MHA #11, Wednesday after classes

[heroic_jawline]

Steve had been collecting Wanda's mail since their conversation on Thursday, but the small mountain of holiday gift catalogues was now the size of Patriot and the corgi had tried to climb up it twice, so he was back in front of Wanda's apartment to put them inside. He'd brought an empty garbage bag, too, to clear out her fridge: Wanda hadn't known when she was returning (he was choosing to think 'when' and not 'if') and he didn't want her to turn around and leave because the apartment smelled like regret and three month old salad greens.

He got to the door and frowned at the glowing red light coming out from under it. It wasn't extremely noticeable but how had he missed seeing that when he raced over on Thursday to be sure the everything was locked up? He should've gone in then to turn lights off. Wanda's electrical bill was going to be ridiculous and Steve felt a little guilty about that as he reached into his pocket for the spare key Wanda'd given him after the first oops-I'm-an-animal transformation.

"Wow," Steve said, opening the door and blinking at what was waiting for him inside. That was...that was a lot of plant there...taking up most of the living room. Apparently the pulsing red light was really good for it? He put the stack of mail down on the nearest flat surface and gave the plant a placating smile and a wave. You know, just in case. "I'm going to clean out the kitchen," he told it. "Do you need water or anything?"

The plant, being a plant, said nothing but Steve had been an Avenger--and in Fandom--too long to completely trust it. "This'll just take me a few minutes," he said, feeling a little silly about talking to a plant as he made his way towards what he hoped was the kitchen. He got halfway there when the plant reached out a branch? Tentacle? Something for his leg and yanked him back and then up.

Steve sighed heavily as he tried to get his bearings from Wanda's ceiling. "Terrific," he muttered, flailing for his cell phone. Tony was never going to stop laughing about this.

[OOC: For the husband! Wanda's apartment and contents modded with scarlet_chaos's gracious approval.]

Comments

[imafuturist]

Well, Tony was pretty quick to answer his phone as he collected his coffee order over at The Perk after they'd split from class.

"I'm a terrible cleaner," he reminded Steve in lieu of a hello.

[heroic_jawline]

There was a slight pause. "Can you come over anyway?"

[imafuturist]

"For moral support?" Tony asked.

[heroic_jawline]

"Kind of?" Steve said with a pained grunt as the plant squeezed around his stomach. "Maybe bring a gauntlet?"

[imafuturist]

"I am now offically alarmed," Tony informed him, picking up his pace to go to Wanda's place.

[heroic_jawline]

"How are you with semi-sentient plants?" Steve asked, trying to swing and get some momentum to at least get down from the ceiling before Tony arrived.

So far, no dice.

[imafuturist]

"Well, there was an alien, talking plant that one time," Tony admitted. Because what even was his life? "Is it saying anything about being Groot?"

[heroic_jawline]

"Are you Groot?" Steve asked the plant. "I'm Steve Rogers."

The plant, not being Groot, did not reply.

"Doesn't seem like it."

[imafuturist]

"Okay, so no. No, I am not an expert in that specific sentient plant," Tony said. You know. Helpfully.

[heroic_jawline]

"Good to know," Steve grunted, trying to punch another branch thing that was getting a little handsy.

For a branch. It didn't actually have hands.

"The door's unlocked when you get here."

[imafuturist]

"I'll be there shortly," Tony said, hanging up and giving his coffee a forlorn look before putting it in a nearby garbage to jog the rest of the way there.

"Steve?" He called out as he stepped through the doorway.

[heroic_jawline]

"Up here," Steve said, sounding deeply frustrated. "Wanda didn't mention a plant."

A plant that had Steve hogtied on the ceiling.

[imafuturist]

"...you know, somehow still not what I expected to find."

[heroic_jawline]

"Me or the interior decorating?" Steve asked.

[imafuturist]

"Can I say both?" Tony offered, summoning the armor patiently.

[heroic_jawline]

"That's fair," Steve said, giving the branches another hard tug.

[imafuturist]

"Is it magic?" Silly question, of course it was magic, Anthony.

[heroic_jawline]

"I'm not normally outsmarted by a plant," Steve said with a grunt, "so I say yes."

[imafuturist]

A gauntlet wooshed onto an outstretched hand of Tony's as the rest of the armor was still on it's way. You know. Just in case.

"I guess we should be lucky you're the one that found it and not anyone else," Tony suggested, trying to decide what was the easiest way to go about this without collateral damage.

[heroic_jawline]

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it," Steve said dryly, yanking at more branches. "Hey now," he told the plant. "Above the waist."

[imafuturist]

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Audrey II," Tony snapped, reaching up to snag one of the tendrils to rip it off.

[heroic_jawline]

"Thank you!" Steve said, now hanging by one ankle as the plant recoiled from Tony. "Let's not ruin Wanda's chance of getting her deposit back."

[imafuturist]

"I'll cover the expense," Tony promised, reaching for the other one now. Because that's just how he showed he cared. By acting like a sugar daddy.

[heroic_jawline]

"Or we can just not wreck the place," Steve said firmly. "Well. Maybe we can figure out where the red light's from."

[imafuturist]

"Red light?" Tony asked, making a face as he gave that other tendril a tug. "Isn't that just Wanda's..."

Wiggling the fingers on his free hand said nothing and everything at the same time in regards to her magic.