Work Text:
Tony sighed tiredly as he stumbled inside the penthouse, so exhausted he could barely walk straight.
Loosening his tie with one hand, he dropped his briefcase on the couch, barely holding back another yawn. He had hoped to come home early but of course, there had been some last minute emergency to deal with that had ended up taking much longer than he had thought.
Making his way to the kitchen, Tony paused when he found a plate waiting for him on the counter, along with a note and a rose. Suddenly, it was as if the tension in his shoulders melted away, all the stress and tiredness of the day disappearing as his heart seemed to flutter in his chest. It was not the first time he came home to such a sweet surprise, far from it actually, but it never failed to make him smile.
Delicately picking up the paper, Tony felt a surge of love for his husband as he read it. It was a small thing, nothing fancy, just a cute little drawing of Steve kissing him with a ‘welcome home, sweetheart’ neatly written under it, but it was worth everything to him.
He always felt bad whenever he missed dinner, hated coming home so late, but this was telling him everything he needed to know.
That Steve understood.
That he loved him.
That he cared.
Still smiling, Tony placed the note on the fridge, along the dozens other little drawings and sticky notes Steve had left him over the years, then he put the plate in the fridge.
He was too tired to eat tonight. He could already hear Steve’s lecture about eating properly but today had been impossibly long and all he could think about was his husband waiting for him in their bed, all soft and warm and welcoming.
***
As he had expected, Steve was fast asleep in their bed but the moment Tony joined him under the covers, a strong arm wrapped around his waist, tugging him closer, and Tony felt himself go boneless with love and happiness.
It was the same ritual every time he came to bed after Steve but he would never get tired of it.
He loved the way Steve always reached out for him, no matter how tired or deeply asleep he was, as if he couldn’t physically stay away from Tony. He loved how he buried his face in his hair and held him close. He loved that even after all these years, Steve made a point of telling him ‘good night’ and ‘I love you’, even if it was more of an incoherent mumble than anything else.
Catching a ‘welcome home’ mixed with an ‘I love you’ that confirmed his thoughts, Tony laughed softly and pressed a chaste, delicate kiss to his husband’s lips.
“I love you too, darling. Thank you for the note, sweet dreams,” he whispered against his lips, earning a beautiful sleepy smile.
Work had been hell today and it would happen again but coming home to Steve was worth everything in the world.