Armageddon || an avengersxreader fanfiction

chapter eight

December, 2016 (your sixteenth birthday!)

This morning, you wake up cheerfully. Your clock reads "9:26."
"Good morning, Miss (Y/N). And happy birthday."
"Thank you, FRIDAY," You respond, unusually cheerfully.
As you're getting clothes from your closet, you hear a beeping sound.
"FRIDAY, what was that?" You ask, turning around.
"I'm not sure, Miss (Y/N)."
You remember that the noise came from your bookshelf across the room. You search the top and middle shelves to find nothing; on the bottom shelf, in between some books, you find your old phone from Bucky, which hasn't been touched since the events infamously known as "the civil war" by some.
Curious, you flip open the phone. "1 new message" reads on the screen. Your suspicion increases, as only Bucky had the number for this phone, and he's been asleep for a while now.
"(Y/N), I have to make this quick so they can't track my phone. Happy Birthday! I wish I could have spent at least one birthday with you. Please have a great day. I miss you so much. -SR."
Not needing to figure out who has those initials and would send a message like that, you take a moment to absorb Steve's message. You focus on trying to be happy to have the message from your father rather than being sad about his absence.

After a shower, you head downstairs into the kitchen.
"(Y/N), happy birthday! I made special birthday pancakes." Pepper greets you with a hug.
"Thanks, Pepper."
Rhodey and Vision arrive minutes later and wish you a happy birthday. After you've eaten four pancakes, Tony comes in, holding a gift bag and a small box.
"I said no presents."
"Alright, you got me. I'll just bring these back."
"Well, they're already here. I wouldn't make you go all the way back," You smirk.
"So you wanna open them now or later?"
"Now is good."

Tony brings the presents over and gets his breakfast. You open the gift bag to find a gray shirt that says "Made of Magic."
"Ha. Ha," You speak a laugh to Tony, who is grinning.
"Pepper helped out with the next one."
You remove the paper and open a small, black box about the size of your hand. Inside you find a framed picture of your mother, Peggy, in her uniform and a chain holding a ring that you recognize as your mother's simple wedding ring. Struggling to choke back the tears, you recall your mother twisting this same ring around on her finger in times of stress.
You clear your throat, but end up choking out a strained "thank you."

You finish your pancakes and change into your new shirt and necklace before heading out to meet MJ, Peter, and Ned at the bus station.
"So, where are we going?" Ned asks after everyone has told you "happy birthday."
"First, we're going to the movie theater, then we'll figure it out from there."

After watching Ghostbusters at the theatre and listening to MJ's criticism of the movie, you get Delmar's sandwiches and sit on a park bench while you talk and eat.
"Did you guys hear about Spider-Man's new sidekick?" MJ asks with a bit of food in her mouth. "I heard they were partners."
"You mean, like, she's his girlfriend?" Ned asks quizzically.
"No!" Peter almost yells.
You give him an exasperated look before turning back to MJ. "I don't think they're dating. She seems way older and more mature than Spider-Man."

Back at the compound, you eat chocolate cake and cookie dough ice cream. You play Clue with everyone and watch one of the Jurassic Park movies, which you sleep through part of. At the end of the day, you put your mother's ring on your nightstand and read Steve's message a few more times before drifting into a sweet dream of a perfect family reunion.