I tried really hard to wait like a week to update this but I couldn't I'm too excited
Favorite OC in this book?
I really hope you don't hate this chapter welp
comment and vote, lovelies!
ELENORA ONLY HAD A FEW SLEEPOVERS IN HER DAY, but she was like 90% sure they were not supposed to result in the participants half-awake in the middle of the Avengers Towers, hungry and unable to see straight.
Bridgit and Connor stumbled around the kitchen of the lounge, trying to sit properly at the table.
The brown haired girl eyed them cautiously, then leaned over to Steve, "If there is anything important going on that you are forcing me to avoid, I think we're gonna have a problem."
Holding back a laugh, Steve stared down at his daughter, attempting to mask a humorous expression. He wasn't aware that tired-Elenora was prone to threatening people.
Well, the more you know.
"I promise you aren't missing out on anything today," he assured her, grasping her shoulders and pushing her in the direction of the table.
Bucky, who was situated at the fridge, took his eyes off of the food and glanced towards his husband, whose arms were outstretched behind Connor as he nearly fumbled off of a backless seat.
Well, superheroes had to start somewhere.
"You guys hungry?" Bucky asked as he broke off his stare from Steve, and glanced down at the three children sitting at the table.
The sound of his voice got all of their heads to lift off the table, and all confirm that they were, indeed, very hungry.
"I'll make some eggs then," Bucky told them, pausing for someone to decline, but not a single voice was heard as the teens' heads were back on the table. His eyes flickered to Steve's yet again, "They're lucky we got them here early."
"They sure are," Natasha's voice piped in as she appeared across the room, strutting over to the men and the half-asleep subjects. "Clint's just bought in his kid. I never thought I'd see him so... not himself."
Bucky, who had placed three plates on the counter, earning a few groans, raised an eyebrow. "Not himself?"
Shrugging, Natasha slipped into the seat next to Bridgit and across from Elenora. "He's got a thing for being ready. Always."
Steve let out a scoff as he tugged his cell phone from his pocket. He confirmed, "Yeah, we've seen."
"It's not like these guys are any more energetic," Bucky excused, gesturing to the half-dead teenagers snoozing on the table.
Sticking out her bottom lip, Natasha ruffled Bridgit's hair softly, which the girl subconsciously leaned into, mumbling something incoherent.
"But they're very cute."
"Natasha," Steve called, pulling his friend's attention from the red-headed girl. "Have you seen that other one somewhere? Tony said he was bringing him?"
Her eyes did not leave Bridgit as she hummed yes.
"El was texting Peter last night," Bucky went on, glancing at the two red-heads and then at Steve. "I overhead something about him coming at seven."
Natasha's eyes flickered away from Bridgit for a second as she mocked, "Overheard."
Before Bucky could defend himself, Steve was handing Natasha and Bucky mugs of hot coffee, cutting off the fight before it could wake anyone up.
"Thanks, Darling," Natasha teased, taking the mug from Stev before commenting, "The two of you have really become domesticated."
Scoffing, Bucky pointed an accusatory finger at Natasha, "You bring a 15-year-old girl into your house, and you see how long you can keep up the rogue-hero look."
With a roll of her eyes, Natasha placed her cup of coffee on the counter, which must have altered something in Bridgit who lifted her head, her nose twitching like a dog's.
"Hey there, Kiddo," Natasha greeted, and Bridgit looked away from the coffee mug to the red-headed lady, trying her very best not to let a smile.
Nevertheless, a simple sleepy smile settled on Bridgit's lips as she tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "Morning."
"Heard these guys woke you up pretty early."
Shrugging, Bridgit subconsciously leaned against Natasha's arm. "I don't mind."
"Mm," the woman murmured. "Seems like you're all set to go."
"Hi, Natasha," another voice piped in, this time the groggy tone of Connor.
Natasha smiled at his half-open eyes and his long hair falling all over the place. No one ever really got a good look at Connor - his hair always blocked the view, not to mention his shyness - but as he swept his hands through it, brushing it full back, his face was in full view.
He had a scar above his left eyebrow, the kind of scar that was lighter than the rest of the skin. It fell into the hair of his eyebrow, but reappeared at the very bottom, and went on for half an inch.
"How are you, Connor?" Natasha asked, her fingers drumming on the handle of her mug. By her side, Bridgit propped her chin up to look at the boy in question.
His eyes were falling to the counter as he fought back a yawn. "Oh, just dandy."
Natasha turned to Bucky and Steve, both of whom were trying to hide smiles. Neither of them had ever heard Connor speak in a sleepy state or offer that much sarcasm in his life.
Apparently, Elenora hadn't either, because she lifted her head to stare at Connor with a very confused look.
Connor blinked a few times before meeting her eyes. "What?"
Elenora shook her head and laid her head back down on her arms.
"Mr.Rogers? '' a new voice sounded in the room, prompting both Elenora and Connor to look up.
(Bridgit peaked from the table, but did not lift her head.)
"Cooper?" Elenora checked, squinting - she felt pretty stupid for not bringing her glasses since she had no clue what was going to go on today. Then she knew she'd feel even stupider, so she was glad she didn't.
"Hiya, Elenora," he answered, strolling into the room a little further as he rubbed his eyes with his fists. "Morning, Sir," he said to both Bucky and Steve, both of whom responded with a nod. A little wave and a "Hey, Connor."
Connor, who seemingly regained his ability to function, let his hair fall over his face all over again. "Hey."
"Aunt Tasha," he said lastly, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he brushed past her and Bridgit. He was going to say her name, but then thought better; Cooper bit his lip and reached for a glass from the cabinet.
"Hey there, Coop." Natasha turned away from the counter to watch her nephew. "Where's your dad at?"
"He sent me to find you, Sir," he motioned to Steve. "Said he had something to take care of."
While Cooper had Natasha distracted, Bridgit was making a move on her coffee mug, which Cooper had noticed she was doing the second he started speaking.
Natasha seemed blissfully unaware as to the redhead's fingers wrapped around the mug. "How was the drive here?"
"We flew."
"Oh, I bet Lilah must've been thrilled to be left out."
Connor's laugh was tired but warm. "Yeah. I'm sure she's tearing apart my room as we speak."
As they talked, Bridgit pulled the mug to her.
Elenora, who tore her eyes away from the conversation, looked at Bridgit with an amused expression.
Bridgit winked, bite her lip, and kept taking it closer.
Bucky's voice took Elenora's attention. "Did he say where he was going?"
Cooper, who now had a glass of orange juice shook his head. "No, Sir."
Turning away from the boys, Natasha glanced down at Bridgit and swiftly tugged the coffee away from her. Before she could fight for it, Natasha questioned, "Does Charles let you have coffee?"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," Bridgit persuaded, earning a laugh from Natasha, who still took the cup from her.
As Bridgit began to pout, a glass of orange juice appeared where the mug had been. She looked up, and Cooper sent her a smile and turned to lean against the corner of the counter.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep or perhaps the pure adrenaline rush he got from being in the Avenger Towers, but Connor found a new sort of confidence this morning. He didn't even stutter as he called for Cooper's attention, and didn't blush when his eyes meant his, one slightly quirked up in question.
"So what's vigilante life like? Bet the city loves having their own trade-marked superhero, huh?"
For a second, Cooper turned red.
Connor thought that maybe, for once, he had cornered someone. And not just anyone - possibly the cutest guy that Connor's ever laid eyes on.
But then Cooper collected himself and laughed it off. He turned to Elenora. "So I heard you got a dog."
"I did, Elenora said proudly. "Her name is Josie - she's the cutest thing in the world."
If looks could kill, Connor would have murdered Elenora in three seconds. She shrugged off his glares - how could he expect her not to get distracted by her dog?
"You're awfully lucky," Cooper told her as he leaned over the counter on the side of Bridgit.
Bridgit sipped her orange juice and scooted closer to Natasha. Not that she didn't want to be close to Cooper or anything, but Connor had this nasty stare that he could turn off and on like a switch, and she had just received a flicker of it.
"Dad won't let me get a dog. Told him there's no problem with it, really, I mean we live on a farm-"
Connor piped in, "A farm near a city-"
Cooper laughed again, propping his chin up on his fist. "You've got a thing for that superhero, huh?"
While Normal-Connor would have choked/cried/died, Tired-Connor shrugged it off, leaning forward unconsciously. "Very funny. But coming from a guy who's hair is so identifiable-"
"Why are you staring at my hair?"
"So you admit it's you?" Bridgit countered, a wild grin setting on her face as she turned to face Cooper.
He opened his mouth to disagree, but must've thought better of it as he turned away from the group, asking Natasha, "Do you know where the bathroom is?"
A smirk settled on Natasha's lips as she advised Cooper, "I wouldn't avoid them. Those kids are like sharks until they get what the want."
As if to check if they truly were sharks, Cooper looked behind him, where Bridgit and Elenora were baring their teeth and Connor was smirking with his eyes glued to the table.
(Natasha bet when he was fully awake, he'd literally die.)
"Right," Cooper laughed a little more, sounded more stressed than warm now. "If I say it's me, will you at least admit the guy's sorta cool?"
"Sure," Bridgit said.
"Suit's pretty cool," Elenora admitted.
Cooper turned to Connor, who with absolutely no hesitation, said, "I dunno, have you seen Spider-Man?"
Two minutes later, the adults excused themselves, and Cooper went to the bathroom.
Bridgit took Natasha's half-filled cup of coffee, took a sip, and handed it to Connor.
A minute after he took it, Connor was fully awake and horrified.
"I can't believe I just-"
"Relax, Connor, or he'll hear you-"
"Kill me. Please. Just to it, Elenora. We both know Bridgit has been dying to see it happen-"
"Woah, Woah!" Peter Parker exclaimed as he watched Connor slam his head against the marble counter.
No one had seen him walk in, but considering the sun was just rising, they didn't think they could see much of anything in the room.
Peter's hands pressed against Connor's shoulders - he flinched, but gathered himself - as he asked, "Are you alright, man?"
Connor muttered something unintelligible, and Bridgit smirked up at Peter, explaining, "He just totally mouthed off Cooper."
Peter furrowed his eyebrows, looking Elenora in the eyes. "Cooper's here?"
Just as Elenora went to answer, there was the sound of footsteps, and all four kids turned their heads simultaneously to the entrance of the room.
"I don't know why I'm here-"
"Yeah, well, you said you wanted more lab time-"
"This is not the labs, Tony," Harley spoke, finally in the light of the room, feeling the weight of four stares. He turned around and immediately said, "Oh. Great."
"Hi, Harley," Elenora greeted back, extremely sarcastically, noticing the way that Peter swallowed harshly and only looked her in the eyes for a second before looking back at the table.
"Hi."
Elenora looked to Bridgit, who nodded as if to say, "I've got it."
Pointing at each person as she spoke, Bridgit introduced herself, Peter, and Connor.
Instead of doing the polite thing and introducing himself, Harley just nodded, turned back to Tony and asked, "What are you doing?"
Rolling his eyes, Tony looked down at Harley and repeated, "you said you wanted more lab times."
"You promised me that-"
"Hi," Bridgit greeted again, her smile growing faker by the second. Nervously, Elenora and Connor exchanged a look, knowing that this could not be ending in any pleasant way. "It's nice to meet you. You seem very welcoming."
Peter momentarily glanced up from the counter, staring at Bridgit with a very concerned expression.
Tony glanced at the fiery red-head at then at the brunette boy, both of who were currently engaging in a stare off. Unsure of how to properly deal with the animosity, Tony leaned over Connor, grabbing a piece of poupuri and threw it at Bridgit.
She caught it but glared.
"Play nice," he warned, wagging a finger at Bridgit, then Elenora then Harley.
Eyebrows scrunched together, Harley turned to Tony, reminding him, "You said I was going to the labs-"
"You said you wanted more lab time," Tony repeated for the third time. "I said I could get you it."
As Harley glanced away, maybe to take in the full room of the Avengers Towers, Tony leaned down, his hand clasping peter's shoulder as he questioned quietly, "You good?"
Peter didn't even look up as he nodded. "Yep. Totally."
Tony patted his shoulder before pulling away, throwing another warning to Harley and then strutting out of the room.
After a little bit of awkward silence, Harley's eyes came back to the table at the people at it. While Peter avoided looking at him and Connor was lost in thought, only the girls met his stare. Harley raised his eyebrows and let them drop.
Elenora and Bridgit exchanged a look.
Cooper took this moment to walk in.
Positioning himself in between Elenora and Bridgit, Cooper looked at the two boys who were staring intensely at the marble counter, and then at the boy who was carelessly watching him.
He smiled. "Cooper."
He didn't smile back. "Harley."
"Right," Cooper said, letting his eyes widen as he looked away. "Does anyone know why we're here?"
There was a variety of negatives, and Cooper nodded, glanced at the door, straightened up then said, "This should be good."
Elenora glanced at him, confused, but the second she caught sight of the figure in the door, she straightened up.
That freaked out both Connor and Bridgit, who, followed by Peter, all stood up with a better posture.
Harley looked at all of them like they were possessed, and he narrowed his eyes before turning around and then fixing his own stance.
"Director, Sir," Elenora announced, giving the very confused teenagers an explanation of what was going on. The problem was she had no clue what was going on.
"Good," Nick said with a tone that did not imply anything was good. Or bad. Or anything for that matter. "You're all here. Follow me."
And they all did, even though some had no clue who they were following.
Peter led with Elenora less than a foot behind him; trailing behind them was cooper with Bridgit and Connor were shoulders to shoulder a foot behind him, and Harley hung somewhere in the back.
Halfway through the silent walk, as she eyed the back of the director, Elenora fell back into pace with Connor and Bridgit.
She did her best to fill in the context of the situation, but besides knowing him, she was pretty lost. Her voice barely over a whisper, Elenora filled in, "SHIELD director Nick Fury. The Avengers was his idea."
(Unbeknownst to her, Harley was picking up his pace a little to hear what was going on.)
"What did we do?" Bridgit demanded, her eyes darting from Nick Fury to her best friend. As far as she could recall, she had done nothing to invoke the rage of the SHIELD director. And if she had, it would have been nice of Charles to say something before sending her here.
(Also, how could Bucky and Steve and Natasha just set her up for trouble? She should have known not to trust them.)
Elenora opened her mouth to tell her she didn't have a damn clue, but Nick Fury's voice cut her off.
"If we could keep the chit-chat to a minimum, initiates."
"Initiates?" Harley barked out, completely ignoring Nick's request for silence. Peter glanced back at Elenora and the other but quickly looked forward again. "What do you mean initiates?"
Nick Fury came to a halt.
Peter Parker almost skidded into him but stopped himself before he could.
With his arm outstretched to a conference room, Nick Fury said, "I mean precisely what I said. Now, please."
There was hesitation, but only a small bit. Peter looked back at Elanora, and they both stepped forward at the same time. Cooper shrugged and followed their lead, and Bridgit and Connor were less than a second behind them.
Harley paused for a whole three seconds, staring down Nick as his grip on his backpack strap tightened, but he stepped in the room anyway.
The door closed behind Nick Fury, and it made everyone except for Cooper jolt.
"Take a seat."
Everyone did. All of them - except for Harley - kept perfect posture as they sat in the desk chairs.
Peter didn't even test out the spin, which was a huge accomplishment for him.
Once he was standing in front of everyone, Nick Fury began the interrogation-like part.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Silence. Shaking of heads.
"Do you know who I am?"
Silence. Nodding of heads. Even Harley because he wasn't sure if this was the guy he had to impress for extra lab time.
"Then you know what I do," Nicky Fury confirmed, swiftly slipping into the chair at the front of the table. "You know that I lead SHIELD, a division of which is the Avengers."
Bridgit was trying everything in her power not to tap her foot. Connor restricted himself from biting his nails. Peter was fiddling with his fingers in his lap. Elenora was trying not to yawn because boy, would that look bad. Cooper was trying not to think about the itch on his leg. Harley, for once, was holding his tongue.
"The Avengers is an elite group of very capable soldiers from all backgrounds," Nick Fury carried on. "They are placed with the duty of protecting the earth from domestic and foreign invaders."
Bridgit remembered that Natasha was human, and thought about how she was totally badass.
"But they can't handle every threat," Fury admitted his gaze floating around the room. "Sometimes, missions are too small-scale for the Avengers."
There was silence - what was he implying? What were they supposed to say? There didn't seem to be much to go from or guess, but Elenora was wondering if maybe, just possibly he was hinting at-
"Landon," Nicky called suddenly, causing everyone to look up at him.
Especially Bridgit. "Yes, Sir?"
"Do you think it is right that a small country in Latin America doesn't receive help from a terrorist attack because SHIELD received a call from a country with a larger population in Europe?"
Completely caught off guard, Bridgit responded, "No, Sir?"
Nick cocked his head at the intonation. "Have I confused you, Ms.Landon?"
Bridgit turned stone cold. Elenora had never seen her face so harsh before - not even the time she thought Elenora was mocking her over being in foster care. With a completely emotionless tone, she responded. "No, Sir."
"And would you, Mr.Barton, feel any inclination to help the Latin country?"
"Most certainly, Sir."
"That's why you're here," Nick Fury said, his first landing against the wood table with such force that Harley took his arm off of the side of it. "Because there should be people out there for the little guys. Preferably," his head tilted again, "little people."
Harley nearly said something, but didn't.
"On behalf of SHIELD, I am inviting all of you to join the Junior Avengers Initiative; an implementation to create a group to help the smaller problems. A group of trained and SHIELD regulated agents who will participate on missions alongside the Avengers while also performing tasks alone."
And then whatever formality was set, was instantly broken; all the teens looked at each other, confusion and excitement evident on all of their expressions.
Nick Fury had to call back attention. "I have contacted your Headmaster," he said, gesturing to Bridget and Connor. "It seems that he has been preparing for this for a while."
Bridgit's eyes got wild as she mouthed to Elenora, "Erik's lessons."
(And not that Connor had mentioned it, but he and Professor Munroe had been spending more time together. Apparently, she understood that whole lack of control thing.)
Harley must've looked extremely doubtful, because Nick Fury took a look at him and questioned, "Are you not interested, Mr.Keener?"
The Harley adjusted his posture, sitting up in his chair as he cocked his head, and said with full conviction, "Look, as much as I love rag-tag armies, I don't do anything super cool."
"So?"
Elenora never thought she'd hear that word or that tone come out of Director Fury's mind, and she looked to Peter for confirmation this was a hallucination.
Peter was too preoccupied with staring at Director Fury like he had turned green.
"I assume you know, Mr.Keener, that not all the Avengers have superpowers. Some have special abilities. And I believe everyone in the room brings something to the table."
Harley looked down at his hands.
"If I didn't, you wouldn't be here."
What was someone supposed to say to that? Thank you? You're wrong? Can I call my dad and make sure I won't get killed for this?
"My idea isn't to just have a group of children to run around pretending they're heroes," Nick Fury stated as if he'd been criticized before. "You will go through rigorous training. You will be given rules and clear- as well as unclear - tasks. You will be given mentors."
Nick Fury cleared his throat, signally the end of this meeting. "I'm asking you to think about it." Out of nowhere, he pulled out a manila folder and slid it down the table.
It landed in front of Peter Parker, and he glanced up before opening it.
They were contracts. SHIELD issued contracts.
"You decisions will be submitted tonight. Anyone who has not submitted by eleven o'clock will be excluded from further contact. If you choose to say yes, return your papers here at eleven."
There was silence as everyone stared down at the papers.
Nick Fury added, "There will be no repercussions if you say no. You want a normal life, say no. But," he stressed, leaning forward on the conference table. "If you want to do what's right, fight for a purpose and know you have done everything you can-" he straightened up, "I'll see you tonight."
And with that, Nick Fury was gone.
***
Number of minutes of silence: 32
Number of times Peter got sent to Aunt May's voicemail: 14
Number of times Peter left the towers to track down his aunt: 2
Number of times Bucky left Elenora on read: 6
Number of times Bridgit cussed out Charles, Logan, and Erik: 28
Number of times Connor ran his fingers through his hair in a minute: 13 (average)
Number of time Cooper looked up from the contract then chugged a glass of water: 9
Number of times Harley disappeared for over 5 minutes: 7
No Avengers tried to find the teens. It was like they were all forced to make the decision by themselves and without any influence.
Bucky and Steve must have known if Charles did. Let alone policies - Charles would have contacted them. So Elenora knew this decision was up to her.
For once, something was completely in her hands.
Bridgit looked at the paper about a hundred times. She'd read it over and over but nothing changed.
Connor was hesitating to even look at the contract.
Cooper had signed it within minutes.
Harley only appeared to go to the fridge.
"What are you going to do?" Peter pressed as they sat on the couch of the lounge, trying to distract themselves with rounds of Mario Kart, which they would have never had risked if they thought Fury was still in the building.
(They asked FRIDAY to confirm he was gone.)
Elenora shifted her legs so she was sitting closer to Peter, pulling her attention away from Connor and Bridgit's aggressive match. "I'm gonna do it."
Peter raised an eyebrow at the unsigned paper.
Shrugging, Elenora moved the paper further from her. "I want to do it," she told him, "it's just a lot."
Bridgit clearly wasn't as plagued by this; she shouted, "Ha! Eat it, Connor!"
"Shut up, Bridgit!"
Cooper, who was sipping a glass of water broke off his stare with the windows when Peter called his name.
He motioned to the paper, and Cooper told him, "I've signed already."
Elenora turned to him. "That easy?"
"I know what I want."
Nodding in an impressive way, Elenora turned back to Peter, jutting a thumb at the blonde boy. "He knows what he wants."
Peter rolled his eyes and shoved her off.
She fell away with a laugh, glancing down at Bridget and Connor as she asked, "Do you guys know what you want?"
Bridgit looked away from the screen for a split second to check the clock. "I have three hours left to decide, El, so if you could just shh-"
"I got it!" Connor exclaimed suddenly, and Bridgit's jaw dropped as she saw the first place icon on Connor's character. "I did it! I beat you - who wants to verse me now?"
Cooper shrugged and raised his hand.
Bridgit quirked her eyebrows but tossed him the remote.
As he slipped off the couch and to Connor's side, he announced, "You should know I'm totally good at this game. Best in the state."
Without looking at him, Connor rolled his eyes and pushed up his glasses - which no one even knew he had until three hours ago. "Yeah, the state with a population of like five people."
Cooper stared at Connor in awe, then burst into laughter, directing his eyes back to the screen. "You're on, dude."
And if Charles was there, all he'd be able to hear was, "Dude? Dude? Did I just get dude zoned? Is that a thing? I hope I did not just get dude zoned."
Perhaps it was his inner monologue that kept Connor from winning.
(Or the way his thumb kept purposely fumbling so he'd have a reason to rechallenge Cooper again.)
***
It was 10:57, and there were only five people in the conference room.
According to FRIDAY, Nick Fury was still not in the building.
No one had seen Harley since six o'clock.
"I'm scared."
"Connor, don't be scared-"
"El, you know that it was Peter who said that, stop mocking me-"
"Oh, Con, you're such a baby-"
"You're right, Landon, shoulda seen his face when he lost again-"
"You're a cheater, Cooper-"
"A cheater at Mario Kart? How?"
"I dunno, but I'll prove it-"
"He's just like when Bridgit tried to defend herself for peaking during woodchips-"
"Why did you have to bring me into it?"
The next voice to speak was serious. Harsher. It wasn't filled with jitters or adrenaline.
"I assume you have made your decision," Nick Fury mentioned as he appeared in the doorway.
They all nodded. Peter pushed the stack of papers to Nick but pulled away the minutes he reached forward to grab them.
Quiet draped the room as he flicked through the contracts. Just as he was about to say something, Harley walked in with no greeting, set the paper down on the table in front of Fury, and took the seat closest to the door.
"I didn't think you'd come," Nick admitted, checking the paper before slipping it with the rest.
Harley nodded. "I figured."
"I assume you know this is going to be hard," Nick said, now addressing the whole group. "It isn't going to be a cake walk. You will struggle. You will train - and hard."
They expected nothing less.
"In order to improve responsiveness along with ability and consistency in training, all of you will be relocated to New York."
The room broke into chaos as Cooper, Connor, and Bridgit all started questioning and speaking at the same time; but one voice rang above the others.
"What do you mean relocate?" Harley demanded, getting closer to the table. His cool demeanor was gone. "I don't have anyone here."
"You will be assigned someone," Nick said, barely glancing at Harley as he spoke. "All of you will be assigned a mentor. If you do not regularly reside in New York, your mentor will take you in."
"But school-"
"I assure you, Landon, that there are plenty of schools in New York for you to attend." A pause as Bridgit's eyes darted to the contracts.
Elenora could practically hear her debating if she should grab it, rip it, and run out of the room.
"And who are these mentors?" Harley demanded, moving closer to the table so he was leaning forward on it. "How do we get assigned."
"You have already been assigned," Nick said calmly. "Tony Stark has agreed to house Keener. Agent Romanoff has offered to mentor Landon, and Peltra has been invited to stay in the home of Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. They offered to take you," Nick motioned to Bridgit, who was trying to hide every emotion running through her, "but there was a rule implemented about how many trainees to a mentor." His eyes ran over the teens, settling on Cooper. "I assume you know who is assigned to you."
"Yes Sir," Cooper said.
"W-what about me?" Peter said suddenly. "You said that Mr.Stark's taken him-"
There was so much venom in the last word that even Harley glanced over from his seat like, what have I done to you?
"Mr.Stark requested the both of you," Nick Fury said, his tone clearly implying that he didn't feel like settling jealousy feuds. "But I overrode it, and currently, you will be joining Peltra under the mentor of Captain Rogers-"
"But if he can take two-"
"Boy, please share with me what you think Iron-Man can do for you over a man who also has enhanced capabilities?"
Elenora felt bad for Peter, but hearing Nick Fury said "Boy" was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.
"Yeah, uh, no, um you're right."
Nick Fury sighed - another thing Elenora never thought would happen. "Just because you are being mentored doesn't mean you are restricted from speaking to other Avengers. In fact, all of you will interact with all of the Avengers."
"When does this start?" Bridgit asked, bringing her eyes from the table to Nick.
"Training begins on Monday."
"It's Friday."
"Thank you, Ms.Rogers. I wasn't aware what day of the week it was."
Elenora could not believe she just got mouthed off by Nick Fury, but she consoled herself with the lone fact that she had not been referred to as "girl".
"There will be leaders of this group," Nick continued on, taking a seat even though Elenora was sure this conversation was close to a finish. "Agent Barton and Agent Hill will be in charge of overseeing this program. As for inner group leaders," Nick cleared his throat. "Those positions will shift based on performance levels. If a leader proves unable to perform their tasks, they will be replaced. Current heads of those positions are given to Parker and Rogers."
Harley scoffed, prompting Nick Fury to look up at him with an almost incredulous expression.
"My apologies, Mr.Keener, I didn't realize my placing the only SHIELD trained, regulated, and working initiates in the room was going to be a problem."
Harley wouldn't look him in the eye. "It won't." After a second, he added, "Sir."
Nick concluded, "That is all."
The teens rose, but Nick Fury turned back to them, adding, "I hope you learn some professionalism, and soon. This may be a group of young individuals but I don't expect you to act like children."
And with that, Nick Fury was gone, and all the teens stood in the face of a new life, a new start, and a load of new problems.
And of course, it started on a Monday.
***
now that you know what happens, please decide if you
a) want a separate book
b) everything piled in this