Run Fast and Far

Feeling Better and Oh My God He's Coming Home Early?! PANIC!!

By the time dinner rolled around that evening everyone was doing a lot better. Still feeling a bit sluggish and dizzy but no longer vomiting.

The soup definitely helped bring the life back to some of the faces around the table.

The next morning I rolled out of bed feeling rested and ready for a chill day. But as I was relaxing on my bed FRIDAY alerted me to a phone call. I lazily answered it still lying down in bed with a wii game controller hooked up to the TV in my room.

"Stark Tower, residential level, Daphne Larkspur speaking,"

"Daphne," came Steve's voice. I bolt straight out of bed.

"Steve?" I ask with slight hysteria in my voice.

"Hey Daph, I'm headed home. Everyone okay?"

Oh shit... I turned my phone on speaker and opened a channel for the whole floor to hear.

"Yep everyone's doing fine,"

"I know you're one of the more honest ones on the team, but I'll believe it when I see it tonight," he said.

"You're gonna be home tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, and I've got someone with me. I think you're gonna like em Daph,"

"Haha," I laughed trying to sound casual "Let me meet him first,"

"You will. Can you make sure there's plenty of food to serve everyone for dinner?"

"Yeah sure,"

"Alright see ya tonight," he clicked off the phone.

I spoke into the open channel, "I know you all heard that. We have to clean up this place pronto! Family meeting in the kitchen, now!"

I closed the channel and left my room, on the way there I saw my team members also making their way to the kitchen.

"You heard the Captain! He's gonna be home soon. We have to get this place cleaned up and evidence destroyed," Tony said when everyone was there.

"Daph, make a really good dinner. So good it'll convince him that you'd been preparing for this all day. And make tons of whatever you make. Someone I don't care who, help her,"

Before anyone could volunteer Tony kept talking. "Bruce you help me tweak with FRIDAY's stuff to get rid of any sort of surveillance of the last two days. Everyone else clean this floor spotless then make it dirty again, but dirty in the way that it normally is,"

The whole day was spent ravenously cleaning the house. Getting barf stains out of clothes and carpets. Throwing away vodka bottles. Trying to hide the lingering mystery smell. But I had to come up with something delicious and bountiful for dinner.

Despite my being the youngest I'm the only one on the team that can cook good food for large groups. Pietro volunteered to be my assistant, weather it was because he just didn't want to clean or if he just wanted to spend time with me I don't know. But right now I don't care, I have a ton of food to make.

Instead of taking a car to the super market I allowed Pietro to carry me and run there so I could get a head start, then he ran home and got a car to take back all of the groceries.

I got, 6 rotisserie chickens, fresh peas, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions.... I've got everything else for the main course at home... Can't buy champagne but I don't think think anyone really wants to drink after the other day... Martinellie's it is. Dessert... This needs a wowing dessert. Pie? Brownies? Blondies? Cheese Cake? Regular cake? Home made ice cream? Yes... Home made ice cream, and... And cheesecake(*)... Cakes? Cakes yes... I'll do three flavors, yeah that'll be good.

I finished buying everything just as Pietro pulled up in one of the SHEILD SUV's.

"Vhat the hell do you need vith all zat?" He cried helping me load all of it up into the car. I sat next to him with all of the groceries in the trunk.

"Well I have 11 mouths to feed! And most of those mouths eat four times the amount of any normal person," I countered.

"Zat is very true..."

"Damn right it is. I'm the only one in that tower that can cook for more than three people,"

"I vould try to argue, but I know you're right,"

I smiled triumphantly, I like winning. But my victory was short lived because Pietro spoke again.

"Daphany?"

"Hm?"

"I keesed you at the party," he sounded guilty.

"I know, you said that yesterday. You asked me if I was mad at you. You remember, right?"

"Yes... Then you keesed me back,"

I blushed deeply, "On the head..."

No one said anything for a long moment. We didn't know what we were supposed to say.

"Can I kees you again?" He suddenly asked. He then looked like he wanted to take it back. But my body made an executive decision before my brain could say no. I leaned over and captured his lips in a gentle but silencing kiss.

I pulled away to whisper, "I vish you vould kees me again," in my best impression of his accent. He grinned, then leaned back in to take my lips against his once more.

We pulled away again to catch our breaths, I leaned my forehead on his. "We can't tell the others yet..." I whispered.

"I think you're right... Ve vill vait avile before ve tell anyone..."

"At home, we should spend time together to get them used to the idea of us being together... But wait a little longer to make it official,"

"Good plan, you are most definitely the smart one,"

I laughed at him and gave him another quick peck on the lips before we pulled into the covered parking of the Stark Tower.

We unloaded the car and got everything into the elevator in record time. As the elevator climbed up into the tower I brought up something I had noticed,

"Pietro?"

"Hmm?"

"I think Wanda and Vision might be like us. Hiding their affection in front of the group,"

"I knew I vasn't the only vne noticing eet!" I said.

"The only reason I found out was because they kissed at the party, and Vision said that he had her consent before she was drunk,"

"Oh, I just alvays see zem looking at each other. I think they are a good match,"

"I ship it," I said in agreement.

"Ship?"

"Yeah, when you want two people together in a romantic way then you ship them," I briefly explained.

He gave me a devilish grin, "I ship us,"

I laughed! "Good, I do too" The door dinged and we stopped laughing, it slid open and we were our normal selves.

We spent the whole day making enough chicken pot pies to practically feed an army. Three strawberry cheesecakes, and a large tub of homemade ice cream.

Luckily the house was done being cleaned, then dirtied and all the food prepared before Steve and his mystery guest arrived. Good thing too, because I was exhausted! So was everyone else... We put on a movie, but I think everyone landed up napping though the whole thing.

I don't know how long we napped, but FRIDAY came on over the loud speaker saying, "Mr. Rogers has arrived to the tower,"

"Shit! Everyone get up," I threw a pillow at Thor,

"Someone go set the table, now!"

"I got it," Wanda used her magic to set 11 place settings around the giant table.

The elevator dinged behind us, everyone turned around. There was Steve, perky as ever. Standing with another man. Long dark hair... A nervous face... He wore a black hoodie and jeans. But what was most striking about this man was his metal left arm.