"Welcome back, sirs, and madam! I take it your unscheduled task was successfull?"
An ever-unflappable Edwin Jarvis meets us at the door of the mansion, unfazed at the sight of a group of tired and dirty superheroes trudging into the vestibule, tracking snow, jungle mud and god knows what else over his clean floors. In one hand, he's carefully balancing a silver tray carrying several cups of something warm, judging by the steam rising from the liquid inside, alongside a bunch of crackers covered with cheese and fruit.
"Thank you, Jarvis" Cap says, pushing back the hood of his uniform, revealing his tussled blonde hair "I'd say it want about as well as could have been expected."
"Very good, sir. I took the liberty of preparing some warm cider and refreshments in preparation for Christmas dinner. I'm afraid this years dinner will be somewhat informal in nature due to the unexpected delay."
"Yeah, so not complaining." I happily accept one of the cider cups and grab a handful of the cheese and crackers as well before I slump down in one of the lounge chairs set up along the wall, dropping the plastic bag I've been holding under one arm. The rest of the team follows suit, enjoying the hot drinks after the trudge through the snow. "We didn't exactly have time to check out the local cuisine back in Santo Marco, this is the first solid food I've had since breakfast. And apparently, battle terror works up an appetite..." I say as I nearly inhale the cracker I was nibbling on.
"Yeah, I gotta agree with Sunshine, I could eat a horse" Janet says, before grimacing as she looks down on her dirty and grimy costume, then giving the rest of us a look "But before anything else, I'm going to get cleaned up and change into something fitting for polite company." She finishes her cider, handing the cup back to Jarvis before heading up the stairs towards the rooms.
Steve nods, finishing his own drink "I think we all do, Wasp. Guys, unless you got something else you need to do first, hit the showers. Jarvis, is Mr. Stark here?"
"Yes, Mr. Rogers, Master Stark was quite excited when the news reports about your success came in, he is waiting for you in the living room, alongside Mr. Spider-Man."
I blink, halfway through biting into another cracker "Wait, Spider-Man's here?"
"Indeed, he arrived earlier this evening for an unscheduled visit. He and Mr. Stark have spent several hours in the mansions laboratory while awaiting your return. Now, unless there's anything else, I must see to dinner."
We shake our heads and Jarvis dutifully returns to the kitchen, disappearing down the hallway.
"I have to say, I'm a little surprised Spider-Man would just show up here, he's seemed kind of skittish every time the team has been together in one place" Pym says, draining the last of his cider before placing it on the tray Jarvis left behind. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you, just unexpected."
"Ah, but this is good news, friend Pym!" Thor declares cheerfully "Perhaps our young friend is finally warming up to his battle brothers! I had feared the youth found himself intimidated to be surrounded by warriors years ahead of him in age and experience, to take the time to bond with one of his allies means he's finally learning to overcome it!"
Hopefully, Thor is on to something there. While I'm starting to drop the habit of thinking of the people around me as characters rather than real people, it's easier said than done, considering I spent the better part of my life reading about them, before I turned up here where they're actual human beings, and not avatars of whatever jackass is writing them at the moment. As such, Peter never quite reached the levels of snappish jerk he was under Steve Ditko, atleast not as long as I've known him in person, but he still was, understandably I guess, pretty defensive and distant, even after he accepted membership on the team. Him just showing up to spend time with Tony off the clock? I'd call that a good sign.
And frankly, any development that takes him away from a future of shitty apartments and underpaid freelance photography is a good one.
...
I think this is literally the most satisfying shower I've ever had in my entire life. The combined results of a day running around in the tropics getting the shit kicked out of me, and a trudge through a New York winter on the way back didn't exactly leave me in the best state. I run my fingers through my hair as I rinse out the schampoo, still not used to the novelty of long hair. I'd kept most of my head shaved for years before I wound up in the wrong universe and decided to grow it out, so having hair reaching past my neck is a rather new experience.
Shutting off the water, I step out, grabbing a towel from the rack and giving myself a quick dry before I wrap it around my waist and begin moving back towards my bedroom, only to halt at the mirror. Speaking of new experiences...
I don't know if it's because of my powers or what, but something has certainly burned away the weight that's been a constant companion for me virtually since puberty. The man in the mirror is far from the kind of superhero physique Steve or Thor are blessed with, but after almost four months of fighting bad guys and channeling a mutant power has turned me into something resembling decent physical shape, if you squint at it atleast. I should talk to Cap about giving me some actual combat training, since right now I'm pretty much just winging it. Would probably be a good idea to have something to fall back on in case I end up in a fight with something I can't just superspeed into a pulp. Though in that case, I doubt regular punching will help either.
Hmm, need to give my beard a trim too one of these days. It's getting scraggly.
Whatever, that can wait. Food now.
I finish drying off before walking over to the bed where I've laid out a change of clothes, Jarvis did say informal dinner, but I doubt he meant me walking down there in my boxers. As I begin to pull my clothes on, I glance over at the bag hanging from the door handle, containing the... souvenir I brought back from Santo Marco. I wonder if I should wrap it?
...
The smell of roast turkey greets me as I come down the stairs, having changed into jeans and a t-shirt that isn't stained with someone elses blood, and head towards the dining room, a package hastily wrapped up in some old newspapers under my arm. Tony is already seated at the head of the table, alongside Peter, who I'm surprised to see isn't wearing his suit. Instead, he's dressed in sweats and a hoodie, though judging by the way they hang off him, I'm guessing he probably borrowed them from Tony. He's still wearing his mask, though pulled up to his nose to let him drink from the glass of milk in front of him. Both of them look up as I walk in, Tony breaking out in a smile.
"Ah, and our conquering hero returns triumphant! How was Santo Marco?"
"Not my best vacation to be honest, they really need to work on their tourist accomidations." I nod to Peter "Great to see you too, Spidey, hows your Christmas been so far?"
"...it's been... different, good different." He says, taking a sip of milk "Mr. Stark's been showing me around his workshop, while we were waiting for you to come back. He's got some really great stuff here, things I'd never even thought existed outside a science fiction magazine!"
"Oh come on, Spider-Pup, don't sell yourself short!" Tony chuckles, patting Peter on the back "You weren't kidding Sunshine, this kid is one in a million! He reminds me of... well, me, when I was his age! You ever think about growing a goatee, kiddo? I think it'd suit you!"
While I can't see through the lenses of his mask, I get the distinct impression that Peter is rolling his eyes, smiling slightly "I don't think I can pull that off as well as you, Mr St- Tony." He corrects himself.
"Well, I finally got you to a first-name basis, I'd call that progress! Now, if I could only figure out how to get Cap to do the same..."
"How do to get me to do what, Mr Stark?" The man in question walks in at that exact moment, having changed out of his uniform to a simple dress shirt and slacks. Behind him, Bruce follows closely, dressed in jeans, and for some reason, a sweatshirt with an M.I.T logo on it. Tony waves happily to them both.
"Just spitballing some ideas of how to make you a little bit less formal, my Captain! It IS the 60's, you know!"
"Speaking of nothing in particular, Tony, I brought you back something from Santo Marco" I pull the package from underneath my arm and places the bulky thing on the table in front of him. Tony blinks, staring at it.
"Wow, Sunshine, you shouldn't have." He leans in closer, tugging at an errant edge of paper "No, seriously, what... what is this? It's not something that can bite, is it?"
"I'd be very surprised if it could. Go on, open it, I think you'll like it."
Tony looks up at me, then back to the package, before shrugging and tearing off the newsprint covering the object inside.
"Hey guys, ready to eat? I'm starving- OH GOD, what the hell is that doing here?!" Janet shrieks from the doorway, stepping inside just as Tony tore the covering away, her eyes locked on Magnetos helmet now sitting on the table.
I shrug "I figured Tony might like a souvenir from our unplanned Christmas adventure, so I snagged this from the palace before we left. Merry Christmas, Tony!"
"You... stole Magnetos helmet?" Bruce says, baffled?
"Technically, I think I looted it? And it's not like he's going to have any use for it for the forseeable future, and I figured Tony might like a souvenir since he wasn't able to go on the mission with us. You like it? It's a unique item, one of a kind! And that dent on the side is where Steve punched him in his racist face with his shield!"
Tony grins, holding up the helmet to look at it closer "Why, Sunshine, it's just what I never knew I wanted!"522