It's been two days. The good news is that Tony was free to go from the police department and he's back at his own house. Also, Ethan's recovery is going well, he's definitely out of danger anymore. Although, his condition is pretty bad still, he's going to have to stay in the hospital for a while.
You've only spoken to Tony through messages anytime you had an update on his legal situation or anytime that you heard something about Ethan's health. It feels nice talking to Tony again, having a connection with him and hearing about his day.
After a long conversation with him on the phone, he suggested to come by your place. He said that it's going to be a friendly visit, to give you the comfort and support that you need. But you know it's more than that. He loves you, he keeps saying that and showing that, you love him, you can't keep lying to yourself and saying that you don't want him.
"Hey" he smiles when you open the door.
"Hey" you smile back at him.
He's holding a bouquet of flowers, or at least it looks like one. But instead it's a bouquet of all the kinds of candy that you like, which makes you chuckle immediately.
"I thought you'd like this" he says proudly.
"I do, thank you" you accept it from him.
"Can I come in?" he asks politely.
"Of course" you take a step sideways to give him more space to come in.
He takes slow steps as he enters the house and awkwardly waits for you in the living room. He looks around, noticing all the unusual mess in your house. Blankets, messy sofa and living room.
"This is where you've been spending your time now?" he asks the obvious question.
"This and my bedroom" you shrug.
"Have you been eating?" he asks.
"Yes, I have" you answer.
"You look like you've lost weight. Why are you alone? You need someone to help you get back on your feet" he starts sounding very worried.
"Tony, it's fine. I'm recovering, I asked Sebastian and Anne to give me some space" you reassure him.
He sighs, clearly not liking the fact that you're alone, but he knows he can't insist too much on it. You take a seat on the couch and he follows your lead, sitting right next to you.
"How are you, really?" he asks thoughtfully.
"I'm holding on, you know. It's not easy" you answer honestly.
"He's never going to hurt you again" he says and takes your hands in his.
"I know" you nod.
His hands are still bruised, it's the first thing you notice when he holds you. Your eyes get teary again but you hold back the tears successfully.
"There's something you should know, I didn't want to tell you over a message" he says.
"What is it?" you ask, worried.
"He's taking me to court. There's no way I'm winning this case, there are all kinds of evidence against me. Hell, I'm not even planning on denying anything" he confesses.
"What does that mean?" you panic.
"I'm looking at jail time, like serious jail time. My lawyer will do everything to close a good deal. Maybe we will reduce it to a few months? I don't know" he sounds so calm.
"No, no, no, this can't be happening" you start crying.
You knew the consequences would be bad, jail even crossed your mind, but you weren't expecting it to happen so soon. Ethan just woke up and he's already done all this?
"It's okay, Alice. I told you, I don't regret a thing" he hugs you as you cry.
"I feel so guilty" you sob.
"You shouldn't. This was all my decision" he wraps his arms tighter around you.
You hold him as tight as you can. This is real. You're losing him. Maybe for a few months, maybe for a year, maybe for more.
"There must be something we can do" you say.
"There's not. The only hope we had was for him to not press charges but come on" he chuckles.
"He hates me, I humiliated him in front of all his employees. I would've done the same if I was him" he continues.
"We'll figure something out, you can't- it can't happen, okay? I won't let you go to prison" you shake your head.
"Alice" he calls your name.
He uses his strength to make you look at him. His hands hold your head on each side of your face, making you look straight into his eyes. Even though everything that's happening, he doesn't look concerned, he doesn't look worried. Instead, he's almost smiling while looking at you.
"This was my way of trying to make things better, I don't regret anything. If I have to go to prison for a few months, so be it. He deserved everything and even worse. If you weren't there to stop me, I'm telling you I would've killed him. You saved me, again" he says as honestly as he can.
"I'll fight for this, I'll fight for you. There's no way I'm giving up" you say seriously.
"God, I love you so much" he says passionately, his eyes moving from your eyes to your lips and back.
"I love you, too" you can't help but confess your feelings to him.
"Let me be here for you. I won't mess anything up this time, I promise. If I could go back and change things, I would" he holds your hands in his tighter.
"You hurt me so much, Tony" you desperately look away.
"I know and I can't express how sorry I am for it. Guilt has been eating me up. The partying, the drinking, the drugs, the women... it was all a desperate attempt to get over my pain. I'm not the man I was, you have to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt you ever again" he sounds so honest.
"I've trusted you before and you only hurt me even more. How can I know this is any different? You're good with words" you just look at him, overwhelmed with feelings.
"I admit it, I've been awful to you. I deserve every little bit of hate. But I'm not the same anymore, if I could prove it somehow, I would" he leans closer to you.
"This isn't a good time for any more games, Tony. I'm already a mess, I won't handle another heartbreak from you if it all goes south again" you're also honest with him
"No more games, I promise. This is me being 100% yours. All I want is to be with you, nothing else" he takes your hands in his.
"I'm not what you want right now. I'm broken, I still haven't recovered and I don't know how much time it's going to take. I'm a mess" you look away from his eyes, feeling the need to cry all over again.
"Nonsense. You're all I want, all I ever wanted" he turns your head with his fingers so that you look back at him.
"I can't be the girlfriend I was. I can't be the partner you want. You want intimacy, fun, adventure, I can't give you any of that anymore" you try to hide your sadness.
"You can give me more than you think. You'll recover from what that piece of sh*t did to you, I'll make it my personal goal that you do. You'll get your smile back, your laugh, your old self. He hasn't taken everything away from you. You're strong, and even if it seems tough right now, I am certain that you'll heal. I'll wait for as long as that takes, time isn't an issue" he's positive and supportive.
"Can you really do this? Can you wait until I heal? Tony, I can't even imagine doing anything intimate anymore" you look down in disappointment.
"Being able to hold you again is way more than enough for me. You don't have to worry about me giving up on us" he reassures you.
"If you're lying to me I'm going to murder you, Anthony Edward Stark" you slightly smile.
"My name has never sounded better" he chuckles.
It's like for a moment you forgot everything that's happened to you. Like you found some peace and you could laugh with your whole heart. Both of you. Just two people who love each other and finally seem able to enjoy it properly.
"Can I kiss you?" he sounds hopeful.
"Yes, yes you can" you naturally smile.
He smiles widely and appealingly runs his tongue over his lower lip before approaching you. It's like a dream, his lips on yours again after all this time. They feel soft and irresistible and right. It's where they belong. You know this is the person you should be kissing.
"I missed this so much" he says with satisfaction.
"Me, too" you interlock your fingers with his.
"I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you, for not being able to protect you" his voice sounds hurt.
You turn around and with slow movements you manage to sit right in front of his body, your back on his chest and your feet on the couch, getting as comfortable as possible. He rests his head on top of yours and places a soft kiss on it.
"You couldn't have done anything to prevent this. Being here right now is all that matters" you caress the hand that he has wrapped around you softly.
"No one will ever hurt you again" he whispers.
Between his comfortable hug and the calmness that his breathing caused you, you were able to enjoy the candy that he brought you. He even surprised you and your expectations when he made sure you ate something by making you a sandwich himself.
"I-I have no pyjamas to sleep in with. Is it okay if I sleep with my clothes?" he scratches his head when it's time to go to bed.
"Tony, it's okay, you can sleep in your underwear" you say nicely as you approach him.
It's not like he usually wears pyjamas. Most of the time he sleeps in his underwear anyway.
"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable" he confesses.
Your heart melts instantly. Seeing how much he's trying to make you comfortable around his presence is filling your heart with love. Yes, Ethan traumatised you, but if there's one man that you feel comfortable around anymore in a more emotional way, that's Tony.
"You won't. I am comfortable around you" you wrap your arms around his neck.
"Well, if you change your mind, I'm sure I'll look fantastic in your clothes" he makes you laugh.
"Good luck trying to fit those in my clothes" you joke around about his significantly larger biceps.
He laughs and holds you by your lower waist carefully as you're wrapped around him. Then you slowly lean into each other and share a beautiful kiss. Before you know it, you're under the sheets, hugging and getting ready to sleep.
"This is amazing" he expresses his joy and pleasure after taking in your scent.
"It really is" you close your eyes, taking in the feeling of him around you as intensely as possible.
You can understand the smile on his lips because his lips are in touch with your skin.
"Goodnight" you smile widely, holding him as closely as possible.
"Goodnight, baby" his beautiful voice is the last thing that you hear before closing your eyes.