I do not own any of the named/recognizable characters present. They belong to Marvel. Other recognizable things belong to their respective owners. This was written purely for fun.


shoesoffbootson requested: Birthday party. Even if it's not his birthday, Tony and Pepper give him one because they know he must not have had one as a kid the first time around. But anything you write in the Sprout-verse, I'll love!

The end of the year was fast approaching. Thanksgiving with the team had gone off (surprisingly) without a hitch, and before Tony knew it, they were inching their way to the middle of December. With Christmas looming around the corner—the first Christmas in which a child he loved would be involved in—he was fairly preoccupied.

It wasn't until he was on a mission with the other Avengers that he realized there was another celebration that came before Christmas. He had been scouting ahead when his sensors picked up something fluttering in the wind. When he looked, he saw it was a bright red balloon that someone must have accidentally let go. He watched the balloon ascend toward the heavens, and then it hit him.

Bruce's birthday was December 18th.

The little boy would be turning five in just six short days.


It was snowing when Tony lightly knocked on the door to Bruce's room the morning of the 18th. When he pushed open the door, he found the little boy sitting on the window ledge, looking out at the city as the snowflakes made their tranquil descent from the sky.

"Good morning," Tony greeted the child with a bright smile.

Bruce looked away from the city and gave Tony a smile in return. "Good morning," he said. There wasn't anything expectant or anticipatory about his expression, as Tony wished there was.

The little boy hadn't said anything about his upcoming birthday. He clearly didn't expect anything, be it presents or just an acknowledgement, and that broke Tony's heart to pieces. The boy's birthdays back with his mother must have been quiet affairs, if they were affairs at all.

Tony was determined to ensure that didn't happen this year.

He leaned against the doorframe. "Ready for breakfast?" he asked.

Bruce nodded and slid down from the window ledge.

They ate together in the penthouse kitchen, watching the snow and chatting amicably with one another. Bruce wasn't acting any different, and Tony could tell that he wasn't at all distressed that there had been no acknowledgement of his birthday. It hurt him deeply to think that a child this young could already think so little of such a special day.

As Bruce disappeared to go brush his teeth after breakfast, Tony smiled to himself.

A few minutes later, Bruce returned to the kitchen. Tony was just finishing up the dishes from their meal, and he grinned as the boy walked into the room. "So, I was thinking we could go downstairs for a bit, if you'd like."

"Okay," Bruce replied. "Do you have to work in the lab today?"

"No," Tony answered, easily biting down a smile. He looked off toward the doorway leading to the living room. "There's a box on the coffee table in there. Could you grab it?"

Bruce nodded and once he had left the room, Tony allowed himself to smile.

He was slow to wipe his hands dry and pour himself a second cup of coffee before he walked into the next room.

He found Bruce exactly as he knew he would find him: standing next to the sofa and staring at the wrapped gift on the coffee table. There was surprise etched across his features and he was watching the box like he thought it was going to either disappear or jump off the table and attack him.

The little boy glanced up at him when Tony came to a stop next to him. He looked confused. "Is…?"

"That's the box," Tony confirmed with a warm smile. He lightly ruffled the boy's hair before he turned to the elevator. "Go on; grab it."

Without turning around, he knew that Bruce was watching his retreating figure, but he heard the slide of the box across the table and the soft little patter of footsteps as Bruce rushed to catch up. The elevator doors closed behind them and, without being prompted, JARVIS began to lower the elevator to the desired floor.

While taking a sip of his coffee, Tony stole a look down at Bruce. The little boy was silent and clearly still a bit confused. He was eyeing the gift in his hands curiously, but made no move to open it.

Tony waited until the elevator had slowed to a stop—the doors remained closed—before he smiled down at the child. "Go on and open it," he said softly with encouragement.

Bruce glanced up at him for a moment before he carefully pulled the brightly colored wrapping paper from the box. He peeked back up at Tony, who only smiled encouragingly again, and finally lifted the box's lid.

The little gasp of surprise made Tony grin. He watched the boy pull the new pair of swimming trunks out of the tissue-paper lined box. These were different shades of purple and blue. Bruce had grown maybe two inches since he had been changed earlier in the year, just enough for the swimming trunks he had worn in Malibu to have gotten a little small.

"Do you like them?" Tony asked quietly, still watching Bruce.

Bruce tore his eyes away from his gift and he looked up at Tony. He still looked very clearly surprised, but as he watched, happiness and gratitude began to mix into his expression. A delighted smile crossed his face. "I love them! I… Thank you! I can wear them in the summer!"

"Well, you could," Tony granted with a growing smile. "Or you could wear them today."

And before Bruce could respond, the elevator doors opened on the floor with the indoor pool.

The first thing Tony noticed were the balloons dotted around the area: brightly colored orbs hovering festively in the air. A Happy Birthday! banner was hanging from the ceiling. On one of the pool-side tables was a small pile of gifts.

And standing around the pool were the Avengers.

"Happy birthday, Bruce!" several different voices cheered once the elevator doors had opened fully. It seemed that everyone had made it, and everyone was dressed down. In place of the armor and uniforms were t-shirts and swimsuits. All of them were staring at the pair in the elevator.

Bruce stared straight back at them, at a complete loss for words. It looked like he had no idea how to react; Tony wondered if the child thought he was dreaming. Tony watched as the little boy stared out at the scene in shock.

Finally, Bruce glanced away from the room beyond the elevator doors and peered up at Tony. It took a moment for him to find his voice, but when he did, it was this tiny, questioning sound that made Tony ache. "Is…" Bruce began softly, peeking back over at the rest of their friends before he looked back up at Tony. "…is this all for me?" he asked.

The disbelief and confusion broke Tony's heart, but he still smiled. "Happy birthday, buddy," he said quietly.

Bruce stared at him for a moment longer before that disbelief swiftly turned into delight.


Later, when Tony was watching Thor, Natasha, Steve, Clint, and Bruce play some sort of game in the pool, Pepper sat down next to him on the side and let her feet dip into the water. His arm easily slipped around her waist and they leaned into each other, both of them content to just watch the madness in the water.

"Pool party a week before Christmas," Pepper mused out loud.

Tony smiled and let his feet kick a little under the water. "Pretty awesome birthday party, huh?" he asked.

"It's snowing outside," Pepper replied with amusement in her voice, but he knew she wasn't complaining. After all, she had been with him 100% in getting this planned. He knew he had her to thank for getting the room decorated.

Their conversation was interrupted when Thor let out a triumphant laugh. "Victors again!" he declared. He lifted Bruce easily out of the water, which made the boy laugh with delight. As Thor got Bruce settled on his shoulders piggy-back style, the Asgardian clapped Steve on the back in comradery.

Clint groaned good-naturedly and made grabby motions toward Bruce, who had hardly stopped smiling since he had stepped out of the elevator a few hours ago. "That's 'cause you've had Bruce on your team the past three rounds. It's time for him to team up with Tasha and me."

As they all got into a mock argument that had Bruce giggling, Pepper wrapped her arm around Tony's back. When Tony glanced over at her, he found her watching the five of them in the pool with this serene expression on her face.

"Maybe next year," she began softly, "he'll have friends his own age to invite to his birthday party."

The thought made Tony smile. He glanced back at the little boy, who had been transferred to Natasha's shoulders as the next round of their game began. Bruce looked right at home playing with all of them, but Pepper had a point.

And who knew? Maybe by that time next year, Bruce would have friends from school that he could play with. The thought of Bruce actually interacting with other children—like a kid ought to—made him smile.

He gave Pepper a light squeeze. "Maybe," he agreed.