Making A Wish For You.

Tony paced back and forth down his kitchen, thinking about what he was going to do. Unfairly, he had been tasked with getting Steve’s birthday cake this year.

This usually wouldn’t be a problem. But he’d been put under strict direction to NOT buy one, which was what he’d normally do. Apparently, Steve wanted something more ‘authentic’.

So, there he was, stood in front of his kitchen counter with ingredients he had no idea what to do with. Pepper was out, so he couldn’t rely on her either (she probably wouldn’t help him if she was. She liked it when he was more independent).

Picking up his phone, he stared at his lock screen. It was a selfie of him, Pepper and Peter from a few nights before. They had just gone out for dinner with May, and Peter was coming to stay over for the night.

Looking at Peter’s face, he immediately came up with a plan.

There was no way Peter Parker would say no to baking Steve Roger’s birthday cake. As much as he didn’t admit it, he was a still a fanboy for the Avengers (Iron Man was still his favourite, of course. Otherwise Tony would have some choice words with him).

So, Tony called him.

“Dad?”

And that was something new. For a few weeks, Peter hadn’t said the name ‘Mr Stark’. Instead, Tony got to hear the wonderful name ‘dad’ come from Peter’s mouth (it made him feel good every single time).

And if Tony already owned 5 ‘best dad’ mugs, nobody had to know about it.

“I have an offer, Mr Parker. One you cannot refuse.”

Tony smiled when he heard that laugh over the phone. The genuine chuckle, the one that made Tony’s heart swell (what? His kid was adorable).

“And what would that be?” Peter replied.

“How would you like to bake Captain America’s birthday cake? With yours truly, of course,” Tony said.

“I’d love to.... but-,”

“But?” Tony gasped, “Kid, come on. I told my conscience that there was no way you’d say no. Don’t back out on me now.”

“I-, uh, I’m on a date with MJ,” Peter said, and Tony could just tell that his face was red.

Tony whistled into the phone, raising an eyebrow that the kid couldn’t see. “Wear protection, Peter. I’m not ready to be a grandad yet.”

“Dad!” Peter squealed. Tony could hear MJ laughing in the background (he was weirdly proud of making her laugh, considering how intimidating she was). “Can we do it tomorrow instead, because I do really want to!”

Tony checked the date. Steve’s birthday was in two days. He was going to do it now, so he could prepare for the rest of the party, but he seriously needed help. So, why not? He could wait a day.

He knew the kid was desperately trying to change the topic, anyway, so he didn’t say much more (he had years to embarrass his kid, there was no need to lay it on heavily now). “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll see you at... 4 tomorrow? After school.”

“Yeah. That’s awesome, dad! I’ll see you soon!”

Tony hung up the phone and smiled to himself. It was that sort of smile you got when you felt an overwhelming feeling of love for the person on the other side of the call; if you could, you’d never want to hang up them again.

When Peter came into the kitchen at exactly 4pm the next day, he had a parody apron on with Tony’s face on it. His smile was wide, as if he waiting for Tony’s reaction.

“That is dreadful,” Tony said, “Good thing I have a better one.”

Tony reached over to the kitchen counter, grabbing his own apron. When Peter looked down to see what it was, he burst out laughing.

It was a picture of Spider-man’s mask, with the word’s #1 fan stitched into the fabric. The whole thing was blue and red, matching Peter’s original suit.

“I found it the other day,” Tony said, posing with his hands on his hips. Giving the kid a twirl, he laughed alongside him. “What do you think?”

“Clearly blows mine out of the water,” Peter shrugged, with a grin.

“Not so sure about that, Petey- that is one devilishly handsome face there,” Tony said, looking at his own face on the apron (did it make him feel a little bit weird? No, not really. His face WAS incredibly handsome, after all).

Baking a cake was, apparently, difficult. Tony wasn’t sure if he had ever made one without adult supervision (which he still needed at times). Peter, on the other hand, looked to be ready.

“What sort of a cake are we making, dad?” Peter asked, looking over the ingredients. “Do we have a recipe to follow?”

“Uh,” Tony said, his mind short circuiting for a second. “An edible one?” He suggested, cringing when Peter started to glare at him. “And... nope! No recipe! Thought we could wing it.”

“You’re... unbelievable,” Peter rolled his eyes, laughing when Tony looked offended. “We cannot wing it. We need a recipe, dad, or we’ll make the whole party sick.”

“I did offer to pay for a professional to do this,” Tony mumbled. “I’m a genius, kid, but not in the art of baking. My specialties do not lie in this subject.”

“You’re telling me. Come on, we’ll go buy a cookbook and then find the best recipe! Then- we’ll get an ingredients list from there!” Peter said, excited.

The teenager took Tony down to his own garage, throwing him a pair of keys from the selection he had.

Peter was the opposite of the person Tony first met. This kid was comfortable in his presence, happy to annoy and mock Tony (and it was brilliant). Tony was just so happy, that he didn’t even blink an eye about driving to the local supermarket.

He usually avoided shops like these, as so many people would recognise him. Signing so many autographs was tiring, but it was all worth it to see Peter so excited.

“Oh! Look at this one!” Peter smiled, pointing to a book on the shelf. “1000 things to bake, there’s going to be a lot of cakes to make in here.”

“1000?” Tony asked, “Surely that’s a typo, I don’t think there IS 1000 types of cakes.”

“It’s obviously not JUST cakes, dad,” Peter rolled his eyes. “Are you sure that you’re a genius?”

“Take that back,” Tony laughed, taking the book of the shelf. “Go on then, you monster, look for a recipe.”

An older man came around the corner, looking at the books himself. When he noticed Tony and Peter, he gave them a smile.

Peter rushed around the corner, looking at some of the other stuff in the shop, and forced Tony to look through the cakes instead.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Iron Man?” The older man asked, closer to Tony’s side than he was only moments ago.

“Only sometimes,” Tony winked, “Must be the beard.”

“Perhaps, but that’s not what I meant,” The man smiled. “It’s the way you act that makes you look like him.”

“And how’s that?” Tony asked, suddenly feeling a bit defensive.

“How you spoke to your son. You seem to have this passion in your heart, one that’s able to love passionately. However, you have walls around it. Walls that your son helps to push down. Also, Tony Stark’s a hero. Not Iron Man (although he is too), but Tony. That man has sacrificed so much to put himself in danger... you just seem to have that same look about you. I don’t know though, just an observation.” The man said, patting Tony’s shoulder when it looked like the man was a little upset.

“Uh, thank you,” Tony said, looking down at his cookbook, so he could break eye contact.

Trust him to get emotional from words spoken to him in a supermarket aisle, he really had changed quite a bit.

“Struggling to pick a cake to make? I could help, I was a prime time baker back in my day,” The man said, noticing what was in Tony’s hands.

“Oh, that would be great.”

As the older gentleman helped Tony pick out a recipe, Peter rushed around the corner and put a Iron Man toy in their basket. He noticed the man, immediately introducing himself. When the man complimented him on his manners, he definitely felt proud of himself.

With this man’s help, they decided on making a New York Cheesecake (it did make sense after all, going back to Steve’s roots).

Thanking the man, the duo got on their way to find the ingredients. They got a lot more than they needed, anticipating that they’d probably mess up somewhere.

Also, they definitely needed to make two. They HAD to taste-test one, just in case Steve’s was ruined. They didn’t want to ruin the party with a bad cake.

It definitely wasn’t because they wanted something sweet to eat during their personal movie night. That wasn’t it at all.

When they got back to the tower, it was go time. Both of them wrapped their aprons on, and got to baking.

Peter took charge of the ‘operation’, telling Tony where to be and what to do. Tony noticed that, sneakily, the boy had been recording a bit of their baking session (to send to Ned, he explained when Tony asked why). It was like they were in the lab, again, but flipped.

As Peter mixed some of the ingredients, Tony was on lookout to make sure Steve didn’t walk in. They didn’t want the surprise to be ruined.

They had one close call. Tony had to throw a bit of flour in the super solider’s face, as a warning to not come into the kitchen. Seeing Steve’s exhausted, flour-covered, expression made Tony haul over in laughter.

Peter was serious, however. He told Tony off and reprimanded him on his behaviour. That was until he saw Steve’s face. He couldn’t help his laughter after that.

Their first cake was in the oven. Now, for round two. Peter was more precise this time, after learning the tricks from their first one.

Tony might’ve licked the bowl after Peter had done. When Peter groaned at him, Tony told him that there would be no tolerance of bullying in this penthouse. It was something he did with his mother, with Pepper and now with Peter. He always had to be the one who got the leftover ingredients in the bowl. He didn’t think it was disgusting... although some had disagreed with him.

“We did good, kid,” Tony said, as Peter took the first one out of the oven, replacing it with the second.

Peter narrowed his eyes at the man, dusting his hands on top of his apron. “Oh did we?” He said, accusingly. “Because I seem to remember doing it all myself.”

Tony laughed, “I helped... a little.”

Peter’s eyes drifted to their leftover ingredients. Before he could make a rational thought, he threw some flour at his father figure (just like he had done to Steve).

“Oh, it’s on,” Tony said.

Moments later, Pepper walked into her kitchen to see a cloud of flour cascading over her husband, as Peter Parker laughed evilly from a few meters away. Tony also had a cracked egg over his apron.

She just stared at the two boys, not quite believing that it was all happening. Putting one hand on her hip, she waited for them to realise she was stood there.

They were only interrupted by the alarm Peter set for the cake. The food fight came to a stop, as Peter rushed to wash his hands before grabbing the oven gloves.

Tony watched him, not realising Pepper was stood right beside him. When he felt someone touch his arm, he jumped.

“Fuck!” He exclaimed, staring at Pepper. “Oh my- you scared the hell out of me!”

“You have sugar in your hair, Tony. You better clean this up afterwards,” She laughed, looking down at the cakes on the table. “Two cakes? Steve’s going to be over the moon.”

“Uh, nope!” Tony said, “We made one for Steve’s party and the other is for a taste test/movie night treat.”

“Of course it is,” Pepper said. “Well, he’ll still be happy that you made the one. I really thought you were just going to buy one.”

“I’m a changed person, Mrs Stark,” Tony pouted, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the lips. As he did, he made sure a bit of flour came off onto her suit.

“Tony!” She groaned, “I have a meeting!”

“Pshhh, they won’t notice!”

Pepper rolled her eyes, playfully nudging Tony’s arm. She leant forward to kiss him on the cheek. Walking over to Peter, she gave him a side hug (to avoid all the flour) and told him that he did a very good job with the cakes. Then, just like that, she left the two boy’s on their own.

When Peter and Tony sat down for movie night, they tried their cake.

It was delicious.

Steve’s birthday finally came around. Peter was so excited, swinging over to the tower with the biggest grin (his party clothes were on underneath). He couldn’t wait to see the reception of his and Tony’s homemade birthday cake. He personally thought it was amazing.

“Dad!” Peter called, holding a bag filled with birthday presents that they picked out a week before (Tony let him take them home, he knew how much he wanted to wrap them).

Nobody knew of that recent development, except Pepper. He enjoyed watching all of their reactions, a strange bit of pride resonating in his chest.

Clint slipped Natasha twenty dollars (clearly they had some type of bet), whilst the rest of them just flashed smiles at the duo.

The team stared at the two, watching how Peter immediately went for a hug. They watched as Tony wrapped his arms around the kid’s body, giving him a kiss on the top of his head. It was domestic, and slightly surprising. However, it made sense. Frankly, they were more surprised that it took them this long.

“How’s my favourite young adult?”

“Am I the only young adult you know?” Peter giggled, pulling away from their hug.

“How pedantic, young padawan,” Tony smiled.

Peter laughed, turning to wave at the rest of the Avengers in the room. He grabbed his bag full of Steve’s birthday presents, putting them on top of the table alongside the others.

Peter turned to say something towards the birthday man, but was interrupted by a flash of light in the middle of the room. Moments later, a man in a cloak walked out (somebody Peter didn’t recognise).

Peter rushed to Tony’s side, pulling on his arm. “Dad? Oh my god, there’s a wizard in your living room.”

Tony looked down at the boy with an amused smile, wrapping a protective arm around his shoulder. As the entire room laughed, Peter’s face flushed a deep, embarrassed, red.

“I think ‘wizard’ might be an offensive term, kiddo. I think he prefers sorcerer,” Tony leant down to whisper in his ear, tapping his shoulder gently.

“Oh my god! Why didn’t you tell me magic was real?” Peter said, in that high pitch voice he had whenever he got excited. He ducked underneath Tony’s arm, rushing over to Strange. “Hi Mr Magic Man! It’s nice to meet you!” He extended his arm, waiting for the new person to shake it.

Tony watched him, shaking his head with a soft laugh. He watched Stephen’s face, who was always serious, and waited for him to react. A tiny smile formed on the wizard’s (he liked that name, he thought it fit him a lot more than the boring ‘sorcerer’) face. He took Peter’s hand, gave it a soft shake, and then let go.

The way Strange looked at him, was like he was studying him. It looked like he was trying to understand who this boy was. Then, it looked like he had an epiphany.

“Peter Parker,” He said, “I’m Dr Strange.”

How on earth did he know who Peter was, Tony thought. Magic weirded him out.

“Oh. We’re using our made up names? I’m Spider-man, then,” Peter grinned, not questioning how the wizard knew his name (wizard’s knew everything, it was obvious why).

The party went on. Strange sat beside Peter, telling the excited kid all about his magic. Tony watched on, jealously eating away at him. However, Peter just looked so willing to learn everything that he didn’t mind too much.

Steve looked so happy, surrounded by all the attention of his teammates. Tony got a lot of compliments on the cake they made, which was just a bonus. He thought it was brilliant. His kid did make it, after all.

“Thanks for the party, Tony,” Steve said, walking over with a ridiculous party hat (which was holding on for dear life with one piece of string). When Tony’s eyes lingered too long on the hat, the super soldier felt like he needed to explain it to him. “Pete got them for me and Buck. He just looked so happy... we couldn’t exactly say no.”

Sure enough, as Tony looked behind Steve’s shoulder, Bucky was stood there. He looked a little ridiculous with his long hair tied up, the flimsy hat barely staying on. But it was all for Peter, so he couldn’t complain.

“Well, it suits you. You look incredibly smart, Cap,” Tony saluted, snickering underneath his breath.

“Yeah, thanks to your son,” Steve chuckled, “But, seriously. Thank you. The party means a lot.”

“That’s okay,” Tony said, “Glad you’re enjoying it, Capisicle.”

He didn’t get along too well with Steve when they first met. But in recent years, the two Avengers got a lot closer. Especially when they found Bucky. Tony manufactured a new metal arm, hoping it would be less painful for him.

When they came out with their relationship, Tony was incredibly supportive. He even fired a few employees who said some discriminative words about them.

Since then, they had been closer than ever. It was good, for both of them.

“So, Mr Parker,” Stephen said, demonstrating how he made his portals. He laughed gently as the kid tried to copy him, making a buzzing noise with his mouth as he made a circle with his finger. “How long have you known Tony Stark?”

“Uhhhhh, a few months or so?” Peter said, thinking about it. “I think so, anyway! How come?”

Strange remembered telling Tony to wish on a star, when they had a chat in the jet. It was right after an invasion, or a mission, he couldn’t remember which.

Wishing was a trivial thing, Strange couldn’t prove that it worked. But he knew how the universe worked, and he knew that Tony would’ve tried everything to become a father. Maybe that was how the man suddenly met his kid.

A wish couldn’t create a son for Tony, it couldn’t force a pregnancy and it couldn’t force a relationship. What it might have done, however, was pull two people together again.

Because when Stephen Strange looked into the multiverses, one thing was common. Tony Stark and Peter Parker always found each other.

In one, Peter was a Stark. In the other, Tony recruited Peter into the ‘civl war’ and so forth. That made them, in Strange’s expert opinion, platonic soulmates.

“No reason,” Strange said, with a smile.

He watched Peter run off, to go speak with the other people at the party, and counted in his head how long it took for Tony to approach him. He got to thirty seconds, before the man was stood right in front of him.

“What a surprise,” Strange muttered to himself. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make Parker into a sorcerer.”

Tony furrowed his eyebrows. How did Strange always know exactly what he was going to say? He wondered, only for a second, if the man could read minds. Then his science brain came back to him. It was impossible... right?

When Tony didn’t say anything, Strange stared for a second and tried to figure up what was going on in his head. As the awkward silence persisted, he decided to break it.

“So, you found him?”

“Who?” Tony said. “I wasn’t looking for anyone. I don’t think so, anyway. Are you sure you didn’t have a conversation with another famous genius?”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Nope. Definitely you. I was talking about your kid.”

“My kid? What on earth are you on about? I didn’t even know Pete when we last talked,” Tony said, looking at Strange with a confused look.

“Exactly. Don’t tell me you thought it was a ‘coincidence’ that you walked into Peter Parker, only a day after you wished for your kid,” Strange said, shrugging. “He’s your soulmate, Tony Stark.”

“Soulmates don’t exist, Strange,” Tony said, narrowing his eyes.

“You said that about magic,” Strange insisted, “I don’t think soulmates are so unbelievable. If you’re free one day, I can take you on a trip through the multiverse. We can only look, we can’t be there physically. But in every universe, you and Peter are always, always, around each other... if only for a while. He’ll always be close to you, Tony.”

Tony looked down to his feet. Soulmates, huh? Of course that was how it was. No wonder he loved Peter as soon as he met him. Their father-son relationship had been written in the stars.

“Also, that’s bullshit about not making a wish. I can see it in your face,” Strange added. “You did it, didn’t you?”

“Only because you put it in my head! I didn’t think it would actually work... but, I guess- if that’s the reason we met in this universe... thanks,” Tony mumbled his thanks, not wanting to give the man a big head.

Too late. Strange grinned. It was like he won the little game they had been playing, whoever thanked the other first lost. “You would’ve met. The wish just accelerated that.”

“I take back my thanks then,” Tony winked.

Just as their conversation got going, they were interpreted by the party guest’s making speeches to Steve. Peter came over to the men, taking a seat closer to Tony. Peter snuggled up to the billionaire, grinning when he felt Tony’s lips on his forehead. It made him feel warm, it always did.

As the party came to a close, and people started leaving, Peter ran out of the room. Tony was confused when he couldn’t find him, wondering if he had left without telling him. He pouted to himself, depressed that he couldn’t see his kid (well, he they had already planned a lab day in 48 hours, so it shouldn’t be too long).

When Peter came back with a bag, Tony felt silly that he got emotional in the first place. He finished clearing up some rubbish off the floor, throwing it into a bag, when Peter came up to him.

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Peter putting a hat over his head (just like the one Steve and Bucky had on).

“Do you like it?!” Peter grinned, “I made it last night! I know you can’t actually see it... as it’s on your head.. but, um, it’s a picture of me and you. On a hat. I made myself a matching one!”

Sure enough, Peter put his hand into the bag and pulled out a hand drawn party hat. The drawing wasn’t incredible, but to Tony it was perfect.

“I love it. Of course I do,” Tony said, taking his phone out to snap a photo of the two of them.

Peter grinned, helping the man clear up. He looked over to the table and saw one small slice of the cake left. He picked it up and cut it up in half, passing it to Tony.

“Wasn’t it nice for everyone to leave some for the incredible bakers?” Tony said, taking the plate that Peter handed him with no hesitation.

“Very nice,” Peter agreed, taking a bite of the cake. It was delicious and Peter was very proud of it.

Tony walked over to the balcony and looked outside. It was July 4th (America’s birthday was Steve’s, it was quite ironic), so there was celebrations everywhere. He looked over to Peter, who was eating away at the cake, and smiled.

“Kiddo!” Tony shouted across the room, waiting for Peter to face him. “You wanna go outside and grab some food? Fireworks should be starting soon.”

“Yes please!”

Peter and Tony walked outside, dressed in patriotic clothing they stole from the birthday boy’s closet. Tony wore a snapback, to try and hide his identity from people around them.

Tony took Peter’s hand as they walked through a park, smiling at all the families that were playing in the nearby rivers. That’s when Peter pulled him towards the water, stopping just on top of the bank. He knew Tony hated too much water, so he jumped in by himself.

“It’s so hot,” Peter groaned, laying back in the water. “I wish the sky had air con.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Parker,” Tony said, dipping his feet into the water. He couldn’t get in, it would set off some flashbacks, but he could at least sit on the grass.

“It’s not dramatic. I think it’s ridiculous that it gets so hot!” Peter laughed, letting himself float against the stream. “This is nice, though.”

“I’m glad,” Tony said.

His mind travelled to what Strange said earlier in the day. This little boy was his soulmate, the one person who’d always be in his life. What an amazing soulmate to have, he thought, as Peter mumbled something about how him and Ned did the other night.

An hour later, Tony had wrapped a towel around his son as they sat on top of his balcony. They were supposed to watch the fireworks outside, but too many people realised it was Tony underneath the hat and they wouldn’t leave them alone.

It was the evening now. The sun had gone down and it was a lot colder, so Peter was shivering from the river still.

“Do you regret jumping in there now?” Tony laughed, taking a seat on the chair next to Peter’s.

They were waiting for the fireworks to start. Tony’s hand was in Peter’s, as they stared up at the night sky. His other hand was in Pepper’s, who’s chair was on his left.

“Mrs Stark- did you hear that? I think I heard someone talking, but I’m not sure,” Peter said, pretending to ignore Tony. When Pepper started laughing, Peter giggled too. Tony glared at the kid, which just made him laugh more. “No. I do not regret it, dad.”

“I think you should’ve. Also, Pep, don’t take his side. You’ll create a menace,” Tony said, pouting. “Look at you, Pete. You’re shivering. Do you want my jumper?”

“No, dad, I’m fine,” Peter smiled. “Thank you though.”

The fireworks started minutes after that. Tony, however, spent most of his time watching Peter and Pepper’s reactions to the show. He noticed that Peter looked a little tense, clearly anxious from the loud bangs. Therefore, he pulled him into his chair and held him close to his chest (to make sure he was okay).

Peter leant his head over Tony’s chest, closing his eyes. He thought that he’d be able to deal with fireworks, but the noises were just too much. Each one that went off just sounded like another gunshot. Tony wrapped a hand into the boy’s hair, trying to calm him down.

“Hey, bud. It’s fine,” Tony whispered, taking his hand. “You’re okay. I got you.”

Peter nodded, whimpering. “Loud,” He mumbled.

“I know, kiddie. It’s not nice, is it?” He whispered, letting go of his hand to rub his back. “Wanna go inside?”

“N-No- you’re enjoying it,” Peter whispered, “I don’t want to pull you away from it.”

“I enjoy seeing my son safe,” Tony smiled, sitting Peter up on his lap. “How about all of us go inside and put one of those stupid movies on, huh? Better than all of this, anyway.”

“Ok, dad,” Peter said, clinging to his side. He refused to get up, however, which meant Tony had to carry him in.

Pepper walked behind them. She took her seat and was surprised when Peter climbed to her when Tony put him down. She put an arm around the boy, grinning as he put his legs onto Tony’s lap.

“Mom...,” Peter mumbled, clearly sleepy. “Love you.”

“I love you too, Peter,” Pepper whispered, looking over at Tony who looked like he was about to burst from happiness.

“Love dad too,” He mumbled, before his eyes closed.

“Goodnight, kiddo. We love you more than you know, buddy,” Tony said, texting May to let her know Peter had crashed out on their couch (he had clearly had too much sugar).

When Pepper woke up that next morning, she realised the boys had got up before her. She smelt the bacon from where she was sat, but for some reason it made her feel sick. She frowned. That was weird, she had always loved a good bacon sandwich in the morning. It had never made her this sick before.

She also felt tired. More tired than she had been... ever. She sat up, throwing a hand over her mouth as she gagged. What the hell was going on with her? She rushed to the bathroom, throwing up in the toilet. She put her hands on the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

No way....