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Tony remembered his 10th birthday. Well, he remembered, all of them, but his 10th birthday was one he held close to his heart. Before then, all his previous birthdays had been huge ordeals, but not for him – never for him. Howard had taken his birthdays as an opportunity to do business, and show off something his genius son had created that year. Which meant Tony had to make something new every year whether he liked it or not. “Smile for the cameras, and only speak when spoken to.” Those were the rules every birthday.
However, a few days before his 10th birthday, Howard had fallen very ill. As a result, all of the festivities had been called off. Honestly, Tony had remembered breathing a sigh of relief when he found out. Of course, he would never wish illness on his father, but being a 10-year-old in high school had been taking its toll. His smiles were faked more often than not those days, and keeping up his walls up five days a week was exhausting.
So, yeah, he looked forward to a quiet birthday. Maybe even spending time with Jarvis and Ana since his father wouldn’t be around to lecture him about it. He went to sleep the night before, peacefully – for once, not dreading his birthday.
The next morning, he was woken up to fingers combing through his hair and his name being called. The voice was different from the one he was used to hearing. The kindness in it was the same, but it was soft and filled with love and affection. It made him smile in his sleepy state as he nuzzled contentedly into the hand running through his hair. That made the owner of the hand chuckle.
“Come, Antonio. It’s time to wake up now bambino.” Oh. That was his mom’s voice, the Italian lilt finally reaching through his sleepy state of mind. Wait. His mom? It was always Jarvis or Ana that came to wake him up. The realization was what made his eyes fly open, and sure enough there was his mom looking down at him with a small smile on her face.
Her hand moved from where it was threading through his hair, to rest on his cheek. “Happy birthday, bambino.” Her voice was still low and soft, and she leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.
Finally, getting over his initial shock, Tony grinned at her, immediately sitting up to wrap his small arms around his neck. “Grazie, mama,” he replied happily. Maria’s hands wrapped around him, squeezing him tightly for a moment before pulling back.
“I have a surprise for you,” she said, bopping his nose. Tony pulled a face at the touch which made Maria laugh, but at the mention of a surprise he was quick to get out of bed, briefly wrestling with the sheets which he had managed to get tangled with during the night.
“Where is it?” Tony looked around bouncing excitedly on his toes. He stopped when Maria put her hands on his shoulders and spun him to face the door.
“Right out in the hall,” the amusement was clear in her voice as she pushed him slightly to get him moving.
Tony was quick to open the door, and in his excitement, he ran face first into a body which made him stumble back a few steps.
He mumbled a slight ‘ow’ as he rubbed his nose, even though it didn’t really hurt, but it was still a bit of a shock. He finally looked up to see who was responsible for impeding the route to his surprise. Tony couldn’t hold back the gasp as he realized who it was.
“Aunt Peggy!” This time he deliberately threw himself at her, wrapping his arms around her waist. The impact didn’t budge her even a little bit, not surprisingly, Aunt Peggy was the strongest person Tony knew. Still, it was a goal for him to make her budge one day.
Peggy smiled down fondly at her godson, patting his head. “I believe someone here has turned 10 today.”
Tony loosened his grip on her a little so he could create some space to look up at her properly. “Me! I turned 10!” Tony was just barely able to keep himself from bouncing again. Still, his brown eyes were wide and glowing with the barely contained excitement. It was already rare that he would spend time with his mom, apart from the occasional day out. But getting to see his Aunt Peggy was a novelty. She tried to make time for him, but her work kept her busy. Peggy did work with his father, so she was over occasionally, but it was usually for business and she would have to leave immediately after.
“How long are you staying,” Tony asked cautiously. He didn’t want to get his hopes up.
Peggy’s smile dimmed slightly at the question, but she kept it firmly in place as she kneeled to be at eye-level with Tony. “I’m going to be here all day, sweetheart,” she promised. Peggy watched her little godson’s face brighten again, and felt hers brighten in return. There were few things that warmed her heart as much as seeing Tony’s precious smile.
Peggy squished his cheeks between her hands, and her smile became mischievous. “Do you know what the prize is for turning 10?” Tony shook his head as best as he could with her hands holding his head. “10 birthday kisses!”
Tony only had time to just register her statement before Peggy’s arms wrapped around him in a bear hug and she was pressing kisses all over his face. “Ugh, Aunt Peggy,” he whined, trying to wiggle out of her grip. “Mom, save me!” But her laughter just sounded from behind him, making no attempt to save her only son. Tony knew from experience that he was going to be decorated in lipstick once this was over. He kept squirming until she hit 10, and she finally leaned back and let him go – A big smile on her face, as if she was proud of an accomplishment.
Tony just looked at her with his best stern face, crossing his arms petulantly. He was finding it extremely hard to keep his smile at bay though, and eventually just gave it up.
“Come on,” Maria said, putting an arm on his shoulder, “Let’s get you cleaned up at ready for breakfast, hm?” Tony readily agreed. Breakfast meant he would see Jarvis and Ana, and he would get his traditional birthday pancake stack.
The rest of the day did not disappoint him. After breakfast, they decided to make it a game day, playing ball games outside and board games inside. Jarvis and Ana joined them for lunch, and after dinner they all sat down to watch movies. That night, Tony fell asleep the most content he had been in a while, his mom’s soft Italian lullaby drawing him into a peaceful slumber.
When Tony woke up he would be faced with Howard again. He would have an image to maintain and a name to live up to. He would once again be a Stark. ‘Stark men are made of iron.’ He would be an heir. A prodigy. But that would be tomorrow. Today was the happiest he had ever been, and he would keep this day close to his heart.
***
Tony woke up slowly. He was warm and comfy and he really didn’t want to move. What he did want was to go back to that dream. That was one of the better ones that he’s had in a while. Taking a deep breath through his nose he turned and nuzzled further into his pillow, intent on going straight back to sleep.
“Boss?” FRIDAY’s voice rang out in his room. He grunted an acknowledgment and snuggled impossibly deeper into his bed. “I was told to direct to the kitchen once you woke up.”
“‘m not awake,” he muttered. If FRIDAY had responded he didn’t hear it. He did however hear a knock at his door a few moments letter and soft mumbling outside of it. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away? He heard another voice, louder this time and quickly identified it as Rhodey when the door opened. “- doesn’t care. Needs to wake his lazy ass up anyways. Tones!”
Now he was being shaken, but he kept his eyes firmly closed as he mumbled “… not lazy. Own a fortune 500 comp’ny. Can’ do that ‘f ‘m l’zy.”
There was snickering that was not Rhodey’s own, but he was content to ignore it if Rhodey didn’t deem the other occupant of the room a threat. He heard Rhodey’s huff, and then, “Give it here,” and suddenly his senses were being permeated with the smell of fresh coffee and Tony’s eyes immediately flew open.
Tony immediately zeroed in on the coffee, nothing else mattered with the delicious ambrosia in front of him. In no time flat, he was sitting up and gulping it down, already feeling more awake than he was a few seconds ago. The snickers turned into full blown laughter and he finally looked to see who the other occupant was. It turned out that there was more than one – Peter and Vision were also there, with Peter being the one laughing and slight smile graced Vision’s features.
He turned to look at Rhodey who had at some point made himself comfortable next to Tony on the bed, leaning back against the headboard with a cup of coffee in his hands. Tony couldn’t help but eye it, and then glance at Rhodey’s face before looking back at the cup of coffee. With a resigned sigh Rhodey offered up the new coffee which Tony gratefully accepted and placed his now empty cup in Rhodey’s hands.
“So…” he finally said looking at all the occupants in the room, now that he was feeling human again. “What’s this about?”
“Happy Birthday Mr. Stark!” Peter said a lot louder than necessary, drowning out Vision’s own sentiments. Rhodey contented himself with ruffling Tony’s hair and grinning at him.
“That’s... Oh.” Tony blinked in confusion, and then his eyes widened in recognition. “Right. Thank you, guys.” He smiled down at his coffee before taking another gulp.
“Did you forget your birthday?” Tony glanced briefly at Peter who was looking at him absolutely flabbergasted.
“Maybe…” Rhodey pinched his forearm lightly, making him draw back in surprise, feigning hurt. “In my defense, I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years and I’ve been busy. It’s really not my fault.”
He nudged Rhodey’s side, making the man nudge back before Tony made to get out of bed, draining the rest of his cup.
“Really, thank you guys for this. I appreciate it.” Tony grinned, ruffling Peter’s hair as he passed and patting Vision on his shoulder. “Now, what’s on the schedule for today Fri…”
“Whoa, wait a sec,” Peter interrupted before FRIDAY could reply. “You don’t think this is it, do you?”
“Uh…” Tony glanced at all of them before his gaze landed back on Peter. “I didn’t really plan a party this year, so…” Tony trailed off. He really wasn’t sure what exactly they wanted.
Rhodey sighed, standing up with his braces and walking over to their side. “Tony, we planned something for you.” Tony blinked, running over the statement in his head. The last time someone had planned anything for him he had been…
“Starting with breakfast,” Vision put in, and put his hands on Tony’s shoulders to guide him into the kitchen. Tony’s feet moved automatically, only stopping once he was in the kitchen and got a look at the set up. There were stacks of pancakes, as well as an un-godly amount of bacon and hash-browns. Tony drifted closer, taking everything in, before turning back to look at all of them.
“We have an entire day planned for you Mr. Stark, and,” he added before Tony could interrupt, “Fri and Pepper already helped us rearrange your schedule so yes you are free all day today.” Rhodey nodded along, affirming what Peter was saying, and Vision guided him into a seat while he was still dumbfounded.
“We know its been rough Tony,” Rhodey began, as he took a seat next to Tony’s. “You’ve been putting in a whole lot of effort to make things right, while trying to keep everyone happy. We know.” Rhodey wrapped a hand around Tony’s wrist, a gesture of both comfort and solidarity. “You deserve at least a day, if not more.”
“However,” Vision continues. “We know taking extended breaks makes you… antsy,” Tony chuckled slightly at the understatement. “But we hope you will accept this.”
Tony takes a deep breath, before a smile takes over his features completely. He couldn’t remember the last time his birthday had been celebrated by people close to him. After the palladium poisoning he just stopped the big birthday bashes all together. Usually Rhodey was working, and he told Pepper when they were dating that he didn’t want to do anything. The Avengers… Well, he couldn’t remember ever telling them his birthday, although it was probably on the file they were given. Still, he really hadn’t given his birthday much thought over the last few years.
However, looking at Vision and Peter and Rhodey, listening and participating in the conversations and banter while they ate breakfast, this feeling of warmth and… family – Tony hadn’t realized how much he had missed it until now.
And it didn’t stop with breakfast.
As promised they had a whole day planned out for him. Tony hadn’t given much thought to Bruce not being present for breakfast, assuming that he probably was doing a time-sensitive experiment of some sort. So, he was surprised, and amused, to find out that while they had been eating breakfast, Bruce had been decorating a corner of the lab and teaching the bots to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ once Tony entered. The man had even when as far as putting birthday hats on them. Tony got a good laugh out of the whole thing. DUM-E had made a smoothie which Bruce assured him was 100% drinkable, while U and Butterfingers had worked together to produce a mash of random metal parts which created absolutely nothing, but Tony loved it all the same and made note to get a display case for it.
They spent an entire afternoon “science-ing” only stopping briefly when Pepper and Happy came to deliver lunch, and wish him a happy birthday. He even got Bruce to allow two explosions, which was more in a day than Bruce would usually allow in a year so, bonus points.
Eventually, FRIDAY let them know that dinner was ready. Vision had left a couple hours earlier to prepare it – He had gotten significantly better since a year ago.
Tony, Rhodey, Bruce, and Peter all got into the elevator together. They were still high on an epic science buzz, and Tony was grinning from ear-to-ear, practically bouncing with excitement. He didn’t think it could get any better, but he had obviously underestimated his friends.
As they stepped out into the penthouse, Tony’s mouth was immediately watering at the smell covering the place. He rounded the corner, letting his nose lead him. “Holy shit Viz, that smells am-”
“SURPRISE!”
Tony jumped back, making a sound that he will not admit to later, and his hands coming up defensively on reflex as he takes in the room, which has been decked out since he left that morning, and is now hosting a group of people he hadn’t expected to see. Deadpool apparently took the job of confetti thrower as he dances around Tony in his near paralyzed state. Hope is there with her phone in hand recording the whole thing. T’Challa and Strange are off to the side, both grinning at Tony, along with Pepper, Happy, and Vision.
It’s Rhodey slapping him on the back that snaps him out of his stupor. Peter and Bruce, coming up to Tony’s other side and everyone is wearing a shit-eating grin. Tony rolls his eyes, but it doesn’t take away the from the fond look on his face.
“You know,” he begins, “If you wanted to give a man with heart problems a heart attack, you’re on the right track.” Even with the sarcastic tone, Tony can’t keep the pure joy off of his face as he begins to step further into the room.
“Oh, please,” Deadpool says, throwing an arm around Tony’s shoulder. “There are much easier ways to give you a heart attack than planning a surprise party for you.”
“Oh, gee, good to know,” Tony deadpans. The mercenary just grins from under his mask.
“I suppose we should have thought the ‘surprise’ part of our surprise party through,” T’Challa speaks, stepping towards Tony to give him a hug. “Happy Birthday, Tony.”
Tony huffs a laugh. “No, no, it’s fine this is…” Tony steps out of T’Challa’s embraces and looks around at everyone, meeting each of their eyes. “This is one of the best days I’ve had in a while. Thank you, all of you.” If his eyes started to water, nobody said anything. There were hugs all around before they sat down to eat. Vision had made an Italian meal, and Tony was so proud of how far he had come with his cooking.
After dinner, they all settled down in the family room with the cake and gifts, before having an impromptu movie marathon. As he lay with his head rested on Rhodey’s lap, and his feet on T’Challa’s, he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. A memory of a much younger him curled up between his mom and his Aunt Peggy. He drew in a shuddering breath, the emotions hitting him sudden and hard. Rhodey tapped his cheek to get his attention, checking to see if he was okay. Tony looked up and reassured him with a small smile, before moving Rhodey’s hand to his hair – Rhodey would know what he wanted.
With Rhodey’s fingers running through his hair, and warmth surrounding him on all sides, Tony closed his eyes. He was safe here, with his friends – no, with his family.
Tony could count on one hand the days that were as special to him as his 10th birthday. He could now add this day to his small list as well.