wildest dreams.

Darcy sighed dramatically, but there was a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, you know, the usual. Coffee runs, sorting files, and trying not to roll my eyes every time Loki opens his mouth," she answered, popping a hand up to support her chin. "It's been really fun, actually. More fun than I expected, though I had no idea what to expect when I signed up for this internship anyway. Can I see some of the shots you got? Have you uploaded any of it to the socials yet?"

"At least he's hot. He could ask me to do whatever he wanted and I would say yes and thank you," she replied with a hum, nails tapping away at her keyboard. "Probably a good thing I wasn't given an assignment for the Battle of New York mess—but mhm! I got some super cute ones of you in there somewhere." April smiled and pulled out her camera to show Darcy. "You looked adorable."

Mantis nodded thoughtfully, her eyes following April's movements. "I think you're right, April. When I first arrived on Earth, everything felt so strange and unfamiliar. I kept comparing it to what I knew, trying to understand it through the lens of my past. But now... I just let myself experience things as they come." She took another sip of her tea, her expression serene. "Accepting who I am now and embracing this new life has brought me so much joy. And having friends like you makes it even better." Mantis glanced at the vegetables April was gathering, scratching her cat behind its ears as he jumped up into her lap. "Are you going to feed your turtles now? Can I come with you? I love watching them eat. They always look so content, and I think Rocket likes them, too."

"Well, I'm selfishly glad you're here. Rent's a lot cheaper with two people," she teased, putting the remaining vegetables in the bowl. "No, but seriously. I love you. I'm glad you settled and stayed down here." She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, switching the bowl over to her other arm so she could pet Rocket on the way out of the kitchen. "Yep! You can come. They weirdly love your cat." April sat the bowl down on the coffee table and lifted the lid off the enclosure. "Except this one's being a giant asshole," she mumbled when she lifted Raphael, putting him back down when he snapped at her. "Fine. Be a dick. Jesus." April picked Michelangelo up instead and gently handed him to Mantis. The crackhead was trying to climb out anyway. "So everything's been going okay at the Tower with the other Avengers and stuff?" She questioned, putting the food in their bowl. "That Casey guy I was telling you about was bitching about ninjas or something—dude, I'm telling you," she paused, carrot in hand, and looked at her friend. "He'd be so damn hot if he just stood there, quietly, with his mouth shut forever."

Pietro glared at her, then zipped off, completely out of sight. Three seconds later (actually 2.4, but whatever) he was back. He had a tall stool, so when he sat on it he was still at the exact same height as before. "So sorry," he said in a monotone. He scoffed and looked away. "I'm not hovering around you anyway. I'm just... also here," he said, gesturing around the lounge. He'd been staring out the window, barely even aware of his surroundings before she said something to him. "What are you doing anyway?"

She gave him a look when he brought the stool over. "You're insufferable," April replied, finishing what she was working on. "Damage control," she replied with a hum, not looking up from the story she was typing, "We found a way to stop getting the negative narratives about y'all out. Or at least reframe and make people forget about them. I submit stories to various news outlets about you guys under a fake name."

Mantis beamed at the compliment, her antennae perking up slightly. "Thank you, April. I'm so glad you had fun and got some good content." She answered softly, her delicate fingers wrapping around a cup of tea. "I'm actually feeling really happy," Mantis continued, her eyes reflecting her genuine excitement and joy. "Seeing everyone enjoy themselves made me feel warm inside. It's probably the first time since I've been here that I've felt fully integrated, you know? It's been a crazy adjustment, but I think I finally got the hang of this human stuff."

"Yeah? Well, that's good." April smiled at her, happy to see her friend finally feeling one hundred percent settled into life on earth. She took a sip of her coffee and sat it on the table, before going over to the fridge. "I think you just stopped overthinking it all too, you know?" She pulled out some carrots and various vegetables to bring to her turtles. "Like, once you just accepted this was who you are now and not putting too much thought into it, you settled more." She smiled back at Mantis again. "And you seem alot happier now, too."

Darcy chuckled softly and slid into the chair opposite April, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, no hovering. I'm officially grounded." She leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table. "So, whatcha working on?"

"Thank you, ma'am," she smiled over at her, shrugging at the question and moving the laptop over so she could see. "Little write-up on the party. Everyone looked hot, so I got good content." April moved her laptop back in front of her. "How's the intern life treating you?"

Mantis smiled brightly, her large, expressive eyes twinkling with energy. "Oh, April, thank you! I am so happy you enjoyed the party!" She clapped her hands together, the excitement almost palpable. "Sorry if I woke you, I couldn't sleep. So I thought I'd make some breakfast!" Mantis gestured to the array of fruits, pastries, and other breakfast items she had meticulously arranged on the table.

April snorted and sat at the table, smiling fondly at the display. "You're too adorable. And yes, I did. It was amazing. You did a good job, babe. It was a lot of fun and I got a lot of good content, so that's always a plus." She picked up a pastry. "How are you feeling after it?"

"Oh god, I hope not. It was already massive. If it doubled, that's -- like a significant percentage of the population of this borough." He frowned a moment. "Oh god, what if it did double though?"

"I mean, it wouldn't surprise me," April mused, stirring her drink aroundm absently, but then she looked up at Peter. She lowered her drink, brow raised. "You good?" She smirked. "You look like you short-circuited."

Casey smirked at April's sass, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Hey, you know I thrive on making you roll your eyes," he said, nudging her playfully with his elbow. "I'll take the compliment, but honestly you look much better in pink than I do." He grabbed a rainbow frosted cupcake for each of them, holding one out to April. "You look amazing by the way, I haven't told you that yet."

"I know. And you're doing a marvelous job of it." April smirked and, despite her words, slid beneath his arm after he handed her the cupcake. "You didn't have to tell me, but I appreciate the compliment." She licked the icing off her thumb and hummed, shaking her head as she looked back up at him. "I'm surprised you took a night off from bitching about those ninjas—or whatever the hell they were—to actually come."

Casey rolled his eyes at April's teasing but couldn't help but smile at her antics. He adjusted the hat on his head, attempting to regain some semblance of dignity. "Fine, fine, but only because you asked so nicely," he quipped, allowing her to lead him through the crowds. "But I better not end up on some Instagram feed looking like a rejected member of the Village People. I don't think I could ever recover from that, drunk or not," he added jokingly.

"I'm always nice, thanks. You're just an asshole and don't always get to experience that." She lowered her hand from his crown and snorted, rolling her eyes as she walked with him towards the food. "You get points deducted for a joke that made you sound 50. Besides, you look really hot. The only Instagram feed you'll end up on is mine. Unless you keep talking and mess up that things are going your way currently."

Casey felt utterly ridiculous in his outfit, unable to help but feel out of place amidst the vibrant crowd. He was all for the whole "love and acceptance" theme of it all, it had nothing to do with that. It was just the mass amounts of pink that April had convinced him to wear for the party. "Take a picture now, because this," he motioned to the pink cowboy hat on his head, complete with a glittery rainbow band, "Is never happening again. I feel like a Barbie doll." (@apriilflowrs)

April was taking pictures of the party-goers when she felt him walk over to him. She took look one look at him and started laughing. "Alright, Ken." She turned to take a picture of him and smirked, before leaning all the way up to kiss his cheek. "You look good in pink, Jones. Don't be a bitch." She put her camera away and reached for his hand. "Come on. We'll get some drinks in you to make you a more tolerable person."

Casey chuckled, sliding into the now-vacant seat with a smooth, confident motion. "Oh, come on, April, you know you love the company," he teased, leaning back comfortably. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd see if my favorite reporter needed a break. Maybe you could use a distraction? A charming one, at that."

"Mm. Debatable." She pushed her laptop aside and took hold of her coffee. "I don't do that anymore. Remember? I work with SHIELD." April gave him a too-pleasant smile and sipped her coffee. "I got tired of reporting and doing stories on asshole athletes."

Casey sauntered into the cozy coffee shop, his signature smirk playing at the corners of his lips as he spotted April seated at a table by the window. With a casual swagger, he made his way over to her, the faint scent of leather lingering in his wake. "Well, well, well, fancy seeing you here, April," he drawled, sliding into the seat across from her with a grin. "Mind if I join you, or is this a private party?" ( @apriilflowrs )

She didn't even look up at the sound of his voice, somehow knowing exactly who it was as soon as he approached, before he even said anything. "And why would it be a surprise? You do this everytime I'm in here." She reached over and picked her bag up from the seat across from her, dropping it to the one beside her, knowing he'd slide in and take that seat. Eyes back on her laptop, April continued, "It can turn into a private party if you start pissing me off. What do you want?"