Winter's Hearts

Chapter 28

On Christmas Adam, more commonly known as Christmas Eve Eve, or December 23rd, you all sat around the Christmas tree in your pajamas exchanging presents with the team. Everyone was leaving the next morning to spend the holidays with various friends and family. So you all sat around the tree with hot chocolate in your pajamas, watching stupid old Christmas movies. Most of the gifts were silly things, jokes and gags, nerf weapons, Avengers toys, Nat made everyone a scrapbook, apparently she did it every year and everyone was always shocked at how detailed it was and just how much into everyones' privacy she had delved, Clint just rolled with it and happily looked through his scrapbook. You may have beaten her, though it was a close competition. You'd made a bunch of calls and done some teleporting around various cities, collecting people for your project as well as a little use of magic, but managed to get a signed group picture of all of the actors who played the Avengers, in costume for each member of the team. You'd staged a picture identical to one you had of the entire team, minus yourself obviously since you weren't in the movie, though Loki was and he was a pain in the ass to convince to be in the picture. So you gave them the pictures in a two-picture frame and they lovedthem.

You were a little surprised that Loki insisted that he was giving you your present once you returned to Asgard. He'd also insisted that you not get him anything, quite forcibly, and repeatedly, and Thor had insisted just as spectacularly, so you knew that they were up to something, you just didn't know what. "No presents this year," Loki and Thor kept insisting, repeatedly. It was quite annoying actually. They were so insistent.

"Don't forget, we're leaving at dawn for Asgard," Thor reminded you and Loki.

You both rolled your eyes. "We're not children who need to go to bed at 10pm," you reminded him grumpily.

"If you want Santa to come..." Tony teased. You grabbed a ball of wrapping paper to throw at him. You all laughed and the wrapping paper war began.

You and Loki teleported yourselves and your presents up to his bedroom after everyone was worn out by the war and the fun evening. "I still feel bad I haven't gotten you anything for Yule," you told Loki softly when you were alone.

"I told you not to, angel," Loki reminded you.

"You're up to something, trickster," you accused. He shrugged and gave you a smirk, but didn't dare deny it. You were almost as good at spotting a lie as he was, so he didn't bother trying.

"You'll fine out tomorrow, dearest. Thor, Mother, and I have been working hard on this, so be patient until then," he bid you warmly as you set your presents on the desk and pulled back the blankets to climb into bed. You did need some sleep if you were to leave at dawn.

"I should have gotten you something!" you told him, distressed that he was going through all this effort for you and you he wasn't letting you do anything nice for him in return. "And Thunderhead," you added.

"Tomorrow, darling. Trust me," he bid you and pulled you into the bed with him. "Stop fretting and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,"

*

You woke to an empty bed in the morning, shortly before dawn. You looked around frantically and drew a blade, looking and feeling for your Loki. He wasn't here and you couldn't feel him anywhere. You bolted out of the bed, but paused when you saw the flashing piece of magic on the nightstand. It was a note. You went to pick it up and read it, growling at whatever was going on this early in the morning.

Kyrie-love,

Mother needed my help and asked that I return early. It wasn't urgent enough to wake you. Go back to bed, dearest, I know you got up too early. Thor will wake you when it's time to join us, sometime after dawn. Try not to stab him just because I did not wake you. Mother would like him in one piece today.