This was really a conversation he would rather not have in the middle of math class within earshot of everyone else right now. But at least Scott was whispering so as not to drag too much attention to them. So there was that. Still, it made Steve extremely uneasy about the whole situation and wants nothing more than to just curl up in a ball and disappear.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Steve deflects quickly, sparing a glance to the front of the class to see Mr. Pym not paying attention.

"I'm not stupid, Steve. I heard what you and Tony were talking about at lunch earlier," Scott reiterates, smirking in triumph.

"Whatever you heard, Scott, it wasn't true," Steve tries to explain, blushing softly as his eyes dart around in paranoia.

"You can't bullshit a bullshitter, dude," Scott tells him frankly with that all knowing smirk of his. "Especially when it's something as juicy as this."

"Look, Scott, you can't let anyone know. It's a pretty big deal and I don't need people harassing me even more," Steve gushes in a panicked whisper, shaking at the thought of his secret coming out because Scott couldn't keep his cute trap shut. "I need to know that I can trust you with this."

"Oh… Well, yeah! Of course, dude," Scott stammers after a moment, becoming flustered a little bit as well by the seriousness of the whole situation. "You can totally count on me! Just call me the vault of secrets. Lock it up and throw away the key. Yep, that's me."

"Thank you," Steve says with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

He knows Scott can keep his word but sometimes people just blurt things out for no apparent reason at all, and that scares Steve a little.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Scott replies with a surge of giddiness. Scott watches as Steve turns back to his notes and he becomes anxious. "But, uh, while we're on the subject, I was wondering if there was something in it for me? I mean, I brought it up in the first place because I'm actually interested… If you know what I mean."

"R-Really?" Steve stutters, taken aback by Scott's forwardness.

"Yeah, dude!" Scott whispers with enthusiasm, arching his eyebrows towards his hairline. "How could I not be interested?"

He blushes again because he doesn't know what to think about it all. Sure, he kind of has a crush on Scott, but he's in a relationship with Bucky. How was he supposed to let Scott down gently without making him upset or despondent. What would keep him from telling the whole school if he didn't put out? No… Scott was a good person. He'd never blackmail Steve like that.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Scott. We've never really hung out or talked to each other for that matter. It would be kinda awkward," Steve explains, trying to keep Bucky out of the conversation so as not to get Scott jealous.

"No, no, no! I swear I'm totally cool!" Scott proclaims, trying to keep his voice down so Pym doesn't hear him. "I do this sorta thing all the time! You can even ask Luis. He'll back me up on that."

"I never took you for that kinda person, to be honest," Steve admits, surprised that Scott was being so open about it all. "I know you have the whole bad boy persona, but I always figured you were more refined than that… No offense, of course."

"Dude… I gotta have fun too, ya know," Scott boasts with a playful snarky attitude. "What better way to blow off some steam than to go to a kick ass punk show?"

"Wait, what?" Steve asks with a confused and lost expression.

"What?" Scott echoes, at a loss too.

"Why did you say that?" Steve inquires, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Because I like going to gigs?" Scott answers in an uncertain question, puzzled by Steve's sudden shift in mood.

Suddenly it all clicked and Steve felt like a total moron. When Scott said he knew Steve's secret, he hadn't been referring to Steve still being in the closet, but rather about the gig he invited Tony to. Scott probably thought it was some super secret and prestigious show and he wanted an invite as well. Of course that's what Scott had been talking about this whole time. Steve worried himself over nothing.

"So, you wanna invitation to the show I'm going to? Is that it?" Steve questions, treading lightly just to be certain.

"Especially if it's invite only," Scott adds, making it a point to drive home that fact by leaning over closer to Steve.

"I don't know, man," Steve sighs, deciding to have a little fun with Scott now that he wasn't in full panic mode. "This isn't some show at the CBGB where anyone can just walk in. How do I know if you're cool? I could seriously get in trouble if I invite the wrong type of people, you know?"

"Steve! It's me, Scott!" Scott proclaims with a laidback nature as he tries to convince Steve. "I'm totally cool! Remember that time I threw my tray of food all over that asshat Darren Cross?"

"You tripped and accidentally spilled it on him and his girlfriend," Steve points out with an arched brow. "And then he punched you in the face and broke your nose."

"Okay, be that as it may…" Scott concedes, losing steam fast when the scenario comes back to him in it's original iteration. "But I still pull the best pranks in the school… With the help of my friends, of course."

"Fair enough," Steve relents and Scott gives him a hopeful smile.

"Anything you want to share with the rest of the class, gentlemen?" Pym interrupts, finally catching wind of the conversation happening towards the back of the room.

"No, sir," Steve says immediately, sitting up straight in his chair.

"I can't begin to imagine what was so important that you had to disrupt the rest of the class with your own little knitting circle," Pym says with a sarcastic tone, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well to be fair, sir, me and Steve were having a nice and quiet conversation. You didn't even realise it was happening until you turned around and you announced it to the class in a very strong tone that can be quite jarring on occasion," Scott offers up like the sassy scamp he is.

"Mr. Lang, are you trying to get sent to the principal's office?" Mr. Pym threatens, seemingly unimpressed with Scott's charming, yet sometimes brainless, snark.

"That's a pretty loaded question, sir," Scott comments, looking over at Steve proactively before turning back to Pym. "I feel like no matter what I say, you're gonna send me there either way."

"Well, then. You'd be absolutely correct, Mr. Lang," Pym states matter-of-fact with a smug grin. "You can start heading there now."

"No! It was my fault, Mr Pym," Steve speaks up, feeling guilty for getting Scott in trouble. Even though Scott was the one who started talking to him in the first place. "I asked him what answer he got for one of your equations because I was honestly lost."

"Is that so?" Pym asks slowly, looking between the two boys suspiciously.

"Absolutely, Mr. Pym!" Scott testifies, looking every bit of serious as possible without coming off as condescending. He spares a glance at Steve, who nods his head. "I'm honestly not surprised he asked for help. This guy's a dreamer for sure, sir. Got his head in the clouds half the time."

"You're off the hook this time, Mr. Lang," Mr. Pym sighs heavily, obviously not buying it, but he's too tired to even bother anymore. He looks over in Steve's meek direction with a warning. "Next time actually pay attention to the lesson, Mr. Rogers. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that before it gets through to you."

Mr. Pym turns back around towards the board and goes back to scribbling equations. Scott waits a moment before leaning back over to Steve to continue their conversation where they left off before they were interrupted.

"So? What do you say?" Scott asks, whispering even quieter than he had before. "Am I cool enough?"

"Yeah, Scott, you're really cool," Steve assures, keeping an eye out for Pym. He nods his head over in Mr. Pym's direction cautiously. "But we can't talk about this right now."

"Oh, right..." Scott acknowledges slowly. "How about after school? I could meet up with you and we could talk some more."

"Sure. Um, I have Ms. Hill for English next period. Maybe you can meet me outside of her class?" Steve suggests, still keeping his voice down.

"Sounds like a plan," Scott enthuses with a big dumb grin, socking Steve playfully in the shoulder. Then he adds, "You're a pretty cool kid, Stevie."

"Thanks," Steve gushes, turning a light shade of pink.

Scott winks at him and they both turn back to Pym's lesson before they can get caught and scolded again. Steve feels overwhelmed by the whole situation. Scott Lang actually talked to him and he was pretty sweet on top of that. He has a quick tongue and he chooses his comebacks carefully, but as quick witted as Scott is, he's also painfully obtuse about what's right in front of him. So is Steve apparently.

Class ends and Scott says catch ya later before they both head to their respective classes. Steve feels a little giddy about meeting up with Scott after school and it's almost reminiscent of his first date with Bucky. Although, this isn't a date. This is just him and Scott hanging out like they're good friends. Yeah, he has a teeny tiny little crush on Scott, and maybe that's why he relented and humored Scott, but he was still in love with Bucky and no amount of infatuation would change that.

To be honest, having Scott as a friend and ally at school sounded a lot more pleasing anyway. Besides, who's to say Scott was even into men in the first place? Scott didn't seem like he was into anything other than pulling pranks with his friends and having fun. Steve doesn't recall Scott ever having a girlfriend, now that he thinks about it. Not that he's keeping track or anything. He may entertain the idea of him and Scott, but he isn't serious about it. It's just where his mind goes when he's bored.

He was still Bucky's.

He makes it through Ms. Hill's English class smoothly, more or less, and when the bell rings he collects his things in his book bag without haste. He figures it'll take Scott a minute or two to meet up with him, so he isn't in a complete rush. He waits for the rest of the class to file out before he stands up from his desk and makes his way to the hallway. He can see Scott jogging up to the room, leather jacket bouncing on his shoulders as he trots over.

"Hey, Stevie!" Scott greets, giving him a huge goofy smile. "You waited!"

"I said I would," Steve replies, returning the smile with one of his own.

"So? Where to?" Scott asks, catching his breath when he's finally closer to Steve.

"You can walk me home. We'll talk on the way," Steve tells him.

Scott nods once and says lead the way. They make their way through the buzzing hallways of the school and out into the main courtyard. Steve looks over to the front gate out of habit even though he knows Bucky said he wouldn't be able to meet up with him after school because of personal business. Steve wasn't sure what Bucky had meant by that and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little worried. Steve tells himself it's probably just preparation for the gig on Friday and he has to rehearse with his bandmates.

"I'm glad we're able to talk now instead of having Pym breathing down our necks," Scott comments with a chuckle once they're out on the street.

"Yeah, it's kinda weird though," Steve says with an embarrassed laugh.

"What is?"

"I've never got in trouble for talking during class before," Steve realises, looking over at Scott bashfully.

"I'm corrupting you!" Scott announces with an ominous voice. He nudges Steve's arm with his elbow in a playful manner and it makes the smaller boy flush. "At last! My ranks will raise up against this system of oppression!"

This gets Steve to giggle a little. He never realized just how funny Scott was until now. And here he thought Luis was the hilarious one of his group, which reminds Steve…

"Where are the other guys you usually hang around?" Steve inquires, looking up at Scott.

"I told them I had to get home immediately, which isn't technically a lie since my mom needs my help with chores," Scott alludes, flashing his teeth a little.

"That's sweet," Steve acknowledges.

"She's all I have and it's a nice way of showing I appreciate her," Scott adds, shrugging as if he's trying to play it cool.

Steve can see through him, though.

"I know what that's like," Steve empathises, taking on a more solemn tone. "It's just me and my step dad."

"It's hard, but it gets better, doesn't it?" Scott inquires, staring down at Steve for solidation.

"You're absolutely right," Steve concurs, and he means it. "It always helps to have friends by your side."

"It does," Scott says distantly. He bites his lip, arm accidentally bumping into Steve's. "I like to think of you as a friend. I know we've never really hung out or anything, but you're cool in my book, Rogers. Plus, you like going to punk shows. How bad can you be?"

"Thanks. You're my friend too, Scott," Steve returns, beaming up at the taller boy. Their arms brush against each other. "We'll have to hang out one of these days."

"You can definitely come sit with the cool kids at lunch whenever you want," Scott offers, nudging Steve again. "You and Tony are welcomed."

"I'm holding you to that!" Steve warns with a stern tone, but it's good-natured.

Scott and Steve walk all the way to the latter's house, chatting away about nonsense, and both forget why they did this in the first place. They completely forget to talk about the gig because Scott's too busy telling Steve a far-fetched story about his friend Luis. The story has Steve in stitches which results in his swaying into Scott from time to time all the way home. Steve is only knocked out of his reverie when he looks up to see someone standing at the base of his stoop.

"Bucky!" Steve calls out with a surprised smile that's all teeth. "I thought you couldn't make it!"

"I finished up a lot sooner than I previously assumed," Bucky responds, lips pulling up at one side in a half smile. He looks over towards the kid next to Steve, giving a nod in his direction. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Scott. I go to school with him," Steve introduces, stepping aside when Bucky walks up to them.

"Nice jacket," Bucky compliments, looking the goofy kid over with a raking of his eyes.

"Thanks, but I think you pull it off way better," Scott comments, giddy with nerves.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Bucky asks after a moment, gaze flicking between Steve and his new friend.

"Not at all. I was just walking Steve home," Scott notifies, patting the smaller boy on the back tenderly.

"Scott actually wanted to know if he could come to the gig," Steve pipes up, remembering why Scott had walked him home in the first place. "I said I'd put in a good word for him."

Bucky arches an eyebrow at Scott's hopeful and nervous smile, straightening up as if he's in a job interview right now. Bucky regards him for a second, noticing the ripped up jeans, converse, jacket, and witty pop culture shirt he was wearing. He definitely seemed like the type of punk that was just starting out and it made Bucky grin a little. Scott reminded Bucky of himself when he was roughly that age.

"You go to shows?" Bucky probes.

"All the time!" Scott states with confidence.

"And you're cool?" Bucky follows up.

"Like liquid nitrogen," Scott declares without batting an eye.

"Okay…" Bucky says slowly, flashing Steve a quick grin. "It's this Friday at Mick's Music Box. Eight o'clock on the dot."

"Sick! Thank you so much!" Scott gushes, brimming over with excitement. He looks over to Steve, clasping him by the shoulder. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later, Stevie! It was nice meeting you too, Bucky!"

"Thanks for walking me home!" Steve calls after when Scott jogs away.

"Later Scott!" Bucky adds before turning back to Steve.

"What do you think of him? Nice, right?" Steve asks meekly, hoping Bucky doesn't get the wrong idea.

"I was gonna say goofy, but yeah… That too," Bucky agrees, putting his hands on his hips.

He's staring at Steve with a predatory gaze, stepping forward slowly to crowd him up against the railing of the stoop. The small of Steve's back hits the corner of the rail and he gasps at the sudden sensation of cold metal pressing into him. Bucky is staring down at Steve with a hooded expression. His eyes are dilated and the way Bucky grasps the railing behind him makes him shudder at his closeness.

"I'm not gonna lie… When I saw you walking up with that kid, I was a little jealous," Bucky confesses with a sultry tone. He brings his other hand up to cup Steve's face and strokes a thumb across the prominent cheekbone. "You're still mine, right?"

"Til the end of the line," Steve vows, breathing shallowly when he realizes how close Bucky's is and how anyone could see them if Bucky were to just move a little closer.

"God, you're so beautiful," Bucky sighs with exasperation, like he's out of breath. "I could take you right here in front of everyone."

Bucky presses in closer to Steve until his body is nearly flush against the slighter boy. It makes Steve cautious and he even looks around to make sure no one's watching, but Bucky cups his chin and raises his gaze back up towards him. Bucky leans down and kisses Steve softly on the lips for a brief moment. Steve melts into the contact and braces his hands against Bucky's chest. Steve pushes Bucky away slightly, turning pink with surprise. Bucky sighs deeply.

"Shit… I'm sorry, tiger," Bucky apologizes, realizing why Steve looked so worried. "I keep forgetting you're not used to the whole PDA thing. You're just too perfect not to kiss."

"Well, we could go inside," Steve proposes, the blush high on his cheekbones dissipating somewhat. "Bruce won't be home for quite some time."

"Yeah?" Bucky breathes out, voice thick.

"We could put some records on and… hang out," Steve adds, noticing how Bucky's pupils take over the rest of his irises.

"How long do you reckon we have exactly?" Bucky questions, licking his lips.

"Enough," is all Steve says.

Bucky seems to consider this and bites his bottom lip, practically groaning at how sweet and innocent and nervous Steve looked right now.

"You're asking for trouble, tiger," Bucky warns, shaking his head at how insatiable Steve is.

"I'm well aware of the risk," Steve counters, trying to sound confident even as his pulse quickens. He switches up the game and turns it back on Bucky. "Why? Are you scared? Because we don't have to do anything."

"You're a punk," Bucky chides with a short laugh.

"Jerk," Steve retorts, shoving playfully at Bucky's chest.

"Well then, since you're so confident," Bucky starts with an airy huff as he extends his arm towards Steve's front door. "Lead the way."

Bucky takes a step back to give Steve some room and watches his hips sway as he climbs the stairs. Steve's got a narrow little waist, narrow everything actually, and Bucky can't help but think how gentle he'd have to be so he wouldn't break Steve immediately. His thoughts are dispersed when Steve unlocks the front door and beckons Bucky inside.

He follows Steve down the hallway to his room much like the other day when Steve had given Bucky the green light to touch him more intimately. He won't forget the way Steve had moaned and pulled his hair all while his small hand stroked him to completion. Bucky's pulse is pounding in his veins and his blood runs hot. Bucky isn't sure if it's Steve doing this to him or the crap he injected into his arm before he came here. Maybe it was both.

They get to Steve's room and a bout of silence befalls them, sapping out all of the confidence that built up to this point. They both stand there waiting for the other to make a move so they wouldn't have to. Steve, surprisingly, is the first to move as he makes his way over to his record player to put something on. Unsurprisingly, it's the Ramones album Bucky gave him and the first song starts right up.

Steve takes a seat on his bed, folding his hands together, and looks over at Bucky with a shy expression, batting his lashes slightly. Bucky starts by taking his leather jacket off slowly, almost like a tease, and tosses it off to the side. Steve takes note that Bucky is wearing a muscle shirt that displays his sinewy arms perfectly. He sits there as Bucky walks over to him cautiously, taking a seat right next to him.

"I'm glad you ended up coming by today," Steve tells his lover, reaching out to hold Bucky's hand.

Steve turns Bucky's hand over in his delicate grasp to stroke and play with Bucky's calloused fingers. Bucky leans his head in closer to Steve's and nuzzles the side of his head as he watches the younger man fiddle with his fingers. It's endearing and gentle but the moment is cut short when Steve comes across the track marks gracing Bucky's pale skin. Steve frowns and lightly runs his fingertips over the fading and, as well as fresh, puncture marks.

It makes Bucky retract his arm from Steve's grip, avoiding the elephant in the room before it can rear it's giant head. Steve wants to say something, but he can't choose his words carefully enough. So they sit there, listening to the record playing softly in the background.

Bucky takes a chance and reaches out to place a hand on Steve's leg, squeezing it tenderly and making Steve's breath come out a little less smoothly as it had before. Steve looks down at Bucky's hand, waiting with bated breath as Bucky runs his strong hand up and down his thigh. It gets Steve's blood pumping and he instinctively moves to face Bucky when he feels the older man begin to lean into him.

Their lips connect and Steve responds to the way Bucky kisses him chastely just by rolling with the punches. Bucky cups Steve's face in his hands and deepens it when his lips part ever so slightly so he can explore Steve's mouth more thoroughly. Steve sighs into the embrace and lets Bucky lay him down across the length of his bed.

Steve shudders when he feels the entire length of Bucky's body press into him and he lets his legs fall open to accommodate him properly. Steve whines low in his throat, squirming a little to distract himself from how antsy the whole situation made him. He wants this, don't get him wrong, but still scares the crap out of him. Bucky must sense this because he pulls away slightly to look down at Steve.

"Don't worry, baby," Bucky purrs, rubbing his nose against Steve's playfully. "I'm not making love to you today."

Bucky claims Steve's lips in another intense kiss that ultimately leaves both of them breathless.

"I had something else in mind."