Chapter Four - Casual Gathering
A couple of weeks passed almost in a daze. Eva could feel herself getting stronger. Her telepathy was getting slightly easier to control. Every once and awhile she would hear things that she knew she probably shouldn't have. Eva's phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her back pocket as she was sitting on the couch in the common area.
'Girl, where have you been? I miss you.' She read. Her brows furrowed and she pursed her lips. The text was from her best friend who she hadn't seen since she moved in. The redhead bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She was sure that she couldn't just say that she was at the Avengers facility chilling with all of these superheroes. and oh yeah, I have powers. That would probably be frowned upon. She sighed and typed out a response.
'Sorry, I've just been so busy lately that I can't hang out. I miss you too!' It was times like this that she missed her place in New York with all of her friends.
Right now, the Avengers were off on a mission and have been for three days.. This left Eva time to explore some and get more used to being in the facility. Today was not a day that she wanted to explore. She simply wanted to relax while the place was quiet. It was somewhere around one o'clock in the afternoon when she saw the quinjet start to land on the landing pad. Her phone buzzed once again.
'Well, you should come out with us sometime when you aren't too busy.'
'That sounds great. I'll let you know.' She typed back almost immediately. She knew that she'd have to make it up to Haley at some point, she just didn't know when that would be.
It was about at that time when she heard the elevator ding. She straightened her outfit, a loose tee shirt with red jeans, as she stood. Tony and Bruce exited first, bantering back and forth not paying her any mind. Then it was Clint, Wanda, and Natasha who walked over to her. "I'm so happy that you all are okay..." She paused. "Please tell me I can go on the next one. I hate only being able to worry." Eva casually kept an eye on the elevator. "What do you guys want to do tonight?" She asks.
"Well, Stark is having another one of his parties to celebrate the victory." Nat explained.
"That sounds like fun. And that's tonight? Why not have it tomorrow when you aren't so tired?" She inquired. Just then, Steve stepped off of the elevator. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him and then Pietro come off of the elevator. 'Eva. stop staring.' She heard Nat say in her head. Her attention shifted back to the group she was with.
"As I said, some of us slept on the quinjet so we're okay." Nat explained graciously. "Besides, the party is just for us this time since it's the middle of the week."
"Are you sure? Oh, sounds like fun. Wait, where's Thor?" Concern was evident in Eva's voice.
"Side mission." Steve supplied as he stepped up to the group. "He said that he couldn't give any details."
Everyone seemed to nod along in comprehension with Steve. "So, are these 'inner circle' gatherings a big deal?" Eva asked, unknowingly biting her lip.
"Not really. They're pretty relaxed most of the time. Just us getting together for drinks and finding ways to let off steam." Clint explained to his sister, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Eva eyed Clint for a moment. "Sounds nice, and well deserved. You guys work hard. Why not take a night to yourself and relax." She smiled genuinely as Clint's arm fell. "I should probably let you guys go and get ready." She pauses for a moment. "I'll see you all at the gathering later." Eva smiles and backs away, turning. She noticed Pietro reading on the sofa. He was about halfway through the Chamber of Secrets as far as she could tell. Before the silver-haired speedster could look up, Eva teleported into her room.
"What am I going to wear to this thing?" She thought instantly, walking over to her closet to try and pick out something suitable. Eva flipped through her closet a couple of times, getting more frustrated each time. It was then that Nat came in.
"Having trouble?" She asked, noting Eva's facial expression.
"Yes, please help." Eva pleaded.
Nat smirked and walked over to Eva's closet. "Since this isn't one of Tony's formal parties you won't have to worry about being too formal." She explained as she thumbed through the rack of clothes. "Would you be okay with a skirt or shorts?"
Eva thought for a moment before responding, "Either sounds fine." She smiled.
"That really didn't help at all, but okay.." She replied picking things off of their hangers. "We have some options." She said as she pulled out some clothes and sat them on Eva's neatly made bed.
Eva nodded as she took in the choices. "I really like the combinations. What about that one?" She offered up, stepping toward the clothes.
"Good choice. Steve would love that on you." She teases nonchalantly. "Or were you trying to impress Speedy?" She smiles and sits in the comfy chair in the corner of the room.
Eva diverted her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about..." She says, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm not trying to impress anyone right now."
"You're a bad liar, Eva. Did you know that?" Nat retorts.
"I think Clint told me once, but I'm not lying. I'm trying to take it slow and if something happens, great. I'm not going to get my hopes up for something that might not happen." Eva explained as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. It was a couple of minutes later when the door opened.
Eva was wearing a dress that ended above her knees with tights and a pair of boots and a light necklace. It was the kind of outfit that was perfect for the almost fall weather they were having. Eva didn't know how she did it, but she was thankful for Natasha's help. Eva smiled up at Nat as she got up out of the chair. "Perfect. Now if we go outside you will just need a scarf or to borrow a jacket of some sort." Eva heard Nat say. "Though, a jacket would be better." She added as Eva looked at herself in the mirror and fixed her makeup.
Eva nodded. "Thank you for helping me Nat." She says with a smile, holding her arms out for a quick hug.
Nat smiles in return and returns the hug. "You're welcome sweetie." She replies before breaking away. "Ready to go?"
"About as ready as I'll ever be." Eva sighs with a light smile.
"It's really nothing to worry about." Nat replies, squeezing Eva's arm for a moment.
Eva took one final cleansing breath before opening the door and walking with Nat into the living area. Everyone looked nice, but also comfortable at the same time. There were all kinds of food on the coffee table. in open containers. It really was a relaxed area. 'So I could have just changed my top and been fine.' She thought to herself.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Eva asks as she takes an empty seat on one of the sofas. There was a jumble of responses to the point of her getting the consensus of nothing much. Eva crossed her legs just trying to relax. That was when Pietro appeared in a blur next to her on the couch. "Hey." Eva said with a smile, turning more towards him.
"Eva. You look very nice tonight." He complimented with a smile.
"Thank you. You look very nice yourself." She replied as heat rose to her cheeks. "So, um.. How are you liking Harry Potter? You're on the second one, right?"
Pietro smiled and nodded. "I am. The Chamber of Secrets has been very good so far. They just went down into the tunnels when I had to stop."
"Oh, so you're almost done with it." Eva smiled.
"I am. I'm excited to see what happens." He smiles back, his blue eyes almost sparkling.
"I don't think you'll be disappointed. Let me know when you've finished and then maybe we could talk about it and I could lend you the third one." Eva replied, putting her hand on top of Pietro's on his leg.
Pietro looked down for a moment before continuing their conversation.
Across the room, Natasha and Wanda were talking. "Your brother looks quite smitten with her." Natasha observed, taking a bite of her food.
Wanda looked over to the pair on the couch who looked like they were in deep conversation. Pietro certainly looked happy, and he wasn't bouncing all over the place, which was really something for him. "He does, and she with him. They could be cute together." Wanda says nonchalantly.
"They could be." Natasha said. "It could be too early to tell though. It seems like they might have some chemistry..." She trailed off, taking another bite of food.
Steve couldn't help but overhear their conversation as he was conversing with Bruce. His expression was stoic as he listened to Bruce explaining something. He nodded with what the other avenger was saying before asking to be excused to get a drink just as Tony walked up to them. The blond super-soldier walked up to the bar and grabbed himself a beer and popped it open easily. He sat on one of the stools and pulled out his phone.
"No offense, but I'm pretty sure that we proved that I'm faster. All I have to do is picture a place that I want to go and then poof I'm there." Eva said with a light giggle.
"I still think we need a rematch." Pietro smiled.
"Fine, name the place."
"Maybe somewhere more private." He suggested with a playful smirk. 'If you know what I mean..'
"Try again, speedy." She said, putting her hands in her lap. "And while you're thinking. I think I'll grab a drink. Be right back. Can't wait to hear where you come up with." Eva smiles once more and rises from her seat and makes her way to the bar.
Eva walks behind the bar to grab a hard cider before sitting properly next to Steve, who was still looking down at his phone. She smiled and took a sip of her cider before speaking and turning to face the super soldier. "Anything you need help with?" She asks, gesturing to the phone when Steve looks up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just assume that you needed help.. You just looked like you were pretty focused on the screen.." She babbled, trying to explain herself, not that she had to.
Steve lowered the phone and turned off the screen as he put it in his pocket. "There's no need to apologize Eva. It's usually a pretty good bet that i'm having difficulties with the new technology. It's fine, really." He smiled and took a sip of his beer.
"Well, I didn't want to offend you." She says as she crosses her legs.
"You didn't offend me." He said truthfully.
Eva nodded and there was a brief pause. "So, I heard a rumor that you keep a list of things to catch up on."
"I do." Steve said simply.
"Maybe I could help you work your way through it. If you wouldn't mind my company." Eva just so happened to glance over at Nat, who smiled at her. She mentally shrugged it off and returned to conversation with Steve. Eva's face fell slightly as she was about to cut off what he was saying. "I'm not trying to be rude, but I'll be right back." and then she was gone and Steve noticed that Pietro had dashed out of the room.
Steve's brows furrowed. Eva was a sweet girl and he could definitely see how she and Clint were siblings. They had some of the same humor. The blond took a swig of his beer as he looked around the room. Just as he looked back to where the redhead had disappeared from, she popped back into his view with a smile. He eyed her with a skeptical smile as if to say, 'What was that about.'
"Sorry for disappearing like that. Pietro challenged me to see who would get to the end of the driveway faster." She paused. "It was me." She chuckled lightly pushing her hair away from her face.
Steve chuckled along with her. "I kind of figured you would be. You can be anywhere in the blink of an eye."
Eva nodded and took a sip of her drink. "Anywhere I've been or seen before." She tried to amend politely.
"That makes sense." He says, before his phone vibrates in his pocket. "Sorry, this could be important." He says, excusing himself.
Eva smiles and nods, "It's okay. I understand." She says, standing up with him. The redhead looked after him as he left the room, her eyes trailing down momentarily before snapping back up. She sits back down at the bar and sips on her drink. She then leans down to grab her phone out of her boot and proceeded to mess with it. 'It's probably against the rules for avengers to date each other.' She thought to herself. She didn't know if that would be a problem just yet. It was still too soon.
Eva sighed and got up, making her way to the loveseat that Natasha was sitting on. "Enjoying yourself?" Natasha asks discreetly.
"I am. The party is more relaxed than I thought it would be. This is really more of a casual get together." Eva said, sipping on her drink.
Natasha nodded. "So, you and Steve seem to be getting along.." She says nonchalantly.
A hint of realization hit. "Yeah, Steve's a pretty cool guy." Eva shrugged and smiled.
And then, everyone's phones and the alarm went off.