I do not own any of the named/recognizable characters present. They belong to Marvel. Other recognizable things belong to their respective owners. This was written purely for fun.
Amy1om requested: The only thing I can think of is a request for Christmas (in July?) - a full blown Christmas with everyone there including Coulson (and Fury if he can not be a jerk for a little while) because I am sure Bruce never got a really great Christmas (but I bet his mama tried to make it as special as she could). I mainly want some very special moments between Tony and little Bruce! I adored this verse so much and am TOO EXCITED that you're filling prompts for it!
"Are those ornaments?" Bruce asked, looking curiously at the box Tony had set down on the coffee table.
Ever since Tony and Pepper had purchased and set up a Christmas tree in the living room of the penthouse, Bruce had been a little quieter than normal. He had watched them put it up avidly, but the boy had kept his distance.
Even now, Bruce was sitting on the far side of the sofa. While he had put some distance between himself and the holiday decorations, he still watched everything with open curiosity.
It made Tony ache to even begin to speculate about the boy's behavior, but he was determined to make sure Bruce had a perfect Christmas.
"They are," Tony confirmed as he continued to pull smaller boxes of ornaments from the large cardboard box that had been in storage since last Christmas.
Bruce leaned forward a little to look more closely at one of the boxes. "I didn't know they could look like that," he said softly. "I thought Christmas ornaments were just shaped like a ball."
That ache reappeared in Tony's chest, but he swallowed it down. "Nah," he said as he finished unpacking the storage box, "they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes." He got to his feet and circled the table to sit down on the sofa. He smiled over at the little boy and opened his arm to welcome the child over to his side.
Bruce scooted a little closer in hesitant movements, but a moment later, he was curled up against Tony's side and looking at all of the different ornaments laid out before them.
"Okay," Tony began when they got to the mall, pulling the car into a parking space, "do you know what you'd like to get Pepper for Christmas?" At the boy's silence, he twisted around to glance at Bruce in his car seat. The child looked confused, and Tony instantly felt his smile slip away.
"I'm allowed to get Pepper something?" Bruce asked cautiously.
"Well, yes," Tony replied, bewildered, "of course you're allowed."
Bruce's gaze went down to his lap. "Momma and Daddy never take to get Christmas gifts," he disclosed softly. "Last Christmas, I drew Momma and Daddy a bunch of pictures, a-and…" He trailed off and ducked his head a little lower. "Daddy didn't like my gift."
Tony stared at the child for a long moment before he opened his car door. He slipped around the vehicle and opened the side door before he crawled into the back seat next to Bruce. He rested his hand upon the little boy's knee, and when Bruce slowly gazed over at him, the wounded look on the boy's face sent a stabbing pain deep into Tony's chest.
"Any gift from you is special," Tony told him. "Your daddy should have been grateful for your drawings."
"They weren't very good," Bruce pointed out feebly, dropping his eyes to his lap again.
"That doesn't matter," Tony replied. "You made those drawings especially for him, and he should have treasured them."
When Bruce hesitantly looked back at him, Tony offered the boy a smile. "If you've already drawn us things for Christmas, we will absolutely love it," he promised the child, "but if you wanted to also get them another small gift to go with your drawings, we can do that."
"Really?" Bruce asked in a voice that was quietly hopeful.
Tony smiled and gave Bruce's knee a soft pat. "Absolutely," he said. "Do you have any ideas for Pepper?"
Bruce returned the smile, and within a few minutes, they had a list of little things Bruce wanted to get everyone for Christmas to accompany his drawings.
"Phil! I'm so glad you could join us," Pepper greeted as Coulson stepped off of the elevator.
"And you're not in a suit!" Tony added as he came up behind Pepper, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's a Christmas miracle."
"And a Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Stark," Coulson replied completely deadpan, but he was smiling.
Christmas Day had been an absolute joy. Getting to see Bruce just be a kid for once and just enjoy himself was truly the greatest gift Tony had received. Getting to see the boy's face when he saw the gifts under the tree that morning would be with Tony forever.
The morning had been just for the three of them, but Tony and Pepper had invited the rest of the team and Coulson over for dinner on two conditions: one, they had to bring a dish for dinner, and two, they needed to bring a gift for Bruce. No one had an issue with either, and with each new arrival, a gift exchange was done between Bruce and the newcomer.
A majority of what Bruce received was fictional books, but there was an arts and crafts kit from Natasha and a puzzle book from Thor. Everyone adored the little gifts from Bruce, with the drawings being the most treasured gifts.
Pepper took the casserole dish from Coulson and managed to escape from Tony's hold. "Mr. Coulson's here!" she called, a smile on her face.
Immediately, there were sounds of people getting to their feet from the living room. A moment later, Bruce came dashing around the corner, a radiant smile on his face that only grew brighter when he saw Coulson standing there.
"Mr. Coulson!" the boy exclaimed.
"Hey!" Coulson greeted the child as he knelt down to accept the eager hug from the boy. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Bruce replied. When they broke apart, the child took hold of Coulson's free hand. "Everyone's in the living room," he disclosed.
As Bruce led Coulson into the living room, Tony followed Pepper into the kitchen so she could add his dish to the others that were sitting along the counter. The roast was still cooking in the oven and would be ready in about twenty minutes (at least that's what the instructions said).
Tony crowded into Pepper's space again and kissed just below her ear. "We need to have more holidays here," he murmured. "I like the sound of a full house."
"It's nice," Pepper replied, turning in his arms so they were facing one another. They shared a brief kiss, one that Tony wanted to make longer, but Pepper only hummed in amusement and took a step back. "We can't miss the gift exchange," she said softly against his lips.
They walked together back into the living room, where Coulson was marveling over the drawings that had been presented to him, along with a new coffee mug. "Thank you," the agent said softly with genuine gratitude. He smiled and handed the boy the gift wrapped box he had walked in with. "And this is for you."
Bruce was careful in pulling off the wrapping paper, just like he had been for every other gift he had received, and pulled out what looked like a small block of plastic. "What is it?" Bruce asked curiously, turning it over in his hands.
"It's a handheld game of Tetris," Coulson explained as he leaned back against the sofa. "You can play it anywhere, as long as you have light and batteries."
Next to him, Natasha snorted a laugh. "You're such a dork," she said affectionately.
"What's Tetris?" Bruce asked.
There was a stunned silence, and suddenly Tony found himself on the receiving end of some incredulous stares.
Finally, Clint shook his head in mock-disgust. "You've just lost all of your nerd-cred, Tony," he said. Before Tony could protest, Clint beckoned the boy with open arms. "Come here, kiddo, and we will teach you the ways of Tetris."
The room filled with laughter, and Tony leaned a bit more into Pepper's side. As they watched Clint and Coulson begin to teach Bruce how to play Tetris, Pepper turned her head just slightly and her lips grazed his cheek. "Merry Christmas," she murmured softly.
Tony smiled and pressed a kiss against her lips. "Merry Christmas."