Rip My Heart Out (Avengers Age of Ultron)

Chapter 17

While walking towards the room Tony had given me to stay in, I suddenly realized I didn't have anything to wear to this party. I wasn't the kind of girl that really cared all that much about having an amazing outfit or anything like that, but I'm pretty sure the sweatpants and t-shirts I had been wearing from the locker room would draw some looks, and right now all I wanted was to blend in. I don't really even want to go to this party, but the last thing I want is people noticing me, good or bad.

The thought crossed my head to go back to my old apartment and see if any of my old clothes were there, but I knew they wouldn't be. I'd been gone for three months. There's no way my landlord just left my stuff alone. Like he always used to say, "No money, no live here." His english wasn't the best, but I got the message. He'd probably sold everything on craigslist already.

I could go buy something, but I didn't have any money, and I wasn't about to ask Tony for a favor, seeing as I hardly knew him, and he had already done me a huge favor by letting me stay here. Not to mention he was going to have to repair the gym that I had scorched and basically destroyed. I didn't need to owe him any more favors. No money, no dress.

I quickly located Natasha with my newfound sense and starting jogging down the hall. She was still in her room, probably getting ready, which was lucky for me, seeing as I could use her help in that department.

I reached her door in a matter of minutes, and took a deep breath before knocking. Not only had I not talked to Steve for a few days, I haven't really talked to anyone.

I heard movement on the other side of the door, then footsteps. Natasha swung the door open, ready to say something I'm sure would have been witty and sarcastic, but the moment she saw me she stood silent in her place. She was wearing a beautiful black and white cocktail dress.

"Emelia." She finally said. "I was starting to think you were a ghost. I haven't seen you in days."

I cleared my throat. "Well, no doubt you heard my conversation with Steve didn't exactly go to plan. I needed some time to think."

Natasha shrugged. I should have known she would be the one to understand me disappearing for a while all because I didn't want to deal with it. "You're still going to the party, right? Why aren't you dressed?"

"Well that's why I came to you. I just realized I don't have any clothes here. I've practically been living in the gym, so I was wondering if I could maybe borrow something from you?" I asked timidly.

Natasha laughed. "So you took my advice to heart then, about the gym?"

"Yeah, I may have gone overboard, actually. Remind me to ask Tony to order some more practice dummies." I scratched my head and smiled. "But it's helped a lot."

"Good. Come on. I'm sure I have something here you can wear." Natasha grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room, almost pulling me to the ground.

I ended up in a black and navy blue dress that hit just above my knee. Natasha let me borrow some of her makeup too, so I didn't look like a complete train wreck.

"Thank you, for this." I said as I stood and looked in the mirror. The sight of myself dressed up, ready for a party set me on edge. It seemed like such an odd thing to do when so much in my life is uncertain. I tried to think back to any parties I had attended before all of this happened, but drew a blank. Apparently I wasn't the party type before. Either that, or I just couldn't remember. Both were equally likely.

Either way, if there was ever a life that I went to parties, it was distant, and I wasn't living it anymore. Tonight wasn't about being a social butterfly or making new friends. Tonight was about convincing Steve and Thor that I wasn't a threat to life on this planet as we know it. No big deal.