Morgan stared at him as she chewed her sandwich, her gaze intense for someone who wasn't even five-years-old yet. Aero took a sip of his afternoon coffee, glancing at her every so often before he finally put down his phone, sighing. "Yes, Bug?" he asked, turning to face her. She grinned.

"It's November 25th," she stated.

Aero nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "What's so special about it?"

She frowned. "It's November 25th," she repeated insistently.

Aero tilted his head. "Kiddo, I know. Why does it matter?"

She sighed in exasperation. "You're sixteen!"

Oh. It was November 25th.

Aero wondered how Morgan knew when his birthday was when he couldn't even keep track of it, but he supposed she would be interested in a brother she'd never met and would do her research. Or maybe his birthday was being talked about on the news and she'd just happened to hear about it. Or maybe their mom had told her that morning, even though Pepper and Aero had both been pointedly ignoring each other for days now. Either way, he felt like it was a little sad that he didn't remember when his birthday was, but she did.

"Ah," Aero said, and then he didn't know how to continue.

Morgan rolled her eyes. "We should have a party!" she exclaimed. "We could invite Uncle Happy and Uncle Rhodey! And mom! And dad!" Aero's stomach twisted. "Oh, and your boyfriend!"

Aero eyed her. "I don't have a boyfriend," he said. Who would have thought that Aero Stark's sexuality would be so accepted in the household that he and his little sister could freely talk about it?

"Yes, you do! Spider-Man!" she whisper-yelled. Aero forced a smile.

"He's not my boyfriend," Aero corrected. I'm not even sure he's my friend.

Morgan frowned. "Oh. Then, uh, can we invite Harley?"

Aero raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Harley?"

"Daddy talked about him a lot. And I met him at the funeral." She said the word so casually that it almost threw Aero for a loop. She obviously didn't understand what a funeral was, if she was still talking about Tony like he was alive. Or maybe she did understand that he was gone, but didn't want to believe it. Aero could understand that feeling.

After a moment, he sighed. "I'll ask him, Bug, but I don't think he'll show. He lives pretty far away."

"Can you invite the princess?"

Aero laughed. "She lives even further away! But I'll text her, alright? And you can meet my other friends, if they show up."

God, when did he even agree to have a birthday party? He'd never had a birthday party before, even during his first year with Tony. They'd thrown a tiny gen-together that consisted of five people, excluding Aero. Eight, if you counted Dum-E, U, and J.A.R.V.I.S., and nine total with Aero. He'd gone to a real party the next day—it was crowded, loud, and confusing. Aero had declared that he hated birthday parties the minute he and his parents had gotten into the car, and he stated that he never wanted to have a birthday party, ever. And that rule had held up since.

But he couldn't say no to Morgan. It just wasn't right.

"We have to plan the party, then!" she exclaimed. "We should have it tonight!"

"Tonight?" Aero asked incredulously. "Bug, it's too soon. We'll never be able to plan it in time!"

She scowled at him. "Watch me. Text your friends, I'll go tell mom we're having a party."

Aero watched her go, thinking to himself that she was definitely going to be smarter than he was when she got older. But that thought didn't bother him—he was more focused on the fact that he would have to text people on a Saturday to see if they wanted to come over for a party. He doubted anyone would be available, and if they were, why would they want to come to his birthday party when they could be doing a million other things?

Who would he even invite? Ned, obviously. Michelle. Happy and Rhodey, duh. Betty would probably be grateful, and . . . oh, God, was Aero seriously considering inviting Flash? They weren't friends, not really, but Flash had really been coming through for Aero. He got Martin and Bea kicked out of school, defended Aero from Miles, hadn't been teasing Peter for a while, now . . . hell, he'd even warned Aero about Martin and Bea being on campus! And not to mention defending Aero on Twitter and offering support after Tony's death. He'd certainly been there more than Peter. . . .

Peter. Now that was a dilemma.

Obviously Aero was angry with him. Did that mean he wanted to exclude Peter from his birthday party? No. Because Aero still had a hopeless rush on him. He still liked Peter, even if he was angry and resentful toward him. He still wanted to see Peter smile, even if it wasn't at Aero. And Aero wanted Peter to show up, because if Peter showed up, then Aero wouldn't be angry. He'd forget everything if it meant being Peter's friend again.

He pulled out his phone, checking his contacts. Then he started the mission Morgan had assigned him to.

Aero: this is a long shot, but any chance you'd be willing to fly in for a
birthday party?
Harley: that sounds awesome, but I have school tomorrow. sorry
Aero: it's chill. just checking. thanks!

Aero: hey, do you wanna come to a birthday party?
Ned: absolutely. when?
Aero: tonight. I'll text you the address.
Ned: okay! whose birthday is it?
Aero: mine.
Ned: oh! happy birthday!
Aero: thanks! see you tonight!

Aero: do you wanna come to a birthday party tonight?
MJ: sure
MJ: happy birthday btw
Aero: thanks! I'll send you the address.

.AeroStark: hey, do you wanna come to my birthday
party tonight? only you and a few others. it won't be a
banger.
.SpideyNo1Fan: hell yes
.AeroStark: cool. I'll send the address.

.AeroStark: weird question, but are you interested in
coming to a birthday party tonight? mine, I mean.
.BettyBrantNY: sure, just let me know where ^^
.AeroStark: awesome, thank you

Aero: so you just gonna bring me a birthday gift on my
birthday to my birthday party on my birthday with a
birthday gift?
Shuri: happy birthday?
Aero: love that for us. party tonight. do you feel like
flying in?
Shuri: yep! I'll see you tonight!

By the time he was finished inviting everyone, Aero realized just how depressing his contacts were. There was Ned and MJ, obviously, and now Harley and Shuri. He didn't even have Betty and Flash's numbers, he had to contact them through Twitter. And there were his uncles and his mom, of course, and his dad's number, even though it was . . . useless, to put it in the most simple of terms. And Peter. . . .

Aero sighed, unlocking his phone again.

Aero: birthday party. tonight. be there, please. or
don't. your choice.

He didn't wait for a response before he put his phone down and walked away.

"Morgan!" he called. She appeared at the top of the stairs. "We should go shopping for supplies."

She brightened. "I'll call Uncle Happy!" she exclaimed. Aero nodded. Sure, he could totally drive them, but there were a lot of risks with that. Besides, he liked spending time with Happy, so it wasn't a problem for him. He sat down on the couch and waited patiently for Happy to arrive. Morgan joined him soon after, and for a moment Aero forgot about his text, or the impending response from Peter.

They met Happy outside, and Aero was immediately handed a small present. "Aw, you didn't have to get me anything," Aero said.

Happy shrugged. "Sure I did. Where are we heading first?"

"Grocery store!" Morgan piped up. "We need soda and snacks." Aero had never noticed it before, but she had a lisp. He smiled at her as she spoke, ruffling her hair before helping her buckle herself in. He did the same for himself (buckling, obviously. He didn't mess up his own hair), the opened Happy's present as the car started moving.

It was a necklace. A golden chain, with a golden T and S in the Stark Industries font—TS. Aero stared at it for a moment, silent, before he slipped the necklace over his head. The pendent rested in the middle of his chest, and Aero decided not to acknowledge the irony of the look.

"Thanks," he told Happy, who nodded.

It took them about an hour to get to the store, in which Aero managed to introduce Morgan to the first half of Hamilton. Except Morgan had already seen Hamilton just a few months ago, so that meant they could bother Happy by singing the lyrics to My Shot as loud as they could. It was more fun when Happy joined in, though, rapping through all of Guns and Ships with ease. Aero and Morgan had stared at him, shocked, before cheering.

The inside of the store was bright, and it was massive. Aero couldn't remember entering a grocery store after he went with Tony. Any memory that he did have was simply a blur. So standing in the middle of the store, pushing a shopping cart, felt like he was relieving his worst memories and also making the best ones he'd ever had. He almost froze when they passed by the cash registers, memories of Maxine yelling at poor workers flashing inside of his brain.

Then Morgan took his hand, and he relaxed.

She led him to the soda aisle. "Pick your favorite," she ordered. "But we're getting orange soda." Aero laughed and nodded, picking up a twelve-pack of orange soda. He grabbed a pack of Cheery Pepsi and a pack of Mountain Dew: Code Red. Happy grabbed a case of water, just in case, and then they were off to the snack row.

Aero grabbed two bags of potato chips from different brands as Morgan raided the candy section. Happy watched them both with muted concern, clearly wondering where these two kids got their taste buds from, or wondering if it was too late to back out of the party so he wouldn't be blamed for the sugar rush the kids were about to endure.

"Anything else?" Happy asked wearily.

Morgan and Aero shared a look. "Cake," they both said. Happy sighed.

Aero picked Morgan up so she could see all the cake options. She pointed at the large chocolate one with no sprinkles. Aero nodded in agreement, setting her back down, then went to buy the cake. At the checkout, their total measured out to just $60. They all got back into the car to drive back home. Aero checked the car's clock and saw that it was about three hours before he'd told everyone to get to the house. Meaning they had only 2 hours to set everything up. He wished he'd brought his phone so he could make a birthday playlist of songs.

Pepper didn't help them decorate, but the only reason Aero minded was because he was becoming increasingly conscious of the fact that he was an absolute moron who'd pushed her away. Normally, he would have been upset with her, but as the fight stretched on, it became clear that the only asshole was Aero.

But he didn't go upstairs to apologize. It didn't feel like the right time.

They finished setting up an hour before everyone else arrived. Around the kitchen and living room, they'd strung up some fairy lights. In the fridge were all the sodas they'd gotten. They'd moved the couches around so there was room to hang out in the middle of the living room. On the kitchen table, there were bowls of snacks, and in the middle sat the cake they'd ordered—and customized. In a vanilla frosting, in the center of the cake, were the words Happy 16th Birthday! Morgan had drawn a stick figure that was meant to be Aero right under the words. Aero had set up the newest Star Wars movie (well . . . new to him, anyway) for Ned's benefit (and maybe Peter's).

Everything was ready. But with an hour left, Aero was beginning to get anxious.

His first sleepover ever had been with Peter, and that was, in his time, only a few months ago. The only birthday parties he'd ever had had involved family, and those parties had slowly dwindled until they were nonexistent. And even so, this was his first birthday party. He'd been to some, sure, but he'd never thrown an actual party with friends.

He wasn't worried about it being lame. If he truely cared what anyone besides Peter thought about him, he wouldn't be playing a Star Wars movie, he wouldn't be inviting his family, he wouldn't have asked his mom for permission to throw the party, and he definitely wouldn't have teamed up with his little sister. It wasn't about the clout—it was about the fact that he was branching out for the first time in a long time, and that was a terrifying thought.

Luckily, Morgan knew just how to help—a pizza break.

Two cheese pizzas and one pepperoni pizza went onto the table while Aero, Morgan, and Happy ate their own cheese pizza in the living room. Aero sat on the floor with Morgan while Happy sat on the armchair, occasionally having the kids pass him a slice of pizza. They'd already started watching the movie, so Aero decided he would put on the original Beetlejuice movie for the party, even though Halloween was already over. But was the privilege of seeing Winona Ryder as Lydia really supposed to be a once-a-year thing? Aero would beg to differ.

"She's pretty," Morgan commented, staring at Princess Leia.

Aero shrugged. "Yep."

She looked over at him, furrowing her brows. "I thought you liked boys?"

"I do," he confirmed. "But I can still tell when a girl is pretty, you know? I won't date any girls, but I'm not blind enough to say that no girls are beautiful. All girls are beautiful," he added. "You ever seen an ugly girl? No."

She nodded in understanding. "Girls are pretty," she agreed.

Happy looked between the two of them, lost. "You're both too smart," he decided.

Aero grinned. "Ah, come on, I'm not that good. Morgan is the smartest one in the room," he argued. Happy considered this for a moment, than made a noise of agreement and ate his pizza.

Ned took that moment to knock on the door. Aero jumped to his feet to let him inside. He watched Ned's eyes widen at the cabin space and smiled in greeting. "Hey, man, I'm glad you could make it," he said.

Ned smiled back. "Happy birthday," he said, handing Aero a present.

"Aw, what, dude, you shouldn't have," Aero said, closing the door behind him. He put the present on the counter, deciding that would act as the gift table in case anyone else brought a gift. Aero realized he should have specified not to bring a present, as he hated receiving gifts. But what was done was done.

Ned shrugged. "It's nothing big. It was kind of last minute," he said.

Aero smiled. "It's still a gift. Thank you," he added. "Grab some food, we're gonna start watching Beetlejuice in a few minutes. Oh, and that's my Uncle Happy," he said, pointing at Happy, "and my sister, Morgan." He pointed to Morgan, who waved excitedly. Ned waved back, then got some pizza and a drink before sitting down.

Betty arrived next, bringing a gift bag with her. Aero got up to greet her, and to get another slice of pizza. He put her gift next to Ned's as he thanked her for coming, to which she said, "I wouldn't miss this for the world." He thought that was a little dramatic, considering Flash had thrown better parties than whatever Aero is putting on right now, but he appreciates it nonetheless.

"We're watching Beetlejuice in the living room," he said, directing her next to Ned, who smiled at her awkwardly.

Flash showed up thirty seconds after, carrying the biggest present Aero had seen. He held himself back from grimacing, instead offering a picture-perfect smile of 'genuine' thanks. "I'm glad you could make it," he said. "We're watching Beetlejuice in the living room, and there's food and snacks. Drinks are in the fridge," he added.

Flash nodded, looking around. "Nice place," he decided.

Aero smiled. "Thanks. My dad designed it."

The sentence hung there for a moment. Then Flash nodded and went to get food.

It made Aero feel normal. If he had said that sentence to anyone else, he felt like they wouldn't be as cool about it. They'd offer their apologies. They'd become awkward. But Flash just continued on like it was normal. Aero liked that.

"We're just waiting for MJ, my Uncle Rhodey, and Shuri," Aero announced, sitting on the armrest of the couch. He looked at Happy and Morgan. "Oh, right. Betty, Flash, this is my Uncle Happy and my sister Morgan." Betty and Flash waved. Morgan excitedly waved back. Happy put up his hand in acknowledgment.

"Wait, like, the princess?" Ned asked, referring to Shuri. Aero nodded. "Dude. You know a princess."

"She knows vines," Aero commented. "Like, more than a reasonable amount."

"No amount of vines is unreasonable," Shuri announced.

"Princess!" Aero exclaimed upon seeing Shuri at the door. "I didn't think you would make it."

She held up a gift bag. "I said I would, didn't I?" she teased. She handed him the gift when he got closer. "I was starting to think you'd lost my number since I still haven't received your favorite vine compilation."

Aero smiled sheepishly. "Ah, right. I'll send it tonight. Promise," he said. He glanced at the present in his hands. "You didn't have to get me anything," he added, putting the gift with the rest. It occurred to him that everyone else had gone silent at her arrival, too stunned to speak. He almost wanted to cringe.

She didn't seem to mind. "Nonsense. It's your birthday." Morgan stood up and walked over to them. "Who's this little princess?" she asked.

Morgan perked up. "I'm Morgan," she introduced. Aero smiled down at her. "Are you really a princess?"

"Yep," Shuri confirmed. "Not one of the Disney ones, though."

Morgan smiled. "You're way prettier than the Disney ones," she decided. Shuri laughed. Aero ruffled Morgan's hair.

He introduced Shuri to everyone in time for Rhodey to walk in, thankfully without a present. Aero hugged him in greeting, told him where everything was, and then sat down again, periodically looking to the door.

MJ showed up about ten minutes after Rhodey. Aero stood up to greet her. "Sorry. Work," she said. Aero nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you could come," he said honestly.

"I don't have a gift."

"Even better," Aero whispered. She nodded, relaxing. "We have pizza, soda, and a lot of candy, so go wild. And we're watching Beetlejuice, but it's almost over. And then I guess I'm opening presents? And then we'll have cake," he listed. MJ nodded.

Aero finally sat down on the couch with one last piece of pizza. He looked to the door occasionally, wondering if Peter could just be fashionably late. But by the time they got to the presents, it became clear that, not only was Peter not going to text him, but he wasn't going to show up to the party, either. Some part of Aero was thankful—how much did he really want to see Peter after weeks of being ignored? On the other hand, he was angry—he'd offered an olive branch, and based on his read text message (because, yes, Peter had read it, the phone said so), it hadn't been accepted.

Aero had received the message, loud and clear.

Rhodey brought the presents over to him, putting them on the coffee table so Aero could easily reach them. Aero thanked him as he sat down, offering a semi-forced smile to all his . . . acquaintances? Friends? Yeah, let's go with friends.

Ned had gotten him a Playbill for the Mean Girls musical. Aero had no idea where or how Ned had gotten it, but he decided he would cherish it. It would be framed with his other Playbills, since it was the one popular musical Aero hadn't seen yet. He thanked Ned profusely; Betty had gotten him a book. A Percy Jackson book, to be specific, the last in the Trials of Apollo series. He wondered how she knew he didn't have that one yet, and thanked her, excited to read the final adventure in The Tower of Nero; Flash had bought him a camera. Like, a genuine film camera that directors used. Aero was, admittedly, a little too excited about it, as he liked filming stuff, and the quality was going to be amazing with the new camera. Flash acted like it was nothing, but Aero could tell he felt a bit of pride at getting Aero to grin; finally, Shuri had gotten him the book Milk & Vine, which Aero was super excited to read to Morgan. He thanked her quickly, then read one of the vines to Morgan.

There was a knock on the door. Aero frowned, looking to it, but he didn't see anyone. He stood and excused himself, telling everyone to get one more drink or snack before they had cake. He went to the door, brushing off Rhodey and Happy's concerns about him getting hurt, and stepped outside.

There was a present on the front porch. It was a little box that fit into the palm of Aero's hand, tied with a neat ribbon on top. Aero looked around, but there was no one outside. Still, he had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He almost stepped back inside, then paused, deciding to open the present outside the house. On the off chance it was deadly, only he would be hurt, hopefully. But on the high chance that someone was watching to see his reaction to their present, well, Aero never wanted to disappoint. So he opened the present.

It was a guitar chip, with two golden letters engraved on one side—A. S. On the other was one word—hero. It was painted a metallic red that Aero recognized as the exact shade from his dad's suit. Aero felt his heart leap into his throat as he looked up, scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of the only person who would get Aero such a present—but he couldn't see Peter anywhere. Either it was too dark, or Peter was hiding. Or he was already gone.

". . . Thank you," Aero said, hoping Peter could hear him. I'm still pissed off. But thank you, he added as an afterthought as he walked back inside.

"What was it?" Rhodey asked as everyone gathered around the table for cake.

Aero held up the present. "Peter," he said. Rhodey raised his eyebrows. Aero put the guitar chip back into the box. "I guess I have to send him a thank you card."

"At least he got you something," Rhodey pointed out.

Aero shrugged. He felt conflicted between anger and saddness. "Yeah. Sure. Come on, let's get some cake before it's gone."

Betty, who overheard, turned to him. "Aren't we going to sing Happy Birthday?" she asked.

Aero cringed. "Oh, no, no, no. Nope. Not happening. I hate that song, and I hate when it's sung to me." She nodded in understanding, stepping aside so he could get a slice of pizza.

Eventually, the party winded down nearly 30 minutes later. When Aero found Morgan asleep on the couch, knocked out from her sugar rush, he decided to end the party. After making sure everyone had rides home, he walked them all outside to say goodbye.

"You could stay here for the night," Aero told Shuri. "I feel like it's unfair to have you come to America for, like, three hours and then send you away."

She shook her head. "No, no, I have a deadline." She ruffled his hair. "Besides, this was fun. Don't forget to send me that compilation!" she added as she walked over to, Aero now noticed, a ship that would take her home. He laughed quietly, waving to her. He ran a hand through his hair to fix it as he headed back inside.

"You good for tonight?" Rhodey asked as he entered the kitchen. He and Happy were almost finished cleaning, which impressed Aero and made him feel a little guilty for not helping out.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll get Morgan to her bed and then I'm out," he confirmed, yawning to show how tired he was. He rubbed at his eyes and sighed. "Thank you for coming. You didn't have to, especially since I was such a dick."

Rhodey sighed. "Yeah, you were. But you're still family." He ruffled Aero's hair. Aero decided it wouldn't be worth fixing again. "And I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

"I know."

"She told me to tell you happy birthday. She doesn't think you want to see her."

Aero closed his eyes. "I am the biggest asshole in America, huh?"

Rhodey laughed. "No, you're just a teenager doing teenage things. The fact that you feel bad means that you're a good person. But you need to apologize."

Aero nodded, looking up the stairs. "I will. Eventually."

Happy and Rhodey bid their goodbyes. Aero made sure everything was locked up before he took Morgan upstairs, putting her to bed carefully so she wouldn't wake up. He tucked her in and sat there for a moment, tired, before getting to his feet and going to his room. He sat on his bed and turned on his phone, ready to have some alone time with just him, himself, and Twitter.

#HappyBirthdayAeroStark was trending at number 20.

#TonyStark was trending at number 21.

There was a text waiting for him.

Harley: oh, and happy birthday, Aeroplane

Aero covered his mouth to hide his grin. Shaking his head, he sent a reply.

Aero: thank you, Harley Quinn, very cool
Harley: haha, you're SO funny. you've got the whole squad laughing
Aero: I do my best
Aero: but seriously, thanks
Aero: when's your birthday?
Harley: wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?
Aero: i have Nothing against harley keener . but he is Annoying , god bless
Harley: respect that you know your memes
Harley: wait gotta go, my sister needs me, I'll text you later. ciao

Aero raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and put his phone down, sighing.

So there was a chance he was definitely into Harley Keener.

Hear him out! It's not a completely romantic thing! It's more along the lines of Harley being super cute and having the same sense of humor as Aero. Honestly, Aero is 90% sure it's a platonic crush. Like, would he actually date Harley if given the chance? No. He's too hung up on Peter to even consider other options. At the same time, he feels a very strong pull toward Harley—they're jokes are the same, and Harley is nice to look at. But that doesn't mean Aero wants to date him! . . . Right?

Aero isn't even sure if Harley is gay. Or bi. Or pan. Or just likes dudes without having to put a label on it!

There were too many variables. And, again, Peter Parker exists.

Aero suddenly felt the need to get a piece of paper and have a debate with himself about the pros and cons of crushing on Harley and Peter at the same time. Pro: cute boys who he genuinely enjoyed talking to. Con: one is being a bitch, one lives too far away. Pro: more options so Aero isn't limited to pursuing one boy. Con: what if Peter and Harley don't like that Aero has his attention divided between them? Pro: Peter likes dudes. Con: Aero doesn't know if Harley is into guys.

Then there was the fact that, even if Harley likes guys, that doesn't mean he's into Aero. Aero isn't even sure if Peter is into him. And that leaves Aero with nothing.

Absolutely noth—

"Impending message for Aero Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice said, startling Aero. He looked up, squinting. "Would you like me to play the message?"

"Uh . . . yes?" he agreed hesitantly. "Wait, no. Who's it from?"

"Your father."

Aero's phone slipped out of his hands as he sucked in a sharp breath. "What?"

"Tony left a message for your sixteenth birthday in the event that he died. Would you like me to play the message?"

". . . Yes," Aero said softly. The lights in his room dimmed. Aero closed his eyes, wanting to be completely immersed in the words. But as soon as he heard his dad's voice, Aero froze, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"Hey, kid," Tony's voice greeted. "I'm recording this in case something happens to me. I hope you'll never have to hear it, but . . . well, if you are, I'm sorry. I should've been there to celebrate your birthday. You're sixteenth now, that's a big deal! Congratulations, Aero. I'm proud of you." There was a moment of silence. Aero could almost imagine his dad trying to figure out what to say. "Listen. I know things aren't going to be easy. You're going to be sad. You're going to be angry. And that's okay. You'll be okay. You have Happy and Rhodey. You'll have Morgan. And you'll have your mom."

". . . Fuck," Aero whispered.

"This is getting sappy, huh? Doesn't matter. I love you, Aero. I probably can't say it anymore, but I love you. So much. Please take care of yourself. Don't meet me up in the clouds, yeah? I don't want to see you up here until you're way older than I am. At least wait until you've married Peter."

Aero let out a broken laugh. "Shut up," he said, forgetting for a moment that his dad couldn't hear him.

"I know you just laughed, kiddo. Don't be embarrassed about it, come on, we both know you like him. I really hope he's not hearing me say this, but if he is and you two still aren't together: get over yourselves, Jesus Christ." Tony sighed. Aero covered his face with his hands, shaking with grief and laughter. "In the event that he isn't here, well, get over yourself, kid. You're both crazy for each other! Do something about it!" Tony exclaimed.

"But I digress. Anyway, happy birthday, Aero. I love you. And I hope you're hearing this from me in person."

Aero dropped his hands. The lights in his room slowly came back on. Aero stared at his discarded phone, silent and a little dazed, wondering if that had just happened.

"Happy birthday, Aero," F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

Aero smiled wobbly. "Thanks." After a moment, he sighed. "Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Yes, Aero?"

". . . Can you play the message again?"