Tony stared at the grounds as the car pulled up. Today, they were re-opening the Avengers Compound. It had taken many months since the battle with Thanos to clear the debris and rebuild. But finally, the Compound was finished. And to celebrate, the team was having a picnic. And Rhodey had asked that Tony could be there.
“Are we almost there daddy?” Morgan was sitting in the backseat, kicking her legs back and forth from her booster seat. Tony smiled as he glanced back at her. Pepper was driving because his right leg was still recovering after everything he had been through.
“Almost,” Tony said. Morgan pouted
“Don’t worry bug,” Morgan glanced over at Harley, who was sitting next to her. He had come up from school for the weekend, so he was of course going with them. “As soon as we get there, we’ll play tag and run around lots.”
“With Petey?” Morgan asked, a smile on her face. Harley smirked and nodded. Tony smiled and turned back around as the Compound came into view.
“It looks great,” Pepper said with a slight smile. Tony smiled and nodded. The grounds were covered with new buildings. There was the main building, still the same bright silver color, where the conference rooms, the living quarters, and the smaller gym was. There was an additional building that Tony knew had been built as just for training purposes and the third building was for vehicles and Quinjets. It looked almost as similar as before, but almost better. And Tony was looking forward to this being the only time he was there.
Because he was retired and his family was more important.
Pepper pulled up to where the picnic was set up and turned the car off. Harley was already getting Morgan out of the car. Tony moved slowly, lifting himself up. Pepper moved quickly around to his side. He smiled as he leaned against the car.
“You know you could have just waited in the car,” Pepper pointed out.
“I’m stubborn,” Tony said. Pepper rolled her eyes but smiled a little. She handed him a cane that he was using to walk. He then kissed her gently. “Thank you honey.”
“Daddy, come on!” Morgan shouted. Tony smiled and they made their way towards everyone. Rhodey saw them and walked over.
“Hey Tones,” Rhodey said.
“Running up to greet me platypus?” Tony asked, with a smirk. “I should have put money on that. Though I suppose I expected Peter to do that.”
“Kid’s not here yet,” Rhodey said. Tony looked around nodding. He had asked Happy to pick up Peter and May and he assumed there must have been traffic out of the city for them to have gotten there before him. “You’ll live until he gets here. Come on.” They walked over to where some tables and chairs were set up. Tony sat down, knowing sitting was better than leaning on his leg. Morgan let go of Harley’s hand and walked up to her dad.
“Come here kiddo,” Tony said, lifting Morgan up. He knew Morgan was always warned to be gentle around him because of his leg and other injuries. But that didn’t stop Tony. If he wanted his daughter to sit on his lap, he would. Pepper gave him a look, but couldn’t help but smile.
“Well if it isn’t the Starks,” Clint said as he approached. “Retirement looks good on you Tony.”
“Same to you Legolas,” Tony said with a smirk. “You manning the grill?”
“Sure am,” Clint said. “Starting with some warm-up dogs. Any takers?” Harley raised his hand and Rhodey nodded as well. “I’ll throw a bunch down. And Morgan, if you want, Nate and Coop are playing tag.” Tony smiled and looked down at Morgan.
“Can I daddy?” Morgan asked, looking up at him. Tony smiled and kissed the top of her head before nodding. She quickly and gently climbed down from the chair and ran off.
“Thanks Clint,” Tony said with a smile. Clint nodded before heading back to the grill.
“Whoa,” Tony glanced at Harley, wondering what had caught his attention. He followed Harley’s eyes until he spotted Scott Lang approaching with Hope and his teenage daughter. Tony smirked. Based on Harley’s expression, he seemed very interested in Scott’s daughter.
“You should talk to her and not drool,” Tony said. Harley raised an eyebrow at Tony, though Tony could see he was slightly embarrassed by being caught. Harley then walked away, Tony noticing that he was going over to Cassie. He chuckled before relaxing into the chair and starting a conversation with Rhodey and Pepper.
It was around twenty minutes after they arrived at the Compound that Peter, May, and Happy showed up.
“Hey Mister Stark!” Peter said jogging over. “Hi Mrs. Stark, Colonel Rhodes.”
“Hey kid,” Tony said with a smile. “How was the ride?”
“It was fine,” Peter said with a shrug. “I slept most of the time.”
“Out late being Spider-Man?” Tony asked. At that point, Rhodey and Pepper had drifted away from the conversation. Peter smiled sheepishly. “Kid, you have to get some normal sleep.” Peter snorted. “Yeah I know I’m not the right person to point out. But remember, do as I say, not as I do.” Peter smirked a little and nodded.
“Petey!” Peter’s leg was quickly knocked into by Morgan. He smiled and picked her up, tossing her into the air a little. The little girl giggled loudly before wrapping her arms around Peter.
“Hey Mor,” Peter said. “Having fun?” Morgan nodded.
“Come play tag with me!” Morgan said. Peter glanced at Tony, who just smiled.
“Go on kid,” Tony said. “Go be a kid for a little while.” Peter smiled and put Morgan down. He tapped her shoulder.
“You’re it Mor!” He then ran off, the five-year old chasing after them. Tony just smiled watching the two of them. A part of him wished he could’ve been running around with them, that he could be the one tossing his daughter in the air to make her giggle. But the sacrifice was worth it because he was alive.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Natasha sat down next to him, a small smile on her face. Tony glanced over at her and just gently patted her arm, glad that she was alive, that they both were alive.
“Just enjoying the day,” Tony said. Natasha nodded and the two just sat there silently, watching Peter and Morgan chase each other around, Harley, Cassie, Lila Nate, and Cooper joining in as well.
As the day drew on, more people arrived. Sam, Bucky, and Steve all showed up, along with Wanda and Bruce. The kids and teenagers were all still playing around on the field. Clint was still manning the grill, but as soon as Sam arrived, he jumped in to help. Wanda was sitting at a table reading a book. Bucky and Nat were having a conversation in Russian, while Bruce and Rhodey were sitting nearby, discussing sports over a bowl of chips. Pepper was chatting with Laura, Scott, and Hope, while watching the group of kids and teenagers.
“Tony,” Steve said, sitting down next to him. “How’s everything?”
“Not too bad,” Tony said. Steve gave him a look. “Okay I lied, retirement is pretty fantastic. Getting to just enjoy my days, no worrying.”
“Don’t you still have a company to run?” Tony snorted.
“Pepper’s been doing that and better than I ever could for years,” Tony said. “Don’t let the name fool you. It’s her company at this point.” Steve smiled and nodded a little. “And you?”
“Yeah everything’s alright,” Steve said. “Just been trying to enjoy a quiet life in Brooklyn. Didn’t realize how expensive it was though.”
“Those damn hipsters,” Tony said. “Taking your World War II tenements and turning them into co-ops.”
“Sam made fun of me too,” Steve said with a smirk. He stood up slowly. “I’m glad you’re okay Tony. I’m glad we’re all okay.” Tony nodded and then Steve walked away, just as Peter came running over.
“Where’s the fire kid?” Tony asked.
“Happy and May are setting up a relay race for us,” Peter said. “But Lila doesn’t have a partner. So I’m trying to convince someone to join us.” Tony glanced around and once again spotted Wanda reading not too far away. Tony nodded at her and Peter seemed to understand. He walked over to her. She seemed to notice him and looked up from her book.
“Uh hi Wanda,” Peter said, smiling politely. “I was wondering if you wanted to join our relay race? Lila doesn’t have a partner.” Wanda looked at him, as if confused.
“What’s a relay race?” She asked. Peter smiled a little. “If you explain it, then I’ll happily join.” Peter nodded and she got up. Tony watched as they headed over to where the others were.
“What are the kids up to?” Pepper asked, walking over with two plates of food. A bunch of the team was settling down at the tables.
“Relay race,” Tony said. “Seems like the teams are Peter and Morgan, Harley and Lang’s kid, Cooper and Nate, and Wanda and Lila.”
“With Wanda, Lila’s gonna crush them all,” Clint said with a smirk.
“I don’t know,” Scott said. “Cassie and Harley are the only team around the same age, gives a wisdom advantage.”
“If he doesn’t get distracted,” Rhodey said with a snort. He glanced at Tony who chuckled. So he wasn’t the only one who had noticed how Harley was mooning over Cassie Lang.
“I feel like no one should count Queens out,” Steve said.
“Especially because he can literally just carry Morgan through this course,” Sam pointed out. “But only if he uses his head.”
“You’re one to talk,” Bucky pointed out, earning him a high five from Nat. Sam rolled his eyes as Steve tried to hide a chuckle.
“Maybe we need to use this little course after the kids are done,” Sam said, eyeing Bucky.
“Oh that I would pay to see,” Tony said and Clint nodded. The group of adults then all laughed. Tony smiled happily. He never though they’d get back to this moment, to the team feeling like family. And yet, here they were. Tony, along with the others, turned their attention to the group of kids as the race started. As Scott had predicted, Harley and Cassie had a good lead. But something, probably Harley’s lack of focus on anything but Cassie, caused them to trip when they got to a team potato sack race. They also crashed into Cooper and Nate, knocking them down.
In the end, it was Wanda and Lila who won, but Peter and Morgan were a close second.
“Man I should’ve put money on that,” Clint said with a happy smirk.
“Because betting on kid’s relay races is totally normal,” Laura said, giving her husband the side-eye. Tony watched as Peter, with Morgan on his back, ran over to Harley and Cassie to help them up. Tony couldn’t help but smile, seeing them all interact.
“Alright let’s call them over so they can eat,” Pepper said. Tony looked over at Clint, who let out the loudest whistle ever. It seemed to get the kids attention and they all noticed the food. They all ran over, all clearly excited to eat. Morgan found a seat on Tony’s lap, picking at food on his plate.
“Good job in the relay race Mor,” Peter said, sitting down next to them. Morgan smiled, a mouthful of food and Tony chuckled before kissing the top of her head.
“You just carried her,” Harley said, sitting down across from them. He had dirt on his face and clearly wasn’t happy about losing.
“I think she did a great job,” Cassie said, walking past their table. “And I’d love for Morgan to be my partner next time.” Harley made a face and Cassie giggled before heading over to the table where her dad and Hope where sitting. Harley blushed deeply and stared down at his plate.
“Wow Harley,” Peter said with a smirk. “You’re a real lady killer.” Harley glared at Peter but Tony chuckled.
“Quit arguing and eat boys,” Tony said. Harley sighed, but nodded. Tony then brought his voice down to a whisper. “It was pretty funny kid.” Peter smirked and Tony ruffled his hair. Then they all dug into their food.
Later that evening, after the sun had gone down, everyone was settled on the ground. Nat said she had a surprise for everyone. Tony was sitting on a blanket, Morgan cuddled up on his lap and Pepper sitting next to him, her arm wrapped around his arm. Clint had a blanket set up with his family all crammed together. Hope and Scott were sitting together, Scott keeping an eye on Cassie who was sitting next to Harley. Tony wanted to tell Scott that Harley was not a big concern, but he liked to watch piss-ant squirm. Bucky, Sam, and Bruce were standing behind everyone. Rhodey and Steve had been enlisted to help Nat with her surprise. Wanda was sitting on one of the tables, a space next to her for Nat when she came back.
Tony looked around and spotted Peter. He was talking to May, who was sitting with Happy. He watched as May said something and fixed Peter’s hair. Peter smiled and nodded. He thought it was amazing how effortlessly May made parenting look. Peter then moved away from them. He spotted Tony and jogged over.
“All good kid?” Tony asked. He shifted a little so Peter could sit down next to him.
“Yeah,” Peter said. “May was just checking in.” He shrugged, but there was a small smile on his face. Tony nodded.
“Alright everyone.” It was Steve getting their attention. “Nat’s surprise is ready. I’d recommend you look up.” Rhodey came over and sat down behind Tony and Pepper at one of the tables, while Steve stood in the back. Nat joined them as well, sitting next to Wanda, a smirk on her face. Tony noticed she was holding something in her hand.
“Nat wants you to have these,” Rhodey said to Peter. Tony watched as Rhodey handed Peter ear plugs. Peter gave Rhodey a look, but Rhodey just pointed to his ears. Peter did as he was told and put in the ear plugs. Rhodey then turned to Nat and nodded. Nat smirked and held up a small remote in her hand.
And then the sky exploded with color.
“Wow!” Morgan said excitedly. Tony smiled at the pure wonder in his daughter’s eyes. But then he glanced at Peter. He knew the kids sense could get dialed up to 11 and he wasn’t sure how fireworks would impact him. But he saw that Peter didn’t look bothered at all. In fact, he also had a smile on his face. Tony was grateful for Nat’s quick thinking to give Peter ear plugs. Peter glanced at Tony and his smile only widened. Tony wrapped an arm around Peter and pulled him closer. Then he looked up at the sky, watching the fireworks go off.
It had been a great day with friends and family, and Nat’s firework surprise was the best end to the day. Morgan leaned back against him, using his chest as a pillow. He felt Peter leaning against his shoulder and he ruffled the teenager’s hair.
As he watched the sky fill with an explosion of color, Tony smiled. He was surrounded by friends and family and was completely and utterly content.