"That long?" Tony couldn't keep the hint of genuine surprise out of his voice. True, they spent time together in their off hours. The trips around NY that started out as group outings turned into a lot of one-on-ones for them, as he took a special kind of joy in tossing a literal alien into the New York brand of craziness and watching them mix.

After Thor left, Tony sulked like a child. There were plenty reasons for that, but those outings disappearing was definitely a reason.

"Not gonna lie. I always thought you preferred Rogers to me." Iron Man was a popular hero, but not a popular man with those who knew him. He had accepted that.