[ Tony mulls that over. When Howard had shown up, Tony had almost blurted out the truth the moment they met in person so it would stop picking at the back of his mind. But he hadn't, and while it had been nice to pretend to be something they weren't for the months that they did, when the proverbial shit hit the fan, he wish he had told him that first day. If only to save his skin in the future. But it was more than just that. Part of him knew Howard deserved the truth, because decades younger or not, Tony knew his dad. Neither Stark was keen on having the truth kept from him. ]

...I'd like to say I would tell him sooner. [ He sighs inwardly. ] But the thing is - there were a dozen ways I could've handled that. The jury's still out on which one was best. [ And unless Howard returned, he was fairly certain he'd never have an answer he was satisfied with.

He gives Billy an appraising look. ] Coffee? [ There's a lot more here than he's getting right now. ]