Title: Custody Part III
Category: Who's the Boss
Summary: A celebration on the dance floor. A post-script.
Rating: General audience
Spoilers: Custody Parts I and II
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
I wrote most of these a long time ago. I apologize for any mistakes, but I will try to edit as I go!
I'm moving my Who's the Boss fics from various other sites to here. Feedback welcome - good or bad - and appreciated :) Enjoy.
Custody Part III
Angela laughs in Tony's ear as he spins her around. He can't help it. He's in a great mood, and hearing her laugh with such abandon is a sound he could get used to.
"Are you happy?" he asks her, holding her close on the dance floor.
"I'm very happy. I'm so happy, Tony…. I never wanted to give Michael custody, I hope you know that."
"I know."
"I didn't know what to do. Jonathan loves Michael so much. The fact that he's abandoned him for so long makes him love him even more."
"Angela, you may not realize it, but Jonathan loves you more than anyone in the world. He wants to impress his dad, he wants his dads attention, he wants his dad to love him like you love him. Sure, in this magical place everything is rainbows and sunshine, but in the end Jonathan is always going to pick you. You're a terrific mother."
"Thank you, Tony."
"And you're a terrific dancer. Where'd you learn to keep up like that?"
"Five years of dance lessons, that's where. Only… there weren't enough boys so I always had to partner up with another girl. We'd fight over who would lead."
"You won?"
"No, I lost! That's how I learned to follow."
"Oh."
"Anyway, Tony, thank you for being so good to Jonathan this trip. You really supported him when he needed it. It means so much to me that he can rely on you."
"He always can."
Tony pulls her close because he's happy and he wants to. He's not supposed to, but he likes the feel of her body and the smell of her hair. He likes the way she giggles into his ear every now and then.
"You look way better than Heather," he tells her.
"Oh, Tony. She looks young and carefree and sunkissed. I look… matronly."
"Is this what matronly looks like?" he asks, teasingly.
"Yes," she giggles again.
"This is matronly? I thought matronly was the old Italian ladies who would get together and cook for the Feast of St. Joseph every year. They had these big dresses and aprons and they'd hit us with wooden spoons if we tried to steal something to eat. You definitely don't look like that."
"Really? What do I look like?"
"You look…." He hesitates for barely a moment, but the night is beautiful and so is she. "You look tall and lean. You look classy. You look great with your hair up, but you look better with your hair down since I can't see your neck anyway. And this dress… this dress is soft and it hugs your body like… let's just say it does your body good."
He looks into her eyes. He can't help it. His brain really isn't in charge right now. He's sure that at any minute she'll take a step back and put some distance between them again, but she doesn't. She looks at him, her eyes sparkling.
Drunk on joy, Tony doesn't think, he just acts. He leans forward and kisses her.
It's not their first kiss, it's technically their third, but it's a really good one. Her lips are soft and her kiss is sweet. Angela doesn't protest or pull away, so Tony puts the hand he's holding on his shoulder so he can wrap both arms around her. He has to add to the list of things she's good at: kissing and dancing and wearing form fitting dresses.
"I don't think employers are supposed to do this with their employees," she says against his mouth.
"Think anybody'll report us to HR?"
"I won't say anything if you don't."
"Oh, I'm not gonna say a thing," he says, tilting his head to kiss her again. "Anyway, we're just celebrating," he explains, between kisses. "Congratulations to Michael and Heather, and good riddance.
"Mmm," she hums against his lips. "Good riddance."
She sighs and the sound practically shoots directly to Tony's groin.
"We should go back. I want to check on Jonathan."
"Yeah," he says, dropping light kisses onto her lips.
"I mean now," she smiles. "Before mother catches us. Or before…."
"Right," he says. The way he's feeling right now, her second, unspoken point is a valid concern.
He steps away from her, but he takes her hand in his, pulling her along with him.
"Come on. I'll make you a nightcap in the room before I send you to bed."
She giggles again, wrapping her other arm around his while she holds his hand tightly, effectively pressing her body against him as they walk upstairs. Tony smiles, enjoying the last few moments of their celebration before going back to real life.