Interchangeable

It had been 4 days since Tony and Loki switched. Since then Tony had managed to break more things than he had the entire year before and narrowly avoid taking down the building on top of them. No matter how much Loki bitched about it the next day he really didn't think it was as big a deal as the Asgardian was making it out to be. (It definitely was). The emergency magic that Loki pulled on set back his ability to do the spell by 4 more days. What was looking like at least 5 days and at most 7 was now more like 9 at the least and 12 if they were lucky. The food in the lab fridge had sustained them for 2 days. At all times it was stocked enough so that Tony could lock down the lab for exactly 2 weeks without any issues but an Asgardian was no match for Tony's normal appetite. With how much Loki's body kept insisting it needed he was waiting any second to start throwing it all back up but it never happened. 

They hadn't eaten the first day, too invested in teaching each other the way around their bodies. Tony had to teach Loki how to move to stop from hurting the Arc Reactor and how to breathe deeply but gently so that he didn't push his lungs against the metal embedded in his chest. He hadn't realized how much of it was automatic to him until he had to teach Loki how to do it. The billionaire was glad that he had always been a quick learner when he had Loki's abilities to play with. He learned something new every hour and even managed to find easier ways to do some of the things that Loki had been doing for hundreds of years. 

"My pathways coming in had me bedridden for a week and in pain for years but the way that mine work means that I use the most energy I can to be the most powerful I can. The way that you are learning and the proficiency with technology means that you will probably have thinner pathways with more magic and an inclination towards creation. I expect that you will be going through the phenomenon Midgardians call 'puberty' for the second time with some serious pain included," Loki said with a sadistic smile from his place lounging on the couch. 

His excitement at his own superiority diminished quickly but it was back after he had a minute to rationalize. 

"No. What you mean is that I may be able to do more than this when I get back into my body because your pathways are tailored to your style and mine will be to mine," Tony said with the face of someone trying to solve a puzzle. "You're not worried that I may be better than you at all. You're just plain worried," The last part was muttered with shock.

For all of their teasing and harmless flirting, Tony hadn't even realized when he'd come to think of the god as his annoying younger brother. 

"Sorcerers go through that shit all the time. It'll be a bit different for me but if nothing else I have my own personal healer with me and nothing will happen until we can get back to the way we are supposed to be," Tony's words were slurring slightly by the end, the sleepless nights coming back to bite him in the ass. "You're hungry- I'm hungry- Your body is hungry. Fuck it. I'm going to the kitchen. Come with me," 

"Yes, Your Highness," Loki said with a patronizing bow. 

Tony burst out laughing immediately, doubling over and tearing up with the force of his amusement. 

"What in Hela?" The god muttered to himself, looking completely bewildered- a look that Tony hadn't seen on himself in a very long time. 

"I bowed that way to the paparazzi in Dubai in my 20s. Rhodey threw a fit in between his laughter and Pepper wouldn't look me in the face for weeks so that she would stop giggling. It was so unexpected of 'The Tony Stark' that it made news articles everywhere with everyone trying to speculate what my thought process when the reality was that I was limping and still aching from an amazing night of sex with the most hung man I'd ever seen and I needed a way to gather myself. It became my go-to move for years!" 

Loki had a moment to wonder what he had done to deserve being subjected to the billionaire before the hilarity made his lips twitch. 

"I haven't thought about that in years," Tony muttered to himself, the final straw before sleep deprivation and starvation kicked in and they were leaning against each other and giggling like school children with a secret. 

They stumbled to the elevator still cracking up. The both of them were too tired to even remember that they hadn't told the Avengers of their swap.

"You should have curtsied," Loki said seriously, Tony's eyes sparkling in his amusement before he lost his mask and started laughing again. 

"Are you kidding? With the state of my thighs? No way man. Sometimes I still think they twinge in the morning!" 

The pair made their way to the kitchen ignoring anyone and everyone in their path, going through their respective routine as if they weren't in each other's bodies. 

Tony took his first sip of scalding coffee before choking and spitting it out into the sink, coughing and grabbing the cup of tea Loki made for himself as the first available liquid. 

"Motherfucker! You took coffee away from me!" Tony shouted, genuinely furious. "I have your taste buds!" 

Loki covered Tony's mouth with Tony's hand that was his mouth(?) to stop from laughing. He wasn't particularly attached to his tea but he would put up with it if only for the way his own face looked shouting at him petulantly. He grabbed the coffee from Tony and chugged the thing easily, humming at the taste and trying valiantly to hide his smile and the look of despair on his own face. 

"Drink your tea, Man of Iron," 

"What the fuck?" Clint cut in, the Avengers finally knocking themselves out of their stupor. 

They had been watching the argument like a tennis match, their heads swinging back and forth. None of them had a clue what was happening. 

"Whoops," The billionaire muttered, hiding his manic smile in his teacup without complaint. 

"Mhmm," Loki agreed, drinking straight out of the coffee pot mostly because he wanted to try but also to have time to gather himself before facing the Spanish Inquisition. 

"It's really not that bad," Tony assured, sharing a look with Loki before realizing that his own face was staring back at him and laughing again. 

At least Loki didn't sound Italian anymore because that was about the only thing they had going for them.

Hope you liked it. I'm thinking only another chapter or two. -Rose