Chapter 3: Everyone Loves a Costume Party

Once they got back to Avengers Tower, they went inside and up to the living room where the rest of the team was waiting.

"That was fast," said Tony. "It's barely past midnight."

"There was a slight change of plans," said Pietro, sprawling out in an empty seat.

"Yeah, Nat, you gonna tell us what the fuck that was about now?" Clint said, joining Pietro on the couch.

"Whoa, you're not trying to say Natasha screwed up a mission?" Bruce said incredulously.

"Who said anything about screwing up?" said Natasha.

She perched on the arm of the sofa and took her phone out of her bra.

"What? No pockets," she said in response to several raised eyebrows.

"I get you," said Wanda.

The two girls fist-bumped and Pietro and Clint rolled their eyes.

"Anyway," said Steve. "What happened?"

"Well, the bomber's colleague didn't show up," said Natasha. "But the bomber came instead."

"Shit, did she recognize you?" Sam asked, turning to Pietro and Clint.

"I don't think she even saw us," said Clint. "Nat distracted her pretty well. Still don't know what you were doing though, babe."

"I'm getting to it," said Natasha. She unlocked her phone and clicked through a few things before continuing. "I managed to sneak some pictures of her and her contact, as well as the file he was giving her. I also found out her name when I took her to the bathroom to help wash the tequila out of her dress. Leah Stormfields. Not an alias, her ID was definitely real."

She passed her phone to Steve so he could look at the pictures.

"You are incredible," said Pietro, thoroughly impressed.

"I'm good at pretending," Natasha said humbly.

"But you're actually definitely incredible," said Clint. "And you also look really hot in that dress, which I didn't get to tell you earlier."

Natasha grinned.

"This file..." said Steve, zooming in on the picture and frowning. "It's-"

"Not a file," Natasha finished.

"It's not?" Pietro said.

"Nope. It's a brochure," said Natasha.

"For what?"

"An exclusive resort where there just so happens to be a huge Halloween party for a bunch of highly esteemed and very important guests," Natasha said. "Look at the next picture, Steve."

"Oh look, our bomber just got two tickets to the event," said Steve in mock excitement.

"What do these terrorists have against parties and fancy hotels?" Pietro said.

"So," Clint asked, turning to Tony. "D'you think the Avengers might be able to get ourselves invited?"

Tony smirked and pulled out his phone.

"Let's find out," he said.

They all sat quietly as he made the call.

"Hey, Mister Preston? Tony Stark here. I was wondering whether I might be able to get myself a few tickets for that excellent Halloween party you're hosting. Oh, just me and some friends. Yes, those friends. No no, of course not, superheroes need some fun too, y'know. Okay, that'll be fine. Thank you, sir, I'll see you then."

He hung up and tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket.

"So?" Pietro said.

"Better start planning your costumes, kids, 'cause we're going to a Halloween party," said Tony.

"You got the tickets?" said Steve.

"No need to sound so surprised, Captain Obvious," said Tony. "I could only score four though, so you're all gonna have to duke it out for the three that aren't mine."

"Well, Nat got the information and this has kinda been Clint and Pietro's mission since day one, so it's only fair they got them," said Sam.

"Fair enough," Tony said. "Any objections? Good. No bloodshed then."

"So what kind of Halloween party is this, exactly?" Clint asked. "Like, will it be frowned upon if I go as Edward Scissorhands or what?"

"This is a rich-folks' Halloween party, Barton," said Tony. "Do the math."

"No Edward Scissorhands then?"

"Nope."

"Aww..."

"So more like a masquerade or something?" said Natasha.

"Romanoff's got the idea," said Tony. "You dress up, but you make it classy."

A few days later, Pietro and Clint wandered the aisles of a costume shop, trying to figure out what to wear to the party.

"Halloween isn't really a big deal in Sokovia, and I never really got a chance to do anything for it anyway 'cause I had to grow up at age ten," said Pietro.

"So it kinda sucks that your first real Halloween is gonna be spent in some lame-ass fancy costume with a bunch of snobs?" Clint said.

"Yeah, kinda," Pietro admitted. "I mean, it'd be rather fun to dress up in a tacky costume and eat candy all night."

"I'll tell ya what. We'll have our own Halloween," said Clint. "We can wear whatever crazy costumes we want, eat lots of chocolate. It can be our pre-party."

"I'd like that," Pietro grinned.

"And hey, we've got some much higher quality handcuffs than those ones you're fondling at home if you were wanting to try out some party games."

Pietro blushed, accidentally knocking down the display of cheap plastic handcuffs he had been absentmindedly fidgeting with. He scrambled to hang them back on the rack, blushing even harder as he straightened up and noticed Clint smirking suggestively at him.

"Wait, you're serious?" he said.

"Do you really think I'd be suggesting sexual experimentation if I wasn't serious?" said Clint.

Pietro smirked.

"Well, if we're gonna be using handcuffs, we might as well find some costumes to match."

"Now that's what I'm talking about."