Thanksgiving
Eleanor on Thursday afternoon sat at her table with her leg bouncing. She'd spent the whole morning in a state of anxiety. She had laid out a knee-length a-line dress, made sure her makeup was flawless and braided her hair into an updo at least four times until she felt it was perfect. She'd never celebrated Thanksgiving. Where most people had a big family get together, she was just- her. It was just a holiday she let pass her by. Most holidays were like that though. In college, she could recall being invited to a group dinner but hadn't actually gone.
For some reason, the prospect of meeting Steve's friends, superhero friends, was much more daunting than anything else she could remember doing. She'd made a carrot cake the previous evening and had already frosted it, and she'd made brownies that morning when she finished. Her apartment smelled of baked goods, but it didn't calm her nerves like it normally would. Her mind was too busy thinking of all the mistakes that she could possibly make.
Her relationship with Steve was still new. She wasn't sure if it qualified as a relationship? They hadn't defined things and that was okay. True to his word they had gone to dinner at a small restaurant near where she lived the previous weekend and he had been a total gentleman. At the same time, Steve was always a gentleman. Eleanor pondered the potential for their interactions to change. It was like none of the previous week, her attempt at withdrawing, had ever happened. The only thing that she'd noticed the day of their first date was that Steve reached out to touch her more often. They'd even shared chaste kisses in hello and goodbye. She felt like an old soul, and she couldn't even remember the last relationship she'd been a part of, but this felt suspiciously right.
Aside from their Sunday date, they hadn't seen each other any other time that week. She had been busy with the last two days of school. Steve always gave her a call almost every evening and would text her when in-between training or books or cooking. He'd built up an entire weeks' worth of 21st-century questions when they hadn't been talking. His current interest was in Steven King books and he'd flown through almost six novels in five days. Eleanor wasn't sure if it was just his enthusiasm for reading or if his superhero abilities gave him an extra boost in also reading quickly. She too had several books stacked up on her table that she should be reading. But with Dinner on her mind… she wasn't going to be able to focus enough.
When the clock in her kitchen hit four, El was brought out of her daydreams. She took a deep breath and moved into her room to put on her dress. With that zipped up, she checked her purse. Would she need extra makeup? Pepper Potts was put on Vanity Fair's front page for style. Hell, supposedly she'd done almost all of the interior design of Stark Tower and their offices in California. The woman was immaculate. Small silver hoops were put into her ears and she glanced in the mirror. Her color for the day was dark green and silver. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much? She debated changing. She looked too dressy. Steve had told her to wear whatever she wanted, but what did you wear to a Thanksgiving dinner with superheroes? What were they going to be wearing?
Eleanor played with her phone, thinking about texting Steve to ask, but it was probably already too late. He had to be driving. Steve told her that he would come over at four-thirty to get her and drive her back to the tower. She had offered to go on her own, but he insisted it'd be the easiest way to get through security. So far as she could remember, Steve was always on time. She stared at her reflection. Didn't she have a slightly more casual dress? Maybe the blue one with polka dots?
Before she could even reach her closet to check there was a knock at the door.
Eleanor turned on her heel and peeked through, making sure it was just Steve. After confirming, she flipped all the locks and swung opened the door. He took a step inside and smiled at her. She attempted to smile back but the influx of nerves hit her hard once more. Instead, she practically ran into the kitchen to start stuffing her cake and the brownies into a reusable grocery bag. Slipping off his shoes Steve followed in her wake. He watched her flurry about
"I told you that you didn't need to cook anything," He said softly. Ella glanced up at him and put her hand to her head like she was going to play with her hair, but then realized again that she'd braided it.
"I baked."
Steve walked a little closer to her, invading her personal space and looking down at her. Eleanor sighed and looked up to him, letting him wrap his arms around her midriff. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and bit her lips.
"Am I overdressed? I feel overdressed?" Steve took half a step back to look at her dress.
"Nope. Natasha was wearing a skirt. You look perfect." Ella's face turned a bit pink. He smiled at her and winked. In retaliation, she hit him softly on the chest.
"Don't do that." She demanded slipping out of his grasp. She picked up the bag and handed it to him. "Let me get my scarf" She smiled up at him. Steve walked to the door again to slip his shoes back on. Eleanor fluttered around her living room like a hummingbird. She pulled her coat up and onto her shoulders and wrapped her infinity scarf around her neck, adjusting it and looking in the mirror at least two more times.
When she slipped her feet into her boots, she looked up at Steve. His eyes hadn't left her since he'd arrived. She felt the pink reach her cheeks again. Maybe she should have forgone the blush in total. "Are you ready?" Steve asked the smug look in his eye told her that he knew what she was thinking. He liked her, and that had to count for something. It sounded cliché when she thought it, but with him by her side meeting, his friends didn't seem nearly as scary.
They made their way out and down the steps and Steve opened the door to the car. It was nicer than the one they normally drove around on adventures. When he got in on the driver's side, El was already fiddling with the radio buttons. "Tony told me to take this car because it's nicer," Steve commented as he set the bag of goods on her lap.
Their ride to Stark tower was quiet. Traffic was rather heavy for thanksgiving, even though the parade had ended hours ago. Earlier that day Steve had watched some of it from his window as they walked past central park. He'd even skipped his run that morning in favor of swimming a few dozen laps because of Eleanor's warning that the crowds would be arriving in mass extremely early in the morning. After a few minutes in the car, he noticed the girl beside him was bouncing her leg. Taking his hand off the gears he picked up Eleanor's hand. She relaxed a bit more and looked up at him.
"Don't be nervous. They'll like you." He squeezed softly. Eleanor smiled at him.
They turned into the underground garage and down a few floors to Tony's New York Garage with the 'Avengers' vehicles. The security for the tower was almost invisible. There was a man who waved the car in at the entrance, but the deeper they got Eleanor noticed multiple other measures of safety. They went through two more barriers, but it looked like no one was inside or monitoring them. After the last one, it was easy to tell that the vehicles were that of Tony Starks. He had a collection of vintage-looking cars and a few very high tech-looking ones. Eleanor even spotted two motorcycles, one of which she knew belonged to Steve. The super soldier parked the car in an open space and took the bag off of Eleanor's lap, already halfway out of the car while the young woman marveled at one of the cars next to them. When Eleanor slid out of her own seat she considered the fact that she'd never been too close to Stark Tower, much less inside it. They did private tours for special guests and tourists, but it was mostly a place of business. Like Wall Street.
From what she'd seen on the news though the tower was totally self-sustaining and green. Stark was focusing on green incentives and science scholarships and programs for research. While they had dropped in 2008 and 9 after closing off all the military contracts, they had returned to one of the biggest companies in the world. It obviously hadn't affected his ability to afford nice things though. One of the cars could pay for her rent for probably three years.
Steve held her hand as they walked to the elevator, hidden around a support beam. The button seemed to scan Steve's finger, and as they stepped in he spoke clearly. "Jarvis take us to the common area floor please."
"Welcome back Captain Rogers."
Eleanor looked at him and bit her lip. Captain was his technical title. But it didn't stop it from sounding strange to her ears. He'd told her about Jarvis, and Eleanor looked at the walls of the lift. You couldn't even see a speaker or camera. Everything seemed to be a shiny metal and not a single fingerprint could be seen.
Steve glanced at her as the button signified they were moving up. "I'd like to apologize in advance. If you feel uncomfortable at all let me know. They can be… embracive?" Steve wasn't sure if it was the right word to use, but there wasn't really any other term for how Thor couldn't help but clap people on the back frequently. In fact, Steve hadn't been worried at all until they got in the elevator. Where Eleanor seemed to relax, he knew that his new- team, for lack of a better word, would be a big change from what she was used to. There was no way they were getting out of this without someone saying something embarrassing or untoward. He just hoped they'd be friendly. The elevator binged when they reached the main floor and stepped in.
Steve could only put a hand over his eyes to suppress a groan. No one heard the elevator open, but that was probably due to Thor's excessive yelling at Clint, who, somehow had pinned Jane's hat with a throwing knife on the ceiling and was egging him on to fly up and retrieve it. Jane and Darcy were having a rather heated debate beside Bruce and Tony about the terms of molecular space travel and human limitations or something of that sort. The television was turned up for some odd reason—no one seemed to be watching it— and there was a rather violent sound of pans hitting each other echoing from the kitchen.
From Eleanor's point of view, it wasn't the chaos that got her. It reminded her so much of the middle school classrooms she had entered after a lunchbreak. Yet, here she stood before a group of people that had contributed and risked their lives to helping others. They were all much bigger than her middle school students and she was nothing but a measly substitute English teacher. Not to mention at first glance you could tell they were all rather close and had relationships with each other that were clearly established. Steve's face told all. Rambunctiousness was not a new trait in the building. Eleanor couldn't help but smile knowing that he had hoped they would be on their best behaviors. From what he had told her, she wasn't as surprised as she could have been.
Her attention turned to other things. The decorations were pristine, and the building itself was absolutely everything she thought it would be, and then some. The room reached up high and the couches were intricately set near a grand piano. You could tell whoever designed the space had taken great liberties. The entire wall was glass and you could see the lights of the city and the sun slowly making its way over the horizon. The open concept allowed for you to see the second floor, and the landing pad.
"Guys," Steve spoke in a normal voice, trying to get the attention of the team at least. When that didn't work he looked over at Eleanor, who seemed distracted by the room itself. He set the bag down on the table in the entranceway beside the elevator and then put his hands over her ears. Her attention officially turned toward him in question only widening with recognition when he made eye contact. A mouthed 'sorry' was all he gave before he raised his voice. "GUYS."
The room went silent and everyone's eyes turned to them.
Steve's hands fell from the woman's ears and he felt her shift under the attention. The group practically sized her up. "This is Eleanor."
From the kitchen around the corner Pepper practically ran out in her bare feet toward the two. She was wearing a dress, not unlike Eleanor's. it was multicolored and looked extremely comfortable. "Oh my gosh. Sorry." She apologized as she hurried over to greet them. "I just finished. Happy Thanksgiving! I'm Pepper. Pepper Potts." Her hand stuck out between them, and the redhead glanced at Steve with a small smile. Steve returned her look with a smile at her and put his hand on Eleanor's back. He looked closely at the rest of the group. Tony leaned over and said something to Bruce.
There was a short moment of pause before Eleanor stuck her hand out as well to shake Pepper's. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Eleanor." Eleanor felt like she was meeting the parents for the first time, a bit worried about first impressions. Five seconds before someone has an opinion on you is what a Ted Talk she'd watched a week ago had said. Five seconds had passed.
"Well. Come in, Come in! You can take off your shoes or leave them on, it doesn't really matter." It was then that the host of the evening seemed to realize that no one was talking. She looked over her shoulder at the group spread in the room. All their eyes were still turned toward the newcomer. "I apologize for their rudeness." She said in a slightly annoyed tone. "They're being rude." By emphasizing her last word, at least a few of them snapped out of it.
Tony Stark, the Genius Billionaire that Eleanor had seen on a dozen magazine covers and television, and even heard on the radio stood up next. "We just weren't expecting the Captain to actually bring home a pretty woman." Tony made his way to Pepper's side. He winked before addressing the girl standing beside Steve. Surprisingly, in his opinion, he was still an inch or two taller than her. "You know who I am. We talked on the phone"
Pepper scoffed and whacked him on the chest. Eleanor couldn't help but laugh and nod her head, sticking her hand out to shake as well.
Tony, of course, stared at her hand for a moment and then took it a step further. He shook her hand twice before turning on his heel and pulling her behind him. He led her toward the main part of the room. For a second she tripped after him, and then found her footing just as they stopped in front of the most intimidating figure in the room. Beside him, Eleanor was dwarfed. Thor grinned down at her and patted her on the head like a puppy. A sound escaped her that she wasn't sure how to identify. Maybe a squeak?
"She is…delightful." He looked at Steve. Then making eye contact with her once more he said with his Asgardian accent. "Hello, Eleanor. I am Thor, Son of Odin."
"Hi." As much as she wanted to sound cool, her voice got caught in her throat- coming out as more of a whisper and mouth movement. The people in the room all seemed to chuckle. Eleanor knew her cheeks had flushed and she had to look a little red. She also hoped he hadn't messed up her hair. That would be embarrassing. Her eyes seemed to fall back to Steve who was standing in the doorway. His eyebrow had raised after Tony had stolen her away. When they made eye contact he immediately saw through her embarrassment to her silent plea for assistance.
"Tony." He warned.
"I was just introducing her to-"
The captain gave him a look that Eleanor couldn't really read. He picked the bag upon his left, reminding Eleanor that he had them. She spun on her heel and retreated quickly to his side, taking one container off the top of the bag.
With a still shy voice, she spoke up and looked to Pepper, whom she realized was the one in charge of the food and whatnot, "I baked brownies and cake."
A pause of silence seemed to echo through the room once more. Eleanor shifted her feet and looked around. She hadn't considered that bringing something could also be seen as offensive. Maybe they all would think that she was a control freak and didn't like to eat other people's food. Just before she felt like glancing at Steve again in anxiety, a different voice spoke up.
"I like her already." She could only assume he was Clint, the marksman. Thor seemed to nod his head as well. Steve let out a light breath behind Eleanor, and his team could see him visibly relax as she did. His hand softly rested on her back as he helped to lead her forward and in the direction of the kitchen. Pepper, realizing their direction walked beside them.
"You really didn't have to bring anything," She said, catching up and walking beside them.
While the Avengers still seemed to be listening in to the conversation, they acted as though their attentions had turned to other things. Eleanor got the sense that she'd be observed for the next few hours each and every second, but for some reason, if Steve sat beside her, she felt as though things would be fine. Once they walked into the kitchen, he took her hand and squeezed it. Giving her another reassuring smile. The sound in the main room seemed to be lifted once more.
"I know. I had too much time on my hands yesterday and this morning."
"They look really good too. Do you bake often?" Pepper nodded to Steve, who slowly seemed to back off. Both the cake and the pans were set on the island, away from the massive amount of food piled and ready to eat. Eleanor couldn't help but wonder how they'd cooked a turkey so large.
"Do you want to slip off your shoes and coat? I'll take them to the other room." Steve off handily mentioned to the two women once things were taken out. Eleanor set her things down and unwrapped her scarf. Her boots were short and she handed Steve them by the heels. He gave her a wink and then turned on his to go talk to the others. Remind them of manners and contact—and to glare at Tony for attempting to scare his friend by introducing her to Thor, who physically was the most intimidating of them all. He'd tried to prepare her over the phone and whenever they talked about the team, but that didn't mean being around them would be any less intimidating.
Eleanor regarded him leaving before she responded to Pepper. "I bake when I get bored."
Pepper mentally noted her reaction to Steve leaving, she didn't seem to be too nervous without him, which, in a room that could sense fear, was pretty good. "I am terrible at baking. I tend to leave things in the oven for too long or I forget about them… Cooking alone is difficult sometimes." The two women laughed.
"Do you always cook?"
"Oh no. I couldn't for these guys. They're practically black holes when it comes to food. We have a chef that cooks dinner most days. On occasion, though I'll try my hand. I thought today would be a good day to try a homemade meal, it being Thanksgiving and all. Jane and Steve helped today though too." She was eternally grateful. Pepper had thankfully mastered the skill of small talk, so she was hoping to help Eleanor open up. Starting with the two of them in the kitchen and away from the rest of the crew was a good, soft place to start.
Eleanor raised an eye. "Steve helped?" That distracted her from the stimulus of being in a new environment. The kitchen was huge. She was used to having him in her kitchen which had to be a quarter of the size of the one the two women were standing in. Whenever they cooked together, Steve always followed directions to the letter. The only other thing that she'd known he could make on his own was the soup from when she was sick.
"He's a surprisingly good cook believe it or not. He wasn't the most comfortable pulling out the innards of the turkey but he managed it. Tony is useless unless he's building a Stark Toaster or something ridiculous like that." Pepper began to pull numerous bowls from the fridge and set them on the counter, adding them to the massive amount of food. Eleanor helped move some things around to make room. In her mind, she could imagine Steve with his hand in the turkey and his nose scrunched up. She couldn't stop the fond feeling for him growing in her stomach.
With all the things pulled out, Eleanor glanced around the kitchen to see if there was anything else that needed to be done. "Can I help at all?"
"Uhm… Sure, can you put these on the table through that door?" Pepper motioned the opposite side of the kitchen they came in, where a rather large circular table was set with ten different placings set up. Eleanor did as asked and grabbed the bowls off the counter, setting them in the middle and arranging them like she would if she had a dinner party. She'd read an etiquette book at some point in college before a big dinner. The dining room table seemed to have plenty of space, and the room was decorated with a painting or two on the wall. Pepper walked in slowly with the stuffing in a large container before setting one down on one side and returning to grab the mashed potatoes. "Okay, pick a seat. I'm going to grab Natasha, Darcy, and Jane."
Taking a survey of the room, Eleanor opted for a spot toward the end. When she sat down she couldn't help but look up at how the room they were in had a ceiling curved up and glass-lined the top skylight. If they weren't in New York City, Eleanor was sure it'd be fantastic for stargazing. The chandelier alone glittered like diamonds. With the design, she wouldn't be surprised if it was actually made out of diamonds.
Pepper reappeared in the room with three other women, one of which she was able to easily identify as Natasha—or as the city seemed to call her—The Black Widow. She sat one seat down from where Eleanor found herself. Pepper sat in the seat to Ella's immediate left, with Darcy and Jane next to her.
"Let's dish up before the guys catch on that the food has mostly been laid out." As if on cue, Darcy reached forward and cut a huge portion of potatoes, swooping it up and setting it on her plate before filling her salad bowl to the brink. They took turns quietly for at least three minutes filling their plates. They passed the food in both directions and Darcy was insistent in making sure half of her plate was nothing but mashed potatoes.
"When the team is here, the guys tend to eat enough to feed two armies," Natasha mentioned as Eleanor added a lump of the green bean casserole to her pile. The woman was calm and collected, and whatever malice that the brunette had been expecting from the redhead didn't come. "It's best to get as much as you can eat before they realize that we've already sat down." Eleanor knew she was being studied by the spy in her peripheral vision. Steve and Natasha were beginning to build a closer relationship as they trained more and more together during the week. The Black Widow had to be sizing her up in whatever ways possible. Eleanor wouldn't even be able to defend herself if she attacked in any way.
"Thor's the worst." Darcy piped in, causing Jane to lightly hit her on the shoulder. "What? He ate a whole box of cereal, your collection of pop tarts and a meal from the diner in New Mexico." The other women at the table laughed.
Jane turned to Pepper. "Drinks?"
"Oh! Shit. What would you guys like to drink?" Natasha asked for a cold beer. The other two wanted wine and Eleanor just asked for water.
"Steve said you didn't drink much. That's noble." Jane commented, taking her stab at the salad bowl when Natasha pushed it toward her. "It'll keep you from losing your sanity, trust me. The guys are ruthless if you get drunk and do anything embarrassing." Eleanor couldn't help but also think it'd keep her from humiliating herself.
Eleanor was slowly getting a handle on the different personality types of the girls. Pepper was neat, but not overly homey—which was to be expected of a CEO of one of the largest companies in the world. Natasha seemed to be much more in tune with the men of the group, but she got along well and was polite enough to know how to hold a conversation without offending anyone. Darcy was the opposite of Natasha, reminding Eleanor of a friend she had in college with a wild streak. Last but not least Jane seemed to be one of the most curious of the group, she was friendly and intelligent and graceful.
Pepper returned with the drinks and took her seat. "Are we ready?"
The group all seemed to nod. Eleanor couldn't help but wonder what they should be ready for. Darcy leaned back before Pepper got the chance. With a rather demanding tone, she called into the other room. "Grab the ham and turkey, Food's on the table!" There seemed to be a slight rush of movement before Clint crashed in first, taking his spot on the far side of Natasha and grabbing for the lasagne in the middle of the table. Tony and Thor were close second and third to the room, Tony had swooped up the ham on his way. Tony sat next to Clint, and Thor beside Jane. Of course, Steve set down the turkey in the space in the middle and took the open spot beside Eleanor and Bruce, who rather calmly walked into the room found his spot between Thor and Tony.
There was a calm silence as the men stacked their plates and the women took small bites out of their food, watching as Thor and Clint argued over who could have the rest of the salad. Their drinks were already set down on the table courteously of Pepper.
When everything had seemed to calm down, and the plates half-empty rested on the table, the conversation started. "Eleanor! So tell me. How exactly did you meet Steve?" Tony seemed to interrogate from across the table.
"My cap on my camera rolled away from me and down the hill of a bridge in central park. It ran right into his foot." Eleanor knew she was going to be the center of attention, she'd prepared her introvert self for dealing with whatever small talk came her way.
Darcy raised an eyebrow. "Well. That turned out great. Never get rid of that camera." She winked at Eleanor. The table was quiet as people took their first bites of the dinner, but also listening to the conversation.
"And Steve just… asked you out on a date?" Tony pushed.
Eleanor made eye contact with the man next to her, not sure about the details he wanted to share, "Uh…not exactly…"
"I found the store she worked at—it was a place a friend of mine started after the war. And then I ran into her-"
"Literally, like a brick wall meets my face." Everyone laughed when she wrinkled her nose and moved her hands to demonstrate someone walking into a wall and landing on their behind. Their laughter let her shoulders relax a little bit more and she took a bit of her food.
"You spilled your drink and I offered to buy you another."
"Yeah."
The table couldn't help but notice how the two interacted. They didn't finish each other's sentences per se, but they were close. Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise for everyone but Pepper and Bruce when they were told that Captain had a friend he'd been meeting with for the better part of the year. Tony did an entire security check on her and asked rather specific questions, but Steve had been very good at avoiding giving more details about Eleanor whenever they asked. Natasha was even surprised that he'd been able to keep it a secret for so long. He wasn't the best liar, but this gave her hope for his future at SHIELD. He just needed whatever he was lying about to be important to him. At their story, Pepper laughed and motioned to Tony. "Probably one of the better 'how we first met' stories. Ours is cliché, and everyone and their uncle know it."
"Actually, my favorite is how Darcy became Jane's intern" Clint pushed, causing Jane to laugh.
"She was the only one that applied." Jane stated drily trying not to smile.
When attention turned to Darcy she rubbed the back of her neck. "I was a Pol Sci Major…" To move the attention, she pointed her thumb at Jane. "She hit Thor with a Van"
Eleanor coughed on her water and everyone laughed.
"Twice" Thor had to add for the record before Darcy could. He said it with a bit of a tease. Jane stuck her tongue out.
"Shouldn't they just revoke your licence for that?" Darcy commented, causing Jane to hit her in the arm again. The childish banter did help Eleanor relax a bit more. They didn't seem too intimidating, and they all were friendly. She just wasn't used to being in quarters as close as this. In the presence of a group that teased and interacted with their barriers down.
"Do you drive Eleanor?" Light arguing came from one end of the table, but Natasha directed her question to keep the other half more occupied.
"I have a licence. But since we live in New York I usually walk or bus places. If anything I'll take the Subway."
"Do you live in Lower Manhattan then?"
"Upper actually. Just on the other side of Central Park. It took… about twenty minutes to drive here?"
Steve confirmed with a nod, rather glad that his friend seemed to be getting along with everyone so well. "It was actually more like thirty today with the traffic." They chatted calmly with the group, and even in moments where she wasn't a part of a conversation or disagreement, Eleanor watched the Avengers and their interactions.
There were a few big personalities in the room, like Darcy and Thor and Tony. They drove a lot of the conversation around the table. The food kept flowing into the men like Pepper said it would. While she was watching she felt Steve put his hand on her leg and she looked up at him. He raised his eyebrows with a silent question. Eleanor responded with a smile. The group had more introverts than she'd originally expected. Everyone had been very respectful of her space and answers, and even though she'd seen them throw glances of curiosity at her they'd otherwise been polite and welcoming.
Attention turned back to her and where she worked. "I'm just a substitute teacher right now. I don't do much else."
Steve nudged her a little, "You work at a Humane Society. That's Volunteering" Steve seemed to point out, causing Eleanor to narrow her eyes slightly at him, attempting to see what he was getting at.
"Yeah, but that's just because I have an unhealthy love for puppies and kittens that I can't have." She looked at Pepper, who seemed to love the conversation. "My Landlord has a strict no pets rule. Not even goldfish for goodness sake."
"Where did you work when you met?" Pepper asked.
"I worked at Peggy's, a vintage store on the other side of town—but the owner died, and we just recently closed it." Eleanor glanced at Steve with a small smile. "So, I've been actually using my Education degree recently. I'm hoping I'll get an offer from Midtown Tech in Queens for the next school year. A teacher is retiring and I'm subbing for someone out on maternity now."
Her eyes moved to Steve. He hadn't heard this news, but his face brightened. "Really? That'd be awesome!"
An air of her own pride seemed to radiate after his reaction. The table was able to determine that the rather quiet relationship between the captain and young woman were tight. An extra degree of light in her eyes seemed to twinkle when he spoke to her about her potential job interview and the kids she'd be teaching. Steve's demeanor seemed to lighten, like the load of sleeping for 70 plus years hadn't sat on his shoulders. For the most part, it was the first time that the rest of the Avengers had truly seen him with a sparkle in the depths of his eyes.
"Midtown Tech? That's a pretty fancy private school. I've been to their Fundraising Gala. Pretty smart kids. What'll you teach?"
"I know, I'd be a little sad to leave the urban schools, but the scholarship programs and prestige are really good. I'd be teaching English courses, and one or two History classes."
Bruce caught onto the conversation from across the way. "You said something about photography earlier though?"
Eleanor nodded. "Yeah. I spend probably more time than I should with my camera. But it's only a hobby. I haven't been out much because it's starting to get cold." When she spent time with Steve she often forgot about bringing her Camera. She'd missed a golden moment with their trip to the pumpkin patch. But in hindsight she had gotten a really good picture of him in his Halloween Costume.
"Have you ever considered freelancing?" The table all fell into par, listening and commenting as they continued their meal.
"I have, and I did a bit when I was in school. I'm not that good. It's just a hobby."
"Nonsense. Are you up for doing the photography for my TIME interview?" Tony smiled and watched as Eleanor's eyes widened and her mouth popped open. She looked toward Steve who also had his eyebrows raised in surprise. Pepper laughed.
"Can- Can You do that? I'm sure they have photographers already prepared."
"A lot of celebrities have personal or preferred photographers. Actually, I was thinking about getting some good photos of the team as well. Who better to do it than someone we know." Everyone went quiet, observing Eleanor's face as she blinked and stared at the millionaire. "And if we don't like them then we'll just have someone else do them." He took a huge bite of turkey, leaning back in his chair a bit as he chewed on it.
"You're serious?" Again, Eleanor looked to Steve, who only could shrug toward her.
"Yeah." Tony shrugged. "It'd give us an excuse to hang out more often."
"I would love to… it'd… it'd be an honor really."
"Come by after the holidays then. We'll schedule it and make it a side job or something."
"Okay…"
The silence slowly became chatter again as Tony turned to ask Bruce a question regarding science, and Clint and Thor argued over warfare tactics. Steve turned to Eleanor.
"I didn't know he was going to do that." He laughed at her face, which still screamed her shock at the new development.
Pepper noted as well on her other side. "We can never read what's going through his mind really. But I'll tell the secretary downstairs to call Steve or me when you get here… Did you have anything planned for January?"
Going over her to-do list in her brain, Eleanor shook her head. Hopefully the teacher would return from maternity leave before then. But you never knew sometimes. She'd gotten photos of the newborn at the end of the previous week to show the kids. Still, Eleanor could hardly imagine doing professional photography for the Avengers. But then again she didn't think that she had fully processed that she was sitting at a table eating Thanksgiving with them as well.
The dinner conversation flowed once more, and only after the Turkey was reduced to nothing but bones did they stand up. Pepper pulled Eleanor away before she could reach out to help with the dishes. "That's the guys job. We cooked- we'll let it sit for a while and eat your deserts when they finish loading the dishwasher and whatnot." She led Eleanor by hand to the living room.
The television was still on but turned to an American football game happening in the Midwest. Eleanor noted that the hat that had once been on the ceiling was now set on one of the tables, but had a small hole in it. Darcy plopped down on the large couch and padded for Eleanor to sit next to her. "God. I'm going to be so fat after tonight. Do you work out? You're skinny." She leaned over to pinch Eleanor's arm like they had been friends forever.
El leaned away from her swatting lightly at her hand with a laugh. "I walk everywhere. And I'm pretty careful about food portions." Eleanor knew she wasn't that skinny, but just overall on the smaller side.
"Pidgeon food." Darcy sighed. "You should come out for girls night. I like you."
"I think you drank almost an entire bottle of wine" Jane laughed, sitting on Darcy's legs. "She's still a college girl at heart."
"Yeah, but it'd be nice to have another person to go out with." Natasha curled up like a cat, fitting her entire body onto an armchair. "A teacher. Someone I don't know- normal?" The group all nodded.
Darcy whooped. "I'd love to hear your dumb kid stories. No better birth control."
"You don't need birth control, you never get any anyway." Jane snorted. Eleanor laughed too as Darcy tried to kick her off the couch, impeded by the fact that all of Jane's weight was on top of her legs. They could hear the clinking and conversation of the guys in the kitchen, followed by a crash that made them all flinch.
"Just a glass!" Tony yelled. Pepper rolled her eyes and the rest of the girls giggled. The noise from the kitchen seemed to increase.
Eleanor could hear Steve's exasperated "Really, Tony" She felt the wrinkles around her eyes as she smiled. Taking a breath as she relaxed into the couch Eleanor felt a moment of peace.
This was a really long chapter, I debated breaking it into two but... here we are.
Review for faster updates! I'll be taking a vacation to somewhere warmer than I am now. Happy Holidays!
Lots of love from MONA!