Happy third anniversary to this story! (I type as I'm writing this chapter in May 2022.)

Year Four: Double Double Date

Edison Residence's Parking Lot - 10:53 AM

Angela finds James in his empty parking spot looking at his little black book of cars, flipping through which one to drive around today. She doesn't understand the method of picking which car for the day. She isn't that rich to understand but Stark completely gets it and can predict which car he'll pick. Sometimes it has useful reasons like no convertibles when the weather is bad or convertibles when driving around on a hot day or a road trip, other times he needs the trunk space.

Angela looks over his shoulder when she approaches him, linking her arm with his. She stops his flipping on the white Mercedes. James pauses, looking at the car for longer before nodding. He takes the car out and puts it in the centre of his parking spot it grows to a normal car size and they hop inside.

"You didn't tell me where we were going so I hope I'm dressed okay," Angela says.

James takes the opportunity to check her out which makes her blush. "You're beautiful."

"So are you."

Angela leans in to kiss him and he holds her by her jaw. She's wearing a white crop top with light-washed skinny jeans, white converses, and a short puffy pink jacket. It complements his dark jeans, soft navy long-sleeve, white sneakers, and a bright blue quilted vest. She's glad he left the vest unzipped so she could hold on to it while kissing him.

James parts their kiss. "Okay, we gotta go."

Angela nods as she sits back and buckles her seatbelt. "What are we doing?"

"Going on a date. I know we've been together for six years but romance isn't dead."

"Why couldn't you cook for me in your dorm?"

James starts the car and heads out. "I did last week."

"You put the food in take-out containers so that if I thought it was bad, you could just blame the restaurant. And then if I liked it, you'd say the restaurant boxes were for aesthetic purposes."

James grins as he puts a hand on her thigh. "Still cooked and I remember you liking it if you want it to happen again."

Angela frowns at him but grins, holding his hand on her leg.

-o-

They drove about twenty minutes from the Academy, parking on the side of the road surrounded by shops, cafés, restaurants, and bakeries. Across the street are some parks where people are biking and walking their dogs.

"Okay," James says as he holds her hand and leads her along the sidewalk, "so Keith should be meeting us here-"

"What?" Angela questions. "How come?"

"Why not?"

Angela shrugs. "I think he hates me."

James looks at her. When he sees her feeling uneasy, he lets go of her hand and wraps an arm around her waist. "Come on, babe, everyone likes you. Tell me one person who doesn't."

"Him! That's my point. You don't listen to me."

James holds back his laughter. Six years in and still as dramatic as when they were kids. "If it makes you feel better, he doesn't hate you. He dislikes you at most."

Angela winces as she pries his arm off her. "Why are you making me look bad?"

"I've been asking myself that since the minute I started dating you."

"It's cause of Xavier, isn't it?"

"Definitely." He wonders if he should've hesitated before saying that, but doesn't regret it. She's too focused on her thoughts to notice.

"And that I fall asleep during his geek tangents."

"At least you didn't call them nerd tangents."

Angela crosses her arms. "Made that mistake once and his look of disgust is burned into my memory. But look, he's your friend and Daniel's. That means he's gonna be in your life for a while which makes him in mine."

James takes her hand again and kisses it. Her hands smell like her rose lotion that he picked up on when kissing her earlier. And her nails are painted in a sheer and silvery glitter colour. He remembers the night she was painting them because he was in her dorm while Merida was scribbling irregular German verbs on the walls for a quiz.

"So, what are we doing with Keith?" Angela asks.

Instead of responding, James keeps his mouth shut and plants a kiss on her hand that he's holding. It's also a constant inhale of roses.

Angela tilts her head. "James Pym, what did you do?"

He grins behind her hand. "A double date."

"James, no."

"James, yes."

Before she could further question, Keith walks out of a nearby comic book store. When he turns their way, James lets go of Angela's hand and waves him over despite him already seeing them.

"Hi, Keith!" James yells down the street.

Keith walks up to them with his usual uninterested demeanour, hands in his pockets. "What is she doing here? I ask out of curiosity and not resentment."

Angela raises a brow. "She doesn't know. And neither do you"

She looks at James with a cheeky grin, waiting to see what he says.

James clears his throat. "Well-"

Before he could say anything, Naomi walks out of a neighbouring local café with a coffee in one hand. She looks up from her phone and waves with the same hand. Keith whimpers as he ducks behind Angela. She glances at him and then at Naomi, connecting the dots.

Angela clears her throat, hiding a grin as she looks at her boyfriend. "James, I thought you told me this was a-"

"Double double," James says, pointing at Naomi's coffee, sounding more like a question. He remembers the first time he heard that term from her and it hasn't left his brain since.

Naomi smiles at him. "Black, actually."

Angela clears her throat again. "Excuse us for a moment."

She doesn't wait for an answer before dragging James away. Maybe that wasn't the best strategy given that Keith and Naomi are now stuck talking to each other. Angela looks over and sees Keith staring at his shoes and Naomi sips her coffee and watches traffic.

"You didn't tell them?" Angela asks despite knowing they didn't.

"They both would've said no," James responds. "Well, he's in love with her and had a whole eureka thing about her and she … well, she's nice to him."

Angela raises a brow. "What was your eureka thing about me?"

"Are you really making this about you now?"

"You're one to talk." She grins as she holds his hand with both of hers. "Mine was when you drove me home that one time and we sat in your car. You lit up your hand and told me it feels like small hornets prickling around their hive or adrenaline struck by lightning. You said you were always available for me and that you would hold my hand with your non-glowing one. Eureka. I knew I was in trouble when I didn't want you to see me blushing in the dark. I'm taking over this double date."

Angela's about to head back but James keeps his grasp on her and doesn't move. He pulls her back to him.

"This is a hostile takeover," he says, looking up at her.

"One that should've happened five minutes ago," Angela responds. "Keith looks like he wants to kill you and Naomi's on a different planet. This was a bad idea."

"Well, duh, it's my idea." He smirks at her, leaning in closer. "Why do you think I got you here?"

Angela's lips twitch into an almost smile but she stops herself after he catches it. "I thought we were on a date."

James taps her nose. "A double double date. Lead the way."

-o-

Angela leads them all to a small bakery the next block over which prompted them to walk and talk. She's the social butterfly so she kept the conversations going, turning around to face Keith and Naomi who walked behind her and James. She had to keep James by her side and hold his hand because she knew he would've gravitated to the middle of Keith and Naomi. They occasionally glanced at each other and when they would delve into their separate conversations, Angela would make James turn around and not say anything to them.

They arrived at the bakery which has a bright pink brick exterior that matches Angela's jacket. When they walk inside, they're greeted with whiffs of baked pastry with undertones of caffeine. Displays of different desserts in glass cases circle the restaurant, dollops of colourful icing and chocolate shavings in pattered paper cups.

Even the place itself was decorated with flowers and signs written in calligraphy. The tables were perfect circles in different colours and mismatched chairs.

"Everyone likes photos and sweets," Angela whispers to James as they sit next to each other

"I want a coffee-flavoured doughnut," Naomi says, peering over her shoulder to where it sits on the display. "Or maybe something else."

Unexpectedly, she gets up to peer at the entire selection. Angela didn't even notice James was gone until he saw her and Naomi pointing at the different options and smiling like giddy children on Christmas. Angela smiles at the fact James is as elated as he was when they first came to the place.

It was during their first year at the Academy and they walked here on a random autumn day. She wouldn't be surprised if she was wearing this exact jacket.

"Gonna browse?" Keith asks.

"Nah," Angela responds, "I memorized the menu and know which ones I can have. In case you're interested, the vegan ones actually taste like the others. James accidentally ate some of mine when we bought a dozen to bring back home. I never told him."

Keith nods, looking at either the sweets or Naomi. Angela couldn't tell until she notices Keith moving his head whenever Naomi would walk along the displays. She found herself watching James more than the cupcakes their first time here. Eventually, it came to a point where she would only look at him because she memorized the menu.

"James is an idiot but this is going great," Angela says to Keith because the awkward silence between them was getting to her. "Naomi's enjoying her time with you."

Keith scoffs, shaking his head. "No, she's not."

"How do you know?"

"I'm me."

Angela rolls her eyes. "Stupid reason. Boys always assume incorrectly."

Keith sighs as he turns towards Angela. "I think she'd never like me. The only times I'm with her are with Daniel and James, and you if we're talking about now."

"Maybe she just isn't looking for something more. Not with you specifically but generally."

"What?"

"She isn't seeing or noticing your feelings because she isn't looking," Angela fiddles with her thumbs, her thumb nails scratching against each other. "I don't know Naomi as I do my other friends but she's pretty perceptive when she wants to be."

Keith doesn't say anything but straightens when James and Naomi come back with a platter of different doughnuts all in different colours. Clearly, they just picked the prettiest ones in the bunch.

"What were you two talking about?" James asks.

Keith glances at Naomi next to him. She isn't looking at him but at the coffee-flavoured doughnut she was eyeing this whole time. Angela shakes her head, hoping Keith sees her through his peripheral vision.

"That time you invited a fraction of your exes to town," Keith answers.

"What?" Naomi asks, looking at James.

Angela shrugs with a small laugh. "Love the girls."

-o-

"You have to!" Naomi exclaims.

"No, I don't," Keith responds, grinning at her.

Two and a half doughnuts in and Naomi was peer-pressuring Keith into trying some coffee. Angela was amazed by her sugar high since the quiet girl had just started chatting with Keith as if she and James weren't even there anymore. The "forceful persuasion" (her words) was because she split the coffee doughnut with him and he liked it.

"It's a rite of passage into being my friend," Naomi says with wide eyes. "I'll drink some with you and even finish yours if you don't like it."

"First off," he laughs a little now, "we're already friends, somehow, and you'll be up all night."

"No, I won't. Caffeine makes me sleepy."

"Naomi, that's a sign of addiction."

Naomi smiles despite his serious tone. "Thanks." She puts a hand on his arm and deepens her voice. "Give yourself to the Dark Roast."

Keith doesn't respond because he just stares at her in shock. Angela notices the twinge in his mouth that wants to break into a smile. Naomi pokes his arm as she breaks another doughnut in half for them to share. When he opens his mouth to say something, she shoves his half in there and she laughs.

"Was that Star Wars?" Angela whispers to James.

James looks at her the same way Keith looked at Naomi when she made that pun. At least she knows the movie. She slept through all of them when they watched it together.

"I love you more and more every day," James tells her.

Angela smiles at him as Keith's phone starts ringing. Everyone looks at him as he takes it out of his pocket. He pauses to read the screen and mutters something under his breath.

Keith groans. "My mom always calls at this time. And she's video chatting … great."

"Pick up," James says, "I always chat with my mom."

Angela's eyes widen for a second as she chugs her coffee. Naomi meets her eyes and the two girls snicker as Keith picks up the phone.

Keith's Mom: Is the blonde your girlfriend?

Angela's face blanks as she looks up, biting her lips together to avoid laughing. Naomi and James laugh as Keith's cheeks burn.

"No, she's mine!" James exclaims. He grabs Keith's phone and gets up from the table to chat with her. "Hi, Mrs. Loughty."

Keith's Mom: Oh, hello James!

"He claims he's great with moms," Angela says to Keith and Naomi. "Even my mom likes him, much more than Britney might I brag. If I call my mom and James is around, he'll talk to her till my phone dies and then call her back on his phone."

"What a weirdo," Naomi says.

Angela shrugs. "It's cute. Sometimes Merida makes sure to answer her mom's calls when James is around so he'll talk to Natasha, Merida's mom."

James returns to the table with the call still going and hands Keith's phone back. "Your mom is great."

Keith's Mom: Is that the Naomi girl you're always talking about?

Keith's eyes nearly pop out of his head as Naomi stares at him with half a doughnut in her mouth. She cocks a brow, waiting for him to answer the question.

Keith pauses. "... what? No. I don't talk about Naomi at all."

Naomi leans closer to Keith to see his mom on the phone, so his mom sees her. She makes sure to take the doughnut out of her mouth and wave.

"Hi, Keith's Mom!" Naomi exclaims.

Keith's Mom: What a sweetheart. Oh, you're out with friends. That's good. I'll call you back later, then. I was so worried you'd be alone at school.

Keith laughs nervously. "Don't worry, Mom, I have friends here. You just spoke to two of them and assumed the third was my girlfriend."

Angela stops eating for a second. "Wait, you consider me a friend? I thought you hated me."

Naomi looks at her as if she's insane. "How can anyone hate you? You're Angela Freaking Rogers."

Angela shrugs. She's dealt with Pageant Bitches, Cheerleading Bitches, and currently deals with Operations Bitches.

"You're kinda awesome," Keith tells her. "I hate your brother, though."

Angela nods. "Yeah, me too. Wait what do you mean by kinda?"

James pats her arm as he chugs his coffee in the same way as her when he said he calls his mom all the time.

-o-

After calling Keith's mom and finishing their doughnuts, they head out and start walking to James' car to see what to do for the rest of the Double Double Date. The girls walk ahead, talking loudly and screaming laughter after nearly every sentence. James and Keith keep a good distance behind but can still hear everything they're talking about.

"What do you mean this was a date?" Naomi screams.

"Double Double Date!" Angela responds loudly before they both link arms and giggle about it.

"Oh, I thought that would end with me dead," Keith mutters.

"Hey," James says to Keith with his hands in his vest's pockets. "I just wanted to say thanks for telling Angela that she's a friend. One of her 'flaws' is a compulsive need to be liked especially because, essentially and subjectively, she's likeable. I mean, I find her loveable but I'm me. She thought you hated her."

Keith nods. "Likeable, yes. Loveable, sure. Approachable, hell no. I think she's scarier than Merida."

"Oh, do tell them that."

The girls walk back to them, standing on the edge and beside their respective dates. Angela holds James' hand in his pocket as, to Keith's surprise, Naomi links arms with him. He looks around cautiously, seeing Angela and James nodding excitedly, and he lets it be.

"I had fun on this Double Double Date," Naomi announces. "We should do this again some time. Maybe we can get Daniel and his fiancée."

Keith hesitates. "... well-"

"Told you so," Angela tells Keith as she makes him and Naomi walks ahead. "Aren't they cute?"

"Yeah…" James mutters, watching them go. Angela was right, as she said, to enact her hostile takeover on this Double Double Date. "Hey, babe, so like six or so years ago, I woke up one morning."

Angela glances at him, unsure of where his topic change came from but she nods. "I sure hope you did."

James smiles. "I woke up that morning and do you know what my first thought was?"

"What?"

"I wanted to bake you something myself. Me, with my two hands and ingredients and a mixer. Anything for you. So I spent that morning looking up a recipe and reading all these studies about love and compatibility to try and justify myself."

"Confirmation bias."

He quickly kisses her cheek. "I love that you know that."

She kisses his cheek. "So you were saying about that one morning you woke up?"

"My recipes were and still are shit. I honestly can't make a meringue to save my life. And then I wondered why I was doing all this, you know?"

"Why?"

James stops them walking, not telling Keith and Naomi so they continue ahead. He faces Angela and holds her face in his hands so that she's looking at him.

"Eureka," he states before kissing her.

Emily's Counterpart (and James' Eureka Moment that I spent 30 minutes looking for) - Chapter 121: The Stark-Pym-Rogers Trial and Error