Fic: This Will Be Our Year
Amelia rolled her eyes at the name that flashed on her phone's screen. "Are you going to call me every--"
"Hour on the hour," her brother interrupted. Or finished. She smiled at the thought. "Yes."
"Who are you avoiding?"
"I'm not avoiding anybody, I'm wishing you a happy new year."
Amelia glanced at the television's clock. "It's not midnight yet."
"Maybe not where you are." She heard laughter in his voice... and behind it. Ben was on the Starkjet with the majority of the younger Avengers and none of the older ones. No parental supervision; Peter nearly had a heart attack.
But Amelia had chosen to stay home.
"Where you are there is a party going on," she reminded him. "And at least three or four girls looking for you right now."
"Four?"
"At least."
Ben didn't answer right away. Amelia imagined him going through a mental checklist of the women in his life and started to giggle.
"Amelia..."
She shook her head at his tone. "I'm fine. I promise." Another hesitation. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"I don't like that saying."
Amelia hit the arm of the sofa. "Will you go have fun with your friends?"
"They're your friends, too. I'm not the only one who misses you."
Her hand tightened around the phone. "I know." She shook her head against the threatening gloom. "Now go, and don't call me again until Winona kisses you."
"Don't you mean Lindy?"
Amelia's lips curled with mischief. "No. Lindy can kiss you whenever she wants. Winona has to set up a 24 hour jet plane party sponsored by Tony Stark to give herself a fighting chance at one little liplock."
"That's not why--" Ben sputtered.
"Right." She held the phone out so she couldn't hear any of his varied protestations. "Just go drink the champagne and let them have their way with you and call me in the morning." She hit 'End' and took a deep, shaking breath. The screen lit up with the time.
The new year was fast approaching.
Jake wasn't sure why he was staying up for midnight. It had never been an important event for his family the way it was to Amelia's. His parents were away and his friends at the party. Anthony might call to wish him a happy new year, and being Anthony, might worry if he didn't answer. But it wasn't thoughts of Anthony keeping him up.
Snow puffed suddenly off the sill below his window. Jake pushed it open, eyes darting into the night. The whole city was awake, and loud with anticipation. Anything could have disturbed the snow. But the flash was familiar...
"Amelia?"
Everything was still a long moment as Jake's eyes adjusted to the dim light. Finally the snow puffed again as she dropped into sight, cheeks bright red with cold, or contrition.
"...I’m sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper; without the frozen puffs of air that surrounded her he might not have known she'd spoken at all. "I didn’t mean to... I know I shouldn't... I'm..."
Jake waited.
"I just... I wanted you to be the first person I saw after midnight."
He frowned, thoughtfully.
"Why?"
Amelia pulled her lips in over her teeth. She blinked twice before answering. "I want it to be a good year."
The crowd answered her before Jake could, counting down to midnight, and exploding when they reached it. Amelia leaned in to kiss him before she lost her chance or her nerve. He put his arms out to hold her, maybe to pull her inside, but she spun away, and disappeared.
She escaped to the rooftop, landed in a crumple, tears running hot down her cheeks. Crouched in the corner, she tried to force her heartbeat to still, and she had to breathe, because lights flashed everywhere. Wait, that was her phone.
"Ben?"
"Happy new year!"
She blinked. "Did you kiss Ginny?"
Silence greeted her. Amelia gulped air. "...What?"
"I meant... I'm sorry, I meant Winona..." She started to shake her head but her whole upper body shook as she tried to explain. "I told you not to call...but I didn't... I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Hey." Amelia stopped shaking and focused on his voice. "I called because it's your midnight."
She swallowed. Somewhere she could hear the celebration, but it seemed far away.
"Are you okay?"
She swallowed again. "...No. I'm sorry." She heard him take a breath, rushed on before he could respond with comfort or reproach. "Do you -- do you remember, when we snuck away that one new year's eve... Mom and Dad wouldn't let us come so you..." She closed her eyes, picturing herself and her brother as children. "You flew us... you weren't supposed to -- you said, you said 'I'm not supposed to fly alone' and I said, 'you're not, you're with me'..." Her eyes closed tighter, her whole body tight and focused on his voice in her ear, his answer.
"I remember."
She took a breath. "Let's never be apart for first night again. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
He didn't hesitate. Amelia took another, deeper, and calmer breath, and opened her eyes. "I love you. I'll go home now."
She could almost hear his frown. "Where are you?"
"I'm... I'm on Jake's roof." She blushed even though he couldn't see her.
"Oh."
The silence started to stretch.
"I'm okay." She bit her lip. "I'll be okay."
"I'll come get you."
"What?" She shook her head. "Where are you?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter."
"I'll be okay," she said again.
"I know. I'll be right there." He hung up before she could protest.
Amelia sat up, slowly. Her heart had slowed and her breathing calmed. She set her chin on her knees and turned her eyes to the sky to watch for her brother. The stars were barely visible in the city, but she knew they were there. Someone was singing on the street below. Amelia took a breath and whispered into the wind.
"It's going to be a good year."
"Hour on the hour," her brother interrupted. Or finished. She smiled at the thought. "Yes."
"Who are you avoiding?"
"I'm not avoiding anybody, I'm wishing you a happy new year."
Amelia glanced at the television's clock. "It's not midnight yet."
"Maybe not where you are." She heard laughter in his voice... and behind it. Ben was on the Starkjet with the majority of the younger Avengers and none of the older ones. No parental supervision; Peter nearly had a heart attack.
But Amelia had chosen to stay home.
"Where you are there is a party going on," she reminded him. "And at least three or four girls looking for you right now."
"Four?"
"At least."
Ben didn't answer right away. Amelia imagined him going through a mental checklist of the women in his life and started to giggle.
"Amelia..."
She shook her head at his tone. "I'm fine. I promise." Another hesitation. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"I don't like that saying."
Amelia hit the arm of the sofa. "Will you go have fun with your friends?"
"They're your friends, too. I'm not the only one who misses you."
Her hand tightened around the phone. "I know." She shook her head against the threatening gloom. "Now go, and don't call me again until Winona kisses you."
"Don't you mean Lindy?"
Amelia's lips curled with mischief. "No. Lindy can kiss you whenever she wants. Winona has to set up a 24 hour jet plane party sponsored by Tony Stark to give herself a fighting chance at one little liplock."
"That's not why--" Ben sputtered.
"Right." She held the phone out so she couldn't hear any of his varied protestations. "Just go drink the champagne and let them have their way with you and call me in the morning." She hit 'End' and took a deep, shaking breath. The screen lit up with the time.
The new year was fast approaching.
Jake wasn't sure why he was staying up for midnight. It had never been an important event for his family the way it was to Amelia's. His parents were away and his friends at the party. Anthony might call to wish him a happy new year, and being Anthony, might worry if he didn't answer. But it wasn't thoughts of Anthony keeping him up.
Snow puffed suddenly off the sill below his window. Jake pushed it open, eyes darting into the night. The whole city was awake, and loud with anticipation. Anything could have disturbed the snow. But the flash was familiar...
"Amelia?"
Everything was still a long moment as Jake's eyes adjusted to the dim light. Finally the snow puffed again as she dropped into sight, cheeks bright red with cold, or contrition.
"...I’m sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper; without the frozen puffs of air that surrounded her he might not have known she'd spoken at all. "I didn’t mean to... I know I shouldn't... I'm..."
Jake waited.
"I just... I wanted you to be the first person I saw after midnight."
He frowned, thoughtfully.
"Why?"
Amelia pulled her lips in over her teeth. She blinked twice before answering. "I want it to be a good year."
The crowd answered her before Jake could, counting down to midnight, and exploding when they reached it. Amelia leaned in to kiss him before she lost her chance or her nerve. He put his arms out to hold her, maybe to pull her inside, but she spun away, and disappeared.
She escaped to the rooftop, landed in a crumple, tears running hot down her cheeks. Crouched in the corner, she tried to force her heartbeat to still, and she had to breathe, because lights flashed everywhere. Wait, that was her phone.
"Ben?"
"Happy new year!"
She blinked. "Did you kiss Ginny?"
Silence greeted her. Amelia gulped air. "...What?"
"I meant... I'm sorry, I meant Winona..." She started to shake her head but her whole upper body shook as she tried to explain. "I told you not to call...but I didn't... I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"Hey." Amelia stopped shaking and focused on his voice. "I called because it's your midnight."
She swallowed. Somewhere she could hear the celebration, but it seemed far away.
"Are you okay?"
She swallowed again. "...No. I'm sorry." She heard him take a breath, rushed on before he could respond with comfort or reproach. "Do you -- do you remember, when we snuck away that one new year's eve... Mom and Dad wouldn't let us come so you..." She closed her eyes, picturing herself and her brother as children. "You flew us... you weren't supposed to -- you said, you said 'I'm not supposed to fly alone' and I said, 'you're not, you're with me'..." Her eyes closed tighter, her whole body tight and focused on his voice in her ear, his answer.
"I remember."
She took a breath. "Let's never be apart for first night again. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
He didn't hesitate. Amelia took another, deeper, and calmer breath, and opened her eyes. "I love you. I'll go home now."
She could almost hear his frown. "Where are you?"
"I'm... I'm on Jake's roof." She blushed even though he couldn't see her.
"Oh."
The silence started to stretch.
"I'm okay." She bit her lip. "I'll be okay."
"I'll come get you."
"What?" She shook her head. "Where are you?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter."
"I'll be okay," she said again.
"I know. I'll be right there." He hung up before she could protest.
Amelia sat up, slowly. Her heart had slowed and her breathing calmed. She set her chin on her knees and turned her eyes to the sky to watch for her brother. The stars were barely visible in the city, but she knew they were there. Someone was singing on the street below. Amelia took a breath and whispered into the wind.
"It's going to be a good year."