ALWAYS HOME

After spending so long on the streets, she wasn't fond of Christmas. All she was concerned with was how she was going to try and avoid the chill, with managing to stay alive long enough to make it through the winter months. She rarely thought of her old family traditions, sparing more mind to the way her teeth chattered and lips turned blue. 

She'd spent so long homeless that she wasn't sure what Christmas even was anymore. 

When she was on the streets in Romania, she'd see the groups of children moving door to door, singing in their sweet, angelic voices the infamous carols. One she grew to quickly hate was O, ce veste minunata, the words sung so often that no matter how the tune was delivered she wanted to plug her hands into her ears. She preferred silence over the repetitive song.

One of the things she despised most about the carollers though wasn't the way some of them couldn't carry the tune, but how suddenly the pockets of those who denied her so easily were loosened. These children were given handfuls of leu just for making people's ears bleed with their screeching voices, most likely using that money on sweets and toys, whilst she lay huddled in the cold, desperate for those leu to save up for a warm sandwich or somewhere to stay the night. 

It was understandable how she grew to hate the holiday. It left her secluded while so many were embraced, serving as a reminder of how alone she was. 

But now, she wasn't so alone. 

Her fingers tapped incessantly against her leg, squirming constantly in the chair. The leather was just too soft, and she sunk into it too easily. It was too luxurious, and even after having been off the streets for a year, she still wasn't accustomed to many comforts. 

Everything in the Tony's plane was too luxurious.

Rhodey's hand came to rest on her knee. She sent him a quick smile, her jerking leg knocking his hand. He squeezed. 

"Are you okay?" He spoke aloud. As much as she loved watching his hands flow when he spoke to her in sign language, the sound of his voice was just as magical. She could listen to him talk all day. 

She nodded, biting her lip. It was clear that everything wasn't okay, but she just didn't want to admit what was wrong. Maybe it was how her stomach felt like it was falling out of her body each time the plane jostled, or how a single glance at the clouds outside made her want to throw up. Perhaps it was how she had to constantly swallow to pop her ears, never fully being able to have the full capacity of her hearing. 

"I know you're not a fan of flying Ileana, but we're nearly there now." Rhodey reassured her, lips curled towards her softly. She mimicked the action, resting her own hands on top of Rhodey's. Each time she touched him, she felt her heart race, it having never lessened since the first time her heart skipped a beat around him. 

Tony walked towards the pair, slumping in the chair across from them. He sighed heavily, tumbler of whiskey in his hand. His hair was ruffled messily, and his eyes had dark bags beneath them. Ever since the Avengers split up, he hadn't been himself. The pair just hoped that the trip would take his mind off of things for a short while. 

"Tony, it's nine in the morning." Rhodey chided, frowning at the drink in his hand. 

Tony shrugged. "Want one?" Rhodey shook his head. Tony brushed it off, looking at Ileana, the same question on his lips. Ileana simply smiled at the man, shaking her head. "Spoil sports."

The pair pretended not to hear what he'd muttered. Tony raised the glass to his lips, the liquid coming close to falling in his mouth when Rhodey jerkily stood up, wrenching the drink from his hand and passing it to a flight attendant. Tony cried out in protest; Rhodey was ignorant to it. Instead, he walked across the room, his leg braces whirring as he grabbed a bottle of water, throwing it at Tony. "Whiskey is not allowed before noon, you got that?" 

Tony groaned, catching the bottle and unscrewing the lid. He took a deep swig, the bottle crunching under the pressure. He pulled the bottle away from his lips with a sigh, fixing his attention on Ileana. "You're boyfriend can be a right buzzkill sometimes." 

Ileana shrugged, hand reaching for Rhodey when he neared. His hand slipped into her own. 

With one hand, she fumbled for the pen behind her ear, tucked amongst her thick mane. At the motion, Tony pulled a notebook from the table beside him, passing it to Ileana without a word. With a grateful smile, she uncapped the pen with her mouth, chewing down on it as her hand glided across the page. 

But he's my buzzkill. 

The two men read it. Tony made a sarcastic noise of appreciation, voice equally showing his disgust. "How sweet." 

Ileana's hand moved across the page again, accidentally knocking the hand holding Rhodey's every now and then. He moved to pull away - she tightened her grip. 

I try. 

Tony rolled his eyes. "If you two are going to be like this the entire trip, tell me now so I can throw myself out of the plane." 

It was Rhodey's turn to roll his eyes. "You care too much about your hair to risk having the wind mess it up." 

One look at the mop of curls on Tony's head said otherwise. Stubble outside of his trademark facial hair was growing mercilessly, and no attempt had been made to clean it up. It was obvious to Ileana that Rhodey didn't believe the words he said, but was only trying to treat Tony the same way he would have usually done. 

Ileana put the lid back on her pen, hiding it once again behind her unruly curls. With her spare hand, she reached over, patting his knee gently. She had no way how else she could convey her sympathy, and he hadn't come across as the kind of man who appreciated very outspoken sympathy. 

He smiled at her. He seemed to understand. 

"Mr Stark." One of the flight attendants stood beside the group, standing tall in a blue uniform and pristine hair. "We're coming close to your destination. Please can you all fasten your seat belts." 

They all obliged, beginning the descent to their new adventure. 

*

Romania looked different. Ileana couldn't pinpoint what exactly was so strange about her home country; she knew one thing for sure - it seemed a lot friendly when you were the one walking down the streets, not sitting on them. This new perspective was foreign to her, reminding her of all the times she yearned to be in this position. 

Rhodey nudged her with his shoulder, his eyes the lightest she'd seen them in a while. "Welcome home." 

She wanted to correct him. She wanted to tell him that this was no home - this was a prison and she had been held captive here once. Her memories here were rarely happy, those happy ones tainted by the events that followed. Her true home was by his side; she couldn't tell him this as her arm was linked with Rhodey's. 

Her thoughts were cut off when her eyes drifted to the side of the pavement. There, a wide gap was there, despite the crowds of bustling people shouldering their way to their destinations. She didn't need to investigate any further to understand what was happening. 

Before she could even process what she was doing, she was directing them all towards the gap. Tony was asking her what was going on, trailing behind the pair, clueless. Rhodey was equally as curious, his curiosity sated the moment he saw the bundled blankets and pitifully empty hat in front of them. 

Rhodey let Ileana move her arm from under the crook of his elbow. She turned to him, as if asking permission to carry on. He waved her on, but not before he palmed some of the leu in his pocket in her hand. 

A bright smile grew on her face. She spun around, tenderly walking towards the bundle of blankets. The closer she got, the more details were revealed. Thin cheeks. Greasy hair. Potent smell. Desperation woven into every pore. It was a mirror image of what she had been like. 

Their eyes followed her carefully as she made her way over. Ileana was conscious of the speed she was moving at, letting the money in her hand be clear. She wanted to make it evident that she wasn't a threat, that she was a friend who wanted to help. 

The desperation lessened at the sight of the coins in her hand. Ileana dropped them into the hair, paying extra attention to make sure none fell out. They gawped at her as Ileana stayed where she was, digging a hand into her own pocket, pooling out all of the notes and coins that she had in her possession. She was friends with a billionaire - he would be able to spare enough money to let Ileana live whilst on their visit. Ileana knew her money would be better spent on making this persons life better. 

The money overflowed into the hat. The person continued to stare at her, shock written all over their face. Ileana merely smiled kindly, reaching down into the snow. With brows knitting closely together, she wrote down in her native tongue two sentences. 

Take this. I know from experience - it gets better. 

They looked up at her. Ileana nudged the hat towards them, encouraging them to take it. With slow movements, a hand adorned with jagged, filthy nails reached for the hat. Ileana nodded. This was the last of the encouragement the person needed, taking the money and putting it somewhere safe. They gathered their blankets together with the help of Ileana, with Rhodey and Tony giving a little help. 

"Thank you." They uttered to Ileana. To some, that would be considered pitiful to what she deserved. Some would believe she deserved an entire speech saying about how selfless and kind she was - those two words meant the whole world to Ileana. Even if she could that persons life for one day, she was happy. 

Ileana nodded, Rhodey and Tony waving at them as they delved into the crowd. Tony scoffed, turning his head towards Ileana. "You really are a saint, aren't you?" 

Ileana blushed. Rhodey pulled her close, kissing her forehead. Ileana nearly melted on the spot. 

"Okay guys, enough of the PDA." Tony groaned. The pair laughed, the three of them turning down the snowy street. "What does everyone think about a drink?" 

"Tony." Rhodey warned, his grip still tight on Ileana as they moved in synchrony. 

"What? It's past noon." 

Ileana was so absorbed in the chatter between Rhodey and Tony that her eyes skipped over the spot where her story began. She was grateful for this - it allowed for her to finally start focusing on the present, paving the way to a bright future.

-

hey guys! so this wasn't as festive as i wanted, but i like the way it turned out. just in case some of you were wondering, the song she refers to is in romanian, which in english is called oh what wondrous tidings. i figured since she is romanian, this will be the language that she's most accustomed to and lived around. i also realised that her sign language would be in romanian so that means rhodey would learn romanian AND romanian sign language and that warms my cold heart. 

i hope you all enjoyed this little holiday bonus, and i hope you all have a lovely festive season!

-thirdwheelchurchill