Tony was in full belief that the word irony would have a picture of Steve Rogers under it in the dictionary.
What were the odds of him dating the one thing Howard loved most of all after years of trying to be the complete opposite of the old man?
Of course, that was mild compared to some of the other facts that made Tony scratch his head. How is it someone can snap a Hydra goons neck without thinking but complain about language? Or the fact that while he can't get drunk, Steve can get wound up tighter than a squirrel sprinting across a highway from eating too much sugar?
But neither of those things topped the biggest irony of all.
Steve's birthdate.
Tony thought his boyfriend had been joking about his birthday being on the Fourth of July, but nope, it was right on there on his ancient parchment of a birth certificate. Speaking of which, that date was coming up soon and he needed to figure out a plan.
First, he was going to have to perform some reconnaissance.
He walked over to the corner of the room where the broom was standing, grabbed it and proceed to whack the handle against the nearest vent, causing a certain archer to fall out onto the ground.
"Dammit Tony! What was that for?!"
"One, you need to stop hanging out in my ceiling. Second, I need some spying done and you're just the birdbrain for the job."
"What makes you think I'll help out?"
"Because," Tony's grin turned downright mischievous as he got closer, "If you don't, I'll have FRIDAY send footage to Nat showing who ate the last of her Kartoshka."
Clint's eyes widened into saucers as he visibly gulped.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Oh I definitely would, wouldn't I Fri?"
"Footage is already formatted into high-definition Boss," the A.I. noted a little too enthusiastically.
"Okay,okay, I'll do it, Geeze!"
"Perfect!" Tony said as he slapped him on the back and walked him towards the lab doors," here's what I need...."
******************
Steve was sitting on the roof with his sketch pad when Clint found him. His pencil lay on the ground next to him as he looked at the sky with a thoughtful expression.
"Drawing anything good?"
"Oh! Hey Clint," Steve said once he'd settled from the archer sneaking up on him, "nothing but a few scribbles today...mind's not really focused."
Clint gave a nod and sat down next to him.
"Ah, is because of the excitement of the big day tomorrow?"
Steve snorted.
"I just hope it doesn't turn out as exciting as last year when Tony threw me that surprise party."
"Thor ending up drunk with a lampshade on his head was pretty funny."
Steve shook his head with laughter before looking back up at the sky.
"Yeah but, I miss the simpler times ya know? Back when I was a kid, Ma would come home from work and bake a small cake, then we'd go outside and look at the stars until the fireworks started. She even had a favorite."
"Oh yeah? Which one was it?"
When he pointed it out, Clint made sure to sneakily take a photo and send it to Tony. Then he made an excuse about having some vents to check out and took off, leaving the Captain to roll his eyes before turning back to his sketches.
****************
Steve walked into the penthouse expecting to be accosted by another surprise party, only to be met with silence.
"Tony? Are you here?"
When Noone responded, he walked further into the living room and stopped when he noticed a faint light glowing out on the landing pad. Standing there amongst several candles was Tony. Next to him was a large golden telescope and a table holding a small cake.
"What....what is all this?"
"Well, a little birdy told me you didn't want a big party this year, so I thought I'd do something a little more personal."
"It looks beautiful, Tones," Steve whispered before kissing him gently.
"Hmm, thank you, now why don't you have a look through that telescope and tell me what you see."
The Captain was a little confused, but complied with his boyfriend's request. He smiled when he recognized his mother's favorite star.
"I see you've talked to Clint, this is pointing at ma's star."
"And now Darling, it's your star."
Tony handed him a scroll with a ribbon around it, and he opened it to see that his boyfriend had not only bought him the star, he'd also had it named 'Sarah'.
"Oh Tony...."
Steve grabbed him into a tight embrace and spun them around in a circle.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou....."
"Honey, I'm glad you like it, but I need to breathe..."
"Oh sorry," Steve sat him back down with a sheepish grin.
"Now that I have air back in my lungs, you uh...mind if I address your mom?"
"Oh? Oh yeah, sure.."
"Okay, here goes," Tony took a deep breath and blew it out before continuing, " Miss Sarah, my name is Anthony Stark. We never got a chance to meet, but your son has told me a lot of stories about you, and you sound wonderful. Your son is wonderful too, and him coming into my life has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm planning to ask him a very important question, so I hope you're watching and will give us your blessing."
Steve couldn't believe his eyes as Tony pulled a small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee.
"Steven Grant Rogers, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"
Steve didn't trust his voice so he just nodded furiously while Tony slipped the ring on. When he saw the familiar blue glow, he looked at his now-fiance with awe.
"Is this made from your arc reactor?"
"It is. I figured since you were willing to trust me with your heart, I should give you a piece of mine."
Tony found himself once again crushed against his lover's massive chest.
"I love you so much."
"I love you too, happy birthday, sweetheart."
Once they finally managed to separate, Steve blew the candles out on his cake, and the couple went inside to fire up enough sparks to rival the fireworks outside.