I wrote this for the Awesomest LJ for Christmas (I hope you like it!) though life kinda got in the way and it's a bit belated (sorry!)
Also, I alluded to several classic holiday songs throughout the story. Some of the references are apparent, while others are more subtle. Can you guys guess them? ;D
Please let me know what you think, guys! I'd love to hear from you!
(and for you guys that are waiting on Figure Drawing, No worries! It's in progress!)
The Tower was bustling this time of year. Even more so than usual. And for the most part, Tony tolerated it pretty well. As well as he tolerated most things.
So when he stormed into their loft, headed for the bar, and proceeded to drink straight from the bottle he'd obviously selected for its potency...Pepper knew something was up.
"Bad day? I can help make it better, you know." She flirted.
As she did whenever he even thought about resorting to drunkenness. She knew how he his moods worked. And the flirting usually took his focus off of the alcohol.
Yes. She could be flirty for him before he was too far gone. Because once he was...well, it wasn't pretty.
"I can outdo that bottle. No contest."
It was working now too. Her method. If the small smile forming at the corner of his mouth was any proof.
He sighed then and rubbed at the muscles in his neck, but ultimately set the bottle down.
"Jarvis, show her the birds."
Well, she wasn't expecting that.
Nor did she have any idea where it was headed. One could never really tell with Tony.
Her curious - and perhaps wary - thoughts were answered that next instant, when one of the nearest holo-monitors lit up with what looked like several security camera feeds. And sure enough...each video loop showed different hallways, offices, atriums and even elevators...with birds.
Not just common pigeons that happened to fly into the building, either. Rather, a multitude of large and small, poultry and water foul.
Some of them were minding their own business. While others were making a menace of themselves towards any humans they encountered. As evidenced by some geese that were chasing a few accountants down a hallway.
"How...wha..."
He just made an exasperated how-the-hell-should-I-know gesture. Though, before he could make a snarky comment to accompany it, Jarvis interceded.
"Sir, I have detected a pattern in correlation to the quantity present of each fowl specimen."
"Pattern? How is there a pattern? Chaos doesn't have a pattern! That's why it's called chaos!"
She really hoped that this current exchange wasn't headed down a path towards another argument between man and A.I.-created-by-said-man. Because she really did not want a repeat of the last time. Just knowing that Tony created Jarvis to begin with, made the arguments between the two altogether impossible to follow. In a weird sort of way, considering it was pretty much Tony arguing with himself.
"This chaos, in fact does."
Tony looked to her while throwing his hands up in frustration. She really wasn't sure why, since he knew she did not play mediator to him and his...cyber-him.
So she just let Jarvis continue on with his analysis.
"There are twenty three foul in total, representing several breeds. Each breed corresponds to a set number. Seven swans, six geese, four birds of various..."
The AI continued on reciting the rest of a very recognizable list.
"You gotta be kidding me."
She tried to keep a straight face once it was clear what was going on. But the look Tony gave her just made it that much harder to suppress.
"Who do you think..."
It didn't take long before the dawn of realization clicked behind his eyes.
"Apparently Barton got me a prank for Christmas..."
She laughed...from his comment, and from the wide-open opportunity he left for her.
"Are you saying Agent Barton is your true love?"
He did a double take, his expression an amusing mixture of confused dawning.
"Animal Services has been contacted, sir."
He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts of a rather rampant succession of scenarios.
"Good."
She watched as his brows furrowed and then pull his phone from his pocket.
"The hell?"
"What? What happened? Is it bad?"
"Um...no. Just got some coordinates."
"Coordinates?"
"Yeah, directional coordinates."
"Rhodey?"
He continued to study the numbers on the screen, absently shaking his head 'no'.
"Jarvis, can you trace this?"
"Already done, sir. Unfortunately, the original sender is one step ahead."
Tony made a face at his phone, mumbling an insult towards Jarvis. When she peered over the device to see why, she found an anonymous message that read, 'Just get here, Stark."
Bruce knew he shouldn't have chanced it.
New York City on a good day was like walking the razor's edge.
Any little thing could set the other guy off. And it was usually after many little things chipped away, one by one, at his carefully cultivated self control.
It was also worse this time of year.
The city moved at an even more frenetic pace than it usually did, piercing each delicate sense - sight, sound, smell... - with bright, pungent loudness that grated on already dangerously frayed nerves.
He could feel the cord that was holding himself together, and his control begin to give under the influence of the other guy's rage.
Although, his own emotions were still present. The strongest in particular, being the guilt of what would happen if he lost that control. So he clung to that emotion, to stave off what would be an absolute disaster.
"Bruce?"
Tumultuous and warring thoughts as restless as the melee around him, ceased the moment he heard his name.
It was a welcome sound of safe familiarity that broke through the noise of holiday calamity. And when he turned to it, he found the expected countenance it fit, wearing a look that was quite obviously trying to conceal her concern.
"Natasha."
She was a very perceptive woman, so she must've noticed the distraction present in his recognizing her. Because a small smile relaxed onto her face
"Holiday shopping? I have to say, you seem like more of an Amazon guy to me."
He returned her smile in kind.
"Hmm. No crowds. First one to checkout. Though gift cards are nice options too."
She raised a brow, smile never faltering. And he just caught the slight motion of her hand releasing whatever concealed weapon she was carrying today.
Normally the gesture would bother him. But this time, he couldn't care less.
He was seeing it in a glass-half-full manner, now that he was distracted out of what could have been another very unfortunate incident.
"So what are you doing in the middle of a famous holiday crowd? This is December in New York City."
"I hadn't really planned it that way. I was just trying to get back to the Tower."
"You're a little out of your way, Doctor Banner."
"Don't I know it."
"Well, it's probably a good thing," she had a twinkle in her eye then, "you should probably avoid the Tower for the next few hours."
He wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean. She was also being vague, cryptic, and selectively forthcoming...which would be worrisome if he hadn't picked up on these little quirks of hers.
"Should I be worried?"
"Not at all." The grin was quite wide now.
She checked her phone, then glanced back.
"So how about a detour, some good company, and a lot less of...this?"
Her brow arched as she gestured at the still swirling mass of humanity around them. And it struck him, how the company of a good friend could tame the wrath of his very literal alter-ego.
"I'd like that."
It was freezing, but beautiful.
There was a fresh layer of snow that stuck to all the surrounding plant life, making the park look like something out a movie. Street lamps positioned strategically, gave the icy landscape a warm, sparkling glow that was at odds with how completely frigid it really was.
And despite the picturesque scene around her, Jane was hyper aware of her surroundings. Even with Thor standing protectively close. This was New York City. And it was night.
"Darcy said to meet her here?"
He had a wary look on his face.
There was no doubt that he could take on any would-be thugs. One handed. And with his eyes closed.
"That's what she texted."
A brisk wind rustled past them, sending a chill down her spine, even with Thor's radiating warmth behind her.
She looked down at her phone, and saw that it was almost ten minutes past the time Darcy said to meet her.
Her resulting grumble was natural, and she scrolled through her most frequently used contacts, finding Darcy's near the top. Though, before she had the chance to call her, the sound of crunching snow and very recognizable voices met her ears.
"I don't like it Darcy. Are you sure she wanted to meet you out here? And not somewhere more...public?"
"Maybe she and Thor were sight-seeing, I dunno. I just want to know why the hell couldn't she have picked some place warmer?"
Jane watched as Darcy and Steve rounded the corner and was greeted with an immediate 'let's make this quick, because I'm freezing my ass off right now.'
She didn't know what Darcy was trying to pull, and it made her feel like an interesting mixture of puzzled and pissed off.
"Excuse me? You are the one who wanted to meet here."
Darcy had a similar expression on her face in that next moment. And she scoffed an annoyed laugh.
"Yeah, I don't think so. I totally have a text from you."
Jane really wasn't in the mood for Darcy's back-talk right then. She was also just about to come-back with her own remark about who was responsible for them standing in the cold, at night, in some secluded patch of Central Park - but they were interrupted once more, by yet another familiar voice.
"Ok. This is not reassuring."
"Tony. You're being paranoid."
"Am I? Look, Pepper," and he gestured to the four of them as the both of them came to a stop, "tell me this doesn't look like we're being rounded up."
By the look on her face, it was apparent that Pepper was going to tell him he was being ridiculous, but she hesitated. Instead she cast a look to the group that had been mysteriously assembled there that evening, and seemed to reconsider.
"Well..."
"See...wait...you're agreeing with me?"
She rolled her eyes, and Jane couldn't help but do the same.
"So, if Darcy didn't text Dr. Foster, and Dr. Foster didn't text Darcy, I'm pretty sure neither of them texted Tony. So, who did?"
"Huh. Steve's got a point. Who texted you?"
Tony eyed The hound couple with a warily defensive expression of one who didn't want to be tag-teamed. But ultimately, for the sake of the situation, he answered.
"It had to be Barton."
Pepper sighed heavily.
"Here we go."
"I'm serious!"
Darcy spoke up then.
"Well...it kinda makes sense. For you, me, Steve, and Thor. But Clint doesn't pester Jane like he does the rest of us. So why would he text her?"
"Uh, because she's direct contact to Bolts."
"You're really stretching there aren't you?"
Tony tossed a glare to Darcy. But before the back-and-forth could mutate into a full-blown argument, Thor, who had been silently observing, spoke up. And his timing couldn't have been more perfect.
"It does us ill to squabble over that which we do not know. Perhaps the one who summoned us together will show himself."
Jane knew that he'd purposely interjected at that moment to ease the tension that had grown since Tony Stark showed up. He was very intuitive to people and their interactions. And she loved that about him.
Most people who met him tended to think he was just the muscle. And even those who knew him, credited his intellectual side to him technically being an alien that outlived every single one of them.
But she knew it had nothing to to with any of that. It was just the person he was.
"So...are we really gonna stand around freezing our asses off waiting for, agh!"
Darcy's yelp startled them all.
"What the hell?!"
She twisted, a hand covering over her backside. Steve was right there. His attention and his own hand also going to her backside in concern. Something that did not escape the notice of the others. Particularly Stark.
"Is Captain Goody-Two-Shoes actually grabbing ass?"
"He's making sure she's okay, Tony."
How Pepper could deal with that man was beyond Jane's ability to fathom.
"What it was just a snowball," he paused a moment, studying the group, before continuing, "...that none of us threw."
And just as suddenly as the first snowball appeared, another smacked him on the side of his head.
"You planned this didn't you?"
Bruce couldn't see Barton, but he knew that it was him aiming the snowballs. Every single one hit their mark.
He and Natasha were hidden just enough out of the way, that the others didn't notice them. Yet with an excellent vantage point to watch as things began to unfold.
"This was all Clint's idea."
"But you're going along with it."
Her lip quirked up in the corner, and she pulled something out of her coat pocket. When she aligned it with her eye to capture the exact moment a snowball struck Steve's shoulder, he realized it was a camera.
"Of course."
Bruce just shook his head, unable to keep his own amusement from curving into a smile, and continued to watch the scene unfold before them. Because there was no way he could deny the hilarity of it. The whole scene...watching a group of heroes and their significant others scramble in confusion.
At some point, Tony got particularly frustrated and tried to hurl a handful of snow in the direction the last snowball had come from. Only he didn't have the error-proof calibration of his suit handy, and his own frozen projectile veered a little of course, managing to hit Steve instead.
"Oops."
He heard a chuckle next to him.
"This is going to be good."
And it was.
The women in the group might have stepped aside, and simply let the three superheroes duke it out. But they never got the chance.
It happened easily enough, when another mis-aimed snowball struck an already irritated Dr. Foster in the face. The petite woman could be a force of her own, and Bruce tried not to laugh, but it was impossible not to when Tony was pelted with handful after handful in rapid succession.
As was par for the course, it snowballed from there.
Natasha all the while, snapped one digital shot after another.
"You should detour more often, Dr. Banner."
"If every time is as fun as this, definitely."
She turned towards him then, her face thoughtful and knowing.
And he suspected that she meant more than an actual physical detour. That his psyche could use a detour whenever he felt like it was going down the more hazardous path.
The thing was...he wasn't so sure that he could make that detour on his own.
There was that enigmatic smile again.
"I think we can manage that."
Clint may have organized the whole snowball fight - that was currently self-sustaining - but it suddenly hit to him that Natasha planned this for him.
She didn't normally run into him outside of the Tower, so it was clear now...that it wasn't a coincidence she appeared just before the other guy decided to show up.
"Merry Christmas, Bruce."
He simply chuckled, nodding his head.
"Same to you."
A quiet settled between them, and they focused again on the peripheral noise of the snow battle that was starting to wind down from the looks of it. Judging by the way Darcy suddenly burst into giggles, he supposed they finally put aside their irritations to realize the amusing ridiculousness of their own predicament.
Natasha still snapped picture after picture, smirk never leaving her face as she documented the scene before them. And they were content, even in the cold, as laughter from their friends grew in volume.
Though a sudden quiet gasp drew his attention away.
And when he looked next to him, he found Natasha brushing snow from her backside, and muttering 'dammit Barton,' through gritted teeth.
The minute they got back to her apartment, they'd hopped in the shower.
The both of them.
It wasn't something that had ever happened before. Even since they began sleeping together. He'd suggested it once, but Darcy said she preferred 'sexy times' on a soft couch or bed. She also said that she had 'far too many body parts to groom while bathing anyways.'
But here they were. Hot water chasing the chill from their bodies.
They didn't even think twice when they got back. Just simply headed strait for the bathroom, discarding cold and damp clothing along the way.
Her hands were icy when she hugged herself close to him. But he didn't have the heart to tell her. Instead, he just pulled her closer so the warmth of the water could cover them both.
Any actual bathing was minimal, seeing as how they were content to just stand there.
At first.
Warmth had returned to their bodies. Helped out by her lips - that were faintly trailing kisses across his chest and up his jaw.
All lingering cold was distracted right out of him.
Even more so when those lips were on his and what was a simple embrace for warmth before...began to heat up into something else every time her tongue did things to his. And especially when her hands, that were no longer cold, trailed down his back and grasped even lower.
It never got too far past kissing and touching though.
Darcy had already slipped once or twice. And when she did, she naturally and automatically clung to him even more. But ultimately, the moment that had been building, slowed when her tongue no longer sucked his, and she rested her head on his chest.
"As sexy as this was going...it would be so much more embarrassing to fall and break something. This is what squishy furniture is for."
Steve chuckled, shaking his head, and felt her body shake with laughter against his before she leaned up to kiss him again.
Brief but lingering.
"See you in a few minutes," she said softly against his lips. And when she pulled herself out of his arms, she gave him an all too suggestive look, complete with meaningful lip
bite.
He reluctantly let her slip from his arms and out of the shower, probably looking as disappointed at his body felt.
"Gotta dry my hair. It is way too cold to let it dry on its own."
The water started to cool when he heard her hair dryer go on. So he just turned off the shower, grabbed a towel, and slipped into the hall...drying himself along the way.
It was considerably cooler than the warm dampness that permeated the bathroom. Which he was actually kind of glad for. Because he really needed to cool down.
He noticed the temperature displayed on the thermostat as he passed by it on the way to her bedroom, and shook his head. It was a new one. With far too many buttons and options than the old one. Darcy had shown him how to work it, but he still hadn't gotten the hang of it yet, so he left it alone and continued on his way.
The hum of the dryer was faint from the bathroom now, but he heard it shut off as he pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He'd been leaving more and more of his clothing at her place. Especially once their relationship had gotten to this very...physical stage.
He shook his head, pulled on the sweatpants, and was about to tug his shirt over his head, but paused at the sound of her voice.
"Leave the shirt."
When he looked up and over his shoulder, he found her standing in the doorway, waiting for his attention. And his eyebrows rose...along with other parts of him that hadn't quite calmed down...at the very feminine...VERY see through...version of Santa's outfit she was wearing.
The image almost left him speechless. If it had been several months ago, it probably would have.
"All the talk about being cold...and you're barely covered."
She moved towards him, and when she stood close enough that he could feel the heat of her body, she looked up at him through her long lashes. With a look in her eyes that said exactly what his own body was ready for.
So naturally, he let himself be pushed to sit on the edge of the bed. And he noticed...not so subtly...that her panties were just as sheer as the rest of what she was wearing when she straddled his lap.
"I don't think we have to worry about being cold tonight."
Thor smiled at the fresh memory of the game of snow they partook in earlier that evening.
It had been a completely absurd turn of events...starting with the mysterious method of gathering them all on one spot.
In fact, he could not deny his alarm at first.
He'd insisted that he go with Jane to meet Darcy - when it was thought that she was the one who had called.
He loved this world. But he knew, like any world, it was not without it faults. Or dangers. None of which he would allow to harm Jane. Or any of his friends.
Confusion and panic were abundant once the first ball of snow hit. All of which culminated in frustration that took hold of them all in different ways. Though ultimately lead to them casting snow at one another.
Instead of the source.
Nobody else had seen him. But amidst the hysteria turned to game, Thor just managed to catch a glimpse of their marksman-comrade moving with stealth in the shadows. It was then he knew they were gathered not for ill-purpose, but for merriment.
"Alright, I know I'm not a good cook...but this is something I can do."
He looked up - thoughts fading - to find his Jane approaching with two steaming cups in hand.
She handed him one, and the smell of its contents greeted his nose with unexpected sweetness. It invited him to taste, only to find an equally unexpected flavor.
"This is not coffee."
She smiled as she slipped onto the great chair with him, tucking into his side.
"It's hot chocolate. My mom and I used to make it when I was a kid, especially this time of year."
He took another drink, and savored the heat that warmed his chest. As well as the sweetness that lingered in the mouth. He'd always enjoyed coffee, but the bitter drink had a potency best reserved for the earlier part of the day.
"It is very good."
"We would always put something different in whenever we made it. Sometimes just extra chocolate syrup, sometimes chocolate chips with marshmallows... my favorite, is when we would smash candy canes and put them in, so it would taste like peppermint."
With a smile, he pushed her hair behind her ear, and tilted her face up to his.
"And now you share this tradition with me."
She didn't answer him then. At least not in words.
Her lips touched his and her tongue, sweet with the taste of chocolate, left a different warmth within him. And all thought of cold...all thought of worry...drifted from his mind for good that night.
Pepper was sound asleep, but not Tony.
Nope. It was one of those nights when his brain literally exploded with ideas. It was also a good thing Pepper had gotten so used to his arc reactor being so bright, because he needed the maximum brightness on his pad for the calculations he was working on.
The propulsion of his suit's thrusters had always been powerful, but I little on the jerky side. And even though the suit wasn't exactly a conventional vehicle, the laws of physics still applied to the person inside it when it made abrupt mid-air changes in speed and trajectory.
No one but Pepper knew the medical issues it caused - chiropractic in particular. And it might not have seemed that way to begin with. But successive and excessive full force stops did a number on his back.
So, pretty much...he was designing a layer within the suit that could calibrate and buffer its passenger at an acceptable ratio proportionate to the degree of deceleration.
He was really into it too. So when the buzzing hum to his left broke the silence, it also broke his concentration.
He knew exactly what it was and glared in the general direction of her phone, because nobody should be sending her anything this late.
She had her own set of consulting hours. And a night shift that could handle any pressing issues until those consulting hours actually started.
It was also obvious it was a text, because the damn thing buzzed every few minutes from not being answered.
Even though it was distractingly annoying, his curiosity - and maybe slight concern...Pepper didn't get calls this late - was growing the longer her phone went unanswered.
So he contemplated for a minute, scratched his chin, and with a few taps and commands, he was able to bring up her messages on his pad.
And he scoffed in bemusement when he saw who the sender was.
"Romanoff..."
His need to know what it was, was even worse now that he knew who was sending the message...with attachments. This late.
The actual message contents were even more intriguing. A simple, 'thought you might enjoy these.'
He frowned, and worried that Pepper was keeping things from him. And then he worried what the two of them might be up to, and that it couldn't be good.
Romanoff was a bad influence.
When the pictures loaded, he wasn't really sure what he was looking at at first. Then he was confused why Natasha would be sending picture after picture of a snowball fight.
With really familiar people...
"Should've known."
There had been months of rehabilitation considering the nature of the wound. And an even longer leave of absence.
All but a select few even knew he was still alive.
SHIELD had furnished a generous stay in Hawaii. Somewhere he'd actually never been. And he'd been a lot of places.
It was nice. The house they put him up in was more than what he needed. But he knew they were over-compensating. But he wouldn't complain. Though it did get a little lonely where he was, as secluded as it was. SHIELD was just taking precautions.
Besides the view was quite nice.
He also was in regular communication with a few close colleagues. In fact, he'd received an email from Barton earlier that morning.
But he'd been out jogging. And when he got back, he'd had a conference call with Fury. So he only just now had the opportunity to see what the message was about.
Normally, the emails he got were short updates on how all the members of the Avengers were doing.
He had to admit, he was a little surprised - but not - when he learned about the Captain's relationship with Miss Lewis. Stark and Ms. Potts were basically the same. those two never changed. He was glad to hear that Dr. Banner had gone without incident - barring actual Avengers related missions. And he was always advised of Thor's comings and goings between realms.
Barton and Romanoff usually kept things to themselves. But it was enough to hear from them on a regular basis and know they were well.
This time though, the message was very brief, the majority of the correspondence were photo attachments.
He wasn't sure what to expect - but it certainly wasn't what appeared on the monitor in front of him.
The images were embarrassingly amusing. Especially one that captured the exact moment a mass of snow exploded against the side of Stark's face. And the resulting facial expression.
Dr. Foster and Ms. Potts tackling Stark to the ground was also a highlight. As was a picture of Captain Rogers and Miss Lewis collapsed in the snow, laughing too hard to notice Thor having just lobbed a massive clump of it in their direction.
That subsequent image just made him grin.
But by the time he reached the last of the photos, he couldn't help the sigh he breathed.
All the snow. The recognizable New York. Though mostly, it was the people - his friends, and everything that made them the unlikely bunch they were - that left him homesick. Despite the paradise around him.
It was Barton's words - 'Mele Kalikimaka, boss-man' - typed at the bottom of the message that made the homesick melt.
They were waiting for him to come home.