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The warmth of the fireplace is all encompassing and like a big hug. It surrounds them and has Pepper sinking into the sofa, relaxed and at ease. There's the flicker of white sparks surrounding amber light in a old school cobblestone furnace in the corner of the living room and a rustic leather sofa and Chaise longue tucked around it, patches of the worn material gleaming shiny in the luminescence. The futon is mahogany, much like the rest of the furniture, and the coffee table is carved intricately with line patterns, a layered piece topped with glass and a polished finish. The wooden chandelier that resembles a halo of deer antlers cascades an orange hue to the rest of the house, the cozy living space the center highlight of the entire house.The log cabin is a rich walnut color, rectangular floorboards evenly spaced out and walls garnished by wooden support beams diagonally laced throughout the estate. A bookshelf yards away from the fire displays worn novels, spines embellished with ragged and jaded lines of use. They're the type of books one could curl up reading until the light from outside sun has long disappeared and the night is quiet and peaceful.The whole homestead is decorated with plush cotton blankets and faux fur rugs, picture frames of forests, waterfalls and expanse of trees beyond imagination. Glowing white candles and small lamps litter the tables in Pepper's vision but it doesn't hold her attention for long.The bedrooms are more or else the same, Tony and Pepper's with dark handmade covers shaded burgundy and cream with washes of gold chandeliers to be a smudge ostentatious. Peter's room is adorned with a mid-tone blue and cream covers and preserved lilacs, May's favorites, that always remind Peter of family. The chestnut walls and floors contrast beautifully against the same colored ottoman, rugs swirled with browns and oak colors strewn about.The entire abode is the pillar of domestic and homey to say the lease, smoky stone chairs surrounding ligneous counter-tops and an island decorated with a tray of spices. Candlesticks, vases of bright green ficus and carved out wooden models of canoes and wild animals are scattered across the structure; it's not overly cluttered, just lived in and perfectly distinct with personality.It's the late hours of the evening, nearly midnight. Peter is laying his head in on the couch in Tony's lap, the latter half asleep, sunken wrinkles laid back and dreams dancing behind his face, the former's nose first into the pages of a novel, immersed in a story about machines and gadgets controlling the world, the heroes triumphing against all odd or something as equally pretentious. Both heroes dawn sweatpants and over-sized sweaters, Tony's body still muscular and toned while Peter's is somewhat drowning in the fabric. Pepper lying on a Chaise longue across from them, eyes half cracked open and a smile blooming beneath her façade of sleep, comfortable in one of her hand-knit sweaters from her late grandmother.Their cellphones don't get service way out in the middle of nowhere but F.R.I.D.A.Y. is still able to notify both heroes of any urgent life threatening matters, much to Pepper's last chagrin. The coffee table is adorned with plates and bowls of graham crackers, marshmallows and milk chocolate.To be fair, the sweats are from the Avengers' Compound inventory and the idea of a cabin retreat would have never been Tony's plan of action for a vacation.But May had wanted something simple for Peter's vacation, something she couldn't give him because money was always tight. She wanted him to be as far away from super-heroing and recommended a cabin as far north as he could get. She's just protective, is all. She's out of town for a mandatory conference and would prefer Peter's holiday not to be spent getting himself nearly killed or training with newly pardoned Avengers, thank you very much, Stark.It's a far cry from what Stark would've picked, even just for Family Day, no flashing lights of the strip in Las Vegas' casinos and theatres; there's no drowning heat of the sun on the lounge chairs outside villas and over-water bungalows in Bora Bora, off the coast of his own private yacht. The Parker family usually doesn't celebrate the day, May usually running double shifts for the time-and-a-half pay and Peter focusing on his studies or laying out side routes for Spider-Man.
Pepper has always admired May for her fierce loyalty and her no-bullshit-demeanor towards Tony. As much as Peter knows that their not biologically related, she'll burn down all of the Bronx at the insulation she's anything less of a mother.She had gone above and beyond, nothing short of her usual expectations, swiftly booking a helicopter somewhere remote but with enough of a population to go dog sledding or skiing. The lodge isn't perfect and is less than her usual five star hotels, but she recognizes that it'll do. It's been only half a day since they arrived and, somehow, Pepper already feels she's staring a mirage, make-believe in a kaleidoscope of dress up and fairylands.Her two boys, no suits and no paranoia biting at the back of their minds, are delicately wrapped around each other. After Ultron and Germany, she didn't really think she'd see her fiancé so relaxed or at ease, much less Peter. Like father like son, she supposes, who both inherently believe the fate of society rests individually on their shoulders. They both hide their downtrodden baggage, and, like the Great Turtle in Lenape culture, believe they carry the world on their backs.Tony is running his fingers through Peter's hair dazed, as if to calm how fast his Peter's mind usually runs. The evening light through the windows is perfectly blue and rebounding slightly off the golden lights and onto his face as he stares in bliss of a new emotion. It's so out of character, he notes, the tranquility of it all. He would usually shrink back in discomfort at the form of affection, cringe at the atmosphere and flee to tinker but right now...Right now Tony is home.He's always home when he's with Pepper but this just feels… right. It feels natural to be curled around his kid without any plans or pressing matters.He can hear Peter's heartbeat behind the pounding sound of his own arc reactor and each breath the boy takes. Peter will never believe how precious his life is to Tony but every twitch of his fingers to save someone and every suppressed yawn to complete his never-ending science plans at the compound are what Tony cherishes the most.Tony leans over Peter's body to stick a marshmallow on a metal skewer to roast. Peter makes a non committal sound as Tony gently maneuvers around his form as to not disturb him further. It makes him laugh, the way Peter's focus is always acute and sharp to his latest endeavor and all his surroundings, even when the stakes are high and the tide is calm. The white, pillowy cushion of sugar begins to turn from a light, tawny beige to a burnt espresso shade, almost charcoal within about thirty seconds. Two mugs lay closer to the edge of the fireplace beside the platter of s'more ingredients, one containing coffee the color of gingerbread and the other, dark hot chocolate topped cinnamon and mini marshmallows.Peter is probably a sociopath, because who of sound mind likes dark hot chocolate with barely any whipped cream? He looks mature for so young, a sharp jawline and towering height, even now, baby face curled up in a wool blanket next to Tony Stark.It's all Tony has ever wanted as a young boy with a picture-perfect family with cracked glass behind the smiles. A family that's real and loving, he reflects as he places the toasted marshmallow onto a graham cracker and chocolate that has already begun to melt. He sandwiches the treat together and leans down towards Peter's forehead to bop him with his nose.Pepper almost giggles at how dad-like he is but she doesn't want to miss the rare domestic bliss between them.It's the opposite of the outside ice storm, bullets of the vicious winter pelting her skin without mercy; where once all that existed was the wide expanse of freezing cold and uncaring, now lies comfort and love in the truest sense. Warmth and safety, trust and serenity.Peter scrunches his face up as his eyes dart from right to left to finish the end of the paragraph in his novel, placing his left pinky where he leaves off, dogearing the corner of the page before settling his gaze on Tony with an annoyed expression heavy with fondness. He's upside down and has an eyebrow cocked up in a silent question. He’s barely shifted his head from his mentor's lap, only slightly propping it upwards. Tony lets out a throaty laugh and brings the still too-hot, gooey dessert to the kid's mouth. Peter smiles as he bites into it and settles back into his previous position with his novel.The gold ring looks good on Tony's hand, Pepper thinks, as she bends her own, a sleek and simple diamond flashing like a beacon in her peripheral, as she watches Tony gently takes a bite of the s'more.She knows the cabin in rural Montana is theirs and they're welcome to visit anytime but Manhattan and the boroughs will need the CEO of Stark Industries, Spider-Man and Iron Man soon enough.But right here, right now, New York City and Queens are strangers and light years away; the only thing that matters presently is the three of them.Tony knows that truly, this is where he belongs.Tony catches her eyes, a light blush flushing over his face. He smiles softly and mouths the words 'I love you' to her before drifting asleep.Tony knows right now, he is home.Yeah, Pepper concedes, this will do just fine.