Variations on a Theme
There’s a definite theme to the Secret Santa presents Sam is receiving; only in retrospect does he see how they set the stage.
Fandom: MCU/Marvel
Pairing: Sam Wilson & Clint Barton (pre-slash)
Rating: General
Tags: Avengers as family, Secret Santa, mutual pining, fluff
Word Count: 792 words
Some belated holiday fluff that is a fill for today’s @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt [#FFF184 Set the Stage] as well as my @samwilsonbingo Mini Holiday Round A1 - Secret Santa.
Sam nearly tripped over what turned out to be the first gift of the Secret Santa Exchange at the Compound: it was a twenty pound bag of birdseed that had been leaning against his suite’s door. Stuck to it was a note that read, “Now you can take all your feathered friends out to dinner.”
“Very funny,” Sam muttered under his breath as he hefted the bag up on one shoulder and brought it inside. That said, it wouldn’t go to waste; he’d been thinking of buying a bird feeder or two.
The second present was sitting on the shared kitchen counter the next morning – a less-than-neatly wrapped round, flat package. Sam opened it to discover a clock that would play bird calls on the hour. This note read: “Some sweet songs to brighten your day.”
“I’m sensing a theme here,” Steve commented dryly; Sam had told him about the birdseed the day before.
Sam narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t your doing, is it?”
Steve gave him an affronted look. “You know we’re not supposed to reveal our Secret Santa until the end of the week.”
“Uh-huh.”
Day Three’s present was actually kind of cool - a model kit of an F-16 Flying Falcon. “Changing directions a bit - thought you might like to build a version of your namesake.” Sam spent the afternoon putting it together on a table in the corner of the shared living room; he wanted whoever his Secret Santa was to see that he appreciated the gift.
Day Four’s gift was a hat and mittens. They were grey with a speckled black and white border to match the coloring of a peregrine falcon. “Figured you probably weren’t used to Upstate New York winters yet.” Sam racked his brain to figure out who at the Compound knew he was from Louisiana as he tried them on. He made sure to wear them when the team went out for dinner that evening.
Sam came back to his room after a morning run with Steve to discover what had to be his final Secret Santa gift sitting on his own kitchen table: a life-sized origami peregrine falcon. Sam whistled slowly as he circled the table, looking at it from every angle. Sure, he was a little irked that someone had entered his room while he was gone, but this gift felt much more personal than the others he’d received and appreciated the more private delivery.
A metallic creak came from the ceiling behind him, followed by a quiet grunt. Sam whirled around just in time to see Clint hanging out of the ceiling vent before flipping and landing on his feet. “So - what do you think?” The excited and hopeful look on his teammate’s face was only somewhat marred by the streaks of dust; it just figured that Sam’s Secret Santa would be the guy he’d been crushing on for the last month.
“You know normal people use the door,” Sam teased. “And how do you even get around up there with those amazing shoulders and biceps of yours?” He bit his tongue; he hadn’t exactly meant to say the second part.
“I think Stark had the vents built extra large, just in case we needed escape routes, “Clint replied, seemingly oblivious to the compliment. “Did I do okay with your gifts?”
“They were all great,” Sam answered with a grin. “How long did this beauty take you, anyways?”
“A couple of hours,” Clint shrugged; Sam raised an eyebrow. “Okay, a bunch of hours over a couple of days. But it was worth it for you.”
Sam couldn’t stop his cheeks from heating at Clint’s words. “Thanks, man. These are the best Christmas presents I’ve gotten in a long while.”
“I’m glad - I know the first two were a bit dorky, but I couldn’t think of anything else to start with.” Clint replied, his own cheeks going a bit pink. “Did you see what Sam Junior is holding?”
Sam rolled his eyes a little at the name, but reached over and gently pulled the paper out of the figure’s beak. It was a voucher for two tickets to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
“This is .. I’ve been wanting to go here ever since they got the Space Shuttle Enterprise!” Sam exclaimed, then looked them over more carefully. “But they’re more than the fifty dollar limit Steve set. “
“Yeah, um, so…” Clint scrubbed at the back of his neck, “They’re not actually part of your present. They’re more .. like… for a date.”
Sam’s heart skipped a beat, even as he tried to play it cool. “A date, huh? I’d like that.”
“Really?” A relieved grin lit up Clint’s face.
“Yeah, really.” Sam reached out and took Clint’s hand.
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could you make pixelart of ur favorite mbav villian?
Pixel Art of my favourite villain: Doug Falconhawk.
This episode has it all for me: comedically low threat, perfect parody (both The Scarefinder & the LARP bit), a 10/10 evil Benny moment, silly outfits, and some quality interactions between the gang.
Please ignore the S1 Benny hair— pixels cannot convey what in the Ryan Ross he was going for. Conversely, S1 Ethan hair.
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