Sorry sorry for the late update, I'm ridiculously busy right now Not that anyone cares to hear about that! On with the ball!
Steve POV
Tuxedoes were uncomfortable. Steve had laughed when Tony had complained endlessly about the night's dress code earlier at lunch; now he understood all too well what the man had meant. The bowtie alone was itchy enough to make him want to stay home and watch Letterman. Sighing, Steve made himself a drink and took a seat, flipping through the day's paper. While he had gone to nap off his heavy lunch, Lila had returned to her bedroom to begin Phase 2 of her beautifying. When Steve had woken up around 5 PM, he took another shower and shaved again, making sure his face was completely smooth. After struggling into his torture suit, Steve had knocked on Lila's door to ask her if she knew how to tie a bow tie..
"Miss. Amin, the limousine arrives at 6:30; it's almost 6. I need your help for just a second." Moments passed before a breathless Lila opened the door.
"I am in middle of doing my hair and it is NOT GOING WELL so I need you to just ask Stark or Pepper or Jarvis because right now I am on the verge of a meltdown- I will be done at 6:20, do NOT worry."
She was utterly frazzled in tone, but her hair looked normal to him. Steve had shrugged and asked Jarvis for a tutorial on bow-tying.
Almost a half hour later, he knocked again on Lila's door.
"Is the war over? Can I come in?"
Smiling genially, the girl opened the door wide. "I'm just applying my mascara, come in."
Steve stepped into her bedroom, observing for the first time the pale yellow walls, covered with paintings. He turned around to the adjoining bathroom where Lila was, out of sight, and asked, "Can we go downstairs? We might be late if we don't leave soon."
She exited the bathroom, and did a twirl.
"How do I look, Captain?"
"Wow, uh- Lila, you look lovely. You look beautiful! I'll be the talk of the town-" "Captain Rogers, thank you, but I genuinely was just asking for your opinion. My ego requires no stroking at this time." She grinned and examined her ball gown once more, and said, "I did want to know what you thought of the color."
Funnily, Jarvis replied, "Miss. Amin, the shade of your dress compliments your skin tone which originates from your South Asian heritage, specificially in the Indus River Valley."
"Thanks J. I was asking the Captain though."
The dress was a dark shade of lilac, strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and slightly flaring long skirt. There was lace embroidered throughout the bodice, and the skirt was layered with thin lacy ruffles.
Steve took a moment to consider his reply, the way he considered all his major decisions and statements.
"I think you're going to knock the socks off of Natasha and Pepper. They're too pale for a color like that, so it's unique!"
Lila laughed; "I was hoping that so much! You are literally the best, Captain; if you weren't so straight my gaydar would definitely question your excellent fashion judgement."
"What?"
She shook her head, and turned back to the mirror, applying one final coat of hairspray to her up-do. Steve smiled to himself as she fidgeted with the fine as they were curls of her loose bun. Somehow Lila had arranged her bangs in loosely curled tendrils near her eyes, framing them sort of. It was nice watching a woman get ready for a night out; it was so normal, it almost hurt. He could imagine Peggy looking stunning in a red dress, with her shapely legs shown off, and that lipstick- how someone so proper could wear a color so sinfully had been beyond him. Shaking off the nostalgia, Steve returned to the present. "Ready to leave?"
"I'm all set here. Let me just do the straps to my heels, alright?"
Setting down her clutch, Lila sat carefully on her bed and crossed her legs at the knee, deftly fastening the silver sandals with- "Are you going to wear those tonight, Lila?"
"Those what?" She sounded distracted in her question. "Those shoes?"
"Of course, they match perfectly with my mom's earrings and necklace!"
"The heels are at least 5 inches tall."
"So?"
"You'll fall. You'll break your neck."
"No I won't. I practiced."
Puzzled, Steve fully faced her and put his hands on his hips unconsciously. "How on Earth did you find time to practice wearing those heels?"
"I walked around the block in them twice while you were napping."
"What? Really?"
She nodded patiently, and frowned as she fastened the second strap.
"I'm ready. Let's get outta here Captain! I want to be in the limo before Stark and Pepper."
Nodding, Steve led her to the floor's elevator. He was still imagining Lila walking around Times Square in sky-high heels, with a pair of jeans. Women, he thought, were absolutely mysteries.
Lila POV:
She was buzzing. Lila for once felt good about her outfit- really, really good. She knew the color was gorgeous the second she'd set eyes on it; she'd literally stood stock still and stared for 2 minutes before finding her size. Her hair had finally cooperated after she re-curled the ends of bangs, and thank God Mom had made her take makeup classes before she started using it in high school. She'd gone with the less is more approach, making her eyes look huge with mascara and high lighting. Her favorite part of her outfit, however, was the jewelry; in her will, her mother had left her all her jewelry.
Lila had chosen her mother's diamond set; teardrop earrings with a matching pendant on a silver chain. She felt like a princess, and Steve looked amazingly like Prince Charming.
The elevator ride was by then over, and Lila realized she needed to compliment her boss on his… everything.
"Captain Rogers, I have to tell you that you look very handsome tonight."
He blushed adorably, and Lila for the thousandth time wished she was 25 and looked like a modern day Peggy. Oh well… If wishes were horses… Lila was cut off by the honking of the limousine. Sadly, Stark and CO. had beat them to the front of the building.
"PHWIT-PHWOO!" (That was a wolfwhistle btw) Tony Stark leaned out the window and whooped. "Lila! Your speech was genius! I'm being hailed as a hero for the youth! A good role model! With your help, I've fooled them all! Come on in and join the celebration partayyy!" A smiling Pepper leaned out as best as she could with the billionaire in her way, and waved them inside of the vehicle. Once seated, she and Lila quietly dissected the other's dress.
Pepper was perfect, the way Lila had predicted earlier. She wore a midnight blue strapless number, silken and straight, just like her hair. Giant sapphire studs glittered on her ears, and Lila was once again struck by the luxurious lifestly e of the people around her.
Breaking the silence, she asked, "Pepper, how on earth do you keep your hair so gorgeously straight? Mine reverts to its curlier form within an hour of flat-ironing it!"
Tony immediately ignored the girl talk and began discussing the possibility of a blinged out, special occasion eye patch for Nick Fury.
The ride was short as they approached the red carpet before the towering hotel where the ball was being held.
Lila was stopped short by the sight of celebrities being led out of their cars by managers, straightening themselves before entering the zone of flashing photographs and paparazzi.
"Steve, are you ready for this?"
"Ready for what?"
"You are going to be photographed a LOT in a few minutes. You will be ogled, women will ask you to have your babies. Questions will be flung at you like mud. Don't answer anything in a way which can be misconstrued, or twisted. Better yet, no answers. The questions will be irrelevant to the Avengers, I promise."
"I suppose so, but aren't you exaggerating this just a little, Lila?"
Tony was about to interrupt when Pepper cut in. "She is correct, Steve. Those people are sharks, and if you talk to them-" she took a moment to glare at Tony- "they will draw blood. Just ignore them and smile. Put your arm through Lila's, it'll distract them."
Lila smiled internally- if the Paps thought she and Captain America were dating, she would secretly DIE of happiness. It was the ultimate dream of hers to find someone broad and strong and kind to stand by her side. Steve was going to make her standards pretty high by the time she looked for a man in her life.
They entered the flashing lights together, after Tony and Pepper. The older couple looked poised and relaxed, Pepper loosely posing next to a cocky Tony. Lila placed her arm in Steve's, and squeezed his.
"Don't worry. You're gonna do great." He smiled nervously, and the two walked the red carpet together.
"OVER HERE CAPTAIN. CAPTAIN LOOK HERE." "WHO'S THE GIRL? IS SHE YOUR GIRLFRIEND? OR A FRIEND?" "HOW'S IT FEEL TO BE A SUPERHERO TODAY? WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST?"
The paparazzi held up their reputation entirely, but Lila managed to comfort her boss through smiles and gently leading him through the carpet.
If Lila had seen the photographs, she would have been stunned. While she did look tiny next to the giant super-human next to her, she was confident enough to look beautiful despite her average looks. That combined with a tasteful, age appropriate dress, would make her magazine gossip for weeks to come.
Just as quickly as it began, the red carpet ended and the two entered the hotel, feeling like they had just braved some kind of heat wave.
"That was ridiculously warm. I'm almost sweating!" Steve laughed, and agreed; "I think I need a drink. Let's go find Stark, he'll have something in his tux coat."
Lila walked arm in arm with Captain Rogers towards the reception room, where all the stars were sharing cocktails before the ball began. They headed towards Tony, Pepper, and Thor, with whom stood an unknown girl.
Thor immediately hugged Lila with gratitude, booming despite his slicked back hair and tuxedo. "I am gladdened with your presence, little maiden, despite my sad tidings later this afternoon! Your advice regarding Mjolnir did not herald things which were good like my Jane! She came down with cold, as you Midgardians say, and could not attend this evening's festivities!"
Lila laughed, forgetting her potentially rumpled dress. "Oh dear, I shouldn't laugh! How is Ms. Porter, is she alright?"
The mysterious girl replied drily. "I think she'll be fine. She's snorting Sudafed like there's no tomorrow, but with enough Poptarts and coffee; Jane could survive a zombie apocalypse."
Lila laughed even harder- it was nice being around someone with a normal sense of humor. "God, you're a breath of fresh air." "Super heroes getting a bit much?" "My poor ego can only handle so much self-doubt before I need a therapist."
The women giggled. "I'm Lila Amin, by the way. Personal assistant to Captain America, who should not be drinking Peach Schnapps with Iron Man at this point in time!" She slightly raised her voice at the end of her sentence so Steve could guiltily snap away from Tony, and shuffle towards her like a scolded puppy.
"Sorry Lila. It smelled really good and I wanted to try it."
"It's fine, just go get a real cocktail from the bar!"
Steve was a gentleman though, and had to ask if anyone else wanted a drink. Everyone declined but the mystery girl, who then introduced herself as Darcy Lewis, or as she put it, "Jane Porter's walking talking planner and research book. I can spout of endless amounts of information about astrophysics without understanding a single word."
While waiting for the drinks, Steve observed the women at the now larger crowd of SHIELD employees. The men all wore their tuxedoes with relative ease- Steve worried for the Hulk as Bruce adjusted his bow tie again. Natasha had not failed to stun in an off the shoulder white dress with a slit up to there, revealing legs which could not possibly hide any pistols or guns for once. Pepper looked like a tall glass of water, and Lila looked like something out of an exotic fairytale. Darcy Lewis was different though. The other women were content to discuss the steps they took to get ready for the night. She on the other hand looked almost bored. Surprisingly, she was beautiful. Her white skin was impossibly soft looking, even from across the room. She had big blue eyes and red lips that reminded him of the movie Snow White. When Darcy turned and made eye contact, Steve rapidly faced the bartended and changed his order so he could hide.
Lila POV
Returning with the drinks, Steve began to converse with Clint about his latest improvements on his motorbike.
He didn't realize that Lila was staring from nearby, smiling broadly. She had seen Steve motherfucking GAZING at Darcy Lewis like she was the only water bottle in the entire Sahara Desert… and Darcy had seemed pretty intrigued after she'd caught him staring.
Lila was getting overexcited at the possibilities, and shook her head, telling herself to calm down.
Just wait till this is over and find a reason for Darcy to come over. I want to see them interact.
With that reassuring thought, Lila pulled Steve towards a butler (How amazing was that?) who was announcing the beginning of the ball.
I smell romance! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH I love writing Darcy! And Lila will bond with Steve via boxing SOON I HAVE A PLOT GUYS I HAVE A PLOT!
XOXO
