When Luke and Bucky walked towards the cinema on the opposite side of the street, Steve Rogers, the future Captain America, was being beaten in a back alley.
*Bang*
A punch hit Steve in the stomach, convulsing his face in pain.
Unable to maintain his balance, Rogers was knocked to the ground.
His thin body gave no defense against the street gangster.
The street gangsters caused a lot of trouble and harassed everyone; however, none of the bystanders dared to stand up against these people in fear of getting into unnecessary trouble.
Only a "fool" like Steve will risk being severely beaten and jump out to stop these gangsters from causing trouble.
After getting punched, Steve, who had now fallen in a corner, picked up the lid of the trash can next to him in a hurry and used it as a shield to block the next punch.
In his eyes, there was not even the slightest tinge of fear, but there was a look of resolution as he stood up.
Like a brave soldier.
However, it's a pity that his courage couldn't cover the massive gap in size and strength.
The gangster waved his fist and knocked Rogers back on the ground again.
But it didn't take long for the little man to struggle and stand up as if he wasn't feeling any pain.
As he took up the posture of a boxer, he gasped, "I can do this all day!"
His punches were slow, and his strength was not enough, so he was quickly blocked by the gangster.
"Looks like you haven't learned your lesson!"
The gangster sneered and clenching his fists; he targeted Rogers' nose this time.
'I am going to teach you not to be so nosy.'
However,
*Bang*
A strong force came from behind.
The gangster let out a scream as he lost his balance and staggered towards the wall.
"Who the fuck are you? Don't you fucking dare touch my friend here!"
A cold voice rang from behind.
The gangster turned his head quickly and found two young men.
One was wearing a nicely-ironed brown military uniform, while the other had a leather jacket.
The latter is staring at him with sharp eyes.
"Luke! This kid was being nosy! I didn't know he was your friend..."
*Bang*
Without saying a word, Luke stepped forward and punched the gangster's nose.
The guy leaned to the side and fell heavily on the hard road.
Blood began to flow out from his nose, unceasingly.
However, Luke didn't stop there. He lifted his legs, stepping on the gangster's face with his dark black boots, almost crushing his teeth.
"Ugh... Luke!"
The mud and dirt on the shoes poured into the gangster's mouth.
With the blood spilling from the nose, it gave out a strange smell.
After a while, Luke let go of him and said coldly, "Get out of here. Next time I see you bullying my friend, I might come over 'to paint the house'."
The gangster with blood all over his face, ran out of the alley in embarrassment, without even uttering a single word.
He was afraid of Luke because of Luke's Uncle.
Moreover, Luke worked with the Irish gang, so he couldn't afford to offend Luke.
"That's why I have asked Luke to stay in Brooklyn to take care of you." Bucky, in his military uniform, stretched out his hand to lift Rogers; with a helpless expression on his face, he continued, "Sometimes, I think you just like to get beaten up, otherwise why do you always like to provoke these assholes that you can't beat."
Rogers patted the dust on his clothes and took a breath from his inhaler to calm himself down.
The pain on his face was finally transmitted back to the brain, and now he felt a burning sensation.
Earlier, he relied on the adrenaline rush of his courage, and didn't feel the physical pain.
Now… Rogers felt like he needed to go and find a doctor as soon as possible.
"You went to the conscription station again?"
Just then, Luke picked up the enlistment form on the ground, which had Steve Rogers' identity information written on it.
"It's illegal to fake a draft form, Steve."
Luke rubbed his palms. Fortunately, he had been exercising all year round and was quite physically strong, so it was no big deal for him to beat up a street gangster.
He, Rogers, and Bucky grew up in Brooklyn.
But compared to him, the two of them had much similar experience as kids.
Firstly, both of their parents died in the war.
Steve's father, Joseph Rogers, served in the 107th Infantry Division and was killed by a German grenade in an ambush.
His mother was a nurse in the tuberculosis ward. Unfortunately, she was also infected and could not survive.
As for Bucky's background experience, it was also similar.
His father also served in the 107th Infantry Division but died in an accident in a military exercise and was raised by his mother.
Therefore, both of the kids, who have known each other since childhood, became inseparable brothers.
"I just want to do something..." Rogers lowered his head slightly, feeling depressed as he coughed up blood due to the punch earlier.