“You’ve got to remember that I didn’t know there was intelligent life off of the planet,” Tony chides, feeling his bristles a little bit rustled. “I wasn’t keeping tabs on all things SHIELD.” He moves the blankets aside to signal his more than willingness for Steve to join him once more in bed. Comfort is top priority. And who knows when they’ll get to share something like this again? Tony almost died the first time he encountered Loki. There’s a lot that can go wrong here. He could be well and dead by this time next week. He’s expendable, though. Steve needs to wield the axe to destroy the stones, not him.

He turns, soft white sheets piling over his hips, and props himself up on two over stuffed pillows. He doesn’t immediately reach for Steve the moment the Springs groan at his added weight, though. He just enjoys his proximity without touch and smirks at the earlier comment about their shared insomnia.

“Also, he teleports. And clones himself and... there’s a whole lot that I wasn’t prepared for. It means I can cover our tracks this time though. We can put a halt on Loki’s attack, keep Banner from Hulking out and still let him escape long enough to open the portal. It’s just going to take a little work and some well placed clues. In three days, the other Tony is going to bug the hellicarrier. And I’ll leave files that J can pick up, easy.”

Setting a trap isn’t a bad idea, though.

“We know where the invasion point is going to happen. And I know Loki is going to play boomerang from the Tower with me. We can set a trap there.”

And sue him. But he’s actually kind of amused to play chess against himself. Other than Banner, eight years past Stark is his only equal.