Chapter 1
There was a sort of emptiness in his chest. Sure he loved Steve with all his heart but Steve had cheated on him six months ago with Sharon and he let it slide and got over it because it was Steve but clearly that had been a mistake because he had caught Steve cheating with Sharon again and it seemed he had never stopped. And from the looks of their messages, the two were in pretty deep. But he couldn't break up with Steve. Steve was the love of his life. He had decided when he was five that he was in love with the boy and that they were going to get married and three years ago when they got together he felt like his life was complete. Now he just felt empty.
And he also was too scared to go to Steve's in the middle of the night when he needed to get away too scared he would see him cheating again. So now he had nowhere to run to. Which just kind of sent him on a downhill path that Steve wasn't even trying to pull him out of. So he began talking even less and avoiding everyone. The only people who actually conversed with him was Steve and Sam, who was Steve's best friend now that they were a couple and that spot was open. They spent most of their time arguing until Steve would tell them to play nice.
But he really needed to get out and so he just left with no end destination in mind. Eventually, he decided to just fuck it and go to Steve's but when he was there he noticed Sharon's bike leaning against the house so he spun right around and walked away. He pulled out his phone scanning through his contacts looking for one that he could call. After a few minutes, he just made a decision and clicked on T'Challa's contact. He never talked to T'Challa much but he was kind to him when a lot of people weren't and he had once stayed at the Udaku's place for a month when T'Challa found out that something was going on at his home.
T'Challa picked up on the second ring and answered "hey Bucky are you alright"
He replied "yeah I'm fine I just need a place to stay"
Before he could say anything else T'Challa interrupted "of course you can stay, do you need me to come to pick you up, I know it's quite a trek to my place from yours"
He responded "thanks and that would be nice, I'll wait at the convenience store that the Mordo's own"
T'Challa stated "alright I'm on my way stay safe"
He nodded despite T'Challa not being able to see and answered "yeah I will and thanks"
As he hung up he slipped his phone into his pocket. He felt around to see if he had any change but as always came up empty. So he just decided to sit on the bench outside and scroll through his phone. The night was quiet and the shop wasn't all too busy despite being one of the only 24 hour places in town. What he could see however was Clint and Pietro two boys from his grade across the road kissing behind a tree. He smiled to himself they were kind of cute together. Everyone had thought Clint and Natasha were going to become a couple until Natasha started dating Bruce. By the way, Clint was kissing Pietro the two were probably in a relationship just deciding to keep it secret because after all being in a relationship with another man wasn't always supported by the parents. So he diverted his eyes and promised himself to keep it a secret until one of them said something.
Their town might have been accepting of him and Steve but that was mainly just because Steve was a top student and captain of the football team. Most people were also terrified of him so that helped. Of course, some people still gave them shit but most were pretty accommodating about it. But that was just like anything else. It also helped that Sarah had been a pillar of the community before her death and earned respect for both her and Steve within the community.
Thinking about Steve made his brain hurt though because he loved him and could understand why he was cheating he just couldn't really wrap his head around the fact he was actually cheating. Steve had a very strict moral code and he couldn't believe cheating didn't violate it. Maybe it was justified though. He was sure it was. After all, they both contributed to the beating of Darcy's boyfriend when he cheated on her. And Steve never did something wrong unless it was justified.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he nearly missed T'Challa pulling up. But he seemed to look up at just the right time and saw the car so he stood up and made his way over. When he opened the door T'Challa smiled "you alright Bucky"
He nodded "yeah I'm fine, just needed a place to stay"
As he sat down T'Challa grinned well you're always welcome at ours, Shuri loves you and so do our parents"
He smiled "thanks"
T'Challa's parents were two of the nicest people he'd ever met. They let him stay there and helped pay for his arm which he knew Shuri being the genius she was had a hand in designing. Shuri was like a little sister to him and promised to protect and also promised himself he wouldn't fail her like he had his own. The Udaku's were rich, maybe not so much as the Odinson's but definitely equal to that of the Stark's if not richer. Which was definitely the reason why T'Challa's car was so fancy.
T'Challa looked at him and stated "just so you know, Shuri's having a sleepover with her friend Sarah, Sam's little sister"
He let out a laugh, he had met Sarah a few times now and Sam told him all about how he had made a good impression and now she had a crush on him that she was terrible at hiding. He stated "pretty sure she has a crush on me"
T'Challa grinned "oh she definitely does Shuri's told me all about it and how funny it is, someone better tell that poor girl you're gay"
He wasn't exactly sure how she hadn't worked it out. He had a boyfriend and never really hid it from anyone. Sam had told him that Sarah just thought he was bisexual which he could understand a little. He shrugged "I think they've tried"
T'Challa just laughed "she is a little stubborn"
When they got to the Udaku's house, which was really more of a mansion. It reminded him of one of the old overly large homes of plantation owners that littered the south and he wasn't sure that it wasn't one. He stepped out of the car and just followed T'Challa into the house. T'Challa stated "totally forgot to let you know but my parents are away on a business trip"
He nodded "alright"
T'Challa informed "guest room is all yours, go eat something I'll be in my room if you need me, I got an assignment and some homework to finish"
He nodded. He wasn't exactly sure when the last time he had done homework was but it had been a while. He replied "thanks"
T'Challa just waved the thanks off and stated "anytime"
He stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket as he made his way into the kitchen. After his stay here he knew where everything was and he was glad because in the first week of him being here he got lost to no end. As he stepped into the kitchen he heard Shuri's voice coming from the pantry and laughter that likely belonged to Sarah so he just decided to lean against the wall beside the pantry and stare at the doors of the pantry waiting for the two girls to emerge.
And when they did they finally emerged he was glad he had sat there because they both screamed. Once they had recovered Shuri smiled "I didn't know you were coming over"
He walked over to the fridge and shrugged "if you had I wouldn't have been able to scare you"
Shuri rolled her eyes and threw a tin of milo at him. He caught it as she warned "you tell anyone this happened and I will ruin your reputation, you got me"
He nodded and Shuri then just dragged Sarah out of the room who had been staring at him since they opened the pantry door. He just found a cup and opened the tin that had been thrown at him and after putting a few spoonfuls in he returned the tin to the pantry and filled the rest of the cup up with milk before sitting down at the kitchen island and eating it as he scrolled through his phone. He loved the Udaku's place. It felt like a second home to him, the first not being his own home but Steve's. Once he was finished he put both the cup and the spoon into the dishwasher and decided that Shuri likely had all the snacks with her so made it his mission to steal some before he went to the guest room.
Shuri and Sarah were talking quite loudly so finding them was easy. They were both in the upstairs lounge room eyes glued to the tv as they watched some movie he was sure he had never seen before. So he snuck in as far as he could without being seen spied a packet of gummy snakes that were yet to be open and made his move swiping them before either of the girls even noticed he was there. Shuri groaned "I swear to god"
He just waved at the pair as he made a swift exit. As he made his way down the hall to the guest room that he always stayed in he opened the packet of snakes. On the bed was a towel and he picked it up and wished he had the foresight to bring a change of clothes with him. So he knew he was going to just have to borrow T'Challa's clothes. And so he left the room and as he did so he took the snakes with him so Shuri couldn't steal them back. He then made his way upstairs to T'Challa's room. He softly knocked on his door and T'Challa shouted "come in"
He opened the door and T'Challa smiled at him and waited for him to say something. He questioned "could I please borrow some clothes"
T'Challa grinned as he got up and stated "I'm pretty sure I still have some pants of yours from the last time you stayed here"
T'Challa pulled out a pile of neatly folded clothes that were his own. There was a pair of black sweatpants that at some point he had forgotten he owned but now that he saw them couldn't believe he had forgotten he'd owned them. On top of his clothes that he'd been handed T'Challa handed him a hoodie and he smiled. Clearly, T'Challa understood his need to keep his arm covered up around others. He had at some point started wearing t-shirts around Shuri and T'Challa but with Sarah here he wanted to keep it covered. Most of the time he kept it covered around Steve too because he was scared that Steve would realise how ugly he was and leave him. He stated "thanks"
As T'Challa sat back down at his desk he smiled "no problem just come get me if you need anything else.
He just nodded as he made his way out of the room and to the shower. He made sure the door was definitely locked before showering. When he was finished he pulled on the sweatpants and remembered just how comfy they were. He didn't bother with a shirt and instead just pulled on T'Challa's hoodie. It was back and purple and definitely not something he would buy but definitely something he felt comfortable in. He picked up the rest of his stuff and just headed back to the guest room where he put all the clothes on a chair hung the towel up and hid the snakes in his leather jacket before sending Steve a goodnight text and going to sleep.