When she woke later that day, after sleeping from five in the morning until noon, Jak went to find breakfast. Or lunch, she supposed. Her dining and sleeping habits were far from normal. She made her way to the kitchen she shared with the Avengers. As the only non-Avenger (apart from Loki) who lived in the building, she had to share all facilities with them. If she weren't paid so well, and if she weren't on probation, she might have complained about being the only one who ever had to clean the bathroom. Especially after the blond hair clog she'd cleaned out of the shower.
Generally, the Mighty Avengers trained until one in the afternoon, which meant that Jak had plenty of time to eat before the super heroes came looking for lunch. However, that particular afternoon, she paused outside of the kitchen entrance, hearing voices.
"...ask her yourself. I only have one side of the story," Steve Rogers said tiredly.
"You can be certain I will," Loki replied in that amused way of his. Jak hardly knew him, but she could picture his smile. "But I want to hear your side. I want to know why you think Jaklyn Baker attacked you."
"It doesn't matter," the super soldier said firmly, "What matters now is that she has changed. The past should stay buried."
"Hmm, or frozen in the ocean," Loki sighed, "Very well. I will ask her and then I'll never know your part of the tale. You may never recover my good opinion if you don't explain yourself, Captain."
"Since when have I cared about your opinion?" Steve countered and Jak had to smile at his confidence. She'd always held a bit of admiration for the Captain. It was hard not to. He was so effortlessly good. Even if it meant putting his own life or reputation at risk. She could never see herself being so selfless. Not for anyone or anything.
She'd already proved that when her mother died.
"I suspect Jak is still sleeping, so I have another question for you," Loki said, interrupting her thoughts. "Where is the witch?"
"Hey, you can use her name."
"Very well, but Wanda is clearly a witch. I mean that with respect. She's dripping with magical potential," Loki said, sounding truly impressed, "I am honestly a bit scared of her."
"Good," Steve replied, "She and Romanoff are in the courtyard."
"Excellent. Well, I am off to prove my worth to society and train that witch-I mean Wanda-so that she doesn't accidentally completely rewrite reality."
"Can… can she do that?" Steve asked, a bit flabbergasted.
Jak found herself wondering the same thing. She knew Wanda was powerful, but surely not that powerful.
"Who knows!" Loki replied cheerfully, "Hopefully we'll never have to find out. Thank the Norns she wasn't around when I invaded. I'd probably be nothing more than a smoking pile of ash."
Suddenly, he was exiting the kitchen and bumping into Jak. She barely had time to register that his shoulder had knocked against hers before he was spinning away with an elegant bow.
"I will seek you out later, Jak. As I'm sure you overheard, I have questions for you. But in the meantime, I must attend to the woman in the building who actually wants my help."
He hurried off and Jak rubbed her forehead, fighting the headache his chatter brought on. Looking up, she made direct eye contact with Steve Rogers (something she tried to avoid doing at all costs) and felt the headache give a sharp stab.
"Ms. Baker," he nodded.
She appreciated the use of her new name. When she and her mother had tried to kill him, he had only known the name she'd told him when they first met… in 1942. Every time she'd run into him since, he'd called her that name first and then corrected himself with a stiff apology.
"Captain," she tried to step around him, but he followed her into the kitchen, "Aren't you usually training at this time of day? Or off saving the world? Or trying to learn how to use a smartphone?"
"I have a different kind of mission today," he replied, "I have to be on the road by the time I'd normally eat lunch, so I'm eating a bit early. Will it… bother you if I join you?"
It most certainly would. She could not imagine a less enjoyable meal than one spent in his company, but still she said it would be fine. He'd been making food already and offered to share. Whatever he was cooking smelled nostalgic, though she couldn't quite place what it was. Without too much thought, she accepted and he served her a plate.
"Is this scrambled eggs with spam?" She asked with a startled laugh.
"Heh, yeah," he awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he dished up his own portion, "Apparently they still make spam, can you believe it?"
"I knew they still made it, I just didn't know anyone still ate it," she scooped up a large spoonful and shoved it in her mouth. "It tastes exactly the same as it did back then."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Steve smiled.
"I have no idea," she took another bite and closed her eyes, "We had this for breakfast on special occasions. Christmas. Halloween. My father's birthday, even though he, uh, didn't celebrate with us."
"It was a good birthday food," he agreed, "My friend used to leave it in the can, heat it up over the stove, and stick a candle in it on my birthday."
"That's gross, but sort of adorable," Jak laughed and then pointed at the empty cube-ish can on the counter, "What did it cost to buy that?"
"Almost four dollars," Steve replied with a shake of his head. "I understand it's inflation but you used to be able to get this stuff for a quarter!"
"Ridiculous!" She agreed, "And I lived through the incline in price. It must be worse for you, just waking up one day and spam costs a fortune. I think I would have cried. I still might!"
Steve chuckled and lowered his voice to a whisper, glancing around the kitchen comically, "I couldn't sleep for days when I learned what an apartment in Brooklyn costs to rent."
"Tell me about it!" She exclaimed, "Thank goodness for Tony Stark putting me up during my probation or I'd be living in a cardboard box."
"That's the real reason I agreed to be an Avenger," he grinned, "I can't afford not to be."
"Well then, to Tony Stark," she raised her fork and clinked it against his, "For his dedication to housing the elderly."
Steve laughed, Jak laughed with him. It felt good to share a smile with the man she'd almost killed and for a moment she could forget their past. She could forget the way her mother wanted her to turn him inside out and torture him. She could forget that he'd ultimately killed her mother. And that she'd helped him do it.
They were just a couple of youthful looking senior citizens talking nonsense about "back in the day". She wondered if this tentative friendliness could last. Did he hold a grudge? Could he forgive her for what she'd tried to do? Or was he just so good that he'd be polite to her as long as she wasn't actively hurting anyone?
They finished their lunch in silence and then he said he had to leave for his mission.
"Steve?" She said as he walked away.
He stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Be careful out there."
He smiled. "It's not a dangerous mission."
"You're an Avenger, it always has the potential to be dangerous," she rolled her eyes.
"I don't think I'll run into too many hostiles where I'm going, but I'll still be careful," he chuckled and waved as he walked away. Jak watched him go, definitely not staring at his rear end or the tight jeans covering it.
Out of curiosity, she dared to speak to the AI that hated her and asked Friday what kind of mission Captain America was about to embark on.
In the usual snippy voice Friday reserved for Jak, she replied:
"Captain Rogers is going to visit a children's hospital."
Jak shook her head in disbelief.
"Where's Loki?" She asked instead.
She needed to be around someone who made her look like a saint in comparison. If she spent too much time with the Good Captain her guilt might overwhelm her.
A note from the author: Thank you so much for reading/following/favoriting! I am glad to see that there are people interested in this story! I'm having fun writing it and I hope you are having fun reading it!
Ta-ta for now! :)