Chapter Text
Fair warning upfront while I tried to keep it ambiguous which holiday reader celebrates this is still a Christmas focused fic.
Being an avenger and friends with Tony Stark had many perks. Unfortunately, one of said “perks” was being invited to his holiday parties. Which became impossible to avoid when you live in the same tower he throws them in. Tony made a huge effort to be inclusive to all the holidays celebrated during the winter season. He personally celebrated Christmas and loved to buy extravagant gifts, especially for pepper, but he knew not everyone did the same and if the avengers were meant to be a team he wanted to support everyone’s holiday.
Hence, his holiday parties were born. Starting whenever the first winter holiday started, there was a party of some sort for each celebration he found. The event in question for that night was Christmas Eve, which Tony claimed was much more exciting and important than actual Christmas day.
(Y/n) was one of the newer members of the team. She had only been part of it for a little over a year. The avengers had found her being held by H.Y.D.R.A, and at first her welcome to the team had been a little rocky to say the least. While she understood why everyone had been hesitant to welcome her at first, it still made things awkward to adjust to. But now a year later, everyone seemed to have calmed down around her and welcomed her into the fold. She wandered the floor, chitchatting with the others and nibbling on the food. She caught sight of Bruce staying near the drinks and debated making her way over.
While the two didn’t often work together, (y/n) had ended up developing a massive crush on the scientist. She always somehow managed to make a fool of herself around him though and tried her best to either avoid any situations she’d be awkward in or tried her best to remain calm and collected around him, most times all it would take would be one of his shy smiles while he fiddled with his glasses, and she’d be a stuttering, babbling mess. (Y/n) was saved from making the decision when Tony stepped up on what looked like a hastily constructed stage.
“Well, I’m glad to see everyone made it….we’ve got your usual fun and games today, but I wanted to do something extra fun….KARAOKE!” The collective groan from the rest of the avengers had Tony pouting comically.
“Oh come on! It’s fun. I’ve already got the order sorted out. You’ve just got to pick your favourite Christmas song to sing, and we’ll all look like idiots singing Christmas music and having a good time.” While his argument wasn’t the most convincing, the others eventually agreed to play along with him. If they all looked like fools in the end, then no one actually looked like a fool. Or so Tony said. Once he had everyone on board with his plan, Tony quickly scrambled to put up the order for everyone.
“Tony, Nat, Bruce, (y/n), Clint, Bucky, Steve….” (Y/n) read the list off quickly. Trailing off when she realized she had been speaking out loud. The whole group was listed off, from Scott to Stephen, everyone had a designated spot. She wasn’t too pleased with her own spot, one of the first four. She’d have to think of her song quickly. (Y/n) tried to figure out what song to sing when Bruce flittered into her line of sight. As soon as she saw the scientist, she knew what she would sing. She just hopped it would work.
When Tony started the karaoke, he picked "Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer", little joking lines included of course. Nat choose "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas", then it was Bruce’s turn. He glanced nervously at Tony before he shuffled up to the stage. He watched the group for a moment before Tony turned on the music and Bruce started singing along with the catchy pop beat of Wham! Although perhaps “singing” wasn’t the right word. It was more awkward talking along with the words.
“Oh, oh-oh, ooh-oh-oh-oh
Ah-ah
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me
"Merry Christmas, " I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying, "I love you, " I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again”
(Y/n) listened to his choice, frowning at the easily recognizable song. Who had Bruce given his heart to? And better yet, who had decided it was okay to break such a sweet man’s heart like that. Her eyes flicked to Nat subconsciously, she knew the two had a patch of time when they hadn’t spoken but had been friendly over the last few months, and she wondered if maybe they had reconnected after Nat had rejected him. (Y/n) watched Bruce to try and figure out who it could have been. She was a little surprised when his eyes kept flickering over to Tony. Had the billionaire broken Bruce’s heart? (Y/n) quickly discarded that idea, the two were inseparable when together in the lab. Tony and pepper may have been happily married, but she had a sneaking suspicion that if pepper would let anyone else be with Tony in a romantic or intimate way, it would be Bruce.
“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A crowded room, friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice
My God, I thought you were someone to rely on
Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man undercover, but you tore me apart
Ooh-hoo
Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man undercover, but you tore him apart
Maybe next year, I'll give it to someone
I'll give it to someone special
So long!”
As Bruce finished his awkward karaoke, he scrambled off the makeshift stage as quick as he could. Which meant that (y/n) was next, her choice of song made her a little nervous now. If Bruce wasn’t over whoever had broken his heart yet her little confession may make things awkward. (Y/n) made her way up to the stage and climbed up. For a moment she debated changing the song, but it was too late. Tony had started playing it already. She swallowed her nerves and started to hesitantly sing along. Blocking out everyone she could and focusing on Bruce, hoping he’d get the message.
“I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
Yeah
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need (and I)
Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You, baby
Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do?
Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you
You, baby
Oh-oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere (so brightly, baby)
And the sound of children's laughter fills the air (oh, oh, yeah)
And everyone is singing (oh, yeah)
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa, won't you bring me the one I really need? (Yeah, oh)
Won't you please bring my baby to me?
Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just wanna see my baby standing right outside my door
Oh, I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you
You, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby“
(Y/n) didn’t notice Tony’s face twist a bit at the song choice. Bruce had literally just spilled his heart out to her, and she had chosen this song? Was she purposely being cruel to Bruce, or was she just singing a fun, catchy song? Tony couldn’t be sure, but the idea that (y/n) was being purposely cruel to his science bro made him more than a little annoyed. He watched the woman with a surprisingly cold expression as he tried to figure things out.
(Y/n) fidgeted under Tony’s glare, and her blood ran cold. The brunette’s anger at her choice of song basically confirming her thoughts of Bruce, pepper and Tony in a poly relationship. Why else would he be giving her such an angry look otherwise. She was pulled out of her internal conflict when Bruce suddenly scrambled to his feet and practically ran from the room. At Bruce’s hurried departure, Tony finally lost his cool.
“I hope you’re happy! I can’t believe you’d do something like that!” The song and (y/n) both stopped, (y/n)’s face twisting in confusion.
“I…w-what? I just…. I thought he should know?” Tony growled softly under his breath then marched up to the stage, giving (y/n) a not too gentle poke.
“You had your chance, you rejected him. And now that he’s starting to get over it, you decide to sing that? What kind of person does that?” (Y/n) paused and frowned a little.
“What do you mean I had my chance and rejected him?!”
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know! He left you a letter last year, told you how he felt and asked you on a date! You never answered. Didn’t even acknowledge it.” (Y/n) frowned deeply, trying to remember anything she got from Bruce last year.
“I never got a letter….much less a letter telling me how he felt.” Tony frowned as well, he knew Bruce had left the note. He had been in the room at the time.
“He left it…on your dresser, he almost chickened out. I had to make sure he’d actually leave it….”
“……where did it go then?” An awkward pause filled the air before there was the sound of forced laughter. Both (y/n) and Tony looked over to see Clint getting to his feet.
“So uh…funny story…. Um… I went to see (y/n) to ask her opinion on an ugly sweater…. And I saw the note… I didn’t know it was actually from Bruce… I thought someone was playing a prank on her…uh…so I took it?” Both Tony and (y/n) had to pause for a moment to digest what Clint had said. It was Tony who recovered first.
“You thought it was a prank, so you took it? Why wouldn’t you ask?” Clint shrugged a little and nodded towards Natasha.
“I asked Nat her opinion and she agreed it was a prank…. I didn’t want (y/n) to get her hopes up for no reason.”
“Hang on… She agreed it was a prank? She knew how Bruce felt. They had a conversation about it before we went to drop off the letter!” Natasha simply raised a brow when three pairs of eyes looked over at her questioningly.
“Oh come on, you can’t blame me for trying to keep them separated. She had only been here a few months at that time. We still didn’t know if she was safe or a spy. I wasn’t about to risk Bruce getting caught up with H.Y.D.R.A. There’s always chances at second confessions. There’s not always a second chance to keep a friend safe.” After Nat spoke, the room erupted into over lapping chatter from just about everyone as they tried to throw in their two cents.
(Y/n) took the opportunity granted to her and slipped from the room to find Bruce. He wasn’t hard to find, in the labs, back facing the doors, hunched over one of the tables, looking like he was fighting to keep himself in check. When (y/n) walked into the lab the sliding doors hissed, barely audible, but with the silence in the room it was loud enough Bruce would know he was no longer by himself. The brunette tensed a little, not sure if he should turn around or not. When (y/n) spoke he tensed even further if possible. Not too keen on hearing what she had to say, figuring it was some sort of excuse or lie to sooth him.
“Bruce…. I… Tony just told me about the letter… I never got it last year, I didn’t know how you felt, Clint thought it was a prank. He took it to spare my feelings….” Almost immediately, Bruce’s posture changed, his shoulder relaxed and the iron grip he had on the table in front of him lessened.
“Really? You….you didn’t just toss it out or something? I’d rather you tell me if you had, I don’t want to be lied to.
“I promise you, Bruce. I didn’t know there was a note until like five minutes ago.” Bruce stayed at the other end of the lab, going over what (y/n) told him, before he crossed the floor with surprising speed and took (y/n)’s face in his hands before kissing her in a moment of bravery. (Y/n) immediately kissed back. A soft grin and a giggle breaking free from her as her Christmas wish was finally granted.