Work Text:
Operation: Mother's Day
Planning Session: Early April
"You called a team meeting to talk about Mother's Day?!" Peter asks, his voice rising in disbelief as he looks around the conference room. He doesn't really need confirmation. Every single Avenger and auxiliary Avenger is there and they're all looking at him expectantly.
Bucky's eyes lock with Peter's. "That's right, punk. Now give us the intel."
"Th-there's not much to intel to tell." Peter shifts uncomfortably under the team's collective stares. "Uncle Ben and I would make her breakfast, we'd maybe go to the Botanical Garden or a movie or something and then we'd either go out to dinner or get takeout. Oh, and I'd make her a card."
"That's depressing," Tony says. "A handmade card? What'd you do? Use crayons and construction paper?"
"W-well, yeah. I mean, until I could afford to buy them." Peter squares his shoulders and narrows his eyes at Tony. "What'd you do that was so much better?"
Tony closes his eyes for a moment and smiles. "Jarvis would make breakfast and my dad and I would bring it up to her. Dad would buy her an insanely expensive piece of jewelry. The more women he screwed on the side, the more expensive it was. He's sign the card from both of us and then we'd have dinner at the Plaza or the Four Seasons."
Peter stares at him. "We gave her a 'number one aunt' charm one year."
"Funny, I never saw one of those in Van Cleef & Arpels," Tony shoots back.
Steve clears his throat. "I always made my ma a card --"
"Oh, here we go. Tales of deprivation during the Depression," Tony says. "I'll bet one year you even gave her a candy bar. Look, people, this is Aunt May we're talking about. Handmade cards and runny scrambled eggs aren't going to cut it."
Bucky nods. "I agree with Stark. For once."
"I'm thinking we have a catered brunch brought to Peter's house. Mimosas, champagne, that kind of thing. Flowers." Tony turns to Peter. "She likes flowers, right?"
"Well, yeah --"
"Flowers." Tony rubs his chin. "The house is too small to bring in musicians but maybe I could hire a guy with a violin --"
"That would compromise Petey's identity," Bucky cuts in.
"You've got a point there, Murderbot. No violin." Tony looks over at Peter. "Does Aunt May have a diamond tennis bracelet?"
"Aunt May doesn't play tennis," Peter says.
Tony makes a face. "You don't have to play tennis to wear a tennis bracelet."
"B-but she's not really into expensive jewelry --"
"Has she ever had expensive jewelry?"
"Well, no, but --"
"Then you don't know that for sure."
Peter groans and buries his face in his hand. "She's not materialistic. She loves her family. She loves you guys."
"We can work with that," Bucky says quickly. "You've got that family portrait from Thanksgiving. Print it as big as you can and I'll make a frame."
"You know how to make a frame?" Peter asks dubiously.
"Bucky took wood shop in school," Steve says. "He made me my first easel."
Bucky flashes a grin that's pure nostalgia. "I did, didn't I?"
"Which gives me an idea," Steve goes on. "I have some sketches of Aunt May and sketches of each of us --"
"I can scan them and we can make cards," Peter offers.
"Here we go with the homemade cards," Tony groans.
"Perfect," Bucky decides. "Okay, so we've got brunch and cards. That takes care of the morning. We still have the rest of the day to plan."
"Has Aunt May ever been to Paris?" Tony asks. "I know this great place for dinner and I bet she'd love going to the Louvre."
As a debate about Paris versus Tuscany erupts, Peter sighs wearily. He has a feeling this is going to be the most unforgettable Mother's Day Aunt May has ever had.