A little over one month had passed since Esté's birthday and the remnants of a hot summer in New York were fading. Colours of autumn turned green leaves to auburn, the first few flutters from the branches lining the sidewalks and littering the grass in Central Park.

September was drawing to a close and the temperature was dropping, the nights and days cooler than they had been and darkness drawing in earlier, sunlight disappearing over the tops of buildings while people made their way home from work in rush hour.

Estélla hadn't spent a whole lot of time in the city over the last month, which meant she hadn't spent a whole lot of time with Tony, either. There had been a long two week stint in Paris while she worked on an autumn/winter show with Saint Laurent following on from the huge success of her show earlier on in the year, and while Tony was nothing but supportive of her work, he missed her dearly.

Esté missed him too. She loved her job and her passion lied in creativity and art, enjoying nothing more than sharing her ideas and pulling contributions together to create something fantastical, but she found herself struggling to sleep alone without Tony there beside her, a problem she'd never had in her previous relationship.

Their distance and commitments meant that Esté had regrettably missed being able to attend two events Tony had been invited to on behalf of Stark Industries. She found the time to tune into livestreams and watch his speeches, finding her heart beating a little bit quicker as she watched him talk with class and confidence, pride brimming in her smile and her eyes as she sat in a hotel room across the Atlantic Ocean.

What made her heart sink, however, were the pictures and videos her social media became flooded with from the after parties of both events. Images of Tony with his arms around girls, pressing kisses to their cheeks and smiling happily as they returned the gesture, one girl on either side of him.

Esté wasn't stupid, knowing exactly what those publicity events were like and also knowing that sometimes, it was best to just go with it. She could recall numerous times she'd walked hand in hand down red carpets with other celebrities without there being a single underlying meaning beneath the innocent interaction, but that had been her, not Tony.

She trusted Tony wholeheartedly but the pictures she saw while she was alone in Paris had chipped away at her busy mind, slowly starting to bleed into the front of her thoughts more heavily. Nevertheless, she fought hard to push them aside on her long flight home, deciding to keep her concerns to herself since in her heart, she knew there was no conversation to be had. Tony was hers and she was his, and seeing him waiting for her in the arrivals hall of JFK with a bunch of Juliet Roses and a smile confirmed that.

Since then, Esté had continued to work herself into the ground with a busy schedule. She'd had countless rehearsals and fittings for the Victoria's Secret show happening in November as well as shooting a new perfume commercial for Armani with Henry Cavill.

Tony had been equally as busy, though Esté wasn't sure with what exactly. She still didn't fully understand the extent of what Tony and the Avengers did, but he had always assured her that she knew everything that she needed to, and anything he'd try and explain to her after that would've sounded like Latin to her. And so, Esté worked on her campaigns while Tony worked on his suits, both of them longing for a break to spend in each other's company after barely having time to breathe the same air as one another all month.

It was a Friday night in the Stark Tower and Tony and Esté were getting ready to attend a press event for a Chanel show she was walking in the following week. Tony had been busy working in his workshop all afternoon while a team of six people spent three hours attending to Esté's hair and makeup, leaving her with a perfectly painted face and hair in rollers that she was advised to take out exactly thirty minutes before they were due to leave.

Standing by the window in a pair of pink satin pyjamas, Esté pondered over the box of jewellery that had been sent to her to choose from that night. Of course, the sapphire necklace from Tony and his parents was only ever going to be the option she chose to wear, but she was stuck between a pair of Chanel pearl earrings or studded diamonds as Tony fixed his hair in the mirror beside her.

"Your uh, your commercial looks pretty...intimate." Tony said, not turning away from his reflection as he spoke up.

Esté carried on sifting through the jewellery while she answered, "Well you know what perfume ads are like, they're always the same."

"Right, right," Tony nodded, turning his head to check himself from all angles before clearing his throat, "Have you and Henry ever...you know..."

"Have Henry and I ever hooked up?"

Esté put down the jewellery then and stood up straight, turning to look at Tony who was forced to meet her gaze, swallowing with an awkward nod that made his skin turn red as she stared at him with a raised brow.

"Yeah, I'm just wondering."

"No, we haven't. Why, is something wrong?"

He shook his head and laughed shallowly, "It's just, I saw the cut that your manager sent over earlier and I...his hands are all over my girlfriend, you know? It's weird to watch and it's a strange feeling for me to see you with your hands all over him, as well."

Esté just blinked, "It's a commercial, Tony, that's all."

He froze for a moment before nodding once with a long exhale, turning on his heels and heading towards the door, "I'm just go and work on some more stuff downstairs before we go, I have a whole load of shit to finish and-"

Esté quickly followed after him, grabbing hold of his wrist as he stepped out into the hallway. He turned back to her with glassy eyes and an unstable frown. Her heart shattered at the sight of Tony's face, gasping softly as the recognisable upset behind his sad eyes.

"You've been different since I got back from Paris," she whispered, a hand resting on his cheek as she brushed away a tear that had fallen from his lashes, "What is it, Tony?"

He sighed and squeezed his eyes closed, throwing his head back for a second as he collected his thoughts and tried his best to prepare the words he'd needed to say for a while but hadn't been able to.

"Work is taking a toll on me," he admitted, looking back down at her, "I'm exhausted but the things I'm thinking about make it impossible to sleep. I'm scared I won't be able to do enough, to protect what I have to protect. There's things out there that I don't understand and that scares me too, and then I have this new thing, this wonderful new relationship that I adore, but it comes with these things that I'd never had to deal with. The stories and the articles, seeing you with guys and having your ex-fling star in some of my favourite movies. I don't know how to deal with this, I don't know how to deal with any of what's going on in my life right now and I'm just...so tired."

Esté didn't know what to say, and she always seemed to know what to say. Instead of words, she sat down on the bed with him beside her, pulling his head down against her chest while she cradled him, holding him tightly in her arms while her fingers soothingly combed through his hair.

Tony hadn't realised how much weight he'd been holding inside his mind until he felt safe enough in Esté's arms to let it out. He cried against her chest in a weak silence with arms clinging to her body, shallow breaths that hurt every time he tried to pull one in and hurt more to let out.

He loved being in a relationship with Estélla and while things the press had written about him in the past had never caused him to lose any sleep, he now found himself paying attention to their fables and fiction with clouded judgement that made him question what he knew in his soul was the truth.

"Tony, can you look at me?"

Her voice was soft and felt like a blanket touching his skin, the gentleness of her eyes that warmed him when he eventually did look up at her making him feel like a fool for ever doubting the woman who had always been on his side.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

"No, do not apologise. The things you do for the sake of your job are things beyond most people's wildest imagination, Tony. You do the unbelievable, you are the unbelievable, so it's not crazy for it wear you down every now and again, alright? You are the smartest, most creative, intelligent, driven person I've ever known, and I don't doubt you for a second, about anything. As for us, I understand. I know the papers can be harsh and I know it hurts to see things you don't wanna see, but you have to tune it out. You have to remember that nobody knows the truth expect us, you and I. I've had this commercial job booked for over a year but next time something like this comes up, I will talk to you about it first. I would never want to hurt you, Tony."

Her words were like a needle and thread that stitched him back up with every breath he took. His shoulders felt lighter now he'd offloaded what had been dragging him down, instantly feeling better as she soothed him with her pure mind and gentle touch.

"God, I feel like such an idiot," he sniffed, shaking his head with damp cheeks, "I don't want you to think that I don't trust you because I do, it's just so new to me. And stuff at work, it's all new to me too and sometimes I feel like my mind can't take all of it, but I know that it can if I just..."

"If you just take a breath," Esté said with a small smile, holding his face in her hands and pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose, "If you let yourself stop, if you let yourself have a break, if you let yourself feel everything you need to feel, hear what you need to hear and heal what needs to be healed. You're capable of anything, Tony, and I'm always on your side, on our side."

"Yeah," he nodded, clearing his throat and sitting up straight before pulling Esté onto his lap and kissing her neck, holding her there for a moment before resting their foreheads together, "You're right, and I'm sorry. You...you always had a way of making everything better."

Esté smiled and kissed his lips, noticing the way his arms tightened around his waist and how hard he kissed her back. Tony had always struggled to open up about things that were bothering him despite her best efforts to coax the truth from his chest, and so now he'd shared everything with her out of the blue, Esté made sure to let him know that he was seen and he was heard, and that no apology was necessary.

"That's what I'm here for," she whispered, seeing the moon shine in his beautiful eyes, "Shall I tell them we can't make it tonight?"

Tony immediately frowned and pulled back, shaking his head, "Absolutely not. This is our first official appearance together, you think I'm gonna pass that up?"

Esté scoffed, "We can just go to sleep instead, Tony. It might do us both some good."

"Not happening," he stood up and pulled Esté to her feet, spinning her around and giving her a gentle shove back towards the vanity where she'd been sat earlier on, "Take those weird things out of your hair and put on that pretty dress. We're gonna give those papers some real headlines tonight, honey."

Ninety minutes later and Estélla found herself in the passenger seat of Tony's Audi, stealing frequent glances at her boyfriend and trying to hide her flushed smile at how handsome he looked. He drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on her thigh, her fingers curled around his palm as they crawled slowly through the traffic of the city.

The event was being held at a fancy hotel down in the financial district and the streets were lined with photographers and security guards, Tony's car being allowed through a sectioned off road that stopped unauthorised access to journalist trying to sneak pictures of the attendees that they weren't licensed to take.

The flashes from the cameras were blinding once Tony parked the car, killing the engine and turning to look at her with a raised brow and a tug of a smile.

"You ready, princess?"

Esté rolled her eyes at the nickname, smiling nevertheless though, her cheeks pink with shyness at the intensity of his eyes carving out his thoughts across her body as he looked at her.

"I'm ready."

Tony winked at her before stepping out of the car and walking around to the passenger side. He didn't play up to the crowd of people shouting his name, at least not yet, staying silent as he pulled open Esté's door and offered her his hand.

She gladly accepted it, stepping out in a black vintage Chanel midi dress with a matching quilted bag, though the sapphire on her neck still managed to steal the show. Tony looked equally as dashing and the cameras agreed, snapping endless pictures of him in black suit pants and jacket with a navy dress shirt underneath, shoes polished pristinely to the nines with a spritz of Bleu De Chanel making Esté's knees weak.

Tony handed his keys to a valet worker and guided Esté towards the carpet lined with reporters, one hand on her back as he walked a small pace behind her, eager to let her be the star of her own show.

An organiser in a black suit gave them a quick briefing on the interviews they were supposed to give on their way inside, pointing out their path past each journalist and camera before wishing them a good evening.

Esté usually loved press events and that night was no different. She adored seeing her friends and co-workers on the carpet and thrived on fun interviews with media representatives that were almost always respectful and kind, actually having fun while having her picture taken before heading into a night of champagne and conversation.

Tony felt the same way, too, though for both of them there was an underlying sense of worry that burned the bottoms of their feet when they stepped out of the car together that night, hearing just how loud the world seemed to get at it's first glimpse of them together as a couple.

Esté could deal with it, she knew that. And while she knew Tony could deal with it to, the conversation they'd had earlier that night made her that little bit more conscious about her actions and her words.

With that in mind, Esté clung to Tony's arm with her hands fastened around his bicep as they walked the carpet, not letting go for even a second. She sensed him relax, feeling a tension in his muscles loosen after a few minutes and the warmth of an intimate smile he flashed her let her know that everything was fine.

"Estélla! So lovely to see you, and so wonderful to see you too, Tony. What's it like stepping out together for the first time as an item?"

A journalist Esté had spoken to many times before smiled brightly as they approached her, the familiar faces settling a flurry of nerves that had swirled in her stomach though her hands stayed on Tony.

"So good to see you too! It's wonderful, I'm so happy we could be here together tonight, I love having him by my side." Esté nodded.

"And Tony, you're no stranger to red carpet events, but what's it like being the date of the golden girl instead of being the main man?"

Tony glanced down at Esté, the adoration sparkling in her blue eyes helping to drown out the noise of the crowds and the chaos around them, helping him think and helping him feel. She squeezed his arm lightly and with a huge smile on her lips, Tony found himself almost laughing in disbelief at how completely and utterly in awe of her he truly was.

"You're right, she absolutely is the world's golden girl. I'll happily be Esté's plus one for the rest of my life, be on the sidelines, whatever. As long as I can be there to support my girl and watch her do her thing, nothing else matters to me. If there's a smile on her pretty lips, I'm happy."

They answered a few more questions before being ushered against a blank canvas for photographs, Esté standing with one leg in front of the other and her hand on Tony's chest while his wrapped around her lower back, the other in his pocket.

Hearing the way Tony talked about her to other people had given Esté a feeling she'd never had before. It sounded like he was proud of her, like he admired her and adored her just as much as she did him, and although he hadn't kept it a secret just how highly he thought of her, hearing him express it to other people had filled her veins with euphoria.

"You OK?" Esté said as they turned to look at each other, smiling candidly for the cameras.

Tony looked down into her eyes and narrowed his own, a breathless grin taking over his face, "More than OK. Thank you, you keep my head straight, keep me sane."

Esté's cheeks lifted and her eyes glistened in the light of the moon and stars, her tone playful as she said, "And you keep my ego growing."

"There's a long way to go before it gets as big as mine," he smirked, tilting his head slightly as the enticement of her red lips grabbed him by the throat, "I'm gonna kiss you, tell me to stop now if you'd rather I didn't."

Esté didn't say anything. Instead, she placed a hand on his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips, kissing him hard. There was no shame and no fear to hide, no anxiety to repress their feelings, not anymore. In that moment, they shared what they felt inside, and they shared it with the whole world.