Peter knew of Tony's history upon entering a relationship with the older man, of course. He's Gen Z, born with the power of the internet in the palm of his hand. He was 21 when he first met 46-year-old Tony Stark. He knew he had an expiry date. But he was young and Tony was funny and smart and nice and so unbelievably hot. Peter could have a good time with him for however brief it may be.

Tony, on the other hand, was prepared to quit dating entirely when he was dumped yet again shortly after spending a small fortune on a diamond necklace for his ex's birthday. She was nice enough to try to give it back the night she left him, but he refused. Maybe she can sell it and use it towards the down payment for a house or whatever it is that "serious adults" do.

Because that's the thing the internet doesn't talk about, how people date Tony Stark for a good time and not for a long time. Oh it's fun to get invited to high society galas and travel to beautiful places around the world and be showered with lavish, expensive gifts. But when people decide it's time to settle down, make commitments, have a family, they don't want to do it with a man like Tony Stark.

Peter is too beautiful for Tony to resist, though. And as Tony got to know him - just how sweet, kind-hearted, and absolutely prodigy-level genius the young man is - Tony knows Peter is entirely too good for him to keep. Tony knows his heart will inevitably be broken again down the line, but hey, it's better to have loved and lost and all that.

Right?

It's a wonderful few years. Perfect, even.

Peter never imagined he would find the love of his life in his early twenties but here he is. Tony Stark's incredible body and insane stamina and big, fat bank account are great perks for sure. But it's his quirks, his passion, his work ethic, even his flaws that make Peter fall even deeper in love. It seems like the only flaw of Tony's that Peter can't get over is the fact that the man obviously prefers them young. And it's not something Peter can ever accept or change about himself. The thing about puppies is that they always grow into dogs.

Tony throws Peter the biggest 25th birthday party the city has ever seen. No expense was spared. Everyone was out to celebrate, family and friends inside the venue, even the vultures outside waiting for their breakup, jokes at the ready.

There's just one couple whose happiness was subdued. It's a melancholy that hovers over them like a stormcloud. Each bout of lovemaking feels like the last.

With every kiss Peter is saying, please let me stay.

With every touch Tony is saying, please don't go.

Tony is the one who caves. This has gone enough for too long. Either way, Peter will be the last person he'll ever be with, the last person he'll ever love.

The engagement ring is a vintage piece of gold that once adorned Tony's own late mother. Tony hopes against hope that it doesn't become yet another piece of jewelry to bookmark another heartbreak.

But Peter says yes. Of course, he says yes. Few people are lucky enough to find a love like he had. Even fewer had found it so quickly.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long," Peter says.

"It's worth it to finally find you," Tony says.

And everyone acts like it's some great tragedy that Tony lost his hearing. Its all anyone ever wants to talk about; how does he feel about it? Has he exhausted every option to 'fix' it? Are the Board still holding their confidence in a man who can't actually hear what's being discussed at meetings?

But Peter. Peter never even mentions it. When he first meets the kid all Peter does is ramble about how cool it is to finally meet him, how honored he is to have been chosen, how amazing JARVIS is. Only once does the kid tentatively ask why Tony didn't just invent a technological translator, but he's immediately satisfied with Tony's surprisingly honest answer about liking the company and the humanity of having someone actually there, talking to him, like a normal conversation.

Tony does wind up inventing a new hearing aid as part of his new line of disability focused aids and prosthetics; but he himself only ever wears it the once. Just the one time.