Night.
Luke's house was lit for Christmas. A decorated tree stood in the middle of the hall, its colored lights softly glowing. Snow fell indoors, thin and quiet, vanishing just before it touched the floor.
Everyone was gathered on the sofa.
Selene, Alice, Jill, Esdeath, Wanda, Clarice, Jean, Natasha, and Pietro sat facing the table, where a large cake waited untouched.
Natasha was there because Luke had kidnapped her.
No one commented on it.
The snow at the center of the hall thickened, swirling for a moment before parting.
Luke stepped out of it wearing a Santa Claus outfit, a sack slung over his back.
"Merry Christmas," he said.
"So," Luke asked, dropping the sack near the tree, "how many of you are actually excited for Christmas?"
A half-second later—
"Yeah!"
The response came all at once. Loud. Automatic.
Luke stared at them.
"…That was terrible," he said flatly. "Christmas comes once a year. Where's the excitement?"
Silence. A few glances were exchanged.
Then it clicked.
Selene had lived for centuries—Christmas barely registered as anything special to her.
Alice had never really celebrated it at all.
Jill had spent most of her adult life working through holidays without noticing.
Esdeath didn't even know what Christmas was.
Wanda and Pietro looked genuinely excited, leaning forward a little.
Jean and Clarice were smiling, restrained but warm.
Natasha sat back with her arms crossed, expression neutral—clearly here to relax and do absolutely nothing.
Luke sighed, rubbing his face.
"…Right. I forgot I'm dealing with a very abnormal group."
Esdeath tilted her head, genuinely curious. "So what is Christmas, anyway?"
Luke thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It's not some sacred ritual or anything complicated. It's just a festival people celebrate with family."
He gestured at the tree, the lights, the cake. "You eat together, give gifts, sit around doing nothing important, and pretend the world isn't on fire for one night."
A pause.
"…Basically," he added, "it's an excuse to be with people you care about."
Esdeath considered that, eyes drifting back to the room full of people.
"Hm," she said slowly. "That doesn't sound useless."
Luke took that as approval.
"Good," he said, reaching into the oversized sack slung over his shoulder. "Because I went ahead and made gifts for everyone."
That immediately got their attention.
He pulled out the first box and tossed it to Selene. "This is for you."
She opened it and paused. Inside was a black trench coat, elegant and severe, unmistakably her style.
"It has self-regeneration, enhanced protection, and it amplifies dark-attributed attacks," Luke added casually.
Selene ran her fingers over the fabric, sensing it immediately. "…You didn't have to go this far."
"I wanted to," Luke replied simply.
Next, he handed a slim bracelet to Alice. "For you. It boosts mental strength—should help a lot with telekinesis. Also comes with regeneration and protection."
Alice blinked, then smiled in a way she rarely did. "That's… actually perfect."
"For Jill," Luke continued, pulling out a compact case and flipping it open, "guns."
Jill's eyes lit up instantly.
"They can fire inferno rounds, switch elemental modes, and won't blow you up even if you overload them," Luke said. "I accounted for that."
Jill looked like she might hug him. Or shoot something. Possibly both.
He turned to Wanda next, handing her a long red coat. "I figured you liked red. This one stabilizes magic output and gives layered protection."
Wanda held it like it might vanish if she blinked. "It's… beautiful."
"For Jean," Luke said, offering a delicate necklace, "this helps soothe mental overload and dampens intrusive thoughts. It won't suppress you—just keeps things steady."
Jean closed her fingers around it, expression softening. "Thank you. Really."
Clarice received a watch that looked deceptively simple at first glance—plain, almost unremarkable.
"This enhances spatial perception and strengthens dimensional control," Luke explained casually. "It also lets you store items in subspace. Not a lot," he added, "but enough to be useful."
Finally, he handed Natasha a folded black tactical tight fit suit.
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure this'll fit?"
"Yes," Luke replied. "Adaptive stretch, custom-calibrated. Bulletproof, enhanced strength, regeneration. Once you wear it, it'll integrate and disappear."
Pietro was practically vibrating by now. "Okay, okay—what about me?"
Luke pulled out an item and tossed it straight at his face.
"Bulletproof supersuit," Luke said flatly. "So you don't kill yourself running into things."
Pietro caught it, scowling. "You could've said that nicer."
"I could've," Luke agreed. "Didn't want to."
He turned to Esdeath last.
"And finally—for you," Luke said. "Since you like fighting, I figured I should give you something proper."
He reached into the sack and pulled out a long blue spear, its surface cold and unnaturally sharp, frost tracing along the shaft. The metal looked dense, almost heavy to the eye.
"Made from rare materials found on this Earth," Luke said simply. "It can cut down to the atomic level if you swing it seriously."
He held it out to her.
Esdeath took the spear, fingers closing around it with instinctive ease. A slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.
"…Now this," she said, "is a gift worth remembering."
Luke grinned, clearly pleased with himself. He straightened, dusted his hands together, and looked around the room like a host waiting for applause to die down.
"Merry Christmas, my family. And yes—before anyone asks—everyone's protected. Regeneration included."
Then he tilted his head, a sly smile creeping onto his face.
"So," Luke continued casually, "where's my gift?"
The room went quiet for half a second.
Then Selene stood up without a word.
Alice followed. Jill too.
Luke squinted. "Why do I suddenly feel threatened?"
None of them answered.
Selene picked up a plate. Alice grabbed the cake knife. Jill cut a very generous slice—far larger than necessary.
Luke opened his mouth to protest.
Too late.
They moved in perfect, terrifying coordination.
"This," Selene said calmly, lifting the fork.
"Is," Alice added, stepping closer.
"Your gift," Jill finished, shoving the cake straight
into Luke's mouth.
"MMPH—!"
Cream smeared across his face as they kept going, stuffing another bite in before he could recover. Luke tried to lean back, but Selene held his chin steady with two fingers, utterly unbothered.
"Hey—wait—!" Luke managed between bites. "I can't even taste it—!"
"You should've thought of that," Jill said flatly, shoving one last forkful into his mouth. "Did you really think that just because it's Christmas, you could get away with asking for something outrageous?"
Luke swallowed with effort and stared at them.
"…How did you know I was going to ask something like that?"
Alice answered without hesitation, her tone light but certain.
"It was written all over your face," Alice said flatly.
Luke clicked his tongue. "Tch. So my trick won't work, huh? Fine."
Then he clapped his hands once.
The hall shifted.
The sofa, the open space, the scattered decorations—all of it flowed aside as if the room itself was rearranging to accommodate his mood.
In their place stood a long dining table stretching across the hall, already filled to the edge with food. Roasted meats, steaming dishes, desserts stacked in neat chaos, drinks lining the center—everything warm, fresh, and unmistakably excessive.
Luke spread his arms. "Then let's move on to the dinner part."
Pietro's eyes lit up. "Okay, now this I understand."
*****
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