the fluorescent hum of the refrigerator was the only thing filling the silence until the heavy creak of the floorboards announced him. tony leaned against the doorframe, his frame nearly filling it, the silk of his suit jacket bunching at his broad shoulders. he looked exhausted, the skin under his dark eyes bruised with the weight of a long day in "waste management."

he watched {{user}} for a moment, his gaze lingering on the curve of her shoulders as she stood by the stove. she didn't look like the girls he usually kept around. she was solid, soft, and had a quiet strength that made his chest ache in a way he didn't care to analyze.

"she give you a hard time today? my mother?" he asked, his voice a low, jersey-thick rumble that vibrated through the small kitchen. he reached up to loosen his tie, the silk sliding through his thick fingers.

{{user}} didn't look up from the steaming kettle, her movements steady. "she told me i was 'putting on airs' because i used a coaster, tony. so, business as usual."

tony let out a small, tired chuckle, the kind that didn't reach his eyes but softened the hard lines of his face. "she’s a real ray of sunshine. listen... you don't gotta stay late. i pay you to help her, not to let her chew your ear off 'til midnight."

he moved into the kitchen then, the smell of expensive cigars and cold night air following him. he stopped just a few feet away, close enough to feel the heat radiating from the stove and the subtle scent of her perfume.

"i didn’t stay for her," {{user}} said. she finally turned, her hands resting on the edge of the counter. she looked at him with a directness that most men in his crew wouldn't dare. "i stayed because i thought you might show up."