Paper Hearts (skinny!Steve and badboy!Bucky Modern AU)

One

Commotion was coming from the alley as Bucky took out the trash.  It was getting close to the end of his shift at the small mom-and-pop Italian restaurant, Bertelli's, and Bucky was beyond ready for the day to be over.  Not only did he have to deal with rude customers, but he also still had homework to do when he got home.  With a sigh, Bucky threw the full trash bags into the dumpster and turned to look at the other end of the alley where he could see a fight taking place.

Bucky's brows furrowed as he evaluated the situation as a larger man hit a man significantly smaller so hard that he fell to the ground.  Without hesitation, Bucky started towards them and grabbed the larger man's arm as he went to hit the one on the ground again.

"What do ya think you're doin'?"  Bucky asked.

He had expected the larger man to try and explain the situation or tell him to fuck off, but instead, the smaller man spoke.  The smaller one's breathing was ragged as he declared, "What's right.  That's what I'm doin'."

Finally close enough to see the beaten man, Bucky realized that he wasn't a man at all.  He was a teenager.  A kid.  In fact, the two went to school together.  Although they had never had a conversation, Bucky recognized the smaller one almost immediately.  Shocked, his grip slackened on the larger man, who went to punch the kid again.

"I hate to sound cliche, but shouldn't you be picking on someone your own size?"  Bucky questioned the man and pulled him away from his blond schoolmate.

Of course, the man didn't like that and he went to swing at Bucky.  However, Bucky ducked before the man's fist could make contact with his face.  Then Bucky took the opportunity to punch the man, his knuckles hitting the man's cheekbone, and causing the man to stumble.  The man seemed shocked and Bucky stood his ground in front of his schoolmate, protecting the petite blond boy.

There was a half of a second where Bucky was sure that the man was going to come back at him.  Luckily though, the man turned and left the alley.  Once Bucky was sure that the coast was clear, he turned around and held out his hand for the boy who was sitting on the ground, clutching his side in pain.

"You alright?"  Bucky asked.  The boy nodded and accepted Bucky's outstretched hand.  Gently, Bucky pulled the boy to his feet and tried not to think about how the boy's hand was softer than he imagined it would be.

Lingering, Bucky looked over his smaller schoolmate's face.  There were cuts scattered on the boy's pale face.  One on the apple of his left cheek, one on his eyebrow, and one splitting his lower lip.  Bucky's eyes roamed over the boy's face and knew that the boy was sure to have a black eye for school tomorrow.  Then, Bucky's eyes locked with his smaller schoolmate's, causing his heart to stutter in his chest.

Realizing that he was standing entirely too close, Bucky averted his gaze and took a step back, only to notice that he was still holding the rather large, yet still delicate, hand of the smaller boy.  Bucky dropped the boy's hand and suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands, so he decided to tighten the elastic holding his brown hair in a small bun at the nape of his neck.

Bucky chanced a look at the boy again and found that the boy was already looking at him.  The boy was still panting and Bucky asked him, "Are you sure that you're alright?"

The boy nodded and Bucky quirked his brow at him as he looked over the boy once more.  The blond cleared his throat and rasped in a deep voice, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were ya doin' out here anyway?"  Bucky asked.  He gestured in the direction that the man had gone and said, "He was nearly twice your size."

"He was harassing a girl," the boy defended himself.

Bucky nodded and briefly smirked down at the ground.  He had to admire his tenacious schoolmate.  Even if the boy had been an idiot to get in a fight with someone who was so much larger than he was.

Looking back up at the blond, Bucky blushed at the fact that the boy was still looking at him.  Bucky was used to having people stare at him.  Girls ogled, boys glared, and adults gawked at his apparent teenage rebellion.  But this boy gazed at Bucky as though he was trying to peer straight into Bucky's soul.

"Barnes!"  A burly cook named Jack called out the back door of Bertelli's, looking for the younger employee.  Once Jack spotted the teenagers, he asked, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Bucky called over his shoulder to his coworker.  A smirk tugged at the edge of Bucky's lips and he kept his eyes on the blond in front of him as he told his coworker, "Everything's fine."

"Alright," Jack watched the two boys.  He continued, "Ya still got some floors to mop."

Bucky nodded and reluctantly turned away from the boy.  As he walked back towards the restaurant's back door, he glanced over his shoulder to see that the blond was still standing there, watching him.  The smile on his face grew before he pressed his lips together to suppress it.

At the door, Bucky turned towards his schoolmate and told him, "You'll wanna put some ice on," Bucky swirled his forefinger in the air, gesturing at the blond's face, "It'll help."

A smirk tugged at the blond's lips as he nodded and told Bucky, "Will do."

With Bucky still watching him, the blond started leaving the alley.  Bucky could feel a lump in his throat as he watched the boy turn down the street, leaving his line of vision, and causing every cell in Bucky's body to tell him to go after the boy.