It's been a few hours since Lauren met Clint. They talked a bit more before they went their separate ways. Steve went to do what he usually did in his downtime. While Lauren, on the other hand, decided she should fix her things in the room, or maybe she try the king-sized bed.

Regardless, she managed to meet another Avenger. Clint seemed to have accepted her presence easily. It was comforting that he did, but still unnerving. She can't comprehend why he was so accepting. She's thankful, but she'll probably feel awkward until she had all of the Avengers' 'OK'.

Speaking of the rest of the Avengers. She should probably try to talk to James more. He was the first one to give his approval after all. Plus, they'll also be roommates for the foreseeable future, not to mention that he's Steve's best friend.

But all that – talking to James and getting the other Avengers' OK – will come later. First, she should get settled in.

Later that afternoon, Lauren was finally settled in her room. She was lying down on the bed – which was super comfortable by the way – feeling the most content she's been since moving to this side of the world. She was comfy but restless. She'd already managed to roll around the entire bed but couldn't get rid of her restlessness.

So, she decided to stick to what she always did. Which meant that she should be cooking at the moment. She wasn't hungry herself, but it was something to keep her busy. Besides, Steve and James would probably appreciate some homemade food.

It was still a bit early to be starting dinner. So, rather than making a quick snack, she decided to make something that needed a few hours to cook. Some bread from scratch and stew maybe. Although, she first had to find out if there was actually something in the kitchen she could work with.

She made her way to the kitchen, after making sure she looked decent enough. Steve didn't mention where he was off to and James hasn't turned up yet. It was better to save herself the embarrassment of being seen in her comfiest with people she wasn't that familiar with.

Turns out there wasn't anything she could work with. Which was surprising in itself. She expected the two super-soldiers to have some kind of emergency stock of food. Steve explained their fast metabolism to her when he first bought all the stuffed bread-rolls they had to offer. That particular incident led her to make sure she always had some reserved in the freezer and ready to bake. But that was irrelevant.

The kitchen was barren save for some beer and fruit. Those didn't make for a meal. There weren't any other ingredients either, not even salt.

But she wasn't ready to accept that there was literally nothing for her to cook in the kitchen. She was desperate for something to keep her busy. So, she set about doing another sweep of the kitchen.

Just as she was about to give up. The sound of someone hitting their foot on a barstool made her jump and cuss.

Only to find James groaning and hunched over the counter.

"Holy shit, James, you scared me there. I didn't even hear you come in." She chided, her heart still running a mile a minute. Her cheeks felt warm from being caught in someone else's kitchen. "You okay there?"

James huffed and shook his head. She wasn't sure what it meant. So, she decided to wait.

"I'm okay." He groaned. "Sorry, I wanted to catch your attention when you turned around. That bar stool isn't usually there." He apologized, his metal hand found its way to the back of his neck.

"Glad to know even super-soldiers keel over from hitting their toes." She quipped before she could stop herself.

It surprised both of them apparently.

She'd heard of James a lot from Steve. She couldn't help but feel like she knew him already. But she really shouldn't be acting so familiar with him. They haven't even had a proper conversation yet.

But before she could apologize, James let out a hearty laugh.

"We'll get along just fine if you keep that up." He chuckled, "So what're you doing in the kitchen?"

If she was already blushing earlier, she probably looked like a tomato now.

"I… uh… I…" She stammered. Her mouth wasn't cooperating with her.

"Relax kid," he waved, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible. But somehow that just made her feel more embarrassed.

"Let me guess, trying to find something to eat?"

"Sort of?" She started. "I was actually trying to find something to cook. I'd usually be busy in the kitchen at this time. If I was still in the café, that is. So, I thought I'd make something for dinner."

"Well you won't find anything in here, that's for sure."

"I see that. I was on my 2nd sweep when you decided to announce yourself."

Somehow that made him smirk. She wasn't sure, but it felt like he was teasing her. She very much would like to sink into the floor now, please.

"The only kitchen that's stocked is the communal one. Though, none of us could be bothered to cook. We always have take-out or delivery."

"Why am I not surprised? Guess that means I should find something else to do." She sighed. She wasn't in the mood to workout at the moment. She was banking on cooking to ease her restlessness.

"Why not? It's called communal for a reason." He inquired with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't want to impose. Besides, I've only met 3 of you guys so far. I expect that the others would be hostile to an unknown person in their kitchen. I'd prefer to stay alive, thank you very much." She explained, her face cooling down as she went on.

"Come on then." He prompted as he pushed off the counter.

Not comprehending what he intended to do. She just stood there, staring at him with her eyebrows knitted.

"You wanted to cook right? I'll keep you company, so you don't die if anyone else comes in."

Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead. She wanted to argue but he was already headed to the elevator.

And that was how she found herself in the communal for the second time that day. She stood just outside of the kitchen, still hesitant. She turned to look at James for reassurance.

"It'll be fine," he drawled, "if it helps any, you should probably consider cooking enough for 2 super-soldiers, 2 assassins, a flying monkey, an old man, and the Hulk. They'll appreciate having a home-cooked meal for once."

"And I'm assuming that the Hulk's appetite could pass as a super-soldier's?"

"It's close, be thankful that Thor isn't around."

Her face scrunched up. She was trying to figure out just how much food she should be preparing. Her look, apparently, was amusing enough to earn a chuckle from the metal-armed man.

Mumbling her calculations under her breath, she set about to look at what she had to work with. She was pleased to find a variety of ingredients. Enough that she could probably cook more than 10 different kinds of dishes. What surprised her was the quality of ingredients. Everything looked good enough for a 3 Michelin Star restaurant. Tony really did know how to spend his money.

"James, are there any food restrictions I should know about?" She asked absent-mindedly.

"Nah, though Bruce usually avoids beef if that helps."

Nodding her head in confirmation. She set herself to work. She pulled out multiple things at once, only setting them down when whatever container she had was full. Even then she tried to take out as many things as her arms could handle.

James decided to just settle down into one of the bar stools, seeing as his companion was too focused for any kind of conversation. He was there to make sure she wasn't attacked by a paranoid assassin after all. Although he was surprised to see her ease in carrying all the ingredients she managed to fit in her arms. He was also amused to see her flitter about in the kitchen. He resigned himself to silence and settled into watching her for the next hour or so.

It was almost 2 hours later when Lauren stopped flittering about. She was pleased. Her restlessness has settled down. She could feel herself at ease after doing something she was familiar with, even if it was in an unfamiliar place. She decided to take a seat next to James while she waited for the timers she set to ring.

"Welcome back to the real world." James greeted when she settled down on her seat.

She couldn't help but make a face at him. "Shush you. You're the one who told me to cook enough to feed a small platoon. Hopefully, there'll be enough to have leftovers."

"What're you making anyway? I was watching you work, but all I figured out was that there'll be roast chicken of some kind." He queried, his nose twitching as the smell of food wafted over.

"Green salad with homemade mayo, beef stew, mashed potato, fried rice, and brownies for dessert. I thought that I'd be making a larger variety of food at first. If the pots weren't large enough, I mean. Thankfully, Mr. Stark, or whoever was responsible for stocking this kitchen, had enough sense to acquire some large enough pots." She answered, then started to ramble on about how surprising it was that the kitchen cabinets had enough space to keep said pots out of sight.

"You seem to be used to cooking for a lot of people," James commented when she finished rambling.

"Hm..? Well, I was working for a café before this you know." She replied a-matter-of-factly, feeling a bit surprised that he hadn't realized that, 'Or maybe he's just trying to make small talk?'

"No, I meant that you're used to cooking things in large amounts."

"Oh…. Oh that, yeah. My family tended to have a lot of gatherings. Always found a way to get together one way or another. I was called to cook most of the time."

"So how long have you been cooking? Is that why you're on this side of the world?" James continued to ask, taking the opportunity to get to know Lauren better.

"I started to cook when I was about 8, I think? And no, the job at the café was more of a necessity. I'm actually here to look for another internship, or ideally, a job that's more secure than working at a café, but I'll take what I can."

"Why not though? You seem to enjoy cooking a lot. Why not make a career out of that?"

"I would, but my parents aren't getting any younger you know? I'm still young, but one way or another, my parents expect me to settle down as soon as I can. To be able to take care of them when they're older and all that. A career in the service industry would prevent that I guess. I'm just glad they aren't asking for any more grandkids."

"You have siblings though?" James clarified

"I do. I'm not sure how it is here. But in our culture, it usually falls to the youngest to take care of their parents in their old age. That and putting our elderly in care homes is frowned upon."

Her answer brought a grimace to his face.

It was an uncomfortable topic for her to expound on. "Anyway, I was wondering. Are there any cheap gyms around here? As much as I enjoy cooking I'd rather not spend the whole day in the kitchen." She tried, changing the topic.

"Why not just use the gym here? It's free." James answered, recognizing that she wanted to change the topic. "Whatever workout you have, I'm sure the gym could more than handle it, with how tiny you are. Though this building could handle the Hulk on a good day." He decided to add.

She was tempted to smack him on the arm for the height comment. But she remembered that the arm closest to her was made of metal. She'd just be hurting herself.

"Guess Steve didn't tell you what made him talk to me more then." She started, intending to use the story as an explanation for her preference in gym location. She remembered Steve's reaction and that caused a big of smugness to bleed into her tone.

James raised an eyebrow at her tone. He was curious about how the start of her friendship with Steve connected with a workout, but the smugness in her tone baffled him.

"I tried to help her bring in a sack of flour. She just gave me a look and hefted the thing over her shoulder." Steve chimed in, alerting them of his presence as he walked towards them.

"Steve! Just in time. I made some food. It should be ready any minute now." Lauren beamed jumping off her seat to check on the food.

"What?" James sputtered, "She probably weighs as much as one. You aren't playing with me are you Stevie?"

"Nope," Steve answered popping the 'p' "I asked her about it when she came out later on. You know, if she was sure she was a normal human. Apparently, the little lady just likes to lift heavy things. She doesn't usually feel comfortable lifting in a gym that isn't on the ground floor or a basement. What's your max now by the way?"

"Ugh, last I checked it should be around 100kg for both the deadlift and squat but I haven't actually tested."

"You sure you aren't enhanced? Or maybe a mutant? How in the world does a tiny little thing like you lift that much weight?" James cajoled teasingly, knowing that she'd react to the height comment.

"Keep that up and I won't be serving you any food."

"I could serve myself you know."

Lauren just rolled her eyes. Making the two men laugh at her expense.

"Oh sure, keep teasing the one who'll be saving you from take-out food."

That made them shut up.

If you're wondering why she calls him James instead of Bucky. She feels that she should get to know him better first before using his nickname.

And yes, I just made Bucky call Sam a flying monkey and Tony and old man. He's physically only about 30 years old after all.

Reviews are always welcome!