A/N: Requested by me. To myself. Because I just really wanted to write this. :D

Bucky heard a tap on the side of the door. He looked up from his book, and there was Jacob, partially hidden by a chest of drawers and peeking over the bed at them.

"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you."

Bucky shared a glance with his wife, then Jane smiled and patted the space between them. "Come on over, then."

Jacob did, with only a little hesitation. Now that he was seven, he thought he was too old for sleeping in his parents' bed when he got scared at night. Instead, he cuddled extra tight with his old teddy bear, the one Jane had affectionately dubbed his 'Bucky Bear' due to the toy's apparent resemblance to his father (Bucky didn't really see it).

"So what's going on, kid?" he asked as Jacob climbed over him.

"Well, I'm having an issue at school," he said, "and I think the best way to come to an acceptable solution is to work it out together as a family."

Bucky nodded, having long since gotten used to the stuff coming out of his son's mouth.

"Is something wrong?" Jane asked.

Jacob wrung his hands. "There's this boy in my class. His name is Malcolm, and he's a bully."

"Has he been bothering you?" Bucky asked, sitting up straighter.

"No, not me. It's my friend, Ricky," Jacob said. "Ricky's kind of small and he has bad allergies, so he's sick a lot. He can't really defend himself, so Malcolm thinks he's an easy target."

"Really?" Bucky said, ignoring the knowing smile on Jane's face as he lifted Jacob over his shoulder. "How about we talk about this in private, son? Man to man."

"Okay," said Jacob.

Bucky winked at Jane, who merely smiled and went back to her book. First, she mouthed, 'don't overdo it', and Bucky gave her an offended look. Just what did she take him for?

He walked into Jacob's room and deposited him on the bed. He didn't miss the boy almost reaching for Bucky Bear, even though he stopped in the middle of it.

"So," Bucky said, "you're wondering if it's okay to fight to defend your friend, is that it?"

Jacob nodded. "All the teachers say I should tell them if someone is bothering me, but Malcolm always acts good when the teachers are watching, and the other kids are too scared of him to say anything."

"Hmmm," Bucky rubbed his chin.

"And everyone says I'm really strong for my age, so I bet if I tried, I could beat him. He's big, but it's mostly just fat. I don't think he even knows how to fight."

"Yeah, I know the type," Bucky said. He sighed and got down to his knees, putting his hands on Jacob's shoulders. "Look, Jacob, it's true that you're a strong kid. You're just like Uncle Steve and I. And as you grow up, you'll just get even stronger, and you have to know the right way to use that strength."

"To protect people," Jacob said. This was not the first time they'd had this conversation. "That's why I want to protect Ricky. He's my friend."

"I know, son, and it's good that you're looking out for him, but you have to remember one thing."

"I know," Jacob sighed, hanging his head. "Fighting is wrong, just like the teachers say."

Bucky thought about it. "Well… yes and no. You shouldn't go around picking fights, but if someone else wants to start one, and you can't come to a peaceful resolution, sometimes, it's okay to finish a fight. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Jacob said, and he did appear to be mulling it over. "I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed. Night, Dad."

Bucky ruffled his hair and let him pull the blankets over his head. Being tucked in was another thing Jacob was 'too old' for now. Bucky turned out the lights and left the door open a crack, enough to let a sliver of light in. By then, Jacob was fast asleep.

Bucky went to pick him up from school the next morning. He hadn't been here since last year when Jacob started first grade, but the school looked no different barring a new paint job and some windows that looked new. He walked around to the playground. The day had just ended, and a lot of the kids came out to play while waiting for their parents. Since that was usually Jane's job, he needed some time to find it. The field behind the school was huge, and most of it seemed like empty grassland with a baseball diamond smack in the middle.

Over on the left hand side was a playground, and that was where he caught sight of a familiar head of dark hair next to the slide. Jacob was playing with a gangly redheaded boy and a much smaller kid with brown hair, who had what looked like an inhaler sticking out of his backpack. The redhead ran off after a minute to meet his mom, leaving Jacob alone with whom Bucky assumed was Ricky.

They were playing with those trading cards Jacob was nuts about. What were they called again? Yu-Go-Gi or something like that. Whatever it was, Jacob appeared to be winning, as Ricky looked at his cards with his cheeks puffed out, and Jacob waited for him to make a move with every appearance of total confidence.

That was when a massive whale of a boy lumbered out from behind the swing set, waited next to the slide for his moment, then rushed out to shove Ricky to the ground. He couldn't move that fast with all his girth, but Jacob still had barely enough time to grab his friend and keep him from falling.

"Whoops," said the fat boy. "Sorry. Couldn't see you, shrimpy."

Jacob checked Ricky first, but the boy didn't seem shaken up. He collected his fallen cards and reorganized them while Jacob dealt with Malcolm.

"Go away," he said, deepening his voice in what could only be a poor imitation of Bucky's 'soldier' voice.

Malcolm's laugh was kind of like a duck honking. "You gonna make me, dork?"

Dork? That was a new one. Bucky rolled his eyes and leaned over the fence to get a better look. Jacob was just about an inch taller, but Malcolm was so fat that he completely covered him from view. Bucky moved his head to the right, ignoring the shaking of the fence as someone else came to stand beside him.

"I said, go away, Malcolm," Jacob took a step closer. "Quit bothering my friends or else."

For a moment, Malcolm was cowed. Perhaps he wasn't used to anyone standing up to him like this. He started to back up, or so Bucky thought. In reality, he needed the momentum to push Jacob as hard as he could, hard enough that had he been dealing with a normal kid, he could've easily thrown him a foot in the air. As it was, Jacob stayed on his feet.

The man next to Bucky laughed. "Atta boy, son! Show that little pansy ass what you're made of."

Bucky furrowed his brow. He turned slowly and took in a bulky man in a camo jacket with a blue baseball cap and a scraggly beard. His meaty hands grasped the metal wiring, and he smiled to show off white, yet crooked teeth, a cigarette clamped between them.

"Excuse me," Bucky said. "Sorry to bother you, but is that your son?"

"Only if you mean the big one," he said. "That's my pride and joy right there. Look at him, he's a chip off the old block."

Bucky hummed. "Well, if you ask me, you shouldn't be teaching your boy to be a bully."

The man rounded on him. "Look bub, I don't know who you think you are, but I'm teaching my boy to be a real man. Not my fault if those little nancy boys got saddled with pussies for fathers that can't do the same."

Bucky could see that he wasn't going to get very far with this guy. Brat that he was, he couldn't help but pity Malcolm that he was stuck with this asshole for a father figure. Hopefully one day, he'd grow beyond his bullying ways and become a better person.

"I'm just a concerned parent," Bucky said, not really wanting to converse any further.

"Then worry about your own damn kids," Malcolm's father said. "I've seen that Jacob kid around, and the only worthwhile thing about him is that sexy little number picking him up every day."

Bucky stilled, his hands falling to his sides as an icy darkness overcame him.

"Are you talking about his mother?"

The man let loose another noxious grin.

"Yeah, man, you should see her. Not much up top, but she's got a hell of an ass. I'd like to plow that all day, let me tell you."

Bucky clicked his tongue. Out the corner of his eye, Jacob had finally noticed him standing there. Bucky winked, knowing his son would understand what he meant, and then he smiled at Malcolm's father.

Five minutes later, Ricky's mom came to pick him up, and Jacob said goodbye as Bucky led him across the street to the car.

"So remember, Jacob, you never start a fight, but if you have to, always finish it," he said.

"Or just shove their head through a wall?"

"Or just shove their head through a wall. Yes."

He looked back for a moment at Malcolm, clutching his stomach as tears rolled down his blackening eyes. A short way away was Malcolm's father, his beaten and bruised body sticking out of the brick wall as he twitched and moaned in agony.

"Actually, maybe we shouldn't tell your mother about this," he said. "She might not agree with us."

Jacob's head tilted to one side. "Are you worried that if she knows, she'll be mad and not have sex with you tonight?"

Bucky gawked at him, shaking his head as he started the car. "Who the hell is teaching you this stuff?"