It has been almost a year since you became an Avenger. You were sixteen when S.H.I.E.L.D first contacted you. You helped them a lot doing some intel work and data coding, that for some reason S.H.I.E.L.D didn't have people for. You always wanted to ask why they couldn't find someone older or with more experience, but you didn't want to stop helping, so you never bothered asking. Among everyone in the team you were one of the youngest members. It was fair to say that when the Avengers had first asked you to be part of the team, you didn't believe. All of them tried at some point; the first one being Tony Stark.

Flashback

You were training, hard, like you always did. When you were finished and ready to leave, you saw Tony Stark grinning your way, folder in hand. Surprised to see the billionaire, you glared at him trying to figure out why he was there standing against the doorframe while a seventeen-year-old trained.

"You shouldn't train that hard, you could hurt yourself, Sweetie," he said with the same grin on his face.

"Mr. Stark," you said a little annoyed at the implication that you could possibly be fragile.

"I'll make this fast. We need you, Y/n, to join the Avengers," he had said it as if it was something normal to say to someone.

"I... excuse me, but what?" You were stunned at his words. You couldn't wrap your head around the thought of being asked to become an Avenger, it was too surreal.

"Well, you see, I was doing some 'research' one night and somehow I ended up looking at your reports." He had started to approach you, the hints of a smile on his lips. The folder you had eyed earlier was, what you now had guessed, your reports.

"First, you hacked S.H.I.E.L.D? Again? Second, Why me? It's not like I have superpowers or anything remotely interesting about me," you exclaimed, eyebrow raised at him.

"Yes, and yes. To answer your last question: Romanoff, and Barton don't have powers either, but they have great abilities when it comes to combat, and they have party tricks too. You, Y/N, with what I've read, you are at the same level as Romanoff in IQ; both of your reports have great feedback from Fury, and we all know that doesn't come by easily. You can have your way with coding without being detected, and just with your phone. You would be great with your intel alongside me, and I'm sure if you're up to it, you can easily be trained to be just as skilled along everyone else so you feel more comfortable in the team." Tony's voice had turned to a serious one the minute he had entered business mode.

"Well, I really appreciate you coming here and telling me all of this, but I don't know what to say. I don't feel like I'll fit in the role of an Avenger, but I will let you know," you said while grabbing your stuff. You wanted in, but you just didn't feel ready nor it felt right. God! You were friends with Natasha and Clint. If you'd said yes, it would had been so much fun to be part of the team and being able to hang out with people you looked up to.

"Well, never had anyone rejecting becoming an Avenger. We would really like to have you in the team. Call me when you have an answer," Tony said before extending a hand for you to shake.

"Will do, Mr. Stark."

End flashback

You didn't called him back. They didn't reach out to you until a month had passed. The next time around, they had decided to try with heavy weapons—Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.

Flashback

You had been training all morning with both of them. It was fun training with them because you got to hang out with people you considered family. You'd managed to pin Clint while Natasha was already on the floor after you had managed to surprise her from behind. You were surprised. For once, you weren't the one pinned down. After you had let go of Clint and Natasha, they got up all sweaty, Clint groaning a bit. You had made your way towards the other side of the mat where your water bottle laid. You hadn't noticed that Clint and Natasha were walking towards you while they talked in hushed voices among themselves.

"So, Y/n, you haven't called Stark to announce that you are joining the Avengers," mused Natasha, tiny grin on her face. Nevertheless, eyeing you for your reaction.

"I still don't think that I should accept the offer, it doesn't feel like the right time. I don't know, but I feel like...I don't know what I feel like," you sighed and took a seat on the closest bench.

"Well, whatever you're feeling right now seems to be truly affecting you, because I remember when you had just started, and hacked S.H.I.E.L.D. Remember, Nat? When she found out about 'The Avengers Initiative'?" Said Clint, smirking at you, taking the seat next to you. Natasha just chuckled at the memory.

"Alright, I was pretty young back then and let me tell you, thinking about it seemed unrealistic, and it still does. It sounded like something incredible to partake it, but I don't feel like I can be as great as everyone in the team.

"You know what, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I want to go eat! I'm starving!" You exclaimed getting up from the bench, trying to evade the whole talk about the Avengers and their offer. There was silence for a whole two seconds before Clint broke it.

"So, how about we eat pizza and watch a movie in your room, Y/n?" Silently, you thanked Clint for understanding your wish to evade the whole thing. At least for the time being.

End flashback

After two long months of pondering the idea, you decided to join. Before you had said yes to the offer, they had sent Steve Rogers to try to convince you to join. You still said that you'll call when ready, and a week later you did.

Not soon after, you were officially part of the Avengers, and you got to live in Stark tower. You loved it there; hanging out with everyone, and the thrill of training alongside everyone—a God, a super soldier, 2 ex-assassins, and a dude in an armor—was something you didn't expect to love. Working with Bruce and Tony in the lab was great, although you weren't allowed to touch many things without having Tony telling you not to break it. You felt like a child when they worked on their projects and when you got the impulse to reach and touch something, Tony would immediately sense it. Furthermore, doing pranks to the Avengers with Clint was always something to look for and gossiping and training with Natasha was a whole great deal by itself.

A whole year of being an Avenger had gone by so fast that it felt like you had blinked one second to open them the next to see a whole new life. You still felt a little weird when the guys (or people in general) called you an Avenger. It just didn't really stick to your brain that now that was your 'title'.

The very first mission you had as an official Avenger was when Ultron had decided to destroy the world. You still wondered how you never realized what Tony and Bruce had been working on had been a genocidal robot.

Soon after, you were not the only newbie in the team. Wanda had joined the team after the fight in Sokovia. You two had become close after Wanda lost her brother Pietro. The poor thing at first rarely left her room. You were there for her, and she would always tell you that you needn't be. Of course, you didn't listen, and always stayed. Wanda hadn't been the only addition to the team: there was Sam Wilson (who you had met before) and dear old Jarvis, now, Vision. They were great, Vision being your favorite, especially because he seemed to make Wanda happy.

Those times seemed to be long ago, when your life seem to be just perfect. You didn't know that the things to come were going to taint all those memories.

You found yourself in the living room with Nat, going over your last mission when Steve came in. He greeted you both, his usual demeanor tainted with something.

"What's wrong Steve? You look like you could kill somebody with that stare you've got," said Nat a little amused, but the concern could be heard by those who paid attention. He looked up and let out a long sigh; you thought maybe he felt a little bored or something else, but no—you wished it had been that, though.

"S.H.I.E.L.D found Bucky, Nat. They want the two of you to bring him in." He looked as if he'd wished you would turn down the assignment.

"I feel like as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent I should know who this 'Bucky' person is, but no, it doesn't ring a bell." You felt a little sheepish. You had one job and couldn't even do that, but in your defense, you just had a bad memory when it came to names—or anything, really.

"We know him as the Winter Soldier, Y/n. We have just been assigned to bring him in." Nat, for once, looked a little uncomfortable with a mission. That look only lasted enough for you to witness, and if you'd blink you wouldn't had been able to see it. Her discomfort just made your nerves rise.

"Oh." That's all you managed to say. The Winter Soldier had been found and your superiors wanted you to bring him in. Were you allowed to resign or was it too late?

"I tried telling them that I could do it myself, but they said that I could compromise the mission because of our relationship," huffed Steve, the man looking angrier by the second.

"Well, I guess you have the folder for the mission?" Nat looked at Steve with sympathetic eyes. Her eyes always seem to glimmer with a softness that rarely was shown, and Steve seemed to always be the one to receive it, and that made the woman glow—unbeknownst to her, though. You still haven't managed to make her come clean about her obvious smitten state for the Captain—well, obvious to you and Wanda.

Steve just sighed once more before handing the folder to Natasha. "Here," said Steve with what sounded like a defeated tone. You and Natasha took a good 10 minutes to read it thoroughly. Steve looked ready to hear what information it held, or at least any he hadn't been told.

You looked at Natasha, debating whether to tell him about it or not. She gave a low sigh before fixing her eyes on Steve. "He obviously has been on the move for a while, because he wasn't easy to find. He is not too far from the city, though. We just need to try and convince him to come with us, but we are to use force if he resists. They are honestly hoping he doesn't. Seems too risky, but what else is there to do?"

"We'll call you, Steve, if anything happens." You added, giving him a little smile before leaving him alone in the living room, heading to get ready for the mission.

You just hoped everything went smooth, with no bumps down the road. You couldn't afford to mess up.