Toni got out to where the tables were, immediately hunting down a waiter carrying a tray with flute glasses full of champagne before heading towards the other Avengers. The group of heroes was sitting at the table, the only one not totally out-of-place was Natasha. Hawkeye, Clint she reminded herself, was looking at a fork like he was trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. Steve was sitting rod iron straight, looking at the people dancing; and Bruce was looking like he wanted to bolt.
Honestly, this wasn't what Toni wanted. Of course, seeing the slight awkwardness of these heroes was entertaining; but this wasn't her initial thoughts when she started to plan this event. After telling Fury to fuck off when he told her that from what she saw of the two SHIELD agents, they both needed a pick me up after the battle and the other two were becoming shut-ins.
Toni made it to the table, setting her glass down. "This is a party, not a 'let's sit around and totally insult the host' evening." She smiled, sitting between Bruce and Steve. Toni smiled as she saw Natasha roll her eyes. "See, even Miss Russian Super Spy thinks you three are ridiculous."
There was silence at table for a moment, Toni not letting it last for too long though. "All right, since this doesn't seem like it will fix itself; this is what you will do. Natalie and Legolas will go and do something. Dance or get something at the bar, just stand up and leave. Now, Big Green and Capsicle you have a choice. One you will come and dance with me; the other can go look around and you know be social."
Natasha got Clint to stand up, Toni hearing of whisper of the red-haired woman saying something about alcohol. Toni turned looked around, smiling at the two with a shit eating grin. "So, what now. Can't leave a girl hanging now." The blush that crept over Steve's face was near hilarious.
Steve couldn't help the blush that came over his face. There was a bit of laughter in Toni's eyes as a waitress came over. "Would you like a drink?" The blonde asked with a smile.
Toni shook her head, before saying. "What's your name?" The tone was so like what he had heard many times from Howard when he wasn't working. Flirtatious and soft. Looking over at the black-haired woman, Steve saw that her eyes were looking at the woman in what Steve could only say was recognition.
"Sharon." The blonde said, looking at Toni.
Toni nodded, "Well, Sharon. Could you do me a favor? My friend here," Steve saw her motioning in his direction, "is a bit shy and I can't be with him at the moment. Can you spend some time with him while I make some rounds?"
The blonde smiled, "Of course, Ms. Stark." She looked at Steve, who was trying not to blush even more. "It'll be my pleasure, mister..."
"Steve." Steve said, "Just call me Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Sharon." He looked at Toni would was smiling.
"Well, now that's taken care of, Bruce come with me." Toni stood up, hand on Bruce's elbow as he stood with her.
The two Avengers left, leaving Steve with Sharon. "Come with me Steve. Why don't we take a look at the items for auction?"
Steve nodded, standing up and followed after the female, heading towards an area of the room where few people stood. Steve pretended to be interested in a device he knew to be a tablet. After a few minutes, Sharon spoke. "How do you know Ms. Stark? She doesn't normally take that much interest in guests."
"My grandfather knew Howard. I don't know Toni too well, we've only recently met." Steve said, telling the story that SHIELD had told him to say if anyone asked the question. He looked up and at Sharon. She was rather pretty; the funny thing was, she reminded him very much of Peggy. She stood very much in the same manner she did, and her hair was done in way he had seen it one time when she was off duty. He found himself smiling as he thought of the agent.
He shook his head, reminding himself that this woman was not Peggy. Peggy wasn't dead, but from her file, he knew she had grown rather old in the almost 70 years he had been in the ice; and in a retirement home somewhere in tech city. He couldn't bring himself to visit her, knowing that from his prospective it had been less than a few months since he last heard her voice. He still remembered everyone; most of his team dead and gone.
"Do you need anything, Steve?" Sharon asked, smiling back at the soldier.
Steve blushed, running his hand through his hair. "No, sorry, you just reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago."
Sharon nodded, "I see. Did you know her well?" There was something in Sharon's way of asking that Steve found intrigued.
"No, not really." Steve found himself saying before he realised how true it was. He didn't know much of Peggy's life outside of the war. "We worked together for a few years. She was a really great woman."
"She must have been special." Sharon said in a nonchalant manner.
It looked like she was going to say something else, but they were interrupted by Toni. "Find anything you like, Spangles." Toni said, making Steve jump by how close she was; particularly since he could normally tell when someone near him.
Toni chuckled as Steve turned around, "Not really." He said honestly.
"Well, we'll find something you'd like a little later." Toni smiled, turning towards Sharon, "Thank you very much for staying with Steven here. I'll take him off your hands so you can get back to work."
Sharon nodded, "You're welcome Ms. Stark." She started to walk away, heading to a door Steve believed led to a kitchen.
"I swear one of these days I'll find a way to stop Fury from getting his agents hired on my staffs." Toni murmured.
Steve turned towards Toni, surprise written all over his face. "She was a SHIELD agent?"
Toni smiled, Steve noting mentally how her face lit up when she was truly amused. "Yep," the 'p' popping at the end of the word, "I recognised her from a database I gained access to back before the attack on the helicarrier."
Steve somehow fought the urge to mention that she got that information by stealing it. "That makes sense..." He said.
"Yeah. Well, come on then Spangles. The food table has something I want to show you." Toni started to walk off and Steve followed, heading towards a table that was surrounding what looked like a fountain of melted cheese.
"What is that?" Steve asked, eying the cheese as it fell like water.
"That, my friend, is a cheese fountain." Toni said a smarmy grin across her face. "You know, cheese and bread."
Steve felt his face grow red, knowing exactly why this was happening, "Howard..." He groaned.
"The old man talked about you a lot. Particularly when he was drunk or after a failed attempt to find you." Toni said, "Funny thing was, he focused on like three stories. Of course, that could because by the time I was born he was already losing his mind." There was no filter on Toni's tone; the malice towards her late father was pretty clear.
"And fondue was one of them?" Steve asked surprise almost as clear as Toni's malice towards Howard.
"Yep," Toni said, grabbing a long fork like thing before stabbing a piece of beard and putting it in the cheese. "I think you blew his mind with how naïve you were. I always liked that one." Toni took a bite of the beard, "You should try this. It's not like any of these stuffed peacocks will eat all this calories,"
Steve nodded; getting a fork-thing like the one Toni had and put a piece of beard under the cheese waterfall. "What were the other stories he told?"
Toni put the fork in a tray at the end of the table before replying, "When you and an SSR agent got him to fly you out into enemy airspace so you can save the captured 107th soldiers." Toni paused, "And when you went down. He'd have to be pretty drunk to tell that one; it was pretty rare to hear."
Steve nodded, "Howard was a smart man. Did he ever get that flying car to work?" He really wanted to change the subject. He'd found since he woke up that he hated to hear people talk about him. All the stories were second-hand accounts or something completely made up; you could have knocked him down with a feather when he found out the comics that were made, almost all of them fictional stories.
"Nope," Toni said, Steve wondering if she consciously popped the 'p's on her single word responses. "He helped with the atomic bomb right after you went down, and after that he stayed in the weapons game. Cold War and all that. You know what that was, right?"
Steve nodded; Natasha had helped him out with history after she came back from wherever she and Clint had gone to after New York. "Yes, I do." He tried not to sound angry or annoyed at the question that seemed to follow most thinks people have said to him lately.
Toni smiled, looking at the dance floor. "Come on, the photographers are out. I should get some pictures dancing so no rumors of me off with someone come out and Pepper gets pissed again."
Steve found himself being pulled away, going towards the dance floor where people were dancing rather closely. "Toni, wait. I don't know how to dance." He said, protesting.
Toni stopped, looking at Steve with a playful smile on her lips. "I know, Cap. This is just a waltz; don't step on my feet and you'll be just fine."
Steve nodded in a surrendering fashion and followed Toni.
"All, your right goes here." Toni said, putting Steve's hand on the middle of her back; his hand warm on her skin showing in the backless dress she wore. She put her right hand on his shoulder before taking his left hand with hers. "All right, now you just take a side step and then a step forward; then just repeat."
Toni watched Steve take the first step and then the next, "See, this isn't too hard. Just count 1, 2, 3 in your head and it's easy." Toni smiled, "Who knew all it took to stop you was to make you dance. Can't let any of the baddies know or we'd be having dance offs left and right."
Steve, who had been blushing since Toni told him to put his hand on her back, looked up from his feet. "That's not very funny Toni."
"Oh, Captain. It's actually rather hilarious." Toni chuckled.
Well, that's it for this ball thingy majig... Lol, this took a lot longer than I thought to type out; but here it is. I really wanted to have the fondue thing, just because I feel that Tony should totally bring it up to Cap in the movie just cause... Though I get why it wasn't in the Avengers, I mean, things were just crazy serious.
AND YAY! RENNER IS STILL GOING TO BE HAWKEYE (I was kind of scared for a bit there)
And Speaking of Hawkeye, I posted the first chapter to A Clintasha companion story... Go check it out, it's called, "I guess that's why they call it the blues' (yes, another Elton John song title. I really love that man's music.) Read it please, it's going to be very fun :D
Please Review, I love y'all bunches.