Oblivion ✔

07

𝒲ill carefully pushed the elegant white door open, holding his breath as he peeked back into the dark and still living room.

When all he heard was silence, he dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind him as silly grin crossed his face.

It had been eight days since Bucky left, seven since Steve took off and six since Will turned fifteen.

The last five days had been terrible, horrible and over the top miserable. Mrs. Davis was making Will do chores. For example, fetching fabric from the shop. It was safe to say Will's face was beet red when he left the shop with tons of pink and blue dress fabrics. She had also told him to comb his hair, wash his face and press his clothes.

He had been ordered to take out the ash from the fireplace. Mrs. Davis wasn't happy to have heard a loud crash near the stairs. When she had came out of the living room, she had started yelling at ash covered William. Apparently, the boy had been too lazy to raise his feet off the ground and had stumbled over the bucket filled with ash. The ground, walls, old pictures and even living room was dirty. That day William was happy he was fast and didn't get hit by the rolled up newspaper Mrs. Davis had been chasing him with.

This morning, however, Will had woken early and before Mrs. Davis could make him water the flower beds, he had high tailed out of the house. So much work was making him feel old.

As he ran down the streets of Brooklyn, he had missed the group of guys bouncing a new, shiny ball. With a grunt Will fell on his back, blinking as he looked up with wonder, trying to understand how could he have ran into brick wall.
The roaring laughter that reached his ears made him sit up, he regocnized the four boys from school.

"What's the bigger Rogers doing here?" the oldest of the group asked, Mack Mulligan was a boy whose face was covered with freckles and small, brown eyes always shone with envy and evil.

He pushed himself up, wearing an easy smile as he brushed off the larger males mocking tone. Mack did not like the smile he saw.

"I am heading off to brighter future lads, how 'bout ya'll step aside? I think I'm already smelling the wealth that comes with rare minds like mine." the older boys before William looked confused, not quite understanding what he was on about. Mack's small eyes caught the shiny key that hung around his neck. As he went to reach it, Will stepped back, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Oy, that's my key you genius." Macks small eyes glared at the lanky boy before him. "Well, you can keep the key, I want that chain" the fair haired boy stepped back, grunting as his back collided with the red brick wall. The cold seeped through his thin shirt, making him shiver slightly. He didn't like cold.

"What of it, Mack? Take your pals and go play ball, I'm seriously in a hurry guys." he could hear couple of them laugh, as if what he said was funny. "Busy? With what? Being homeless? Come on, I'll even give you my apple if you give me that silver chain Rogers. It doesn't look nice on a rat like you." Mack said, peeking over his shoulder, seeking the approval of his friends. William noticed a pack of candies in his pocket, Mack must have been loaded to afford all of this. He couldn't imagine what would happen to someone like Mack if one day all his money was gone, and it made him angry to think what he'd spend on it while so many other, good people were starving, forced into army just to earn a penny. And then there were boys like Mack. Rich and evil. Buying candy and friends.

William, catching the larger boys eye, gulped and tucked the key under his shirt. He was not going to give away the silver chain his mother had given him and definitely not for a half eaten apple.

"You can keep your apple, buddy, and for starters. I just told you it's my apartment key, idiot. I'm not homeless." second later he realized what a mistake he had made. He couldn't even raise his hands in surrender before his wide eyes were forced shut by the massive blow that made his head yerk back against the stone wall. With a loud crack that rang through his skull, William Rogers fell into a dirty alleyway for the first time in his life.

Mack Mulligan had punched him in the face. Anger coursed through his veins as William pushed himself up, his eye was giving him hell for it. "Oy Mulligan! That was not –" another blow into his abdomen made him bend over in pain. He lashed out blindly, getting scared by their boisterous laughter and mocking words. Flash of pain in his ankles made him drop down, someone hollered at the tears in his pants. He flinched, realising as he was blinking rapidly, he couldn't see through his right eye. Pain coursed through his body as the boys laughted and cheered each other on. Like a pack of wolves they teared into his ribs, heart and mostly, into his head.

Two faces kept flashing through his eyes. Steve and Bucky. Oh how he would need a Bucky in his life right now.

William kept telling them to stop, wanted to scream at them to act their age and leave him be.

But he was alone, and he knew that even those who walked by wouldn't do anything. William was a street rat in their eyes, a nobody. A boy with no name, a man with no money nor home.

He could feel their brand new shoes dig into his stomach and ribs, someone kicked Mack's ball into Williams face. The loud cry he let out made the group of boys freeze. They watched as William squeezed his eyes shut and held his hand over his nose. Crimson blood escaped through his fingers, tripping onto the cold ground and sweeping into the pale yellow shirt. Mack and his friends looked at the sigh before them, their eyes filled with fear as William statrted to look more and more like a butcher. "Yeah, coming Ma!" was the last thing William heard as he watched through blurry vision their disappearing feet.

Slowly he pushed himself up, making sure he was still in the shadows. With shaky fingers, he pulled out the pack of candies that had been pressed between his back and the wall the whole time. He needed them more then Mack did

He grimaced at the taste of iron on his tongue, he tilted his head up, swiping his nose with his red fingers to make sure his body had decided to stop bleeding.

He opened the pack and started munching carefully, he was still scared, but mostly, he was angry.

"Heavens to Betsy I'm becoming Steve" he groaned quietly, hissing at his aching ribs.

His blue eyes froze as he looked closer to the building he was currenly sitting against.

He had an idea, perhaps not the brighterst one, but an idea nevertheless.

( gif credits to the most intelligent oakenshield_)

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