The Seventh Avenger - (Marvel x OC)

CH 1.0 The Peacekeepers

"Andrew...Andrew, it's time for school" His mother whispered, gently shaking him awake. She flipped on the small lamp on his nightstand.

He heard her. He didn't move.

"I know you're awake" his mother scoffed. "You little booger."

Andrew conceded and rolled onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His cramped, dimly lit room slowly appeared.

"Do I really have to go?" Andrew asked through a yawn. He already knew the answer.

"Yes, you do, honey" his mother said with a smile. She slid the drawer of his dresser open and found a shirt and pants. She gave them a toss. They draped over his head and covered his face.

"Fine" Andrew sighed, pulling the clothing from his noggin.

He slid on his school clothes, stood up, and walked into the bathroom of their small apartment. It was a miracle he even had a roof over his head. Being a single mother in 1930 was a Herculean task, but Andrew's mother was the strongest person he knew and she did everything she could to give him a normal childhood. He brushed his teeth and hair before walking out into the main room of the apartment.

"You'll have to ask Bucky for some food today, sweetie. I'm sorry" his mother said with a disappointed face knowing they would both have to skip breakfast the next few days to have dinner that night.

"It's okay!" Andrew said, happily attempting to make his mother feel better knowing that she felt bad sending him to school on an empty stomach.

"You better get going or you'll be late, honey" His mother said with a smile.

"Ok, Momma" Andrew replied before running over to give her a hug and beginning the walk to school.

A few minutes later, he arrived at school and saw his best friend James 'Bucky' Barnes waiting for him in front of the school. Bucky spotted Andrew and waved.

"Hurry it up, Williams!" Bucky yelled.

"Slow down, Barnes" Andrew replied smiling.

Bucky turned to Andrew as they breached the school doors. "You need food?" He asked, knowing Andrew and his mother's financial situation.

"Thank you, Buck" Andrew replied as Bucky reached into his bag and pulled out some of his breakfast he had saved for Andrew.

Andrew gulped down his breakfast and put a hand in front of his best friend as they walked the hall.

"You hear that?" Andrew gestured to the boy's bathroom to their right. A wall softened yell gently crept through the bricks.

"Somebody's in trouble!" Bucky grabbed Andrew's forearm and hurried for the door.

"Give me your damn lunch money, Rogers!" A voice yelled from within the bathroom.

"We gotta help him!" Bucky said looking over to Andrew, who sighed and looked up at the ceiling before responding.

"Do we have to? We're gonna be late and get in trouble!"

"Of course we do!" Bucky huffed, frustrated that his friend would suggest leaving.

"But, what if it's a big kid?" Andrew questioned with a nervous tone. "I'm only eleven, Buck."

"Well, I'm thirteen" Bucky said proudly as Andrew rolled his eyes "And, there's two of us! C'mon, we've never lost a fight when we fight together! It might be fun..." Bucky said pleading with his partner.

"Fine" Andrew replied "We gonna do the thing?"

"Well yeah!" Bucky said with a smirk "We have to do our special move!"

"Ok, let's do this" Andrew said, dramatically cracking his knuckles as the two violently pushed open the bathroom door to reveal a small, scrawny, blonde haired, blue eyed boy with a bloody nose and a small cut on his cheek that Andrew could only assume had to be younger than nine. Standing over him was yet another boy, no older than twelve, with his hands curled into fists. The friends watched in shock as the scrawny kid slowly stood up and gathered his strength.

"I can do this all day" The small boy murmured before being hit again and crumpling to the ground.

"Hey!" Bucky yelled trying to be as intimidating as possible. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The bully quickly spun around to face Bucky. The bully's face changing from a grin to concern upon seeing there were two people opposing him.

"And really? Lunch money? Get new material." Andrew, true to form, aggravated the enemy. The bully snarled and charged towards Bucky.

"Whoops!" Bucky said before kicking the bully where the sun didn't shine. The bully softly whimpered as Andrew ran around the his side, jumped up into the air, grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the ground.

Andrew stood up next to Bucky before turning towards him and giving him a high-five. "Works every time, Buck" Andrew said with a smile as the bully sprinted out of the bathroom crying.

Bucky and Andrew slowly made their way toward the small child still on the ground in a pile.

"Is he alive?" Andrew asked jokingly. "Poke him, Barnes." Bucky punched Andrew in the shoulder for his teasing before touching the boy on the side. The boy quickly sat straight up, grabbed the lid of the nearby trashcan to use as a shield.

"Stay back!" The boy yelled.

"Easy there, pal. We're the ones who just saved you!" Andrew said surrendering by putting his hands up.

"S...sorry" the boy said quietly "Guess I'm a little on edge" he said with a chuckle.

"What's your name, kid? Bucky asked assuming the boy was much younger than him given his size.

"Steven- Steve Rogers" Steve replied.

"Nice to meet you, Steve" Andrew and Bucky said in unison as they each reached out with one hand to pull Steve to his feet.

"How old are ya, Stevie?" Andrew said guessing he couldn't be older than ten.

"I'm twelve" Steve sighed, taking a deep breath and reiterating that his name was just Steve as he stood up.

"You're twelve?!" Andrew said shocked that a boy half the size of him could be older although Andrew was tall for his age.

"Sure am!" Steve said with a smile."Thanks for the help back there...even though I had him on the ropes."

The three laughed as they began walking out of the bathroom and Bucky slung his arm around Steve's shoulders.

"Sure you did, Steve" Bucky said sarcastically.

"What're you guys supposed to be anyway? The school's peacekeepers?" Steve asked jokingly.

"Only for damsels like you, big guy!" Andrew replied with a grin. The word stuck with him. He felt that it perfectly encapsulated everything he tried to be. Everything he'd been taught by his mother.

As the boys walked down the stuffy hallway, they knew not of the direction their lives would take nor the trials they'd face. What they knew for certain, however, is that they'd face them no matter what. And they'd do it together...