Chapter 49 - Birthday

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"Happy birthday, (Y/N)!" Ned called out as he ran down the hallway to give me a hug.

"Thanks Ned," I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him, trying to suppress a laugh at his enthusiasm. "We're all hanging out in the large room right down the hall if you want to join the festivities. MJ's already here and we're only waiting on Peter."

"Wait, are the Avengers in there?" Ned gasped, his excitement bubbling.

"Yes, as well as some newcomers Loki, Dr. Strange, Wong, and Shuri, the princess of Wakanda."

"Wait, you got a princess to come to your birthday party?!"

I laughed, "well I don't really think of her as a princess, she's just my friend. There are refreshments in the room that you can help yourself to and unfortunately my dad is the DJ, so I apologize for the crappy music he's choosing."

Ned grinned, "I'm sure whatever Iron Man plays will be amazing. Happy birthday again, (Y/N)!"

"How much do you want to bet that he'll be overwhelmed by excitement?" Peter asked as he approached me, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Oh, I would be surprised if he manages to remain conscious with the amount of excitement undoubtedly flowing through him," I replied, placing my hand in his.

"Happy birthday, (Y/N)," he smiled, bringing my hand up to his lips.

I giggled, "I see someone's been taking lessons from Thor."

"And they seem to be paying off," he whispered in my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin.

"You wish," I teased slipping out of his grasp although I wanted nothing more than to have him right there. "Come join the festivities, you're the last person to arrive."

I tried to have the party be nothing special, but of course my father would hear none of that. He was far too excited that his little baby was turning eighteen and was finally a legal adult. Of course, I could also tell that the thought scared him as he could no longer force bodyguards upon me or restrict me from doing things with the excuse that I was still a child.

Anyway, Tony had gotten catering for the party and made sure there was a dress code. I had yet to see the cake he had gotten me, but I heard from various sources that it was something spectacular. I managed to convince him to hold the party in the large conference room as opposed to the floor that was basically reserved for big events, hoping that he would get the hint that I didn't want anything special. And yet as I looked around the overly decorated conference room, complete with a giant banner wishing me a happy birthday, I knew that he had not gotten the message.

"Happy birthday, (Y/N)," Pepper smiled at me as she noticed me enter the room. "How does it feel to be an adult?"

I rolled my eyes, "I awoke this morning crushed by the weight of adulthood and thinking only of paying bills, finding a job, and having to deal with things like jury duty."

"Are you ready to come out to the world as Tony's daughter?" She inquired, electing to ignore my sarcasm.

"Well I'm ready to reveal my identity, but I'm not sure I want to do so in front of a room full of reporters."

"You know you don't have to go through with it if you want a bit more time laying low. Tony can easily cancel the event or come up with some other news to share."

I frowned, "Tony put you up to this, didn't he? I have been waiting for years to stop having to live in the shadows and lie to everyone that I meet, I'm not going to wait another year just because I don't like reporters."

"That's all Tony needed to know, he just wants to make sure that you don't feel pressured to come out to the public simply because eighteen was the age that the two of you agreed on."

It wasn't long after Pepper and I finished talking that lunch was served, and by lunch being served I mean that the snacks that had filled the tables in the room were swapped out by slightly more filling courses. People seemed to be having fun talking with one another and dancing to the music that Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. playing over the speakers, but I still wished the party was a smaller affair. Then again, this would probably be the smallest birthday party I would have ever again now that I would be known to the world as (Y/N) Stark.

The cake that Tony had bought for me was finally rolled out, making me roll my eyes at the extravagance. He had purchased a five tier geode cake and while it was undoubtably gorgeous, it was really unnecessary for him to have gotten such a large cake, even with the number of people at the party.

 He had purchased a five tier geode cake and while it was undoubtably gorgeous, it was really unnecessary for him to have gotten such a large cake, even with the number of people at the party

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Tony asked me to cut into it and I did so hesitantly, terrified of ruining such a masterpiece. After cutting a piece for myself, Tony took the knife so that I could begin eating as he served the guests.

After finishing cake, I began to make my way through the presents. Part of me always hated this part, I hated having all of the attention on me while I pretended to like each one equally. It was especially difficult when I had to open Ned's Star Wars themed present right before the diamond necklace that Tony bought me. I appreciated the thought of Tony's present but it lacked the same personality of Ned's. And of course then there was Peter's moonstone ring which, although it was just another piece of jewelry, there was some meaning in the stone he chose.

Once I finished going through the presents, thanking each person for their thoughtful gift, I stood up to end the party. However, before I had the chance to say anything, a few more guests walked into the room, ones that we hadn't been expected.

"What, you guys had cake and you didn't invite me?" Quill asked as he immediately walked over to where the cake sat, nearly two-thirds gone.

"Well, we didn't exactly have contact information for you," I replied, happy to see them again. I suddenly remembered their mission and inquired, "did the exchange with the stone work?"

A green skinned woman walked up to me and held out her hand to me, "you must be (Y/N), it is a pleasure to finally meet the woman who stopped my father."

I shook her hand as I gave her a smile, "I take it you're Gamora then. Quill and Nebula told me wonderful things about you, I'm so glad that they were able to get you back."

"From what I heard, that's all thanks to you," she replied, causing me to blush.

"Not really, Loki's the one who came up with the plan to defeat Thanos and the dispersal of the stones was decided by all of us. I really didn't do anything special," I argued, not liking the spotlight she was giving me.

"(Y/N), you're only eighteen years old and wielded the infinity gauntlet. Not to mention how skilled you are at fighting, it's an honor to meet a warrior such as yourself."

"Well, I've heard you're quite a skilled warrior yourself. Perhaps if you and the other Guardians want to stay the night, we can spar a little tomorrow? I would do it tonight, but I have a stupid press conference I have to go do," I offered, really wanting a chance to fight such a skilled opponent.

She smiled, "it's a deal."

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(A/N): I should just rename this story: Infinity War denial because I'm literally over here taking back all of the painful deaths that the Russo's inflicted upon us #sorrynotsorry anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

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