Bartoned

Chapter 5

You had woken the first day of your new job with the Avengers feeling a little queasy. You knew it was going to be fitness training first thing, so you had to eat or you weren't going to have the energy to do it. Unfortunately, the thought of actually putting food in your mouth made you retch. You settled on eating a protein bar and drinking as much water as possible.

You met up with Kari on the way, and by the time you got to the tower, she seemed to have talked you down from whatever level of overthinking you were doing that had made you feel that sick. When you walked into the lobby, you felt fine.

Steve Rogers seemed to be watching over the recruits like some kind of terrifying judge. He stood on the stairs so he was slightly above everyone else wearing his Cap uniform, with his arms folded over his large chest. The grim look as he surveyed everyone lifting when he spotted you and Kari. He came over to you kissing Kari's cheek and hugging you in greeting. "Ready for your first day?" he asked.

"She had some nerves this morning, but she's okay now," Kari said, a playful teasing tone to her voice.

"You'll do fine. The gym is on level 8. I'll be up when everyone is here and we'll get started," he explained.

You and Kari went to the elevators drawing curious looks from the other recruits. You supposed the greeting from Steve did make you both stand out. It was normal that they might wonder who you both were. When you stepped out into the gym, there were around ten recruits already there as well as groups of established agents, and milling to the south of the room with most everyone else avoiding them, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Sam, Bucky, and Maria.

You and Kari beelined straight for them, the thought of them being the superiors or bosses not even entering your head. You just went to the familiar faces of the people you considered as friends.

Kari greeted Wanda with a kiss and Wanda curled against her as Kari leaned back against the wall.

"Wow, not even gonna pretend to be professional," Sam teased. "The other recruits are gonna think you're getting special treatment."

"I do get special treatment," Kari joked, making the others laugh.

"We were doomed already. Steve kissed and hugged us hello in the lobby," you said.

"You're either gonna get looked at as gods or the ultimate people to take down. Watch yourselves." Clint said.

"Aren't they the good guys though?" you asked.

Clint shrugged. "Can still get pretty high school up in here."

"Oh yeah?" you said. "Does that make you our teachers then?"

"It sure does," Clint teased. "You better behave or I might have to bend you over my desk."

You bit your lip and quirked your eyebrow at him. "Promises, promises."

"Alright, alright," Sam interjected. "Let's remember we are at work right now. Some professionalism would be good."

"And we are your teachers. Not everyone makes it through the program. So you might want to not rub this -" Natasha waved her hand at Wanda and Kari and then you and Clint - "in everyone's face."

Kari and Wanda straightened up and let each other go and you and Clint turned on Natasha. "What 'this'?" Clint argued.

"There's no 'this'," you added.

"We're just friends."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourselves that."

"We will keep telling ourselves that," Clint said, crossing his arms over his chest.