First Nights
Today had been a whirlwind.
Tony had kind of become a mentor—like he was to Peter. The base, as everyone called it, was massive.
Tony wasn’t here, and neither was Peter.
Avery Jones is a 25-year-old woman She has golden-brown skin, deep brown eyes, and long, wavy black hair, usually tied back in a bun. Her features are a mix of both backgrounds of her dad Mike Jones and mother Anita Kapoor.Carrying her weight mostly in her hips and stomach. While not particularly athletic, she’s stronger than she looks and avoids exercise unless absolutely necessary. In hoodies, oversized sweaters, leggings, and sneakers—always with her laptop or notebook nearby. She has analytical mind, a sarcastic sense of humor, and a tendency to get lost in her work.
“You’re here for training and to get to know the team. Friday is a great AI, but some things still need a human touch. That’s why Stark is trusting us with you,” Wanda said directly.
Avery was only here because Stark’s AI wasn’t perfect yet—though one day, it probably would be. Friday was a clever system, built to learn.
“Sooo… do you know where my room is, Maximoff?” Avery could hear the nerves in her own voice.
“Yes, I’ll show you around a bit too. Your training starts on Monday, so you have the weekend to get used to the place. Also, no going off base without an escort, no matter how much you want to see your boyfriend.”
Wanda was smiling, but—boyfriend? Where did she get that idea?
“Maximoff, don’t tease me. I haven’t had a boyfriend since I was seventeen. It’s been a while.” Avery barely held back a laugh. Her? A boyfriend? Ha. Her laptop might as well be her boyfriend at this point. Being twenty-two and still single wasn’t a big deal, but dating felt like a lost cause. Tinder had become less of a dating app and more of a social experiment—she’d basically tricked the algorithm within a day of using it. If she saw one more dude with a fish photo, it would be too soon.
“Sooo… you and Peter aren’t?”
Where had Wanda gotten that idea? Yeah, Avery and Peter flirted, but Peter flirted with everyone—even Ned. Besides, Peter had MJ, even if they were too dumb to realize their feelings for each other.
“No, we aren’t like that. I prefer older guys.”
OMG. Did she really just say that out loud? Wow, that was embarrassing.
“Well, there are plenty of them around here.” Wanda laughed as Avery blushed.
Wanda showed her to her room. It didn’t have much privacy—the back wall was a massive window that overlooked the green fields surrounding the base, with dense woods beyond.
Outside, Avery spotted two people running, one lapping the other with incredible speed. Wanda had said that this weekend it was just her, Avery, Sam, Steve, and Bucky. So, that had to be Steve and Sam. She still hadn’t run into Sergeant Barnes yet.
Tony didn’t really like him. He made it clear that Avery was to be civil towards him but to be cautious. Not that Tony didn’t trust what Wakanda had done for the Sergeant, but some things from the past were hard to let go of.
Her stomach growled as she plugged in her laptop and dropped her bag. Hopefully, the kitchen was stocked.
The kitchen was empty, save for a couple of bowls in the sink. Did these people even eat? Grabbing some toast, she hopped onto the countertop, munching away while scrolling on her phone. She thought about calling Ned or Peter, but they would just tease her about being nervous. What did they know, anyway? They were younger than her, and Stark hadn’t gotten them involved in anything outside of New York.
Meanwhile, she was miles away from her apartment—and from the computer she built herself, which was currently with S.H.I.E.L.D. They were clearing it, making sure she wasn’t going to cause trouble. Since they hadn’t asked nicely for her password, she never gave it to them. They were going to have a hard time getting into it. If they dropped the big-man act and just asked, she might consider handing it over.
“You look new.”
Her neck snapped up so fast it hurt.
Metal arm. That had to be James Barnes.
Okay, say something cool.
“Well, duh.”
Great. Nailed it.
“Sorry, that came out mean. You must be Sergeant Barnes.” Avery reached out for a handshake.
He just looked at her hand, then back up at her face.
“Well, duh,” he said, the sarcasm in his smile obvious before he walked out, leaving her hanging.
Great first impression. Not.
After that embarrassment, Avery decided the best plan was to hide in her room and avoid all the ridiculously good-looking people until training on Monday. It was going to be physical—mostly Natasha would be training her, but she wouldn’t be here until the week after next. Until then, Steve and the rest of the team would be getting her started with some basic fitness.
Hopefully, “the rest of the team” didn’t include Bucky. The man sent a shiver down her spine. If the kitchen incident was anything to go by, this was going to be a long month.
It was only a trial—after the month was up, the team would decide if she got to join them officially. Then, press meetings would start. Hopefully, a costume and nickname wouldn’t be required. She was just planning on being the computer girl.
Traveling had drained her. After working on a couple of projects on her laptop, she crashed on the couch near her window.
It must have been around 3 AM when she woke up, unable to fall back asleep. Figuring no one would be in the kitchen at this hour, she grabbed her laptop and headed out.
Settling down at the kitchen island (on an actual chair this time), she started working, the glow of her screen the only light in the room.
“Buck, it’s late. You having nightmares?”
Steve’s voice made Avery look up, and he froze in the doorway when he realized it wasn’t Bucky sitting there.
“Sorry, we haven’t met yet. I’m Steve Rogers.” He extended his hand for a handshake.
She took it, relieved he wasn’t as rude as Bucky had been earlier.
“I’m new. I didn’t wake you up, did I? I don’t really have a normal sleeping pattern.”
She was pretty sure she hadn’t, but she didn’t want the conversation to drift back to Bucky. Just thinking about him made her blush.
“No, all good. I’m normally the last to sleep—I check on Bucky, then go to bed. I saw the light and assumed it was him in here.”
Steve looked almost nervous, like he felt embarrassed to admit he checked on his friend. But clearly, they were close.
“I should go find him. He might be in his room—it’s just across from yours.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that. Thanks for letting me know.” She hesitated. “I’m kind of avoiding him. I embarrassed myself earlier when we met.”
Steve looked surprised.
“You met Bucky earlier? I hope he wasn’t being a punk. He can get that way in front of a pretty face.”
With that bombshell, Steve walked off toward their rooms.
Wait.
Captain America just called her pretty.
And implied that was why Bucky was acting weird.
Not because she had been a complete embarrassment.
Avery spent the rest of the night working until the sun came up before finally heading back to her room to sleep. Hopefully, she could fix her body clock before Monday—because 6 AM training on no sleep sounded like hell.