When the evil sorcerer of the week had threatened to turn T'Challa into an animal befitting his soul, no one had been really worried.
He was the Black Panther, of course whatever animal he could be turned into would be black and beautiful, but also deadly and strong.
They really hadn't been prepared for a tiny little kitten.
When they had managed to get him out of his suit, T'Challa was visibly disgruntled, he kept hissing at almost everyone, but when Tony approached his boyfriend, he graciously accepted his outstretched hands.
Tony was staring open-mouthed at T'Challa. He really hadn't expected this.
T'Challa fit easily into one of Tony's hands, and he weight next to nothing. He seemed to consist solely of big golden-brown eyes and fur. He resembled a ball, to be honest, and it was only clear that there was in fact a solid body underneath all that fluff because Tony currently held him in his hand.
T'Challa looked up at him with those big eyes and then simply laid his head on the base of Tony's thumb, where it fit perfectly, because T'Challa was just that tiny.
Tony carefully cradled him to his chest, afraid that the little creature in his hand would get hurt, but everyone kept their distance.
"What do we do with him now?" Steve asked with a delighted glance at T'Challa, who glared right back. Only, it didn't hold the threat it usually does, with him being tiny enough to fit into one hand and all.
"Look at him!" Sam declared. "He is just a tiny fluff ball. Awww, look at the adorable little guy," he crooned into the direction of Tony's hand and Tony had to suppress a laugh.
Sam was absolutely right, his boyfriend was beyond adorable, but given by the tiny, really tiny, pinpricks of pain from his claws, T'Challa didn't appreciate being called that.
"We get him back to the tower and then we get Dr. Strange," Tony said, as if it was the obvious course of action, and really, it should be.
"Do we need cat stuff?" Steve asked, torn between a laugh and a frown and T'Challa sat up in Tony's hand, staring Steve down.
"I'll take that as a no," Steve said and then quickly shuffled into the jet, the team in tow.
Back in the tower T'Challa wriggled out of Tony's grasp and toddled into the kitchen, all the Avengers following behind him and not daring to get ahead of him.
When they reached the counter, T'Challa looked up at it and Clint was quick to bend down.
"You want me to help you up, little guy?" he asked and was already reaching for T'Challa.
T'Challa bared his teeth at him, stark white against the black of his fur, and Clint quickly retreated.
"Okay, fine, no help for you," he said and went to get some juice for himself.
T'Challa turned to look at Tony and made the tiniest meow sound anyone had ever heard. Tony was pretty sure his brain melted just a bit from the cute.
"You want me to pick you up, huh?" he lowly asked and when he offered up his hand for T'Challa to climb into, he graciously did so.
Tony carried him away, feeling undeniably proud that no one else was allowed to even touch T'Challa, let alone carry him around. He had even allowed Tony to scratch his head and when he had purred his whole tiny body had vibrated in Tony's hand.
Steve couldn't reach Dr. Strange, though his assistant promised to call them back and so there was nothing more for them to do than settle down on the couch for a movie.
Tony situated T'Challa on his lap, keeping one hand cradled around him, but after a few minutes T'Challa huffed and then made his way up Tony's chest.
He curled up right at Tony's neck, head pressed into his chin, and when he settled down again, he started to purr. It went straight through his tiny body into Tony's neck and strange as it was, Tony had never felt more loved than in that moment, with this tiny being next to him and sounding so content.
Tony raised a hand to gently stroke T'Challa, which only intensified the purring and a few heads turned into their direction, but when the team saw what was happening no one said a word.
This night T'Challa resettled against Tony's neck when they went to sleep, and when Tony protested because he was afraid he would crush T'Challa, he was gently swatted with a small paw before T'Challa huffed against his skin and quickly licked him once.
"Alright, you win, you tiny monster," Tony said, but his voice was too fond to be taken seriously.
Tony frequently woke up, checking that T'Challa was in fact still save and not crushed under him, and the fourth time he woke up, T'Challa was back to human form and pressed up against his side.
"Go back to sleep, kitten," T'Challa sleepily said and Tony snorted.
"Shouldn't I call you that?" he asked and T'Challa moved his head so that his forehead was pressed to Tony's cheek.
"You'll always be my kitten," he mumbled and Tony wound an arm around T'Challa.
"And don't I love it," he replied and turned so he could press a kiss to T'Challa's forehead. "Still, you were undeniably cute."
"Only for you, kitten," T'Challa said and then promptly fell back asleep.
Tony followed soon after.