Spent the morning painting these bad boys and, I must say, they look damn good! They’re gonna look great propping up my #MCU movies. (Though I was SERIOUSLY tempted to paint it as a red star on a silver shield… ) #marvel #captainamerica #steverogers #thor #mjolnir #bookends #diy #art #paint #acrylics #geekgirl https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqyEZ3A5Ib/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bgee2jkms8p6
#inktober Day 22: Leak Words by @depechemode After the always great @chris_giarrusso Inks by @deinoninkus This is how No Way Home should fix things. #spiderman #spidermannowayhome #ironman #captainamerica #civilwar #captainamericacivilwar #peterparker #tonystark #steverogers #inktober2021 #marvel #depechemode #minimarvels https://www.instagram.com/p/CVZUlizMwUq/?utm_medium=tumblr
summary: you wanted to try those tiktok leggings you saw everywhere to get chris’ reaction on them
chris if you got those tiktok leggings headcannon
you’d completely surprise him, wanting to see if he’d even notice how juicy your ass was looking in those leggings everyone was talking about on tiktok
chris had been gone most of the day running errands and when he finally comes home at the end of the day you’d be in the middle of washing dishes
when he always comes home he yells “where’s my beautiful girl?!”
eventually he finds you in the kitchen, you’re back to him, finishing drying the plate you cleaned
almost instantly his eye’s would trail to your ass and how fucking good it looked
you’d act completely oblivious, smiling and greeting chris, asking how your day was but he would just reply with,“baby,holy shit, are those new?”
instantly blush crept on your cheeks but you wanted to milk the moment, so you innocently bat your eyelashes and ask: what’s new?
chris would walk closer to you, wanting so badly to just squeeze your bum but he contained himself to just gently placing his hands on your waist, rubbing circles
“these pants, they make your ass look really good, honey”
his pretty baby blue eyes would constantly flicker between looking at you and your bottom, smiling big before pressing a kiss to your cheek
to tease chris, just to get him going even more, you’d brush your back against his front, tilting your head back to look at him, only to see his eyes turn a shade darker
“where did you even get these?” chris would hum, dipping his hands a little lower to your hip, squeezing your sides as he licked his lips
“online!” you giggle, putting the dish in hand away turning to face him now. “saw them on tiktok and wanted to try them. are you hungry though? we can order dinner.”
chris would only scoff, pulling you closer as he dips his head to your neck placing a few kisses there, beard scraping across your skin as he gently pressed you against the counter
“mm, i rather eat in. all i want is right here in front of me.”
with your cheeks burning pink and a squeeze of your thighs, chris picked you up so easy settling you onto the kitchen counter before finding home between your thighs
Dragoncon, Rose City Comic Con and Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo commission preorders are open! If you or a friend are attending @dragoncon @rosecitycc or @saskexpo you can now order a custom piece for pickup at the con. All art is on 9x12” board and starts at $80 per character in grey marker and $100 in full color. Additional characters, backgrounds, props, etc. go up from there. I can also do the art on certain sketch covers that can be mailed to me ahead of time. This is for full size character art only. Headshots are available first come first served at the con. OC’s are welcome but please no anime/manga characters or caricatures/likenesses. There are artists out there that do those a lot better than me. All payments are made upfront through PayPal. I will be doing sketches on the con floor but my daily list fills up early so this is the best way to guarantee a piece. Also, color is only available for preorders. Email me at silvaniart at gmail to place your order. #silvaniart #jamessilvani #commissions #dragoncon #rosecitycomiccon #rccc #saskatchewanentertainmentexpo #see #saskatoon #stitch #scrump #captainamerica #wintersoldier #buckybarnes #steverogers #mcu
I recently watched Before We Go, Chris Evans’ directorial debut and I couldn’t help how charmed I was by the fresh execution of a story we’ve seen done before. Two strangers meet, spend a night walking around a city, fall in love, and decide to go their separate ways due to life’s obligations in the hope that they’ll find each other again. The whole time I couldn’t help imagine it at a Steve & Tony AU, so here you have it!
My commission list is currently OPEN! Click HERE for more information!
Captain America: Living Legend #3 Cover More art from the archives. Always liked this one. From memory it was watercolour and acrylic on paper. #captainamerica #cap #steverogers #marvel #adigranov
Till the End of the Line: Chapter 5: Moving Upstate
A/n: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, life has just been super busy the last few months for both myself and my editor, and I do like to have my work looked through before I post anything so that’s one of the reasons it took so long. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me and supporting and liking my work, it means a lot! Hope you guys like chapter 5!
Matilda awoke with a scream as she sat up in bed. She was gasping for air and felt a thin layer of sweat covering her body. She ran her hands through her hair as she tried to calm her racing heart. The dreams were getting worse. Each night, they were starting to feel more and more real. She took a deep breath, starting to ground herself. She looked around her room, counting anything she could find, putting her mind back in the present. She glanced at her alarm clock on the bed side table and the large red lined numbers read 5:47AM. The sky outside her window was starting to lighten with the sun that would soon break the horizon. Steve stirred next to her; he pulled the pillow he was holding closer to his body, as his other arm brought the pillow under his head into his shoulder. He hadn’t seemed to be disturbed by her screaming. He was so peaceful sleeping, compared to her dream of Bucky. Thinking of Bucky and the dream made her stomach turn as the feeling of falling and being strangled resurfaced. In an instant, the room felt like it was closing in on her. She quickly, yet quietly, got out of bed and headed toward her bedroom door, grabbing a sweatshirt on the way. Turning to close her bedroom door she stared back at Steve. His hair tousled from sleep didn’t hang in his face like Bucky’s did, his blond hair a stark opposite of the assassin’s. Her heart skipped and her stomach turned. She needed to get air. Now.
The sunrise over New York City was always Matilda’s favorite thing to watch. Pinks, oranges, and yellows painted the sky as the dark buildings made up the city scape. The cool breeze of the morning air felt good on her warm face, easing the anxiety in her chest as she took a deep breath of it. She leaned against the balcony railing and peered over the side and looked down. Employees were starting to arrive at Stark tower, normal people going about their normal days, at their normal job. A surprised feeling of jealousy toward those people washed over her. She loved her life the way that it was, so why was she now so envious of those small ant-like people now? The balcony door opened to reveal Steve, white t-shirt and baggy sweats, holding two steaming cups.
“Can I join you?” Steve said.
Matilda nodded, and Steve walked toward her. Steve handed her one of the mugs, bringing a smile to her face.
“You weren’t there when I woke up, so I figured I would come find you,” he said.
“With coffee?”
He blushed. “Okay. Maybe I knew where you were already, and I just wanted to bring my girl something. Is that so wrong?”
Matilda’s heart leapt at him calling her ‘his girl’. The way that the rising sun was hitting Steve made his face glow. She imagined him in ancient paintings of angels or saints, how they were always depicted with white auras around them. She reached her handout and stroked the side of his face, reassuring herself that he was indeed there with her on the balcony and not just a figment of her imagination.
“No, there isn’t.” Leaning her head against his shoulder.
Steve wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. They stayed like that for a while, watching as the sun rose higher into the sky. A shiver ran through Matilda’s body and she pulled her sweatshirt closer to her.
“You cold, sweetheart?” Steve asked, running his hands up and down her arm.
“A bit yeah, I think I may need another cup of coffee.” Holding up her empty mug, she turned to head back into the tower, Steve following her lead.
The kitchen, usually busy with the rush of the breakfast crew, was quiet. She took peace in knowing that they would have the kitchen all to themselves. She brought her mug over to the espresso machine and pressed a few buttons to wake it up. Once it was ready, she picked her brew and listened as the beans fell from the hopper attached.
“Latte?” she asked, turning to Steve.
“Depends, are you going to do that fancy coffee art that your favorite place does?” He asked, closing the distance between them.
He gently grabbed her waist. “Okay firstly, the baristas at Blue Bottle are artists! There is no way I can do what they do.” She placed her hands on his arms. “And secondly, when did you become such a coffee expert?”
A small blush colored his cheeks as he looked away from her. His smile widening at the comment. “I know things.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Alright, so Natasha has brought me to a few places with her, and Thor is shockingly obsessed with Starbucks.”
Matilda burst out laughing, snorting as her hand came up to cover her mouth, and tears stung the corners of her eyes. She took part of her shirt and brought it up to whip the forming tears.
“Nothing is going to top that today. That was hysterical.”
“Glad you found it funny.” He pushed back a stray piece of hair that had fallen into her face. He inched closer to her, his hand moving to the side of her neck. As he moved his mouth to hers, she moved her head aside to avoid his kiss.
“Steve, I think we need to talk about this.” she whispered.
He sighed and nodded his head. “Okay, we can talk, but over breakfast? I’ll make pancakes!” He backed away from her and went in search of the ingredients.
She leaned her back against the counter and watched as he turned the corner for the pantry. Her head and her heart were at war with each other, and it was making her go crazy. The beeping of the espresso machine made her jump slightly, and she turned to grab her coffee. She grabbed vanilla oat milk from the fridge and noticed a carton of brown eggs. Grabbing them she called, “Hey Steve! You want some eggs?” He didn’t reply, so she set the carton by her mug and continued making her coffee. She stirred in the milk and took a sip.
The warmth of it took the last of the morning chill out of her. She pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt and winced as she passed over her left arm. She looked down and saw dark purple bruises shaped eerily like fingerprints. A chill ran through her body again as the dream from last night came back to her. That was the arm that Bucky had grabbed in her dream. The panic increased at the thought that the same bruises would be around her neck too. She was briefly thankful that her hoodie covered most of her neck. She swiftly pulled the sleeves back down over her arms, refusing to let Steve find out.
“What is happening to me?” she whispered to herself.
At that moment, Steve reentered the kitchen carrying his ingredients “What was that?” he asked, placing his arm-full of things down on the counter.
“Uh, I asked if you wanted eggs.” Grabbing the carton next to her cup.
Steve’s face was stern, looking at her like he was trying to read what was in her racing mind. “Yeah, sure, eggs sound good. Are you okay sweetheart? You’re looking awfully pale.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Just a bit cold, you know.” she said, a bit too quickly. She pulled her arms in on herself, trying to show him that her odd behavior was due to her being cold. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself.
“Okay.” Steve’s answer didn’t reassure her at all that he believed her story.
She forced a smile and took another sip of coffee. She screamed at herself to pull it together. She could figure it out later when she was alone. “So, how do you like your eggs?”
About an hour later they were sitting down to eat. Steve had made way to many pancakes, in a variety of flavors: blueberry, chocolate chip, and peanut butter and jelly. He refused to let Matilda help him; the only thing he allowed her to do was to read him off the recipe that he had found on Pinterest. In the hour of them cooking, her nerves had settled. Steve had made her laugh with his attempts to make exact measurements and his excitement when he got a new idea for a flavor to try. When he was on his last batch of pancakes, she pulled out a pan beside him and whipped up their eggs; fried for her and scrambled for Steve. They sat side by side at the end of the island surrounded by piles of pancakes.
“Great idea about the PB&J. Definitely my favorite so far,” Steve said, chewing a mouthful of food.
“You’ve only had one pancake!” Matilda laughed as she took a bite of her eggs and watched as Steve piled four chocolate chip pancakes onto his dish.
She smiled at him and reminisced on a surfacing memory of her childhood. “You know my dad was the one to come up with the idea. He would always make breakfast on Saturday mornings when I was a kid, and I used to hate maple syrup. So, my dad knew I loved PB&J’s, so he would spread crunchy peanut butter onto my pancakes and roll them up, then he would microwave strawberry jelly and pour it over the rolls. I think I had three helpings of that the first time he made it. After that he would make that for me every Saturday morning.”
She bit the end of her fork smiling at her dish as the memory of her father made her heart flutter.
“I know you must miss him,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, his thumb stroking her lightly.
“Everyday. I think he is where I get my love of food and cooking from. My mom was always a horrible cook, so it was up to my dad even before she died when I was a baby. My dad tried to make it fun for me. He would include me in helping him make dinner, and when he asked me what I wanted, he actually listened. When I got older, and he started to really get involved with his work, I took over the cooking and I don’t think I ever saw him happier than when he used to come home to me having dinner already for us.” She whipped away a tear that had fallen from her eye. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for the conversation to get so depressing.” She laughed, mostly at herself, trying to break the growing tension of the room.
“You don’t have to be sorry; I love hearing about it.” He placed a hand on her cheek and brushed away the last of her tears. “You never have to be sorry for sharing how you feel,” he said softly to her.
She smiled at him and leaned into his touch. “Change of topic then?” She took another sip of coffee.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Uh…” Steve paused trying to think of a topic. “Uh…How did you sleep?”
She started to choke on her coffee. “I uh…good. It was good.” She bobbed her head at him, clearing her throat. She put a fork-full of egg into her mouth to avoid further comment on the matter.
He gave her the same stern look he gave her earlier, eyes trying to read behind the wall she put up. “You sure?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure.” She still didn’t meet his gaze, instead focused on pushing her food around her dish.
“Okay, something’s up. What’s really wrong?” He pushed her plate of food away, hoping that it would bring her focus on him and the conversation.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine.” She rolled her shoulders back, her hands gripping the sleeves of her hoodie as she crossed her arms at him.
“Till, come on. You know I can tell when something is wrong. You can tell me anything, you know that.” He placed a reassuring hand on her knee and gave it a light squeeze.
She knew that she could tell him anything, and she had done so in the past, but how was she going to tell him this? He was still trying to find his best friend, and now she had dreamt of him three times.
“I uh….” She fidgeted in her seat. “If I tell you, promise me you won’t get mad.”
Steve leaned away from her slightly, unprepared that she would start the conversation out like that, but he reassured her nonetheless. “I promise.”
Matilda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I’ve been having dreams lately…”
“Okay, what are the dreams about?”
“They’re about…. uhm…. they’re about Bucky.” She paused and glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. She waited for him to do something, but all he did was just smile at her.
She watched as Steve’s body softened at her confession. The gnawing feeling, she had felt disappeared once she realized that he wasn’t upset with her.
“That’s what you were worried about? Telling me that you keep having dreams of Bucky?”
She nodded.
“Till…” He sighed. “You know every night after I lost Bucky, I dreamt of him. I dreamt of hundreds of ways I could have saved him, how things could have been done differently. Hell, even after we found Bucky in DC, I had dreams about him again. It’s normal, and it’s okay. You’ve been doing so much research and digging, helping me and Sam try to find him, I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah, but it’s not…” She started, trying to get out the rest of the story but getting cut off by Steve.
“It’s just your subconscious trying to work out things. We don’t have control over what we dream about. It just happens.”
Realizing that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him, she dropped the conversation disappointed. “Thanks, Steve.”
“Any time.” His cell phone started to buzz in his pocket, and he quickly answered it. “Sam.”
The blunt greeting made Matilda smirk.
“Got it, on my way.” He hung up the phone and placed it on the table. “I gotta run, Sam thinks he may have a lead.”
“Okay. I can clean up here.”
He gave her those puppy dog eyes that she hated so much and a small frown. “You sure? I can totally stay and help you clean up before I go.” He stood up, placing both hands on either side of her face and tilted her face back to look up at him.
She gave him a sad smile, hands coming up to grip his wrists. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
His eyes held adoration and it made Matilda’s heart break just a bit. She was the world to him, and she could see it in this one look, and she wasn’t sure if she truly felt the same.
“I love you.” He said the words so easily, and he meant every one. “I’ll be back soon.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead, leaving the warmth of him behind. He looked at her one last time, and with one more swipe of his thumb over her cheek, he left.
****************
May 13th,
How do I start a conversation to one’s best friend / maybe boyfriend about not being completely sure of your feelings for them? Or better yet, how do you bring up the topic of his assassin best friend haunting your dreams and leaving mysterious bruises on you when he’s hiding somewhere in the world? Ugh, journal, what am I going to do? Who do I go to talk to about this besides you? I tried bringing it up with Steve, but he won’t listen. I’m so conflicted with my emotions and the thoughts in my head about this, I’m truly lost at what to do. Maybe Steve’s right, maybe it is all the research that I’ve been doing. That still doesn’t explain the bruises on me. I’m not sure how I’m going to hide the ones on my neck, thankfully they’re down low enough where I could wear a scarf. These dreams just don’t seem normal though. It’s like I’m actually there, physically instead of just my subconscious playing out a scene. Maybe I’ll do some research on this too. Please, journal, send help.
***************
Around one in the afternoon, as Matilda lay on her bed readingThe Hobbit for the fourth time, a female voice sounded over the intercom.
“Hello, Matilda, I am FRIDAY Mr. Stark is sending you this message as a test to see if my new functions work. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance.” The voice was choppy, but Matilda was impressed that Tony had gotten a system to replace JARVIS so quickly.
“Hello, FRIDAY” Matilda placed her bookmark back in her book and sat up on her bed and crossed her legs.
“Mr. Stark would like to know if you are ready to go to lunch.”
“Tell Tony I am, and I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
“Affirmative.”
Matilda giggled at the farewell of FRIDAY. She was sure in a matter of days the AI would be talking like normal and not some creepy robot. She slid off her bed and headed into her bathroom to get ready. Staring at herself in the mirror, she assessed the bruises on her neck. It would take a few layers of concealer and color correction to hide them. When the last layer was on, she stood back and admired her work. She could notice faint shadows of where the dark color stood out, but to someone just glancing at her, no one would notice. Content with her look she went to get changed. Since Trattoria was a kinda fancy restaurant, she decided to put on something cute. She rummaged through her closet until she found the perfect thing. The white high-low sundress was adorned with lemons, and was flowy and open at the bottom. She wore a pair of yellow sandals with the dress and a white sweater to go over the thin straps of the dress. It was early May in New York, so the sweater was a safe choice to go with; it would also conveniently cover the bruises on her arms.
Happy with the outfit, she grabbed her purse and headed down to the main floor. Tony and Pepper were waiting for her when she stepped out of the elevator. Tony was wearing his usual black shirt and blazer with his Ray Band glasses. Pepper, who was standing next to him, had her hair pulled up into a tight bun and was dressed in a tight gray dress and her usual Louis Vuitton black heels. Pepper turned to her and smiled.
“Matilda, oh how I’ve missed you.” She pulled Matilda tight into her arms and swayed her back and forth.
“I’ve missed you too, Pepper. How have you been? The clinic is still working out okay?” Pepper, over the past two years had been living off and on in a specialized clinic to help with her new found powers. Tony had worked night and day to find a cure for her after she was injected with the Extremis virus. In addition to the treatments, Pepper was busy running the company, which left little time for Matilda to see her.
“I’m okay, slowly getting back to normal. I’m taking it one day at a time.” She pulled her back into a hug, squeezing her a bit harder this time.
“If you two are done with the love fest, we have a 1:30 reservation that we are going to be late for,” Tony teased, placing both his hands on the girl’s shoulders.
Pepper rolled her eyes at him, and Matilda just laughed. They both headed into the elevator and down towards the garage.
When they arrived at Trattoria, the hostess greeted the three of them and escorted them to their table. They followed her up to the second floor where the restaurant held parties, events, and catered to very special guests. It was a long room with a large window at the end of it. Bricks covered one wall and the other was where they kept their best wines behind a glass cabinet. The space that usually had four large tables lined up against the brick wall, now only held one table, placed for the three of them. The hostess ushered them in and grabbed a pitcher of water off of a small table to the side of the wine wall and poured them all a glass.
“There you are, Mr. Stark, I hope this suits your requests.”
“Yes, thank you.” Tony nodded curtly at the hostess and took a sip of his water.
“Perfect! Your server will be right up to take care of you.”
Matilda watched as the hostess smiled and did a slight bow to Tony. Matilda stifled a giggle at the flustered behavior of the girl. Tony did have that effect on people.
They sat for a moment in silence as they all looked over their menus. Matilda flipped through the pages of the menu, deciding what she was in the mood for. Their Chicken Parm was to die for, but she was feeling a bit like pasta today. With all the stress of recent events, all she felt like doing was indulging in a carb overload. She was still reading the menu when their server came up.
“Hello, my name is April, and I’ll be your server today. May I get you folks started off with some drinks?”
“We’ll get a bottle of your 103 Dom Perignon ‘05, chilled please.”
“Tony, are you sure?” Pepper said, placing her menu down on the table.
“Yes, I’m sure, it’ll be fine. The bottle please.”
April nodded her head, her blond ponytail bobbing up and down with her. “Alright one chilled bottle coming right up. Are you guys ready to order yet?”
“We’ll need a minute,” Pepper said, giving April a warm smile.
April nodded again and disappeared down the stairs.
“Tony, this is unnecessary.” Pepper said again, more sternly as she glared at him.
“No Pepper, it’s very necessary. We are here to celebrate.” Tony smiled at Pepper and learned forward, crossing his hands on the table in front of him.
“What are we celebrating?” Matilda asked, recalling the news about Stark Tower.
Tony smiled at her. “We have a lot of things to be celebrating. Us winning against Ultron, Pepper’s progress to recovery.”
“You selling Stark tower,” Matilda blurted out before Tony had a chance to continue.
Tony put his tongue in his cheek and looked to Pepper for some help on the abrupt topic. Pepper just raised her eyebrows to Tony in a ‘you’re on your own’ look. Tony looked down at his hands and sighed.
“Matilda, I was going to tell you.”
“When, Tony? When Happy had finished packing up everything and shipping it all away? I wasn’t even aware that you wanted to sell the building! I thought moving from Malibu to New York was going to be the last move?”
“It was going to be, but–”
“But what, Tony? Stark tower is my home, it’s where I have some of the best memories.” Her voice lowered as tears burned the corners of her eyes. “My dad made it a home for us. I’ll never have that again.”
Tony was stone faced as he stared at her. Pepper leaned over and placed a reassuring hand on Matilda’s arm. Tony was about to say something when someone came into the room and walked over to the glass wine cabinet and took out the bottle of champagne Tony had ordered. An ice bucket was wheeled over and the server popped open the bottle making everyone jump. He gave it to Tony to approve, who agreed with the sharp nod of his head, eager to get him out of the room. Once the bottle was placed in the ice bucket the waiter left and the three of them were alone again.
“I was going to tell you once the new compound was finished. I had every intention of telling you, but I was waiting for the right moment. It was supposed to be a surprise, then Happy had to go and ruin it.”
“Don’t blame this on Happy. He didn’t know.” Matilda leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “What if I don’t want to leave? What if I refuse?”
“Well, that’s just too bad because it’s already sold. We need to be out by the end of next month.” Tony’s voice was increasingly getting louder.
Matilda got quiet, letting the reality of the move set in. “Next month?” Her voice was low as the tears in her eyes betrayed her and fell down her cheeks.
“Aw kid, come on.” Tony let out a breath and ran his hand over his face. “I know it’s your home, and I’m glad the tower means that much to you. It makes me sad too, having to uproot you from what you’re used to, hell, it’s hard on me to sell it. But I did it for you kid. Once the Avengers officially formed, I knew that normal life for you and the crazy work we do couldn’t all live on one floor. I know you wanted to be separate from the crazy lives we live, so that’s why I built the compound upstate.”
Her hard demeanor and the drive in her to fight him over moving was softening at Tony’s confession. “You did it all for me? Why?”
“I promised your father when he first agreed to move here with me that if anything should happen, I would always take care of you, and I hope that I have. I know the superhero life that I was thrown into is something…”
“More like threw yourself into,” Pepper mumbled under her breath.
Tony gave her a blank look and shook his head at her as he started to speak again. “I know it’s hard on you. Seeing us go off and fight the bad guys and come home all beaten up. I know it takes a toll. At the compound you can have your own life with me still being able to protect you. Your quarters will be far away from the rest of the Avengers main stuff, but you’ll still be close enough for us to protect you.”
Matilda was starting to like the idea, but she wasn’t about to let Tony know yet. “I’m still mad.”
“We’re actually going up this weekend to take a look at it and finalize some details. Everyone should be almost moved in now.” Pepper said.
“Everyone?” Matilda questioned.
“The Avengers everyone. Were you not listening to me just now when I was talking?” Tony threw his arms up in the air in defeat. Matilda smiled a bit at his displeasure.
Before anyone could say anything else, April reappeared placing a basket of bread on the table. She pulled out her notepad ready to take their orders. Once their orders were placed, the conversation started back up again.
“So, everyone knows about it?” Matilda asked, taking a roll out of the steaming bread basket.
“The ones who have decided to stay, yeah. Bruce is still MIA, Barton left, and Thor will only be there to scope out the place. Apparently, he has important business to attend to back on Asgard. Then we have the new recruits. Rogers is going to start training them before they officially become part of the team.”
“New recruits?” Matilda asked, popping a piece of bread into her mouth.
“We’re giving Wanda a chance to prove herself. She saved our backs while fighting Ultron, and with losing her brother, Steve and I have decided to give her a chance. If she doesn’t work out, we’ll deal with it then.”
“And Vision?”
“He can wield Thor’s hammer. I think that in itself is enough to let him try out for the team.” Tony flexed his eyebrows at Pepper who was typing away on her phone and took a sip from his wine glass.
“Has Thor said anything about it? I’m sure seeing someone pick up the hammer has to put a dent in his ego.” Matilda smirked, as Thor’s face from that night came to mind. How shocked he was that someone other than him could pick it up.
“We’re going to talk about it this weekend when I’m up there.”
“You said we can all go? I would like to see the compound, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, of course! We’ll make a weekend out of it!” Pepper interjected, putting herself back into the conversation.
Tony smiled at Pepper’s answer. Matilda was always amazed at how she could concentrate so intensely on her phone and still be actively listening to the conversation at hand. Two waiters brought in their food and they started to eat in silence. Matilda ran over what Tony had said. She would have her own space and be on her own for the first time in her life. She could manage her own space without heroes coming and going, nothing getting blown up or destroyed. She could have Steve over without the worry of Tony looming over her shoulder.
“You okay Till?” Tony asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
She put down her fork and watched as Tony wiped his mouth with his cloth napkin. “Yeah, why?”
“Because you have been twirling your fork in your pasta for the past five minutes,” Tony said laughing, finishing off his glass of wine.
Matilda smiled and blushed. Her cheeks grew warm with the rush of blood. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about what you said earlier.”
“What about it?” Tony poured himself another glass of wine, and topped Pepper’s glass off as well, finishing the bottle up.
“You said I would be separate from the compound?”
“Yeah, you’ll see what I mean when we get up there, but we basically have two main buildings where most of the operating stuff is going to be, but we do have soldiers there. A few men who we have to house to keep the government happy, but we have small housing buildings off to the side of the compound. I took the liberty in remodeling one of them for you, into your own small house. You’ll have all the best security, and everything within a few minute’s walk. I’ll have people there who I trust, and I’ll know you will be safe.”
Something in the way Tony was speaking, was making Matilda wonder if he would actually be there or not. “Yeah, but you’ll be there yourself, right?” Matilda asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m not sure where I’ll…we’ll be going,” he said, looking over at Pepper and placing his hand on top of hers.
“You’re not staying at the compound?”
“I don’t see a need to. Rogers is the real leader, and I trust him to make sure you’re okay. Plus, I made sure FRIDAY was installed in your house and she’ll report back to me, so it will be like I’m there.”
“But if you don’t like it, hun, you don’t have to stay. We’re not saying that you have to live there, we’re just giving you an option to be on your own if you want. You know Tony and I always love having you with us,” Pepper said.
“Pepper’s right. Plus, with you and Rogers dating now, it gives you time to be alone and not have everyone over your shoulder. But I’ll say this now Till, God help me, super soldier or not I will kick his ass into an ice cube again if he hurts you in any way.”
Matilda choked on her glass of wine as she blushed again, her neck and cheeks growing hot. “I…I… Uh…”
Tony laughed again. “You really think I don’t see how the old man looks at you? Till, I’m not naive. The two of you have been glued together since day one. It’s not hard to figure out.”
“And you’re not mad?”
“I’m not mad. You’re twenty-one. I’m not going to tell you how to live your life; with the trouble I got into when I was your age, I’m not one to throw stones.”
Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony, and Matilda thought she could actually hear how hard she rolled her eyes.
“Plus, I saw the two of you in bed together last night, so I know,” Tony said.
“You saw us?” She felt like she could melt in her seat and into the floor from embarrassment.
“I was going to check on you. It had been a very stressful few days, and I opened your door to see the two of you sleeping. And you’re lucky that was all I saw. Cap would have learned how to fly if I saw him doing anything else while in my house!”
“Tony! Oh my God, please stop talking.” Matilda hid her face in her hands. She wanted to die, or disappear or anything just to get away from the conversation.
“Tony, you’re embarrassing the poor thing,” Pepper said, placing her cloth napkin down on the table. “Why don’t you go pay the bill, and we’ll be down in a moment.”
Tony tried to say something else, but the look in Pepper’s eyes stopped him. Tony closed his mouth into a thin line and stood to leave. Once he left the room, Pepper turned in her seat so she was facing Matilda.
“I know I don’t really have the right to give you the birds and the bees talk, but I’m here if you want to talk. All I’ll say is to just be smart about your actions.”
Matilda looked up at her, horrified. “Pepper, he’s my best friend. I don’t even know how I feel about him yet, and already Tony has me in bed with him! I’m not a kid, first of all. I know all about the birds and the bees and how to use protection, but one day we were just friends, and the next he’s confessing that he loves me, and then he goes off to fight a killer robot that Tony made, and I’m left trying to grasp my feelings about that while also being scared out of my mind that that was the last time I was going to see him, and when he got back I was just so overwhelmed with relief that he was home again and everyone was safe that I didn’t want to be alone because I was scared I was just going to crash once I was by myself, and I asked him to stay, but he was going to leave, and now Tony thinks I’m sleeping with him.” She inhaled sharply, finally letting all of her thoughts and emotions that have been on her chest out. In the process she had realized that she hadn’t taken a breath, her lungs burning as she brought oxygen back into her body.
“Oh sweetheart, you don’t have to know right now. I’m sure you love Steve in your own way, and if you love him for more than a friend, that’s for you to figure out. But that’s the great thing about falling in love with your best friend, they won’t rush you to make a decision if it’s truly meant to be.”
Tears started to prickle and burn the corners of her eyes. Everything she had been holding onto over the past few days was finally out in the open and off her chest. She felt a moment of peace. She smiled at Pepper, who had pulled her into a hug. She had needed this talk, needed someone to reassure her that it was okay if she didn’t know how she felt yet about Steve, and that it was okay to take it slow. She had missed Pepper. While Tony felt like such a father figure in her life, she didn’t see Pepper as a mother, but more of a big sister. Love and appreciation flooded over her and she squeezed Pepper a bit tighter.
“Thanks, Pepper.”
“Any time, sweetheart. It’s what I’m here for.”
They pulled away, and Pepper gently wiped away a tear that had run down Matilda’s face. The two women smiled at each other, and Pepper got up from her seat, holding out her hand to Matilda to take. Matilda placed her hand in Pepper’s and stood up with her. Pepper circled her arm around Matilda’s waist and pulled her close to her, hip bumping her in the process.
“Come on, let’s not keep Mr. Nosey waiting anymore,” Pepper said.
