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andreafmn · 3 months

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12 Days of Ficmas ❅ Day 8

Word Count: 4.7K Paring: Jordan Li x Fem!Reader Prompt by @12-days-of-ficmas: christmas baby is sensitive about never being celebrated on their birthday/always feels skipped over Warnings: foul language

Summary: Being a Supe comes with its challenges. But there is no challenge bigger than being the child of Supes that do not care. (Y/N) has been constantly overlooked by her parents in all aspects of her life other than her abilities. Her birthday is not the exception. But there is one person that wants to make sure she knows how special she is, regardless of her powers.

A/N: I watched Gen V last year and naturally became obsessed with Jordan, so I had to give a day to them. I love them with all my heart and I loved this story too. Mainly because I selfishly wrote this about having a Christmas birthday 🤭🤭

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Studying at God U had been (Y/N)’s dream, much like many other Supes. She had been raised to idolize the lifestyle of a crime-fighting Supe and had been trained her entire life to one day become one of The Seven. That much her parents wanted for her.

Having been B-list superheroes just like Polarity, they had wanted more for their daughter. They wanted her to rise through the ranks quickly and efficiently, making sure her name was in everyone’s mouth. More than her parents, they were her managers. Appearing in her life if and when necessary to make sure her image and reputation were always pristine. No amount of money, time, or resources would ever be too much to make sure their baby girl was one of the greats. They truly provided her with everything she could ever need except the love and warmth parents should give.

(Y/N) had always been their biggest marketing ploy. The golden child of Storm Surge and Radiance –the only title her parents cared for. While they went around the world giving conferences and interviews, the girl was stuck at home, by herself, training, slowly being molded into a daughter those heroes could be proud of.

She grew up in isolation. There weren’t many people around her growing up the way she was. It wasn’t until she was touring the university that she finally found people like her –exactly like her.

The first two people she met were Luke Riordan and Andre Anderson. They were finishing their freshman year at Godolkin University and had run into (Y/N) after she had gotten separated from her tour group. The duo had taken it upon themselves to show her the real God U and promised to take her under their wing when she finally arrived that warm August.

In the coming months, the three of them engaged in nonstop communication as they helped her in her transition from intensive homeschooling and training to a more social and balanced life. They had also introduced her to Cate Dunlap and Jordan Li, the remaining members of the golden quartet of God U, as she liked to call them.

The four of them were a refreshing breath in comparison to her life of isolation. She couldn't help but grow a certain affinity for the group of Supes, desiring nothing more than to be at the university to finally experience their friendship face-to-face. Especially a certain bigender student that had caught her eye.

There was a sort of magnetism to Jordan Li that (Y/N) could not deny. She wanted nothing more than to know everything about them –their likes, their dislikes, their hopes, their dreams. She wanted to know what life by their side could be. And a small part of her hoped they wanted that as well.

But when the day finally came to move to God U, she was met with a version of Jordan she had not seen over the phone. Where Andre, Luke, and Cate had welcomed her with open arms, even going as far as to help her move into her dorm, Jordan had decided to keep their distance from her. In their male form, he would grumble under his breath as he moved boxes into her room, asking Luke how long the whole ordeal would last. When Luke answered that they would probably end up getting food and spending the night with her, he could only scoff and say he’d be going to spend the night in his room.

“Did I do something wrong?” (Y/N) questioned as she spread her duvet across her bed. “Why are they so mad?”

“They’re probably tired,” Luke shrugged. “Jordan can sometimes get into these moods when they haven’t gotten much sleep.”

“Maybe you should go check on them, then. I think I can manage by myself now.”

“Nonsense,” Andre grinned as he slid an arm across her shoulders. “We promised you some dinner, and that’s what you’re getting. Jordan’ll get over it soon enough.”

And that’s what she had hoped.

But as the days passed, the only thing that seemed to grow in Jordan was contempt. They would avoid (Y/N) as best as they could, even going out of their way not to run into her. They would barely talk to her when the group went out to a party or simply had a comfortable night in one of their dorms. It seemed like nothing the girl did was good enough for them, and she couldn’t help but wonder if her crush on them would only damage her in the long run.

Still, days turned to months, and suddenly (Y/N) was completing her first semester at Godolkin. She had become busy with her schoolwork, quickly rising through the ranks and coming very close to becoming one of the only freshmen ever to make it onto the Top 5. Christmas break had quickly approached, and the New York winter was coming in strong. Students all around were packing up to go home for the holidays, grateful for a small rest from the school. Granted, a lot of students had loving and supportive families to go home to. Even if (Y/N) didn’t, she was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed once more and having some time away from Jordan's icy treatment.

After packing what was necessary, she rolled her suitcase out of the dorm building, half expecting to find her parents waiting for her, happy to take her home. Instead, she saw other students reuniting with their families or simply groups of friends driving away to their planned vacations. Meanwhile, the fire-wielding girl stood freezing, hoping to see even a glance of her birthgivers.

Once twenty minutes had passed in the cold winter morning, (Y/N) knew deep down what had happened. But instead of jumping to conclusions, she dialed her parents’ phone. “Hey guys,” she said as their faces came up on the screen. “Where are you? You were supposed to pick me up half an hour ago.”

“Oh, honey, we forgot to tell you,” her mother answered, bringing her face forward on the screen. “We had some last-minute stops added to the book tour, and we won’t make it home for Christmas.”

“Yeah, kid, we talked to the Dean, and she said it was okay for you to stay at the dorms,” her father added. “Anything you need, just use the card.”

“Can’t I at least go home? I mean, I could still see you when you get back. Even if it’s after Christmas.”

“Honey, by the time we get back, you’ll be heading off to school again,” her mother said. “And there’s no point in you staying at home all by yourself. Might as well stay there and get ahead in some classes.”

“Are you serious, mom? What about my birth…?”

“Kid, sorry, the flight attendant is flagging us down,” her father interrupted. “We need to turn our phones off. But Nicole will come over sometime soon with your presents. And remember, any groceries or necessities, just use your card.”

“But…”

“Merry Christmas, honey,” they chorused before the screen went black.

(Y/N) shouldn’t have been surprised. It was not the first time she had spent the holiday alone, and it was definitely not the first time they had forgotten about her birthday. With it being so close to Christmas, it had somehow always slipped their mind. But something in her believed that it would have been different that time. She was out of the house and had very little communication with them; maybe they had missed her. Yet, nothing had changed. Nothing would ever change.

As she felt tears falling from her eyes, (Y/N) turned around to head back inside before anyone could see her cry. Walking with her hands on her eyes, she bumped into someone harshly but couldn’t bring herself to care who it was. All she did was mumble an apology and head back into her room to sleep that bad dream away.

By the time she had woken up from her nap, the building had emptied, and she felt, for the first time in a long time, truly alone. The halls would normally be bustling with chatter and mischief. But that winter night, the silence was the most chilling sensation of all. Her footsteps echoed as she walked to the bathroom, every step reminding her of how empty the school was and how alone she was.

For three whole days, (Y/N) had fallen into an automatic routine. She had gone for groceries the very next day, buying all the junk food her parents would have chastised her for getting. But they weren’t there. She had free reign and a credit card with a pretty high spending limit. If she wanted to drown herself in chips and ice cream, she would do so.

Her parents’ assistant Nicole went by on the second day, but she had texted her to come downstairs and handed her a bag with presents without so much as looking up from her phone. It was the only human interaction she’d had; it had felt as cold as her parents had been.

When her birthday finally arrived, three days before Christmas, (Y/N) left the school to buy herself a birthday cake. Her parents would have been furious at her for indulging in such a treat, but they couldn’t chastise her if they weren’t there. She had been dreaming of devouring an entire chocolate cake, savoring the taste of the rich flavor. Alas, all she found at the nearest grocery store was a simple vanilla cupcake without as much as a candle to light. Defeatedly, the girl walked home with her simple treat and braced herself for another birthday in solitude.

Once she was back at her dorm building, she pulled the cake out of the box and produced a flame from the tip of her finger. “Well, make a wish, (Y/N),” she whispered to herself after singing a sad rendition of Happy Birthday. “Not that they ever come true.”

She blew away the flame and, with fresh tears in her eyes, took a bite of the slightly stale cupcake. It was rather hard and bland, but it was as good as she was gonna get without making it herself. And she had no energy left to bake herself a cake.

As the doors of the elevator opened on her floor, (Y/N) was ready to cry herself to sleep watching another movie. She had not expected her entire hall to be filled with her friends and a chorused “Surprise!” to leave their throats.

The girl startled at the noise, instinctually forming a ball of fire in her hand to defend herself against the intruder, but upon seeing her friends quickly put it out. There were couches in the halls, lights and streamers on the ceiling, and balloons littered all over. Where the vending machines normally were, a table of food and drinks rested, a beautiful birthday cake set in the center.

“Holy shit,” was all she could mutter as Luke stepped forward and twirled her in a tight hug. “How did you guys know I was here?”

“A little birdy told us, and we couldn’t let you have another birthday by yourself,” he smiled as he set her down. “Figured you’d want some company, at least for tonight.”

“Yeah, and it’s also a good excuse to party at an empty school,” Andre added with a grin. “It just so happened that it was your birthday too.”

“What if it hadn’t been?”

“Then we’d be celebrating Christmas,” Cate smiled. “Either way, we were gonna come spend time with you.”

“You guys are crazy,” she chuckled before wrapping them all in a hug. “Thank you.”

(Y/N) disappeared for a second to change her clothes, and once she came back, the party went on full-steam ahead. The music was loud, the lights were flashing, there was alcohol and drugs, and everything felt perfect. She was surrounded by her friends –and some acquaintances that had only come to party– and for the first time in a long time, she felt happy and loved. And, even if it surprised her, she had been able to steal glances at her painful crush.

Jordan had kept to themselves the entire time she had been there, finding ways not to run into her or even meet her eye. She noticed how he downed cup after cup, only engaging in conversation when others talked to him. But he hadn’t even smiled or nodded at her. If he was there, it was most likely because Luke had dragged them there.

The girl wanted to enjoy her party. Bask in the love and care her friends had gifted her with, but it didn’t take long before Jordan’s obvious disdain started to damper her mood. She was dancing with a scowl, and every shot she downed was in an effort to forget the person she wanted the most.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Luke asked as he pulled her away from the loudness of the hall and into her room. “I thought you would like the party.”

“I do.”

“Then why do you look so sad, (Y/N)?” he pressed. “If it’s too much, I can get everyone out, and it’ll just be the five of us.”

“No, the party is great. It’s honestly the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she felt embarrassment bubbling at the words she would speak. “The problem is Jordan, okay? It’s the fact that, for some fucking reason, they hate me and can’t even find a way to hide it on my birthday.”

“Wait, you think… you think Jordan hates you?” he asked with a slight chuckle. “That’s crazy, (Y/N)!”

As he continued laughing, the door opened to reveal Andre and Cate with confused expressions on their faces. “What happened?” Andre asked. “Everything good?”

“Oh, yeah,” Luke said in between laughs. “It’s just that (Y/N) thinks Jordan hates her.”

“No way,” Cate snickered. “Are you serious?”

“Are you?” (Y/N) emphasized. “How is this coming as a surprise to you?”

“Alright, then. What makes you think they hate you?”

“Well, Andre, for starters, they haven’t even said a word to me all night,” the girl started. “They avoid me in the halls and in classes. They’re always trying to intimidate me by changing into their male form when they spot me. They don’t speak to me unless they literally have no other choice. I’m pretty sure if they had been able to, they’d throw me out of God U. Not to mention all the stink eyes they’ve given me these past months. Yeah, Jordan definitely hates me.”

“Oh, this is hilarious,” Luke said, still hunched over in laughter. “You really think they hate you.”

“How is that funny?”

“They were the one who planned this whole thing,” Andre answered. “If it hadn’t been for their call, we wouldn’t have known that you were here all by yourself.”

“Believe me, (Y/N),” Cate added. “They care a lot more than you know.”

“You’re kidding, right?” (Y/N) chuckled dryly. “There’s no way Jordan Li cares enough to do something like this.”

“You’re never gonna believe us, are you?” She answered Luke with a shake of her head. “Alright, then. All we have to do is get you two together so you can talk.”

“Good luck with that,” she scoffed. “The last time they were forced to talk to me, they did it all over text. And not a single emoji.”

“You leave that up to us,” Luke grinned. “We’ll get you two alone.”

(Y/N) didn’t understand what he meant until an hour after that conversation. The second they had left the room, they had gone back to partying. They danced and sang and drank, and she did everything possible to put Jordan in the back of her mind. But it was difficult as she saw them change from their male form to their female, taking a glass of champagne and downing it before going to talk to a girl. It irked her to no avail and only made her drink more and more.

She wanted to numb all feelings. She wanted to forget about her parents, forget about her lonely Christmas, and forget about her fruitless crush on the one person who would never like her back.

As she served herself her third whisky sour in that hour, Luke got onto a table and called for everyone’s attention. “Alright, everyone, are you having fun?” Everyone around him cheered, and a shit-eating grin spread onto his face. “That’s what I like to hear. But I think it’s time to kick it old school at this party and play a little rambunctious game. Something you might call seven minutes in heaven.”

His eyes fell onto (Y/N)’s as his grin grew, accepting a glass bowl from Cate as he continued. “I have here all of our names here, thanks to my beautiful girlfriend, Cate,” he said. “I’m sure you all know the rules of the game. But for the person who just came out of a decade-long coma, I will pull two names from this bowl, and those two people will be stuck in (Y/N)’s room for seven minutes. Normally, you’d make out or something similar, but you can’t force anyone to do that. So, whatever happens in that room is up to you.”

“Just do it on Marnie’s bed,” Cate interjected. “Not (Y/N)’s.”

“Hey!” Marnie, (Y/N)’s roommate, exclaimed before shrugging. “Eh, knock yourselves out.”

“Thank you, Marnie. I’ll make sure people thank you for your service,” Luke chuckled. “Well then, let’s see who our first person is. Andre, will you do the honors?”

The boy stepped beside his friend and stuck his hand into the bowl, making a whole scene out of mixing up the papers. But (Y/N) knew. “Jordan Li,” Andre announced. “Get over here!”

Jordan walked to the front of the crowd with a chuckle, her skin turning a soft shade of red. Luke got down from the table and draped an arm across her shoulders in a side hug, then landed his eyes back on (Y/N) before saying, “And who will be the lucky person to join our friend here, Andre?”

With another pretend mixing of the names, Andre pulled out a paper with a smile that spread from ear to ear. “Well, if it isn’t the birthday girl herself,” he exclaimed. “(Y/N), get your ass over here.”

At the mention of her name, Jordan’s smile dropped and quickly changed into his name form, making (Y/N) roll her eyes. The alcohol was taking effect in her system and was making confidence surge from deep inside. Unfortunately, it was walking hand in hand with anger, and she was ready to give them a piece of her mind.

She walked to the front of the hallway as everyone cheered and followed Luke to her room. Jordan walked in first, with her following close behind as their friend stopped at the door. “Have fun, you guys,” he smiled. “Your time starts now.”

As soon as Luke closed the door, Jordan sat on Marnie’s bed, looking everywhere but at her. He remained quiet and uninterested, making ire burn deep inside her. He played with his chain and kicked his feet forward, letting time pass by and anger build.

“What the fuck is your problem with me?!”

Jordan jumped at the sudden explosions, his eyes finally snapping toward her. He was sure steam was coming out of her ears, her face red with anger. “What do you mean?” he questioned. “I don’t have a problem with you.”

“You’re fucking kidding, right?” she spat. “You’ve been avoiding me this entire semester. I don’t know what I did from the first time we talked to the first day of school, but you’ve done everything in your power to stay away from me. So, either I did something, or you just don’t like me.”

“You didn’t do anything,” they answered sheepishly. “It’s… it’s complicated.”

“C… complicated?” (Y/N) stressed. “Complicated is the fact that something seemed to change before the first day of school. And it was big enough that it made you change your impression of me. Unless you were pretending the entire summer and it got harder to do once we were in the same place.”

“That’s not what happened. I wasn’t pretending.”

“Then what is it, Jordan?” she exclaimed, biting back the tears that threatened to spill in her intoxicated state. “Because this whole intimidation and avoidance thing is getting quite old.”

“Intimidation?” he questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Jordan! Do you really think I’m that stupid?” (Y/N) questioned rhetorically. “Every single time you know I am near, you change into your male form. Whenever I try to talk to you, you walk away or answer in the shortest way possible. Hell, even when we all go out as a group, you keep as far away from me as possible. You’ve pushed me away all these months, and I think I deserve a reason why!”

He startled at the raise of her voice. Her anger slapped him across the face, stinging as though she had actually hit him. They had been avoiding her, but she was nowhere close to the reason why. “I don’t hate you, (Y/N),” he said quietly. “I could never hate you.”

“Then, please, help me understand why you’ve been acting this way,” she pleaded. Her expression had softened, and Jordan could see the pain behind her teary eyes. “I just want the friendship we had in summer back. I mean, for almost three months straight, we talked nonstop, and suddenly, it was radio silence from you. What did I do for things to change so drastically?”

“God, you didn’t do anything, (Y/N). It’s me that’s the problem!” Jordan exploded as he stood from the bed. He felt angsty, pacing back and forth as he prepared himself for the inevitable rejection. “I know we built a good relationship over the summer, and it was so good. But that’s the problem. I don’t want to be your friend.”

“Oh,” (Y/N) answered defeatedly. “Sorry. I thought…”

“No! This is coming out all wrong,” he said as he ran his hands across his face in frustration. “I don’t want to be your friend because I want to be more than that. (Y/N), I’ve liked you from the moment we met. Through the phone, it was easy for me to keep my feelings in control. But here, seeing you around 24/7, it’s been hard to keep it all in control.”

“Wait, you like me?” she questioned, her heart fluttering fast against her chest. “Like, like me, like me?”

“Of course I do!” he yelled as frustration got the best of him. “You’re this amazing, talented, unbelievably bright girl. How could I not? But I thought pushing you away would be the easiest way to get over you.”

“But I don’t get it, Jordan. Why not tell me? Or, hell, even ask how I felt?”

“Because you’re you, and I’m me! You deserve to be with someone easier, someone that’s in your league,” Jordan confessed. “I come with very heavy baggage, and you don’t deserve to have to carry it. You should be with someone who knows who they are and knows what they want. Definitely not someone who needs constant validation to feel good enough. Even so, at the end of the day, I know you don’t even like me. I mean, you’ve only ever had boyfriends, and that’s an easier thing to explain to parents about and…”

(Y/N) couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed Jordan’s face and crashed her lips onto theirs. They tasted of champagne and chocolate, a mix as soft and divine as their mouth felt. It took everything in her not to melt at the touch. And suddenly, the face they had been holding had grown smaller. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw Jordan’s female form in front of her.

“Oh, hi.”

“See? This is not what you want,” she sighed. “I’m not…”

Once more, (Y/N) interrupted them with a kiss. “I don’t care what gender you are, Jordan,” she smiled, running her thumb across her cheeks. “I like you for who you are. The entire time you’ve been trying to forget about me, I’ve been trying to get close to you because I like you, you idiot.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Why would I lie about this, Jordan? Hell, you can ask Luke about it if you don’t believe me.”

“Luke?” she chuckled. “You’ve told Luke about this?”

“There have been a couple of drunkenly sad confessions over the past few months about it,” (Y/N) sighed, hiding her face in embarrassment. “Andre caught some of them as well. But yeah, they know. They’re actually the ones who orchestrated this whole thing.”

“Sort of gathered that seven minutes in heaven was a ruse,” Jordan smiled. “Especially since we’ve gone past seven, and no one has come to knock on the door.”

“Yeah,” she chuckled softly. “They also told me you were the one who planned this whole thing.”

“I was,” she answered meekly. “I overheard you talking to your parents on the last day of school. You actually bumped into me, and it broke my heart to see you crying like you were. I couldn’t bear knowing that you’d spend another birthday by yourself, so I made quick arrangements to get everyone back today.”

“So, you did the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, and you still avoided me all night?”

“I’m a bit of a coward, (Y/N),” she laughed. “And, well, up until a minute ago, I thought there was no way you could actually like me. Not this version of me, at least.”

“Mm, that explains the continuous shifting into your male form when I’m near,” (Y/N) grinned. “But, regardless of everything that’s gone down these past few months, thank you, Jordan. You have no idea what this all means to me.”

“I thought it was about time you knew how loved and appreciated you are,” Jordan smiled, wrapping her arms around (Y/N)’s waist and pressing her close to her body. “Sorry that it took so long for me to tell you the truth. And I’m sorry your parents are assholes that don’t know how fucking special you are.”

“Thank you, J,” she said as a tear rolled down her eye. “I don’t care how long it took. I’m just happy it finally happened, and now you don’t have to pretend to hate me.”

“God, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how horrible it must have felt to think that.”

“Well, now you have a lot to make up for,” she grinned, crossing her arms around Jordan’s neck. “Starting by wishing me a happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday,” Jordan said before kissing her lips and accentuating every word with a peck. “Happy. Fucking. Birthday. And. Merry. Fucking. Christmas.”

Their soft kisses rapidly turned heated. Hands exploring bodies, touching and searching. They twisted and turned until Jordan crashed (Y/N) onto the wall, kissing from her lips down to her neck, finding that one spot that made her moan. (Y/N)’s hands snaked into Jordan’s hair, gripping tightly at the base. It was passionate and feverish, and it was taking everything in them not to rip each other’s clothes off.

And it was also rudely interrupted.

“Hey, we’re gonna sing…” Luke said as he opened the door. “Woah. Didn’t think seven minutes in heaven worked this well.”

“Luke!” Jordan yelled. “What the hell?!”

“Sorry,” he snickered. “I thought you guys were only going to talk.”

“We… we did,” (Y/N) said. “We just moved on from that.”

“I’m glad,” he grinned. “But people want cake, and I’m not letting anyone get a piece until we’ve sung you happy birthday. So, get out here now. You guys can keep making out later.”

As he exited, both of them broke out into laughter as they wrapped their arms around each other. They smoothed down their clothes and their hair before walking toward the door, an aura of giddiness surrounding them.

“Will you stay after the party?” (Y/N) asked, pulling Jordan by their forearm. “After everyone’s gone back home, will you stay with me a little longer?”

“I’ll stay the rest of Christmas break if that’s what you want,” she smiled, threading her fingers through hers. “We really do have a lot to catch up on.”

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use-your-telescope · 4 months

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Together by this Christmas Tree

Summary: The Avengers have an annual tradition of a Secret Santa Gift Exchange, and Theo’s life becomes a real life Hallmark Movie when she draws Loki’s name and has to get him five days of gifts. Because shopping for a god and a prince, especially one that you have a massive crush on, is easy, right?!

Author's Notes: HELLO AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This is a one-shot set in the WEMTBB world with our favorite sorcerers, however you do not need to be caught up on (or even have started) WEMTBB in order to enjoy this story! For those of you who are reading WEMTBB, this takes place in the future, when these two are in their “mutual pining idiots” stage; you will absolutely spot some easter eggs, but there are no major spoilers here.

This is for @sarahscribbles Christmas Collection, because I’m strolling in five minutes late with Starbucks for Christmas by posting this the day after Christmas. If you're a regular reader of WEMTBB, I am still planning to update it on Sunday (12/31).

Content: Absolute tooth-rotting fluff, Secret Santa, LOADS of mutual pining, Wanda being a very supportive friend, some pranks along the way, Loki in multiple sweaters, and lots of Loki getting the love, kindness, and attention he deserves.

Word Count: 8,104

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

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When Steve first made the announcement, at the end of a mission debrief, Theo swore he was joking.

The idea of the Avengers making a point to celebrate Christmas seemed a bit strange - beyond the fact that there were two Norse Gods on the team, it seemed presumptuous to assume everyone else was Christian.

Theo’s feelings about the winter holidays were, at best, ambivalent. Sure, she liked the holiday lights, and she was a sucker for a good holiday song. She enjoyed showering her niece, Katie, with presents - after all, what kind of auntie would Theo be if she didn’t absolutely spoil her niece? And any time Theo could visit Mémère for longer than an hour or two was a blessing in its own right.

But the holidays also reminded her of the family she lost, and being the single friend at every holiday party got tiring (especially when her well-intended friends kept trying to set Theo up with people that Theo had absolutely no interest in). It had reached a point that Theo often volunteered to work the holiday shifts, as chaotic as they were, just so she had the excuse to avoid awkward gatherings.

However, when the other Avengers lit up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree at the announcement of the Secret Santa gift exchange, Theo kept her mouth shut. She was still relatively new to the team, and it wasn’t the first time she had been subjected to workplace celebrations for holidays she didn’t celebrate.

But of course, this was a group of superheroes celebrating, so it wasn’t a basic Secret Santa; no, of course not, because nothing about them was basic. It was five days of secret Santa.

At least the rules were simple: each person drew the name of another Avenger. Then, you had to give the person whose name you drew a series of gifts with clues about your identity leading up to the final day, when you would give them a gift and a final clue. Then, each person would try to guess who their Secret Santa was. Regardless of whether or not they figured it out, each person would receive one final gift, something a bit more special.

Steve closed the announcement by informing the group they would draw names the following Monday, and would have approximately a month to pick out gifts before they completed the exchange. A certain buzz filled the air as everyone left the conference room, with some reminiscing about funny moments from past exchanges, while others pondered over who they might end up with.

It wasn’t until after the meeting that Theo had the foresight to ask if the Secret Santa exchange was meant to replace getting everyone their own gifts, or if it was in addition to getting everyone their own gifts. Wanda, ever the MVP when it came to explaining unwritten Avengers’ rules to Theo, explained that it was in addition to getting everyone else gifts.

Theo spent the next two days praying she would get someone easy to shop for - after all, she already had to get gifts for a dozen Avengers, plus her hospital colleagues, and her family. She wasn’t sure that she had enough mental capacity to figure out gifts for someone she wasn’t as familiar with.

Of course, some deity had it out for her, because she drew Loki’s name.

Loki, the prince and ‘most powerful sorcerer in the nine realms,’ who could buy or conjure pretty much anything he wanted in the snap of his fingers.

Loki, who, besides being Theo’s best friend among the Avengers, happened to be the person Theo had a massive fucking crush on.

It wasn’t like anything would ever come of the crush - Loki had a firm rule that he did not date. He had no interest in relationships whatsoever. It was a tidbit of information Theo learned early on in her tenure as an Avenger, amidst a conversation about the love lives of the Avengers as a whole. Loki would spend one night with someone, but never allow it to become an ongoing thing - in his words, “everyone has certain needs to satiate, but courting someone is no interest of mine.”

So, despite Theo’s unbidden thoughts of channeling her inner hallmark movie to reveal her feelings to Loki, she needed to figure out how the hell to navigate getting him Secret Santa gifts, a normal gift… oh yeah, and his birthday gift, because that was a week before Christmas.

Inevitably, once they finished drawing names, Theo immediately dragged Wanda down the hall by the sleeve of her red hoodie and into Wanda’s suite, since it was closer than Theo’s.

“What’s going on?” Wanda half-laughed as she closed the door and glanced, worriedly, at Theo, who had started to pace the room. “Are you okay?”

“I need your help with Secret Santa — What the hell do you get someone who could have anything they want for Christmas?” Theo flopped on Wanda’s bed with a dramatic sigh, her mind reeling with how to handle her predicament.

“That depends –” Wanda answered slowly, eyes narrowed as she approached Theo. “Why do you think they have everything?”

“Because he’s a prince and a God who can conjure anything he damn well pleases with the snap of his fingers!” Theo tossed her arms up in the air, gesturing exasperatingly at nothing.

Nothing - just like the ideas she had for Loki’s gifts.

Nothing.

“So you have Loki for your Secret Santa?” Wanda sat down beside Theo, smirking at her.

“Yes!” Theo buried her face with her hands. “I had a hard enough time figuring out a birthday present, and I still haven’t figured out what to get him for a normal Christmas gift! But now I also have to give him a Secret Santa gift?!”

“Gifts, plural.” Wanda reminded her, smirk widening into a rather evil-looking grin. “Remember, it’s a week of lead-up to the final gift, because the goal is to try and have them guess who it is.”

“FUCK.” Theo let her arms drop to her sides. “This isn’t fair—“ she whined, earning a poorly stifled laugh from Wanda.

“Oh come on, it’s not like he’s the only one who is hard to shop for,” Wanda attempted to sympathize, but the giggles that slipped out as she replied did little to help. “Can you imagine having to buy gifts for Tony?”

“Simple, get him booze.” Theo scoffed, propping herself up on her elbows.

Wanda rolled her eyes and adjusted her ponytail, one auburn lock falling aside to frame her face.

“Look, half the fun is writing the little cards that go with each gift to give the person clues about who the gifts are from, and then trying to figure out the identity of your Secret Santa,” Wanda pointed out. “Besides, other than Thor, I’m willing to bet that no one knows Loki as well as you do!”

“That only makes it worse,” Theo complained and flopped back a second time, rolling over to bury her face in Wanda’s burgundy comforter. “Because I know he’s a picky bitch and nothing will be good enough for him.”

The snort that came out of Wanda did nothing to ease Theo’s concern, but it sounded ridiculous enough that even Theo laughed.

“I think that he’d like any gift you give him, simply because it’s from you.”

“That’s cliché as hell.” Theo pressed herself up enough to look over at Wanda, who, despite Theo’s whining and dramatics, still wore a small, knowing smile.

“And true.” Wanda shrugged. “You are, without a doubt, his favorite person on the team, and probably on this planet.”

“Yeah, for all the good that does me.” Theo grumbled to herself, but sat up all the way. “It’s not like I can tell him on day one that I’m his Secret Santa, so the gifts have to be good. No, they have to be perfect.”

“You’re overthinking this.” Wanda chuckled softly, then rose to her feet and held out a hand for Theo to grab onto. “How about we go shopping and see what is out there? Maybe you’ll get some inspiration that way.”

The petulant child within Theo wanted to complain for a bit longer about her predicament, but deep down, Wanda had a good point. If nothing else, it would give her a chance to get out and clear her head before the inevitable descent into holiday madness.

“Right. That’s probably a good idea.” Theo accepted Wanda’s hand and allowed her to pull Theo onto her feet. “I need to get gifts for my family anyways, so maybe i’ll knock it all out at once.”

“Only if I can help you pick out gifts for Katie,” Wanda winked at Theo as she opened the door.

“Deal.” Theo didn’t have to think twice before answering. “Do you have plans for this afternoon? I’m not working, so we could go today…”

Wanda held up her purse and grinned. “Let’s go!”

—

Shopping with Wanda, unsurprisingly, proved to be a fruitful venture.

Sure, the pair went absolutely wild with gifts for Theo’s niece. Would Max kill Theo when he saw just how much stuff Theo got? Absolutely. Did she care? Not a bit; after all, she had to maintain her reputation as the coolest aunt.

More importantly, Theo managed to put together a list of ideas for gifts that referenced inside jokes from the time that Theo and Loki had known each other. Even better - the conversation between Theo and Wanda as they shopped, though wide-ranging and lively, gave Theo the inspiration for her final gift.

In the end, the gifts required some careful planning, calling in some favors, and a lot of sneaking to make it happen - not to mention a few sleepless nights as Theo put the finishing touches on certain details - but she managed to pull everything together, just in time for the first day of gift-giving.

Pepper had really outdone herself with the holiday decorations. On a normal day, the common areas within the tower could be described as minimalist: clean lines, lots of metal and glass, neutral tones everywhere, no knick knacks or soft touches to be found. Not even a throw pillow or blanket could be found in the common areas - whenever Theo wanted a pillow or a blanket, she had to bring it from her suite.

Yet, when everyone filtered into the living room after going out for dinner, they may as well have walked into a luxury ski chalet at Tahoe. In one corner sat a massive, lush evergreen tree trimmed with glistening tinsel, soft white lights, and a collection of beautifully coordinated ornaments in burgundy, cream, gold, navy, emerald, and eggplant.

The fireplace had a beautiful garland of eucalyptus, cypress, and cedar draped across the mantle; tucked among the greenery sat pillar candles of varying heights in burgundy, navy, emerald, eggplant, and gold. Elegant, cream-colored stockings with each Avenger’s name embroidered at the top hung in front of the crackling fire (plus stockings for Pepper and Happy, since they were pretty much unofficial Avengers).

Blankets and accent pillows, some in plaids that incorporated the colors of the ornaments and candles, others in solid colors, all made of luxuriously plush fabrics, found homes on the various seating throughout the living room.

Even the coffee tables had coordinating centerpieces.

Theo quickly found her usual seat, but continued to gawk at the living room’s transformation. When the hell did Pepper (or, Theo supposed, whoever Pepper hired) have the time to decorate the living room? Just that morning, when Theo left for work, the living room had been its usual, minimalist styling. Maybe if she had stopped back in her suite before meeting the others at the restaurant she would have seen the living room decoration in progress.

Hardly a moment later, Loki sat down beside her. Dressed in a forest-green crewneck sweater that perfectly framed the planes of his chest and black dress pants that highlighted his long legs, Loki somehow managed to look holiday appropriate without even trying. His raven curls, just slightly disheveled from the wind and snow outside, framed his elegant features so perfectly; combined with the warm glow of the fire and the soft light of the christmas tree he appeared downright radiant, particularly as he grinned at something Thor said.

“Quite magnificent, is it not?” Loki leaned over and nudged Theo with his elbow, interrupting her train of thought. Theo had to stop for a moment and consider whether he was referring to the himself, or the living room.

“Yeah,” Theo agreed, her cheeks growing hot as she realized Loki caught her staring. “Compared to when I left this morning, it is a night and day difference.“

“I suspect Miss Potts takes great pleasure in decorating for the winter holidays.” Loki offered Theo a soft smile. His soft eyes caught the flicker of the candles atop the coffee table as he studied Theo, and for the second time in less than a couple minutes, she found herself speechless.

Luckily, Dum-E saved the day when he dropped a present on Theo’s lap, and in doing so brought both sorcerers’ attention to the larger group. As it turned out, Dum-E distributed everyone’s gifts - all wrapped in the same paper, to make sure that the gift wrap didn’t give anything away - and as soon as he finished, it was time to open the first day’s gift.

They started with Bruce, then worked their way through a randomly generated list that Steve put together. The soft lights of the Christmas tree, glow of the fire crackling in the hearth, and joyous laughter as each person read their clue and opened their gifts filled the room with such warmth. It was the kind of holiday scene you’d see on a postcard, especially since snowflakes drifted past the tall windows and into the city below.

As they drew closer to Loki’s turn, Theo’s hands began to sweat. What if he didn’t like her gift? Sure, it was kind of corny, but it was a fun reference to how they spent much of their time. He didn’t seem overly thrilled by the idea of Secret Santa in the first place; what if her silly little gifts only made him hate the game?

Well, she didn’t have to wait any longer to find out, because it finally reached Loki’s turn.

Loki picked up the small box, turning it over and inspecting it. He tossed it into the air and caught it in one hand, lithe fingers curling perfectly around the container.

“It is quite light, and rather small,” he observed. “Whatever is in this box does not jostle when moved, so it either fills the box or it is carefully packed in place. Let us see what is inside.”

Loki methodically removed the ribbons, then carefully tore away the gift wrap. He removed the lid in a graceful motion and set it aside, all the while peering into the box. He hummed.

Seeing the fabric folded and coiled inside, he reached in and tugged on the cloth, pulling it from the box. The fabric unfolded as he lifted the gift into the air, revealing the first gift: a pair of crew-length socks - black, with an emerald green heel and toe. On one side of each sock, placed so it would be visible while wearing shoes, was the design of an apple car driven by a worm, as well as text which read: “I’m on my way to the bookstore!”

“Aw, those are cute!” Wanda winked at Theo as she said the words, to which Theo casually agreed.

Loki maintained a relatively neutral expression, though he let out a rather amused hum. He set the socks in his lap, then opened the card. As his eyes scanned over the text, one side of his lips curled up, then the other, until he wore a sheepish smile. He read aloud:

“I know you love the bookstore,

We’ve been there a time or two,

But since I can’t buy the whole store,

I got you a pair of Crew… socks!

Sorry, I know you like poetry, but your Secret Santa isn’t a poet.” Loki chuckled, shaking his head, then continued: “These socks are from Out of Print, which has donated over 5 million books to communities in need and supports a variety of literacy initiatives.”

He looked up from the card and glanced around at the group. “Well, thank you to my mysterious Secret Santa. I quite enjoy a whimsical piece of attire, and I am certain these will be put to good use.”

Next to Loki, Theo let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

First day was not a failure.

Only… four more to go.

—

The second day of gift-giving arrived, and with it came another day of second-guessing whether or not Loki would like his gift.

This time, the idea came from a conversation early in their friendship. After falling asleep in Theo’s suite, Loki joined her for coffee on her balcony, at which point Theo explained a sudoku to Loki. At the time, he commented that there were “some puzzles he was still learning to solve.”

From that morning on, Theo couldn’t help but notice the way Loki approached briefings and missions as puzzles to solve. So when Theo found a pair of rather clever puzzle books (many of which provided a formidable challenge, even for her), she knew that it would be a perfect gift.

Yet, as the day crept on and the gift exchange grew near, Theo felt the seeds of doubt taking root once again. What if he thought the puzzles were stupid? He was a god, after all, and insanely intelligent. The puzzles might have been a challenge for Theo, but they were probably child’s play for Loki.

Still, it was too late to turn back, so by the time Theo sat down with the others and the gifts were distributed, she simply hid her sweaty palms in her sweater sleeves and acted like it was any other night in the tower.

Loki, for what it was worth, seemed perfectly relaxed when he took his usual seat beside Theo; this time, he opted for a plain gray t-shirt and a black cardigan, paired with what were (secretly) Theo’s favorite pair of dark, slim-fit jeans. When Loki crossed one ankle over his knee, Theo noticed his emerald green and black socks and her heart skipped a beat - he wore the socks she gave him.

That was a good sign, right?

Once again, Dum-E distributed the gifts, then each person took their turn opening their gift and reading the card; this time they started with Yelena, but otherwise the order was the same. After what felt like ages, Steve finally gave Loki the go-ahead to open his gift.

Like the first day, Loki went through the same routine of examining the box, then peeled away the wrapping paper.

For the sake of maintaining a bit of mystery (and making it slightly less obvious that the gift was a pair of books), Theo put the set into a clothing box and padded the sides. It wasn’t that sneaky, since the box was heavier than it would have been with apparel inside, but at least Loki wouldn’t know until he opened the box.

He opened the box and removed the first book.

“The Master Theorem - Book of Puzzles, Intrigue, and Wit,” he read the title, then held it up for all to see, then held up the second book and read off the title. “The Master Theorem: Elite - Book of Puzzles, Intrigue, and Wit.”

He returned the books to his lap, pausing for a moment to flip through the pages and glance at the contents.

“You gonna open the card?” Tony nodded towards the card that came with the box, which barely poked out from beneath the pair of books.

“Ah, yes, apologies.” Loki offered a half-smile, then retrieved the card and read aloud:

“While the identity of your Secret Santa is, well, a secret, it’s no secret that you, Loki, are pretty smart - like, ridiculously smart. And you’re a quick learner… Plus you’ve got a knack for problem solving. With that in mind, you seem to be a master when it comes to puzzles; even though you once told me there are still some puzzles you are learning to solve, the way you light up when you encounter a good logic puzzle or mystery makes me think there are few things you enjoy more than a good challenge.

“This series of puzzle books is notorious for its difficult logic puzzles - the New York Times called the first Master Theorem book “Mensa’s evil twin,” and the Elite edition is supposed to be exponentially harder. But with your sharp wit and attention to detail, I’m sure you’ll have it figured out in no time… And by the time you finish, maybe you’ll figure out the identity of your Secret Santa as well!”

Loki grinned as he folded the card and set it aside. “Thank you, my mysterious benefactor - I imagine I will be entertained for quite some time.”

For the rest of the evening, whenever Theo snuck a glance at Loki, she caught him flipping through his new books with a subtle smile and a twinkle in his eye, only half-paying attention to the others as they opened their gifts.

Day two: rousing success. Only three more days to go.

—

For the third day of gift-giving, Theo took a bigger risk.

At one point in Theo and Wanda’s shopping adventure, they stopped at a bakery to grab a snack and some coffee. While they waited for their drinks, they got on the topic of how, earlier that morning, Thor offered Loki a frosted pop-tart. In response, Loki nearly disintegrated the thing on sight, calling it an abomination to pastries everywhere.

And that was from Loki, the guy who was notorious for his sweet tooth.

The conversation gave Theo an idea.

Ever since Loki roped Theo into his pranks, Theo had wanted to find a way to turn the tables and prank him. And what better way to prank him than to bait-and switch some sweet treats?

With a call to Theo’s favorite Bodega cashier, Carlos (who still hadn’t gotten up the courage to ask out that girl, but had at least he learned her name was Liza), Theo managed to get her hands on one of the big cardboard boxes that they shipped pop-tarts in. Importantly, it said pop-tarts all along the outside, so when Loki saw the box he would initially think it was a whole case of pop-tarts.

Instead of filling it with pop-tarts, Theo convinced Mémère to bake up all sorts of traditional Aneterran holiday treats to fill the box. Given Mémère already planned to make the treats, it was easy for the family matriarch to accommodate the request. However, when Theo explained her plan, a knowing, almost devilish grin spread across Mémère’s face; the next thing Theo knew, there were treats that Theo hadn’t seen since she was a child.

Packing the treats into the box required quite a bit of attention to detail - it had to have the weight and heft of a case of pop-tarts, and it had to be packed tightly enough to not move around, but she also didn’t want to crush the treats.

There may have been some enchantments involved to make it work, but hopefully Loki wouldn’t notice.

Not wanting to make the prank too convincing, Theo made sure to leave clues that the box had been altered somehow; knowing Loki, realizing the box had been tampered with would make him curious enough to look inside.

When everyone gathered for the third night of gift-giving, the laughter and merriment from the first two nights returned almost immediately. But when it came to Loki’s turn to open his gift, Theo’s confidence from the day prior collided with her nerves, to the point that she clutched her mug of spiked hot chocolate so her hands wouldn’t shake.

Just like the first two nights, Loki inspected the wrapped gift, lifting it up and giving it a gentle shake. “Much larger, and rather heavy,” he noted. “Yet, there’s a card that indicates I ought to open it before the gift. I suppose I ought to follow my Secret Santa’s request.”

He set the gift back in his lap, and quickly opened the card.

“Heard you have a sweet tooth…” Loki read aloud, then glanced down at the gift and hummed. “Well, let us see what is inside.”

Loki started to tear away the wrapping paper, but paused part-way through; his face twisted into something unreadable when he saw the writing on the box.

Theo bit her lip to not give herself away.

“Pop-tarts?” Thor exclaimed, cocking his head to the side with curiosity. “Brother, I did not think you to be a fan of the Midgardian pastry.”

“I…” Loki trailed off, face falling as he unwrapped the rest of the box. “Interesting.”

Theo’s heart stuttered in her chest - what if he didn’t think to open the box? Would she give herself away if she said something? Oh god, he looked like a kicked puppy — she should have realized that he might take it wrong because Thor likes pop-tarts and he’s the popular brother, shitshitshit—

“Loki, maybe you should open the box,” Bruce suggested, “There’s a weird wrinkle by the cardboard seam that makes me think it was opened, then closed again.”

If it wouldn’t have given her away, Theo would have leapt to her feet and hugged the man for his suggestion.

“Yeah, that box looks like it has been messed with,” Sam agreed, “and I think everyone knows you hate pop-tarts.”

The kicked-puppy expression softened as Loki took a second look at the box and noticed the obvious tampering that Bruce and Sam pointed out. A hint of pink rose on Loki’s cheeks - if Theo didn’t know better, Loki looked almost embarrassed at the realization - but he went ahead and opened the box.

Theo held her breath, all of her attention trained on Loki as she waited for his reaction.

Peering into the box, Loki’s shoulders suddenly dropped and relief flooded his features; he reached in and retrieved a treat similar to a chocolate scone, as well as a second card.

“Pleased to report that I was mistaken; it appears the box is filled with a variety of homemade treats, as well as a second card.” He let out a soft, almost hesitant chuckle as he opened the note and read aloud:

“HA! Nearly got you, didn’t I?!” Loki laughed a second time, this time a little louder, and nodded his head. “You’ve pulled off some of the best pranks, but your Secret Santa is known for a good prank or two.

“Jokes aside, did you really think your Secret Santa would do that to you? Of course not - I know you have a discerning taste when it comes to sweet treats (far more discerning than your brother, of course)! These are some of my favorite holiday snacks from growing up; I think you’d like them too. If nothing else, I promise they taste better than pop-tarts.”

Loki returned the note to the box, then unwrapped the treat in his other hand. He took a bite, and his face almost immediately lit up. He chewed for a moment, then swallowed, and cleared his throat to speak.

“Well, mysterious Secret Santa,” he said, “I will confirm that this treat is quite divine. However, you best watch yourself– “ Looking around at their teammates, a dark, sinister grin curled over Loki’s face. “– I am known as the Trickster god for a reason, and you may very well have started a war.”

When Loki briefly locked eyes with Theo, her heart skipped a few beats; in just a few moments he went from beautiful to downright devilishly handsome, and his threat should not have been nearly as hot as it was.

Sweet baby Jesus, she needed to get her shit together.

“Any guesses on who it is?” Bucky asked, tapping his vibranium fingers along the side of his still-wrapped present.

“I’ve a few contenders,” Loki smoothly answered, the earlier signs of discomfort completely gone, “but I will wait to put forth any claims.”

“Who cares! The real question is are you gonna share!?” Shuri pointed at the pastry in Loki’s hand, then held out her own hand. “That looks amazing!”

“Maybe once the Secret Santa is revealed, they can bring us all some treats.” Wanda replied, though she gave Theo a pointed glance, to which Theo glared back - after all, she didn’t want Wanda to give her away. “But for now, I think Loki should get to enjoy all of his gifts.”

Loki, who was busy searching through the rest of the box, didn’t seem to notice Wanda staring at Theo.

Shuri glanced at Wanda, then at Theo, then grinned as she made the connection.

“Fine, but they better bring me some extras,” Shuri relented. “That thing looks amazing.”

Theo smiled and rolled her eyes, just in time for Steve to inform Wanda that it was her turn to open her gift.

Day three, though nearly a bust, worked out.

Only two more to go.

—

After the scare of the third day, Theo went into the fourth day feeling more comfortable about her gift. Sure, Loki may shrug at it, and there was a chance he wouldn’t use it. But at least she wouldn’t run the risk of upsetting him by making him believe his preferences were the same as his brother’s.

In some ways, the gift seemed particularly timely: a winter storm raged outside the tower, with howling winter winds and heavy snow that made sitting in the living room feel like they were inside a snowglobe. Even with the heat on and the fire roaring in the hearth, everyone bundled up in sweaters and plush blankets, sipping on mugs of cocoa and tea in between opening gifts.

On the fourth night, Loki’s turn to open his gift came even earlier. Similar to the first three nights, he inspected the box - small, slender, almost like a fancy box for a fountain pen.

After making quick work of the wrapping paper, he glanced at the lid of the box:

“Museum of Modern Art Design Store,” he read, then shrugged and removed the lid of the box.

Nestled among chic black packing material sat a stainless steel tea infuser. Its design was what drew Theo to the gift - long, slender, with a hook on the top for easy removal, it looked downright elegant. And with the amount of tea Loki drank, an upgrade to his usual steeping methods seemed like the perfect sort of gift - thoughtful and useful.

Loki hummed, carefully slipping the tea infuser out of its packaging and inspecting it. The stainless steel glowed beneath the Christmas lights and reflected the smile curling over Loki’s face. He twisted the cap off, then closed it again, nodding to himself as he set it aside and opened the card. Like the first three days, he read the message to the group:

“A tea infuser that combines form and function?! It’s almost as stylish as you are (almost)! As the resident tea expert on the team, it seemed only appropriate to give you something for making your favorite (non-alcoholic) drink - after all, you’ve brought me, your Secret Santa, more than a few drinks over the course of knowing each other!”

The hint, in Theo’s opinion, was almost painfully obvious; Loki brought Theo drinks all the time. Coffee at the hospital when he knew she had a long day. Whiskey or wine when she needed to unwind. Tea when it was late and neither of them could fall asleep. Water when Theo just used her inhaler and needed to rinse out her mouth. Throughout the entire time she had been an Avenger, Theo never saw Loki bring anyone else drinks quite so often - not Thor, not Wanda, not anyone. However, the clue made so much sense, and there was only one more day, so it wasn’t like she had to keep the secret for much longer.

What Theo didn’t account for, however, was almost every other person in the room making the connection between the clue and the identity of Loki’s Secret Santa. Over a dozen pairs of eyes all trained in on Theo as Loki glanced down to set the card and gift aside; the heat of their stares nearly made Theo lose her composure.

When Steve asked if Loki knew who his Secret Santa was, he simply smirked and replied “I’ve my suspicions, but I find I rather enjoy the suspense and anticipation of the grand reveal.”

Somehow, she held it together, but just barely. Sure, Theo was grateful that Loki seemed to enjoy the gifts up to that point, but “suspense and anticipation of the grand reveal?” If Theo was under pressure before, now she was on the verge of being crushed under the weight of expectation, and the whole damn team knew it.

Theo shot a terrified look at Wanda, who only sent back an impish grin.

Shit.

One more day to go.

—

The final day of Secret Santa arrived, and with it, the grand reveal. Apprehension loomed over Theo’s head like a storm-cloud; after all, the pressure was on - not only to give the perfect gifts, but to set up the perfect reveal as Loki’s secret Santa.

Despite the overall success of the first four days, by the time the last exchange began, Theo was too nervous to sit down. Instead, she leaned against the kitchen island with her mug of hot chocolate and whiskey clutched in both hands, offering little more than one-word answers whenever someone tried to ask her something. The only time she even considered sitting down was when Loki asked if she would join him on the couch, but then all the potential ways she might make a fool of herself flooded her thoughts and she politely declined, claiming that she needed to stretch her legs a bit.

If Theo didn’t know better, Loki seemed disappointed that she didn’t want to sit by him, but it was probably her mind playing tricks on her; after all, Theo was the one with the crush, not Loki.

At least from across the room, Theo could easily admire Loki in his thick, fair isle sweater - seasonally appropriate, of course, but like all of his attire, it fit him perfectly and highlighted his long, lithe form in all the right ways. Between her nerves about the gift and how distractingly handsome Loki was, she barely noticed when the first two Avengers opened their gifts and found out who was assigned as their Secret Santa.

For the final night of the exchange, Loki was the third person to open his gifts.

While Loki focused on the large box in front of him, everyone else stared at Theo. If she could have, she would have melted into the floor; instead, she stood by the kitchen island with her mug of hot chocolate and whiskey in both hands, shooting dirty looks at the rest of the group so they wouldn’t give her away.

… Not like Loki hadn’t already figured out that Theo was his Secret Santa, because he likely knew. If he didn’t know, he was about to figure it out, but that was beside the point.

Of all the gifts Theo chose, today’s were the most nerve-wracking because they were the most personal: the pre-reveal gift referenced something Loki gave her when she ended up in the hospital with an asthma exacerbation and pneumonia a few months prior. The post-reveal gift referenced the time all the Avengers visited New Asgard, and Loki took her on a late-night walking tour of the community.

The note on the card was, well, maybe a bit too sentimental - in hindsight, maybe she should have saved the message for a later card that she could have given him in private. But by that point the card was taped to the box in Loki’s lap, and Theo couldn’t do a damn thing about it, other than brace herself for the inevitable fallout.

At least she had the sense to write a disclaimer at the top of the note: “You might want to read this to yourself first, then decide if you want to read it out loud.”

After four days, Loki’s examination of the gift box had become a routine: turn it all around, lift it up in the air, give it a shake - and once he seemed satisfied, he peeled away the wrapping paper.

“Well, I do not have any guesses as to what is inside this box, so I suppose I ought to open it.” Loki remarked, tugging away the last bit of wrapping paper. He conjured a dagger to cut the tape sealing the flaps at the top of the box, though he was careful not to cut deeply and risk damaging the contents inside (which was good, because that dagger would have sliced through the gift like hot butter).

Unlike the previous days, where he immediately looked inside the container, this time he made a show of looking at the others as he reached inside. Theo watched Loki’s arm muscles tense through the wool of his sweater as he grabbed the gift, while his brows furrowed with confusion.

As he turned back toward the box, he slowly pulled out the present: a snake squishmallow, in green, of course - after all, green was his color.

“That’s cute!” Natasha commented, though Loki didn’t seem to notice. He held the plush toy in both hands, turning it side to side as he gave it a once-over. Theo swore she could spot the gears turning in Loki’s head as he tried to make the connection between the toy and his Secret Santa.

“Yeah, but why? I don’t see the connection.” Yelena added, pointing at the card. “Open the card. I want to know what it says.”

Loki slowly set aside the snake, as if still thinking about the gift, and pulled out the note.

Theo watched as Loki methodically scanned the note. At first, he read with heavy brows drawn tightly together; after a few moments, the light from the christmas tree reflected off his sea glass eyes, glittery and shining amidst the soft glow. A shaky, small smile grew as he made his way through the message until it practically took over his face.

“Well, what does it say?” Natasha asked, craning her neck to try and read what was written on the card.

Loki, however, ignored her. Without warning, he closed the card and rose to his feet. In a couple of long strides, he stood before Theo, who could no longer bite back her nervous smile as he drew near.

Theo barely had a chance to set down her mug before Loki scooped her into his arms and crushed her in an embrace, the strength of which forced a small “oof!” out of Theo from the impact. She didn’t waste a moment before returning the embrace, selfishly nuzzling into his chest and drinking in the scent of cologne on his sweater - cedar, bergamot, and smoke - as they stood, arms wrapped around each other and swaying gently from side to side.

Loki leaned down, his nose brushing gently along Theo’s hair, then drew a deep breath.

“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. “Truly. Thank you.”

Theo’s heart damn near exploded.

“Elsa, I really hope that Rapunzel’s your Secret Santa,” Tony, ever the troll, interrupted, “or this is going to get awkward.”

“Yeah, Tony, it’s me.” Theo laughed, her mind reeling as Loki shifted - if Theo’s mind didn’t deceive her, his lips brushed against the crown of her hair. Still, he hadn’t let go, and as long as Loki held on, Theo had no plans of going anywhere.

“Now I wanna know what she wrote on that damn note,” Sam complained between shoving handfuls of caramel corn in his mouth. “Because damn, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Loki react like that.”

“Can we let him open the other gift first?” Theo asked, still hugging Loki as she looked over at Sam. “After all, there is a part of the message that won’t make sense without seeing the final gift.

“Fine, but afterwards I wanna read the damn note.” Sam grumbled and leaned back in his seat while Bucky leaned over and snatched some caramel corn from him.

Theo begrudgingly pulled away from Loki, silently lamenting the lack of warmth that came with his touch. She rounded the Christmas tree and crouched down to where she hid the final box - a thin, rectangular box that was a bit larger than a poster - and brought it over to Loki, who had returned to his original seat. Theo sat down beside him, nervous but excited to see how he reacted to the last gift.

This time, Loki didn’t spend a moment examining the package - he went straight to tearing off the wrapping paper. With paper crumpled up and tossed aside, he carefully slid the lid off the box.

Centered on a bed of white tissue paper, was a painting - a canvas covered in thousands of small dashes of paint, the result of more than a few sleepless nights as Theo raced to finish the painting on a tight deadline. During the day, Theo hid it beneath a stack of other canvases so if Loki stopped by her suite, he wouldn’t notice; the moment night fell, Theo was elbows deep in oil paint as she added layer after layer of color.

“It’s New Asgard!” Thor exclaimed as he peered over Loki’s shoulder.

“Those are the gardens…” Loki breathed, one hand hovering over the canvas as if he wanted to touch it and prove to himself that it was real.

“The gardens that you created, and that your people and countless tourists adore.” Theo added, her cheeks slightly pink.

Loki’s focus went to the bottom corner, where Theo scrawled her name. It was tiny and borderline illegible because of the paint, but if someone had ever seen her handwriting, they would know instantly who it was. Loki traced his fingers over the letters almost meditatively.

“You made this?” When Loki looked up at Theo, she caught the slightest shine in the corners of his eyes, though his expression was nothing but pure awe. “Was this from memory?”

“God, my memory isn’t that good - I mean, yeah I painted it, but it wasn’t from memory,” Theo rubbed the back of her next, heat rising on her cheeks as Loki continued to gape at her. “I got Val to send me some pictures for reference, and then I worked on it every night after everyone was asleep. I wasn’t sure it would be done in time, if I’m honest, because oil paint takes forever to dry, but it dried just in time. The paint is still going to need some time to fully cure, so I’d be gentle with it.”

For the second time in minutes, Loki pulled Theo into another heartfelt embrace.

“I am… I am speechless. I’ve no words, truly.” He laughed, a rumbling sound that Theo felt as much as she heard it. “Thank you.”

“Okay now we need to know what the hell was on that card.” This time it was Shuri, who looked like she was one step away from snatching the card and reading it out loud herself.

Loki unfurled his arms from around Theo so he could set the painting on the table in front of them, then retrieved the card.

“I think you ought to read it,” Loki held the card out to Theo, his cheeks now flushed with crimson. “I imagine it will sound better in your voice, since you wrote the message.”

Theo rolled her eyes, but accepted the card. She got the sense that Loki felt a bit sentimental himself, and was probably a bit out of his comfort zone; re-reading the message aloud might be more than he thought he could handle. So, despite her heart still fluttering like a goddamn school girl, Theo tried her best to steady her breathing, then cleared her throat and began:

One of Thor’s favorite stories to tell is when you were children and turned into a snake to trick him. One of my favorite things is watching the little smile you get every time he tells the story, like you know you shouldn’t think it’s funny and it makes the story even funnier. I bet you’re making that same smile right now as you think about the story!

This clue will probably give me away, but you once gave me a gift much like this - a plush toy of an unexpected creature, because you realized that the creature shared a connection to my sister. You didn’t make a big deal out of it - telling me you “happened to pass by a shop window and it just seemed like something I would like,” but it meant the world to me; to this day, it is easily the best gift I’ve ever received.

In many ways, that gift is such a great example of why I am so lucky to have you as a friend - you are so incredibly thoughtful and kind, and when you sense that someone is having a tough time you go above and beyond to help, all without making a big deal about it… God knows you did that for me constantly when I first got here! There are, obviously, other reasons that you’re an amazing friend (your sense of humor, intelligence, and patience in putting up with me are also high on the list).

I know none of my Secret Santa gifts have been big or flashy so far, and your final gift isn’t exactly big or flashy either. If I’m honest, I panicked when I drew your name because, well, what do you get someone who could have any gift they wanted? But the more I thought about it, the more I came back to just how lucky I was to have the gift of your friendship (yeah, corny as fuck, sorry - you’re the silvertongue, not me!). I can’t ever give you a gift that would compare, but I can at least make sure you know just how grateful I am for you and how much of a difference you make. Without a doubt, my life is better because you’re in it, as are the lives of many others.

So, for your final gift, I made you something that I hope will remind you of not just the impact you’ve made on me, but the impact you’ve made on countless others, every time you see it.

Merry Christmas Loki.

Yours,

Secret Santa.

P.S. I hope you can forgive my sentiment. Not all of us can be as cool as you.”

By the time Theo finished reading the message aloud, her entire body felt like it was on fire from the combination of her nerves and the others’ burning stares. With trembling hands, Theo slowly closed the card and set it on her lap, eyes focused downward the entire time.

“I didn’t realize it was possible to win at Secret Santa… ” Peter finally broke the silence, beaming as he looked at the pair. “... But I think Theo just won Secret Santa.”

“I think everyone’s going to want you as their Secret Santa next year,” Steve chuckled, nodding along. “Still, we aren’t done with this year’s Secret Santa - I believe Wanda, you’re up next?”

With that, the attention shifted away from the two sorcerers sitting side-by-side on the couch, and onto the rest of the festivities. While Wanda made a scene trying to deduce clues about her gift, Loki casually slipped his hand over to Theo, interlacing his fingers with hers. In turn, Theo leaned her head on Loki’s shoulder and settled into his side.

By that point, she was only-half watching as Wanda opened one last gift. Frankly, Theo hadn’t heard who Wanda’s Secret Santa was, but she wasn’t that interested.

“Merry Christmas, Loki,” Theo whispered, giving Loki’s hand a squeeze.

“Merry Christmas, Theo,” he murmured, turning so his lips brushed Theo’s temple. “I think this might be the first year that I’ve understood why one might enjoy Midgardians’ holiday festivities.”

Cozily tucked into Loki’s side, amidst the golden glow of the holiday lights and the spirited laughter of friends, Theo had to agree: maybe the holidays weren’t so bad after all.

#Loki #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #tooth-rotting fluff #tooth rotting fluff #holiday fic #christmas fic #christmas fluff #loki x ofc #mutually pining idiots

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