Opposites Attract

Nineteen

The next week was the most fun they'd had in a while. Steve declared a picnic on Tuesday, and invited some of his soccer buddies. Bucky invited Natalia and Dmitri, and they had a big get-together on the school field.

"Barnes, think fast," Sam said suddenly, kicking the ball to him. Bucky, eyes wide, jumped and caught the ball mid-air. Steve whooped and walked over, grinning. T'Challa and Scott joined him, talking animatedly.

"Great catch, sweetheart," he praised as he helped him up and grinned. "Should be our goalie."

"Shouldn't I be in school for that?" Bucky drawled, looking amused as he tossed the ball to T'Challa. Steve shrugged and kissed his cheek before retreating further into the field.

"Wanna try anyway?"

Bucky smiled. "I'm game."

They taught him the basics and started a game of soccer. Bucky traded out goal with Peter, a chipper boy a grade younger. He had spirit, though, so they let him play.

Bucky ran and stole the ball from under Steve's feet, nearly tripping him. Steve spun and tricked him out, and stole it back. Bucky tried to recover, but ended up tripping and toppling backwards as he fell over his feet.

Steve tried not to laugh as he sped past him, shouting, "On your left!"

"Screw you, Rogers!" Bucky couldn't help but grin as he chased after him. T'Challa was close behind him, silently about to overtake Steve. They shared a look and wordlessly decided to work together against Steve. Scott retreated to cheer Steve on, idly running along the edge of the field.

Steve suddenly skidded to a stop, kicking the ball at the goal. Bucky tried to copy the skid, but ultimately failed.

"Look out," T'Challa called half-heartedly, trying not to smirk, stopping and watching the collide happen. Steve turned and Bucky crashed into him, bright red.

"Uh... nice catch?" he said and Steve grinned and sat up.

"This feels familiar," he murmured and Bucky blushed as he climbed off, the pulled Steve up. They joined the rest and talked and laughed until the sun sank beneath the horizon.

////

Wednesday Steve, Bucky and his siblings all went down to the creek and spent almost all day there, then they helped Winifred make dinner. Bucky had never seen Steve so happy before, and he himself wore a smile all night long.

"Thank you for having me over," Steve said and smiled up at Winifred. She smiled gently and nodded.

"Of course, dear. You're family."

Steve smiled a watery smile and Winifred gave him a quick hug. Bucky smiled as he began cleaning up the dishes. George looked proud as he leaned against the fridge, practically shining. He decided Steve was a great kid, and he didn't care that Bucky was gay.

There were bigger things to do than focus on who loved who. He proudly declared himself an ally one day, and Bucky had hugged him as tight as he could, choking on his tears because he had finally been accepted.

////

Thursday was uneventful; Steve cleaned the house and Bucky spent some time with his siblings -- as in, wrestled Charlie over the last handful of cookies, went exploring with Rebecca, Christopher and Teddy, and was introduced to Emma's girlfriend, April -- a sweet dark-skinned girl with hazel green eyes. She was quiet, soft-spoken -- Emma's polar opposite. Emma actually smiled nowadays; a rare and welcomed sight.

////

Bucky invited Steve down to the creek that night, and they did a bit of stargazing. Steve spread out the fleece blanket and crawled on, then rolled onto his back. Bucky rested his head on his chest and closed his eyes, listening to his heart beat. Steve quietly played with his hair and stared up at the stars.

The wind was warm, and only a few clouds dotted the dark sky. Bucky took a breath and sighed.

"So, science nerd?" Steve lifted himself up on his forearms and looked at him, smiling softly. "Anything you can teach me?"

Bucky smiled. "Well, that's Mars there, see it?" Bucky sat up and shuffled to sit beside him, pressed against his shoulder. He pointed out constellations and other planets, and Steve rested his head on his shoulder as he listened.

"Orion's belt is to the North a bit, from here," Bucky continued, glancing over at him. Steve nodded, his eyes closed. Bucky smiled a little and bumped him with his shoulder. "Fallin' asleep?"

"No," Steve protested, lifting his head a little bit. Bucky wrapped an arm around his shoulders and his head slid back down. "Just tired, is all. I wanna hear more."

Bucky nodded and kept talking. He could talk about space for hours -- it had always fascinated him. Steve dozed on his shoulder, and Bucky kept perfectly still. He held him close and stared up at the stars, content.

After a while he nudged him again -- Steve's mother would have his head if her son stayed out too long. "Hey. C'mon, Stevie," he said quietly, nudging him again. Steve slowly pushed himself up and muttered an apology, rubbing his eyes. "Hate to wake you, love, but it's getting pretty late."

"Ugh," Steve groaned and looked at him, bleary-eyed. "You're really comfortable though."

Bucky smiled a little and shrugged. "C'mon, your mother'll kill me," he said as he stood and stretched. Steve stood up and picked up the blanket, yawning.

"Over my dead body," Steve scoffed and shook the blanket out. Bucky shook his head and waited for Steve to finish before starting to walk back. He waited until Steve was inside before retreating back to his own place, his chest warm.

Steve was surprised to see his mother sitting up, waiting for him. Mr. Rogers was already in bed -- he'd had a long day, he told his wife, and hid away after dinner. Steve paused, his hand resting on the door handle as he stared at his mom.

Her eyes were piercing, and her face was stoic. "You're back late, Steven."

He hated his full name. The past couple weeks he'd forgotten that he was supposed to be proper; everything his parents had taught him had gone almost completely out the window. He'd adopted more slang terms the longer he spent around Bucky and his family, and felt grateful because of it.

"Yes," he said stiffly. "I was with Bucky."

Her lips tightened and she tried not to look impatient. She wanted this issue to be resolved.

"I need to talk to you."

Steve stared at her and said nothing. "So talk."

He knew he wasn't going to enjoy the conversation to come.