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chapter three

03 x now it's a party

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The party went splendidly, if I do say so myself. Pepper was sufficiently surprised and didn't suspect that it had been last minute at all; several of Stark's employees (and a few people who I had been reliably informed were SHIELD agents) had shown up to celebrate. It was a relatively small get-together, though I did see Coulson for a few minutes.

Our conversation was short, but I was the last one he talked to before he left.

"You've been doing well with the Avengers?" he'd asked me, holding a flute of champagne that he hadn't drank from once.

"Of course I have been," I had replied, gripping my own Coca-Cola bottle. "They're crazy, but I am too, so it works."

"Good," he'd nodded, a small smile on his lips. I had watched as his gaze skipped over to where Pietro was talking with Steve, and I had quickly caught on that it was starting to look like a more serious discussion. "You still with the idiot?" he had asked next, referencing our first meeting.

I had laughed lightly, though it was almost a forced sound, "Yeah, yeah I am. You're doing well too, right, Coulson?"

"As good as ever," he had agreed, apparently not missing the way I was now looking between he and Steve and Pietro. "I need to get going, though. I'll see you later, Megan."

Like I said, it was short. But with good reason - whatever Pietro and Steve were talking about had Pietro's brows furrowing, and by the time I had made it over there he was uncharacteristically silent. His brow was furrowed in thought, his electric eyes dark as he took another sip of his own Coke.

"What's going on over here?" I asked, canting my head as I looked between the two of them.

"Nothing we should discuss now," Steve sighed, glancing over at Pietro. He shook his head slightly before forcing a smile to his lips. "You enjoying the party?"

"I enjoyed my chat with Coulson," I agreed, knocking Pietro's shoulder with my own and pulling a goofy face at him before returning my attention to Steve. "I didn't realize he wasn't with Nat and Bruce in Siberia."

Steve shook his head, swallowing some alcoholic drink that likely would have absolutely no effect on him, "No, he told me he was joining them after the party. He had some other situation to settle here earlier, anyway."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense, he is director and all," I mused.

Pietro made some absentminded noise and downed the rest of his Coke, reaching out and squeezing my hand afterwards. "I'm going to go get another," he said, gesturing with the empty bottle.

I still couldn't decipher the look in his eyes, but I nodded anyway, watching as he sauntered off at a nearly-normal pace to go get more soda. I knew he was moving more normally for the sake of the other guests at the party - not everyone at the Tower was used to a speedster tearing around faster than the speed of sound. I slowly turned my attention back to Steve, giving him a perplexed look. "Why does it look like you just baffled my boyfriend into normalcy?"

Steve forced a laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "I wouldn't say I'm the cause of the normal part . . . but I definitely baffled him."

I stared at him for another few seconds, now slightly annoyed that I did not know what was going on, before grumbling something incoherent under my breath and marching through the crowds, preferably toward someone who would not be so cryptic.

That led me to Bucky. It seemed kind of suiting, given he had been on the outskirts of this party all the while, and I didn't mind escaping from the throngs of people dressed nicer than I ever would. "Steven is frustrating me," I stated flatly before taking another long sip of my Coke.