I Can't Live A Lie (Running For My Life)

The World has Lost its Color (Now that you're gone)

Alright guys. You know the drill.

I love soulmate AUs for Peter and Tony, but none of mine are, or ever will be Starker.

Never.

All of my stories of them are strictly platonic.

That being said, enjoy this flangst concoction I cooked up late at night on no sleep.

The first time he saw color was in a small apartment in Queens.

It was the happiest he'd ever been.

Soulmates were always a foreign concept to Tony.

His mother and father had been soulmates, but they hadn't been very happy.

So he decided he didn't need one.

Not being able to see colors wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

Then he met a bright eyed fifteen year old from Queens that managed to tear down the walls around his heart, and carve a nice Peter-sized shape there.

The world in color was beautiful.

He could see the fiery red of Pepper's hair.

The blue of the sky. 

The red and gold of his suits.

But the best thing was when he could see Peter's brown eyes, bright with childish affection, watching him while he worked, showing the teen how to build something.

A soulmate meant more than what society thought of it: it was love, yes, but it didn't have to be romantic. It was the kind of love that makes you feel like you would do anything to keep them safe and happy. 

Give anything.

The last time he saw color was on Titan.

It was the worst pain he'd ever felt, worse than having a hole cut into his chest, worse than being betrayed by his team.

Worse than a shield trying to end his life.

He couldn't see the color of Pepper's hair anymore.

He had to have Friday tell him what color things were in his workshop.

He couldn't see the color of Morgan's eyes when she was born.

When he saw color again for the first time in five years, he cried.

When he saw Peter on the battlefield, a piece of him that had been broken was fixed.

He pulled the teenager into his arms, breath coming in gasps. "You're- you're okay, you're alive-"

Peter buried his face in the crook of Tony's neck, breath warm against his skin. "I'm scared."

A tremor was barely noticeable in his voice, and Tony wanted to fix it.

Wanted so much to fix it, but he was barely holding it together as it was, and so he could only press his lips to Peter's temple, squeezing tightly. "I love you kiddo. Okay? Don't forget that. You're my kid."

The teenager pulled back, eyes panickedly searching Tony's face. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to fix this." Tony brought his hand up to cradle the side of Peter's face. "Yeah? And then… then you can meet Morgan. She's my kid too."