Twelve Days of Fanfics (Christmas Edition)

December 15

Day 2 msmarvelreads - Tony Stark

From msmarvelreads:

Hey, guys! So this is a Christmas one-shot about Tony and Athena from my fic Rise. If you haven't read it, be sure to check it out. Also, I'm really grateful to be part of Twelve Days of Christmas, and I can't wait to read the other stories!

🎄🎄

Athena wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the scene in front of her.

The living room of Tony's mansion was supposed to look like a Winter Wonderland, all fancy decorations and fake snow and towering Christmas trees. Instead, it looked more like the Upside Down version of the North Pole. Almost every surface was covered in a mixture of red and green glitter; no matter how much Athena tried to clean it up, it just didn't go away. Sam Wilson huffed as he tried to hang baubles on one of the crooked pine trees. Brightly-colored tinsel spread from one end of the room to the other, entwining between the furniture like festively brutal vines. An inflatable snowman was slowly falling to its side.

It was as if Santa Claus himself had decided to use the room as his own personal dumpster.

Athena didn't know how everything had ended up so badly. She simply wanted to do something nice for Tony—he had been going through a rough time, and the holidays never failed to cheer him up. She thought it would be a good idea to invite Sam over while Tony worked on the Avengers Tower in New York because Athena wasn't a big fan of Christmas and she didn't think she could do it alone. It was supposed to be a simple plan that merely involved having a friend over to help out, and then enjoy the look on Tony's face when he came come to find a beautiful scene in front of him worthy of a snow globe or a Hallmark movie. But things were definitely not going according to plan.

There was a sudden crash, followed by a loud curse. "If another of these things falls on my head, I'm gonna burn the whole tree."

"I believe the possibilities of getting hurt would lessen if you did a better job of hanging the baubles, sir."

Athena covered her mouth, yet it was hard to contain her laughter when she realized Sam made an obscene gesture with his hand towards the ceiling. Jarvis' sass always caught her unaware, although she shouldn't have been surprised. He had been programmed by Tony, after all.

Her grin disappeared completely when she tripped on a few cardboard boxes and landed on the carpet. "This is pointless, I should have just hired someone," she said with a groan. "I'm awful when it comes to this."

Sam sat beside her on the floor and sighed. He had red tinsel tied around his head like a crown. "I didn't think it was possible to screw up so badly. I mean, it's just a tree and some balls. How did we end up with this mess?"

Athena frowned. "I think those snowmen will want revenge after the way I punctured them with my scissors."

"We would make terrible housewives."

"I have no doubt about it." Athena resisted the urge to sigh. "Thanks for trying to help me out, though. I appreciate it."

"Hey, I don't mind." Sam shrugged and flashed a crooked grin. "Plus, you offered me eggnog. I wasn't gonna let that opportunity pass." He stopped for a moment, glancing in the direction of the front door. "Am I going crazy or did I just hear a car?"

She held her breath for a second, her fingers drumming on her thigh. "Maybe it's Pepper? No one else is supposed to be here, as far as I know."

Athena hoped with all her heart that Tony wasn't the one about to walk through the door. She couldn't stand the idea of him coming home to find a train wreck rather than the beautiful picture she had planned for him. It would have been awkward for anyone to walk in and see two adults covered in cheap glitter and even cheaper decorations, but it was even worse when Tony Stark came into view. He looked completely out of place—a picture of perfection with an expensive suit, styled hair and sunglasses. With a groan, Athena ran a hand down her face while Sam remained completely still.

"For the record," Sam said, nodding at the woman next to him, "this was all her idea. I had nothing to do with it, man."

Athena gasped. "Are you kidding me?"

Tony cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. "Did Father Christmas throw up in our living room, J?"

"It appears so," Jarvis answered.

Sam stood up and walked towards Tony, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, I'm gonna go now. I have to do a thing...in a place."

Athena bit her lip. "I can explain."

Tony knelt in front of her, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. "You look like a disco ball, honey."

"This was supposed to be different," she began. "I know it's a mess and I'm so sorry for making your house look like a—"

"Our house," he said.

"What?"

"You keep forgetting this is our house." Tony grinned, and Athena could have sworn that his smile was brighter than the Christmas lights currently going crazy above them. "And I find all this oddly endearing. I know you don't like holidays, so the fact that you tried to do something for me means a lot."

"I only managed to make a mess."

He arched an eyebrow. "I haven't seen you in two weeks; we would have made a mess of this place anyways."

Athena felt her cheeks redden at the suggestiveness of his tone. "You need to behave."

"And you need to kiss me," Tony said, nodding towards the fireplace. "There's mistletoe here, you can't go against tradition."

"I thought we were supposed to stand below it."

He shrugged. "Since when have I ever followed rules?"

Athena laughed and pulled Tony forward by the collar of his shirt. She had missed him—his lips, the warmth of his body, his ability to make her flustered in less than a second. He didn't seem to care about the disaster that surrounded them, or the glitter currently covering his clothes.
His arms wrapped around Athena's waist and he sighed.

It didn't matter that things hadn't gone like they were supposed to; Tony was more than happy to spend Christmas with Athena, listening to her stories and watching cheesy movies about Rudolph or the power of friendship. Being with her, even though they were both surrounded by chaos and madness, was the best gift he could have asked for.