So, here we are! Another short tale in the life of my OC Kitty Stark. My other story has a few short notes on her background if you're interested! But without furhter ado, I own absolutely nothing that you recognize or that could potentially earn me any monetary gain.
Steve Rogers was not a stupid man. Naïve, stubborn, maybe a little optimistic, but certainly not stupid. But if all of that was true, why was it so damn hard to pick out a stupid gift for his friend's birthday? The more he thought about it, the less stupid it sounded when he considered the fact that said friend was an Asgardian princess, Avenger, and adopted daughter of Tony Stark. She had everything she could have ever wanted so what could Steve possibly get her that she hadn't already received in the last well… who truly knows how many birthdays she had celebrated.
Online shopping had become an idea Steve was happy to embrace. He could shop at millions of stores without ever having to the leave the compound. But not even the endless void that was online retail could help him with this. He eyed his phone warily as it sat beside him tauntingly. He had considered asking Tony for help but he could already hear the taunting in his voice. Natasha was another thought he quickly scuttled. Sure the women knew each other fairly well but they were complete opposites in taste and demeanor. There was Pepper, but he knew Kitty saw her as a mother-figure and didn't really want to tread into those waters. The only other glaringly obvious choice was her brother.
He picked up the slim device and quickly thumbed through his contacts until he landed on Jane Foster's number. He knew Thor had no cell phone of his own, or really any other form of communication, but he had it on good authority the God of Thunder was currently on the home front visiting his lady love. He hesitated briefly before pressing the "call" button. Steve began to relax as the phone continued to ring with no apparent prospect of the young woman picking up.
"Captain Rogers?" A voice hesitantly came through the line and Steve's face faltered a little. "Is everything…alright?" The woman's light voice speaking again shook his from his reverie and he cleared his throat a little before replying.
"Jane, hi, uh, yes everything's fine. I was actually hoping I could talk to Thor if he was around." He heard he exhale in relief before calling Thor to the phone.
"Of course, Captain. Here he is" He heard the thundering steps of the God before a sudden shouting made him pull the phone away from his ear.
"Friend Steve! Tis wonderful to speak with you. How may I assist?" He could hear giggling and shushing in the background with an added "Thor, just talk into the phone normally, he can hear you just fine." He smirked to himself and his friend's booming voice came back through the line again in a much more subdued tone. "Apologies my friend. I am still adjusting to the idea of these blasted things."This volume allowed Steve to bring the phone back to his ear, to which he was grateful.
"Not a problem. I was hoping you could help me with something." Steve worried his lip slightly and he could almost hear the worry creep into Thor's being. "It's nothing bad. It's just that, well Kitty's birthday is tomorrow and I can't seem to come up with the right gift." He could feel the blush creep over his neck and onto his cheeks. Maybe asking the brother wasn't his greatest idea. He could practically hear Bucky teasing him for it. A great laugh filled his ears and he couldn't help but smile in response.
"My friend, I do not know that I am the best advisor for this task. On Asgard, we do not celebrate ""birth-days"". We celebrate victories, weddings, and deaths, but the coffers would be sure to empty if we celebrated one's birth every year." He stated the fact as though it was obvious and Steve could see his point. He didn't exactly know how old his friends were, but he guessed it was up there. When Steve had posed the question to Kitty originally, she had laughed heartily. She bit her lip and contemplated for a few very long seconds before replying that she could estimate somewhere close to her mid-twenties. Natasha had decided we would be celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday and it seemed to fit. As far as he could peg, she was still younger than him by a few years.
"However, if you wish to present her with a gift, I may have a few ideas." Thor's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he devoted all of his attention to his friends continuing words. "Syn is a woman of simple tastes, you know this. She is dazzled by shockingly monotonous things. Should you wish to impress her, purchase her one of those…what do you call them Jane? Ah! Yes! DVDs. I am sure Stark could help you choose one she does not already own. And might I also suggest a bottle of wine and should you really wish to out-do yourself, a flower. But no roses, absolutely no roses. Jane says they are cliché." Steve nodded to himself. He wondered briefly if he should have just asked Jane for her advice but Thor seemed to produce a couple of decent ideas. He ran his hair through his neat blonde hair.
"Well, what kind of wine?" He knew very little about alcohol and there were many more types available now than there had been back in the forties. Thor chuckled.
"Syn is of Asgard. Red and thick, like the blood of her smote enemies." Steve's first reaction was to laugh given the God's chuckle but it became apparent Thor was not joking. He nodded again more confidently.
"Right. I'll take your suggestions then. Tony's throwing her that party you know. You making an appearance?" Steve asked. He heard Jane call out her acceptance of the invitation in the background before Thor could answer for himself.
"We shall be there to partake in the revels my friend. We shall see you on the morrow. Good luck to you." Steve wondered just how much luck he was going to need on his hunt for a DVD Kitty didn't already own in her expansive collection.
"Thank you Thor. See you tomorrow." He clicked off his phone before returning it to its original resting place beside him on the couch. He wiped his clammy palms on his hands dark jeans before rising resolutely from the couch and striding off towards the shared rec area of the compound that housed the collection of movies and large television. He had hoped to be uninterrupted in his quest but he was derailed by a slightly ruffled looking Bruce Banner.
"Hey Steve." He muttered as he passed him. He was scribbling madly in a spiral notebook, his glasses perched on the top of his dark hair. Steve stopped and turned before calling out to the scientist.
"Bruce, do you know anything about red wine?" Bruce stopped and turned slowly to face his friend. He couldn't help but notice the slightly anxious expression on his friend's normally confident features.
"Well, what are you looking for exactly?" He flipped the notebook closed and took a few steps toward his friend. He groaned and shrugged.
"It's for Kitty's birthday. Thor only suggested red…like the blood of her enemies." Bruce tried hard to suppress the grin that threatened to spread over his face. He flipped the notebook open to a clean page before quickly scribbling down a couple names onto it. He carefully tore the page out and handed it over Steve.
"Take these to Target. She always gets her wine there. I wrote a few down just in case they didn't have one of them." Steve accepted the list gratefully, slipping it into his front pants pocket.
"I really appreciate it, Bruce." He shook his hand firmly before jogging towards the rec room again leaving a smirking Bruce in his path. The scientist shook his head to himself and continued down the hall.
An hour later found Steve in the beer and wine aisle of the Target nearest the compound. He was dressed in his dark wash jeans and brown leather jacket. His signature blue ball cap crammed onto his head and black thick rimmed glasses over his eyes. In his basket were a couple of movies he was sure Kitty did not already own but had mentioned and in each of his hands was a bottle of red wine. Not only were his hands full of choices but he was also uncertainly eyeing another on the shelf above him. He decided enough was enough and put all three bottles and in the basket and marched his selections towards the checkout. After a quick detour to select a purple gift bag and a beyond cheesy card with a giant cupcake on the front, he had completed his shopping.
He pulled his motorcycle into the underground garage of the Avenger's tower and made his ascent up to the residential floors. The elevator chimed and opened its doors to a thankfully deserted hall. He stealthily made it to his apartment and set his purchases on the counter, feeling quite proud of himself. He made quick work of emptying the plastic bags, which he stowed under the sink in his kitchenette. He artfully placed the wine bottles in the bottom of the bright purple bag and set the movies in between them. He looked at the tissue paper he'd also purchased and tried to remember how his mother and Mrs. Barnes had always placed it so well inside of gift bags that it looked more like a work of art than a simple bag. He huffed, beyond frustrated after destroying the fifth piece of paper with no luck. A knock at the door stopped his futile endeavor, to which he was grateful.
"Captain, Agent Romanoff is at the door." Jarvis' smooth voice filled his ears and Steve didn't know if he was grateful anymore. He strode to the door and cautiously opened it a few inches to reveal the petite redhead. She smirked at him and pushed passed him into the apartment. He rolled his eyes and shut the door behind her.
"Please Nat, come in, make yourself at home." He threw his hands in the air for dramatic effect, but smiled at his friend's back.
"Thanks, think I will." She replied coyly as she opened his fridge and removed a bottle of water from it. "Came to see how the gift prep was going." She was leaning against his marble countertop eyeing the gift bag. He signaled to her that is was okay to take a glimpse inside that bag which she immediately took the opportunity to do. She quirked a slim eyebrow and smiled knowingly. "Not too shabby Cap. How long did it take you?" He ignored the jab and took a seat in one of the stools in front of the island.
"Only took two weeks and phone call to Thor." He placed his hand under his chin, eyeing the bag angrily again. Natasha nearly spit out the mouthful of water she had just taken and her laugh echoed through the kitchen.
"You asked Thor?" She couldn't hide the shock and amusement in her voice and even though Steve knew it was at his expense, he chuckled too. He took a moment to contemplate how strange it was to see Nat so at ease. She was wearing a pair of light skinny jeans and simple green v-neck t-shirt that really made her fiery hair stand out. She looked happy and calm which was a side to her Steve had rarely seen.
"Well he obviously had some decent ideas if you approve." Steve deftly pointed out. Nat shrugged her agreement. "And what did you decide on?" He actually was genuinely curious to see what the spy would have come up with as she didn't exactly seem to be the foremost expert on gifts…or friends. Nat picked up the discarded tissue paper and Steve frowned as she began to deftly twist and place the paper until it resembled a multicolored bouquet of paper flowers before him. She stepped back to admire her work, shooting him a knowing look out of the corner of her green eyes.
"Bruce and I went in on something together. You'll just have to wait and see. We're gonna do a family party tonight. That's actually what I came down here for. We all know she's not actually looking forward to the princess' ball tomorrow night." Steve nodded his agreement. Every year since Tony had taken her in they threw a charity ball in Kitty's name. All the big players in corporations and governments big and small came to give donations but also to get a peek into the private lives of the Starks and now the Avengers. None of them particularly enjoyed it, but it was for a good cause.
"Need any help with prep?" Nat shook her head and threw her now empty bottle in the bin.
"Nah, it's gonna be pretty low key. Clint's picking up an ice-cream cake and Tony, will of course supply the booze. Just bring yourself. I'm sure Kitty will be more than appreciative." She was teasing him, he knew and he felt himself blush for the hundredth time that day. The red head made her way to the door with a coy smile playing on her lips. "Five o'clock Captain." He nodded before calling out to her as she was shutting the door.
"Hey Nat! Thanks." He said motioning to the bag with the perfect tissue paper display. She nodded before shutting the door. Steve surveyed the apartment briefly wondering what he could do to kill some time. The apartment was clean, the gift was ready, the card – The card. Steve outwardly groaned and rested his head on the cool marble. The clock told him he had had a couple hours until he was due upstairs and so he pulled the card and a pen to him and began to contemplate how to sign the stupid piece of cardstock in front of him.
Two floors above Steve's apartment lay the original residential wing of the previously names Stark Tower. Kitty had originally had a normal bedroom here but the with the remodel of the tower and the institution of the Avenger's initiative, Tony had created Kitty her own apartment similar to what the rest of the team had while he kept residence in the very top floor in the penthouse. Within her apartment, Kitty was getting ready for her evening with her friends. Pepper Potts sat at the end of her bed while she clicked