(2) Bring Me Home (T. Stark)

Chapter Thirty

Tony is sat on the floor with his children. Trinity's tea table brought in, tiny chairs set up, and a little plastic tea set in place on the top. Spencer sits on the couch and watches them as Tony pretends to drink from a cup. She can see how much she has missed his kids. The way he is watching Trinity. As if he is afraid she is about to disappear. Whatever happened to him, it really scared him.

"Spence" Tony states as Trinity heads off in search of another toy, Spencer looks at him and then stands before moving towards him. "I wanted to run an idea past you," Tony tells her as she takes a seat. Spencer hums a little.

"What sort of idea?" she asks him, he traces a finger around the top of the teacup as he thinks about how he wants to word this, as if he hasn't been thinking about it all night. They promised one another no secrets. So he has to tell her about this. He promised. And Spencer is the last person he will ever keep things from. He sets a few sketches onto the table and Spencer tilts her head to look at them, her fingers brushing the top one aside to look at the ones below.

"A suit of armour?" she asks him as she goes through the designs. He nods. "Why?"

"The people that took me....they had my weapons, Spence, and they were using them against....against villages that couldn't fight back...." He admits. "I can't let that stand...I have to put a stop to it....but I can't do that without...." he takes a breath and looks down at the designs. "I know you and the kids...." he stops again and looks at her. "I'm not going to go into this without thought, without a way to protect myself....so I can come home, but I feel like I have to do this" She touches his cheek and looks down at the designs. "Otherwise it will be Trinity to one day have to fix this mess and I don't want to put that on her, I don't want her to have to deal with the blowback..."

"Whatever you need," Spencer tells him warmly. "Space....time...."

"You've already given me what I need" He assures her. "Just talking to you about it.....I don't have anyone else, Spencer"

"You know that's not true..." She stops him. "Pepper...Happy...Rhodey..." She lists off, reminding him how many people he has that actually care about him. 

"And you know what I mean" he whispers. "If I tell them...if I tell them about this idea...they'll tell me it's stupid" she leans closer and kisses him, her fingers soft on his cheek.

"You'll always have me" she assures him, he smiles and nods. "And I promised to support you in whatever you do....so you have it" he leans closer and kisses her again as Trinity walks back into the room.

"Ewwww" Trinity complains, Spencer chuckles and pulls back from Tony.

"When are you planning on getting started?" Spencer asks, Tony shrugs.

"Whenever your brothers get here with the kids" He answers, she gives him a look, he smirks at her and then kisses her head. "Dean said he was stopping by some point today....who knows when that actually means" she smirks a little and nods in agreement. "I'm going to go scan these into the computer" he collects the designs, she stops him.

"I can do that" she offers. "You have tea with your daughter a little longer" Tony looks at her softly as she takes the papers from him. "Jarvis can keep me right" She adds, he nods and smiles. She heads away from him and he sighs softly watching her. Trinity pokes Tony's cheek and he looks at her. She sticks out her tongue and he returns the action. She chuckles and climbs into his lap.

"Alright, Princess...I think we need some more tea" He offers, she nods in agreement.

................

Tony rubs at his eyes as he shuffles into the living room to find Spencer, his bed had been suspiciously empty when he woke, which is unusual, even he is normally the first up, more so recently. He's had trouble sleeping without nightmares and he'd rather not take them to bed with him if it is going to upset Spencer. He finds Spencer is in the kitchen pulling off her jacket, Tony frowns a little.

"Where've you been?" He asks, she glances over her shoulder at him before setting her jacket over the chair and turning to him.

"I went to the store" She answers and shrugs a little. "I wanted to pick up a few things"

"At 5 am?" He counters, she smiles at him.

"Oh, you can go out for blueberries at stupid o'clock..." She teases, he pokes her nose and smiles warmly at her.

"Okay, so what did you get?"

"It's a surprise" She counters, stopping him from looking in the box. 

"Ah...Is it a sex swing?" He asks.

"Tony" She scolds.

"Oh my God, it is!" He jumps a little.

"It is not a sex swing, and you are really not giving up that argument, are you?" Tony smirks at her. "Just be patient"

"You must be thinking of your other husband" He offers, she sighs a little. "Alright" He caves. "I'll wait..." he holds up his hands when she narrows her eyes at him, not at all believing him, Tony is a lot of things but he really isn't patient.

"Okay" She draws out. "Want to go back to bed?" She asks as she walks past him, he nods and watches her head up the stairs. He takes a breath and then reaches out to touch the wrapped box, just to take a peek. "Tony!" Spencer yells from upstairs, scolding him.

"What? I wasn't looking" He defends as he follows her back up to bed.