Avengers academy

The invitation

Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring stood side by side in their small living room, staring at the letter in Nick's hand. The Avengers logo gleamed on the envelope, unmistakable and surreal.

"Okay, what the actual hell?" Nick muttered, turning the letter over as if expecting it to disappear. "Did we seriously just get a letter from the Avengers?"

Charlie bit his lip, his eyes wide as he leaned closer to read the bold, official print. "This... has to be a prank, right? I mean, we're just... normal."

"Yeah, but it has your name on it too," Nick pointed out, shaking his head. "And Tori's. Why would anyone prank us like this?"

Charlie blinked. "Wait, Tori's name?"

Nick handed him the letter, and Charlie skimmed the contents quickly. Sure enough, his sister's name was right there, along with his and Nick's. "What the—why is she involved?"

"Do you think she's known about this?" Nick asked, pacing the room as he rubbed his temples. "Like, maybe she's already at this Avengers Academy?"

"Knowing Tori, probably," Charlie said with a sigh. "She's always doing mysterious stuff and not telling anyone. This is so... weird."

Nick slumped down onto the couch, tugging at his hair. "I mean, it's not every day you get invited to train with actual superheroes. They're saying we might have... powers? Us?"

Charlie slowly sat beside him, frowning. "I can't imagine what powers we'd have. I mean, you're good at rugby, but that's not exactly super strength. And me? I've been in therapy more than anything else."

Nick took a deep breath. "Maybe... maybe they see something in us. Something we don't even know about yet."

A silence fell between them as they both processed the weight of the letter.

"So... are we actually thinking about doing this?" Charlie finally asked, his voice quieter than before. "It feels... I don't know... insane."

Nick leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "I dunno. But how can we say no to something like this? I mean, Charlie, this is huge. We could be part of something bigger. And... well, I guess I'm curious. Aren't you?"

Charlie's hands fidgeted in his lap. "I guess, yeah. But what if—what if it's too much? I've just gotten my life back together, Nick. I don't know if I can handle... superheroes and powers and whatever else this means."

Nick shifted closer, wrapping an arm around Charlie's shoulders. "I won't let it get too much for you. We'll do it together. If things start getting overwhelming, we leave. We do this on our terms."

Charlie rested his head against Nick's shoulder. "You promise?"

"Promise," Nick said, squeezing him gently. "Plus, we've got Tori. If she's already in on this, at least we're not completely alone."

Charlie huffed a quiet laugh. "Tori's probably running the whole place, knowing her."

Nick chuckled. "You're probably right."

Just then, the front door creaked open, and Tori Spring walked in, her usual expression blank and unreadable. She glanced at Nick and Charlie on the couch, then down at the letter clutched in Charlie's hand.

"So... you've got the letter," she said flatly, dropping her bag on the floor.

Charlie shot her a look. "You knew about this?"

Tori shrugged. "Obviously."

"Obviously?" Nick repeated, standing up. "Tori, how long have you known about this? And why didn't you say anything?"

She stepped forward, pulling out a chair from the dining table and sitting down. "Because it wasn't the right time. I knew you'd find out eventually. Besides, I wasn't exactly keen on making a big deal out of it."

"A big deal?" Charlie stood, his voice rising slightly. "This is... the Avengers! You're going to some superhero school, and you didn't think to tell us?"

Tori tilted her head, unphased. "I wasn't going to pressure you into it. Figured you'd make up your own minds when the time came."

Nick crossed his arms. "Well, the time's here. Are you really going to this... academy?"

Tori met his eyes, her gaze calm but serious. "Yes. And if you're smart, you'll come too."

Charlie blinked, taking a step closer. "Wait, why are you going? Do you have... powers?"

Tori's lips curled into the smallest of smirks. "Something like that."

Nick and Charlie exchanged stunned glances.

Charlie shook his head in disbelief. "How long have you had powers, Tori?"

"For a while," Tori answered vaguely, her smirk fading. "But this isn't about me. It's about you two. You have potential, both of you. And if you're going to find out what that means, this academy is where you'll do it."

Nick ran a hand through his hair, trying to process it all. "But what if... what if we don't have powers? What if we're just... normal?"

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think they'd invite you if you were normal?"

Charlie bit his lip. "I... I don't know. This feels so unreal."

"It's real," Tori said, standing up. "And you're already involved, whether you like it or not. So the real question is... are you in?"

Nick hesitated, glancing at Charlie. His boyfriend's face was filled with doubt, but there was also a spark of curiosity.

Charlie looked back at him, then at Tori. "We'll... think about it."

Tori gave a small nod. "You've got until tomorrow. The jet leaves at noon." She walked past them, pausing at the door. "And for what it's worth... you're not as powerless as you think."

With that, she left the room, leaving Nick and Charlie in stunned silence.

Nick let out a slow breath, turning to face Charlie. "Well... what do we do now?"

Charlie stared at the letter, his heart racing. "I... I guess we decide if we're ready for whatever this is."

Nick smiled softly, placing his hand on Charlie's. "We'll figure it out. Together."

Charlie nodded, squeezing Nick's hand. "Yeah... together."