Good At Falling - A Stucky Story

[2]

Epilogue Part II

Today hadnt been too bad.

Thanks to the new kid, Steve, he had not flunk the writing test and he had been called out only two times. Not that Bucky was a troublemaker. He just loved telling stories and asking weird questions.

But he hated writing dictations. He never got the words right fast enough to follow Miss Young while she was saying the next word.

His mum always asked him to read more. He would know how to write the words then.

But Bucky was more a teller than a reader. Instead reading stories, he made them up in his head and told them his little sisters as bedtime stories. Especially horror stories. Until they screamed and his mum had to rush inside and scolded him for scaring his sister when they should go sleep.

But today has been good.

When Steve had sitten down beside Bucky, he had shot him looks now and then.
Sometimes Steve had been listening to Miss Youngs words, sometimes he had looked out of the window and scribbled down in his book.

Bucky had gotten a glimpse of what Steve was doing. Steve had drawn little sketches on his book. A tree, leaves...actually everything they could see when they looked outside the window.
And he was good!

During lunch break, Steve had sitten alone. Bucky had wanted to go over and ask him to play with them, but then George had kicked the ball to his feet and challenged him, who could kick it higher.

He had won. Obviously.

Now Bucky was walking home alone, George already had said goodbye before he turned to his home street.

He heard them before he saw them.

It was not unusual that someone got beaten up in an alley. This was Brooklyn.

And usually Bucky would walk on. Kept himself out of other peoples affairs. But something kept him in place now.

He peeked around the corner, carefully. Two boys were standing with their backs to him. They laughed and one of them swang his fist to hit something. Or actually someone, because the person he hit was going down and knocking over a trash can.

"You dont know when to give up, do you? Just give us your lunch money, and we will leave you be.."
"I dont have to give you anything" The person on the ground spat out.

Jesus with that attitude they would not leave him alone forever...

"As you wish. But remember, this is on you!" One of them took a swing again.
And as the motion of his body went to the side, Bucky saw blonde hair.

Was that..? No...

The blonde tried to stand up and Bucky inhaled sharply. It was Steve!

He hadnt paid much attention to Steve's appearance, when he sat next to him, but now he noticed the awkward big clothes on his skinny body. Not that that was something outstanding. Nearly everyone Bucky knew was poor and wore washed-out, patched clothes. But Steve looked so small in these big clothes.

Steve dodged another swing, but stumbled over the cap of the trashcan and fell down again, while the boys kept laughing.

Before Bucky decided what he could do, he stormed into the alley and kicked the boy, who hit Steve the first time. The guy cried out in pain and turned around to grab him. But Bucky, who got into several fights with his friends to prepare for situations like this, because this was Brooklyn and people were rough in these hard times, ducked down and pushed him into another trash can.

"What the fuck, man! Who do you think you are?"

The other boy tried to grab him, caught his collar and squeezed him against the brick wall. Ouw that hurt.

"Leave him alone!", Steve shouted. He had the cap of the trash can in his hands and though he looked terrible, he ran over and pounded the guy. But he was so small that he only hit the guys back.

"Hey what is going on here??" A policeman walked along the alley, looking alarmed. He looked over Steves bruised face and furrowed. "You in trouble, kid?"

The guy on the ground picked himself up and mumbled a "Nothing, Sir!"

Steve snorted and the policeman didnt looked convinced at all.

"I advise you to get the hell out of here, before i have to start arresting kids." he looked at the other boy. "Both of you!"

The boys mumbled "Yes, Sir!" And turned to leave, when the policeman whistled and made them stop.

"How about an apology before you leave?"

They looked at him in disbelief. The policeman sighed and laid his fingers at the cuffs, clipped on his hip. "As you wish..." He repeated what one of them had said to Steve earlier.

"Sorry! We are sorry for hurting you! And you!" The boys eyes wandered from Steve to Bucky and then they turned around and ran around the corner as fast as they could.

"You boys will be okay? You better let someone look over your eye and lip, kid."

"I will take care of him, Sir! Bucky said softly and walker over to Steve, placing his hand on Steves shoulder and ignored Steves surprised look at him. "Thank you."

"Its fine. Just look after each other, okay? This part of town is rough."

Bucky nodded and grabbed Steves hand, pulling him to go along with him.

"Thank you, but i had them on the ropes." Steve smiled weakly at him.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Sure you had, but tell me, where did you get that busted lip from?"

"Jerk" Steve shoved him, but laughed which made him whince because of his lip.

Bucky laughed with him. "Punk."

And that was the start of their friendship...
The start of something big. Their destiny.