Thank you all so much for your comments and kindness! I have no words to express my gratitude!
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The following week was calm, everything revolving around the preparations for Tony's birthday dinner. Pepper was completely anxious, wanting everything to go perfectly, just as Tony was with his own plans. As agreed, the Avengers gathered in Toronto for the small celebration, and despite it being a Wednesday, almost all friends were present. Thor was the first to arrive. Pepper hadn't seen him in many years, but she always heard comments about the God of Thunder, and, well, the comments did justice to his appearance. A few minutes later, Scott arrived with Hope and little Cassie. The girl had recently turned 11, so she was a great company for Lilly, as the age difference between her and the twins was starting to show. Soon after, it was Bucky, Steve, and Sharon Carter's turn. Bruce and Natasha also arrived together with them, and almost at the same time, Wanda and Vision.
They had been informed that Sam, Clint, and Maria Hill couldn't attend, but they made sure to send a gift for Tony and the newest family member. Moments later, the house was already filled with guests, the environment was filled with laughter, lively conversations, and a warm energy that only good friends can provide. The dinner was a success. Pepper managed to organize everything impeccably, with every detail carefully thought out to make the night special. The dishes were delicious, the decoration was elegant, and the atmosphere was pure joy. The night passed quickly, and before they knew it, the house was almost empty again. The children were asleep, Tony and Bruce were gathered in Iron Man's office talking about business, and the silence would be total if the two redheads awake weren't chatting.
"Is it still strange for you? Seeing all these superheroes around your house?" Natasha asked her friend, who was sitting on the pergola, breathing some fresh air.
"I don't know what's stranger, that, or seeing them wearing these non-heroic and super normal clothes. You know, with Tony it's already normal, it's our routine, but Thor?" Pepper laughed.
"I get it," Nat followed her friend, letting out a laugh. "Sometimes I forget that there's another part of our lives beyond going around saving people and getting into trouble."
"It doesn't seem like you've completely forgotten." Pepper looked away. "So, is it serious?"
The agent bit her lower lip and sighed, knowing what she was referring to. "I don't know. Well, we've been together for a while, and you know, I like him, but it's still too early to say. It's not like I know how to make a relationship work. I mean, Bruce and I are so…"
"You guys remind me a bit of Tony and me. At first, neither of us had any idea if we were going to last, we didn't know how to make it work. We were completely different from each other, and despite everything, we ended up finding our way."
"But you two were made for each other, and I only needed a few days to realize that."
"And who says it can't be the same for you?"
"Why don't we change the subject?" Natasha asked, shaking her head slightly. "How's my godson?"
"Doing well," Pepper smiled, lightly caressing her 16-week belly. "But actually, it's not a godson, it's a goddaughter."
"Wait, it's going to be a girl?"
Potts nodded, smiling. "Yes!"
"You need to name her Natasha," Romanoff said, extremely excited. "Clint betrayed me with Nathaniel, and since none of the idiots I work with seem ready to have a kid anytime soon, you're my only hope."
Pepper laughed. "I can't guarantee anything."
"Maybe Natalie?" she asked hopefully.
"Maybe you should try convincing Tony," Pepper said, and Natasha huffed in defeat. She knew she would never win that argument.
"Just promise me Tony will suffer through their teenage years, okay?"
"Nat, they have our genes. I don't need to promise anything. It's already a given," Pepper replied, and the agent laughed.
"When did you find out the gender? When Tony was in New York, it didn't seem like he knew."
"Actually, I found out while he was there, but I decided to surprise him, you know, as a birthday present."
"He must have loved it."
"He did," Pepper smiled, recounting the agent Tony's reaction.
Tony woke up that morning of May 29th feeling Pepper's lips trailing along his neck. He smiled and, still with his eyes closed, turned in bed to face her.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning, honey," he replied, finally opening his eyes and losing himself in the blue sea of Pepper's eyes. That was his favorite part of the day.
"Happy birthday," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss his lips softly.
"Thank you very much. But it's your birthday too."
"Babe, I know for years you forgot my birthday, but I thought we were past that."
"And who said I'm talking about your birthday? I'm talking about ours."
"Ours?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"You forgot?" Tony laughed. This was new. "I can't believe I finally beat you at something."
"I didn't forget."
"Pepper, how shameful. I never thought you'd forget our anniversary."
"I didn't forget," she repeated. "I was just focused on you."
"How focused?" Tony questioned.
"How much do you think?" she returned the question with a suggestive look.
"Did you lock the door?"
"And I made sure the girls were still sleeping."
Stark smiled and pulled her onto his lap. In a matter of moments, they were lost in the sheets, and the only sounds coming from the room were their moans and labored breaths. Several minutes later, Pepper finally remembered her goal for the day.
"I have something for you," she mentioned.
"What?"
"Your birthday present."
"Another one?" he asked with the mischievous grin she knew so well.
Pepper just rolled her eyes and got up, wrapped in the sheet. In the early days after discovering the pregnancy, it had been difficult for Tony to accept the idea of continuing to have sex with her. No matter how much she reassured him it was fine, he feared they might hurt the baby as things always got intense between them. But the redhead had finally convinced him there was no danger, and she was very grateful for that.
"This was the easiest present I ever picked for you," she said, returning from the closet with a medium-sized gift box in her hands. "I hope you like it," she added, sitting back on the bed and handing him the box.
"Happy birthday, daddy. I already love you," Tony read Pepper's handwriting on the card attached to the gift. He smiled, gave her a quick peck, and removed the gold ribbon and white lid, finding some pieces of clothing inside.
The first was a blue onesie with the Stark Industries logo. The second was a white T-shirt with the arc reactor design.
"I think it's a bit small for me," Tony joked.
"Why don't you check the last ones?" Pepper suggested, and he did, finding a yellow dress with bees, a green romper with giraffes printed on it, and a pink hoodie with pineapples. For other couples, the presence of these designs might be insignificant, but not for them.
"Did you remember?" Stark asked, laughing.
"You would never let me forget, babe," she replied.
During a quick trip to South Africa, Pepper had experienced her first pregnancy cravings, one of which was for pineapple. It seemed like a common craving and easy to satisfy, but it happened at the worst possible time. Around 2 a.m., she woke up crying and extremely irritated because she wanted the fruit. Tony spent hours driving around Johannesburg and couldn't find any; it wasn't in season and most places were closed. When he finally managed to get a pineapple from an American pizza place, it was already past 4 a.m., and by the time he got back to the hotel, the redhead said she no longer wanted it. Since then, Stark had started calling their baby "little pineapple." For him, it was just a hint of how their child would be as difficult as the mother.
"Honey, please correct me if I'm wrong, but does this mean..." Tony began, a smile spreading across his face.
"We're having a little girl," she confirmed.
"How? When did you find out?"
"While you were in New York, I had a check-up, and since our daughter decided she wanted us to know the sex only when you weren't around, I thought it would be nice to keep it a surprise," Pepper explained, smiling.
"Pep, this is amazing," he said, pulling her into a hug. "We're having a little girl."
"So you liked it? You're not upset?" the woman asked. He had a big goofy smile on his face and his eyes were misty, but still, she needed to hear him say it.
"What? Of course not! Sweetie, why would I be upset? We're having a daughter," Tony replied, laughing.
"Exactly. We already have Erin and Iris. I know how much you'd love to have a boy to balance out all the princess talk. Maybe to have a bit more of 'boy stuff' in your life," she explained, hesitantly.
"I can have all that with them too," the man said seriously. "I know for a guy who used to live in band T-shirts and listening to rock all day, it might be strange to have to wear shirts covered in glitter and only Disney songs in the car, but I love it. I love discovering princess stories with those two and joining the tea parties. I love that we have two daughters and I love the idea of having another one. Pep, they're mini versions of you, how could I be upset about having more of you for myself?"
"You say Erin and Iris are my copies just because of their eye color and hair, but everything else is yours. Even their personalities and temperaments. Who's to say it will be different with this one?" she asked, pointing to her belly.
"You're just saying that because you were upset when they said they'd only have breakfast with me. Babe, they're kids. Of course, they'd say that to anyone who makes them eat fruit," he said, laughing.
"They prefer you, and that's no surprise," the redhead retorted, crossing her arms.
"They only let you do their hair."
"That's because you don't know how to do braids or buns, Tony."
"They only like it when you put them to sleep."
"But they prefer your stories."
"You look lovely with jealousy," Tony laughed and kissed her. "Don't worry, our little pineapple will love you."
"You really need to stop calling her that... And no, none of those either," Pepper continued, knowing he'd soon suggest Apple or Cherry.
"What? Why?"
"Tony, if I wanted my daughter to have a fruit name, Erin and Iris would be named Strawberry and Watermelon."
"How about Pumpkin? It's a vegetable," he teased as she walked towards the bathroom.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to provoke a pregnant woman, Stark?" she stood up, walking towards the bathroom. "Be careful, hormones make us do crazy things," Pepper winked, letting the sheet fall to the floor before disappearing through the door.
Tony laughed, wondering what else was yet to come.