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In the years Tony had been with Peter, he had always loved him most for his heart. Becoming superior had taken away Tony’s ability to experience emotions the way he once had. Which was great because panic attacks, nightmares, and guilt complexes were a thing of the past. But so were moments of overwhelming joy, crying from happiness, and for a while, he had even thought that love was gone. There was fondness for his family but it was muted.
Until Peter.
Peter had somehow gotten under his skin and made him feel again. It still wasn’t the same as before but there was a connection there that he could not find anywhere else. So through Peter’s vivacity and life, Tony rediscovered his own heart.
If you asked Tony what the second thing he loved most about Peter was, it would definitely be his mind. Peter was one of the few people who stood a chance at keeping up with him, who made intuitive leaps and jumps just like Tony did.
It was that love that led Tony to crafting the masterpiece in front of him. A challenge for his love, one with the greatest of prizes at the end.
Peter was mildly perplexed when his lover placed a metal contraption the size of a large shoebox in front of him. He looked to Tony, and tilted his head, waiting for the older man to explain.
“You have to open it,” Tony said, giving Peter his signature smirk.
“And do I get instructions on that?” Peter asked with a huff, already reaching for the box. “Looks a bit more complicated than your usual gift wrapping.”
“I thought I’d give you a real challenge,” Tony replied. The older man dropped a kiss on Peter’s head and then left, leaving Peter to focus.
“We’ll see about that,” Peter muttered, popping the first set of locks easily to open a lid on the outermost layer. Tony knew he loved puzzles but they rarely truly challenged him.
A few minutes later, he had the next step solved. This time, there was a note waiting inside.
If we were to live forever it would still not be enough.
“As if we won’t live ridiculously long with extremis and my spider DNA,” Peter said with a snort. “You’re being too greedy, wanting more instead of just making the most of what we have.”
Peter set the message aside and continued, opening another hidden compartment to find the second note.
Greedy, I know, but I want every moment with you.
Peter smiled and set it aside with the first note.
The next compartment was a bit trickier, but Peter finally cracked the code only for a set of cufflinks to fall out. They were vibranium if he had to guess, and his spider sigil sat nestled inside the frame of an arc reactor.
“You’re such a softie,” Peter murmured, running his finger gently over the design. “I can’t believe anyone believes that tough guy act.”
With a smile, Peter set them aside and continued, finding another note in the next two compartments.
There are so many things I want us to do together
We’ll travel the world and try every type of cuisine at least twice.
Peter snorted at that one. It was their running joke that everything had to be tried twice to know for sure if you liked it or not. Though that was generally applied to things in the bedroom and not their food.
The next two were easy and took Peter no time to get open. Again he found more notes from Tony.
And the entire time, I know I won’t be able to take my eyes off of you
Because your face will light up brighter than any celestial body in the sky
Peter had to stop for a moment, wiping his eyes and taking a few deep breaths.
“You know I’m a total sap and cry at puppies and you still write stuff like this,” Peter groused. “And you don’t even have the decency to be here when you give it to me. Jerk.”
He knew Tony was probably resting, as he had seemed confident this would take Peter awhile, but still, the older man could take some responsibility for the bubbling emotions he was creating.
When he finally had the water works under control, Peter started again, though the next step was much harder than any of the previous ones. After some creative use of webbing, Peter finally opened another compartment to reveal a set of matching ties. They were a deep red with gold webbing inked delicately across it.
Peter was starting to think this wasn’t just a puzzle box after all.
“A date of some sort, clearly,” Peter muttered, curiosity motivating him to solve it faster. “Something fancy, if there’s ties and cufflinks.”
Another compartment revealed yet another note.
Then again, I can never keep my eyes off of you anyway .
“Not that I want you to,” Peter said, wishing his lover had stayed so he could say it to him directly. He’d have to make sure the older man knew how he felt after he finished taking apart his gift.
The next note made Peter wonder if he’d missed a compartment, because the tone of the note suddenly changed.
I’ve said it before, but I love your intelligence because it challenges me, and keeps things interesting.
A quick inspection had him pretty sure he hadn’t missed anything, so he continued on, finding one more compartment that opened the whole box. Nestled inside was a note sitting on top of an arc reactor core.
But the thing I love most is your heart, because it’s my heart too.
Peter felt like his heart would burst, and was trying to wipe away a few stray tears when his hand was tugged gently away.
Tony knelt in front of him and Peter wasn’t even sure when he got there. A strand of nanites wiped away the tears even as Tony tugged Peter’s arms so that he was facing the older man.
“You’ve always been my heart and the very best of me,” Tony said, his hands holding both of Peter's. Peter’s heart stopped when he saw the small box Tony drew out with another tendril of nanites. “And I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of making it official. Be mine, forever and for always?”
Peter croaked out a yes and flung himself into Tony’s arms. Later, he would admire the beautifully crafted ring, made of shrapnel, nanites, and vibranium. Later he would truly appreciate the thought and effort Tony put into the proposal. But for now, Peter could only cry from the all consuming love he felt for his beloved, and the love his beloved made him feel back.