The Shadow and the Spider » Marvel |1| ✓

Chapter 19. Merry Crisis!

December 23, 2016. 3:00 PM.

Christmas Eve is tomorrow. I need presents for everyone. Well, everyone on earth.

I'm going to get Loki a set of green bracelets and a green and black messenger bag, Shuri is getting a photo album of memes, Peter is getting a science T-shirt, I got Bucky a new arm, I got Thor five boxes of PopTarts, I got Val a new sword, I got Carol a model plane, and Bruce is going to get a new microscope.

Now I just need stuff for everyone else. I think I'm just going to get Tony a card. The dude's a billionaire, he has everything. I'm working on new weapons for lots of the Avengers. And, knowing that Clint is having Christmas with his family, I mailed their presents over a few days ago. I got Clint a new bow and quiver, I got Laura a nice bracelet, I got Nathaniel a new stuffed bear, and I got Lila and Cooper nerf guns. Thank goodness the Avengers are letting me go out by myself and that the stores are open.

I can't really send anything to the Guardians so I don't have to buy presents for them. I got Ned a Star Wars LEGO set and I got MJ a fancy drawing notebook with fancy drawing pencils. Now I need something for T'Challa. What do you get a king for Christmas? Wakanda already has a ton of fancy tech. I know! I'm going to get him a cat hoodie. I think I'll get Pepper a nice box of chocolate. Oh and I'll get Nat new guns. I think she'll like that.

I dash from one store to another, gathering the presents I bought and loading them into the car before dashing to another store. Who knew Christmas shopping could be fun? After a while, I have a present for everyone. I make sure everything is going to stay and I start driving home. I haven't gotten any more tickets after the two speeding tickets, so that means I'm doing pretty good at driving.

"Incoming call from Capsicle" Eliza chimes.

"Hey, Steve! What's up?" I ask.

"Are you on your way home? We're going to put the tree up in a hour and a half." Steve says.

"I'm on my way. Oh, and if everyone could hide in the lab so I can get the presents up to my room, that would be great." I say.

"Ok. What's your ETA?" Steve asks.

"I'll be home in 20 minutes. Anything else? I'm trying to drive here."

"Nope. Drive safe."

"As safe as I can!" I say before hanging up.

I don't know why I like holidays so much now. Maybe it's the food or the people I spend it with. I never really cared about holidays. Not until I met the Avengers. It's amazing how a few months with these people can change me.

Tony is like my dad and Nat is basically my mom. Loki and Peter are my adopted brothers and I've adopted Shuri as my sister.

I think, after Christmas, I'm going to try to talk to Lillia. Not because I want to be friends again, what she did back in the Red Room is unforgivable, but I need answers.

Why did she want Nat to come with me the first time? Why did she say we all had something in common related to our upbringing? Ugh, I need to stop thinking about it.

I wonder how people would react to me being trained in the Red Room. The Red Room has a bad reputation.
Everyone knows not to try to take them down because trainees would take them out before they even got two hundred feet to the door. After a bit of driving, I get back to the compound.

I walk inside and shout, "I'm home! Everyone in the lab unless you want your presents spoiled."

Surprisingly, everyone goes and hides in the lab. I walk back out to my car and grab as many present bags as I can and haul them up to my room then I run back down and grab the remaining presents and shove them in my room when I realize, I don't have wrapping paper.