Change of Pace

Lunch Time

Most of the day had gone smoothly. Bucky had scared most of Bella's teachers into not letting boys sit next to her, and in the one class where that hadn't worked, he'd simply picked her up and plopped her down on his lap. He had refused all of the teachers thinly veiled orders to move and had growled at the boy sitting to their right a total of five times when he tried to speak to Bella.

Now, at lunch, Bella was on his shoulders again. She was waving at people she knew, calling out names when she knew them, leaving Bucky irritated when a few of them were boys.

"Hey Eric!" Bella called as Bucky picked up a couple of apples and threw a few bills at the canteen staff. "Bucky, please, can we sit with Eric?" Bella bent forward to press a kiss on Bucky's forehead almost immediately melting the scowl that had been forming there. "Angela is sitting there, and I'd really like to be her friend."

"Angela's still a girls name, right?" Bucky questioned. They'd met a boy earlier who had been called Beck, and no amount of arguing could convince Bucky that that wasn't short for Rebecca. It was the same nickname he'd given his sister back in the day.

Beck and Buck. They'd been quite the pair.

"Yes, Bucky!" Bella giggled, high-pitched and hysterical, almost falling forward off his shoulders. He caught her and lowered her to the ground, moving her firmly into his side so he could wrap his metal arm tightly around her front.

"'Kay, let's go then." He grinned as she led the way to where she'd seen her knew friend.

The table was large. Three girls sitting on one side, two of whom began to cling to each other and giggle when they saw him coming. Three boys sitting across from them who were salivating over Bella in such an obvious way that Bucky was already thinking of the many ways in which he would turn their bones into powder before burying them alive under the school auditorium. The smile on Bucky's face grew as he imagined their screams of pain. There would be no boys for his Bella. Even if he had to revert to his old ways to make it so.

"Hey, fellas." Bucky's metal hand slammed down on the table with an almighty thud which silenced the whole canteen for a short moment. The three boys paled considerably, the two girls who were whispering and blushing about him whimpered in a disgustingly sexual way and the girl with whom Bella was interested in being friends almost feel out of her seat with laughter. "How goes it, Ariel?" He nodded to Eric. "Surf's Up?" He nodded to the boy with blonde hair whom Bella had addressed previously as Mike. He'd been the one to sit by her in class. There was another, but Bucky ignored him. He was not one of the boys they'd seen around, and he hadn't spoken yet, so there was no point bringing him into the conversation.

"Hi," a strangely low pitched voice floated over to Bucky from where the two gossip girls were sitting. He turned to look, noticing the pair pushing their breasts out and pouting their lips. They looked at him through their lashes and blinked often.

"Hey girls, how you doing?" Bucky didn't smile. He didn't soften his voice. He didn't want to give these children any false ideas of what they might or might not be able to have with him.

The pair didn't respond, giggling and squealing, something about soldiers being so damned hot. Bucky shuddered.

"Um. Hi." The softest voice sounded from his right. He looked to see that Bella was already seated beside her new friend.

"Hey darlin," Bucky squatted by Bella's side, his face moving itself around until he was smiling softly at the young girl who sat beside her. "What's your name?" He asked softly. "I'm Bucky." He stuck his flesh hand put for the girl to shake if she wanted to.

"Angela." She muttered shyly, her face bursting into a bright red blush as she spoke, lowering her head. She fiddled either her long black ponytail with one hand while her other tentatively snuck out to shake Bucky's. He chose not to mention it when she, much like Bella, started to fiddle with his hand rather than giving it straight back. His other hand, which was rested around Bella's shoulders, was already being played with. "Sorry, I'm a little shy."