DeRanged: Still not mine last time I checked. What say you faceless lawyer I have never actually had?
Faceless Lawyer: Nope, still not yours! Though you could get arrested for plagiarism!
DeRanged: Meh, well you heard him folks. Now the OC are all mine and I have given no rights or stolen anything for them but a few character traits of my friends which were willingly given ;D ENJOY!
Chapter Three: I Do Not Understand, Why Would This Not Be a Suitable Gift?
Ronnie sat comfortably in the lounge room, smiling fondly at the tree before her while her laptop sat upon her lap. She wore a pair of faded jeans with a comfortable looking sweater, bare foot and legs curled up beneath her and a small, knitted afghan over her shoulders. Surprisingly, no presents rested beneath the tree even though tomorrow was Christmas Eve; Ronnie herself was working on her Secret Santa gift as she sat there.
Shuffling from the entrance brought her from her musings and she glanced up to see Bruce standing there looking unsure. Chuckling to herself, she offered him a gentle smile while covertly shutting her laptop and gesturing for the man to join her.
Bruce made his way hesitantly over, head down and a brooding aura about him that Ronnie had come to recognize when the man was frustrated.
When he finally came to sit next to her, she shifted slightly so she could face the man better, knee up on the couch between them, "Now, what can I do for you Bruce?"
Bruce sat silently for a moment before finally speaking, "I don't know what to get my person," he began quietly, staring at his hands, "I don't know them well enough, let alone what they might like for Christmas!"
Ronnie nodded thoughtfully, gentle gaze on Bruce, "You know I find its the smallest things about a person that can give the greatest ideas," she said casually, turning her gaze back to the tree and pretending not to notice the confused gaze the scientist turned onto her, "A well worn book you might see them holding, a spark of interest in their eye when seeing something in the window of a store, or perhaps something they have borrowed from another. These small things always seem to be the most important."
Finally, she turned her gaze back to a thoughtful Bruce, "An example," Ronnie began quietly, "There was always a book, on the highest shelf, in Pops' study. He always gazed up at it fondly, and one day I asked him what it was. He told me it had been a gift from a dear friend of his from the War, but it was so worn he could no longer take it down and read it without risking it tearing. That year, Luna and I got him another copy for Christmas. We knew it would not hold the same memories, but he could read it once more."
Bruce nodded, staring off into the distance. More than likely searching for an idea, Ronnie thought to herself with a smile so she sat there quietly; she could be patient.
Suddenly, a grin broke out on the doctor's face and Ronnie smiled to herself: he had found his inspiration it seemed. He ran off without a word to her, but she couldn't really be offended seeing as she was used to such actions from her years with her sister. When geniuses such as her sister and men like Tony and Bruce had an idea they pursued it with a one-track mind and forgot all things around them.
With one last fond smile in the direction of Bruce's exit Ronnie leaned forward and grabbed her laptop from the coffee table once more. Opening it, she quickly typed in her password and began working once more upon her gift delicately.
Time passed unacknowledged by the woman as she typed diligently and fiddled with the mouse. It wasn't until her stomach gave a particularly loud growl that she came back to herself and set aside her laptop to make her way to the kitchen so she could make herself a snack.
Padding into to the kitchen, absorbed in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice Natasha sitting at the small table there with a cup of coffee sitting in front of her. There was no steam rising from it and it looked like sludge even from where Ronnie was standing. The woman must have been sitting there a while.
"Want a new cup of coffee to combat those brooding thoughts?" she joked, walking over to the counter to begin making herself a couple of sandwiches to abate her hunger.
Natasha jolted, shocking Ronnie just a bit; how deep of thoughts must this assassin be in to be so surprised?! She turned to look at Ronnie and gave a sheepish smile while nodding. Seeing this Ronnie made a stop at the coffee maker on her way to the table.
Placing the new mug in front of the woman, Ronnie picked up the other cup and put it in the sink to deal with later. From there she sat across the table from the woman with her lunch, watching the distracted woman subtly.
"Now what has you so consumed you don't even notice my entrance, Agent Romanoff?" Ronnie asked teasingly, taking a bite and chewing silently as she waited for an answer.
Natasha sighed, "This damn Secret Santa!" she burst out making Ronnie jolt instinctively for her hidden knife only to pull back with a huff.
Raising an unimpressed brow, Ronnie calmly responded, "What's the problem?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. Of all the Avengers, Ronnie had suspected Natasha to have the least problems.
"I got Tony!" Natasha spat irritatedly, glaring into her untouched coffee, "Of all the people I get, I get the man that could buy anything he wanted at anytime! Not to mention he's a pretentious bastard; he would probably just sneer at anything I would give him!" she ranted heatedly.
For the first time in a while, Ronnie felt fury directed toward her teammate that she quickly tempered into an icy control. Her blue and green eye hardened and her once open face became neutral and professional, something Natasha had seen directed many a time at the directors, reporters, and politicians.
"Do not presume merely because Tony was raised in privilege that he is what he pretends to be, Agent Romanoff," Ronnie drawled, the way she use Natasha's title was not playful as it had been the first time, "As a member of this team, you have betrayed a comrade. As a member of this family, you've not only insulted a brother, but proven that you are as air headed and simple-minded as Pepper and the flighty public by never looking beneath the mask Tony constantly has in place!" she was practically snarling in her fury, put off her lunch, "I once respected you Agent Romanoff, because I believed you were one of the rare few never to judge another before you knew all their facets. Now, I see I was wrong," Ronnie finished softly, picking up her plate and turning her back coldly upon her teammate.
Silence fell over them, tense and filled with electricity at the same time. Ronnie hated this disgust she felt for Natasha, but she would not accept the woman insulting a man that was quickly become a brother to her heart and a lover to her sister; both were equally important to Ronnie, much more than a relationship with a shallow teammate.
Natasha's voice broke Ronnie from her protective and dark thoughts, "I'm sorry Ronnie, you're right. I shouldn't have said those things about Tony, but these things always get me anxious. I've never been one for gift giving, it was always take," Natasha's voice was small, not befitting of the usually fierce woman.
Ronnie's anger was gone in an instant, understanding quickly what the woman's dilemma was. Quietly she began washing her dishes and she spoke, never looking at Natasha, "Tony was a child scorned by his father and whose mother died far too young to offer him any emotional support. Despite this Tony adored his mother, all memories of her are warm and welcome whereas he despises all to do with his father. Howard Stark used Tony's mother as his weakness and learned to use these things cruelly against his son to teach him harsh lessons and as a result Tony has learned to delete any and all weaknesses subconsciously. Tell me, did you see anything related to Tony's mother when you investigated him?"
She turned over her shoulder to see Natasha shake her head, finally drinking her coffee and listening attentively. She smiled softly and went on, "Tony was determined to hit his father where it hurt. He's a genius, he quickly worked this out. He became determined to outshine Howard in his own field, beat him at his own game, take the company from beneath him. This chance was taken by Howard's early death via his known alcoholism. Despite this, Tony has still been waging this battle within himself; his first step away from this vicious cycle was Iron Man, the second was the Avengers. He needs one more pull," here she had finished and dried her hands on a small hand towel and turned to meet Natasha's eyes with a gentle, knowing smile, "And I think you can figure out what that is," she finished.
Natasha gave a smile of her own before standing and taking her coffee with her, before she left she said a couple words in Russian to which Ronnie responded promptly and fluently to the shock of the woman.
With one last, disarming smile Ronnie returned to her spot on the couch and curled up once more to finish her project. Everything was silent for sometime until she heard familiar thundering footsteps and could not help the fond smile that came to her face.
Thor never could do anything silently. Prepared, Ronnie saved her progress and then set aside her laptop once more, watching the door attentively. Sure enough Thor came stomping in looking quite perturbed and irritated, very odd for the usually genial man.
He was brought up short by seeing Ronnie in the room and the woman offered a gentle, welcoming smile while patting the cushion beside her, "Hey Thor, why don't you come over and tell me what's bothering you?" she quarried.
Thor stood hesitantly in the doorway, another out of character trait for the man, before he finally made his way over and set Mjolnir silently beside his feet as he sat on the couch next to Ronnie. The two of them sat in silence for some time, Ronnie waiting for Thor to speak and Thor lost in his thoughts.
Finally, it was Ronnie who took the initiative, "What's bothering you so, Thor?" she asked him gently, resting a small hand on the demigod's larger bicep.
Thor took a deep breath, "I find myself at a loss at what I shall gift upon the person whose name I pulled from the hat," his voice rumbled, but wasn't as booming as it usually was, "I debated bringing one of the many creatures we have in Asgard so that they make it a housebroken creature. However, the Lady Luna told me that this would not work. I do not understand, Lady Rhonda, why would this not be a suitable gift?" he asked, desperately.
Ronnie fought a chuckle and smiled amused at Thor, "I believe the only person within our team who would actually wish for a pet is Clint, and that is only so he could annoy Natasha. Not to mention the creatures from Asgard are vastly different from those here on Midgard, so we may not be adept at caring for such a creature. Perhaps an object from Asgard would be smarter?" she offered, trying desperately to help this kind man.
Thor nodded thoughtfully, accepting the woman's reasoning, before he was suddenly his charismatic and booming self, "I have it!" he exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing his hammer before striding away and leaving Ronnie staring after him in fond bemusement.
Shrugging, she once more returned to her laptop to do the last few additions to her gift. Only a couple of minutes had passed, but Ronnie had finished; all that was left was adding the finishing touches. Just as she closed her laptop, Luna came running in and dived into her lap giving Ronnie a mouthful of the woman's blond hair.
Ronnie sat there in exasperated resignation, wrapping her arms around the pouting girl subconsciously while spitting out the woman's hair. They sat in silence before Ronnie gave yet another sigh and spoke up, "Why do I feel as if I have been officially dubbed the mother of the Avengers?" she asked, dramatically.
Luna looked up from where she had buried her face in Ronnie's neck with a questioning look in her eyes making Ronnie chuckle, "You are the fourth person to come to me for gift ideas for their Secret Santa," she managed out through her amusement.
Luna gave a huff, "I can't help it! It's Steve!" she threw her arms up before thumping her head back on Ronnie's shoulder resulting in the other woman giving a grunt of pain, "I want it to mean something!" she moaned in a muffled voice into Ronnie's shoulder.
Ronnie was shocked silent for a moment before she gave a loving smile, "Do you remember the photo album Pops had that he would bring out every night before bed so we could look at it with him. And then the fire happened and he lost it? Do you remember what we did for him?" she prodded.
Luna sat in her lap silently, but Ronnie knew she hadn't ignored her but was thinking. She narrowly avoided a head to the chin as Luna shot up and was sprinting across the room, leaving as fast and suddenly as she had arrived and grinning like a loon.
Laughing to herself, Ronnie removed her gift from her laptop and labeled it before placing it in its case. All that was left was wrapping it and putting the name of her Secret Santa on it before laying it under the tree to be found on Christmas.
Time Skip and Scene Change = Avengers Tower on Christmas Eve night
Luna was once more dancing down the hallways, this time dragging Tony behind her, as they headed for the lounge room to have their Christmas Eve movie night. Both were dressed in pajamas of their own fashion. Tony wore a pair of loose-fitting Iron Man pants with a black wife beater to cover his muscled chest, arc-reactor shining reassuringly bright through the cotton. Luna however wore a pair of Iron Man boxer shorts (much to Tony's delight) and fuzzy socks whereas her torso was covered in a baggy T-shirt she had stolen from Tony, unbeknownst to the genius, and that fell off her right shoulder slightly but was otherwise soft and comfortable.
When they reached the lounge room they found the other members of their team dressed similarly. Steve and Bruce had on sweat pants with loose, worn shirts. Ronnie wore Captain America pajama pants, catching all of Steve's attention much to Luna's amusement, with a fitting tank top and fuzzy socks to cover her usually bare feet. Natasha wore short pajama shorts and an overlarge T-shirt while Clint held her possessively in his arms wearing boxers and a T-shirt similar to the one Natasha was wearing. Thor and Loki were both wearing loose fitting, cotton pants with wife beaters they had borrowed. Presents filled the underside of the tree where the day before it had been so obviously empty.
All of them were seated comfortably: Ronnie and Steve were on the three-seater with Bruce, Thor and Loki were stretched out together on the other. Clint had Natasha in his lap in the recliner which left the love seat to Tony and Luna who were the last to arrive.
Luna paid this no mind outwardly, but inside she was filled with jitters, as she dragged Tony over to the love seat and pounced into her seat. Tony went willingly, wrapping a daring arm around the woman's shoulder and pulling her into his side as he spoke, "JARVIS."
Without any other prompting the lights dimmed and a large flat screen lowered into the room, the beginning credits of Muppet's Christmas Carol starting to play.
Steve, more confident in the dark, copied Tony's movements of pulling Ronnie into his side comfortably while Bruce rested against the woman's other shoulder. Usually, Steve would have been jealous, but he knew Ronnie and Bruce's relationship was strictly platonic.
The time-traveling man remained silent as he watched the Christmas movies he had never heard of growing up, sometimes asking Ronnie questions in low tones when he didn't understand something. He was in heaven.
The night passed with a plethora of Christmas movies, some sentimental while others were amusing. As it grew later and later many of them grew more tired. Clint and Natasha were the first to leave to go to bed, Bruce followed soon after. Thor and Loki had already passed out, curled up together adorably in Luna and Ronnie's opinion; Loki was clinging to Thor's shirt and snuggled into the blond man's neck while Thor wrapped his arms protectively around his brother and buried his nose into the trickster's hair.
Ronnie stood up for a minute to slip a blanket over them as well as a pillow, skillfully not waking either as she lifted their heads onto it. She then gathered another two blankets, offering one to Tony who had Luna passed out against his chest. The man smiled up at her in thanks, before taking it and shifting his position so he sat sideways on the loveseat with Luna between his legs, wrapping the blanket around them from there.
Ronnie smiled lovingly at the sight before bending down and kissing Luna and a surprised Tony on the forehead, whispering something to him that Steve couldn't hear.
From there, Steve expected the woman to leave in disappointed resignation, but was surprised when the woman came back over and snuggled into his side before wrapping the remaining blanket around them. Grinning, Steve wrapped his arms tighter around the woman and forced his attention back to the clay-mated movie about the Little Drummer Boy.
Time passed and it wasn't until Steve glanced down to ask Ronnie a question that he noticed the woman had nodded off. Coming to a decision, Steve turned back to the movie to watch in silence not wanting to let go of the woman just yet.
His last thought was how comfortable all this was, and that maybe getting frozen in that ice hadn't been such a bad thing before he too let sleep take him.