(Ironstrange) Tony getting caught by the avengers with Stephen’s Columbia hoodie on? (They didn’t know they were dating)
Here, I did my level best. Forgive me it's been a while since I did a Tony POV!
In his defense, it wasn’t his fault.
Tony was the innocent in this even if no one believed him. If it had been up to him, or something he planned, there would’ve been a whole lot more drama involved. He would’ve staged it all very carefully and made absolutely sure of his audience before ever stepping foot off the elevator.
Instead, he stumbled half blind and exhausted onto the common floor for the Avengers without a single thought in his head beyond coffee. Blessed, wonderful, life-giving coffee. Nothing else in the world mattered except that.
He’d blame it on the exhaustion later. Which, to be fair, wasn’t even his fault this time! It wasn’t like he’d stayed up lost in inventing things in his workshop. It wasn’t even Stephen who kept him up – something which Tony definitely wouldn’t have complained about. No, unfortunately his boyfriend was off-world – off-universe? Whatever the term was for being in another dimension – at the moment on some sort of diplomatic mission only the Sorcerer Supreme could go on, and while Tony might’ve wanted to bury himself in his workshop until the other man got back he’d been corralled into meeting after meeting after meeting.
The only real break he’d gotten from those meetings had been an Avengers callout. After which he’d had a quick stop in the Med Bay – something he definitely wasn’t telling Stephen about when he got back – and then there’d been the debrief with SHIELD, phone calls and video conferences with the mayor to smooth things over after the amount of property damage they’d caused, then another with the team of Stark lawyers just to make sure their bases were covered legally, and then the board of the Maria Stark foundation to get cleanup crews started…
Suffice it to say, Tony was really fucking tired.
He’d managed a quick powernap on the couch in his workshop, but that was the extent of his sleep, and it wasn’t looking like he’d get much more for at least another six hours.
If it weren’t for JARVIS, that powernap probably would’ve gone on to be more than just a nap. But, whether he liked it or not, he’d woken Tony up with enough time for him to get some coffee and a shower before he had to start getting ready for the stupid gala the Avengers had to attend tonight.
Which was why Tony was currently stumbling into the kitchen on the Avengers floor – his own kitchen was in desperate need of groceries.
Tony barely paid any mind to the group of people nearby. He vaguely took notice of Steve and James talking together at the couch, and Sam cooking something at the stove. All his focus was on the coffee pot that was blessedly full of coffee. Tony stumbled is way over there with a grateful sound that drew a few different sets of eyes towards him.
He caught a glimpse of Sam’s smile before he practically fell on the coffee pot – and the mug waiting next to it.
“JARVIS warned us you were on your way up,” he said, his smile easy to hear.
Tony didn’t even bother with a verbal response. Instead, he just gave a grunt of thanks as he wrapped both hands around the warm mug. The scent was heavenly. He took a deep breath of it, eyes fluttering shut, before he took that first, glorious sip. He didn't even care as it scalded his tongue. He'd burned all that away years ago.
He finished half his mug while still standing there next to the pot. Then he refilled it before finally turning around to face the others, feeling just the slightest bit more human. Sam had turned back to the stove, but the supersoldiers were still watching him. Though, as Tony looked over at them he caught sight of something like surprise on both their faces. James' melted away into a faint smirk, while Steve's eyebrows went up a little higher.
What the hell? Tony met that look with a raised eyebrow look of his own. “Something wrong, Cap?”
Steve blinked once, then again. He seemed to be searching for words. “Um, not really, no.”
“We're just admiring your new fashion, that's all,” James said, that smirk slowly growing into a grin.
Tony blinked in surprise before looking down at himself. He didn't see anything special - old jeans, a hoodie, no shoes. Nothing he hadn't worn around them before? When he looked back up, the confusion on his face must've been clear because James actually started to chuckle at him, and even Steve was starting to look more amused than surprised now. What the hell was he missing here?
“Didn't know you were a Lions fan, Stark,” James said, grinning.
Blinking his eyes a few times - either he was still half asleep or they were making no sense - he stared at the two. It took James flicking his gaze down and then back up for Tony to start to get a clue. But it wasn't until he'd looked down at himself and saw the word Columbia across his chest that he realized what was going on. Though it took his sleep-deprived brain almost a full five seconds to process it.
Once he did, realization hit. Columbia - Stephen's alma mater.
Tony hadn't thought anything of it when he'd snagged the sweater off the back of the couch to curl up in for his nap. The sweater was perfect, with sleeves long enough he could tuck his hands in if he wanted, and it still smelled like Stephen's cologne even after all these months. He'd stolen it from his boyfriend ages ago and had yet to give it back. His boyfriend - who no one actually knew was his boyfriend.
Oh. Well then.
For a second Tony just stood there and stared down at himself. Then he gave a mental shrug. They'd been talking about letting the others know off and on for a few weeks now. Once they'd made it past a couple months and things were still going steady. They'd had a nice honeymoon period, and, honestly, they'd been lucky as hell so far that no one had found out before this. Considering how public their lives were – how public Tony's life was.
Of course, they’d talked about doing it the right way, because the two of them were nothing if not showmen. Stephen might pretend he was above all that but Tony knew better. His partner was just as much of a little shit as he was. More so, sometimes. Stephen definitely had the corner on possessiveness, and he would’ve enjoyed something big and public.
Although – this might work for him, too. He’d probably enjoy the idea of hearing how the others found out while Tony was wearing something that belonged to him.
The thought of what that might inspire in his partner had Tony’s lips curving into a smirk. Yeah, this could definitely work in his favor.
When he blinked his eyes again, looking over to the others, he had a grin to rival James’. It was enough to have Steve looking cautious, while James looked ready to roll his eyes already. Tony only grinned wider. “What can I say?” he said, shrugging one shoulder. “Have you seen them? I’ve always loved a guy who knows how to move.”
With a wink, he pivoted on his heel and made his way back toward the elevators, listening to the sounds of laughter behind him while he sipped his coffee, much more awake and in a far better mood than he’d been when he first came in here.
