Summers' Purpose

Chapter 23

"Yeah... You know what? Sounds good. 11 am, in the gym?" Y/n smiled at Steve, surprised but happy they were starting training this soon.

"11 am it is. See you!" Steve jogged away as y/n went back inside. After a quick rest, breakfast, and a shower, she arrived at the gym on time, as promised. She walked in, eyes drawn to the many pieces of equipment arranged alongside the walls. At the back of the gym was a separate space with a high ceiling, lending the area a spacious feel. Mats lined the floors, indicating to y/n that it was the dedicated sparring space. Natasha stretched on the mat while Steve practiced his jabs on a nearby punching bag.

"Morning," y/n greeted them just as she saw Steve throw a strong punch that rocked the bag backward. I'd hate to be at the receiving end of that, she thought nervously. The thought of her facing an actual Avenger in hand-to-hand combat finally dawned on her. Maybe I should go practice first. What was I thinking? Sheslowly turned away, hoping the two hadn't noticed her yet.

"Y/n! Good to see you here. Come over, don't be shy." Natasha wiped her forehead with a towel before putting it over her shoulder to sip on a water bottle, raising one eyebrow at y/n.

Any thoughts of leaving the area were gone. Crap, I can't back down now. What reason would I give? It's too embarrassing. Y/n stepped forward towards the mats, slightly nervous but determined to try.

"You warmed up, or do you need a few minutes?" Steve asked, fixing his hand wraps before putting on boxing gloves.

"I'm good. We can start," y/n said, her heartbeat betraying what she said. She prayed that her watch wouldn't give her away as she started to wrap her own hand. Natasha offered to help, expertly wrapping y/n's hands in no time. She thanked Natasha before she moved to stand opposite Steve on the mat, securing her own gloves.

"Alright. I'll be on defense; you attack. Keep in mind not to go 100% on your hits. No throws or hits on major areas," Steve said, getting into position. Y/n nodded, focusing on the sparring session.

Okay, remember your training. No need to get nervous. Y/n's watch beeped, indicating her increased heart rate. Ignoring it, she focused and moved in. She threw a quick jab, gauging Steve's reaction time. He's fast. Okay, let's ramp it up slowly. She threw two more jabs that Steve easily parried.

She adjusted her footing, moving in towards Steve as she threw several punches aimed at him, coupled with a few kicks. Just as Steve recovered from y/n's sidekick, she threw a quick left hook, followed by a right jab toward Steve's torso, which he barely blocked in time.

He's still blocking it all? Okay, time to speed up. I don't have to hold back too much with him; it's getting fun now, y/n smiled. She moved quicker than before, some of her hits almost catching Steve off guard. After a few rounds, Steve called for a break.

"Good work, y/n! You're pretty good. How about we do some real sparring?" Steve smiled, a challenge glinting in his eye as he waited for y/n's response.

"Thought you'd never ask." Natasha chuckled at y/n's response, playfully egging the two on as she sat by the sides and watched them. The sparring went well, with the more experienced Steve getting the upper hand several times. Y/n was impressed with his skills, and Steve with y/n's tenacity and speed. The both of them talked about it amicably when they were done.

"That was great, you two. Nice to see you can hold your own in a fight, y/n," Natasha playfully said, offering Steve and y/n a water bottle each.

Taking a big sip, y/n gulped down a mouthful of water fast before replying. "Thanks, I guess? It's nice being able to train like this again. I was afraid I'd lose my touch." She smiled at Natasha before taking another sip.

"You can always practice again with Natasha, though I'd warn you about her grappling moves. How about it, Nat?" Steve asked, stepping off the mat with a towel on his broad shoulders.

"Nah, I'm done working out for today. I stayed back to see how the newbie would fare against you," Natasha chuckled. "Raincheck, y/n?" she asked, patting y/n's shoulders as she prepared to leave as well.

Y/n smiled at the two friends, waving as they left the gym. Y/n spent a few more minutes practicing her jabs at the punching bag. I wonder how much power it'll take to punch this as he did. Nah, better not try. I don't have the funds to replace things. Everything here looks expensive. Y/n cleaned up after herself, leaving the gym shortly after as well.

Walking back to her room, y/n passed a room where she could hear what seemed to be jingles from an old ad or a tv show playing. Y/n followed the sound to a room's door, which was slightly ajar. She thought about knocking when Wanda suddenly appeared, pulling the door open. She stopped abruptly, almost running into y/n.

"Y/n? What are you doing here? Do you need anything?" Wanda greeted, tilting her head curiously at her sudden visitor. Looking over at y/n, Wanda saw that she had a track jacket tied to her waist. Y/n's cropped, light gray fitted t-shirt accentuated her frame nicely, distracting Wanda from their conversation.

"I was just going to my room and overheard some music playing. I didn't mean to bother you." Y/n stepped back. She noticed how Wanda was carefully observing her with a strange look on her face. Y/n can't help but feel like she'd overstepped a bit.

Wanda blinked, collecting herself from her thoughts. "Oh, it's okay. I was about to go and get a snack. Is the TV's volume too loud? Sorry about that!" Wanda quickly entered her room, using a remote to lower the volume before going outside to talk to y/n. "Are you, uh, going to work out?" Something about how y/n looked today made Wanda a little nervous.

"I just got done training with Steve, actually. Since you're here... I was wondering if we should also start training soon? I'm slightly more concerned about controlling my powers, to be honest."

"Yeah, sure. How about later? We can do something before dinner if you have the stamina for more training," Wanda suggested, genuinely curious to know about y/n's abilities.

"You bet I do. It'lltake more than that to wear me out. Don't worry, I'll let you know if I'm tired," y/n smiled innocently, disarming Wanda completely with the unintentional innuendo. "I'm excited to be able to do something useful with this... thing. Finally." Y/n's veins glowed a dim blue as she allowed the power to surge through, making her shudder a little.

Flustered, Wanda hoped her face didn't show how she was feeling. She pretended to check the hallway to distract herself. "Okay, I'll see you later. At the combat training room, not the gym," Wanda reminded y/n. "I'll be free after 5 pm later today."

"Alright, sounds good. See you after 5 pm then," y/n replied. They gave each other a small smile, y/n putting in her earphones as she turned to walk away. Wanda can hear her singing to herself slowly. She's so different compared to when we found her. Is this the real her?

Wanda caught herself staying a little longer, her eyes never leaving y/n's back until she entered her room 2 doors away. She wondered how someone she barely knew could begin to affect her this way. It was confusing, but Wanda admitted it wasn't a bad thing. Her interest was piqued. Whoever she is, I'd like to know her better. She went back into her room, completely forgetting about the snack she was supposed to get.