( note! this was originally written for christmas in 2017, and is currently being edited in 2023. everything is the same except for some updated grammar! this chapter still means so much to me, and will always be one of my favorite things i've ever written for this series! )
"MAL, WE'RE GONNA be late!" Natasha shouted to Mal, who was busy pulling on her pants.
"I'll be right there, Nat!" Mal shouted back, successfully yanking her pants on. She grabbed her boots, quickly pulling them on over her adorable reindeer socks. Tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, Mal paused to look at the several pictures sitting on her desk, smiling faces staring back at her. There was the one she took from her old home before she joined the Avengers, a little her with her parents in Wakanda. Next to it was a picture with a twelve-year-old Mal standing next to an amused Coulson. She was holding up Phil's newest addition to his Captain America's trading card collection, of which she gave to him. After that was a picture of fifteen-year-old Mal standing between Alexis and Rosa. They were all grinning brightly. Mal smiled softly, ignoring the pang in her heart. "Merry Christmas, guys." She said quietly before leaving her room.
"Took you long enough," Natasha joked, looking absolutely stunning. Her red lipstick was applied perfectly, and she was wearing a gorgeous black dress. Mal felt incredibly underdressed next to her, with black jeans, an ugly Avengers themed Christmas sweater, and a simple pair of boots, gifted to her by Natasha a month ago. "You look good." Natasha said as if she had read Mal's mind. "Let's go, Tony's car is waiting." Mal rolled her eyes but followed Natasha out of the apartment. She was excited to see everyone together again.
–•–•–
"There she is!" An already tipsy Tony Stark shouted as Mal entered the room, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Bruce! Our third Science Bro is here!" He shouted again, whirling them around to find Bruce. Mal laughed, but didn't correct him about her not being a bro. Bruce smiled apologetically at Mal for Tony.
"Sorry about him, Mal. It's good to see you again." Mal stepped away from Tony to greet Bruce with a hug.
"It's okay, I'm pretty used to it." Mal explained, making Bruce laugh. He turned, grabbing a mug from the table behind him and then held it out to Mal.
"Have some eggnog." He said with a smile, and Mal took it gratefully. The two were interrupted by Thor, who was previously taking in the wonders of Tony's very large Christmas tree.
"Lady Mal!" He bellowed, approaching her quickly. Thor hugged her, picking her up with ease as he did so. Mal laughed, returning his hug before he let her down again. "I have a gift for you, as is tradition on this day of yours!" Thor turned to where one of the couches was, and picked up a box that was not wrapped, or even truly a regular box. It was made of a dark metal, with intricate patterns and symbols carved into it. "I asked my mother and the Lady Sif for ideas on what to give you." Mal raised an eyebrow at Thor, a soft smile stretching across her lips.
"You asked your mom what to get me for Christmas?" She asked, and Thor tried not to look embarrassed. "Thor, that's so sweet," Mal said softly, and Thor smiled, proud that Mal appreciated his thoughtfulness.
"Open it!" Thor shouted, thrusting the box into Mal's hands. Carrying it over to the couch, Mal sat down, placing the box on the coffee table. Everyone was gathering around now to see what the god had given the young Avenger. Mal carefully opened the top of the metal box, and her eyes widened at what was inside. There were two metal gauntlets, fit to cover her forearms. They were dark grey, nearly black, and had similar carvings as the box. "They're made of the finest Asgardian metals! All the warriors of Asgard have armor crafted from the same materials. Lady Sif thought they would be perfect for you, as a young warrior." Thor explained, and Mal gently lifted one, examining it. It was beautiful, and much lighter than Mal thought they would be. "They're lightweight to allow you quick movements, but are as strong as your human vibranium. Nothing will shatter these!" It was clear that Thor was very excited about his gift, and Mal had to admit that she was, too.
"They'll go great with my gift," Tony began, smiling proudly. "JARVIS, display model one of Emerald Series." Tony said to his AI, and Mal watched with curiosity as one of the panels in the wall slid open, revealing a suit on a mannequin, lit brightly and being showed off as if it were a prized possession. Mal realized, that, perhaps it was. The suit was black, nearly matching the one that Natasha was given for missions. There were green accents running down the side of the suit, but the color was dark enough to where it blended into the black of it. "I present to you all, the first addition of the Emerald Series, designed for our favorite munchkin." Tony said, spinning around with a grin plastered on his face.
Mal smiled, standing up. She slowly approached the glass case that held the suit inside of it. She glanced at Tony, who nodded, and almost as if JARVIS knew what Mal wanted, the glass slid open. Mal reached out, her hand brushing over the suit. The teenager grinned, her smile bright and happy, as she turned to face everyone again. Tony held up a finger however, telling her to wait.
"One more surprise." He said, his words slurring slightly, but he was on a mission. Underneath his extravagant Christmas tree, was a wrapped box that was thin, but rectangular. Like something a fancy store would wrap your new dress up in or something. Tony picked it up, turning to hold it out to Mal. "For you." He said softly, and Mal nearly lunges for it, snatching the box from his hands. She returned to her spot on the couch, pulling off the ribbon in the box before pulling it open. Inside was a brand new leather jacket that looked more expensive than their apartment. Mal gaped at it as she held it up, noting that it looked to be her exact size. "I know you already have one, but you can never have too many. Pepper actually picked it out, if I'm being honest. She wanted to be here to give it to you, but unfortunately she had to go to D.C. for an important meeting."
"I love it!" Mal said excitedly, gently placing it back in the box. "Tell Pepper I said thank you." Tony nodded at her request and Thor cleared his throat.
"There is one more thing for you from me as well, Lady Mal. This is a personal gift from my mother, however." Thor explained, holding out a small black box meant to keep jewelry. Opening it up, Mal found a silver bracelet inside. It looked like a cuff bracelet, it was a solid piece of metal that seemed simple enough, but Mal knew that a gift from the Queen of Asgard wasn't just a simple bracelet. Thor gingerly took the bracelet from her, and Mal allowed him to hook it around her left wrist. It clicked shut, fitting perfectly. It was right where it wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't so loose that it would slide up and down her arm. The carved lines and symbols that were also engraved into the metal flashed a bright green as Mal gasped, her eyes flashing the same color. "When I told mother of your abilities, she had this made specially, and enchanted it herself. Since you are young and still learning to control your abilities, this will help you. It can absorb large amounts of excess energy. My mother had one like it when she was a young witch, to help guide her in her training." Thor explained, and Mal nodded along. "It is also a symbol for you, Mal. If you ever feel lost, alone, or afraid, look to this bracelet and be reminded that you have all of Asgard there for you, as well as us Avengers. Be reminded of your home, and the power you hold inside of you. Never feel like you are confronted with a foe you cannot defeat." Mal held back tears as she wrapped her arms around Thor in a tight hug.
"Thank you, it's beautiful." She said softly, forcing herself to calm down. Clint stepped up next, looking a bit sheepish.
"I don't have a fancy new suit for you or some indestructible armor, but I do have this," He held the package out for Mal, who took it gratefully. She felt a little bad tearing apart the wrapping paper, but Clint's face showed that he wasn't bothered by it as she did so. Mal's eyes lit up brightly at what she saw underneath.
"No way!" She shrieked, holding up the tactical army knife. It was a little concerning that she was so excited to be holding up a knife, but the teen had been eyeing Natasha's collection for months, so with her permission, he got her one. It wasn't large, and was meant to be slid into boots for ease of use and a hidden weapon.
"It's can be hidden inside any of your boots, so you can be fashionable and lethal." Clint joked, smirking at the excited Mal who was holding it in her hands as if it was her most prized possession. Behind her, Tony pouted to himself, thinking of all the knives he was going to buy her just to one-up Barton.
"Thank you so much!" Mal beamed, her eyes sparkling. Next up was Bruce, who shyly sat down next to her on the couch. He didn't have a physical gift for her, but he was hoping that would be okay.
"I don't technically have a physical gift, but I still have something for you." He began, and Mal nodded signaling him to continue. "I worked some stuff out with Tony, to get you your own section of the lab." Mal looked as if she was shocked for a moment before looking at Bruce with wide eyes.
"Really?" Mal squeaked out, and Bruce nodded with a smile. Mal didn't hesitate to launch herself at Bruce, tackling him with a hug and nearly knocking both of them off of the couch. "Thank you so much!" She shouted, and Bruce returned the hug, before they separated.
Steve slowly slid his gift across the coffee table, and Mal took notice of it as she picked it up. Slowly unwrapping the tiny package, Mal's eyes immediately filled with tears. Inside were Phil's trading cards, renewed and cleaned up, with Steve's signature scribbled on all of them. Mal looked up at Steve, teary-eyed and her heart swelling.
"Thank you," She said quietly, and Steve nodded with a soft smile. Everyone knew how much the gift meant to her.
"My turn," Natasha said, gracefully sitting down on the couch between Mal and Bruce. She held the gift-wrapped box out to Mal, who took it. Carefully, Mal pulled the wrapping away before taking the lid off of the box. Her already teary eyes overflowed, several tears trickling down her cheeks as she looked at the beautiful gift. "I saw all the photos on your desk, and thought maybe you could add one more," Natasha said gently. Everything crowded around Mal to see what Natasha gave her. It was a framed photo of all of the Avengers together, smiling and happy. Mal was in the center, an arm slung around Clint and the other around Natasha.
"This is perfect," Mal said after a moment, her voice cracking slightly, clutching the picture to her chest.
Everyone continued the night, taking in the peacefulness of them all being together. Safe, happy, protected. It wasn't what Mal would have thought of for an ideal family if you had asked her several months ago, but now? She would tell you that a billionaire, a god, two trained assassins, a scientist with anger issues, and a super-soldier made up the perfect family.