Christmas Eve
Realizing she was running late, Dallas sprinted through the snowy streets of Midtown in an attempt to reach Avengers Tower before they sent a search party out for her. She was supposed to be there a half hour ago, but work ran long, and she was lucky to get off in time for the Christmas festivities anyway. She'd contemplated telling them she couldn't make it and she was really sorry, but she'd gotten Sam a really nice cable knit sweater and she'd feel bad if he didn't get it in time for Christmas.
As she reached the tower, she started to slide on the ice, throwing her arms out in an attempt to steady herself before face planting in a snowbank on the side of the road. Dallas screamed into the snow and pushed herself out, reminding herself to be thankful it had been snowing since yesterday, so she had something soft to fall in. Until she'd moved to Manhattan, she'd never experienced a white Christmas before.
She blew snow out of her mouth and wiped down her black peacoat before carefully prying Sam's boxed sweater from the snow. She brushed off her little green beanie and slowly shuffled up to the private entrance around the back of the tower.
Were the Avengers a show, which for all intents and purposes they were, this was the equivalent of the stage door. Often times local fans would hang out near the private entrance, leaning against the wall on their phones or sitting at the little café across the street in an effort to catch a glimpse of one of the world famous Avengers coming or going. That was why Dallas made it a habit to bring Denver through the man entrance, harassing Tina the secretary into letting her up, even though she had access to their private entrance.
Dallas was thankful to find the back-door void of fans today because she needed to get up quick, and she knew for a fact the main lobby of the tower was closed. When she reached the door, she fumbled for her key card, opening her purse wide and shuffling through her things before huffing loudly. "Great. Just great."
"Miss Wells, have you misplaced your entrance badge?"
She looked up at the little black box that she knew was a security camera and snarled, "Yes JARVIS. I seemed to have misplaced it. Can you let me in?"
"I will have to check with Mr. Stark. Please wait one moment."
Dallas simmered a little, holding onto her package for Sam tightly as she clenched her large bag under her arm. She was blessed that the Avengers were so fond of her. If it weren't for their kindness, Dallas would be spending Christmas alone.
Suddenly the door opened by itself and Dallas scurried inside, pulling off her hat and blowing out all her air, "Thanks JARVIS. I owe you one."
"You're quite welcome, Miss Wells. Enjoy yourself this evening."
She practically sprinted to the private elevator and it began to ascend to the Party Deck before she could even request it. Dallas untied her scarf and wiggled out of her coat so she could embrace the warmth radiating through the tower.
When the doors open, she walked out from the side, peering around the corner to see the Avengers hanging out by a massive, twenty-foot Christmas tree. Dallas stepped closer, careful not to disturb their fun as she took in the scene before her.
Thor was dressed in a massive ugly sweater that his biceps still found a way to surge against. He was showing it to everyone proudly as he carried around a big stein of beer in one hand a loaf of fruitcake in the other. He was laughing loudly at something Clint said as the archer told stories to Colonel Rhodes and Maria Hill.
Natasha was sipping a glass of eggnog in a tight, emerald green dress that made Dallas feel underdressed in her black leggings and cream-colored sweater. Nat was talking to Bruce, who kept looking down awkwardly at his hands, as if unsure how to hold a conversation with the Black Widow, a notion that made Dallas chuckle, because Nat was the most harmless assassin she'd ever met, and she'd surprisingly met a lot of them.
Sam was sitting on the couch facing the tree with Tony and Steve, Dallas could see the outline of the super soldier illuminated by the rainbow-colored lights. The tree itself was decked out with hundreds of ornaments, including little figurines of all the Avengers, and topped with a massive glittering star.
The sound of laughter turned Dallas's attention to a table nearby filled with drinks and sweets. She saw Denver peeking out from under the table while Pepper pretended to look for her. Suddenly, from under the tablecloth, Bucky popped his head out and looked around, causing Denver to shush him loudly and push his face back underneath.
When Denver saw Dallas though, everything else fell away and she darted out from under the table to run to her aunt, "Aunt Dallas! You're here!"
Everyone turned to the woman as she reached down and gave Denver a one-armed hug, "Hey Denny! Merry Christmas!"
"Did you bring me a present?" She asked excitedly, grabbing the box from her aunt's hands.
"That's for somebody else." Dallas told the child, causing her to frown. Dallas laughed and tapped her back, urging Denver forward, "Can you put it under the tree?"
Denver ran off with Sam's package, leaving Dallas with her hands free to put her coat down and join the party. She stood by the food table awkwardly, looking over everything with her bottom lip between her teeth.
"What can I get for you to drink?" Pepper asked sweetly and Dallas gestured her away.
"No working. You aren't the host, you're a participant." She scolded, grabbing a cup of hot chocolate, and shoving a sugar cookie into it. "This is brilliant Pepper. Thank you for inviting me."
"That's a given. You're family." She told Dallas before wandering over to join Tony.
Dallas wasn't alone for long though, because Steve approached her slowly, giving her a shy wave to make sure he was welcome. She nodded her greeting and looked down into her cup, picking up the cookie and taking a bite of it as Steve asked, "I was worried you weren't going to show."
She choked a little at the hot, chocolate saturated cookie, smacking her chest as she blinked her watery eyes, "Sorry! Sorry- what gave you that idea?"
"Well," Steve started slowly as he swished around his cup of cider, "You haven't been around much. You always pick up Denny from the lobby and you turn down all of our invitations to hang out. Seems like you're trying to avoid some of us."
The way he said it made it clear to Dallas that he blamed himself, which was true, it was his fault, but he shouldn't feel guilty about stirring up feelings in her lower stomach that nobody else could. "I'm sorry. It isn't anything personal, I've just been really busy with work."
Steve nodded, pursing his lips thoughtfully in a way that taunted Dallas, "We miss you around here. It's not the same. Denny, she misses you a lot. She asks why you don't stay downstairs."
Dallas looked over to Denver, finding the child pointing at all the presents and asking if they were hers, "I'll try to be better. I'll stay tonight. Is that alright?"
"Is it only because it's snowing, and you don't want to walk back home?" Steve dead panned, gesturing to Dallas's wet leggings. She glared at him but didn't correct him. He laughed and she felt her cheeks heat up, "You're always welcome. You know that."
"Alright, let's get this show on the road! Denny wants presents!" Tony called from his place in front of the tree. He picked Denver up and put her on his shoulders, and she proceeded to throw her arms out excitedly.
Steve motioned for Dallas to lead the way, but he was pulled back by Buck clamping his hand on Steve's shoulder. "How's she doing?"
"She's acting weird. Still." Steve grumbled, fiddling with his hands uncomfortably as he ducked his head, "I think it's my fault."
"Because she saw your-"
"Yes." Steve cut off his friend, but Bucky was smirking like a fool, "It isn't funny, she's Denver's aunt. I don't want things to be awkward."
Bucky snorted, sliding his hand across Steve's shoulder to hold his opposite side, "I'm sure she liked what she saw and she's just shy. Maybe you should ask her out."
Steve shook his head, looking to Bucky with a smirk, "Maybe you should."
"It's you, not me. We both know that." Bucky sighed sadly, looking over at the group wistfully, "Think about it. You could both use a win." Bucky walked over to the group, sitting down on the floor near the tree to catch Denver when she climbed up and over Thor's shoulders, tumbling into Bucky's arms with a loud laugh.
Steve looked to Dallas, seeing how happy she looked, and she turned and looked at him casually. Her smile turned shy when she realized he was looking at her, and Steve's heart broke, knowing Bucky was right. He quickly turned away and refilled his apple cider, waiting until the last possible moment to join the Avengers for presents.
"Denny, can you help pass out the presents?" Dallas encouraged from her place on the floor opposite Bucky. "Have us help you and we'll tell you who they go to."
"Then I can has presents?" Denver asked seriously and Dallas looked to Steve for permission.
He gave a firm nod and Dallas answered, "Then yes, you can open your presents. You can open yours first so you can play while the rest of us open."
"Or we can just pass them all out and open them at the same time!" Tony said as he clapped his hands together, "Denny, let's rock and roll!"
She picked up the first present and thrust it at Bucky, making him read it, "That's for you."
"Come make a pile over here, Honey." Steve ordered as he plopped down on the couch, gesturing to the open space by his feet. She followed directions and went back, grabbing another package and asking Dallas what it said.
"That's for Sam." Dallas pointed, and Denver ran it over and handed it up to him.
"Thanks Denny." He said as he ruffled her high pigtails that Auntie Nat had done for Christmas.
They did that for a while until they reached the 'breakable section' of presents, which Dallas and Bucky took over handing out.
"Okay, this is for Bruce." Dallas said, trying to lift it and finding the huge, wrapped box too heavy. She raised her brow over at Bucky and he came and helped her lift it as she groaned, "What the heck is in here?"
"Shhh, it's for Uncle Bruce." Denver said as she directed them to place the heavy present at his feet. "What else, what else!" She sprinted back to the tree and Tony grabbed her, keeping her from breaking any of the fragile presents.
Dallas picked up a perfectly square one and read her own name and smiled before carefully tucking it next to her purse. Finally, Bucky peeked around the tree and looked back at the group, "So, uh, what should I do with this thing?"
"Oh! That's my gift for Rhodey!" Thor stumbled to his feet, spilling some of his beer on Clint in the process before Natasha grabbed it from him. "Let me grab it, so I can explain it."
Bucky backed away and sat down beside Dallas as Thor snuck behind the tree to reappear with a leather sheath carrying a sword at least four-feet long. Rhodey nearly keeled over when he saw it, and he stared up at Thor wide eyed with his mouth agape as the God of Thunder explained his gift, "This is Dainslief, sword of the legendary King Hogni. Now this, this is a magic sword, so only unsheathe it when you are ready for battle, because it won't go back in until it's taken a life." Thor told Rhodey excitedly as he sat the sword in his lap, beaming from ear to ear as Rhodey looked up at him in disbelief, "And- and remember, it never misses its target. Even the slightest scratch will result in death. An honorable weapon for Earth's War Machine."
Rhodey looked around in shock, finally turning to Tony, "You see this right? He got me a sword. He got me a magic sword, you're Tony Stark and you've never gotten me anything half this cool. Thor, Thor, you're my favorite Avenger now."
"Thank you Rhodey, I'm glad you enjoy your gift." Thor said proudly, sitting back down and taking his beer, "Now what do we do next?"
Denver, lacking a patient bone in her body, began tearing through her gifts as the adults slowly opened theirs and laughed about who got who what. Sam loved his sweater. Pepper was stunned by her new Swinging Sticks, and Clint lost his mind over the sunglasses he'd been gifted.
Thor opened a card and an Amazon gift card fell into his lap. He held it up to the light, studying it for a moment before asking, "What's this?"
Bruce cleared his throat and rubbed his neck nervously, "So, I didn't really know what you'd like, and it was a very stressful couple of days trying to figure it out and I didn't want to tangle with the Other Guy, so I got you a gift card for Amazon."
"Amazon." Thor repeated as he narrowed his eyes at the card, "What do I do with it?"
"The money is on the card… that card is like money. You just have to go on the website, which is the store, and you can buy anything you want that costs fifty dollars or less."
"Anything?" Thor asked in wonder.
Bruce nodded, "Yeah, I mean, anything on Amazon. If it's under fifty dollars"
"So, I go onto the Amazon, and I'm able to buy anything? Food? Clothing?"
"Yes." Tony interjected, staring at Thor impatiently as Denver continued to rip open her packages, blind to the exasperation of the adults in the room.
Thor smiled, "Weapons for battle?"
"Probably not?" Bruce said weakly, looking around, "But like, whatever you want. On Amazon. If it's under fifty dollars."
"This is a glorious gift! Thank you, Banner!" Thor exclaimed as he reached behind Maria Hill to smack Bruce on the back, causing him to jolt forward and grab his glasses.
By the time Tony started to open his package, Denver had finished opening all her things and was busy playing with her toys. Tony pulled out the tissue paper and broke into laughter as he lifted out the oil can, "This is great!" He breathed between laughs until he pulled out the frame Wikipedia photo, "Seriously, who did this?"
Then he looked in and saw the little notebook, pulling it out and reading the note inside, telling him that he worked hard and took such great care of the Avengers, and as a thank you, Clint had offered to deal with twelve problems Tony didn't want to, one for every month of the new year. That way, he wrote, Tony would have more time to spend with Pepper and his friends.
"This… this is really special." Tony said as he swallowed the lump in his throat, getting emotional at the sentiment, "I appreciate it." He told Barton with a genuine smile before it turned to teasing, "You're gonna regret it though. I'm gonna be calling you to deal with all sorts of stuff so I can have date night."
Clint raised his beer to Tony and the billionaire looked over to Steve, "What'd you get old man? A new walker to keep up with Denny?"
"Ha. Ha." Steve bit back, picking up the gift back by his feet to open, "Denver, you wanna help me open it?"
"Yeah!" She exclaimed and climbed up his leg to start pulling tissue paper out and throwing it over her shoulder into Bruce's face while Dallas cautiously began pulling the wrapping paper off of her box since nobody was looking. When Denver got a good look inside, she yelled, "What is it?"
Steve pulled out two vinyl records, looking them over as Sam spoke, "Trouble Man soundtrack. I don't know if you remember, but I suggested it the day we met. Thought it was kinda symbolic." Steve smiled and Sam added, "I got a tip about the other album. Someone said you might be a fan. Since I wasn't around in the late thirties, I had to take his word for it."
"Steve got to second base to that song." Bucky called and Steve turned eight shades of red as Sam exclaimed that he didn't know that fact when he bought it.
"I love them, thank you Sam." Steve assured the soldier before shooting Bucky a dirty look, "Did you open your gift yet?"
"No."
"Well get to it, now that everybody's watching." Tony smirked and crossed his arms, garnering more attention than Bucky.
"We haven't figured out who got Stark's gift yet." Clint whispered to Natasha, to which she leaned back and said, "It's either him, Dallas, or Bruce."
Bucky opened the small, flat box as Dallas continued to slowly open the box to pull out the gift inside while nobody was watching.
When Bucky opened the box, he found a plain black band on the inside. He flipped it over, unsure of what it was until Tony said, "Put it on. Left wrist."
"Oh shit, it's Barnes." Clint hissed and Natasha socked him in the gut and pointed to Denver angrily, warning the archer not to swear in front of the child.
Bucky did as he was told, pushing the band over his wrist as Tony leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "Now tap the front three times in a row." He did, and from the wristband emerged a thin layer of synthetic skin to match his other arm. Bucky gawked at the material as it covered his fingers, making him look normal for the first time he could remember.
Tony smiled softly, "How's it feel?"
Bucky clenched and unclenched his fist, then pushed up the sleeve of his shirt to feel the texture, realizing it almost felt real, "I- I don't know what to say." Bucky looked up and Tony could see his eyes were watery, "Thank you."
"I remember seeing you in that undershirt last summer and thinking how awful it must feel to be forced to wear sleeves and gloves every time you go out. I thought this could help you readjust to the real world." Tony explained as he sat back, proud of himself, "It's nanotech. I'm hoping to use it for other applications." He looked to Pepper and winked, "If you have any issues with it, or any suggestions, let me know. You're a guinea pig, but I thought you might enjoy it."
"Thank you." Bucky said again seriously, staring at his arm in wonder. "It's amazing."
"So, who's left?" Tony asked as he looked around, eyes landing on Dallas as she sat by the tree quivering. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth as her eyes watered. It was clear she was trying not to cry as she looked at whatever she hid behind her empty box.
"Uncle Bruce! Open your present!" Denver yelped suddenly, startling Dallas and causing her to grip whatever she had a little tighter as she turned to the girl.
Bruce looked at Denver, then to Steve and Steve just shrugged and smiled, "So, it's from me, but it's mostly from Denver. This is what she wanted to get you, so, yeah."
Banner chuckled as he looked around and awkwardly teased the group, "Hear that? I'm the only one who got a present picked out from Denver!"
"Don't rub it in, open it up!" Clint called as Maria laughed along with him.
Before Bruce had a chance to unwrap his present, Denver grabbed the edge and started peeling it back, much to Steve's dismay, "Denver! That's his present, you don't get to open it!"
"But I wanna see them again!" Denver said sadly and turned to Bruce, "Open it! Quick!"
"Okay!" Bruce answered loudly with a smile as Steve grabbed Denver from beneath the arms and pulled her into his lap so she couldn't harass Bruce anymore. The scientist pulled off the wrapping paper, revealing why his present was so heavy, "A fish tank?"
"Yeah!" Denver said as she wiggled out of Steve's grip to lay on her stomach in front of the large square tank home to four little fish, "I said you needed fish, so Daddy bought you some!"
"I- we- thought they might be relaxing for you." Steve explained, looking down at Denver, "Denver promises to help you feed them if you ever need to go away for a few days."
"I named them!"
"You can rename them whatever you want." Steve told Bruce as he looked down at his gift, "Thought they might keep you company in the lab."
"I love them." Bruce told Denver as she watched the fish in wonder, "What did you name them?"
As Denver explained her ridiculous names for Bruce's fish, Dallas's mind began to race as she looked down at her gift. Only one person could have known what this meant to her. Steve was the only person who knew Brooklyn well enough for her to open up about the plans they'd made so long ago, but Steve had drawn Bruce, so it couldn't have been him. She went through all the gifts and who gave them in her head, checking everyone off until there was only one person left.
Dallas looked to her left and saw Bucky watching Denver talk about the fish with a beaming grin. Her heart clenched and she lunged at him, wrapping her arm around his neck as she cradled her gift carefully against her chest, "Thank you so much." She cried softly, holding him tighter, "I don't know how you knew about this, but, it means so much to me."
When she pulled away, Bucky realized everybody was staring at them in stunned silence and he looked down, "You're welcome. I hoped you'd like it." He murmured quietly, "Things are still foggy, but, they're getting clearer. She talked about you a lot." Bucky admitted to Dallas and one of her tears finally escaped her hazel eyes as she nodded. Bucky pushed his long hair away from his face, feeling how his synthetic skin felt against his head as he dropped his voice, "I think she liked to talk to me because she knew they'd wipe it all away. She told me she and her sister were gonna go see the snow on the castle someday"
"You guys gonna share this little moment with the class?" Tony called loudly.
Dallas swallowed and unfurled her hands, looking at the snow globe she held. She rubbed her thumb against the glass fondly, shaking it to make the little white snowflakes fall around the thin, pink castle inside, "Before my parents died, they'd take Bee and I to Disneyland on the weekends. I was pretty little, but Brooklyn remembered it well. One time my mom showed us a picture of the new Disneyland, the one in Europe." Her voice broke as she gazed lovingly at the castle, smiling sadly, "After they were gone, Brooklyn kept promising to take me. She said, 'We're gonna go see the snow on the castle someday' and she even sent me a postcard from Paris once, saying next time we'd go to Disneyland for Christmas." She scoffed, but her smile never fell, "It was a nice dream."
Her gaze reached Bucky again and she nodded, "Thanks for showing me the snow on the castle."
Steve blinked slowly as Bucky's blush turned his face scarlet, and a pang of jealousy built inside of Captain America. Brooklyn had never told him that. Brooklyn had welcomed Bucky into her personal life more than she had Steve. Even from the grave, Brooklyn was keeping secrets from him.
He couldn't ignore the way Bucky glowed the rest of the night, and Steve realized, for the first time since 1943, he was jealous of Bucky Barnes.