"And I don't plan on fucking her!" Bucky said excitedly.
"Just tell her you're gay." You said casually, making Bucky chuckle.
"But I'm not and I'm not going to lie just to get her off my back."
"You're asexual?" You mused, standing to look at him.
"Definitely not." Bucky shook his head.
He wasn't gay or asexual. Apparently the issue was just that no one on campus had caught his eye.
"Then you'll just have to deal with it until graduation." You shrugged with a loud sigh.
"Then I might have to drown myself in the pool." Bucky grumbled.
"Aww, don't say that. Then who would I hang out with." You leaned your head on his shoulder and looked up at him with puppy eyes.
Bucky wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into his chest, looking down at you intensely.
"You're right, baby doll. How could I ever leave you?"
Your breath caught in your lungs as you stared back at him. You thought you saw something flash in his eyes, but it was hard to tell in the dark of the night. His grip on your waist tightened and his head dipped slightly, eyes flicking to your lips and then back up to your eyes. When you plucked up the courage to move onto your tiptoes to press your lips to his, someone behind you cleared their throat making you jerk away from Bucky.
"Everything going okay over here?" Professor Buckner asked.
"Oh, y-yeah. We're great." You stuttered.
"Get back to work you two." He said sternly.
"Yes, sir."
You turned back to see Bucky rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He had put space between the two of you and was trying to avoid looking at you. You saw him sigh heavily as if he was relieved that your moment was interrupted. Maybe it was for the best. You and Bucky had a good thing going with your friendship and if you started a relationship that failed, you'd lose the only friend you had.
"You can do the next one. We need to find the Pegasus Cluster." You said as normally as possible.
The last thing you wanted was to make Bucky feel awkward around you.
"Yeah. I'm sorry if that was weird. I'm just—tired." He lied.
"Don't worry about it, Buck. It's late and we're both exhausted. We're good, right?"
"Y-yeah. Totally fine."
You watched him step up to the telescope to find the next object on your list. A frown curved your lips, but you shook it off. Friendship was the only thing Bucky wanted to offer you, so you'd have to accept it if you wanted to keep him in your life. You pushed the feelings growing inside you to the back of your mind and locked them tightly away.