Momentary Memories

Bucky moved from foot to foot waiting for the ball to swing around his way. He watched it passing Steve as he knocked it further left and it picked up speed. His eyes followed closely until it came within arm's distance. The fourteen year old waited a second longer until it was in better range and hit its right side, sending it speeding back around the pole. Steve jumped back and James grinned. "Point two, Rogers," He called playfully.

"We'll see about the next one Bucky," Steve said, determination pulling at his friend's face. Safe to say, it was three nothing a minute later! Bucky grin grew and he switched from foot to foot to keep ready, nailing it directly towards Steve and…

“Hey watch it!” He called, too late, as Steve got nailed in the shoulder by the ball. He landed on the ground with an ‘oof’. He came around to his friends side with a frown.

“What gives Steve!” He complained, holding an arm out for Steve to grasp so he could pull the smaller boy up. Steve was still ignoring him though!

"I just don't believe it...."

He frowned as Steve's shoulder dropped. Had he hurt him real bad with the ball? No… that didn’t seem like it, his face just looked defeated. Bucky followed his friend’s gaze and found the problem. Oh… that, that would distract him.

"Lucy's one of those dames, you can't helpem." He sighed, looking over at her and Doug kissing on the swings.

"But why?" His friend turned to face him, his expression all twisted up in shock and upset. "After the way he treated her last week?"

"Not everyone's like you," Bucky said simply, clapping a hand over his opposite shoulder. Doug had slapped her last week and Steve got involved and got his ass handed to him for trying to stick up to the football player. Bucky had gone over and tried to help him up but.... well he was already slapped up, what could he do then? Nothing but get them all to back off, and he’d just shown up too late. "Who knows why dames stick with some guys."

He tried to console him and Steve nodded, turning back to their abandoned game. Bucky was trying to think of something to cheer him up when another voice called from their right. Someone else must have seen Steve hitting the ground and paid attention.

"Looks like you got whupped for nothing huh Rogers."

His new found friend dropped his head and something hardened in his own chest. What the hell anyways, huh? This kid saw some girl getting slapped and stuck up for her, and then he got his ass kicked for it. Sure, that was sort of fair game, but no one did that sort of thing Steve did. It was admirable to have tried. No, actually it still was... but it was over! There was no real reason for Doug's pal here to try and start something up again unless they thought they'd make this a regular thing for Steve....

"Hey mind your own fuckin’ business," Bucky snapped, turning towards the guy. He’d picked up a few more colorful curses from the soldier’s not paying attention in the  barracks he’d grown up in. The other kid made a face, but Bucky couldn’t concentrate. Anger built up and none of the techniques to cool himself down the geezers behind the desks at the base taught him were working. It just wasn’t right! It wasn’t fair to make Steve pay for helping someone, twice. 

This wise guy went and opened his mouth again and he couldn't ignore the jaded, hurt look on Steve's face any longer…!

"Yeah and wha-"

Bucky didn't give him time to worry about finishing his stupid fucking question, instead he lurched forward and hurled his fist into his face. Pain laced through his knuckles as he collided hard with the other boy's cheekbone. He hardly noticed it over the adrenaline. The hit tossed the other boy into the dirt, a split in his cheek starting to bleed.

"Bucky!"

"What m'I gonna do bout it huh?" He grabbed the boy up off the ground by his shirt and shook him as he spoke, finishing his sentence for him.

"To hell.."

He drew his arm back and slugged him again, shutting him up. He sneered down at the bully and dropped on his knees over him to hit him harder. Again and again his fist swung higher and higher, as anger bubbled up and pooled out. Flesh pounding over flesh three more times before he dropped him on the ground, hearing Lucy and Doug shouting for help for their friend whose ass he was whupping.

"Buck, it's not worth it!"

Steve was grabbing his shoulder and he snarled before he let himself be tugged away. 

"Fucking fat head," He spit as he stood up, stepping over the stupid guy. 

That's what he got for rubbing it in his face when the world was already kicking Steve! They weren't going to make it a regular thing, because he'd beat the shitter out of them each time they tried! Steve didn't deserve that for trying to help a stupid dame who was getting hit by a much larger guy. But hell, Steve was probably smaller than Lucy! That hadn't even mattered to that lot... it was probably why they were going to try to keep picking on him. 

Well, they could try coming for Steve again. Bucky was bigger, and angrier, than both Doug and Francis. He wished ‘em luck!