Vacations are supposed to be fun. Tony Stark would like to differ. This vacation wasn't off to a great start. First, his private jet broke down, and he had to comply with his kids' request and take a regular flight. Second, his neighbours were fucking lousy and old. Third--well, you get the point. For Valerie and Alex, the vacation was vacationing. As soon as they got out of the airport, they stopped to take a breath of that familiar air. Their childhood was waving back at them. Athens, the city they grew up in, their home. 

But all that was on Valerie's mind was meeting their mother. She missed her mother dearly; all the shiny distractions at the Stark Tower didn't compare to the comfort of her mother and their home. Surely, they would be able to meet her now that they were back in Greece.  

"So, are we going straight home or what?" Valerie's question was met with confusion. Tony was honestly confused when she asked him that. Why would she want to go back to that tiny, constricted pile of walls? 

"What do you mean?" The twins glanced at each other for a second before Alexander explained.

"Dad, we thought we were here to meet Mom..."

Oh.

Tony spoke before he could stop to think. "Guys, we're here for a vacation, come on! Show me the best places around here to visit, you know, sightseeing and all that schmack." 

Instantly, Valerie understood that they were not here to meet their mother. No. They were here for "sightseeing". Alex, on the other hand, was upset. He didn't think their dad could be so inconsiderate. And so, imagine Tony Stark's surprise when it was not his daughter but his supportive son who spoke up, "You mean to say we're here in Athens, and you never planned to make us meet Mom?"

"Well, bud, I didn't think--"

"We didn't even say goodbye."

Valerie didn't need to speak; everything she wanted to say, Alex was conveying. Hearing Alex's sad tone broke Tony's metal heart a little. "I'm sorry, guys, but to be honest, I don't even know if  Athena is in Athens anymore..."

"What?"

"For security reasons, she agreed to go into hiding for a little while. She might be visiting her parents or be anywhere in the world."

"So you're saying we're never gonna meet her again?" It was Valerie who spoke this time. "No--I don--I don't know guys..." 

"That's the best you can come up with? 'I don't know?' You're supposed to know everything! You're Tony Stark. I know for a fact that you can find her with just one phone call with all your fancy tech! Do you not want us to meet her?"

Valerie's outburst was new, and it startled Tony. She had lashed out before, but never like this. That's when Tony understood how much he'd fucked up. It was one step forward and two steps back. 

"I'm sorry, kids. I know it doesn't make this any better, but I promise that once we go back, I'll find a way to contact Athena. For now, how about you guys show me your home? I want to see where you grew up and lived all these years, how about that?"

It didn't do much to make the mood better, but Alex felt slightly happy to know that their father was interested in seeing where they grew up. "Haven't you seen it in the pictures you had Mom send you? I would've thought you had her sell the house, even." 

Valerie was one to hold grudges. Alex knew that firsthand. He remembered the time when he had once stolen a slice of pizza from Valerie's half. She didn't speak to him for a week straight. It was only after he agreed to do her chores for a month that she forgave him. 

"No, I'm not that heartless, Valerie. I wouldn't sell that house. You would hate me forever if I did that. I know." Athena had told him of his daughter's stubborn habit of keeping grudges. She was more like him than she thought. 

"Whatever." Rolling her eyes, Valerie started walking ahead of the two. 

"Where are you going? The car's that way." Tony said, amused. Their driver was waiting for them on the other side of where Valerie was walking. Without a word, the girl changed directions and started walking towards the said car. 

Tony sighed. This was going to be a long vacation.

When the three Starks reached the apartment where the kids had lived the majority of their lives, they took the lift to the 5th floor. The locked door stared at them. At that moment, the three realised that none of them had a key to the home.

"Wait, I remember Mom used to keep an extra key under the doormat," Valerie said as she bent down to check under the mat. Lo and behold, the key was there. Picking it up, Val inserted the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. When the door opened, the kids absorbed everything. Everything looked the same, as if it had never been touched.  It had been just a week since they had moved out, but it felt longer than that.  

While immediately wanting to comment on how small the house looked compared to the pictures, Tony bit his tongue when he looked at the sad expressions on his kids' faces. Surprisingly, Valerie, the oh so strong girl, looked closer to tears than Alexander. His little girl took the first step into the living room. 

Valerie imagined her mother coming home from work and immediately waltzing towards the kitchen to cook a delicious dinner. Her sweet, sweet mother, who would scold the twins for their pranks but then praise them for their intelligence. Who would hug them when they got hurt, play games on game nights, and put them to sleep.

In a house, the living room was where a family would gather after a long day, sit together and watch TV, and tell each other about their days. It was the living room where the Christmas tree stood with presents under it. Out of all the three rooms in the house, the living room was where the small family of three would spend most of their time. 

"Val, you remember last Christmas?"

"Yeah, it was the best Christmas ever. I wish I had known it was the last one we'd spend all together."

Tony Stark wasn't a family man. But, strangely, he found himself wishing he knew the memories his kids were talking about. He wished that he had been there with them. Tony loved his life. He wouldn't trade it for anything else. But sometimes he wondered what it would have been like to be normal. To be a part of his kids' lives. Tony Stark wasn't a family man, but all that Anthony Stark once wanted was a happy family. A family of his own. 

"Would you guys tell me about last Christmas?"

Tony's question was met with giddy smiles appearing on his kids' faces. The relief the father of the two felt when he saw those smiles was indescribable. Now he understood why parents always wanted their kids to be happy. It made the parents feel happy as well. It was selfish, sure, but it mattered. Their little smiles mattered so much.  

And so, the three sat on the couch as Valerie and Alexander told Tony of their most memorable Christmas. The story included decorating the tree and putting up stockings, making eggnog and something about the kids making a mess of the kitchen in their attempt to surprise their mother with gingerbread cookies. 

Tony had never hated himself so much.

He had missed out on so much. If only he'd been a little stronger back then. If only he had been the Iron Man that he was today, back then. Then maybe, he would have been the one decorating the Christmas tree with his kids.

As Val and Alex reminisced and Tony listened, they didn't notice the smiles that never left their faces, and they didn't notice the time. It was when Alex yawned that Tony realised the time. 

"It's getting late, guys. Let's order some food and go to sleep, yeah?"

He received tired nods in response. Tony quickly ordered some pizza, and the three of them ate in silence. It was a short dinner and a tiring day. And so, the three of them retired to their respective rooms. The twins went to their shared room, while Tony occupied the room that once belonged to Athena.

"Today was good," Valerie said from her side of the room as she lay on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. 

"I wish every day were like today," Alex replied with a smile on his face. "But I also miss Mom, Val. I don't want you to think that I don't miss her just because I've accepted Dad." 

"I know." Alex looked at his twin as she replied softly. He knew she understood him better than anyone else. After a long silence, Alex spoke up again.

"Hey Val, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Valerie looked at her brother from across the room as she silently shifted to make space for him. Alex got up and made way to Val's bed as he lay down beside her.

In the adjacent room, Tony sat on his bed, on call with Pepper. "Today was good, Pepper. Today was really good."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"The kids opened up to me. I've missed out on so much."

"Don't think about the moments that have gone by, Tony. Make up for it. Make up for the things you've missed out on."

"Yeah, I get that. It's just--I don't know..." Tony sighed.

"You know what? Go and tuck them in. I remember you told me once that Athena used to do that for them. They'll like it if you do that too."

"What if they think I'm trying to replace their mother?"

"Just try first, Tony. Most of the time, with kids, it's always trial and error."

After a minute of persuading from Pepper, Tony cut the call and went to the kids' room, knocking on the door, "Hey guys, can I come in?"

The knock startled Valerie and Alex, who had cosied up and were about to sleep. "Come in, Dad."

As he heard his son's reply, Tony twisted the door knob and entered the twins' room. The sight of his kids snuggled up in one bed warmed his heart. "I just came to say good night." Tony honestly did not know what entailed tucking his kids in bed. He didn't know what to do. This was all very new to him. 

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night."

The kids responded as Tony stood awkwardly at the door. Was that it? This was all he had to do? Somehow, he just knew that his work wasn't done. So, Tony Stark took a leap of faith.

"Hey, do you guys mind if I sleep here with you guys?"

He second-guessed the question the minute it came out of his mouth. Okay, maybe this leap of faith was just bullshit. Maybe this was a bad idea. "Yeah. Cool." The answer surprised him. But what surprised him more was the fact that it was his daughter who uttered the answer. 

Maybe it had been a long day. And Valerie was tired. Maybe that's why she had agreed to Tony's request. But maybe it was the glaring reality that hit Valerie in the face. Tony Stark was trying. She could see that. She could cut him some slack.

Tony smiled, quite giddily. One step forward. 

And as the father occupied his son's bed, he felt closer to his kids than ever. Despite the distance between his bed and his kids' bed. 

This was all he ever wanted.

Jen Speaks!

I love love love writing Tony as a father. To begin with, he is a complex character to write. Not in terms of his mannerisms, but his personality. It's hard for me to think as a parent because I'm not one lol, but I'm basing everything off of my instinct and my own experiences. So far, this has been my favourite chapter. Let me know if you think Tony is a complex character to write!

I somehow have lost the original gif that @glxnnrhees made for me, so I'm using this preview that I found from them! You might've noticed differences in my formatting, and if that disturbs you, I'm sorry, but I'm probably going to continue writing in the format I've used for this chapter and the last chapter.

Also, I see views on the story, but the votes are much lower. So please don't be a silent reader. Voting for a chapter really isn't that hard. As an author, these votes really boost our confidence. SO PLEASE VOTE!!!