Chapter Seven

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! CLAP!

"Turn it down!" everyone shouted at Tony when he pressed play on JARVIS's sound system.

"Sorry," he mimed. "Are you doing steaks?"

"Yes, and I know to make sure it is medium rare," Pepper answered. "Anyone else want steak?"

"I'll have one as well. Medium please," Steve answered.

"I've had enough beef for today thank you," Wanda answered, "I'll just stick to the chicken."

"Thor are you sure you can eat?"

"I would not mind having small amounts of everything," he answered. Bruce gave him a look surprise considering that only three hours ago that Thor had his head in a bin.

"Trust me, this is when he is not hungry," Jane whispered into Bruce's ear.

"If this is him when he is not hungry, I will be frightened when he is starved of all food," he whispered back. "I'll have some chicken as well."

"I'll have the lamb kebab skewers please," Jane said.

"Pietro, would you like anything?" asked Pepper.

"I… I might have what Jane is having."

"Okay, food will be done soon. Just give me some space to do it."

"I'm going to grab some drinks from the bar and the kitchen," Wanda said getting up out of her deck chair.

"I'll come and help," Steve declared moving to help.

"Make sure it is not my good stuff," Tony called.

"What is his good stuff?" asked Wanda.

"The ten year old malt whiskeys, the scotches, vodkas. Basically anything that has a fancy label on."

"Well, I was going to grab some sodas, beer and wine. That sounded more like something that people would drink at barbecues."

"I've only ever been to one. Fourth of July party. Semi-birthday party for me as well."

"Have you been working out more in your spare time? You seem to be getting bigger. You know by muscle definition."

"A little bit. I need to keep myself occupied out of missions."

"Maybe I could join you at the gym sometime. I could do with something to do other than babysitting my brother and job hunting. I hate job hunting."

"It sounds boring."

"It is. I sort of wish S.H.I.E.L.D would hire me in something like admin. I think I can work a photocopier."

"Well, finding a job in America is not easy. I think Fury just wanted to keep an eye on me."

"He only has one eye."

"I meant… Well, I don't really know what I meant." Wanda smiled and Steve felt his heart skip a beat. "You should smile a little more. It suits you."

"Well, I never had much to smile about since I was small."

"You have friends and your brother now so now you have a good reason to smile."

Wanda turned her head to look outside only to see Tony talking to Pietro. Wanda murmured, "O Doamme."

The pair moved outside, only to discover that the conversation was not as it appeared through the window.

"Look, I know you and I have not exactly been the best of terms," Tony began, "however, I did not mean to hit you on the nose on purpose."

"I know. If you had done it on purpose you would have hit me more sharply and sooner," Pietro responded.

"Exactly. So for your sister's sake, can we be civil?"

"Why not friends?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah I would not push it," Pepper and Wanda said simultaneously.

"Progress is slow," Thor added.

"Yes, we can be civil." Pietro and Tony shook hands.

"Great now that is sorted, can we eat?" asked Jane.

"Oh damn it, I was supposed to be watching the meat."

"I thought you were supposed to be getting drinks," Tony told Wanda and Steve.

"We were…" Wanda said turning until she saw the bottle of beer, the soda and the wine. "How-"

"I got JARVIS to send some from the drinks room."

"You were going to send us on a wild goose chase for drinks?" asked Steve.

"Yeah, I needed some amusement after sitting in a car for five hours in total today."

"Really?"

"I have a feeling you are going to hurt me so I think we should stop this conversation."

"Good idea," Wanda said grabbing some soda off the table.

Oh, I beg you, can I follow? Oh, I ask you, Why not always?

"Oh I love this song," Jane said pulling Thor up to dance.

"Do you want to dance?" Steve asked Wanda.

"I cannot say if I am any good," she answered. Steve nodded his head at Thor who was more or less doing a wild shuffle. "Okay fair point. Yeah, dancing sounds nice."

The End

So as the Holiday season is approaching, I have three holiday themed stories for Halloween, Thanksgiving and, of course, Christmas. The Halloween story should be up in Mid- to late-October.