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Natasha Stark had prepared herself with being a loner throughout senior year. After all, her two best friends had graduated last spring and left her for college, so she was more than ready to just keep her head down and get through the remainder of her high school career. But that was before Steve Rogers, a six-foot-even absolute beefcake of a football player, had decided to be her new best friend.
It started during the first week back to school. Natasha was sitting in the library during free period, with her nose in a book and headphones over her ears, when somebody took the empty seat beside her. She’d quickly glanced at the person from the corner of her eye, recognizing the blond hair and broad shoulders of one the most popular people on campus. When Steve smiled back at her, eyes flickering over Natasha’s form, she just about shrunk into herself.
See, the thing was, Steve usually had this look on his face that said he’d be ready to cut a bitch if someone got on his bad side. (And trust, a lot of people got on his bad side. Steve hated bullies, and he never shied away from a fight. Why would he when he’s easily twice the size of the next guy?) As for Natasha, well, she was an even five-foot-three and always dressed in clothes that made it look like the lesbian flag had thrown up all over her. It went without saying that people who looked like her and people who looked like Steve were barely in each other’s orbit.
Which was why Steve’s first words to her was a true shock to her system: “So. Girls in skirts and long socks, am I right?”
Natasha’s eyes went wide as she blinked at him. She nodded solemnly, entirely out of agreement and surprise but also a healthy amount of awkward fear.
Steve bobbed his head, his grin widening. “Yeah, you get it.”
“Yup,” managed Natasha, barely finding her voice. Another wave of weirdness washed over her when Steve stuck his fist out to bump with hers. And then, the blond humungo of a human started talking about the tech workshop class the two of them shared together like nothing world-changing had just happened.
Natasha hadn’t known it then, but it was also the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
i.
It was during lunch only a couple hours later that Natasha saw Steve again. She was mindlessly scrolling through her phone while waiting in the long pick-up line when his towering presence appeared right beside her, tapping lightly on her shoulder.
“Hey, Tasha, I—oh. Can I call you ‘Tasha’?” he asked, head cocking to the side not unlike a curious puppy’s. Natasha had to bite back a grin.
She nodded slightly, pocketing her phone to give him her full attention. “Sure, Steve.”
“Cool. So…” He gestured ahead when the line of students shuffled forward. “You know that guy in our math class and our shop class?”
“There’s a lot of guys in our classes, Steve,” Natasha deadpanned, raising a brow.
Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. “Right, yeah. Bucky Barnes? The one who was the lead in the last spring musical?”
Natasha knew him well enough. She helped Bucky with biology last year when he wasn’t doing so hot, and every once in a while she’d see him attend the Gay-Straight Alliance club that their school miraculously had. Who knew even why Steve wanted to—
“Do you know if he’s gay?”
Natasha nearly choked on her spit. “Whoa, whoa. Time out. You can’t just go asking people if they’re gay!”
“Well, I’m not,” he replied. Steve grabbed a tray, handed it to her, and then grabbed another for himself. “I’m asking you if he’s gay.”
“Steve…” She reached for a carton of chocolate milk and swiped a boat of chicken fingers from the counter. An exasperated huff left Natasha’s lungs as she tried, “Listen. It’s not my place to say if he is or not, so you should ask him on your own.”
“Hmm. Okay.” Steve’s lips pressed into a thin line as he considered her words, silent as he chose his own food and continued down to the cashier. “Yeah, okay, I will.”
When Steve had said he’d go talk to Bucky, Natasha didn’t realize he meant immediately. Not even ten minutes later, she spotted him walking around the courtyards outside of the cafeteria, most likely in search of her. With a wave of her arm, Steve beamed, making a beeline to where she sat on the grass.
Natasha couldn’t help but laugh at how excited he looked. If he were a dog, there’d be no doubt that he’d dislocate his tail from wagging it so much. “Successful mission, I suppose?”
“He’s really nice,” Steve started, unceremoniously plopping himself down beside her with a soft oof. “So, Bucky mentioned that he was bi, so I think we both have a shot.”
Natasha let out an unattractive snort, pulling a face as she turned to look at Steve fully. “Oh, you sweet summer child…”
“What? Doesn’t that mean he likes both guys and girls?”
“Yeah, but—” I’m only into girls, she thought but decided not to say. Instead, Natasha settled with, “I think you have more of a chance with Bucky than I do.”
Steve’s brows rose up on his forehead. He looked confused, and like the wholesome dumbass that he was, asked, “Because I’m tall?”
ii.
Two weeks later, one of the most amazing things happened right in front of Natasha’s eyes. Their math teacher, Mr. Coulson, was practically fighting the rolling whiteboard at the front of the classroom; the side knob to loosen the board seemed to be wrenched pretty tight, and the poor guy was huffing and puffing like no tomorrow.
“This would be so much easier with a wrench,” Coulson sighed under his breath.
“Oh! Hang on.” Steve shifted in his seat, shoved an arm into his backpack for a few moments, and then nonchalantly yanked out a heavy-duty wrench.
To Coulson’s credit, he shook off his surprise quicker than everyone else did. There were some students absolutely losing their shit, and Natasha just sat at her desk both amused and not even slightly stunned—because it was Steve, of course he’d have tools on him, it just made sense.
Bucky, who usually sat in one of the seats furthest from the front and very rarely made a peep, let out a loud cackle. “Good lookin’ out, Rogers,” he said, grinning wide in Steve’s direction.
Steve turned around in his seat, eyes wide as he met Bucky’s gaze. A small, shy smile painted itself onto his lips, and Natasha noticed the faintest hint of pink brush across his cheeks.
Oh. Oh.
iii.
During midterms and finals, Natasha always spent her afternoons in the library tutoring some of the underclassmen students. Most days, it would go by fairly uneventful.
Most days.
Natasha watched for a few minutes as Steve meandered through the bookshelves, his brows knitted together as he went hunting for something. It was almost hard to miss him, with how much space Steve took up between the narrow aisles.
Steve didn’t say anything to her, but Natasha caught a flash of his football jersey from the corner of her eye anyway. She lifted her head to give him an expectant look from across the library. He lifted both of his arms, a book in each hand, cocking a brow. The pink cover of Red, White, and Royal Blue and the blue and yellows of Carry On were more than recognizable.
Natasha nodded her head, giving a thumbs-up to Steve, who in turn hissed out a quiet “Yes!” to himself and pumped his fist in success. She chuckled softly, shaking her head as he made his way to the check-out counter.
“Hey, Nat,” her student said after a few minutes. “I think that guy over there is trying to steal your boyfriend.”
“My boyfriend? I’m gay, I don’t have a—”
She followed the direction her student pointed at, mouth dropping in shock when she saw Steve and Bucky conversing in the corner with hopeful smiles on both of their faces. Natasha blinked in disbelief as Bucky reached for Steve’s phone, took a selfie, and began to presumably type his number into Steve’s contacts.
Steve bounced almost giddily on the balls of his feet.
iv.
“Hey, Tasha?”
She straightened up from her slumped position over her worktable, meeting Steve’s eye. Natasha immediately frowned upon seeing the tense look on his face. “What’s up?”
“Um. Do you know how to help people that’re having panic attacks?”
Shrugging, Natasha answered, “Yeah. Why?”
Steve threw her a reserved smile, brows turning up sheepishly. “Cool. I think I might be having one.”
“Steve—what the fuck—we’re in the middle of class!” Natasha rushed out, eyes widening to the size of saucers. She peered over his shoulder to the front of the room, where Mr. Fury, their shop teacher, seemed to be preoccupied with another student. Grabbing Steve’s much larger hand, she instructed, “Come with me, okay?”
They exited through the double doors of the tech shop and into the empty hallway, sitting down with Steve on the cool tiled floor.
“Put your head between your knees,” she said, hesitating for a moment before placing her palm lightly at the nape of his neck. Natasha began to rub circles over Steve’s back, coaching him through some breathing techniques to ground him when she noticed the shaking.
After a few minutes of silence save for Steve’s shaky breathing, he sniffed and stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back against the wall. “Thanks,” he whispered quietly.
Natasha mirrored him, swallowing down a laugh when she noticed how her feet barely reached below Steve’s knees. “Feeling better?” she asked, turning her head to get a good look at his face, the redness in his cheeks and eyes. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“I don’t know,” Steve grumbled, pouting. His chin hit his chest, and he started to play with the loose threads at the hem of his shirt. “I guess I’m kind of stressed over a test that’s happening this week, and I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“You been studying?” Natasha prodded.
“Yeah,” he said unconvincingly. Steve looked at her from the corner of his eye, pressing his lips into a tight line. Off of her disbelieving look, he sighed, starting to grin. “Fine. Not really. Whenever I’m not busy with practice or away games, I’m always on a call with Bucky in my free time.”
Natasha tried to school her expression into a more neutral one, but a single glance at Steve’s face told her that she was failing. Man, this boy was so whipped and he didn’t even know it. “As cool as Bucky is, I’m sure he’d understand if you need to prioritize your schoolwork over him.”
“I know, I know,” Steve said begrudgingly. “I really like talking to him, though.”
“How ‘bout this? I’ll help you study for the test, but only if you cut back on your Bucky time.”
Steve turned to her, sporting puppy dog eyes, and if Steve hadn’t already endeared himself to her before, that sure did it. “You’d really do that?”
“Depends. Do we have a deal?”
“Sure thing.” Steve leaned into her side, almost affectionately bumping his head against hers.
Natasha cleared her throat, planting her feet underneath her before standing. She brushed her hands at the back of her pants before reaching down to grasp Steve’s hands in hers. “C’mon, big guy,” she grunted, using her counterweight to haul the behemoth to his feet. “Better get back before Fury makes good on his name.”
v.
Over the last few weeks, Natasha found herself in Steve’s presence more and more. They always paired up in class, hung out almost weekly, and spent their lunch period together. At some point, Steve convinced her to eat their lunch on the football field, away from the congregation of the other thousand or so high school students.
The skies were clear and blue when the two of them sprawled out on the grass, serene in the way most good days tended to be. It was the first time in a long time that Natasha had the time, let alone the peace and quiet, to hear herself think.
All she could think about, ironically enough, was the over-sized teddy bear laying right beside her. Steve filled a hole in her life where Pepper and Rhodey had once been, keeping Natasha on her toes throughout the school year in their absence. Who could’ve thought that the tiny nerd girl would ever become friends with a big, not-so-dumb jock?
Natasha kept her eyes trained on the sky as she said, “I never thanked you.”
“Thanked me for what?” Steve inquired, shifting so he could face her.
“For being my friend. I don’t—like, ever since my other friends graduated, I never had many real ones, so… I appreciate you.”
Steve propped himself up on an elbow, staring at Natasha as if she’d grown an extra head. “For serious? You always looked so kind and chill, how could I not want to be your friend?”
If anyone ever claimed that Natasha was a very emotional person, they were lying through their stupid teeth. She rarely cried, Pepper and Rhodey could attest to it, but in that moment? When Steve admitted to wanting to be her friend genuinely and sincerely? Yeah, she almost broke right then.
But then he sneezed, smacking Natasha with his elbow, and the both of them fell into a chorus of laughter.
Steve stayed sitting up, crossing his legs, plucking the grass from the ground. Natasha watched him carefully, noting how uncharacteristically quiet he’d become. Teasingly, she pushed, “Be careful there; you’re thinking too hard. Your head might implode.”
A soft huff of a laugh was her only answer.
“Really? Nothing? That was gold.”
“No, it was funny, I just…” Steve chewed on his lip, almost glaring at the ground. “Is it normal to be straight and find guys attractive?”
Natasha sat up then, sobering up. “I mean… sometimes, I guess. Depends.”
“On?”
“Like, do you think an appreciative oh, that guy’s got great bone structure kind of thing, or oh, maybe I’d wanna bone that guy?”
Steve made a face. “Do you ever think that?”
Natasha snorted, shaking her head. “Sure. I might never order from the menu, but I don’t mind perusing.”
“Well, see…” Steve sighed, pulling at more of the grass. “It’s not all guys. It’s just Bucky.”
“Steve.” Natasha leaned forward, placing a hand on his knee. When his blue eyes met her brown ones, she offered a smile. “Have you ever considered that… maybe you’re not as straight as you thought you were?”
vi.
“I can’t believe you actually replaced me with Rogers.”
“No one’s done any replacing, Rhodes, chin up.”
“That’s so easy for you to say, Pep. You came back down almost every weekend.”
“Are you really complaining? He who decided to enlist in the military, you brat.”
Natasha rolled her eyes at her two bickering best friends, moving from her seat beside Pepper in order to squeeze between her and Rhodey. “Okay, wow, it’s almost like you two never left. Shut up.”
The bleachers were packed with many fans and spectators, everyone bundled up in thick jackets and scarves and beanies to fight against the chilly weather. It was one of the last football games of the season, and it was the first time that Rhodey and Pepper were both in town for it. (They were surprised when Natasha initially invited them—because in all their years of high school, she’d never once had the interest of watching a game—but after hearing all about Steve Rogers, they couldn’t say no to supporting Natasha’s emotional support himbo.)
A murmur passed through the crowd before the game began, many people pointing down to the sidelines as a few of the players huddled together. Natasha squinted, singling out Steve’s jersey number, and seeing the large banner that was between them all. “Oh, my God,” she breathed, starting to smack Rhodey’s arm.
“Ow! What the hell?” Rhodey complained.
“Steve’s going to ask him out to the winter formal!”
“What? Who?”
Steve pivoted and started to approach the bleachers, his other teammates spreading out to straighten out the banner. A stuffed bear rested between his hands along with a red rose, and the grin on his face was so wide that Natasha could see his perfect pearly whites from where she sat.
A round of aww’s went through the crowd as people started to read the banner: Bucky, I can’t BEAR another second. Will you go to the dance with me?
Steve stopped right in front of where Bucky sat on the bottom of the bleachers, asking with a smile and his heart on his sleeve. When Bucky chanced glances all around him, Natasha yelled out, “Bitch, just say ‘yes’!”
And he did. Bucky’s shoulders shook as he laughed. He leaned over the railing to grab Steve’s face and plant a kiss on his lips.
