Chapter Text
Peter slipped through the penthouse window, surprised to see Tony awaiting his arrival despite having called him a few minutes back. Tony had told him to come right away and not wait it out like he always liked to do. They had gotten closer over the last couple of years, resulting in the Tower and compound becoming Peter’s second home and all communications to go straight to Tony.
This time, he was dealing with alien technology - which was by far one of Tony’s least favorite topic, especially since Toomes.
“So define weird,” Tony started, reciting their conversation from earlier, “Because I’ve seen weird.” Peter tried to remember the words he had rehearsed on his way over.
“Uh? Well I was fighting this guy, right? And he suddenly pulls out this really weird-looking gun. Kinda looked like the alien tech Toomes’ had. Anyway he shot me with it-“
“He shot you with it?” Tony interrupted aggressively. Peter remained unfazed.
“Yeah? I’m not hurt, I just feel funny. The whole situation was just kinda weird,” he mumbled back while rubbing his neck uncomfortably. Tony rolled his eyes.
“Well you’re sure acting weird. C’mon, I’ll take you to med. Bruce is on vacation for the first time in forever - wait, that's a song, please don’t start singing - but anyway, Helen’s here so it should be f- What are you doing?” He turned around and watched Peter point to the ground behind him.
“You dropped your glasses.” He bent down and picked them up, holding them out for Tony to take. Tony hid his scoff and reached back to grab them. No sooner than he touched the brim of the glasses, an iridescent flash of light blinded the both of them, leaving them collapsed on the floor defenselessly.
-
Tony hesitated to move. His body ached dully. He flinched at the regularly dimmed lights, still unsure of what happened or why. His head throbbed aggressively. One second he was standing with Peter and the next- Peter . He quickly stumbled to get up, eyeing the ground for any sign of him. Perhaps it was weird how his joints didn’t pop like they normally did when he stood, or that he felt lighter on his feet, but being blinded probably wasn’t a good thing, and neither was the intense ringing in his ears. His eyes finally flashed to a pair of feet and he stumbled towards them.
“Peter?” His voice squeaked. He stopped. It wasn’t his voice. And below him, sprawled across the floor with arms tightly wrapped over his eyes, was himself. “No, no. This- No.” He peered down at his clothes and noticed that he was no longer wearing his signature black sweatshirt, but rather Peter’s Spider-Man suit. “You have got to be kidding me.” He lightly kicked at Peter to wake him. “C’mon.” Peter groaned deeply and unwrapped his arms from across his face.
“What happ-“ He stopped, seeing his own face above him. “Mr. Stark?” Tony nodded, speechless. It felt so impossibly strange to hear his voice staring right back at him. He watched as Peter began to panic and realized that he physically couldn’t watch himself spiral into a panic attack.
“Hey, hey,” he calmed without hesitation. Peter took a breath and met his eyes. Tony extended a hand to help him stand. They both stared at each other in confusion.
“How?” Peter asked immediately, scanning Tony perplexedly.
“It had to have been your ‘weird’ alien fight from earlier. Because I don’t think my glasses are capable of switching bodies.” Peter stifled a laugh, still gaping at him.
“This is… kinda awesome?” He said with hushed excitement. Tony blinked at him in confusion and scoffed.
“Maybe for you.”
“Why?” Peter snapped jokingly, his voice slightly tinged with anger, “Because you have to be Peter Parker?”
“No, because you get to be Tony Stark.” Peter stared at his feet, embarrassed.
“How- How are we gonna get back?” He asked, changing the mood instantly. Tony passed him a look of concern.
“I’m not sure, if I’m being honest.” They both silenced. Tony studied Peter’s disappointment and realized he probably shouldn’t leave it just like that. “Hey, you’re the one with all that movie knowledge,” Tony added to the silence, “How do you think we get back?”
“Nope, it’s all transferred to you now. Good luck,” he joked before seriously answering, “Usually they have to find a new perspective of life or whatever. Or maybe we just call someone.”
“Guess I’ve got some calls to make then.” They both gulped at the thought of explaining their situation with others, but headed into the lab nonetheless. Tony quickly hid a few of his blueprints, gaining Peter’s suspicion instantly. He didn’t bother to ask though - that was a matter for a different time.
“Who’re you gonna call?” Peter asked.
“Probably Bruce. Then maybe Stephen Strange, but that’s a last resort.”
“The wizard, right?”
“Sorcerer actually.”
“Same difference. Doesn’t have a hat though.” Tony scuffled and pressed the call on video chat. It rang a few times before abruptly stopping. “Do you think he’ll even answer?”
“If I bug him enough he will.” Tony retried. It took five attempts before Bruce finally picked up.
“Tony, c’mon!” He greeted with a deep groan. The place behind him appeared to be tropical and definitely not anywhere in New York. “I get Christmas vacation once in three years and you still- I swear, if either of you has your hand stuck in the toaster again I’m done.” Peter scowled.
“Dr. Banner, it was only twice,” he argued before realizing his mistake. Bruce tilted his head in confusion.
“Dr. Banner..? Tony, are you okay?” Peter opened his mouth to seek an answer but came short of nothing. Tony broke the silence.
“No, he’s not okay because he’s not Tony. I’m Tony.” Bruce immediately started to laugh. Tony and Peter glanced at each other with their eyes wide open.
“I have to admit, you guys play the roles really well-“ He paused and noticed neither of them were laughing. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Peter shook his head, though he had to admit that’d be a good prank. “How-“
Tony quickly intervened, “He got hit by some weird alien gun and he came here and somehow this happened.” Bruce blinked back at them as a seagull walked across the beach behind his chair.
He began to stutter, both in shock and amazement, “I- That’s, that’s crazy. And doesn’t follow any science whatsoever. What- How are you gonna get back?” Tony scoffed with a small chuckle.
“Why do you think we called you?” Bruce contemplated this for a moment, but they both knew it was a lost cause for him.
“I’d need to do lab work, and I can’t be back until the 26th. Maybe call Stephen, he should know how to do it.” Tony and Peter sighed again. “Good luck, don’t make me have to come back there. And please don’t call me again unless it’s something urgent.”
Tony quipped, forgetting he was in Peter’s body, “Call you back in five!”
“Goodbye Pet- Tony.” He hung up quickly.
“He’s too easy,” Tony said with a laugh. Peter stared down at his unfamiliar feet.
“What if they can’t get us back?” Peter asked in more sudden concern. Worry was not a good look on his face. Tony avoided letting him think about it.
“Nope, no. It’ll work itself out. Besides, we’re geniuses.”
“Who get their hands stuck in toasters?” Tony shrugged in response before clicking on Stephen Strange’s contact.
“Tony, I don’t have time for this,” he picked up in annoyance.
“I think you’ll have time for this,” Tony said to try and gain his attention.
“Hurry on with it then.”
“We switched bodies. With an alien gun I got hit by,” Peter responded plainly.
“Wait- what?” He pauses, furrowing his brow. “Okay, okay. Just lay low for a bit. I can fix it - just not until after Christmas. I’m on an important assignment till after the holidays.”
“Yeah sure, probably just sitting on your ass-” Tony tried to joke, but was cut off.
“It’s important, Stark. Not like you’d understand that.” They sent each other daggers through the phone.
“Okay, well, thanks. See you soon.” Peter interrupted for the best, cancelling the call before it escalated. “Okay, lay low. We can do that, right? No need to tell anyone else? No need to go anywhere?”
“No, of course not.” They quieted down both drowning in thought. “Peter, don’t you have school tomorrow?” Tony questioned fearfully. Peter groaned. How could he have forgotten about the one thing he had to do? If Tony had to go to school as him, and meet Flash and take his finals - shoot.
“Hey, breathe again will ya? I have a heart condition y'know.” Peter focused his eyes on his own and calmed.
“I have tests. And school,” he explained simply. “And God, please don’t embarrass me if you go. I can’t deal with that.”
“Kid, I think I know how to take a test and go to high school again for one day. I’ll just hang out with Ted - Ned? And how can I embarrass you? I’m Tony Stark, I’m incapable. But no need to worry about tomorrow, okay? We’ll be okay.” Peter thought about it for another second and agreed. It would be fine.
“I won’t do anything you would or wouldn’t do when you’re gone,” he joked. Tony lightly slapped his arm, understanding the old reference. “Do we need rules? Like - don’t mess with each other’s personal lives and don’t do anything the other wouldn’t? Don’t tell anyone?”
“Can’t guarantee that, but sure.”
“Mr. Stark,” he whined.
“Fine, fine.” Tony watched Peter roll his eyes, and he felt somewhat overcome with pride. Peter was him, for real, and managed to act the role without even trying. His chest warmed.
“Well, what’s the first thing you wanna do as Tony Stark?” Peter smirked and motioned for him to follow him downstairs.
-
“You could do anything as me, and you chose to build a snowman?” Peter blew on his cold hands in anticipation as light snow flickered down on them. He nodded excitedly and started to roll a ball. It crumbled at the touch. “What are you even- You suck at this.”
“What? I’d like to see you do better.” Tony ignored the urge to retaliate and knelt down to the snow. He began to roll it and pack it all in, the snowball becoming increasingly bigger. “How do you do it?” Peter asked, astonished.
“Do what?” Tony looked back at him with snow brushing against his face. He huffed.
“Be so good at everything all the time.” Tony let out a loud laugh. “I’m being serious!”
“I’ve had years of experience, I think you’re off the hook for this one.” Peter still looked pouty, so he sighed and stood up. “Here, I’ll let you in on the secret: pack it in while rolling it. Sticks so much better.” Peter frowned with a skeptical look on his face, but nevertheless he sat in the snow and followed Tony’s advice. It worked almost perfectly. They both continued on.
“Thanks. Y’know, I’ve never actually made a snowman before,” Peter admitted after they finished stacking three of the snowballs on top of each other. It leaned a little, but it stayed upright.
“You’ve never made a snowman? Mr. Stark I’m impressed.” Peter laughed. “But not that impressed.” His smile instantly dropped and before he knew it, he was pelted with a snowball to the face fueled by super strength. It burned instantly while Tony laughed. “Now that’s impressive.” Peter grumbled and threw one back. It hit him in the stomach and he coiled back.
“What’s impressive again?” They both laughed loudly and sat down in the snow. Peter’s phone suddenly started to vibrate. It was Pepper - of course, because it was Tony’s phone. “It’s Ms. Potts, what do I do?”
“Just answer, see what she wants.” Peter held his breath as he pressed accept.
“Hello?”
“Tony, explain to me why you’re sitting in the snow with Peter at almost eleven on a school night,” she sterned. He needed an excuse, and excuses weren’t easy to come by for Pepper.
“Um,” he started, drawing a blank, “we were just, um, experimenting. Yeah, and I talked to May and he’s staying for two nights because she’s working super late.” He looked over to Tony who had embarrassment written all over his face.
Pepper paused. “Oh kay… So you’re telling me if I called May right now she’d tell me the truth?”
“Pep,” Peter groaned. Tony was surprised by his sudden in-character impression.
“As long as you talk to her and come back inside, it’s fine. Now hurry up, it’s freezing out and you two don’t even have coats on.”
“Ok, sorry Mom.” Click. They finally stood up, brushing snow off of their clothes.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Tony said, reeling back with laughter. Peter looked to him in confusion. “Do you practice being me daily or something?” Peter reddened.
“Actually I learned from the best.”
“Awh, you shouldn’t have. I should’ve known it was m-“
“Rhodey.” Tony shoved him back into the snow. “Hey, don’t do that. They’re your bones.” He rolled his eyes, but offered him his hand to help him stand. Peter grumbled and took it, but pulled him back down into the snow next to him. “Even?”
“Fine.”
When they finally got inside, Pepper had already gone to lay down and expected them to do the same after they talked to May. May agreed quickly, obviously feeling badly that she had to work late, but she still wanted Peter on Christmas morning. They made an agreement but if all else failed, Tony would be coming too. Peter didn’t want Tony to have to pretend to be him on Christmas without Peter actually there.
“Wait,” Peter argued before they went off, “What do I do? This is messed up. I shouldn’t be in the same bed as her. She’s your fiancée!”
“Just… Say you’re tired. Don’t engage too much, and if you need help, I’ll think of something. Don’t worry.” He took a deep breath. Peter and Tony shared one last look of displeasure before heading off in separate directions.
Peter stepped into Tony’s room wearily. He avoided looking up as he headed straight for the drawer. Grabbing the first shirt and pants he could find, he hurried into the bathroom. He waited as long as he could after changing before it would become suspicious, but eventually he came out.
“You feeling okay?” Pepper asked politely. Peter sat down on the bed awkwardly. He nodded. “Hey, I didn’t mean to be that hard on you guys earlier. I just- You know you can’t do that stuff, right? The media could’ve, and probably did, see you. I know how you feel about it.” Peter met her eyes for a second, interested at the sudden change of subject. How did Tony feel about it?
“I know,” he agreed, fidgeting with the blanket, “But… why not?” Pepper glared at him, assuming he was joking.
“C’mon Tony. Be sensible. People have things against you all the time, dangerous things. You really wanna throw Peter into that? It’s already suspicious enough that you have an ‘intern.’ And the fact that he’s Spider-Man doesn’t help either. So no, you can’t just mess around once,” she explained in annoyance. Peter stilled. He knew this, but it was frustrating. Why couldn’t they be normal? But yet again, if they were normal, they wouldn’t have even met.
“I know,” he repeated, unsure of what else to say.
“I’m sorry Tony, it’s just the way it has to be right now.”
“Yeah.” Pepper gave him a sympathetic smile, but he just layed down and reached for the light. “Don’t know what got into me there. I’m just really tired. Goodnight, Pep.”
“Goodnight, Tony.”