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Tony stared at their work for the evening.
It was a lot, but nothing near enough.
He felt like there should be more. More. More. More.
He needed to program the surprise even bigger. Louder. Grander.
“Here, let me-“ Tony reached over Stephen,
“You’ve done enough.”
Tony malfunctioned a moment.
Those words, mixed with the fingers combing through his hair had never gone hand in hand before.
A fight was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t feel flames scorching at the surface of his skin. In fact, everything was calm. Peaceful. He was more vulnerable than he usually let himself be- even here, at home.
“What?” Tony blanked,
“You’ve done enough,” Stephen repeated softly, as though the other man hadn’t heard him the first time,
“No, but-“
“You’re brilliant… everything is perfect.”
Stephen looked to him, small, satisfied smile.
The room around them was covered in banners and confetti, a pool of balloons far as the eye can see.
The kitchen bench was littered with badly wrapped presents, and the grand cake they’d ordered that would surely not make it to lunch time.
It was a lot, and it hardly seemed enough. There were still things that need fixing, placing, tightening and straightening.
Tony still had time to fiddle with an attachment for one of the gifts-
“This is really important,” he reached out,
“And Peter will love it…” Stephen caught his hand,
“But I have to-“
“Tony… you’ve gone above and beyond. He will talk about this for the rest of his life… you did good,”
“You really think it’s enough?”
“More than enough,”
He contemplated on it, “…I should do more-“
“Hey… you know Peter doesn’t care how flashy it is… only that you did it for him,”
“He deserves the best,”
“And he’s got the best- you did it.”
Stephen’s eyes were so blue.
So unguarded and honest. Still, it was hard for Tony to believe him.
There was never enough. Not when Tony Stark was in the room, no sir. There was always more to give.
More. More. More.
It was the expectation of him, and an expectation he put on himself.
He’d never before known anyone to look at something he’d created and consider it acceptable. Enough.
Perfect.
No matter how great his efforts or results were, people always wanted something more.
This was the first time he’d ever planned something and not been pushed, and to hear it from Stephen, the one of two people who mattered most…
“Can you say that again?”
“What?”
“That first thing you said…”
“You’ve done enough?”
“Say it again to me slow like that,”
“You’ve done enough…”
“Again,”
“You’ve done enough.”
Tony took a deep breath, feeling the tension drain off of him. Feeling the words seep into his core.
He was savouring them, not convinced the case would last.
There was still an edge, nagging at him somewhere in the corner, that this was merely a moment, and at any second, Stephen would change his mind and ask something more of Tony.
But it never came.
Stephen stayed gentle, settled. Sure.
“No one has ever said it like that to me before,” Tony admitted eventually, knowing he’d have to explain at some point,
“That you’ve done enough?”
“Usually it’s the PG way of saying ‘fuck off,’ or ‘fuck you…’ s’not a compliment…”
He felt Stephen shift, then a long kiss was pressed to his cheek.
“You’re gonna make his day,”
“I hope so,”
“You can’t out-Dad this… you have brought the A game,”
“I just want him to have fun tomorrow- and be proud of it when his friends come over,”
“They’re gonna be equally stoked. You’re definitely gonna be the ‘cool’ parent, as if you weren’t already-“
Tony took a step, throwing his arms around Stephen’s shoulders.
He wanted to cling to this.
To the words. To Stephen.
Stephen was his greatest achievement to date. Peter was different, Peter was good, with stars in his eyes, and he saw the best in everyone.
Stephen saw the worst in Tony. Knew every ugly corner, and yet still, he loved Tony like the man was perfect.
Sometimes, Tony could even forget himself, all of the shitty things he’d done. Stephen could look at him with so much sunshine, Tony swore it was reviving parts of him that had been long left for dead.
“Let’s call it a night, hm?” Stephen suggested some moments later, ruffling the back of Tony’s hair, “we’ll be up early with the birthday boy,”
“Mm-mm,” Tony shook his head,
“Just tell me you want some lovin’ before bed, and I’ll make it happen…”
“Turns out I like being told how good and special I am,”
“Of course you do,” Stephen chuckled, “that surprises no-one-“
“This is different…” Tony insisted defiantly,
“You are everything… everything you do is extraordinary... now get your butt upstairs so I can tell you so in much more explicit detail…”
“You balance my love languages so well,”
“Because I know you, and I love you, and you’re clingy… give me a kiss…”
Tony relented, shifting only slightly to comply,
“You’ve done an unbeatable party set up… let’s go celebrate…”
“Tell me again I’m good enough,”
“All night long.”