Chapter 4
Tony is not someone who deal with his pain. He more like, shush everyone or someone who probably able to give him any pain despite not trying. And well, that’s where the Avengers—his real Avengers team—thinking that he is a douche. Because he dismiss everyone who tried to talk to him. He gets scared easily but trying to cover it up with being arrogant. And he knows his team pissed at him for it. Especially, Steve.
Let’s just say that Tony unlimited crush to that guy is silly, because who in the world can be in love with someone and constantly make them mad or pissed? It’s just him! Tony did that. He hate himself for it, and he hate Steve for not trying to understand him one bit—well, not his fault if he doesn’t want to deal with all of Tony’s crap—Tony deserves to be treated like he’s invisible, after all. Tony deserve the hateful look and their abandonment, probably. Well.
But then, he can see everyone in this room, circling him with worried look. Oh no. Did he accidentally make JARVIS alerted everyone that something urgent came up? No, he’s just— he just gained someone who likes him, he doesn’t want to, doesn’t want to pissed them off with him being fainted—
“Tony, are you okay?” Natasha come, her beautiful face looked soft, eyebrows pinched together. It’s as if he felt sadness of Tony current condition.
“I am— fine. Yes, i am fine.”
Steve argued, “No, you are not fine.” He walked closer and looked down on Tony who sit on his chair— looks mad. At him. “You suppose to be in your bed, have a rest, and not locked us outside.” he emphasizing his words, trying not to yell at Tony.
“Sorry. I just— confused with something.” Tony tried to correct himself. At what, he doesn’t know.
“Tony?” Clint notice that Tony look timid. “What happened?”
“Uh, eh, problem is—” Tony scratch his scalp when he turned his gaze on the device infront of his workshop’s table.
“What is that?” Bruce asked. “You make something dangerous without me?”
“This is not something dangerous. I will never make anything dangerous again, i— i just try to—”
Steve tries to touch his shoulders to make him calm down, but his hand stopped when he realizing that Tony is hitched. Steve makes a complicated expression that Tony can’t tell is that bad or not. He extracted his hands, and then kneels in front of Tony so he can make Tony sees him. “Sorry i increasing my voice on you,” he apologises. “We believe you will never make anything that will be dangerous on purpose.”
“Y— you do?” Tony asked with a slight hope in his pretty eyes that Steve’s like to stare for long enough to, actually, if this is Tony’s usual self, he will takes advantage of Steve’s weakness of those pitiful and hopeful eyes—for Steve doesn’t get mad—and it always worked everytime. But seeing this Tony didn’t know about that, and doesn’t trying—his voice sounds he genuinely doesn’t know that Steve has soft spot for him—makes Steve’s heart aches. He doesn’t know what happened to his lover.
“Yes,” Steve quickly confirm it. “I believe you always thinking for the best of us in mind. Your invention always help us greatly. And i can’t thankful enough.”
Why? Why this Steve know how to say something like that Tony always wanted to hear from someone? No, he can’t... He can’t showed them any vulnerability right here. He will just, well, answer the kind words with, “Um, thanks.”
“Tony, could you tell us what happened? If we can help—”
“—you guys don’t have to—”
“We want to, Tony!” Sam argues. “If this something that can be solved with us helping, then we were helping! If not, then we will watch quietly as you figured it out.”
Why is this Avengers look so kind? For him? Oh, no, not for him. This is... For the other Tony that has been swapped with him. The realization hits hard than it expected.
“Well, to explain the most important thing, i am not Tony Stark from this world.” Tony then speak up.
This is the other Tony’s POV.
Tony is, used for everyone takes care for him. Seeing everyone walked in eggshells around him, is never pleasing. Natasha is never take his threat seriously, because she knows Tony is used to make a cruel and offensive jokes, and so does Natasha. That of course often makes Steve’s pissed because he doesn’t like that kind of joke.
This Steve, is probably the same. And he did the same! He make that hardened look and squinted eyes—he doesn’t say anything—but his face seriously look uncomfortable and pissed.
“So, you say, that you are and our Tony swapped and that’s why you summoned us here?” Scott pipes up.
“Well, look, you use your head this time, because usually you are not.” Oh, and Tony will never stops insults this Scott Lang because that guy never stopped to give him quiet insults that Tony can hear, because his efforts to keep it down is half-hearted.
Scott presses his mouth shut, and Tony smiles in satisfying smirks, “I am sure i act differently from the other Tony’s looking from yall reaction at me, but we still have the same train of thought and of course genius—looking from the fact that both of us able to made this device similar enough for this device catch each other signals through dimensions and connected us both.”
“How did you both swapped bodies, then? I am sure you say that this is is meant for calls, not dimensional travel,” Clint asked.
“Well, i can’t say this device is ready, this still need so much testing and improvement here and there, but what is certain is, this device i made intentionally to catch signals from the other devices, and i even use aliens stuff for it worked as connection. To keep in mind, it’s because we will never know Thor will be where in this universe so i focused on the signals itself— making it possible to reach as far as possible—but turned out, the other genius me, thinking the same and we probably made this same device at same time, same purpose, same desperation, and this device catch each other place. How great i am, right?”
Everyone silence. Listening. But not with that fed up face or pissed expression they make before, but curiosity and perhaps, if Tony doesn’t take it wrong, worry?
“How do you get swapped?”
Tony raised his shoulders, “Well, that’s the mystery. I have to study this device more.”
Steve then, look at Tony with determined look. “I will help.”
“Uh, you will never help anything. You don’t understand about—”
“Anything i can do to help, i will do. Just say.” Steve looked so determined, his hand balled up. His jaw hardened and stiff, “At least try to reach Tony and make sure he’s okay when we try to figure this out.” he said, looking at the device.
Tony eyebrows furrowed, “Aren’t you a sweetheart?” he stands up and then approach Steve that eyeing Tony when he get closer and looked down at Steve’s seated form.
“What? Do you think this is funny? What if someone in your world do something to him because when they find out that Tony—”
Steve words cutted off with Tony touches his jaw, lower his head and kissed Steve. On the lips, he’s not even hesitated to lick Steve’s lips before let him off with satisfies hum, leaving Steve freezes in his place after that mindblowing and unexpected kiss.
Everyone in the room, actually. Sam and Scott even open their mouth wide enough to make a bug sucked in. They are not, they are confused as hell and Tony, completely oblivious, saying with a grin to their shocked face.
“What? Is Steve and me not married in this world?”