I liked writing this chapter. I feel like it really explores the dynamics of the group. There was also some humorous bits I threw in there. Let me know if you guys find that funny, and I'm going to try to put more in future chapters. I guess the plot itself of this chapter felt a little boring, but it felt necessary for incorporating Wanda into the group. What do you think?
-Chapter 4-
School on Friday went pretty quickly. Hela hadn't bugged them at all since yesterday, and there were thankfully no more tardiness incidents. Overall, it seemed everyone in their group had had a good day. Tony came to lunch boasting about how Jessica Jones had agreed to go out with him, and Bruce was excited about the science fair. He started explaining the thing-a-majig he was going to make, but nobody really understood what he was talking about besides Tony. The two got into a heated debate about hydroelectricity while Darcy mocked their facial expressions.
Wanda pulled out her phone and texted Pietro, Good luck at tryouts! Getting my stuff then heading to Jane's 4 the night. :)
Pietro: Thanks. Have fun :)
She didn't have a sleeping bag, but picked up her blanket and pillow and stuffed them in a bag with a change of clothes. She then trekked back through her neighborhood. She was still unsure about walking around by herself - she always got catcalls and she was nearly positive at least one of the houses was a meth lab.
Thankfully, Jane's place was in a much better part of town, closer to the school. She looked at the address on her phone and walked up to a big house. She knocked on the door, and Pepper answered. "I'm so glad you're here!" she engulfed her in a hug, which she returned, even though she'd seen the other girl a mere hour ago.
Jane caught sight of her and smiled. It looked like half of the group was here, and Natasha was popping the popcorn.
Darcy grabbed her coat from the hook and turned to Wanda. "Put your stuff down and then make a run to Dollar Tree with me."
"Bucky, go with them. Darcy always picks out weird stuff and I don't know Wanda's candy tastes yet." Jane commanded.
Bucky saluted, with a "Yes, ma'am."
As they were leaving, Darcy shouted, "Circus Peanuts are food of the gods!"
"Circus Peanuts are disgusting!" Jane hollered from the kitchen. "And get some sodas while you're there!"
Wanda stuffed her hands in her pockets. It was only late September, but the weather had gotten chilly already. It looked like it was about to rain, actually. She prayed it wouldn't while they walked the few blocks to the shopping center.
Shockingly, she'd never actually been in a dollar tree. Her mother would have a heart attack if she saw her in one. Mrs. Maximoff liked nice things, and Dollar Tree was a little below her. Times were different, though, now. She walked into the store with low expectations, because what could possibly only cost a dollar? A king-size Hershey bar at the gas station was more than that.
Her expectations were shattered. It was magnificent! There were household decorations, food, candy, toys, drinks, kitchen supplies, everything you could imagine. Even beauty products. She looked around in awe.
"What, you never been in here before?" Darcy asked, and Bucky was giving her a curious look.
"No, actually." she admitted. "Everything's only $1?"
They nodded.
She fingered the five dollars she had in her pocket for an emergency. Pietro would be ecstatic if she brought home some simple things to make so he didn't have to run to Taco Bell every night. Plus she was getting a little sick of bean burritos.
They made their way to the candy aisle, and Bucky pursed his lips as Darcy immediately threw a bag of Circus Peanuts into the basket. "What? It's not like that's all we're getting." she rolled her eyes.
Bucky grabbed Reeses, M&Ms, Milk Duds, Hershey's Kisses, and Twizzlers in the basket. Wanda chose carefully, not wanting to pick something gross for the group. She picked out a pack of Charleston Chews, Sweet Tarts Chews, Sour Patch Kids, and Hi-Chews.
They got three gallon jugs of soda, orange Crash, Bug's Rootbeer, and some carbonated grape thing Darcy assured them was good. They took that recommendation with a grain of salt. Of course there were only knock-off ersatz brands of the drinks, but they were close enough.
"Are we good?" Wanda asked.
"It's hard to be good without black licorice, but Jane will be happy." Darcy nodded.
They walked to the checkout and Darcy handed the cashier the twenty Jane had given her.
She smoothed out the five in her pocket, and asked, "Is it alright if I actually get some stuff for our new house?" It wasn't entirely a lie. She just skipped the part where she needed to shop here because they were broke.
"Sure," Bucky said as Darcy gave her a strange look.
She left them for a minute, finding a pack of paper plates, and two cans of refried beans that would be easy. She also grabbed some crackers, and left the last dollar for tax.
She drummed her fingers on the counter as the cashier bagged her stuff, and she joined her friends at the door.
"Got everything you need?" Bucky asked.
"Yes," she lied.
They sprinted back to Jane's when the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle. "Don't shake the soda!" Darcy yelled at Bucky as they ran.
They took off their wet jackets and shoes when they got inside, and everyone had arrived.
"You guys missed the movie voting." Clint said as they sat on the floor.
"What are we watching?" Darcy asked.
Jane flicked the TV on. "First we're watching White Chicks."
Apparently they had a group movie night tradition, where they always watched one comedy/action movie, one chick-flick, and last a horror movie.
Sodas were poured and candy passed around. By the time they were halfway through Dolphin Tale, they were out of soda and running low on candy. Except Circus Peanuts. They had a surplus of those as only Darcy was eating them.
Wanda found it hilarious that the guys were the ones getting most emotional at the chick-flick, but Pepper gave her a look like it was a normal occurance to see Steve blowing his nose over a dolphin's prosthetic.
It was midnight when the horror movie ended, and while Pepper and Bruce looked exhausted, for Thor, Nat, and Tony the party was just starting. The rest were in limbo between the two extremes.
"Let's play truth or dare." Clint suggested.
The others agreed, and they sat in a lopsided circle, with Sam, Steve, Jane, and Pepper on the couch and the rest on the floor.
"Nothing too loud." Jane warned. "My mom's asleep upstairs."
Tony volunteered to go first. "Jane. Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
He was obviously skilled at this game, not even needing time to think about the dare. "Let Clint style your hair and wear it that way for the rest of the game."
Jane groaned, but moved to sit in front of Clint, who was rubbing his hands together devilishly.
As he started and the girls passed him hair-ties, Jane said, "Bucky, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"Do the worm."
He rolled his eyes, and moved to the center of the circle. Then he proceeded to do something that somewhat resembled the worm, but with more faceplants and seizures. The entire room was in tears by the time he was done, and he looked to be in a bit of pain. "Every time," Wanda thought she heard him mutter, which made it even more hilarious.
Amidst the laughter, he said, "Steve, truth or dare?"
Steve, never one to back down from a dare, replied, "Dare."
"Take a measuring cup and ask the neighbors for a cup of sugar."
Steve pouted, not wanting to wake up poor neighbors at this hour.
"Do it!" Clint encouraged, holding a bobby pin in his mouth.
Steve sighed, grabbing a measuring cup from the kitchen and heading out the door.
They waited ten minutes for him to return, and Sam joked, "He's probably helping an old lady or something." When he did come back he was looking really guilty but holding back a laugh.
"I had to go to three houses before someone would answer but…" He put the measuring cup in the center, for everyone to see that it was full of sugar.
Thor gave a big, booming laugh, and Jane was trying not to cackle herself. "It was poor old Mrs. Heifer wasn't it?"
Steve nodded, and Jane broke out laughing. "I can't believe we just woke her up! You guys should be ashamed!"
Steve sobered up and asked, "Tony, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
"Let Pepper paint your nails."
He groaned, and Pepper laughed. "Yes!" she shouted. Jane directed her to the nail polish in her bathroom, and she picked a bright purple color that made Tony want to gag. Still, he held his hands out to her and she got to work.
"I'm taking this off before school tomorrow. Thor, truth or dare?" he then turned back to Pepper, "Still, you better do a good job."
"Truth," Thor was the first to choose this.
Tony actually had to think for this one. "How did you and Loki not figure out one of you was adopted if you're practically the same age?"
Thor nodded, "We are ten months apart, so it is very possible for us to be brothers by blood."
Wanda hummed. She'd been wondering that for a while.
"Wanda, truth or dare?" he asked her, and she flipped a mental coin in her head really quickly, before saying "Truth."
"Why do you have Dollar Tree refried beans in your bag?"
She froze. He was probably expecting something like "For a prank." or other, so she couldn't blame him. However, there wasn't a good answer to this without giving up her home situation, and for some reason she did not want them knowing about her alcoholic father or broken home. "Money's kinda tight right now." she shrugged.
The room went quiet.
"I'm sure your dad appreciates your help." Jane put a hand on her shoulder.
She restrained herself from snorting. He didn't give a damn. Whether she helped or not she would always be a burden in his eyes. Still, she nodded.
"I could've given you a couple bucks." Bucky offered.
"Thanks, but I don't want to take anything from you guys. I'm hoping my dad will land back on his feet soon." That part was the truth. If he could put down the beer for five minutes and actually go to work, their lives could improve.
They nodded understandably. "Still, if you ever need any help, we'd be there." Bruce, ever the quiet kid, spoke up. She smiled at them all as some of the others nodded. She promised herself she'd never take them up on the offer, but it was touching nonetheless.
"Sam, truth or dare?" The game continued, with most people choosing dare. Truth was almost unnecessary because of how well the group knew each other. In that way she felt like an outsider, but they treated her as if she'd always been there. It meant more than she could put into words - she'd been so worried of forever being the new kid, but she never felt like that with them. Jane especially was insanely welcoming and friendly, and the others just kind of rolled with it when she brought her into the group.
It was one in the morning and they were now fitted into Jane's living room like a human jigsaw, bathed in darkness. The group had quieted down, and it looked like Pepper was sleeping already. Bruce and Steve looked close to it. They had gone from humorous banter to long, philosophical conversations.
"I miss Loki." Thor slipped out.
"If he got off his high, brooding horse he could come back." Darcy said. "He was our friend; he just pushed us away."
Jane bit her lip before saying, "I feel like we should've done more to make him stay."
"Like what?" Clint asked. "I know he was hurt, but he was an ass to us. What could we have done?"
Jane 'hmm'ed, and then the room was silent.
Wanda wondered what Loki had been like before the adoption revelation, but she doubted she'd ever get a chance to know. But it didn't matter; the friends she had now were all she needed.
Leave a review, please! If you have suggestions or anything you want to see happen, let me know and I'll try to work it in. It might not happen right away because I write several chapters ahead to give myself a cushion just in case I suffer from writer's block (so far it's working pretty well). Also, does anyone have any ideas for throwing Stephen Strange in this? It won't happen for a while, but I feel like putting him in here.