Work Text:
“You’re staring again.” Steve said, a smug grin spreading across his face as he followed Bucky’s line of sight across the cafeteria. “You gonna talk to him this time or just be a weirdo?”
Bucky groaned. “Shut up, Rogers. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said quickly. “I ain’t staring.”
It was a lie, and a terrible one. For the past two months Bucky’s attention had been monopolized by the new kid, who had dark curls that fell over his face and brushed against his eyelashes, a wide smile that displayed slightly uneven teeth, brown eyes that someone could just get lost in if they were lucky enough to see them up close, and the kid had somehow gotten into this school and into his AP Physics class without anyone noticing. No one noticed he was there, who knew how long it took for Bucky to notice him, but now that he had he couldn’t stop noticing him and every beautiful and perfect thing about him.
“Right.” Natasha said, rolling her eyes. “You’re absolutely not in love with him, you just so happen to be completely captivated by the school’s mural of prancing sheep on the wall behind him.”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Bucky mumbled. He ducked his head down quickly because in that moment the new kid looked up and caught his eye, noticing Bucky’s staring and looking away quickly to talk to the boy sitting next to him.
Steve put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed, his smile shifting from teasing to reassuring. “Just go talk to him, Buck. You’re not gonna get anywhere just sitting here torturing yourself.” He said. “You have everyone hanging off you every moment of the day, I’ve seen you sweet talk just about everyone in this school, and I’m sure you’ll have no problem getting him to fall for you.”
“I don’t want to sweet talk him though, or get him to fall for me. What am I supposed to do? Walk up to a kid I don’t even know the name of and tell him I think he’s beautiful?” Bucky asked quickly, throwing discretion out of the metaphorical window. “That I wonder what he smells like, or that the way one side of his mouth curls up higher than the other when he smiles is breathtaking, or that I wonder if his hands are soft or rough and how nicely they would fit in mine. I can’t just sweet talk him like I do everyone else, I need to do something special. Maybe learn his name first, I don’t know.”
Their table had fallen into a stunned silence, a large grin spreading across Steve’s face, Clint had buried his face in his hands, and Natasha was staring at something behind him. Bucky could feel the heat spread across his cheeks. He had said too much, this would either end with them probably locking him in a closet with the kid or them making fun of him for weeks until something else captures their attention. Regardless, they were going to get themselves involved and Bucky was terrified of what that could mean.
Natasha raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look him in the eye. “Well, for starters we should bring up the fact that his name is Tony, he’s new because his family moved here from California, he blushes worse than Steve, and he’s standing about three feet away.” She said calmly.
Bucky felt his whole body go cold as his head whipped around to see. Sure enough, the kid, Tony, was right behind him with a brightly flushed face and wide eyes. It was devastatingly adorable and terrifying because Bucky’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the red that ran from the tips of his ears and down his neck. He wasn’t supposed to hear all of that, he wasn’t supposed to know.
“I was just…” The kid, Tony, said slowly, his voice soft. “Do we have homework in Physics class? My friend… Bruce… he wants to know. And you’re in the class so you would know. Yeah.”
This was the first time they had ever spoken to one another, his voice was quiet, but smooth and strong and not at all cracked with puberty like many other people’s in the school. Bucky could have him recite every word in the dictionary and still get lost in that voice.
“Uh... no.” Bucky said. His mind had drawn a blank, Tony had heard him, now was his chance. “I mean, yes. We did have homework.”
“Okay. That’s good to know.” Tony said. He nodded quickly and opened his mouth again, about to say something more, but then turned on his heel and walked back across the cafeteria and out the doors without so much as looking back.
~~~
Bucky dreaded going to class the next day. Tony would be there, would be just a few seats away from him, and he would know. He would probably go out of his way to ignore Bucky, would cringe in disgust at how scary and ridiculous it was for some guy he didn’t even know to be so infatuated with him, and then all hopes of being able to have anything with him would be destroyed for good. That’s what he expected at least, not to be ambushed in the hallway.
“I don’t like being made fun of.” Tony said quickly, stepping in front of Bucky to block his path into the classroom. “You guys may think it’s hilarious, ‘let’s make the nerdy new kid think we like him and then we toss him in a dumpster’ or whatever it is you’re planning, but it’s not. It’s fucked up and you can take your jokes and shove them up your ass.”
Bucky had to admire the kid for his bravery. He wasn’t a very tall boy, the shortest one out of all of his friends, but he still had a good few inches on Tony. The kid was practically skin and bone, very little muscle definition and Bucky could probably pick him up and toss him across the street. Yet here he was, his voice shaking and his eyes darting around the hall as if he was expecting more people to jump out, confronting Bucky.
“Do you want to go get dinner?” He asked quickly, the words out of his mouth before he even had time to comprehend them.
Tony paused, halfway into a sentence. “What? No! Weren’t you fucking listening?” He said, his hands moving back and forth in front of him as he spoke. “I told you I didn’t want to be a part of your cruel practical jokes. I’m telling you to back off, not that I want to go to dinner.”
“This isn’t a joke.” Bucky said.
“It is too a joke!” Tony said, his voice barely lower than a shout. “Do you not think I don’t know a joke when I see one? I’ve been dealing with assholes like you since the dawn of time, you’re not as smart as you think you are. You’re not going to trick me. I have the super genius capability of knowing when people are fucking with me and you are definitely fucking with me, but I got you figured out. So back off.”
I wish I was fucking with you, Bucky thought. He shook his head quickly, trying to dispel the invading thoughts that were entirely too inappropriate for the setting.
“I’m not trying to trick you, sweetheart. I think you’re cute.” Bucky said. He reached out slowly and tried to put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, his heart deflating as the kid dodged it and took a step back. “You’re kinda the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen and I can’t stop looking at you. Also, you look like you could use a meal, so I’m asking you to dinner.”
Tony blinked, crossing his arms in front of him as he squinted his eyes in suspicion. “Of course you think I’m cute.” He said slowly. “I’m adorable, you can’t get enough of me.”
He sounded uncertain, his words holding very little weight to them. Bucky’s hands dropped to his side and his fists clenched in anger. Whoever had wronged this kid so bad that he was suspicious and afraid of anyone showing the least bit of interest in him had better watch out. Even if Bucky had to walk all the way to California himself, he was going to find them.
“I just want dinner. I’ll pay, I’ll drive, I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to take you to dinner.” Bucky said. Tony shook his head and opened his mouth, but Bucky was quick to continue. “I’m not trying to trick you, love. I just think you’re something special and I want to get to know you. Besides, my friend Steve has this thing about bullies, you can ask anyone and they’ll tell you. If I try to hurt you then he’ll probably kick my ass.”
Tony frowned as the warning bell rang, letting them know they had less than a minute to get into class. “Just dinner?” He asked slowly. Bucky nodded. “Fine. We’ll talk about it after class, but if I end up naked and tied to a flag pole, or anything equally horrifying, then I’ll lawyer up so fast you won’t know what hit you. Pepper is brilliant at this stuff, she’ll ruin your life.”
Bucky nodded again, his heart picking up just a bit. He had agreed to dinner. Bucky had a date with Tony, a chance with the most perfect human being on the planet. He didn’t know who Pepper was, or what lawyers had to do with anything, or why Tony thought something horrible would happen if Bucky took him out, but he was going to do right by this kid. He walked into class and took a seat, moving a few spots over so he was sitting next to Tony, and pulled out his phone. He was going to give Tony the best dinner date he could, he wanted to see that beautiful, lopsided smile of his and see his whole face bright red as he blushed again. He texted Steve, asking for restaurant suggestions and where the best place to buy flowers were.