heroic_jawline | MHA #11, Wednesday after classes

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.]

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"I would!" Of course he would.

"It was a plant," Steve said. "What was it going to do, eat me?"

"Some plants eat people!" Only in the Savage Land, really. Which he didn't even know about yet!

"I'm pretty sure Wanda would've mentioned her man eating plant!"

"I'm not saying she knew!" Which was clearly a big difference.

Steve laughed. "Wait'll I tell her about it."

"Just don't send her a fruit basket," he just had to tease.

"What about a charcoal of a fruit basket?"

"That might be nice," Tony had to admit.

Steve reemerged from the kitchen smelling faintly of cleaning supplies and holding the garbage bag, finished with his project. "I don't think she'd want me to track her down in New Asgard. I'll take a picture of it and send it."

Tony frowned and mouthed 'new' to himself before powering on through with his bag of plant parts. "Well, maybe you can give it to her when she comes back?"

"I don't when that's going to be," Steve admitted. "I'm going to toss this down the chute," he added, shaking the bag and oh, the smell, the smell.

"This too!" Tony said, offering him the other bag as he took that part of it in.

"I'm doing this for you because I love you," Steve told him on the way out.

"I love you more for it!"

Steve laughed. "Okay, can you check to make sure all the non-glowy red lights are out and then we can go when I get back?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," Tony replied with a sloppy little salute as he went to get those lights turned off.

Steve smiled but his eyes went serious. "And then I'll read you in."

Well, that was very formal, Steve.

"Okay," Tony said, repressing the urge to make a joke at the look in Steve's eyes.

Steve pressed his lips together in a tiny smile. "It'll be okay."

"Okay," Tony said quietly with a little nod. "Okay. We can get you a pizza or three on the way home."

And a coffee to make up for what Tony had to abandon to rescue him.

"Sounds like a swell idea," Steve said. "I'll be right back."

Which left Tony eyeing any lingering red light warily as he shut off the actual lights. "I'm a different Tony," he tried telling the apartment as a whole. In case that helped.

It couldn't hurt! Probably!

"Okay, we can head out now," Steve said, lingering by the doorway. "I'll be sure to lock the door. Wanda was afraid she'd forgotten to on her way out."

And while the crime rate on Fandom was laughably low, Steve wasn't taking chances.

Tony gave him a little smile as he walked past him to let that happen, brushing a hand over Steve's arm along the way.

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heroic_jawline - 2023-01-21 15:56 (UTC) - Expand