Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers.

Merry Christmas everyone! *snugglehug* :)

70 years ago~

Steve looks up.

There's mistletoe. There's hustle and laughter and warmth and cheer, men and women in uniform dancing and flirting and drinking, and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above her, and Peggy Carter smiling into Steve's face, her lips red as a rose.

'Peggy,' Steve says, and her voice sounds strange. She runs her tongue over lips that have suddenly gone dry, glancing up at the mistletoe and down into Peggy's dark sparkling eyes. She doesn't know what to say. This isn't – this is not something that happens. Mistletoe, and two girls.

'That's a sprig of mistletoe, Steve,' Peggy observes. Her voice is warm and husky and amused. Steve opens her mouth, then closes it again, searches Peggy's face pleadingly.

And Peggy's eyes soften, her knowing smile melting into something wry and gentle and ever so slightly lopsided. 'Come here,' she says quietly.

And then Peggy Carter, brave brilliant Peggy, raises herself on tiptoe and brushes warm bright lips to the dimple of Steve's cheek, just beside the corner of her mouth. Her delicate fingers press Steve's face for a moment, and then she's back on the ground, and there's something that might be a question in her eyes.

Steve blinks hazily down at her, heart thudding hard in her chest. Her fingers come up almost unconsciously to touch the place where Peggy's lips had met her skin.

Peggy's smiling at her a little sadly. 'Merry Christmas, Steve,' she says, and reaches for Steve's hand beneath the mistletoe and gives it a little squeeze.

And then, before Steve can gather her scattered thoughts and say anything, Peggy's gone.

Present day~

Steve doesn't have to look up.

There's mistletoe above her – Steve helped put it up herself. There's warmth, and laughter, and cheer, a little Christmas party just for them. Just them – the Avengers family, Steve thinks warmly – and a very few of their dearest friends. Thor is there for the occasion, laughing mightily and drinking with Bucky and Clint, who are sitting so close that they might as well be on the same barstool, leaning all over the counter and each other. (Steve's not sure how those two manage to go on kidding themselves that there's nothing like that between them. It's almost painful to watch, sometimes.)

Thor's friend Darcy is chatting nineteen-to-the-dozen at Bruce, who's watching her with what looks like affectionate amusement. Every so often he gets a quiet word in, and Darcy beams at him through her specs and nods like a jack-in-a-box.

Natasha and Sam and Tony's friends Pepper and Rhodey are sitting with lots of little glasses and many bottles of different Christmas liqueurs. They're arguing about Harry Potter: who was more to blame, Snape or the Marauders? (Steve, personally, has a sneaking sympathy for Snape, because James Potter was a bully first.)

And then there's Tony.

Tony's – lovely. She's bouncing around the place like an excited child, all big brown eyes and wild hair and ridiculous, adorable little Tony-interjections into everyone's conversation. It seems as though she feels that she needs to be everywhere at once, making sure everyone's having a good time. As Steve watches, amused, Tony and Darcy are flailing at each other in excited agreement about something, while Bruce's eyes crinkle in laughter. Then Tony's bounding across and leaning over Rhodey's chair to steal his little liquor glass and try it. Rhodey grabs it back.

Steve stands quietly under the mistletoe, watching, and thinks she could watch all night: Tony is bright and funny and effervescent and sweet, though Steve knows that Tony would never believe in her own sweetness. Tony's hair is sticking up in the dearest little dark curls over her head. There's one particular curl over her ear that Steve wants very much to poke her finger through.

Tony's coming over now. Steve doesn't move, just smiles a little and waits for her; her heart is suddenly thumping in her throat. Take a risk, Steve had told herself, because Tony was worth it, a thousand times, and mistletoe was mistletoe and sometimes wonderful things happened beneath it.

Peggy would have thought so, Steve thinks suddenly. Peggy would have said that to her: take a risk – and Peggy would have been glad that Steve was happy, that Steve had found someone and was taking a chance on happiness. Peggy would have liked Tony.

Tony's eyes are bright and sparkling and her cheeks are flushed softly pink. She's looking enquiringly up at Steve through those dark curling eyelashes as she stops in front of her. 'Hey Steve!' she says, 'do you want, you should try the punch, Darcy and Thor brought it, it's really…'

Tony trails off; she's looking a little bit confused, now, with one adorable wrinkle in her forehead; Steve smiles down at her shyly. 'Hi, Tony,' she says, and then wets her lips and tilts her head up at the sprig of mistletoe. 'Uh, that's – mistletoe. Above us. Above you and me,' she clarifies awkwardly, and watches Tony's face.

Tony's eyes grow huge and her lips part, and close again. She looks stunned. 'Oh,' she says softly. 'Oh.' Her lips are soft, soft, soft.

Take a risk. Steve draws in a deep breath, and reaches out to very gently tip Tony's chin with her fingers. And Tony doesn't pull away, just looks up with wondering eyes, as though she's not quite sure if she's dreaming; and she tilts her face up to Steve's like a flower in sunshine.

And Steve leans forward, slow and careful, and gently kisses Tony's lips – and her heart is singing as Tony's mouth trembles and moves beneath her own, returning the kiss. Steve's arms come around Tony's waist and Tony melts against her with a little soft sound like a small bird. Steve hears the others noticing, laughter and friendly teasing whistles and catcalls, but she pays no attention, just bends her head and presses her face into Tony's dark curls, breathing in.

'Merry Christmas, Tony,' she whispers into Tony's hair, and Tony nestles into the circle of Steve's arms like she's come home to stay.

This Christmas one-shot takes part in the same universe as 'When I Need You (Comfort Me)', which is written in Tony's point of view. The mistletoe incident will be also be told through Tony's eyes. :)