Avengers/X-Men One Shots - The Blood/White Phoenix Saga

ONE-SHOT XXI: Thanksgiving: Pt. 2 of Unfamiliar Concepts

Set after Blood Phoenix 5

Adelaide Lehnsherr

'HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!' I groaned and buried my head deeper in the pillow as I heard the bang of a confetti gun. I looked up to see Clint standing there in a ridiculous costume that I could only assume was a turkey. I sat up and looked around, seeing orange and white confetti blown up all over my room. I glared at him.

'You did not just set off a confetti gun in my room.'

'I... I might have,' he stammered.

'Go. Run. I give you five seconds tops.' He bolted from the room. Leaping out of bed and quickly pulling on a shirt and jeans, I ran from the room and into the elevator. When I got down to the common room, I ran into the kitchen. The whole team was there, and I could hear Clint blabbering mindlessly behind the kitchen counter, trying to hide from me. I leapt like a cat on the marble kitchen bench and glared at him, while keeping a smile on my face. I twisted and flipped a knife around as he looked up at me.

'Oh, shit.'

'Clinton, you idiot. I can have some fun with this. What's your preference on how you'd like to die?' Just then there was a shout.

'Adelaide Lehnsherr! We do not crouch on Mr. Stark's countertops. Those are real marble - and they took two weeks and a precious $2,000 to install.'

'Please, please, Anthony,' I said, jumping down from the countertop, spinning the knife around in my hands like it was a child's toy. 'It's not like there were better things you could have done with your money. But I will do as your highness pleases.' I threw the knife and it landed perfectly back where it was. 'But who's idea was it to yell a very loud greeting and blow up confetti, which I hate, to my lovely self at 8am in the morning?'

'His idea!' Every one of the team members pointed their fingers at Tony and I glared at him.

'I hate you right now. I legit hate you right now.'

'You know, you're so old, but why are you using 21st century slang?'

'I'm older than you, stupid,' I snapped back. I snorted and rolled my eyes. He did the same. Walking away, towards the door, I turned back to him. 'By the way... what is Thanksgiving?'

And that was how I ended up in the grocery store, looking for the perfect roast turkey. Oh, and Clint was there too.

'The apple pie is right there,' Clint chided. I grabbed it from the freezer shelf and placed it in the cart, then went to grab a can of whip cream.

'I swear I'm gonna make you pay for the prank this morning,' I said.

'Hey, look, Tony apologised before you left,' he argued. I cursed under my breath in Russian as I went to grab some pretzels, Nutella and M&M's.

'Why do I suddenly have to do the team's shopping?' I exclaimed as I looked over the section of differently flavored Pop Tarts. I held up the two Pop Tart boxes of chocolate and strawberry. 'Which kind of Pop Tarts does Thor like?' Clint shrugged.

'I don't know. I've seen him have strawberry, but I guess he likes both.'

'Fine.' I tossed him three large packets of both flavors of Pop Tarts, and he caught them easily, throwing them into the cart next to him. I strolled over to him, then took the cart and started walking through the aisle with it. Just then, I heard a girl scream.

'Oh my God! That's Hawkeye and the Blood Phoenix!!' Three teenage girls ran over with phones in their hands and big fangirl smiles on their faces.

'Ms. Lehnsherr, can we take a photo with you, please?'

'Uh, yeah - sure! Absolutely.' Two of the girls took a photo with me, then they took individual turns taking photos with me. Clint even took a couple photos with them. When they were happy enough, we took our stuff, narrowly avoiding more eager fangirls/boys. After loading the groceries into the car, we climbed in the vehicle. I put my seat-belt on, leaning my head back against the head-rest.

'You okay?' I heard his worried voice ask, breaking into my thoughts.

'Just drive, please.' He put the car in drive and sped out of the parking lot.

We kept driving.

'Are you sure you're okay?' Clint asked for perhaps the tenth time.

'I told you, I'm fine.'

'Really?'

'Well, gee, no. I'm not okay.' There was silence. Then I spoke again. 'Look, I'm sorry, alright? I just - do you ever doubt what you're fighting for, or at least question it? Do you ever wonder why we do what we do?'

'We're Avengers. We fight for well, the world. The people, I guess. And the people we love. Family. Friends. Lovers. Maybe even kids.' The car grew quiet.

'I don't know what that's like. I mean, maybe my past self once did, but - she's gone. She's dead. And now, it's... I'm just struggling to process that I'm actually a good person for once in my life. I'm struggling to process that I'm actually doing something good; that I'm seen as a good person by so many. Yet, the slightest comment - it only takes one reminder of the person I once was to bring back, or at least remind me - of the monster that I was. Those girls in the store... they made me think about it, why I'm so loved. Why I do this. They gave me perspective. You see, I was trying to run away from that perspective. That's why I wanted to leave. But, I see it now. I have to live up to that. I have to be human, yes, but I have to be the role model, the person that they see, the person that they look up to.'

'I get it, Adelaide. I really do. I'll tell you now, none of us asked for this. It was given to us, to be Avengers. You didn't deserve any of what HYDRA did to you; that, that was not fair. But you're right. We have to be the people that the other people that we fight for look up to and admire. And out of all of us,' he added as he took the right turn into the garage of the Avengers Tower, 'you're the one that really exemplifies what it means to be an Avenger. To come back from so much pain and hurt and turn it all around for good. I guess all of us do, in our own unique way. Like Nat though... you've come back from so much and there is no reason that stands as to why you don't deserve people's affection - or love, or our support.' He pulled into the parking spot and stopped the car. I leaned over the center console to hug Clint.

'Thanks, bird-boy. Thanks a lot.'

'You're welcome, little miss mixed bag.' I laughed.

I giggled, holding the camera up with one hand as I squirted the whip cream onto Clint's hand. He was out cold on the couch after Thanksgiving evening dinner and me being the first one up (nightmares again), I decided I'd prank him back from the shenanigan that he'd pulled with Tony's help the day before. Reaching forward, over the couch with a feather, I tickled his ear. Nothing happened. Moved the feather again. No sign. I tickled his ear again and suddenly, he slapped his face with the whip cream, making me lose my resolve to not laugh. I howled in loud laughter, making him wake up and glare at me. He all but bolted off of the couch to the nearest mirror and there was a loud girlish scream that was most likely all Clint. He turned and gave me a death glare.

'Adelaide! My hair!!' he whined. I doubled over in laughter, fully unable to control myself.

'Karma's a bitch!'

'Language!' I heard Steve yell. Whoops, he was up now.

Just a bit of good-natured cheeky Avenger pranking fun :) :D I enjoyed that so much!!!