i'm with you, every step of the way

Chapter 3

The first day of school was pretty uneventful for Natasha and Bucky. For them, it felt just like old times, when they could hangout a lot of times. They have Steve for a couple of classes and so far, he's stayed out of their way, except for the frequent glances their way.

That night, Bucky invited Natasha to a small gathering in his new house, thrown by his parents as a celebration of them moving back.

"Nothing big, just us and a couple of my parents' friends. You should tell your parents to come too, my mom can't wait to catch up your mom!" Bucky told her while they were walking back home. His house was just a couple of houses away from Natasha's.

"Yeah, we'll be there," Natasha smiled, stopping in front of her house. She looked at Bucky and gave him a hug, whispering, "I'm so glad you're back," to him, before pulling back and saying goodbye.

Natasha went to her room to prepare for the evening. She has some math homework - being enrolled in an advanced class means so much homework - so she finished that first. Once done, she saw that it was 5pm and decided to get ready; they'll leave for Bucky's at 6. She opted to wear her casual baby pink dress and put some light makeup on. She then curled her hair loosely, just to tame it and make it look nicer. Once she was finished, she went downstairs to leave with her parents.

When they got to Bucky's house, they were welcomed by his mom.

"Natasha, darling!" She threw her arms around Natasha and kissed her cheeks. "I'm so glad to see you again! Oh my, look at you, such a beautiful young woman!" She exclaimed, laughing and looking at Natasha. Bucky approached them and offered a warm smile. His mom looked at him and then back at Natasha. "Look how happy he is, it's almost ridiculous! You're all he ever talks about, really." she rolled her eyes and moved to the side so Natasha could enter the living room.

Bucky's face heated up and he smiled sheepishly, looking at his mom and shaking his head. Natasha laughed at him and playfully hit his shoulder. On the corner of her eye, she spotted someone looking at her. To her surprise, it was Steve, standing by the doorway of the kitchen, watching them. She frowned at him and turned away.

The guests gathered in the living room, where Bucky's mom was giving a toast. Bucky, Natasha, and oddly enough, Steve, was towards the back. Steve quietly coughed and Natasha and Bucky turned to look at him.

"So... uh guys, how are you?" Steve asked, nervously, avoiding their eyes. It's kind of funny to see, really, Steve Rogers, the star of their school's football team, fidgeting like a kid who got in trouble. Natasha's lips quirked up at the sight of him.

"Good," she replied, sounding nonchalant. There's just something in her that can't bring herself to really talk to Steve. So she doesn't.

Bucky muttered "same" after hearing Natasha's answer. He knows his best friend has changed and not like what he used to be when they were kids. He also doesn't feel like talking to Steve so he just leaves him alone.

Steve inwardly flinched at their answers and the mood they gave him. He knows he should be upset that his childhood friends are basically ignoring him, but he just can't bring himself to be mad at them. He suppose there isn't really much reason as to why they should entertain him, after all, it was him who kind of turned his back. Still, the thought of the three of them being all happy together does sound good. He knows that the two might still have something against Tony, maybe not as much for Bucky, but Natasha is another story.

When they were ready to eat, Bucky led Natasha to the dining room and put his hand on her back while they were walking. Neither of them seemed to mind and the action felt so natural for both. They ate dinner at the patio tables, and talked about their old memories.

"Hey Bucky, Natasha," Bucky's mom approached them. "Son, why don't you go give Natasha a tour of the house after you guys finish eating? And you guys could invite Steve too, if you want." she asked. Bucky gave her a look but just nodded and she walked away to talk to the other guests.

Steve heard his name and his head perk up. He looked up and met Bucky's eyes. He saw Natasha and Bucky getting up and discarding their plates and he trailed behind them, making sure to keep some distance as to not make it look obvious. After a little while, he lost them because he was called by his mom to talk to some of her friends. He wandered off to the back to see Bucky and Natasha walking around the gardens.

After showing Natasha the whole house, Bucky made sure to keep the garden as their last stop. He likes it there and knows how much Natasha loves flowers and nature so he's sure she'll enjoy it. And he was right, her eyes were sparkling as they walk around. She was so beautiful, with her red hair flowing through the breeze and the chill air reddening her cheeks.

"I love it here! It's just so beautiful..." she trailed off, touching a flower in front of her.

"I know," Bucky replied softly, gazing at her.

Steve was watching them from the door and he looked down, not knowing why he was so... sad? He knows he shouldn't be sad, he has no right to be. He screwed up all chances of ever being with her in the future and now it's too late to do anything about it.

Natasha and Bucky went back into the house a few minutes later, laughing at something they were talking about. Steve is standing by the living room; it seems like there aren't much guests left, in fact it was just them and their parents as the other neighbors has just left. Steve's mom was talking to Bucky's and Natasha's moms, and he was just waiting for her to finish so they can leave.

When Bucky's mom caught sight of Bucky and Natasha, she clasped her hands together and grinned widely. "Oh there they are! Wow, you guys look like you had a good time!" She said, referring to the way the two are still laughing. "Aren't they cute together! Oh, Victoria, don't you think our children would look so good together?" She gushed, and Natasha's mom agreed with her, laughing and giving Natasha a thumbs up. Steve's mom, Sarah, smiled politely and looked at Steve. She had a feeling her son might still like Natasha, but wasn't sure as the two have stopped talking ages ago.

"Mooooom, stop it, you're so embarrassing," Bucky whined, walking to his mother's side.

"Son, I'm just telling the truth!" she flicked his forehead lightly and leaned into him.

"I think we better get going. Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Win," Victoria said, gesturing for Natasha to come to her. "It's getting late and the kids have school tomorrow."

Natasha waved goodbye to Bucky and flashed Steve a quick smile before coming with her parents to go home. Steve gave Bucky a nod and walked out with his mother, and walked out the door.

When Steve got home and into his room, he noticed Natasha's light was still on. Their rooms are adjacent to each other and they used to use this to their advantage when they were kids. Sometimes, Steve would absentmindedly look out his window and think about Natasha is doing, in a not creepy way obviously, but just... how she is. Now, he saw that her lights are still on but it turned off after a few minutes.

Steve got ready for bed after doing some stretching to make sure he won't be sore for the practice and game tomorrow. He jumped on his bed and went to sleep, dreaming of hazy figures with gleaming green eyes and bright red hair.