As Christmas drew near, every class was required to hold a holiday party. Daisy handed the entire planning responsibility straight to Clara.
Clara's heart screamed no.
She had never organized anything like this before—but Daisy told her, quite firmly, that aside from Clara, she trusted no one else with the job.
Carrying a faint trace of vanity—and perhaps a desire to live up to that trust—Clara accepted the responsibility.
Being the planner meant everything: mobilizing classmates for program auditions and rehearsals, supervising classroom decorations, and managing the class fund budget.
It was exactly the kind of trouble Clara usually avoided. More than once she nearly threw in the towel, but pride and promises weighed heavier than annoyance. Once she'd taken it on, she would see it through.
It was already past eight in the evening when Clara finally got home the night before Christmas Eve. After the party ended, she and two class officers had stayed behind to clean up—returning desks, chairs, and audio equipment to their proper places.
The moment she stepped inside, she collapsed onto the couch, completely drained.
Her phone—Steve had given it to her—buzzed insistently. So far, only three numbers were saved: Pepper, Happy, and Steve.
Pepper and Happy both assumed the phone was something Clara had bought herself. Clearly, they didn't understand her spending habits very well.
"Hello, Steve… yeah, I'm home… what? Pick me up? No, no, that's really not necessary— I mean— tomorrow I'm going to my uncle's place for Christmas. Yes! My guardian—he counts as my uncle, right? Really, you don't have to… okay… bye."
Steve had offered to take her to Washington for Christmas. A round trip from Washington to New York City was over six hours. Clara didn't want to trouble him, so she lied—claiming her guardian would take her to spend Christmas at his place.
Whether Happy would actually come for her, Clara didn't know. But it didn't matter. For years now, she'd stopped expecting "family reunion" holidays.
She'd been so busy with school lately that she hadn't even thought about decorating the house. Outside, every home glowed with lights and Christmas trees. Inside, her house remained just as it always was—simple, quiet, and cold.
…..
"You calling that little sweetheart in Brooklyn?"
Natasha teased as Steve hung up.
"Yes. Tomorrow's Christmas. I was going to bring her to Washington," Steve replied while gathering his things.
"But Clara said her guardian would take her home for the holidays. She said I didn't need to come."
"A man who can leave a thirteen-year-old alone in a big house—do you really think he'll suddenly show up for Christmas?"
Natasha tilted her head slightly, arms crossed, her smile meaning more than her words.
"You're saying…"
"That kid doesn't seem keen on getting close to people. What if she lied to you?"
Natasha had been paying extra attention ever since learning about Steve and Clara's strange connection. Recently, Stark hadn't made any visible moves either—it was almost as if he'd forgotten he had a "daughter" at all.
Steve thought about it. "You might be right. I'll drive over tomorrow morning. Wherever I am, it's the same for me anyway."
…..
Early the next morning, just as Steve mounted his motorcycle, a black Humvee pulled up beside him.
"Hey, handsome! Planning to let a little girl freeze on the back of your bike for three hours?"
"Natasha? That car—" Steve stared. It looked awfully familiar.
"Director Fury's," Natasha said casually. "Borrowed it. This thing can fly—Brooklyn won't take long."
Somewhere else, Nick Fury stood in his empty garage, suitcase in hand.
"NATASHA! You stole my car again!"
…..
At the same time, Pepper was urging Tony to hurry.
"Come on, Tony, move it!"
"I'm already moving! Can't Happy just pick Clara up? Why do we have to go to Brooklyn for Christmas?" Tony complained, baffled by Pepper's sudden excitement.
"Surprise! Do you understand what a surprise is?" Pepper beamed.
"I want to see the look on her face when we show up out of nowhere. That's the fun part!"
"…I don't want to understand," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes.
He was convinced Pepper would be disappointed—Clara wasn't the type to burst into happy tears.
Thanks to Fury's flying Humvee, Steve and Natasha arrived before Tony and Pepper.
When Clara opened the door and saw Steve, she felt like a thief caught red-handed.
"Didn't you say someone was coming to pick you up? Why are you still here?"
Steve's expression darkened.
"Well… maybe they're already on the way…"
Clara laughed awkwardly. She hadn't expected Steve to come anyway after she'd refused him.
"Hey, Clara," Natasha chimed in smoothly. "Aren't you going to invite us inside?"
"Oh! You're the lady from Stark Tower!" Clara exclaimed.
"You changed your hairstyle—I almost didn't recognize you!"
"Yeah? What do you think?" Natasha ran a hand through her hair.
"I think… the old one looked better."
Clara chose honesty.
Natasha's smile froze for half a second before she patted Clara's head.
"I'll change it back."
Inside, the house felt oppressively empty. On a day meant for family reunions, it was clear the homeowner had none.
"I think she's agent material," Natasha murmured to Steve.
"Independent, resilient, good at lying."
"I'm not sure that was a compliment…"
Since they were already here, there was nothing left to hide. Clara went upstairs to change, preparing to go to Washington with Steve—her first time traveling that far.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
The door opened.
Steve and Tony locked eyes.
"Stark?! What are you doing here?" Steve blurted out.
Tony smirked. "Uh-huh. This is my house. My name's on the deed. Why wouldn't I be here?
But you—you being here is the real question."
"The wealthy benefactor… was him?"
Steve pointed at Tony, finally understanding. Clara's insistence that he not investigate suddenly made sense.
Clara could only smile weakly. At this point, hiding it had been pointless—she should've just been honest from the start.
"Natasha! Long time no see," Pepper greeted warmly.
"How's S.H.I.E.L.D. treating you?"
They'd become close during Natasha's time undercover at Stark Industries.
"I'm fine," Natasha replied. "But shouldn't you two be spending Christmas in New York City?"
"This year we wanted something warmer and livelier," Pepper said brightly.
"We brought decorations. Happy, bring the boxes."
As Happy lugged the crates in, Tony glanced at Steve's empty hands.
"Showing up for Christmas without bringing anything—don't you feel embarrassed, Captain?"
Steve had no rebuttal. He'd come to take Clara away—who could've guessed he'd run straight into Tony Stark?
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