Dedication: To Warp, for it is her birthday. Love you, girl.
Update Schedule: Mondays, Thursdays, & Saturdays

Early one hot summer day, Steve hung upside down on a couch, watching Tony mess around with some random files that were projected in the air.

"Will you cut that out?" Tony asked. "You're giving me a headache just watching you do that."

Steve smiled. He rolled himself off and sat down on the couch normally. "So, what is it that you're doing again?"

"I'm trying to find out if—" Tony stopped. "Well, look what the old man forgot to tell me!"

"What old man?"

"Nick Fury, of course," said Tony.

Steve frowned. "What did he forget to tell you?"

"Today is his birthday!" cried Tony with glee. He saw that look on Steve's face that meant any plans he was about to have were about to be crushed. So he got it out quick. "This is a good excuse for a party, don't you think?"

"A party?" the Captain asked incredulously. "I don't see Fury wanting anything to do with a party we throw. That you throw, anyway."

Tony grinned. "Not even a pool party? On a hot day like this?"

"You have a pool?" Steve looked around as if the pool were in the room they were in now.

"Of course I do. It's on the ground level. Obviously."

"Right." Steve paused. "Why couldn't it be on any other floor? "

Tony rubbed his eyes in frustration. "You can't dig very deep on any other floor."

"Oh." Steve looked a little embarrassed.

Tony smiled. "J.A.R.V.I.S! Call the Avengers!"

"Which one, sir?"

"All of them!" Tony commanded.

It wasn't too long before Bruce, Natasha, Clint, and Thor were on the phone.

"What do you want now, Stark?" Clint and Natasha asked simultaneously.

"Oh, hi," Bruce said. "Are we all on?"

"Thor, what are you doing?" a smooth voice said. "You're not—no! Not that button! Honestly, I don't know how you've lasted this long on Earth—

"—Brother, be quiet!" Thor said.

"Loki?" Steve cried.

A laugh. "Yes, it is I."

"Thor, why is Loki with you?" Natasha asked.

"I snuck him out of Asgard for some Brother/Brother time!" Thor exclaimed.

Clint snorted. "Great idea."

Bruce interrupted. "Excuse me? Tony? What do you want? I'm a little busy."

"If you're not the green guy you can't be that busy," Tony snapped. Then he continued. "Did you guys know that today is Fury's birthday?"

A general murmur of dissent followed.

Stark wasn't surprised. "I didn't think so. But we're throwing a surprise party tonight, so you all better get on that."

There was silence on the line.

"Uh…hello?"

Thor spoke first. "A party for my Father's Earthly counterpart? What a fascinating idea. I fully approve."

Loki snorted. "Your father's earthly counterpart? What do you mean by that?"

"They both have eyepatches!" Thor explained.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Stark," Natasha said.

Clint was quick to agree. "Yeah."

"Well, I guess we could," Bruce said. "I'm not sure how much he'd like it, but we could try."

"We could, that doesn't mean we should," Clint pointed out. "What about the Captain? Where is he?"

Steve spoke for the first time in this conversation. "I'm here. And I think it could be fun. It's been a while since we've all been together."

"Oh, the sentimentality," Loki muttered.

"Be quiet, brother," Thor ordered.

Clint sighed. "What the heck, Tony. Sure. We can throw a party for Fury."

Tony was pleased. "Good. Now this is what I want you all to do. Capcicle, you're in charge of the cake."

"Roger," Steve said.

"Was that a joke?" Bruce asked.

Steve smiled.

Tony ignored them both. " Natasha, I need you to buy the pizza and help me decorate after Bruce buys the banners."

"Sure, I—wait—" Bruce tried to interrupt.

Plowing on, Tony said, "Thor and Loki, buy balloons."

"What is a balloon?" Thor asked.

The two superheroes in the room together looked at each other in surprise.

"Even I know what a balloon is," Steve noted.

"Ask someone at the party store," Tony said.

Loki tried to interject, but Thor must have hit him or something, because there was a thump, and he didn't.

"What about me?" Clint asked.

Tony smirked. "You have the most important job, which happens to be keeping the target distracted."

"Oh, boy," Clint said. "And where would he be?"

"On his way to Stark Tower as we speak."

Clint swore mildly. "How long do I have to keep him distracted?"

"Three hours, tops," Tony said.

"Right," said Clint. "I'm going. Good-bye."

Clint hung up, and then Bruce asked, "What are you doing, Tony?"

"I'm bossing J.A.R.V.I.S. around and also being awesome," Tony said. "I mean, someone needs to do both of those things. Oh, and also I'm in charge of music."

Natasha groaned. "Great. See you boys later." She hung up, after muttering something that sounded like, "I need a six month vacation twice a year from these guys."