Chapter Text
SAM
What do you get when you combine high-powered alien tech with an angry, screwed-up virologist? A big effing headache, that’s what, thought Sam, as he climbed tiredly back into the plane.
Steve sat down heavily on one side of him and Natasha sat more gracefully in the seat on his other side. Rhodey, who was newly returned to active duty, sat on Nat’s other side. Clint, Wanda, Vision and Scott all took places in the seats opposite. Clint had a couple of dirt smudges on his face, and Wanda and Scott just looked plain exhausted, their heads leaning back against the aircraft frame.
Sam watched Tony moved past them all to the cockpit, before leaning his own head back against the cool metal.
It hadn’t been the most difficult mission they’d ever faced. Honestly, things had gone fairly smoothly, by recent standards. Still, there was a tension to the team, the kind that spoke of hurt and betrayal and disappointment. In the field, they all worked smoothly and efficiently. Cooped up together after a fight, an awkward silence reigned.
Tony returned to the back of the plane. He sat down hard on the steps and, not for the first time, Sam noticed the lines in Tony’s face. Tony hadn’t been the youngest of men when he’d started the superhero gig and now…Sam wondered how many more years of fight Tony had left in him.
The billionaire shed his Iron Man suit, revealing his favourite Black Sabbath t-shirt and worn jeans beneath. Tony cleared his throat loudly and eight heads turned in his direction.
“So,” Tony began, sounding oddly hesitant. “The kid turns sixteen in two weeks time.”
“Jesus,” Clint exclaimed quietly. “I can barely remember being sixteen.”
Sam tried to wrap his head around it. Fifteen years old and the kid named Peter had already taken on a dangerous arms dealer of alien weapons (and won), lain beneath a collapsed building (twice), had his heart restarted (once), and judging by all the YouTube clips Sam had watched in the last couple of weeks, Peter had also spent countless hours during the past year taking on random, run-of-the-mill criminals.
Sam didn’t know much else about the kid but he already knew enough to respect and care about the youngest Avenger. Pulling Peter out from beneath a huge pile of rubble a couple of weeks ago was high on his list of things he never wanted to repeat.
“How’s he doing?” Wanda asked.
Tony stared blankly at the floor for a moment before visibly shuddering. “His bones have all fully healed. His cast came off three days ago. His limp has gone.” Tony sighed. “He’s getting back to normal. Well, normal for him.”
Tony continued to stare at the floor with a haunted expression on his face. Sam would have sworn Tony Stark wasn’t capable of that kind of expression, had he not been witnessing it for himself.
Sam had initially mentally blamed Tony for dragging the kid into the Avengers, however Natasha had since pointed out that Peter had been web-slinging before Tony found him. Sam still thought Tony was culpable, there was no doubt in his mind that Tony had encouraged the kid in one way or another. However, having witnessed Tony’s wrenching fear for Peter as they tried to reach the trapped teen, Sam no longer had the heart to chastise Tony for his part in the kid’s activities.
In the silence that followed Tony’s reply the other Avengers exchanged significant looks. Eventually, it was Steve who broke the silence.
“So…his birthday?”
Tony snapped out of his trance-like state. “Um, yeah. Sweet, smart-assed sixteen. I can’t believe the little geekazoid has almost made it.” An attempt at flippancy which fell flat, as Tony ran a hand over his face.
“Anywho, the kid was planning to just have a quiet birthday with his Aunt, his best friend, Happy and,” Tony cleared his throat, “um…me. But I figure, fuck that.”
Sam practically felt Steve’s wince at Tony’s language.
“So I was thinking of throwing him a proper party, Avengers style.” Tony continued. “His best friend, his Aunt and Happy all know he’s Spider-Man. So, I thought he might appreciate a party attended by some more friendly faces who are in the know.”
Tony looked at them each in turn, before looking down again.
“No obligation. The kid’s not expecting anyone else to attend, and I don’t expect it of any of you either, but I know that if some of you managed to make it along he’d be more thrilled than a boy scout with a new badge. I was thinking a pool party, just a quiet little affair in keeping with my usual style.”
Natasha snorted.
“A huge, overblown monstrosity of an event, then?” She joked.
Tony managed a small smile.
“Pete’s told me he just wants pizza and ice-cream, so that’s what he’s getting. Well, that and a karaoke machine, and one of those Velcro wall trampoline thingies, and maybe a giant waterslide.”
It was Scott’s turn to snort in amusement. “Can I bring Hope?” he asked. “She’d like to meet Peter too, someday.”
Tony thought about it. “Let me check with the kid,” he replied. “It’s his secret identity. It should be his choice about who gets to know.” He looked at Steve and Clint in turn. “I can ask him about Sharon and Laura too.”
Steve nodded. “That would be good, Tony. When is it then, this party?”
Tony made a show of checking the calendar on his watch. “I was thinking next Saturday, noon.”
“I’m in,” said Sam. The others all chimed in affirmatively.
Tony looked relieved. “Thanks,” he returned gruffly. “It’ll mean a lot to him.”
Sam suspected that was Tony-speak for ‘it’ll mean a lot to me’.
“Presents?” Rhodey asked.
“He won’t be expecting any.” Tony replied with a shrug. “That’s the kind of kid he is.”
“Still,” said Sam. “If we wanted to get him a present?”
Tony thought for a moment. “His home computer is so ancient it should be in a museum, so if any of you wanted to chip in towards a new laptop for him, there’s that. Also, his wardrobe could do with a major overhaul and he’s into science and technology…that help?”
“Sure does,” Steve gave Tony a small smile as he said it. “What about you? What’re you getting him?”
“Who says I’m getting him anything?”
“Tony.”
“Alright, alright. A shiny, new toy which he can use to give me further heart attacks.” They all watched as the billionaire slowly hauled himself off the steps and headed back towards the cockpit. “One with a million safety protocols built into it.”
STEVE
When the plane touched down at Avengers HQ everyone was quiet as they disembarked. This was the first time they had all been together at the new headquarters, and Steve took in the façade of the new facility, before turning towards the others, preparing to make his excuses and head to his car.
“Mr Stark! Tony!” Came a voice from the facility entrance. “How’d it go?”
Steve turned to see Peter walking towards them, dressed in a t-shirt (with some weird kind of equation printed on it) and jeans. He really just looks like an average teenager, Steve mused. Not like someone who could lift buses with his bare hands. Not like someone who threw himself into extreme danger repeatedly to save others.
Steve recalled a conversation with Natasha only two days ago. The Black Widow had apparently been doing some digging for information. He gives Tony a run for his money in the intelligence stakes, Steve, she’d said. That webbing of his? He invented and manufactured it himself.
Peter loped over to Tony, gave him a once over and grinned.
“You’ve seen better days,” he announced.
“Geez, thanks kid. We can’t all look like we belong in the under 12’s queue, y’know”, replied Tony, a mock scowl on his face, “and to return to your question, it went fine. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
“Great.” Peter nodded, before turning to smile somewhat shyly at the other Avengers. “Hi guys.”
“Pete.”
“Hey, Peter.”
“Bud.”
“How’s it going, kid?”
“Great, thanks. Much better,” and the kid sounded genuine.
He looks a heck of a lot better too, thought Steve. Not that that would be hard, thinking back to the state he’d been in when they pulled him out of the rubble. In his mind, Steve heard Tony’s frantic denials of “no, no, no, no” again, in a panicked voice that was so unlike Tony it had changed how Steve saw the man.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, then Steve gestured towards his car, “Um, well, I think Sam and I should probably get going.”
“Yeah, me too.” Chimed in Scott, as he picked up his backpack.
“Hang on, hang on.” Peter interjected. “Why not stay for dinner?” The kid looked around at them all. “You should see the amount of food Tony’s got squashed in the fridge. It’s like he’s trying to feed an army.”
Tony rubbed his neck. “No, just a hollow-legged teenager who keeps crashing here,” he snarked.
“Seriously,” continued Peter. “You guys should stay and eat before you hit the road, shouldn’t they Tony?”
Tony, Steve observed, looked like he wanted to be anywhere else right now.
“Yeah, sure. Stay for…um…dinner.” Real convincing, Stark, Steve thought.
He shook his head. “Nah, thanks for the offer but we ought to hit the road.”
Steve met Peter’s eyes and recognised the sharp intelligence in them as they flickered between himself and Tony.
“Look, I know it’s none of my business,” the teen started tentatively, “but you guys really need to do some more trust falls, or something.”
Steve frowned. “What’s a trust fall?”
Vision piped in: “I, too, am unfamiliar with this term.”
Peter’s eyes lit up.
“It’s where you stand with your back to someone you trust, or want to trust better…y’gotta be less than one big stride away from them,” the Avengers all watched as Peter positioned himself with his back to Tony. The teen glanced briefly over his shoulder, to check that Tony was watching him, “and then you fall backwards and trust that they’ll catch you.”
His explanation finished, Peter did exactly that. Tony reached further forward than he needed to, his arms going all the way around Peter’s chest as he caught him in a white-knuckle grip.
Steve watched the tight expression on Tony’s face, as the man slowly pushed Peter back up into a standing position.
“Easy,” announced Peter.
Tony’s hands went to Peter’s shoulders in a gesture that struck Steve as oddly parental. Tony, he observed, was suddenly blinking a lot.
“Kid’s right.” Tony said, in a clipped, rough voice. “You should stay for dinner. Let him chew someone else’s ear off, for once.”
With that, Tony turned and marched towards the compound. Steve looked at the other Avengers, taking a long moment to observe Peter, before gesturing towards the facility.
“Shall we?” He said, as he followed Tony.