A Very Merry Marvel Thanksgiving

[wasafreak]

Thanksgiving hadn't been something Teddy anticipated celebrating, and even now that he's here, it feels odd. Not just the fact that his jaw is wired shut and he's got a brace on his leg, but the fact that he was invited to Captain America's house and arrived to find the original Cap and Bucky and alternate universe Peggy Carter setting up a pretty impressive Thanksgiving buffet is just so surreal. Steve greets them at the door with a genuine smile and pats Billy on the shoulder and ushers them in to get drinks, and Teddy tells himself he's paranoid and Bucky isn't shooting him and Billy a sideways look warning them off of getting caught making out in any more closets, and then reminds himself that this is real life.

Kind of.

Instead of agonizing over what an appropriate tropical island equivalent of 'nice Holiday sweater' was, he let Billy dress him (also literally, see again: brace) and thinks they made the right call- the house is all warm wood craftsman, and the three heroes already there are dressed casually but nicely, and there are old photos and some pretty incredible drawings hanging up, which distract Teddy and Billy to the point of rudeness, except Steve seems all too glad to tell them stories and answer questions. Bucky chimes in to remind him of details and it's... it's maybe the coolest thing that has ever happened, other than discovering his connection to the Avengers.

It relaxes him, and Teddy types up short phrases and sentences on his iPad when he feels really compelled to contribute, keeps "Happy Thanksgiving" on his clipboard to copy and paste it when new people arrive. It doesn't take more than an hour for a pretty respectable number of people to show up, the chatter growing in volume, and even though it's been a pretty crappy couple of months, and a pretty rough couple of years, Teddy finds himself feeling pretty good.

Comments

[onlyforthedream]

They may be strained, sometimes, and they may invite more trouble than most family holidays already do, but I think it's important to keep us together, to share food, to talk. With a group like this, the sheer amount of food being shared took two days to put together, but in the long run the effort is a worthwhile one.

There's something incredible about having Bucky and Peggy in a room together, talking, just here, let alone prepping food together. People I had thought for so long were relegated to memories. Then we have Avengers, and Young Avengers, and friends... It's good. It's really good, and I'm glad we decided to do it.

[the_wasp]

"Excellent party, Cap," Jan chirps as she sidles up beside him, a glass in hand and a bright smile on her face.

"Here's hoping celebrating is the only excitement we're in for today."

[onlyforthedream]

"I'm counting on it, Jan," I tell her with a smile, gently tipping my own glass against hers.

"I really am. Happy Thanksgiving."

[the_wasp]

"Happy Thanksgiving," she replies sweetly, taking the required sip of her drink after her toast.

"So what do we do when you win the election?" she asks. "You host another party, only this time we get to trash the joint and cause a scandal?"

[onlyforthedream]

I shake my head a little, allowing a grin.

"There's a party thrown at the Compound when the election results are in. Generally scandal free. If you have other plans, I'd just ask you to run them by Peggy first."

[the_wasp]

"You want planned scandals? Between me and your girlfriend?" It's pure teasing, but Steve opened himself up to it and she so rarely takes advantage.

"Wow, Steve. This is a new side of you."

[onlyforthedream]

Damn.

I very gently cough and lift my glass to drink some, then scratch the corner of my jaw instead, then look with some interest at the nearest wall which has nothing on it.

"Well," I say, am forced to look away from the blank wall space, and sip my drink instead.

"I like to plan ahead."

[thebettermen]

"Thank you for the invitation, Captain," says Charles, approaching the evening's host during a rare opening so that he might extend his courtesies. By this point he's got a few glasses of local wine in him, dulling the pain in his shoulder to a manageable degree, though he still stands a bit stiffly. He'll be recovering for some time, but he considers himself lucky to have a chance at recovery whatsoever.

"It was very kind of you to open your home. You did most of the woodwork yourself, yes?"

[onlyforthedream]

"Charles," I reply, turning to lift my glass in reply to the greeting.

"I'm glad you came. Duck MacDonald helped me quit a bit, but yeah, I was desperate for something to take up my focus for the first months of my arrival. Putting a house together by hand more or less satisfied the need."

[thebettermen]

"And here I had mine built by someone else," says Charles, smiling briefly as he takes a look around. It really is lovely work.

"I suppose my talents lie elsewhere, however. You're doing well?"

[onlyforthedream]

"I am," I tell him.

"Grateful I can say as much. How are you feeling?" His shoulder can't be healing any faster than mine did.

[thebettermen]

"There are more pleasant things to discuss, I'm sure," Charles replies with a wane smile. Complaining doesn't come easily to him and the wine has been doing its job in making the pain manageable for the night.

"Such as your reelection. In case I don't see you on the night, I'll offer my congratulations now."

[onlyforthedream]

"If you think I'm not voting for you, professor, you're nuts," I tell him.

"We can talk about the election results on the night. I have to say, I was surprised by how few candidates there were."

[notaparker]

Some alternate version of me, maybe me if I'd never come here, or me with a mindwipe, or however that works, some me is on the Ultimates, with some alternate version of Captain America.

I wonder if they hang out? I can't imagine it, since I just wound up accidentally next to him and I still get nervous because it's Captain America. It'd be easier if I was wearing a mask. Sometimes I feel like I'm wearing a mask when I'm not wearing a mask, but it's lessened over the years and never helped as much as the actual mask, anyway.

"Um, hi, Captain America, sir," I say. So smooth. So natural. "Good luck in the election."

[onlyforthedream]

"Jessica," I answer, turning to face her, "thank you. Glad you came."

She looks a little nervous. The Young Avengers recovered relatively quickly from whatever sense of being star struck they had, I would have thought Jess would have by now, as well.

"Feel free to call me Steve."

[notaparker]

"Steve," I say, doubtfully, drawing it out. Probably the way to deal with this is familiarity, to try and think of him less iconically. It helps that he isn't wearing a flag. "My universe's you never really seemed like a Steve to me."

I reflect on that sentence and hastily add, "I mean from seeing him on TV and things."

And honestly I never met him as me (yet, from what I know about my future) and when Peter did it was always kind of in the middle of something. Being yelled at by Captain America for being in the middle of something, usually.

[onlyforthedream]

My eyebrows lift a little in curiosity and I say, "You mean you never worked together?" before I really consider that she might not realize her name and affiliation with Peter would give her away to most of the Avengers I know.

[notaparker]

Stupid other Jessica Drew and her stupid being on the team and being public about her stupid identity with her stupid same name. I could take a shot at dodging, pretending like I'm only a regular high schooler, but, well, it's Captain America. And he's clearly not an idiot.

"...kind of strictly street level stuff," I mumble. "No teams."

[onlyforthedream]

"Sounds familiar," I say quietly, because not everyone present is aware of everyone else's identities. I have no doubt that Jessica and Peter are aware of each other, but not everyone here can say as much.

"Well, maybe you'll get roped into the Avengers some day."

[daretodo]

I have manners. I don't actually remember them until my third attempt to duck out unnoticed fails miserably, but I do have them. Taking it for a sign that I haven't been able to get the heck out of dodge already, I decide to face my host with the most before embarking on attempt number four.

"Steve, hey," I say, trying not to sound as squirrelly as I feel. "Thanks for the invite, but I think I'm gonna call it an early night."

[onlyforthedream]

"Pete," I reply, turning to face him, squaring off so my voice doesn't necessarily carry as we converse. I feel for him, but his habit of secluding himself is worrisome. That he's managed to stay this long is good.

"You're sure?"

[daretodo]

Aw, crud. He's gonna stare me down, isn't he? Like some All-American Carebear who wants to spread Thanksgiving cheer.

"Positive," I reply with a tight smile, before it's too late. "I'm stuffed."

Okay, so I'm not. The sum total of what I've had to eat tonight is a couple of Wasp's snickerdoodles, but my appetite's just not there.

[onlyforthedream]

That's a lie, he's barely eaten, but I'm not about to force feed the man.

"All right. Well, I'm glad you stopped by," I tell him, offering a hand.

[daretodo]

Huh. That was easy. Who'd've thunk that actually being a grown up about this would get me out of here faster than skulking around like a stray cat. I shake his hand, firmly, smile relaxing into something a bit more genuine now that I don't think he's going to trap me here.

"Where else am I gonna go, right?"

[onlyforthedream]

"...You know you can always come here, right?" I ask him, watching his expression closely for a moment before letting our hands drop.

"Or find me at the school. Speaking of which, when you have some time, I'd like to talk to you about your photography."