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Having a soulmate was incredible.
The feeling that this person loves you unconditionally and accepts you no matter what?
Amazing.
Tony had grown up with the mindset that soulmates were a scam. It was something made up by people a long time ago so that they always had hope.
Hope was for children. Hope had no place in the Stark household, at least that's what Howard had drilled into Tony from a very young age. Tony didn’t have a childhood. Pretty much as soon as he could reach the lab table, he was forced to work; Howard completely ignoring the fact that a highly advanced place was no place for a child who could get easily hurt.
It's arguable that Howard was the reason that Tony had that mindset on soulmates that he did. In fact, that's definitely the root of it. Perhaps Howard was bitter he had never met his soulmate, condemned to a life of black and white.
Maria wasn't his soulmate. It was a marriage of convenience; Maria had never found her soulmate either, and the board was adamant that Howard marry so that they have an heir. The future of Stark Industries needs to be secured.
But as Tony grew older, he kind of understood where Howard was coming from. Years of seeing the world in monotone? That would be enough to make anyone sceptical of Fate's plans.
Tony was so sure he was never going to meet his soulmate, destined to tread the same path as his father, see the world in black and while.
But then he met Steve.
Oh god, Steve.
Being with him was incredible. He truly loved him, more than anything in the world. And the great thing was, he knew just how much Steve loved him back. It's kind of like slipping into your comfiest pyjamas after a long day of work - you know you're home.
*****
Surprisingly, Steve woke up before his alarm, and so without looking at the time, he intended on getting some more sleep before the dreaded getting out of bed. He turned over, wanted to cuddle his boyfriend, and frowned when he was met with a fistful of empty sheets.
He sat up slowly rubbing his eyes. Tony had been getting better about sleeping through the night, saying it helped to have Steve and his never ending warmth there, but that didn’t mean it always happened.
Groaning slightly, Steve got out of bed, intending to grab a glass of water before heading to the lab. He knows that if Tony does end up not being able to sleep, he prefers to head down to the lab, wanting to do something with his hands. Steve doesn't mind. Of course, he would prefer that his boyfriend got a full eight hours sleep, but for Tony Stark, that's often out of the question.
What throws him off, is when he gets to the kitchen, Tony is there at the stove, humming softly as he flips pancakes.
Tony turns around, and his eyes widen as he sees Steve.
"Damn it! I was gonna bring you breakfast in bed!" Tony whines, and Steve can't help but smile.
"It's okay sweetheart. Crumbs would have been a pain to clean anyway," he reassures Tony, smiling slightly. His smile grows bigger when Tony hands him a plate, and he laughs when he sees that the pancakes have the rainbow sprinkles in them that Tony insists are for special occasions only.
"Happy birthday amore mio," Tony grins, and Steve leans in to kiss Tony.
"Thank you angel. Let's eat yeah?"
They sit down to eat, Tony with blueberry pancakes instead of rainbow sprinkles and Steve can tell Tony is nervous. For what exactly, he doesn't know, but he does know not to pry. Tony will tell him when he's ready.
About three quarters of the way through breakfast, Tony clears his throat.
"So, your present-"
"Sweetheart, you didn't have to get me anything. Just being with you is enough."
Tony blushes, but rolls his eyes anyway. "Come on Steve, you didn't seriously think I wouldn't get you anything for your birthday did you?" He pulls out two pieces of paper, and slides them over to Steve, who picks them up. "You've always talked about wanting to visit Bruges," he begins almost shyly. "I thought we could go together, as an official holiday, make it the first since finding out we're, ya know…"
"Soulmates." Steve finishes off, eyes shining. "Oh, sweetheart, of course. I can't believe you remembered…" They had spent more than a few late nights when they first got together, drunk off the lack of sleep, talking about everything under the stars. They talked about childhood memories, life before meeting each other, their dreams for the future. One of the nights Steve had off-handedly mentioned he had always wanted to visit Bruges; sample authentic Belgian chocolate in person, visit the castle, walk along the canal side. He never would have thought… "When do we go?"
Tony smiles gleefully, as if he knows exactly what Steve is thinking. "Whenever you want," he says immediately. "I cleared it with your boss. He told me to tell you that you've built up weeks worth of vacation time and he's glad that you're finally taking them. Mira said she's happy to take over the Growing Out stuff for a week or so, and I've already packed for a week."
"You've packed?" Steve asks suspiciously, and Tony makes an eh face.
"Well, Pepper packed. She said if I packed I would put any tops in just so you'd be shirtless the entire time, which," Tony pauses. "Is probably accurate, to be fair. But yeah, we can leave whenever."
Steve smiles, so very fond of this incredibly thoughtful, amazing, gorgeous human being that it threatens to overwhelm him. "Then what are we waiting for?"
******
Fifteen hours later, they are touching down in Brussels, and it's close to two hours later when they reach Bruges, and their hotel.
The hotel that Tony chose is incredible - it's the perfect mix of traditional details and luxuriously modern. Marie, the owner of Chateau Astrid, is bubbly and friendly and points them to the best chocolate shop - Simon & Fils - telling them that they have recently been awarded the title of Royal Chocolatiers.
And she's not just saying that because her best friends run it she says, and once Steve and Tony try the chocolate they can't help but agree.
It's very clear that they were chosen as Bruges' Royal Chocolatiers for a reason, once they try the very thing that got them the title. It's a mix of chocolate and cake, brought together with cherries and cola; a strange combination, but it works.
Luc, the owner, laughs and agrees when they tell him that, saying his now wife convinced him to try it himself. Emma, who breezes in with a new batch of delicious-smelling lavender chocolate cupcakes, which they also try. They're all too happy to tell them their soulmate story.
Emma was visiting Bruges from America, as a tourist and was very surprised to see so much of the town bursting with colour. She visited the shop as part of the chocolate tour, and the rest, as they say, is history.
It's inspiring to hear that Luc and Emma made it work, despite being from half a world away from each other, that the chocolate shop is now a chocolate shop/bakery.
It gives them hope that their love story will work out too.
Even though Tony is technically the one who planned the trip, he only really booked the transport there, and it's Steve who takes point.
They carry on exploring the city and can't stop looking around at everything in complete awe. The streets are absolutely bursting with colour, and it's almost an overload of information, but in the best way possible.
What's even better, is that they're exploring it together, hand in hand, seeing the best that Bruges has to offer.
And if Steve is the one to bring Tony back to Bruges two years later, to propose, using chocolate from Simon & Fils?
Well, that's a story for another day.