"Um, so. What exactly are we doing here Cap?"
Steve gave the team a small smile from the head of the table. "Well, I know that this is a little formal, but I wanted a way to talk to everyone on the team, together. Everyone is getting busy because it's nearing the end of the year, and that's push time for a lot of things, I understand that. But, it's December 10th, and since we all live together I wanted to address the event of Christmas."
There were small murmurs and sighs around the table, and the Captain's smile dropped a little.
Bruce readjusted his glasses. "What exactly about Christmas Steve?"
"Well...I don't know. I...I wasn't really sure what everyone's stance was on the holiday, and I wanted to know...to know if…"
"You want to celebrate Christmas."
"Well, I don't know." Steve's eyes dropped to his hands, which were now clasped together on the table in front of him.
Tony crossed his arms. "Eh. I don't really care. I "celebrate" around the time of year anyway, reputations to uphold and all that. So, I guess I wouldn't mind a "team Christmas". Just no stupid sappy shit. I don't do feelings."
Clint raised his hand up in a slightly indifferent manner. "I'll second that."
Blue eyes lifted back up.
"I don't mind either way. I don't usually celebrate Christmas, so I can't really weigh in, and I won't object to your celebration of it."
Natasha gave a curt nod. "And I'll second Banner's statement. I don't think I'd mind a Christmas celebration, given there are no annoying bits, like the overplaying of carols."
Thor let out a thundering laugh, because god of thunder and all that. "I too would not mind the celebrating of this joyous occasion! It seems quite merry, and we shall make jest as a team over a large midgardian feast! It seems a holiday almost quite fit for Asgard."
Steve's mouth twitched a little, but his baby blue eyes were lit up. They really hadn't celebrated Christmas before, aside from Tony's traditional -and highly alcoholic and showy- party, which had a guest list so long it didn't really even matter who came anymore. So, maybe this would be good, or at least not too weird. I mean, they were already weird, but something about sharing a holiday that not all of them normally celebrated seemed strangely intimate, and Tony could only handle so much of that kind of intimacy.
He raised his eyebrows, and looked around the room. "So, we're in agreement then? Team Christmas?"
"Team Christmas."
Steve's eyes captured his own, and the blonde gave him a small smile. "Team Christmas."
…
Christmas sucked.
Like, Dummy just spilled coffee all over his new blueprints, sucked. (A situation that was a travesty on more than one account.)
Christmas was like his dad, really promising, and then always disappointed by everything else because it thought it was so superior.
Anyway, Christmas. Christmas was just really busting his balls. Usually Christmas was pretty lax. Tony tended to take things slow around pretty much any major holiday, whether he celebrated it or not. And by take things slow, he means spending as much time as possible in his lab working on whatever the hell he wants while everyone else is too busy to bother him. And yet, stupid Pepper and her stupid sensibilities, and stupid, "You need to take care of your company, Tony", had stuck him with a multitude of meetings in company crunch time. And do you know what meetings meant? People. And you know what else? Paperwork. Two of Tony's least favourite things.
So here he was, in one of the holiday seasons that he usually dished out his most new and improved pieces, sitting at a desk littered with paperwork, and a landline ringing non stop. He didn't even know that he had a desk anymore, and don't even get him started on the landline, he refused to even touch the thing (it was just blasphemous, and landlines were one of the many banes of his existence).
He let his head fall to the maple wood, making the table shake, and doing absolutely nothing for the wonderful headache he had going on. "I fucking hate Christmas."
"And here I was coming to bring you a little bit of Christmas cheer."
His head snapped up, and God he loved Steve. Steve who was dressed in a bright red sweater littered with snowflakes, and two big mugs of what he really hoped was hot chocolate.
He reached out with his arms, making grabbing motions with his hands. "Gimmie."
Steve rolled his eyes, but soon there was a large mug of steaming hot chocolate cradled between Tony's hands. The scent of rich, thick, dark chocolate wafting up to his nose.
"There better be alcohol in this."
"It's good to see you too Tony."
"Mhm." He took a large gulp of the scalding drink, and God this is what he should have been doing with his day, not sitting at a desk with pile after pile of work, and meeting requests.
"Rough day?"
"Let's just say, it's not even lunch and I already kind of want to throw myself out the window."
"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"
"Would you like to do my work for me?"
Steve gave his head a short shake, smiling into his mug.
"I'm completely serious, would you like to do my work for me?"
"No Tony."
"Do you even work? Like, what do you do all day?"
"I-"
"Do you just art? Or do you just go out and work a shelters?"
"Well I-"
"Not that helping people is bad or anything but-"
"I do have a job Tony, you know that."
"Wait, you're still working?"
One golden eyebrow arched up, "Yes? This is crunch time for us too Tony."
"But...it's comics. You don't really have to put out more, right? I mean, you guys already have all these special editions put together."
"How long do you think it takes to make a comic? And, what time of year do you think the demands peak?"
"Fine, point. I get it. So, you do art though."
"Yes Tony, I "art". But you knew that already."
"I'm stalling."
The blonde shook his head, more of a fond shake than anything else. Like the, I-expected-nothing-less-of-you-but-I-still-need-to-be-disapproving shake. "How much more do you have to do?"
"Logically? Like, what actually needs to get done? Pretty much nothing. Got all of the big stuff out of the way early, like I usually do. But the filler stuff? That I've got months of."
"I'm doubting your logic because of your work ethic, but if you really are done with all of the important things, how about we go to lunch?"
"Lunch date?"
Steve gave a small shrug, the corner of his mouth tilted up slightly in a really adorable lopsided smile. And how could he say no to that? Or, at least, that's the excuse he would be giving Pepper later.
"We haven't had one in a while, and it's the holidays. I'd like to spend some time with just you."
He grinned. "Sure honey. Let's go out."
"Regular place?"
"Hell yes. I haven't had a burger in a week, and that's a fucking crime."
Here we go. Chapter 3.
I know it's already after Christmas and all, but I hope you guys still enjoy it.
~Castor