Chapter 3
Knock Knock
You hurriedly woke up from your slumber. You rose out of bed lazily and called for the AI to open the door.
"Uh, Friday... Open the doo-," you asked
Nevermind then...
As soon as you reached for the handle to your bedroom you were greeted by Widow. She looked like she had been up for a while.
"Rise and shine princess, you have a big day today," she called out.
You looked at her, surprised. You had assumed that since you were sent to the compound, you would just be kept in your room.
"Awe, don't give me that face." she smiled. "You have a couple of meetings lined up. We have some more news to share with you. Oh, here are your clothes for the day," She tossed you a shirt and pair of jeans.
"Thanks."
You turned around and started getting ready for the day. You went to the bathroom and cleaned up. You combed out your wet hair and braided it into a loose, but fashionable ponytail. You slipped the clothes on that Widow had given you earlier. You opened up the door and walked to the living area, where she was sitting on the couch.
She turned around and gave you a nod. She got up off the couch and led you to the door. You walked out of your room and straight to the elevator behind Widow. She pressed the button and waited till the door opened. Once you were in the elevator she hit a button and you both sat there.
Soon, Widow spoke up.
"I hope you're hungry because we are going to eat first. After that, I'll give you a small tour of the complex, just so you aren't wandering around trying to find places. Oh, and I can't forget. You have your first meeting today." she said.
Before you could respond, the elevator opened up revealing many people eating at a large table. Widow waved and tried to introduce you but you caved and slid behind her before she could.
You both walked out of the elevator. Widow urged you to follow her to where the food was. She handed you a plate and cup and told you to fix something other than a glass of water. Just before you started serving yourself you felt someone walk up behind you.
"Good Morning Y/N,"
It was Adrian. Thank God.
24 hours ago you wouldn't have been thinking the same, but after seeing a bunch of superheroes eating breakfast at the table behind you, you couldn't feel more relieved. You turned around and flashed him a quick grin before continuing to fix your food.
Widow caught sight of the interaction and cleared her throat, gaining both yours and Adrian's attention.
"I told you Y/N, you have a busy day today. We need to eat and hurry on. Adrian, what time will you be leaving today?" Widow asked.
"I'm supposed to leave after eating. I just wanted to she Y/N first." he sighed.
The widow looked back at the both of you and nudged you to follow her to a seat. You looked back at Adrian and rolled your eyes, signaling your mood towards Widow. You quickly followed her to the table and immediately started eating. Neither you and Widow talked much. Most people that were there a few minutes ago when you first arrived had cleaned up and left.
Are people in a constant rush here?
You and Widow had finished eating. Now it was time for the tour. Honestly, you didn't want to be here. You didn't even want to be on this base at all! You had been taken against your will and been forced into a compound which The Avengers lived in.
For most, this would probably be a dream come true, but for you... Not exactly. You were happy with your basic 9-5 job and apartment, with occasional visits to the bar after work with Adrian and a very lowkey life. You had no choice but to suck it up and wait it out. It's not like they were torturing you here. You had to remind yourself, it could always be worse.
You let Widow guide you around, showing you different rooms. She reminded you constantly that if you need help or directions, to just ask Friday. Every room was minimal, they served their purpose.
She showed you the library, multiple living areas, offices, hallways. You still had no idea where exactly everything was, but you didn't want to speak up, so instead, you just nodded and hoped that it would end shortly.
After the tour concluded, you followed Widow down a series of more long hallways. It was very quiet and you both remained silent. You didn't have any questions to ask and she didn't have much to say to you either.
As you got to what you assumed was the meeting room, you were greeted by the team. You were so embarrassed. As soon as you had come into view the room had gotten quiet and everyone had turned to you. You gave a short wave and proceeded to stand behind Widow to cover yourself.
Widow sensed your discomfort so she spoke up and gave you an introduction. Sure, she didn't even know you, but she wanted to make you at least semi-comfortable in your new home. After all, no one knew how long you were going to be staying here. Widow also understood the circumstances to which you were here, and her heart broke a little knowing that you most likely would not be ever going back to a normal life.
"Attention team, this is Y/F/N Y/L/N. I don't think you all have seen her around. She just got here last night." she said.
Immediately Tony Stark spoke up. "Welcome Miss. Y/L/N. No need for the grand introduction right here. Y/L/N is going to get a big welcome party soon anyways."
Party?
You glanced at Widow. She looked at you and led you to an empty chair, you sat down and she followed beside you. Everyone stopped talking and sat down. You assumed the meeting was about to begin. You looked around trying to recognize many familiar faces, you were only able to see Thor and Hawkeye though. Just as Mr. Stark started talking about very confusing stuff, Captain America walked in very concerned. He glanced at you and smiled, you couldn't help but get butterflies in your stomach from the simple interaction.
"Better late than never." Mr. Stark looked at Captain and smirked. The Captain sat straight across from you. He looked very exhausted
"So, as we are well aware, S.H.I.E.L.D has been compromised and HYDRA is active again. The Avengers is a household name now, thanks to our wonderful publicist Pepper Potts," Tony Stark turned toward a beautiful lady with reddish-blonde hair and smiled. "However," he paused with a grimacing look. "Many don't think that we are safe. So, I am orchestrating a mission. Originally, we were going to have a former trained S.H.I.E.L.D agent to go alongside Steve and help the image and reputation of our team."
You heard many of the others whispering. Surely they had to know their status amongst society? The nation was split on its opinion of these supers. Some thought that they were the best thing since sliced bread. Others felt like they were a danger to society. Whatever Tony Stark had planned was genius. Then you heard the rest of the plan.
"Since last night when Miss Y/L/N came to our base, it hit me. I thought an outsider and civilian dating an Avenger would show the world how trusting we can be. I call this plan 'Project FAM'," he said enthusiastically.
Everyone's gaze shifted to you for approval. You looked up and felt even more awkward, no one interjected Mr. Stark and they weren't talking either. At that moment you tried your best to speak up and sound professional, but all that you managed to say was,
"So, you want me to enter a fake relationship with Captain America, all to keep your reputability stable in front of the world?" you said, shocked.
I mean, a girl like you with a super soldier like him. All a massive PR stunt just to show how harmless the Avengers was? You couldn't help but think of all the negativity and backlash everyone would receive. Not to mention, this could put an even bigger target on your back and make it easier for HYDRA to hunt you down.
"Well, when you put it like that." Captain America laughed.
"I get this is big, I mean hell it's your first mission. Pepper and I -" then Mr. Stark looked around the whole room. "- Everyone here has your back." he turned to you and said.
"How about my safety? I thought HYDRA was on the lookout for me, wouldn't this just make it easier for them to find me?" you said with a blunt tone.
The meeting was not as successful as the team had hoped. You were not on board with Project FAM. Mr. Stark had come and told you that it was ultimately your decision, but to seriously think about it. He told you that in the long run, it would benefit you more so than anything else.
After the chat you had with Mr. Stark, he quickly ran off with the Captain. Widow had also wandered off so you were finally left to your own devices. You started back to your room, finding that you had nothing better to do around here.
After going back to your room and finding something enjoyable to watch you heard a quiet knock on the door. The rhythm was different than this morning, so it most likely was not Widow. You opened the door to find Captain America waiting for you. He still looked exhausted, but he still carried himself proudly and seemed happy to see you.
"Hi Captain" you smirked.
"Hey Y/N. I have the rest of the evening free if you would like to maybe go and get some coffee with me."