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

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

1925

March 10, 1925 came around quicker than expected for Bucky Barnes. The morning of, his mother woke him up with the promise of special birthday, blueberry pancakes and a new baseball glove wrapped with a bow on top. "You and your cousins can play after school if you want. I figured we'd celebrate on Saturday," she told him as she sat down beside him on his bed.

Bucky marveled at the glove, grinning like a maniac. "Thanks Mama, it's really cool! I needed a new glove," he told her. He hugged her quickly, but carefully, and tried it on. "I can teach Steve now!" He said suddenly, his face bright with excitement. "I can give 'em my old glove, since it's too small for me and he'll probably fit it now! I'll have this one and we can play with the other kids!" Bucky bounced up from his bed, moving to get dressed in his school uniform.   

Winifred Barnes laughed to herself, a hand on her four-month belly. "You better get your teaching skills in check, you might have a baby brother on the way. He'll need a good big brother to look after him." She stood up again and told him to meet her downstairs when he was dressed for school.

Bucky beamed. He was super excited to potentially have a baby brother. Rebecca was nice and all, but a brother could play with him and Steve. He'd make sure he was safe, too, like he looks after Steve and Becky.

He ran downstairs and into the kitchen, to find a plate of pancakes, his sister eating, and his father reading the paper. "Morning Jimmy, happy birthday son," his father, George, said over his paper. Bucky thanked him quietly, still confused why his father insisted on calling him James or Jimmy. He liked Bucky just fine, especially since his little sister gave it to him years before.

She was at the stage where she could just start forming sentences, but still had trouble with words. Bucky had just started school and had learned how to write and read his full name. He told everyone he saw on the way home and when he sat down to play with Becky, he told her too. "My name is James Buchanan Barnes, did you know that?"

Rebecca looked up at her brother with curious eyes and shook her head. "Jay Bu-. . . bu-" her eyebrows scrunched in concentration as she tried desperately to pronounce his name. Finally, she got out "Bucky Bawnes," and a proud look on her face. He loved the name Bucky and it stuck.  

As he sat down for his breakfast meal that morning, he started to shovel bites of pancake into his mouth. Becky reached over and gave him a flower from Momma's garden out back. "Happy birthday, Bubba!" she giggled, with her mouth full.

"Thanks Becky," Bucky told her as he gently took the flower and sat it in front of him.

He ate as quickly as he could and once his dish was cleaned, he was finally allowed to leave the house. Bucky ran down the block, crossing his street and bounding onto Steve's. The past five months, the two have fallen into a pattern of walking to school together. It made Mrs. Rogers feel ten times better knowing Steve wasn't walking alone anymore, so he made sure to be there early every day.

He walked into the building quietly, the floorboards creaking underneath his boots. He traveled upstairs and counted the doors silently until he reached the Rogers'. Two knocks and the door opened with Mrs. Rogers and Steve standing with big smiles on their faces. "Happy birthday Bucky!" they cheered in unison.

Bucky's face lit up and he laughed. He hugged and thanked them both, before Mrs. Rogers ushered the boys into the kitchen. She gave him a cupcake and a kiss on the cheek, before moving over to help Steve with his shoes. "I got a new glove," Bucky told them as he munched on his cupcake.