Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy!
Sushi
Wanda had never been one to complain about food. Growing up penniless, always wondering where your next meal was coming from tended to do that to a person. She had a very distinctive memory of Christmas back in Sokovia. Pietro had managed to swipe a loaf of stale bread from the local bakery, in the maddening holiday rush, and the two of them had regarded it as a feast, dining under a streetlamp and staring at Christmas trees through windows. Once the bread was devoured, he had pulled out a bar of chocolate that he had been keeping safe all month, and Wanda swore she was in heaven. She had sworn in that moment that no meal would ever taste sweeter.
That was, until she had lunch for the first time in the SHIELD Cafeteria. Her jaw had nearly dropped at the sight of all of the chocolate available, and she had nearly slapped an agent across the face for being wasteful enough to ask for the crust on his sandwich to be cut off. Needless to say, with the quality and sheer quantity of food provided for by the money of Tony Stark, the very same man who she had spent most of her life plotting revenge against, Wanda found very little to complain about.
But that didn't stop the others from voicing their displeasure. Or, to be specific, it didn't stop Rhodey and Sam. Vision didn't have complaints, simply because he didn't eat, so the subject of food didn't mean anything to him. Neither did Steve or Natasha, but both of them had worked for SHIELD for quite some time, and Wanda just assumed that they were used to the food.
"Tony's really going cheap on us with this cafeteria food." Rhodey grumbled through a turkey sandwich, "I bet he's off eating at some five star restaurant right now."
Wanda didn't pay him much attention, too focused on enjoying a plate of pasta with cream sauce. One of the first things she had learned since joining the Avengers was that Italian food was incredible. Actually, all food was incredible. It was just that Italian was even better than most of the things she had tried.
Sam nodded in agreement from his seat across from her, "Yeah, man. Can't they switch up the menu every now and then?"
"You know what we should do?" Rhodey said, apparently struck with an idea, "We should go out to dinner tonight. As a team."
"I like the way you think." Sam declared, nodding his head in assent.
"It would definitely be nice to eat somewhere else for a change." Natasha mused, before turning to Steve, "Got any food related things on that list of yours?"
Steve whipped out his notepad and flipped through a few pages, "The first ones on the list are Thai food and sushi."
"Well, that settles it," Natasha clapped her hands together, "After training tonight, we're going to get sushi together. Wanda, are you in?"
Wanda nodded immediately, She was certainly not going to say no to more food. Especially food that she had never tried before.
"Wanda," Natasha called out after Steve had ended training and told everyone to hit the showers, but not before making sure to remind everyone that they would be meeting at 7:00 to drive out to a sushi restaurant in New York together.
"Yes?" Wanda slowed her usually brisk pace to allow Natasha to catch up to her.
Natasha slung a towel over her shoulder, "So have you thought about what you're going to wear tonight?"
Wanda shrugged. Honestly, getting dressed was not a big part of her routine in general. As long as it was in a shade of red and kept her warm, it was usually good enough for her. She hadn't grown up wearing designer brands, so although her salary was enough to upgrade her wardrobe, it really had not been a big concern to her. She had more important things to be concerned with.
"Well, try to wear something nice. I'm not saying that you have to go out and dress like it's prom or anything, but we're going to a nice restaurant." Natasha insisted, to which Wanda nodded. It didn't seem like an unreasonable request at all, and she was sure that she could probably find something acceptable in the back of her closet.
"Besides," Natasha added with a teasing smile, "I'm sure a certain someone will appreciate it."
Although Natasha hadn't mentioned a specific name, as she looked at herself in the mirror, having decided on wearing a scarlet blouse that ran to her forearms, which was adorned with her usual bracelets and a black knee-length skirt, Wanda couldn't help but to let her thoughts wander to the possibility that the "certain someone," could be Steve. But almost as quickly as the idea came into her head, it was gone. As far as she knew, the man had no interest in her, and she wasn't quite sure where she stood with him.
Thinking of the way that he had spent "Movie Night" with her brought a pained smile to her face. While she had done her best to hide the pain she still felt from losing Pietro, she was glad to have shared it with Steve. He had been so kind to her from the start, and when she had broken down, he had wrapped her up in his arms and whispered soothing words into her ear. Out of respect for him, she hadn't probed too deeply into his mind, but she had certainly sensed the sympathy and sincerity behind his actions.
Frankly, she had just been glad to have someone who would listen to her without judging, no matter what she was to him. If he were going to be her friend, she would gladly welcome his friendship.
Now if he wanted to be more than that…
Wanda shook her head violently, shocked by the way her mind was running rampant with the possibility that Steve was interested in being anything other than her teammate. Not that she wouldn't welcome any advances from him. Actually, it was quite the contrary. His silky blond hair, chiseled features, and puppy dog eyes made him look like he belonged in Hollywood, not out fighting to defend the world. And that was before talking about his wonderfully sculpted physique. But more importantly, above all of the physical qualities that made him a woman's dream, she knew that Steve was a good man at heart.
"Wanda, we should probably get going!" A voice interrupted her thoughts, accompanied by a terse knock on her door.
"I'll be out in a minute!" Wanda replied, checking herself one last time in the mirror before she walked out to see Steve standing in her doorway, dressed in a blue button down and a dark brown leather jacket that paired nicely with his dark jeans.
"You, uh, look nice." Steve said quickly, eyes suddenly very interested in the ground. Worried that something about her appearance was off, she quickly scanned his mind, only to find the opposite was true, much to her relief.
"Thank you," She replied shyly, trying to hide the blush that had spread across her cheeks, "You look very nice as well."
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh, this is nothing. I just put on whatever Nat picked out for me."
Wanda smiled a bit at his deflection of her compliment. The man truly had no ego, unlike some of the other Avengers she had met. She didn't know what it was about men wearing suits of armor that made them into egomaniacs, but she was glad that Steve would never have to wear one. If even Captain America became like Stark and Rhodes, then all hope would truly be lost.
"So, should we get going?" Steve asked, looking at his watch, "We're running a few minutes behind everyone else."
Wanda nodded, "Of course."
Steve and Wanda walked out to the parking lot in a comfortable silence. Wanda had found that most people tended to talk too much, and often about themselves. Steve was quite the opposite. He tended to talk only when necessary, and always directed the conversation away from himself. It was refreshing.
He stopped at a large motorbike, with two helmets slung over the handlebars.
He picked up the larger helmet and held it under his arm, "Sorry, but I don't own a car, so we'll have to take the Harley."
"It's not a problem for me."
Steve looked relieved, before he reached over and handed her the smaller helmet. Subtly rejoicing in the fact that she decided against doing anything special to her hair, Wanda slipped on the helmet, feeling something warm envelop her body. She looked up at Steve, who had shed his jacket and slipped it over her shoulders.
"Steve, I'm fine." Wanda said, nonetheless appreciating the gesture.
He shook his head, blond hair now hidden underneath the jet black helmet he wore, "I really don't need it. Superhuman metabolism and all. I don't get cold."
Taking her hand in his and helping her onto her seat, Steve then moved it to his waist as he sat down as well.
"I'd hold on, just in case." He said, before revving the motor and sheathing the kickstand, as Wanda instinctively hugged him tightly to keep herself from falling off the bike.
She thought she heard him chuckle before he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Took you two long enough. And what's with your hair? You couldn't wait until after dinner to jump her?" Natasha teased as Wanda and Steve walked in, all of the other members already waiting inside.
"Nat!" Steve chided, while Wanda merely snickered a bit at the way that his cheeks flushed red and adjusted her hair with her fingers, trying to rein in a few stubborn strands.
"Isn't that your jacket, Cap?" Sam asked with a knowing smile on his face.
Realizing that she was still wearing Steve's jacket, Wanda quickly shed it and offered up to Steve, well aware of the thoughts running through the minds of the other Avengers, now that Sam's suspicions were confirmed.
Before anyone could say anything, however, their waitress came and offered to lead them to their seats. Wanda found herself sitting next to Natasha and Vision, while Steve took a seat across from her on the other side of the table, next to Sam and Rhodey.
"I do not understand my purpose here. My method of producing energy is quite different from yours and it does not involve the consumption of organic molecules." Vision stated, while the waitress went around handing out water, before pausing momentarily at the android.
"He's fine without it." Natasha informed the waitress, who looked relieved at having avoided an awkward situation.
"The first course should be out soon." The waitress informed the table, before rushing off, allowing the Avengers to delve into conversation while they waited for the food.
Wanda silently watched Sam and Steve launch into a discussion about a recent mission assignment that was supposed to take them to Hawaii to raid a suspected Hydra post. Admittedly, she hadn't taken the time to read the briefing yet, so she took advantage of the conversation to catch up on what she had missed.
"So Wanda, like what you see?" Natasha whispered into her ear, nearly causing Wanda to knock over her water in surprise.
"I-I-" She stammered out, while Natasha just smiled at her.
Thankfully, her embarrassment was cut short by the waitress, who, true to her word, had the first round of sushi out in record time.
Wanda stared at the two pieces of Tuna sushi with great apprehension. Sure, she was willing to try new things, but this just seemed…weird.
She looked up at Steve, who seemed to be going through the same debate in his own mind, as he poked at the fish with one of his chopsticks.
"Don't tell me that Captain America is scared of some raw fish." Rhodey laughed, snatching up his own piece of sushi and popping it into his mouth without any hesitation.
Seemingly heartened by that display, Steve shared a look with Wanda before he did the same.
Wanda tensed as Steve's eyes suddenly widened. It looked like something was going very wrong.
"It's good." He said with the surprise evident in his voice. Immediately, he reached down and secured his other piece with his chopsticks
"Wanda, you really should try this!" He exclaimed, offering it to her.
She hesitated for a moment, before deciding that, if it tasted good enough for Steve, it would be good enough for her. She opened her mouth, allowing him to put the sushi on her tongue. She closed her mouth and chewed.
Wanda closed her eyes allowed the flavor to wash over her mouth. It was definitely different from anything else she had eaten before. But it was definitely different in a good way.
"I like it." She concluded, opening her eyes to see that everyone at the table, even Vision, had been staring at her. Actually, that wasn't accurate. The stares alternated between her and Steve, who still had his chopsticks held out to her face.
"Smooth, Cap. Smooth." Sam chuckled, causing Steve to quickly retract his arm.
The rest of dinner passed without much incident, and Wanda actually found herself enjoying the company of the other Avengers. Sam and Rhodey were actually quite funny, although Wanda still found herself laughing harder at Natasha's snarky comments more than anything else. Vision's odd interjections and general unfamiliarity with humanity led to a round of quizzical looks and amusing attempts to explain concepts unfamiliar to the android. Steve played the part of mediator, never dominating the conversation, but still allowing his opinion to be known on certain matters.
To Wanda, it felt like being a part of a family. She wondered briefly how Pietro would have fit in with the others. Would he be sitting right beside her, cracking jokes with Sam and Rhodey? Maybe he'd be speaking with Vision, although she could definitely imagine Pietro getting frustrated quickly with the android and his lack of knowledge about humans and the society they lived in. She thought of how he would act around the Captain. Would he approve of her spending time with him? More likely than not, he'd probably tease her incessantly about it.
Wanda sighed. Why was it that, even when everyone was enjoying themselves, her thoughts always had to turn back to Pietro? Why was it so hard for her to accept that he was gone?
"Wanda." Steve asked, cutting her thoughts off with a worried look, "Is everything alright?"
She nodded, not wanting to interrupt Rhodey's story, "I was just thinking about Pietro."
Understanding washed over his features and Steve didn't say another word. He didn't need to. Instead, he reached out across the table and placed his hand on top of hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Unspoken gratitude was present in the small smile that spread across her lips, as she thought less of Pietro, and more of the man holding her hand.
Right then and there, Wanda decided that they definitely had to go out for sushi more often.
So, hope you guys liked the idea of the whole team going out for dinner. I definitely think of the Avengers as one big family that does stuff like family dinners.
I definitely have a good amount of ideas to go through before this is all over, and I left a hint for the next chapter, so I definitely know where to take this next, but I am always open to new ideas. Please if you guys have any suggestions on what else should be on Steve's list, let me know!
Thanks for reading!