Instigation

DarylDixon'sLover: Oh you just wait, it's about to get cuter.

FanGirlForever19: Yes! Steve was based off a friend of mine who's kinda socially awkward, and I just love the idea that Steve doesn't quite know if it's proper to ask about romantic relationships (kinda like the fondue moment in The First Avenger).

SummerMistedDragon: Thank you! I'm trying to make these chapters happy after all the drama of the last few.

JularaVon: Thanks, and welcome aboard!

Anime1FREAK: I update every Saturday! P.S. Love the name, I just started getting into anime myself and am currently on a Free! high.

An amused smile came onto my face as I listened. I could hear his breath during the pause, almost as though he wasn't sure if he wanted to say his next thought or not. And then-

"Sleep well, Eliza."

I most certainly did.

It was just a few minutes after Sam had stopped by to ask if a person named T'Challa had taken the time to pop into my office. At my confused look, he'd turned away grumbling about getting a cat out of his room, so I took it that he wasn't happy. I'd shrugged and gotten back to work, not entirely sure what I could do about the situation.

Now, I was typing away steadily at my desk, a thousand thoughts running through my head as I did so. Tony had finally announced his party, and as expected, I'd been invited to tag along. Coulson's words about being in the spotlight echoed through my head, though I tried my best to ignore them. I wasn't even sure if I'd be going, after all.

I stopped my typing to take a breather. My eyes drifted up to the window, where a strand of Christmas lights had "mysteriously" appeared two days ago. A small grin came onto my face. He'd gotten back from a quick security entourage the previous night, and I had the feeling I knew where he'd been before he stopped by my room at 2am to alert me of his homecoming.

It had become a recent habit of his. Any time he was away, he'd always stop by when he got back to let me know he was okay. It was a small gesture, but it was certainly appreciated. My eyes wandered over the string of lights, down to the sill filled with plants, and to the cork board filled with puppy photos. He'd certainly helped fill up my office.

Speak of the devil, I felt a sudden stirring of his presence. I spun around in my chair, not surprised when I saw him shutting the glass door gently behind him. At first I smiled, but then I paused. His shoulders were tense. His hands were fidgeting. His eyes were on the floor. Something was wrong.

"Hey, James. How'd it all go?" I asked carefully. I got up from my desk and made my way around to stand in front of him. I tried to peer into his eyes to get a clue as to what was bothering him, but he kept them trained on the ground.

"It was good," he replied shortly.

I nodded. "I'm glad." My answer was honest, but I was trying to keep myself from asking him directly what was wrong. I knew how he was. He would tell me if he needed to talk about anything. Asking questions wouldn't help.

I watched as his hands fidgeted a bit, and then as he stuffed them into his pockets to hide the nervous twitch. So he was aware that he was acting odd.

I stepped forward, my mouth open to point out what I'd just seen, but his words stopped me.

"Would you like to come to the gala with me?"

My brain made a one-eighty. That was not what I'd been expecting. I blinked, trying to process what had just happened and how this had caught me so off guard.

"Y-Yes, of course!" I finally said a good five seconds later.

A dubious grin came onto his face. "That didn't sound hesitant at all."

I laughed awkwardly. "I know, I'm sorry. Yes, I'd love to go with you. I just didn't think that's why you were acting weird."

James' eyes acknowledged the fact that I'd picked up on his nervousness, but he didn't comment out loud. "I'm sorry I'm asking late. I really did mean to ask sooner," he apologized earnestly.

I waved a flippant hand. "It's okay, really. We've both been busy lately."

A wistful look glazed over James' eyes. "Yeah…" he agreed. Suddenly, I found myself in his arms, being held tight. I felt like I could breathe again, his comforting aura surrounding me all at once. I picked up the scent of a new cologne on his collar, and I had to fight back an appreciative moan.

After a moment, we separated, the previously awkward air in the office replaced by reassuring familiarity. Even then, we held onto each other. I was distracted by his hair, noticing how some of the strands were out of place. I felt his amused eyes on me as I fixed the locks, smoothing them back into order. Once I was done, my eyes met his, and that insatiable tugging had returned.

Our eyes had just begun to shut when-

BEEP

I wanted to groan out loud, but I bit my tongue. After untangling myself, I went over to my desk to see a notification on the comm. It was marked as urgent.

My eyes were apologetic when they flashed up to his. "I'm sorry, I have to-"

James simply shook his head in understanding. "It's fine, Eliza. I'll see you after work, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded. My voice betrayed my wistfulness. My eyes followed him as he walked out, then became annoyed the second the door shut. Who was calling at such an inconvenient time? I found out when I pressed the accept button.

"Wow, that sexual tension was just unbearable— FRIDAY felt so awkward, she had to frost the walls."

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

"She does that every time I have a private appointment, Tony," I informed him airily. I could hear his cocky grin over the comm for getting a rise out of me, but I couldn't help it. "It's for the-"

"-confidentiality of the client, I know."

I jumped and turned around to find Tony entering my office. A phone in one hand and a packet of blueberries in another, the suited billionaire looked as casual as ever.

"Just couldn't spy on my office in a t-shirt, huh?"

"Nope," he popped as he pocketed the phone. He fell into a chair and stretched out, looking at me expectantly. I simply crossed my arms and stood my ground. Tony rolled his eyes. "I get it. You're mad. Invasion of privacy and all that."

I pursed my lips. "Um, yeah, kinda."

A careless grin came onto his face. "Get used to it, Lizzie. Cameras, red carpets, spotlights— they don't care about your privacy."

"Then I'd appreciate you not taking the small part of it I have left," I replied shortly.

He nodded his head back and forth. "Fair point. Still, you two have a lot to work on. Maybe find a different room to have secret meetings in."

I raised an eyebrow at him, pointedly ignoring his last remark. "I'm sure we'll figure things out just fine on our own, thank you."

My words were laced with acid, but it didn't faze the billionaire. If anything, it only made him more serious. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes studying me. We stayed like this for a minute, each silently staring the other down in challenge.

Then suddenly, he got up and slapped something down on my desk. I looked down at it, confused when I saw a debit card with his name on it.

"I want my guests looking good," Tony said as he got up from the chair. He went over to open the door and looked back at me to wink. "Get yourself something nice!" he shouted, the door slamming behind him.

"Well I think you've needed a bit of a shopping trip after all you've gone through lately," my mom was saying as we walked down the sidewalk. "I mean, it hasn't been that long since the crash, and now you're changing jobs and going to another party at that tower? You never seem to get a break!"

I grinned, but shrugged. "Life's always crazy, things have just been happening in high concentration lately. I have the feeling things will settle down soon."

My mom shook her head before she pulled me into the fifth store we'd been in so far. "And now you have a man, too? You really need to update me more!" she said, waving her phone in my face.

I laughed and pushed it aside. "I know, I know. Hopefully we can catch up more next week at Christmas." My mom nodded in agreement, and we set to work looking through more racks of dresses. I tried to stop myself from looking at price tags, even though I felt bad about having Tony's card in my wallet. He'd even texted me the pin number and everything, but it still felt wrong.

I could hear my mom humming from the other side of the rack. "What's your budget again, honey?"

A quick shot of anxiety ran through my heart, but I kept my voice casual when I replied, "Oh, don't worry about it. Christmas bonus and all that."

"If you're sure!" I looked up and saw my excited mother come around the corner, a large red dress in hand. I raised an eye at the color choice, but she gave me a look. "It's Christmas, honey. I'm sure the tower will be decorated for the holidays. You'll blend right in."

"Yes, because bright red really blends in," I murmured sarcastically. I had to admit that the dress was pretty. The price tag flashed before my eyes, and I had to turn my head away. If Tony said it was okay, then it was okay.

I focused my eyes back on the dress. It really was pretty. "Take it back to the dressing rooms," I finally caved. "I'll keep looking and come back in a moment." My mom nodded before she disappeared in the back of the store. I sighed, carelessly flipping through dress after dress on the clothes rack. None of them compared to that dress, and I knew it.

After a minute of mindless looking, I finally went back to the dressing room.

"…and she's looking for a dress for the gala at Avengers Tower!" my mom was saying when I entered. I kept myself from cringing when I saw that a small crowd had gathered around her. When I entered, all eyes turned on me.

"Oh, Eliza!" my mom smiled. "This one is for you." She waved at an open dressing room, and in it hung the red dress.

"Thanks," I replied, hoping my smile didn't look to awkward. The room had gotten way too quiet all of the sudden. I waded through the posse of women, feeling all of their curious eyes follow me before I shut the door. I breathed a sigh of relief and promptly slumped against the wall. And this was only the beginning of the spotlight.

Reluctantly, I put on the dress and stepped out of the dressing room.

But instead of a simple approving nod from my mom, the ever growing crowd shouted a resounding, "YES!"