Tony

"Peter!"

"Hey, May," Peter said, his voice sounding wobbly. His aunt rushed to him and grabbed the teen in a tight hug. She murmured something in her nephew's ear Tony couldn't hear, and when she pulled back, she was wiping at her eyes. To Tony's surprise, next she turned to him and pulled him into the same kind of hug. Their relationship was familiar and friendly after three years of trying to keep the same crazy kid alive and happy, but he was pretty sure this was a first. He was giving wide "what the heck?" eyes to Happy, who was holding up the wall in the dining room, but his friend just shrugged.

When May didn't let go right away, and he could feel her sniffing slightly, he said, very quietly, (but Peter could probably hear anyway) "Hey, are you okay with this?"

She pulled back, not trying to keep her voice down. She probably knew it was a lost cause if they didn't mean for Peter to hear. "Not really. I mean, I'm not really ready for this, mostly so soon. But it's not about me, it's about Peter. And I'm so grateful it's you, Tony. I really am. I can't imagine anyone better suited to be tied to him. You already do so much for him, and already love him. You guys are two sides of the same coin in so many ways. Who better?" May laughed, wiping her eyes again, then opening her arms again for Peter, making grabby motions. He obeyed, moving back into her embrace.

"We appreciate having your blessing, May. I don't want this to change much between all of us."

She looked a little sad, but not unhappy as she released her nephew. "Oh, it will change things. But, actually, it almost makes me feel… better?" She moved towards the couch, pulling Peter with her and motioning for Tony and Pepper to sit with them.

"What do you mean?"

"I've felt for a while now like I was losing him to you, in a way. You two are just so suited for each other, and I'm busy, and can't keep up with most of what Peter's into or needs, not that I don't try."

Tony and Peter both sat forward and opened their mouths to argue with her, but she cut them off. "No. This is what I'm talking about. I feel like you've grown more in sync this year in almost every way, like you're speaking a language I can't quite understand. And I'm not talking about Italian," she said with a wry smile. "But it all makes sense now, and honestly, after having a chance to think about it on the way over, I feel very peaceful."

Now Peter was blinking away what might have been a few tears. "May, I'm sorry!"

"No, stop that. I'm not sorry. But you both promise me that we'll work out some kind of living arrangement that works for all of us, and especially works for your bond after all this is settled, with no guilt. Okay?" She was pointing a stern finger at Peter when she mentioned the no guilt part.

Tony knew his face was mirroring Peter's, as they both felt relieved, but also sad about what May had told them. Pepper gently stroked her thumb across the palm of his hand where she was holding it, and she pushed her shoulder more firmly against his arm in support. Tony managed to nod. Of course. With his resources, he could make pretty much anything she wanted work out. As long as it didn't involved being separated from Peter very often.

"Okay then," May managed to say brightly. "Should we get this going?"

"FRI, where's Rhodey?"

"About two minutes out, Boss."

"Great." Then, after a bit of awkward silence, "I guess it's just as well that we'd been planning to spend this weekend at the Compound."

"Yes, that was good timing. As was winter break starting now. I mean, can you picture you trying to go to class with Peter, and having any chance of keeping this off the evening news?"

Peter was being awfully quiet, but his eyes widened at that. "Um, are we going to try to do that? I mean, keep it quiet?"

"I thought we probably would for now, kid, just to avoid attention and whatnot, but I'm going to say that one's up to you."

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, I don't really want like… everyone to know. But people that know us personally, I mean, that's fine, right?"

"Of course. Like I said, up to you."

"Don't worry about too much of anything this next week, honey," May said. "You guys just concentrate on relaxing and letting your bond settle. It's hard work, in some ways."

"And super boring in others," added Pepper with a smile. All four adults laughed, and Peter just looked at them all in mild confusion. May noticed his expression and tousled his hair.

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. I wish I could come up with you, but they're already shorthanded at work. And you really don't need me for this."

Peter looked like maybe he did need her for this, but he nodded anyway.

"And we'll have Natasha and Clint there for a few days to help us out with anything we need bond-wise, remember?" Tony said.

"Oh, that's right!" May exclaimed. "Well, that's fortunate timing, too."

Just then, Rhodey walked in, brushing the wrinkles out of his recently suit-ensconced uniform. "Hey, Tones!" His voice was warm and excited. "Mrs. Parker, Pepper, Pete." Rhodey was grinning and had already started handing out hugs like candy, starting with Pepper and Happy and moving along to a surprised May.

"Wow, Sour Patch. You look more excited about this than me," Tony huffed suspiciously.

"Are you kidding? We're going to have someone else to help keep you in line and alive. It's way too big of a job for just Pepper and me. Maybe now I can take a vacation or something," he teased his friend mercilessly, pulling him in for a giant bear hug, almost lifting him off the ground.

Then he turned to Peter, and pulled him in enthusiastically as well. "Hey, Peter. I'm so excited for you guys! I couldn't believe it when Tony told me. Man, two soulmates. Some guys have all the luck," he said with a grin and a wink.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony said. "Are we all here? Pete? You ready to get this show on the road?"

"I… I think so?" Peter said, eyes wide and excited, but also uncertain. "Do we just… do it?"

"Pretty much. Pep, you have that paperwork?"

Peter looked intrigued, so when Pepper went to get it out of a folder on the dining room table, Tony motioned Peter over to take a look. He waited while the kid started to read through it. It was fairly straight forward.

"So, wait. These clauses that apply to minors, that's me, right?"

Several of the adults nodded.

"Am I reading this right, that you have actual, like, legal jurisdiction over me after this?" Peter looked at Tony, appearing quite surprised, but not upset.

"Yes." May was the one who answered. "As your soulmate, Tony will have legal joint custody of you until you turn eighteen. And after that, he basically becomes your primary next-of-kin."

"Wow." Peter sat down at the dining room chair as he finished reading. He looked up at May, some regret in his eyes. "You weren't kidding when you said this would change some things."

"It's okay, baby. I trust Tony, and I know we'll still be together all the time. I'm not thinking of it as losing you, as much as it might feel that way some moments. Like Colonel Rhodes said, you're just getting a bunch more family to love you and help take care of you."

Peter smiled weakly at that, and stood up. "Okay, I'm ready. It has a place for two witnesses here. Does it matter who they are?"

"I think it's supposed to be someone other than me," Pepper said, "since I'm Tony's soulmate, and it's better if it's not direct family. So probably Rhodey and Happy?"

"That okay with you, bud?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, of course."

Tony wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulder and led the boy over to the couch. They both sat. "You want me to go first?"

The teenager looked relieved. "Yeah, that would be good. So I know how to do it."

"Remember, it's going to hurt again as your mark changes. But should be for less than a minute, okay? Most people say it's more like twenty seconds."

"Okay, I'm ready." Then he seemed to remember the skin-to-skin requirement, and quickly slipped out of the sweatshirt, pulling his shirtsleeve up over his shoulder. Tony leaned forward, unhappy that this would cause the boy more discomfort, but also eager to accept the bond.

He met Peter's gaze, his eyes softening with affection. "Ti amo come un figlio. Ce l'ho da un po' di tempo*," he said softly first. He checked for understanding in the boy's face, and saw it in the shy grin that appeared. Then Tony placed his hand on Peter's coalesced soul mark on his shoulder. "Pete, I gladly accept you as my soulmate."

Peter's smile turned into a slight grimace and a tiny hiss of pain escaped his clenched jaw. Tony immediately scooted in closer, putting his other arm around the boy in a hug, and pressing his cheek to Peter's hair. "Sorry, kid! It'll be over soon."

And it was. Just a few breaths later he felt Peter starting to relax in his arms, and he knew he was probably feeling the positive effects of a soulmate's touch on his fully articulated mark. Tony gave it just another minute, since the feeling of the kid absolutely melting against him now was so novel. He pulled back slowly, hand still firmly cupping Peter's shoulder.

"That should be it," Tony said with a smile. "Do you want to see it?"

Peter's eyes widened excitedly. "Yeah!" he said, turning his head down to his shoulder as Tony removed his hand.

"Wow," he breathed, reaching up to touch it for himself. The mark had sharpened into a pale, almost white triangle within a circle, just like the later version of the arc reactor that used to keep Tony alive. Peter ran his finger along a line, feeling the slightly raised texture. "This is pretty much the coolest thing ever," he said fervently. All the adults in the room laughed, and Peter's head jerked up like he had forgotten they were there. Tony glanced back behind them, and both May and Pepper had suspiciously shiny eyes. Rhodey was just grinning happily.

"Your turn, kid," Tony said, rolling up his own sleeve.

Peter nodded, biting his lip and leaning back in close to Tony. He brought his hand up to rest on the small white mark on Tony's arm. "Tony, I accept you as my soulmate."

Crap. Tony didn't remember it hurting this much when he and Pepper accepted. But that was a long time ago. That tiny spot felt like it was on fire. He opened his eyes and met the wide, concerned ones of his new platonic soulmate.

"I'm sorry!" Peter blurted. The pain was already fading, and Tony tried to smile at the boy. "S'fine, Pete. It's almost over." And it was. Tony brought his opposite hand across to rest on Peter's left shoulder, offering the kid comfort even through his t-shirt.

"Whoa. That is the craziest feeling," Peter said softly, eyes full of wonder.

Tony agreed, and he was feeling it too, now. The cool/warm comfort where Peter's hand was covering his mark instantly relaxed him. He was used to it from Pepper, but experiencing it with someone new had almost a different… flavor to it, if a touch could have a flavor. Tony shook his head at the musing, pulling himself back into the moment. He removed his hand, and Peter did the same, craning his neck around to try to see what had formed on Tony's bicep.

His head shot up almost immediately, a giant grin on his face. "Holy cow, Mr. Stark," he said, slipping back into the familiar form of address. "That's my spider symbol!"

The kid was absolutely correct. Easy to see now that it had fully formed, a tiny white Spiderman-spider symbol now decorated Tony's upper arm. "Would you look at that?" Rhodey, Pepper, and May took that as a literal invitation, and crowded in to hug the new soulmates and inspect their marks. Happy hovered a little, not wanting to intrude, but obviously curious. Tony made it a point to step a few feet over to show the mark to his other friend. Happy gave him a rare smile.

"Huh," said Rhodey. Good thing it's small, Tones, and where it's usually covered, or your kid's whole 'secret identity' thing would have just gotten more complicated." Tony was too busy thinking about how Rhodey had just said "your kid." He'd referred to Peter that way before, but now it was actually true. Tony felt his own eyes misting up suspiciously, and he turned to wipe them surreptitiously.

"Oh man, I didn't even think of that," Peter said, sounding startled. "I guess you're right."

When May grabbed Peter for a big hug at that point, Pepper stepped in close to Tony's side, and he turned to pull her into an embrace as well. "Thanks, honey," he said quietly, leaning in to kiss her, wrapping her firmly in his arms, and making sure one hand was gently brushing the soul mark on the back of her left shoulder. The one that looked just like Peter's. Pepper tucked her nose into his neck and sighed happily. "Love you, Tony." She pulled back. You need to sign the paperwork, though, and get on the road before the storm picks up, please."

He smiled at her, and turned back to Peter. "She's right. Let's get that done, bud."

Peter nodded, and joined him at the table, where they both signed in the appropriate spots and filled in the information about their soul marks' appearances and locations. Then Rhodey and May signed as witnesses, and Pepper returned the paperwork to its envelope.

"Okay, you guys will be official by this time tomorrow," she said with a smile.

"Fantastic," said Tony, unable to keep from setting a hand on Peter's shoulder. He'd forgotten how it felt to have that constant draw (and need) to touch your soulmate in the beginning. "Hey, I'm gonna go put my stuff together, and then we'll go. That okay with you, Hap?"

"Of course, Boss. I already have my stuff in the car."

"Give me ten minutes, and we'll take off." Tony headed towards his room and had just reached the doorway when he felt a little tug in his midsection towards the group behind him. What the… Did Pepper need something? He turned, and saw her chatting calmly with Happy. But then his gaze slid a little further, and suddenly he noticed a pair of big brown eyes, looking bereft, trained on his departing form. Oh.

"Uh, Pete? You want to come help me pack?"

Peter, found out, flushed lightly, while responding nonchalantly for the other adults' benefit, "Oh, sure. If it will help." The boy ducked his head and ambled over to Tony, keeping up the indifference charade.

Tony purposefully stayed close to Peter as they walked, making sure their shoulders brushed every few steps. The tugging feeling had dissipated as soon as he invited Peter to join him.

"Hey, Pete?" he said as they walked into his room. He gestured for the boy to have a seat on the bed, which he did, gingerly. "Soulmate 101, lesson one: You listening?" Peter nodded. "If you want to be with me and you're not, or you want or need us to be touching, and we're not, speak up. Or just make it happen. There's no such thing as overstepping in this early phase of our bond, and those needs you feel are real, okay?"

Peter looked embarrassed. "Kid, I'm serious. We're going to be spending the next 72 hours in pretty constant contact, so it shouldn't be an issue. But when it is, don't ignore your needs because you're worried about what I want or will think, okay?"

"I'll try. I don't know how to do this." Peter looked so uncertain.

Tony's eyes softened further, the affection he felt for the teen nearly leaking out of him. "Me neither, Pete. I mean, I've done the soulmate thing before, but every pair is different."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can already feel differences between our bond and the one I have with Pepper. Not better or worse, just different. It will take us some time and some trial and error to figure out what each of us needs, and how to navigate with each other."

Tony had been busy grabbing some basics. He also had plenty of clothes at the Compound, so it didn't take him long. Peter seemed to be thinking over what he'd said as Tony gathered items, including his favorite pillow. Why was only one pillow his favorite? He was a billionaire. He should be able to have many, many copies of his "favorite pillow." Why were they all still different, and why was this one the best? Easily lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt that mild tugging again. He eyed Peter, who was staring idly out the window. What did he need?

A moment later, when Tony was ready to go, he set his bag on the bed acted impulsive on some instinct. He reached a hand out towards Peter as if he was helping him up. Peter gave him a strange look, but accepted his hand. Tony pulled him up into a hug, making sure to make contact with the kid's soul mark. Peter sighed and relaxed, positively snuggling into him (which honestly was an amusing sensation coming from a lanky 17-year-old boy). The tug was gone. He was right: Peter needed to be touched. Probably a lot. Probably more than Pepper had, or Tony, in their bond.

That was the moment when Tony realized how different his bond with Peter was going to be compared to his bond with Pepper. And suddenly the great Tony Stark, who was notoriously not great at touching and cuddling, was just a little bit nervous about how it was all going to play out.

* I love you like a son. I have for quite some time.