Till the End of the Line: Our Beginning | Stucky Fanfic

Chapter One

Chapter One

1924

Steve was in the first grade when he first met Bucky. He was outside, sitting on a bench and watching the other students in his class play. Steve wasn't allowed to play, he gets sick too often. His teacher had once told his mother that his asthma was just too risky to let him play with the others. So he would sit on the bench and watch. Sometimes if he had a cold or the weather was just a little too nippy, the teacher would let him go to the nurse's clinic and draw. He really liked to draw. The nurse's wall was covered in his drawings, and occasionally another student's, but Steve's pictures showed the most. They were well done, for a six year old, and usually brightly colored so "they could make the other kids feel better." Bright colors, Steve had concluded, made anyone feel better.

There was a substitute teacher today and she didn't allow Steve to stay inside, but Steve didn't mind. The crisp September air was just warm enough for him to breathe without feeling like an asthma attack was close. Steve loved these days, the ones where he wasn't wheezing constantly but it was still kinda chilly outside.

Nobody bothered Steve usually, except for the occasional confrontation between one of the other boys and him. He didn't like most of the kids in his class, they were really mean, especially to the girls. He tried to make them stop, but that usually ended up with Steve getting hit or in trouble.

Today was one of Steve's good days, when the boys were nicer to the girls and he didn't feel like he needed to stop them. So he just sat there, his feet dangling off the bench, and watched the other kids laugh and play.

However, something unusual happened a few minutes after recess had started. The second graders came out of the school building and started to play. Steve thought this was weird, since they usually have recess alone, but he didn't mind watching the older kids play too.

At least he didn't until an older boy started to tease him. "Look at the baby, sitting all by himself. He's too tiny to play with the big kids!" He snickered, his friends laughing with him. Steve tried his best to ignore the boy, his head turned pointedly towards a group of giggling girls chasing after a boy named Tommy. "Look, the baby wants to play! Aww too bad he's too short!" The boy shouted at Steve, followed by his friends laughing even harder.

Steve tried his best to ignore them as they continued to tease him, but when the boy took a step forward and pushed Steve off the bench, he had enough. He stood up, his legs shaking and his hands clenched into fists, and glared at the boys. "That's not very nice," he scolded them.

The older boy laughed and walked closer. "Aww the baby's getting mad! Look fellas, the baby's upset!" Steve didn't like the way the other boys started to chant the word 'baby' at him. "Say something, baby!" The older boy ordered, pushing Steve back again.

Bucky was playing tag with the other boys and girls when he saw Paul push the small, blonde first grader down. He stopped playing and marched over to Paul with an angry look on his face. "What are you doing, Paul?" he demanded. "What'd the kid ever do to you?"

"He's a baby, that's what!" Steve got back up and pushed Paul back.

"I am not!" Bucky had to admit, the kid had guts. Paul was easily twenty pounds heavier than the kid and a couple inches taller. In fact, Bucky noticed, the boy was the smallest kid on the playground. With a glare, Bucky crossed his arms. He didn't like that Paul thought he had the authority to pick on the kid. It's not his fault he's small.

Paul went to punch the kid, but Bucky got in the way. Bucky stumbled back with the hit, almost pushing the kid down. "Why'd you do that?" Paul crossed his arms, his friends watching curiously from behind him. Bucky turned to make sure the kid was okay before he turned and swung at Paul. He fell back, his nose bleeding down his face. "Ow!" He hollered before he started to cry, his friends accusing Bucky immediately and running to get their teacher. Paul followed them, holding his nose.