the strongest avenger (2)

one hundred and one

"One last round!" Tony calls out from across the field.

I peer out from behind our snow wall and get a view of the opponent. Tony's head pops up above their wall of snow, a red hue from Wanda peeking out around the side.

We all threw on our warmest clothes and came out for the best snowball fight ever. And my first one ever.

We split into two teams; myself, James, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, and Sylvie. Then there's Tony, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Loki, and Morgan. A light layer of sweat covers me as I race to use my magic to create snowballs. I'm the supplier, while everyone else fights. I had created a long and tall wall of dense snow, Wanda on the other team doing the same.

But we've evolved after our long time playing. Now we have defenses.

A snowball canon with a red hue from it, myself bending reality to good use. Even shields for everyone else, keeping them from getting hit. The other side also has a canon.

We're currently in a stale mate, tied. I peer over the wall to see Natasha weaving in and out of the fighting, dodging snow. Thor is our thrower, he quickly and efficiently rapid-fires off the snowballs. James uses a hand-held snowball launcher to aim at his targets.

I continue running my hands over the ground, pulling snow up and twisting my hands to form them into balls. Luckily, I'm efficient. Putting the snowballs out at the perfect speed.

I'm not sure how much longer we play until the other team members start calling out.

"Okay, okay! We tied!" Tony's voice cuts through the fighting, myself pausing and standing up to look over the wall.

"Honestly, I can't do this nonsense anymore." Loki scoffs.

"I do think I am tiring of this game." Thor comments.

"Alright. Let's be done. I could go for some lunch right about now." I state with a chuckle.

Nat's nods enthusiastically. "Me too. I say we go out to eat."

Steve groans at the thought of having to go out in public. We all know he hates it.

"it'll be fun!" I say. "Plus we can all dress in Christmas outfits."

"Absolutely not." Loki grumbles.

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After going off on our own to get dressed and ready for the day, we all met back in the living are before heading off to the diner. It was decked out in all Christmas decor. Trees in almost every corner, wreaths on the doors, stockings on the mantle and some toy trains on the window sills.

It was nice getting to have a big lunch with everyone where we weren't stressed about going on a mission. It was so much different than usual. Spirits were light, smiles were out. Loki didn't actually complain much.

After our lunch, we made our way back to the compound to start preparing Christmas dinner. I was on sweet potato duty. I used my magic to mash the potatoes and made sure to put extra butter and brown sugar before putting the marshmallows on top and setting it in the oven.

Wanda was on turkey duty, the bird being in the oven since before lunch. Natasha was working on a pasta dish, while Steve was attempting to make deviled eggs. James and Sam had went to the store to pick up a baguette and some baking ingredients that I needed.

Tony had ordered red poinsettias to decorate the dining room with, and even a new table cover and silverware. So, him and Pepper were busy doing that. While everyone was finishing up dinner, I began to start baking  for dessert.

I made a rice pudding, and then some cookies. Chocolate chip, snowball cookies, and then sugar cookies. Sam ended up making banana pudding, which is one of my favorites.

Everyone dressed up, myself in a white sweater dress with thin straps and a light brown turtleneck underneath, with boots to match. I put my hair in a high ponytail and curled it, opting for light natural makeup as well.

Before we ate dinner, I called Peter and wished him a happy Christmas. We talked for a little, mentioning how we all had to get together soon. It was nice catching up with him.

Dinner itself went smoothly, I sat next to Bucky and Wanda. We all shared funny stories and kept the mood light. Once dessert rolled around, I was promptly stuffed.

But we continued on.

And by the time we were cleaning up, I was so ready to fall asleep.

The dishes I'm putting away are so high up, causing me to just sigh and use my magic to place them in the right cabinet. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn to find James. His hair mussed as usual, but his face clean shaven. He wears black pants and a black button up, handsome as always.

"Hello, my love." I say while hugging him around the waist.

"Hi, Snow." He murmurs into my hair.

"I'm so tired."

"Mmm," he ruffles my hair and leans back, the hint of a smile on his face. "Well you better wake up, I have to take you to your main present."

I perk up at his words, then tilt my head in confusion.

"What do you mean take me to my present?"

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A half hour later and a blind fold over my eyes, I'm standing outside...something. James has his hands on my shoulders, as I'm bundled up in my coat.

I'm 99% sure we're in the city, due to the loud noises and honking cars in the background.

"So..."

James squeezes my shoulders. "We've talked about eventually taking a break from all this. Retiring from superhero stuff and living a normal life." I smile at his words. "I've been working on something for a while now, trying my best to fix it up to our standards. With a little help from Pepper and Tony, I think it's right for us."

I hold my breath as James unknots my blindfold and my eyes adjust to the light.

My eyes widen as I take in a house. It has a sloped roof with lots of windows. There's a few steps that lead up to a porch that spans the front of a house, a white door in the middle.

I look over at James, finding some anxiety in his expression.

"My dad didn't just leave me this ring," he holds up his hand where his heirloom shines. "he left the deed to our family house to me. And now it's ours."

My mouth drops open and I jump to him, throwing my arms around his frame and squeezing him tight. My heart clenches as I can't fully comprehend what I'm feeling.

"I've spent the past few months getting it renovated for us and modernized."

Taking a deep breath, I pull back and gaze into Bucky's eyes. "We have a house?"

His smile grows wide as he nods. "Yes."