It Only Takes a Second

- LXXI -

(A/N: Hi everyone, before you start reading, I just wanted to ask that everyone avoids talking about the new Spider-man movie in this chapter and the rest of the story, as nobody likes spoilers (including me)! Same goes for Hawkeye, until everyone gets a chance to catch up and watch! Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!!)

*

Christmas morning, Harry awoke to snow falling peacefully outside his bedroom window.

Excitement built in his chest, the way it always did on Christmas morning. Except, this year, he knew for a fact that he had people surrounding him that loved him.

At his feet, Lucy stirred and raised her head, ready to be of assistance at any moment.

The digital clock on his nightstand read 7:18 a.m., so Harry knew that by the time he got dressed, most everyone would be awake and in the common room.

With a soft groan, he stretched out, feeling his back protest after the several hours of lying in the same position. Lucy pressed her nose into the palm of his hand as he winced, and he glanced down at her with a small smile.

"Happy Christmas Lucy," he murmured, scratching her head as he sat up.

Harry climbed out of bed, shivering briefly as the covers fell away from him. He made his way into his closet, and laughed when he saw a box sitting on the floor. By the way the package was wrapped, he had no doubt in his mind that it was from Peter.

A note was scrawled on a piece of paper that had been haphazardly taped to the top of the present, and Harry carefully peeled it from the box.

Even though most of our day will be spent apart, I figured we could twin. Merry Christmas. -Love, Peter

Harry's heart fluttered at the signature, just like it did whenever Peter said that he loved him. Setting the note carefully aside, Harry tore the paper away from the box and opened it.

Harry couldn't help but laugh to himself as he pulled out the ugly Christmas sweater inside the box. The red sweater had a white selburose pattern, with a large green T-Rex wearing a Christmas sweater with excessively long sleeves stitched in the center. The sweater was one that Harry could picture Peter wearing, and the thought made him smile.

Quickly, he got dressed and finished getting ready. As always, his hair refused to lay flat, and Harry knew that it was a hopeless case.

He opened up the door to his room and padded down the hallway with Lucy at his heels. She was even donning a Christmas vest that Clint had gotten for her the last time they had been out shopping. Harry rolled his eyes at the thought of how much the archer spoiled his pets.

As he entered the living room, Harry wasn't surprised to see his parents already sitting on the couch drinking coffee, his mom's legs draped across his dad's lap as they chatted. Steve and Bucky were awake too, though Harry gathered Steve was more awake than Bucky as the Captain was working on a sketch, and Bucky was holding on to his coffee as if it were the most important thing in the world.

Natasha and Bruce were in the kitchen chatting, Bruce putting a kettle on the stove for his tea. Clint, presumably, was still asleep.

"Hey, good morning! Merry Christmas!" Tony called as he saw Harry enter.

"Good morning. Merry Christmas," Harry echoed, smiling at everyone.

"Nice sweater," Bucky grinned, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Nice pajamas," Harry quipped back, motioning to Bucky's snowflake covered pajama pants.

"Winter is kind of his thing," Natasha teased, entering the living room and somehow managing to plop down into a couch without sloshing the hot contents of her mug.