Chapter 10
Once the last few boxes were taken out of the truck, Bucky walks back inside the house grabbing a drink from the kitchen. Steve sighs and walks out of the house onto the driveway, a big smile on his face. This is their life. This is it.
"Hey, you the new guy that just moved in here?" A man in an enormous Jeep drives just at the front of Steve and Bucky's driveway, an arm slumped over the front of the door and hair looking like a porcupine. His radio blasts old country music and Steve walks closer towards the Jeep, narrowing his eyes.
"Um, yes. Hello, are you part of the neighbourhood?"
The man scoffs and turns his head to look back inside his Jeep laughing, then he leans further inside and grips onto a can drink. "Go eat some dirt gaybo." He pours his drink over Steve's head, laughs with people behind him in the vehicle and the back windows wind down. More people start to throw their drinks at Steve and the Jeep drives off making a full U-turn then speeding up the road. Steve shudders from the cold soft drinks starting to dry and stick on his skin, and fumes.
The number plate. Just remember the number plate.
He goes back inside the house and Bucky jumps, running up then grabbing onto Steve's shoulders. "Stevie! What the hell happened?!" Steve continues walking into his room shaking his head as he pulls a towel out from the stack already neatly folded in one of the cupboards, strips down and makes his way to the bathroom.
"Just a bunch of assholes who have nothing better to do than to come around, dump their drinks on me and yell homophobic shit." Steve snaps as he turns the water taps on, jumping straight inside the shower. Bucky sighs and shuffles inside the toiletry in the sink, pulling out a new bar of soap and hands it to Steve.
"Dickheads. Don't worry Stevie, you're strong. You won't let them get to your head. I know you won't." Bucky smiles watch Steve open up the bar of soap and start to run it down his body. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head again. "Exactly. That's why I'm going to get back at them."
"What? Steve, why would you do that? You know better than anyone that you don't benefit from a lousy fight. Just leave them, and if they come back around I'll be there with you."
It takes time for Bucky to calm Steve down, during the time he spends washing the sticky soft drink off him and out of his hair, all he talks about is how this fight is different. How this should teach them a lesson and that they won't come back ever again when meeting Steve's fist. He's still oozing with anticipation after the shower to track them down and 'give them a knuckle sandwich', but luckily Bucky comforts him. Wraps a big fluffy towel around that thin body and carries Steve to the living room onto one of the couches, talking about anything but the incident. He doesn't want Steve to fall back into the habit of fighting again. He's a tough one, a strong one that's fiesty but he just never knows when to stop.
He always demanded to be left alone when Bucky was waiting for him at his apartment at Stark Tower with bruises on his knuckles and blood at the corner of his lips, so he could aid himself without the help of anyone else. Bucky considers him a strong-willed-insanely-beautiful-and-brave Omega who he could fuck every day and still not get tired of him. It's everything about Steve that has Bucky swooning for him. Even that fierce look in his eyes when people scowl at them holding hands outside.
Bucky smiles rubbing the towel over Steve's damp hair, letting it bundle up locks of the blond and rub through to the scalp. "Don't worry about them sweet. They won't hurt you anymore with me around."
*****
A few days later Steve and Bucky are outside, Bucky underneath their car repairing and Steve painting another canvas, watercolour-landscape. The street is peaceful today and (thankfully) the elderly people and married couples in the neighbouring houses were happy to welcome the newest two. Several different house-warming dishes were delivered to them with big smiles on their faces and Steve and Bucky have never felt more loved in their lives. Even if the old man Rick next door just distances himself away from them, his wife Gloria is a bubbly old woman with a heart of gold who makes probably the greatest margaritas ever.
While Steve rests quietly on a small seat at a glass table at the end of the driveway, the familiar sound of a Jeep rummaging down the road rings through his ears. His head shoots up and the same man from before stares wickedly at him, laughing as he stops right in front of Steve, holding his drink in his hand.
"Hey homo. What, you paint?" His words lazily slur like he's drunk 24/7.
"What do you want?" Steve grumbles, rising up from his seat with his sketchbook still in his hand like he's ready to whack it straight over the guys head.
Porcupine-head laughs and hiccups, "Woah? Dick fucker, take a chill pill, or you'll get your ass beat." He starts to climb out of the vehicle towering over Steve and stinking of beer and fish.
"Dick-fucker? Some insult you got there. And get away from me, you're on my property." Steve keeps his chin high, folding his arms and face stern.
Porcupine-head chuckles lowly bobbing his head, "Yeah? And you're on my street, bitch."
"I did nothing to you."
"That doesn't mean I still can't beat you to a pulp, huh?"
"Leave me alone." Steve snaps as he drops his arms, grabbing back onto his sketchbook he left on the table beside him as he starts to slowly walk back. Once a hand rises, it hits him straight into the nose, and he swings the book over the mans head then tries to tackle him to the ground but is thrown off and onto the grass. Steve grunts as his knee's buckle and he falls down with every attempt to stand up.
Bucky, still underneath the car, finally starts to roll out and get back onto his feet. He dusts his clothes off even with greasy hands, calling out to Steve. "Stevie! Do you mind getting me a drink please?" He turns around and see's his Omega once again, ass-first on the ground, eyes locked onto a man three times his size. The hairy man turns then looks up to Bucky and grins.
"Is this dick-fucker #2? You guys suck each other's dick every night or something?" He laughs as he comes stomping up towards Bucky. The brunette doesn't hesitate and also approaches the man, feeling his anger build up. This guy fits Steve's description of the man that harrassed him perfectly, so obviously, Bucky is already balling his fists as the two get closer and closer.
Porcupine-head throws a punch and Bucky crouches, flexing his prosthetic fingers before wrapping them around the mans throat and lifting him up off his feet. The man whimpers and tries to pull the fingers off but is already starting to lose his breath.
"You the fucker that dumped your drink on my Stevie?" Bucky growls, locks of hair now over his face as he glares forward. The man doesn't answer and Bucky shakes him by the neck demanding an answer. "Are you?!" He shouts this time.
Porcupine-head nods then still by the neck, is carried all the way down the driveway and slammed against the side of his vehicle. He's finally dropped and groans as he grasps for air, holding his throat while a mess on the ground. Bucky crouches down and grips onto the mans collar.
"Come around here again and you get twice the pain." Porcupine quickly stands back to his feet and rushes into the Jeep, speeding off. Bucky turns to see Steve still sitting on the ground, small spots of blood at his nostril. He sighs and walks over on the lawn, dropping down and sinking into the grass beside Steve.
"I had him on the ropes." Steve muttered, breathing just as heavily, laying down onto his back.
Bucky smiles and grabs the small hand near him, entwining their fingers together. "I know you did."
"Then why'd you take care of him?"
"I don't know Stevie...I just love you is all."
"Whatever you say, Buck." Steve chuckles. They both lay beside each other, hair scattered over the green grass as they stare up into the sky still catching their breaths.
"Steve?" Bucky murmurs.
"Yeah?"
He takes a moment then swallows, "Will you marry me?"