A/N: Hello, thank you for reading! Me and my good friend, Lylon, came up with this idea. And...yeah, that's basically it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or any of the characters from it. This is just pure fan idea.

Age:11

Bucky's POV

"You'll be quite comfortable here, James." Ms. Hodges said, smiling down at the boy who was trailing quietly behind her. "There are many boys your age who will become best friends with you in no time."

The boy, Bucky, nodded, looking at the floor as though it was a staring contest, eyes locked in position and not blinking once.

"If there is anything wrong with the way the boys are treating you, tell me, alright?" She asked, noting the sound that was unnatural to boys his age; silence. He nodded, still gazing hard at the floor beneath him.

"Good." She nodded, sighing as he made no effort to look up or even open his mouth.

For the first time for the whole trip down the hallway, Bucky looked up as they arrived at a large door, the gold rusting doorknob perfect for the boy's reach. He outstretched his hand and opened the door, the creaking giving an uneasy feeling in his stomach, though it was quickly replaced by curiosity.

The room was full of boys; chasing each other, reading, or playing with one another. Ms. Hodges handed the boy his small suitcase.

"Well, you best be getting settled in, make yourself at home." She smiled, and exited the room.

Bucky looked around the room, feeling the emotion of loneliness stir up inside of his gut. As he watched his new roommates run around and play, a sense of longing filled him. He wanted to make a friend for once. He had to.

Bucky looked at the bed nearby where she promised he would be sleeping in for until how long he would be here, and started emptying his suitcase slowly, not wanting to rush the task and having to face the crowd of boys.

Though as slow as he took, he was soon almost done with unpacking, and soon would have to be compared and sized up by the other boys in the room. H sighed as he reached for the last shirt in his suitcase before pausing, looking up from the pack.

He had heard something, something besides the other obnoxious boys in the room. He listened for a couple of seconds, before turning back to his suitcase, but a second later he heard it again. He glanced out the window near him and looked down.

He saw another small group of boys, this time all of them looking taller, meaner, older. They surrounded a small, skinny boy, whose face was buried in the ground.

Bucky looked out of the window for a few seconds before he knew what he had to do. Ignoring the few faces that looked up and saw him, even one asking "Hey, who are you?", Bucky ran out of the room and outside.

He neared the new boys outside, moving as fast as he could.

"C'mon, Rogers, fight like a man!" One of the boys shouted, the rest laughing as the small, skinny boy stumbled, desperately wanting to get up.

"Aw, c'mon Rogers, give us some fun for once!" The boy yelled again. "We all know what a wimp you are, you don't have to hide it. Maybe beg for mercy, we'll consider it."

"No way." The boy being bullied muttered, and threw a punch at the bully, but failed miserably. But before any of the bullies could advance on the boy, Bucky stood in between it all, trying his luck.

"Pick on someone your own size." Bucky said loudly, hoping he sounded confident enough.

"And who are you?" The bully sneered, looking down on Bucky. The bully was about half a head taller than Bucky, but it didn't matter at this point.

"I'm new here, and I know a bully when I see one." Bucky glared at the enemy facing him. "So get out."

"You can't tell us what to do, kid." The boy shouted, but Bucky stayed rooted on the spot of which he stood on.

"Watch me." Bucky growled, glaring harder at the boy. They stared into each other's eye, neither blinking nor taking their eyes off each other, the bully daring Bucky to stare, which he did. Finally, the bully's eyes shifted to the rest of his gang.

"C'mon." He muttered, and all of them strode off, not even taking a glance behind at where the two boys stood.

"Wow, kid, I'm sorry about that." Bucky murmured, looking the boy up and down to make sure he was alright. His nose was slightly bleeding but besides that, he looked pretty much okay.

"Nothing different from the usual." The boy chuckled darkly, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Anyways, thank you, for…you know…" The boy tilted his head towards the bullies walking away, and Bucky smiled.

"No problem. What's your name, kid?" Bucky asked.

"Steve Rogers. What's yours?"

"James Barnes, but just call me Bucky." Bucky smiled, and Steve returned the favor.

"You're new here?" Steve asked, remembering what Bucky had said before.

"Yeah"

"Then that explains why you helped me." Steve muttered.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, his eyebrows creased in confusion.

"I've been here for a long time, Bucky, and everyone feels sympathy towards me on their first night or two." Steve kicked a rock near his feet. "It never lasts."

"Well, I'll be the first." Bucky decided, and Steve looked up. "I won't leave you, Stevie. I'll stay with you, okay?"

"Okay…" Steve smiled softly to himself, and looked back at Bucky. "You know, you aren't so bad, Bucky."

"Thank you, Steve. Neither are you." Bucky laughed, putting an arm around Steve, drawing him closer, and his promise stayed put in his mind. He was going to stay with Steve, no matter what the price of it was. He was going to be with Steve for as long as he could, which he hoped was forever.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will come soon!