Shadowplay | Tony Stark

FORTY FOUR - DEJA VU

CHICAGO

Sunday was a blur for Mila and Tristan as they settled back into life in their home, but when they both woke up on Monday morning, it almost felt like they'd never been away at all.

Mila's alarm pulled her from an exhaustion-fuelled deep sleep at six-thirty that morning. As she peeled her eyes open and looked around her room, she became overwhelmed with a deep sensation of deja vu that she couldn't quite differentiate between being good or bad.

She slipped seamlessly back into her old routine without having to think, walking down the hallway to the bathroom to take a shower before heading downstairs to prepare some breakfast for Tristan.

Sunday had been spent getting their life back into order, making a million different phone calls and a late night stop at the pizza place since Mila didn't quite feel like doing a full grocery shop just yet.

It felt strange to be calling Tristan's nursery to tell them he would be coming back, and it felt equally as strange to call Carly out of the blue and tell her that she was coming back to work, too.

The way it seemed like life had almost stood still in Chicago while they'd been gone was strange considering Mila and Tristan were definitely not the same people they were before leaving, but it made coming home a little easier.

The first two nights sleep had been easy to fall into for Mila, though she knew that bubble would burst sooner rather than later. She'd become used to sleeping beside Tony, feeling his arms pull her into his chest in the dead of night and the soft kisses he'd leave on her skin when he woke up for work before she did. Things became a habit for them, falling asleep in the same intertwined position every night and always having their hands touching, even if they were laying at opposite sides of the bed.

Although the only breakup Mila had ever gone through before was incredibly different to her separation from Tony, she knew the small things like having a hand to hold and lips to kiss would take their toll on her the hardest over time.

Tristan hadn't mentioned Tony or Peter once since returning to Chicago. It had surprised Mila, though she put it down to the fact he was so excited to be back in a place that felt comforting to him, to have all his belongings at his fingertips, to have the world he knew and loved right in front of him, that his mind had simply been elsewhere.

Mila kissed her son goodbye as he ran into daycare, approaching the group of boys he'd been friends with practically since birth, all of whom greeted him with open arms and bright smiles.

Her heart settled at the sight, seeing radiance beaming from his little face and glowing in his eyes. Mila knew then that the sense of emptiness she'd felt breeze though her bones since Tony walked out the door was worth it to see her son happy, it had to be worth it.

"Mila!"

Carly threw her arms around her friend within five seconds of her walking into the salon, barely giving her a chance to say hello before the breath was knocked from her lungs.

Mila hugged her back, laughing slightly as she did so. It felt nice to see a familiar face, to not walk in somewhere and have to be introduced to new people, it felt good to not be lost for once.

"Can I just say, I'm so sorry for giving your number to you know who. I honestly had no idea about anything, I really hope-"

"Carly, please," Mila interrupted with a smile as she shrugged off her coat and hung it up behind the front desk, "I know you didn't know, don't worry. I really just want to move on now, that alright?"