Prologue

Alaina Gunley had a hot cup of coffee nursed between her palms, heating up her already warm skin. She was currently on break and planned to sit outside alone, but Sam Wilson sent her a short text saying that he was going to meet up with her without much warning, and he didn't give her a chance to reply before entering the cafe. But that was Sam for you. Apparently, the superhero life meant a very inconsistent schedule, which also meant rarely getting time to see your friends.

He was wearing a very inconspicuous set of sunglasses and a baseball cap to hide his identity, as well as a baggy hoodie. Very inconspicuous, indeed. Unlike Alaina's number-two-brown-coloured apron.

Now, they were sat opposite each other on an outside table, and Alaina only had about 5 minutes left before she had to go back to work.

Sam took a sip of his drink and grimaced, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Tastes like asshole," he murmured, lip curled.

Alaina kicked his shin, making him yelp and hit his knee on the underside of the table. "Coming from the asshole. It's the best damn coffee in New York, don't argue with me." Sam usually went with something light, with a lot of sugar and even more milk, but decided to expand his taste and try black coffee. Wasn't a fan, apparently.

"God, you're so bitter, Al," he said, a grin beginning to spread across his lips.

"Sam. Please, don't."

"Just like your coffee."

"You're lucky we're in a public area." She raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her own black coffee.

"Oh, really?" Sam asked.

"Yup, really."

"Or what?"

"I'll, uh... grind you 'til you're dirt."

Sam groaned, hanging his head between his shoulders. Even Al had to admit that it was bad. And she loved puns. "I actually hate you."

"Gotta admit that was weak. Just like what you usually drink, you pansy." She nudged him lightly with her foot. "Plus, it's better than you're so bitter, Sammy."

After a snort of response, the two elapsed back into a comfortable silence, Sam doing something on his phone while he took the occasional gulp of his drink - tastes like asshole, my ass - while Al closed her eyes, basking in the heat of the Spring morning.

Sam has been Alaina's first ever- well, her only ever friend, really. She had other people that she spoke to and had friendships with, but none could ever top Sam. If soulmates existed, he would be hers, no question, although he would disagree since, like every other guy she knew, he didn't like to show his emotions.

The way they met wasn't traditional. Sam didn't make some heroic gesture and stop bullies from hurting her, and she didn't volunteer to help him on a science project. Instead, during playtime at school, Sam, the 7-year-old prick he was, threw a rock at Alaina's head. It hurt like a bitch, so Al, being a 7-year-old asshole, turned around and punched him in the throat. There was blood and bruises, sweat and tears, and after visiting the school nurse who handed them a wet paper towel - why the hell was it always a wet paper towel? - the two had to sit down in their classroom and apologise. Neither apologised, even to this day they never said sorry for what they did, but instead they found themselves getting along. They mostly talked about Magic: The Gathering trading cards, although Sam would argue that he never collected or traded cards (he definitely did).

After that incident, they were buddies, but not best buddies because Sam's friends would laugh and call her his girlfriend, and Al was a huge loser until college, so she couldn't blame him. However, when they reached middle school their friends departed into different groups and ditched them for the cooler kids, so they made the choice to just start hanging out. Nothing changed in the years they didn't talk; they both got along far too well and always hung out in the field to trade cards. There was so much trading that it got to the point of everyone in the school assumed that when they went to the back of the field, they were doing the, uh, dirty, and no one second-guessed it. Took the same classes and everything, funnily enough.

Alaina knew the friendship was going to last when they opened up to each other in high school, both learning that their mothers abandoned them, leaving them with just their father and no other family. She was a single child, but Sam had a younger sister named Sarah who now lived in Oregon with a husband and two kids. Before she moved out, their families bonded into one and Al called Sam's dad her Uncle Paul, Sam called her dad Pops. They went on to be roommates in college and then they served in the army together.

And to think it all started with a rock to the head and a fist to the throat.

Al's attention was drawn back to her friend when he put down his phone, sucking his lips between his teeth. "Hey, uh, babe?" He stared at her sheepishly.

Sighing through her nostrils, Alaina tried to think happy thoughts. "What have you done this time?" she asked.

"Do you know how I've always wanted to introduce you to some of the team?" he asked. She nodded slowly, a bad feeling building up in her gut. "Well, we're having movie night, and I may or may not have told them that you wanted to… come with." He attempted putting on a bright smile, lips pulled back but his shoulders were tense.

"Sam." Al set down her coffee, shaking her head. Sam wrung his hands together; the bastard knew she didn't want this. "Firstly, you know that I don't want to be part of your superhero crap, especially after Steve Rogers almost got you killed. Secondly, you know I don't like parties-"

"It's not a party," he cut her off, earning him a sharp look. "And, uh, it was technically Bucky Barnes. That put me in hospital. Not Steve."

"You think that helps his case? You literally fell 1,000 feet from the sky and was in a coma for a week," she stated firmly, frustration ebbing in her tone. "I don't want to meet them, Sam. I told you a million times that I don't want to get involved."

"Al," Sam breathed. "I know you only like about three of the dozen, but please... they're my only real buddies outside you and Curt. You don't have to do it for yourself, but please meet them for me. And..." the corner of his lip twitched into a smirk, "Hawkeye is especially excited to meet you."

She couldn't help it, her jaw went slack. "Now you're just fucking with me."

"Not fucking with you," he reassured her, tapping his foot against hers gently. "I told him about how good you are with weapons and fighting, mentioned that you were in the special forces, and him being an assassin and weapon expert and everything else, he wants to meet you. Like, really wants to meet you. I'd say in no time you can find a new best friend." He glanced behind Al, towards her co-workers who were laughing behind the counter. "It's not like you have any friends here, anyway."

He had a point there, despite how blunt he sounded. Alaina has been the longest working employee at The Coffee Shop - yes, a very original name for a place that serves coffee - yet despite that, she wasn't friends with any of her co-workers. There were a few people she got along with, but it was always the ones that had the night shifts. Her fellow morning shift workers were all straight woman, younger than her, and although there was absolutely nothing wrong with that, when you're a gay girl surrounded by straight girls, especially pretty ones with big egos, every nice comment is passed off as flirting. Al gave up trying to be nice when one waitress told her she wasn't interested in dykes after she said, 'have a nice day'.

"I'm not letting you use my weaknesses against me like this," Alaina said.

Sam shrugged a shoulder, curling his lips down. "I'll never understand the crush you have on mister 5'8" when we have Thor and Black Widow on our team, just saying."

"Hey, I'm not saying I wouldn't bang either Thor or Black Widow. I'd do any of the team," she argued. Sam winced, probably at the thought of his best friend going at it with any of The Avengers. "And there's nothing wrong with being a small guy."

"You're, like, three inches taller than him."

"Two inches," Al corrected.

"Okay." Sam shook his head. "This is beside the point. Movie night. You get to meet your favourite superhero in person. Are you in?"

Al sighed, defeated. God, was she really going to do this? "When is it?"

There was a short pause. "Tonight."

"Sam?"

"Yes, babe?"

"I hate you."

Author's Note: Wow, re-editing this is so crazy. It felt like I wrote this a million years ago. Also, I mention this in like chapter seven, but Alaina is bi and Natasha is a lesbian. Everyone else is canonically straight apart from Tony who is 100% bisexual, fight me on this.

If things seem inconsistent in this chapter compared to the next ones, it's because I'm still re-editing that chapter so bear with me while it gets done.

Edited: 13.08.18