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A long time ago, Steve Rogers made a battleground of every back alley and diner parking lot in Brooklyn, taking a stand against bullying wherever he saw it. He never thought twice before jumping in, never regretted taking action. That much is still true today. He did the right thing by stepping in, putting himself between one of the meanest looks he's ever seen cross a man's face and the girl that he was harassing. He isn't stupid; he figured it wouldn't end well for him. But he remembered this hurting much less.
Good news first: he bought the girl enough time to flee. The bad news is that now he has the undivided attention of a man who clearly didn't appreciate the interruption. Steve doesn't go down right away — at first, he puts up a hell of a fight. It's not the fight of a little kid with too much bravado backed into a corner. It's the fight of a man with years of training and experience under his belt, the fight of a man who's had the privilege of watching the Black Widow at work. Like Natasha, he tries to make up for his size with speed and skill. Evasive maneuvers keep him standing longer than he ever would have managed, before. But eventually, his opponent lands a blow, and all it takes is one. For all that he is smarter now, Steve is still weak. He goes down, hard and fast.
And he picks himself back up again, grunting through the pain. Both arms are now hovering protectively over what might be a pair of broken ribs.
"You don't know when to stay down, do you?" The man is no longer upset. He flashes his teeth in a menacing smile, clearly enjoying this now.
Steve can't draw up enough breath to speak just yet, so he shakes his head. Some things never change.
Good news first: he bought the girl enough time to flee. The bad news is that now he has the undivided attention of a man who clearly didn't appreciate the interruption. Steve doesn't go down right away — at first, he puts up a hell of a fight. It's not the fight of a little kid with too much bravado backed into a corner. It's the fight of a man with years of training and experience under his belt, the fight of a man who's had the privilege of watching the Black Widow at work. Like Natasha, he tries to make up for his size with speed and skill. Evasive maneuvers keep him standing longer than he ever would have managed, before. But eventually, his opponent lands a blow, and all it takes is one. For all that he is smarter now, Steve is still weak. He goes down, hard and fast.
And he picks himself back up again, grunting through the pain. Both arms are now hovering protectively over what might be a pair of broken ribs.
"You don't know when to stay down, do you?" The man is no longer upset. He flashes his teeth in a menacing smile, clearly enjoying this now.
Steve can't draw up enough breath to speak just yet, so he shakes his head. Some things never change.
