Taste of Apples
Summary:
My name is Lexi Roux. I am twenty-years-old and because I am just that awesome, I just recently graduated from Universite Paris Sorbonne, in Paris, France. I never expected my life to change so drastically after the death of my parents. I never really expected to have to put my life on hold, my Tante Maria telling me that my parents had been agents for some S.H.I.E.L.D. agency.
I guess Tante Maria never explained to these...Avengers, that I have what people call Synethesia. Every voice carries a taste. Every touch carries a sound.
Now, if I could just get the taste of apples out of my mouth and ignore the soft whispers against my skin.
Author's Note:
Lexi Roux is of my own creation. She is twenty years old and incredibly talented in Fine Arts. She also suffers from what is called Synethesia, which is where the brain confuses some of the sensory triggers. Voices cause her to taste flavors, music causes her to see metallic-shaded colors (compare it to the visualizers for ITunes or Media Players) and anything she touches she hears sounds. This doesn't effect her normal senses; sight, hearing or smell, it might sound confusing, but it won't seem so odd when you read on. She has been living in France for many years, so she uses some French terms, but did grow up in America so her first language is English.
Because I absolutely adore Tony Stark (there are so many different sides to Tony that makes him so...delicious), this will be a Tony/OC story.
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Avengers, or anything in relation to Marvel. The plot and Lexi are completely my own.
Enjoy!
Chapter Ten
This is Halloween
Whoever came up with the idea to take an idea, place every possible decision into a hat and have individual people pick their 'decision' without looking should be maimed. Horribly maimed. So maimed they make the maimed look tame. Dear Lord, I've confused even myself. When Tony said he was hosting a fund-raising Halloween party, and invited every conceivable person with substantial amount of money, the team (myself included) were quick to come up with things that just happened to be important. After days of pleading, pouts, heavy debates and blackmail (Come on, do you really think Natasha would succumb to this idea any other way), we each pulled a costume idea from a hat and were sent on our way.
Again. Whoever came up with that idea should be tortured. So tortured that it makes the Devil himself look like a saint.
So, here I stand, staring at my reflection with wide eyes. My hair, free from its usual sporadic mess of braids, thin ponytails and loops, brushed over my shoulders in gentle waves. My make-up, lighter than usual, makes me feel completely out of place. Seeing the amount of skin revealed in this outfit makes me want to hurt someone. With bare shoulders and a low-dipping neckline, the tight-fitting bodice of the single, black leotard makes my nerves stand on end. Thankfully, my legs are able to be covered by skin-toned stockings, though the silver, strapped stiletto heels cause me to stand straighter and exceeding my petite stature by a total of five inches.
"Hey, Lexi, are you read-" Tasting wild strawberries, I glance up to see Natasha staring at me, eyes slightly wide, "Tell me that is not your costume?"
Shifting nervously, I look over the beautiful (but short) kimono, blue and green floral print decorating the black silk. Her deep red hair is pulled back tightly, a jade-green ornamented comb tucked against the side of her head. Her round face is painted a soft white, cherry red lips and embellished edging along her eyelids, she looks quite beautiful. As though she is a concubine, or geisha. Beauty and poise.
"Y-yeah. I-I can't go out like this!" I squeak, turning my gaze back to my reflection.
Natasha heaves a gentle sigh before approaching, "Relax, Lexi. Think of this as a way to move past those insecurities you carry. Tonight...it is about being someone you aren't. You can be anything. You can do anything. So," Natasha's soft, supple voice trails off as she plucks the item clenched in my hand, and I watch in the mirror as she places the silver headband in my hair, "Live a little."
With Natasha, I follow slowly and nervously as we make our way to the floor level Tony decided to use for this party. Decorations in black, orange, purple and silver color the expanse of the room. Tastefully, every decoration carries a small fright-factor, and some even seemed to be stereotypical decorations. Various costumed-guests fills the room, as Jarvis seemed to pump a wide variety of music genres into the air. Caterers move around the people, Halloween-inspired finger foods and flutes of champagne filling trays balanced on well-practiced hands.
"Lexi!?" Heat immediately floods my cheeks at the sight of Clint's face staring at me, dark blue eyes wide with shock.
I can't help the giggle that leaves my lips at the sight of Clint's face painted as 'The Spaceman' from KISS. Decked out in black leather and metallic accessories, he even put on a black wig.
"Lady Lexi! I was not aware of there being any humanoid animals in this realm," Thor's hot-cocoa voice cuts in before Clint could say another word.
I don't even bother trying to fight the laughter at the sight of Thor's blue eyes staring back at me from behind rose-tinted glasses. A hemp headband wrapped around the circumference of his head, and his hair falls flat along the sides of his face. Brown bell-bottoms and a loose-fitting, forest green tunic-styled top completed the entire outfit.
"I bet Stark set this up on purpose," Clint hisses out in an annoyed whisper.
Quirking an eyebrow, I follow Clint as he points off in some direction. My gaze first lands on the mass of muscle draped in a white, long-sleeved t-shirt, the neckline of the shirt lower than the Captain is comfortable with. A bright red sash wraps around his hips, settling over the waistband of sleek, black willowy pants. Black, soft-leather boots and a cape complete the outfit (the cape black on the outside, red on the inside).
Standing next to Steve, Bruce's outfit causes me to giggle behind my fingers. His entire outfit is a dark red, the pants and short-sleeved shirt seemingly of the same material. A bright orange sash wrapped around his waist, across his chest and seemed pinned along his shoulder. If he had gone the extra mile and had worn a bald-cap, the outfit would have come together completely.
Shaking my head, I glance at the third member of the conversing trio, and a deep blush burns along my cheeks in a hot flood. A black-accented red robe, made of soft velvet drapes over Tony's torso. Pure black pajama-styled pants, made most likely of a silky fabric, hangs on his hips. He even went so far as to carry around a signature pipe.
"See!" Clint points out.
Clint's hissed shout must have carried, because not a second later, amber eyes glance up from the conversation and a spark of surprise flickers through them. Blushing as I watch those eyes travel down the length of my body at an eerily slow pace, I shift nervously before those eyes snap back up to my face. Tony's sudden silence causes the other two to look over and I can feel the blush on my cheeks travel to the tips of my ears and down the length of my throat.
"Lexi!" Steve greets, his own cheeks tinging pink at my revealing outfit. "Y-You-"
"-are the most alluring Playboy Bunny I've seen," Tony's voice cuts through, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek in hope that my blush does not start to travel further down my body. "Who would have thought?"
"C-Clint thinks you set this up," I stutter, cursing my nervous tension.
"Now, how could I do that? We all pulled names from a hat," Tony points out needlessly, a small grin on his face.
Before I can respond, Natasha is carefully grabbing me by the elbow and leading me away from the guys. In the past week, since I revealed to her my condition, I find myself growing attached to Natasha. Almost in the same familial fashion as Clint. She still watches me more than she talks to me, but it doesn't bother me. In fact, I kind of enjoy the occasional bout of comforting silence.
As the night progresses, I managed to dance with Clint, Thor and even Bruce. Steve insisted that it felt awkward even looking at me in my state of dress, so dancing with the Cap'n was not an option. Relaxing in one of the numerous chairs, I watch in awe as Clint twirls Natasha around on the dance floor. They both move, so fluent and so beautiful, with each step matching up perfectly. The two obvious carry an underlying tension, something unresolved between them. The opening for a budding romance, quite obvious to everyone, but something holds them back. I can tell, from the adoration in Clint's eyes and the softened features of Natasha's painted face.
"Happy Halloween, Bright-Eyes."
The taste of apples causes me to look away from the dancing pair, "Bonsoir, Tony. Happy Halloween. This party has been quite a turn out."
"Yes. There's nothing like taking the money of pompous, arrogant fools and giving it all to charity," Tony quips, grinning over at me.
Despite my lack of dress, I relax, a small giggle leaving my lips, "Yes. Yes it seems to be doing well in that case," Standing from my chair, I flash him a small grin, "I am going to step out onto the terrace. It's very...stuffy in here."
Stuffy my ass. The many foreign flavors and changes in music genres are messing with my head. Stepping out onto the terrace, Tony follows me, leaning against the railing as I take the moment to light up the cigarette. For a while, as we stand on the terrace, looking out at the city light, there is nothing but silence between us, the muted sound of music and laughter from inside faded and distorted through the glass door. It is times like this that makes me forget everything going on in my life; even that I'm dressed in this ridiculous outfit.
"What a pair we make, huh?" Tony muses aloud in a thoughtful manner.
"What do you mean?" I ask, knowing that I am no where near his level.
"We both did not have the greatest childhood. We both graduated our schooling at a young age and advanced in our chosen profession. We both made mistakes with our lives when we hit ground zero. We both are making names for ourselves in our careers," I quirk an eyebrow at this, to which he grins, "I've seen your artwork, and I've never felt so...pulled into a drawing or painting like I am with your's. There is only one thing that plagues me about you."
"You mean there is something in this world that your genius can't comprehend?" I tease, exhaling a small stream of willowy silver-grey smoke into the air.
"How someone, who has experienced so much pain and heartache, someone like you, can find it in themselves to remain so...innocent in nature," Tony asks, turning to face me.
A self-deprecating smile forms on my lips, "I don't really have a choice. My life wasn't a walk in the park, but my life could be worse. I look back at all the things I've done or the things I was too scared to try, and I wonder why any of it matters. If my own parents couldn't figure me out, then how can I assume anyone else can?" I snort at the words, "Then again, I met someone, Jacques Mason, a guy who is just like me. I see the love he carries through life and he, he showed me how to overcome the pains of the past and accept the future as it comes."
A hand moves in my line of sight and I shiver as calloused fingers gently brush against my cheek, a faint whisper dancing in my mind as I feel them guide my face to look in his direction. I swallow the sour-bite flavor, feeling any response fade as I fall into a deep stare. His amber eyes, illuminating with intelligence and a gleam of curiosity as he stares back, pulling me deeper as I feel an odd sensation, as though I am free-falling from thousands of feet in the air. My cheek burn hot as I watch his brows knit together in contemplation, as though he is working on a puzzle of some kind. As his body grows closer, the warmth from his wafts over my cool skin and my eyes flutter shut. His thumb brushes along my cheek again, my nerves growing tense from the whispered caress and the curled finger beneath my chin prompts me to lift my face a few inches.
"How is it someone so innocent in nature came to be in our lives?"
I shiver as his apple-flavored whisper brushes a soft air of mint-flavored breath against my cheeks. Opening my eyes, my breath catches in my throat at the sight of his face, so full of passion, inches away from my own. No one has ever come this close. Not my parents. Jacquot on occasion has breached my personal bubble. No one, in a romantic sense, with romantic intentions, has ever bothered to get passed the complexity of my personality.
"Lady Lexi!"
The booming cocoa-flavored voice breaks the moment and Tony drops his hand from my face as he steps back. A faint shiver at the loss travels up my spine and I feel my cheeks flood delicately as I blatantly ignore the burning gaze of the genius to look over at Thor. I giggle inwardly at the sight of a slightly intoxicated God leaning in through the open door, blue eyes gleaming with booze and enjoyment.
"You must come and grant me another dance!"
Feeling bashful, I give Tony a small smile before following Thor to the dance floor. As Thor twirls me expertly around the dance floor, I try to forget the burning flutter deep within my core left by the billionaire genius. After my dance with Thor is finished, I step off the dance floor and go in search for something to drink. Sipping a glass of water, I spot Clint and Tony in the middle of a debate of some kind, their hands moving in emphasis to their words.
"I take it you are having a nice night?" Steve's pumpkin-pie voice breaks through my observation of the two heroes.
Nodding as my gaze follows Tony, him stalking away from Clint as he makes his way toward the wet bar, "I am. It's been a while since I've had a chance to relax."
"I notice you and Stark are becoming close," I blush at Steve's words, causing the soldier to chuckle, "It's none of my business, but as your friend, I would like to caution you. Stark is a good man, very intelligent, and he usually gets just about whatever he wants," I giggle, knowing that much is true, "but you are innocent and I only hope you take caution when it comes to him."
"You mean you don't care if something comes of this?" I ask, glancing over at the soldier.
Steve shakes his head, "Who am I to tell someone else how they should feel about another? Just...be careful with your heart. It is one of the things we admire about you. Your love of everything and your devotion to those around you. You even managed to get into Natasha's good graces, and it's almost always difficult for someone to do so."
"Who am I kidding though? Why would someone like Tony want anything to do with me in a romantic sense?" I question, feeling old insecurities bloom.
Steve frowns slightly, before a gentle look appears on his face, "It is you that is too good for Stark. Though, I think if there is anyone that can get Tony and knock him into the realm of humility, it would be someone like you."
I blush, glancing down at my drink.
"Excuse me, Sir," Jarvis's metallic-flavored voice cuts through the music, the party growing silence, "but there seems to have been a terrorist attack at the American Embassy in Osaka, Japan. I have news that it may need some attention from you."
My body tenses and I barely hear Tony dismissing the party. The American Embassy? The American Embassy. My eyes widen and I snap as a hand rests on my bare shoulder, a stern, commanding hum vibrating along my nerves. Looking into the face of Steve, I can see the shift from Steve Rogers to Captain America in his gaze.
"I'm afraid you need to return-"
"I'm going with you!" I interrupt, hearing silence fall over the rest of the team, "I am going with you guys."
"We can't take a civilian into-"
"I don't give a fuck what you can, or can't do!" I see Steve's eyes widen at the urgency in my tone, "I need to go with you."
"Lexi," Nectarines cuts through my senses, "you could be in danger if we take you."
"If any of you care about me in any fashion, you will let me go," I stress, feeling the frantic feelings rush through my body.
Steve opens his mouth, most likely to argue, when Tony steps forward, "She will be with us at all times. Lexi must believe that this has a connection to the recent issues in her life. I take it you know of someone that words in the Embassy?" I nod mutely, "Then she will come with us, if only to put her mind at ease."
Without giving Steve, or anyone else, a chance to argue Tony's words, I stagger out of the room and toward the elevator. Throwing things together in a bag, I quickly change out of my costume and into a pair of lounge clothes. Gathering whatever is packed, I race out of the room and to the elevator, Natasha waiting for me.
"Are you sure about this?"
Swallowing the lump of strawberries, I nod, "I have to go. I just have to."
Thanks for reading. Again, life is a little hectic, so I'm trying to keep up with the story. This is a marking point in things, truths, unraveling. As you see, tension will start to rise between Lexi and Tony. Costumes ideas goes out to: For Clint, Thor, Steve and Natasha - Beshineshi and the idea for Tony goes out to - Ali! Lexi and Bruce's were my ideas. I wanted her to try something to get her out of her comfort zone!
Onto Reviews!
candyz: Thank you so much for your review. I am glad you are enjoying it.
CheekyMonkey97: aww...your comment makes me blush.
Ali: Thank you so much for reviewing and your idea for Tony as Hugh Hefner was just AWESOME!
xxxRena: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the girl bonding moment.
katielee97: Thanks hun. Who poisoned Angelique? Well...I can't tell you that. No, Jacquot is gay, so he is definitely not, and never has been, in a relationship with Lexi.
Beshineshi: Thanks for your costume ideas! I laughed at the idea of Thor as a flying monkey, but I then thought he would look more amusing as a hippie.
Human-Wolf Hybrid No.008 - I am pleased you are enjoying this story so much. What flavor am I? If I think about it, I would say a coconut. I am really hard and it takes a lot of effort to get inside my 'good graces' but once you're in, I am sweet and refreshing!
Wolf-Hybrid brings up a good idea. What would you, the readers, think your 'flavor' would be? Explain your ideas.
To everyone who has enjoyed the story, thank you so much.
Until Next Time!