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Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 718
Acceptable
Tony tapped his fingers impatiently against the arm of his seat. He wanted to be at home, not still five hours away from home on a plane. He could just imagine Steve eating with the rest of the team, wondering where Tony was.
Okay, that probably wasn't completely accurate, because as far as Steve was concerned, Tony was in Japan, working on a merger. When Pepper had sent Tony, he'd seen the visible disappointment on Steve's face that Tony would miss Christmas, and he'd been determined to fix that.
He hadn't told Steve that—just in case it was impossible for him to get back in time. He didn't want to disappoint his boyfriend twice over.
Now it was Christmas Eve, and so long as there were no delays on landing—heads would roll if there were—Tony should be home as the team were settling down for movie night in front of the fire.
Closing his eyes, Tony leant his head back. It had been the longest of days… mostly because he hadn't slept for three nights, so it had all just stretched into one long day. He really didn't like sleeping on planes, but he'd been sitting there for seven hours already, and he was so tired.
…
Tony was practically vibrating on his way up the many floors of Stark Tower, the elevator moving too slowly for his need to be in Steve's arms. It had taken almost forty five minutes to get through New York and his patience, which had been lacking to begin with, was waning.
Finally, the doors opened and he spilled out onto the communal floor. He watched as, one by one, the team sat up and looked his way. None of them were expecting him, and he watched, completely gratified, as shock and then happiness filtered across all of their faces.
Steve was the last to see him, and he lit up, leaping up from the sofa. In mere seconds, Tony was up in the air, spun around and then held in place by Steve's strong arms. The look on his face was perfect, and Tony was happy to have put it there.
"I'm so glad you're here," Steve murmured into his ear, before he carried him over to the sofa, sitting down with Tony in his lap.
"Please hold me," Tony said, pressing himself into Steve. "It's been a day."
"How long of a day?" Steve asked, entirely too perceptive.
"Um. About three days worth of a day?" Tony said, hazarding a guess, because at this point he had no idea. He was just overjoyed to be home, back in Steve's arms where he belonged.
Steve shook his head fondly and had Tony sit up, helping him out of his grey jacket. He did the same with his shoes, tossing them down onto the floor at the side of the sofa, and then he wrapped Tony up in his arms and held him close.
It was so cozy, Tony barely had time to say hi to the others before he was drifting off to sleep.
…
Waking was slow. Slow, and perfect, because when he opened his eyes, it was to see Steve looking at him with an affectionate smile. They'd shifted on the sofa so that they were lying down, but Tony was still surrounded by Steve, who was cuddling him as close as possible.
Turning on his back, Tony looked around the room. The television was off, but the fire was still going, giving off a flickering light to the room. The tree twinkled in the corner, and Tony smiled.
"It's so pretty!"
"You saw it before you left," Steve reminded him gently.
"But it's prettier in the firelight."
Steve nodded. "Uh huh. Think you can sleep a little more, Sweetheart? It's one in the morning, I'm ready for bed."
Tony pushed up a little to steal a kiss and then nodded his head. "I can definitely sleep more if it's with you."
"Cheesy."
"Only for you."
"Acceptable."
Steve nudged their noses together and then in one smooth maneuver, stood with Tony in his arms.
"I can walk, you know?"
"Can you? That's good for you I guess, but I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of letting you go."
"Cheesy."
Steve snorted. "Only for you."
Tony grinned. "Acceptable."
He was home.
Written for:
Record Collection: 4. Write about going home.
Amber's Attic: 9. Cuddle in front of the fireplace
Bex's Basement: 11. Impossible
Film Festival: 11. Carrying someone
Marvel Appreciation: Captain America: Strong
Forecast: 13. "It's so pretty!"
Naughty Or Nice: Nice, 23: Overjoyed
Write Letter's To Santa: Prompt 3: 2. Pyjamas: Cozy
Big Dinner Bash: Meat: Goose - Shoes
Toy Making: Teddy 3. Impossible
Pop Figures: TV: 286. Jim Moriarty: Grey
Hogwarts Talent Show: Cheerleading: "Please hold me. It's been a day."
