Work Text:
It had been a long time since Tony had believed his heart had room to love.
Actually, it had been a long time since Tony even believed he had a heart.
Sometimes he wondered if the arc reactor had replaced his heart, made him colder, more uncaring, or at least infected his heart with a lack of love.
Or that was what he’d thought, until recently.
Until he’d found himself feeling very protective of the Spider-Kid, Peter, and then kind of implying that he was like the kid’s father; he didn’t know where the hell that had even come from, but he guessed maybe his heart was starting to thaw.
What confirmed it was the events on Titan; how shattered he felt when the kid died.
How much he wished he didn’t have to live through that, didn’t have to see the fear on Peter’s face.
How much he wished he could have taken Peter’s place, faded to nothing instead of him.
And then when everyone was brought back, instantly Tony found he sought out two people; the kid, and the sorcerer, Stephen Strange, who’d saved his life on Titan.
It was a few months later that Tony and Stephen started dating, at first uncertain, cautious and unsure.
But now, if you asked Tony who had his heart, who had his love, he’d instantly reply, “My family. I have the best kid I could ask for, an amazing boyfriend and the best team in the world.”