"Maybe I should wish for the Large Hadron Collider," Tony says, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Birthday wishes are, like other superstitions, not something Tony believes in, but it's a fun tradition anyway. So he picks his wish, closes his eyes and takes a dramatic deep breath, and blows out the candles.

Once the candles have been extinguished, Tony starts picking them out in preparation for the cake cutting. He holds the icing-covered handful out to Pepper and Gene like they're drawing straws. "Who wants to lick the candles?"