TRIGGER WARNINGS: HOMOPHOBIA, CHILD ABUSE, INJURIES, VIOLENCE, USE OF THE F-SLUR, ATTEMPTED ANIMAL ABUSE, BLOOD

Ooh, a Steve POV!

"Steve."

Steve looked up. Natasha was standing over him, looking very concerned. Steve had come to her house for the preplanned sleepover an hour ago, and Bucky hadn't shown up yet. Some part of Steve wanted him to show up so he could apologize. Another, smaller part of him wanted to yell at Bucky some more.

"Bucky said he's not coming," Natasha said. "And you've been texting him and calling him nonstop since you got here. I'm not an idiot. What happened?"

Steve looked away. "It's nothing."

"It's clearly not," Natasha said. "What happened?"

In the next room, Steve could clearly hear Kate and Yelena's laughter. He winced at the happy sound.

"I kissed him," Steve said. "Well, alright, maybe I should back up. When we got together, he said he didn't want anyone to know we were together. I thought, okay, he's not ready to be out yet. But then I kissed him in an empty hallway, and he flipped out at me. He said he needed space. Then he left."

"Oh." Natasha bit her lip. "Steve...how much do you know about Bucky's dad?"

"I know his mom's not in the picture. His dad raised Bucky and his sisters by himself."

"His dad...isn't in a great place. Like, mentally. I mean, he was always sort of horrible. I remember I went over there as a kid once and then never again, because I told my mom he never stopped yelling."

"Oh," Steve said. "Your mom must've told my mom−that's why she never let me go over there."

"Probably. But since his mom left, it got...worse. I won't tell you everything−that's for Bucky to decide if he wants to tell you−but his dad is...conservative, and he doesn't manage his anger well."

"He's homophobic and he hits Bucky," Steve translated.

"I don't know that he hits Bucky. Bucky never actually told me that. But..."

"But you guessed." Steve put his head in his hands. "Shit. That was why he didn't want anyone to know. He was afraid it would get back to his dad. Oh my god, I've been a terrible boyfriend."

"No, Steve, you haven't. You couldn't have known."

Steve looked up at her.

"How do I fix this?"

********

Bucky immediately went to his room when he got home. Of course, his dad didn't notice that anything was wrong, but Becca and Lily both did. Lily checked on him, then left him alone when he told her to. Becca figured out what was happening pretty fast, because once Steve realized that Bucky was ignoring his texts, he started texting Becca.

"Bucky," Becca said. "Please call him back. He's worried about you."

"I'll talk to him later," Bucky snapped. "Okay, Becca? Later."

Becca retreated back to her own room, casting concerned glances at him.

A little while later, a knock came at Bucky's door.

"Go away, Becca," Bucky called.

"It's me, James."

Bucky's heart stopped for a second, because that was his father's voice.

"Yeah? Come in, Dad," he called after a moment.

"Hey, James." He pushed open the door and stood awkwardly for a moment. "I know I haven't been a very good father since your mom left—" understatement of the century, Bucky thought. "−but I'm not totally blind. You're upset about something."

"I'm fine," Bucky said quickly.

"You're a good man, James," his father said. "You're strong and you don't whine like so many of you kids do these days. But I'm your dad, and I know something is wrong. Is it a girl?"

"No!" Bucky exclaimed.

"Because if it is, don't mope about it. You go tell her what you want from her, and if she doesn't give it to you, she's a—"

"No, Dad, it's not a girl!"

"You sure? Not that pretty friend of yours? Natalia, right?"

Ew. You're, like, three times older than her. "Natasha," Bucky corrected him. "And no, it's not."

"Then what—"

"Bucky," Becca said, walking by with her eyes glued to her phone. "Steve says if you're breaking up with him then he at least deserves—" she cut herself off, seeing their father in the room.

"James," his dad said, voice dropping several octaves. "What is this?"

"It's nothing," Bucky stammered. "A−a joke, I—"

"Don't you lie to me!" his father roared, and Bucky could smell the alcohol on his breath. Only a moment ago, he'd seemed like he might be a good father. Someone Bucky could trust.

Now he barely knew him.

"I—"

"Is he your boyfriend?" his father demanded, face twisted in rage and disgust. "Are you a faggot?"

"I'm not! I'm not gay, I—"

"James Buchanan Barnes, don't you lie to me! I am your father!"

His dad swatted at him, hard. He hit his side and Bucky stumbled back a few steps, breathing hard. His entire side was screaming with pain. It felt like the blow had broken vials of lava embedded in his ribs.

"Dad, please," Becca pleaded. "Leave him alone, he didn't—"

"Stay out of this, Becca," Bucky begged her through gritted teeth. Please don't get yourself hurt.

Becca paled and fell silent.

"You are," Bucky's father growled. "You are a disgusting little gay, aren't you?" He slapped Bucky across the face. When Bucky lifted a hand to his nose, it came away red.

"I—"

From the floor, Alpine hissed and arched her back, as if in an endearing, pathetic attempt to protect Bucky.

"OH, SHUT UP, CAT!" Bucky's father shouted. He kicked at Alpine. She darted out of the way of his foot, hissing.

For some reason, that was the thing that made Bucky snap. All of those years of being beaten had only made him more meek, less willing to be seen. But this was the first time that his father had tried to hurt Alpine, and that was the thing that broke him.

"Don't fucking touch my cat," Bucky snarled.

"Don't talk to me like that, you fucking fag," his dad snapped. "I'll do whatever I want."

He raised a hand to grab at Alpine, but Bucky grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"You dare..." his father cut off midsentence, left almost speechless by rage. He fit a huge hand around Bucky's neck and squeezed.

Bucky panicked. He kicked his father's knee, but it only seemed to make him angrier. Spots danced in his vision.

He's going to kill me, Bucky thought. I never thought he'd actually do it.

And all of a sudden, the pressure was gone.

The hand around Bucky's throat relaxed. Bucky's father swayed for a second, then fell.

"Oh my god," Becca whispered. She was holding a huge wooden baseball bat, stained red with blood.

The same blood that was trickling from their father's head.

"Did I kill him?" Becca whispered. "Bucky, am I going to jail?"

"No," Bucky rasped, pain and lightheadedness combined to make his voice rough. "Get Lily. Pack your things. Whatever you need."

Bucky loaded Alpine into her carrier and managed, through the haze of pain, to pack a bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and clothes. He met his sisters next to the front door.

"Let's go," he said.

"Where?" Lily whispered.

"Natasha's house," Bucky blurted, landing on the first place his mind labeled safe.

It was cold and raining, and though the walk to Natasha's house wasn't long, it seemed much longer as Bucky became colder and colder and his injuries started to hurt even worse.

Finally, they made it to Natasha's door. Bucky hesitated a long moment before knocking.

The door opened, revealing Steve. He looked confused, then for a split second, angry. Then he seemed to take in Bucky's disheveled state, and his sisters', and his face melted into concern.

"I'm sorry," Bucky whispered.