Under normal circumstances I was able to get a good night's rest; there were still nights I'd need help to get to sleep. The nights when I couldn't sleep were usually after a mission gone bad or when were in a new place and I couldn't get used to the surroundings in less than a day. This times, I was to believe it was the new company currently occupying the compound with the Avengers keeping me awake. That…and I kept having dreams about Chris or Peacemaker as he was known in his city. He plagued my thoughts and now invaded my dreams. Though, they weren't the usual kind I would have when I got a new crush; sexy and intense. Not like the ones I had with Bucky when we were first dating. These dreams were fluffy and tended to have my lips stretched out across my face in smile. Fluffy as in amusement park dates or cuddling under the covers. Soft kisses with enough passion to make your toes curl.
When the next one woke me, I decided to make a trip to the kitchen for my favorite treat, hot chocolate, marshmallows, and miniature chocolate chip cookies. I stayed quiet in fear of waking the others and pulled out the hot chocolate mix from the pantry. I hadn't realized I woke another person on the way.
"What are you doing up?" a voice asked. I jumped back, turning to see who the source of the voice came from. To my surprise, it was Chris.
"I should ask you the same thing," I answered.
"I couldn't sleep. I guess you could say I'm a little on edge. I was drifting back into sleep when I saw you walk by the couch. What about you? How come you're up at 3 a.m.?" he stated.
"Same, but it's the new people. I can get a little nervous around a new squad sometimes. I figured I could use some assistance in getting back to sleep," I said.
"Assistance? What are doing? Making coffee? Wouldn't that keep you up longer?"
"One, it's hot chocolate and two it always soothes me. Would…you like some as well?" I said, gesturing to the box. He arched his eyebrows in surprise but nodded. He walked around to the counter, and I couldn't help but to take in all of him. He wore nothing but tidy whiteys, his tone figure really catching me off guard. I was also very turned on by him. Fuck he's really starting to get to me, and it's not been a full day yet, I thought. I cleared my throat.
"Is that how you normally sleep?" I asked. Chris looked down at himself and shrugged.
"I get hot. I can put on pants if that will make you more comfortable,"
"Don't worry about it. I've seen worse around here. Do you want marshmallows?" I told him. At his nod, I pulled out the bag from the bread cabinet, before retrieving the milk from the fridge. I also pulled out a pot from underneath the stove.
"You're not microwaving it?" he asked.
"I'd prefer not to wake the everyone else up. Can you grab the mini chocolate chips cookies from the pantry behind you? They're on the second shelf from the top," He did as I asked, and I waited for the milk to warm occasionally stirring it, so it didn't curdle. I moved to take two mugs from another cabinet pouring the milk into them. I dumped one packet of the mix into both and stirred them to evenly distribute the chocolate. I shook out marshmallows until satisfied with the amount, handing one mug to Chris. I opened the package of cookies and dunked one into the hot chocolate, relaxing a little.
"Really? You're actually doing that?" Chris questioned. I shoved the package of cookies towards him. "Try it. Tell me what you think when you do," I told him. He sighed and put it to the test. A huge smile spread out on his lips as he realized why I enjoyed it so much.
"Why are you being so nice to me right now? I thought you didn't like me," I blinked at his abrupt question. "I don't dislike you. I suppose I'm tired, and I've let my guard down a little bit. I apologize if it came across that way. I'm not interested in dating you. That's all," I answered. A lie, but he didn't need to know that.
"Fair enough. It won't stop me from asking again. I'm sorry, but I like you a lot. Maybe one day you'll say yes," he told me.
"Be my guest. I don't think I will accept either way," I said, a smirk tugging at my lips. Another lie. I wanted to say yes, just not yet. A comfortable silence settled over the room, and I took a deep breath, finishing up my drink.
"I understand how this can help. I think I'm going to try and rest. See you in the morning. Oh, I forgot to ask you earlier. What is your dog's name?" Chris stated.
"Chili. Um…good night. Sleep well, I guess," I told him. I went back to my room where I slept for three more hours before being awoken to Yelena pouncing on the bed.
"Up, up, up. Time to go run," she said.
"Get off me and we'll go," I groaned. I quickly changed, leashed Chili, and met her outside my door…and was surprised to see Chris standing with her.
"Yelena? What's he doing here?"
"He's joining us. Hope you don't mind," she answered with a wink. I glared and did the one thing I could think of. I handed over the leash to Peacemaker and went down the hall to pound on a particular door. Out popped Colonel Flag and I invited him to come with us. That'll teach Yelena to mess with my feelings. Gone was the woman last night who bonded with Chris over hot chocolate. The mischief in me was now out to play. I couldn't be myself around the others when it came to him, and I promised myself I wouldn't give in too early. We left and Yelena caught up to my pace, leaving the boys behind.
"What are you doing? I thought you liked Chris," she said.
"I do, but I told you I'd make him work to win my heart. Surprising me doesn't even begin to deter me from the plan,"
"You won't last too long. I think he's going to be like Bucky. He's gotten to your heart too quick. I'm only trying to speed things up," she told me.
"We'll see about that," Yelena laughed and an hour later, we returned to the compound, and I grabbed my car keys to take Chili to another day of play school.
"Where are you headed? We're discussing plans today and Flag wants me to help you with some research," Chris said.
"I know. I'll be back in a few minutes. I've got to run this little one to play school. Let him get out some energy while we work,"
"Want some company?" I nodded and he followed me out to the garage. We dropped Chili off and went back to the compound to figure out certain ideas to take our enemy.
"We'll probably need to go undercover from certain artifacts. One is located at this museum, and we'll need to trade it out for a fake replica. There's a gala we will need to go to later this week. Not all of us but a least a small squad," Flag said. He pointed out a museum in the city and the artifact that was the one we were after.
"Aubrey and I can go as a couple in some of these events. We're good at blending in that way. Tony, you might not want to hear this, but we should probably employ Zemo in some of these plans. He has the connections and could get us lists faster than you could," Bucky commented.
"Sure, but I think it would be a good idea to have her to be partnered up with some of my squad at points. We can't make it look like we're not working together. That's where Smith will come in or even Harley," Flag continued.
"Ooh, good. I get the pretty red head. Not that the other red head isn't pretty, but Aubrey is stunning," Harley chimed in.
"Fine. This artifact – the one that teleports people to other dimensions – won't be hard to grab. It's in an unguarded warehouse. Steve, Flag, and I can collect that one. These other two - the hell portal and soul taker – we may need Strange and Wong's help with. Aubrey, have you found anything on the entities yet?" Tony said. He had grown pale after the comment about Zemo had been made.
"No, not yet. I'm still looking. I've got a few more sections where I can look, but if they're not in those books, then I'll have to pay a visit to the other sanctums or Kamar-Taj to possibly find more information. Hey, don't worry about Zemo. I can have him behave when he gets involved," I answered. He nodded, his body losing a little bit of tension.
"Alright, you and Smith go see Strange. Keep us updated while you both look for answers," Flag ordered. I nodded and left with Chris to the Sanctum for our mission.
"I don't even know what to look for. I'm also afraid to touch some of these books. Your friend said some contain dark spells in them," Chris said.
"He gave you the ones without those spells. You're looking for anything that resembles the picture I copied for you. Anything that might lead to weaknesses so we can defeat them," I told him, closing a book. Nothing. Almost as if it didn't exist.
"What if we can't find it? How do we go about defeating it then?"
"I'll melt it. Make whatever it is explode to smithereens," I answered. He shuddered.
"What's the deal with your ability? Were you experimented on?" he asked.
"No, I was born with it. It didn't manifest until I turned 14. I couldn't control it as well then. Around 18, I got so angry with someone, I accidentally blew them up like a water balloon," I explained. I noticed his head snap up and I met his widened stare.
"Oh. What was it over? A lover? Money?"
"My uncle's – my mom's brother – wife tried to run my mother over. She wanted to cause her harm. I got protective and went off. At some point I remember staring at her and completely losing focus on what was going on around me. I barely registered her screaming, didn't notice her skin melting and then there was only blood, bone, and brain matter. Everyone feared me once it happened," I huffed at another book, closed it, and moved on to the next one.
"How long have you trained with Strange?" Chris asked.
"Six years. I've been with the Avengers for eight. Anything yet?" He shook his head and we continued searching until 4 o'clock, taking breaks for lunch and water.
"Come one. We've got to go. I have to get Chili and I have plans later," I told him. He rode with me to grab Chili, the dog curling up in his lap and going to sleep on the way back to the compound.
"What are your plans? A date?" he asked.
"Only you would think I would have a date. No, it's not a date. A dear friend is in town. Carol Danvers. You'll all meet her at a certain time. She wanted-,"
"Carol is in town?" Nat and Yelena interrupted me as we walked by.
"Seriously? Carol is back?" Tony asked.
"Carol is here?" Wanda was next, followed by the rest of the Avengers chorusing each other.
"…to grab drinks. Oh, great. Look what I've started," I finished.
"Who's Carol?" Flag asked.
"She's a really good friend. A fun woman to hang out with. Where are y'all headed? We should go. All of us?" Yelena answered.
"Our usual spot. Harper's Pub," I said.
"Everyone, you should go change into something we've not been working hard in. We're taking a break," Tony ordered. I sighed and took Chili upstairs to get ready. Tonight, was going to be interesting.
An hour later, I came downstairs in a dark blue, backless, sparkly dress. I pulled my red hair into a ponytail and finished the outfit with black 6-inch heels. Peacemaker's jaw dropped at my entrance, and I smiled as I joined Yelena at the front door.
"Close your mouth. You're drooling," I heard Harley say and tried to hide my amusement. We went in separate cars and went to bar where Carol sat at one of the couches, her blonde hair curled around her shoulders. She wore a graphic t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and her usual brown leather jacket.
"Aubrey!" she yelled. She got up, crossed the room, and planted a huge kiss on my lips. My skin heated and I stepped away to Nat's side.
"I see you've brought the whole crew and some newcomers," she continued.
"They heard you were in town and decided to join. The others are here to help with a mission. We figured it couldn't hurt for them to meet you," I said. They introduced themselves and I met Chris's gaze.
"Is the reason you said no? Are you in a relationship?" he asked.
"No. Carol likes to greet me like that, but we did hook up two weeks ago," I answered. Carol heard our conversation and laughed.
"Did you try asking her out? I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure you're not her type," she told Chris.
"Excuse me? How do you know what she likes?" he asked.
"Oh, I have a noticed a pattern in her dating history,"
"Carol. I don't think you need to go into-," I stated.
"You like soldiers. It's obvious. Colonel Flag is more in line with your pattern than him," she cut me off.
"That's not true," I said.
"Bucky. He was a sergeant,"
"Oh, yeah. Bucky was great with her. They were together for three years. We thought they'd get married, but the broke up before that happened. Maybe you two should get back together," Tony said.
"Tony, stop it. That's only-,"
"Steve," My face heated up more. "Steve? When did you date Steve?"
"A few months after Bucky and I broke up. It was one date and didn't end well," I said.
"What happened?" Tony asked.
"He felt like what I imagine having a sibling feels like,"
"Then there's me. I was in the air force," Carol continued.
"That's only three. It doesn't prove anything," I told her.
"Zemo," she simply said.
"Zemo and I are just friends. Is he attractive? Sure. Do I want to date him? No. Besides, I've dated Strange and hooked up with Loki. They don't fall in that category,"
"I don't know darlin'. She may have a point," Flag teased.
"Who is Loki?" Chris asked.
"I heard my name. Aubrey, dear. How are you?" a familiar voice said. I turned to see Loki and his brother Thor enter the bar.
"I'm fine. I didn't know you were going to be in the city this week," I greeted him.
"Neither did we. What's going on?" Thor said.
"Carol is talking about Aubrey's dating life," Yelena said. "Oh yeah...did she tell you about that theory…" I sighed and neared the bar to get another drink. While I was waiting, Chris approached me.
"So, let me get this straight. You dated him," he pointed to Bucky. "Went on a date with him," Steve was next. "And hooked up with him," Loki.
"Yes,"
"But you also dated Strange?"
"Yes,"
"Zemo is friend? Carol said he falls in line with your so-called pattern. How?" he said.
"He's a colonel. Former colonel. He was involved in a kill squad in Sokovia. Technically, he's also a Baron," I answered. He let loose a long breath.
"That's some major competition. Even with Flag. Do I even stand a chance?" More than you realize, I thought. My heart dropped thinking he might have plans to stop asking me out.
"I don't care. I'm going to continue to ask. Not now. When you least expect it," Chris leaned in close, the heat of his body pressing into me. My breath hitched. "I hope you're ready for what I have planned. I want you, Aubrey. I'm going to do whatever it takes to win your heart," he continued. He walked away, the warmth of him subsiding. Fuck, this was going to be harder than I thought.