Author's Note: This is my very last story for the Joy to the World Crossover Collection. I truly hope you have enjoyed all of them this holiday season. I'm sure I'll have another holiday collection next year. Thanks for always reading along!
This story was prompted by and written for my very good friend starrnobella. She has always been such a great source of inspiration when it comes to my writing. I hope that you enjoy this story even though it's not originally the pairing I thought it was going to be! Merry Christmas!
Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her grammarly subscription to beta read this. Any other mistakes you find are definitely my own. Much love, xxDustNight
Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to those at Marvel Studios, Warner Brothers, or J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
Trees Aplenty
Pairing: Tony Stark/Pansy Parkinson
Rating: T
Summary: In which Tony and Pansy have the same bright idea when it comes to Christmas surprises.
Prompt: Person A and Person B are celebrating their first Christmas together. Both of them, being extra af, want to surprise their s/o by buying the biggest and most glamorous tree out there. They end up with two ginormous trees in their house that are both nonrefunfable.
. . . .
Trees Aplenty
. . . .
First Christmases were a pretty big deal. At least, that's what Tony thought. He and Pansy had been together for a few years before deciding they were ready to tie the knot. However, they hadn't really celebrated Christmas until this year. Usually, they would travel to some fancy tropical resort and spend the holiday basking in the sun and sand while drinking and eating gourmet food to their heart's content. This year, however, Pansy had asked to stay home and celebrate like a "normal" couple would do. Tony happily obliged.
Now, though, he was struggling on what to do next. It had been many years since he'd properly celebrated Christmas. This time of the year was always a bit difficult for him, with good reason. Nevertheless, he was determined to make this work. That's why he was currently standing in the middle of a random tree stand trying to find the biggest, most fantastic tree humanly possible. He'd managed to drag Steve along with him, chiming he would be able to give some solid advice.
"What about this one?"
"Tony," Steve began, giving him a look that clearly meant he thought the man to be crazy. "That tree is bigger than the Hulk Buster. It will never fit in your apartment."
"Pft," Tony said, waving Steve's comment away. "It's not an apartment, it's a two story suite. There's plenty of room, I'm sure. Besides, I wasn't asking about the size. Does it look alright?"
Sighing heavily, Steve crossed his arms and took another look at the tree. "Aside from the largeness of the tree, it's beautiful. I think Pansy would love it."
"This is the one then," Tony said with a smile. Clapping his hands together he glanced around for the owner of the stand. Spotting him, Tony waved him over.
"Can I help you?" the man asked with a pleasant smile.
"I'll take this one," Tony told him, pointing at the tree.
The owner looked slightly confused. "Sir, this tree isn't for sale. It's actually still in the ground."
Steve hid his laugh by coughing, and Tony just frowned. After an awkward pause, he said, "Have I mentioned I'm Iron man?"
. . . .
"Bloody hell," Pansy muttered as she stomped through the slush. She and Hermione were at a random tree lot, and it wasn't going so well.
"We'll find one, I promise," Hermione did reassuringly.
"We have to because my arse is not going to another one of the lots in this mess," Pansy groused, pointing at her muddy boots.
Hermione bit back a laugh, knowing that it would only infuriate her friend further. "Seriously, Pans, we'll find one. This lot has more than the rest we've been to, and they look better too." Gesturing at all the trees, Hermione hoped Pansy wasn't going to throw a tantrum.
"I guess you're right," Pansy conceded as she spotted a few trees that looked promising. She just really wanted her and Tony's first Christmas as a married couple to be everything he'd always dreamed of and more. Knowing his dark past with the holiday, she hoped to brighten his spirits and make it merry.
"That's what I like to hear," Hermione said, now looping her arms through her friend's and guiding her toward the new lineup of trees. "Steve and I found ours here last year. I'm certain yours and Tony's is just waiting for you too."
Pansy did not respond for she'd just spotted what she thought to be the most perfect tree. She dragged Hermione forward, not caring that the bushy-haired witch was protesting. Stopping in front of the tree, she smiled and finally released her friend.
"It's perfect," she breathed, placing her hands on her cheeks. "This is the one."
"You're kidding, right?" Hermione questioned, examining the obscenely large tree. "That thing is bigger than Hagrid. No offence to him, of course."
Pansy laughed at her friend's comment but nodded. "Yes. This is the one. Definitely. Tony is going to be thrilled." She looked around, trying to locate one of the workers who could aid them. When she spotted the lot attendant, she waved him over.
"How are we getting this back to your apartment?" Hermione asked as they waited for the attendant.
"We're witches," Pansy said in a hushed voice. "We'll figure something out."
Hermione merely pursed her lips in response. They might be able to get the tree home, but there was no telling what Pansy had in store once they managed to get the massive thing into the apartment.
. . . .
"I have a surprise for you," Tony told Pansy when he found her in the bedroom. She was changing into comfortable clothing after returning from her excursion with Hermione.
Turning away from her closet, Pansy smiled warmly at her husband. "Oh, really?" she said as she closed the door. "That's funny because I have one for you too."
"I do love a good surprise," Tony said, taking her hand and tugging her close. He kissed the tip of her nose which caused her to giggle.
"I think you're going to enjoy this one," Pansy told him. "Come on; it's in the front room. Or it should be. I told the Thor to put it there for me."
Following behind Pansy, Tony said, "I had my surprise put there too. Great minds."
Together, they entered the main room of their New York apartment only to find two large pine trees standing in front of the glass windows. Tony laughed aloud at seeing two trees there while Pansy exclaimed, "What the hell?"
"Where did that second tree come from?" Tony inquired, scratching at his goatee. "I only purchased one for your surprise. At least, I thought I did." he gave Pansy a confused look only to have her roll her eyes in return.
"Don't be daft. The other one is my surprise for you," she explained, crossing her arms. "I wanted to have a special Christmas for you this year."
"So we both managed to get the other the same gift," Tony mused, enjoying how ruffled Pansy was right now. He loved when she got this way. "I love it, Pans. No one has ever given me a Christmas surprise quite like this. Thank you." He kissed her, lingering and allowing his hands to wander slightly.
When they broke apart, Pansy mumbled against his lips. "Thank you for getting me a tree too, babe. I love it but what are we going to do? Surely, we can't keep them both."
"I kind of like them both here," he said honestly, enjoying the way the trees filled the empty space between the large windows. It gave the apartment a festive feel; one that it never had before. "Trees aplenty. Let's keep them, yeah?"
"What the hell are we going to do we too bloody trees, Tony?" Pansy groaned, slightly annoyed but finding a bit of humour in the situation. She turned to her husband and gave him a pleading look. "We'll never be able to decorate both of them.
"Wait," Tony said, placing an arm around Pansy and tugging her close. Kissing her cheek, he added, "I think I have an idea."
. . . .
"Well, when we realised we had two enormous trees, we decided we might as well have a bit of fun," Tony explained, pausing to take a sip of his scotch. "Hence the decorating party. Pansy came up with the idea for everyone to make an ornament."
"It seems to be going over well," Steve pointed out, watching as their friends created ornaments to exchange and then hang on the trees.
"Yeah," Tony said and then handed Steve his now empty glass. "Speaking of which, I need to go and give Pansy the ornament I made for her. See ya later, Capsicle."
"Have fun, Tony," Steve replied, rolling his eyes playfully. He too set off to find his wife and make an ornament. Hermione was waiting patiently over by the trees, a gentle smile on her face.
When Tony found Pansy, she was putting the finishing touches on an ornament. She glanced up and smiled. "Hey, babe," she greeted, holding up her creation. "I made this for you."
Tony took the ornament and examined it happily. It was circular but had a few points sticking out around the outside. She'd painted it red and added gold glitter accents. "I love it," he said before swooping in for a kiss. Reaching into the pocket of his
"This is lovely, Tony," Pansy said softly, holding it aloft. The ornament looked like a globe and had obviously been created with a bit of technological help. "Thank you."
"I thought you might like it." Sitting down on the sofa next to her, he added, "You've always given me everything I needed, and I wanted to give you the world."
"Tony," Pansy whispered, cuddling close to him. "You are my world." Then, she kissed him, and they both forgot about everything else.
Eventually they would get around to placing their ornaments on the tree, but, for now, they just enjoyed the company of one another.
