Call It What You Want: Home Series 1 (Trans!Steve and Pan!Bucky Summer AU)

Sixty-One

"Where the fuck did you find that?" Natasha harshly questioned, standing beside Steve and Bucky. Using her petite body to hide Steve from Brock.

"Your school's Facebook," Brock easily answered. Steve kept his gaze on Sam's strong legs and the neon purple swim trunks that complimented his dark skin tone; trying to remember how to breathe. Especially as Brock continued, "Turns out Stevie here had some real potential. A decent volleyball player with one of hell of a body. Such a shame that she hides those curves now."

"Too far," Sam sternly warned Brock, crossing his arms along his chest as though he was trying to refrain himself from doing something else.

Like the good person that he was, Bucky made Steve his top priority. Rubbing his hands soothingly over Steve's arms, Bucky softly questioned directly into Steve's ear, "Are you okay?"

It took Steve a moment to realize that he was shaking. It took him another moment to realize that Bucky wanted an answer. Jerkily, Steve nodded. Not trusting his voice enough to vocally answer.

"Oh, c'mon. She knows I'm only flirting," Brock chuckled, causing Steve's stomach to flip uncomfortably. Flipping in the extreme opposite of how it did when Bucky flirted with him. This wasn't flirting. It never was with Brock.

"You know what, I think your name is real pretty, Stevie, and I think you should respect your mama more for choosing such a beautiful name for ya."

From beside Brock, Sharon quietly, harshly, demanded, "Seriously, knock it off."

"I'm only joking," Brock defended.

"Even if you were, it's too far," Sharon argued, anger building in the typically kind-hearted and even-tempered girl.

Brock's voice was tight, sending a chill straight down Steve's spine as he ordered Sharon, "Then why don't you just wait for me in the car?!"

Steve swallowed thickly as the air tensed. Almost as though the air was being sucked out of the area. Not even the trees' leaves moved in that moment, giving everyone an eerie pause.

Finally the moment broke as Sharon stepped away from Brock, closer to Sam as she aggressively crossed her arms and coolly recommended, "Why don't you just find yourself a new girlfriend."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Brock angrily agreed, bitterly laughing.

Vaguely, Steve was aware that Natasha had left her spot shielding him and was walking over to Brock. Steve cautiously glanced over, knowing that this wasn't going to end well for Brock. Clearly, Brock didn't realize that the petite girl with the red roots and the choppy bangs and the silver bob was a bigger threat than assumed. Hell, she pierced her own nose without so much as a single tear streaming down her face. Natasha was the biggest badass that Steve had ever met. And he was damn lucky that he had never been on her bad side.

Unlike Brock. Who was still talking. Loudly, he snidely suggested, "How 'bout it, Steph--"

Before anyone could even blink, Natasha punched Brock square in his nose. Brock immediately doubled over and groaned in pain as he clutched his nose. There was blood gushing from his broken nose, covering his face and hands, and dripping onto the grass below him. But Natasha wasn't done. Quickly, swiftly, Natasha kneed Brock directly in his balls, effectively hurting not only his manhood, but his ego as well.

Leaning in, Natasha spoke through her teeth, "Steve is twice the man you'll ever be. And if you know any better, you'd leave. Now."

In that moment, Brock did something that no one -- least of all, Steve -- expected him to do. He left. Wounded, bloody, and bruised, Brock hobbled around the house. Angrily muttering to himself as he did so. Hearing a door slam shut, Steve jerked at the loud noise, even though he knew he was safe in Bucky's arms.

"I'm so sorry, Steve," Sharon apologized, bending, so she was eye-to-eye with Steve while staying at a courteous distance. Which Steve greatly appreciated.

"Satan's bitch," Natasha exclaimed, shaking out her already bruising hand that was covered in Brock's blood and exaggerated her gesture in the direction where Brock had been. "Can you believe how much of a --"

"Cunt," Steve supplied with a small grin.

"-- cunt," Natasha's smile grew as she confirmed, "Can you believe it?"

Sharon deadpanned, "It came out of nowhere."

"Such a surprise," Bucky falsely agreed, burying his face into Steve's neck, tenderly pressing a chaste kiss there.

Steve eased in Bucky's embrace, reminding himself that he was safe. That he was with people who accepted him. People that defended him when he couldn't defend himself. Steve knew that even after this summer, these people would always be a part of him.