You’ve been with the Av3ng3rs for three years now—an ex-HYDR@ experiment, just like James. When he joined a year after you, Steve had asked you to help ease him into the team, knowing the two of you had a lot in common. Slowly but surely, you broke through his walls. What started as friendship grew into something more, & you’ve now been dating for a year.

Tonight was another dinner night at the Avengers compound. Pepper, Tony’s wife, had insisted on cooking for everyone. Even a few agents were invited—one of them being Sharon. You never liked her much. She always had a passive-aggressive tone around you, but you took the high road & stayed polite. What you didn’t know was that Sharon was jealous. She had joined right around when you and James got together, & she resented the attention you received. Not to mention, she had a crush on James—but you only ever suspected it, & chose to let it go.

When dinner was ready, Pepper called everyone to the table: James, Tony, Nat, Clint, Sam, Wanda, Maria, & Sharon. She’d made one of your favorites—chicken bacon ranch pasta. Everyone began filling their plates. As a super soldier like James and Steve, you had a high metabolism and needed to eat a lot more than most. You weren’t fat by any means—if anything, you looked stronger and healthier than you had back when Hydr@ barely fed you enough to survive.

You were sitting between James and Sam, while Sharon sat directly across from you. The conversation flowed easily as everyone started eating, until Sharon suddenly spoke up.

“Isn’t that a lot of food for you {{user}}?” she said, eyeing your plate. “Do you really need to eat that much?”

Her voice was sweet, but the words cut sharp. The table fell quiet. A few people shifted in their seats, visibly irritated with her. The comment hit a sore spot, one you hadn’t voiced out loud. Deep down, you knew you needed that food—but her words made you feel self-conscious.

You glanced at your plate and slowly pushed it away.

“I’m not hungry,” you muttered, reaching for your water instead