Avengers Oneshots

Home for the Holidays

(An Alternate Reality where the Age of Ultron took more than a week; a few days before the Battle of Sokovia, used as a spirit lifter for the Team to take their minds off the Ultron crisis. The Maximoffs were accepted into the team after proving that they no longer sided with Ultron and were given rooms in the Avengers Tower)

Luna made her way through the tower, in search of the Twins. The three of them were supposed to go Christmas shopping today, to get presents for all the Avengers. Rounding a corner, she bumped into Pietro and fell back, only to be caught by his quick reflexes. "Be careful. You almost took a nasty fall there." He chuckled, making Luna turn a bright pink. "O-ok. I will." Hurriedly walking past him, she made her way to the Twins' new room and knocked on the door. She could hear laughter, and the crinkling of paper coming from inside. "Doar un minut!"("Just a minute!") Wanda called out, sounding out of breath. There was rustling, then a click as the door was unlocked and opened to reveal the Twins in matching Christmas sweaters that looked handmade. Their clothing was wrinkled, their hair messy, and behind them in the room, she could see feathers, drawing paper, wrapping paper, and pillows all over the floor, as well as a half-made blanket fort. Both the Twin's cheeks were pink, and they were breathing heavily. 'I must have interrupted a pretty intense pillow fight... '  Luna thought. "What is it?" Anya asked. "I thought we were going shopping today? So you guys can help me get presents for everyone?" Wanda rolled her eyes playfully. "You mean so we can help you get a present for iubirea ta(your love), Pietro?" Luna blushed again, a slightly darker shade of pink than before. The Twins sniggered at her red cheeks. Anya smirked slyly. "Come on, don't deny it! It is obvious you LOVE our frate(brother)!" Luna's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. "...So? Does it matter? You still said we would go shopping." The youngest Maximoff grinned evilly. "Yes, and when we get back, I'm going to hang mistletoe EVERYWHERE." "You are so evil." Luna shoved Anya playfully. Wanda smirked. "You know, that is not such a bad idea..." The sisters looked at each other, grinning, before Anya replied with a snicker, "Știi, poate că nu ar trebui. Doar atașați la un fir, și-l atârnă de pe spatele ei, așa că o urmărește peste tot. Atunci nu trebuie să vă faceţi griji cu privire la obtinerea prins sub ea cu cineva ca Stark... "(You know, maybe we shouldn't. Just attach it to a wire, and hang it off her back, so it follows her everywhere. Then we don't have to worry about getting caught under it with someone like Stark...) Wanda stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Yes, that wouldn't be pleasant." 'For anyone who tries to kiss you while I'M around...' 'As if I would let anyone other than YOU kiss me...' Anya shuddered. "Ew... So who's driving?" "Who said anything about driving? The mall isn't that far away, we can walk. And what wouldn't be pleasant? You know I'm not fluent in Romanian." Luna pointed out. Anya smiled slyly. "We know. That's why I said it in Romanian. And you're right. Exercise would do us all some good." Luna put her hands on her hips and sighed, but dropped the subject, knowing she wouldn't get anymore from the two of them. The three then proceeded to walk to the mall, arriving in a bit more than six minutes. Once inside, Anya gawked, her eyes wide. "I have never seen so many stores in one place IN MY LIFE!" Wanda nodded beside her, her own eyes wide. Luna smirked, glad for once to have something for them to be impressed about. "Yeah. I come here all the time." "So, who's present do we look for first?" Anya asked. They heard yips and meows coming from nearby. "Let's get Stark a puppy. I think he would like that." They walked into the pet store, whose name, Luna noted, was Happy Paws Pet Shelter, and Anya immediately headed for the puppies. Wanda gazed after her lovingly, before walking to the Bird Section. "Luna! Which one should we get for him?" Anya called, buried under a pile of wriggling fur and tongues. Luna thought for a minute, looking at all the puppies huddled around each other. She reached her hand out, and they crowded around her, licking her fingers. She noticed a puppy sitting off to the side and smiled. "How about this little husky? We can name it Sparkles. I think Stark would like a companion willing to fawn over him." Anya nodded, snickering, before getting up to look for her Twin. Searching through each aisle, she arrived in the Bird Section, and froze at the sight. Wanda was standing there, looking like she was in heaven, while tons of fluffy parakeets perched on her head and arms, chirping happily. "Awwwwww, Roşu(Red), you are so adorable!!!" Anya squealed. Wanda's blissful smile darkened in seconds. "You tell ANYONE about this, no forturi patura(blanket forts) for a week." Anya held up her hands and mimicked zipping her mouth shut as she nodded, gulping. "You know, we should look for a pet for Banner too. Maybe something sweet and innocent, like a bunny, to keep him calm." Luna mentioned, walking up to them, just as Wanda coaxed all the parakeets back into their cage. "Or maybe we could get him a Black Widow. Oh wait, he already has one..." Anya laughed at her own joke. Wanda facepalmed, snickering. "Anya, you are such a dork." "I know. And I'm not the only one, Wanda 'binge watches Disney movies' Maksimova." Anya raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. Wanda blushed. "Hey! You do it with me!" "Yes, but you do it while wearing a Disney shirt the whole time!" The older Maximoff blushed a darker shade of red and pouted as her sister laughed. "T-taci."("S-shut up.") "Obliga-ma!"("Make me!") Wanda glared at her, then smirked as an idea formed in her head. "Hey Anya, why don't you check the next aisle for a dog collar." Anya stared at her, confused, then shrugged, walking to the next aisle. Once she was gone, Wanda held up three fingers. "Three, two, one..." Anya's voice was heard from the isle. "Soră, I don't see any-O ZEI!(OH GODS!) SPIDERS! WANDA HELP ME THEY ARE STARING AT ME WITH THEIR TOO MANY EYES ANIMALS SHOULD NOT HAVE THAT MANY EYES AND LEGS THEY'RE GOING TO EAT ME!!! WANDAAAAA!!!" Wanda cackled like the witch she was, holding her sides as she howled with laughter. "You are so evil! You do know she'll try and get you back for that." Luna said in between laughs. Wanda smirked. "She can try." Anya stormed back toward them, face pale, holding a pink glittery dog collar, which she promptly tossed on Wanda's head. "Sometimes, I really don't like you." "I love you too, Soră!" The younger Twin glared at the elder, who simply smiled cheerfully. Anya then smirked. "Hey Wanda, what's that on your shoulder?" "What is what?" Wanda glanced at her shoulder and shrieked as loud as Anya did, swatting at the fake spider. Anya laughed evilly. "Take that, Roşu(Red)!" Wanda huffed, before smirking. "Alright. M-ai prins.(You got me.)" They walked around for a bit, and got a pendant carved with the name Sparkles to hang on the collar for the husky they had gotten for Stark, then headed to the next store, after buying the husky and an adorable little brown and white spotted bunny for Banner. The next store happened to be a Books - a - Million. It was crazy, all three girls running between the aisles. Soon, they had a cart full of books, ranging from Little House on the Prairie, all the way to the Goosebumps Horrorland Stories. "We really should put these back... We aren't shopping for us..." Luna tried to reason with them, as well as herself. Anya looked at her with those big, green, doe eyes that no one could resist. "Vă rog(Please), can we get them? Vă rog????"(Please????) Luna sighed. "Ok, fine. We can get them, but don't ask me for anything until after Christmas!" Wanda and Anya both did a little happy dance. They checked out real quick and got out of there. They didn't need to spend more Christmas money on stuff for themselves. The next store was a clothing store. The three walked in and Luna, eyes sparkling, speed walked to the Dress Section. The Twins watched her go, amused, and walked to the next section. Anya admired a pair of Nikes, while Wanda looked through a few jeans. They heard squealing from the Dress Section, glanced at each other, and giggled. Anya's grin fell once she caught sight of Luna racing toward them, carrying a pile of dresses, with a devious look on her face. "Oh no." She tried to run, but Wanda caught her with her Magic and Luna jumped on her back. She ended up pinned to the ground on her stomach, Luna sitting on top of her, in Wolf Form, her tongue lolling to the side as she panted, and Wanda staring at her with a look that said 'Seriously?' "Let me go!" Anya shouted. "I will NOT wear those infernal contraptions!" Luna barked, thinking, 'Yes you will. You have to. For the Christmas party. It will only be for a few hours, until it's just the few of us. Then you can put on your comfy clothes. I promise. Wolf's honor.' "I don't care about Stark's prost(stupid) party!" 'But it's not his party, it's mine. And you're gonna make me sad.' Luna whimpered on top of Anya, who glared at her. 'Pweeeaaasssseeee... I will beg... That's not a sight you wanna see. It's too adorable. I even got my way with Stick-in-the-Mud-Stark.' Anya turned to her sister. "Wanda, help me out here, please?" "Sorry Anya, but she has a point. Besides, I have to wear a dress too, and you know how uncomfortable I get wearing dresses around Stark, and you don't see me complaining." "But you're the older Twin. You're supposed to set the example for me! And I'm supposed to be the one not forced to wear a dress!" Wanda rolled her eyes. "You've worn one before." "Yes, and I hated it! Every sinuous(torturous) minute!" She shuddered, as if remembering a horrifying moment in her history. "Oh come on, Draga Mea(My Darling)! Just one dress! If not for Luna, do it for me, please?" Wanda made a sad face. Add in Luna's begging face, and she just couldn't say no. Anya groaned and slammed her face against the floor. Wanda and sad puppydog eyes were her weaknesses, and everyone who knew her knew that. Dragging Anya to the dressing room, Luna handed her a stack of dark violet and lavender dresses, all different shades and styles. "Here, try these on. Then we can pick our favorite." She grabbed them, grumbling, and went inside. Five minutes later, Anya stepped out slowly, her arms crossed. The first dress was a halter top, knee length, and mostly a deep purple, with lavender stripes across the bottom, and the same color flowers all along one strap, and down, looking like a japanese kimono. Wanda stared in complete awe, her cheeks bright red, while Luna squealed. "You look so pretty!!! We have to get this one!!!!" "She's right Anya... Arati foarte bine..."("You look gorgeous...") 'I'll be fighting off people all night... So worth it.' Anya promptly blushed, staring at the floor. "Oh, and Wanda, I found one for you too!!! Here, try it on! I wanna see!" Wanda took the dress and walked inside the dressing room next to Anya's. Coming out five minutes later, it was Anya's turn to stare. Her sister was wearing a red, sparkly, knee length dress with a thigh high slit on the right side. "Sora... Arătaţi frumos..."("Sister... You look beautiful...") 'You are not the only one who will be having to protect the other from people...' Wanda smiled bashfully, her cheeks as red as the dress. Luna jumped and squealed. "You two will be the most beautiful girls there!" Both of them shook their heads. "Not with the dress we have planned for you. You will be the Star. You'll be a... how do you say... I think Americans call them 'angels'." Anya commented, walking back into her dressing room to take off the dress. "We already told the dressmaker how we want it. All she needs now is your measurements. So, go, so she can start it. She said the dress would be ready by this afternoon, but only if she gets the measurement right now." Wanda replied, doing the same. So Luna sat still while she had her measurements taken. They left the store, all three giggling and happy. They decided while they were in the boutique that they were going to get Thor a cat, so they went back to the pet store, Anya walking on Luna's right side, as far away from the tarantula isle as possible, Wanda's hand holding hers soothingly. They picked out an adorable little calico kitten, and thanked the shopkeeper as they left. They also got him a little blue collar with a bell on it. By the time afternoon rolled around, they had gone to most of the stores in the mall, and were weighed down with bags and the pet crates. Everyone was covered for Christmas except the Twin's gift to Luna, her gifts for them, and Pietro. They just couldn't find anything for him. Halfway to the Tower, Anya grabbed the gifts, shielded the pets, and sped them to Luna's room, moving too fast for anyone to see what she was carrying. "What do we do now?" Wanda asked quietly, staring after her sister. "I don't know. Probably wait for her here. At least for a little while." Luna looked over at the store next door to them and smiled to herself. "I'll be right back. I know what I'mma get for Anya, while she's gone." She walked into the Magic Shop. 'Some tricks for her to do would make her happy.' Luna looked around the shop, amazed by all the fake stuff there was. She grabbed a cart and walked along the aisles, gathering anything she could think of for the perfect prank. After buying the stuff, she walked back out, four bags in her hands, and set them down near Wanda. "I'm guessing she hasn't come back yet?" Wanda shook her head. "She should be back soon though. I can sense her. You better be quick..." Luna nodded and took off, flying as fast as she could to the Tower. Getting to her room, she stashed the stuff in her closet, knowing Anya wouldn't dare look in there, for fear of getting trapped by the dresses. She got back to the mall just after Anya did. Anya stared at her as she landed. "What did I miss?" Wanda shrugged, erasing the recent event with Luna out of her mind. Luna did the same, trying really hard to not spoil her surprise. She built a mental wall around her thoughts about the present she had gotten Anya. The youngest Maximoff glared suspiciously at the two. She could not read their minds for some reason. It worried her, as her Twin rarely closed her mind off from her, and Luna usually never tried to hide her thoughts. She was an open book, well, usually she was. Luna could see the confusion on her face. "No peeking at Christmastime! You'll spoil the surprise of it all. Then what would be the point? That goes for you too Wanda. I will get you something eventually. So, what to get for Pietro? Any ideas?" Anya looked up, thinking hard. "Well... He already has a lifetime supply of books... And we don't need any more pets running around the Tower. We also have to remember your dress. It should be just about done by now. In all honesty, we don't have to get him a present. We'll just give him you!" Wanda snickered. "It's true. Stânjeniu(Violet) has a point." Luna turned bright red. "Lets just get the dress and go home. I still have a lot of wrapping to do. Christmas is tomorrow." "Hey, I just remembered, who's on the guest list?" "I let Stark invite anyone he wanted, because I don't really have any friends that aren't in the Avengers..." Anya paled, eyes widening in horror. "Wait, so that means we are going to be surrounded by complete strangers we don't know, who Tony pays to be his friends?!" Luna thought for a minute. "Yeah, basically. But what was I supposed to do? I don't have any friends... other than a few of the Avengers. And if it was just us, it would be boring, like a regular day." Anya glanced at Wanda, who also looked horrified. "...Is it possible to barricade ourselves in our room for the night?" The older Twin asked. "No. You have to come. You really want me to be the only girl with any common sense there, besides Nat, and have to deal with Stark?" The Twins wisely chose not to answer that question. They made it back to the dress shop and saw the seamstress (her name is Maria) standing in the doorway. "I've been waiting for you girls. It's done. I just need to do one more fitting to make sure it's the right size... " She took Luna's hand and led her into the store. Anya handed Luna a blindfold. "You're not allowed to look until it's done and paid for. That way you cannot say no." Maria took her into the fitting room, and slipped the dress over her head. The silky material slid over her skin like butter on hot toast. Feathers tickled Luna's nose as the open front of the skirt brushed under it. Just from feeling the dress against herself, she knew it was an off the shoulder high-low with a sweetheart neckline. She felt the seamstress zip up the back. They both stepped out, the blindfold still on. Luna heard oohs and ahhs from the Twins. "I'm guessing it's pretty? Just from your reactions." She didn't hear a response, but when she tried to pull the blindfold off, she felt someone smack her hand. "No peeking. Isn't that what you told me?" Anya asked, her voice amused. "Haha. Very funny. You know that's not what I meant by that." "Whatever. You could say this is our present to you. So no peeking." Anya giggled, and Luna and Wanda joined in. The girls were having such a blast, it was hard to stay mad for long. The Twins paid for the dress, and Luna was finally allowed to look at it. The pale blue silk shimmered with thousands of glitter coated snowflakes, that started at the sleeves and wound their way around her, fanning out with the dress in a fit and flare style. The layered ruffles danced with the lights as she twirled and the dress spread out. The sweetheart neckline was very flattering, and the fur skirt was a high low. "Girls, this is beautiful! It's just... there are no words... you really had this made for me?" Both Wanda and Anya looked close to tears. "Yes, surată(dear). We thought you would need something extra special for your first Christmas spent with the family. And the dressmaker, Maria, here knew our parents, so she gave us a discount. Merry Christmas Luna." The three of them group hugged before Luna went back into the dressing room to get changed. After she was done, the three girls went back to the Avengers Tower. It looked like Christmas threw up all over the place. There were fake reindeer and elves all over, and standing proud and center was a ten foot tall Christmas tree decked out better than even the North Pole could accomplish. And standing on a ladder, putting the last couple of decorations up, was Pietro. "What the heck are you doing? What did Stark promise you?" Anya asked him. He got off the ladder and put one arm around her shoulders. "That, my dear soră(sister), is for me to know, and you to probably never find out." He stuck out his tongue, ducking as she took a swing at him. Stark took this moment to saunter into the room, head held high, as if he was the essence of perfection. Luna mentally gagged, not wanting to offend the one who let her put on this Christmas party in the first place. Anya snickered when she read Luna's thoughts. "What's so funny? Is my tie crooked?" Stark asked, of course thinking everything was about him. "No, not at all. it's actually quite adorable. Very festive." Luna said, before Anya could say anything that would make him mad. His tie had a picture of a reindeer with huge antlers that elves and penguins were decorating like it was a tree, and Santa putting the star on top of the 'tree'. "Well, we need to go wrap the presents we got today. If you'll excuse us..." The girls made their way past the boys, leaving them to their decorating. "Aren't they something? They could at least help a little with the decorating for their party." Pietro piped up when the girls had left the room. Back in Luna's room, the three girls burst out laughing. "Nice save there, Luna. Although I wouldn't exactly call that tie on him 'adorable'. Weird, yes, adorable, no." Wanda said between fits of laughter. After calming down, they got to wrapping gifts. Luna figured the animals could be put in her closet until it was closer to Christmas, so nothing happened to them. Soon it was time to get ready for the Christmas party. Luna helped the Twins with their makeup, using just the slightest bit of 'nude' eyeshadow to accent their natural beauty. Then they separated to get ready in their own separate rooms. Before Luna got dressed, she made her way downstairs to talk to Pietro. Finding him lounging in one of the easy chairs in the living room, she pulled him off to the side. "I need you to help Stark with the guest list. You need to make sure the people arriving are supposed to be here, and check them off the list. I don't know exactly who Stark invited, so I can't help. Plus I need to get ready, and finish setting up everything on the buffet table. Can you do that for me?" He nodded and she made her way back into her room. Slipping the dress over her head, she made her way back downstairs, half morphed so her paws were showing under the dress. She grabbed the jug of eggnog she had picked up the day before as well as the bottle of eggnog flavored whiskey. Pouring both into a bowl, she mixed them and put a ladle into the bowl. She set it on the buffet table, right in the middle of the granite bar. Setting out other snacks and foods, the buffet was finally ready. She walked over and sat down on the couch, people streaming in past her. She giggled as people started to drink the spiked eggnog. Glancing up, she saw the Twins as they made their way down. They both looked stunning, though it was a little funny to watch Anya keep pulling down the skirt of her dress, clearly looking uncomfortable, her face as red as her sister's dress. Soon, everyone was there, mingling, just enjoying each other's company. Luna, ever the perfect host, was wandering around, making sure everyone was having fun, and refilling glasses as they neared being empty. Walking past a group of people, she saw Pietro, dressed in a sharp-looking tux, asking them how they knew Stark. He then made a comment that made her blush. He mentioned the conversation she had with Stark when she was explaining what she needed to do.