Another challenge fic. I swear I'll get around to writing an actual story. As it stands, this one is centered around an AU. My AU is that the team is in an underwater utopia and that there is a banquet happening. I hope you all enjoy.
Disclaimer: Yeahhhh. If I owned Marvel would I really be here? (Possibly).
Taking a deep breath, Steve stared at his image in the mirror. Today was a very important day, and he did not want to mess it up. Everything had to be perfect, at least that's what his brothers always told him. Speaking of his brothers, two of them must have heard their ears burning because they swam their way into his room.
"Hey old man! Hurry up before the older man throws a fit!" the younger one, Clint, said in his obnoxious voice.
"Yeah. All the food will be gone if you don't hurry up," Tony, the second oldest under Steve, said.
"Oh please," Clint said with a snort. "You just want to talk to all the other mergirls."
"Nuh-uh. I'm going after the merwomen," Tony said in his defense.
"All of who are older than you," Clint pointed out smugly.
"Only by a year!" Tony argued in his defense.
Steve just smiled in amusement at his brothers antics. Both, like all the people in the kingdom, were merpeople. Since they were male, all they had was a fin that were colorful. Steve's fin was a dark blue, Tony's was red, and Clint's was purple. All had a different body structure and personality. Steve was easily the strongest of their group, though he was referred to as a "gentle giant" by Tony since Steve was polite and kind. Tony wasn't very strong, but he wasn't weak either; he was average. He had a care-free attitude that sometimes got on Steve's nerves, but underneath it all, Tony was still a caring boy with a determind will. Clint was slightly stronger than Tony, giving him an edge up in their fights when it turned physical. He was the loudest of them all, and like Tony, he had a carefree attitude.
As the two middle children were about to bicker again, their youngest brother (the last of the four brothers) swam into the room. In his arm was a stuff toy in the shape of a fish that was green, that he had taken from the surface when the boy had only been a child. Bruce had affectionately called it Hulk and carried it with him everywhere he went. The thirteen-year-old had a green fin that matched his toy, often making him the butt of jokes by many bullies. He was scrawny and weak, but he was very smart (smarter than Tony, which did bug the older boy at times when they were in debates). Seeing his oldest brother, Bruce smiled and swam over to him.
"Father and the guests are waiting," Bruce said.
Steve nodded at the younger boy, ignoring Tony's and Clint's mocking (Steve couldn't help it if he felt overprotective of his littlest brother).
"Thank you Bruce. I will be there shortly," Steve said. "Shouldn't you three be in there as well?"
"Fine fine, we're going," Tony said. "Let's go boys."
Bruce and Clint followed their older brother out of Steve's room, allowing Steve a few more moments to himself before he swam to the Grand Hall. He couldn't hear anything inside, but he knew it was where the banquet ("Party. Say it with me, P-A-R-T-Y," Tony would often say) was being held. Taking a deep breath, he entered the Grand Hall. Everyone in the hall was silent for a single moment before, as one, they let out,
"Happy Birthday Prince Steve."
It was Steve's 18th birthday, making him an adult among the merpeople (something they had taken from the land dwellers). Smiling at the banquet that was set for him, he thanked everyone and began to move down the ramps, listening to the band play. As he passed people, he thanked them for attending, to which they replied that they wouldn't have missed it. After what seemed like forever, he headed to the corner where his brothers and friends were.
T'Challa, a merman with a black fin, greeted him with congratulations. He had Steve had been friends for many years and were considered best friends. Thor, a merman with a light blue fin, and his brother Loki, a merman with a bright green fin, congratulated Steve (Thor more excitedly than Loki, but it was Loki's nature to be more reserved since he was usually in Thor's shadow). Jane, the only merwoman among their group with a yellow fin, hugged him while her boyfriend, Hank, another genius with a maroon colored fin, patted Steve on the back.
"You made it to 18 years," Hank stated.
"It must have been a rough eighteen years with those two," Jane muttered good-naturedly as she pointed a thumb in Tony's and Clint's direction.
Both fumed at the attack.
"Hey!" they shouted in protest.
"It was not rough," Steve said with a grin. "Just entertaining."
"Hmph. See if we give you our present after that," Tony said.
Steve knew they were fine and only joking, so he felt no guilt. He instead focused his attention on the celebration. It was very tame with the band playing soft music. Everyone was mingling happily amongst themselves, with a few couples dancing on the dance floor. With a smile, Steve turned back to his friends, who were trying to persuade him to open the presents from them.