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1. The Pumpkin Debacle
It starts with a simple, seemingly harmless question from Steve:
“Why don’t we carve pumpkins?”
Tony stares at him like he’s suggested they start making friendship bracelets. “You know who you’re dating, right?” Tony gestures vaguely to the glittering skyline beyond Stark Tower. “Pumpkin carving is messy, gross, and not exactly billionaire playboy genius material.”
Steve, arms folded, grins. “Scared you’ll mess it up?”
Tony’s eye twitches. “Please. I invented a laser-guided pumpkin carver.” He snaps his fingers, summoning DUM-E, who wheels forward with a tray of carving tools that look more appropriate for surgery.
An hour later, the lab is in ruins. There’s pumpkin goo on the ceiling, DUM-E is somehow wearing a witch’s hat, and Steve is laughing so hard his shoulders are shaking.
“I told you,” Tony mutters, wiping pumpkin off his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Carving pumpkins is dangerous.”
2. The Costume War
“This is a disaster,” Steve grumbles as he looks at the costumes Tony laid out on the couch.
Tony picks up two of them with enthusiasm. “Disaster? No. Visionary. We’ll go as Batman and Robin. Or, if you’re into fantasy, we could be Frodo and Sam. Ooh! What about Holmes and Watson?”
Steve crosses his arms, giving Tony the sternest look in his arsenal. “I’m not being Robin. Or Sam.”
Tony gasps in mock offense. “You think you’re the Batman in this relationship?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Oh, Cap.” Tony shakes his head, feigning sadness. “You sweet summer child. You can’t even brood properly.”
Steve pinches the bridge of his nose, exasperated. “We’re not going as any of those. No spandex.”
“Oh, come on—”
“No.”
Finally, Natasha walks by, glances at them, and tosses two costumes onto the couch: Captain America and Iron Man.
Steve smirks as he picks up the Iron Man suit. “Perfect.”
Tony throws the shield across the room in protest.
3. The Trick-or-Treating Mishap
Tony decides that trick-or-treating is a must.
“Thor says it’s tradition,” he insists, dragging Steve out into the cold October night with a pillowcase slung over his shoulder.
Steve follows, looking deeply skeptical. “Thor thinks everything on Earth is a tradition.”
When they knock on the first door, a kid opens it and stares up at them with wide eyes. Then, with a shriek, the kid yells, “Mom! The Avengers are at the door!”
Steve rubs his temple. “This is why I said we should wear costumes.”
Tony shrugs. “Relax. Free candy is free candy.”
Thor appears behind them, dressed in full Asgardian armor, holding a plastic pumpkin bucket. “The mortals have given me strange treats! Let us collect more!”
Natasha and Clint trail behind, dressed as a cat and a hotdog, respectively. Steve glances back to see Bruce hiding in the shadows, clearly avoiding participating in this ridiculousness.
Steve sighs. “I thought Halloween was supposed to be low-key.”
Tony grins. “Not on my watch, Cap.”
4. The Haunted House Incident
They stand in front of an old, creaky mansion that Clint swears is the “scariest haunted house in New York.” Steve crosses his arms, visibly skeptical.
“You really want to go in there?” Steve asks. “It looks like it’s held together by duct tape and poor decisions.”
Tony elbows him. “Come on, Cap. It’ll be fun. Don’t tell me Mr. Super Soldier is scared of a little haunted house?”
Steve gives him a look. “I’m not scared. I just... don’t like jump scares.”
Tony smirks. “Good thing I brought backup.”
The door swings open, and Thor barrels inside, brandishing Mjölnir. “I shall vanquish these spirits!”
Natasha watches him with mild amusement. “It’s fake, Thor.”
Halfway through, a skeleton prop jumps out from a closet, and Steve reflexively punches it across the room. The skeleton shatters into a hundred pieces.
Tony doubles over, laughing so hard he’s wheezing. “You— you just murdered that skeleton.”
Steve rubs the back of his neck, looking genuinely sheepish. “I thought it was real.”
“Oh, Captain Justice, you’re a menace.”
5. The Spooky Movie Disaster
When Tony announces a “scary movie marathon,” Steve expects they’ll be watching classics like Dracula or Frankenstein. But as he walks into the Tower’s lounge, he’s greeted with an unexpected sight: Tony grinning smugly next to a stack of movies with titles like Scary Movie 2, Goosebumps, and The Haunted Mansion.
“Tony, I thought you meant horror movies,” Steve says, trying not to laugh as he holds up the DVD for Casper the Friendly Ghost.
“Oh, we’ll get to those eventually,” Tony shrugs, plopping onto the couch with a handful of candy corn. “You’re not ready for the hardcore stuff yet, Cap. We’re easing you in.”
Steve rolls his eyes but sits down next to him, stealing a handful of candy. “I’ve fought Hydra, aliens, and a literal god of mischief, Tony. I think I can handle a horror movie.”
But the rest of the team seems to enjoy Tony’s choices. Clint is sprawled on the other couch, laughing at every ridiculous scene. Natasha, who is sitting on the armrest with a “Don’t bother me” look, casually tosses popcorn in Clint’s direction every time he laughs too loud.
Thor, however, takes the movie entirely too seriously. During Casper, he leans forward, frowning deeply. “So the ghost child means no harm?” he asks, perplexed.
“Yup,” Tony replies with a grin. “Casper’s the friendliest ghost there is.”
Thor nods solemnly. “Then he is welcome in Asgard.”
By the time they reach The Haunted Mansion, Clint has stopped laughing and is clutching a pillow every time something spooky happens. “This is ridiculous,” he mutters, jumping every time a ghost pops out on screen. “Whoever thought Eddie Murphy and ghosts was a good idea?”
“Probably the same people who thought you could handle scary movies,” Natasha deadpans, smirking as Clint throws popcorn her way in mock indignation.
Tony can’t resist nudging Steve. “You know, if you get scared, I’d be happy to hold your hand,” he teases, winking.
Steve just smirks back. “Pretty sure you’re the one hiding under the blanket, Stark.”
As the credits finally roll on their so-called “scary” movie marathon, Steve shakes his head with a smile. Despite the absolute chaos, it’s been one of the best nights he’s had in a while. And as Tony leans against him, eyes drooping from the late hour, Steve decides he wouldn’t change a thing.
+1. The Halloween That Finally Worked
This time, Steve wasn’t expecting much. After years of Halloween chaos with Tony, he had mentally prepared himself for either the Tower getting accidentally set on fire or Clint sneaking a live raccoon into the party as a “guest.” Instead, everything was… weirdly calm. Suspiciously calm.
“Why do I feel like something’s about to explode?” Steve muttered as he entered the Tower’s main room, which was tastefully decorated with string lights, carved pumpkins (laser-guided, obviously), and just the right amount of spooky décor.
“Because you know me too well,” Tony said, suddenly appearing at his side with a mischievous grin, holding a pumpkin-shaped cocktail. “But tonight’s special. No chaos this time, I promise.”
That immediately set off Steve’s internal alarms. “What are you up to, Stark?”
“Who, me?” Tony put on his most innocent expression. “Nothing nefarious. Just the love of your life throwing the perfect Halloween party.”
Steve gave him a skeptical look but couldn’t help smiling at the sheer joy in Tony’s eyes. It was contagious.
The night unfolded smoothly: Thor wrestled Clint to the floor after discovering the archer had secretly enchanted Thor’s beer with something labeled “Potion of Mischief.” Natasha won the costume contest with an eerily accurate Loki costume (Thor was not amused). Bruce showed up as himself but put on fake vampire teeth to appease Tony.
Everything was weird, wonderful, and just chaotic enough to feel like home.
Later That Night
As the party started to wind down, Tony grabbed Steve’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Come with me, Cap. I’ve got something to show you.”
Steve followed without question, though his curiosity simmered under the surface. Tony led him up to the rooftop, where the cool night air greeted them with a soft breeze. The city sparkled beneath them, and the sky was clear, the stars visible between the glow of the city lights.
“I thought we already had our rooftop moment,” Steve said with a fond smile.
“Yeah, but this one’s going to be better,” Tony replied, pulling Steve toward the center of the rooftop, where a table sat draped in black and gold fabric.
On top of it sat a small jack-o’-lantern, carved with precision. But instead of a face, it had two words: Marry me?
Steve blinked, stunned. “Tony…”
Tony took a step closer, the usual smug grin replaced by a nervous but soft smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, its silver band catching the moonlight, as he locked eyes with Steve.
“I figured… since you keep saying this is our favorite holiday now, we might as well make it official,” he began, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. “Look, Cap, you know I’m not exactly the ‘marriage proposal at sunset’ type. I mean, normally, I’d have lasers, maybe a hologram, definitely a little pyrotechnics, but I thought… maybe this time, it could just be us. Besides, you might run for the hills if I threw in confetti.”
Steve laughed, squeezing his hand to encourage him to keep going. Tony’s face softened as he went on. “Honestly, you make me rethink a lot of things. I used to think Halloween was all about tricks, but with you, it’s actually the treats I look forward to. And not the candy ones, but the things I never even thought I wanted—the movie nights, the little fights over who wore the ‘better’ costume, the way you actually let me win at pumpkin carving even though I know you could probably carve a perfect shield if you wanted to.”
He took a deep breath, shifting the ring slightly. “Look, I know I’m not perfect—sometimes I mess things up in spectacular fashion, sometimes I even plan on messing things up, but one thing I know for sure is that I want to be here, with you. In every mess, every celebration, every silly holiday. Forever. So… what do you say? Marry me?”
Steve’s heart swelled, and for a moment, all he could do was look at Tony—his Tony—standing there, looking nervous for once in his life.
Steve smiled, the kind of smile that could stop wars. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
Tony let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, slipping the ring onto Steve’s finger.
And just as Steve leaned in to kiss him—
A sudden, loud bang echoed from below, followed by Clint shouting, “THOR, NO, THAT’S NOT A PIÑATA!”
Steve laughed against Tony’s lips. “Still think Halloween is chaos-free?”
Tony sighed dramatically. “I take no responsibility for whatever’s happening down there.”
Steve grinned, pulling Tony closer. “They’ll survive. Right now, you’re all I care about.”
And so, under the stars, surrounded by the distant sounds of their chaotic family, Tony and Steve kissed—sealing their promise, their future, and their favorite Halloween ever.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃