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Tony Stark has gotten very used to spending Christmas alone.
His childhood Christmas was defined by loneliness. A big empty mansion with countless presents under the tree but no family to share it with. A delicious feast ate at the end of an unoccupied table stretching across the giant dining room. Evenings at the piano, playing Christmas hymns with melancholy.
He was accustomed to the loneliness.
But then, it was replaced with the warmth of the Rhodes family Christmas. Eggnog and pigs in a blanket and a big roast with gravy that he’d have to scrape the dishes clean from. Laughter bouncing off of the thin walls. Sitting cramped on the couch watching old cartoons. Hugs and pats on the shoulder and ruffled hair.
His holidays were filled with light. His holidays were filled with love.
When Rhodey and Tony shared their first Christmas together as a couple, Tony went a little overboard. Well, a little for him, a lot for Rhodey. Tony was a creature of extravagance. Tony only knew of grand gestures.
But Rhodey was down to earth. He appreciated the genuine, the authentic, the simple. Tony had to learn how to speak his love language. He had to learn how to compromise.
Compromising was hard, but he would do any and everything for Rhodey because he loved him so much that sometimes it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest.
Rhodey was the scent of freshly baked cinnamon buns wafting in the air on an early morning. Rhodey was the drizzling rain on the window illuminated by soft moonlight through the clouds. Rhodey was warm mugs of coffee and the exhilaration of a finished prototype and the first breath of metal and oil when he stepped into his workshop. He was gentleness and kindness and patience. He was safety and contentment and certainty. He was his and Tony was his.
And then, Tony had to get used to be lonely again when Rhodey was deployed.
Loneliness may have weighed him down, but it made the moments leading to reuniting that more worthwhile. It made him hold onto the moments spent together. It made him appreciate the impermanent, fleeting moments.
Now, it is the third year that Rhodey isn’t able to home for the holidays and Tony is lounging in bed filling out a pile of paperwork.
He sighs and sets them aside and rolls onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillows with a groan.
His stomach growls but he can’t be bothered to peel himself from the comfort of his mattress, so he instead buries his face even deeper into his pillow.
The air in the master suite is chilly, rolling over his naked back since the sheets are pooled around his waist. He lets out a long sigh and shuts his eyes, exhaustion beginning to settle from his all-nighter.
He jolts when he feels warm, slightly wet lips pressing against his bare shoulders.
He peeks his eyes open and flips around. A bright grin consumes his face, eyes crinkling with delight. “You’re home.”
Rhodey presses a soft kiss to his lips, curling his hand behind Tony’s neck to pull him closer, slipping it to his hair and carding through his dark locks.
Tony smiles into the kiss, cupping Rhodey’s cheek and rubbing it gently with his thumb.
When they pull away, they rest their foreheads together, slightly breathless, Tony still astonished that Rhodey is really there with him.
“What are you doing here?” Tony murmurs.
“I’ve saved up my days. I’m gonna be home for two weeks.”
Tony’s eyes go wide. “Really?”
Rhodey nods. “Really really.”
“Well, that’s just enough time for you to get almost completely sick of me and escape right before you hit your breaking point.”
Rhodey shakes his head and presses a kiss to Tony’s temple. “I’ve been stuck with you for seven years, Tones. I’m not gonna get sick of you.”
“Now, honeybear, don’t be making promises you can’t keep.”
“I’m not,” Rhodey says. “I’m making a promise I know I’ll never break.” He holds Tony’s face in his hands and looks deep into his eyes. “I love you, Tony. I love you so much, and I’m not going anywhere.” He interlocks his fingers with Tony’s and swings it by their sides. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
Tony smiles, warmth blooming in his chest. “Merry Christmas.”
Tony Stark had gotten very used to spending Christmas alone, but he won’t spend it alone this year.