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“I need to take you dress shopping.”
“Absolutely not.”
“What?” Tony asked, whipping around to look at his daughter. “Why not?”
“Because you’ll put me in some nun outfit,” Stella laughed, grabbing a tool off the bench as she worked. “Mom is taking me.”
“And I’m coming with,” Tony added, a large smile on his face. “If you think I’m missing my daughter finding her senior prom dress, you are crazy.”
Stella snorted, shaking her head and focusing on the prosthetic arm on the desk in front of her.
“Okay,” she smiled, as her Dad started to open up the wiring on her arm. “You can come with, but if I decide on a dress that I like, you can’t go all helicopter parent on me.”
“I’m not a helicopter parent,” he stated, and then, at her unimpressed look, he laughed. “Okay, maybe at times I can be a helicopter parent.”
“Yeah, at times,” Stella laughed, and he rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. “How’s my arm looking, boss?”
“Good,” he nodded, checking through the wires. “Just needs some maintenance.”
Stella nodded, sitting back and letting him work, she watched what wires did what, what caused the fingers on the hand to flex. She was trying to learn how to take care of it herself- in case she needed it while she was away.
It was March and prom was at the end of next month, and she had yet to find a dress- or a date.
But it was hard to focus on finding a date while she was spending all of her spare time trying to plan the best way to escape home and get to Madripoor.
There was a part of her that wanted Peter to ask her, but she knew he’d be too shy to. She let out a sigh, and played with the ends of her hair.
“You alright, trouble?” Tony asked, taking his attention off the arm to look at her. “What’s the reason behind that big sigh?”
“Nothing,” Stella blushed, looking away from him.
“Stella,” he said, gently. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
“No, you’ll get mad,” she replied, looking at the arm on the desk.
“Stella Maria,” Tony stated, his voice a little harder. “I promise you I won’t.”
“It’s just,” she sighed, nervously running her hand along the desk. “I don’t have a prom date.”
“Why would I get mad at that?”
“I sort of wanted Peter to ask me,” Stella blushed, reaching out to touch her detached arm. “But I don’t think he will.”
She risked looking up at her Dad, at the calculating look in his eyes. Instead of the angry expression she expected to be there, his gaze softened, and he took her hand and squeezed it.
“I’m not angry in the slightest,” he said, with a small smile. “Stel, it’s like you said to me, it’s not for me to forgive him- it’s for you. Peter and you are your own people, if you want to go to prom with him, just ask him.”
“I’m not asking him,” Stella scoffed, feeling embrassed. “He has to ask me.”
“You’re still such a kid sometimes,” Tony laughed, a warm smile on his face. “I can’t believe you still get shy over Peter.”
“I do not!” Stella protested, her face red. “I don’t know if I even want to go with him anyway.”
“But you just said you did?” Tony asked, shaking his head.
“I don’t know what I want!” Stella exclaimed, looking away and pouting.
“I am so glad I’m not a teenage girl,” Tony stated, and Stella glared at him. “What? It just seems so complicated.”
“Don’t make me ice you,” Stella stated, a small grin playing on the side of her lips.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Tony gasped. “I can’t believe you’re threatening me!”
“You made fun of me!”
“Technically I just stated a fact,” he replied, but then took in her face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“No, it’s fine,” Stella sighed. “I just feel like everything with Peter is so messy. It’s not like I want to get back with him.”
“Yeah, sure you don’t,” Tony stated, snorting.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stella cried, as he finished up the work on her arm.
“It means I’m your father and I know you too well,” he smirked, as he passed her back her arm to reattach. “I see the way you look at him.”
“I don’t look at him in any way,” Stella responded, placing her arm against the magnets and slotting it back into place. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
There was a knock on the lab door, and they both turned to look as Peter burst in. He clearly hadn’t been expecting Tony to be in the lab with Stella, and his cheeks turned red as he looked at him.
“Oh, sorry Mister Stark,” he mumbled, and Stella smiled at him. “I was just coming to see Stella about something.”
“Just so you know,” Tony whispered to her, poking her cheek. “That’s the look I was talking about.”
She blushed, swatting his hand away and instead standing up to meet Peter.
“How did it go?” Stella quickly asked, smiling brightly at him.
“Really well!” Peter smiled. “Said they’d let me work there weekends!”
“Holy shit, Peter!” Stella grinned, jumping and hugging him tightly. “That’s incredible! Well done!”
“Thank, Stel,” Peter smiled into her hair, wrapping his hands round her.
“Sorry,” Tony interrupted, looking over at them. “What’s incredible?”
“Peter got a job doing photography for this news company in Boston,” Stella said, keeping her arm around Peter’s waist as she turned back to her Dad.
“Wait, photography?” Tony asked, looking at Peter. “I didn’t know you were into photography, kid.”
“Yeah, well, uh, being Spider-Man can get you some really cool shots of the city so it kind of just happened,” Peter said nervously, and Stella tightened her grip on him. “But this company liked my work, so at least it’ll get me some money.”
“What about interning here?” Tony asked, and Peter looked up at him. “You still interested in doing that full time this summer? I promise I’ll pay well.”
“Oh, uh,” Peter said, looking up at him. “I didn’t realise that was still on the table.”
“A brain like yours?” Tony asked, raising his eyebrows. “Of course I want you here.”
“That would be great,” Peter smiled, nodding enthusiastically. “I’d really appreciate that.”
“I know you got a perfect score on your SATs,” Tony nodded, a smile on his face. “That’s impressive stuff, Pete.”
“Stella got a perfect score too,” Peter blushed.
“Yeah, but I had Bruce Banner tutoring me,” Stella laughed, pulling back from Peter. “You did it on your own, Peter.”
“Just accept the compliment,” Tony sighed, standing up and clapping Peter on the shoulder. “You did well.”
“Thank you, Mister Stark,” Peter grinned, smiling warmly.
“No problem, kid,” Tony stated. “I’ll get the paperwork sent to you for the full time hours, get you some money saved up.”
Tony grinned knowingly at Stella as he left the room, and she rolled her eyes at him and he snorted. He closed the door behind them, and Stella turned back round to Peter.
“Guess you’re back in his good books,” Stella smiled, and she walked away from him back to the desk. “A full-time intern? Means he wants you around.”
“I’m not entirely convinced it’s not some kind of plan to make me disappear off the face of the planet,” Peter joked, and Stella laughed, hopping up on her desk. “What were you guys working on?”
“Maintenance on my arm,” Stella said, wiggling it towards Peter. “Sometimes it gets stiff, Dad was just fixing the wires.”
Peter looked down at her desk, fiddling with the tools there, and looking at her notebook full of scribbles of ideas.
She smiled softly at him, just watching him as he investigated and turned through the pages. She watched him react to her ideas through various movements of his eyebrows, raising when he was impressed, furrowing as he read.
She knew she was staring for way too long, but she just didn’t want to look away, because that was the thing- Peter was just so pretty. She couldn’t believe he had no idea just how handsome he was.
He met her eyes and she had the decency to blush, and she smiled, looking away. She could feel his eyes still on her, and a shiver went down her spine.
“You look so cute when you blush,” Peter whispered, and she looked up at him as he stammered. “I-I mean, you’re always cute, it’s just you’re really cute when you get all shy, and- I, uh, I’m just going to shut up.”
Stella laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear as she smiled at him, her heart beating in her chest.
“So, uh, are you going to prom?” Stella asked him. “It’s just, my Dad and I were talking about prom dresses and stuff, guess it’s on my mind.”
“You haven’t got your prom dress yet?” Peter questioned, and she shook her head. “How come?”
“I think I was kind of waiting for a date first,” Stella said, looking away from him. “I know people usually match their dresses to their date’s suit and stuff.”
“You could go with anyone you wanted, Stel,” Peter said, a weird edge to his voice. “I know Charlie from band asked you last month and you said no, and you rejected Ethan off the football team.”
“I guess I’m just waiting for the right guy to ask me,” Stella stated, and looked up at Peter to watch his reaction. He just looked at her blankly. “If not, I guess I’ll just go solo.”
“Maybe we could both go solo,” Peter stated with a laugh, and Stella wanted to hit him. “I don’t think any of the girls in the year want to go with me.”
“I know of one,” she mumbled, waiting for him to pick up the clear hint that she was talking about herself.
“Who?” Peter asked, tilting his head and looking confused.
How could he be so smart but so damn stupid at the same time?
“Nancy,” Stella stated, and she wasn’t lying. “From Italian club, she thinks you’re cute.”
“Nancy?” Peter asked, looking stunned. “Really?”
Stella hopped off the desk, suddenly extremely pissed off. She grabbed her notebook from Peter and headed towards the door.
“Yeah,” Stella replied, her tone cold. “So, maybe you should just ask her, since you’re clearly not even thinking about asking anybody else.”
Stella walked out her lab, slamming the door behind her and getting into the elevator. She shook her head, taking a deep breath.
What. An. Idiot.
Sure, her and Peter weren’t together, and yeah, she didn’t want to exactly get back with him. But they flirted, she knew they flirted, and it was fun and it was harmless- surely that would be enough for him to realise she was into him?
They were friends- best friends even, and she had hoped he would have been aware enough to see that she was very clearly hinting for him to ask her.
Why did he think she had brought up prom?
She went down to the common room, groaning as she found it empty as she was in desperate need of a distraction. Instead she walked to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of juice and sipping it while she tried to calm down.
What would she have to do to get Peter damn Parker to ask her to prom?
*****************
“Prom is just a social construct anyway,” MJ said, and Stella groaned into the pillow. “What? It is.”
Stella was lying face down on MJ’s bed, it was two weeks later, and she still had no dress, and no date.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Stella whined. “You have someone to go with.”
“Yeah, Ned,” MJ snorted. “We just both agreed we would rather go with a friend than an awkward date.”
“Well, then, why can’t Peter ask me to go as a friend?”
“Because you’re not just friends,” MJ sighed, sitting down next to her. “Peter asking you means something more than that, for both of you.”
“Literally everyone has someone to go with but me,” Stella groaned. “You and Ned, Mindy and Mo, Ricky and Betty.”
“Then go with one of the many guys that have asked you!” MJ laughed, and Stella shook her head. “Did you hear Nancy asked Peter to go to prom with her?”
Her heart dropped into her stomach and she felt like MJ had just slapped her.
“She did what?” Stella asked, immediately sitting up and scowling. “When?”
“At lunch today, while you and Mo went off to stick up flyers,” MJ hummed, and Stella felt her heart beat faster. “Asked him in the middle of the cafeteria.”
Stella felt her chest ache, and she closed her eyes, falling back on the bed with a heavy sigh. Tears stung her eyes and she laid her hands over her face, feeling hurt.
“He said no.”
Stella’s eyes flung open and she looked back up at MJ, her heart thundering in her ears.
“He said no?” Stella checked, and MJ nodded. “Did he say why?”
“You’re both so dense sometimes,” she sighed. “Stella, he said no because the only girl he would ever want to go to prom with is you, but he’s too scared to ask you because he doesn’t want to mess anything up between you. He’s worried you’d say no.”
“But, I want him to ask me,” Stella said, as if this was obvious. “I would say yes.”
“Well, clearly,” MJ teased, and rolled her eyes. “But Peter doesn’t know that, does he?”
“Well, what do I do?” Stella questioned, looking at MJ desperately.
“That’s for you to figure out,” she replied, smiling. “Now, are we actually going to do this Chemistry homework or what?”
Stella sighed, pulling her textbook out of her bag and glaring up at MJ.
After finishing the homework, Stella made her way back home, going up to her lab to finish the project she’d been working on.
She heard a rustle in Peter’s lab and knocked on the door gently.
“Come in!”
She walked in, greeted by the sight of Peter wearing googles and hovering over a beaker.
“What are you up to?” Stella grinned, leaning against the door. “Burning down the lab?”
“Not yet,” Peter laughed, and waved her over. “It’s a new web fluid, trying to get it stronger than before.”
“Was it not already strong enough?”
“What would your Dad say to that attitude?” Peter joked, smiling. “If things can be improved upon, why not try?”
“Dork,” she grinned, sitting on the stool next to him, and then biting her lip as she looked up at him. “I heard Nancy asked you to prom.”
“Oh, uh, yeah,” Peter said, turning bright red and setting the beaker down. “She did.”
“And you said no,” she carried on, and then with her heart beating even faster. “Why?”
“You know why,” he replied, his voice strong, as he avoided her gaze.
“Because of me?” Stella asked, and he looked down. “You turned her down because of me?”
“You’re the only girl I want to go with,” Peter blushed. “I don’t want to anyone else to be my date.”
“But you haven’t asked me,” Stella said, practically spelling it out for him.
“I thought you’d say no,” Peter said awkwardly. “I didn’t want to make things weird.”
“I don’t think the ability to tell the future is a part of your powers,” she grinned, nudging her knee into his leg. “Why do you think I turned down all the guys, Peter?”
“Because they all suck?”
“Peter,” Stella laughed, looking up at him. “I was waiting for you to ask me, doofus.”
“You were?” Peter questioned, his eyes wide. “But what if it makes things weird? I don’t want us to be weird again.”
“You know, MJ and Ned are going together, right?” Stella asked, grinning at him. “As friends.”
“So, we could go as friends?”
“Yeah, dork, we could.”
“Wait, so if I ask you?”
“I would most likely say yes.”
“Would you go to prom with me?”
“No.”
“Stella!” Peter laughed, blushing like crazy. “Don’t make this more embarrassing for me than it already is.”
“I did say most likely,” she smiled, and then lightly took his hand in hers. “Okay, ask me again.”
“Stella Stark,” Peter started, staring down at her warmly. “Will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your date to prom?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she laughed, and then pulled him in for a hug. “Yeah, Petey, I will.”
He brought his arms around her and held her closer, smiling into her hair.
“Prom would have sucked without you,” he murmured, his grip tightening on her hip. “Everything sucks without you.”
“Wait until I tell Bucky you’re taking me to prom,” Stella laughed, and Peter froze. “He’ll kill me.”
“No, he’ll kill me,” Peter corrected, and Stella snorted. “I might not even make it to prom yet.”
“I’ll make sure you do,” she giggled, breaking away from him. “Finally, I can go find a dress!”
“Sorry about the delay,” Peter grinned, eyes dancing around her face happily. “I’ve barely given you anytime to look.”
“It’s okay,” Stella grinned. “My Dad is going to take me, you know he’ll find the most perfect dress without even trying.”
“Oh my God,” Peter winced. “Your Dad is going to kill me too.”
Stella let out a very unattractive snort.
****************
“So, I have an idea.”
“No, Dad.”
“You didn’t even hear me out!”
“Dad,” Stella laughed, hands brushing over different dresses. “That’s because it’s going to be a bad idea.”
“I was going to say I should take Peter shopping for his suit.”
Stella turned around to look at him, her eyebrows raising.
“You would do that?”
“Well, I want the pictures to look good,” Tony replied, shrugging. “Might as well help the kid find the perfect suit.”
“I think he’d love that,” Stella smiled, hugging her Dad. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, trouble,” he said, hugging her back. “Plus, it will help May out too, just seems like a good idea.”
“It is,” Stella nodded. “Sorry I said no at first.”
“Wouldn’t have affected me, but it would have affected your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Stella replied, blushing. “We’re just friends.”
“Sure,” Tony snorted, and Stella blushed brighter.
“Tony!” Pepper called as she came round the corner, glaring. “You better not be teasing her!”
“Me? I would never.”
Stella shook her head, walking up to her Mom and the many dresses she had in her arms. She took a deep breath, knowing they were going to be here for a few hours.
**************
Stella had tried on at least fifteen dresses, but they just weren’t right. She would do a twirl in the mirror and there was just something missing.
Usually she was a pretty easy shopper too, but she wanted this dress to be perfect. It was her last real school night with her friends before she was running off to save the world.
Sure, she had graduation but that wasn’t quite like prom- prom was just fun, no responsibilities, just stupid teenage shit.
And it was her last chance for that.
She had a pink dress on, and one look in the mirror told her it wasn’t the one. Once again.
“No,” Stella said, shaking her head in the mirror. “I don’t like the fit.”
“Less poofy?” Pepper asked, running her hands over the material.
“I think so,” Stella hummed. “Do you think maybe a darker color too?”
“You’d look lovely in a nice black dress,” Pepper nodded. “If that’s what you want to try?”
“Maybe,” Stella nodded, and the smiled apologetically. “Sorry Mom, I’m taking ages.”
“Don’t be silly,” Pepper chastised, holding Stella’s chin gently. “It’s a special night. You take as long as you need. I’ll go find you a black dress.”
“Or, you could try this one,” Tony said, walking round the corner. “Only took me four hours, but this is my choice.”
He held it up, and Stella’s face lit up. It was dark green, silk, floor length and with no poof. It was perfect.
“Where has that been hiding?” Pepper asked, rushing forward to grab it. “It’s beautiful.”
“I have good taste,” he grinned, handing the dress to her Mom. “I’ve been saying it for years.”
“I love it,” Stella said, running a hand on it. “I’ve got to try it on.”
Stella was helped into the dress, and zipped in. The second she looked in the monitor she knew it was the one, she smiled, doing a wide twirl.
Green just felt right for her, and with her red hair, it just suited her perfectly. She felt like a princess.
“You look beautiful,” her Dad said, his eyes welling up a little. “Absolutely stunning.”
“My little baby,” Pepper said, hugging her close. “This is the dress.”
“Yeah,” Stella agreed, a light glow coming off her skin. “The is the one.”
The dress caught the light as she spun and she giggled, twirling around in it. She caught her parents exchanging a look and lifted an eyebrow while she smiled.
“What?” Stella asked, sending them both an inquisitive look.
“It’s silly, really,” Pepper stated, looking at her with tears in her eyes. “It’s just that this is the second most important dress in your life, the first will be your wedding dress and it’s just- it’s a bit emotional.”
“Stop growing up,” Tony said, shaking his head. “Just slow down, please, for our sake. It’s all too quick.”
Stella smiled, running to give them both a large hug, they held her close.
“I love you both,” Stella whispered. “I love you a lot.”
“We love you too, baby,” Pepper replied, kissing her forehead. “Right, let’s take some pictures and find you some matching shoes.”
“Here’s to another four hours,” Tony smiled, pulling back from them. “At least we’ve decided on a color.”
********************
“Can I see it?” Peter asked, his eyes wide. “Please?”
“No,” Stella laughed, shaking her head. “You’re here to help me plan my escape to Madripoor, not to talk about my prom dress.”
“Your Dad said how beautiful you looked in it,” Peter said, a pout coming over his face. “I just want to see a photo.”
“You’re just going to have to wait,” Stella teased, lounging across her bed. “You can see it at prom.”
“That’s so far away,” Peter groaned, stretching out next to her. “It’s a whole month.”
“Too bad,” Stella smiled. “Guess you’ll just have to be patient.”
“I’m like the least patient person on the planet,” Peter whined, and Stella rolled her eyes.
“You know the color at least,” Stella grinned. “How was suit shopping with my Dad?”
“Actually really nice,” Peter smiled. “Little bit awkward but other than that, it was nice.”
“So, you found one?”
“Black suit, with a green tie,” Peter nodded. “He said he color matched the tie perfectly to your dress.”
“I trust him,” Stella smiled. “He’s the one that found my dress, just as I predicted.”
“He didn’t seem as annoyed about me going with you as I thought he would be.”
“Yeah,” Stella blushed. “I was telling him how I wanted you to ask me for a good couple of weeks before you did.”
“How did Bucky take it?” Peter asked, and Stella avoided his eyes. “Oh, that bad?”
“No, I just haven’t told him yet,” Stella stated. “You know how protective he gets, and I’m so excited about prom- I just don’t want Bucky being annoyed at you.”
“Stel, it’s okay if he is,” Peter nodded, grabbing her hand. “I deserve it.”
Stella sighed, holding his hand tighter and looking up at him.
“Yeah, you sort of do,” she grinned, and she took a deep breath. “I’ll go and tell him after you go home.”
“In case he decides to rip me limb from limb?”
“Something like that.”
Stella wasn’t sure why she was so scared to go and tell Bucky, she guessed that she was worried he’d be disappointed in her for some reason- and she didn’t want that at all.
Once Peter left, she made her way to his and Steve’s floor, nervously fidgeting before walking in.
“Bucky?” Stella called, hating how her voice broke under her stress.
“In the kitchen!”
She walked around the corner to see him making a sandwich, his eyes focused on throwing various deli meats into it.
“That’s like a sandwich out of Scooby-Doo,” Stella joked, and Bucky looked at her blankly. “It’s a cartoon dog who helps solve mysteries, there’s two really good movies about it too. We’ll watch them next weekend.”
“A dog who helps solve mysteries?” Bucky repeated, raising his eyebrows. “I think that’s a skip.”
“Nope,” Stella said. “Overruled, I insist.”
“Fine,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes. “Now, are you here to bug me about my sandwich, or something else?”
“Something else,” she stated, and then she sighed. “Bug is actually a really ironic word to use.”
“Why?” Bucky asked carefully, pulling out a knife to cut his sandwich. “What are you going on about, weirdo?”
“I’m going to wait for the knife to leave your hand first,” Stella hummed. “Then I’ll tell you.”
“Stella,” Bucky stated, and she paled at his tone of voice. “What are you hiding from me?”
“Technically I’m not hiding it, I just hadn’t gotten around to telling you. There’s a big difference, so really, I’m not keeping any secrets and it’s just-“
“Stella.”
“Peter asked me to prom,” she blurted, and then closed her eyes as she winced. “And I sort of said yes.”
“Now I see why the knife shouldn’t have been in my hand,” Bucky stated, not reacting. “Is he in the labs?”
“No, he’s nowhere.”
“FRIDAY?”
“FRIDAY, don’t you dare.”
“Mister Parker is not in the building.”
“That’s her being on my side,” Stella smiled, and Bucky glared. “Bucky, I want to go with him.”
“Yeah, and I want to stab him in his neck,” he replied, shrugging. “Don’t see the big deal.”
“Bucky, please,” Stella sighed. “This is my choice!”
“This is the same boy that had you crying for weeks, Stel!” Bucky said, his tone cold. “He broke your heart, and what? You’re just fine with him again?”
“We’re only going as friends, Bucky!”
“It’s prom, Stella!” Bucky sighed, shaking his head. “He’s your prom date. I may be old, but even I know that’s not just friends.”
“Please be happy for me?” Stella asked. “I’m really excited about prom, just be okay with it? For me?”
“I am going to glare menacingly at him whenever I see him.”
“You do that anyway?”
“Fine, then I will add in a scary smile,” Bucky stated, shaking his head. “Okay, I can be happy for you now.”
“Thanks, Buck,” she smiled, and pulled out her phone. “Do you want to see my dress?”
“You got your dress without me?” Bucky questioned, his gaze hard again. “You went shopping without me?”
“No?”
“Stella Stark!”
****************
Bucky was curling her hair, while Pepper did her makeup.
Her Dad had offered her a stylist, but she had refused, because normal teenage girls didn’t get that.
And that was what she was, just for tonight. She was a normal teenage girl doing normal teenage shit.
Bucky was careful as he gently brushed through the curls, making them go wavy instead of in ringlets.
“Perfect,” he grinned, looking back at his work. “I miss having long hair because of stuff like this.”
“I thought you liked the short hair?” Stella asked, not moving as Pepper did her eyeliner. “It’s why you keep on top of cutting it?”
“Well, yeah,” Bucky nodded, running a hand through his hair. “But sometimes I miss the long hair era.”
“Don’t call it an era,” Stella snorted, and was lightly swatted by Pepper as she tried to keep her still. “I regret teaching you that word.”
“Oh, so you’re in your hating era?” Bucky questioned, and Stella fought to keep her laugh in so she didn’t move.
“Shut up, Bucky,” she managed, only letting a little giggle out.
“Keep still, Stella,” Pepper said, balancing out her eyeliner. “Unless you want all the makeup I’ve just spent an hour on ruined.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Stella whispered. “Blame Bucky.”
Pepper laughed, and attached lashes to Stella’s eyes. Bucky came in front of Stella to look at her and he let out a small gasp.
“God, you’re pretty,” Bucky said, and Stella smiled. “Bug boy isn’t going to know what’s hit him.”
“Bucky!” Pepper chastised, glaring at him. “Do not make her laugh.”
“Sorry,” Bucky said, looking at the floor as he tried not to grin. “I’ll go get the dress.”
“Thank you, Buck,” Stella called as Bucky walked away. “Does that mean I’m nearly done?”
“Just letting the lashes dry,” Pepper smiled. “I’ll put your lipstick on after you’ve got the dress on, less likely to smudge.”
Bucky handed her the dress and went to wait outside with the others as she finished getting ready. Her Mom helped her into it, being careful of her hair and makeup, and then zipped her up tightly. Pepper gently fixed Stella’s hair, and applied her lipstick before leaning back to look at her.
She didn’t say anything, but her eyes welled up and she covered her mouth as a choked noise escaped.
“Do I look that terrible?” Stella joked, running her hands down her dress self-consciously.
“God, no,” Pepper laughed, quickly brushing away her escaping tears. “You look absolutely perfect.”
“Thank you, Mom,” Stella smiled, as she pulled her in for a tight hug. “I love you.”
“Oh, my baby,” Pepper cried, holding her close. “I love you too.”
Stella pulled back, slipping on all her jewellery. She put on the green ring Pepper had given her on her birthday all those years ago, and Pepper smiled, as more tears left her eyes.
Pepper opened up the door, and Stella felt embarrassed as she walked out to the room full of Avengers, and did a twirl.
Silence met her, and she looked up, flushing red in embarrassment. What she didn’t expect were five Avengers fighting back tears from the sight of her.
She looked up at her Dad first, at his tearful expression as he smiled at her, he just shook his head.
“You look beautiful, trouble,” he smiled. “Absolutely gorgeous.”
“Thank you, boss,” she grinned, looking down at the floor bashfully.
“Stunning,” Bucky said, his face scrunched up. “Breathtaking.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled again, feeling her face grow hotter and hotter.
“You look amazing, kid,” Sam smiled, a soft expression on his face. “Absolutely beautiful.”
“You’re so grown up,” Bruce said, his large hand wiping away his tears. “I can’t believe how pretty you are.”
“Prettiest girl there ever was,” Steve grinned, as his wet blue eyes met hers. “An angel.”
“You look really pretty, Stilly,” Morgan smiled a toothy grin, looking at Stella. “But why are they all crying?”
“She’s just very grown up, Morguna,” Tony smiled, picking his youngest up and running a hand over her hair. “She’s not the tiny kid we all see her as anymore.”
“It just means she’s leaving soon,” Bucky added, looking up at her with heartbroken eyes. “And none of us are ready for it”.
“College is months away, Bucky,” Stella stated, shaking her head warmly. “Stop jumping ahead of yourself.”
His expression didn’t change, in fact the pained look grew, and Stella worried that he had somehow found out about her plans and Madripoor.
But, before she could dwell on it, the elevator binged, and it ripped her attention away from Bucky.
Peter walked out, nervously playing with a box in his hands, and then he looked up at her.
He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes grew wide as he looked over her. She felt herself start glowing at just the sight of him, her eyes running over his suit, he looked so handsome.
He hadn’t spoken yet, but his mouth had parted as he looked at her, his eyes trailing her up and down as he mumbled wordlessly.
“And you’re just friends, right?” Tony joked, and she heard her Mom hit his arm. “What? Can you not see the way they’re looking at each other?”
But Stella and Peter ignored the comments, their eyes not leaving each other, as Peter flushed and struggle to form the right words.
“You’re looking pretty good there, Pete,” Stella said, breaking the silence. “Said as a friend, of course.”
“Stel,” he whispered, shaking his head as his hand came to hold his chest. “You are absolutely ethereal.”
Stella could see from the reflection on the windows that she had started to glow brightly, his words affecting her more than she wanted them to.
She felt her heart flutter as he said it, his eyes never leaving hers as he stared at her in a way he never had before. As if he couldn’t quite believe she was real, like he was dreaming, in a daze.
“Ethereal?” Stella grinned, trying to calm her glow down. “That’s a pretty heavy word to use.”
“I didn’t think beautiful did you enough justice,” he said, blinking and starting to move forward again. “I say as a friend.”
Stella laughed, finally looking away from him to catch her Dad’s eye roll. Peter looked around nervously at the others, as if expecting them to beat him down at any second.
But instead, just for tonight, she watched them smile at him, clearly approving of his reaction to her. She felt her heart grow warmer as she realised just how much she was loved.
“I brought you this,” Peter said, holding out the box in his hand. “It’s a corsage, your Dad helped me pick out the best flowers to go with your dress.”
Stella looked up at her Dad, who winked. She grinned, it was moments like these she realised just how much he did for her, even when she didn’t know about it.
She held out her wrist for Peter, and he slid it on for her, holding her hand gently. She felt her heart thunder at the contact, and gazed up at him. His eyes bored into her, flickering with an intensity that made her stomach warm.
“Photos!” Pepper called, breaking their moment. “We need photos.”
After more camera flashes than her eyes could handle, and more teasing comments from the rest of her family, her and Peter were on their way.
Her Dad had offered to drive them, a sly grin on his face as they both slid into the back on the car together.
He kept his comments to himself though, and simply shook his head as he turned his attention to the front, a soft mutter of ‘teenagers’ leaving his mouth.
Stella looked over at Peter, and grasped his hand as it lay in the middle of their seats. He looked up at her, his cheeks warming as he smiled bashfully at her.
She was so glad Peter damn Parker had asked her as his date. She wouldn’t want to go be a stupid teenager with anyone else.