You had been terrified of being left out. Of not fitting in.

But the Avengers were the most welcoming people you knew.

As the new recruit, you were like the sun and they were the earth. The heroes kept gravitating around you, making sure you were okay, making sure you didn't lack anything, making sure that your training went well.

Everybody loved you. Even James Buchanan Barnes, the cold, rough and silent former assassin, seemed to be quite fond of you. At least, he never gave you the death glare he kept shooting at everybody else.

Well, not everyone loved you, to be completely honest. The recruits of the SHIELD, with whom you had to train, were absolute bastards to you. Probably because they were jealous. You were the only one who made it to the rank of Avenger, after all.

And their disdain showed.

As you were training that day, one of the boys jumped on the ring. He defied you, saying girls weren't meant to fight. Of course, you jumped on the ring with him. You wouldn't let a boy win.

But you quickly realized, as his fist collided with your jaw, that this wasn't some training for him. He was fighting. You gave him all you had, but the damage was done. He had given the first hit and it had almost knocked you out, making it hard for you to stand straight.

Just as you were about to get punched a second time, a metal fist got in the way, stopping his hand and almost crushing it. Your gaze followed the arm until you saw Bucky's face, eyebrows furrowed, jaw clenched and the piercing death glare in his steel blue eyes.

"Do you suck so bad that you have to engage in an unfair fight?" snapped the former assassin, his metal fingers squeezing the boy's fist.