Peter

What a crazy, hard, incredible day it had been. And it wasn't over. Since waking up quite early this morning, Peter had found out he had a romantic soulmate blank, found out he and MJ were not a match, found out his platonic soulmate was Tony , and had accepted the bond. May had been amazingly calm about it all, and once he got over the shock, Peter was pretty excited about everything too. But this bond thing was different than he'd expected. It was definitely going to take some getting used to.

He and Tony had never been that touchy. Well, Peter amended, to most people, their relationship probably looked pretty physical. Tony gave him side hugs or patted his shoulder often. He messed with his hair all the time (which Peter loved/hated), and he often fell asleep on Tony's shoulder during movie nights. But from Peter's perspective, their relationship wasn't overly tactile, compared to how close he felt like they were otherwise. He and May touched all the time, and she gave him several hugs a day. She said he'd always needed a lot of touch to feel loved and secure, and that it had just gotten more intense after his parents died. Ben had been great, always wrestling with him, and holding him close while they watched TV, and hugging him for no reason. After he died, even through her own grief, May had tried hard to increase their physical contact, and it had helped. He and Ned were used to working shoulder to shoulder on any number of projects, and Star Wars marathons leaning against each other on the couch were a normal thing. And of course there was their epic handshake. Obviously once he and MJ had actually started dating there had been plenty of touching there. Man, Peter was going to miss that. All of it.

Ugh. It suddenly hit him again like a punch to the gut. His pain at basically ending that part of their relationship earlier that day had been overshadowed since Tony walked into the penthouse that afternoon, but it came back with full force just then, and he abruptly turned his head to stare out the window as tears pricked at his eyes. He hadn't really had a chance to grieve all of that fully. Sure, he'd been working on those feelings since MJ's romantic blank had appeared, but the concrete end they'd reached today was still hard to accept.

"Kid? What's wrong?"

Peter rubbed at his eyes with his hoodie sleeve. "Uh, what? I'm okay."

"Pete, look at me." Some quality in Tony's voice compelled him to turn his face completely to his mentor, and he knew his tears were obvious.

"Aw, buddy. C'mere." Tony indicated the middle seat between them, and not trying to fight it, Peter quickly unbuckled and slid over, Tony helping him find the third seatbelt in its tucked-in storage space. Just having contact with his new soulmate helped Peter breathe a little easier, but the slow-moving tears didn't stop.

Tony raised his arm behind Peter and pulled him into his side, hand resting over Peter's soul mark. Wow. Would he ever get used to that sensation? His shoulders dropped and he turned his upper body into Tony, resting his head against the man's shoulder. He took several deep breaths and then his breathing pattern quickly returned to normal. That was a big improvement over the sobs he'd been worried were going to escape moments before. The pain wasn't gone, or dulled, but it was… soothed. Yes, he hurt, but he suddenly felt like it was going to be okay.

"So what's bugging you, Pete? Bugging. Get it?"

"Seriously, Mr. Stark? How many times are you going to try that one? Spiders aren't even bugs, and you know it." Peter took another deep breath." And I'm okay, now. Thanks."

"I know the soul mark 'magic' is helping you feel better, but what were you upset about, kiddo? You're about to find out how hard it is to keep secrets from your soulmate," he said playfully.

Peter looked at Tony in alarm, and he could feel his eyes widen. "Is that a thing?"

"I don't know. Probably for some pairs. It definitely is for me and Pep," Tony said neutrally. "Come on," he said, bringing his other hand up to stroke Peter's hair lightly. "Tell me what's troubling you."

His voice was so kind and sincere. He obviously really cared. Still, Peter was a little surprised to hear himself start speaking. Crap. "It's MJ. Before all the stuff happened with us earlier, I was… I was pretty upset that we knew for sure that we're not soulmates, and that we'll both find someone else. It just… hurts, and I'm really sad about it." Wow. That was a lot of truth.

"Of course you are, kid. I'm so sorry!" Tony rubbed his shoulder gently, and every movement against Peter's soul mark brought more calm and emotional relief. And then he let out an enormous yawn.

"This soul mark stuff is weird, man," Peter almost slurred, his eyes fluttering closed. He almost felt like he was about to fall asleep.

He could hear the smile in Tony's voice as he said, "You know this, Pete. Soulmate 101. When your soulmate touches your mark, it gives you whatever you need, whether it's comfort, pain relief, a pick-me-up, you name it. Apparently what you're most in need of currently is a nap."

"S' that's what this is?" he asked without opening his eyes. He was trying to fight it, but it felt like a losing cause. Peter turned more fully towards Tony and brought his feet up onto the seat in front of him. He folded his arms across his stomach and slid down a little, settling his head in the crook of Tony's shoulder.

"Maybe jus' a few minutes," he said softly, surrendering to the overwhelming impulse to sleep. The last thing he registered was Tony's chuckle resonating against his ear.

Tony

Tony sighed. On a good day the trip to the Compound in Westchester County took less than an hour. This was not a good day. About ten minutes into the trip, snowflakes started swirling lightly, and Tony was pretty sure it was going to be a slow drive. He and Peter were both in the back seat, but Peter had been very quiet, and pressed against his own window, watching the scenery. Tony could feel their bond getting itchy even though it had only been ten to fifteen minutes since they last touched, but he was planning to wait and see if the kid would actually listen to him, and reach out when he realized he needed it.

That plan went out the window when he heard a sniff and felt that tug in his gut again. Wow. Teenage hormones were no joke. Even when they were first bonded, he only rarely felt that telltale feeling that Pepper needed him. Usually there was either some kind of trauma or trouble involved if she did, so every time it had happened with Peter so far, it made him anxious.

After they talked out what was bothering him, and as the boy quickly fell asleep against him, Tony chuckled (partially in relief) at how easily he'd been able to settle his young soulmate. The boy was dealing with heavy emotions, but the soul mark effect was pretty strong. His heart ached for the kid. He knew how attached he was to Michelle, and wished it could have worked out for them. Though he and May had talked earlier about how they mostly hoped they weren't a match, just because they were so young. It would be a little tough to find your romantic soulmate at seventeen. Now that Peter really was his, he was even more relieved. He couldn't imagine trying to shepherd all those crazy hormones through a romantic bond at the same time. Tony shivered slightly at the thought. Hmm. It was a little chilly in the car, and he knew Peter got cold easily.

"Hey Hap? Turn up the heat a notch."

"Really, Boss? I'm just fine. I don't want to get all sweaty," his friend complained.

"Yeah, but you run hot, and our Spiderbaby here runs cold. He wins."

"Looks like you're doing a great job of keeping him warm there," Happy smirked at him where their eyes met in the rearview mirror.

Tony rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile down at the soft curls at his chin. Overcome by a wave of affection, he pressed his cheek against the boy's head. He'd had attachment to and even love for the teenager before all this, but the soulmate bond was really kicking all that into high gear. He had a feeling he was going to be in for a lot of teasing, from Happy and from the other Avengers. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Eyes on the road, Hap," he growled playfully.

"Oh, I am, Boss. It's really coming down."

Tony's phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and put it up to his ear to avoid waking the kid.

"Hey, Pep."

"Tony, FRIDAY says you guys are still a ways out, and that her connection between you and the Compound is getting shaky because of the storm. How's it looking where you're at?"

"Aw, you're worried about me? That's so sweet."

"Tony."

"It's pretty messy out there, Pep, but we're still fine. Happy's doing a great job." Happy rolled his eyes in the rearview.

"How's Peter?"

"He's okay, mostly. With all the craziness this afternoon, I forgot he found out for sure that he and Michelle weren't a match this morning, and all that seemed to have come bubbling up a little while ago."

"Oh man, poor kid."

"Yeah, it's not easy. He's sleeping now, though."

"You're touching him a lot, right? May told me Peter needs more than most people, and with a new bond…"

"What do you mean? I'm in the front seat with Happy." He paused, as cold silence permeated his ear. "Come on, Pep," he protested, a little exasperated. "He's snuggled into my side. It's adorable," he said dryly. "This isn't my first rodeo, honey."

"Yeah, but remember I was along for the ride on your first rodeo, and that's why I worry. I'm not sure Peter will ask for what he needs."

"He hasn't yet, but I've already talked to him about it, and don't worry, our bond is giving me plenty of heads up about his needs. They're very apparent."

"Really?" She sounded intrigued.

"Yeah. Dang near gave me a heart attack three times already today. You spoiled me by being so independent, baby," he said with warmth.

"We were both pretty independent by the time we met," Pepper said quietly. "He's not, and he's going to need you a lot more than I did."

"I know, Pep. I'm gonna do my best. Maybe he'll teach me a trick or two."

"I'm kind of counting on it," she teased. Then more seriously. "I don't need to cuddle, but I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it, at least with you. So think about that, if you happen to gain that particular skill"

Tony's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He didn't think she had ever expressed that to him. But they had already established early on that he didn't enjoy a lot of touching, so he knew she tried to mostly keep it light. "I'll work on that when I get back, okay?" he said gently.

"That sounds… nice."

"Love you, Pep."

"Love you, too. You guys stay safe. You have the suit with you, right?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Okay. Talk to you soon."

Tony sighed and leaned his head back against the seat, letting his mind go back to the last time he was trying to figure out a new soulmate bond. He was a fairly different person then. Being with Pepper, and even more so, having Peter in his life, had softened him. Pepper, on the other hand, had had her work cut out for her.

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"Look, Tony, this is not working. We have to touch more. I'm tired of getting sick all the time."

"I'm trying, Pepper, I really am."

"Are you really going to stick with that silly nickname?" she asked dryly.

"I think it's darling, actually, and suits you. And you haven't actually asked me to call you anything else yet. I'm just gonna ride this train until you derail it." He ran a hand lightly down her arm, trying to figure out how he was supposed to touch her more.

His new soulmate, who he'd only met 48 hours before, sighed in exasperation and kissed his cheek lightly before leaning against his shoulder on the couch. Tony turned his head so he could see her profile. Man, she was beautiful. And funny, and so freaking smart, in different ways than he was. Dang good at her job, too, according to the circumstances around how he'd met her.

Tony was so grateful to finally have found the soulmate he'd given up on, and more grateful that she'd agreed to the bond, despite his reputation. But why did it still make him all kinds of anxious to try to keep up the almost-constant touching their bond required? The 24-hour mark had been especially difficult. He had basically had to force himself to keep in contact with her during that time, but it hadn't been easy for him.

It would have been easier if they'd known each other for a while and had a real relationship already. He'd always done okay with touch when they were, uh, active while he was touching other women, but just sitting close to someone for any period of time? Holding still and… cuddling? Ugh. He could never enjoy that. He'd never even tried to cuddle with anyone else. But it wasn't going well. Thankfully Pepper had taken pity on him towards the end of that enforced closeness period and they had gone for a long walk hand-in-hand (somewhat more tolerable than sitting on the couch) and ended up in a nice long make-out session with the excuse of getting to know each other better. That part was miles above "tolerable," and probably the point when Tony realized he could make it through all this touchy stuff. But it was still a struggle, and continued to be for months, until their bond settled more and they found ways of connecting that were easier for Tony.

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She'd been worth all the effort, of course, and was grateful every day for her. But they'd had a rough start. Man, he needed to do better with Peter. And he thought he would. He already knew and was comfortable with the kid. He didn't startle at his touch, didn't mind when Peter handed him things, actually touched the teen on his own fairly often, and they maybe even approximated "cuddling" during some of their movie marathons. They could do this. He could do this.

Peter shifted in his sleep, and Tony pressed his cheek to the boy's hair again. He wondered if Peter had told his friends about their bond yet. He'd forgotten to ask. He tried to start running through the ways this might impact Peter finishing off his senior year as normally as possible, and figure out ways to mitigate any complications. A lot of it probably depended on how strong their bond was, and how long it took to settle. There was no telling yet. And what about MIT? Tony tried not to think about that. Surely by the fall they'd be up to being away from each other for up to two weeks at a time. Platonic bonds weren't generally as strong as romantic ones, right? If Tony or Peter had to fly back and forth every other weekend, he would make it work. He didn't want this to stand in the way of everything Peter was hoping to do.

He brought his hand up off of Peter's shoulder and threaded his fingers lightly through his kid's hair. He could hardly believe it. He'd been very attached to the boy for a long time now, but their relationship had always had somewhat fragile strings holding it together: His aunt's continuing permission. Peter's desire to keep spending time with Tony. The likelihood of growing apart when he left for college. Most recently, whoever he eventually found was his soulmate, and the much more important connection he'd have with them. Now, none of that mattered. They had a soul bond, which meant he got to keep the kid. They had a concrete connection that meant they'd stay in each other's lives. Tony slowly let out a breath of relief he felt like he'd been holding in for over a year or more. He relaxed into the headrest, holding Peter to him just a little tighter, and allowed himself a moment to just be overjoyed at the fact. His next breath came out just a bit raggedly.

Of course, that was the moment the serenity all fell apart, as a giant deer lunged in front of the car. Happy swerved a bit trying not to impact it head on. He managed to keep from hitting it at an angle that would have sent it through the windshield, but the car slid off the road and clipped a tree hard, spinning it into the snow-covered ditch at the side