A Place to Fall: Falling Series 1 (skinny!Steve x Bucky Barnes College AU)

Forty-Eight

If Steve thought that there was a lot of commotion his first time at Bucky's house, he was pathetically unprepared for just how overwhelming a family gathering could be. Not only was there the Barnes' who lived in that house but there was also aunts, uncles, cousins, Mandy's douche bag boyfriend, grandparents, and of course, Great Grandma Rosa.

God bless Great Grandma Rosa.

While the rest of the family was either in the kitchen, or on the other floors of the brownstone, Steve was in the living room.  Sitting in the living room, Steve on the ornate cream colored sofa -- that was clearly style over substance with the beautiful Victorian trim -- and Great Grandma Rosa in her wheel chair across from Steve. Steve tried not to stare at the feeble woman, but couldn't help his eyes from occasionally landing on the elderly woman.

Every time that Steve's gaze did land on her, they both shared a smile. Great Grandma Rosa's causing her entire face to crinkle, causing her thick large frame glasses to move further up her face while also causing her breathing tubes to shift upwards too. When that happened, there wasn't really anything else for Steve to do except allow his own grin to widen.

As the pair contently sat there in their own silence, cheering came from the second floor. Briefly, Steve glanced up at the ceiling. Being a bit melodramatic, Steve couldn't help but feel as though the ceiling might collapse considering just how rowdy everyone watching The Game was being.

They were so loud in fact, that Steve didn't realize that Great Grandma Rosa was speaking until his gaze fell on her again. Apologetically, Steve leaned forward to better hear her soft voice and asked, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You... don't want... to watch... ze game?" Great Grandma Rosa repeated with a slight accent. Possibly Italian. Steve wasn't sure, but he found it endearing, all the same. Especially once that same grin, as every other time, took hold of her wrinkled face.

"The game?" Steve questioned pointing up at the ceiling, to clarify that he had heard her faint voice correctly. Great Grandma Rosa nodded her confirmation and Steve shook his head as he reassured, "No, that's okay."

Still smiling, Great Grandma Rosa nodded again, pleased. With her arthritic hands in her lap, she contently sat there across from Steve. Although Steve was sure that Great Grandma Rosa was fine just sitting there in silence, he still felt as though he should strike up a conversation. He just wasn't sure of what.

"Well, aren't you two just a bunch of chatter boxes," Bucky teased, entering the living room and taking a seat next to Steve. Briefly giving Steve's thin thigh a comforting squeeze, Bucky directed his attention to his grandmother and asked, "Did Steve tell you that he's an artist?"

Great Grandma Rosa shook her head and with her brows arched in intrigue, she turned to look at Steve once again. Bucky told Steve, "Grandma was an artist in Romania."

"Really?" Steve smiled, pleasantly surprised by the petite woman across from him. Great Grandma Rosa nodded and weakly lifted her riddled hand to point at the beautiful Impressionist spring landscape hanging above the fireplace. Looking over the painting of blooming trees by a river, Steve glanced back at Bucky's grandma and assumed, "You painted this?"

Another nod of confirmation from Great Grandma Rosa and Bucky spoke Steve's mind, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," Steve agreed, looking up at the painting before looking back at Great Grandma Rosa.

"Thank you," Great Grandma Rosa graciously smiled at both boys. She then asked, "Do you... have work here?"

"Oh," Steve thought about all the sketches of Bucky that he had in his sketchbooks and blushed as he informed her, "No, I don't..."

"I'm hoping I'll be gifted one of his masterpieces for Christmas," Bucky stated, picking up the slack when Steve ran out of words.

The first time hearing this, Steve looked over at Bucky a bit surprised, "You are?"

Bucky confidently nodded. Then, Bucky leaned a bit closer to whisper, "I was going to ask you later."

Steve bit back his own grin, thinking about all the things he could draw for Bucky. Sweetly, Bucky leaned in and pressed a kiss to Steve's pinkening cheek. Being aware that they weren't alone, Steve chanced a glance at Great Grandma Rosa. After all, Steve had been introduced as, "Bucky's friend." Which Steve didn't mind, per se, but he wasn't sure how Bucky's elderly relative would handle whatever he and Bucky were. Especially when Steve was aware of how the older generations tended to be about certain relationships.

To Steve's surprise, Great Grandma Rosa didn't seem to mind. Instead of finding a look of disgust, like Steve was afraid of, Steve found that same smile that she had been giving him all morning. Steve returned the grin and relaxed a bit in his own skin.

"Hey, Buck," Winifred called out. Both Steve and Bucky turned to look back at the dining room. Winifred smiled and asked, "Wanna help me set the table?"

"Sure," Bucky agreed, giving Steve's thin thigh another comforting squeeze before standing from the beautiful sofa.

Steve went to move off the sofa as well, "Do you want some --"

"No," Bucky reassured, gesturing for Steve to stay where he was. Winking at Steve, Bucky reasoned, "You're a guest."

"Okay," Steve agreed, not entirely sure how to feel. Of course, Steve couldn't deny that he'd be the same way later that day when Bucky was at his mom's apartment.

Steve's gaze followed Bucky as he walked through the parlor to the dining room. Taking a moment to mentally praise the Barnes' genes for giving Bucky such a fine ass in his fitted jeans. Then, Steve directed his attention back to Great Grandma Rosa who simply smiled at Steve like he belonged there.