Wanda was sat in her bedroom, staring at a book but not reading it. She was too lost in her own thoughts to focus on the pages. There was a light knock on her door. Before she had the chance to speak, her brother sulked into the room, locking the door behind him. Their eyes met and they both sighed.
"Happy birthday, little sis" Pietro mumbled as he sat beside her on the bed. She rested her head on his shoulder, placing her book down.
"Happy birthday, Pietro" She mumbled back. Their birthday had never been a very joyous occasion in their lives, their parents being too busy at work to deal with them. The day only got worse when it became their parents anniversary of death also. They never had a chance to acknowledge their birthday when they lived on the streets or when they were taken in by Hydra. They had thought that maybe now, it could be a happy day again. After all, Tony had their Hydra files. He knew their birthday.
That hadn't been the case. Nobody had said a word to them, not even their partners. They had known each other for nearly a year as the Avengers attack on the Hydra base had been the day after the twins birthday. The rest of the Avengers had acted as the day was the same as any other. The twins were hurt but not completely surprised. Just another year older, no big deal.
Except it was a big deal. It was the twins 21st birthday. They could now legally drink and were no longer children, although the team would most likely still be calling them the kids of the team. They had hope that, for once, they would be remembered.
But, like always, they were forgotten.
Clint was watching the twins from the vents. He saw how sad they both looked, not failing to notice both of their eyes glistening with tears. He sighed very quietly before sneaking back into the main common room, where everyone was setting up the party. He sighed as his feet hit the floor silently. Sam looked over at him.
"What's up, man?" He asked, looking at the frown on Clint's face.
"They're both miserable. They think we've forgotten. You should have seen their faces" Clint replies, his shoulders slumped. Sam sighs and places a hand on the older man's slumped shoulders.
"We're almost ready. Tony and Nat went out to grab the cake and Peter is finishing up with the banners" Sam said, just as the elevator opened, revealing Natasha and Tony who were carrying a rather large black and white striped box. They placed it down on a coffee table in the common room just as Peter climbed down from the roof, where he was tying the banner to.
"We're ready?" Tony asked, glancing around the room. He ruffled Peter's hair affectionately, silently telling him that he did a good job decorating.
"Ready Tony" Steve answered, a calm smile upon his face.
They had all agreed previously that Rhodey should get the twins, as he would be the least likely to give anything away. He also had very limited interactions with the twins, so they would think it was a meeting or something of that sort that they were getting called for. He started to make his way down to Wanda's room.
Clint flicked the lights off as everyone hid. They waited for what seemed like hours but was truly only minutes before the twins stepped into the room, confused looks upon their faces. Pietro turned the lights on and everyone jumped out of their hiding places.
"SURPRISE!"
Both twins stumbled backwards, being caught by Rhodey before they fell, their faces covered in shock. Wanda had Pietro's hand in a tight grip though, he didn't seem to mind. Clint and Natasha stepped forward, grinning brightly at the twins.
They hadn't expected the twins to engulf their partners in a tight embrace.
They hadn't expected to hear them crying.
They hadn't expected this type of reaction at all.
Wanda clung to Natasha, quietly sobbing into her shoulder. Pietro held Clint tightly, whispering 'Thank you' to him repeatedly. The rest of the Avengers stood by and smiled at them.
Nobody knew how long had passed before the twins broke away from their hugs. Wanda frantically wiped her eyes and Pietro looked down, taking deep breathes. When they both calmed down, they smiled sheepishly at everyone else in the room.
"T-Thank you" They whispered at the same time, glancing around the room at the decorations that had been put up.
"You really thought we'd forget your twenty-first birthday?" Tony asked, a smug smirk on his face.
"We haven't celebrated our birthday properly since we were ten" Pietro stated with a sad smile.
"Well, we'll always celebrate your birthday. No matter what. Now, come on! Less tears and more cake" Tony said, grinning like the proud father he was at heart.
The twins finally got a birthday that they wanted to remember.