Every year Brooklyn High School holds a Frisbee competition. It's a two versus two tournament, you can pick your partners and then in the end the winning team faces off to find one ultimate champion.
Of course Bucky and Steve always pair up. The first year everyone laughed at Bucky and told him that he's stupid. A guy as talented as him has the potential to win and he could pick any partner he wanted - any good partner.
However they shut their mouths the minute they saw Steve play. Despite his height and weight and general size, all of his health impairments and lack of coordination, Steve is good at playing Frisbee. Very good. So much so that last year when they had made the final for the fourth year in a row (they had only been in high school four years) he had actually beaten Bucky.
The pair have been labelled the dynamic duo. People scramble to be there teammate, this year Steve seems to be getting asked even more than Bucky. But it doesn't bother Bucky, he loves to see his little friend succeed. This year is their last year and of course they're hoping to take it out all over again for one last time and have a clean sweep.
"How do you do it man?" Bucky puffs as he drops down onto a bench at the side of the court after a game, patting the sweat off his head with a towel.
They've just cleaned up in the semi finals.
"I don't know, it just happens," Steve shrugs as he takes a scull of his drink. "It's not like I practice or anything."
"Seriously though what about your asthma? You're like a little pocket rocket out there," Bucky exclaims.
"I guess I'm just having so much fun that I'm not letting it get to me or thinking about it so it doesn't bother me. Like I'm not worrying about having an asthma attack so it doesn't happen."
"You've got some crazy skills with that Frisbee though. And you're just jumping and leaping around. Sometimes even I'm scared of you and I'm your teammate."
Steve just blushes and laughs a little shrugging his shoulders lightly.
"Where's the sudden strength come from?"
"Well I mean the frisbees light, the wind picks it up. All you gotta do is just get the right angle."
"Far out I'm beginning to feel like I'm the one dragging you down," Bucky sighs.
"Oh man no your n-"
"For once," he adds with a smirk.
"You had to go and ruin it didn't you." Steve grins and shakes his head.
"Seriously though you're going to kill me in the grand final and that's still if I'm trying my best," Bucky huffs.
"Hey man, we haven't won just yet so let's focus on the final first okay?" Steve says sternly.
"Good point." Bucky nods in agreement.
"In all seriousness though, if you let me down in this game and we don't win there are going to have to be some heavy consequences."
"And who says you won't let me down?" Bucky retaliates, puffing out his chest and sitting up straight.
"Buck, you just admitted it yourself. I'm the captain of this team now." Steve says cockily.
Bucky can't help but smile. He loves seeing Steve with so much confidence for once.
"Oh boy, I hate to admit it but you're right. What kinda punishments we talkin'?" He sighs.
"I'm trying to decide between doing my chores or pampering me."
"What do each of these things include?"
"Well chores would be like doing my laundry, taking out the trash on my days, doing both of our dishes, making my bed as well as yours, cleaning the entire house. And pampering me includes things such as making me breakfast - in bed if I demand - shining-"
"Demand?! Jesus Steve."
"Ah! I'm not done. Shining my shoes, running me a nice hot bath-"
"Oh my god I think I'll go with the chores please. I don't think I can handle waiting on you like that." Bucky huffs incredulous.
"Or maybe you can just do both." Steve grins maniacally.
"Okay calm down. We haven't even lost yet and we don't intend on doing so," Bucky remarks.
"Just a little incentive for ya." Steve shrugs and winks.
"Alright players take the field!" the gym coach Mr Crainer shouts and blows the whistle.
Quickly Steve and Bucky are on their feet and taking their organised positions on the spray painted court on the grass field. Across from them are two of Bucky's other mates, some jocks from the football team.
Bucky doesn't play football, he boxes. But he has been accepted into their social circle pretty much because he is talented, smart, sporty, charismatic and good looking. Pretty much the whole package.
However, he much prefers to hang put with Steve. Steve, tiny, little, awkward, fragile Steve who looks as if you could snap him like a twig. You'd think he would be scared of these two great, big, hulking muscular masterpieces who eye him teasingly and stomp at the ground. But nope, Steve is so stupid that he would probably pick a fight with these guys.
In fact if Bucky and him loose he probably will and demand a rematch saying they cheated. They would beat him to a pulp. They could probably even give Bucky a run for his money. There we go, more incentive for Bucky to be on top of his game.
Of course the smack talking quickly begins. And of course Steve is the one to start it.
"Oh this will be easy!" He exclaims cockily.
"We'll show you you made a mistake choosing him Barnes," one of them calls.
"Yeah you're gonna wish you chose to come with one of us when you had the chance by the time this game is over!" the other on yells.
"Geez fellas this is a nice game of Frisbee not some death grudge match," Bucky shouts playfully. He just loves winding them up.
"Oh come on Buck we all know how much winning this means to you and that little fella over there." One points and laughs.
"Hey! I'm sorry but who was the champion last year? I believe it was that little fella over there?" Bucky frowns confused and points to Steve.
"Pfft, I'll believe it when I see it," one of them scoffs.
The problem is, these two only just moved to Brooklyn High this year because they have the better football team. So they don't actually know what Steve's Frisbee skills are like. This could be good.
"Oh shit Stevie did you hear that? They've got no idea!" Bucky laughs.
"Don't worry. I intend to show them exactly just what this little fellas got." Steve grins comfortably as he shuffles his stance.
Through the whole ordeal the largely forming crowd has been laughing and 'ohing' and only adding full to the fire.
"Alright boys that's enough! Let the game begin!" The coach finally growls.
Unsurprisingly it only takes Steve to get his hand on the Frisbee once for Bucky to see the shocked look of terror on their opponents faces as Steve jumps up, spins in the air and hiffs the Frisbee so that it speeds right into their faces.
As the game goes on Bucky and Steve are already winning and it almost becomes like child's play. They run around the court laughing.
"Oh c'mon coach we're just humouring them now!" Bucky shouts as the score gets to an unattainable difference.
"Sorry James, rules are rules. We have to keep going until the end.
Suddenly Bucky gets an idea. Steve being so little and light could be a huge advantage.
"Hey Steve, there's nothing in the rules about not being able to lift up your partner right?" Bucky jogs over to Steve an murmurs.
"What're you thinking Buck?" Steve frowns but has a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Follow my lead." Bucky grins.
As the Frisbee gets thrown back in their direction, too high for either one of them to reach Bucky cups his hands and crouches down nodding to Steve. Instantly realising what he wants him to do, Steve runs up puts his foot in Bucky's grasp and leaps up as Bucky throws him up into the air.
Bucky's jaw drops in amazement as he sees Steve catch the Frisbee and throw it back all in one motion, both too high and too string of a shot to catch, delivering the winning shot.
"Yes!" Bucky shouts and jumps in the air, throwing his fists up.
He's so caught up in the fact that they won that he forgets that Steve is in fact still in the air and needs to be caught.
"We won! Stevie we w-"
"Ahhh!" An all too familiar voice cries out behind him followed by a huge gasp from the previously cheering crowd.
His eyes going wide and instantly realising realising what he's done wrong, Bucky whips around to see Steve lying in a crumpled heap on the ground his face screwed up in pain as he tries to roll around.
"Oh shit!" Bucky shrieks in dread and rushes over to him dropping down beside his best friend.
He can hear the crowd muttering in concern and their two opponents laughing but he doesn't care.
"Shit Steve I'm so sorry!" Bucky exclaims guiltily as he looks Steve all over.
"Ah, fuck! My arm!" He grunts and winces as he clutches at it.
"Crap okay, let's get you to the nurse right now." Bucky says urgently.
~
"Sorry for not catching you," Bucky says guiltily as they walk in through the door of their apartment late that night.
"Buck you can stop saying your sorry, it was an accident." Steve huffs, his arm casted and in a sling as he plops down on the couch still in the dark.
"I'm still sorry," Bucky mumbles as he flicks on the lights and sits down beside his friend.
"Yeah, well I think over fifty apologies is enough." Steve chuckles.
"I wasn't paying attention. I just got too excited and I-"
"Forgot that I was flying through the air? Yeah who could forget that," Steve jokes.
"It was pretty epic." Bucky grins.
"Until my arm felt like it was being stabbed," Steve remarks.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that."
"If it makes you feel any better it doesn't hurt so much anymore."
"But that's because your so high on drugs."
Silence takes over them for a few minutes.
"You know there is some good news I suppose." Bucky speaks up after a while.
"What's that?"
"Everyone thought it was so cool what you did that they awarded you ultimate champion."
"That's how it was gonna be anyway." Steve smirks.
Bucky rolls his eyes and nudges Steve forgetting about his broken arm.
"Ah!" Steve yelps.
"Oh fuck sorry!" Bucky exclaims guiltily.
"What can I do to make you stop saying sorry?" Steve laughs.
"I don't know, stop me feeling guilty, pay me back somehow."
"Oh I've got the perfect way." Steve grins evilly. "And to be honest you've got no choice now anyway."
"Oh god, what?" Bucky says, dreading the answer.
"Because I can't do it myself for the next six weeks you have to do all my chores and as extra pamper me for payback too."
"Ugh seriously?" Bucky groans flopping his head back.
"Yep, running my baths and all." Steve chuckles.
"Oh man, kill me now." He wines and screws up his face.