The final bell had rung ten minutes ago. Still, no one moved.
A tight knot of kids hovered near the cracked brick wall at the edge of the schoolyard, sneakers grinding gravel, eyes fixed forward with that electric hush that only a fight could summon. Cheers and jeers sliced through the crisp autumn air like glass.
James "Bucky" Barnes jogged up the street, knapsack slung over one shoulder, hair wind-tousled and eyes sharp despite being late. He slowed when he saw the crowd.
Something twisted in his gut.
"Aw, hell," he muttered, lengthening his stride.
He didn’t need to ask. He already knew.
At the centre of the ring, Steven Rogers, fifteen, pale, skinny, and stubborn, stood with his fists up, facing down Billy Carson, a sixteen-year-old who looked like he’d been carved out of bad ideas and muscle.
But it wasn’t Steve that made Bucky stop in his tracks.
It was the girl in front of him.
Jessica Rogers.
She was only fourteen, narrow-shouldered and wiry, but she stood between Steve and Billy like she had iron bones. Her fists were balled, her lip bleeding, and her eyes were fire.
"You touch my brother again, Billy Carson, and I swear to God, I’ll take your teeth home in my pocket," she spat.
Billy laughed, mean and slow, and lunged.
Jessica didn’t hesitate. She met him with a snarl.
It wasn’t a fair fight. She was too small, too raw, but she hit hard and fast, and when Billy reeled from a punch to the gut, Bucky felt his jaw drop.
Steve grabbed for her collar. "Jess, stop!"
"I’ve got him!"
Bucky was already charging.
"Alright, that’s enough!"
His voice cracked like a whip. The crowd jolted back as Bucky shoved his way through, grabbed Billy by the back of the shirt, and yanked him clear.
"Wanna fight someone? Try me."
Billy looked at him, Bucky, sixteen, fast, built like a hammer, and with a street rep to match. He backed off without a word, vanishing into the crowd.
Silence fell like dust.
Steve stood beside Jessica, one arm lightly on her back as she caught her breath. Her hands still trembled, blood trickling from her mouth.
"You good?" Bucky asked, softer now.
Jessica swiped her sleeve across her chin.
"Yeah."
"She had him," Steve said, half proud, half scolding. "Seriously, Buck, she had him."
"I had him," Jessica repeated, daring either of them to argue.
Bucky gave her a lopsided grin. "I saw. You dropped him like a sack of bricks."
Her mouth twitched, not quite a smile.
"You’re late," she said.
"I’m fashionable."
"You’re predictable."
"And yet, here I am."
Steve rolled his eyes. "She means thanks."
"I don’t need thanks," Bucky said. "Just a warning next time your sister goes full fury in public."
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The First Mission | Bucky Barnes (Prequel)
Fanfiction"If the war pulls us apart," she breathed, "promise me you'll remember us like this." Bucky's answer came without hesitation. "If the gods were to take my memories, I'd fall in love with you again," he said, voice steady despite the storm. "In this...
