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Sweater Weather

Summary:

“I’m not going to do it.”

America doesn’t know when to give up, it’s not in her nature. Just like it’s not in Stephen’s nature to not eventually cave into any reasonable thing she asks for.

This time it was a certain outfit for the upcoming Christmas party.

Day 1 of 12 Days of Strange
Prompt 1: Sweater

Notes:

Behold, a new prompt challenge! I shall be posting a new one shot every day through till Christmas!

Work Text:

“Pleaaaaaase?”

 

“No.”

 

It was America’s first time celebrating Christmas. The girl had almost seemed entranced by the lights, presents, and decorations. Stephen absolutely indulged her where he could such as taking her to look at the window displays in Manhattan, baking cookies at the sanctum (only one batch was burnt out of ten), and skating at Rockefeller Center. It was the most festive Stephen had let himself get in years.

 

“Pretty please?!”

 

“No.”

 

“Come on! It would look so nice and it’s not that crazy.”

 

“America, I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. I can say no to one request.”

 

There was one line he was unwilling to cross.

 

He hadn't even known it was a line to cross until he and Christine started dating and she had brought it up. Stephen had drawn a firm line in the sand and Christine wasn’t happy but wasn’t surprised either. Christine, however, didn’t have a set of puppy eyes that were nearly as lethal as America’s.

 

“Wong said you’d do it!”

 

“Wong says a lot of things.”

 

This was true. He often pointed out how easily he crumbled in the face of making his adopted daughter unhappy. Ever since America had slipped and called him ‘dad’, Stephen was absolutely dedicated to keeping the 14 year old safe and happy. She hadn’t given up the quest for her mothers, but this was the first time she could actually settle in a universe and America was loath to leave and lose her new home for answers she wouldn’t want to learn.

 

So for now, America was legally known as America Strange (he pitied the poor girl but she seemed to take pride in the title) and was his adopted daughter. She was doing a great job in making his heart turn to mush.

 

“Stephen.” He looked down at America who held his future torture in his hand with small but hopeful smile. “Please?”

 

“I’m not going to do it.”

 


 

 

“So she got you to do it, huh.” Wong drawled as he walked up to Stephen. It was the Avengers Christmas party that they had started having the first year after the final defeat of Thanos. The Avengers Compound had just been rebuilt and they wanted a reason to get together that didn’t involve world ending threats. Now, every year more and more heroes of different varieties and those who had powers were invited to mingle, eat free food, and usually get drunk.

 

This year he was able to bring America. The downside of this was that she had learned about holiday sweaters. The girl had pestered him for weeks about wearing matching ugly sweaters and it was only yesterday that he finally caved.

 

America cheerfully bounded up to him with two plates of pizza and a number of homemade cookies. He gratefully took the plate as she babbled about all of the heroes around her age she was getting to know.

 

“And then there’s Spider-Man who’s really nice and wanted me to say hi to you for him. He said that he knew I was yours because of the sweaters!”

 

Okay, perhaps the sweaters weren’t the worst thing in the world.

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