Shadowplay | Tony Stark

FORTY ONE - PRIVACY

Mila had felt unsettled that day since the early morning. She'd taken a quick trip to an independent coffee shop just a block away at six-thirty to grab Peter his favourite oat milk latte before he headed off for school, leaving the Tower with a smile on her face as the cool autumn breeze nipped at her skin.

She returned, however, with a muted frown after catching a man in a baseball cap snapping photographs of her while paying at the counter, jumping at the chance to hold open the door for her as she struggled to grab the handle, occupied with a cardboard tray of drinks.

The man clearly had no shame, continuing to snap photos on his phone after Mila had mumbled her gratitude at the action quietly to him, giving him a forced smile that faded instantly as she left the shop.

Two weeks had passed since Mila had raised her concerns to Tony and in that time, things had been pretty much perfect. That morning, Mila chose to keep the small fiasco to herself, not wanting to put a dampener on her favourite part of the day.

She wandered back into the Tower with a still face, though an expression that slowly edged into a smile once she heard a trio of cherished voices coming from the kitchen.

"You have your homework? I saw a big pile of papers on the table last night."

"Yeah, it's in my backpack!"

"This is apple juice, I wanted orange juice, Daddy!"

"No, you asked for apple. You just like to test Daddy's patience. I admire it, kid, but drink your juice."

Mila pushed open the door to the kitchen with her shoulder, an instinctive grin gracing her lips at the sound of her family's usual morning conversation.

Mornings were rarely peaceful in the Stark Tower, in fact, they were more often chaotic than not. Peter would almost always be running late, frantically dashing around their home trying to find misplaced books and assignments he'd been awake till two am completing. Amongst trying to orangish his life and eat breakfast, Peter would be hounded by his younger brother constantly, always wanting to share food or show him a drawing, practice a wrestling move or play with action figures.

Though it all, Mila had never once seen Peter get stressed. He somehow always found the time to eat Tony's homemade pancakes, pack his bag for school, and spend at least ten minutes entertaining Tristan before having to give the little boy a heartfelt goodbye and a daily promise that he'd be back later.

"Oat milk lattes all round, happy Friday."

"This is exactly what I needed this morning, you're a life saver. Thanks so much, Mila."

Peter grabbed his coffee and slung his backpack over one shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to Mila's cheek before bidding his family goodbye, not before receiving one last kiss from Tristan who wouldn't allow him to pass through the door without doing so.

"He's right," Tony said, standing behind Mila with his hands on her hips, his lips peppering light kisses along the side of her neck before he grew impatient enough to spin her around and steal a kiss on her cold lips, "You are the best."

Blush coloured her cheeks and Mila rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly while feeling frozen under the intense stare of her boyfriend. She loved the way he made her feel, always being drawn into her shy self at the depth of his strong gaze and gentle touch.

"How's he been?" Mila said, wiping flour from Tony's face with her thumb.

"Oh he's been fine," Tony shrugged, letting go of Mila and grabbing his coffee, "Apart from trying to gaslight me into thinking he asked for orange juice instead of apple."