[ 1941 ]

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"Miss Dewitt?"

(Y/N) removed her eyes from the newspaper she was glued on, the headline being more news about the war. She was sat with her legs properly crossed as she waited in a secluded office. After calling the telephone number on the letter, an appointment was made, and she was told to come to this address discreetly. Nobody else was in the waiting room, which made (Y/N) guess it was because they were strict in who they chose for this particular project.

(Y/N) stood up from her chair and left the newspaper behind. She looked toward the sound of the voice that had called her name and was received by the strict glare of a man. He was in a military uniform with different insignias plastered on the chest. He was much older than her, his eyes glistening with experience. It took all the strength in her body not to cower from his gaze.

"Sir," (Y/N) nodded her head, not knowing how else to great the man.

"Call me Colonel Philips," the elder man addressed, he held his hand for a firm handshake before returning it back to its original position. "I understand that you want to join our division."

"Yes, Colonel," she responded, not knowing where her timid persona was coming from. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was about to be accepted in a new job, or the fact that she was talking to a literal colonel at the moment.

"You have to understand that this is a confidential job," Colonel Philips informed, his raspy voice echoing through the waiting room.

"I do understand."

"You'll have to train before you are permitted to be out in the field," he continued, and (Y/N) couldn't help but let her eyes trail over to all his insignias and medals. She wanted to earn a title like that one day. "Your training starts tomorrow at 0700 hours."

"Yes, sir," (Y/N) nodded, feeling a knot tying in her stomach due to the nerves.

"The information is detailed in this file," Colonel Philips handed her a brown file with a couple documents inside.

Suddenly, the door where he came from was opened once again, this time revealing a different silhouette. From (Y/N)'s line of sight, the figure had a feminine posture, and he'd theory was confirmed when she spotted the outline of a pencil skirt and recognized the should of clicking heels. Colonel Philips wasn't startled by the other presence, per se, instead, he patiently waited until she joined his side to speak again.

"This is Agent Margaret Carter, you'll be working alongside one another," he explained firmly. His eyes checked the clock glued on the wall. "Excuse me, I have to leave."

Once Colonel Philips left the room, Margaret made her way to (Y/N), her heels clicking against the hard floor. (Y/N) would've guessed that the woman might be intimidating due to her perfect posture and firm expression, but all those thoughts were brushed off when the brunette flashed a red lipstick smile.

"It is refreshing to see another woman here," was the first thing she told her, and an accent flowed through her voice. It totally caught (Y/N) off guard. She held her hand out for a handshake. "You can call me Peggy."

(Y/N) couldn't stop herself from blurting out her first thought. "You're British?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all," she shook her head. "Just a bit unexpected. Love the accent by the way."

"Strangely, this is the first time that comment has not been creepy," Peggy confessed, her brunette curls bouncing up and down due to her head tilt.

A short chuckle left (Y/N)'s lips at that, relating to it. Compliments from men always came as a backhanded insult, or sometimes it included a hint of objectification under it. On rare occasion, it was refreshing to hear a nice share of words that didn't make your skin crawl underneath your fingertips.

Peggy cleared her throat before continuing her next sentence. "I'll have to warn you now, who we encounter next might be. . .odd."

"Odd in what sense?" (Y/N) frowned at the younger woman, deeply curious now.

All of her questions were answered when another man walked into the room, this one being much younger than Colonel Philips. He seemed approximately the same age as (Y/N), though he radiated a sort of confidence that aged him up. He was wearing a tailored suit, and his groomed attire was accompanied by his slicked hair and trimmed mustache. Even if she was standing away from him, (Y/N) could already determine he smelled of strong cologne.

"Hey, there is my lovely Peggy," was the first thing he said, opening his arms dramatically.

Peggy's expression was deadpanned, as if she was already used to his greeting. (Y/N) could only connect the dots in her head. "Oh."

"Howard," Peggy said in an exasperated tone, accepting the hug that was inevitably waiting for her. She did not comment on his approach either, as if she wasn't that bothered by it. "Nice of you to join us."

"And who is this fine beauty?"

Howard's eyes trailed over to (Y/N), inspecting her up and down. She felt self-conscious over the way he looked at her, with an intense gaze that was trying to determine her every move. Peggy cleared her throat to catch her acquaintance's attention.

"Howard," This time, Peggy's tone was stricter, to remind him of his professionalism. "This is (Y/N) Dewitt. (Y/N), this is Howard Stark."

"Pleasure to meet you, darling," Howard extended his hand to grab hers. When she took it, he placed a welcoming kiss on her palm.

(Y/N) was good in hiding her shock from both his greeting and his identity. The newspapers and television sure did a good job to tell who was Howard Stark. He was exceptionally smart, and some thought that his inventions might find a revolutionary way to end the war. If only his intelligence also worked when he had women present ( that was Peggy's comment ), it was almost a curse.

"I might kick you if necessary, Stark," (Y/N) did her best to remove her hand from his grasp without it being too harsh.

"Ooh, she's feisty like you, Peg," Howard grinned eagerly. He winked at the woman. "I already like her."

A sharp stare from Peggy made him lower down his playful demeanor. Instead, he leaned forward and raised an eyebrow in question. "You're joining the SSR?"

"Correct," (Y/'N) replied, being able to notice how his tone wasn't mocking or degrading. It was the first time she's heard it from someone else that weren't her closest friends.

"Oh, that means I'll be able to see you around. How lucky of me," he winked again, this time directed at her.

Peggy placed a hand on Howard's shoulder to stop his antics. "All right, that is enough."

She did her best to redirect his body toward the door where he came from, but Howard fought back as his eyes didn't leave (Y/N)'s figure. Even though there was a hint of annoyance in Peggy's eyes, it didn't seem to quite irritate her; mostly it was entertaining her.

Once Peggy managed to push Howard toward the door successfully, her brown locks jumped up and down as she turned around to look at (Y/N) one last time. What she noticed was the curiosity filled look in her eye, intrigued to know more about her new job and the people in it.

"I recommend you go home and rest, Dewitt," Peggy told her with her remarkable accent. "You'll have a hard day tomorrow."

short and confusing chapter but it was necessary so she could meet the characters and establish her dynamics with them.

there is going to be a short time jump so we can finally move onto the events of 'the first avenger' so please bare with me on this.

-see you soon, bex