𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐄 | barnes¹

iv. saved by the bell

Lucy was walking to school, pulling her jacket tighter against herself in search of heat. She had always loved the crisp air of the fall and winter seasons but reconsidered that opinion each time she had to walk to school in the frigid weather.

When she was almost to the school, Lucy froze when she heard a sudden clanging coming from an alley ahead. She had gotten used to alley fights over the past month, often finding her little blonde friend in the middle of them.

Please don't be Steve, she thought to herself. Lucy ran until she reached the entrance to the alley, slowing down her pace and creeping around the corner to peek in.

"I don't even know why Barnes took on a charity case like you." Another crash. "Come on, give it up, Rogers."

Hodge.

"I can do this all day."

Steve.

Lucy loved Steve's confidence. It was one of the qualities that made Steve himself. But she knew that he could not do it all day, especially against Hodge.

Bucky and Steve had warned her on her first day to stay as far away from Hodge as possible. If Steve was in a fight with the taller teenager, Lucy was supposed to go find Bucky and not intercept.

But what did she do?

She jogged further into the alley, screaming out a quick, "Hey!" 

Hodge turned to her and his new position finally allowed Lucy to see Steve. He was crouched over, panting like a dog with his hand covering his bloody nose.

Hodge rolled his eyes. "Turn around and scamper away, Everhart. Go cry to Barnes."

Lucy didn't want to anger him even more. "Just leave him alone," she softly pleaded and pointed at Steve, shifting her weight between each foot out of pure nervousness.

Hodge abandoned Steve and slowly stalked towards Lucy. In a split second, his calloused hands were on her upper arms, pushing her against the wall of the alley. Lucy was caught off guard as the back of her head hit the brick, forcing her to blink away the stars that invaded her vision from the blow. The taller blonde held her there with his body pushed against hers.

"Hey!" Steve stood back up, picking up the metal garbage lid that was laying next to him and throwing it at Hodge like a frisbee. The piece fell short of the bully, clanging to the ground with a large crash. 

Hodge chuckled and shook his head, still holding Lucy against the wall. "Really, Rogers? Is that all you got? I thought that you could do this all day?" he mocked Steve, eyes flickering between the scrawny boy and the bent lid on the ground.

Lucy couldn't even hear the words being exchanged around her. She was too focused on trying to push Hodge's body off of hers, panicking when he didn't budge.

Steve saw the look of fear that flashed across Lucy's face. He was still weakened, barely even able to hold himself up because of the overwhelming pain in his ribs. 

"Don't touch her!" he yelled while puffing up his chest, attempting to intimidate Hodge. 

Lucy didn't know much about self-defense but knew every man's one weakness. She wasted no time in jabbing her knee up into Hodge's groin, causing him to release her with a loud yelp.

"You little bitch," Hodge sneered at Lucy, stumbling away in pain. She scurried away from him, unable to hear anything other than the loud beating of her own heart. 

Hodge straightened up again, slowly walking toward her with an eerie smile and bitter chuckle. "Oh, I get it. Playing hard to get? I like girls like that."