Superfamily One Shots

Pleasant Surprise

**Request for Lucy1078 (which I had a blast working on!) where the team frets about their friend on Father's Day, but finds out there's no need to be worried at all. Thank you for the request, I hope you, and all the readers, enjoy it! Sorry for the slight delay, some stuff came up."

It was no secret that Tony and Howard's relationship was strained when Howard was alive. It was no secret that ever since the man's death, Tony had been cold about the whole topic, always changing the subject when someone brought up his late father.

Father's Day was worse of all, though. A whole day- no, a whole season when Tony had to be reminded that everyone else had father's who loved them. Who loved them. Who didn't constantly make them feel like shit.

Long story short, Tony hated Father's Day.

Which is why Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Clint, Thor, and Rhodey were rushing back to the Tower in the early morning hours of Father's Day. They weren't going to let their friend be alone on the worst day of the year, and if that meant flying 14 hours straight through the night, then that's what they'd do.

"How long?" Steve asked, poking his head into the cock pit. "Knowing Tony, he might have spent all night in the lab, so we should really be back before Pepper gets up and goes down to get him."

"We're only an hour and a half out, we'll be there by 5:30," Bruce said, checking the center console of the plane.

Steve thanked the scientist, then headed back into the body of te plane where the rest of the team was sitting.

"5:30," the supersoldier announced to the rest of the team. "We'll make it."

"Do you think he even remembered that it was Father's Day?" Clint asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Rhodey laughed dryly. "Tony may be an idiot when it comes to keeping track of time, but he doesn't forget dates. He'll know. Besides, it's not the day that makes it shitty, its the fact that for the entire week leading up to it, everyone is talking about their dads."

The jet jolted, jostling Thor from his nap and nearly spilling Natasha out of her seat. The decent had started, even if it was still going to be a while till they got home.

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The Tower was quiet when the team stepped through the main doors. Business didn't really start up until 7, so the only people in the entire building would be security, Pepper, and Tony. And now the team, obviously.

The elevator ride was smooth and calm, despite the growing sense of dread in the cramped space. Each of the superheroes was imagining what they might be dealing with when Tony got up. Each one was thinking of what they might be able to do to make the day brighter.

The elevator dinged and everyone stumbled into the living room, the fatigue and exhaustion from the mission hitting them like a ton of bricks.

"I'm taking a shower," Natasha said, dragging her feet down to her room. "Can someone make coffee while I'm gone?"

Steve didn't say anything, just got up and put on the coffee pot. Bruce, Clint, Thor, and Rhodey collapsed on the couch, each one mumbling a small request to Steve, like "a little cream" or "just black is fine".

"Do we have a game plan?" Bruce asked, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.

Rhodey shook his head. "This isn't a game plan kind of thing, we just have to be a good distraction for him."

Everyone half nodded, Thor already beginning to nod off again and Clint not too far behind. Steve carried over some mugs, each one precariously balanced on one another and steaming with warmth.