When Tony wakes up he makes his way automatically to the nearest coffee machine. He doesn't really notice that he's in his workshop until he's most of his way through a third mug of coffee. He looks around blearily.

'Right,' Tony blinks. 'So it does that.'

'Sir?' Jarvis sounds bemused more than anything. 'You passed out a little over seven hours ago, what is it that, as you say, 'does that'?'

'That,' Tony waves a hand at the generator as he accepts his squashed toast from Dummy, 'gives off a spike of energy at six in the morning and sends me back in time by a day.'

'Shall I call Doctor Richards?'

'Please.'

Tony scowls as he eats his toast and thinks about what he read on theoretical time travel the day before,

'I hate it when things don't make sense, Jay,' he stretches.

'No response from Doctor Richards or any of the Fantastic Four, sir.'

'Keep trying them until they answer,' Tony instructs and moves to take the lift up to the penthouse.

Tony takes his time in the shower, rather hoping Reed will answer the phone and fix this without him having to become a true expert in yet another branch of science.

And time travel sounds dangerously close to magic.

He wraps a towel round his hips and lets the steam escape into the bedroom.

'Call Pepper, Jay,' he sighs and walks over to the bed so he can collapse backwards and relax.

'Of course, sir.'

'Tony?' Pepper's voice sounds out a moment later and her face is projected on a screen over the bed.

'Pepper!' At least someone knows how to answer the phone.

'Tony, what's wrong?'

'You know that movie you like with the gopher?'

'Alvin is a chipmunk, not a gopher,' Pepper rolls her eyes.

'Whatever. How did he fix it in the end?'

Pepper is used to his eccentrics by now so barely even hesitates at the question,

'Are you trying to use the moral lessons from films to navigate human feelings again?'

'I maintain that that worked great until you realised what I was doing.'

'Of course,' she smiles warmly at him. 'You want to know how Alvin fixed it?'

'The gopher fixed things?' Tony scowls. 'Ok, maybe this won't help.'

'There are limited number of life lessons to be gained from an animated chipmunk,' Pepper is still smiling.

'Animated?' Tony blinks.

'Ms Potts, I apologise for the interruption but I suspect sir is thinking of the film entitled Groundhog Day.'

'Oh, thank you Jarvis,' he can see Pepper blushing.

'What did you think I meant?' he asks with a grin.

'It doesn't matter,' she shakes her head then appears to flinch. 'Groundhog Day? Oh, Tony, you're reliving the day?!'

'You got it Pep,' he sighs.

'Call Reed,' she tells him.

'Jarvis is trying him right now,' Tony smiles up at her, 'no answer. Not from the other members of his team either.'

'What can I do to help?' she looks worried.

Tony shrugs,

'I guess I need to learn about time travel.'

'How many times have you... looped?' she asks gently.

'I had the day as I expected it,' he tells her, 'then I've had it twice more and now today.'

'Ok,' she raises her hand to her face in an aborted motion to bite her nails. 'Work on this today but if you loop again take the day off, do you understand?'

'I don't want to stay...'

'Tony,' she interrupts, 'you work yourself to exhaustion at the best of times; if you're reliving a day then nobody will even notice how long you've been working.'

'Pepper...'

'Tony, please. Just spend some time with Steve; try to relax and maybe a new solution will come to you.'

Tony clearly doesn't look convinced as she continues,

'Promise me, Tony.'

'Alright!' Tony gives in and throws up his arms before letting them drop to the bed above his head, 'I promise to take a day off and spend it licking Captain America.'

She smiles,

'Thank you. Now eat some real food and get to work.'

'I had toast,' he mutters but smiles before cutting the call.

'Feed me.'

Steve jolts in surprise and gazes over at him with wide eyes. Eyes which turn adoring as he looks Tony over.

'Tony,' his entire face lights up as if Tony's the best thing in his world.

'Hey,' Tony offers a smile as Steve abandons whatever he was reading and crosses the room in three quick strides to wrap him in a hug.

'You're hungry?' Steve all but pulls him into his kitchen. 'Here, sit, I'll make some pasta.'

Tony sits at the little table in Steve's kitchen and watches him vaguely as he moves around getting things from cupboards. It occurs to him that in the last three days it never occured to him to ask Steve what he'd been doing while Tony was upstairs in his workshop.

He assumes there's more in Steve's life than the Avengers and working out but other than sketching he doesn't really know what he man does with his time.

He's a really crappy boyfriend.

'You have fun while I was busy?'

Steve smiles at him adoringly.

Tony makes a note that that question was somehow a Good Thing.

'I missed you,' Steve tells him, 'but I got a lot of reading done and managed to order myself art supplies from the internet.'

Tony can't help grinning at him,

'Aww, Capsical's all grown up; I'm so proud.'

Steve shoots him a bemused glare,

'Don't say it like that, it makes you sound like a creep. Also, I used your credit card, I hope you don't mind.'

He just shakes his head,

'It's what I'm here for, doll, by all means use and abuse.'

'I have more uses for you than just your money,' Steve tells him and then places a steaming pile of pasta and sauce in front of him.

'Are you hitting on me? It's working.'

'Good,' Steve's voice is normal but he's blushing.

'You are horny all the time,' Tony informs him and then shoves a forkful of food into his mouth.

Steve drops his gazes to where he's linked his fingers in front of him on the table,

'I'm a ninety year old virgin,' Steve doesn't know he's repeating his words from yesterday. 'And you're... everything I could want.'

Tony swallows and smiles as Steve lifts his gaze,

'I need to eat and get back to work, darling.'

Steve's face only falls a little,

'I know. I understand. It's fine. I can wait.'

'You have magical powers,' he tells the soldier as he abandons his meal and rounds the table to place himself on Steve's lap.

'Hey,' Steve's eyes have lit up.

Tony just hums and then kisses him,

'I really do need to work,' he tells him between kisses. 'I would much rather bend you over this table and have my way with you, but you deserve better than a quick fuck and I need to try and get this sorted before six tomorrow morning. Or I at least need to understand it. Sorry, sweetheart.'

Steve's expression has flickered from arousal to disappointment and from embarrassed to reluctant acceptance very quickly,

'Ok. Tomorrow?' he looks so earnestly hopeful.

'Definitely,' Tony agrees. 'Or if I get there sooner I'll let you know.'

He stands up to leave but Steve catches his wrist,

'Eat your pasta, Tony.'

He can do that.

'Jarvis, take a note, I hate Reed Richards.'

'I shall add a tally mark to the existing note, sir,' Jarvis replies.

'Good man.'

'The tally has reached three hundred and seventy eight, if you were wondering, sir.'

'I was not.'

'Then I offer my most sincere apologies.'

'This doesn't make any sense, Jay,' Tony shoves his chair back from his desk and spins in a circle. 'Either I'm completely misunderstanding what Reed has written or he's, what? Written it wrong in case it gets into the wrong hands? He's not that responsible.'

'Perhaps Doctor Richards' thesis is simply incorrect,' Jarvis suggests. 'He has had incorrect theories before.'

'Oh, wonderful positive thinking! What the hell do I pay you for?'

'You do not,' Jarvis replies dryly. 'However, I do not believe you would survive long without me.'

'What the hell am I going to do if what I've just made for Richards is completely inexplicable even to the man who designed it?'

Tony pours himself another coffee,

'Ok, let's look at this another way; why only me?'

'Proximity,' Jarvis replies.

'Yeah,' he spins the chair again. 'So maybe I just need to get out of here?'

'You moved as far away as the penthouse and whatever happened still affected you without affecting Captain Rogers,' Jarvis points out.

'Again with the positive thinking.'

'Exposure could be a factor,' Jarvis continues, 'in which case I suggest on your next loop you should stay out of the workshop. Perhaps for several loops if the situation is not corrected immediately.'

'Spend several days in bed with Steve, I hear ya Jay.'

'I am certain Captain Rogers will be delighted by the attention, sir.'

'I'm a sex god.'

'As you say.'

Tony grins and stretches his arms over his head,

'What time is it, Jarvis?'

'Seven minutes past one sir; you have been in the workshop a little over eight hours.'

'So it's gone midnight... I did promise Pepper that I would spend today licking Steve,' Tony gazes over at the exit.

'I cannot do anything but advise you to do just that,' Jarvis replies. 'I do not believe Captain Rogers will object to being woken.'

Tony smiles as he leans against the door frame and gazes at his sleeping boyfriend,

'How long has he been sleeping?'

'An hour or so,' Jarvis replies quietly. 'Have a good night, sir.'

'Thanks,' Tony shoulders himself away from the wall and crawls onto the bed.

Steve's eyes flicker open and he smiles sweetly,

'Tony, hey...'

'Hey,' Tony slips under the sheets and starts pressing kisses to Steve's neck.

'You worked out your problem...' Steve hums happily and pulls Tony with him as he rolls onto his back.

'Yeah,' Tony lies. 'I'm all yours.'

'Good,' Steve arches his back and pulls off his t-shirt as Tony sits back to give him space. Tony grinds down against his crotch and Steve makes a strange yelping-whining noise and clutches and Tony's hips.

'Would you want to?' Tony starts to rhythmically roll his hips.

'Want to?' Steve chokes out. 'You think I don't want to...'

'I am merely curious how many things we can do together,' Tony tells him as he wriggles out of his clothes.

'Oh,' Steve blushes as his hips rise to meet Tony's. 'Umm...'

Tony tugs down Steve's sleep pants and licks a swipe across his navel,

'I'm going to make you feel amazing.'

'Please...' Steve's hands flail before clenching into fists at his sides.

'You know you can tell me to stop,' Tony tells him teasingly as he presses kisses to his skin.

'Oh God!' Steve moans and Tony watches as his abs clench.

'Where do you want me, apple pie?' Tony nuzzles his nose into Steve's tensed thigh and grins.

'Anything,' Steve begs. 'Tony please...'

Tony grins and starts in earnest.

Steve makes the best noises.

Tony is the luckiest man alive.

'Please...' Steve finally manages to sob. 'Tony, more please! I can't...'

Steve howls and his hips snap up as he finishes. His hands clench tight into the bedding and he stares blindly up at the ceiling,

'Oh God...'

Tony pulls himself away gently and pants as he takes himself in hand and quickly jerks off before crawling further up the bed and curling against Steve's side.

Steve's breath evens out and he blinks himself out of his daze to look to where Tony has pillowed his head on his shoulder,

'God, Tony... That was...'

Tony shifts to gaze into his eyes and grins,

'You taste great.'

'I...' Steve blushes. 'Oh! I didn't... What would you like me to do for...?'

'I sorted myself out,' Tony cuts himself off. 'Enjoy the afterglow, babe.'

'That doesn't seem...' Steve starts to object but Tony kisses him until he subsides.

'You can get me off tomorrow,' Tony tells him and settles back onto his chest.

'No more work to do?' Steve hugs him close.

'Always work to do,' Tony closes his eyes. 'But tomorrow's all for you, pet.'

'I love you,' Tony can hear the smile in Steve's voice.

Tony comes awake to a buzzing in the back of his skull,

'Dummy?'

The workshop readings are thrown at him,

'Oh, that. Yeah, I know...'

Everything goes dark.