Caution (Handle with Care)

That's Great...

Tony stared at his reflection in the mirror, absolutely shocked. He leaned in closer to the mirror to get a better look. His hair was changing. The white strands were becoming slightly longer. Thicker and darker too, his hair was almost an almond colour now. Was that his hair colour? Would it get darker?

His eyes were also changing. Shifting from their colourless white to a warm brown.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

He had met his soulmate and was changing into his true form. What would he look like? Neither of his parents had met their soulmates so he didn't know what their true forms were. He didn't know if he looked more like his mother or father. He never had given it much thought until now.

He reaches out to touch the mirror gently. This is who he was? Is this what he truly looked like?

Tony sat up on the bathroom sink and stared at his reflection.

Steve knocked on Tony's bathroom door cautiously. "Tony?" he calls out through the door.

Tony hadn't left his bathroom all day according to JARVIS. Steve was worried.

"Tony?" he tries again. "Please? Tony? Are you okay?"

He hears footsteps slowly walking towards the door and the door handle shifts. Steve takes a step back as the door opens.

Steve gasps as he takes in Tony. "You...?" he trails off, unable to finish that question.

"I met my soulmate" Tony says, beaming up at him.

Steve's heart sinks but he manages a smile for Tony. "That's great, Tony. Do- Do you know who?" He doesn't want to ask that. He doesn't want to know who Tony's heart belongs to. It was foolish to think that maybe some damaged soul like Steve would ever stand a chance with someone like Tony.

He mentally gives himself a kick in the head. This shouldn't be about him. Someone who had no soul to offer. It was about Tony who had found his other half, who found his soulmate.

Steve pulls Tony into a hug.

"I don't know yet, but I have JARVIS looking into it. Great thing about having an all-powerful AI, am I right?" Tony says with a laugh, his eyes sparkling with joy. They were beautiful, a deep warm brown, eyes that you could spend your life drowning in. Tony was handsome. He was before, but as his colour came in he was stunning. He would look amazing when he reached his final form. He hoped whoever's soul had matched with Tony knew how lucky they were.

Steve manages a weak laugh, ignoring the pain in his chest.

Tony pushes Steve onto the couch and rushes off to fetch the scotch from liquor cabinet. The man brings over too glasses. He doesn't think he's seen Tony smile so brightly.

"I can't believe it!" Tony says jovially, passing him the second glass. "I never thought I'd see the day"

Steve brings his glass to Tony's in cheers before taking a large sip of it. He feels sick, and cold. All he wants to do is run off to his room and cry. But he won't, not right now. He doesn't want to hurt Tony.

"I can believe it" he says. He just wishes it weren't true. That he could have a shot with Tony. But that is a terrible thought and he feels bad for thinking it. Guilt pools heavily in his stomach alongside the scotch. "You're a great man, Tony. You're soulmate is lucky to have you." He just wishes it were him.

Tony laughs and throughs his arm around Steve's shoulder in a hug.

"So what was it like?" Tony asks.

His stomach drops out from under him and everything goes too still. Too cold.

No.

"What was what like?" he asks, his throat dry. 'Please, Tony, Don't ask me this' he thinks.