Bucky's group history project wasn't looking too bad, that is until Mr. Coulson announced that he would be picking the groups. Their was a simultaneous groan in the class as everyone looked away from their friends, breaking away from the mental conversations they were having.

It became apparent, however, that this was not in attempt to separate friends. Partners were named off, most of which came from Coulson looking around the room and checking who was sitting next to each other. In the end, no one would really be having to switch seats.

But then Rhodey's name was called, and he was not put with Tony. Oh. So that was it. Mr. Coulson assumed that the two couldn't get any work done together, but Bucky knew that he was wrong. Tony, despite being an arrogant and obnoxious ass, did care about school. Albeit, perhaps Mr. Coulson had ulterior motives that Bucky couldn't see.

The only names left were Bucky's own, Tony's, and Bruce's.

"Tony and Bruce," Mr. Coulson said.

A few students snickered or said ooooh. Bucky figured it must have had something to do the with the spin the bottle game. But surely not everyone knew about that, and it was just a game, right?

Bucky watched a few people mouth 'science bros' to their friends, whatever that meant. Bruce's cheeks were beet red, and even Tony looked a little embarrassed.

"Okay, you guys can get started and work for the rest of the period."

Bucky raised his hand. "Sir, you forgot about me."

"Sorry about that, James." Bucky cringed. Mr. Coulson looked around the room, his eyes finally landing on Maria Hill and another girl that Bucky didn't even know the name of.

Great. Just great.

"You can work with these two. I'm sure they won't mind. Right ladies?" They both snapped to attention, Mr. Coulson standing in front of Maria's desk. "It's okay if James works with you two?"

They both nodded, but they looked less than thrilled. Bucky sighed as he dragged a chair next to Maria's desk.

"As you may have noticed, most of you have been paired with your friends." Eyes travelled around the room, looking at all the other groups of students. "Those of you who were not were put with someone who I think you are better suited to work with."

Bucky, last of course, because he wasn't really suited to work with anyone.

"Now the rest of the class of yours," Mr. Coulson said. He strode to the back of the class where his desk was and sat.

The class was immediately filled with murmuring students, which progressively got louder. Most of what people were saying wasn't even related to the history project. He turned back to Maria and his other partner, only to find that they weren't talking about anything history related, either.

"I can't believe Steve and Peggy are still dating," the girl said.

Bucky rolled his eyes. Of course they had to talk about the unspeakable. Yes, Bucky was beginning to find a way to regulate his emotions towards Steve. But it wasn't that easy. He still found himself feeling jealous every time someone brought up Steve and Peggy, or when he saw them together.

"It's only a matter of time," Maria said, as if in reassurance. Of course the other girl liked Steve. It wasn't all that surprising. Everyone seemed to like Steve.

"I really thought it wouldn't last. Then again, I didn't think Bruce and Tony would last either, and—"

Bucky's eyes widened in surprise. "Bruce and Tony dated?"

She looked at him as if he had three heads. "Have you been living under a rock?"

"No, in Russia. You know, halfway across the world."

"Besides," Maria cut in. "They didn't last."

"They dated for a whole year, and who knows how long before everyone else found out," the other girl said expressively. Celia. That's the name she had written down on the assignment paper.

"Yeah, but Tony's dating Pepper now. And Bruce, well. . ."

"Bruce what?" Bucky pressed.

"He hasn't dated anyone since," Celia finished.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Then what were you going to say?"

"Probably something offensive."

"But what I—"

"Can we work on the project?" Bucky interrupted, growing impatient. While he found the fact that Tony and Bruce dated shocking and all, he thought his grade was more important.

They both turned to him. In their eyes Bucky could see how much they really did not want to work on this project, and Bucky couldn't blame them. Not only that, it was obvious that they wished he was put with another group.

"Fine," Maria said, pulling out her textbook from under her binder.

Things in the class had finally quieted down after Mr. Coulson told them three times to keep it quiet. Students were actually doing their work. Bucky worried for a moment that Bruce and Tony—or anyone else in the class, really—had heard their conversation, but everyone was too focused on their own work.

"Hey, are you busy—" Bucky shot Celia a look. She rolled her eyes. "Right. Sorry. Time to work."

The end of the class came, and they still hadn't accomplished much.

Bucky was glad when lunch came around, and even more so when both Bruce and Tony were present at their table. He wanted to ask about their relationship, even though it might've been stepping over a boundary. The whole school knew, so it wasn't like it was a secret, right?

However, he didn't have to say anything. Pietro was the one who brought it up first.

"Everyone is talking about you two," he said, looking directly at Tony and Bruce. Bruce was blushing and Tony was smirking. "How come?"

"Coulson partnered us up in history," Tony explained. "Apparently that means we're dating again."

Peggy shook her head. "This school needs to get a grip. It's just a school project. Who's your partner, Bucky?"

Bucky tried to remember the other girl's name. It started with a C, he knew that, but it had already slipped from his mind. Peggy was looking at him expectantly, and so was Pietro. Tony and Bruce already had their heads together, looking at one of their history textbooks.

"Cassie?" Bucky tried. "Cordelia? No, definitely not. Celina?"

"Celia?" Peggy offered.

"Yes, that was it. Do you know her?"

"She's in our grade, so yes." Peggy's expression was unreadable. Somehow, Bucky felt like she was keeping something from him. It was just the way in which she was trying to cover up her emotions. Bucky had a feeling she probably didn't like Celia very much. Perhaps they were friends in another time. Maybe it was like him and Steve.

Momentarily distracted, Bucky was missing whatever was going on between Tony and
Bruce. Their textbook still lay open, but it was clear that neither of the two were looking at it.

Bruce's head was in his hands, covering up his face, but his ears were bright red. Even Tony didn't have much to say for himself. He didn't look particularly angry, but not too happy about the situation either.

"I wonder if that's a full body blush," Pietro said. Bucky gave him a look, not sure where this was headed. "I suppose you'd know, Stark."

"I didn't—we never—"

But Bruce's voice was lost in the loud laughter.

Peggy reached across the table to put her hand on Bruce's shoulder. "We're just teasing, Bruce."

Bruce was saved by further embarrassment when the bell rang. While everyone got up to get to their classes, Bucky stayed behind. Bruce was staring down at the table, clearly lost in his own world.

Bucky didn't think there was anyone else he knew like him, so the fact that Bruce liked boys too somehow brought him some comfort.

Bucky had been itching to tell someone about his sexuality. He wasn't sure why, but he supposed it would probably take some weight off his shoulders. It would give him the confidence to later tell everyone else. That is, if it went well the first time.

However, right now seemed like the perfect opportunity to get it off his chest. Bruce may have been bi like him, or even gay, but it didn't matter either way. He would be accepting, otherwise it wouldn't been rather hypocritical. Bucky shouldn't have been scared at all, but he found that his breath was still irregular.

This was a secret he had never told anyone, and only recently found out himself. Sure, Natasha had figured it out, and maybe a few others, but he had never said it out loud to anyone.

Bruce had looked up from the table and was eying Bucky curiously. His cheeks were slowly returning to their normal colour, but there was still something off.

"Don't you have to get to class?" Bruce asked. Didn't he?

"I just wanted to say," Bucky started, but found he didn't have the words to continue. Bruce was watching him, his fingers fumbling as he blindly reached for his pencil. "That, umm. . ."

The lunch lady was watching them now, too. She must've been waiting for them to clear out. Bucky wasn't leaving just yet. It was too late to chicken out now.

"I like boys, too," Bucky said suddenly, before he could even think about what was coming out of his mouth.

Bruce looked shocked. That meant Natasha was wrong, and not everyone had figured out about his feelings towards Steve. Yet.

"You do?" Bruce sounded as if he didn't believe Bucky, like he thought that Bucky might actually lie about something like this just to make Bruce feel better. But Bucky suspected that Bruce wasn't embarrassed about liking boys, but rather that it had been Tony who he liked. In Bucky's opinion, he didn't see why this had to be that big of a deal, either.

Bucky nodded slowly. "Well, girls too. I'm bi."

"So am I."

"Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"No. I guess it just hasn't come up in conversation."

"I'm sorry that you're getting all this trouble because of Tony."

Bruce shrugged. "It's fine, really."

"What are you so embarrassed about it?" Bucky asked curiously. He shouldn't have been asking, but he had been wondering and couldn't resist.

Bruce scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I don't know." It was a lie, and they both knew it. "I'm not embarrassed, I guess. Just—I don't know."

Class would've already started, but Bucky found that he didn't want to go. He didn't ever, really. But this thing that he shared in common with Bruce was important. It made him feel like he belonged in a strange way. He never realized there was something missing in his life until now. It was hard to explain.

He wondered if Bruce felt it too. Then again, Bruce had always known that he shared this with Tony. It probably wasn't something he thought about too often.

Bucky had always felt like he was the only unsharpened pencil while everyone around him was a lethal weapon, ready to bring him down at a moments notice. Part of him wanted to believe that sexuality was just a small trivial thing, but it never was. It couldn't ever be with the way that society was. With the way that George so clearly was against the whole gay community.

Bruce was the first to speak again.

"Have you told anyone else?" he asked. Bucky shook his head. "Not even Peggy?" Again, he shook his head. "It gets easier. Trust me. You should tell Peggy. She's your best friend. She's going to accept you."

Bucky knew this. But somehow, he thought that if Peggy knew he liked boys, she would figure out that he liked Steve. It shouldn't have mattered when Bucky was almost sure that she knew already.

"I will," was all Bucky said. He would eventually. Just not yet. Soon, he thought, he wouldn't like Steve anymore. This silly crush was already starting to go away, wasn't it?

"Anyway, I really should get to class."

P. E. He should've just ditched. Most likely, he'd have to run laps for being late. A least it would serve for a good distraction.

**

"Peggy!" Bucky called out to Peggy just as she was stepping into her sedan.

"Bucky." She gave him a small smile. "Steve said that you were quiet during drama today. Is there anything wrong?"

Steve was talking about him? That must've meant he was concerned, if he mentioned it to Peggy. Bucky really needed to clear his head of all thoughts about Steve.

"It's just—" Again, Bucky was struggling on how to put his thoughts to words. If he said what he wanted to, it was practically like him coming out to her. In the end, that was sort of his purpose. He didn't want to explicitly say it, but he was hoping she'd get the hint.

"I hate to say this, but I really do have to get to work soon." She looked sorry, too. Bucky remembered that she usually worked right after school on Tuesday's. The November air was chilly, so Bucky didn't want to stand outside next to her car for too long, anyway.

"You don't have to tell me this, but I was just wondering how Tony and Bruce even got together." Whatever Peggy was expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't this. She opened her mouth to reply, but Bucky was already talking again. "It's just, if one guy likes another guy, the odds are that the other guy doesn't like him back. I mean, it's a fact that most of the population is straight, right? I think movies and books must get it all wrong. There's no way that—"

"Bucky." She gave him a knowing look. Bucky took a deep breath. She didn't know anything.

He had been thinking about this a lot recently. Not just about Steve, but guys in general. It was bad enough having a crush on a girl, when even then the odds of her liking him back were slim. But a guy? It was nearly impossible. He might as well have worn everything rainbow and race around the halls, waiting for a guy, any guy, to approach him saying that he was gay too. How could anyone bare it? The fact that there were so many fish in the sea, but really your options were actually so very limited.

He supposed that if people began to find out about his sexuality then flirting with guys might've just started to be like flirting with girls, especially if he knew that the guy liked boys too. But what was he supposed to know?

Peggy was still watching him with curious eyes. She was his best friend. Bruce said it himself. Yet he still couldn't tell her what was on his mind. Not directly.

Bucky knew that Peggy had figured out about his sexuality. He could see it in her face. He didn't even have to say it out loud.

"I'm not even sure how it happened," Peggy said finally. "Tony hauled his hetero ass to school everyday, and next thing you know I caught him and Bruce making out behind the school. Bruce was super embarrassed. He didn't want to tell anyone. They weren't nearly as careful as they should've been, though. Someone else must've caught them, because soon the whole school had heard about Tony and Bruce, school's hottest new couple. It was like a movie: the nerdy kid and the popular kid falling in love. Their relationship was what brought all of our friends together, before my sister came around."

Peggy's sister was friends with Pepper. That has always been what Bucky that brought their two friend groups together, but now he knew better.

"Any Tony's bi?" Bucky asked.

"I mean, to this day I'm pretty sure Tony isn't bi, or pan. But I'm sure that he really liked Bruce. Sometimes, I think he still does." She frowned as she said this.

"Then why is he with Pepper?"

"Bruce and Tony both knew what they had was never going to work. They were too different, yet too much the same, if that makes any sense." Bucky thought that somehow it did. "He loves Pepper and all, but everyone knows that he still thinks about Bruce sometimes. And Bruce. . .well I'm not sure Bruce has ever quite gotten over Tony yet."

"It was fun earlier, joking about their relationship, but now your making it sad."

"I think everyone always remembers their first love," Peggy said, almost looking wistful. However, they rarely spend the rest of their lives with them." Bucky thought of Steve with a heavy heart. "It's just the way things are. Bruce has accepted that, and maybe he doesn't even love Tony anymore, but he won't ever forget."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Both were mentally asking each other the same question.

Who is it that you're trying to forget?

It was obvious that this conversation, from the start, was about something more than just Bruce and Tony. Neither asked anymore question. Neither was willing to share exactly what was on their mind.

But it left Bucky to wonder. He was sure that Peggy liked Steve, but who was it that she liked before him? It was none of his business, but he was still curious. He wouldn't tell Peggy about Steve, so in turn he didn't expect Peggy to tell him about whoever she liked in the past.

The silence stretched on. The cold bit through Bucky's jacket. Their conversation was over, but Peggy still wasn't driving away.

"Well, I guess I should go," Peggy finally said. "It's ten to three. See you tomorrow, Bucky."

Bucky stepped away from the car and Peggy drove off.

A million thoughts were going through Bucky's mind. They all made their way back to Steve.

**

A/n: I was going to make Bucky and Steve have a conversation in this chapter, but I forgot and it was already too long, anyway. Next time? Maybe I should just be saying that this is a Bucky Barnes story with a little bit of Stucky? The stucky will come, don't worry. I want to say what chapter, but that's kind of spoilers, isn't it?