He hurt and he didn't know where he was. The last thing he remembered he was carrying the nuke into the portal. Now he was somewhere, lying on the hard ground.
"What the hell is that?" He heard a voice ask.
"Jarvis, helmet off," Tony croaked as he attempted to sit up.
The faceplate disconnected and Tony tossed it aside with a groan. The voice that he had heard earlier gave an exclamation of surprise before running away.
"Captain," Tony heard, "Captain, there's a guy here in a metal suit. You've got to come see this."
Tony had just struggled up to his knees when the man from earlier returned accompanied by Steve Rogers.
"Cap," Tiny called, "Where am I, who is this?"
Steve raised a brow, "The better question is, who are you and what are you doing here?"
Tony's brow furrowed as he mouthed, who am I. He stared at the Captain for a second before it hit him. This version of Steve had never met him, in fact this version of Steve appeared to be in the military still. Which meant that the only place he could be was in the past, somewhere in the forties.
Slowly Tony answered him, "I'm Tony... I don't know how I got here."
"What's that your wearing," the man who had seen him first asked. " It looks like some thing from the future."
Tony barely contained a snort, that was an understatement. His tech had been futuristic in his own time, in the forties it was probably down right terrifying.
"I need to speak with Howard Stark," Tony demanded. Despite his disdain for his father Howard was the only one who had a chance of helping him get back to the future.
Steve eyes him for a second before nodding, "Its obvious you're an American so if you take off the armor and surrender temporarily I'll allow you to come back with us and speak to him."
"Sure thing," Tony agreed as he stripped the armor off (he knew that Jarvis would protect it and his current shirt covered the arc reactors glow). "I'm sure Howard would love to get his hands in this and he won't understand it unless I'm there to help."
"Who are you?" The Captain asked as he tied Tony's arms behind his back and the other man gathered the armor in his arms.
Tony grinned (it was all he could do to quench the well of panic rising within him) "I told you, I'm Tony."
"Tony who, what's you last name?" Steve asked as he sat Tony besides him in the small truck filled with Howling Commandos.
Tony simply shook his head, "It doesn't matter, Rogers. Just let it go, everything will be explained once I can talk to Howard."
"How did you know my name,The most you've heard my men call me is Captain," Steve asked as his suspicion rose again.
Tony leaned back his head resting against the wall of the moving vehicle. "Look, can we talk about this later? I'm not going anywhere you have me in custody and to be honest, I'd like to go to sleep. As you can see I'm pretty banged up."
Steve stopped for a moment and looked at the strange man that they'd found, really looked. He ripped his attention away from strange armor that he'd worn and the odd clothes that'd been beneath that (what was Black Sabbath). Steve found himself looking at a face that looked older than its years. There were small abrasions covering him and purple smudges beneath his eyes revealed his exhaustion. He looked as if he'd just fought off an entire army in his own.
"Alright," Steve conceded, "We'll have our discussion later."
When Tony woke up he was in a medical bay with a nurse hovering above him with a pair of scissors. It was obvious that she planned to remove his shirt and tend to his injuries (the three cracked ribs he had sustained before he heads towards the wormhole). Still, as much pain as he was in, Tony couldn't allow that and he caught her wrist.
"No need for that," Tony said with a flirty smile. "I'm all good."
Before she could say anything else Howard Stark waltzed into the room, "You know usually when someone demands my presence while they're in bed its a pretty lady."
Bile rose in Tony's throat at the thought of his father in bed. "Yeah, I'm not here for that."
"I can tell," Howard said as he plopped down besides Tony's bed. "Steve tells me that he found you besides the road on his way back and the first thing you asked, well after where you were, was for me. Normally that wouldn't be enough to get my attention, but you happened to be wearing technology thats far past anything I've ever seen."
"What can I say, I like to invent." Tony said with a fake smile. "Now tell me, how far did you make it with my tech before giving up and coming to me?"
Howard's smile dropped, "Not at all. It managed to fly away from me very time I got close."
"Good," Tony nodded in appreciation. "It's working correctly than. I was worried the wormhole may have messed with that function."
Howard leaned forwards in his seat, "Did you just say wormhole?"
"Well, yeah, you didn't think this tech is actually from the forties did you?" Tony questioned. "Hell I didn't even build it until 2008."
"That's impossible." Howard said in a hushed tone. "Time travel isn't real."
Tony snorted, "Thats what I thought until I woke up in another country with Captain America standing in front of me."
Howard just shrugged, "I don't even care if your crazy. I just want you to come and talk over this tech with me."
"I'm not crazy," Tony snapped, "If the suit isn't enough proof enough I have more."
Howard leaned forwards, "This i'd like to hear."
Tony swung his feet over the edge of the bed and, with a groan, began to push himself up. Howard stepped backwards calling, "Steve! Steve!"
The captain rushed into the room and pushed Howard back stepping between them. Leveling Tony with a glare Steve commanded, "Back on the bed!"
"Oh please, I have three cracked ribs, I'm not gig to do anything." Tony spat. "All I was going to do was take my shirt off and I can't even do that with my ribs like this."
Howard stepped forwards again, "How were you going to prove you're from the future by taking your shirt off?"
"Take it off for me and you'll see," Tony replied.
Howard stayed still as Steve stepped forwards and pulled Tony's shirt off.
"Oh my God," Howard said as he stared at the arc reactor. "What is that?"
"This," Tony said as he tapped his reactor, "Is what's keeping me alive."
"It looks more like it's going to kill you," Steve said as he stared at it without abandon.
"It was killing me at one point," Tony said before sneaking a glance at his father, "But Stark men are made of steel."
Howard froze, "Where did you hear that, you aren't a Stark."
"As I said I am from the future, I just happened to leave out how we knew one another in the future." Tony shrugged.
"Are you saying we're related," Howard asked as he looked at Tiny curiously.
Tony sneered, "I guess you could say that, Dad."
Steve's jaw dropped, but Howard didn't allow himself a reaction beside asking, "That's why you came to me for help?"
Toby shook his head, "I came to you because Capsicle here knew who you were and I knew that you have what I need to build a device to travel back home."
Howard nodded slowly, "I see, but why did you call him Capsicle?"
"I can't tell you that, I have no clue how this time travel thing works but I don't want you to know more about the future than you have to." Tony explained.
"Alright," Howard began, "I'll allow you access to my tech only under my supervision and in return you'll have to tell me how you got here. You can leave out anything about my future or anything that may end up changing my actions but the rest you have to tell me."
"Deal, but Rogers can't be there." Tony demanded as he looked over at Steve. Even if Steve wasn't there he'd have to leave out parts of the captain's story but at least this way he could say more.
"Alright then, are you ready to get started?" Howard asked. "I've always wanted to build a time machine."
Tony nodded, "I'd appreciate if you let me put my shirt on first though."
Minutes later Tony found himself (with his shirt on) in Howard's lab and discussing how time worked. Hours later they were drawing up a plan of action as Tony talked over what had led to his arrival. It was heavily edited of course. Tony mentioned that he'd met Steve but he left out how Steve was in 2012 and he left out that he was still fighting. Instead it seemed more like the captain was simply a consultant for SHIELD in his old age.
Days passed, and Tony struggled towards his goal. He grew close to
Steve (once Tony allowed him to come back in) and found himself wondering why he didn't get along with Steve in his own time. The man was perfect help in the workshop, he could do the heavy lifting easier than the Starks.
"Hey capsicle," Tony called as he puttered along and screwed two parts together, "Can you come over here?"
Steve set aside his sketchbook and rose to his feet, "You've been here for two months now, I'm sure you know you can call me Steve."
Tony wagged a finger at him, "But you were gone for two of those weeks, surely it's to soon to be on a first name basis."
"For gods sake," Steve groaned, "You are so obnoxious."
Tony smiled cheekily, "But you love me anyway! Now come and push this tank of helium over here."
Steve did as was asked of him and the two of them fell into more easy banter. Tony was just responding with a barb the Captain America costume when it happened. It was almost to quick for Tony to realize what happened. He only puzzled it out late as he worked.
Tony was answering Steve, not paying attention to his surroundings, when he bumped into Howard. Howard's arm jerked forwards and the corrosive acid that rested in a vial in his hand dumped down onto Tony's shirt. Before he could react Steve had carried him to the emergency shower and turned it on.
Water gushed down over him and Tony panicked as it fell on his upturned face. Water fell into his mouth and nostrils and he panicked. Suddenly he was back in Afghanistan with the terrorists asking him for weapons. They were shoving his face down into the water and he was helpless.
"Tony," a gentle voice called, "Tony are you alright?"
"Steve," Tony asked as he focused on the blond man's face. "How did I get here? I was in Afghanistan. The Ten Rings, where did they go?"
Howard looked at him curiously, "Afghanistan? Why do you think you were there?"
But Tony had regained his wits. He put on a mask of indifference, "I must've dozed off and had a dream. I've never been to Afghanistan in my life."
"I don't believ-," Howard began but he was cut off by Steve's heavy hand on his arm.
"Just leave it Howard."
Howard wandered off to the other side of the lab muttering and Tony slid past Steve barely brushing arms with him.
"Thanks."
Steve never asked him about that day and what had happened and for that, Tony was grateful. Tony continued to work with Howard for another month and a half during which Steve left for two different missions. The captain had only been back from the last one for two days before Tony and Howard completed their device.
"I guess you're leaving today," Steve said as he walked towards the lab with Tony.
Tony nodded, "Yeah, but I'm not quite sure where I'll end up. Despite all of our calculations Howard and I can't tell if I'll end up right where I was time was or if it will be three and a half months later to account for the time that I was here."
"When you get back come and visit me," Steve demanded. "I don't care that it's been seventy years I'll want to know how everything worked out."
Tony chuckled and stopped in the middle of the lab so that Jarvis could correctly assemble his suit around him, "Jay, suit. Steve you better tell me if you remembered all of this and hid it from me or if the time travel affected the past or what."
"I will," Steve replied as he watched Tony's suit assemble with awe in his eyes. "So, what's happening here?"
Howard stepped forwards and began to work, passing Tony a clicker, "I'm going to attach these electrodes to his suit, they are attached to the device he's holding in his hand. In theory that will open a small portal that he can step through, once he's gone it will close up on it's own."
Steve nodded slowly, "I see."
"Hey Howard," Tony called. His father turned towards him, "Could I have a minute to say good bye to Steve?"
Howard left the room and suddenly the two of men found themselves standing in awkward silence. Steve rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"So, I guess this is goodbye," Steve mumbled quietly.
Toying with the faceplate in his hands Tony spoke, "Only for the next seventy years. That's not so long."
There was another purse before Tony muttered, "Oh screw it!"
With a grunt he pulled Steve close and guided the blond's head down towards his. Their lips connected and Tony felt his heart skip a beat at the sensation of Steve's warm lips in his. Then the captain pulled away and Tony found himself unable to meet his eyes and face the consequences of his actions, instead he pushed his button and went back to his own time.
Tony was falling from the edge of the stratosphere and it was very unpleasant. Heat was building up in his suit and his systems were all over the place. Jarvis attempted to take control of the suit but found that in the current temperatures it was safer for Tony remain immobile; which meant he was falling towards the Earth face first at a high speed.
He was only a mere ten feet from impact when Thor swooped him out of the sky. The God carried him to the top of a nearby building and set down in front of where the Avengers were (surprisingly) gathered.
"Aww," Tony crowed as he looked at them all except for Steve. "You guys threw a welcome back party, for me?"
"Friend Tony," Thor boomed, "When I felt the stirrings of magic moments ago, I assumed it was a threat. This why our team is here to witness your return."
Natasha carefully inspected Tony, "It's been a while, where have you been?"
"Yeah," Clint exclaimed, "Last I saw you were being sucked up by a wormhole, we thought you were dead."
"I wasn't," Tony responded simply. He didn't know how much he wanted to tell them about his trip to the past, suddenly his time spent with Steve seemed much more personal. "I was stuck in the forties trying to build a device to get me back to this time."
Bruce's eyes lit up, "Obviously you were successful, how did you do it? What components did you use?"
Meanwhile Natasha was asking, "Why should I believe you?"
Tony opened his mouth to respond but Steve beat him to it, "Trust me, he was in the forties."
"Does that mean you've known Stark the whole time?" Clint asked wide eyed. "That's so weird!"
Steve shook his head, "I didn't know until now. After Tony left Howard and I had fuzzy memories, we couldn't quiet remember who we had built that time machine for or when they were from. Now I've seen Tony again, I remember everything."
"Everything?" Tony asked his head snapping towards Steve with wide eyes. He needed to know how Steve was going to react to the kiss. Would he be violently against it (after all he was from the forties) or would he just ignore that it had happened. Obviously there was no way he would return Tony's feelings.
Steve nodded and took a step closer so that he was peering down at Tony, "Yeah, everything."
"Oh," Tony squeaked and suddenly his mouth was dry and he didn't know what to say. This was to important to throw out some snarky remark.
Steve took another step forwards, "I think you owe me for just abandoning me like that."
Steve placed a hand on the back of Tony's neck and leaned down to place his lips on the other mans. In the background he could hear the faint hum of the other Avengers exclamations, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Tony was right there, his warm body pressed against Steve's.