𝑆𝐿𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇𝐿𝑌 𝐵𝐸𝑇𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑇𝐻𝐴𝑁 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐾𝐼𝐸𝑆 | 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐑

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

𝐏𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝟔

—♟—

"𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘? Is your room clean? Did you brush your hair?" Helen, who had just finished vacuuming the floor, questioned Kara as she walked down the stairs. "Are the snacks in your room? Is there enough? Like enough for all of you and Peter?"

Today was Kara's fifteenth birthday, and since it fell on a Saturday, she decided to host the birthday party on the same day. Only a few people had been invited, being Peter (Parker), Ned, Amelia, and Peter (Maximoff). She just hoped it wouldn't get confusing, having two Peters in the same room. . . .

"Yes, and yes, and yes. Don't worry." Kara reassured her with a giggle as her mom moved on to organizing the pillows that were strewn across the couch. "I'm ready."

Now satisfied with the way she had set the throw pillows on the couch, Helen looked up at Kara. "Oh, you look cute! For a certain someone, perhaps?"

"No, I look cute because I want to look cute." Kara stuck out her tongue at her playfully, although she wasn't particularly wrong. "And this sweater is super comfy also, so, bonus."

Kara was wearing a blue-grey pullover sweater that she had received from Wanda the previous Christmas. It was made of the softest material that she'd ever felt and was a little oversized, so the sleeves were slightly longer than her arms (perfect for whacking people with).

She had tucked that into a black jean skirt, which ended just above her mid-thigh. And the best part of her outfit—the Ravenclaw socks she had on—were a deep blue with a grey edge, and had the Ravenclaw crest stitched on the ankle.

"Sure, sure," Helen laughed in disbelief as she gave one last look around the room.

"Which reminds me," Kara quickly added with a stern glare, "no teasing about Parker."

"I won't, you don't need to worry about that," she promised, though she had a sly smile on her face that informed Kara that she wasn't gonna uphold it. At all.

"Oh no, this is gonna go terribly," Kara groaned to herself as she shut her eyes.

The doorbell rang, notifying them of waiting guests. "I'll get it! Can you go make sure that the oven is turned off? And that the lasagna is covered with aluminum foil?" Helen requested as she speed-walked to the door, which was only a few feet away from their living room. "Oh, hi, Peter, Ned!"

Going as fast as she could, Kara headed into the kitchen and over to the oven, making sure that all the heat settings were set to 'Off.' Once she checked that, she peered through the glass to see the glare of the shining aluminum foil, assuring her that the lasagna was covered.

"Hi, Ms. Cho!" She heard the two boys chorus back in unison.

"Hey, guys!" Kara smiled as she met them in the living room, their attention turning to her as soon as they heard her voice.

"Happy birthday, Kara!" Ned exclaimed, holding out a pink gift bag toward her.

Kara gasped as she took the bag from him. "Thanks, Nedley!"

"Happy birthday!" A shy smile came over Peter's face as he handed her the grey gift bag.

"Thanks!" After placing the two presents next to the coffee table, Kara gestured for them to follow her up the stairs. "Let's go to my room."

They walked into her room, and Ned sat down in her desk chair, ogling at the photos she had hung up there of her with Amelia, Peter (Maximoff), Tony, and some of the other Avengers (and her mom, of course). Ned always loved to stare at those photos whenever he came to Kara's house, having never gotten over the fact that these people were essentially her family.