Summers' Purpose

Chapter 23

Y/n stirred awake, her new watch showing the time as 5.38 am. They finally gave her a room to bunk in yesterday night, which she is still getting used to. Now that she has the watch, she was allowed to roam the compound by herself. She couldn't go back to sleep so she washed up and put on a black tracksuit, deciding to go out for a jog. She took a deep breath once she stepped out of the main door, relishing the cold morning air as it filled her lungs.

Y/n warmed up by brisk walking, playing some music and stretching her muscles before she started jogging. Now that she was outside, she realized how huge the compound was. From what she could see in the early morning light, there were a few large buildings spread out across the area, interconnected by roads, paths, and wide lawns. She decided to jog further. This is a good place to test what I can do, right? It'll be good to blow off some steam, y/n thought as she broke into a run.

She comfortably ran several rounds around the compound, feeling lighter as the endorphins rushed over her. For the last stretch, she sprinted toward the main building's entrance as fast as she could. In the midst of enjoying the speed and cold wind in her hair, she arrived a little faster than expected, almost colliding with the door as it opened. Jamming her feet to stop herself, she slid towards the figure halfway out the door.

"Whoa there!" Steve called out, helping y/n to stop by holding her arms. Steve and y/n found themselves looking at each other.

"Sorry! I didn't know you were at the door! Thanks for the help," y/n said apologetically. The short distance left between them made her realize how much taller and bigger Steve was. She quickly removed her earphones, the wires dangling loosely around.

"No problem. What were you doing, zooming around at this hour?" Steve asked, chuckling as he let y/n go after ensuring she was okay, gathering the earphones and handing them to her. Y/n gratefully took them, moving back to let Steve step outside.

"Nothing, just jogging. Been a while since I could exercise properly, so I tried running. I figured that with all this space, I could test myself or something. Find out how fast I can run."

"Yeah? And how did that go? You feel better?" Steve asked, stretching to prepare for his daily run as his sweatshirt did little to hide his muscles. Y/n looked away quickly before she embarrassed herself further.

"It felt good. It went okay, but next time I'll aim toward open space for safety. Or learn how to brake more efficiently." Y/n smiled nervously. "Well, I don't want to be in your way. Cap's gotta get his daily workout, right," she quickly added, internally cringing the moment she said it aloud. She turned and headed towards the door, eager to leave the awkward situation soon.

"Hey, y/n. Wait up. This has been bothering me since yesterday," Steve called out to her. She froze at the door, wondering what else he had to say as she turned to look at him.

"I want to apologize for my question last night. I didn't know about your brother. I didn't mean to ask you so bluntly. I feel really bad, and I want to apologize for that," he said, looking y/n in the eyes, hoping she knew how sorry he was.

"Thank you for the apology, but it isn't your fault. Like you said, you didn't know. Don't worry about it. It's something I have to work on by myself first. Right now, I want to focus on getting better, and I'd appreciate any help I can get." Y/n gave Steve a gentle smile. He relaxed as he nodded, returning a small smile to her.

"Thanks, y/n. Since we're on that topic... I was wondering if you'd like to do some light sparring later. Some of us are leaving for a mission in a week, so we're amping up the training to prep. You tested your speed earlier; maybe you can show us your hand-to-hand combat skills. How about it?"