Shadowplay | Tony Stark

TWENTY SEVEN - WORTH THE WAIT

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"He's finally asleep. Made me read him three different stories but we got there in the end."

Tristan had downright refused to go to bed unless it was Tony doing his nighttime routine. Of course, Tony obliged, being flattered by how much the little boy had clearly missed him.

Since stepping out of his car earlier that evening, Tristan hadn't left Tony's side. They'd sat next to each other at the dinner table and curled up together on the sofa while they watched TV, their attachment growing stronger and stronger each day.

In a way, Tony felt almost guilty for becoming practically joined at the hip with the nearly three year old, noticing that he'd often be first choice over Mila. She, however, didn't mind at all. Not only did it give Mila a well deserved break, but seeing Tristan and Tony together made her happy.

"Oh yeah? Which books did he pick this time?"

Mila was sat on the sofa with a blanket around her legs, a glass half-full of rosé wine and a bar of broken dark chocolate lay on foil on the coffee table in front of her.

"The one about the princess and the dragon, the one about the three trains that are best friends, and that god damned awful one about a cat that can't find it's collar."

Sinking down onto the sofa beside Mila with a heavy sigh, Tony rolled his eyes and leant forward to grab a square of chocolate, picking up his wine glass at the same time.

"I hate the cat one, too," Mila laughed quietly, looking across at Tony.

He hadn't been gone for long but the house felt quiet without him. Mila hated having to look into her son's hopeful eyes and tell him that Tony wasn't going to be there to have dinner with them or to kiss him goodnight, but the way the house seemed to come alive when he returned earlier on made it all worth it.

"What are we watching?" Tony asked, sipping on his rosé.

Mila shifted in her seat and glanced at the TV screen, "It's a documentary about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It's halfway through but I thought you wouldn't want to watch it so I started without you, I can rewind it though, I don't mind watching it again. It's actually super interesting, did you ever-," Mila paused when she caught Tony smiling mindlessly at her with dream-filled eyes, "What are you looking at?"

Tony scoffed, shaking his head with his smile still clinging onto his lips, "You're the sweetest thing I've ever seen, you know that?"

Blush instantly flooded Mila's cheeks and while she felt compelled to stay staring into Tony's eyes forever, her inherent shyness coerced her to break the gaze and look down at her wine, her shoulders cowering inward as she tried to fight back a smile.

It wasn't a rare occurrence for Tony to feel his heart stop whenever he looked at Mila doing just about anything, but that had been the first time she'd ever caught him feeling the phenomenon.

Tony felt his chest tighten when he watched her help Tristan with his colouring, he felt himself forget how to breathe when he saw her singing to herself wrapped in a towel after taking a shower, and he felt the world stop spinning when she did something as simple as pop the cork on a bottle of champagne.

She was a force greater than anything Tony had ever come into contact with before, and he was eternally thankful to be on her side.

"Shut up," Mila shook her head, redness tinting her face as she continued to avoid Tony's eyes.

"Come here, I'm lonely."

Finally looking up, Mila's guard fell and she allowed herself to smile as she looked at Tony who was sat with one arm outstretched, waiting for her to shuffle across towards him and make herself comfortable against his chest.