Shadowplay | Tony Stark

FIFTY FOUR - SWEET DREAMS

It was just before seven-thirty in the evening when Tristan came running into the kitchen with panic flashing through his wide eyes and a nervous pout on his lips.

Mila was in the process of warming up a cup of milk for him before he settled down for his bedtime that Saturday evening, though almost jumped out of her skin when her son came bounding in out of nowhere, Rocket in tow.

"Mommy! I saw a car outside!"

The toddler ran to his mother's side and clung to her leg, looking up at her with worry clear on his face.

He had never really been a nervous child though Mila had sadly seen a shift in her son's behaviour since the ordeals they had endured together over recent months. It wasn't drastic, but Mila had noticed how her son would jump at the sound of a car door slamming and run to her side if somebody knocked at their front door when once upon a time, he'd have tried to unlock the door and let the visitor in himself.

"It's alright baby," she said with a smile, running a hand through his hair, "You wanna come with me to see who it is?"

Tristan just shook his head, his small fingers clutching the material of her sweatpants. Mila laughed quietly and headed out of the kitchen anyway, though Tristan eventually let go of her leg and stayed lingering by the corner of the couch as his mother grabbed the keys and started to unlock the door.

Tristan hated the feeling of worry that had consumed his small chest, feeling terrified as he watched his mother twist the handle. He couldn't understand how she could be so brave all the time when he wasn't sure anything could've made him open that door on his own.

He watched with Rocket held in front of his face, the toy's soft, floppy ears making a small gap for Tristan to peer through as he held his breath, hoping that the person knocking on their door in the dark was somebody kind.

While he had hoped to see Joss stood on the porch or maybe even his Grandma, the face Tristan did see instantly washed away any of the anxious worry that had snatched his breath from him, making the terrified quiver of his bottom lip turn into the widest smile to ever fall across his face.

"Daddy!"

Mila stepped aside and watched with an undeniably warm heart as Tony dropped down onto his knees and embraced Tristan, kissing the boy's face and hair repeatedly as he clung to his neck with all the force in the world.

After being out of Tristan's life for what felt like an eternal prison sentence, Tony couldn't quite believe that the boy still thought of him as a father, not after leaving without even saying goodbye like he did last time.

Hearing the word made him tear up, having to squeeze his eyes shut to hold back the water as he felt Tristan kiss his cheeks, the child jumping up and down on the spot with his arms still fastened around him tightly, not wanting to let go.

"You came back," Tristan said, finally pulling back and holding his dad's face in his hands, touching his cheeks and his hair.

Tony smiled, blinking once and letting out a heavy sigh. It hurt him deeply to know that Tristan had thought he'd abandoned them, the words only solidifying his decision that time to never turn his back on their family again.

"I'm back, kid," Tony nodded, pressing a long kiss to Tristan's forehead, "And this time I'm never leaving you again, I promise."

The smile Tristan gave him in return told Tony that the child believed him. And while he'd made promises he hadn't kept in the past, he knew he'd have to die before breaking that one.

"Wow! This place is even nicer than I'd imagined!"

Tony stared into Tristan's eyes as he registered who the voice coming from outside belonged to. He wasn't quite tall enough to see past Tony's shoulders, though the way his eyes widened and his jaw slowly started to drop sprinkled the moment with even more magic.