Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

i. 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔, 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜

1942; Brooklyn, New York

EVELYN STARK was never late, not really. The woman was raised to be poised and proper—everything her brother certainly was not. She always made sure she walked a certain way, smiled a certain way, acted a certain way... it helped people like her, and her parents never let her forget how important it was for people to like and admire her.

With her heels clicking on the sidewalk of the well-known streets, she could feel herself growing flustered with no way to contact her brother that she would be late for the dinner. If Howard managed to get there before her, she would most definitely cry. He would hold that over her head for months. With a scowl, she pushed past a group of men in soldier uniforms, all whistling her way as she decided to take a shortcut through the nearest alley.

Walking through, she wasted no time in gripping her bag tightly and pull her cardigan over her chest at the sight of a man watching her. There was no other way, she decided; she had to walk past him. She smiled politely, her rosy red lips rising and falling quickly. As she continued down the alley, she heard the sound of flesh on flesh. Looking at the sky, she wondered why the almighty above had to put everything in her way today.

Evelyn was nearing the, no doubt, fight, so she placed the meanest look on her face as she neared them. Not being able to hide her shocked gasp at the large man pummeling the very small one, she called out, "Hey! Leave him alone!" She did not know why she was shocked—having seen the scene multiple times before.

The men paused, the smaller one's eyes widening at the woman in front of them while the larger one's lips turned up to a smirk. "Aye, princess. Why don't you walk away? This is between us."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the man. "I don't think I will. Now, why don't you walk away, you great big bully."

The man growled lowly, coming close to Evelyn. He grabbed her arm roughly. "I'm starting to want you to make me, princess."

The small man suddenly threw the nearest trash can lid at the bully's back. Evelyn used the distraction, twisting the bully's arm behind his back and shoving him to the ground. Once down there, Evelyn was about to walk to the blonde man she knew so well when the bully grabbed her ankle and had her fall on her knees. Turning with a scowl, she kicked his hand away with her heel having him yelp in pain just as another man walked into the alley.

Evelyn let out a breath of relief as the new man grabbed the bully and shoved him into the wall. "Hey! You like picking on guys smaller than you!?" The man noticed the woman on the ground, and a murderous look entered his eyes. "You like hurting women!? Huh!? Pick on someone your own size," he shouted in the bully's face. "Get the hell out of here!" The man kicked the bully in his rear end back the way he came.

"What were you trying to accomplish, Steven?" Evelyn growled lowly, breaths coming out ragged as she tried to catch it. The man suited in his military uniform stood before her with a scowl on his face as he noticed her clutching her ankle. James Barnes extended his hand for her with a soft smile on his face once her brown eyed gaze met his. She took it gratefully, standing shakily as she noticed the tear in her dress at her knees and the ache growing in her ankle from where the beefy man's hands had grabbed her.

"Sometimes I think you like getting punched," Bucky stated sarcastically as he turned to face Steve, helping him stand as well.

Steve noticed Evelyn reach down in confusion and grab his recruitment paper from the ground with a sad look overtaking her face. He wiped his bloody lip before saying, "I had him on the ropes," to try and keep Bucky distracted as she tried to hide the paper behind her.