Dictation

DarylDixon'sLover: Yes, we all just needed a dog in this story, don't you think?

LadyAmazon: Precisely! It was probably back in one of the chapters around 13 or so, but it was mentioned in there that Bucky could get a therapy dog, hence why I decided to follow through on it now!

FanGirlForever19: One word: Steve. He's based on a friend of mine, who is always super awkward about romantic stuff.

SummerMistedDragon: "Awww" is correct! I love how everyone just loves dogs, it's so great.

Unajet: Seeing support for Steve in this story makes me so happy, because even though he's not the main character, he matters so much.

Guest: Hello, there! No one is forcing you to read the story, so if it's not your type of story, then feel free to not read it anymore. It won't hurt my feelings. I write what I want to because it's fun, not because I think my readers deserve a certain "reward."

kuppcake: Thank you! T'challa is one of my favorite additions to the MCU, and I am over the moon excited about Black Panther in February!

Demigod-GallagherGirl: YES THE DOG - honestly, I love how many dog people read this story, most of these reviews were about the dog and it was so cute.

Rohirrim Girl 2187: Your review basically sums up the entire chapter, so yes to all of it! The ragtag misfits group will grow even more with time!

"Gosh, we are never going to get a break, are we?" James chuckled.

I smiled broadly, reaching up and smoothing a stray hair back in its place. "No, no we really aren't."

He smiled back at me, his eyes lighting up before he took my hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. My heart felt like it was melting, even after he walked away with a simple "goodnight".

I woke up the next morning to a ray of sunlight shining in my eyes, and that's when it hit me. The gala was tonight. I rolled my eyes and stuffed my face in a pillow. I had the day off, and I was going to make the most of it.

"FRIDAY, black out the windows," I grumbled.

"Morning, sunshine!" a familiar voice replied.

I turned over and glared up at the speaker on the ceiling. "Tony, I swear, if you don't have FRIDAY put these shades down so I can go back to sleep, I will-"

"No can do, sunshine!" Tony's voice replied cheerily. My eyes drifted lazily over to the clock. It was barely seven. I groaned and covered my head with the duvet.

Tony tsked. "Oh, none of that, Lizzie. Get up and get going! You've got a busy day ahead!"

"I have until six to get ready," my muffled voice shot back.

"Lizzie, it takes me three hours to pick out a suit," Tony informed me haughtily. "Trust me, you need to get up. And I saw you and Manchurian candidate on the monitors last night, and if you two don't kiss by the end of the night, I'm gonna lose a bet to the bird-men, so you'd better-"

"FRIDAY, turn off my comm."

"Don't you dare-"

"Yes, Miss Elizabeth."

I rolled out of bed hours later. My curly hair looked like a lion's mane, the bags under my eyes were as dark as could be, and I smelled like I hadn't showered in days. Yup, definitely ready for a gala.

But I took my time getting ready. I had the longest shower of my life, shaving every square inch of my legs and scrubbing my body down with my favorite body wash and sugar scrub. My tangled hair took the longest the wash, seeing as how I was constantly fighting knots. Work life really hadn't been good to my fussy curls.

After I got out and managed to get my hair semi-dry, I made my way down to the cafeteria in jeans and a t-shirt. It was oddly empty, though I was running a bit late for breakfast. Plus, all the people who still had to work today had probably already been in and out. I took my time getting breakfast. Unlike Tony, it didn't take me ages to get ready for big events. I was already showered, and it wasn't like makeup was going to take me four hours. I was going to enjoy my day off, even if it was just sitting around and doing nothing.

For the rest of my day, I scrolled through hairstyles and makeup ideas on Pinterest, struggled to paint my nails, and listened to documentaries as I did so. I tried a few of the styles I found online, but none of it seemed to work. My hair just wound up looking weird or my eyeshadow like I'd been punched in the face. By the time I decided I needed to get ready, I really had no idea what I was going for, I just hoped I looked half decent.

In the end, I went with my usual makeup routine, my favorite nude lipstick, and some shimmery cream eye shadow with a light matte brown crease. I traded out my glasses for a new pair of black cat eyes that had shown up on my dresser (the tag had been marked Tony, and I really didn't want to know how he got access to my prescription or my pupil distance), then stared at myself in the mirror. My curly hair was still hanging down around me as usual, and I simply couldn't figure out what to do. After a few more failed Pinterest attempts, I settled for piling it up on my head in what I hoped was an elegant up do.

Just as I was pinning back a few wayward curls, FRIDAY's comm pinged. "Mr. Stark is outside your door. Shall I let him in?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

Unsurprisingly, Tony entered in a tux, dressed to walk a red carpet at a moment's notice. But before I could comment, he lowered his sunglasses and gave me a stern look. "Please tell me that's not what you're wearing."

I glanced down at my sweatpants and t-shirt before I rolled my eyes. "No, I just didn't want to get anything on the dress."

At my comment, Tony strolled over to where the dress was hanging over my closet door. Amused, I watched as he examined it closely, searching for any defects. Finally, he stood back and nodded.

"Good pick," he commended. "Now we just need to see it on."

Rolling my eyes yet again, I went over and snatched the dress off the hanger. I heard him shout something along the lines of "hey now- be nice!" as I grabbed my heels and shut the bathroom door behind me. When I came out a minute later, I found him sitting on my bed with a small box in hand.

He looked over at me, and his eyes betrayed surprise. "Well you clean up nice."

I snorted. "Thanks for the genuine compliment."

Tony stood up from the bed and walked toward me. "You're welcome. You're welcome for a lot of things, actually. The dress, the glasses, the boyfriend-"

"What on earth did you have to do with James?" I retorted.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. I just have a way of making the world go 'round in this place."

I rolled my eyes and walked past him to check the time on my phone. "Sure you do, Tony. Now don't you need to get going? The thing starts in an hour," I reminded him.

He tsked. "Now now, don't get rid of me yet. You haven't let me give you one last present." He held out the box, which I could now see was velvet. Curious, I stepped forward and opened it. Inside laid a strand of pearls.

"It was my mom's," he said casually. My eyes went wide, but he waved a nonchalant hand. "Pepper never likes necklaces- thought they got in the way, or something like that. And you know, I realized something the other day."

Speechless, I looked up at Tony. His eyes were genuine, leaving no room for his usual sarcasm.

"I think that…if I ever had a daughter, which, of course, I didn't, because, well, look at me…I think she'd be something like you." A grin came onto my face, and I picked up the pearl necklace gently to inspect it. Tony stepped back and watched me, his face unreadable.

I looked at him to say thank you, but he cut me off. "Except, well, maybe smarter, cooler, better taste in technology- I mean, who uses Apple these days?" he rambled. I wanted to laugh, but I knew I shouldn't. Sentiment wasn't his forte, but he was certainly trying.

"Goodbye now, Tony," I smiled, waving him toward the door.

Tony put his hands up, willingly exiting my room. "Don't forget to kiss tin man!" he shouted from down the hall.

I laughed, looking down the hall to see if anyone had heard that. And of course there was Steve, looking hilariously confused as per usual. I motioned that he could come into my room, and he followed.

Steve looked at my door, then back at me. "Did he just-?"

I laughed, unclasping the necklace clumsily. "Don't worry about it, Steve. He's just Tony." I managed to clasp the necklace around my neck, then looked back at him.

Steve was staring at the door again with a concerned look. "Worrying is kind of my job," he admitted with a shrug.

After picking up my clutch, I made my way over and accepted his proffered arm. "You should try to focus on other things every once in a while," I suggested as we exited my room. "Like what about tonight? Are you going with Sharon?"

I watched Steve's face cringe as we walked down the hall. "Things are…interesting between us right now. I have the feeling she booked a meeting just to avoid coming."

I snorted. "Wow."

"Yeah, I know," Steve laughed. "I'm really that bad with women. I'll be a one man show forever."

I shook my head, patting him on the arm. "You just have to find the right one, Steve."

Steve looked doubtful, but he gave me a smile. "I hope so. You and Bucky seem to be doing alright."

I blushed. "We're figuring things out, that's for sure. We can't exactly do things normally."

"Trust me, I know how that feels," he replied. We stopped short of the entrance to the main living area. My heart was racing suddenly. I knew James was just beyond that door.

"Hey," Steve said quietly. I looked over at him and was greeted by an encouraging smile. "You'll be just fine."

I nodded shakily, not trusting my voice to give a strong answer. The door opened, and I saw almost all the Avengers gathered together, ready to go and face the crowd. Steve had just let go of my arm when I spotted him.

"Eliza."