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It felt like all of time and space had stopped around them, and Tony wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing. It had been reflex, pure instinct to reach out and wrap his fingers around Peter’s wrist to stop the kid from poking at the diagram currently floating in front of their faces. Even though touching people, skin to skin, was something Tony typically avoided. And even though he had seen the greyed out fingerprints on Peter’s skin a hundred times, it didn’t register that that’s where his own fingers would land.
Until what felt like a static shock raced up his arm from the point of contact. And when he pulled his fingers away like he’d been burned, Tony could see that the grey was now a very distinct, very recognizable shade of red. Shit. Fuck. This wasn’t fair. Peter deserved so much better than being saddled with him.
“Oh my god, Tony..”
Tony’s head snapped up, brown eyes tearing away from the pretty terrifying shade of red to meet shocked blue. Peter’s hand came up, and Tony knew exactly where those fingers would land, had been staring at the grey marks on the side of his neck for his entire life. When they made contact (god, what color were they turning?), a jolt went through both of them. And before he could even say a word of protest, Peter’s lips were pressing against his own.
They were kissing. For a moment, everything in Tony’s dark and ugly world was bright. Every broken, jagged, mismatched piece of his fell into place alongside everything that was Peter Parker.
And then reality crashed in, reminding Tony of all the reasons he couldn’t have this. Reminding him of all the reasons why he would ruin Peter, taint him and steal away all of the good things that made the younger man the best part of Tony’s life. So he pushed Peter (his soulmate, god how could he ever possibly how to deserve that) away, taking several steps back to put distance between them. “Peter, we can’t. I can’t.”
The devastated look on Peter’s face was crushing, and it took all of Tony’s willpower not to cross the divide he had created to wipe that look away. “You didn’t.. you didn’t like it? I’m sorry, Tony. I know I don’t have a lot of experience, and I’m not exactly what you’re used to dating-wise but I promise I can learn and I really can be mature and I swear I’ll be the best-”
Tony held up his hands, like he could physically stop the cascade of words coming from Peter. “Whoa, Pete, slow down. Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with you. I don’t care if you’re the least experienced or the most experienced or somewhere in between. But you don’t want me. You don’t want to be tied up with a broke down old man like me, marks or no marks.”
A stormy expression appeared on Peter’s face, and Tony could only watch as the kid stomped through the space between them to poke a finger into the older man’s chest. “You don’t get to make decisions for me, Tony. That’s not fair. I might be young, but I’m not a kid anymore. I’m old enough to know what I want. And Tony..” The brunette sighed. “Tony, you’re a hero. You’re my hero. And the only reason my age is an issue is because I haven’t done nearly enough to be worthy of someone like you.”
“Pete-”
“Nope. No. You don’t get to take this away from me. From us. This is the greatest gift the universe could ever give me, and I’m gonna spend the rest of my life earning it.” Peter took Tony’s hand and pressed his lips against the palm. “We’re gonna be so good, Tony. Just gotta trust me.”
And what else could Tony do in the face of all that certainty but smile and tug Peter into another kiss?