A/N: It's Steve's birthday, and everyone has to celebrate! (Notes at the end)
Chapters 17, and 18 posted all at once, don't miss a chapter! :)
Unbeta'd, and Marvel owns more of this than I do. Disney owns them and the movie Tangled. Also, all music belongs to those that wrote/performed/produced/etc them. I use them for humor and good times.
Also, if you go to my Tubmlr page (megaranoelle. tumblr. com) you can catch some behinds the scene stuff about the fic. No spoilers, promise. Maybe you can influence the story.
Best Song –
(You Drive Me) Crazy
Better Songs –
Shoot To Thrill
"You're in my home, and you're adding horrible songs, in my presence!" Tony looked at his phone when Jarvis sent the new song alert. Steve was sitting on one of the loveseats, feet propped up, his own phone in his hand.
"It's my birthday," Steve said simply.
"It's America's birthday," Tony countered.
"I'm pretty sure I just said that." Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve and his shit eating grin. "Shouldn't you be out in the kitchen with Peter?" Tony grumbled a little and Steve glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't quite catch that."
"He kicked me out of the kitchen after I spilled a bowl of pancake batter," Tony grudgingly repeated. Steve raised his eyebrows at Tony. "Just because it's tradition, doesn't mean that I can actually make pancakes, well."
"What have you been doing the past four or five years?" Steve turned on the loveseat to face Tony more. Tony was holding onto his phone in one hand, and a mug of coffee in the other.
"Mary gave Jarvis her recipe, so when Pepper, or Rhodey, or even Happy, are around they help make the batter." Tony took a long drag of coffee. It was early, Peter having woken them up, with the exception of Steve. Steve had already been up and out for a morning run. He was the one who had started the pot of coffee that Tony was drinking from. (With some help from Jarvis on how to get the new machine started.) "And lately Mary's parents, or Agent have been helping cook. He's actually a pretty decent cook, by the way."
"Who's out there right now?" Steve asking, glancing towards the kitchen.
"Agent got Mary into a wheel-chair, Bruce's orders, so they're both in there with Peter." Tony finished his coffee and stared forlornly at the mug. "And now I have to wait until they're done to get more coffee, because I'm not allowed back into the kitchen."
"I'm not allowed in the kitchen at all," Steve told him, leaning back against one of the pillows on the loveseat.
"Well, that's just a given," Tony shot back. "The person receiving the pancakes never gets anywhere close to the work. They're really not supposed to do any kind of work on their birthday."
"Sounds all steeped in tradition."
"Damn straight," Tony said with a nod.
"Soooo, if it's my birthday, then does that mean I get to listen to whatever music that I want?" Steve asked with a smirk, pulling his phone back up. Tony groaned loudly as another song was added to Steve's, in his opinion, horrendous playlist.
I Want It That Way
"Why do you do this to me?" Tony dropped his head back on the couch.
"I did a lot of soul searching while I was out there in the wild blue yonder." Steve made a big sweeping arm motion towards the big windows.
"Did you really just say, Wild Blue Yonder?" Tony looked over at the super soldier.
"I made some friends out there, and I found a groove," Steve continued like Tony hadn't said anything. But suddenly Tony was smirking.
"Is it the same groove that you danced to Justin Timberlake too?" Steve's face dropped and Tony started to cackle softly. "I so wish that Mary had gotten video of that."
"I thought that she would never tell anyone else that story," Steve muttered.
"Anyone else?" Tony questioned, but Steve just shook his head. A couple minutes later a new cup of coffee appeared in front of Tony's face. He made a weird moaning sound and took the mug, dropping his phone on the couch, and cuddling the mug to his chest. Cooing. "Hello, my one true love."
"It's a good thing you're single, or someone might be getting jealous." Mary rolled around from behind the couch, in between the couch and the loveseat. She glanced at Steve briefly, a little smirk on her face. He just raised an eyebrow and made a pointed look at her left hand. Tony didn't notice any of the looks.
"Coffee would never try to blackmail me," Tony murmured as he took a drink. "Coffee would never try to kill me."
"Not necessarily true," Mary said and Tony actually shushed her.
"Don't talk about my sweet precious coffee like that," Tony looked at her, scandalized. "He's right here," he stage whispered. Mary just rolled her eyes and started to roll backwards in the wheelchair.
"Steve, come along, your food is almost done," she announced. "My parents, and Dr Banner, are on their way up."
"A big family breakfast?" Steve asked as he got up from his seat. Tony took a couple extra seconds before getting up as well, holding onto his mug.
"Peter requested it, because it is a special day." Mary said with a smile.
"He's just extra happy that he gets pancakes on a non-Saturday day," Tony said as the trio went to the dining table.
"He is entirely your son," Mary remarked. Tony just grinned.
"Yes, yes he is."
Steve chuckled as they walked in to see that the table had already been set. Syrup, powdered sugar, and a bowl of fresh whip cream were already there, and Phil was coming out with a couple of pitchers of juice. Peter was following behind him, a plate stacked high with pancakes in his hands, focusing on their balance in his hands. As soon as the pancakes were safely on the table Peter looked up and grinned. He ran over to Steve and hugged him around the waist.
"Happy Birthday, Mr Steve!" Peter grinned up at him as Steve hugged him back. "Are we gonna watch the fireworks for your birthday?"
"You bet," Steve said with a smile. "It's a holiday after all." Peter grinned and pulled out a chair, wanting Steve to sit there. He then pulled a chair away from the table for Mary, and she leaned over to kiss his head as she slid into the spot. "Looks like you know where everyone is supposed to sit," Steve said with a chuckle.
"Mama sits here, and Phil sits next to her," Peter said as he pat the chair on the other side of her. "And then Daddy sits on the other side of Mama, and you sit next to Daddy." Peter ran over to the other side of the table, tapping the chairs. "Granma and Granpa sit here, and Uncle Bruce sits across from Daddy, and Uncle Clint sits next to Uncle Bruce."
Steve raised an eyebrow, but it was Tony that voiced his question. "Barton is here?"
"He got here last night," Phil said as he brought out the last plate of pancakes. "Told him that he wasn't allowed to miss breakfast." He leaned in to kiss Mary, a little longer than usual that even had Peter making a face, until he suddenly squealed.
"I know! It's gross when old people kiss!" Clint had slipped in the room and nabbed Peter around the waist, spinning them around once. "It's like they're eating each other's faces!"
"Eww!" Peter said as he laughed, kicking his feet in the air. "But they can't eat each other, everyone needs a face!" Peter looked at Mary and Phil. "Mama! Phil! Don't each faces, there are blueberry pancakes instead." No one could resist a giggle at Peter's words.
"Yes, there are lots of pancakes," Tony said, sipping his coffee with a smirk. "Good to see you Legolas."
"He's not an elf, he's not tall enough," Peter said and Tony burst out with a sharp laugh.
"You recently watched Lord of the Rings with him, didn't you?" Clint accused, setting Peter back down on the ground.
"I'll have you know that it's one of my favorites," Tony said, leaning back in the chair that Peter had assigned to him. "And I am not the first one to show him the movies. That was all Mary."
"I read the books to him as well," Mary said proudly, making Tony grin.
"Our son shall be a nerd, and it shall be glorious." Tony put his mug on the table and held out his arms. "Petey, come to your fabulous Daddy." Peter smiled and ran over, jumping up into Tony's lap. Tony smiled, arm wrapped around Peter's waist. "By the way, we have assigned seating," he said looking at Clint.
Bruce walked in the room and Peter was pointing to Clint's chair. "Uncle Clint sits there, and Uncle Bruce sits there." Bruce blinked and took his seat, not actually sure what was going on. He looked to Tony who only shrugged.
"Little man is in charge of this shindig, apparently," was all that Tony offered. Steve chuckled a little and took his seat next to Tony. Mary shot him a knowing smile, and Steve wiggled the fingers on his left hand. He told her that he had no issue with them announcing their engagement on his birthday, but they insisted on waiting until the next day. Steve was now threatening to reveal their happy news.
William and Rachel walked into the room a moment later, Coulson putting down a new carafe of coffee, and a new mug in front of Tony. He managed to go through coffee like a thirsty man in the desert. "Hi Granpa! Hi Granma!" Peter waved, still sitting in Tony's lap. "I saved you seats over there," he said, pointing to the two empty seats.
"And where is your seat, young man?" Rachel asked her grandson with a smile.
Peter grinned and pat Tony's knees. "Right here."
"I like to think that I'm a lot more comfortable than a wooden chair," Tony said with a smile. Peter leaned back against Tony's chest, as if proving the point. After that pancakes were passed around, Steve getting the first helping, Peter taking more than he could eat, but Tony assured Mary that he would eat the rest, since the boy was in his lap.
It was a lazy morning, every one staying around the table, Tony, William, and Rachel sipping on cups of coffee, Peter resting against Tony with the beginnings of a food coma going on. Steve had been about to start clearing the table, but Coulson and Clint hopped up and started doing it. Coulson gave him a pointed look, and Tony explained that the recipient of the birthday didn't do any grunt work on their special day. It was Parker Law.
"Where's the best spot for fireworks this year, Tony?" Mary asked as she finished off the last of her water before the glass was taken to be washed.
"The whole damn city," Tony commented, hand resting on Peter's back, who was napping lightly on Tony's chest. "I figure everyone deserves a little excitement today, so I set up all the fireworks displays for New York City."
"Just Manhattan?" Bruce asked.
"Nope, New York City," Tony said again. "That includes Staten Island, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the works." He glanced around at the silent audience around him. "What? I've spent more on worse. A lot more." Tony shrugged a little, glancing down as his other hand ran through Peter's hair. Steve noted that Peter's hand was over Tony's arc reactor, and how relaxed Tony was about it. "Figured the city could use a break, and I'd help up so as much money and time can be put into continuing to rebuild."
"That's very generous, Tony," Steve said to him with a smile. This was probably something small to Tony Stark and his bank account, even the action probably something he wouldn't remember a couple years from now, but 'small' stuff like that impressed Steve. Tony was one person to the press and the public, but he was completely different in his private life, and Steve liked getting to know that person.
Tony just shrugged again at the statement, finishing his last cup of coffee. "I propose that we move this lazy affair into a more comfortable location. Specifically one where I can recline comfortably if I'm going to have this lump sitting on my chest." There was a fond smile on Tony's face as he brought up the suggestion. Steve got up to carefully take Peter from Tony so the older man could get up, and everyone moved as a group to the living room.
It seemed that everyone had taken a cue from Peter, and most were taking naps on the much more comfortable pieces of furniture of Tony's living room. Peter's grandparents had excused themselves back to their guest room, saying they'd be back for dinner and fireworks.
Steve woke up first, or at least he thought he was first. A glance at the other end of the couch saw that Peter and Tony were talking quietly with each other. Tony was on his back, propped with a pillow behind his head, and Peter half laying, half sitting on Tony's chest, fingers tracing the arc reactor through Tony's shirt. Steve closed his eyes again, not wanting to interrupt their moment. He almost felt bad when his Super Soldier hearing picked up their conversation.
"-gonna live here now?" Peter whispered to Tony.
"Gotta get the all clear from Mama, but yeah," Tony responded. "Would you like that?"
"Where would my room be?"
"You'd have a room up here with me, where you sleep now, and you'd have a room downstairs with Mama and Agent." Steve could hear Tony adjust himself, pulling a small giggle from Peter. "It would be like when you would come over to the Manor, two bedrooms."
"I still have to share you and Mama, though."
"Yeah," Steve could picture Tony's nod. "But, we'd all be much closer now. You wouldn't have to wait to come and see me, I'll be in the same building."
"I like staying with you," Peter told his Daddy. "I like having everyone close."
"Yeah?" Tony asked, a little more quietly, Steve could hear something in his voice. "It's nice having loved ones so close, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Family is important."
Steve couldn't help but open one of his eyes part-way to look over at them. Tony was looking at Peter like there was nothing else in the world, but Steve could see that Tony's emotions were close to the surface. Now he couldn't stop thinking about Tony, about how he had grown up. He was an only child, but didn't he had many friends he could hang out with? Like Peter and Wade, or Steve and Bucky. Had Tony always lived alone? He certainly lived alone here in New York, Steve knew that much, but what about when he had been living in California?
"Is Mr Steve gonna move here, too?" Peter asked. Steve opened his other eye, and Tony glanced over at him. They locked eyes for just a second.
"That's up to him," Tony replied, looking back at Peter. "Remember, little man, adults have other things that might keep them from moving here. We have to ask first." Tony paused a little, Peter nodding his head. "But, you can tell him that there is a place for him if he wants to move here."
"I like when Mr Steve is close," Peter confessed, laying his head back down on Tony's shoulder. Tony's hand rubbed Peter's back, humming a song to him, the little boys' eyes starting to close again. Peter's hand tightened briefly over the arc reactor, covering the blue glow, before he drifted back off to sleep. Steve was positive that he had imagined Tony's barely there reply; "So do I."
"Mr Steve!" Peter ran over to Steve after lunch was over, grabbing his hand. "Come on, Mr Steve!"
Steve laughed and let the boy lead him across the floor, over to the elevator. "Peter, what's going on? Where are we going?"
"I have a present for you." Peter beamed up at him as the elevator doors closed and started to move. "So does Daddy," Peter whispered to him. "But I didn't tell you that!" Steve snorted, and nodded with a smile.
The elevator ride was a little longer than usual, and when the doors opened Peter had taken Steve's hand again and pulled him down a hallway. It was a little chillier down here, and Steve thought that maybe they had gone down to one of the basement levels. Tony was standing at the end of the hallway in front of plain wooden door. There was a keypad, and a hand scanner, as a lock though.
"You moved faster than I thought, Petey-pie," Tony said with a smile.
"I wanna show him!" Peter exclaimed happily. Tony rolled his eyes fondly, and turned to press his hand to the scanner, and put in the code to the door. The door unlocked and Tony pushed it open, letting Peter pull Steve inside first. The room was fairly plain, a few chairs and one couch in there, acting as a private room. There was door that led to a small bathroom, but other than that just wood paneled walls. Steve did notice that there was something small, wrapped in birthday wrapping paper, sitting on the chair though, and he saw his name on it. He walked over and grabbed it, turning it in his hands.
"You gonna admire the wrapping paper all day, or open it?" Steve heard Tony say, closing the wooden door behind him. The blonde blinked a little, then pulled the paper off, Peter reaching up to take it to throw away, and Steve found himself looking at dark stained, thin wooden box. He opened it and saw a black pen inside, sleek and modern looking.
"So before you go thinking that I just got you a regular, future looking, pen, let me explain it." Tony stepped forward, motioning for Steve to pick up the pen. He noticed on the side was a piece of plastic, or glass, almost like the screen of his Starkphone. "This is something I've been working on for a bit, and I feel like I've got it to the point where other people can try it. I know that you and Peter like to draw, so may I introduce to you the most advanced drawing tool in your arsenal." Steve looked up at Tony with a raised eyebrow.
"It's not going to replace any of your pencils, just pens, but also markers." Tony moved to stand next to him, pointing at the pen as he went. "The tip is retractable, but it also has several different settings. Ball-point, fine-tip, broad, flat, round, even a calligraphy setting. There are over five-hundred different colors programmed into it, so you can get everything just right. Really, it pretty much works off of an advanced color wheel. But, for those rare moments when you just can find the right color, you can make your own."
Tony held out his hand, asking permission to use the pen, and Steve put it in his palm, smirking a little internally. Did this count as handing something to Tony, again? Tony held out his arm and placed the top of the pen to his shirt. The rectangle on the pen lit up, showing the color of Tony's shirt, and the tip of the pen clicked out. "You now have the color of my shirt at your use." Tony grinned at the pen. He placed the end against Steve's skin, and the screen lit up again, changing to his skin color.
Steve's mouth opened a little. "You made a pen that can make any color it sees?" He looked up at Tony to see him nodding with a smile. "This is, this is amazing, Tony. It's seriously genius." Tony preened a little bit, and Steve smiled. "Thank you, this is really great."
Tony smiled at him, nodding. "Well, it's not going to be as good as Petey's present that's for sure. I had to beg him to let me go first, so my present wasn't overshadowed." Steve chuckled and smiled, putting the pen back into the wooden case, slipping it into his front pocket. Peter was standing in front of the plain wooden wall, rocking back and forth on his feet, waiting patiently. The most patient he's probably ever been.
Tony reached over, lifting a hidden panel in the wood and punched in a code. The rest of the let out a click and a soft hiss, and it started to slide away. Steve blinked. A hidden door in the wall. Peter took his hand and pulled him in as the door opened enough to let them through. Steve could tell that the room past the hidden door was big, and long. There were glass cases in the middle of the room and along the walls, and soft lights started to flicker on.
He saw a replica of his shield sitting at the front of the middle glass cases. Looking around the room he could see that everything was filled with old Captain America memorabilia. Peter was hopping up and down on his feet a little, excited to show this to him.
"Over here are comics and cards," Peter said as he pulled Steve over to the first set of cases. He let go of his hand to get close to the glass, like the first time he had seen all of this back at Tony's Malibu mansion. "All originals!"
Steve had known that they had made collectibles after he had gone down with the plane, but he hadn't been aware of how many, and what kinds. He noticed a few empty spots, and remembered what Bruce had told him, how Tony had completed Coulson's set with some of his own. That's when the thought struck him. This was Tony's personal collection. He glanced back at the man in question, and swore he saw a slight flush coming up his neck.
"Come over here!" Peter ran over to the middle cases, waving for Steve to follow him. He noted that not all of the room was full, but there were spaces for specific items. Looking inside the first case he saw an old map of Germany, then saw his handwriting on the map. Other maps had Bucky's handwriting, and Dum-Dum's, even Gabe's. These were the maps that they had used in the war.
"Wow," Steve breathed out, looking over everything.
"Tell him Daddy," Peter said, looking over at Tony.
"Peter wants you to have this stuff," Tony told the super soldier. "He brought up a good point that most of this used to belong to you in the first place. Some of it's at the Smithsonian, for their Captain America exhibit, but that can be pulled back if need be."
Steve's mouth dropped open a little. Tony had collected all this, preserved it, put it on display, even in a museum, and now he was just giving it away? He let his fingers trail softly against the glass, looking at the stuff, then stopped. There were dog tags, six sets of them.
He wasn't sure how long he stood there, looking at all the tags, but his eyes only focusing on one set. Barnes, James Buchanan. Suddenly Tony was there, pressing a thumb to the bottom of the display case, then slowly opened the glass. Steve looked at the man, and he nodded down towards the tags.
"Like Peter said, it's all yours," Tony said softly. Steve licked his lips, feeling his heart fluttering in his chest, and reached in, gently picking up the tags.
"Buck, he lost a set in Italy," Steve said quietly. He turned over one of the tags and saw a red scratch on it. "He tested it on my shield, after the first paint job, and there was forever a red mark on the back of it." Steve bit his bottom lip, biting back tears. "How did you find these?"
"Dugan had them," Tony said just as quietly. "He must have found them, or something." Tony knew exactly what had happened. Someone had turned in the dog tags nearly five years after the war ended, thinking that they were from a fallen soldier and that they family deserved to have them. After Bucky's parents had died Dum Dum Dugan had somehow come into possession of them, and then had given them to his Aunt Peggy. It was for Tony's tenth birthday that Peggy had given him the set of dog tags from the Howling Commandos. She felt they were in safer hands with Tony than with Howard. Tony didn't want to tell him that Peggy had given them to him, not yet.
"The museum was able to get copies from the Army," Tony continued.
"Yeah, I saw the exhibit," Steve said, still holding onto the tags. "They had a lot of originals as well." Tony waved a hand towards the empty displays. "All that came from here?"
"Well, about half of it," Tony told him. "I don't have the biggest collection, not by far, but I have the most authentic and original one, thanks to Howard." tony put a hand on Peter's head, the little boy leaning against his leg. "The stuff in the middle cases are yours, you can do with them what you want."
Steve looked back at all the cases, the lights reflecting off the glass. "I would appreciate it if you could keep this all safe for me, Tony." Steve looked back at the genius with a smile. "You and Peter seem to know exactly what to do with it. I think I'll hold onto this, though." He gripped Bucky's tags.
Leaning down in front of Peter, he gave the boy a big, sincere, smile. "Thank you so much, Peter. Before we see the fireworks, do you wanna hear about my best friend, Bucky?" Peter's eyes got big. "I'll tell you all the stories. Bucky was my best friend, like Wade is your best friend."
"Yes please!" Peter jumped a little, hugging Steve around the neck. Steve smiled, lifting Peter effortless into his arms, tucking him against his side.
Tony snorted, with a small smile, and followed the two men out of the room, making sure that the wooden wall shut again. "Daddy, come on!" Tony looked and saw Steve and peter waiting for him just outside of the man door. "Mr Steve's gonna tell stories!" Steve smiled at Tony, and he felt a little flutter in his chest.
Mary lounged on the couch, a couple of pillows behind her, and underneath her, watching Steve and Tony outside with Peter. The little boy was sitting on a full length lounger, at the end, listening to Steve with an intensity she had only seen applied to talks about science with Tony. Tony was laying on his own lounger next to Steve, sunglasses on, arm behind his head, and ankles crossed. Steve was sitting in the middle of his, hands and arms moving as he told his story. Phil sat down next to her and kissed her cheek.
"Steve still telling his stories?" He asked his fiancé, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"I think whenever he gets to the end of one, Peter keeps asking for another," Mary told him, leaning against him. "And he can't say no to Peter."
"To be fair, not many can say no to him," Phil corrected.
"I'm glad he's having a good birthday. Steve, that is," Mary said. "And Tony looks a hell of a lot more relaxed than the last time I saw him. I thought for sure that what I saw from the Helicarrier footage would be the norm for them." Phil rubbed her shoulder a little. "But, I know that Tony, and probably Steve, is still keeping a few things from me."
"Sadly, I was still recovering when all that happened," Phil admitted.
Mary gasped dramatically, putting her hand over her mouth. "The amazing Agent Phil Coulson doesn't have information? Someone alert the Director! We have to shut down SHIELD!" She laughed when Coulson poked her side. "Careful, I'm your delicate fiancé."
Phil leaned in and kissed her properly. "I'm thinking a fall wedding, late September."
"That's oddly specific, and not that far away." Mary watched him pull out his tablet, a calendar popping up.
"Even villains take the days off on Sundays, so I'm thinking the 25th," Coulson continued, highlighting the day.
Mary hummed, amused. "I thought it was usually the bride that makes all the big decisions."
"It's a good thing that I know you," Phil told her with a smile.
"Me-thinks that you have been planning this out for a while." She tapped the date in September, tapping out a phrase. 'Wedding - Will Attend On Pain Of Death By Bride'. As she hit save, another alert popped up on the screen, and Coulson reached over to tap it.
The browser popped up, pulling up an entry in a blog, and the two SHIELD Agents looked at each other. Twitter was brought up, looking at the trending topics, and they knew this was about to get bad, fast.
Steve laughed as Peter tumbled back on his lounger, re-enacting a story about him and Wade. Tony sat up to interject, to stop the boy from getting too worked up and falling off the furniture, but with a smile on his face. Steve's phone went off with a text message, earning a half-hearted glare from Tony when he heard the 90's Boy Band ringtone.
He saw that it was a message from Meg, and he figured that she probably had a couple other songs for him that he could add to their playlist. 'DUDE! WTF! And apparently Happy Birthday?!'
Steve frowned at the text. 'Thanks? And what do you mean? What's going on?'
The response was almost immediate. 'Captain Freaking America much?!' Steve's eyes widened. 'I thought we were long-distance-platonic-life-partners?!' Steve narrowed his eyes in confusion at that one.
"Steve?" He looked up to see Coulson at the door, tablet in hand. He nodded with his head and Steve nodded.
"I'll be right back," he told father and son, ruffling Peter's hair as he got up. 'I have no idea what that last text means.'
"Did you have any plans on going back out on your road trip?" Mary asked, looking down at her phone. They were both in work mode.
"Um, I'm not actually sure," Steve said carefully. He had fun, and he hadn't made it to the other side of the country yet, but he forgot how much fun it could be here as well. "Why?"
"Some pictures have been circulating, and a couple of pictures of your shield were caught," Mary explained. Steve frowned and walked over to Coulson and his tablet. "Ever since the Battle of New York, and really, that's what it's be termed as? People have been dying to figure out who the 'new Captain America' is."
"They figured it out?" Steve asked, looking through the pictures that Coulson was looking through. There were a lot of him getting on and off his motorcycle, the circular pack he had for the shield attached to the front of the bike, (the only place it would comfortably fit that wasn't on his back). There were a couple of shots of the pack open, catching the colors. So far he wasn't seeing any of his face, a couple of side shots, but nothing that was clear.
"Not yet, but they're getting close," Coulson said. "They've pegged the bike at least, and I think you're underestimating the intensity of an online obsession."
'It means that although your burgeoning love for Stark burns hot like a desert sun, I know that that from a distance, we have something special. I will be very jealous if you've replaced me. We bonded over music Steven. Or do you prefer Captain?'
Steve glanced back at his phone. Of course she would have figured out his identity if she saw the pictures. Meg knew what his bike looked like, and she would know who he was since he always wore the same jacket when he was riding.
'I could never replace you, you're my wingman.'
'GDR I am! And now you Really owe me a new phone! Get talking to Stark, chop chop!'
"You're going to have to keep a low profile now, unless you want to announce your identity," Mary said, looking over at him. "I'll be staying here with Peter, and Phil, until I'm 100%."
'Does that mean you're not angry at me anymore?'
'You mean for not telling me that you're a National Icon from the 40's?'
"I know for a fact that there's plenty of space here for you to stay, Captain," Coulson threw in.
"I know that Peter would really like it," Mary said, knowing that it was a low blow. She smirked when Steve made a little whine.
'Yup, that's the one.'
'Nah, wasn't really angry in the first place. Can't be angry with someone who just wants to keep a little privacy in his life. Still want that phone.'
"Does that mean you'll be giving up the apartment?" Steve asked Mary.
"Probably," she nodded. "Since Tony has already come out about having a son we don't have to try and hide as much, and it'll be easier for Peter to see his Daddy." Mary leaned her head back a little to look at Steve. "And it's closer to work, and my fiancé."
"Fiancé?" They turned, seeing Tony walking with Peter on his shoulders.
'May take me a couple of days, Tony just found out that his sons' mom is engaged.'
'Cute! Did he know it was going to happen?'
'Nope.'
'Keep me updated'
'Yep.'
Tony looked between Mary, then Coulson, then Steve, then back to Coulson, and back to Mary. "Phil proposed last night," Mary eventually told him.
"You're getting married?" Peter asked.
"We are, baby boy," Mary said carefully, smiling, but not sure how Peter would take it.
"To Phil?" Mary nodded to him. "Yay!" Peter put his arms up in the air, a grin on his face. Tony was still blinking, face carefully blank. He put Peter down and the little boy ran over to hug Mary, then Phil around the waist.
"We still have to tell Granma and Granpa," Mary told Peter, pulling the boy up on to the couch when he came back over to her. "Let's not ruin the surprise yet."
"Should probably get some more food for dinner, then, going to need another party," Tony finally spoke up. "Most likely desserts. I'll go tell Bruce, I think he said he was going to cook. He'll probably need to recruit some help." Tony turned around and headed out of the room. Mary glanced at Phil for a moment.
"Sorry, Steve," Mary looked at him, still holding Peter who had grabbed her hand to look at her ring. "We didn't want this to take over your birthday."
"Seriously, don't worry about it," Steve told her, but looked at Coulson as he spoke, too. "Fireworks are coming soon, and we celebrated most of the day. That's more than I'm used, too. Seriously, this needs to be celebrated. I'll go help with desserts, in fact."
True to his words, Tony had indeed told Bruce that more desserts would be needed. Steve found him in the kitchen down on the floor that everyone else was staying on. Or at least he thought everyone else was staying there.
"Did Tony show you your floor yet?" Bruce asked as they worked in the kitchen. Tony was nowhere to be found, but Jarvis insisted that he would be back before dinner.
"My floor?" Steve raised an eyebrow at him.
"Weren't you helping Tony with the rebuild?" Bruce glanced at him, then went back to what he was making. "Getting the windows in on all the livable floors?"
"Yeah," Steve said with a nod. "But I don't really know much about blueprints, and specially the ones that Tony uses. You have your own floor?"
Bruce hummed and nodded. "There's a floor for each Avenger," he said casually. "He's working on a gym, and a communal floor for everyone. I'm by the private R&D floor that holds his workshop, and my own lab." Bruce took something out of the oven, placed on the counter to cool, then turned to face Steve. "He set them up so that they could crash here whenever they wanted, like after missions, or in Thor's case, whenever he's on Earth. If he comes back that is, but we think he will."
Steve had expected that Tony would have made a floor for everyone. "So, when Mary said that she would be staying here...?"
"This is her floor, and I assume Coulson's, with a room for Peter of course" Bruce said with a wave around the kitchen. "Her parents are staying in a guest room on this floor as well, but I would assume that if Peter gets his way, they'll have their own floor. Probably end up living here half the year, or something."
Thinking about it, it wouldn't be a bad move to stay here. The apartment in Queens was a bit of ways from the New York HQ, not that he went there that often, and Mary was still his Handler. Peter would be here, as would Tony, and Bruce. He didn't really have any big attachments to the apartment he was staying out now either. Steve decided that when Tony, or Peter, asked if he would stay here, he would say yes. It was just easier.
Tony easily lost himself down in his workshop, working on the new suit. Jarvis would tell him when it was time for dinner, shut down the lab if he had too, but Tony needed this little distraction. He wasn't sure why hearing that Mary and Agent were engaged was such a shock to him. He certainly wasn't surprised, they had been dating for a while now, at least two years if his thinking was right. Tony dropped the screwdriver on the desk. He couldn't concentrate now.
Steve was back, there were fireworks in a couple of hours, Peter had confessed to liking living with Tony. It had been a really good day. He even showed his private collection to Steve, Steve Rogers! The last person on the planet that he would have wanted to show that room too, but it had been worth it, seeing his reaction.
If Mary was going to get married, then that meant that Coulson would be moving into the Tower for sure, which was okay. Meant more people around, and Peter liked Coulson. Bruce said that he would stay in the Tower, probably still travel around the world, but he felt better knowing that there would be a place for him to come back too. Clint had come back to check on Mary, and to apologize for his mind-controlled actions, but he had liked having his own room. He said that he probably wouldn't live there full time, but he'd take Tony up on the offer of a room whenever he was in the city.
So why did Tony feel so damn lonely in his Tower?
"Sir," Jarvis intoned as Tony scrubbed his face with his hands. "Dr Banner says that dinner is ready."
"Thanks, J," Tony murmured. He got up from his seat and left the workshop, locking down the doors and decided to take the stairs, to keep moving. Upstairs he saw Mary's parents walking towards the kitchen ahead of him. Tony wondered if Peter had assigned seats again. When he was corralled into sitting next to Steve again, his question was answered.
Tony smiled when he saw Rachel apple cake sitting on the table. "You spoil us, Rachel, another apple cake."
"I was requested to make it," she told him from across the table. "I'll be watching your loose hands, Anthony." Tony scrunched up his face when she used his full name.
"I'll make sure you get a big piece," Steve told him a small smile.
The announcement came barely five minutes into the meal, Peter barely able to contain his excitement, forcing Mary and Coulson to tell everyone else in the room. Rachel and William were the most excited, Mary's mother checking the ring to see if it fit. Apparently it had been Rachel's great-great-grandmothers' ring, and it was passed down in the family to every generation. Phil had asked for it at Christmas time, asking their permission for Mary's hand in marriage. Tony kept a smile on his face as they ate, the sun sinking slowly. They all ended up bring desserts to fireworks.
Tony had pre-planned the firework show, setting up furniture up on the roof of the Tower. Coulson and Clint helped Mary to the roof, and to the outdoor couch up there. Peter snuggled up between Mary and Coulson, happily waiting for the fireworks in the sky to start. The Fitzpatrick's weren't far from their daughter and grandson, and Bruce and Clint claimed two chairs on the other side. Tony leaned against one of the power boxes as colors started to explode in the sky.
Steve leaned next to Tony, head tilted up to watch the sky. "This is one of the best views I've ever had," Steve said to the man. Tony glanced at him, then back up in the sky. "You did a good job, Tony."
Tony nodded a little. "If you need a place to lay low from the cameras, you can stay here," Tony said, kicking himself. What the hell, Stark? "You can have the best view of the city all the time, staying here."
"Not a half bad idea," Steve told him. "Thanks, Tony. I appreciate the offer."
"As long as you don't put anymore crappy music in that playlist of yours."
"That means I would have to start putting crappy music in there," Steve retaliated. Tony let out a soft groan and the blonde smiled. "Guess we have to hope that Mary and Coulson pick good music for their wedding."
"I'll hack the DJ's gear if I have too," Tony threatened.
"What if they get a live band?" Steve asked.
"Money can buy good music." Steve snorted softly, shaking his head with a smile. "But since they're getting married so quickly, I'll have to work quickly to make a good music list for them."
"You're planning their wedding a little, aren't you?" Steve asked.
"Just parts of the reception," Tony answered. "It's no secret that Starks know how to throw a party."
"Something tells me that they don't exactly want something big." Steve turned his head a little to look at Tony.
"I can make something small," Tony said with confidence, still looking ahead. "And if they already have some ideas, well," he shrugged a little, "it's no secret the Stark name has a lot of money. Couldn't think of something more worthwhile to throw money at." They both looked over to couch, seeing Coulson with his arm around Mary's shoulders, Peter's head bobbing up between them as he marveled at the fireworks. Steve moved a little closer, their shoulders almost touching, looking back up at the sky.
"Jarvis tells me that you need another phone?" Tony said after a couple moments.
"Yeah," Steve nodded a little. "Made a few friends out there, and there's one that could use the phone better than I could. You could probably get some data off of that one that looks better than mine."
"I don't like bring back data about bad music choices to the R&D labs," Tony said with a little smirk. Steve huffed through his nose. "I'll get a new phone up to you this week."
"Thanks, Tony," he smiled. "Thanks for an amazing birthday."
"I just gave you a pen," Tony said, looking at him. "Everything else was planned out by Peter, or just something that always happens on birthdays. I didn't really do anything." Steve just smiled a little, nodding. He knew that Tony hadn't easily given up his collection like he did.
Everyone was pulled back to the sky, the grand finale bursting in the sky. The sound was loud, the pops vibrating through the air. Steve clenched his fist a little, and startled a little when Tony knocked his shoulder with his own.
"I tried to time the explosions so that it would be either too slow, or too fast," Tony said quietly to him. "I tried to make easier for those who had seen war,..." he trailed off.
Steve's hand unclenched, and rested over Tony's lightly. "On behalf of all those that have seen action, thanks for the consideration." A particularly loud pop in the air had Steve closing his hand around Tony's instinctively. Tony squeezed his hand instinctively around Steve's, trying to keep him calm.
"We can go back inside," Tony told him.
"I think I can handle a few more seconds," Steve said. "Thanks," he said, and Tony almost missed it over the sound of the fireworks. He just gave Steve's hand a little squeeze in response. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad at the Tower if Steve was going to stick around.
We've come to the end! This is the last chapter to this story, but worry not fine readers, the sequel (Proof of Concept) will follow up quickly, by the weekend. I would like to thank everyone who's read this, who's left kudos and likes, and comments, and followed along on this crazy ride. This is by far one of the longest stories I've written, and it's not done, probably not close. At first this took me out of my regular comfort zone, but I quickly fell in a groove, and everyone responded incredibly. My plans changed several times through out this story, and you guys kept Mary Parker alive. That's right, she was originally not going to survived the first couple chapters of this story, but now, I can't imagine this story without her. Expect more one-shots, more extra fics, and if there is anything that anyone would like to see let me hear about it! ( .com) I know of one thing coming soon. :D
So again, thank you, everyone! Seriously!
What to look forward too in the next story? More fluff, more Tony and Steve interacting, and actually getting some where, more Angst, and Captain America 2. Dun Dun Dun. And of course more Peter! Peter growing up and aging.
Be on the look out for Proof of Concept, coming soon!
You're all beautiful!