|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 16:17:00 GMT -7
"Uh..." Barton falters a little, his head turning slightly towards Teresa but his eyes remaining locked on Stiles' face. Stiles feels heat collecting on his brow, a little bit of nausea forming in his stomach, and the sudden desire to leap head-first off of the side of Stark Tower.
He's not an idiot. He knows what Barton sees. The first time they'd met, Barton had lost his hearing aide in the fray, making him practically deaf. And, being the accommodating asshole that Stiles is, he'd pulled his mask up halfway so that the guy could read his lips. It seemed like a good idea at the time. He just never really anticipated being in the same room with Barton without the costume on. Especially not tonight. Especially not with the costume folded up in his backpack slung around his shoulder right now. The costume that, of course, Barton actually made.
"Uhhh..." Stiles finds himself drawing out as well, his mind racing for some excuse. Maybe he could say he's sick. Maybe he could actually get sick and puke all over Barton before he says anything.
"Beer!" Barton chimes suddenly, and his blue eyes finally break from Stiles' to snap towards Teresa. "This beer is...it's warm." He excuses in a slight stammer, holding up the can and giving a half-sarcastic, half-noticeably fake and disappointed scoff. "Hate warm beer. Need another one. I'll catch you guys later." He rambles out quickly, and turns away just as fast.
"Ha ha, yeah." Stiles comments, unable to help the relieved laugh that bubbles out of him. "Warm beer. Gross." He snorts, and looks towards Teresa.
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 16:38:41 GMT -7
Teresa raises her eyebrow once more and actually wondered what the hell was going on with Barton tonight. She pulled her lip in between her teeth and looked back at stiles and gave him an apologetic smile because this definitely wasn't what Barton was like, but then again they hadn't seen each other for a little while but even so, she doubted the guy could actually change this quickly towards her.
If she was honest she felt like he did when he had introduced her to Layla for the first time. Awkward. But then again she wasn't dating stiles. She had dated him years before but now they were friends. Then suddenly he said about warm beer and then was excusing himself. Her eyes followed after him and knew that she would have to get the truth out of him later but right now she scoffed and then shook her head.
"I am so sorry about that" she admitted and then scoffed before putting her eyes on stiles, a smile pulling at her lips. She bit down on her lip and then said "Come on, there's someone I want you to finally meet" she nodded and then turned back in the direction of where Steve was. Teresa gave Lucky another scratch behind his ear before she came to stiles' side and walked with him.
If she was honest, she was actually a little anxious about the two of them meeting. It would probably seem to Steve that she seemed to know a lot of Captain America fans and maybe she did. Steve had saved Graeme's life a few times when Scott decided to pick on him and he still was the worlds biggest fan, that is other than stiles. Did it mean she had a type? The two guys that she dated was a fan of Cap?
Hell if she ever told them what he started her own friendship off with Steve would they believe her? The only person who had was Lexi and only because she had been to the past herself, hers was definitely not as pleasant as Teresa's but she believed her all the same.
They came to Steve's side and she smiled before then saying "Steve I would like you to meet my friend Stiles, Stiles" she turned to him. "Well you don't really need me to introduce this guy" she turned back to Steve and gave him a grin.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 17:11:07 GMT -7
"No worries. Really." Stiles replies to Teresa's apology, rubbing at the back of his neck with a palm as he does. When things could have gone much, much worse, he'll take awkward and a tiny bit rude any day. Even if he knows he's far from being in the clear. As Teresa gives Lucky another scratch behind the ears, Stiles can't help but seek out Barton once more. The man bypassed the cooler entirely, instead heading for the furthest seat away from the both of them, sitting on the far side of a woman with hair nearly as red as the fire. Barton is just beginning to down his beer like his life depends on it, when Teresa pulls Stiles along with her once more.
"Wait, who are we meeting?" Stiles asks, blinking himself back into the present and away from the situation he only narrowly escaped. But the words barely leave his mouth before he's suddenly standing in front of a very tall, very muscular, very attractive (hey, Stiles isn't blind alright) figure.
And it feels like his jaw drops to his shoes.
"Hey, nice to meet you Stiles." Captain America, the actual Captain America, says with a warm smile. "Glad you could make it." He extends a hand out towards Stiles, who looks down at it dumbly for half a second. Finally getting the nerve to move, he hesitantly grabs onto Steve's hand. Steve smiles reassuringly, probably having been in this situation more often than not, and gives him a firm shake.
Stiles' entire body wobbles with the motion and he slowly and tongue-twistedly greets Steve with a "Ah-hiii," all the while a slack smile tugs at one corner of his mouth. He clears his throat when he catches himself holding onto Steve's hand for far too long, and pushes himself to stand up straight. "I uh mean, hi, good evening, sir. It's my pleasure. A pleasure. Um. Shit. Sorry."
"It's okay." Steve laughs a little, his smile genuine and happy and his blue eyes almost sparkling in the glow of the string lights. Stiles huffs out a nervous breath and shoves his hands deep into his pockets once more. "Well, we have plenty of beer, plenty of snacks." Steve changes the subject politely, waving a hand towards the cooler and then sweeping his palm towards the small table filled with chips and dip. "Plenty of fireworks too, thanks to Barton."
"Yo." Barton pipes up, holding up two fingers in a slight salute. But he immediately avoids Stiles' gaze to look straight into the fire.
"Plenty of birthday cake," A woman's voice interrupts Steve, and Stiles glances back just in time to see the fiery-haired woman slinging an arm around Steve's shoulders. She plants a red-lipped kiss on Steve's cheek before sipping at her own beer, her grey eyes falling to scan Stiles quickly up and down. "Cute shirt." She muses with a crooked smile, "We match."
Stiles looks first, stupidly, down at the woman's chest. She's wearing a white tank-top, cut low enough that the top hem of her red sports bra peeks free, with Captain America's shield emblazoned across the front. "Oh, uh." Stiles comments, tongue feeling heavy, and drops his own gaze to the blue Captain America shirt somewhat hidden underneath the red plaid. "Yeah." He says sheepishly.
"This is Nat." Steve fills in with a nod.
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 17:31:47 GMT -7
Teresa watches the interaction between the two and bites down on her lip. The people who knew Teresa well enough knew that her friends mattered to her, whether they were old friends or new, they were all special and held in her heart but Steve had a special place in her heart that no one could understand, especially when one day they had barely spoken and then the next she was laughing and joking with him. They exchanged words and formed a friendship that had lasted for a long time, a longer time than she had ever been on this earth.
As far as anyone knew, they had met through Lexi and Barton. But only the three of them, Bucky, Steve and Teresa knew the truth, and Lexi of course. And now they had a bond that she held very close to her heart. In fact if she was honest, Steve Rogers actually had a piece of her heart. Not in the sense that Graeme have and Stiles had, no this was a different sort. It was hard to explain and she didn't even try too. People knew what they knew and that was okay with her.
Teresa looked down at the cooler when Steve had mentioned it and she walked over and grabbed two beers, one each for her and Stiles but she held onto it while the two guys shook hands. Then Nat joined them and she too looked at her top and couldn't help but smirk slightly. Of course Nat would have a top on like that, just like she had an American flag on her cheek.
When the talking eased between the three of them she leaned forward and put her lips to Steve's cheek too. "Happy birthday" she said softly to him and then stood up straight, she really needed that beer. Barton was acting weird and she had wanted to get to the bottom of it but right now probably wasn't the time. The last thing she wanted was to start an argument with him. Teresa had come here to have fun and watch fireworks. She handed one of the beers over to Stiles and opened her own before taking a deep drink of it. It definitely was a good thing that she was staying in the City tonight.
But more than that she was ready to have a good time with her friends.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 19:47:19 GMT -7
"Cool. Nice to meet you." Stiles bobs his head as his smile continues to be sheepish and shy. He was never good talking to pretty girls. It took him about three months before he could talk to Teresa without stuttering back in High School, and that was only because Jackson made him. And don't get him started on Aspen Cane, who practically turns him into a flubbing mess every time she wants to work on a story together. But Nat? Jesus. This woman is so far out of his league that he can't even see the exit sign.
And from the smug half-smile pulling at her ruby lips, she knows it too.
"Teresa's friend, huh?" Nat continues, tipping her chin up slightly. She's shorter than him by about five inches, but Stiles still feels like somehow she's looking down at him. "C'mon," She says with a cock of her head to the side, making her wavy red hair drift across one shoulder. "I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew." She doesn't wait for an answer. Her arm loops through his and with very little effort she's tugging him along. Stiles tries to hide his initial stumble, but goes scarlet red anyway. He throws one pitiful look back at Teresa.
Steve huffs out a slight laugh as he watches Nat pull the poor kid away, having once been in his shoes. It's very hard to say no to Natalia Romanova, and he doesn't know very many people who actually would. His train of thought is broken by a soft kiss on the cheek, and Steve looks down at Teresa just as she tells him Happy Birthday. "Thanks." A warm smile fills his lips before he drags in a deep breath into his lungs, gaze moving out across the city. The first signs of fireworks are starting in the distance. Little blips of color marking the horizon. "Hard to believe that the Fourth of July is such a big deal now," he admits, watching for a moment before looking back to Teresa. "I was heading to war when they were just beginning to call it a National Holiday."
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 20:02:49 GMT -7
Teresa can't help but huff out a laugh as Stiles is pulled away from where they were standing. She bites down on her lip before shaking her head, trust Nat to be the one to take Stiles around and introduce him to everyone. She would have done it in the end but she had wanted to wish Steve a Happy Birthday first, plus she needed a beer. She moves her eyes away from the two and over to Steve when he started talking.
"It's hard to think that I actually knew you before you went to war" she said and put one hand into the pocket of her jeans before letting the other arm hang lose at her side with her beer bottle. In honesty she actually felt like it was a dream sometimes, like she would wake up and she wouldn't have this connection with him. Something that the others didn't seem to actually comprehend. She came from a small town, she hadn't known any of them before meeting Barton and yet now it was like she was best friends with Captain America.
She looked out over the city and watched it for a while. Teresa had never been this high up on a building, she has been in so many planes so looking down over the city from the windows but never had she been stood on top of a building like this one. For a moment she could happily get lost in this scene. The fireworks going off in the distance. It looked pretty and it made another smile pull at her lips before she slowly moved her eyes over to look at Steve. "I wish I was born on the fourth of July," she admitted. "because it's like the whole country is celebrating your birthday with you and I would love the idea of that" she scoffed before putting the bottle to her lips once more and taking a drink. Strands of her dark hair blowing in the breeze and across her face. Teresa moved her other hand from her pocket and pushed them back behind her ear.
"Thank you for letting me bring a friend" she said after taking a drink. Her brown eyes on Steve.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 20:25:05 GMT -7
Steve shrugs his shoulder a little bit, but the smile remains. "I don't know," he replies, watching the fireworks. "It sparks a lot of jokes." He muses with a tease, turning his gaze back towards her.
"That sounded like a pun." Bucky murmurs with a hint of humor. Steve hadn't even heard him approaching, but suddenly a chin is resting upon his shoulder and a cold, metal hand is snaking up the front of his shirt from behind. Steve rolls his eyes. "Hey, Atwood." Bucky drawls with a sly grin, strands of his dark hair falling from its messy ponytail and down around his face. With a steady hand, Steve carefully pushes Bucky's hand down and out from beneath his shirt.
"Buck has been drinking since last night." Steve explains, arching a brow at Teresa.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Bucky mutters, his nose nuzzling into the crook of Steve's neck.
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 20:42:40 GMT -7
She couldn't help but laugh softly at that. Her birthday was actually coming up and knowing her she would have to work it but she could love to have her birthday on Independence Day at least then she would have fireworks. The only thing she really celebrated was the fact that she would never be at school for her birthday, that was definitely a big plus for her. But the last couple of birthdays she had spent it with either Lexi or not even the country. It felt nice to get away from home for a couple of days but this year she was sure it would be a work day for her.
Teresa looked over when another voice joined their conversation and she saw the sly grin on Bucky's face when he called her by her last name, hell most people did these days but when he said it, it was like she could feel it deep in her bones and it wasn't far because she was sure he knew the affect he had on her sometimes. Hell they had had a threesome because of it and mostly because it was hot either way. A grin pulled at her lips and she cleared her throat before looking away and over at the fireworks once more.
"In honesty I'm sure I would have started drinking that early but I've had to work" she laughed and then looked over at the other two.
She put her hand back into her pocket and the other back down by her side with the drink. Teresa did have to admit it that she hadn't seen them in a couple of days, or was it more than that? She really couldn't remember, but she knew that Steve was at the other end of the phone if she needed someone to talk too. "That's definitely not a bad thing" Teresa grinned at them, then pulled her lip in and bit down on it. "But I'm pretty sure that I couldn't have been drinking since then" she admitted. Hell she hadn't really drank that much lately, maybe two beers and she would probably be under the table.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 20:54:14 GMT -7
"Don't encourage him." Steve chuckles softly, his smile and his blue eyes returning to Teresa.
"Yeah, really. Don't." Sam yells from the fire pit just a few feet away, looking at them with varying degrees of disapproval and annoyance. "I've seen enough shit today to last several lifetimes. I don't need to see any more." Without even lifting his head from the curve of Steve's neck, where his hot breath tickles along Steve's skin, he raises his metal arm and smoothly flips Sam off. "Yeah, hide behind your boyfriend, Barnes." Sam challenges right back, having long stopped being afraid or even intimidated by Bucky's antics.
"Soo...." Stiles drags out from where he's sitting by the fire, Barton having vacated his chair in favor of perching far too easily upon the steel wall for even Stiles to comprehend. "They're dating?" He asks innocently, his brows raising and his dark eyes finding Steve once more. "I mean, you know, cool. Nothing...wrong with that." He clears his throat, realizing he's digging himself into a deep, deep hole just by continuing to talk.
"Oh," Nat practically coos and reaches over to shuffle Stiles' already messy hair. "You sweet summer child."
"By now they're practically an old married couple." Sam grumbles under his breath and shakes his head as he sips at his beer.
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 21:10:47 GMT -7
Teresa laughs once more and then looks over at Sam when he yells. She had spoken to him when she was waiting for Stiles to come out of his apartment building and he said about the fact that Steve and Bucky needed to help with the chairs. She couldn't help but wonder if they had helped carry the chairs up to the roof or whether he had carried them up by himself. She snorted and then shook her head.
She watched as Bucky flipped Sam off and then took a drink of her beer trying so hard not to laugh as she drank. There had been days when she had been training with Bucky that she would come face to face with Sam and they would wind each other up, have a laugh and a joke and then she would be on her way while Sam had to stay with Steve and Bucky. It had made her laugh to know that there was nowhere he could really escape.
Then came the day that she ended up in Steve and Bucky's bed and Sam got kicked out of the apartment for the whole day. It had been a very busy day that day. It still brought her out in blushes, but it was like the whole of her body would blush when she thought about it. She cleared her throat and then walked over to where the others were sitting just as Nat was making Stiles' hair even more messy, damn he really did have nice hair. It was a shame that she never was able to run her fingers through that no doubt silky hair.
Teresa pushed that thought away and looked over at Sam. "Everyone is an old married couple according to you" she smirked and then put the beer bottle down on the ground next to her chair before sitting up straight and leaning back.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 21:27:07 GMT -7
"Yuh-huh, hold that thought." Sam replies to Teresa, holding up a finger towards her as he turns his attention back to Steve and Bucky. "Yo, Rogers. How old are you today again?" He asks, ready to make a point.
"Ninety-six." Steve answers, scratching at his eyebrow like even he can't believe that. Stiles' brows dart upwards. He knows as well as anyone in the States that Steve Rogers made his claim to fame in the forties, his legacy carried on by decades of comic books and bad movie adaptions and documentaries. But until now, Stiles never actually realized that the man himself was that old. Seeing his young face plastered everywhere really fucks with Stiles' understanding of time. And he'd think he'd be used to it, what with Edric being thousands of years old and still looking twenty-five.
"See?" Sam speaks up once more, looking to Teresa with a satisfied expression. "Old."
"Thanks, Sam." Steve retorts.
"You're welcome, grandpa."
Stiles cracks a smile, feeling more and more at ease the more and more this group teases each other. He doesn't know what he expected on the way over here, but maybe something along the lines of stiff shirts and serious political conversations about covers it. But this group talks and jokes and hangs around like anyone else. And it makes him a little...envious. Besides Jackson, who he only occasionally sees anymore, he doesn't really have a set group of friends anymore. Luke is great, but he has his own life, his own job, his own responsibilities. And with Stiles' constantly busy schedule, they rarely spend more than five minutes in the same room together. It's been a long, long time since he's had the chance to sit down with four of his best friends, crack open a beer, and enjoy the normalcy.
"So what do you do, Stiles?" Sam asks, changing the subject. Stiles blinks, not knowing how long he was in his own thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Barton glance towards him slightly.
"Oh uh, I'm a photographer for the Daily Bugle." Stiles replies, balancing his can of beer between his knees.
"That...fucking news company that keeps putting up billboards all over the city?" Bucky speaks up, and Stiles glances towards him, finding his sudden attention on him a little intimidating. "The one with the screaming asshole with the comb mustache."
"That would be the one, yeah."
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 21:46:09 GMT -7
Teresa crosses a leg over the other and crosses her arms over her chest. She nods in a sarcastic way when Sam sets about making his point and then laughs as he looks back at her and says about Steve being old. Damn she knew she had met him in the forties, but she never really had taken into consideration that he was actually that old but then again she never really did think about his age. And in fact knowing her she would put it out of her mind, he might be ninety-six in reality but he definitely didn't look like that.
She laughed when Sam called him grandpa. It was moments like this that she liked, moments when they were teasing each other and she was sure that the last time she had really had this was the night they all went to the new club, Lexi had drunk facetimed Bucky and it just took off from there. But before that it was Halloween when they were all teasing each other. She could get used to the time together.
Teresa felt honoured that she was allowed into this group mostly because of the fact that the one in Mystic didn't really exist anymore. Sure she saw Miranda, Allison and Jackson but it wasn't the same. So being around these guys it actually made her feel part of a group once more. There was no spitefulness, there was no one going behind the others backs trying to piss someone else off. They were friends, they worked as a group and she was in awe of every one of them.
She heard Stiles' name and she looked over at him, he seemed a little surprised that he would get asked anything but she was happy that they had taken him on too, even if it was only for the night. It was better than sitting alone in his apartment and working. She snorted when Bucky got straight to the point. That is what she liked about him and was glad that Stiles didn't seem upset that Bucky had basically called the Daily Bugle a piece of shit. Teresa hated the fact that they kept calling Spider-Man a menace but there wasn't really anything she could do about it. She didn't work for them, it was down to the writers themselves.
"He's a damn good photographer" she said and kept her eyes on Stiles before giving him a smile.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 7, 2016 22:11:28 GMT -7
"I'm mediocre at best." Stiles corrects Teresa quickly, huffing out a slight laugh when Steve's interest seemed to pique a little. "I mostly take pictures of parades and city events. I've gotten a lot of pictures of the mayor's ass in my portfolio, actually. It always seems to find it's way into my viewfinder." He jokes a little bit, deciding against telling them about the time when he was the only photographer on scene when that red masked idiot was starting a fight with some guy dressed like a white grim reaper. He might have gotten the front page of the Daily Bugle, but that didn't do shit for his career. In fact, all it did was give him a headache. "But I did help with a spotlight piece on the tower actually." He nods once, hoping no one asks any real questions about what happened that day. The costume in the backpack at his feet says enough.
"Nice gig." Sam replies kindly, but Stiles almost snorts. It really isn't. But hell, he wouldn't trade it for anything else.
"It pays the bills at least." He shrugs his shoulders. "But uh...do you all..." He begins, his brown eyes rounding the circle of people who all seem far more impressive than he does on a good day. "Y'know. Punch evil masterminds in the face?"
Both Steve and Sam break out into a laugh at the same time, and even Nat cracks a smile as she swishes her beer around in the bottom of the can.
"Sometimes, sometimes." Steve says, words rounded by the last fringes of his laugh.
|
|
|
Post by Snowglobe18 on Jul 7, 2016 22:29:10 GMT -7
Teresa remembered what she had said about Stiles showing her the pictures of the parade. "I still want to see those pictures though" she nodded once. Any photos that she took was with her basic phone. Then they were uploaded onto Facebook or sent to the people that she had taken them for and that was her job done. She had never wanted to be a photographer once she left school, hell she hadn't really known what she wanted to do. But now she was working towards making sure that she had a back-up plan if SHIELD ever fell through.
Even she had to laugh when Stiles asked if they punched evil masterminds in the face. In honesty she didn't know what they did but she guessed it was something more important than what her team did. Well as far everyone else was concerned, she was still working at the bar in Mystic, she still went to school, which she did by the way, and would work out with Bucky when she could get some time away from her books but the reality was so much more different.
Graeme was the only one she had ever told that she worked for SHIELD, there was days when Teresa was scared that she would run in with Steve but thankfully that hadn't happened yet. She would rather tell him than him finding out when they came face to face in the Triskelion. Hell there were times when she hoped she wouldn't have to tell anyone but maybe in the future, when she got out of SHIELD, she could tell them that she had worked for them but at the moment she was going to keep quiet.
Teresa uncrossed her arms and her leg and reached down to get her drink. "It sounds so much cooler than what we ever did" she admitted and took a drink from her bottle. But what they did in Mystic was to be left there, it had been hell and this felt like heaven. Teresa was about to say something when she saw a firework going off and she smiled to herself. "Ooh, that was pretty" she said and leaned back in her chair.
|
|
|
Post by Ray on Jul 8, 2016 14:28:42 GMT -7
Stiles guffaws a quick laugh at Teresa's comment, raising his brows and inclining his head to the side in silent and exasperated agreement. Sometimes he looks back at their shared past like it was a bad dream. Half of it still doesn't make any sense to him. The rest just makes him want to crawl into a deep, dark hole and forget it ever happened. Their life in Mystic was the very reason why he got out of Mystic. Nothing good happens there. Just pain. "That's...putting it lightly."
"Well now I'm interested," Natalia speaks up. She leans back in her seat, one arm stretching out across the back and her legs crossing at the knees.
"You really don't want to know." Stiles snorts and shakes his head.
"And I really want to explode stuff." Barton jumps into the conversation unexpectedly. He hops down from his perch after crushing an empty beer can against the steel, both his feet and the can landing smoothly upon the concrete.
"Agreed." Sam replies, hopping up to his feet. The two shuffle off to sort through the fireworks, and Stiles finally gulps down a few swallows of beer to soothe his parched throat.
"Did you steal those from Stark?" Bucky comments with an arched brow and a faint smile, left standing alone when Steve decides to take Sam's empty seat. He crosses his arms over his broad chest and watches as Barton looks up with a firework in each hand.
"Maybe." Barton shrugs a shoulder innocently.
"And you trust them?" Steve chuckles, stretching out a leg. Barton pauses, scrunches his mouth to one side, and looks down at the fireworks in his hands. After a second of thought he looks up and gives a vague nod.
"Sorta."
"Then by all means." Steve replies, though his expression betrays his mildly concerned amusement.
|
|