This was supposed to be the first of two stories I was writing for Feelstide 2014, but with just days to go before the final deadline for the first story, my writing brain went missing (probably holiday stress, ugh). I've been meaning to finish and post it ever since, and this week finally sat down and wrote the last chapter and a half of it. Enjoy the angsty fluff!

"No, look, it'll be super-easy," Tony said, turning and walking backwards for a few steps, hands waving around as he spoke. "All the Avengers and a whole pile of our friends, I'll have the thing catered..."

"No, Tony," Pepper cut him off, giving him The Look, the one that said he was getting far too grandiose with his plans again and she was more than ready to cut them down to a more reasonable size. "I said I want a small Christmas party. Just the Avengers and our actual closest friends, not a couple hundred of your random acquaintances and assorted frenemies who want to be able to brag later about how they got to rub elbows with super-heroes for an evening. Here, in our own living room, not at some oversized and overpriced venue. A couple dozen people, if that."

"Almost not worth hiring caterers for such a small event," Tony grumped.

"Good. I'd rather we didn't, actually... I was thinking it would be nice to do something more... more friendly... more homemade. Like a pot-luck supper."

"A pot-luck?" Tony asked, looking startled. "I've heard of those. Isn't that when you invite people over and expect them to bring their own food? I've never understood the point of that..."

"Yes, a pot-luck, Tony. It's the sort of thing normal people do, and the point is it gives everyone a chance to make something special to share with all their friends. I was thinking I'd ask Jarvis to coordinate it, he can make sure that everyone is bringing different things and that we don't end up having five salads and no entrees or anything like that."

"Will I have to cook something?" Tony asked, looking worried.

Pepper stopped, and smiled warmly, reaching out to catch his hand. "I know you're not a particularly good cook. Or any cook at all, really. Don't worry about it – we can count the free bar as your contribution, or maybe you can cater the appetizers."

Tony looked relieved, and unconsciously drummed the fingers of his free hand against his chest, a nervous habit that the removal of his arc reactor hadn't changed in the least. "Okay. I can do that. So... a pot-luck Christmas dinner party? On Christmas itself, or some time earlier?"

"I was thinking a day or two before, that way we don't have to be worrying about it on Christmas Day itself, and those of us with real family elsewhere won't necessarily have to choose one over the other. Not that that would cut down very noticeably on the guest list," she added, looking momentarily saddened.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, not much family between the six of us... I think Clint has an older brother in prison somewhere, but apart from that and Thor's father the Avengers are all pretty much without close family. And depressingly short on friends, too, though at least we mostly share them all with each other... though I'm not sure if that's a pro or a con. Damn but we're an incestuous little group, aren't we?"

Pepper gave him a wry smile. "I suppose we are," she agreed.

In the end Pepper decided against officially calling it a Christmas dinner; their circle of friends was diverse enough that she doubted everyone in it celebrated the holiday under that name. Especially given that their group included people like Thor, who was most definitely non-Christian, and Natasha, who'd grown up without any real exposure to religion at all.