A/N: Not really sure where this came from, but I hope you like it… (Seriously, where did this come from? I'm a dog person!)
Disclaimer: If I owned the Avengers then the second movie would be coming out a lot sooner… So clearly, I do not own the Avengers.
If you asked any SHEILD agent where Director Nicholas Fury resided they would not be able to tell you. Some might guess at SHEILD Head Quarters, others the Helicarrier, but they would be wrong. It was practically a government secret where the director lived and you could count how many people knew where on one hand - even if you were missing some fingers.
Considering his job was a very dangerous one, that was just the way Nick liked it. After all, he got few vacation days and he would not want those days to be interrupted by terrorists or enemies he had made over the years. His residence was kept very hush-hush and it changed every few months. It was nearly impossible to find.
Was it in some secret underground cave? Perhaps on a submarine deep within the ocean? Or maybe a super high-tech building in some obscure Asian country? Nope. He lived in New York City, New York in a ratty apartment with questionable looking neighbors. Currently, his apartment required a new coat of paint in the kitchen, new glass for both windows, and possibly electric wiring that didn't go dangerously near the leaky plumbing, but a place to live was a place to live.
Out of all the places Nick had dwelled in there were only three things he bothered to take with him: his large selection of eye patches and leather clothes, a weapon (preferably a dangerous one), and Furry. No, not "Fury", as in his last name, Furry. Two Rs.
Furry was a gray cat with a soul-searching yellow eye - the other orb had been damaged brutally by a dog. Nick had been taking a brisk walk through New York one morning when he saw a big dog attempting to destroy a furry gray cat. He generally didn't care about animals, after all, they couldn't do anything for him, but he had always preferred cats over dogs. So he did the logical thing in this kind of situation: he looked around (checking for witnesses), saw nobody, and shot the dog in the leg. The mutt yelped and hobbled away, leaving a battered kitty behind. Nick went over to inspect the cat and saw it was badly hurt. Checking once more to make sure there was no one watching, he put the cat in his jacket and took it to a vet. Thus starting a long relationship between Fury and Furry.
In the present, Nick had received an unexpected vacation day and was elated to go check on his fluffy companion. He rarely saw Furry, but when he got a chance he couldn't keep the smile off of his normally stoic face. What could he say? He was a cat person.
When he unlocked his apartment door he clicked his tongue, calling for his faithful cat. Furry came running around the corner and meowed happily, circling the director's feet.
"I know, I know, you're glad to see me. How about we get you a can of tuna?"
"Uh, Mr. Best?" A timid voice called from the kitchen, "I already fed him."
Nick was alarmed for a minute until he remembered that he had hired one of his neighbors to take care of Furry while he was away. He had of course given her an alias name so no one could connect him to this area when he left. The girl walked out of the kitchen with the cat's water bowl in hand.
"I was just getting him water. How was your trip?" Sidney, her name was Sidney, he remembered.
"Well, you know how business is, but it was tolerable - and please, call me Lucius. How was my little guy?" He asked, petting the cat's head.
"Fine. I checked on him after school everyday, just like you asked and I noticed his litter box was kind of filthy so I cleaned it out. Um…" She looked uncomfortable.
"Yes?"
"When I was cleaning out his litter box I found this," She held up a red flash drive, "I figured you'd want it back."
Nick laughed and took it from her. "Furry must taken it out of my work stuff." Inwardly he was worried, he had forgotten he'd his this in the litter box. What if she hadn't spotted it and thrown it away? That would have been a disaster! Not to mention embarrassing.
"Yeah. Well, if you don't need anything else, I'll be on my way. I've got quite a bit of homework tonight." Sidney sighed, grabbing a purple purse off of the table.
Nick offered her a wad of cash and smiled. "Have a nice week, Sidney, thanks for taking care of Furry. I know he can be a handful."
"No problem at all, Mr. Best - ah, Lucius." She petted the cat one last time and then left the apartment, pocketing the cash.
Nick closed the door behind her and slid the deadbolt across. He had to make sure the flash drive wasn't damaged. He took out his work computer and inserted the drive. It took a second, but finally the files came up. He clicked on one and let out a sigh of relief. Displayed on the screen were several snapshots of him and Furry, wearing matching eye patches. Furry curled up next to his owner and let out a pur. Both of the optically challenged males proceeded to watch a slideshow of memories.
Outside Sidney pulled a phone out of her purple purse and hit the first speed dial number. After one ring it was answered.
"Hello? Who is calling?"
"This is Agent S. I found the director's home, but I could not find the information you were looking for."
A gruff voice on the other end of the line let out a curse. "You're sure it is not in the apartment?"
"Positive. However, I did find out some other information."
"What?"
"Did you know that Fury has a soft spot for cats?"
The other person laughed heartily. "Cats? I always pinned him as more of a dog person. Ah well, thanks for the laugh, perhaps we can find the intel we need at his office. Head over there Agent S."
Sidney agreed and began to hang up. Before she did she heard another laugh on the other end of the line.
"Of all things… cats?"
The fearsome Director of SHEILD, Nicholas Fury was a cat person.
A/N: Ta-da! Review if it made ya laugh...