Halloween!
The Avengers sat around the dinner on a Friday night for a meeting that Tony had demanded. He claimed it was of the utmost importance. As it turned out, most of them were there for the meal Pepper had worked on all day. Tony's Halloween plan announcement was not what any of them would be excited about. "So, the party will start at 8 but be fashionably late. I'll be romping around as a sexy Sherlock Holmes and Pepper is going to be my Irene Adler." Pepper turned to him with an eyebrow raised as if that were something she hadn't agreed with.
Steve leaned back in his chair. He was glad that they had waited until dinner was almost finished to announce their plans. Steve hadn't given much thought to the holiday that would start in a few days, but he could remember the previous year when kids knocked on his apartment door with the request for candy. The costumes were a lot different than in his day, and he could hardly remember going door to door because of the Depression and Sugar Rationing. There were already signs up with outfits depicting each of the avengers, something he was curious to see.
Once they had moved all the dishes to the kitchen, he stood next to Pepper helping dry them. They'd sent the chefs home and the moment the table was cleared, most of the group headed out. As the water ran, Pepper broke the silence. "You could bring your friend" She mentioned, handing him a plate to dry.
"I don't know. A Stark party might be a bit much." Steve mentioned offhandedly. "I'm sure she'll help me get a costume though, and she's got a lot of kids in her neighborhood."
Pepper just smiled at him. "Well, we'll welcome her whenever you're both ready. Maybe I can keep my fingers crossed for Thanksgiving." Steve nodded, considering that possibility. It wasn't too far in the future, but it gave them enough time to prepare for that, and for him to break the news to the rest of the team that he had a—well—a friend outside of the tower. Once the dishes were finished, he sent a message out to Eleanor.
Steve: Stark's throwing a Halloween party. Any Costume Ideas?
He made his way down to his floor and into his living room before his phone vibrated.
Eleanor: You could be Captain America.
Her sarcasm was symbolized with the winky face at the end of the message. He shook his head.
Steve: I don't think Tony would be very happy with me if I did that.
Eleanor: What about a firefighter? Superman? What's his face from Grease? You could be a Pokémon Master? A Man in Black?
Steve was only able to identify what two of those were, though he could remember a mention of Pokémon at some point. He thought about it. For a few minutes but couldn't decide. Also—where was he going to get all the materials for his outfit anyway? He thought about Eleanor's love for Thrift Shops and more classic styled clothes. There was no way she didn't know where to get what he needed. He had until Wednesday to get whatever he wanted ready.
Steve: Think you can help me find a costume this weekend?
Eleanor: Only if you help me carve a pumpkin into something creepy and complicated.
Steve: Deal.
That was how they ended up at a pumpkin patch on Saturday morning in the rain. Steve's boots were not prepared, and he couldn't help but think of winter in Germany, trying to make their way through the forest through the mud. Eleanor wore a pair of what she called hiking boots that went a bit up past her ankles. Her leggings were also a dark black and she was layered underneath a bright red jacket with a hat on and her hood up, tromping through the pumpkin patch for almost an hour and a half outside the city. Despite the weather though she looked like she was having the time of her life.
She wiped her face, trying to get some of the rain out of it when she looked across the field at him. "Did you find one?" She asked. Steve shrugged and shook his head. He wasn't even sure what she wanted, and anything he suggested had been vetoed on the account that it was not round enough, too small, too flat on one side, the stem wasn't long enough, and 'I just don't like that one'. Apparently, the brunette took the holidays seriously.
The pumpkin patch farm was not very busy, seeing as the holiday was in four days, but there were a few people sweeping in and back out, quickly finding pumpkins rather than trudging around in the rain. Steve shook his head and Eleanor sighed, making her way back toward him and stopping. "This one." She motioned, pointing at it. Steve walked over and almost rolled his eyes. The pumpkin she pointed at was the size of a yoga ball. When he gave her a look, she glanced up at him innocently. "You could carry it." She added.
Steve flicked a bit of mud he'd gotten on his hands at her. She yelped and jumped back, trying to avoid it but watching hopelessly as it landed on her coat.
"You're so rude!" She wiped it off laughing.
They looked for about five more minutes before Eleanor had decided on a pumpkin just larger than a basketball (which Steve elected to carry anyway) and on their way back she picked up a second pumpkin that was slightly smaller and more her size. Steve looked at her questioningly as they made it to the check out to have their pumpkins weighed and then to pay for them.
As the woman was putting the pumpkins into the reusable ("and washable!") bags that Eleanor brought Steve watched Elanor wipe her face again, this time spreading mud under her cheek. She'd told him she wasn't wearing makeup because it'd get into her eyes with the rain, and with how mindlessly messy she could be in general, he wasn't surprised. She knew they'd be out there until her body slightly tremored with the breeze. Once the pumpkins were packed, Steve held both while Eleanor bought them hot chocolates and they walked to Stark's vehicle of the day. Steve couldn't help but laugh at the mud-caked across the undercarriage. He wondered if Tony would notice. Or if someone else would. Maybe he could have the car washed before the CEO found out that he'd taken it out to the New York Countryside.
Sitting in the car for a few minutes with the heat cranked up, Eleanor slid her boots off and tried to ring out the ends of her hair a little bit, pulling it all to one side and making a loose braid. Steve pointed at her face. "You've got mud…" He laughed.
"I've got—oh oops." She put her (still muddy hand) up to her cheek and spread more mud across, before looking down at her hands and realizing how dirty they still were. Gently reaching into her bag so as not to get anything else dirty, she pulled out a thing labeled "Baby Wipes" and used it to wash her hands-off. Rubbing them together to keep them warm. She used a baby wipe to get the mud from her own face as well, and then reached over and wiped Steve's face, her fingers were freezing, causing him to lean toward the window and away from her.
She looked up at him for a second motioning toward his face. "your hands are freezing El." She shrugged and then tossed the wipe at his face. It landed with a light smack on his cheek.
"Then look in the mirror yourself" She growled playfully. They both flipped down the mirrors on the sunshades and made sure they got the mud off their faces. When Steve finished Eleanor had her hands underneath her butt, trying to soak the heat in from the heated chairs. "Shall we go thrift shopping?" she laughed, lifting her left side to motion the way forward.
Steve rolled his eyes and shifted gears, slowly moving them forward. "Put on your seatbelt." She gave him a smug smile and did as he said. Once they hit the main road, Eleanor turned on the radio to a jazz station and relaxed back into her seat, looking out the window.
"It's so nice to leave the city" she laughed. "I haven't been out of it for quite a while. We should go hiking when the weather gets better." Steve nodded his head, glancing away from the road to look at her.
"Did you decide what you're going to make me wear to this party?" Steve teased. Eleanor had planned the day down almost to a T, telling Steve to pick her up at 7:30 AM so they could beat the Saturday traffic out of town. He knew she was organized, but she might rival Pepper to a degree. All she needed was a color-coded table. She glanced at her phone checking the time.
"Mmmm, no. Maybe. I have like three ideas." She hummed to the tune of the song and looked ahead at the road. Ahead there was a break of clouds and the city glittered under the light of the sun. The glare of the light made it a little more difficult to see the road, but Steve managed with a steady hand. "Should I dress up too for the kids at my apartment?" she asked.
"You could come to the party with me." Steve nudged. He'd thought about asking her for a while, but he didn't want to insist. They were just friends anyway. As expected, Eleanor scoffed at his remark.
"No thanks, I'm good. I've got a nice night in with pumpkin pie and caramel-dipped apples for the kids."
"If that's the case you should definitely dress up. You could be Captain America." Steve joked. Eleanor could only roll her eyes. When Steve glanced over at her she smirked.
"Would I get to borrow the shield?" Steve just gave her a look like you'd give to a second-grader after they've asked if they could have a cookie for dinner. "I'll take that as a no. Worth a try."
They chatted about the holiday and the things that Steve did growing up, comparing them to how Halloween was in the present day. To avoid preparation for the party, Eleanor had agreed to house Steve until eight-thirty at her apartment. She'd bribed him with food and then told him she really wanted him to see some of the kids' costumes when they came to her door. She said the previous year there hadn't been a ton, but the younger ones usually started before it even got dark, so if he were at her place, he'd at least get to see a handful of them.
In the car, they also agreed that Eleanor would be dressing up. And because she had artistic control over Steve's outfit, he would have control over hers, giving him a few minutes to really consider how he wanted her outfit to look. They wouldn't decide until after the thrift shop obviously, depending on what they could or couldn't find.
When they arrived, Eleanor greeted the lady at the front like an old friend. They had a lot of clothing at the front that was more costume specific, but Eleanor went toward the back and the men's, already looking at button-up shirts. Steve stared at her for a few seconds before doing the same for the women. He found a headband and automatically decided he was going to search for an outfit to make her a hippy. He'd recently read a book about the Woodstock movement and could picture their outfits very clearly in his mind. Sunglasses were next along with a silk scarf and the most multi-colored dresses he could find. He picked out two or three in the medium/small range before making his way back over to the brunette holding suspenders. She pulled out the two shirts and tried to size them to him.
"Can you not be so muscle-y for a day?" She laughed. "I think I'm going to have to go with a size up because your arms won't fit." She switched shirts and nodded her head. Steve stared at the fake glasses she had I her hand and the bowtie. "Do you have black dress pants?" Steve nodded. "Cool. Clark Kent it is." She glanced down at his small pile of stuff in his arms.
"You may need to try these on," He motioned.
She glanced through them and raised an eyebrow. "A Hippy? I'm impressed. Good 70's culture reference." She took the three dresses and made her way to the dressing room, throwing the glasses on her own face and giving him a peace sign. While she changed, Steve glanced at some more leather clothing, picking out a jacket for her to wear as well. When she appeared from the dressing room, she did a quick spin, flipping her hear as though she were on a runway. Steve glanced down at her choice.
"Looks good."
"Thanks. Your turn."
About an hour later Eleanor put newspapers across the table as she munched on her dinner. She dug into her "craft box" and pulled out pumpkin carving tools and a ton of containers for seeds and pumpkin guts. She insisted that Steve stay where he was and use her iPod to decide the playlist they would listen to. Since becoming friends, she'd slowly compiled a list of music that she thought Steve would enjoy, stacking her iPod full of them.
They quietly moved from their food to examining the pumpkins in front of them. Together they cut off the tops and gutted them, pulling out pumpkin strings and seeds and piling them into a plastic bag. Eleanor had also started a bag for the seeds, claiming she planned to bake them the 'old fashioned way' just for him and the kids once the day officially came around. From there they both raced through some pictures on their phones and began, facing each other so they couldn't see the other's work. Eleanor's tongue stuck out between her lips when she was trying to get a detail correctly, and Steve seemed to be spending more time gently carving with the tools while she cut into the pumpkin without abandon.
When they'd finished she looked very proud of her work. And then she walked around the table to get a glance at Steve's and her mouth dropped. "HOW?"
Steve smirked at her, watching as she admired the pumpkin he'd just finished. It did look spooky. He'd been very careful with how deeply he carved, making the ridges stick up more than making holes into the pumpkin itself. Eleanor's pumpkin was a ghost, which looked fairly well done if not a little crooked and with one eye squarer than round. Where he did more carving, she did more cutting. Steve laughed at the results.
Eleanor wasn't wrong when she said her art skills started with photography and ended with classroom material making. He'd seen some amazing and creative materials when she'd gone through her box of supplies, but pumpkin carving was not her specialty. When he told her so, she threw a pumpkin seed at him. As he retreated to ger more wine, he watched through the door of the kitchen as the brunette gently touched his pumpkin running her fingers over the ridges one more time. A room away and he could only see half of her face, but it was impossible NOT to be captivated by her soft smile. She opened the pumpkin from the top it to look at the inside and then placed one of the many candles on the table into it.
On Halloween day Eleanor opened the door at four, already dressed as a hippy from head to toe. Steve had his outfit in a bag and hadn't wanted to go walking around in it, even though he was sure that aside from the hair gel he'd be able to get buy. Eleanor pulled him inside and told him to get changed so she could do his makeup. "Makeup?"
"Yeah! You've gotta wear some to look extra comic-y so people know that you aren't just snubbing them. I mean, I haven't seen you wear suspenders, but a lot of people do. We've gotta prove that you're Clark Kent."
Tentatively, Steve made his way into the bathroom. He laid out the Superman T-shirt that they'd purchased and put the white-collared shit on over it, adjusting the tie. When he exited, Eleanor squinted at him.
"You've gotta undo the tie and the top few buttons like you're going to tear off the shirt"
Steve looked down, the shirt was already a bit tight on him, so undoing the top few buttons loosened everything up. He adjusted the suspenders. "Like this?"
Eleanor nodded and motioned to the chair she had pulled out at her dining room table. When he sat down, she took out a little bit of makeup. She put lines onto the side of his face alongside some comic book like dots. They greased his hair back and gave him a small curl to sit on his forehead. Steve was reminded briefly of the stage makeup he had to wear in the 40s, but when he mentioned it, Eleanor told him the makeup she was using would be much better for his skin.
"Glasses on."
Eleanor leaned back to admire her own work, softly touching his nose with the non-pointy end of her eyeliner. They stared at each other in the eyes for a few seconds and Steve couldn't help but think of how much he enjoyed moments where he could just be himself. He couldn't believe that he was sitting across from a pretty girl and still able to formulate sentences.
"Thanks" He mentioned, almost breathlessly and Eleanor glanced at her watch and smiled.
"So If we start the first Halloweentown movie now, then we might be able to finish it before you've got to go to your party. Stark said fashionably late, right?"
Steve nodded. "Cool. The kids will start showing up around five-thirty." She stood up and motioned for him to take a seat on her couch. Taking two DVDs she set them down on the table. "Halloweentown or Nightmare before Christmas?"
"The musical one."
"Nightmare before Christmas."
Once the DVD was plugged in, she tossed the controller at him and went into the kitchen. True to her word, she'd made some caramel apples and baked the pumpkin seeds. She also had a small pile of triangle cut sandwiches on a plate in the fridge. Laying it all out on the table in front of the couch, she took a large bite out of a sandwich and nodded for him to press the play button.
Almost twenty minutes into the movie they got their first Trick-Or-Treater, a small boy and his mother, pillowcase pushed out. Eleanor had steve answer the door with her candy bowl. When he shut the door, she rocked on her feet and saw the grin on his face. Steve had been right when he'd said the costumes would be better this year than they were in the 30s and 40s. Taking turns getting the door, Steve was surprised there were so many kids in the neighborhood, and also surprised they were all out so early in the evening. The sun had just started to set, and it wasn't yet that dark out.
When he mentioned such Eleanor was sitting back down after getting the door. "Kids, especially the younger ones are out earlier because it gets dangerous when it's dark. The older kids will come later in the evening, but even then it's not that many." Steve agreed that it made more sense. Before he could press the start button again, the doorbell rang.
"Your turn!" Eleanor laughed, taking the controller out of his hand. She adjusted her hair and the beads.
Steve was quick to make his way to the door, especially after the second ring, but when he opened it, the boy, who looked about nine or ten stopped smiling. He leaned to the side to try and see around Steve. "Is Miss Moore gone?" He asked. The man standing behind the door leaned against the guard across the way. He had a batman mask pulled up, and gave Steve a small smile.
Steve glanced behind him. "Ella?" He asked. Eleanor was already walking to the door, she had a small goody bag in her hand with an apple pre-packaged. She slipped under his arm and to the front door.
"Hey, bud!" She said.
The boy brightened back up. He did a spin. "I'm Robin! My uncle is Batman!" He pointed behind him. The man gave her a small wave. Eleanor laughed.
"You are an incredibly well-equipped robin. I have a Carmel apple for you! As promised." She dropped it in the bag and then motioned to Steve. "Do you want to pick two other pieces of candy?" The little boy nodded and looked into the bowl Steve was holding, deliberating carefully.
"You good lil' Mama?" The man in the batman suit asked, nodding to Steve. Steve looked at him a little closer.
"I'm good, thank you."
When the door shut, Steve and Eleanor both turned inwards, bumping into each other for a moment. Steve raised an eyebrow.
"He's one of the gang members. It's his nephew or something that lives in the building." She explained. "I saw the little one earlier this week and told him if he stopped by and showed me his costume, I'd give him a caramel apple. He said he's never had one." Steve nodded, motioning for Eleanor to walk in front of him and back to the couch.
At 8:15, Steve glanced at his watch. They were halfway through Halloweentown, but with the drive, he'd probably show up around nine. Eleanor was munching on another pumpkin seed when he adjusted himself and began to set up. "Time for your party already?" She asked.
For a moment, Steve wanted nothing more than to sit back down and pull her to him and stay there forever. Even with her hippy headband and large glasses and rainbow earrings she looked totally serene. All he could do was nod his head.
The doorbell rang again.
Eleanor stood up and made her way to the door while Steve collected his things. Eleanor had an entire bag full of pumpkin seeds she was sending home with him that she'd set on the table. As he collected it and his jacket, he could hear her down the hall admiring the teen's costumes and chatting with them as she gave out candy. When she shut the door, he walked over to slip on his shoes.
"Let me know what everyone thinks of your costume." Eleanor smiled, leaning against the wall.
"I will. You'll be okay tonight?"
"Yeah. People try to be good on Halloween to avoid the Tricks." She winked at him. "Be careful on the road and… let me know when you get back?"
"I will," Steve watched her. Eleanor adjusted her tan cardigan. She took the first step forward, pulling him into a hug. Steve put his head down on top of hers and pressed his lips into her hair. They both savored the moment. Then Steve opened the door gave her a wave and walked down to his bike. Glancing up at the apartment building, he couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face.
A/N: Happy October! This is a long chapter with more jumps than normal, but I'm hoping it makes up for the lack of updates. School has started once more, and that means I have more reasons to procrastinate (aka write this when I should be grading).
Reviews make me update quicker, so leave one!
Lots of love from MONA.