A Very Merry Marvel Thanksgiving

[wasafreak]

Thanksgiving hadn't been something Teddy anticipated celebrating, and even now that he's here, it feels odd. Not just the fact that his jaw is wired shut and he's got a brace on his leg, but the fact that he was invited to Captain America's house and arrived to find the original Cap and Bucky and alternate universe Peggy Carter setting up a pretty impressive Thanksgiving buffet is just so surreal. Steve greets them at the door with a genuine smile and pats Billy on the shoulder and ushers them in to get drinks, and Teddy tells himself he's paranoid and Bucky isn't shooting him and Billy a sideways look warning them off of getting caught making out in any more closets, and then reminds himself that this is real life.

Kind of.

Instead of agonizing over what an appropriate tropical island equivalent of 'nice Holiday sweater' was, he let Billy dress him (also literally, see again: brace) and thinks they made the right call- the house is all warm wood craftsman, and the three heroes already there are dressed casually but nicely, and there are old photos and some pretty incredible drawings hanging up, which distract Teddy and Billy to the point of rudeness, except Steve seems all too glad to tell them stories and answer questions. Bucky chimes in to remind him of details and it's... it's maybe the coolest thing that has ever happened, other than discovering his connection to the Avengers.

It relaxes him, and Teddy types up short phrases and sentences on his iPad when he feels really compelled to contribute, keeps "Happy Thanksgiving" on his clipboard to copy and paste it when new people arrive. It doesn't take more than an hour for a pretty respectable number of people to show up, the chatter growing in volume, and even though it's been a pretty crappy couple of months, and a pretty rough couple of years, Teddy finds himself feeling pretty good.

Comments

[notawastedlife]

"I like you," Tony decided, because the man -- pseudo-god, demigod, actual god, whichever -- was not only not decrying the drinking or trying to get him to avoid it, this was clear acceptance. Which was the spirit of the thing, right?

And speaking of spirits... he poured himself some spiced rum. "And I like your advice."

[havenoplans]

"My wisdom is hard-earned," he says, nodding towards a number of empty glasses (none of them broken). Waiting for Tony to take his first sip, he then prompts, "And?"

[notawastedlife]

"Your hard-earned wisdom is..." Tony said, and took a sip. Which then continued on beyond the point of being the sip, and became a substantial part of the glass. "...accurate," he concluded, shaking his head with the kick in an abbreviated motion. It was more a show thing than an actual involuntary gesture, although it had been a while since he'd leaned on his tolerance for this stuff.

Then he squinted at his company as if just noticing him. "You celebrate Thanksgiving?"

[havenoplans]

"'Tis a feast on my day and the good Captain welcomed me to join you all," says Thor upon downing the rest of his own glass. Besides, Volstagg would have his head on a spit should he have turned down an invitation such as this. Reaching for the bottle of spiced rum to refill his glass (he likes this drink well enough for seconds), he tips the bottle Tony's way.

"Another?"

[notawastedlife]

"You'll go to any feast that's on a Thursday?" Tony said, considering this as a lifestyle choice.

"...good deal. Yes. Definitely, another."

[havenoplans]

"Of course not. I would attend any feast to which I was invited, regardless of the day," says Thor with a booming laugh that spreads an ache through his ribs. This mortal body is slow to heal. Hiding a wince, he pours Tony another glass, setting down the bottle so that he might give a toast.

"To good drinks and fine friends."

[notawastedlife]

"To fine drinks and good friends," Tony not-quite-echoed. raising his glass and adding, half to himself, "including those not... present."

Who probably wouldn't approve of him dedicating his drinking to them. Well, if they didn't like it, they should show up and tell him to stop. That seemed fair.

[havenoplans]

Thor's smile flickers, as it has for most of the evening. No matter the company of those who are present, his thoughts return always to Jane. She should be here; of everyone stuck in this realm, he believed her the most likely to find a way home rather than to just disappear like any other.

"You've lost someone as well?"

[notawastedlife]

"She wasn't a someone," Tony said, holding his glass up to the light and studying it, in lieu of looking at anything, because a person might cross his view and not be Pepper.

"She- it's a party, this isn't party talk. More thanks-giving, less... angst-giving."

[havenoplans]

"Nor was Jane," says Thor to himself, but Tony made a fair point, and upon downing the rest of his glass, the smile he wears is forced, but stubbornly staying put. He pours himself another.

"To what else do you wish to give thanks?"

[notawastedlife]

"...did I do the drinks table?" Tony said. He was in a pinch. Coming up with something else to be thankful for on short notice was difficult, because he didn't know that there was a lot.

[havenoplans]

"Aye, but they are good drinks, my friend," says Thor, clapping a solid, warm hand to Tony's shoulder in unspoken commiseration. "We can thank it again."