The bed was cold when Sasha finally woke up. Glaring light blinding her eyes as she fluttered them open, sunshine reflecting from snow on rooftops and windows from the New York skyline was the first glittering gift she received on her 30th birthday.

It took her a few moments to realise she wasn't actually in her own bed, or in her own home, for that matter. She recognised the bedroom as Tony's, though the lack of his presence made her curious as to why she'd woken up alone, the harsh, cold space beside her let her know she'd been alone for a while.

With a pounding headache and slightly blurry vision, Sasha found two painkillers in a bedside drawer and washed them down with a half-empty glass of water on the nightstand, sighing and throwing her head back down on the pillow with an uncomfortable groan.

The evening before had ended up being enjoyable, despite her previous concerns about people figuring out what was going on between herself and Tony.

Although they had disappeared together for a significant amount of time during the party, it seemed as though not a single person had noticed. Both of them slipped back into the room as if they'd never been away, continuing the night without even a shadow of a doubt from anybody else.

It was four o'clock in the morning when Sasha tried to leave. Most people had already left by that point apart from a few stragglers enjoying the liquor behind the bar, but Tony wasted no time in grabbing her before she could jump into a taxi and disappear, telling her that it was fine for her to stay with him and that she didn't have to leave.

Sasha didn't take much convincing at that stage since she'd drank far too much champagne and Tony practically carried her back inside, taking her straight to bed and leaving her with some water while he said goodbye to everyone that was still in the party.

Her memory of the party was slightly hazy when she awoke, remembering everything up to, and including, the early birthday present Tony had given her while they were alone. Anything after that was sporadic and blurred, spotlight memories of dancing with people she didn't know and doing shots of tequila with Steve at the bar, under Tony's watchful gaze, of course.

The bedroom door creaked and Sasha let out a groan once more, pulling the covers over her face and burying her head into the pillow, her soul painfully sensitive to light and sound on that particular morning.

"You finally awake? You've missed half your birthday by the way, it's 1PM."

Tony threw himself down onto the bed beside Sasha, sliding underneath the covers and laughing quietly to himself as he saw the way she was desperately trying to massage away the headache with her fingers on her temples.

"You taken some Tylenol?"

Sasha just nodded, saying nothing. Tony slipped an arm beneath her neck and pulled her body against his, brushing his fingers through her hair as he placed gentle kisses against her forehead.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Thanks," she mumbled against his chest, draping an arm across his shoulder and letting her nails tickle his skin lightly, "How come the bed was cold, where did you go?"

Sasha remembered Tony eventually joining her in bed after everybody had left the party. She was almost asleep when he kissed her neck, whispering things in her ear that made her suddenly feel more awake than she had done all evening, though she didn't remember him leaving.

"Are you kidding me?" Tony said with a chuckle, "You kicked me out at like eight this morning, said I was snoring too loud and that you couldn't sleep."

Sasha just scoffed, covering her face with her hands in shame and embarrassment before rolling back over onto Tony's chest, placing a hand on the side of his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up at him for the first time that morning and instantly feeling her lips pull into a soft smile, "Where did you sleep?"

Tony shook his head, "I didn't. I went out and got your favourite breakfast from that Italian place down the street. I also got coffee, but considering it's now the afternoon, it's cold."

Sasha blushed, her smile growing as she felt Tony's hand grace the bare skin of her waist. He held her tightly against him, feeling as though now they'd finally shared every part of themselves with the other, he really did never want to let go of her.

Tony had thought about sleeping with Sasha more times that he'd care to admit, even before they'd kissed, though actually experiencing it was entirely different to any scenario he'd imagined before.

He wasn't sure he'd ever slept with a woman he'd felt so strongly about, certainly not the way he did about Sasha. In the past, he'd taken care of himself and not felt guilt, though with Sasha, he had an urge to make her feel good. He felt connected to her, like her pleasure was also his own, and looking into her eyes and feeling her lips on his own, hearing her soft moans in his ear made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, something he'd not been able to stop thinking about since.

Sasha woke up in two minds about what had happened the night before. Half of her felt relieved in more ways than one that she'd finally slept with Tony after suppressing the need for so long. The other half, however, felt terrified that he'd disappear now he'd taken what it was clear he'd wanted.

She hadn't slept with a lot of men in her life and Sasha had never been one for casual sex, making the idea of giving a part of her to a man that had a reputation for the exact thing that she didn't want, soulfully scary.

"You went out in the snow to get all that, really?"

"Sure I did, it's your birthday. Just for the record, I will not be doing that everyday, but I will happily pay someone else to do it for me."

Sasha just smiled silently before sighing with her head against Tony's chest, her arms wrapped around him like he was all she needed.

"Hey, you alright?"

Tony could tell Sasha wasn't her usual self, and not just because she was incredibly hungover. After she'd voiced her concerns about sleeping together the night before, Tony thought he'd done a good job at reassuring her and tearing down any worries she had. Only clearly, some of them still remained, and her silence showed that.

Sasha nodded, still staying quiet. Tony sighed and kissed his teeth before tilting her head upwards so she was looking him in the eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he gazed down at her, never seeing a more beautiful sight even if he was sure Sasha felt like she was clinging onto life by a thread at that point. He thought she looked perfect, just like she always did.

"Talk to me," he whispered, brushing strands of hair from her face and kissing her cheek softly, "Tell me what's on your mind."

Sasha drew in a long breath, her eyes taking in every inch of Tony's face. She felt completely infatuated with him, at a loss for words every time she saw him. She had been in love before and knew what it felt like to be falling, though Sasha felt like she was desperately trying to stay on her feet when she was with Tony, still scared of what she thought was an inevitable loss.

"I just get scared that you'll get bored of me, leave me. It's stupid, I'm sorry, I know we talked about it last night but I-"

"Do you think I'd have gone out in four inch deep snow to get you breakfast and coffee if I didn't care? I don't think I've ever been out to get breakfast for anybody, not even myself. And I know that might not mean anything but, God," he paused, his lips pulled to the side ever so slightly, "Can you not see the way I look at you? The way I can't ever stop myself from touching you? You're my girl, Sasha, I'm not going anywhere. Unless you kick me out of bed again for snoring too loud."

With a lump in her throat, Sasha laughed quietly and bit down on the inside of her cheeks to hold back a huge smile, her heart beating far quicker that it usually did.

"I'm your girl?"

Tony tilted his head, his smile growing bigger as he saw the confidence and happiness slowly return to her eyes.

"Yeah," he said, "If you want to be, that is. What do you say?"

"I say," she pursed her lips, "It depends how good my birthday presents are."

Tony's jaw dropped as he saw the sarcastic sparkle in her eyes, grabbing her by the thighs and pulling her so she was on top of him, her hair falling either side of his face as their bodies were just inches apart.

"Yeah?" He smirked with a raised brow, "It's just as good I'm great at buying gifts then, isn't it? Come here."

Sasha rolled her eyes playfully before kissing him, tangling her fingers in his dark hair as she felt his hands squeeze her body all over, her heart racing and skin flushing at the sensation of desperate need radiating from the hunger of his kiss and warmth of his hands.

The two of them eventually left the bedroom, Sasha drowned in another of Tony's sweatshirts while he ventured into the living room in just a pair of track pants.

Breakfast was perfectly laid out on the table by the bar and a small pile of gifts wrapped in red and gold paper sat beside the two cups of cold coffee, a card in a white envelope was propped up against them.

Sasha turned to look over her shoulder and caught Tony stealing a glimpse at her ass, only for him to innocently meet her gaze when she looked at him with a raised brow.

"Sorry," he laughed, taking her hand and pulling her towards the breakfast bar, "Hungry?"

She nodded and took a seat, letting Tony make her a fresh cup of coffee while she grabbed a croissant from the table and began slicing it open.

Sasha had imagined what her birthday that year was going to look like, and not once did she imagine the reality she was in. She'd thought of herself sat alone in her old apartment with a bottle of wine, no messages on her phone or a card or present to open. Phil was the only person she had to celebrate with, and the only person she'd ever wanted to celebrate with.

That was until she met Tony.

"Here, open your gifts."

Sasha brushed crumbs from her hands as she took a bite of her croissant, washing it down with a mouthful of coffee before tearing open the card first.

She pulled the card from the envelope and looked up at Tony with parted lips and furrowed brows, only to be unable to keep a straight face when she saw how much he was trying not to laugh.

A store-bought card with Iron Man flying across New York beside the message 'Happy 3rd Birthday' on it was sat in Sasha's hand. The rd had been crossed out in black ink and replaced with a '0th', now reading 'Happy 30th Birthday' instead.

"They don't make 30th birthday Iron Man cards so I did have to make some artistic adjustments, hope you like it."

Sasha just laughed, shaking her head as she read the very simple message inside the card before setting it down on the table, grabbing the first gift.

Tony felt himself stop breathing as he watched Sasha rip the paper from the first present. He noticed the way her face fell from happy, to inquisitive, to heartbrokenly shocked at the frame in her hands.

"H-how? How did you..."

There wasn't a build up of time before Sasha began to sob, tears streaming from her eyes as she held the silver photo frame in her grasp and watched a handful of seconds video on a loop, her lips parted and eyes wide.

It had taken a painstakingly long amount of time but Tony had managed to track down old video tapes that had belonged to Sasha and Phil's parents inside a box that had been forgotten up in a storage facility in Boston. He'd watched all the tapes, witnessing family Christmasses and birthday parties, days at the beach and first days of school. Tony knew all too well what it was like to lose people, and he thought the only thing Sasha could possibly want as a gift was her tangible memories back.

She cried with shaking hands as she watched the clip of herself and Phil as children run across a beach in Florida, their father and mother behind them and bright sunshine gleaming down, making their smiles shine brighter and their laughs sound louder.

"I tracked down a box full of your parents things that you and Phil hadn't picked up, bunch of old video tapes and pictures inside it. Turns out you didn't lose everything after all."

She eventually tore her eyes away from the frame and looked up at Tony with a quivering bottom lip and tear stained cheeks. He hated seeing her upset, but he knew deep down that she had never been happier.

"Oh, Tony," she jumped to her feet and flung her arms around him, hugging him inhumanly tightly as she continued to cry against his shoulder.

He just hugged her back, placing flurrying kisses through her hair and holding her while she cried.

She eventually settled down, though still clung to his hand as she took a seat at the table again, taking a sip of coffee before drying her eyes.

Tony stood beside her, draping an arm across her shoulders and kissing her cheek before prompting her to open the rest of her gifts.

"I don't think I need to open any more of them," she said quietly, laughing as she turned to look at him, "I say yes."

"I knew you'd say yes, I wasn't sweating it."

His sarcasm made Sasha chuckle, though she laughed away the jokes for a moment before speaking.

"That is the kindest, most heartfelt thing anybody has ever done for me. I can't thank you enough, honestly, I am so, so grateful."

Tony smiled softly, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away. He stayed close to her, their eyes still fixed on each others as he began to feel his heart beat quicker and his chest fill with a pleasurable excitement, one he'd never felt when he'd looked at anybody before.

"For you, I'd do anything. I want you to know that, alright? I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you, and any other planet for that matter. Anything to see my girl smile."

an;;
actually sobbing again I'm manifesting a Tony Stark for all of us honestly we deserve him!!!! anyway I hope you're all enjoying this story, I'd love to know your thoughts?? Thank you so much for all the love and support <3