Shadowplay | Tony Stark

SIXTY FIVE - DIFFERENT

"Uh Mom, what's this?"

Mila was sitting at the dining table with her head buried in her tax book and had been for the past two hours. She had been run into the ground with work recently and had ended up bringing her job into her home after leaving the salon, though she struggled to get much done with an energetic three year old running rings around her constantly.

Looking up from her notebook, Mila smiled warmly at Peter who had wandered down the stairs with something in his hand, a sheepish look on his face as he checked over his shoulder before holding it up.

The smile on Mila's face quickly faded when she saw the picture of her twelve week scan between his fingertips. His brows were raised despite knowing quite clearly what he was holding, though was more in search of an announcement than anything else.

Tony was paying no mind to the scene behind him, laying down on the couch with Tristan in his arms, throwing the boy up into the air and catching him every five seconds as he giggled wildly. The TV was blaring out Scooby-Doo and Mila had just about had enough of all the noise, her mind barely being able to process any of the work she needed to get done before, let alone now.

"That is, um," Mila blinked, laughing breathlessly as Peter looked down at her with a knowing gaze, a smile creeping onto his lips.

Mila and Tony hadn't planned on telling the boys for a little while longer, or telling anyone else for that matter, though it seemed like fate had intervened once again.

"Tony, could you and Tris come here please?" Mila said calmly, though loud enough to catch their attention while they laughed together in their own little world.

Tony jumped to his feet and threw the toddler over his shoulder, tickling his sides as he carried him across the living room and over to the dining table, sitting Tristan down on the edge.

"What's going- oh," he drew in a sharp breath through gritted teeth, giving Peter an apologetic and also slightly embarrassed look when he noticed the scan photograph.

"What is that, Daddy?" Tristan grabbed the picture from his brother's hands and held it close to his face, twisting and turning it in every direction while his puzzled mind attempted to work out what exactly it was he was looking at.

"That," Tony pointed, crossing his other arm at his torso as he stood behind Mila, "Is your new baby brother or sister, boys."

There was a golden glow that radiated in Peter's cheeks once he heard the news spoken out loud. He'd had his suspicions since he'd noticed his mother stop drinking despite her usually being partial to a glass of wine, though had kept his thoughts firmly to himself. Secretly though, Peter had been hoping his assumptions had been right, not being able to shake the daydreams of holding his new sibling in his arms and watching Tristan do the same, experiencing something all together for the first time.

Becoming an older brother to Tristan had been one of the best things to ever happen to Peter, and to be told it was going to happen all over again was incredibly exciting to the teenager, wanting nothing more than to be part of a happy family.

"A baby? Where is it?" Tristan said, pulling a face at the scan as he still couldn't decipher it really was a baby on the picture.

"It's in Mommy's tummy, it's still growing."

"Oh," Tristan said, placing the scan down on the table and tilting his head, "When will it be here?"

"Christmas time, buddy." Tony answered, placing his hands on Mila's shoulders and giving them a light squeeze.

"So the baby is like a Christmas present for me?"

The adults laughed and Mila nodded, smiling at her son who's expression had changed from confused to intrigued and she hoped it would change again to delight.