Chapter Text
“Good morning, Boss. The date is –”
“Mute.”
FRIDAY went quiet immediately. Tony might have felt a speck of guilt over muting her, but the truth was he already knew what day it was and he had zero desire to be reminded of it again. He’d been awake for the past three hours dwelling on it, and that was only because he’d almost welded his hand to a gauntlet at 5am. Rhodey had made it a rule a long time ago that Tony was forbidden from being in the workshop when he was distracted, so Tony had relocated to bed.
Sleep hadn’t come, though. Instead, he’d been treated to his brain conjuring up image after image of last year, only worse. Like flipping through a photo album, Tony could feel Steve’s gentle kisses waking him up. He could smell the nail polish from the hour he and Natasha had spent getting ready. He could see Clint’s grin as Tony joined the team at dinner. He could taste the chocolate cake that Bruce had spent most of the night working on. His arms still tingled from Thor’s excitement, like static electricity in the air.
He could still hear them singing Happy Birthday.
He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow with a groan. So much had changed in one year. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Ultron. The Winter Soldier. The so-called ‘Civil War’. In the span of that year, Tony had gone from having a family to this. Waking up on the morning of his birthday alone, with only an A.I. he had created and a pillow stiff from dried tears as company.
Quill and the other Guardians were away on a mission, and Tony had no idea when they'd be back. He doubted that Peter or any of the other new teammates even knew when Tony's birthday was. Pepper might call later. Maybe. Things had been very tense between them for a while now. Their break-up had been largely amicable, but they hadn’t quite navigated their way back to ‘friends and coworkers’ territory yet. So it was hard to say if Tony would hear from her. Rhodey would call, and so would Happy. But in the face of last year, the well wishes were just more splinters poking at an already open wound.
He wondered, just to torture himself, if Steve had remembered. If Steve was sitting somewhere right now, looking at that pathetic flip phone and thinking about Tony. Probably not. It was far more likely that Steve hadn’t given Tony a single thought now that Bucky was safe. Tony was a smart man; he could recognize when he was nothing more than a placeholder.
He contemplated staying in bed for the rest of the day. Maybe with a bottle of vodka. He could lock the door and pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just for one day. Would that really be so terrible? He’d put on a good front for the press for the past twelve months. He’d attended every press conference, every legal meeting, every summons from the U.N. Surely people would understand if he just needed this one day to himself…
As though summoned by thought alone, someone knocked on the door. Then, without Tony voicing an invitation, it opened. Tony pushed himself halfway up, ready to blast the intruder, but – thank god – managed to bite back the words in the nick of time when he realized who it was. Peter smiled nervously, hands all but wringing together, looking like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
“Um, sorry. I didn’t realize – Jim said I should come in and see if you were up…” He trailed off.
Tony barely held in a snort. Of course Rhodey would send Peter in, since yelling at Peter was like yelling a kitten and usually ended with Tony feeling worse than Peter did. He settled for a sigh instead. “It’s fine, kid. I was just about to get up,” he lied.
“Great,” Peter chirped. “I’ll just wait here.” And he settled himself against the doorframe, arms folded loosely across his stomach, staring at Tony expectantly.
It occurred to Tony that he might have been played. He shot a suspicious glare at the kid, but realized he couldn’t exactly go back on his word now. Well, he could. But the days where Peter was falling all over himself with awe for ‘Mr. Stark’ were long gone (and oh, how Tony missed those days!). Now Tony dealt with a snarky teenager who would probably web his ass up and drag him out the door if Tony didn’t get moving.
Since he had zero desire to be seen by the general public in just his boxers, he rolled out of bed, grateful that he hadn’t slept naked the way he usually did, and stumbled into the bathroom. The sight that greeted him in the mirror wasn’t exactly a cheerful one. Tony ducked his head and did his business, finishing up by hauling on the jeans and t-shirt that were hanging on the back of the bathroom door. They didn’t stink and weren’t covered in grease, so fair game.
That done, he opened up the bathroom door and said, “You better not be expecting a world-class breakfast. I think I have expired milk in the fridge and not much else.”
“That’s fine. Bruce cooked enough for everyone.”
“Wait, Bruce is here. Wait! What do you mean, everyone?” Tony demanded.
Peter had clapped a hand over his mouth. With wide eyes, he squeaked, “Nothing! I meant nothing!” And then he fled.
“Wha – Spidey, get your ass back here!” Tony legged it after him, but the kid was fast. He was in the kitchen before Tony had even got halfway down the hall. Tony was scowling as he made it to the kitchen – forget kittens, the kid was getting an earful – but stopped short when he caught sight of the room.
Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, Hope Van Dyne, Stephen Strange, Bruce Banner, May Parker and Rhodey were all sitting around the table. Rhodey burst into laughter at Tony’s shocked expression and stood up (the bracers were moving smoother than ever, Tony noticed smugly), crossing the room quickly to pull Tony into a hug. Tony hugged him back automatically, still shocked.
“I thought you were in Texas with your sister,” he said, only realizing that it sounded vaguely accusing once the words already out.
“And miss your birthday? No way. I just let you think that. I got back last night,” Rhodey said. “Happy Birthday, man.”
The salutation was echoed by everyone else in the room; even Groot chirped in, raising a tiny glass in Tony’s direction with a happy “I am Groot!” Tony smiled helplessly, a little overwhelmed. Sure, he’d been working on putting together a new team, and Hope and Stephen were part of that. And he’d become close with the Guardians ever since they’d crash-landed in the backyard of the compound about two weeks after the rogue Avengers fled. But he’d never expected this.
He let Rhodey pull him over to the table, where Peter grinned from where he was hiding beside May. “Jim said you’d hide in your room all day if I didn’t come get you.”
“You’re a traitor is what I’m hearing,” Tony said without heat. “Hi May. Thanks for coming.”
“I would never miss out on the chance to eat in style,” May said with a wink. “Besides, Peter begged me to come. And I’m sure you know how difficult it to say no to him.” She ruffled Peter’s hair. He squawked in dismay.
“Yes, I know,” Tony said, smirking at Peter. Peter glared back at him.
“Here,” Hope said, giving Peter a reprieve. She thrust a mug of coffee into Tony’s hand.
“Woman after my own heart,” Tony said, clutching the mug to his chest. “I love you.”
“Save it for Quill,” Hope said, though she smiled. “I know how impossible it is to function without coffee, even if it’s just a party.” And indeed, she was holding her own mug protectively. “You need to come up with a way to have fresh coffee available at any time no matter where you are.”
“Well, if you combine science and magic,” Tony began thoughtfully. At one time he would’ve rather cut off his own arm than even entertain the thought of mixing the two, but being in close proximity to Stephen for the past two months had changed his mind. Kind of. He still didn’t like or trust magic (especially when it was being wielded by someone like Wanda Maximoff) but being able to understand the how and why behind it had helped.
“That is the last thing you need,” Bruce said.
“Brucie!” Tony hugged him, gratified when Bruce hugged him back. “And says you. I live for coffee.”
“I know you do,” Bruce said dryly. “Which is exactly why I’m putting the kibosh on that plan. We’ll never see you again if you don’t surface for coffee.”
“Sure you will. You just have to send baby eyes in,” Hope said, jerking her thumb towards Peter.
“Hey!” Peter yelped.
“I always likened him to a kitten,” Tony said. “One of those scraggly, doe-eyed things that you feel sorry for no matter what.” He was grinning as he spoke, and he knew Peter had taken it for the joke that it was when Peter just stuck his tongue out in Tony’s direction.
“I’d say more of a puppy,” Bruce mused.
“I hate you all,” Peter muttered.
Tony just shook his head and glanced at Bruce. “And I thought you were in Europe. Did you lie to me too?”
“Yes,” Bruce admitted shamelessly. “Except I got back two days ago. I’ve been staying with Hope.” He smiled at Hope, who smiled back. Tony’s eyes flicked back and forth between them and he thought, huh. He caught May watching them too and knew from the look on her face that she was thinking the same thing.
“Well, I guess you’re forgiven,” Tony said. “But only because you made me breakfast. People who didn’t make me breakfast and who lied to me aren’t forgiven.” He deliberately pitched his voice so that Rhodey and Quill would both overhear.
Rhodey just laughed at him, but Quill stood up and came over. “You’re not going to forgive me?” he asked, shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat and rocking back and forth on his heels.
"No," Tony said. "I don't forgive any of you but Bruce."
"Technically, I didn't lie," Stephen called. "I genuinely thought I was going to a conference, but it got canceled at the last minute due to a young mutant losing control. The X-Men seemed like they had the situation well in hand, so I thought I would come to your party instead."
"Then you and Bruce are my new favorites," Tony decided. "And Groot, because he'll just make sad eyes at me until I forgive him."
"I can do sad eyes," Quill said, widening his eyes and biting at his lower lip.
Unfortunately Tony had been spending time with Peter lately, and he'd been having video calls with Harley for years. He was immune to that. So he just said, "You'll have to do a lot sadder than that" and went over to greet the rest of the guardians, leaving Quill to sulk.
"Are you truly angry?" Drax asked as soon as Tony was close. Touchingly, he looked genuinely concerned that Tony might be mad at them.
"No, Drax. I'm actually honored that you guys are here with me today," Tony admitted. It was the truth. "How did you know it was my birthday?"
"Quill told us. He said it was very important for your species?" Gamora said.
"Um, yeah. I guess. It's more important for some people than others. I was just planning to spend the day drinking to be honest."
"Does that mean you don't want the load of gear I brought for you?" Rocket asked.
Tony's eyes lit up. "Space gear?! Where?!"
"No," Gamora said firmly, catching both of them by the scruff of their shirts. "This is a party. Both of you will stay here to attend. You can play with your toys later." Rocket tried to squirm free, but Gamora just rolled her eyes and twisted her hand until he gave up fighting.
"But science," Tony whined, stretching his hands out towards the door.
"No, Tony."
"Bruuuuuce, heeeelp," Tony begged pathetically.
Bruce had the gall to laugh at him. "I'm sure whatever you did, you deserved it."
"You're all mean to me," Tony said, pouting.
"I guess if we're all mean, you don't want the breakfast I made."
"I love you?" Tony said, quickly changing his tune and straightening up. He hadn't had one of Bruce's meals for a while, and he hadn't actually realized just how hungry he was until this moment. His stomach growled as everyone scrambled for a seat at the table. Tony ended up between Rhodey and Peter, with Quill right across from him. Exactly where he wanted to be.
Bruce and Hope brought out the food, and there was a ton of it. Bruce had to have been here most of the night. Tony counted over ten different dishes, including some he'd never even heard of. Then again, they did have a huge crowd of people to feed. Peter, Stephen and Drax could all put away a ton of food, not to mention Bruce himself - even when he didn't become the Hulk, he still burned way more calories than the normal human male.
Tony helped himself to a little of the food. As he lifted a forkful of scrambled eggs to his lips, he realized that this was the first time in weeks that he hadn't thought of the rogue Avengers in over an hour. He couldn't believe it. Clint, Natasha, Steve, Thor - they were all he'd been able to think about for days, especially Steve. Tony had tortured himself remembering how Steve used to look at him and wondering where he'd went wrong, wondering if his relationship with Quill was headed down a similar path.
But he was happy here. It was a startling realization. In this odd mix of people, Tony felt completely at ease. He wasn't a civilian trying to fit in with a soldier, a god and two secret agents. He didn't feel like he constantly had to watch himself to make sure he wasn't saying or doing something wrong. He didn't wonder if any (or all) of them were hanging around for his money. These were his friends, not just his teammates.
The food disappeared quickly. Within an hour, there was nothing left but empty plates. Tony sat back in his chair, wondering if everyone would disperse for the day. He'd probably go back down to the workshop if that was the case. Maybe now he'd be able to get some work done on the armor -
Hang on. No one was leaving. In fact, they were all turning to look at Tony with big smiles. He blinked back at them, confused. He didn't understand what was going on until Quill came around the table and got down on one knee. And even then, Tony just stared at him in shocked confusion, mouth open slightly as Quill reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box.
"Tony," Quill said, voice wobbling a little. "I wasn't sure about coming back to Earth. I thought that there would be nothing here for me. Little did I know that you were here, and that you would quickly become everything to me. I think about you when we're in space. I think about how beautiful you look when you first wake up, and how cute you are when you whisper to your coffee and you think I can't hear. I think about how dorky your dance moves are -"
"I am an excellent dancer," Tony interrupted.
"No you're not," Peter and Rhodey said together.
"Quiet!" Hope hissed at them. "Go ahead, Quill."
Quill just smiled, never once looking away from Tony. "You are a dork, but so am I. I love that we can be dorks together. I thought I'd never belong anywhere but the Guardians, but you make me feel like I do belong on Earth. I love you, Stardust." He opened up the ring box. "Will you marry me, my love?"
Tony stared at the ring, speechless. It was a metallic band inlaid with three dark gems. Very simple. He didn't recognize the metal; there was no doubt in his head that it was probably alien. Hands down, it was the most beautiful ring that Tony had ever seen. He couldn't stop looking at it.
"And I'm sorry I lied to you," Quill added, somewhat belatedly, startling Tony out of his daze. Quill smiled sheepishly. "What can I say, I couldn't resist the idea of seeing the look of surprise on your face when you saw us all waiting here for you. But I am sorry you thought you were going to be alone on your birthday. I -"
"Yes!" Tony blurted out.
Quill froze. "What?"
"Yes," Tony said. His heart was pounding. "I will definitely marry you, oh my god Peter -" He lunged off his chair, throwing his arms around Quill's neck and yanking his boyfriend - no, his fiancé into the most passionate kiss he could muster when they both tasted like coffee and bacon.
The room erupted into cheers around them as they separated, and Quill gently took Tony's hand and slid the ring onto his finger. Tony looked down at his hand, still amazed, then glanced up into Quill's eyes. The open expression of affection and love in those green eyes took his breath away. It was a little mean, but the thought was still there: Steve had never looked at him like that.
And Tony had never felt even a quarter for Steve of what he was currently feeling for Quill. He hadn't known it was possible to feel this loved, or love so much. It was all he could do to blink the tears back as he leaned in and kissed Quill again, letting thoughts of the past drift away in favor of his currently very happy future.