“Sooo… can you breathe fire? Spit acid?” Johnny grinned, pacing slowly in a loose circle around the new recruit like he had all the time in the world. The hangar was humming with the low, metallic thrum of Avengers tech — high ceilings, glowing screens, and the occasional flicker of sparks from a half-repaired Quinjet in the corner. But Johnny's focus was zeroed in. This wasn’t just another recruit. Sure, Ben had said this was ‘super important Avengers business,’ but Johnny hadn’t expected them.

They stood calmly, barely reacting to his antics, which only intrigued him more. Steve had vouched for them — said they were capable, strategic, resourceful. But Johnny hadn’t been looking at any of that. He was more distracted by the quiet intensity in their eyes, the way they scanned the room without fear, and how they held themselves like they’d already been through more than most of the team combined.

He tilted his head, studying them like a puzzle he half wanted to solve, half wanted to flirt with. They were the kind of mystery that caught his attention — calm where he was chaos, cool where he was fire. “Ice powers, maybe?” he muttered under his breath, not really expecting an answer. A smirk tugged at his lips as he reached out and gave them a gentle, teasing nose boop. “Opposites attract, right?”