Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 3518
In Your Shoes (I Still Adore You)
"Well. That's not normal."
"Are we dead?" Tony heard his own voice say. Except… he hadn't said the words.
"You know, I was just wondering the same thing," Steve's voice replied, except those words… those words, Tony had said.
"What in the actual—"
"Now is not the time to panic, Tony."
"I think this is a great time to panic, Steve," Tony replied, his tone—Steve's tone—getting higher with every word. "What the hell are we going to do? I'm you!"
"We stick together. That's what we've always done," Steve replied calmly. "And we assemble the team, and we make a plan. Okay?"
Tony took a few deep breaths—and wasn't that novelty, because he couldn't usually do that—and tried to settle his fear. "Okay."
He sat up slowly and watched Steve—himself—do the same. God this was confusing.
"Uh. This is… Tony, are you always in so much pain?"
Tony closed his—Steve's—eyes and sighed. He didn't sign up for this.
…
"I believe this to be my brother's trickery," Thor admitted ruefully. "I have known him use similar spells before, and I can, ah, feel his magical signature. I apologise, SHIELD brothers."
"That's all well and good," Tony replied, his patience waning quickly. "But how are we going to convince him to reverse his bullshit magic?"
"Can I just say how weird it is for Steve to be swearing?" Clint interjected. Tony glared at him through Steve's bright blue eyes, and Clint looked down at the table.
"Alas, I believe it to be temporary. Just forty eight hours before you'll return to your own bodies."
Steve—through Tony's body—let his arms rest on the table. "We can deal with it for two days, Tony. Right?"
Tony didn't reply. He stood clumsily, Steve's longer limbs were harder to maneuver for someone who was used to being short, and left the table.
Steve stood to follow him, but Tony shook his head. "Give me some space, will you?"
He knew the rest of the team were watching him as he made his way into the elevator, but he didn't bother turning around to look at them.
This was entirely too much.
…
"You can't hide away for two days," Natasha said, leaning her hip against Tony's work table. Tony scoffed at her from the small sofa, where he'd curled up as best he could with a tablet.
He'd attempted to work, but Steve's hands, big as they were, just weren't made for finicky work.
"Actually I think you'll find I can," Tony replied flatly. "It's not like I've never spent two days down here before, Nat. It's a regular occurrence."
"Perhaps," Natasha agreed. "But you didn't have the metabolism of a super soldier, and I'm pretty sure Steve's body can't get by on an energy bar, a few blueberries, and ten litres of coffee."
Tony had thought about that but dismissed it. He'd dealt with worse than hunger pains in his life, after all, and it was only two days. He'd manage.
"Steve is struggling," Nat said then, and Tony nodded, unable to meet her eyes.
He imagined that anyone who wasn't used to pain would struggle in his body. Even without the constant ache in his chest from the pressure of the arc reactor, he had good and bad days with the rest of his body.
The fact was that he was getting older and he spent entirely too much time being thrown into walls by the villain-of-the-week.
"He's worried about you," she continued. "I think you should probably expect him to go full on mother hen when you get your own bodies back."
Tony groaned. "Oh god. That's even worse than having him in my body, he's going to drive me insane."
Natasha chuckled but then sobered.
"You wanna tell me why the anxiety when you first woke up? You seemed really panicked."
"Are you telling me that you wouldn't be if you woke up in a body that wasn't your own?"
"Not to the point of real fear that I saw in your eyes," she replied softly. "You can't hide how you're feeling in Steve's body as well as you do in your own."
Tony shook his head. "Nat, leave it. Please."
"Tony—"
"Please, Nat."
She sighed but nodded and reached out to ruffle Tony's—Steve's—hair. "Just do me a favour and try and show your face later, okay? We're all worried about you."
…
Trying to get comfortable in Steve's body on the sofa in the team's communal room was difficult. Usually, Tony just dropped down and immediately leant into Steve's side, because the big lug was the most comfortable pillow in the tower.
He'd automatically done the same thing this time, only to realise that Tony's body wasn't half as comfortable.
He mumbled an apology to Steve and sat upright, stiff and uncomfortable.
"Here," Steve replied, patting his—Tony's—lap. "Lie down and put your head here."
Tony glanced at him and then after a momentary hesitation, did as he was told. His legs hung over the end of the sofa, bending at the knee on the arm. Steve immediately ran his fingers through Tony's—Steve's—hair, and Tony melted into him.
"How are you feeling?" Steve asked, looking down at him.
Tony tried to meet his eyes, but it was too weird to be looking up at himself so he looked away.
"Fine."
"We're going to order Thai soon," Steve said. "I know you must be hungry. Have you eaten at all today?"
Tony shrugged awkwardly. "A couple of energy bars earlier."
"That's not enough," Steve told him softly. "I'll order double my usual takeaway for you, okay? You'll feel better once you're not so hungry. The metabolism is a pain in the backside."
"How are you doing?" Tony asked, almost scared of the answer.
"I. I didn't realise how deep the reactor goes," Steve admitted. "And I have a killer headache."
"Have you had any coffee?" Tony asked, glancing up at him. "You're in my body, Steve. There's more caffeine in my system than there is blood."
"I should have thought of that, huh?" Steve asked, chuckling. The movement was jarring on Tony's head, and he shifted slightly. "You should have hot chocolate whenever you're ready to sleep. It always helps me settle."
Tony just nodded, because he knew that. He was surprised to realise how much about Steve's daily routines he did actually already know. Sure they spent a lot of time together, they lived together even, but Tony had never paid specific attention to someone like he did Steve.
Especially without even realising it.
"I will. You have to make it for me though," Tony added.
Steve squeezed his shoulder. "Of course. Make me a coffee?"
Tony grinned and pushed himself up. "One zoom zoom juice coming right up."
…
The team joined them for a movie night, and for the first time ever, Steve got to lie against Tony—even if their bodies were still in the same position they were every movie night.
The evening passed without incident; except for Clint's constant giggles whenever Tony said something, because seeing Steve be so snarky apparently tickled the archer to no end.
As the night drew to a close, Steve made Tony a hot chocolate, and Tony realised that he was tired.
He supposed it was because Steve tried—as best he could—to keep a healthy sleep schedule.
"I… am not tired," Steve said, as he handed Tony his mug. "Why am I not tired? Tony, how long do you go without sleep?"
"As long as I can," Tony mumbled. "Sorry. I know you got the short end of the stick here… no pun intended."
Steve just shook his head. "All this experience is teaching me is how strong you really are. You don't give yourself enough credit, Tony."
Tony just shrugged, but he knew that he was blushing, because apparently Steve had absolute no control over his body. He was going to have to teach him—or not actually, because Tony usually enjoyed the way Steve flushed at the slightest embarrassment.
"I'm going to go to bed," Tony said, as he drained the mug. "I, uh. Are we sleeping in each other's rooms?"
"Are you going to be comfortable doing that?" Steve asked. "It's up to you."
"I was just thinking it would be easier because of the clothes and things," Tony said quietly.
"Makes sense," Steve agreed. "Jarvis can tell me where to find sleep clothes and fresh clothes for tomorrow, yes?"
Tony nodded. "Yeah, and if you want to watch TV or anything, just ask J. I have my room set up with hologram screens, he'll put whatever you want on for you."
Steve nodded and smiled slightly, squeezing Tony's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, you know? We're almost halfway through already."
Tony stood up. "See you in the morning, Steve."
…
Tony showered, feeling ridiculously awkward. This wasn't the way he'd imagined discovering Steve's body—not that he should have been imagining it at all, but hey, he was human, right?
He finished up as quickly as he could, grimacing when he realised that Steve didn't use conditioner, and dressed in simple sweats and one of the t-shirts Steve often looked like he'd been painted into. They were surprisingly comfortable; not as restricting as Tony would have thought.
He settled on Steve's bed on his back, and stared up at the ceiling. He was tired, really tired, but his mind was still his own and it wouldn't switch off. He tried counting Pi, counting sheep, even counting in italian, and he was finally relaxing enough to fall asleep when a soft knock on the door brought him straight back to alertness.
"J? Who is it?"
"Captain Roger's, Sir. I believe he wants to talk to you."
"Let him in," Tony said, sitting up in the bed. Steve walked in, clearly freshly showered himself, and plonked himself down on the end of the bed.
"Have you been hiding injuries from us, Tony?"
His voice was calm, but he sounded hurt, and Tony frowned. He tried to think if he'd had any injuries before they swapped bodies, but couldn't remember anything pressing.
"The odd burnt finger in the workshop?" he offered, frowning.
Steve shook his head and raised his shirt to reveal Tony's stomach and hips and the many scars there. Tony knew his back was even worse, and he looked away. Leaning against the wall by the bed, Tony pulled his knees up, hugging them to his chest.
"None of those are from Avenger's missions," he muttered eventually. "They're all too old for that, Steve."
"Afghanistan?" Steve asked, his hand stretching out towards Tony, not quite touching him, but resting on the bed beside his foot.
"Some of them," Tony allowed. "The big one on my stomach is from Afghanistan."
"And the others."
Tony blinked back sudden tears, overwhelmed by the concern and worry and affection being directed at him from his own voice when they were so very clearly Steve's words.
"I didn't have the most… wholesome childhood."
"Tony—"
"Steve. My dad didn't like me very much and he really liked scotch. It happens, you know?"
"Nobody should have to go through something like that," Steve murmured. "I'm going to hug you now, okay?"
Tony barely had time to unwrap his arms before Steve was embracing him, Tony's shorter arms barely managing to surround Steve's broad shoulders. It was quite the same as Steve hugging him as himself, but it still brought a level of comfort to Tony that he'd never experienced with anyone else.
"Can I stay here tonight?" Steve asked, after a long silence. "I know you probably don't need the comfort but… I'd feel better. If I could just… be here."
Tony sighed but nodded. He did need the comfort, he realised, and more than that, he always wanted Steve to be near him.
They lay down beside each other awkwardly, and then Steve huffed a chuckled and turned into Tony's side, cuddling close.
"Goodnight, Tony."
"Night, Steve."
…
Tony entered the workshop the following morning, and ordered Jarvis to throw a few of his projects up onto the holo-screens. When Steve arrived with breakfast half an hour later, Tony was already immersed in his tech.
"You know, I'm always amazed when I see you in here. It's just weird to see myself surrounded by the holograms, as if I'd have the first clue what I was doing."
Tony laughed and accepted the offered plate, sitting down in his chair as Steve folded himself onto the sofa. "This is just a small part of what I do. I prefer the more hands on work, but, well. Your hands weren't made for the more intricate work, Steve."
Steve nodded. "I know. You should go and play with my strength in the gym today though. I think you'll have some fun."
"Working out is not fun, Steve."
"For me it is," Steve replied with a shrug. "You should try it."
"I was planning to spend the day tinkering on the car," Tony said, nodding to the vintage Bentley he'd pulled around to the middle of the workshop floor when he'd first arrived down there.
"Maybe we could go out?" Steve suggested and then wrinkled his nose.
"Not sure I can pull off faith, justice and the American Way convincingly," Tony teased, mimicking the cartoon Steve from the Avenger's cartoon that had recently been aired.
Laughing, Steve shook his head. "Maybe not, but I think you know me well enough to be able to pass as Steve."
Tony nodded slowly. "Maybe. I still think it's safer to stay in the tower until we're back in our own skin."
He focused on his food for a while, and Steve did the same, though his own breakfast was much smaller than the one he'd fetched for Tony.
"You really drink entirely too much coffee, by the way," Steve commented. "I had to have three cups while I was cooking to make me feel even halfway able to concentrate properly."
Tony snorted. "Tell me something I don't know. There's a reason I try not to sleep too often, Steve, it means I have to start all over again with the coffee consumption instead of just topping up."
"That… is not how that should work," Steve said, shaking his head.
"Them's the breaks," Tony said with a grin. "You wanna help me with the car?"
Eyes gleaming and a strange-to-see honest smile appeared on Tony's face, Steve nodded. "I'd love to."
…
"I thought you might be here."
Steve stepped up beside Tony on the balcony, both of them looking out at the horizon where a thunderstorm brewed, lightning flashing across the sky.
"I just wanted a bit of air," Tony admitted. "Are you looking forward til tomorrow?"
Steve glanced at him and nodded. "Yes, but not for the reasons that you might think."
"Oh?"
"I'm sure in your head, it's because I don't want to be you, or suffer the pain you suffer but it's not that. I… you're going to think it's stupid."
"Try me."
"I… I miss being the one to hold you," Steve admitted. "I miss being the big one, because when I'm the big one, I can protect you—and yes, I realise you don't actually need me to protect you. I just…"
Tony smiled. "I miss you being the big one too, Steve."
…
"My hands have never created anything that pretty," Tony said, leaning over to peer at Steve's sketchbook.
"That's a downright lie," Steve said absently. "I've seen the things you create in that workshop of yours. They're extraordinary. This is—"
"Nothing less than the same," Tony interrupted. "You're an actual artist, Steve. Don't downplay that."
"You flatter me," Steve said quietly. "Don't forget, I've seen your art collection."
"Anything you drew would fit right in with it," Tony promised, as he sprawled on the sofa. "But unfortunately, you gotta stop arting for a while."
"Arting?"
"Steven."
"Okay, I'll bite, why do I need to stop arting?" Steve asked, his amusement clear to hear in his voice.
"Because I have beautiful blond locks that need stroking," Tony replied, and he pouted at Steve ridiculously.
Steve barely lasted a full second before he burst out laughing. "You're an idiot."
He dutifully put the pencil down though, and moved the sketchbook from his lap. Tony happily lay down with his head in Steve's—his own, why was this still so confusing—lap, and smiled up at him.
"Have you even shown these 'beautiful blonde locks' a comb today?" Steve asked, running a hand through his hair.
"I did! Besides, your hair isn't an unnatural phenomenon like mine. It doesn't grow ten inches over night and turn into a rats nest if you don't comb it."
Chuckling, Steve rolled his eyes. "You're a wonder, Tony Stark. Crazy hair included."
…
"I'm me again!" Tony announced with a grin, stretching out his muscles cheerfully. "Steve, you good?"
Steve, beside him, nodded and stretched himself before he sat up. "I am. It's good to be me again. Means I can do this."
He reached out and gently grabbed Tony, manhandling him into a hug, with his head tucked beneath Steve's chin.
"I'm going to go and do work and drink coffee," Tony announced, pulling away after a moment. "Isn't this exciting?"
"It's really the coffee you missed, isn't it?"
"Zoom zoom juice," Tony replied, nodding his head seriously.
Steve shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to go to the gym. I've got too much excess energy after two days not working any of it off."
Tony rolled his eyes but waved him off. "See you in a bit."
Steve leant over and pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek. He was blushing when he pulled back, but there was a pleased smile on his face as he walked off. Tony suspected the smile was in response to what he was sure was a dazed expression on his own face.
…
"Steve, I'm not a bloody invalid," Tony snapped, when Steve reached down to pick up the suitcase armour as they left the Quinjet. "I can carry my armour."
"But you don't have too," Steve replied softly. "So why should you?"
"Because—"
"Tony."
Tony grunted but let go of the handle, only settling because Steve wrapped his free arm around Tony's shoulders and led him inside. The battle they'd fought shouldn't have been theirs, and it had left Tony with a bad taste in his mouth and feeling decidedly disgruntled.
He was all for helping out where they were needed, but it irritated him when they were misused.
They entered the Tower and after pausing on their own floors to shower and change, all of them made a beeline for the communal room. Natasha handed out the blankets—hot pink for Clint, icy mint for Steve and Tony, sapphire for Bruce—while Tony made the drinks and Steve bundled up an alarming amount of snacks which he dumped on the table in the middle of the seats.
Clint had the TV set up and waiting for them, and Bruce was already snoozing in the over padded armchair he favoured.
Tony sat down and leant against Steve, who smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around the smaller man.
"This is what I missed," he murmured, pressing a kiss against Tony's temple.
"Aren't you lucky that this is where I wanna be then," Tony replied, pressing even closer.
Steve squeezed him, and they fell silent as the movie started on the screen, Jarvis lowering the lights. By the end of the first movie, Nat and Clint were also dozing along with Bruce, and Tony was halfway there himself.
He vaguely heard Steve instruct J to put the next movie on, and closed his eyes, happy to fall asleep where he felt the safest.
…
Tony woke up hazily when he felt himself moving, and he blinked his eyes open to find himself in Steve's arms.
"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a little slurred and soft with sleep. "Where are we going?"
"Bed," Steve replied gently. "It's late, and we need sleep."
"You could have just woke me," Tony murmured. "Sent me to bed."
"I could have," Steve agreed. "But I figured I'd rather bring you to mine and hope that you stay."
It took a moment for the words to process, and by the time he had, Steve was gently putting him down on the bed.
"You want me to… stay? Here in your bed?"
"Here by my side," Steve corrected as he crawled in beside Tony. "We've been… we've been edging towards this, right? This… it was always coming, right?"
"I hoped so," Tony admitted. "Feels a bit surreal that it's actually happening."
"But it's… good?"
"It's the best," Tony replied, turning on his side to face Steve. "There's only one thing missing before it would be perfect."
"Oh?"
Tony raised his hand and let it rest against Steve's cheek, guiding him down for a kiss.
"I love you," Steve whispered against Tony's lips.
"I love you too."
Written for:
CA: 13. Body Swap
Bingo: 3/2. Focused
Book Club: Steve: car / comb / "Give me some space, will you?"
Showtime: 9. A Winter's Ball: Phenomenon
Elizabeth's Empire: 3. Dear Evan Hansen: Anxiety
Liza Loves: 14. Poppin Popcorn: Write about a movie night
Bex's Basement: 9. "Are we dead?" / "You know, I was just wondering the same thing."
Lizzy's Loft: 16. Marianas Trench: "I thought you might be here."
Scamander's Case: 7. Fear
Film Festival: 11. Lightning
TV Spree: 20. Briefcase
The Forecast Says: 3. "Aren't you lucky?"
Tug Of War: 14. Relationship: Slash
Archery: 30. Hot Chocolate
Play It Out: Wicked Little Things: Second Word: Write about someone short.
Fairy Garden: 9. Mini Water Feature: Hot Pink
Gold Panning: Word: Childhood
Horse Riding: 11. Blue: Sapphire
We're Going Caving: 13. Duct Tape: "We stick together. That's what we've always done."
Cooking: 19. Bread: Thunderstorm
Shelter Building: 13. Big Pieces of Rocks: Hugging
Dino DNA: 6. Gallimimus: Mimicking something or someone
Quilt Making: Damask: 2. Car
Balloon Animals: 1. Dog: "Isn't this exciting?"
Getting Artsy: Icy Mint / Flatter
Friendship Bracelet: Half Of A Heart Charm: "This is not the time to panic, [Name]."
Wacky Wandmakers: 20. Hazel: Hugging legs to chest / Unicorn Hair: Extraordinary
Supernatural: 24. Vidia, Tinkerbell: "This is just a small part of what I do."
National Anti Boredom Day: 10. Paint Your Nails: Write about an artist
Seasonal Flowers; 6. Heather: "Nobody should have to go through something like that."
Treasure Hunting: Supplies: Pick and Shovel: "That's not normal."
Ultimate Battle: High Tier: Being overwhelmed
Insane House: 963. Calm