1936

"Why isn't he crying?"

"Do I look like a psychologist? Just punch him and he'll cry."

Two male voices and the sound of a drop. The blonde, small guy that's being bullied by the two larger boys falls to the dirty ground and tries to stand up again. What really is a miracle is that the boy has not shown any pain yet. Either he is stubborn and stupid or he's strong. Maybe both. While the two bullies keep punching and kicking him brutally down, I try to make up a plan. The police men clearly do not care about the things that happen in Brooklyn, otherwise stuff like that would not happen. And I cannot do much against them as a skinny and weak girl but I may be able to fool them.

"Officer, here are the boys!" I yell as loud as possible, leaving my hiding place behind the dumpster which is next to the alley they are at. As I anticipated, their eyes widen in fear.

"Crap!" One of the boys swears and grabs his friend to drag him to the other direction of the alley. They luckily run away as I hoped. I walk to the small guy who tries to sit up and get rid of the dirt although it seems impossible. His innocent blue eyes look at me embarrassed.

"Now I even needed to get rescued by a girl." He mutters while he's whipping away the blood on his nose. At least he's smart enough to know that a police man won't come.

"Girls are underrated." I offer him my hand with a little smirk and he takes it to stand up. As I get a better look at him, I realize that he's not that small, he's just a bit taller than me and too small for an average guy. But I have to admit that he looks horrible. He has a black eye and his nose is engorged and bleeds, I'm also almost sure that his ribs may be bruised, judging from the amount they kicked him. And still, he doesn't complain.

"What's your name?" He asks shyly and a hint of stutter is in his voice. Does he have a problem with talking to girls?

"Eve Farrell."

"Steve Rogers. Thank you for saving me, uhm, Ms. Farrell." A little smile appears on his lips. He looks like a small pup.

"Call me Eve." I suggest him to make him feel more comfortable and he nods. My full name is actually Evelyn but I prefer to be called by my nickname. It sounds much better and unlike my full name, it belongs to just me and not my family.

"Don't we have art class together?" He questions, looking slightly confused and I only now realize that he's right. Steve Rogers, 17, in the same art class as me. I didn't recognize him because I've only been in the art class for three days, being actually invisible for everyone. Somehow, the blonde innocent guy has noticed me.

"You're right. I sit three seats behind you, I think."

Before he can say something, we hear fast and heavy steps and as I turn around, a hand grabs mine and pushes me against the hard wall. A gasp of shock escapes my mouth when I feel an acute pain in my back. The guys from earlier have come back and they look extremely mad. My eyes widen in a mixture of fear and panic and I notice how the other guy is holding Steve's arm, so he won't be able to escape.

"Nice try. But don't think we'd be that stupid, little bitch. Or that we won't hurt you just because you're a girl." He adds the threat and I bite on my lower lip, trying to find a solution for this really crappy situation. After a few seconds of thought, I kick spontaneously the guy against his shin and he lets out a painful groan, then I shove him as hard as possible against his bud. As expected, both guys fall to the ground and Steve could free himself.

"Run!" I shout to him.

He does as I say but both guys stand up quickly and walk straight to me. Steve tries to stop them after running back to us but they simply shove him to the ground. The guys get closer, glaring at me and I step backwards till I feel the wall at my back again, trapping me. My heart beats fast, lead by anxiety and I try to swallow my weakness.

The taller boy moves his arm back as if to punch me but someone else stops him by catching hold of his hand just on time. My heart has almost jumped out my chest, I forget to breathe and follow the direction of the arm with my eyes. It belongs to a tall stranger with brown, short hair and ice blue eyes. The guy is muscular and so attractive that I can't even bring myself to look away, I'm speechless and amazed by him. What is even happening right now?

"Hey, pick on someone your own size."
Although the voice of the stranger is not loud, it's dangerously quiet and much more terrifying then I'd expect. The bullies are about to punch him but he sidesteps skillfully and beats them one after the other to the ground. He's really strong, stronger than them. Steve stands up as the bullies scurry off in fear and rage.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" He sounds worried and his eyes lay on me in a way I am not able to describe. I need a second to realize that he is talking to me because I have been a bit distracted by him.

"I'm food." I mutter nervously. "I mean fine! But I actually also mean good. So I sort of mixed it. Food. Sorry, I just mean that I'm not hurt." Really amazing, I start being insecure again and as predicted, he bursts into laughter. But surprisingly not in a mean way, more in an amused way which makes me feel more comfortable.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched." He turns around to Steve. "And now a girl was even put in danger, thanks to you. You should really stop."

"I can do this all day." Steve claims which makes his brunette friend roll with his eyes and I actually believe him. He was really persistent.

"I'm James Buchanan Barnes, by the way. You can call me Bucky." He introduces himself and smiles at me brightly.

"Eve Farrell. Thanks for saving us, Bucky." I smile back. Bucky. He really does have an unique and cute nickname and it fits to his appearance.

"Well, I didn't have to really do much saving when it came to you. Steve on the other hand" Bucky jokes, nudging his friend. "Don't you think we should invite Eve to dinner for saving you?"

"I'd agree if we had the money." Steve answers and lets out a sigh. Judging by their clothes, they don't seem to be rich either. It would be a miracle if a rich person lived in Brooklyn. I shake my head.

"It's not necessary. I'm also pretty broke if it's not obvious." I explain, not wanting to cause them any trouble.

"Then why the hell shouldn't we be broke together?" Bucky smirks enthusiastically. "Let's pool our money and share the food we can get. That's what Steve and I always do and the result is mostly great."

"So I should share my food and money with boys I hardly know? Is that right?" I tilt my head amusedly.

"Actually, we do know each other. You know that we're Steve and Bucky and we know that you're Eve." He shrugs and grins. "And we are all broke."

"Plus, we are in the same art class." Steve adds and Bucky nods. That means that he noticed me, too.

"Or is there a place you'd rather be?"

"No." I cannot help but smirk. A bit excitement makes my heart beat faster again. "Surprisingly, I like where I am right now."

"Great." He smiles and takes out his money. "I have three cents. You?"

"Also three." Steve states.

"Just one." I mutter a bit apologetic. Being an assistant in a dressmakers shop doesn't earn me much money. And the rent is already almost too expensive for me to pay. Ugh, I should've taken more money with me.

"That's good because then we have seven cents which is enough for a hot dog." Bucky explains and it's clear that he's trying to cheer me up. It doesn't seem to bother them that I will hardly pay for the food. "Let's share it."

"I saw a hot dog stand three blocks away. I hope seven cents will be enough, sometimes they cost more." Steve says. We start walking to the hot dog stand and I am slightly getting nervous. It's the first time that I've really hung out with boys, I mean I barely even hang out often with the girls I know. But I'm really happy that I could make friends and Bucky and Steve are so nice. I just hope that I don't appear boring or too quiet. While I am trying to find an interesting topic to talk about, Steve loses his shoe and we need to stop for a second.

"Are the shoes from your dad still too big for you?" Bucky questions with a grin and Steve nods ashamed.

"Maybe you should put newspaper in your shoes. It'd fill the space and it's not uncomfortable, also not expensive." I suggest. "The only disadvantage is that it's not waterproof, but luckily, we never run out of paper."

"Good idea." Bucky nods and I am almost sure that he sounds impressed.

"Thanks, Eve." Steve agrees smiling at the idea and I offer him a smile in return.

"No problem."

The three of us keep walking until we arrive at the small hot dog stand that looks fairly familiar to me. Bucky takes our combined money and orders one hot dog for us. A minute later, we all look at the delicious and good smelling slack of meat in between the bread. On it are cucumbers and a red sauce that I'm not quite sure the contents of.

"It's been such a long time since I've eaten a hot dog." Steve is amazed by the piece of food in front of us.

"I've actually never eaten one before." I admit. This is another side effect of being poor. I could barely afford the food I eat every day, much less a hot dog.

"Really?" Bucky raises a brow in the air and I nod. "Then you should be the one who takes the first bite. In honor of you, being brave enough to try to save my best friend."

"Yeah, you deserve it." His bud agrees with a sincere smile. I am not used to words like this which is why they almost make me blush. Although I'm like stranger for them, they're so sweet and nice to me which makes me smile a bit.

"Don't judge me if I accidentally eat the whole hot dog." I warn them jokingly, resulting in them both laughing. Then I look at the fascinating food before me and carefully take a bite. "Oh my god. It's delicious."

"I know, right?" Bucky seems to be amused by my reaction. I take note of the fact that his smirk is particularly catchy and I have a feeling that I won't be able to get it out of my head for a while. Then I finally pass Steve the hot dog so he can have a bite himself.

"I'm just used to soup or bread, sometimes potatoes and even meat. But that was like the best thing ever."

"Well, you only get the good stuff with us." Bucky assures me with a wink and I let out a giggle. We keep eating, passing the hot dog around until it's completely finished. While I'm not full, I'm also not hungry which is a pleasant change.

"I need to get home. My mom will be worried about me." Steve states after a while and I look at the clock. It's already 9pm. The time passed so quickly and tomorrow is still school. I try to suppress a groan at this thought.

"Yeah, we should hurry or she'll freak out," Bucky assumes her reaction. "My siblings are waiting for me anyway and we're pretty damn late. Eve, is it okay if you walk home alone? Steve and I could also split up and I'll bring you home if you want."

"Do I look like I'm five years old?" I ask him sarcastically as I nudge him playfully. "I'll be fine. You two should go home before you get into more trouble." It is not like I would not be used to the dangers and crimes in Brooklyn.

"Are you sure?" Bucky tilts his head.

"Yes." I nod and he sighs. He does not look convinced, I can see it in his worry-filled eyes.

"Okay. Steve, let's go. Goodbye, Eve."

"Goodbye and thanks again." Steve thanks me again, before they start to walk off. I turn around and am about to walk home but then a voice stops me.

"Hey, Eve!" Bucky. I look back and he waves with a large smile. "See you tomorrow!"

James Buchanan Barnes. The name remains in my mind for the whole night.

A/N- Hey! This is my first marvel FF and it'll be probably the longest fanfic that I ever write, so prepare to drown in an ocean of tears, ha ha.

Btw, English is not my first language which is why, there'll be some mistakes. Sorry for that! And if you don't want to read the pre-story and development, you can skip to the movie storyline, it starts at chapter 17.