A/N: Trigger warning for abuse.
"Sh*t, this is not going to end well!" Steve mumbled to himself as he ran home as fast as he can, which to be honest wasn't that fast because he had bad asthma.
"Sorry Uncle Eric! I was just staying after school to finish some homework." he had to lie to his uncle. Uncle Eric could not know he had started to make friends or it would not end well.
"That's your second strike this week Steven!" Eric yelled infuriated "One more time and this time it won't be the stairs or the belt." Steve never actually fell down the stairs by accident, his uncle pushed him. That's the way his uncle punished him. The bruises that covered the rest of his body which no one saw was from when his uncle whipped him with his belt.
"Sorry Uncle Eric, I promise it won't happen again." Steve was terrified of his uncle at the moment. Sometimes he was nice, but that was when other people were around. Steve wanted to feel safe so he did what he normally did, ran up to his room locked the door and sketched. He usually sketched his mom or what he imagined characters from his favourite book looked like, but this time he was sketching Bucky. Steve still felt weird after he hugged Bucky so he thought this might clear it up. Weeeelllllll, it did something to clear it up however it didn't make Steve happy. As he started to sketch his new friend he started to realize that his friend was extremely beautiful. This made Steve upset because he knew Bucky could never love him back, I mean he was straight as an arrow right?
~~~Not a time skip just going to Bucky now. WHOOSH~~~
As soon as Steve left he grabbed his phone and immediately called Natasha.
"'Tasha we need to talk!" You could hear how shaky Bucky was through the phone.
"Can it be done over the phone?"
"No 'Tasha! This is important! I can come over if that's easier."
"Fine, come over if it's that serious but remember you owe me one Barnes." Natasha hated being bugged after school was over.
~~~ SKIP TO NAT'S HOUSE~~~
Bucky got to Natasha's house and began knocking nervously on the door.
"Come in!" she yelled. Bucky let himself in and went to find where Natasha was at. He found her in the office room on the second floor. She was doing a project for school.
"What was so important Bucky?"
"Well I didn't talk to Steve all day during school so I caught up with him after school and he was bruised all over his face, like extremely bad"
"Oh my gosh! Is he okay?"
"Well I took him to the cafe so we could talk about it and he said he was fine and he just fell down some stairs."
"Well it's good he's okay but is that seriously all you had to say?" You could hear the anger in her voice.
"No. I have something else..." he went quieter towards the end sentence
"Well spit it out Bucky,"
"Well after we had coffee I gave him a hug, but it was just like a bro-hug with a pat on the back."
"So what?" She honestly felt that Bucky was wasting her time. Sure she was glad Steve was okay but she didn't know he was hurt in the first place so what was the point of all this.
"When we did that I guess I felt something like my heart skipped beats and my stomach was in a knot. I-- I think I love him." He could barely get that last sentence out.
"You just met him Bucky. Maybe you just felt weird because you felt bad for him," She was scared that Bucky might be in love. Last time Bucky was in "Love" his heart was shattered so Natasha tried to look out for him.
"Yeah, I guess you're right Natasha. Sorry for bothering you."
"You never bother me, sweetie. Just go home and relax."
"Bye 'Tasha."
"Bye Bucky"
~~~ Da Next Day In Art ~~~
"Hey, Steve!" Bucky said excitedly as Steve wasn't buried in his hood.
"Hi, James I mean Bucky. Sorry."
"It's fine."
"I um... I have something for you," Steve said shyly.
"Cool! What is it?" Steve handed the sketch he made of Bucky over to him.
"I hope you like it." Steve still sounded shy
"Like it? Dude! I love it. This is amazing!" Bucky truly loved it. He loved the attention to detail and so many other things. That included the huge factor that it was drawn by Steve.
"Really? Thanks." Steve said with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, ummm, I was wondering if you would like to, uuuuhhhhh, if you'd like to hang out after school again?" He was nervous and grinding his teeth.
"Of course, that would be fun. Also, you don't have to be so nervous around me. I'm your friend." Bucky said smiling at Steve. He thought about how cute he was when he was nervous and how he would grind his teeth together. WAIT. No, he wasn't cute. Bucky couldn't like Steve like that he couldn't. It's like Natasha said. It's just out of pity.
~~~ TO THE END OF SCHOOL!~~~
They started to walk to the cafe together. That's where they decided they would go. They sat where they did yesterday.
"Thanks for the sketch. It's beautiful." Bucky said thankfully
"Thanks," he says. "It's only beautiful because you're in it," Steve mumbles to himself quietly. He came to the realization that he had a crush on Bucky.
"I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to hear that," Bucky comments awkwardly
"Not really," Steve says nervously as he goes to hide in his sweatshirt. Bucky again finds it cute but he wasn't going to admit that. He still didn't know how he felt.
Wait.
He thought back to yesterday when Steve said he fell down the stairs. He was grinding his teeth. He was lying!
"I can't believe you lied to me!" Bucky yelled angrily. He didn't care who looked.
"What do you mean?" Steve was confused
"You said you fell down the stairs, but you didn't. Did you?" He said quieter.
"No, I didn't. I just can't tell you the actual reason." He said upset.
"Fine. I'm leaving. Don't try talking to me again." Bucky was so upset
~~~ To Bucky's House ~~~
He ran up to his room in tears. He didn't know why he was crying he just was. Maybe it was because he lost someone he really cared about. As he sat down on his bed something crunched in his back pocket. He looked at what it was. It was the picture Steve drew of him. He broke down even more.
"Gosh dangit, why do I care so much!" Bucky mumbled to himself. He decided that he would make up to him tomorrow. He shouldn't have gotten so worked up. He should respect Steve's privacy.
~~~ TOMORROW TOMORROW I'LL LOVE YOU TOMORROW IT'S ONLY A DAY AWAY!! ~~~
Bucky planned on apologizing during lunch. He didn't care who judged him, even Peirce. He got to lunch and searched frantically for Steve. When he didn't see Steve he panicked. He ran to where he normally sat and told Natasha everything. She had suggested that he ask Roxie for his address so he could give him the homework he missed. Then when he got there he could ask why he wasn't at school and also apologize to him. That's what he did.
~~~ Same Day Just After School ~~~
"Hey Roxie!" Bucky tried to sound as innocent as he could so she didn't know he was lying.
"Hello, Mr.Barnes. What are you here for today?"
"I was wondering if I could have Steve's address so I could deliver his homework."
"Of course, that's very sweet of you. It's (I don't know make it up in your mind.)"
"Thanks," he says with a sigh of relief as he leaves the office.
Steve didn't live that far away so Bucky walked. When he arrived he was surprised. It was a beautiful grand house made of marvellous bricks. He went up and knocked on the dark oak double doors. A large, burly man came to answer the door. He assumed the man was Steve's uncle.
"Hello, sir is Steve here. I need to talk to him. It's important."
"Hello young man and what may your name be?"
"James sir."
"Well welcome James, what do you need Steven for?"
"First I need to apologise to him and I need to talk about school."
"You're the reason he was crying?" he was confused yesterday why Steve came home crying. He thought it was because a failed test or something so he had whipped him for being such a pansy.
"Yes, we a had a heated fight. Wait, he was crying too? I really need to see him now sir."
"Fine," he said slightly annoyed. "Steven get your a** down here right now!" he yelled
Steve walked down the stairs to the front door where his uncle was. His Uncle motioned towards Bucky and then left the two boys alone.
"I'm sorry," they say in sync after a while of awkward silence
"Wait why are you sorry?" Steve asked
"I shouldn't have yelled at you for lying I should have let you explain first. Why are you sorry?"
"I should have just told you that I couldn't tell you the real story behind the bruises." Steve sounded ashamed
"Hey don't sound so guilty, we were both wrong. Come here." Bucky wraps Steve in to hug. This hug unlike the last wasn't a bro-hug but an embrace. They sat in each other's arms for a while until Steve asks
"Can we go somewhere private so I can tell you what really happened?"
"Sure does your room work?"
"No. It has to be extremely private."
"My parents are gone until Monday, so how about my house?"
"Sure let me just tell my Uncle that we're going to work on school stuff."
"okay." Bucky was confused why Steve was lying to his uncle.
~~~ Time skip to the walk ~~~
"Stevie, why did you lie to your uncle?"
"You'll learn when we talk." Steve didn't know why he was about to tell Bucky the truth but he trusted the beautiful boy.
You've never seen a boy so nervous in his life.
~~~ Bucky's house ~~~
Bucky leads Steve to his bedroom. It wasn't as big as Steves but it still fascinated Steve.
"Are you sure you want to tell me?" Bucky asks knowing it will be hard for Steve
"Yeah, I'm sure. I can't keep lying to you."
"Okay. Just know you can trust me."
"I trust you," he says with a shake in his voice. Steve did trust Bucky, he was just scared of the reaction.
"Then whenever you're ready." Steve took a deep breath.
"When my mom died it hit me just as hard as it hit my uncle. My uncle blames me for her death though." He shakily breaths in, "So when I do something wrong my uncle punishes me so I don't take someone else's life. His way of punishing me is a little harsh. He... he..." Steve breaks down crying
"He beats you," Bucky finishes for him enclosing him in a hug. Steve hugged back crying heavily into Bucky's shoulder.
"I just don't know what to do," Steve sobs out
"I'm just glad you told me, Stevie because I know how to help you," Bucky says. Steve looks up with so much hope in his eyes.
"How?" Steve chokes out.
"We can tell Roxie in the office and she can call the police and your uncle will be taken away and he can't hurt you again," Bucky says trying to comfort Steve
"But then I'll be put into foster care," Steve replies upset
"Well, what if you stay with us. I mean my family; we would gladly take you." Bucky adds that last part with hopefulness that Steve would take the offer.
"I'm sorry Bucky, but we both know it would be way to awkward because the way I feel for you," Steve says wistfully
"Can I tell you something, Steve," Bucky says seriously
"Go right ahead," Steve says ready to be disappointed.
"I never said I didn't like you back. When you said I was beautiful and you got nervous I was gonna say how cute you were. I even told Natasha that I thought I really liked you. I do want you and maybe if stay with us we can work it out and I don't like seeing you hurt because you are beautiful in every way. From your compassionate personality to your beautiful looks."
Bucky continues to ramble on as he does he continues to look between Steve eyes and his lips. Steve notices this and since Bucky just admitted that he did like Steve back so he went for it. Steve leaned in and softly kissed Bucky to see if it was okay then Bucky kissed back.
After a while, they both break unable to open their eyes from how happy they were. When both of their eyes are open Steve kisses Bucky's cheek. Bucky was so happy he couldn't resist kissing Steve again. He lifts Steve off the bed and pushes him up against the wall. Bucky gives Steve a mischevious look and starts to kiss him harshly. Steve kisses back just as harshly surprising Bucky and Steve is able to slip his tongue in feeling every crescent of Bucky's mouth. Steve pushes Bucky back and they run into Bucky's bedside table and then the bed and Steve falls on top of Bucky. When they get off each other Bucky says
"I didn't realize how hard you fell for me. Literally." They share a laugh and Steve doesn't return home. He spends the weekend with Bucky. When they return to school on Monday they did exactly Bucky's plan and told Roxie. Bucky asks his parents if they could keep Steve. His parents say yes as long as they don't mess around. They agree not to... well, they won't do it when his parents are home.
A/N: Sorry this came out late! I forgot that I had to spend the day with my brother yesterday. I tried to make up for the sadness with a little bit of fluff at the end! I hope you enjoyed!
PSA: If you have this problem or any other problem talk to someone whether it's me, a parent, a friend, a teacher, or someone trustworthy. We're all here to help you! Love you all<3