Things seemed to become relatively routine over the following months. Tony accepted that, under these circumstances, the best place he could raise Michael was at David's compound. To his surprise, David wasn't the only one that could help him. A few of his other crew members were also parents; some worked for David purely to earn money for their children's future. Still, though, Tony made sure to give his all to Michael. He spent every minute he could with him, both out of a need to protect him and out of sheer love. He was dedicated to being the best parent he could be, to being a parent that Michelle would be proud of.

David knew this, understood this, which is why he realised very quickly that Tony was a ticking time bomb. Because the fact was, he hadn't truly processed his grief over Michelle. Tony was reminded of her every time he looked into Michael's eyes so David couldn't imagine how hard that was for him, given he had barely been able to mention her name without tearing up. David wasn't sure when Tony would finally crack, but he promised himself he would be there for Tony when he did.

The sky was dark as David closed the door behind him. So too, was the room, save for a dim night light. It was odd, Michael was sound asleep, but Tony wasn't near him as he would expect. However, it was too early for Tony to be sleeping too. David noticed a small light coming from under the ensuite door, and as he neared, he heard quiet crying on the other side. It sounded muffled, both because of the door and because he could tell Tony was trying not to be audible. He sighed, knocking on the door.

"Tony?" David asked softly.

He sniffled, clearing his throat a little before speaking hoarsely. "It's not locked."

David opened the door, then quickly but gently shut it behind him so the light wouldn't disturb Michael. Tony was sitting on the cold bathroom tiles, leaning against the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, and David realised he'd likely been crying for quite a while. In the relatively short time he had known Tony, David had seen him bottle up his emotions in every circumstance, always trying to keep a straight face in front of him and, more importantly, in front of his son. But it seemed now that Tony was no longer to contain them all. David simply sat opposite him on the tiles, crossing his legs.

Tony looked over at the door. "I didn't wake him, did I?"

He shook his head. "Michael's sound asleep."

His eyes closed, exhaling with relief. "Good."

"What's going on, Tony?" David asked, still keeping his voice quiet.

He watched Tony take a deep breath. "It…it was…it would have been our anniversary a few days ago. And I completely forgot about it." Tony wiped a tear from under his eyes. "And more than that, I-I realised I've barely thought about her these past few months. I…I feel terrible, she was everything to me and I…I'm not even thinking about her, I'm not even thinking about how much I miss her. I…how could I do that to her?"

"You've been thinking about Michael non-stop. You've been trying to keep your spirits up for his sake. There's nothing wrong with that, Tony. It doesn't make you a bad person."

Tony shrugged. "Doesn't it? Who gets married twice on the same date, to the same person, someone they love more than anything, and forgets?"

"A grieving father who's trying to keep it together." He answered. "It's because you love Michelle so much that you're so devoted to your son."

"Meanwhile, she's probably up there wondering what the hell I'm doing to him by raising him here." Tony muttered.

David sighed, looking at the shame in his expression. "I understand how you feel and I don't blame you. But I'm sure wherever Michelle is, she's just happy you're both okay and that you're holding on."

He hoped Tony would be receptive to his words. He didn't like talking about Michelle like this when truth be told, he hadn't known her, and certainly not the way that Tony had. He didn't want to overstep any boundaries, but he knew that all of Tony's guilt was rooted in Michelle's opinion of him.

"She wouldn't be chiding you for forgetting an anniversary when she knows that the only thing that's been on your mind is your son. If it was the other way around, would you think that? If you were looking on from beyond, watching her put herself last, watching her spend every waking moment giving everything to your child, would you really be that upset if she forgot an anniversary?"

He lifted his shoulders a little. "I guess not."

"Not a lot of people could be in your position and somehow find it in them to take all that grief, all that pain, and push themselves day in and day out to be the best parent they can be. And I'm sure she would see that."

Tony seemed to try to find a rebuttal, find a way to deny what he was saying. But, to David's joy, he conceded. "Thanks, I…needed to hear that."

"But you need to take care of yourself too, Tony. Because you're not going to be able to keep going the way you have been if you don't take a second every now and then to acknowledge how you feel, to acknowledge what you need."

David could see Tony was struggling to keep his eyes open. There'd been many sleepless nights for him over the past few months, so it was no surprise that it was all finally catching up to him now.

"I just…I just miss her so much." He croaked. "I wish she was here, I wish I didn't feel so alone in all of this."

"You're not alone." David said, feeling a clutch in his chest. "For as long as you'll let me, I will be there for Michael. And for you."

Looking up, Tony tipped his head in appreciation. "Thank you. I'm still not exactly sure why you're going this far for us, but the fact is you are, and I'm…I'm grateful. Honest to God, I don't know what I would be doing without you."

He cracked a half-smile. "You're welcome."

Tony stood, walking back into the bedroom, stopping to look at Michael and tilting his head sweetly before sitting on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand over his face tiredly. Biting his lip, he met David's eyes.

"If…if he wakes up and I don't hear it, could you please settle him? I think he's more comfortable with you than the nurses."

"Of course." He whispered earnestly before leaving Tony's room to occupy the adjacent spare room.

Unsurprisingly, Michael woke up not long after Tony fell asleep, but David knew just how exhausted Tony must have been because, unlike usual, his cries didn't seem to interrupt Tony's rest. David was quick to take him in his arms, hushing him quietly, feeling the same nostalgic bittersweetness he always did, never able to look at him without thinking of the children he'd lost.

But when he looked over at Tony, deeply asleep, David realised there was still that similar, familiar feeling within him. It was a feeling of concern, but not just in the anxious sense. It was almost...fondness. He realised that his original plan of having Tony on his side and using his expertise to earn another loyal crew member had barely crossed his mind in weeks. In fact, it hit David that it didn't actually matter to him anymore. He knew that Tony trusted him, he knew that Tony wouldn't betray him, not just because he feared negative consequences for his son, but because he knew Tony felt a sense of belonging here with him.

And David felt the same way in return. Having Tony and Michael around brought joy to him. Not just because of the old memories that resurfaced but because he was so genuinely happy to be a part of their lives, he was so happy to be able to fulfil them, to take care of them. Their well-being was of the utmost importance to him. Michael had already had such a rocky start to his life, so David was pleased he could help bring a sense of stability. His mind was constantly swimming with thoughts of logistics for when Michael grew older and his needs changed. He already had a list of potential tutors, knowing that sending him to school likely wouldn't be possible. But David wasn't going to let the nature of his work, let the choices he'd made affect Michael's life, or Tony's for that matter. He wanted to provide for them in every way. He wanted to take care of the worrying, knowing that Tony had so much on his mind and was trying so desperately to be the father Michelle would have wanted him to be.

As these thoughts and realisations pooled together, David realised there was only one conclusion to draw. It terrified him. It was something he'd sworn he would never let himself feel about anybody else again, something he didn't think he'd be capable of feeling about anybody else again.

But still, he couldn't deny it any longer. Now that he was aware of its presence, he would never be able to forget about it or ignore it.

Because David knew that he'd fallen in love.