Chapter Thirty Nine
"Say it like you mean it, But I still don't believe it Oh my soul, wonder where'd you go? It never did feel like my control I never could fit in microphones, I never could fit in stop and stand ovations Give me the songs of the nation, Cause it feels like law lacks motivation See, I'm still looking for a correlation, Between what you say and how you roll Spit it out, Like you mean it Spit it out..." - Say It Like You Mean It, Switchfoot
"The Daily Bugle would like to formally apologize for sending out false reports on the daily lives of Captain America and Miss Ada Stark. We have received information from both parties that they are not dating. Miss Stark was asked to help Captain Rogers adjust to life in the twenty-first century…"
Ada nearly rolled her eyes as Tony shut off the news station and turned it to one of the sports channels.
Any chance of talking about the last five weeks was out of the question. He was already annoyed enough that the media tried taking things into their own hands. Though, she couldn't necessarily blame him for being so annoyed.
It had taken a good week for the reporter she spoke with to convince Jameson otherwise. After finally managing to put some sense in his head, Jameson put out a new report regarding their lives. One that Ada was more than relieved with. She hadn't wanted the world to find out that she and Steve had been working together in the first place. She knew that because of who they were, the media would give them extra attention. The problem was, she hated being placed on the limelight. And after his tour in Europe, Steve felt the same way.
"At least someone finally had enough sense to tell the truth," Tony grumbled as he looked towards the window to see the building crowd.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was all people were talking about now. With Thanksgiving in full swing, Ada had been helping Pepper in the kitchen for most of the morning while Tony sat with Rhodes and Happy discussing how 'awesome' the newly refurbished Tower looked. It really did look amazing after it was fully completed. The landing pad had been updated to allow a quinjet to land on top, with a fully designed lab decorating two floors. The rest of the Tower was used mostly for show, but Tony had offices and rooms for the team if they chose to stay.
"Ignore him," Pepper reassured her with a knowing look. She of all people knew what Tony was like when it came to being overprotective. Ada had to admit, she was grateful Pepper always seemed to take her side when it came to life decisions. "He's just mad that he didn't get to stick around and see the construction himself."
"Not mad, just annoyed I didn't get to see the engineering in person," Tony called over his shoulder.
Ada couldn't hide the smirk that followed as Banner joined them moments later. Since Tony had promised a stress-free environment for Banner, the doctor had finally agreed to join them for Thanksgiving. Seeing him again made her wonder how long he would stick around this time. Banner wasn't the type of person who enjoyed sticking around for long. Because of his 'condition', he was always afraid of allowing the Hulk to unleash himself on the city, and Ada couldn't blame him for being so worried.
He has better control than he realizes, she silently reminded herself. The Hulk hadn't caused the majority of damage caused throughout the city. While he had leaped from building to building and caused a few windows to shatter in the process, he'd left most of the damage to the Chitauri.
"I'm past ignoring him, at this point," Ada muttered as she checked on the gravy. Pepper was already taking care of the turkey, making sure that it was cooked just right, while Ada took care of the rest. Mashed potatoes, gravy and even the stuffing was all included on the menu, "By now, I've learned to tune him out when he gets like this."
Pepper laughed at that, while she caught Tony scowling in annoyance.
"By the way, what exactly did happen between you and Steve that got the media so riled up?" Pepper asked once Tony got distracted.
She chewed the bottom of her lip and looked away, feeling a combination of embarrassment and guilt. Though, it was mostly embarrassment. There were times when she often found herself wondering if she would ever get over that embarrassment. After all, Steve was a friend. She doubted they would ever be anything more than that, especially as she thought of how awkward it would be if they ever messed up.
"We may or may not have made an agreement to get to know one another better," she admitted, dropping her voice enough that Tony wouldn't hear. She had no doubt he had Jarvis recording everything they were saying. Tony was the kind of person who would go to such extremes just to irritate her and prove himself right. "I almost forgot how persistent they could be."
Pepper gave a slight nod of understanding, having already seen what the media was like with Tony. On more than one occasion, both she and Rhodes had to work together to fix whatever mess he made of himself with the media. Ada had seen for herself the messes that Tony often got himself into when it came to the press. He was lucky that Pepper always seemed to find a way of fixing said mess. Rhodes usually had to work twice as hard when the military was involved.
"So, I'm guessing this was more than just a false claim by the media?"
Ada froze at the look Pepper was giving her. Though there was no accusation in her tone, but she could see it written across her face. She bit back a sigh of frustration and finally met her questioning gaze, fully aware that the wrong answer could lead to assumptions.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it's a false claim, but…" Ada paused, chewing the bottom of her lip as doubt clouded her thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to make things anymore awkward between herself and Steve than they already were. "I don't know what to say."
"Sweetie…" Pepper's eyes widened as she finally understood it was more than just trying to get the media off her back.
"I'm not ready for the next step, and frankly, I don't think Steve is either," she sighed as their eyes met, "I'm not going to push him into an uncomfortable position, especially with dad being so… him."
Besides, she wasn't even sure if Steve liked her that way. Sometimes it was better not to push her luck. She glanced over her shoulder, not missing the fact that Tony and Banner were deep in some kind of conversation while Rhodes and Happy watched the parade from the balcony.
"I know," Pepper sighed, fully aware that whatever was happening between them should have been resolved sooner, rather than later, "Look, if you ever need someone to talk to about it, don't be afraid to ask me. I know how overprotective Tony can get."
She simply offered a small smile at that. Despite the crap Tony put her through, she knew he had his reasons. As much as he would refuse to admit it, he didn't want to see her growing up. Life was changing on them, constantly. And, she suspected he needed to accept that sooner or later.
…
The penthouse was decorated with all sorts of decorations that Ada and Pepper were able to find at the last minute. Orange, gold and green leaves were laced along the counters and whatever columns filled the room. Even Tony added his own flair to the mix, by purchasing a giant inflatable turkey that held up a sign saying, 'Eat Me!'.
By now, Ada was struggling not to laugh at all the memes and posts that were put on the Internet as she walked down to the main lobby. Quite a few bystanders had spotted the turkey that was put on the roof as a gag in the spirit of Thanksgiving. And, it seemed like the public enjoyed the joke.
It wasn't until she reached the lobby that Ada stopped in her tracks and noticed the Avenger's memorabilia scattered around. Tony had the main lobby open to the public during weekdays, allowing visitors to see what the Tower looked like before and after the construction. Though, the main part of it was the memorial he'd set up in honor of the lives that were lost during the battle.
A lump formed in the back of her throat as she spotted one picture in particular among the hundreds of others.
For the first time since their time spent in the shawarma joint, Ada felt her stomach twist in a knot when she spotted Coulson's picture. The guilt from earlier returned ten-fold. She knew that she shouldn't have blamed herself for something she had no control over. Yet, it felt as if Coulson's death was on her hands. She had pushed him out of the way before Loki could stab him. In the end, her sacrifice hadn't meant anything.
"He was a good person." Ada froze at the sound of Steve's voice. She glanced over her shoulder, hardly aware that he'd finally arrived and closed the distance between them, "I wish I could have known him better."
"He always believed in second chances," she murmured thoughtfully. She couldn't help but stare at the photo as she recalled the many times Coulson had helped her during her training. "Sometimes it feels like he's always been there for me."
There were plenty of reasons to admire Coulson for everything he did. He had refused to take her on as an SO when she first joined the agency. At the time, Ada never understood why. Coulson was a good friend, and someone she knew she could rely on when she had a question or two. But he'd also gotten too close, and she had a feeling that was part of the reason why Fury had chosen Maria as her SO.
"I saw the report they made on the news."
She stiffened when he brought that up. Once again, she chewed the bottom of her lip and refused to look at him.
"Well, the good news is, the media won't be bothering us anytime soon," she sighed, flinching when she felt his gaze boring through her. "I'm glad you were able to make it, though. I wasn't sure if you would, given the circumstances."
"Yeah, me too," he nodded in agreement. Though he would never admit it out loud, he was being honest. He was surprised she'd invited him at all, given the circumstances of how quickly the media tried making a mess out of their lives. "So, I take it Tony wasn't too thrilled that I was invited?"
Ada almost smirked as she recalled Tony's reaction to when she'd told him about inviting a friend. He'd been less than happy about it, especially when he found out through Jarvis who she invited. But, he wasn't going to argue with the fact that this was the first real Thanksgiving they would have together in the newly completed Tower.
"A bit unhappy, but I managed to wind him down for the day," she reassured him with a small smile.
With that thought in mind, she led the way up the stairs to where the rest of the group was waiting. Despite the elevators being in operation, she preferred using the stairs. Luckily, Steve wasn't opposed to the idea. A bit of exercise went a long way considering how much they would be eating later that night.
"Would you be opposed to the idea of actually… dating?" Ada just stared at Steve as if he'd grown wings.
The question came so suddenly as they jogged up the stairs that she wasn't expecting it. For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say as she realized too late he was expecting an answer.
"I've never really considered it," she admitted, suddenly feeling sheepish as she looked away.
Where did that come from? she wondered. For one thing, she knew Tony would freak if he found out. For another, she wasn't sure if she was ready for that step. Ever since the whole incident with Emmett, she had been pushing off the idea of dating over the fear of something similar happening.
"Why bring it up?" she asked curiously.
By now, they fell in beside each other and took their time climbing the stairs. She knew Tony would question why it was taking so long to get to the penthouse, but at that point, she wanted nothing more than to understand the reason behind Steve's random question.
"I was just curious."
Though it was said so quickly that she couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, she hadn't missed the disappointment flashing across his eyes. Ada couldn't help but frown as she finally looked at him warily.
"I'm sorry… It's just, I haven't exactly tried dating anyone since my last date ended so miserably," she finally murmured.
She had to admit, she did feel guilty for leaving him in the dark. What had happened with Emmett and the Black Knight was just another painful reminder of how vulnerable she really was.
Steve suddenly stopped in his tracks, and it took Ada a few seconds to register that he did, "Ada, you know I wouldn't ever do that to you."
"I know," she let out a heavy sigh as her eyes met his. They were so sincere and full of compassion. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I do admire that out of you." She paused, looking away as she thought of everything that could happen. "I'm just not ready for that step, and I'd rather not see Tony try and kick your ass if he ever found out."
To her relief, that seemed to do the trick. Though she would never admit it out loud, she did want to know what it was like dating him. Yet, thoughts of how Tony would react and how the rest of the world would react only discouraged her.
Luckily, Steve finally dropped the subject.
It wasn't until they finally reached the penthouse that Ada's shoulders dropped upon seeing the accusing look Tony was giving them. He of all people had seen just how close they were getting during their time together, and his suspicions were only justified after spotting them arrive at the same time.
"Just what were you two talking about that took so long to get here?" he demanded once Steve gave a stiff nod and joined Banner and Rhodes.
The heat that rose to his cheeks only made it that much more obvious, and it took everything Ada had not to spit something in response.
"Relax, dad," she rolled her eyes instead and crossed her arms, "We were just talking as we went up the stairs instead of the elevator."
"Something maybe you should consider doing, Tony," Pepper called over her shoulder.
Ada almost laughed at the scowl that followed. Pepper of all people understood when they needed some alone time, and one wink was all it took for Ada to realize that she had already guessed what they were talking about.
"Just make sure you keep your distance from her, Rogers," Tony snapped after pouting for just a moment.
Some things never end, Ada thought with another roll of her eyes.
She was hardly surprised with Tony's reaction, or his childlike behavior. Needless to say, she was becoming more aware of the fact that something needed to be said and done regarding her time spent with Steve. As much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't keep hiding the feelings that were beginning to grow stronger with each passing day. One look in his direction told her that he was thinking the same thing, and the longer it took for them to reach the same conclusion, the more difficult their lives were going to get.
AN: I apologize in advance for the shortness of this chapter. I was trying to make it longer and expand from it, but, I couldn't figure out where to go with it or how to end it. So, this is kind of my idea of a Thanksgiving special (even though it's kind of late XD), but, to anyone who was hoping for some fast-pace romance between Steve and Ada, unfortunately, that's not gonna happen :P I do prefer some slow burn, and I'll be delving deeper into their relationship when we reach the Winter Soldier saga, especially when Sharon moves into the picture. So, a big thanks to Softballpup12 for reviewing! I love hearing your feedback; it always makes my day :D
Softballpup12 - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much :)