Bucky leaned his forehead against the wall of the locker-room, the cold tile in direct contrast to the sweaty heat of his flesh. He could hear all the others in the room walking around, commenting on their bulls or the current gathering of Buckle Bunnies. He ignored them all, focusing instead on calming his heart and his ire. He had yet to succeed when he felt a hand curl around his shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself so much over this, Buck." Steve kept his hand resting lightly on his friend's shoulder, mindful of the injury Bucky had sustained last season.

No one had expected Bucky to ride again, but the man could out stubborn a mule. Still, Steve worried for his friend. Bucky pushed himself to recover and he was still pushing himself.

"I got a god-damned 70.25! Fuck!" Bucky pushed off the wall, shaking off Steve's hand. He got a fucking 70.25 on a bull that any rookie could cover. He hadn't gotten such a shitty score since he was a gangly-legged greenhorn.

"You've got a re-ride. Plus, it wasn't your fault, Dr. Doom was hopping like a child's toy. No one could've gotten a better score on him." Steve had seen weak bulls before; just like a human there were just days they were not feeling it. Didn't mean the cowboys set to ride them didn't get pissed off about it though.

"I should've!" Bucky wanted to slam his hand into the wall, but he could already feel the ache rising up his arm. Dr. Doom might have been playing out there on the dirt, but his hopping and popping had pulled his god-damned riding arm just right.

"Buck-"

"Just shut-up, Steve." Bucky sighed and turned around so he could lean his back against the wall. He smiled wearily up at his friend, hoping his face didn't reveal just how much pain he was in. "You better get out there before they think you're too scared to ride."

"Stop talking shit." Steve shook his head as he took a few steps back towards his gear. He gathered everything before heading towards the door. "And don't think this is over."

Bucky groaned, his back slipping down the wall until he could curl up with his arms on his knees and head dropped between them. Damn Steve, he knew his friend well enough he knew that he wouldn't just drop it. He wondered if he could find some nice, little Buckle Bunny to keep Steve occupied that night.


The crowd cheered as Bucky kicked a leg up and over the chute, slipping down to straddle Hydra. He had ridden the bull several times before, had even covered him with a score of 87.50 last year. He knew how the bull moved, he was familiar with each and every trick that he could pull out.

Bucky let the sounds of the crowd, of the announcers, the music, and his crew fade away as he settled himself. He focused his mind instead on the eight seconds to come, on the earthy sent of the dirt, the raw smell of the bulls, the bucking between his thighs, and the lingering taste of stale tobacco embedded in his tooth guard.

With his mind settled he fixed his rope, wrapping it around his hand until he felt secure. He slapped his other hand down on the fingers curled around the rope and tested his hold. He moved himself in to position once more before nodding to the crew to open the chute.

With the metal clang of the gate opening Hydra shot out of the chute already bucking. Every turn, every twist, kick and buck the bull made Bucky compensated for. The pain in Bucky's arm faded into nothing as he fought with that piece of pissed off beef. He didn't think, never allowed a thought to enter his head. For those eight seconds Bucky's mind ceased to function beyond staying put.

The sounding of the buzzer broke through the blankness, forcefully pulling Bucky back to reality. Pulling on the tail of his rope, Bucky released his hand and dismounted. As soon as his feet it the dirt he took off running, leaving Hydra to Hawkeye and the rest of his bullfighters. He ran until he reached the sharkcage and hopped on top, laying on his back to catch his breath.

The sirens sounded off in the arena, buckets of confetti pouring from the ceiling. 90, a fucking 90! A huge, ear to ear smile spread across his face as Bucky leapt up to do a backflip off of the sharkcage and started punching the air. He had it in the fucking bag!


Pushing through the crowds in the back, Bucky's eyes searched for his friend. He found him eventually, leaning against the wall leading to the lockers, talking with Phil.

"Nice riding out there, Bucky." Phil reached out to shake the man's hand as soon as he was in reach. Phil had been working the circuit since both cowboys had been in diapers, but out of all the riders he had seen through the years those two were his favorite.

"Thanks, nice work yourself. Though I see ya lost another hat." Bucky laughed as Phil cradled his torn and trampled hat to his chest. The man probably lost more hats than any of the riders combined.

"Hazards of the job, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thankfully these are pretty much a dime a dozen." Phil had learned his first year as a clown that it was best to leave his finer gear at home.

"Same here. Think I'd probably ride even if I had both legs torn off." Bucky ignored the glare he was receiving from Steve. They had had many arguments on the subject of Bucky riding injured, and he was loath to have another one. Mostly after the night he had.

"If anyone could do it, it would be you. Look, I've got to go do twenty down at the sponsors' booths. I'll see you tomorrow." Phil patted each of their shoulders before taking off towards the front gates.

Continuing to ignore Steve, Bucky gathered up his gear and headed into the lockers. His shoulder was still hurting from his encounter with Dr. Doom, and his ride on Hydra had only aggravated it. All he wanted to do was get back to their hotel, rub it down and maybe have a soak. Of course Steve would never let things go so easy.

"Buck, I think we need to-"

"No we don't, what we need to do is clock our time with the sponsors, maybe find some girl, and head back to the hotel." Bucky stuffed everything in his bag haphazardly and left the lockers.

"No, what we need to do is make a visit to Sports Medicine." Steve followed Bucky out of the locker, grabbing his own gear on the way out. His friend may think he had hidden it well, but Steve could see how Bucky was favoring his left shoulder. That damn ride on Dr. Doom had done more damage than Bucky would admit.

"I'm fine, a little sore, but fine." Bucky continued forward, his thought from earlier returning. Neither him nor Steve made it a habit to pick up some girl every night, but there were times when it got lonely or the night had been hard and they would find some girl who was willing to offer a little comfort. Bucky knew there was no way he would be able to entertain that night, but if he could find someone for Steve his friend might be distracted enough to let the shoulder thing go.

Moving through the mass of people behind the chutes, Bucky scanned for and woman that fit his friend's taste. His eyes settled on a curvy young woman about three yards away. She wasn't very tall, but she was beautiful. Her long brown hair was unbound and fell down her back in gentle waves. She turned before he got too close and he couldn't help but giggle at the shirt she wore. Curving across her rather impressive chest was a plain black image of a cowboy on a bucking bull with the words "Real Men Last 8 Seconds" written above it.

She looked up as he made his way to her. He could hear Steve huff, but the clacking of his boots continued behind him. It only took a few seconds for him to finally reach her, a bright smile across his face.

"Good evening Ma'am." Bucky tipped his hat at the woman at the same time he heard Steve's footsteps stop. He was sure if he turned around, it would be to a slack mouthed Steve. Not that he could blame him, this woman was beautiful. She also appeared to be unimpressed with either of them as she rolled her eyes and settled her hands on her hips.

"Good evening, what can I help you with?"

The woman seemed preoccupied with something as she kept looking behind her. It was possible that she was there for a particular cowboy, or contractor as it may be as Bucky noticed the direction of her gaze. Behind her Thor Odinson, the contractor of the year, stood with his wife Jane as they spook with Tony Stark, one of the biggest sponsors and owner of several of the rankest bulls.

Bucky shook his head. If she was looking for a night with Thor she would be sorely disappointed. Thor was devoted to his wife completely. Stark on the other hand, well Stark would probably take her right there on the dirt if she asked. Redirecting her attention to Steve would be a favor to her, Steve would treat her like she should be treated.

"My friend and I were just wondering if you would like to head off to Miss Kitty's with us for a drink?" Bucky could see Steve shuffling out of the corner of his eyes, the man's hat in his hands.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm going to have to decline." She smiled at the two men as though she knew a secret, and took a step back.

"Not even to celebrate our advancing to the next round?" Bucky gave her a pout, a look he had been told melted hearts and panties. The only problem was that it didn't seem to faze her. She just gave them both a smile, stepped up and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek and then moved to press one to his.

"If you two are looking for a one-night stand, you are barking up the wrong tree. Congratulations though, I will be watching you tomorrow. Good luck."

"Well, I'll just have to make sure to find you then. I'm not going to take no for an answer tomorrow." Bucky was never one to press, though a little flirting never hurt anyone. Still, he stepped back so he didn't crowd her and gave her a smile.

"Darcy! You ready to go?"

The woman, Darcy, looked back to where Stark had hollered and gave a quick nod. Bucky shook his head, yeah there would be no celebratory drinks. Not if she was with Stark.

"You might just have to. Goodnight boys." Darcy winked at both men before turning away and walking to curl herself under Tony's arm.

"Hitting on one of Stark's girls, probably not the smartest thing you have ever done." Steve set his hat back on his head, his eyes still on the young woman that had plastered herself to Stark's side. "And speaking of things you have done that are not smart-"

"Don't start. Come on, lets get our sponsor stuff done and get back to the hotel. I need sleep if I'm going to take that buckle tomorrow."


The locker room was full as all the men prepared for the event that afternoon. Cowboy Church had already finished and the event center was loud as everyone began their work for the day. Bucky leaned back on the bench, his hand wrapped around the rhinestone cross his Ma had given him several years ago. He said a silent prayer of his own, ignoring everyone around him. Once finished he pressed a kiss to the cross and stood up.

His shoulder still ached, worse than the night before, but he refused to bow out. He had lost out on winning the World Finals last year because of his wreck, he would be damned if he lost out this year because of the same thing.

"You sure you are fit to ride today?" Steve worried for his friend. Both of them have had dreams of winning the finals since they were small children, but only Bucky seemed to go after it so single-mindedly. Oh, Steve wanted to win, they all did, but he never took it to the extremes that Bucky did.

Steve knew why he was the way he was. Bucky had made a promise to his sister Rebecca. Things had been different when they had been younger. Steve had gone to live on the Barnes Ranch when he had been thirteen and his mother had died. Him and Bucky, already friends, grew as close as brothers. Things with Becca had been different. Steve and Becca had grown close, until at the age of sixteen Steve had asked her out.

That summer things had been dreamlike. The three of them went everywhere together. Becca used to go on and on about how her boys were going to grow up to be world champion bullriders. She went to every rodeo and event, cheering both of them on. Things had changed by the end of that summer though.

Becca had gone out with a few of her girl friends to the lake to swim while Steve and Bucky practiced out on the drop barrel Bucky's dad had set up out in the barn. She had left early that morning, but never returned. Her body was finally found several days later after they drained the lake.

After that both Steve and Bucky drove headfirst into the rodeo like they never had, both of them planning to win the finals for Becca.

"I'm as fit as I've ever been. And I don't want any more talk about it today. I'm only two-hundred points away from bypassing Sam, I need my head in the game and not dealing with your worrying." Bucky ran a hand through his hair before placing his hat snuggly on his head. He had been able to bypass Steve the night before after they got to the hotel simply by locking his door and turning off his phone. If only it could be that easy all the time.

"I saw what bull you are riding." Steve frowned as he thought about the lineup. He would be riding Red Skull, a bull he had covered several times before. He wasn't worried about himself, but Bucky on the other hand…

"Yeah, what of it? He's a good bull." Bucky slipped out of the locker room, making his way towards the dirt. The fan club members with early admittance tickets were already wandering around, taking their tours of the arena and the bulls, meeting their favorite cowboys. Bucky shook his head, he hadn't realized just how long he had been in the locker room.

"Ultron has never been covered." Steve wanted to grab a hold of Bucky and shake some sense into him.

"Yet, I know I can do it." He had ridden the bull once, bucked off at three seconds, but he was sure he could take him now.

"God-damn it Bucky!" Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't even know why Ultron is still allowed to buck. Shit, he is a fucking headhunter if I have ever seen one."

"He's the rankest bull in the pen right now. If I cover him I'm guaranteed at least a 90." Bucky dumped his gear in a corner and went off to make his rounds along the sponsors' booths.

Steve watched him go with a sigh. What his friend was guaranteed was a broken back and a wheelchair.


Bucky kneeled down behind the chutes, cross clutched tightly in his hand. He prayed, asking for protection, asking for strength, and asking to win. He remade his promise to his sister and to himself, before finishing and heading over to the chute where Ultron was bucking wildly.

Ultron was the rankest bull bucking that year. He was large a large bull with a dark gray hide and thick, large horns. The son of Iron-Man, he had been bred, raised, and trained by Thor Odinson, and was owned by Tony Stark. He was the prize that every cowboy had their eyes on, ands Bucky was determined to be the one to finally cover him.

Bucky flung his leg up over the chute, his thighs spreading the straddle the bull. Ultron was already bucking, but Bucky refused to let that damned beast win. He settled himself down, cleared his mind and wrapped his hand. It took longer than normal, but Bucky was finally confident and nodded to the crew.

The chute gate flung open and Ultron exploded out and onto the dirt with more violence than Bucky had ever experienced. He kicked and bucked, flinging his horns around wildly. Bucky tried to hold on, but Ultron started spinning, forcing Bucky down into the well.

The power it took to hold on while riding on the side of the bull was enough to send burning pains through his shoulder. Unable to hold on anymore, Bucky pulled on his rope, but it would budge and he ended up being strung up. Ultron continued spinning and bucking, dragging Bucky along with him. Bucky looked like a ragdoll as he bounced against the bull's side.

Hawkeye and his team dove into the fray, distracting Ultron enough for Tripp to slip in and cut Bucky loose. As soon as his body hit the ground Ultron rounded on him, and before the bullfighters could lead him away, he stomped down onto Bucky's side. Bucky could feel the blow to his stomach and the crunch to his already dislocated shoulder. He could feel as a hoof clipped across his jaw, slicing straight through his flesh.

After what felt like hours, the bullfighters and safety riders finally led Ultron back behind the chutes. Bucky closed his eyes, darkness creeping in as he heard the announcers to remain calm.


Author's Notes: So, this is the product of watching some PBR and realizing that Bucky and Steve would be wonderful as cowboys.

It has kind of taken on a life of its own, but this will only be two chapters. Which hopefully I will be able to get the next one out tomorrow.

I hope this is ok, I'm actually sick right now and it has been several years since I've written a bullriding AU.

I know Darcy wasn't in here too much, but she will be in the next part.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.