Rude Boy: Blue Series 1 (Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes Modern California AU)

One

Sometimes, life crashes right into you.

Steve had been strolling along the Santa Monica Bicycle Path when a brunet crashed into him. Hard.  Steve nearly toppled over from the impact and he grasped at the other person's arms at the last second.  Once Steve regained his balance, he helped steady the other man as he gripped onto Steve's broad shoulders.

"God, are you alright?"  The brunet asked, tilting his head back to look up at Steve.  On top of the brunet's head was a neon green helmet.  The breeze blew his long brown hair around his face, but even through the curtain of hair, Steve could tell that he was undeniably attractive.  Of course, that could be because Steve was a sucker for high cheekbones and a well-groomed beard.  Being slightly out of breath from the impact of the crash and the adrenaline of it all, the brunet apologized, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Steve reassured with a smirk.   Steve was about to let go of the other man, but it was clear that he wasn't steady on the rollerblades.  Even just standing there, he occasionally, uncontrollably jerked and almost fell, so Steve kept his grasp on him.   Steve asked, "Are you okay?"

With a raspy laugh, the brunet bashfully admitted, "I should've known rollerblades were a bad idea."

"Why's that?" Steve asked, noticing a bench nearby.

As Steve started to gently lead/pull the brunet over to the bench, he informed Steve, "I've never been able to rollerblade. Back in sixth grade, I nearly injured an entire birthday party because of my inability to balance on a line of wheels.  And it wasn't even the birthday party that I was attending, it was some eight year old's party!"

Steve softly chuckled at that as he helped him sit down.   Once he was on the bench, Steve took a step back.  Shoving his hands in his pockets, Steve asked, "Then, why rollerblades?"

"You ever seen that Pauly Shore movie, Son In Law?"  The brunet smirked and slid the neon blue backpack from his shoulders.

"I have," Steve confirmed with a grin as he watched the man unpack a pair of plain white tennis shoes.

"Then you know how essential it is to rollerblade down the path," he told Steve, removing one fingerless glove, then the next.

Steve watched him for a moment.  With his neon green and blue protective gear, the brunet reminded Steve of a Ken Doll.  And that was just from a passing glance.   Really looking at him, Steve could confirm that the brunet resembled a Ken Doll that Steve vaguely remembered playing with during his youth.   With the brunet's slender, athletic frame draped in a form-fitting white tank that accentuated his broad, muscular chest, and a pair of jean cut offs that hugged his thick thighs was the epitome of the classic plaything.  Not to mention his big sparkling eyes and wide grin.

Steve took a seat on the bench next to the brunet as he started to remove his knee pads.  Introducing himself to the brunet, "I'm Steve."

"Bucky," the brunet replied with a wide grin stretching across his face while he removed the helmet.

As Bucky ran his hand through his long brown hair that had cascaded down to the middle of his back, he gathered his hair and tossed it over his right shoulder, away from Steve, Steve asked, "So, what made you want to copy Son In Law?"

Bucky shrugged and Steve watched as he took off his simple, black rollerblades.  For a moment, Bucky just stretched his seemingly long legs out in front of him and wiggled his toes that were covered by the knee length tube socks.   A fleeting thought of this is the strangest strip tease I've ever encountered entered Steve's mind.   Quickly, Steve averted his gaze from Bucky if only to save himself some dignity.

"A bucket list," Bucky answered, putting his protective gear into his backpack.

God, he's one of them, Steve thought.  He had been with plenty of people who had been one of them.  The ones that read in a book or watched in a movie how some down-on-their-luck character took all these risks and ended up meeting their Prince Charming before promptly living happily ever after and with promises of riding off into the sunset together.   And in hopes of getting laid, Steve would play along.

Usually though, Steve could spot one of them from a mile away.   Of course, Steve hadn't spotted this one at all until he barreled into him.  Still, Steve knew how this was supposed to play out.  Steve would continue to attempt to pick this man up.  He had done so many times over the years with many other people.  So, Steve asked, "What else is on that bucket list?"

"The usual stuff.  Backpack through Europe.  Experience a miracle," Bucky flashed a cheeky grin, standing up and shrugging into his backpack.  As he slung his now tied together rollerblades around his surprising elegant looking neck, he started heading down the bike path.   Steve sat there for a moment.  Usually people sat around and talked with him more.  Flirted ostentatiously even.  This person, however, had simply gotten up and left.  Turning around, Bucky continued to walk, backwards this time, and waved goodbye as he called out, "It was nice meeting you, Steve."

Steve stayed on the bench, dumbstruck, and waved back in reply.  Steve had no idea if he would ever see this Bucky person again, but he sure wished that he would.