Happy late Christmas and New Year! I hope everyone had an awesome time! And I hope you party animals were safe ;D
SO! Here we are. It's literally been around 8 months or so since I've last posted a chapter for this story...yeah, far too long. My apologies for slacking on this. I've been sort of stuck on the chapters and what to do with the plot, but I swear! I have my head in what direction I want to go with it and I (hopefully) won't have any more hiccups along the way.
This chapter is, in some ways, slightly filler-like. In honor of the Christmas/New Year spirit, I decided to put a more festive chapter out so I can ease back into the plot and ease myself back into writing this story. So, please! Bear with me please because this may not be my best work, but I promise to you guys, I am trying my hardest.
Again, sorry for the awful wait. I promise I won't do that anymore!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Iron Man franchise
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a—
"Oh, for God's sake." Tony rolled his eyes as he clicked out of the Christmas poem from his homemade tablet and set it down.
It was that time of year again. A thin sheet of snow covered Manhattan and the city was decked out with Christmas lights, snowmen, and—as Tony would say—drunk, smelly, old men trying to get a buck or two dressing up as some fat guy who snuck into houses in the middle of the night. It was the time of year where people barged through stores, tearing the place up with no remorse.
As the genius tried to think of other awful ways to describe the holiday, the elevator door to his personal floor slid open, a slim young woman strolling out with a knitted red and green sweater and fitted jeans. The man in charge of her looked back before rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he stood up.
"Didn't take you to be the festive type, Livingston."
"Well, Tony, I happen to enjoy this time of season!"
"No! I couldn't have guessed!" the engineer said flippantly as he motioned toward his assistant's attire. "Let me guess. Ugly sweater party?"
Silver glared at the man as she walked around him, lightly shoving him over as she did so. "This happens to be one of my favorite sweaters."
"What happened to your sense of fashion?" Tony said playfully with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure dressing suitably for the eyes is written somewhere in your contract."
"Ha, ha, ha. You're hilarious," Silver replied back as she shook her head with a smile, picking up Tony's tablet and pressing a few icons.
"Now, for today's schedule—" The blonde assistant blinked as the piece of technology was snatched away from her hands.
"I decided to give you today and tomorrow off!" Tony smiled innocently as Silver gave her boss a knowing look, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh? And why the sudden change of heart?"
"Oh, well, you know! Just getting in that holiday spirit!" the superhero retorted back, said man's assistant chuckling before snatching the tablet back and shaking her head.
"Then let me make sure JARVIS knows exactly where you have to be and when!" The billionaire shook his head as he sighed, watching Silver tap away. Smiling to herself, the copper blonde handed her boss back his toy before walking back around him and towards the fridge in the large kitchen just across from the sitting room. Tony followed after almost instantaneously, not even thinking about it; wherever one was, the other could be found.
"Well, now that I've given you all of this free time since I'm the best boss ever—"
"Pffft,"
"—What sort of plans do you have tonight?"
"I was actually thinking about decorating the place a bit." Immediately, Tony shook his head, causing Silver to frown.
"Absolutely not."
"What? Why not?" the woman asked incredulously as Tony merely continued to shake his head.
"I refuse to let this place become some soccer mom's Christmas dream-house."
"Oh, come on! Look around!" Silver motioned towards the building around them as she shook her head. "For being one of the biggest skyscrapers in the city, it's pretty unnoticeable and dull."
"Hey! I take offense to that."
"All I'm saying is that this place could use a few lights here and there and maybe a wreath on the door!"
"This is a place of work. Remember the team of superheroes that live and work here? No one's going to want to hang lights and have holiday music playing over the intercom and—"
"That sounds like a great idea, Tony." Said man stopped dead in his tracks as he and Silver looked up, two guests welcoming themselves comfortably on to Tony's floor.
"Steve! Bruce!" Silver smiled as the two members of the team approached the bickering pair, the leader smiling at Silver before looking back at Tony with a smirk.
"I didn't take you for the Christmas type, Stark."
"Probably because I'm not," Tony replied back sardonically as Steve ignored his opposite's snide remark.
"I think putting a few decorations up would be kind of nice," Bruce stated with a shrug as he glanced around. Tony groaned as he shook his head and looked at his close friend with a defeated gaze.
"Not you too!"
"What's wrong with a few lights and decorations?"
"It's not the lights and wreaths that bother me."
"Then what is it?" Steve inquired curiously. Tony stopped as he stared into the American Hero's blue eyes, the man's gaze far too honest and true for the Iron Man. He looked away as he turned around, taking a seat on the couch and throwing a lazy wave over his shoulder.
"Do what you want," he called out with a sigh as Silver grinned, Steve smiling and Bruce merely chuckling before turning and making his way to the elevator.
"I think we've got some boxes of Christmas stuff in my lab."
"I'll give you a hand with that, Banner."
Silver watched as the two men disappeared behind metal doors before she looked back at Tony. She stared at the back of his head for a moment before she strolled towards the couch and sat beside him. Tony glanced up at her as she gave the man a curious stare, raising a brow at him. In return, the 35-year-old merely rolled his eyes, looking back down at tablet. The young woman rolled her eyes as her boss had, grabbing the tablet from his hand like she had done before. Her boss sighed as he looked up at his assistant.
"Is there something I can help you with, Porcelain?"
"Is there a reason why you hate the idea of Christmas?" The pair stared at each other for a few, long seconds, Silver's gaze unwavering. Tony gained his composure back as merely shrugged, grabbing his tablet back.
"Other than the fact that I'm not a 40-year-old woman with ten kids yelling and running around a two story house with Santa and his reindeer on the rooftop, nope!"
But the truth was, Tony didn't know why he hated Christmas.
"Hey, Steve, hand me that Santa hat, please?"
"Sure thing." Captain America smiled as he handed Tony's assistant the red and white hat. She smiled as she nodded in thanks, placing the top on the Mark V suit. She smiled to herself as she stared up at the red and yellow armor, the hat sitting contently on the top of the helmet.
"What is this? Santa's workshop?" Silver looked over her shoulder and released a hearty laugh at the way Tony stared around his lab as if he were in an alternate dimension; it wasn't impossible to think about.
"Like it?" Steve asked as he glanced at their handy work.
"Is that a trick question?"
"Oh, don't be such a Grinch, Tony!" Silver said with a smile as she approached her boss. "You have to admit, it looks good.
Sticking with classic white lights, a string of them were draped around the ceiling of the Iron Man's lab. Ornaments were hung on miscellaneous parts of the room and a wreath hung over the elevator door. With the lights off, the room sparkled and shined in a way it hadn't before, and if Tony had been in more of the "holiday spirit" he probably actually would have liked the decorations and the ambiance of his lab, but he wasn't. So that meant he automatically hated it all.
"This is all coming down the day after Christmas," Tony pointed out as he walked further into his lab in order to work on a little trinket he had been toying with earlier. Silver rolled her eyes with a chuckle as Steve merely shook his head, approaching his teammate.
"Don't you think you're being a little…what do people say these days…too hard to get?" Tony smirked at the reference as he looked up at Steve—who he had actually been getting along with; perhaps it was the whole "Christmas is a time of loving and giving".
"Steve has a point. Even Natalia and Clint like it."
"Since when are you on first name basis the spy kids?"
"If they can get into the Christmas spirit, then so can you."
"I don't see why it's so necessary for people to 'get into the spirit'. What does that even mean? I'm a nicer, less sarcastic and less selfish person for the day?"
"I think that's exactly it," Steve said with a smirk, Tony shooting the American flag a playful glare.
"Well, either way, I bet you'll be in the spirit once we start opening presents tomorrow." At that, Tony's head snapped up as he looked at the two with wide eyes.
"Presents?"
"Yes, Tony. Presents. You know, those things people buy for other people and wrap so that they can give them to loved ones and show that they are thankful and care about them," Silver said as she shook her head with a chuckle. Steve glanced at Iron Man as said hero kept his composure together.
"You got everyone presents?"
"Everyone got everyone presents. It's sort of a thing on Christmas."
"Right. Well! If you two Christmas elves will excuse me, I have a few things to do."
"Wait! You need to prepare your speech for tomorrow's benefit—"
"You're not working!" Tony called out as he made his way to the elevator, disappearing behind the metal doors.
Silver and Steve stood in silence for a moment before the young woman shook her head, turning back to her decorating.
"Steve! We should grab Bruce and have him make the lighting red and green!"
"JARVIS I need directions to the nearest and emptiest store, stat."
"I'm afraid emptiest may be a bit difficult to find, seeing as it is Christmas Eve."
"Less talk, more finding!"
"So I was right." Tony froze as he looked over his shoulder, Steve standing behind him with a knowing gaze, arms crossed. "You didn't buy presents for anyone."
"Buying presents for other people isn't really my forte," Tony retorted back sarcastically as he turned back to the car he had been heading towards. "Now if you'll excuse, Mr. Independence Day, I have to go scrap something up."
"Need a hand?" Steve offered, surprising Iron Man.
"Aren't you Mrs. Clause's little helper for the day?"
"I'm on my cookie break," Steve shot back, climbing into Tony's convertible without any other objections from his companion. The brunet himself merely blinked before he shrugged, sitting in the driver's seat.
"Alright, JARVIS. Where to?"
Surprisingly enough, Steve's company hadn't been entirely awful for Tony. Though the two still exchanged their fair share of bitter conversation and witty banter, it was almost pleasant having someone along for the ride; it made shopping just a bit more bearable. The pair of heroes walked around the mall for what felt like hours, throwing out ideas for presents for their fellow team members. At that moment, Tony had successfully bought gifts for Black Widow and Hawkeye; he'd made something for Bruce in his lab months before so now was the perfect opportunity to gift it.
"Stark, I'm going to look for an employee to check us out."
"Shouldn't be too hard. Women swoon at the sound of the word 'Captain'," Tony pointed out as a pink hue appeared over Steve's cheeks before he walked away.
"Alright, JARVIS. Search through Steve's file so I can pick out a gift for him and get this over with."
"Right away." As Tony listened to his A.I. list off things that Steve was interested in, his brown eyes fell upon a large bucket of old music. His gaze softened as he knelt down and dug through it, the genius almost feeling a bit nostalgic for Steve.
"Actually, J, I think I've got this one." Picking up the object, the billionaire quickly paid for it, hiding it in the other bags he was carrying. As he shuffled things around in his bags, Steve came strolling up, a love-struck woman following closely behind him.
"Ms. Anderson said she'd be willing to help us." Tony's gaze fell upon the woman behind the clueless hero before he smirked and nodded his head.
"I'm sure she is."
"Alright, Silver. When I say when, you just flick the switch."
"Ok!" Tony's assistant waited patiently as she watched the other scientist of the Avengers work diligently in silence. After a few more moments of peace, Bruce's voice rang out, Silver quickly following the man's instructions and flipping the light switch. The two smiled widely as green and red lights shined through the tower, giving the building the perfect Christmas sort of feeling to it all. Silver giggled in a child-like manner, Banner smiling at her as if she were just a kid.
"This is great! I don't even care what Tony says!"
"You might want to care since I'm the one giving you your paychecks."
Silver and Banner quickly turned around as Tony and Steve waltzed into the room, innocent looks on their faces. The assistant to the billionaire blinked before a wave of suspicion coursed through her. "What were you two doing?"
"Together, might I add," Banner said with a smirk; it had been one of the very few times Tony and Steve had returned without being in some sort of argument or shouting match.
The pair exchanged stares for a short second before they simultaneously spoke.
"Grocery shopping."
"Cat sitting."
Steve shot Tony a glare as the man shrugged; perhaps he could have come up with a better excuse.
Silver rolled her eyes and shook her head before she walked past the two, too caught up in the jolly spirit to dig any deeper into whatever trouble Tony was getting involved in. "Well, anyways, I've got a surprise for you guys upstairs! Natalia and Clint should be here any minute."
"Seriously, when did you get so close with them?" Tony called out as he quickly followed after his assistant. Steve and Bruce watched before the scientist looked at the American symbol.
"So, where were you two really?"
"Doing a little last minute Christmas shopping," Captain America said with a chuckle. He looked over at Bruce before he smiled widely.
"Let's go see this surprise."
"Alright, Porcelain. What's the surprise you've got?" Tony stood beside Silver, the blonde staring up at the numbers flashing above the metal doors. She glanced over at her boss before she shrugged.
"Patience is a virtue."
"Ignoring the snide way you just said that—what are you up to?" Tony watched as the doors opened, Silver walking out and smiling. She turned to him as he stared out at the dining room, his eyes slightly wider than before.
"Surprise!" The room had been decorated and lights had been hung up. The table was set with a large feast and candles had been lit. Silver smiled at her handy work before turning her attention to the super hero. "I figured it's been awhile since any of you have had a home-cooked meal."
"I've got to hand it to you, Livingston. This looks edible, dare I say delicious," Tony complimented, Silver chuckling and nodding; that was the closest she would get to a compliment from him.
"Wow! Just like Sunday night dinners at home." Looking back, Tony and Silver watched as Steve and Bruce walked in, Natalia and Clint behind them.
"This looks great," Clint commented as he nodded his head; just staring at the food made him hungry.
"Just think of it as a little thank you for you guys letting me crash here while I work for this guy."
"Shame you couldn't just take his place," Black Widow said with a playful smirk, Tony rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
"You'd miss me too much."
"Ok guys! Sit, sit! Time to eat!"
And for the first time ever, the Avengers sat down and ate dinner not just as teammates or heroes, but as people and almost like friends.
Almost like a little family of their own.
Strangely enough, dinner had been easy and fun. There had been laughs shared and jokes made, and even Tony and Steve seemed to be friendly with one another. The food was delicious, and although a few had missions to get to the next day, for that evening—for Christmas Eve, everyone relaxed and enjoyed themselves; no one was sure when they'd get the chance to again.
"Hey." Tony looked up from the streets as he looked back and watched Silver approach him and stand beside him by the window. They stared out at the lights and the people and cars for a few moments before Silver broke the silence.
"You know, I used to hate Christmas."
Blinking, Tony looked over at Silver with disbelief in his eyes. "No."
"That's right!"
"You? Ms. Christmas Spirit herself?" Silver laughed as she nodded her head.
"I was such a brat when I was younger. I hated Christmas because the gifts I got were never good enough for me. I used to whine and complain. I don't know how anyone could have dealt with me," she said as she shook her head, staring at the stars up in the sky.
Tony stared at her for a moment before he cleared his throat, crossing his arms and taking a sip of wine from his glass. "What made you change your mind then?"
"My parents got divorced." Tony wasn't quite sure how to react to the blunt statement. It wasn't as if this subject affected him in any way, but in a general sense, most of the time the talk of divorce and separation was usually something of a sensitive matter to most. But as Iron man stared at his assistant, he saw no sign of discomfort or sadness. Silver seemed completely content with the conversation—as if it hadn't affected her either.
And maybe it hadn't.
"After my parents got divorced, I realized I should be a little more thankful. To grow up with a family in one piece—well, that's something to really appreciate," she said with a smile as she nodded, as if to agree with her own point. Tony stared at her for a moment as his gaze softened.
Glancing over his shoulder, the scientist gazed out as the people he called teammates. Steve sat beside Natalia, the red head explaining the rules to the television game show playing on the flat screen. The two glanced over at Clint, who made a sarcastic joke about the participants' intelligence, Bruce chiming in before picking up a phone call from someone he seemed to care for. Tony's gaze then fell back on Silver, who finally met his gaze with her own and a smile across her lips.
"Hey, Livingston." Said assistant blinked as her boss motioned for her to follow him to the elevator. He winked as he pressed the down button, Silver chuckling and shaking her head at the mischievous man. She glanced back at the other Avengers and smiled at the way everyone seemed to glow; she supposed it was just the holiday spirit flowing through them.
Quietly following after Tony, the two stood side-by-side in the elevator. Silver stole glances at the billionaire as he kept his eyes on the elevator doors, the innocent expression on the man's face all too suspicious. Still, the copper blonde said nothing; whatever the man was up to couldn't have been so terrible.
Finally, the elevator stopped at Silver's floor, causing the young woman to raise a brow. "Tony? What are we doing here?"
"Looks like Santa came early this year." Tony smirked as he motioned for Silver to walk out of the elevator. Said blonde hesitated before she glanced around until she noticed a wrapped box sitting by the fireplace against the far wall. Her gaze softened as a wide smile appeared across her lips. She looked back at Tony as he motioned for the woman to go ahead. She grinned before quickly scurrying to her present, kneeling down to open the box.
"What is it?"
"You see, in order to find out what's inside of the present, usually people just open it!" The brunet said patronizingly as Silver rolled her eyes. She pulled on the ribbon and then pulled the top open before her eyes widened. Tony looked over the young woman's shoulder as he smirked, proud of his work.
"What do you think?"
"T—Tony, this gift…"
In the box were two tickets to the musical that was planned to open in just a few weekends. Tickets themselves had been sold out for much longer—which meant that it would be impossible for Silver to actually watch and enjoy. She had been raving about the musical for months before and at one point Tony was sure that he had already seen it; she had went on and on for so long about it the plot was engrained into the hero's head.
"Tickets have been sold out for—how did you get tickets?!"
"Iron Man," he said as he pointed to himself with a proud smirk. "Not to mention a billionaire."
Silver laughed before she stood to her feet, smiling at her boss. The man smiled back at her before an eyebrow rose on his face. He watched as the blonde set her box down, jogging down the hall to her room. "Hold on!" she called out as she disappeared into her room, leaving a curious Tony to himself.
"Porcelain?"
"Hold on!" Silver snapped before coming out of the room with her own box. Tony blinked as she held it out to him, with a shy sort of look on her face.
"It's not much, but here's your present." The billionaire's gaze softened before he nodded and took the gift, unwrapping it with slight curiosity.
"What—" Tony stopped as his face grew lax. His eyes widened for a moment before he pulled his gift from out of the rectangular box it had been hiding in.
In his hand was a silver rimmed picture frame. Behind the glass of the frame was an old picture of his father and mother. It was a photo from when they had been younger. They had been in love and they had been happy; it was a side of them Tony had never seen before. He stared down at the photo, not noticing the way Silver watched him—looking for some sort of reaction from him.
"…What do you think?" she asked, breaking the silence. Tony said nothing as he continued to stare down at the picture, which at first was alarming for the assistant. "I know it might have been a little too personal, but I just noticed that you don't have many pictures of your parents around, and I figured that one picture frame couldn't hurt—right? And—"
"Silver!" Said woman stopped, surprised at her name being called out. She blinked as she looked up at Tony, the philanthropist looking at her with a genuine sort of expression. There was no smile, but behind his gleaming eyes there was a happiness she hadn't seen before. A smile appeared across her lips as Tony nodded and held the frame tightly in his hands.
"Not half bad."
"I can say the same thing about you," she said as she grinned, grabbing her present and walking towards the elevator.
"Come on," she said over her shoulder. "I'm sure the others are wondering where we are."
Tony followed after the young woman as they stepped on to the elevator. He placed his hands in his pocket, making sure to keep his present between his hip and arm.
"So, you finally going to give it up now that I got you those tickets?"
"Only if you come see it with me!"
"You've talked about it so much, it's like I've already seen it."
"Don't underestimate the beauty of this musical!"
So, the night went on, and at the end of the night, when everyone bid the others adieu, smiles were a plenty, the memories of the night fresh in everyone's minds. And as Silver sat in bed, she couldn't help but look over at her present. She smiled widely to herself before she flicked her lights off, laying down and closing her eyes.
And as the young woman laid herself to sleep, her boss sat in his room, tablet in his hand. He sighed as he stared at it before looking over at the picture frame that sat on his dresser. He stood to his feet before he made his way to the picture, picking it up and staring at the photo. His eyes softened as he stared at his mother, the woman just as beautiful as he remembered her.
And then there was his father.
Tony stared hard at the man, trying to sort out exactly how he felt for his father. He frowned and grimaced, trying to not to glare at the man; what use would it be to show anger towards a picture? The super hero sighed as he let his thumb trace over his father's face.
And it was then that Tony realized why he had hated Christmas so much.
It had reminded him of what he didn't have; it reminded him of just how broken his family truly was.
To grow up with a family in one piece—well, that's something to really appreciate.
Eyes softening, Tony sighed as he shook his head. He had forgiven his father long ago, but now it was time to move on.
Sitting back down on the couch, Tony grabbed his tablet and clicked on a few icons. He sighed as a content sort of look appeared on his face.
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.