A/N: I have successfully finished something for the first time in ages. Three quick notes: first, because I can do what I want, Coulson is alive in this story but has suffered extreme injuries. FYI. Second, influence on the original idea and the characterization of several characters (most notably that of Clint) I owe to kari_kurofai on archiveofourown and her story "So No One Told You." Please, go read it if you have the chance; it is wonderful and amazing. I also owe credit to the season finale of the first season of Friends, "The One With Rachel's Birthday." Third, the idea for the Avengers drinks (you'll see what I'm talking about) I owe to a post on iwastesomuchtime that I can link to you if you like.
I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
…
In typical fashion, Tony is late to the Second Annual Avengers Independence Day Bash, despite its convenient location in his own tower.
Granted, the party doubles as a birthday party for Steve and Tony is the only one who uses its proper name, but a party isn't a party if Tony Stark doesn't arrive in style. And arrive in style is exactly what Tony plans to do.
He is debuting his latest suit, festively painted red, white, and blue. Beneath the suit he wears another suit, more fitting for a formal occasion, but he is nothing if not fashionable. (A small part of his mind wonders what Steve's face will look like when he walks in, but he refocuses quickly).
"You've got the setup ready downstairs, Jarvis?" asks Tony.
"Of course, sir. Although it may interest you to know that only the Captain has arrived."
"That doesn't make for much of a show, does it?" mutters Tony. He contemplates waiting for the others to arrive, but he doesn't want Steve to have to wait any longer for company. He is, after all, the host.
"Jarvis, postpone media until I say so," says Tony.
"Of course, sir," he answers.
Tony steps out onto the balcony. Against the darkening sky he can already see fireworks being lit. "Too early," he mumbles to himself. He lifts off and heads for the second floor, where the party—or just Steve, at the moment—is waiting for him. "Everyone knows you wait until midnight for optimum light experience."
With a small thump he lands, and the noise catches the attention of the Captain.
"Always making an entrance," he teases lightheartedly.
"Would have been more of an entrance if anyone had been here to see it." He lifts he face shield. "I did put 8 on the invites, right?"
"Yes, Pepper put 8, but everyone else seems to know that 8 really means 8:15 for a Tony Stark party."
"I'm hurt," says Tony, frowning a little. "I'm not always the last one to the party."
"At Christmas you waited for Coulson to get here from the hospital before you appeared and he was an hour late," says Steve with a smirk.
Tony opens his mouth, then shuts it again. "So how do you like the decorations?"
Steve laughs at the change in subject. "Very patriotic. Pepper put a lot of effort into the party, huh."
"Hey, I helped," defends Tony. "I blew up the balloons, and picked out the streamers, and—"
Whatever else Tony might have done, Steve would never know, because he is interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the party.
"Steven!" booms Thor, crossing the room and enveloping the Captain in a bone-crushing hug. "Happy day of birth to you!"
"Thanks, Thor," says Steve, catching his breath. "Hey, everyone."
In the following moments Steve is surrounded by people and loses track of who is even speaking to him. By the time he has reemerged from the crowd, Tony has disappeared from the room. Steve frowns to himself.
With the rest of the Avengers arrives a pile of gifts and food, and Steve is too hungry to wait on Tony to reappear to eat. He makes his way over to Pepper, who is bustling to arrange foods in a somewhat organized manner. "Need a hand?" he offers
"Not at your own birthday party," she says, shooing him away. "Honestly, where is Tony, we came late expecting him to be here." She presses a button on the side of her Bluetooth. "Jarvis, tell Tony to get his ass down here and help."
Steve opens his mouth to say he had been down but shuts it again. Tony always has to make an entrance.
"Need some help?" asks Tony, reappearing in the suit.
Pepper rolls her eyes. "Yeah, it might be nice if you helped at the party you're throwing."
"Just a sec, Pep," he says. He turns toward the rest of the Avengers. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Second Annual Avengers Independence Day Bash! Jarvis, activate media."
Streamers and balloons fall from the ceiling, delighting Thor and Clint and forcing an eyeroll from nearly everyone else. Steve just smiles as Clint grabs a balloon and rubs it against Thor's head. "Loki hair!" he exclaims as Thor's hair expands with the static.
A banner reading "Happy birthday, Captain America!" falls then and hangs itself as Thor launches toward Clint and vows to get him back. Tony steps forward and shoots miniature fireworks from the shoulder launchers where missiles are usually kept, and everyone, including Natasha and Fury, gapes as they zoom around the room. They land and Dum-E extinguishes the flames as the Avengers clap in appreciation.
Jarvis is already removing the suit as Tony turns back to Pepper. "How can I help?"
She rolls her eyes. "Get the cupcakes from the refrigerator and set them out on the tier. Red and blue levels, offset with white, got it?"
He straightens his tie and salutes her before heading off to the fridge. There he finds several trays of professionally decorated cupcakes, iced in red, white, and blue. He grabs them and heads for the table, which is covered in a flag-patterned tablecloth. He takes another look at the streamers, the balloons, the banner…
"Doesn't he ever get overwhelmed by the sheer America of it all?" he mutters to himself.
"Didn't catch that," says Steve, appearing behind him with the cookies Phil brought.
"Uh, sorry. I was wondering if you ever get overwhelmed by the red, white, and blue…everything."
Steve laughs. "It does get a little repetitive."
"We'll mix it up next year," promises Tony. "What's your favorite color?"
Steve contemplates this for a moment as though he really hasn't considered it, or at least not for a while. "I like navy blue."
"Navy blue," Tony says with a nod. "I can do navy blue."
"I'm hungry," Clint complains loudly, having crashed on the couch between Natasha and Bruce. They elbow him simultaneously.
"Food's almost ready," says Tony, beginning to arrange the cupcakes, "and Steve, put those down and go enjoy the company, this is your party."
"I thought it was the Second Annual Avengers Independence Day Bash?" asks Steve with a smirk.
"It's both," says Tony quickly.
"I'll help if it means food is ready sooner," answers Steve, reaching around Tony's back to grab the tray he wasn't working from. "And I'm enjoying this company."
Tony freezes for a moment, then places the next cupcake on the tier. "The blue and red alternate between levels of the tier with white to offset," he says, pointing out the pattern.
"I got it," says Steve, beginning on the level above Tony.
"I have very specific instructions from Pepper and there will be consequences if it's wrong," says Tony seriously, but when he catches Steve's eye they both laugh.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman whose cupcakes are arranged the wrong way," says Pepper, appearing behind them. "Ready when you are."
Steve tops off the cupcake tier and turns toward her. "Ready."
"Food!" crows Clint, and he and Thor run for the plates. Natasha calmly grabs both of them by the ear. Over their howls of pain, she says, "It's Steve's birthday, let him go first."
"It's really alright, they're hungrier than I am," says Steve.
Clint starts to agree but Natasha holds him tighter and his statement turns into a squeal of pain. "Go."
Steve opens his mouth to protest, but shuts it quickly and grabs a plate.
Tony had wanted a traditional American meal, so there are about fifty hamburgers and at least that many hot dogs. That lesson had been learned the previous year, when Thor, Bruce, and Steve had eaten most of the food before anyone else had even gone through the line. (They ended up waiting over an hour for enough pizzas to feed the rest).
Dinner is a noisy affair, as it always is when everyone is together. Steve wanders through the crowd and chats with everyone. Although most of them technically live together, it is surprisingly difficult to find them on a regular basis. Steve has little life outside the tower, and Tony has virtually none since he and Pepper split, so it is often only the two of them for meals (and often only Steve, and those are the only days when Jarvis lets Steve into the lab). Clint tells him of missions he and Natasha have been on before Fury silences him with a look. Bruce tells him of teaching classes at NYU and occasionally meeting up with Betty. Thor tells him tales of Asgard and of visiting Jane. Phil tells him about rehabilitation and tries to be upbeat about his progress, which is going more slowly than he had hoped.
Steve finds Tony at the bar, mixing a drink with a contemplative look on his face. "What do you think the Phil Coulson should have?"
Steve is puzzled. "What?"
"The Phil Coulson. It's a drink. Or it will be." He takes a sip of whatever is in the glass, then makes a face and pours the rest down the drain. "It should be something that kicks your ass." He begins pouring liquids into the glass again.
"You're naming a drink after Phil?" asks Steve.
"To complete the set," Tony answers.
"What set—you have drinks named after all of us?"
"Yep. Gotta have a career plan for when we're done saving the world. I'm gonna call it the Avengers Assemble Bar and Grill."
For when we're done saving the world. "What is the Captain America, then?" asks Steve.
Tony takes a sip of the Phil Coulson prototype, sighs, and pours it down the drain again. He grabs another glass and begins pouring brightly colored liquids into both. The result is a red-blue drink that Tony slides toward Steve.
"They'll have sparklers or flags or something when they're made for customers," he says, taking a drink.
Steve takes a sip from his own glass, which contains a pleasantly sweet cherry flavor that burns going down his throat. "Interesting. I like it," he says, taking another sip.
"Looks good, still packs a punch," Tony says almost to himself. When he realizes Steve is staring at him, he gulps down the rest and quickly turns away. "Still trying to figure out the Phil Coulson though, it needs to look tame but be an ass-kicker."
"And the Iron Man?" asks Steve, finishing his own drink. "Describe that one to me."
"Presents!" calls Pepper, clapping her hands together. Steve turns his head to find that everyone else has already assembled and is staring at him and Tony, but when he turns back, he finds himself alone at the bar.
"Right, presents," says Steve, bewildered at Tony's sudden absence. A chair is pulled up for him beside the pile of gifts.
"Open ours first!" says Clint, handing him a heavy present in a bag.
Steve reads the card and pulls out the gift.
"Colombian coffee!" Clint exclaims, a huge smile appearing on his face. "Genuine, too, we were just there doing—"
"That's not all," says Natasha quickly, elbowing Clint and glaring at him.
Steve reaches into the bag once more and pulls out a machete.
"I thought coffee was good but Nat wanted to get you a weapon," explains Clint.
"Both are great, thank you guys," Steve says, setting them aside. He is handed another gift.
"From me," says Thor, and as Steve unwraps it carefully he adds, "a bottle of Asgardian wine!"
"You might finally get drunk with us!" Clint exclaims.
"You should be careful, the alcohol content is probably through the roof," says Bruce. "I'd love to get a sample of that under my microscope…"
"Next!" says Clint quickly, handing him another gift.
Again, Steve reads and enjoys Coulson's card, then carefully picks through the tissue paper.
"You were the kid that slowed everyone else down on Christmas morning, weren't you?" asks Tony, reappearing at his shoulder.
"In my day kids were taught to be polite," says Steve, and Tony shrugs. He finds a place on the floor in front of Bruce, who obligingly scoots his legs so Tony can lean against the couch.
Steve pulls out a new set of graphite pencils and a new sketchbook. "I saw some of your sketches from…before," says Phil. "They were really good. I thought you might like some new supplies. Fresh start."
"Thank you, Phil," Steve says with a smile. "It means a lot."
He is almost immediately handed another gift, an envelope with no card. He opens it to find a gift card for a local shawarma restaurant. "Take the team for dinner," Fury explains.
"Will do. Thanks, Director."
The next gift is a nicely wrapped box with a small tag that reads 'from Bruce.' Inside is the original Star Wars trilogy on blu-ray. "I know how much you liked them when we watched them before," explains Bruce.
"We'll watch them again the next time you're here for the weekend," Steve promises. "And thank you."
By his original count, that should have meant only one gift remained, but looking again, Steve finds that there are two. He glances briefly at Tony before the larger of the two is handed to him.
"Pepper," he guesses, and she nods. He opens the package and finds a new motorcycle jacket. "Wow, thanks!" he says, trying it on.
"I thought black might match more of your clothes," she confesses with a smile.
He laughs. "I have to agree with you there."
There is no tag on the last gift, but as everyone else has been accounted for, Steve knows it's from Tony. It's wrapped in simple red paper, which he takes care not to rip. Beneath the paper is a tablet, although it lacks a brand name or logo and the screen is transparent.
"Turn it on," instructs Tony quietly.
Steve obliges. The home screen reads 'Welcome, Steve!' in a bright, readable font. "What would you like to do today?" Steve glances at Tony.
"Ask to read a book," he says.
"Read a book?" asks Steve.
"What book would you like to read?" asks the tablet.
"Um…White Fang?" asks Steve.
"White Fang, by Jack London. Loading." A moment later, the first chapter appears on the screen.
"Tony," says Steve. "I don't even know what to say. This is incredible. You designed this?"
Tony nods, a smile appearing on his face.
"Thank you, this is…thank you. You shouldn't have."
Clint laughs. "Come on, didn't Nat ever tell you the story of when Tony fell in love with Pepper and designed her that Bluetooth she never takes out of her ear?"
The room immediately goes silent except for Bruce's uncomfortable coughing.
"What did you say?" asks Steve slowly.
Clint has clapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes have grown wide. Beside him, Natasha is shaking her head. "Out of her ear," he chokes out.
The rest collectively glare at him.
"Before that, the bit about…" Steve shakes his head. "Tony, what the hell is he talking about?"
But when Steve looks over to him for answers, he has disappeared yet again.
"Dammit," curses Steve.
"Shit," agrees Clint. "I'm sorry, Steve, I never meant—"
"It's fine," Steve says, cutting him off. "Pepper, you know him better than anyone…what…?"
"I don't know," she says, looking toward the door through which Tony had disappeared. "He's never been one to talk about his feelings."
Steve stands abruptly. "I have to talk to him."
"What are you going to say?" asks Bruce quietly.
"I don't know," confesses Steve. "I guess I'll know when I see him."
"Maybe you should think about it before you go," Pepper says, standing and putting a hand on Steve's shoulder. "If…if it isn't good news, it can wait."
Thor stands also. "A cupcake while you think?"
"I was thinking we could open the wine," says Steve, "but a cupcake wouldn't hurt, either."
Slowly, they migrate toward the cupcake tier. Steve is sure Tony would be bragging about the perfectly arranged pastries if he was here. He takes the wine over to the bar, procures a glass, and pours himself a drink. It tastes more like vodka than wine and burns going down his throat. The first sip makes him thirst for more, and the drink is gone before everyone has taken a cupcake.
He is halfway through pouring himself a second glass when Bruce walks over with a cupcake in each hand. "I told you to be careful with that."
"What? Oh, right." He ceases pouring and puts the stopper back on the bottle but quickly drinks what had already been poured. "How are the cupcakes?"
"Very good," says Bruce, taking another bite of his own. He sets the extra down in front of Steve. "They make a good conversation starter if you're short on ideas."
Steve eyes the cupcake. "And if you don't know how to end the conversation?"
"You could always shove it in your mouth and walk away," says Bruce, a bit of a smile appearing on his face. "Or you could try just saying what you feel. Honesty is the best policy, right?"
"Where am I going to find him?" asks Steve, meeting Bruce's eyes for the first time.
"I always find things in the last place I look," Bruce answers. He takes the last bite of his cupcake. "Like exactly where you left them, for instance."
Steve's eyes dart over to the couch, where Tony is seated and playing with the tablet that had been forgotten in the chaos.
"You know, I thought I heard fireworks outside," says Phil loudly in the silence. "We should go check them out."
Bruce nods at Steve before heading for the elevator with everyone else. They clamber into it simultaneously, and Steve is pretty sure he hears a complaint about the size of Thor's hammer before the doors shut.
Several long moments of silence ensue in which Tony avoids looking anywhere but the screen in front of him. Steve hesitates only slightly before going over to grab another cupcake. He settles himself on the couch opposite Tony after setting the cupcake carefully beside him.
"They're good," Steve says, taking a bite of his. "And everyone loved the arrangement."
Tony raises his eyebrows skeptically but sets aside the tablet. He also takes a bite.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted chocolate or vanilla," says Steve, trying desperately to fill the silence. "You eat chocolate cake but vanilla ice cream, so I figured chocolate would be safe…" He looks down at his own cupcake, his cheeks reddening.
Tony glances up at him, his eyebrows still raised.
"Then again, vanilla is really good," Steve continues, "and chocolate cupcakes are always dry—"
"Steve," interrupts Tony. "Chocolate was the right choice."
"Oh, good." Steve sighs in relief.
"Clint had no right," says Tony.
Steve bites his lip. "He didn't mean it—"
"He should have kept his mouth shut," says Tony, anger seeping into his voice.
"It's not like you would have said anything," Steve counters, voice rising. "Maybe it's for the best—"
"How can it be for the best if there is no possible way this will end well?" asks Tony, standing.
"How do you know that if you won't even give yourself a chance?" asks Steve, standing and finding himself nose to nose with Tony.
The elevator doors open, and Steve and Tony whip their heads toward the noise. The rest of the party stares back at them.
"I still hear fireworks, how about you guys?" asks Clint quickly, and when there is consent from the rest of the party he pushes a button and they disappear once more.
Steve turns back to find that Tony has moved away, toward the windows, his cupcake abandoned on the couch. Steve sighs and begins moving toward him.
"You don't want me," says Tony decisively, his back still turned. "Not worth your time."
"I'm not allowed to decide that for myself?" asks Steve.
"It would save you a lot of time if you listened," says Tony. "I won't remember our anniversary or your favorite food. You said it yourself. Take away the suit, what am I?"
"I believe the correct answer is genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," answers Steve, now standing directly behind Tony, and in the reflection he watches Tony smile just a little. "I'd like to add another title if you'll let me."
"What would that be?" asks Tony quietly.
Steve steps in front of him. "Mine."
Before he can chicken out, he presses his lips to Tony's. Tony's gasp of surprise allows Steve access to his mouth, an opportunity he gladly seizes with his tongue. Tony moans then and loops an arm around Steve's neck, pulling him closer.
After a moment, Steve pulls away for air. "Can I take that as a yes?" he breathes against Tony's lips.
"Mm," mumbles Tony, and he presses his lips to Steve's once more.
"About damn time," says Natasha when the elevator doors open again. There is a lot of elbowing and sly grinning and Steve presses his forehead to Tony's, his cheeks reddening.
…
Later there are fireworks, Steve's favorite part of the holiday.
"When I was a kid my mom told me they set off fireworks just for my birthday," says Steve. Tony is sprawled out on the blanket next to him, his head on Steve's chest and their hands intertwined.
"And you actually believed that?" Tony asks, a sly smile crossing his face.
"Shut up, I didn't know," says Steve with a laugh.
The fireworks begin then, and they are both silent for a long time. Tony, who loves making a spectacle, arranges a half-hour long show, and it is late enough that the fireworks are nearly the only source of light in the city.
"I don't think I ever told you," says Tony once they've finished. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks, Tony," Steve says. "About those drinks."
"Hm?" Tony asks.
"I'd like to taste the Iron Man sometime."
Tony laughs and turns his head to catch Steve's lips in a kiss once more.