Broken Lullaby ▷ Tony Stark | ✓

42 - BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

TIME HAD PASSED AND TONY WAS NOW FEELING AS THOUGH HE WAS STARTING TO GET THE HANG OF THINGS. Since having those conversations with the people in the Walsh's lives and coming to terms with the fact that he couldn't guarantee himself to be the best father figure in the world, he was starting to be pretty okay with his new role, and the Walsh's had started to notice.

"Remy's going to be interviewing my parents tonight about them and his 'ancestors' for his family tree project, so you don't have to worry about picking him up," Birdie said, the two working around the kitchen, Tony making coffee and she making breakfast.

"That'll be fun, he was complaining about that to me while we were waiting for you to get home," he replied, dropping ice into the coffee despite Birdie hating how it would melt and make it more watery; he tended to make her coffee more strong so she wouldn't notice it as much.

"Any plans today, you mentioned that you might have a meeting with Rhodey about some developments on the Accords and other news?" Birdie asked, leaning against the counter, eyeing the clock for when she usually had to start calling Remy because he ignored BUDDY's alarm.

He nodded, moving so he was standing in front of her, reaching out to play with the beads on her cardigan. "Yeah, it's gonna be...a time. Hopefully it won't run on too long, and if it does I'll just do something obnoxious until they all leave."

She laughed, but caught herself, giving him a stern look, lightly smacking his arm. "Don't do that, these are important people with very important, busy lives."

"I'm an important person with a very important, busy life!" he cried, grinning when she started to laugh, "I know that you think I just sit on your couch, eat your ice cream, and use your TV, but I actually do stuff at the facility, I just don't want to bore you with the details."

She scoffed, moving away from him to go set the table. "Okay, Tony."

He followed her closely, trying to get her attention. "I'm serious, Elizabeth, there is intense stuff that happens at the facility, I would tell you, but your feeble womanly lawyer mind wouldn't be able to take it."

She turned on her heel to silently look at him and he raised his hands. "That was a joke."

Nodding, she turned right back and around and continued to set the table, Tony still trying to catch her attention, finally able to drop his chin onto her shoulder and watch her rearrange the plates and food the way she wanted, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist.

"You're incredibly clingy while you sleep, you know that?" she jabbed lightly, but there was something in her tone that let him know she understood why, and so he just hid his face in the crook of her neck instead of replying.

After a few moments of just standing there, Birdie sighed heavily and he lifted his head, frowning. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, I just...I have a meeting, I guess you could call it, today, and I think it's necessary, but I'm not rushing to get to it. Does that make sense?"

He nodded, reaching out to try and get her to turn around to face him. When she finally relented, she gave him a small smile, trying to clear the air, but he just looked at her, still holding her close.

"You'll be fine," he said, "Despite what you, and probably everyone who doesn't know you, including me at first, thinks, you're a very scary, assertive person and even if the meeting is awful, you'll make sure that it ends with something you're happy with. If not, I'll drop in with the suit, do a little intimidating. Text me if that happens, maybe I can get out of my meeting."

She laughed, shaking her head and reaching up, snaking her arms up to hug him, standing on her tiptoes, and Tony couldn't help but grin, because she was shorter than him and didn't wear high heels indoors.