the strongest avenger (2)

forty four

"Good morning fellow Avengers! We're having a party tomorrow night, to celebrate our win! And yes, you're all required to attend."

I groan and rub my temples as Tony strides into the kitchen, way too loud for nine in the morning. Wanda sighs from my right, and I see Steve roll his eyes.

"Do we have to get fancy?" I ask him, wondering if I'm going to have to go and get a dress.

"Yeah, well...more like cocktail. You don't need a gown or anything."

"Great," I mutter as I glance at Wanda. "I'm requesting your credit card, as the ladies and I need dresses."

Tony purses his lips, but ultimately gives in and fishes his card from his pocket.

"Do you really think it's appropriate to have a party right now?" Nat asks as I slide the card into my pocket.

"We need to show the people that things are slowly turning back to normal."

"But things aren't normal," I speak up. "people don't have homes, money, jobs. The world's in chaos, Tony. And we're throwing a goddamn party."

"It's a business party, SHIELD members are coming. Not just a random thing."

I sigh and shake my head, annoyed at how he doesn't understand the real issues at hand.

"All you have to do is dress nice, have a few drinks, mingle, and smile. That's it."

Nat and I meet gazes across the room and just shake our heads at him. But we know that we're not getting out of it.

**

After a cup of coffee, I took a quick shower and braided my hair. Also changing into jeans and a grey tank top. Tony's card tucked safely in my pocket, I leave my room and wait for Nat and Wanda.

While I wait, I grab Alpine from where she rests in the makeshift goat area, and I tuck her in my lap. Karl follows us and lays by my feet.

I stroke Alpine's back, her soft fur soothing me. My head falls back against the couch cushion and my eyes close as I wait for my friends.

A door closes in the distance, and I look over as James swiftly walks past me and goes out onto the balcony. He immediately comes back out and I can hear him mumbling under his breath.

But then he freezes as he sees the goats and me on the couch. I hesitantly reach out to feel his thoughts, my brows furrowing when I feel relief radiating from him.

He walks over to me and goes to grab Alpine, but I tighten my hold around her and lean away.

"Can I have Alpine?" He asks me, arms reaching out.

"No. Take Karl, you always neglect him."

"Can I please have her?"

I glare into his eyes, gritting my teeth. But I reluctantly hand her over, grabbing Karl as James sits in the seat across from the coffee table. Karl bleats softly as he snuggles into me, a small smile forming on my face.

"Why were you so frantic?" I ask the metal man.

He just looks up from where he pets Alpine, his lips in a thin line. "Just didn't know where she was."

**

After twenty minutes of silence and the occasional bleat from the kids, Wanda and Nat are ready to go. I leave Karl with James, reminding him to actually pay attention to the male goat for once.

The three of us drive to the nearest mall, Nat sporting a grey baseball hat. I wear sunglasses as we walk into the mall, hoping that no one recognizes us.

They probably wouldn't recognize me, as I'm not a brunette anymore.

We head to the nearest dress store, a place called Kira's, and start to browse the clothes.

I pull out a couple that catch my eye, and head over to Nat as she browses through the red dresses.

"You should wear something different. Surprise everyone."

She turns to look at me, and then nods approvingly. I walk over to Wanda and watch as she grabs a white dress and slings it over her arm.

"Wanna try on with me?"

I nod at her, and we make our way to the fitting rooms. I go inside the one next to hers and swiftly change into the blue dress I picked out. It's a plain, satin dress that hugs my body tightly, the royal blue shining from the lights.

"Let me know when you're ready Wands."

"Okay come out."

I open the curtain and step out, eyes running over Wanda in the fitted white dress she picked out.

"I like that one," I say. "The neckline's cute."

"And look at the back." She turns around and my eyes widen as I see the low cut, scoop style.

The back of the dress is non existent as the straps that hold the top up criss cross.

"I love it."

She grins at me and motions for me to do a spin. So I turn around in a 360.

Nat comes into the changing area and nods her head. "The blue is working for you."

"It's just a little plain. A little safe, ya know? I might get it for fun, could be cute for a dinner."

"Get it anyways. You don't have to wear it tonight." Wanda suggests.

I go back inside the small changing room, hanging the blue dress on the hangar and deciding that I'll get it anyways. I slip on the emerald dress and admire the V-neckline that accentuates my breasts. It ends mid thigh, and the material is quite stretchy.

I step out and see Nat wearing a deep purple halter dress, the neckline showing a lot of cleavage.

"Yeah that's the one, Nat."

She smiles at me, and then we turn to Wanda as she comes out wearing a lilac colored dress. It's strapless and quite modest, but the color works well with her hair.

"That's so pretty." I say, a small smile on my face. "I think you should get that one."

Nat nods along with me.

"Really?" Wanda asks.

"Yeah. The color's so pretty with you're complexion."

Wanda grins and then nods. She looks down at me and then assesses the dress. "That's cute."

"Yeah, no it's not. I'm not getting this one." I chuckle as Nat just shakes her head.

I go back inside and change into the last dress I picked out. The black color pops against my pale skin and white hair. I nod approvingly as I admire the shortness and the way it makes me look.

Sporting a large grin, I leave the dressing room, finding Nat and Wanda with their mouths popped open.

"Yeah I think this is the one."

**

After buying our dresses, we quickly went to a shoe store where I bought a pair of strappy stilettos and a new pair of everyday shoes. We made another quick stop to grab some nail polish, as we couldn't walk around with naked toes.

Even with everything going on in the world right now, I couldn't stop smiling as the three of us did normal things. Normal girl things. It was a big difference from the past, but I welcomed it.