Part 1

Beginning of December

Tony knows it's that time of year again when he walks into the common area to hear overly cheerful music being played at breakfast.

'Isn't it a little early for this?' he whines as he heads to the coffee machine.

'Oh wow,' Sam laughs, 'someone call the three Christmas ghosts we have a resident Scrooge!'

'He's not that bad,' Rhodes defends his friend. 'Well alright in the run up to Christmas he is, he's the worst Scrooge imaginable. But when you hit Christmas Eve he's worse than a child.'

'Only when I came to spend Christmas with Mama Rhodes,' Tony tries to defend himself. 'I challenge any man to hold back Christmas spirit when they spend Christmas with that angel.' Rhodes just shakes his head and smiles at his friend fondly. 'Anyway isn't it too early still for Christmas music? We're not even in December yet!'

'Tony it's the first today,' Sam chuckles.

'Oh,' Tony's shoulders slump, 'fine, play your Christmas music.'

'We were discussing plans for Christmas,' Bucky explains, 'I'm guessing you and Steve'll be running off to some remote cabin you've got somewhere?' he says with a shit eating grin.

Tony pauses, looking at the coffee in his mug. He hasn't even thought about Christmas, but of course he'd be spending it with Steve. The only issue is neither of them have any family left so there's nowhere to go unless he runs with Bucky's suggestion of a remote cabin somewhere. 'What's everyone else doing?' he asks, buying himself time to think. He doesn't even know what Steve would want to do at Christmas. Probably save kittens from trees or something.

'Well I'm going to be staying here,' Bucky says, 'not got anywhere else to go. I think Vision and Wanda are going to be staying as well. Nat was saying something the other day about not spending it with Barton and his family for once, she wants to give them the chance to have a proper family Christmas with little Nathaniel now he's a bit older.'

'What about you Sam?' Tony asks. 'You spending it with family?'

Sam shakes his head. 'No, my parents are both dead, and I don't really see eye to eye with my brother. I'll be here as well.'

'I didn't want to put the pressure on Mom to cook this year,' Rhodes says, 'which you know she'll insist on doing if I go over there. But it seems weird not going to see her for Christmas.'

'So looks like everyone's staying here apart from you two,' Sam says. 'Tony you alright?'

'Uh oh,' Rhodes says, 'he's gone into his "I'm-frozen-while-I-think-of-something" stance. Brace yourself boys.'

Tony tunes them out. For the first time the whole team would be here for Christmas, and he knows exactly how Steve wants to spend it. He looks up at the three soldiers with a smile. 'Rhodey you invite Mama Rhodes up here and tell her no arguments because we're going to need someone to supervise the kitchen.'

'What? Tony-'

'And tell her she's flying on the Stark jet and no arguments,' he cuts off his friend, already getting out his phone to type instructions. 'I'm only trusting them to look after her properly. We're having a proper Avengers Christmas right here.'

'I thought he was Scrooge in the run up to Christmas?' Sam asks Rhodes.

The older man laughs. 'This is what he usually gets like in the few days before.'

Just then Wanda enters and raises an eyebrow at the grin on Tony's face, and the three chuckling soldiers. 'Do I want to know?'

'How does a proper team Christmas sound to you, Hermione?' he asks her in response.

Wanda pauses as she looks in the fridge, and Tony can't quite place the battle that's going on across her face. 'A proper Christmas?' she asks softly.

Tony frowns and puts his mug down, turning her to face him. 'What is it, kid?'

Wanda looks to the side and shakes her head. 'Sorry, it's just…' she takes a deep breath. 'I haven't celebrated a proper Christmas since… since before I got my powers.'

Tony feels his heart ache a little and pulls her into a hug. 'Well,' he says after a couple of seconds, 'sounds like we've got our work cut out for us.' He pulls away and smiles at her. 'We've got a lot of Christmases to make up for you, and don't even get me started on the amount the two old men who decided napping in ice is a good idea managed to miss between them. At this rate we'll still be celebrating by the time next Christmas comes around.' Wanda laughs, and Sam and Rhodes snigger behind him.

'Very funny, Tony,' he can hear the eye roll in Bucky's voice. 'We're not that old.'

'Dude you were born like a century ago,' Sam says, and there's the sound of a scrabbling going on behind him, which he imagines is Bucky trying to take a swipe at Sam.

'Can we invite Peter?' Wanda asks him.

'I'll speak to May,' he replies, 'and see what their plans are.'

'Tony just press the call button,' Steve's exasperated voice rumbles behind him. He's currently using his boyfriend as a pillow to try and give him the courage to call May Parker.

'Every time I call her I usually do something wrong,' he whines, 'it's like speaking to the headmistress.'

'You've called her plenty of times now stop being a baby. You know both you and Wanda are not going to have a perfect Christmas unless Peter is here with us.'

'What are you-' he's cut off by Steve pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

'Tony you've basically adopted the kid. Everyone knows that. Hell I'm sure even all the vigilantes in New York know that Iron Man has adopted Spider-Man and that's why he doesn't get a lot of trouble from them. You'll spend the majority of Christmas Day wishing he could be here with the team, and Wanda definitely will seeing as they're brother and sister in all but blood at this point.'

'I have not adopted him,' Tony grumbles.

'Yeah cause those legal guardian forms I found printed are not just in case May ever lets you have joint custody,' Steve chuckles.

Tony sits up so fast he's surprised he doesn't give himself whiplash. 'How did you find those? Wait, no, I mean-'

Steve bursts out laughing and pulls him down into a hug. 'Don't worry, babe your secret is safe with me. I was looking for a good hiding place for your Christmas present and found them.'

'Wait you have my Christmas present?'

'No, I was finding somewhere to hide it in preparation for when I got it.'

Tony frowns as an idea strikes him. 'Wait do we have to get everyone joint presents now or are we doing separate ones? I really don't know how this works.'

Steve chuckles again and he can't get enough of that sound, and the way his eyes light up when he does. Though Tony's favourite thing about Steve, which doesn't come out very often, is the mischievous grin he gets when someone has convinced him to play a joke on someone. Usually Peter's convinced him to play one on Bucky.

'Tony,' Steve's voice breaks through his musing. 'Stop avoiding the phone call. You're inviting them round for Christmas not asking for Peter to be involved in a nuclear war.'

'Fine,' Tony grumbles, settling back against Steve's chest as he presses the call button on his phone; one of Steve's arms snakes around his waist as the soldier goes back to reading his book.

'Hello? Tony? Is everything alright?' May Parker answers after a couple of rings.

'Everything is absolutely fine,' he reassures her, 'I don't know why you assume the world is ending every time I call you.'

'Yeah well you can never be too sure with you,' she replies, and Tony glares at Steve's chuckle. His boyfriend gives him an innocent look, which is ruined by the smile on his face.

'Yeah well thankfully yet again the world is not ending when I call you. Anyway surely you'd notice if the world was ending?'

'Tony,' Steve sighs.

'Right sorry getting side tracked. I actually called to ask what you and Peter were doing for Christmas?'

There's a moment of silence on the end of the phone and Tony is just about to check he's still connected when May responds, tone cautious. 'The same we do every year; we're probably going to stay here and eat too much food and watch stupid Christmas movies. And I'll ban him from even thinking of going on patrol.'

'Well, how would you both like to come and spend it up here at the facility with us?'

'What? Are you serious?'

'Of course I am. The whole team is staying here for the holiday, and I'm flying Rhodes' mom over to spend it with us. Honestly the woman is a miracle worker with a turkey, and her Christmas cake is to die for. And we wanted to know if you both wanted to spend it with us as well?'

'Only Rhodes' mom? Don't any of you have family to spend it with?' she asks in surprise.

'The majority of the team don't have any family left,' Tony responds, giving Steve's hand a squeeze where it's resting on his stomach. 'And those of us that do don't really see eye to eye with them. We've all adopted the team as our family, and Peter is part of that, and as his family so are you.'

'Tony I…' she gives a small laugh, 'I'll ask Pete when he's back from school and get back to you.'

To say Peter is a little excitable during patrol that evening is an understatement. He's pretty sure he hasn't stopped chatting away either to criminals he's webbing up or to Karen as he's swinging through Queens. He's also pretty sure Tony didn't invent her to be used as a notebook for present ideas for the team, but he can't exactly carry loads of things around in his suit.

His excitement only grows as he catches sight of a familiar red clad figure waving at him from a rooftop. Grinning to himself, he changes the direction of his swing and lands in front of the mercenary with a slightly more dramatic somersault that usual.

'What's got you all energetic today, Baby Boy?' Deadpool laughs. 'Finally asked the girl out you've had your eye on and she say yes?'

'Ugh really?' Peter rolls his eyes. 'You're as bad as my family. I haven't got my eye on anyone, Pool, so no I haven't asked anyone out. Besides who'd want to date Spider-Man? I spend the majority of my free time swinging around a city stopping crime, not exactly great advertising for a partner is it?'

'Oh I don't know,' Deadpool replies, 'I'd tap that ass any day.'

'Yes well you aren't exactly known for being the picture of sanity,' Peter laughs. 'I'm excited because Mr Stark invited me and my family to spend Christmas with the team up at the facility. Apparently everyone is staying there over the holidays for once, and he's even getting Colonel Rhodes' mom to come over.'

'Sounds like a proper superhero holiday,' the merc offers him the box of tacos that's been waiting for his arrival. 'Should I be warning the fire department? Or will it more likely be a horror film scenario that goes down? Ooo maybe I should start placing bets on who'd be the first to be killed.'

'Seriously? We are not going to get attacked by a horror villain, and who even has that as the first thing they think of when talking about Christmas?'

'Aw come on! I know Christmas horror movies are shit but they can still be entertaining!'

'No they can't,' Peter deadpans. 'They are monstrosities that should never have existed in the first place. Why would you think 'oh yay let's talk about horror' at Christmas anyway?'

'They always used to tell ghost stories at Christmas,' the man points out, giggling as Peter takes a swipe at him.

'Oh stop being a know-it-all,' he grumbles. 'What are you doing for Christmas?' he asks as they take a seat on the edge of the building and start munching on their tacos.

'Me? Ah nothing much, Baby Boy. Just my usual date with Jack and Daniel.'

'Huh?'

'Seriously? How old are you? Jack Daniels. The whiskey.'

'Well I'm sorry your jokes are so crap they have to be explained,' Peter laughs as he drops down to avoid the merc's swipe at his head, two feet and one hand keeping him stuck to the building, and the other still munching on the taco.

'It's so unfair you can do that,' Deadpool grumbles.

'Seriously though Pool, what's your plans for Christmas?' he asks as he returns to his spot next to the older man.

'That is my plan, Spidey. Me, a couple of bottles of whiskey, and as many crappy movies as I can fit into the time I'm awake. Weasel may turn up at some point if he gets bored, or if I get bored I may head to Al's. But other than that, it's just some quality me time.'

Peter opens his mouth to say something, but the sound of a robbery below them distracts both of them from the conversation.

'Wanna go kick some bad guy ass?' Deadpool grins as he lowers his mask. 'We may need to restock on tacos by the time we're done.'

'I say we get burgers,' Peter replies, pulling his own mask back down over his mouth. 'Or chilli dogs. There's a great place for chilli dogs not far from here. Race you to the bad guys.'

'No fair!' Deadpool shouts as he swings down. 'You've got webs!' He yelps as Peter sends a web to stick around his middle and pulls him down after him. Despite laughing at the mercenary's over dramatic screams, and the look on the robbers' faces when they see both Spider-Man and Deadpool coming after them, he can't help but be less excited than he was when he first started the patrol.

Christmas had started to lose a bit of it's magic.