When Zede and his group returned to New York, snowflakes were just beginning to fall from the sky. The first snow of the year had arrived, fashionably late.
Standing on the edge of the company rooftop, Zede gazed at the fluttering snow, momentarily lost in thought. Then he sighed softly.
"Winter already… Time really flies."
Beside him, Skye extended her hand, catching a few flakes in her palm."Christmas is coming soon. Have you thought about how we're going to spend it?"
"Christmas? Spend it how?" Zede looked puzzled, not quite understanding what she meant.
Skye stared at him in disbelief."You didn't forget, did you? Wait—you really did forget! Oh my god."
These days, Zede lived purely for pleasure—the thrill of battle, the comfort of women, the refreshing bite of ice-cold cola. Christmas hadn't even crossed his mind.
Even when he'd celebrated at Old Charlie's place before, he'd never taken it seriously—just another day for feasting and gifts.
Most people celebrated Christmas to welcome the New Year. Zede, however, couldn't care less about such things. To him, Christmas was entirely optional—something he'd never paid much attention to.
But this time, things were different.
Now, Zede had built his own "family." As the head of the household, he had both the responsibility and the duty to nurture the bonds among them. A holiday like Christmas couldn't just be brushed aside.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Zede took Skye's hands earnestly."Skye, you're the most normal one among us. Can you help me out here?"
Skye had grown up in an orphanage, where Christmases were hardly festive. After leaving and living on her own, she hadn't had the time or money to celebrate.
This Christmas, however, was different. She finally had family—people she loved, sisters, friends. She wasn't alone anymore.
Wanting to make this meaningful Christmas perfect, Skye nodded."Alright. Let's prepare together!"
After planning things out, Zede and Skye mobilized everyone to help. Some moved trees, others hung bells or draped garlands—nobody was allowed to slack off.
Thankfully, the Dranlong Castle's interior was ridiculously spacious. Decorating the entire place would've been far too time-consuming, so they decided to keep it simple—just the living room and bedrooms.
The company, however, was a different story. It was everyone's shared space, and the activity hall was the perfect size for celebration—so that became their main focus.
Zede had planned to go shopping for Christmas gifts with Skye, but when he saw her and Karl—father and daughter—working together to hang garlands, both smiling so warmly, he abandoned the idea.
"Xin, help me with a disguise. I'm heading out," Zede said, pulling Xin into a room.
As Xin applied the disguise, she asked,"Your Majesty, would you like me to accompany you?"
"No need. I'm going alone. It'll spoil the surprise if any of you see what I'm buying." Zede replied, eyes closed.
In no time, the disguise was done. Zede looked in the mirror, satisfied."Xin, you've got skill! I'm heading out—tell the others for me."
Once outside, Zede wandered through the snow-covered streets, browsing gift shops for presents. Yet nothing he found seemed quite right.
He thought about how long Skye and the others had been with him, and how he'd never truly given them anything meaningful. After a moment's consideration, he hailed a cab and headed for the jewelry stores at Times Square.
"Good evening, sir. How can I help you?" the clerk greeted him with a professional smile.
…
While Zede was preparing his Christmas gifts, Tony and Pepper were decorating their seaside villa. Their cozy holiday mood was interrupted, however, by an unexpected visitor.
In the sitting room, Tony lounged on the sofa with a drink in hand."Christmas is almost here—don't you people ever take a break? I'm your boss, and I've got more humanity than you lot."
Nick Fury ignored his sarcasm and dropped two folders on the table."Take a look."
Tony picked up the first one."Hmm… the Superboy Initiative again? Don't you people ever come up with something new? I already told you, I'm not joining your boy band."
"Try the second file," Fury said, pouring himself a drink. "That one's Agent Romanoff's assessment report on you."
Rolling his eyes, Tony opened the second folder and read aloud:"'Personality Evaluation: Tony Stark… impulsive tendencies… self-destructive behavior—what? I was dying at the time! Uh… narcissistic personality traits.' Okay, that one's fair."
He turned the page."'Avengers Initiative Candidate Evaluation: Iron Man—approved. Tony Stark—rejected!' What the hell!?"
Tony looked up, incredulous."Hey, Iron Man is me! How can you accept half of me and reject the other half?"
Fury leaned back against the desk, fixing his single eye on Tony."I should've come to you two months ago, but the whole Zede Oleg situation kept me busy."
"That guy's caused me more headaches than I can count. So tell me, Stark—how much better do you think you are than him?"
After a moment of thought, Tony straightened his posture and said seriously,"I think I'm much better."
"Let's hope so."
Fury tapped the edge of the Avengers Initiative Preliminary Plan."The Avengers are being formed to handle superpowered criminals. People like Zede Oleg are exactly the kind of cases we'll be watching closely."
"Then I'm definitely your guy," Tony said with smug confidence.
Fury's eye narrowed. "All I can offer you is a consultant position. Still interested?"
Tony stood, shook Fury's hand, and grinned."You couldn't afford my salary anyway. But maintaining world peace is Iron Man's duty… and teaching Zede a lesson? That's Tony Stark's hobby. So yeah—I'm in."
Tony knew he and Zede were alike—both brilliant, arrogant, and untamed. But while Tony leaned toward order, Zede leaned toward chaos.
And when chaos went too far, someone had to step up. That was Iron Man's responsibility—at least, that's how Tony saw it.
The Anti-Kamen Rider Armor Project was already on his agenda.
Tony Stark was slowly becoming a true hero—one who saw the world from a protector's perspective. The gap between Tony Stark and Iron Man was shrinking fast.
…
Jingle bells, jingle bells…
On the top floor of the company, the living room echoed with Christmas songs. Zede, Dan Kuroto, Woz, Skye, Xin, Lilith, Karl, and Ryouma sat around the fireplace, chatting happily. The atmosphere was warm and joyful.
Leaning close, Skye whispered to Zede,"So, what did you get us?"
Zede, still chewing on a turkey leg, mumbled through his mouthful,"Not… till… morning… morning…"
"What was that? I can't hear you! Oh—you're saying we should open them now, not wait till morning, right?" Skye replied dramatically.
Zede shook his head furiously, cheeks puffed out with food. But Skye had already wrapped her arms around him and shouted,"Everyone! Let's open the presents!"
The group exchanged quick glances, then rushed toward the Christmas tree, eagerly tearing open boxes.
Dan Kuroto's was the largest and most eye-catching. Inside was a plaque that read: New Dan Kuroto Kami-sama.
"Ah! Hahahahaha! Hahaha! This is the best gift ever! I'm hanging it right above my lab door! Hahahaha!" Dan burst into manic laughter.
Professor Ryouma's gift was a thick stack of documents—property deeds, trademarks, construction permits—for Project Yggdrasill Tower.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty," Ryouma said sincerely.
Zede nodded, eyes misty—not just because the gifts were being opened early, but because his treasury was now completely empty, both public and private funds alike.
Karl opened his box next and froze. Inside were old heirlooms from the Johnson family estate—items that had long since been lost. Zede had managed to recover only a small portion, but it was enough to move him deeply.
"You have my thanks," Karl said quietly. For the first time, he actually found Zede… likable.
Woz held a Hasselblad 503CW camera in awe."Your Majesty… this… this is—"
"A camera," Zede said with a smile. "I heard it pairs well with celebrations." He had long since surrendered to the chaos of the evening.
Xin opened her box to find a pair of elegant earrings. She was about to put them on when Lilith stopped her, pulling her to sit beside Zede and taking out a necklace of her own.
Zede smiled knowingly, took both the necklace and the earrings, and personally fastened them on Lilith and Xin.
Skye's eyes sparkled with envy. "They're so beautiful!"
Zede chuckled, then opened the final gift himself. Taking Skye's left hand, he slipped a large diamond ring onto her finger.
"I already have a historian, a scientist, an executioner, and a butler," he said with a teasing smile. "But I'm still missing a queen. Interested?"
"Of course," Skye whispered, eyes glistening as she threw herself into his arms.
…
Late that night, Skye leaned close to Zede's ear and whispered,"Lilith, Xin, and I prepared a gift for you too."
"Oh? What gift?" Zede turned to look at her.
Skye smiled mysteriously and pointed to his bedroom door."It's in your room."
Zede hurried inside—but found no gift box anywhere."Huh? Where is it?"
"Turn around," Skye's voice came softly from behind.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)