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“Mo, careful!” Peter hissed as the two crept into the Stark lake house. Peter was carrying a tree, while Morgan was supposed to be holding the door open for him. The newly licensed teen had snagged his sister that morning before their parents were awake so they could go to a local Christmas tree lot and select a tree. After all the stress he had caused Tony and Pepper during the fall, Peter had one goal for the Christmas season- to make it the most perfect tree ever. If only Morgan would remember her role. Like holding the door open for him, instead of bouncing around with excitement so much that she kept almost closing it in his face.
Finally, the two managed to get the tree inside and sat up. Now, to locate the decorations. Peter really, really wanted to get this finished so he could surprise their parents when they came downstairs. This Christmas absolutely had to be perfect. They deserved nothing less.
Morgan helped him find the boxes of decorations in the garage. They were just bringing in the last box when Pepper came down the stairs.
“No!” Peter yelped, jumping in front of the tree, “You're not supposed to be up yet!”
“We're decorating the tree to surprise you!” Morgan said enthusiastically.
“Mo!” Peter groaned. He felt like crying. Pepper looked between her children, her face softening when she saw the crestfallen expression on her son's face.
“Did you go get the tree this morning?” she asked.
Morgan nodded, clapping her hands and bouncing with delight, “We did! And we chose the most perfectest one!”
“It is perfect!” Pepper smiled. She frowned, though, when Peter didn't brighten, “What's wrong, honey?”
“It isn't perfect, yet,” He whispered, hoarsely, on the verge of tears, “You weren't supposed to see it until it was. Then it would be perfect.”
The woman reached out and drew the teen into her arms, “I'm sorry I ruined your surprise. Your dad is moving a little slow today. It will be a while before he gets out of bed. What do you say I help you get it decorated before he gets downstairs?”
The teen perked up at that and readily agreed. The trio set out to get the tree decorated, and sure enough, by the time Tony came down the stairs, he was greeted by the smell of fresh brewed coffee and bacon and eggs and the sight of a fully decorated Christmas tree.
“Wow, how long was I asleep?” the man questioned, pausing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Do you like it, Daddy?” the five-year-old questioned as she pranced around in front of the tree.
“It's perfect,” Tony grinned. Peter concluded that it was. Almost. Now, if only the rest of his Christmas plans went perfectly.
His next plan was to take Morgan shopping for presents for Tony and Pepper. Morgan quickly found gifts she deemed “the ones”. The teen was skeptical that their parents really wanted glass figurines of ballerinas and Spider-Man, but he dutifully followed her to the register, so she could pay for the presents.
Peter took longer. He finally located a perfume that he knew Pepper would like, but finding something for Tony was proving to be much harder.
“Petey, can we go?” the five-year-old whined, tugging at his coat.
“I just need to find the perfect gift for Dad,” the teen answered.
“What about that?” Morgan pointed to a festive sweater sporting Spider-Man in a Christmas hat swinging next to Iron Man, who was hovering with an armful of presents.
“Isn't it …obvious?” Peter asked.
Morgan rolled her eyes, “Spider-Man is his favorite, and he is Iron Man. He'll like it. And we can go.”
Peter sighed and reluctantly picked up the sweater, conceding it was cute. Fun. But it wasn't perfect. And he needed perfect.
“Petey!” Morgan grumbled. He sighed, glancing down at the exhausted child and made his way towards the register. He guessed it was going to have to do.
He had one last opportunity for it to be perfect. The Avenger's Christmas Eve party was going to be the most festive, most amazing, most Christmassy part of the season. And it would be the bow on the almost perfect Christmas. A time singing Christmas songs, making gingerbread houses, opening presents, and eating inordinate amounts of food. It would absolutely be perfect. Until it wasn't. Until the snow started to fall early in the morning and kept falling.
“Sorry, guys,” Tony said around noon, “but it isn't letting up. It just isn't safe for us to be out on the roads right now.”
Peter felt his eyes fill with tears yet again. Why was everything conspiring against him having the perfect Christmas? It's what Tony and Pepper deserved.
“No!” the boy cried, bolting up to his room and closing the door. The Starks had been so good, so understanding. The least they deserved was the perfect holiday, and he kept messing it up. He slid down to the floor next to his bed, pulling his knees up, and burying his face. He didn't look up when he heard the door open and then close, or when he heard the footsteps pause next to him. He still didn't look up when a body knelt next to his and a calloused hand began running through his curls.
“Roo, buddy,” his dad soothed, “You’ve got to talk to me. What's wrong?”
Peter sniffed, “It's ruined.”
“What's ruined?” Tony slid his arm down to the teen's shoulders and wrapped it around the boy. He tugged Peter close and the teen let his head rest against the man.
“Christmas. All I wanted was for you both to have the most amazing Christmas, and it's ruined,” the boy sniffed again, scrubbing his hand on his face to wipe away the tears that kept flowing.
“Hey, Peter,” Pepper's voice came next, soft and gentle, as she crept into the room and knelt in front of him, her hand coming out to rest on his cheek, “It already is perfect.”
“No it's not! I tried so hard, and it kept getting messed up!” he sobbed.
“Pete,” Tony responded, “All we needed for perfect was you. You and Morgan. Having you here, having you together that's all we wanted, all I have wanted.”
“You are enough, sweetie,” Pepper added. Peter chanced a glance up at her and was met with an expression full of love and concern.
He heard Tony take a deep, rough breath beside him. The man then spoke, “The last five Christmases have been so hard. We tried for Morgan to make them good, to make memories, but you not being with us, not being with me, that overshadowed so much. But you're here now. And this one, for me, it's perfect because I finally have you here. Both my kids. That's all I need.”
“Are you sure?” Peter asked, looking over at the man who had gone from hero to mentor to father. The man who had risked everything for him.
“I'm positive,” Tony confirmed, squeezing his shoulders. After a moment the man released the boy and stood, letting out a groan as he did, “I'm not made for sitting on the floor so long anymore. What do you say we change into pajamas and move this party downstairs.”
“Pajamas?” Peter looked up at him skeptically. Pepper stood and offered her hand to the boy, helping him up. Tony, meanwhile, was already moving towards Peter's dresser and threw a pair of pajamas at the boy.
“Pajamas,” the man confirmed, “And then downstairs.”
Once Peter had changed, he headed back downstairs to join the rest of the family. They had all also changed into pajamas. Tony was pulling up a movie for them to watch while Pepper was making hot chocolate and popcorn.
“Petey, tell Daddy we need to open presents!” Morgan exclaimed from where she was prancing around the living room.
“It isn't Christmas yet,” Peter wrinkled his brow.
“One present?” Morgan begged. Peter had to agree that opening one present sounded fun, so he turned his eyes on Tony.
The billionaire groaned, “Get Pepper to agree, and we can do one.”
Peter and Morgan bounded towards the kitchen, both calling, “Mom, Mom, Mom, can we open one present?”
Pepper looked up and shifted her gaze between her children before agreeing, “Just one present. The others are for tomorrow.”
“Yes!” Morgan shouted, dancing back into the living room. Peter helped Pepper carry the drinks and popcorn into the room, following after her. They set everything on the table as Morgan carefully selected the presents for everyone. She handed Peter and Pepper each their one from her. She selected a large gift from Tony and Pepper for herself. She then chose Peter's gift and handed it to Tony.
“Oh, Mo, you don't have to give him that one,” the teen said quickly.
“He needs it, Petey,” Morgan said matter-of-factly.
“Now I'm curious,” Tony said, taking the proffered present. He eagerly ripped into the paper and pulled out the sweater, breaking into a huge grin, “This is perfect, Pete!”
“Really?” the teen asked with relief. Tony stood and pulled the boy into a hug.
“Really.” he repeated. He released the teen and pulled on the sweater over his pajamas. And as Peter settled next to his parents and sister to watch the first movie of the afternoon, he had to admit that even though it wasn't working out the way he had planned, being with his family was perfect enough.