Work Text:
Today was not a good day.
The life of a superhero, filled with a never ending flow of villains, schemes for world domination, and just common criminals was never easy or pleasant to begin with but this day..this day was especially horrible. What good could come of a twelve year old genius who thought explosions were fun (preteen geniuses are never safe to begin with; Tony knew from experience)? Nothing. Especially if that kid decided that he wanted to mix carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium, the most flammable elements, to see the best explosion in recorded history just for the sake of it.
Today was not a good day. And it was only 8 am.
"Who the hell gives a twelve-year-old any sort of flammable material and hands him a match anyway?" Tony Stark grumbled as he removed yet another large block of concrete from the pile of debris. "And what kind of genius is he if he doesn't even have the sense to do it in an excluded, barren area?"
"He's twelve," Bruce reasoned, scanning everything for radiation for the third time. You can never be too careful, he kept saying. "He doesn't have the ability to travel anywhere else."
Thor peeked over at them from behind another slab that jealously challenged the size of Tony's. "This young mortal shall be kept under careful observation, yay?"
"Of course. He is currently being held by the authorities and his parents are being fined for the damage." Steve took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow as he explained, hoping Thor would finally understand the human law system. He looked around. "Where's Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff?"
"Probably banging in a helicarrier while we do all the work." Steve sent Tony a warning look that one would send a child at the resentful and painfully audible mumble. They all shrugged it off, used to Tony's remarks, and kept working.
The legal process with the kid and the clean-up took the rest of the day. Needless to say, by a quarter till eleven, the Avengers were snippy, grumpy, exhausted people and they quickly separated before they bit one another[s heads off and Bruce hulked out. They were all too tired to notice the suspicious knowing nod Banner and Rogers shared before departing. Sleep was a welcomed gift for them all, asleep not a moment after they'd laid their heads down. Even Bruce didn't stay up for a little extra research. So when Tony's Avengers Alarm went off at - what time is it? he looks across at his clock - three fucking fourteen in the morning, he is pissed, no he is rampaging. This damn villian was going to wish he'd majored in English and spent his life as a peaceful librarian. He was going to wish his parents' condom never broke. He was going to wish his mother had miscarried.
In the midst of his mental death threats, Tony didn't realize that Steve hadn't been in bed beside him like he had been the night before. That he didn't see anyone on the way over and that none of the others had come to the location enclosed in the alarm message. He didn't realize that said location was a peaceful overlook of the city surrounded by a few maple trees and that there was no sort of villainous acts occurring. All he did was look around for the person who would face his wrath. He turned on the first body that made its way through the bushes.
That body was Steve Rogers.
Captain America gazed up at him with a shocked expression and Tony quickly scrambled off of him with a mumbled sorry, his mask pulling back to reveal his face. He looked around in confusion. "Wait...where is everybody? And why aren't you all suited up?" He looked up and down Rogers' jeans and plaid shirt, brain plunging deeper into the pit of lostness rimmed with exhaustion.
Steve's lip quirked but he contained it, just pulled his husband silently by the arm to the edge of the overlook. He sat down and patted the place beside him. Tony took the offered seat, his face in a state of frustrated confusion; he hated being in the dark about things and damn, if this didn't make a lick of sense.
It didn't take long for things to come to light, literally.
With a few moments of them settling themselves on the leafy ground, the sky suddenly erupted in flash of rainbow lights. Another moment and the lights took form a shape - no, words. Definitely words (damn he was tired). Did that say - goddamn it did.
"Happy birthday, Tony," Steve read the sky, turning to face his husband. Tony met his eyes disbelievingly, taking a moment the admire the way the lights splayed beautifully on the Cap's face.
"Steve...damn..." he got out after a minute. "I forgot. I forgot my own birthday; this is me we're talking about - genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist - and I forgot."
Rogers brought a hand to his face and rubbed a thumb lovingly across Tony's cheek. "It's been a stressful couple days."
Tony glanced back at the fireworks, watched as their figures blurred and faded from the sky leaving behind a smokey residue. When he brought his attention back, he copied Steve's action, bringing his hand to his face and pulling his partner closer until their foreheads touched. "Thanks," he murmured, breath gently brushing Steve's features. His husband barely got the chance to nod before Tony was pulling them that last inch so that their lips were pressed together in that wonderfully familiar way. Clothes were shed at a steady pace but their bodies barely noticed the chilly night air as their own breath increased.
An insisted beeping woke them from their aftermath nap, curled in a blanket that Steve had provided; Tony had commented on what a boy scout he was - Steve hadn't understood but Tony had just shook his head with a smile and continued on. With a groan, Stark reached for the phone hidden in the pocket of long forgotten clothing. Steve whined at the loss of heat. The billionare answered with a rough, "What?"
"Anthony Stark?" A bright female voice greeted him.
"Speakin'."
"This is Amelia Harris from Davensville Orphange." Tony sat up a little straighter, more awake; Steve sent him a curious look from where he'd propped himself up on his elbow. "A few weeks ago you and your partner sent in your final forms and, under final revision, they've been accepted. As you requested, Peter will be officially yours this Thursday."
A smile had spred farther across his face with every second. "Thank you," he said into the phone. "Thank you so much." He hung up and brought Steve into a bone-crushing hug.
"What?" he asked in a laughing confusion. "What?"
Tony smiled brighter. "We're gonna be dads."