Bucky sits at his desk staring boredly at the black board. He starts to doze off, startling himself awake when his head slips off his hand and hits the desk with a loud thud. Everyone in the class turns to look a him and he pulls his hat down over his eyes then sinks lower in his seat.
"Mr. Barnes, care to tell me what we've been discussing?" His teacher asks, staring him down.
"Asexual reproduction," Bucky offers meekly.
"More specific," his teacher huffs.
"M'not sure," Bucky replies even though he knew perfectly well what they were studying.
"Detention in Mr. Rogers' room after school," his teacher snaps before returning to the lesson. Bucky sighs softly and closes his eyes. He makes his way to detention silently pulling on his hoodie. His friend Nat had bought it for him, knowing he loved cats. It was black with cat ears on the hood and a tail on the back. People sometimes looked at him weird because he always wore contacts that resembled cat eyes. He'd also sharpened his K-9s. He plops into a seat in Mr. Rogers' art room. He'd seen Mr. Rogers around before but never realized how hot he was until he came hurrying in apologizing about being late. Bucky blushes and ducks his head.
"You're the only student this afternoon?" He inquires and Bucky nods shyly. "Alright."
Detention is uneventful but Bucky spent most of it staring at Mr. Rogers. He starts intentionally getting detentions.
"Hello again Mister Barnes. How are you today?" Steve asks when Bucky comes in.
"I'm fine," he answers quietly.
"You got new contacts, got tired of the blue?"
"Yeah. Kinda," he nods.
"Makes sense. What've you been working on back here all week?" Steve asks and Bucky looks up to realize he's standing in front of him. He looks at Steve's lips and leans up. He's expecting to be shoved away, to be yelled at and called a creep, he's not at all expecting Steve to kiss back. Steve pulls him out of his seat, pulls him closer. Bucky leans on the table and kisses back eagerly. Steve pulls away first, still holding Bucky by his shirt. Bucky looks up at him with his wide eyes.
"I've been getting detentions so I could see you," Bucky blurts out.
"I've been hoping you'd get detentions so I could see you," Steve breathes.
"Kiss me again?" Bucky asks. Steve slams his lips against Bucky's.
Bucky starts to find his way to Steve's place for dinner, starts to stay the night at Steve's place.
"Do your parents know?" Steve asks over dinner one night. Bucky freezes and swallows hard.
"They're dead," he says, somewhat harshly.
"I'm sorry. Do you live with family?"
"I don't live anywhere," Bucky answers.
"You don't live anywhere?" Steve asks.
"No. I live wherever is warmest. Sometimes I stay in the homeless shelter," Bucky shrugs.
"Why haven't you bought a home?"
"I'm seventeen. I can't. They laughed at me the last time I tried," Bucky sighs.
"Then stay here," Steve blurts out then looks at the bottle of wine on the table. "I think I've had a little too much. That's a bad idea."
"Yeah," Bucky agrees awkwardly. "I think I should go."
"No. I don't mean it like that Bucky. Just... Just stay here tonight and we can talk about it in the morning when I'm sober. Okay?" Steve asks.
"I guess." Bucky nods and stands up. He helps Steve clean off the table before following him to bed.
Steve keeps his arms wrapped around the young boy an they eventually drift off together.
~~~
Steve makes breakfast and Bucky takes a seat across from him at the table. Steve was definitely a morning person. Bucky, well, Bucky was not.
"I think we need to consider things. I really don't like the idea of you not having a safe place to stay. But I also know if you move in that's going to suddenly draw attention and that it will make this very real," Steve begins, they'd finished eating but remained at the table.
"I'm fine with where I'm at now. I've been living this way for about two years now. Bad things rarely happen," Bucky assures.
"Rarely?" Steve asks.
"Uh. Yeah, every once in a while people get restless or the weather gets bad." Bucky shrugs. "It's honestly not that big of a deal."
Steve stares at him in disbelief. "That's not okay."
"It is-"
"Kitten. It's not okay. I want you to stay here. We'll figure out the consequences as we get there but for now I want you here. Where I know you're safe," Steve sighs.
"Okay. Okay." Bucky nods.
"All we've got to do is keep this secret until after you graduate. How hard can that be?" Steve mutters.
~~~
Apparently quite hard.
After many alarmingly close calls they make it to Bucky's graduation.
From there they officially start living their lives together and eventually they get married.
Together they live happily til the end of the line.
