A/N: I totally forgot to publish this on here, so here you go... This was supposed to be a drabble for Tony's birthday, but it became 3k words of tooth-rotting fluff and now it's a series. It's un beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes. I'll post the next chapter soon. Hope you enjoy this nonsense.
"Mommy, do you think daddy will like the cake?"
Sitting on the kitchen counter, the four-year-old looked up at her with those big brown eyes she shared with her father, and Pepper kissed her temple and then scooped her up and gave her a squeeze. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and rested her curly-topped head against Pepper's shoulder. Pepper settled her daughter on her hip.
"Daddy's not gonna like it, he'll love it," she answered Morgan's question, as she grabbed the plate with the cake. "Do you want to carry it?" Morgan shook her head. "Okay, then I'll carry it upstairs and you can take it before we wake him. How does that sound?" Now she nodded and Pepper had to laugh softly at her daughter's reaction. "Perfect. Let's go."
Upstairs, still in the hallway, Pepper put Morgan down, handing her the cake and she took it with a huge smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. It was absolutely adorable. Pepper was so smitten with her, she bent down to kiss her on the top of the head several times. Her beautiful curls, also inherited from Tony—only a few people knew about the nature of his hair when it was long—oh so fluffy. Her freckles, the only thing the child had gotten from her mother—though Tony often argued that Morgan had more of her than Pepper thought—sprinkled her skin like gold dust.
"Wait, honey," Pepper stopped her before she could open the door to the bedroom. "We need candles."
"No candles," Morgan protested.
"You don't want candles? Why do you not want candles? Don't you think daddy would love—"
"He is too old for candles."
Pepper had to stifle a laugh. "You know, I think you can never be too old for candles, but it's your cake, so it's your decision."
Morgan frowned. "I want three candles."
Pepper grinned. That girl blew hot and cold just like her father. "Why three?"
"One for you and one for me and... one for DUM-E," she explained, "Because we all love daddy."
"That is absolutely right," Pepper said, smiling. "You're a smart girl."
"But I want the biggest candle, because I love daddy the most."
"Oh, you do?" Morgan nodded yes. "Well, then I better get the world's biggest candle, hey?" Her daughter giggled excitedly and waited until her mother got back. "Now we're good to go," Pepper said after she had put the candles on the cake and lit them. "Do you want to sing?" Again, the child nodded her head, and so they entered the bedroom with 'Happy Birthday' on their lips.
Tony slowly awakened and opened his eyes to see his child stand by his bedside, singing her heart out to him. She held in her hands a tiny cake with three candles in the middle of the chocolate. Behind Morgan stood Pepper, singing along in perfect harmony with their daughter, while her hands rested gently on Morgan's shoulders. Both his girls seemed to glow in the morning sunlight and they sang sweeter than the birds outside. His lips curled into a smile, coming from someplace inside him that instinctively tapped into the joyful things around him.
"To youuuuuu," Morgan finished as loudly as she could, and Tony's smile grew even wider.
"I think we got ourselves a little star here," he commented, as he sat up in bed and looked at Pepper. "You know Beyoncé got nothin' on you, princess." He patted his daughter's head, still smiling.
"Happy birthday, daddy. Look what I made." Morgan held the plate out to him and Tony took it from her, as he inspected it thoroughly.
"You did this? By yourself?" Morgan nodded, and Tony looked up at his wife, who was smirking at him, trying not to laugh. "Wow!" He put the cake on the bedside table and, in a swift move, picked his daughter up from the ground to draw her into the circle of his arms. Tony held her tightly for a moment and Morgan snuggled in, taking the comfort he offered before he leaned back to look at her. "Do you know how much I love you?" He smothered her face with kisses and she laughed with her entire body, as Tony's facial hair tickled her skin.
Then she pulled back and held her arms out wide. "This much."
"Ten times more than that much," Tony said, dropping another soft kiss on her cheek.
Morgan chuckled. "And how much do you love mommy?" Rubbing his daughter's back, Tony looked at Pepper, and he stared so intensely, their child became impatient. "How much?" She hit him gently with her small hand and Tony turned back to her and grinned.
"Beyond measure," he said. "And you want to know why?" Morgan nodded. "Because your momma gave me you... and you are the most preciousthing in the world." Tony ruffled his daughter's hair, then tickled her just to hear that adorable laugh one more time.
As Morgan shook with laughter, crying out to him that he should stop, Pepper came to sit by his bedside and Tony immediately pulled her into a hug, feathering kisses from her soft temple to the corner of her mouth. She leaned in so he could kiss her sweet lips, too, and it took almost a minute before they parted. Both of them smiling, Pepper touched his face, her thumb grazing his skin. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. What a beautiful life he was blessed to live! He raised his dark lashes until he could see the shimmer of her rich blue eyes.
"Happy birthday, dear heart," she whispered to him, kissing his lips. "I'm so happy you were born."
"Can we eat cake now?" Morgan's feisty voice cut through the sweet atmosphere like a sharp knife, and both of them laughed.
"You know what we should do first?" Tony said. "We should go to the stables. I believe someone had a baby last night."
"Wait... You mean... Aspen gave birth? How do you know?" Pepper looked at him surprised.
"Well, I... may have snuck out and watched." Tony shrugged shamefacedly.
"Tony!" She gave him a deprecating stare. "I told you she could handle it. Animals give birth all the time without anyone looking out for them. You really didn't have to worry." Pepper wasn't angry with him, though. She knew he couldn't help himself.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just... wanted to make sure nothing bad happens."
"And did anything bad happen?"
"Nah," he shook his head, "I mean, I was freaking out at one point, to be honest... you know when the baby got kinda... stuck... but she rocked that thing like a pro." Tony grinned. "Just like you when you pushed that one out," he added, pointing to their daughter and Pepper chuckled.
"Not too bad for a first time, huh?" she replied, running a hand through her daughter's hair.
Morgan listened closely to her parents' conversation, trying to make sense of it. Frowning, she thought harder until she finally understood. Her face immediately lit up with a smile and she quickly scrambled out of bed and ran for the door. Tony and Pepper looked at each other, confused for a moment, then Tony laughed out loud and Pepper joined in. They laughed heartily at the lively and excited child that was their daughter, clearly a whirlwind of undirected energy just like her father; full of life and joy.
"We should probably go after her," Tony said, smirking.
Pepper smirked back at him. "You should get dressed first, because last time I checked, you were fully naked." She licked her lips, as she remembered last night. The look Tony gave her then, told her that what she had been thinking had shown on her face.
"You wanna...?" Kissing her neck, and sucking lightly on her skin, he maneuvered his hand underneath her shirt and toward her chest, welcoming the fact that Pepper hadn't gotten properly dressed that morning and was still missing a bra.
Her entire body became flushed as his warm palm covered her breast and she closed her eyes, releasing a soft moan. God, she really wanted to, but now just wasn't the time. So she pulled his hand gently away, ignoring his little protest. "I don't wanna... I mean I do, but... You know we can't right now."
He sighed. "I love her to death, but sometimes I seriously wish that kid had a pause button."
"Now you know how I felt with you all those years," Pepper grinned, giving him another kiss before she got up from the bed. She grabbed the cake and looked at him. "You should at least put on some pants."
"Hey, we could totally do it in the haystacks while Morgan— That was fun, right? You remember?"
She laughed. "Yeah, it was so much fun getting poked all the time... and being badly bitten by mosquitoes at the most odd places."
Tony giggled with his eyes squinted in snickering, as if her words were the funniest thing anyone had ever said to him. "Oh, you loved it!" He rose from bed and pushed his body against her. "Admit it, Pepper. You loved being naughty like that. You. Loved. It." He accentuated every word until he saw a wicked smirk creep across her face. "I knew it," Tony prided himself.
Pepper shook her head amused. He was such a child! "Get dressed," she said before exiting the room.
She went downstairs, into the living room and through the double doors out onto the wooden patio. The air was filled with rich, thick smells as she passed the grazing cattle, the horses and alpacas. The smell of the huge sunflower fields was the sweetest on the farm. Her daughter loved running through the flower lined golden pathways, picking the prettiest flowers as a gift for Tony. When they were in bloom, the smell of the fields was almost overwhelming.
After he had retired from being Iron Man, Tony had built this place from scratch. He hadn't told her a single thing, so when he finally introduced her to their new home, the surprise had moved Pepper to tears. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, he was still in the superhero business, kind of, but life had changed drastically ever since he had quit the Avengers. Tony wasn't out there anymore, putting his life in danger, and she didn't have to worry anymore that he wouldn't be there to see their daughter grow up. There were days when he worked from home just so he could spend all day with his beloved child.
"Morgan, honey, are you in here?" Pepper called for her daughter inside the big donkey shed.
"Mommy, mommy," Morgan came running to her. "A baby!"
"You saw the baby?" The child put her hand into her mother's as they started to walk. Pepper smiled, as she saw the excitement on her kid's face. "How is it doing? Is it okay?"
"Look, mama... Look!" Her daughter dragged her along, trembling with excitement in a way it almost left her breathless. "It's so cute!" she squealed. "Look!"
Still carrying the cake in one hand, Pepper put it down and let go of the little one's hand, as she squatted down, settling Morgan on one knee. She kissed the little head ever so tenderly, as her hand ran over her daughter's back. The girl was all smiles when she locked eyes with her mother, completely in love with the baby donkey in front of them.
Pepper laughed softly and cradled her gently, but Morgan pushed so hard into the hug that Pepper lost her footing, falling right flat on her back. She tried to break Morgan's fall to keep her from getting hurt, as her daughter landed on top of her. The girl laughed. It started out as a small giggle and quickly turned into a hearty laugh, which filled the vast space. Relieved that Morgan wasn't in any pain, Pepper laughed, too.
"You're having fun without me? On my birthday?" Tony raised his voice. He stood right next to them with a huge grin on his face. "So, how are we on the baby front?" He picked his daughter up, making her stand on her own feet again, and brushed the dust off her clothes.
"It's so cute, daddy!" Tony adored when she spoke with a lisp.
"I don't think anything can ever be as cute as you," he murmured, as he looked at her like she was the golden sun in his blue sky.
"Hey, you're not helping me up?" Pepper protested playfully.
"Sorry, honey... You're just not my number one girl anymore."
Morgan giggled, then took her father by the hand and pulled him with her, as she got closer to where the baby donkey was resting. "Shh... Quiet... Don't scare it, daddy!"
Tony smiled at the sheer cuteness that was his child. "Would you like to name it, sweet cheeks?" he asked her.
"No, I do not want to name it 'sweet cheeks'." She shook her head.
Pepper laughed, and Tony turned around to her, his look conveying something along the line of 'God, I could eat this sweet, adorable child we created' and then turned back to Morgan, smiling at her. "That's not what I meant. I was wondering, if you want to pick a name for the newest addition to our family."
"Can I?" Her eyes widened, as she looked at her mother.
"Don't look at her like she makes all the decisions," Tony joked.
"You can, sweetie," Pepper said. "Whatever you want is fine."
"It's a boy, by the way. I checked."
Morgan looked back at Tony. "I like Rhodey," she said firmly, as though she had already decided, and both her parents tried hard not to laugh.
"You mean, like your uncle?" Tony asked and she nodded. "I'm sure he'd be honored to share his name with a donkey as cute as this one."
"Pedey," she let out.
"Pedey?" Tony frowned. "Why Pedey?"
"Because I don't want Peter to be sad when he comes to visit us," the little girl explained with a stern face. She was serious about this name-picking thing. "I like him sooo much."
"But if you name the donkey Peter, then Rhodey might be sad, so Pedey is... both their names... in one?" Tony guessed.
"Can we name him Pedey?"
Pepper stroked her head, dropping down into a squatting position to look her daughter straight in the eyes. "It's a very beautiful name, Morgan. And you know, your uncle Rhodey and your brother Peter will both be so happy when they hear about it." She smiled lovingly at her child, as she held on to Tony's legs for balance.
Tony squatted down next to her, his hand sliding around to the middle of Pepper's back, pulling her close. "Your mother is right. They will be over the moon when they come to my birthday party tonight."
"We're having a party? I didn't know that." Pepper arched her eyebrow at him.
"You do now, honey," he said. "We have something to celebrate, so we will make plans. And by 'we' I mean 'you'... because there's a reason I leave all the organizing to you." He could feel a smug grin forming on his lips and tried to cover it. "And you're the master of acting fast, so how about I send out the invitations and you just get started with... the planning." He sat down, watching his daughter play with the donkey. "And don't worry, Pepper, I'll watch the kid while you're busy."
"Tell me again, Tony Stark... Why on Earth did I marry you?"
"Because nobody would take me and you've always been a saint." Grinning broadly, Tony pulled her close again. "And you've always been in love with me, Pepper Potts, there's no denying it, so agreeing to marry me was kinda... beyond your control."
She laughed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I hate you." Her words were muffled, but he heard them anyway and he let the grin touch his ears.
"I hate you, too," he said, waving his arms around to get his daughter's attention. "Here, baby... Please... I can't compete with a donkey, but I'm really craving some cake right now. Can you get it? Your mom's busy latching onto me... which is totally fine, it just keeps me from... moving." Morgan put the plate with the cake right in front of him. Tony smiled. "You're such a good kid."
"You can't blow out the candles," she stated, looking at it, and the expression on her face changed. She was tearing up. "What about your wish? Can you make a wish without candles?" she almost cried.
"Oh, they're out," Pepper noticed. "That must've been the wind." She pulled back a little, one arm around Tony, and cupped her daughter's cheek. "I'm really sorry, baby. Don't be sad!"
"Come here, sugar bug," Tony said softly, as he extended one arm, his eyes beckoning her to come into his embrace. Morgan jumped into his arms, snuggling against him, and closed her eyes. "You know, right now I've got my arms around my two favorite people in the world," Tony whispered. "And I'm here on the farm I built, with a lot of cute animals, a baby donkey named Pedey, and a chocolate cake that my very sweet and truly amazing daughter made for me—"
"But you can't blow out the candles and make a wish!" Morgan's voice was a mix between sadness, anger and disappointment.
"Listen to me, pumpkin." He kept running soothing circles on her back with his hand. "Like I said... I have all these things... and my beautiful girls... There really isn't anything else I could wish for. I'm so insanely and foolishly happy right now... because of you and your mother... Every single one of my wishes came true. And you know what else?" Tony pulled back and Morgan looked up to him. "I got even more than I wished for."
"You did?" she sniffed.
"I totally did!" Tony gently wiped a tear from her face with his thumb.
"Then you don't need candles," Morgan said, rubbing her eyes.
"Your cake is perfect just the way it is, my sweet, sweet girl." Tony gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head. "No more tears now, okay? Because I don't like it when you cry. It hurts me. And I don't want my baby to be in any pain... especially not today when it's my birthday."
"I'm sorry." Morgan snuggled back into him.
"Don't be sorry," he said, sighing. "We all get a little sad sometimes. But you know one thing that always puts me in a good mood?" Pausing, he waited for Morgan to look at him. "Chocolate!" Tony ruffled her curls and she giggled, trying to fight him off. "I can't wait to eat all the cake. You want to help me?"
"Yes," she answered, excited again. Then her mood swung back round. "Do we have to leave Pedey?" Her voice couldn't hide the sadness.
"No, we don't," Tony assured her. "We don't have any forks or spoons, but I think mama will let us use our hands just this once."
He turned to the side, giving Pepper a pleading look, and the woman in question quickly noticed that her daughter's eyes held the exact same expression as Tony's. She laughed at that realization.
"Go ahead and make a mess, you two knuckleheads," she said, "I'm not stopping you."
Morgan squealed, as she grabbed the cake with both her hands and sunk her teeth right into it. Once she had put it down, Tony did the same thing. Both their faces were covered in chocolate. Laughing, they assisted each other to clean up the mess. Morgan splayed her fingers across Tony's face, getting all the chocolate she could, then licked it off each finger with relish. Tony used his mouth, smothering her face with kisses, and she laughed, falling back into the hay. He leaned right over her, tickling her, kissing her, telling her how adorable she looked with that chocolate face.
Pepper watched her husband play with their daughter with tear-filled eyes. She had to smile at the fact that for someone who didn't even want any candles on the cake at first, Morgan had been pretty upset. But this only reminded Pepper of how much she loved Morgan's varying moods. That little girl was such a blessing to her and Tony's life, her heart seemed far too small to hold all the love she felt for her daughter. Becoming a mother had taught her the true meaning of love. She hadn't told Tony, not yet, but their second child was on the way, and Pepper couldn't wait for it to be born and meet her beautiful family.