Tony's lips twitch into a small smile when Steve plays along and mentions that he would get jealous of him taking off his shirt without a problem. The gentleness that Steve is using with him isn't something he's entirely used to, but it's a pleasant surprise. It makes something inside him relax a little, to the point that by the time that Steve is kissing him, his shoulders relax a little all over again.

But then Steve asks that impossible question, and Tony breathes out a sort of sigh under his breath. It hurts to do it, because there's a twinge of pain immediately as he breathes out, but it comes out almost before he can stop himself from doing so.

"It looks...awful." Hideous, he means to say, but apparently even that word alone is hard to get out. "The bomb left a lot of recent scarring that I'm still trying to get used to, I guess. Including the reactor. Then you add everything else, and it..." He pauses for a moment before shrugging very slightly, and continuing a lot more quietly than how he had been speaking, "I thought it'd...scare you or something."

Or at least cause some sort of pity look that Tony cannot possibly deal with. Because, while he's not fond of his scars, he doesn't want pity for them, either.