Here I Stand

I'm standing in the doorway of the Elsa's crew cabin, watching him sleep.

I'd known him since before he was born, since I was his mother's obstetrician while she was pregnant with him. She never understood why I was unable to speak, but once he was born, I held him before taking him to the nursery and whispered my first spoken words to him.

"I'll always watch over you, little one."

And that's exactly what I've done. I've stayed in the shadows and watched him fall in love; I've watched him get his heart broken; I've watched him devote himself to piloting as much as I've devoted myself to protecting him. I've even become the ship's doctor aboard the Elsa so I could stay close to him. chaos is the only one who knows the real reason I've become so attached to Tony, and I've sworn him to secrecy about it, because I'm afraid if Tony knew, he'd never believe me.

I silently step towards Tony's bed and kneel down, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. He doesn't move; he's the deepest sleeper on the ship. I lean down and press a light kiss to his forehead and whisper, "Good night, Tony, I love you," then get to my feet and creep out of the room. Pausing at the door, I look back and blink.

He's smiling in his sleep.

It's almost as if he heard me.