December 7: PULLING YOU IN FOR A KISS WITH A SCARF"
Bucky was sipping his coffee when Steve walked into the classroom and nearly choked on his drink. Steve was wearing that scarf again.
There was nothing wrong with the scarf except that it wanted Bucky to die. It had been Bucky's originally, but he never really wore it so he had given it to Steve a couple of years back and so every time the weather dropped below freezing, Steve wore the scarf. It was soft and thick and the kind of blue that made Steve's eyes seem to glow. Steve usually wore it haphazardly trows over his skinny neck with both the strings hanging down nearly to his knees. Bucky knew that it was taunting him.
When Steve took his usual seat next to Bucky and began talking. "I can't believe that it is so cold outside." He said. "I though my breath was going to freeze in my lungs on the way here."
Bucky shook his head and said after a brief pause, "Yeah, it is. I um, I see that you are wearing that scarf I gave you."
Steve gave him a strange look. "Yes." He said hesitantly. "I always wear it when it is below freezing. It's warm and really soft."
Bucky nodded and licked his lips. "Yeah, I know. It used to be mine."
"Do you want it back or something? I don't understand." Steve said.
"No no, it's fine. I just-nevermind. It looks good on you." Bucky said in a rush.
Steve opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Bucky turned his attention to the front of the class.
Bucky tried to avoid Steve for the rest of the day, ducking behind trash cans and in groups of freshmen so Steve couldn't see him. During lunch, Clint found him in the top of a tree behind the art building.
"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Clint said after he climbed up to join Bucky.
Bucky groaned and buried his face in his hands. "It's stupid."
"Do you even know who you are talking to?" Clint asked. "I'm like the king of stupid or something. So, go ahead and lay it on me."
Bucky looked at Clint with a desperate look on his face. "It's that scarf." He said. "I don't know why, but I cannot control myself when he wears that scarf."
"Wait wait wait." Clint said. "This is about Steve?"
Bucky winced. "Yes."
Clint groaned and started making his way back down the tree. "No." He said as he made his way down. "I cannot handle this. No more. I cannot handle idiots who are too afraid to tell each other how they feel."
Bucky started following Clint down. "What do you mean? What idiots? Who else is an idiot."
They had reached the bottom by the time Bucky stopped talking and so Clint grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Just tell Steve how you feel and everything will be okay." He said before turning and walking the other direction. "Also, stay out of my tree!" He shouted over his shoulder.
Bucky headed back into the building thinking about what Clint had said. He had said it like it was a simple thing to do: just tell Steve his feelings. But it was more complicated than that, right? Of course it was. What if Steve rejected him, or punched him in the face. Though that would be unlikely, what would be more likely was Steve giving him an apologetic look but telling him that he didn't feel the same and then things always being awkward between them.
Bucky was so lost in thought that he wasn't watching where he was going and ran straight into something small and furious. They had both been walking so fast that Bucky nearly fell over and Steve ended up sprawled onto the ground.
When Bucky realized who it was that he had ran into, he blanched and turned to walk back the way he had come.
"Oh no you don't." Steve said from the ground. "First you are going to help me up from the ground and then you are going to tell me why you have been avoiding me all day."
Bucky's face fell, but he held out a hand for Steve to take. When they were both standing, Steve raised an eyebrow in his direction. "I'm waiting."
"Well, I um-I was avoiding you because..." he trailed off with a defeated sigh and just stopped and stared at Steve.
"Because..?" Steve said expectantly. "That is not a real answer. You are avoiding me and I refuse to let you go anywhere until you tell me why. If it is something that I did, tell me so I can fix it or apologize, but don't ignore me." He narrowed his eyes at Bucky. "Hello? Are you even listening to me, Buck? Bucky?"
Bucky's eyes glanced down at the scarf before they snapped into focus on Steve's. He narrowed his eyes back at Steve. "You want to know why I have been avoiding you?" He asked angrily.
"Yes! Please tell me!" Steve said, throwing his arms in the air.
Bucky growled as he grabbed the two loose ends of Steve's scarf and pulled him in to where they were nose to nose. "This scarf is taunting me." He said before leaning in and pressing his lips to Steve's. At first Steve was shocked still, but after a heartbeat he melted against Bucky with a soft sigh.
When they pulled back Steve gave Bucky a shy smile. "So, I think I will be wearing this scarf a more often." He said.
Bucky's response was to pull him in for another kiss.
Part of a 25 part Christmas AU series.