Brooklyn Kids

Chapter 1

Bucky's Back

Maxine Francis Ackermen, born on April 21, 1918, a couple months older than one of her best friends, Steve Rogers. (Something she teased him restlessly about, until their other best friend, Bucky Barnes, would interject and reminder her he was older than both of them) It was an old joke running since they were kids.

Steve being sickly and always getting into fights and Maxine, not acting like the proper lady that she was supposed to be. Bucky could've been normal and hung out with kids in class and around the block. Probably would've been really popular too, but he wouldn't. Not without his best friends. And he didn't care that one was sickly and the other didn't act like a lady.

He knew one thing for sure.

Those idiots always seemed to be getting in trouble.

That was true since the first day he met them both.

James Buchanan Barnes (or Bucky) was ten years old when he first met Max and Steve. He heard yelling and as the curious kid that he was, he followed it. He was tossing a baseball in the air. He dropped back in his hand and jogged over. It was a narrow alley, old newspapers crumpled up inside.

"Hey!" Two boys about his age turned around, both with slicked back hair, one blond and the other black, his hair shining like tar. Bucky recognized them immediately. Andrew Varlow and Patrick Fields, he didn't talk to them much, they were bullies.

He looked passed them and saw two kids his age, two boy-he shook his head, looking closer. There was one boy and one girl, but she was wearing pants, dirty pants, but still pants. She was wearing a linen white shirt, which looked ruffled (messy). She had brown hair, lighter than his and bright blue eyes, narrowed angrily at Varlow and Fields, her fists balled. He recognized her, as the girl who dressed in pants when she wasn't at school. Maxine Ackermen. People could hear her father shouting, 'Maxine Francis Ackermen' down the street in the past.

The boy looked a couple years younger than her, even if Bucky knew better. He recognized him. He was that sickly kid, Steve Rogers, always getting into fights even if it looked like a stiff wind could knock Rogers over. He was thin, in both the face and body with knobby knees, blond hair and blue eyes. He was also glaring at the other two boys, his own hands balled into fists.

Fields nodded at him. "Barnes, how's it hanging?"

Bucky shrugged. "What's going?"

Varlow sent the two a dirty look. "Nothin'. Ackermen is a queer, a damned jockey. We just putting 'er in 'er place."

Max's face was going red. "These goons wouldn't leave me 'lone! I'm not a' queer!"

Steve said. "Yeah, there were messing with her for no reason!"

Fields pointed at the sickly boy. "Mind yourself, Rogers!"

Steve snapped. "Make me!"

Max shoved herself in front of Steve. "I can defend myself! They snatched my hat."

Bucky glanced over and saw it clutched in Varlow's hands. It was a baseball hat, who could barely see the Dodgers name on it.

Varlow said. "It's a fella's hat, she's just a queer dame."

Max moved closer. "Don't call me that, ya schmuck."

Steve snorted, though his eyes still glared at the two boys.

The other two went red. Bucky stepped forward, trying to see if he could help.

Max let out a growl, slamming into Varlow and tackling him. "Gimmie my hat!"

For a small girl, she was a scrappy little thing. He dropped the hat with a yelp and they were rolling on the ground, kicking up dirt. Steve backed up for a moment and Bucky went to stop the two when Fields lunged for Max's back. Bucky made a annoyed sound, but it was useless. Steve slammed into Fields, causing the boy to grapple with him, pulling Steve to the ground.

Bucky huffed. "That's it." He strode forward, yanking Varlow up by the back of his shirt and off of Max. Then he yanked Fields off of Steve. "Just knock it off. Leave them alone."

Fields and Varlow squared off at Bucky. He glowered back. He couldn't stand bullies. "You know how strong I am." The whole school yard did. He was unbeatable in all arm wrestling and plain old wrestling competitions on the playgrounds.

They looked him up and down, looked at each other and walked off, calling. "Better watch yourself, queer!"

Max bristled. "Why you-"

Steve snapped. "Stop being such a bully!"

Fields turned as he walked backwards. "Yeah? And what's a diseased kid like you gonna do?"

Steve's face flushed bright red.

Max's face changed. "Hey, you jerks-"

Bucky jumped in between the space between them, even if they were walking further apart from Max, Bucky and Steve. "Hey! Just get outta here!"

The two boys turned a corner and they stopped hearing them.

Steve smiled at Bucky as Max grumbled to herself. Steve said. "Hey, uh, thanks for helping us. Even if I almost had 'em."

Bucky smiled back, knowing that was no way true, but not wanting to say it. "It's no sweat." Bucky bent down and picked up the beaten baseball cap, handing it to Max. "This belongs to you."

Max lost the scowl, smacking the dust off on the side of her leg. "Thanks. I mean, I could'a took 'em, but...yeah, thanks, uh..."

Bucky's smile widened, holding out a hand to both of them. "James Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky."

They both took turns shaking his hand.

"Maxine Ackerman, but anyone not wantin' a black eye, calls me Max."

"Steve Rogers. Thanks again, Bucky."

Bucky grinned. "Like I said, no problem. I hate bullies."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too."

Max gritted her teeth for a moment. "Yeah, I feel the same. They just came over, stealin' my hat and actin' like I was some fegulah."

Steve looked confused at her and Bucky didn't know what it meant, but he can guess. He clasped a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "Don't let them bother you."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they just actin' like a bunch of wise guys."

Bucky nodded his head out of the alley. "Come on, let's get goin'."

It was crazy, a sickly kid and a girl getting in a fight. It was definitely strange.

What he didn't know was how common this situation was going to be, much to his future worry and annoyance.

This pattern seemed to go for years. Bucky didn't know if he wanted to strangle Steve or Max more, it depended on the situation at the time.

Bucky was drafted, not something he would tell Steve or Max. Steve wanted so bad to fight for the war effort, to fight for the people overseas. As he always did in Brooklyn. He had the heart, he and Max both knew he did. He was thankful that sickly for once (other than the times he was worried one of his best friends would die over a sickness) to not jump into the war.

Max was different, she wanted to fight because she was Jewish and she was hearing about what the Nazi's were doing. Hell, everyone did. Her uncle went missing awhile ago, her father's brother. He lived in Poland and they stopped getting letters. He remembered the rants Max went on about it. Another relief that she couldn't get by into combat as a woman. He explained to her how many times she could get seriously arrested for trying to hide or sneak as a man. How many times he wanted to wring her neck. She argued about fighting for her people suffering and he usually countered at how many people were fighting and 'one girl' wasn't going to change that. That got him a peeved look, but he didn't care.

It's been his job, protected his idiotic best friends.

That Punk and Bearcat.

Those scrappy little shits.

Maxine 'Max' Ackermen was walking alone, her stomach grumbling. She lived in her Pa's house, alone now that he died in 1938 of a factory accident. (her mother died of TB when she was young, around 5. Something she and Steve can relate to. She didn't remember much about her, but that could explain her upbringing). When Steve's mother died, they stayed there. It did have two bedrooms. One for her (her Pa's room) and one for Steve. Bucky took the couch and he wouldn't take any arguments on that either.

Reputations be damned, she never cared for it before. It just made her blow a fuse when people assumed she was a queer or a Jockey (manly women whom was a dyke) because she wasn't dating anyone or a type of call girl. It was never like that with Bucky and Steve, they were her best friends. Bucky and Steve waved it off, telling her not to let her get too hot.

Max knew it drove Bucky bonkers when she or Steve did something he classified as stupid, but Max figured some things couldn't be helped. She brightened when she saw a hot dog cart, digging in her pocket for a nickel. The Depression was coming to a end. The soup lines weren't so long, there were more jobs. With more men going off to war, she worked in a factory usually meant for men. Bucky worked on the docks and Steve tried his best to work when he wasn't deadly ill. It usually gave Max and Bucky a heart attack every time he was, no matter how common it was.

Bucky was still off at boot camp, though it was almost time for him to be coming. Steve went off somewhere, he said he was going to a movie and running some errands. Which meant he was trying another recruitment center, which he did more often now that Bucky wasn't here to ring his neck and scold his ear off. Max didn't as that would make her a hypocrite. She tried herself, couldn't just let those Nazi's kill her people-her family without her doing anything. It was almost like an itch under her skin. She understood Steve and Bucky, for his want and Bucky's worry.

She shoved her hands in the pocket of her rough pants after she finished the hot dog, best clothes she had, getting them from the factory. It was a strange thing, not always being hungry all the time. As bad as the war was, it brought jobs. As she checked her old pocket watch (originally her grandfather's), she saw that the movie was almost over. She went over to the movie theater and saw someone dart in an alley, dressed sharply. Recognizing the hair, her lips pulled into a wide grin. And then a grimace, realizing why he would be running into a alley in the first place.

She ran after him and ducked as he kicked a guy out of the alley by his rear. "Hey, pick on someone your own side."

She glanced over at Steve, but he seemed to be okay. He could get real beat up at times, if no one came to help. She's seen him with a broken nose, bones, ribs, bruises, concussion, blood, anything really. Her own stubborn headed self could get into fight and she has, but nothing like Steve. Even if know every fight Steve got in, the jerks deserved it. Heck, she's gotten in fights because of Steve. Driving Bucky crazy.

Bucky sent him a look. "Sometimes I think you like being punched in the face." It had the same half scolding and half amused tone he usually did when repremanding them for something.

Steve said. "I had 'em on the ropes." He looked over Bucky's shoulder. "Hey, Max."

Bucky turned on his heel, grinning. "If it isn't, Maxie. Wow, cut your hair?"

Max sent him a dry look, running a hand through the short bob, it stopped above her ears and at the middle of her neck. "Wow, you sure notice a lot, Buck."

Bucky shook his head. "Get in any trouble?"

Max sent him a smirk. "Who me, Buck-o? No, siree."

Steve let out a snicker from behind them, dropping the garbage lid. He walked over to them, amused. He distinctly remembered breaking up a fight Max was in when he was gone. Funny because he was the one starting fights and Bucky stopping them.

Max sent him an annoyed look, that little shit. Even if it was over, Bucky always wanted to know what happened. It annoyed Steve and Max sometimes when he wouldn't let it go.

Bucky asked. "So, what happened?"

Max wrinkled her nose, glaring and turned on her heel, her ears flushing red. "Don't worry 'bout it, Moron."

Bucky laughed, tugging Steve with him and throwing his arms (and weight) over both their shoulders. Steve almost buckled with the weight and but set his jaw and straightened his shoulders. Bucky said. "Aw, Maxie, embarrassed, which one a' of were ya defendin'?"

Her flush gotten deeper and she hunched her shoulders. "Didn't I say don't worry 'bout it, Moron."

Bucky rolled his eyes. She never really got embarrassed for any fights, unless she was defending one of them. It annoyed her when they brought it up. So, they usually did whenever they could. "Ah, fine, fine." He stopped and let go of them. "What's..."

Steve turned toward him. "Wait, Buck..."

Bucky picked up a piece of paper. Max glanced forward and saw a enlistment card, stamped with that bright red, 4F. She grimaced, looking away. It was the reason for the short hair. She signed up days ago, getting accepted. She didn't tell Steve and Bucky obviously didn't know, just coming from Basic Training. She knew Steve couldn't get it, he was just too sickly, even if he probably had the biggest guts and heart the army could ever have, he just didn't have the body for it. Hell, she weighed more than him and was taller. Something she never brought up.

She had to figure a way to tell the both of them. Her training was in a week.

Bucky said. "Oh, you're from Paramus now. You know it's illegal to lie on your enlistment forms." Bucky sent both of them looks. He's used to both their attempts. Max felt her stomach tighten. He couldn't know, not yet. Bucky seemed to gain the same disapproving look from Mrs. Barnes and when she did it, it made her squirm every time. Between her and Mrs. Rogers, they were her mother figures. Bucky sounded exasperated. "And serious, Jersey?"

Max shrugged. "Buck's right, Jersey pretty low." As a New Yorker, she disliked Jersey on principal.

Steve changed the subject. "You get your orders?"

Max glanced over at him, wondering how soon. He must've just gotten back, dressed in his military uniform.

Bucky tilted his head up and smirked. "The 107th. Sargent James Barnes, shipping out for England first thing tomorrow."

Max's eyes widened. "That's fast." Thinking this could be the last time seeing Bucky was frightening.

Steve glanced at him and looked away, shaking his head. "I should be going."

Max felt the bit of guilt, knowing his reaction when she would tell him.

Bucky sent him a grin, again throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Come on, man."

Max walked behind them, until Bucky used his other arm to tug her under his other arm, squeezing her shoulders. Bucky was definately bigger than before. "My last night, have to get you two cleaned up."

A scowl lit up Max's face. "Buck, come on."

Bucky just laughed at her face. "Just for one night, Max. My last night. I want to be with my two best friends."

Max sighed deeply. "Steve's right. You're 'a jerk."

She usually wore whatever on the streets, but it sounded like he was planning on taking them to a event, whom would look down on her and amuse things because the way she dressed.

Steve cut in. "Where are we going?"

Bucky handed him the paper. "Stark Expo, 1943."