The last day of finals, and the last day of school before winter break was early release. Of course, Peter had forgotten to tell Happy about it, so he had texted him when school got out, but Happy had said it would be at least 30 minutes until he could get there. Ned was riding the subway home anyway, so he offered to stay with Peter. They were able to wait inside for most of the time, which was good. The incoming storm seemed to be trying to get a head start, and the temperature had dropped quite a few degrees since lunch. Thankfully Happy had said he was only five minutes out by the time the office staff finally kicked them out. They were all extremely ready for winter break as well.

"You really didn't have to do this, Ned. But it's nice to not be sitting here alone. So thanks."

"No big deal, Peter. I can't believe it's the last day of class. I'm so excited for a break. Hey, are you excited for Christmas?"

Peter could tell Ned was trying to distract him from his melancholy about the whole situation with MJ, but appreciated his friend's efforts. "Yeah, I mean… I guess so? I honestly haven't thought about it much the last few days, with all the soul mark stuff."

"No, yeah, that makes sense. Are you and Mr. Stark gonna do that thing you do Christmas Eve, where he takes you out shopping and then you do dinner with May?"

"We just did that last year, Ned. It's not, like, a thing, you know?"

"So you haven't talked about it yet?"

"No. But maybe we'll talk about it this weekend. I actually don't know what Pepper and Tony's plans are. Everything's just been busy lately."

Peter hugged his coat more tightly around him (the one Tony had bought him last month when he realized Peter's zipper didn't technically work, and that his coat was about an inch too short to meet his gloves) and tried to turn his nose down into its fuzzy collar.

"Hey, Ned, when do you get back from your grandma's house? We should plan a Star Wars night and work on whatever LEGO sets we get for Christmas."

"That would be awesome, man. We should be back by the 26th. So after that?"

"For sure. Hey, there's Happy! Great, I'm about to turn into a popsicle."

"Hey, no joking about that. You know that's a real fear with you," Ned said, concern lacing his voice.

"Don't worry Ned. Happy's here, and his car's always plenty warm," Peter replied calmly, bumping his shoulder against his best friend's. He had gotten used to everyone who knew his secrets worrying about him eating enough, and staying warm, and taking unnecessary risks because he healed so far, but he really thought they all over-reacted for the most part. He was usually fine.

"Hey Hap," Peter greeted as he opened the door to the black Audi. "Ned waited with me. Do you mind dropping him at the station?"

"No problem, kid," Happy said, unsmiling. Ned and Peter both tumbled into the car, their extra-full backpacks in tow (because gym clothes and final projects and junk from their lockers, plus Peter had his extra stuff for the weekend) and exclaimed happily at the warmth.

"Well it's not gonna stay warm if you don't close the door," Happy groused.

They dropped Ned at the station, and started the trip to the Tower. Peter quickly got lost in thought as he stared out the window. New York was beautiful in the winter. They'd gotten a little snow last night, and it had stayed quite cold today, so lots of the city was still white and sparkly. As long as you looked up instead of down, where the slush made life a little miserable for pedestrians. He started half-forming metaphors in his head about how life can be beautiful or awful at the same time, depending on where you looked. His English teacher would be so proud.

"Kid, you're awfully quiet. Finals go okay?" Happy finally asked.

"Oh, yeah, they were good, Happy, thanks. Just a lot on my mind."

"Hey, Tony told me about your blanks, kid. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Hap," Peter said a bit morosely. He was trying to have a good attitude, he really was. He was just… sad. And nervous. Two blanks meant two people that were going to be huge parts of his life, and he had no idea who they were or how they'd feel about being paired with him.

"You don't sound excited," Happy said, a little awkwardly. He didn't usually try so hard to make conversation. Of course, Peter usually chattered on about whatever was on his mind, so if he was quietly working on homework, Happy seemed relieved he didn't need to try to listen. Peter wasn't sure if he appreciated his sudden change of tactics today, but they had enough of a relationship that Peter also didn't want to just brush him off.

"I am. There's just a lot of unknowns, you know?" Peter sighed and stared out the window for another block, then pushed forward with the real issue. "Plus, I was kinda hoping that maybe MJ and I would be a match, and we're not. So that's… yeah."

Peter met Happy's eyes in the rearview mirror, the driver's brow crinkled with sympathy. "Sorry, kid. That's hard."

"Yeah."

The ride continued in silence for another few minutes.

"You know, my dad had a platonic soulmate," Happy suddenly interjected into the silence.

"Yeah?" Peter said conversationally.

"He thought the world of her. When we had to move to California when I was a kid, her whole family moved too. My dad helped them find jobs and everything. We only saw her once or twice a week, but she was definitely his best friend. They were always there for each other." Happy looked at him again in the rearview, like he was trying to gauge Peter's reaction.

"And of course, Tony and Pepper's romantic bond is great. I never thought he'd find someone who could both put up with him, and also be enough to keep his interest, you know?" Happy chuckled, and Peter wrinkled his nose uncomfortably, knowing enough about Tony's more self-destructive phase to know that he didn't want more details.

"But Pepper really is a perfect fit for him. They're a perfect fit for each other. I've seen lots of great bond experiences, but only ever heard of a few bad ones. I was always kinda sad I didn't turn up with a blank. But lots of people never do."

"I know. I should just be excited and grateful, I know. And I have two. I'm just… nervous, you know? Especially with all the, uh, Spiderman stuff. It makes things more complicated."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense, kid. But try not to worry. It'll be good. I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, Happy."

They arrived at the tower about 3 PM, and Peter settled in, grabbing a snack, stretching out on the couch, and putting on one of the LEGO Star Wars episodes. He needed to not think, and maybe to laugh a little, and those usually hit the spot.

"Hey FRIDAY, when will Mr. Stark be back?"

"Approximately 30 minutes, young Mr. Peter Parker, sir."

"Oh my gosh, FRI, please stop calling me that."

"Boss programmed it in last week. You don't have authorization to change it, I'm afraid."

Peter groaned theatrically. "Seriously, I only made like two "over the hill" jokes last week. Was this really necessary?"

"I don't think there is a-"

"That was rhetorical, FRI. Just… never mind." Peter laid back on the couch, halfway paying attention to LEGO Darth Vader thumping a bunch of LEGO Stormtroopers while he played a game of vertical catch with his empty juice box. Why did they keep buying these juice boxes? It's not like he was six or something.

Tony

Ugh, this meeting was never-ending. Tony had mentally given them no more than ten minutes before he declared himself done and walked out, when the presentation finally started drawing to a close. Thank heavens. He was feeling a little anxious about not seeing Peter since last week, especially when the kid had been dealing with so much this week. And since he hadn't heard anything about a reaction between the kid and his girlfriend, he was guessing Peter would be pretty down about it this afternoon. He knew Peter was here. FRIDAY had notified him, and Happy had asked if he should order pizza for dinner. That could be just Happy anticipating that the kid would want pizza that night, or it could mean that Peter had been upset in the car and he was looking for comfort items for him in his own way. Tony just wanted to get back up to the penthouse and see how much damage control was needed.

Finally the meeting finished. Tony said a few nearly-polite goodbyes and hurried out, not really caring if he seemed abrupt. He'd stayed for the whole thing, hadn't he? And he'd participated and paid attention. Mostly. That's what Pepper had asked him to do. And the only opinion he really cared about was hers. She would usually have attended that meeting, but she had another one across town this afternoon, so she'd asked him to fill in. It was the least he could do, since being his CEO meant she attended 90% of the meetings he used to get flack for ditching.

"Home, FRI," he said, stepping into the elevator. She immediately closed the doors behind him and jetted up towards the topmost stories of Stark Tower. Inside, Tony finally relaxed.

Hey kid, I'm headed up. What are you up to? You want pizza for dinner?

Just chillin. Pizza's good.

Can we work on my suit tonight? Have some ideas

Sure kid, whatever you want. We might want to do it at the Compound though. I'd kinda like to get there ahead of this storm.

K

Yeah, he was probably bummed. Working on his suit was a coping mechanism. Which was fine. Way better than how some kids coped. The elevator dinged, and Tony stepped off, loosening his tie as he walked.

"Peter?"

"In here."

Tony walked through the doorway and moved towards the kitchen to get a drink. He didn't see Peter, but saw the juice box fly up into the air and back down. Kinetic, repetitive movement was also something that Tony had seen the kid use to cope. He tossed his tie towards the couch, where it would probably land on Peter.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself. Didn't you see that coming?"

"My senses don't exactly sense ties, especially one thrown by you, as a threat," Peter responded dryly. Tony absently rubbed at his right arm, not thinking anything of it. It felt kind of tingly or something.

"Did you get a snack? Did you bring everything you need for the weekend?" Tony asked.

"Yes, dad," the 17-year-old snarked. Tony froze in place briefly.

After a beat, Peter's head, hair a little wild from laying on the couch, popped up from behind the couch. His eyes were wide. "Sorry. I don't know why I said that," he said, his expression transitioning from embarrassed to apologetic.

"Hey, it's no big deal. I was kind of acting like a dad," Tony said as casually as he could, taking an inadvertent few steps towards the couch. It felt like something was tugging him that direction.

"But it's fine that you act like that, I mean-" the kid cut himself off with a hiss as his head ducked back down.

"Pete? What's wrong?" But Tony's hand had also shot back to his arm, and it wasn't just a tingle this time. It straight up burned. Just in one small spot. The spot that only Tony knew for sure was a platonic blank. But… that meant…

"Peter?"

"I don't know, my shoulder is just, like burning for some reason," the kid, his kid said, standing up from the couch. His hand was clutched over his left shoulder, and he looked completely bewildered. "Tony? What's going on?"

Tony hissed a little himself. He'd forgotten how much this hurt. "Uh, looks like you're having a soul mark reaction, bud." He eyed the boy carefully, watching for understanding, and then for a reaction.

"But, you're the only one here. What is…" Peter's head tilted slightly and his mouth dropped open slightly as he registered Tony's body language: face also wincing in pain, a hand clutching at his own arm. His eyes widened impossibly large, and he swore quietly, incredulously. Yep, there was the understanding. Tony held his breath, overjoyed, but worried about what he'd see on Peter's face next.

"But…but, you don't have a platonic blank."

"Well, about that…" Tony suddenly regretted his silence on the subject, though he wasn't sure why. "I kind of do. Did?" He was rapidly shrugging out of his blazer, and rolling up the sleeve of his t-shirt. He raised his arm and craned his head down. "And it's definitely changing," he said, wincing at the pulsing sting. He could almost see the mark rearranging itself into a blurry symbol instead of the small pale spot that it had been for the last 25+ years. Peter made an inadvertent noise, and Tony's eyes flashed back to the teenager, who seemed to be in a decent amount of pain.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Peter asked, his face alternating between discomfort and surprise.

"You didn't remember that's how it works?"

"They said 'a bit of a sting,' but this is a few steps above that, I think."

"It won't last long," Tony said, hoping he was correct. "I think the worst should be over." He was still waiting for the boy's reaction.

"Yeah, it does seem to be easing just a little. Or maybe that's my imagination?"

"No, mine too. You're probably right."

Peter's eyes darted up to meet Tony's in incredulity. "So, is this real? You're my soulmate? Is that even possible? With the age difference?"

Echoing Pepper, Tony said, "It's unusual, but not unheard of." Then, unable to be patient any longer, he finally asked, "Peter? How do you feel about this? About me being your soulmate? It's usually pretty easy to know which emotion I'm dealing with," (they'd teased the boy about wearing his heart on his sleeve often enough) "but I can't get a read." He sighed, rubbing his arm gently. It had calmed to a slight sting. "Feeling a little vulnerable here. But, remember that acceptance is totally optional, and if you decide not to accept, it doesn't need to change anything between us."

"Oh!" Peter's eyes shot up to his, then flicked away, looking anywhere but at Tony. "Um, I think I'm still trying to fit my head around it. I mean… are you okay with it? Because we don't have to… I mean, it's okay if it's not something that will work for you," his voice trailed off.

Oh. Peter thought maybe Tony would be upset about it?

"Are you kidding, Roo? C'mere." He held his arms out to the nervous-looking teen, and Peter looked up hopefully, closing the distance between them quickly, and slipped easily into his arms. Tony had definitely hugged the boy before, but probably not as often as he should have, as tactile as he knew Peter was. They usually stuck to shoulder pats or occasional side-hugs, or pseudo wrestling over differences of opinion, and he messed with the kid's hair more often than would probably be considered normal. "Peter. Certo che sei tu," he whispered softly.

"Of course it's me? What do you mean, Mr. Stark?" They'd been working on Italian all year during their lab sessions, and he was happy that Peter understood his words, if not his meaning.

Tony pulled back a little so he could look into Peter's eyes. "Of course it's you, Pete. I can't imagine anyone I'd be happier about. Honestly."

Peter's face lit up, and he ducked back in for another hug, almost quickly enough to hide his flush. "Careful there, bud," Tony said, rolling his sleeve down over his coalesced mark. "If we accidentally accept the bond without your aunt here, or Pepper, for that matter, they'll have our heads. You do want to accept?"

"Yeah yeah yeah, of course, Mr. Stark! Are you kidding?"

"Might want to start phasing that out, too, kiddo. I know you can call me Tony. You do it more often than you used to."

"Yeah," Peter said, huffing out a little laugh as he pulled back to look at him. "I guess you're right. I'll work on that?"

Tony ruffled his hair affectionately. Want to take a look at your mark? Did it stop hurting?

"Yeah, it doesn't feel like much now." He started pulling his sweater off.

"FRI, can you see if you can get a hold of May at work? Tell them it's a semi-emergency, and if she's not available, have her call as soon as she can. And tell Pepper I need her back here as soon as she can be?"

"Of course, Boss."

"Let's see that coalesced mark, kiddo. I can't believe I never even saw it blank," he added under his breath.

Since he'd had a long-sleeved shirt under his sweater (full marks for trying to keep warm), Peter pulled the collar down to bare his shoulder, and they both looked at the blurry design that had converged on its point. It was just smaller than Tony's palm, and he had to stick his hands in his pockets to keep from touching it. Besides the curiosity, there was also a tug that made him want to touch it, want to trigger the soul bond, and see what the final version of the mark looked like.

"Well, if there were any doubts, pretty sure that answers them, Pete. What does that look like to you? I mean, it's all fuzzy, but it looks like it's going to be similar to Pepper's."

The teen eyed the mark carefully, then turned his face up to grin excitedly at Tony. "Looks an awful lot like your arc reactor, doesn't it?"

"Spot on, young padawan."

Peter rolled his eyes slightly at that reference, but was still smiling. "That is so cool. Can you tell what yours looks like?"

"I'm really not sure. It's super small. Which is one reason I never said anything about having a platonic mark." He was rolling his sleeve back up to show Peter the little squiggly smudge on his arm as he spoke. "I always kinda wondered if it was a dud. But apparently not. It was just waiting around for the right person to be born." He winked at Peter, who looked happy but kind of overwhelmed at the same time. Tony swiped a hand affectionately across the boy's hair, hoping to relax him a little.

"Yeah, I can't tell what it might be either," said Peter, shaking his head, smiling a little at the touch. "Does it always have to do with the other person?

"Honestly, I don't know. My romantic mark is Pepper's favorite flower. And Nat and Clint's both seem to be representative as well. I don't know anyone else, other than you and me now, who have two soulmates, so I don't know if marks are consistent. Like if both of you have an arc reactor for me. It would make sense, though."

"Yeah." Peter shivered just a little bit.

"You okay, Pete? You're not going into shock or anything, are you?" Tony stepped forward to put a hand lightly on his forehead.

"No, si- I mean, no. My head's a little crazy with all the details, and I suddenly feel kinda tired, but I think I'm okay."

"Why don't you grab another snack, and we'll sit down and watch whatever this is," he said, eyeing the TV, which was still plugging merrily along, "while we wait to hear from May and Pepper. I should probably tell Rhodey, too. You want to call your friends or anything?"

"Maybe… not yet?" Peter said. I'd like some more time to get used to it myself, first. Maybe later, if that's okay."

"Of course it's fine. It's your news. Go grab some more food, huh?"

Peter wandered into the kitchen and found a protein bar. He brought it back to the couch with him, but looked unsure where to sit. What would usually be familiar and comfortable had an added layer to it, and Peter was obviously unsure how to navigate everything.

"Just get comfy kid. I'm going to go change, and I'll sit wherever's left when I get back."

Tony went into his room, and changed from his dress slacks into some comfortable jeans. He left the t-shirt; it was as good as any. He actually took a few minutes to hang up his jacket, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. Yep, there were several texts from Pepper in 1-2 minute increments.

Tony, I'm on my way, but what's going on? Friday says everyone's fine? How is it a semi-emergency if everything's fine?

Do I need to call anyone else? That meeting was kind of a big deal, so this had better be important.

Tony, so help me, you'd better answer my messages. Why is Friday being so cagey?

Anthony Edward Stark.

Yikes. He was in trouble now.