Work Text:
A house in ruins, people spontaneously combusting, cable-tied to a bed frame - without his consent, that one time.
"JARVIS, remember last Christmas?"
He had hung a string of bright colorful Christmas lights around the doorframe; they were distracting and painful for sleep-deprived eyes, but they were pretty to look at.
"Vividly, sir."
He half-smiled, circled the open suit held up by chains in the centre of the workshop, his eyes widening when he noticed exactly what he was looking for.
"Ratchet," he said, stretching his hand out for Dum-E to place the requested tool in. The robot readied its pincher and turned to the table beside it, swinging around the pon pon of the Santa hat Tony had taped to it.
"How has it been a year, already?" the inventor's head disappeared in the suit's open chestplate.
Killian and Maya, the image of Pepper screaming in a containment tube still filling him with guilt and dread.
"I suppose time flies when you fight for your life every so often, sir," the AI replied.
Fire and explosions, Happy in the hospital, Rhodey showing up out of nowhere, Thor standing unharmed after taking the weight of the collapsing ceiling to his back to protect him.
Bruce dragging his sometimes green self out of hiding to come check on him.
"You're getting sassy again, do I need to debug you?" Tony narrowed his eyes and pulled his head out from behind the silver plates of the Iron Thunder to check the time, hovering in a massive screen right next to him - supposedly, to help him avoid completely forgetting himself and missing the entire Christmas day working.
Presuming the clock was honest with its verdict of 19:50 and not playing a bad joke on him, he had failed miserably.
"Did Rhodey ever return those calls?" he asked, feeling the weight of an entire day on his shoulders as he watched one more minute pass.
19:51.
"No, sir."
"What about Pepper?" he tried again.
"No, sir."
"Happy?" he asked, this time, expecting the answer he got.
"No, sir."
He had plans for this Christmas. Nothing tangible, or specific, really nothing more than just a list of people he would have liked to spend his day with.
But he forgot and he waited, he worked and he got into new misadventures and by the time he remembered he was supposed to gather his people, they weren't available.
Somehow, even Bruce and Thor had made plans for the evening.
"Do you think we can find some decent catering today?" he shut the Iron Thunder's chestplate and gingerly placed his ratchet back with the rest of his tools. "Put together some fancy dinner for
when the guys get back? Did they say they were going to be late?" he scratched his head and stared up at the ceiling, searching for answers.
"Can you make a romantic dinner for your boyfriend with cold pizza? I could make it festive," he offered.
"The keywords 'romantic dinner' don't return any results relevant to 'cold pizza', sir. Festive pizza however, I could order for you."
"I could get some wine, get something to eat," he tapped his finger on his lips, thoughtfully. "Then send Bruce to bed early and seduce Thor," he clicked his fingers, satisfied with his new plan.
"Or, you know," he walked to the other end of his workshop, collecting holograms and shutting screens and tools down as he went along, "If they come back fed and drunk, I get to cuddle with a happy drunken alien. Win-win, either way," he proclaimed.
"Come on, boy," he called out to Dum-E and the sound of wheels followed him to the workshop's door.
Mesmerized by the blinking colorful lights, he stopped to stare at his doorframe and admire the tiny, eye-straining bulbs.
It had been a year since EXTREMIS and AIM, a year full of surprise and invention, brand new puzzling concerns promising brand new unsolvable problems to come.
But somehow, he was still standing and so were his people, growing closer through the mess and the pain. Somehow, he had gotten stronger and somehow, he was in love, deeper and deeper each and every new day.
"What a fucking year. Merry Christmas, JARVIS."
"Merry Christmas, sir."
"So, do you think Papa John's is still open?" he exited the workshop, leaving it quiet and dark except for the twinkly fairy lights.
"I can point to three different Papa John's within walking distance, but it would be wise to consult your guests about their food preferences," the AI informed him.
Tony's eyes travelled from the ceiling, to Dum-E slowly wheeling beside him.
"My what now?" he asked, as JARVIS picked the floor he was taking him to without his input, as soon as he entered the elevator.
"Finally, I'm starving," Rhodey glared at him over his drink as soon as he stepped into the room. "I was considering sending Thor to tell you the house is on fire."
"I would disown you for that," Tony informed him, letting his gaze wander around the room and the guests he wasn't informed he had.
"You wouldn't, you love me too much."
Dum-E followed him out of the elevator and wheeled past Happy, who was raising his glass in Tony's honor, Pepper, who Tony's expression had sent in a snorting fit, a smug-looking Bruce and Thor, who rushed to fill a cup of whatever everyone else was drinking for Tony.
Narrowing his eyes, the inventor shot a glare at the ceiling.
"You said Pepper, Happy and Rhodey didn't return my calls."
"They didn't, sir. You never asked me to inform you of their whereabouts, however."
The drink turned out to be mulled wine and mischievous smiling turned out to be a very attractive look on Thor.
Tony grabbed the drink offered and pulled the god's arm gently, wrapping it around his waist and leaning against his boyfriend.
"We wanted to surprise you," the god explained, pressing a kiss on the top of Tony's head.
"You are royal pricks, all of you, especially you," he pointed at Happy. "I trusted you."
"Big mistake, boss," the man winked at him, holding his laughter at the betrayed look on the inventor's face back.
"We were thinking just some dinner and drinks -" Bruce stood next to Pepper, who took over the rest of his sentence, "- And, if you want something a little more intense, there's places to go afterwards."
"I've been to countless parties in my life," he shrugged, intertwining his fingers with Thor's and taking a sip of his drink. "This," he gestured at the people surrounded him, "Is exactly what I wanted for today. You're still all dicks," he informed them, receing a round of chuckles, "And damn, I'm happy you're here."
"Let's save the lovey-dovey stuff for the table, that's where they belong," Rhodey said, rushing past the pair to the dining room, where the promised feast awaited.
"You are giant bags of dicks," he threw his head up, in search for Thor's eyes. "Whose bright idea was this? You got JARVIS to-"
With a sigh, Thor glanced at Pepper, who very slowly bypassed the couple, pointedly staring at Tony over her drink.
"Gathering here has been in the works for a while, Pepper politely asked JARVIS if he could, perhaps, not disclose all the specific information as to where everybody was," the god explained, wearing his best, most serious expression.
"Bags of dicks. I love you," he announced, turning on the tippy toes he had to stand on to reach and kiss his boyfriend. "I'm throwing a rager for New Year's and none of you are invited."
"We'll crash it!" Bruce called out to him, on his way to the dining room.
"If you're not in your jammies by ten," Tony answered.
"Darling, can we please be invited?" Thor ran a hand through his lover's hair gently, smiling down at him.
"I hate you," the smaller man warned him, failing to keep himself from smiling at the sound of the god's deep chuckle.
The blond placed a kiss on his forehead and took his hand to lead him to the dining room, as all the people that mattered had made it home for Christmas.