Wow, you guys have been so awesome with reviewing for the last chapter! You can't imagine how happy I was to have all that feedback. I tried really hard to get this chapter out soon because of all of your enthusiasm (even though real life was getting all kinds of busy). As it turns out, I didn't end up getting it out much faster, but I added about 3000 words. I'll let you pick which 3000 words those were. ;)

Thank you so, so much to: Shazrolane, PJFdanae, CeilingRiver, rorybob, Lurel, LMeg9.20, Mizuki hikari, Catindahat, MorgyWorgy, chibi heishi, MindMaster, ArtimisRose, lizrat66, inukagome15, ana, dragonwing4, and IriUrsi. You all are just way beyond amazing. ^_^


Chapter 7


Thor looked surprised at their confusion but seemed to sense that some line had been crossed and allowed Tony the time to answer. Which was just, fantastic.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

The denial was instantaneous, out of his mouth before he could even stop it. A force of habit. Thor hesitated but had too much pride invested to let it go. "You do not like sharing your space with other Cats. I can only assume that is your reason for being so hostile towards me."

Fuck. Fuck his life, and fuck Thor and his stupid fucking Cat ass back to whatever country he came from. He had been doing so well. Pepper had warned him that this would happen but he had ignored her like the idiot he was. Leaning back, Tony closed his eyes and tried to massage out a building migraine. And this way he wouldn't have to look into any of their eyes. Okay, there was only one gaze he really didn't want to meet, but this was the simplest solution and he needed more simple in his life right now. "Okay. So…I…haven't been entirely truthful with all of you. I, uh, I'm not exactly human."

Steve sounded like he had had the wind knocked out of him. "You're a Shifter?"

Tony kept his eyes closed. "Yup."

He could practically hear the frown on Clint's face. "But, how did none of us sense it?"

Finally risking a glance, Tony forced his hand away from his face and settled on slouching down in his seat, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Don't feel too bad. I've gotten pretty good at masking it." In fact, Tony had been pretty sure he had perfected masking it but apparently he hadn't calculated in the sensory abilities of another Cat. Even with all his travel, he hadn't had the chance to test it; he hadn't run into another Cat since Dad had kicked the bucket. Of course, when he traveled it was usually to visit owners of multi-million dollar companies and who ever heard of a Shifter running a business like that?

Steve's voice snapped Tony back from his darkening thoughts, though the pure denial in the Wolf's words didn't exactly brighten his mood. "I don't believe it. There's, there's just no way I wouldn't have smelled it—"

"Like I said," it took a physical effort on Tony's part to lower the mental walls he had built up to stop himself from emitting a scent. Cats could do it, if they had to as a last minute survival technique. A way to make themselves virtually invisible from would-be predators, a way to find a dark corner to hide in to just die in peace. Tony had just figured out a way to keep it going even after that gut-wrenching fear had left his body. "I did a pretty good job masking it."

The result was instantaneous. Tony could practically see his scent wafting into the room as Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Thor stiffened up, their eyes wide in shock. He had only ever let himself go like this in the privacy of his own home. It felt wrong. He felt naked. And not naked in a good way. In a very exposed, uneasy way. Tony looked at Bruce and found his friend staring back at him with reassurance written all over his face. He could do this. Inwardly steeling himself, Tony reconstructed his grin and turned to look at his other teammates. He couldn't help it as his gaze skipped over Clint and Natasha to land smack dab on the last person he wanted to face right now. He had never seen Steve look as confused—betrayed, his mind whispered—before. The alpha Wolf was inhaling deep breaths through his nose and Tony knew that it wasn't because he was hyperventilating but because he was scenting the air. Dogs depended way too much on their sense of smell. "Let me break this down for you Steve, because I can see that you're struggling. I, Tony Stark, am a Cat Shifter, not a human. Surprise."

"But, you didn't…Even now, why don't you smell like Thor?"

Tony bit back a hiss. "It's because unlike King of the Jungle over there, I'm not a Lion. Like you couldn't figure Loki out; just because he and Clint are both Birds, doesn't mean they smell the same."

Steve knit his brow. "Then what are you?"

"I don't see why it matters—"

"Stark is a Panther." Tony glared at Coulson but the agent was unaffected. Coulson stared right back at him. Tony had only met him a few times before this but he was one of the few humans, SHIELD agents included, who refused to be intimidated either by him or his money. Smug bastard. "Now that the information is out, your form could be of great importance to the safety of this team."

Tony snarled back. "It's none of their business, and it isn't yours either."

"It is my business to know, Stark." Damn it. Fucking SHIELD. Coulson's eyebrows pulled together in a subdued sign of concern. "I hope that this revelation won't change your mind about allowing the team to stay in your house. After all, they would have realized everything as soon as they stepped foot inside anyway."

The agent's words only made Tony more apprehensive which just made him angrier. But he had already said the rest of them could come over and going back on that would sting even worse. "Just, stop talking, now." The words rumbled out of his throat in a low growl even as he snapped his walls back up, instantly cutting off his Shifter scent. It was easier to close himself off than it had been to let go. Pushing his chair back, Tony rose to his feet, suddenly hating being the center of attention. "Come over to my place tonight, seven o' clock. I'll forward Coulson the address. But for now, I'm out of here."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bruce reach out a hand, "Tony…"

Tony jerked out of range. "Don't." He didn't want to talk anymore. Didn't want to be touched. Just wanted to get the hell out. So that's exactly what he did.

Without waiting to hear Coulson's protests, Tony stalked out of the room, keeping his head held high so that he didn't have to look anyone in the face again. He didn't want to know if anyone would be silently asking him to stay. Or worse, judging him with heavy stares.

Seeing the door to the SHIELD conference room smoothly slide open automatically as he approached made Tony want to slam it back shut like an angry teenager. But when he stepped out into the hall he didn't run. He didn't let himself run. He just stuck his hands into his pockets and strolled off down the hall. Once he had gone around enough corners that he was sure he wouldn't be followed, Tony finally stopped and leaned back against the wall, just to take a breath. He needed a moment to breathe.

With a grunt he pulled the knot loose on his tie and undid the top three buttons of his shirt, his hand subconsciously moving down to rub the center of his chest. Shit. Of course this happened, of course nothing in his life could be simple. God forbid he actually feel like he was pulling his shit together.

Pressing his head back against the wall, Tony closed his eyes and blindly dug his phone out of his pocket. He needed to talk to someone and there was only one number on his speed dial.

"Hello, Virginia Potts speaking."

"I've really fucked this up, Pepper." Damn, his voice sounded bad.

"Tony? What's wrong? What do you mean?"

"They know. About me."

"But, how-?"

Tony grimaced and pulled viciously at his tie until it slid off from around his neck. "Some asshole Cat from Viking Land showed up and called me out in front of everyone."

He heard Pepper sigh. "Tony…Listen, it will be alright. If you want, you could come back to work. Actually, it'd be a bit of relief. Messages have been piling up for you and there is some paperwork I need you to go over."

"No, I," Tony took a breath, "I'm not quitting, Pepper." That was the one thing he wouldn't let himself do. Every time something was actually hard for him, Tony avoided it like the plague. Usually it didn't matter, it wasn't anything important, but this time it actually was important and he can't let himself escape.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Pepper finally spoke. It might have been Tony's imagination but she almost sounded impressed. "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm sticking with this, for now. Until I kill that Lion." Until this whole thing didn't seem important anymore.

"Please don't. I can't even imagine what sort of legal nightmare that would be…"

Pepper's dry joke rolled off of him. He barely even heard it, his thoughts still too tangled up. "…What am I supposed to do?" He was the best at a lot of things but…this kind of thing he hated.

There was another pause but it didn't take her too long to interpret his question. "It sounds like you've already made up your mind. Tony, if you want to see this through then do it. I know that people knowing you're a Shifter makes you anxious, but honestly if anyone had to find out I don't think you could've picked a better group. From what you've told me, they all have their own issues and as Shifters themselves I don't know how they could be in a position to judge you."

Tony shook his head, a mirthless smirk flickering onto his face. "You sound like a psychologist. Stop getting into my head."

"I've asked you to see a real therapist, but you refused so this is the best you're going to get. Now, I need to stop being your psychologist and go back to running Stark Industries for you so unless there's actually something I can do for you right now, I'm going to hang up. I don't have the time to just listen to you complain."

"You're a cruel woman."

"I'm a busy woman thanks to my boss not being in his office for almost two weeks." He heard her sigh again over the phone as a sharp ring sounded in the background. "I have to go, I'm getting a call from the CEO of our steel supplier. Take care of yourself, Tony. Despite everything, you know I worry about you."

Tony knew. No matter how many buttons he pushed, no matter how hard he tried to push her away, Pepper always stayed. And she could dish it out as well as she could take it. She didn't put up with his antics but she never walked away. And that's one of the things Tony liked best about her. Maybe that was what he liked so much about a certain Wolf too. Scowling as that last thought popped into his head, Tony snapped himself back to conversation. "I know, Pep. I'll call you later."

"Talk to you then."

O~O~O~O

Steve watched Tony storm out of the room, so shocked that he knew it had to be written all over his face. But Tony never saw it, the man, the Panther, not giving any one of them a single glance as he swept out of the conference room.

At a loss, Steve turned to look at Phil. Hoping for some kind of explanation that would make sense of any of this. Phil just shook his head and sighed. "That was an inevitable confrontation. Given Stark's history, that actually went surprisingly well."

Clint snorted. "That went well?"

"He is still allowing you into his home, so yes. In my book, that it is a positive conclusion to the whole mess. Assuming of course that the rest of you are comfortable staying at his residence knowing that he is a Shifter."

Finally Steve found his voice. Of this one thing he was sure. "It doesn't make any difference, human or Shifter. He is still a member of this team and if he has still given us permission to stay with him then it remains the best option."

Phil nodded, the barest hint of relief evident on his face. "I'm glad you agree. And after that little display, I am going to dismiss the rest of you. I'm going to trust that Stark will send us his information, so we will provide a car to take you all over to his location that will leave here at six thirty this afternoon. It's nearly ten in the morning now, so that should give you enough time to clean yourselves up and gather your personal effects."

It took a moment for Steve to process Phil's words, only fully recognizing that the meeting was over when everyone else began to get up out of their seats. Bruce was the slowest to collect himself, a fact which Steve was grateful for. He still had questions and he knew now that the beta had the answers.

Hurrying to his feet, Steve chased Bruce out of the conference room and grabbed the other Wolf by the shoulder before he had the chance to disappear like Tony did. "Bruce, wait."

Bruce had started at Steve's touch but didn't try to shrug off his grip as he turned to face him. His expression was wary but resigned and Steve felt a flash of irritation. "I should go make sure Tony's alright."

Dropping his hand, Steve crowded Bruce up against the wall so that he could speak without everyone in the building listening in. He was having trouble remembering to whisper though, his voice taking on the shadow of a growl despite his efforts to reign himself in. "In a minute. We need to talk."

Bruce's shoulders hunched up defensively. "I don't really have anything to say about this."

At least he wasn't playing dumb. "I don't understand how we could have missed something this big! And you, you knew about this?"

"Steve, listen…"

"How could you lie to me?" It was bad enough that Tony had pulled the wool over all of their eyes, but Bruce had been in on it apparently from the start and it stung.

"Now, in my defense, I never lied to you. I never said he was human."

"But you didn't say he was a Shifter."

Bruce sighed and raked his fingers through his hair as he pressed himself back against the wall behind him. Realizing that he had gotten so close to the other Wolf that their chests were almost bumping, Steve grit his teeth and took a step back. "Okay, alright. But omitting facts isn't quite the same as a lie and, no offense Steve, but I've known Tony a lot longer than you. I made a promise to him a long time ago that I would keep his secret for him and I'm not the type to go back on my word. I would hope that you could understand that."

Much to his frustration, Steve did. But it still felt like a betrayal. Shifting was such an important thing, such a personal thing. Just when he thought he had been figuring Tony out, when he thought he might be close to understanding, he learns that he didn't even know the basics.

Taking another step back from Bruce, Steve gave him a tight nod. "I do…Sorry Bruce, I just…"

Bruce released a long breath. "It's alright. It must've been a shock and we're all stressed."

"Yeah."

Steve's voice must have sounded flat even to the other Wolf because after a pause there was a flash of concern in Bruce's eyes. "Are you okay, Steve?"

"I'll be fine." And he would. He just needed some time…"Sorry to keep you. I'll see you later tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll be here. Take care of yourself until then, Steve."

"Sure…"

Bruce gave him one more look before patting Steve on the shoulder and taking his leave. Which left Steve alone to figure out what to do with himself. Since his apartment had gone up in flames he had nothing to gather up for his upcoming temporary move. But upon inspection…he kind of smelled. He could probably use a shower. And some rest. That actually didn't sound like a bad way to spend the day.

And as it turned out, it wasn't, everything considered.

After showering, Steve had bunked up in the room he had used in the SHIELD building when Clint was incapacitated. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out like a light. After a dreamless sleep, Steve had woken six hours later feeling a little bit better about everything. Sure, their team was still in trouble after the showdown with Loki, but at least SHIELD seemed to realize that they had done their best in a bad situation. And Loki had escaped, but someone like that wouldn't lay low for long. And Tony…Tony still trusted them all enough to let them into his home. Whether or not he had been keeping a huge secret from them, if Tony still had that much faith in him than the least Steve could do was have enough faith to believe that Tony must've had his reasons for hiding that he was a Shifter.

The frustration he had felt earlier with Tony and Bruce had entirely faded. Ever since he had first met Tony he had never even considered him to be anything but human but now that he looked back on all of their interactions the hints had been there. From Tony's attitude, the way he held himself, how he behaved, his sharp sense of perception. He had been far more than human. But you know what they said; hindsight was always twenty-twenty.

In fact, he was almost back to his normal self by the time the others wandered back into SHIELD headquarters and Phil packed them all into a van headed just north of the city limits. Steve was happy he managed to get his head on straight because he was awful at hiding his emotions and when he opened the van door and saw Tony waiting for him in the driveway of a huge house, Steve was actually able to smile at Tony and mean it.

Tony himself seemed to be relieved at the reception and he relaxed his stance as he strolled over to them as Bruce, Thor, Natasha, and Clint piled out of the van behind Steve. The last time Steve had seen him, Tony had been upset—to put it mildly—but he seemed to have regained his standard brand of careless confidence. The biggest change was that he was no longer trying to mask his scent. Steve inhaled it greedily, welcoming any extra information it could give him about the surprisingly-mysterious billionaire. So this was what a Panther smelled like…Now that it wasn't such a surprise, it seemed to suit Tony so much better than the neutral scent of a human.

"I'm glad to see you managed to find the place."

"It's a little out of the way."

That was an understatement. Although Tony's property lay only a few miles outside the city it felt entirely secluded. The driveway in had been a good mile long in of itself, winding through woods and over a bridge crossing a large stream. The foliage felt natural but when Steve had looked closely he realized that the trees and bushes had all been carefully pruned recently. It had felt like he was driving up to one of those big historic English manors he had seen in period movies.

The house itself was about ten times more impressive than the drive. It was three stories tall and the exterior was constructed with sleek lines of steel, bedrock, and glass, the large window panes reflecting the gray sky and the tall, leafy trees that surrounded it. The modern structure stood in a bold contrast to the nature surrounding it but the two seemed to complement each other rather than compete. Tony's presence was obvious though, even from where Steve was standing. There was a long detached garage a few yards away from the main building and proudly parked out front were two Ferraris and a Lamborghini, all painted in obnoxiously bright colors.

Steve was pretty sure the total cost of all his personal possessions through his entire lifetime wouldn't be able to buy him even half of one of those cars.

Tony eyed Steve as he took everything in. "So? Does it meet your standards as a hideout?"

"Uh, yeah. " Steve grinned down at the Cat. "Yeah, it should do." Steve could already tell that this was easily going to be the best accommodations he had ever stayed in.

The billionaire's face brightened as a smirk found its way to his lips. "Good." Taking a step back, Tony shared the smirk with the rest of the team who had gathered around Steve. "I guess I'll be a good host and invite you in then."

Beside Steve, Bruce rolled his eyes but they all followed Tony as he led them towards the front entrance a few yards away. Pulling the double doors open with an exaggerated flourish, Tony motioned them inside. "Welcome to my humble adobe. Mi casa es su casa, unless you break anything, then you bought it. Now get in before I change my mind."

Steve knew he had to be acting like a country bumpkin, walking in with his eyes wide and mouth agape , but he couldn't help it. He was the first one to step in but stopped within five feet, stuck there in the foyer trying to take everything in as Bruce, then Natasha, and Clint brushed by him. The interior shared the same design aesthetic as the exterior, modern and minimalistic, black, white, and gray with smatterings of bright color. It wasn't usually Steve's style but it worked and was just so Tony that he kind of loved it.

Steve was so caught up in looking around Tony's house that he almost missed the billionaire's next words as Thor tried to enter behind them. Almost. "Alright, before you go in, we're going to set some ground rules."

Steve paused then let out a half annoyed, half amused huff. He shouldn't have expected Tony to be completely over his hang-ups about this, especially where the other Cat was concerned. Ahead of him, Bruce must've sensed Steve's change of mood but when the other Wolf turned around to check on him Steve just waved him off as he turned to walk back to Tony. As he arrived he could hear Thor responding, an expression of frustrated confusion clear on the Lion's face. "Tony, I believed that we had moved passed this."

Tony was standing in the doorway, blocking Thor from passing as he held up his hands in mock defense. "Hey, I'm letting you in, aren't I?"

"No one else received 'rules' upon entering."

"No one else in this group is an alpha who might think about trying and claim my space."

Thor gestured pointedly back to Steve who had come up behind Tony. Turning back to look, Tony's snort of complete disregard was almost insulting. "Please, I don't think Steve's going to go piss all over my property. Wolves can be dumb as bricks, but they do understand the concept of respecting claimed territory."

Pissing all over his-? Steve shook his head and put a hand on Tony's shoulder, trying to keep his voice level. "I don't think Thor has any intention of taking over your house."

Tony narrowing his eyes, his gaze never having left Thor's face. "You don't know Cats, Steve."

Thor shook his head in exasperation. "And you clearly do not know me. Steve is correct, I have no desire to make a claim upon this house. If nothing else, it has not my preferences in design."

Thor was clearly trying to make a joke and Steve, for one, appreciated it. It seemed to calm Tony a little too and though he glared up at the Lion, he grudgingly stepped back and let him by. Steve watched him go, hanging around just in case Tony changed in his mind and tried to wrestle Thor back out. But Tony controlled himself.

Grinning down at him, Steve patted his shoulder once more in a gentle congratulation. "You know Wolves don't claim territory by urinating anymore, right?"

Tony brushed off his hand, though the action lacked any real ire. "The key word there was 'anymore,' Steve, as in it actually happened sometime in the past." Striding into his house to catch up with the rest of the group, Tony jabbed a finger in Steve's direction. "Don't get any ideas, by the way, because I will make you clean up the mess."

"Keep bringing it up, and I might have to bring back some old Wolf traditions. I'll have Bruce help."

"Funny. You know, I could buy a couple of dog houses for the both of you to sleep in the backyard in too."

At that point the two had made it up to where Bruce had been waiting at a respectful distance. Catching the tail end of Tony's snide remark, the scientist raised brow and failed completely at keeping a smile off his face. "I don't even want to know how that conversation started or where it's going."

Steve laughed. "That's probably for the best."

Snorting, Tony stuck his hands in his pockets. "As long as everyone pisses in the appropriate receptacles we can consider that conversation closed."

Bruce was obviously still confused if Tony was being serious or not. "I think I can manage that."

"Okay then, moving on. How about a quick tour of the place?" It was only then that Tony seemed to look around and realize that it was only the three of them standing in the entryway. "Where the hell did everyone else go?"

Steve looked at Bruce who just gave a small, helpless shrug. "I guess they went off to explore on their own."

"Fantastic." Tony scowled then looked up at the ceiling. "Jarvis, you get all that? Where the hell are my ruder houseguests?"

Steve tilted his head to the side. Who was Tony talking t—

"Yes, sir." Steve jumped about a foot in the air as a voice answered back from nowhere, the sophisticated British accent tinged with what seemed to be a hint of amusement. "My sensors indicate that Agent Romanov and Agent Barton are unpacking in their respective bedrooms and Mr. Odinson is inspecting the pantry."

Steve's mouth had fallen back open as he gaped up at the ceiling. "Tony, who is that?"

"'What is that?' would be the more appropriate question." The billionaire waved up toward the top of the walls. "Steve, meet Jarvis. Jarvis, Steve. Bruce…"

Bruce gave a light smile, "We've met."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Banner. And to meet you, Agent Rogers."

Steve strained his neck as he searched the ceiling for cameras and speakers, any kind of surveillance technology that this Jarvis could be using to watch him. "Uh, yeah. You too."

Tony laughed and patted Steve's back as he walked further into the house. "Don't hurt yourself, Steve. There's nothing to see. Jarvis is an AI I created years ago." At Steve's blank look, the grin on Tony's lips spread. He was enjoying this. "An 'Artificial Intelligence'. He's not real. He's like a computer program, but one that can think for itself. Just think of him as a high tech butler."

Steve shook his head. He could barely use a regular computer and Tony had built this, this whatever it was. "Is he always, always 'on'?"

"Yup. Twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year. But don't worry. If you ever want a little 'private time' just tell Jarvis to look away for a few hours." Steve flushed red as Tony winked at him.

Bruce distracted them by loudly clearing his throat. "So, about that tour, Tony…"

"Relax Bruce, you're a beta, not a chaperone."

Steve's blush only grew worse but he managed to fight through it enough not to stammer when he spoke. "Actually, I would like to get a handle of the layout of this place." And the house was big enough that it might take a few hours.

"You are no fun to tease. But fine, let's get started."

Steve thought that Bruce had been to the mansion before since he knew about Tony's robot butler but the other Wolf seemed just as curious as Steve was as Tony took them from room to room. Living room, media room, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, study, office, bathroom, game room, Steve's head almost started spinning. Each space was filled with top of the line furniture, appliances, and technology. Tony described some of it in passing but Steve got lost as soon as the Cat started to explain how the thermostat panel also controlled the lighting in the room. While each room smelled like Tony, Steve could tell both from their scents and by sight that even with all the toys and gadgets he owned, Tony only really used a certain number of them. For instance, Steve counted nine couches in the entire house but only two of them looked like anyone had ever sat on them.

Luckily Steve had overestimated when he thought the tour would take a few hours, but it did take almost a full thirty minutes. As they started to wander towards the last few unexplored areas of the mansion, Steve's eyes caught on a staircase leading down. That in of itself wasn't out of the ordinary; the house was three stories after all, and they had been up and down a number of staircases already. But now they were on the main floor and Tony hadn't ever said anything about a basement.

"What's downstairs?"

"Downstairs is my workshop. You don't need to go down there, but if I ever disappear for a few hours—"

"Days." Bruce gently corrected Tony with a small grin.

"—Days, it's probably where I am. But moving on to places where you are actually welcome to explore…" Tony herded Steve and Bruce away from the staircase going down and back through the main part of the house to access the second floor. "Up there are the bedrooms and hopefully the rest of my home invaders. Let's see what kind of mess they made."

With no further ado they were ushered up the stairs. At the top landing, the hall branched out in two directions. Down one end were the rooms Clint, Natasha, and Thor had already apparently claimed. The doors were all flung open and Steve could hear them unpacking inside. Down the hall in the other direction were three more bedrooms. Clearly Tony had lied about a lack of space during their meeting with Phil because Steve was pretty sure there were even more rooms that could easily have been converted into bedrooms on the first floor.

Tony's bedroom was at the end of the corridor, clearly marked because it was the only door that was closed. Tony waved to the two rooms that had yet to be claimed. "It looks like everyone else has already picked out their rooms, so you guys can fight over who gets which bedroom."

Looking at each door in turn, there didn't seem to be much to differentiate either space to Steve. "Is there a difference?"

Tony gave a loose shrug. "Not really. I think I recently had the sheets replaced in one of the beds but I can't remember which one…" Tony grimaced, "Actually, maybe it was the room Natasha got. Never mind, forget I said anything."

Shaking his head, at this point knowing it was better sometimes just not to ask, Steve motioned towards the door he was closest to on the right side of the hall. "Then I'll just take that one."

"Alright. Good enough for me." Tony clapped his hands together. "And that's pretty much the end of the tour, thank God, aside from the grounds. Oh, and I have no intention of entertaining either of you while you're here, by the way, so you should find some way to keep yourselves amused."

Steve and Bruce looked at each other before Bruce turned back to Tony. "Can I have access to your workshop? It's been a while since I've had access to that quality of equipment. Probably since the last time I worked with you."

Tony opened his mouth, paused, then started to speak again. "It's negotiable."

"Really?"

Bruce seemed surprised. Sensing that they were going to be a while, Steve silently bowed out of the conversation to inspect his new living area. The room was large and uncluttered with just a bed, a closet, and a desk and chair. Like the rest of the house there were large windows opening up onto what must be Tony's backyard and a full-size swimming pool. Of course there was a pool. Why wouldn't there be? Chuckling, Steve shook his head and sat down on the bed. The mattress felt like a cloud. It was easily the most comfortable thing he had ever rested on. This was definitely going to be alright.

It didn't take long for Steve to get antsy sitting in his room. But Tony had giving him a good hint of how he could spend his time. He had seen nearly every square foot of the mansion but there were still acres of land outside. And the best part was they were so far away from any other properties that Steve could shift and not have to worry about being spotted as a Wolf as he ran.

The sun was already setting by the time Steve made it outside but the lack of light and the drop in temperatures didn't bother him. With his eyesight he could easily navigate the shadows and his fur would keep him warm. He didn't usually like exploring new territory alone but he didn't know if any of his teammates would want to run with him. Besides, as long as he stayed on Tony's property he knew that he wouldn't run into any trouble. Steve wasn't sure if Cats guarded territory as well as Wolves did but knowing what he did already about Tony's personality he was pretty sure that he wouldn't allow anything dangerous on his land.

Over the next few hours Steve found out he was right. And it was exhilarating.

He ran and ran, letting the stress and worries of the last few days roll off of him. He must have run around the property at least five times when he started to circle back in towards Tony's house. On one pass Steve saw a flash of something out of the corner of his eyes, someone standing out back on the edge of the pool deck just watching him. But the gaze felt familiar, comfortable, and Steve let the feeling of being watched wash over him like the breeze rushing through his fur.

After a few more passing Steve felt a strain finally begin to build in his muscles and slowed to a trot, meandering his way back towards the mansion. He had left his clothes behind a small copse of trees boarding the clearing Tony's house stood in and quickly shifted back to his human form and redressed. Goosebumps welled up on his bare arms now that he didn't have any fur to block the chill and he quickly made his way into the mansion.

Tony wasn't joking when he said they were going to be on their own. In a way Steve was glad because it would have been awkward for Tony to feel obliged to cater to them for the entire length of their stay. On the other hand, Steve felt just as awkward rummaging through Tony's kitchen to try and cook himself dinner. The Cat thankfully had a fully stocked pantry but finding the right pots, plates, and silverware was a challenge. Turning on the digital gas stovetop was another but Steve only burned himself once before he figured out how to get the right burner going, so he considered that a small victory.

Bruce drifted in when Steve was sitting by himself at the kitchen counter, eating the spaghetti he had managed to put together. A few minutes later Thor wandered in and the three of them managed some brief conversation as the beta Wolf and the Lion scrounged up their own meals. Both of them settled on quick snack foods instead of something that actually required preparation and quickly disappeared back to their rooms, leaving Steve to himself again. When he had finished off his plate, Steve made sure to wash everything that he had used before deciding that he could probably turn in for the night as well.

But there was one thing Steve had to do first. The alpha Wolf couldn't help it. Before he retired to his bedroom he did one last round about the house, just to make sure all the doors and windows were secured and that everyone was accounted for. Logically he knew that Tony probably had a decent security system and that even if he didn't Jarvis would probably ID an intruder pretty quickly but old habits died hard. Which was unfortunate because Tony's house was downright huge and even knowing his way around his little patrol took a good twenty minutes. Steve had never stayed in a house this big before and even though his entire team was packed into it the mansion still somehow felt empty. He couldn't imagine how Tony felt living here alone. But maybe Cats preferred the solitude.

When he was certain that everything was squared away downstairs, he made his way towards the main staircase leading up to the second floor. On his way back through the hall, Steve heard Bruce shuffling around in his room. The noises were sporadic and Steve could sense a strange, thin sense of anxiety seeping out from the beta Wolf's room. Pausing, Steve moved forward and was about to knock but then visions of his confrontation with Bruce earlier that day after the conference in the SHIELD building surfaced in his mind and his hand slowly fell away from the door. No, he had already pushed himself into Bruce's business too much; if the other Wolf needed Steve, he knew where to find him.

Steve closed himself up in his own room and stared blankly around. He didn't really feel like going to sleep yet but it seemed like the thing to do. And it wasn't like he had anything to distract him. He didn't have any personal possessions left save for the clothes on his back and his wallet. He felt a sudden rush of gratitude that he wasn't a materialistic person. Otherwise losing his apartment would have been a lot harder to swallow. But he'd been in a similar situation before, with nothing but the support of some friends, and things had turned out alright. He would need to go shopping for some new clothes though…He could only wear one outfit for so long before it began to stink. Speaking of...Steve kicked off his shoes and pulled off his jacket, button-down, and pants, leaving him in just his undershirt and skivvies. They would work as pajamas for now.

Once he had wrestled himself into bed, Steve found himself unable to fall asleep. Instead he just stared up at the ceiling wondering every now and again if Tony's computer was watching him. It was unnerving and calming all at the same time. He was just starting to think about doing something bizarre just to see if he could goad a reaction out of the machine when Steve heard a faint rustle outside his door. Pushing himself up in bed, Steve listened harder to try and identify the noise.

It sounded like…someone was walking up to his door.

He was ready then when a light knock filled the room. Judging by the short distance the person had walked, Steve had a pretty good idea of who it was.

Almost glad for the reason to get up, Steve slipped out of bed. He went to grab his pants but then decided against it. He wasn't indecent as he was and Bruce had already seen him in less.

Crossing the room from his bed to the door in five long strides, Steve quietly opened the door to find Bruce, as expected. But the beta was staring down at his feet, his face drawn up in a small frown as he stood in a plain white t-shirt and flannel pants. When he heard the door open, his eyes flickered up to Steve's for only a second before returning to look at the ground. "Hey Steve…"

"Bruce." Steve kept his voice hushed, both out of respect for the others down the hall and so that he didn't spook Bruce. He looked like he was torn between bolting back for his own room and holding his ground and if he actually needed something Steve wanted him to stick around long enough to ask for it. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, I know this is kind of awkward given our previous conversation about…packs," Steve raised a brow in question but then it came back to him. Bruce meant when he turned down Steve's offer to start a pack. "but I, uh…I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight."

It wasn't as weird as it sounded.

There was nothing sexual about it. It was common among Wolves when a member of a pack or a pack as a whole was stressed or scared that they all just pile up together. Steve had often shared a bed with Bucky out on missions and it hadn't been out of the ordinary for all of the Howling Commandos to crawl in with them by the end of the night after particularly rough days.

Bruce nonetheless hurried to explain, running a hand through his already-mussed hair. "It's just…with everything that's been going on, with the fight, and all the changes, I've been having trouble keeping my Wolf down and with other people being so close—if I lost control it could be bad. I don't, don't trust myself alone tonight, and I figured maybe being around an alpha Wolf would help calm my nerves."

Steve's answer was immediate. "Sure, of course! Come in."

Bruce nodded in thanks and shuffled inside, letting Steve close the door again behind him. Since it was his bed Steve climbed in first, leaving enough room for Bruce to comfortably lie down next to him. Luckily it was a pretty good sized mattress so they wouldn't have any trouble fitting, although Wolves were notorious for piling up on top of each other to sleep if need be.

Bruce hesitated for a moment before giving in and clamoring awkwardly in beside Steve and they both pulled the covers up to keep out the cool night air. Seeing that the other was getting settled in, Steve closed his eyes and he inhaled deeply. Although he was supposed to be comforting Bruce, or at least the animal inside of him, the scent of a beta had a similar effect on Steve. There was a wholeness there, the shadow of a sensation of the security of having your pack around you, that his alpha instincts were responding to just the same as Bruce's beta instincts were. Nuzzling into his pillow, he softly motioned Bruce closer and after another moment of hesitation the scientist scooted in so that his forehead was almost resting against Steve's chest.

There was a slight sense of power there for Steve as Bruce took a more submissive position that he couldn't help but enjoy as an alpha. It wasn't as blatant as waking-hour pack dynamics since they were both exposed as they slept but it was still there and Steve was sure that it did both him and Bruce good. This was what they both needed.

It even seemed to lull Steve a bit closer to sleep and he felt himself beginning to drift off. He still was awake enough to register it when Bruce let out a small hum. Grunting a questioning noise back, Steve cracked an eye open to keep himself awake a little bit longer. As Bruce whispered quietly into Steve's shirt, Steve couldn't help but compare them to two young pups—er, kids having a sleepover and whispering secrets to each other. "This whole place smells like Tony."

"Yeah." Steve couldn't deny it. Even the sheets he was sleeping in had the lingering scent of the Panther on them simply because they had been in his house for a while.

There was a pause before Bruce continued. "…Do you mind it?"

It was surprisingly a hard question to answer and after a moment of thought Steve was a bit startled himelf with his own answer. But it was the truth. "…No. You?"

"No…but I've known him longer; he's a friend. But I'm surprised you don't…"

"…It's growing on me."

Bruce let out a soft sound of amusement before nestling down into the covers. Not too long afterwards his breathing started to even out and Steve felt himself following suit and drifting back off to sleep.

O~O~O~O

Steve woke slowly to the duel sensations of being in a strange place and the heat of another person curled up next to him. It took his brain a moment to catch up but a small grin spread across his face as his eyes finally opened and he caught sight of Bruce, the other Wolf still fast asleep beside him. Somehow during the night they had both tossed and turned enough so that the blanket was all catawampus on the mattress, barely covering any of Bruce's torso and bunched up around Steve's ankles as one of his feet dangled over the edge of the bed. It figured both of them would be restless sleepers…

As Steve pushed himself up, the slight jostling in addition to the sunlight streaming through the windows Steve forgot to close began to rouse Bruce. Scrunching up his nose, the beta buried his face in his pillow with a low groan that only made Steve's grin grow. "Good morning."

Bruce let out a grunt before responding, his voice sleep-worn. "'Morning…"

"Not a morning person?"

He shook his head in a few stiff, aborted movements. "Never was."

Steve took a moment to observe the other Wolf. He seemed alright but, "How did you sleep?"

Perhaps realizing that Steve wasn't going to let him continue to sleep in peace, Brush sighed heavily and pushed himself up onto his elbows so that the pillow wasn't absorbing his words any more. "Honestly, better than I have in a while. I've been running on too much stress and caffeine lately though, with everything that's been going on."

"Well, you're welcome in here whenever you want."

"Thanks." He sounded like he really was grateful. "But at this point I'm usually more comfortable sleeping on my own. It's something I've gotten used to over the last few years. It was just, like I said last night, I couldn't trust myself to keep control over my Wolf, so…"

As Bruce trailed off, Steve offered him another small smile. "I'm glad I could help. And I suppose it's good to know that as wild as your Wolf is, I can still calm it down as an alpha."

"Yeah, though I wouldn't want to actively test that particular theory."

This was the first time they had actually spoken about Bruce's condition and Steve was happy that the beta was willing to open up with him, even a little bit. "Why, do you think I wouldn't be able to handle your Wolf side?"

Bruce snorted then turned and gave Steve a watery grin back. "I think my Wolf would kick your ass."

Steve barked out a laugh. Bruce was serious and Steve believed him. "Then it's probably best we make sure it stays under control."

"Exactly." Bruce looked like he was about to continue but was interrupted as Steve's stomach suddenly let out an embarrassingly loud grumble. Steve flushed red which made Bruce's smile grow a little stronger. "Hungry?"

Steve smiled back abashedly. "Starving, apparently. What do you say we go get some breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

They both slid out of bed and Steve threw his pants back on as Bruce made his way to the door. Steve followed closely after and was right on his heels when Bruce stepped out into the hall. He was so close in fact that he almost bowled Bruce over as the other Wolf suddenly stopped short. Frowning, Steve was about to ask what was wrong when he followed the scientists' eyes and found Tony staring back from the end of the hall, a look of surprise on his face.

Tony had similarly frozen as he noticed Steve and Bruce but before Steve could raise his hand to wave a quick greeting, the Cat turned on his heels and hurried back into his bedroom, slamming his door behind him. Steve's mood fell, wondering if he had done something in that quick instant to make Tony that angry. "What was that about?"

When Steve looked back down he saw that Bruce was frowning at Tony's door but the beta only shrugged when he noticed Steve's eyes on him. "I don't know…I'm sure he's fine though. Let's go grab something to eat."

O~O~O~O

Over the next few days, Steve quickly learned a couple of things about his new teammates. First off, he had to be careful about asserting his alpha position over the others because at best that usually didn't deliver the desired results. At worst, it caused problems. Only Bruce was a Wolf who really understood the proper behaviors and the rest of them just didn't respond well when Steve made any obvious moves towards dominating the group. Steve tried not to let it bother him and be satisfied that they at least listened to him while they were out in the field.

Second, even if Tony and Thor hardly interacted it didn't mean that they hated each other. To a Wolf, the way they ignored each other when not on missions would've meant big issues for pack dynamics but Bruce had explained to Steve that the mere fact that the two alpha Cats were able to be in the same building together and not try to chase the other out meant that they actually had huge respect for each other.

Not that he had even seen Tony in a while. The last glimpse Steve had had of the billionaire was that morning he had blatantly avoided Steve and Bruce when they were headed down for breakfast. A couple of hours after that incident Steve realized that Tony had gone down to his workshop. Steve hadn't liked it then but had tried to not let it get to him. He had explored the property more and even had Clint drive him out to a local store to buy some more clothes. But since then his worry had only grown when he failed to see, hear, or smell any signs that Tony had emerged from the basement. It didn't feel right, not knowing what Tony was doing or if the Cat was even okay or not. He could've passed out a day ago from lack of food and sleep and none of them would even know.

Finally Steve's concern grew too much to contain. Another full day had gone by and Steve hadn't seen hide nor hair of Tony again and he realized that if he wanted something to change he was going to have to take action. Apparently he couldn't wait for Tony to settle down from whatever had upset him and come out on his own because the Cat was too darn stubborn.

With daylight having long since faded, Steve excused himself from his conversation with Natasha and Clint in the media room and made a beeline for the staircase leading down to the workshop. Steve ignored the sensation that he was entering somewhere strictly off-limits and strode deliberately down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs there was only one door set in a wall of glass. Peering inside, Steve could make out some tools and what looked like a computer station but he couldn't see into the main area of the room or Tony.

When he pressed his hands up against the thick glass, Steve could feel the base of hard rock music reverberating through the material and it was a testament to the good construction of the rest of Tony's house that the noise didn't penetrate through the ceiling of the basement and fill the rest of the mansion. There was a key pad next to the door and after yanking on the door handle a few times it was clear that Steve wasn't going to get the door unlocked without the key code.

Letting out a grunt of frustration, Steve slammed his shoulder into the door to test its strength, but wasn't surprised when it didn't even budge. "Come on…There has to be a way in…"

"I'm sorry, Agent Rogers," Steve jumped as a voice said his name. He still wasn't used to Tony's electronic butler,"but I'm afraid you don't have access to the workshop."

"Jarvis! Can't you just let me in? I'm worried about him."

The machine genuinely sounded regretful. "I would need Master Stark's permission and he doesn't seem to be in the mood for conversation at the moment."

For a minute Steve had hoped that Jarvis would be his ticket inside but it looked like Tony hadn't given the computer program that much free will. "When he is could you ask him to come upstairs? At least to get something to eat?"

"I'll do my best, sir."

Feeling defeated, Steve peered one last time into the workshop before turning and trudging back up the stairs. When he reached the top he saw Bruce coming out of Tony's study, the other Wolf starting as he saw where Steve was coming from. "Did you go down to Tony's workshop?"

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I tried to. I'm…concerned he's not taking care of himself. He's definitely down there but the door's locked and I would yell at him but the music's up too loud."

Sighing, Bruce shook his head. "Sometimes it's best to just leave Tony alone until he's sorted things out for himself."

"I've given him three days." Steve growled. "That's long enough."

Bruce winced then gave a reluctant nod. "Alright, let me try…"

"The door's locked tight and I don't know a way inside without doing extensive damage to the door."

"No, I mean, let me see if I can get it unlocked."

Steve perked up. "Do you know the key code?"

"I did, though it's been a while…" Bruce stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed Steve as he hurried back down to the basement. "If this doesn't work I'll find Pepper's number and have her get him out of there."

"Pepper?"

"Tony's personal assistant slash nanny."

Steve wanted to laugh but he knew for sure that Jarvis was on and if he was on… "Don't say that too loud; who knows if Tony's listening in or not."

Bruce just smiled. "He'd agree with me. Sometimes Tony forgets to take care of himself, Pepper keeps him in line."

"I'd like to meet her." It would take a formidable spirit to control Tony Stark. It would be like trying to bottle a hurricane.

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to. But for now…let's see what's going on here." Reaching the door that had stymied Steve just moments earlier, Bruce tried the handle but finding it unsurprisingly locked pressed his face against the glass, cupping his eyes with his hands to try and see better. Steve waited patiently beside him but it didn't take Bruce long to pull back. "I see why you were concerned."

Bruce shared a look with Steve before reaching forward and knocking on the door. "Tony?"

There was no answer but neither of them had been expecting one.

"Tony, I'm giving you one warning. If you don't come to the door I'm coming to you."

The warning was more of a courtesy than anything and Bruce didn't bother to wait for more than three seconds before moving over to the key pad. The beta hesitated for just a moment before reaching forward and punching in a series of ten numbers.

Steve held his breath then his face lit up in a smile when a green light flickered on and he heard a dull click of the lock being undone. "Bruce, you're amazing."

Bruce grinned. "Not so much. I just have good memory recall when it comes to numbers." Reaching out, he grabbed the door handle and released a victorious hum as it turned in his hand. "Let's go get Tony and drag him out of there."

As the researcher pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, Steve held back, feeling strangely unsure of how to proceed. "Should I stay out here or-?"

Bruce appeared to actually think the question over before tilting his head and motioning Steve forward. "…No, no you can come in."

It seemed so…private. Even more than his bedroom, Tony's workshop just had an aura to it that it was a space not to be entered without explicit permission. Maybe it was because Tony's scent was the strongest here, the Cat's presence solidly marked in every section of wall and every floor tile. For Wolves, every space in a pack's den was a public area where everyone had permission to enter and use. Tony's workshop felt closed off, his private space, his lair. It was a sensation Steve wasn't familiar with. But Bruce was going in and he had given Steve permission to follow. Between Steve's concern and curiosity there was no way that he was going to turn Bruce's offer down.

Bruce strode inside while Steve took a moment to inspect this final room in the sprawling house. Tony's "workshop" was enormous, even bigger than Steve had expected from his impression through the glass. Judging by the size and direction, Steve was pretty sure it not only took up the basement space under half of the house but stretched under the detached garage too. It was filled with large screens, scrap metal, welding equipment, and—was that a robot?

Steve jerked his head around as the heavy metal suddenly turned down and Tony's voice drawled out from the far end of the shop. "Well look who came down to visit. I'm impressed you remembered the access code."

He heard Bruce answer back and began to make his way over to the pair. "It seemed like an important thing not to forget."

"So what made you come down here after me, Doc?"

"Steve insisted. He was starting to get worried." By now Steve was close enough that he could see Bruce standing over Tony who was laying halfway underneath an old classic car. Again the Cat was dressed in work clothes stained this time with grease and motor oil, his hair a mess and a smudge of dust cutting across his chin and onto his beard. Steve couldn't help but think he looked better like that, although the suit was a pretty sleek look.

Tony snorted in disbelief as he wiped his wrench off on his shirt. "He was, was he?"

Tony hadn't seemed to noticed him yet and Steve decided that it was time to make his presence known. "Yeah, I was."

Tony sat up so fast at the sound of Steve's voice that he smacked his head on the metal fender of his car. Rolling off of the board he had been lying on, the Cat swore as he gripped his forehead. "Fuck!"

"Oh, jeez, sorry Tony!" Rushing forward, Steve assisted as Bruce pulled Tony all the out from underneath the car, the beta obviously trying hard not to laugh. It was a little funny but all Steve felt was a crushing sense of guilt as Tony moved his hand and revealed a red spot on his forehead. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to surprise you that bad."

Tony hissed then winced as he sat up. "I'm fine, stop fondling me, Jesus." Steve jerked back at the sharp reprimand but calmed when the billionaire looked up at him, saw his expression, and smirked. "Relax, big dog. I'm really fine, just didn't expect a Wolf to know what stealth is. Help me up and I'll call it even."

Happily accepting his terms, Steve grabbed Tony's arm and easily hoisted him to his feet. Once he was up, Tony sniffed as he straightened out his shirt. Bruce just stood back and watched the exchange with a small smile. Tony turned back around to face them once he had regained a bit of his dignity. "Now that's settled, what do you trespassers want?"

Steve furrowed his brow, his guilt not quite fading. "Sorry Tony. I just, I have to ask. Did I do something wrong? Because you seem to be avoiding me, all of us really. If there's a problem, I want to sort it out. This is your house, after all. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide down here."

After watching him for a long moment, Tony let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, get this straight. You didn't do anything. I don't think you could manage to be insulting if you tried. I pull this shit on a regular basis so don't worry about it." Tony's gaze fell away from Steve's during that last part but the alpha Wolf was pretty sure the first part of that was sincere. Tony had obviously been upset by something but a weight lifted off of Steve's shoulders at the thought that he wasn't necessarily the cause. "But I doubt you came down to apologize for nothing, so what else you got?"

Steve had a ready answer. "How about you come up and get something to eat, something to drink, and maybe some sleep?"

Tony looked confused for a minute before his lips quirked back up. "Those are some pretty extreme requests, Steve."

"I know. I'm a terrible person."

"The worst. But I have a feeling that the only way I'm getting the both of you back upstairs is if I leave with you, so let's get the hell out of here."

O~O~O~O

Steve slept a lot better that night and when he woke up the next morning he practically bounced over to Bruce's door and woke the other Wolf up. Ever since their first night Bruce had taken to sleeping on his own and Steve respected his choice and let him alone. Except for this morning.

Bruce answered with a sleepy glare that lacked a lot of the ire the beta tried to put into it. A few quick words and a bright smile were all it took for Steve to convince Bruce to come downstairs with him and half an hour later found them both in the kitchen cooking enough breakfast for a small army.

Bruce fried bacon with one hand while he kept a mug of coffee clutched in his other hand. He still seemed half asleep but he was doing a decent job and Steve tried not to be too distracted by the scent of cooking meat as he finished stirring up the pancake mix. Tony, who had shown up about ten minutes ago, was slouched over the table with his own cup of coffee and just watched them work.

Clint walked in just as Steve started pouring the batter onto the griddle and perched on a chair next to Tony. "Smells good. What brought this on?"

Steve gave a light shrug as he dug a spatula out of a drawer. "We haven't really eaten as a group yet. I figured it was about time we change that."

Rolling his eyes, Tony took another sip of his coffee. He was already looking better than he had last night which made Steve hopeful that the Cat had actually had a good night's sleep himself. "He's trying to make us 'bond as a group'."

Bruce let out a small hum as he flipped the bacon. "It's a good thing, Tony."

"Debatable."

Steve just grinned and shook his head. If Tony didn't want to be there he wouldn't be there. So despite his protests, Steve was pretty sure that the Cat didn't mind all that much. "All we need now is to make sure everyone gets down here while the food is still hot."

Clint reached across the counter and snuck a piece of bacon off of the plate Bruce had placed it on to let some of the oil run off. "Natasha will be down soon."

Tony snorted. "I don't even want to know why you have her schedule memorized."

Glaring back at the Cat, Clint stuffed the bacon strip into his mouth. "I passed by her room on the way down here."

"Sure."

Steve glanced back over his shoulder and Clint gave him a guilty smile as he finished off the remnants of the bacon. Deciding to let the theft go unpunished, Steve moved on to more important topics. "Does anyone know if Thor's awake?"

Tony was quick to answer. "Don't care."

Clint was a little more constructive. "I heard him moving around in his room. He should be here soon."

As if summoned, the large blond Shifter suddenly strode into the room, a large smile spreading across his face as he took in the scene. "Good morning! Steve, Bruce, you have outdone yourselves! But what shall the rest of you be eating?"

Making a big show of clearing out his ear, Tony shook his head. "First off, you need to learn the meaning of 'inside voice'. And second, if you eat all of that, I'm sending you out for donuts."

"I jest. And Tony, it is good to see you out and about again. Panthers can be such solitary creatures but I am happy to see you here for this."

Steve nodded in agreement. "This will be good for all of us. I think we need to start doing more as a group. The better we learn to work together, the more successful we'll be out on missions."

"And food sharing is an important part of creating cohesion. This idea was an excellent one."

Tony slouched over his coffee cup in defeat. "And I can't even count on the Cat. God, I'm surrounded by communists."

Before Steve could respond, Natasha finally slunk in, looking about as awake as Bruce. Clint opened his mouth to greet her but before he could speak a word, Natasha held up a hand to silence him. "I'm not even going to talk to you until I get coffee."

"O-kay."

Since they wouldn't all fit at the counter, Steve shooed everyone out to the dining table after Natasha had filled a large mug up with freshly brewed coffee. Clint offered to help out by taking plates out to the others, though Steve was suspicious that it just allowed the Hawk the chance to swipe another piece of bacon and soon the middle of the table was covered with food. And it was a good thing that Steve and Bruce had made so much because it went fast as everyone made a grab for it.

Sitting in between Steve and Clint, Tony was no different than the rest of them and quickly made his claim on a large pile of flapjacks and four strips of bacon, possessively pulling his plate close to his chair. Though maybe it wasn't such a bad idea with Clint eyeing it with a playful grin.

Tony seemed aware of the look though as he stabbed his fork into the pancake stack as if to keep others from trying to go after it "This is mine."

Chuckling, Steve dug into his own food. Before he could take more than a few bites though, they were interrupted by a soft chime.

"Master Stark, Agent Coulson is on the line. Should I put him through?"

Tony looked up with a mouth full of pancakes. Swallowing the bite, the Cat lazily flicked a hand in permission. "Sure, go ahead, though the man has the worst timing ever…Video call?"

"Yes, sir."

"Put it on the TV."

Swallowing his own bite, Steve craned his neck around to peer at the TV screen in the next room over. Luckily it was huge so there was no problem in making Phil's face out as it flickered onto the screen.

The SHIELD agent looked confused for a minute until he realized where his team was sitting. "Sorry, it looks like I'm interrupting."

Steve shook his head. "It's alright, sir. This takes priority."

"We've received a rumor of Loki's whereabouts."

Tony scoffed as he bit angrily into a piece of bacon. "Why are we so focused on this guy now? We sort of have a bigger problem on our hands, like, oh I don't know, Hydra and their new genetic mutagen?"

Phil frowned. "You're right. But Loki is associated with Hydra and we need to have him secured before Hydra can use him to their own ends. He's a dangerous variable. Thor," across the table from Steve, the Lion straightened up, "if we get you to Loki do you think you would be able to convince him to go home, or at least to break his ties with Hydra?"

Thor nodded. "I will do my best but my brother can be…fickle. If he doesn't come willingly I will remove him forcibly."

"Do you think you could?"

All of their eyes fell on the Lion who gave a firm nod. "I have done so before and I know his tricks."

"Good. Judging by what you reported back about your previous encounter with Loki, it seems as if he already has a decent position in the Hydra organization. If we can remove him from the equation that would be good but it would be ideal if we could get some information out of him."

A growl rolled out of Thor's throat at this and Steve smelled a burst of anger spill off of him. "I will not allow you to interrogate him like some common criminal."

"If we bring him into custody you have my word that he will be treated with the utmost respect, within reason. He is criminal, after all."

Deciding to move away from that topic before Thor got any more riled up, Steve cleared his throat. "Where does the mission begin, sir?"

Phil looked grateful for the distraction as well. "The data you recovered points to Hydra having an administrative building near Arlington, Virginia and it matches what we've learned about Loki's presence. As you can imagine we are concerned for multiple reasons, one of which certainly being its proximity to Washington D.C."

Steve furrowed his brow. "You don't think Hydra will attempt an attack on the Capitol, do you?"

"Not directly, no. There are no signs that they are that powerful yet. But if they let Loki or their mutagen loose in the area there is a chance that a significant amount of chaos could hit the city. With as much press as your tussle has caused in this city, a similar event in D.C. would instantly become nation-wide news and could spark a panic about Shifters everywhere."

The agent's works struck home. All of a sudden the food stopped smelling so good as his stomach began to knot up again. "Understood."

"Good. Stark, could you provide a car to the airport for the team? It would be much faster."

Tony smirked and leaned back in his seat. "I can provide a ride to Washington, and it will definitely be much faster. Just have things ready for us when we get there."

"Thank you. Get here as soon as possible. I'll debrief you further on site."

With that the screen cut to black, leaving the house with a dark cloud hanging in the air. The break had been nice but now it was back to business.

Looking down at his plate, Steve sighed. He finally got the group together and now they had to rush out the door. Oh well. There would always be next time. Steve straightened his shoulders as he picked up his fork and took a breath. "Alright everybody, finish your food, then pack your things and suit up! We're leaving immediately."

Ignoring Tony's angry protest Steve began to shovel pancakes into his mouth, barely tasting the food before swallowing it. The others began to follow suit, realizing that if they didn't eat fast they wouldn't get to eat at all, then one by one dashed off from the table to their respective rooms.

As he finished up himself, Steve left Natasha and Clint at the table and sprinted up to his bedroom, taking the stairs two at a time. Luckily he didn't have that much to gather up but he still made sure he had the proper supplies stuffed into a duffle bag. A small first-aid kit, some safety gear, a knife, all supplies he had bought at the store when he had gone off to get his new clothes. He didn't quite know what he was going up against yet but he wanted to be prepared for whatever might come his way.

Changing into mission-appropriate clothing in record time, Steve jogged from his room back down to the main living area only to find that Tony and Thor were already waiting. And they weren't waiting patiently.

In fact it seemed that Steve had arrived just in time.

A low, angry, inhuman rumble rose from Tony's chest and he closed in on Thor, the two Cats circling each other in the foyer of the mansion in mid-argument. "I don't remember you being put in charge of this team."

Thor growled back, his voice lower and louder than Tony's but no more intimidating. "No one had to. I am obviously the best choice. No one knows my brother as I do."

"Having a brother-complex doesn't mean you're leader material."

"I have no 'complex,' and I have led many men into battle."

Tony's eyes narrowed and he let out a hiss. "Listen, Simba, you can't just waltz in here and take over. I'm not following you anywhere."

Steve snarled and strode forward, pushing roughly past Tony to put himself right in the middle of the fight. There was only so much he could let slide and he wasn't about to let Tony fight his battles for him. He respected Thor but Shifters ran on hierarchies and Steve needed to establish his place at the top.

Getting right up in Thor's face, so close that their noses were almost bumping, Steve pushed a deep growl into his words. "I have been named leader of this team. You can either work with us or we can work without you, but neither of those options involve anyone but me giving orders. Am I understood?"

At this point Bruce, Natasha, and Clint had slunk back down stairs as well, giving the three alphas a wide berth. Steve didn't blame them. This could get very bad very quickly. And things had been going so well.

Steve heard Thor snarl but held his ground. To be honest, the large Cat did intimidate Steve a little but he would fight to keep his position if he had to.

But Thor remained quiet and Steve took it as a sign of submission. Taking a step back to relax the situation, Steve jerked his chin down in a quick nod. "Good. If you have a problem we can talk it over, or you can take it up with SHIELD, but I won't have any more fighting over this. Is that clear to everyone?"

At that, Steve pulled a little further back again from Thor so he could look everyone in the eye in turn, paying special attention to his alphas. He couldn't risk another confrontation like this. "I said, is that clear?"

Tony just rolled his eyes, Bruce gave a firm nod, while Natasha gave an exasperated 'yes'. Beside her, Clint gave him a mock salute and after a dangerously long pause Thor growled once more before nodding. "Very well. But if I do not feel that you are doing a sufficient job, I will step in again."

"Duly noted, but I don't plan on giving you that opportunity."

Watching the exchange carefully, Bruce waited until he was sure Steve had finished speaking before risking talking himself. "Now that's settled, um, Tony? You said you could get us to Washington?"

With one more glare at Thor, Tony snorted then raised his chin in a slight show of defiance. After the opposition Steve had just faced the action made his hackles rise but forced himself to release the anger that started to boil back up. Tony had just been defending him—or just defying Thor's dominance. But either way he didn't let himself feel threatened by the Panther.

"I have a plane."

That stopped Steve's thoughts short. "Wha—You have a what?"

Bruce looked equally incredulous. "Where are you keeping it?"

"In a private hanger four miles away. I can call on the way over to have it prepped for flight. Now come on, I thought we were in a rush or something. Let's get in the damned car."