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When Tony thought back to that peculiar Tuesday, he was more than a little embarrassed.
It had been their third call-out as the “New Avengers” and the team were still trying to find their footing. What with the public being distrustful of Spider-Man, Luke distrustful of the team, Jessica distrustful of her place in it and Logan distrustful of everyone. Steve had done his best to rally them all together because the public needed the Avengers.
Tony loved him for that, as much as he was wary this whole team thing would be a disaster.
That day, the jet dropped down into the center of pure chaos. Downtown Manhattan, cars overturned, civilians stampeding over each other to hurry into the nearby bodegas and office buildings. Luke hurried out to save an elderly woman from being trampled as the rest of the team left the jet and Tony tried to pinpoint the threat.
A cyclone of bright, vibrant multicolored lights erupted in the center of Times Square. Cutting a path through the crowd with great gusts of wind. It appeared to be mostly harmless; all injuries had been the result of attempts to flee and debris. Most likely because the culprit wasn’t Loki or the Enchantress. It wasn’t even one of Strange’s enemies. Their third call out and they were dealing with a frightened teenager that had managed to get his hands on a magical artifact. From eBay of all places.
Tony had thought it would be simple.
Spreading out, Luke and Steve corralled civilians out of the street. Peter swung into action and tried to web up boundaries to stop more needless crashes. Jess had taken to the skies for a vantage point, reporting back to Steve. Logan, clearly frustrated, set about freeing some of the people that had gotten trapped on the west end, slicing through the side of a city bus to help the civilians inside.
Soaring in and out of vibrant splashes of greens and blues, Tony tried to clear a pathway through the kid’s shields but his HUD was going haywire. Best Tony could tell, the kid wasn’t doing any of this on purpose. Hopefully, they could put an end to this without any more people getting hurt.
He had just shielded a small child from a shower of broken glass when he saw Jess enter the panicked teen’s line of fire. Tony simply reacted : returned the child to her mother and shot towards Jess without a second thought.
He caught her in a whirlwind, the world exploding into a startling array of colors. So bright, it was near blinding; Tony’s senses were overloaded, burning hot and nearly stretching out of his skin. His eyes snapped shut, teeth gnashing as he caught Jess by reflex. Jess dropped in an instant, her scream echoing in Tony’s ears as he held tight.
Steve was hurling commands over the comms, his worried voice in Tony’s ear. “Tony – Tony, come in! Are you okay? What happened up there?”
Tony couldn’t respond, a pained groan escaping instead. As carefully as he could, he lowered Jess to the ground where he followed her into unconsciousness.
+
When Tony awoke, he was lying on an exam table in his lab. Steve hovered at his left, a stern frown on his face. A broad, strong presence at Tony’s side, making Tony feel safer than he really ought to. Arms crossed, Steve focused on a spot somewhere above Tony’s head.
“So, you think it was some sort of nullifying spell?” Carol asked.
Tony blinked, squinting up at the bright light above and looking to the large screen on the wall. Reed Richards stared down at them, his head ducked as he typed rapidly. “Yes, that’s my best guess. Any sign of the artifact he used?”
Steve rubbed frustratedly at his temple, his hand curling into a fist near Tony’s shoulder. “Logan tackled the kid and it broke in the fall. We tried to collect the pieces but no dice. Best we could see, it was a part of some sort of staff. It was in fragments as it was. We couldn’t salvage anything useful.”
“You think she’s completely drained? Her powers haven’t simply been dampened in some way?” Reed asked.
Tony followed his eyeline to where Jessica sat beside him on another table chewing on a nail. Her head was lowered, curled over, still in uniform. At Reed’s question, she held her hands out, face twisted in a scowl. “I can’t even scrounge up a small blast. Not a damn sparkle. This is worse than before when I was losing them.” Her voice quieted, “It’s like I never had them at all. I don’t like this feeling.”
Tony’s chest tightened as he fought to sit up. Steve looked to him, his large palm settling on Tony’s shoulder. He squeezed once, face softening as he rasped, “Easy, partner.”
Offering a small smile, Tony stilled, waiting for his stomach to settle. Scanning the room, it was clear the rest of the team had granted them some privacy. Only Carol and Steve had stayed back with Jessica and Tony. Tony was grateful for it; he didn’t need Logan’s commentary right now. Especially when his head was still throbbing painfully. He clenched his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths.
“You okay?” Steve asked and Tony nodded reflexively. Force of habit.
“What can we do?” Carol asked.
“I’m not sure,” Reed replied. “I’d ask Strange to weigh in but he’s—”
“Not in this plane,” Tony finished, opening his eyes to see Reed nodding helplessly. “Okay, okay.”
He sat up straighter, face warming as Steve placed a hand on his back to help him along. He’d been dropping little gestures like that here and there lately and Tony didn’t know what to make of them. Honestly, he wished Steve would stop touching him so often. Mostly because he wanted Steve to touch him a lot more often. Now, he begrudgingly accepted the help.
“We’ll figure something out.”
“You’re not in pain?” Carol asked and Jess shook her head in response. She looked to Tony who shook his head, although the small motion left him a little nauseated. “Well, that’s better than nothing.”
“I’ll run some tests and see if there’s anything I can do on my end before Strange returns,” Tony added. Jess paid him no mind.
Reed nodded, “Send me whatever samples you can.”
Jess stood slowly, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Carol wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into her side and murmuring something Tony couldn’t hear. She spared a farewell for Steve and Tony, exiting quietly. Steve watched them go, his jaw a tense line. Tony could only imagine what was going through his mind. Steve was the most invested in this new team and, while Tony had his doubts, he hated to let Steve down.
“I’ll do the best I can,” he offered.
“I know that,” Steve said, his boots quiet on the tile. He was holding something back and Tony had a pretty solid guess.
“I didn’t see it coming.”
“I know that, too.”
Tony held his ground for as long as he could but he was so tired, more worn out than he’d been in quite some time. He wanted to sleep for a few hundred years but he had to get started on this problem now while everything was fresh in his mind. Before he got wrapped in Stark business and DoJ business and fighting whatever war SHIELD waged this week. God forbid another Avengers call out.
“Steve… I screwed up,” he rasped.
That strong hand squeezed at his shoulder, Steve’s scent filling his nose, so much stronger, headier than before. Leather, sweat, and the familiar soap Steve always used. It took everything he had not to lean in closer and bury his face in Steve’s stomach. Steve held him close, a broad hand spread across his back securely.
“You didn’t. You were trying to protect her. None of us knew what that spell would do.”
“I’ve got a highly advanced AI system that should have—” Steve squeezed him tighter, engulfing Tony in his warmth. Sighing, Tony breathed him in deep, relaxing in Steve’s hold.
“No one blames you.” He pulled back, pinning Tony in place with stern blue eyes. “If anyone can fix this, it’s you.”
Doubtful , Tony groused but the confidence warmed him all the same. Returning to the screen, his face burned as he watched Reed try and fail to pretend he hadn’t been staring at them. Steve rubbed his back, apparently unsurprised.
Clearing his throat, Reed spoke up, “I wasn’t sure if you were done with me.” He held up a hand awkwardly and signed off, “I’ll keep you posted if I find anything.”
+
Tony was cooped up in the lab for three and a half days.
In that time, he barely slept. He barely ate. He camped out on the couch and went over every bit of data SHIELD had managed to get from the seller of the artifact, studied every inch of the footage from the fight that day. And still nothing.
Tony hated magic.
On the fourth night, he was sitting in the lab, his eyes straining as he stared at the screens. He was no closer to a solution and he’d roped McCoy into it, as well. He got up to fix himself another cup of coffee when Steve entered, dressed in jeans and his favorite worn, brown leather jacket. He looked good but, then again, he could wear a brown paper bag and look amazing.
“Hey,” Steve began, taking in the mess of protein bar wrappers and empty coffee mugs littering the workstation. His face scrunched up in disapproval. Tony would be annoyed if he didn’t find it moderately adorable. He covered a smile with his coffee cup. “Have you had any water today?”
Shrugging, Tony leaned against the counter. He was pretty sure he hadn’t but he’d grown wise enough not to admit that. “Definitely.”
Steve crossed his arms, muscles bulging delightfully as he did. “Full lecture mode” as Peter fondly referred to it. Tony sat down in his chair and prepared himself.
“Don’t you think you should go out?”
“What? With you?”
Steve flushed, stammering over his words for a second. “Get some air, I mean. A glass of water? Maybe some real food?”
Tony blinked at him. Glancing at the nearby clock, he wasn’t entirely sure what day it was. Or when he’d come down here in the first place. Which most likely meant it had been a while since he’d showered. Sighing, he rested his elbows on the desk and covered his face.
“I can’t, Cap. I’ve got too much to do here.”
Steve moved in closer, the scent of cologne wafting through the air. Nothing too overpowering but Tony noticed it more now than ever before. “Still no luck?”
“No.” He glared up at the screens, Jess’ stats on the left. Before and after. “I have to fix this, Steve.”
Strong hands came down on his shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. “You will,” Steve said simply. Surer of Tony than Tony would ever be. “And you know what’s going to help? Coming out to dinner with me.”
Tony felt a smile spread across his face but he didn’t turn. “With you?”
“And the team,” Steve hurried to add. He reached for Tony’s arm and tugged him off the stool, laughing as Tony nearly stumbled over his feet. “Peter picked out this new Thai place.”
Everyone was waiting outside, save Jess. Tony tried to hide how much that stung, smiling as Steve helped him into his jacket. Curiously, Logan held the door for him with a gruff, “Good to see you, Stark.”
Usually, Tony just assumed Logan would rather pretend he wasn’t here but maybe the team environment had warmed him some. “You too,” Tony replied, earning a lip curl in response. It was something.
The walk went by rather quickly, crowds parting for them. Most likely because Luke and Steve were large men. If they’d been recognized, there was no way they’d be able to make it through without being mobbed. They managed to stay together without losing Peter to the hotdog stands, making it to the restaurant in no time at all.
The hostess led them to their seats. As they moved, Tony felt several eyes on him. Not casual glances either; full on staring. Complete with hushed whispers and poor attempts at hiding them. Tony stopped in place, trying to figure out what he’d missed. Luke nearly bowled him over, cursing as he placed a hand on Tony’s back and pushed him forward. Logan passed by, paying them no attention.
Tony sat down beside Steve, watching nearby patrons slowly return to their food. Leaning into Steve, he whispered, “Is there something on my face?” Steve shook his head, buried in the menu. Tony pushed it down, catching Steve’s eyes. “Honestly?”
“Your face is fine, Stark,” Logan grumbled, nostrils flared as he focused on his own menu for a moment. Then he looked up, grumbling, “What are you wearing?”
Tony blinked at him. “Clothes.” Sure, he wasn’t wearing a suit but this was a fairly nice shirt. At least, he’d thought so.
“The cologne, genius,” he snarked, levelling Tony with a disgruntled glare.
“I’m not wearing any.” Luke and Peter’s heads shot up, eyes widening. “What?” He tugged his collar away from his neck. “Do I smell?”
“You smell fine, Tony,” Steve said, thrusting a menu at him. “You need to eat something. Start looking now. You know it takes you ages to order.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Oh, so that’s just when you’re eating dinner with me? ” He spared a fond smile.
Warming, Tony busied himself with the menu. A young man came by to fill the water glasses. Nothing particularly noteworthy except that he set the pitcher down on the table and cleared his throat.
It took a few moments before Tony looked over at him. He couldn’t have been more than twenty, his face a bright shade of pink. “Can I get you anything, Mr. Stark?”
“Just water for me,” he replied kindly. The boy nodded and poured Tony’s glass. “Thanks.”
The flush deepened, the boy bouncing on his toes as he replied. “You’re welcome!”
The pitcher tipped in Peter’s direction, nearly half of it pouring out in his lap and he stood with a shout. Flustered and sputtering, the boy set the pitcher down and fled the scene. Luke stifled a laugh as Peter shook ice cubes out of his hair and stared at the others in confusion. Tony handed Peter his napkin with an apology.
Their waiter arrived. Peter started to order but the blond paid him no attention, turning to Tony first. “What can I get you?” he asked with a sly smile.
Tony’s eyes widened as he answered reflexively, “I’ll have a steak, medium rare.”
“Got it,” he made a note and stared at him expectantly. “Anything else?”
“Uh, no, that’s it. But, I think the rest of my table is ready to –”
“You’re sure? Maybe you’d like something sweet?” His voice lowered huskily. “Something not on the menu?”
Swallowing, confusion warred with the instinct to be polite. “Uh, no. No, that’s quite alright.”
“If you’re sure.” He closed his notebook with a wink and backed away from the table, paying no attention to Logan’s grumblings and Peter’s outstretched hand.
The team glared at his retreating back before staring at Tony in question.
“What?”
+
The strangeness followed Tony wherever he went.
His coffee was paid for him before he even reached the counter. When he spoke up in meetings, he was met with avid attention. Even out in the field, his attempts to talk people down were significantly more effective. Especially if they were men.
On top of that, even the team appeared to treat him with more kindness. All except Steve who, best Tony could tell, had never treated him any differently. He was growing rather tired of the treatment Tony was getting.
After the fifth waiter walked over to ask if Tony was okay, all five of which weren’t even working their section, Steve set his hand down. “Okay, what is going on?”
Tony shrugged. “I’m just having a great hair day.”
“It’s been two weeks of this,” Steve replied bemusedly. “I get that some people want to impress you because of your company or because you’re Iron Man, but don’t you think it’s a little weird that that’s the fifth guy to walk over and ask you if you like cream with your coffee?”
“I look good today.”
“You look good every day,” Steve replied, a light blush washing over his cheeks. “You said it yourself, this is all a little strange.”
And he was right: Tony had said that but, hearing it from Steve, with absolutely certainty had stung a little bit. He wasn’t quite sure why. “I’m in better shape now, the public likes me again, I’m back on the Most Eligible Bachelors list again. Everything’s coming up me.”
Steve sipped his coffee with a pointed stare. “Tony, something strange is going on. Strangers keep coming up to you.”
“They like me—”
“Every interrogation with you ends in two minutes or less, which has never really happened before—”
“After several years, you might think I’ve gotten better at my job—”
Steve shook his head, “And even Logan said it – you smell amazing —”
“It’s a new soap—”
“The cook slipped you his number under your hamburger bun—”
“People find me attractive, Steve,” Tony interjected, his voice raising. Steve blinked at him, blue eyes wide with confusion. Tony stood carefully, feeling more than a little embarrassed. “Maybe you don’t get that but, other people like me.”
“Tony, I didn’t mean that people couldn’t or that they shouldn’t—I just – I just meant that, it’s weird that—Tony,” Steve began, watching Tony set down some money and start out of the diner. As he went, he heard Steve mutter, “I’m sorry.”
+
Tony didn’t consider himself a particularly stubborn person.
He knew he was. But, he didn’t think about it often. Especially when it came to admitting that someone else might have been righter than he was about something. Especially when that someone was Steve.
However, when Tony awoke in the middle of the night and found himself floating inches away from the ceiling, he freaked out. Understandably, he screamed rather loudly. And, considering Steve was in the next room over, he burst into Tony’s room seconds later, shield in hand. Upon finding Tony floating in the air, he paused for a split second and tossed his shield in the space between Tony and the ceiling.
He must’ve figured there were some kind of wires there. Honestly, Tony did as well until the shield embedded itself in his wall and Tony remained hovering in the air. Steve hurried over and leapt up, taking hold of Tony’s hand. The moment they touched, there was a flash of yellow light and Steve flew back into the wall with a groan.
At this point, Logan and Jessica Jones burst into the room, ready for a fight. Tony tried to turn and found Peter in the corner a few feet away from him, feet stuck to the walls. “Hey, Tony.”
“Hey, kid.”
“So,” he clasped his fingers together, “this is pretty weird.”
“Yeah,” he replied, watching Steve climb out of the plaster.
“You gonna come down any time soon?”
“Trying.”
Peter nodded, his mask moving with him. Finally, “So, could you always fly or, is this a new thing with you?”
“Brand new.”
“Because I always figured your suit helped you fly and I think I’m a pretty observant — there you go!” he cheered, watching Tony fall to the floor. Steve rushed forward, narrowly missing catching Tony as he landed with a dull thump. Peter looked to the others with a smile. “He’s down.”
Tony ran every test he could think of. Then Hank McCoy ran every test he could think of. They both came to the same conclusion.
Reed was on the large screen when Jessica barged into the lab in an oversized Air Force t-shirt, Carol following behind her in sweats. “Is it true?”
Steve stood up, moving in closer to Tony. “Jessica—”
“Is it true?” she asked, staring at Tony with wide eyes.
Tony looked to Hank who nodded, rubbing at his tired eyes. “Yes, you and Tony have had your abilities switched—”
“I’m really sorry—” Tony began.
“It’s reversible, right?” Jessica asked, looking to Hank urgently. Carol rubbed her shoulders, eyes softening.
“We’re looking into it,” Reed said.
“I’m already working on it,” Tony said. “We’ll get switched back ASAP, okay?”
“Are you?” Jessica asked, looking to Tony suddenly.
“What?”
“Are you working on it? Because, it looks to me like you’re enjoying the attention and all the gifts and the free meals. Everyone likes you for once.” Tony flinched, averting his gaze. “You can fly. You’re stronger and faster and can eat whatever you want and not gain any weight.”
“Jessica,” Carol began gently, pulling her back. “Tony’s doing everything he can.”
“We’ll get you switched back—”
Jessica held her hands out. “Stop saying we were switched. I had powers and you didn’t. Now you have mine and I have nothing.”
“Jess—” Carol began as Jessica turned and left the room.
Tony watched silently, words stuck in his throat as Logan, Peter, Luke and his wife left the room. Steve moved in closer as Reed turned off the connection.
“At least we know now what’s been happening,” Steve began and Tony pulled away from him with a glare.
+
Despite Jess’ fears, Tony stayed hard at work trying to find a cure. Stayed up late, consulted with every scientist he could think of and still, they had no solution. It didn’t help that Steve was hovering at his shoulder almost constantly, handing him coffee and trying to force him to get more sleep. He was weirdly invested in this and Tony had no idea why.
He’d won – he was right. Tony wasn’t truly likable now; it was all the result of the pheromones he inadvertently secreted all the time. Speaking of, knowing the cause of it didn’t make it any easier for the men in the tower to accept their strange attraction to Tony now. Logan found himself drawn to Tony’s side and extremely annoyed by it. Peter found himself tripping over words a lot more often now. Luke glared at Tony and stayed as far away as possible now but whenever Tony needed help with literally anything, he was always right there helping out and pissed off about it. When Jarvis had to excuse himself for a few days, Tony was more than done with it.
Steve watched all of this and was more than annoyed by it. Probably because he couldn’t quite wrangle the troops after their first failed mission. It was supposed to be simple: Doombots (and wasn’t that always the case?) in Midtown. The team went out, minus Jessica, and everything went just fine until Peter swung into Tony’s side. He’d thought it an accident, the armor a little difficult to fly with such sensitive senses. Then Peter flew him to safety, to both of their confusion. When he moved in to apologize, Tony shocked him on accident.
Luke and Wolverine had to help guard their teammates and fight Doombots, leaving Steve with no one to lead.
Tony was doing his best; he’d explored every avenue but he couldn’t figure out how to switch them back. And now, it was interfering with active SHIELD cases.
Tony arrived in the living room to find Hill standing in the kitchen. Internally groaning, he opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “Hill.”
“Stark.” She flipped through a magazine for approximately twenty seconds before she shut the cover and faced him head on. “I’m gonna cut straight to the chase. We need you to gather intel.”
“Okay…” he said slowly. “I don’t work for you.”
“We contracted Drew, you insisted on her splitting her time between us and this little exercise in futility. Seeing as she currently doesn’t have her unique advantage and you do, the way I see it, you owe us.”
“I don’t see it that way,” he said slowly.
“I don’t either,” Steve said, entering the room with a critical stare. “I don’t understand how you got up here, either.”
“Let’s not play this game.” She looked at Tony head on. “This guy is selling alien tech on the black market. More than that, we believe he’s kidnapping mutants and using them for MGH. Will you help us?”
Tony blinked at her for a moment. He had a responsibility. He could say ‘no’, let SHIELD find another way. Except, he didn’t think they’d be there if they could. “Why do you need me?”
“This guy doesn’t share his secrets with anyone. His operatives work using burner phones, coded letters and no one knows the location of these kids except this scumbag.”
Kids?
“And you think he’ll share with me if I use Jess’ pheromones? Is he even gay?”
“No, but once he realizes he’s weirdly attracted to you anyway—”
“No,” Steve said, crossing his arms. “You’re not using him as bait.”
“Why not ask Logan or—”
“Sure, ask the guy everyone in this city is afraid of. Drop Logan into a dance club inhabited by people several decades younger than him. That won’t raise any alarms.”
Steve held out a hand, “I get that you don’t have a lot of options here but—"
“I’ll do it,” Tony interjected.
“No, you won’t,” Steve began.
“Yes, I will.” Hill dropped a USB on the counter and started towards the door.
Steve leaned into him, his brow furrowed. “Tony, this isn’t a good play. You’re still not used to—”
Tony had finally had enough. “Look, Steve, I get that you don’t think I can do this but, there are kids at risk and this whole thing was my fault.”
Steve’s eyes softened and that – that look Tony had always hated. “This wasn’t your fault.”
“I messed up and now Jessica’s pissed at me. Luke won’t even talk to me. Peter will talk to me but, every time he tries, it’s a disaster. Logan is… Logan . I just,” he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I have to do this.”
Steve sighed and ran a tired hand over his face. “I’m coming with you.”
+
The club was rather crowded.
Tony should have expected that for a Saturday night. He’d been practicing with Logan earlier and he thought he finally had a handle on not secreting pheromones unless he intended to. By the grimace on Logan’s face and his half-extended claws, it hadn’t quite worked. However, Steve and Tony were able to make it through the crowd towards their target eventually. Mostly because one of the guys leering at him had gotten rather annoyed at everyone else trying to crowd him.
By the time the bouncers managed to separate everyone, Steve had shouldered Tony towards the bar. He ordered Tony a ginger ale which Tony took with a civil thanks. He was still wary of Steve coming along with him on this mission. After he ordered himself a water, Tony expected him to drop back and watch for their target. Instead, he hovered by Tony’s shoulder quietly.
“You don’t have to stand here with me.”
“I do.”
“You really don’t,” Tony insisted, studying the bar. “You can watch from over there,” he said, gesturing towards the far wall.
“I’m fine right where I am,” Steve replied, raising his chin and standing at parade rest. In a dance club.
“I’m serious. You can watch from over there.” He took a pointed sip. “Or from the parking lot. Or from home.”
Steve studied him for a moment, his mouth twitching. Then he laughed. “You hate this, don’t you?”
Tony felt a reluctant smile spread across his face. “What gave it away?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You left me in the car and at coat check and you ditched me the moment two guys tried to get between us.” He planted his hands on the counter, levelling him with a focused stare. “Are you upset with me?”
Tony averted his gaze. “You’re really observational tonight.”
“You mind telling me what I did?”
“I can do my job, Steve. I don’t need you here babysitting me.”
“I’m backing you up.”
“No, you’re not,” Tony insisted, meeting his gaze. “I know you’re not because anyone else on the team could have done it. Logan could have or Luke. Or Peter, for god’s sake.”
“Sure, Peter in full costume. That wouldn’t have given anything away.”
“I don’t need anyone watching me from a few feet away, Steve. I would have been fine with someone watching on a video feed. Or, you know, not watching at all because Hill has it covered.”
Steve shook his head, his jaw tensing. “Forgive me if I don’t trust SHIELD to have your back right now.”
“Tell me again, what was the issue with Logan or Luke?”
“They’re too distracted by you to be any kind of help right now.”
Tony’s temper flared, his face warming. He pushed past the tightness in his throat. “Right, and you’re not because, somehow , Mr. Saintly is the only person on the planet who’s not affected by this little mishap with my pheromones.”
Steve’s eyes were fierce and bright, crowding in closer. “No, because I’m the only person that’s used to pretending I don’t find you attractive.”
Tony’s mouth snapped shut, his eyes wide as Steve ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated huff. Then he realized what he’d said and turned to Tony, his eyes equally wide.
“Steve,” Tony began before two strong hands gripped his arms.
Kicking out, he found himself dragged through the crowd by two men in black. Steve stared for a moment, hand clenching into a fist, most likely trying to discern if this was another case of a pushy suitor trying to steal Tony away for a few minutes. When they tried to stun him, Steve leapt into action, jamming the heel of his hand into one of the guy’s noses.
Tony dropped down, taking out the knees of the guy to his right. The remaining man in black got a hold on Steve’s shoulders and the dance floor erupted in blinding yellow light. Startled, the man froze as Tony threw his arm forward and released two strong blasts.
SHIELD agents dropped down from the ceiling as the patrons screamed and tried to move out of the crossfire. Steve pulled Tony into his side and rushed out of the way as the agents rounded up the men with tranq guns.
+
When Tony returned from the Helicarrier, Steve was icing his shoulder in the kitchen. Tony nearly lost his nerve but forced himself forward.
“So… about what you said—”
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable or to make you feel like you had to say something back to me or—”
“I’m relieved,” he said quietly. Steve blinked at him. “See, I thought, maybe you were fine because, even with this whole pheromone thing, you still wouldn’t be attracted to me because… it’s me.”
Steve frowned at him, setting down his ice pack. “What?”
“Silly, right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be attracted to you?”
“Well, we’ve been working together for so many years. In that time, you’ve never so much as looked at another man that way. And believe me, there were some times I looked at you and Sam and thought maybe but… it was nothing.” He scratched at his brow. “It’s just, you’re one of the most straightforward people I know and I thought, if you were into me, you’d have said something by now.”
Steve nodded, offering a bashful smile. “And I thought, gee, Tony’s one of the most confident men I know. If he was attracted to someone, he would just go for it.”
“So, we’ve both been—”
“Huge idiots? Yeah, I think so.” He moved in closer, a nervous smile spreading across his face.
“This past month has been a total nightmare for me,” Steve confessed. “I’m not a jealous guy. I’m just not but, watching all those men be so forward and touching you just…” he sighed, a helpless smile on his face. “It drove me crazy.”
“Really?”
Steve nodded, moving in closer. They were inches apart now, Steve’s hands brushing Tony’s sides as he spoke. “Just in case you get any weird ideas later,” he reached up one hand, touching Tony’s face softly. His eyes darkened, falling shut as he leaned in closer. Their breath mingled, Tony’s hands tingling in the space between their lips. Tony’s heart beat faster, his hand reaching up to palm Steve’s chest.
And push him softly back.
Steve’s eyes opened, startled, an apology on his tongue. “I’m so sorry. That was really forward.”
Tony touched his chest with both hands, rushing to say, “No, no, I like forward. I really like forward.” He bit his lip for a moment, eying the soft blush to Steve’s cheeks. “It’s just… I would rather not until I’m back to me. Plain, regular old me. No super tempting, seductive pheromones.”
Steve nodded, averting his gaze for a moment. When he returned to Tony, his voice was soft. “You better hurry up with that solution, then. Because I’ve been waiting a really long time.” Tony smiled despite himself, his chest warming. “And I’m not getting any younger.”
“Oh, please. You hardly even age.” He shrugged, his gaze cutting away. “When I get back to normal, I’ll be back to normal. Boring, aging, --”
“Brilliant, funny and charming,” Steve finished. “You never lost any of that. That’s the fella I fell in love with,” he traced his thumb over Tony’s cheek. “You could never be boring.”
Tony gazed up at him, words stuck in his throat. Finally, Steve stepped back, clearing his throat. “Well, you should get some sleep.” He started towards the door, calling over his shoulder, “Busy day ahead of you. Put that brilliant mind to work.”
+
It took McCoy, Richards and Tony’s expertise to come up with a scientific way to get Jess’ powers back. Moments after, Jess held out her hands and watched as her fingers sparked and nothing else came forth. Carol moved in closer, ready to pull her into her arms before Jess tried again and finally got out more energy.
Tony moved towards Logan and asked, “Hey Logan, would you mind handing me that screwdriver?”
“Get it yourself, genius,” he replied and then nodded to himself. “Everything’s back to normal.”
Tony smiled, patting him on the shoulder as Luke crossed his arms and muttered, “Thank God.”
“I’m sure you’re glad,” Tony replied.
Luke nodded as his wife pulled him towards the door, muttering, “Now I only have to worry about one white boy stealing you away from me.”
Tony blinked after them, a question on his tongue. The others left one by one, Jess hanging behind. Carol stood in the doorway and shoved Jess forward a little, a pointed look on her face.
Jess pushed her hair behind her ear and offered him a nervous glance. “About what I said before, that wasn’t fair. I was being a total jerk and none of this was your fault.”
“Jess, you don’t have to—”
“No, I do. I recently… got my powers back to what they used to be. Better than and, to lose them like that, with no warning, was really hard for me. That doesn’t make what I said okay.” She studied him for a moment longer and then backed away, waving on her way out.
The door closed and Tony sighed, turning to find Steve before him. Nervous flutters swirled in his stomach, a stupid smile on his face. “So,” he began, watching Steve study him quietly. “I don’t know if you had plans or if you still wanted to try this but—”
Steve strode forward confidently, cupping Tony’s face. Their lips came together in a soft press that left Tony breathless, reaching up to touch Steve’s wrists. Sighing, Tony welcomed Steve in, his mouth falling open to take his tongue. Steve pressed him into the counter behind his back, smiling into their kiss, his warmth seeping into Tony’s body.
Tony had expected to feel nervous or maybe a little odd about kissing Steve. Instead, it felt strangely natural. Like the universe had been lying in wait for the two of them to get their acts together.
It felt like the next logical progression.
They just seemed to fit.