Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 4617
AN: Sort of a crossover, but also not really. The only thing you really need to know about Jurassic world is that the island was called Isla Nublar, and the dinosaurs are loose in America.
Jurassic Stark
"They do realise we're not zookeepers, right?" Tony grumbled as he walked onto the quinjet, fully suited up and completely unhappy about it.
"It's a T-Rex, Tony, not an escaped tiger," Steve replied dryly as he sat down. Clint and Natasha climbed their way to the front of the jet, laughing as they shook their heads at their leaders.
"Hmm, not as furry," Tony agreed, sitting down with some difficulty. "But still, this has been going on for nearly a year. You'd think they'd have a team of people or… something… to chase the dinosaurs."
"You wanna face off against a dinosaur without your suit, dude?" Clint asked. Then paused. "Actually don't answer that, you'll make Cap cry."
"Why does everyone assume the worst of me?" Tony complained, pouting exaggeratedly at Clint.
"It saves time," Natasha replied dryly as Thor and Bruce joined them on the jet. "Ready to go?"
They all replied in the affirmative, and Clint closed the doors of the jet and settled himself in the pilot seat, giving the controls a quick check before he powered up.
"At least it's not a long flight, right?" Steve murmured to Tony. "Hopefully we'll be back home in a couple of hours."
"That… will not appease Pepper," Tony pointed out. "I'm worth a small fortune, Steve; but it's all going to be spent on shoes, apologising to her for missed meetings."
"Small?" Bruce commented with a snort.
"Okay, I'm worth a large fortune," Tony corrected. "And yet, my point remains valid."
When the team only laughed at him, Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. He knew he was being dramatic, but Pepper really was mad at him. Today's meeting had been an important one for him to attend.
Still, lives at stake and all. He couldn't exactly leave some poor bastard to be T-Rex chow just because Pepper needed him in the boardroom. Such was the life of a hero, and all that jazz.
"Hey, I wanted to ask you something, actually," Steve said, nudging his side.
"Hmm? What's up, sugarplum?"
"I, uh. I thought you might teach me to dance this weekend?" Steve asked, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I know we've been busy, but we talked about it and—"
"I'd love to, Steve," Tony assured him. "We'll sort it all out later, kay?"
Steve smiled. "Thanks, Tony."
Tony returned his smile and looked out of the window of the jet. He supposed there were upsides to being a hero too. Like dance lessons with Steve. That was a pretty nice upside, in Tony's opinion.
"You know," Clint said, drawing his attention. "You'd think since the dinosaurs escaped the Lockwood Estate, people would be more wary about going places they'd been seen."
"That's asking people to be logical," Tony pointed out. "It's not humanity's forte. I mean, look how many people visited Isla Nublar."
"It was supposed to be safe," Bruce said.
"Look how that turned out," Steve said. "I'm all for the advancements in science, but sometimes I think that we're out of our depth."
"But dinosaurs are awesome," Tony said then. "I mean, they're a bloody nuisance now, since they keep eating people, but just as a general thing, you know?"
Steve snorted. "Why do I feel like you'd have created Isla Nublar if nobody had beat you to it?"
"Because I'm awesome and you appreciate me?"
"Jesus christ, that is a biiiiiiig fucking dinosaur," Clint said, as they reached their destination and the T-Rex came into view.
Tony stood up to peer out of the window. "Oh you right," he murmured. "That one's certainly been eating his weetabix, hasn't he?"
Behind him, he could hear the chuckles of the others, but Tony couldn't tear his eyes away from the beastie down on the ground. It was majestic.
"Alright," he said, finally turning around. "What's the plan—because honestly, Cap, if you try and throw your shield at him, he's going to think it's a frisbee and throw it right back."
"We need to try and herd it back towards the forest. It's all we can do, really. I refuse to kill it, and until they have a Reserve ready for them, there isn't much we can really do except try and keep them away from humans."
Tony nodded. "Herding. I can do that. Thor, you wanna come and play with the dinosaur?"
"Aye, Man of Iron! It is quite the magnificent beast."
The two flew through the opening at the back of the jet while Clint sped on to find somewhere to set the jet down. Not that the others could help much, with the possible exception of Bruce.
Tony was quite sure the Hulk would think the T-Rex was a cute puppy.
Working with Thor, they managed to gain the T-Rex's attention enough and then Tony proceeded to do what he did best.
He annoyed it until it let out a rather terrifying roar before it gave chase.
Unfortunately for the surrounding area, it didn't seem to care about the portion of the forest that it was knocking down as it ran after Tony, but then again, maybe the destruction of a few trees was less important than the lives of a few humans.
Tony led it a good few miles into the forest and then shot up above the treeline. Thor, who'd been following behind sending small zaps of electricity at the T-Rex's tail, followed him up with a wide grin.
"That was most enjoyable," he announced, cheerfully.
"Sure was, big guy. We should probably do a quick round sweep to make sure that that's the only big beastie in the area though. I don't wanna get home and then get called right back out again."
"As you say, Man of Iron. I shall take the east, and see you back with the team."
"Sure thing, Point Break," Tony agreed, nodding. He took the west, instructing JARVIS to scan beneath the treetops as he flew slowly back in the loop towards the jet.
He was in sight of the jet when JARVIS announced something that made him pause.
"Babies?"
"Yes, Sir. Newly hatched, I'd say, given the database."
"Let's go and have a looksee, shall we?" Tony suggested, lowering himself.
"Tony, what are you doing?" Steve asked through the coms. Tony glanced up to see he was standing at the back of the jet, waiting for Tony.
"Just gimme a minute, Cap, J's found something."
Touching down on the grass at the edge of the forest, Tony moved slowly and smoothly. He could hear little chirruping noises, and then, the tiniest dinosaur he'd ever seen popped its head up through the undergrowth.
"Oh my god, it's adorable," Tony gasped.
"Be careful, Sir. While they're only babies, Velociraptors are smart, ruthless and very dangerous."
"But it's baby," Tony pointed out, paying no mind to JARVIS's warning as he retracted the helmet of his suit.
"Oh god," he heard Clint mutter over the comms. "Here we go again. Remember what he was like with the baby Stegosauruses?"
"I thought the mom was gonna bite his face off," Natasha replied.
Tony ignored them in favour of getting closer to the little Raptors. The one that had popped its head up snapped at him a little, and then tilted its head. It looked a bit like DUM-E, when he was curious about something new.
"Hi, little friends," Tony murmured. There was more shuffling, and then a second popped its head up. It stared at Tony for a long moment and then jumped backwards, a little like an excited puppy.
"Tony, what are you doing?"
Steve was beside him. As distracted as he was, Tony hadn't even heard him approach.
"Look how precious they are," Tony said, pointing at the Raptors. "I'm taking them home."
"Are you insane?"
"Probably, but Steve, we can't just leave them here. They'll get eaten by a bigger dinosaur, and they're too cute to die. I'll look after them. It's been a while since I got DUM-E a new sibling."
"They're not puppies, Tones. They'll eat you."
"Uh. Iron Man," Tony said, pointing at his suit. "Even their sharp little nashers won't get through the suit."
"You're a squishy human inside that tin can, idiot," Steve said, his words followed by a long-suffering sigh. "They will bite you, and you will die, and I'd really rather you not do that if it's all the same to you."
"But, Steve—"
"Tony, no."
Tony huffed. "I want them."
"It's illegal to try and own the dinosaurs," Steve said, shaking his head. "If you get caught—"
"Excuse me, but I am Tony Stark. What are they gonna do, fine me?"
"Or put you in prison for harbouring dangerous creatures?"
"Details," Tony said, waving off the objection. "I have top-class security on all my properties; nobody would find out."
"And when they grow up?" Steve asked, his never-ending patience sounding like it was actually about to find its limit. "When you've got a pack of vicious dinosaurs on your hands. Then what?"
"Well, I mean, what if I only keep them until the Reserve is ready? The latest update said it should be done in like, three months, max. They won't grow that much in three months, will they?"
Steve blinked. "If you do this, it will actually be the stupidest thing you've ever done, and Tones, I've known you to do stupid things before."
"Okay, but that doesn't sound like you're going to stop me smuggling them out of here."
Steve rubbed a hand over his face. "No, I don't suppose it does."
…
Getting dinosaurs—even such small ones—onto a jet, wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Thankfully, Thor was very much on board with having pet Velociraptors and he was a big help in carrying them to the jet.
At first, Tony had been hellbent on taking them back to the Tower, but Steve had put his foot down hard and insisted they go to the training compound instead. It was better equipped for dinosaurs, he said, and if, god forbid, they escaped, it was more secluded.
"Fine," Tony huffed. "But DUM-E is going to be sulky as hell that we're not taking them home."
"Tony. For my sanity if nothing else, please do not take Raptors into the middle of New York."
Laughing, Tony eventually nodded. "Okay, Cap, that's fair."
"You know," Natasha said, turned around in her seat so she could watch Tony and Thor playing with the babies. "They really are very sweet. And there was a study published that Raptors can be trained to work with people, instead of eating them."
"It was based on Owen Grady's work with them at the park. Grady himself has since negated most of it, saying that they'd only taken part of his research into account. I think he was trying to quell people wanting them as pets," Bruce said, eyeing Tony pointedly.
"It's not like I want to train them as killing machines, Brucie," Tony said, wincing at a nip on the tip of his finger. "I just couldn't leave them there to die. If that T-Rex came back, these poor little babies wouldn't have even touched the sides. He'd swallow them whole!"
Beside him, he heard Steve sigh. When he looked his way, though, instead of the frustrated look he was expecting, Steve was watching him with soft eyes. A small smile played on his lips.
"What's that look for?" Tony asked, arching his eyebrow.
Steve shook his head. "It's nothing."
Tony frowned but shrugged and turned his attention back to the Raptors. "We have to name them," he said, cautiously reaching out to stroke the head of one of them.
"How do you even begin to come up with names for dinosaurs?" Clint asked, glancing back. "Like, what is the process of that? It's not like you can call them Fluffy or Spot, is it?"
Tony snorted. "Why not? I think this little guy looks like a Frank. What do you say, little buddy? Are you a Frank?"
The raptor chirruped, and Tony laughed delightedly. "And that, Legolas, is how you name a dinosaur."
…
"OW!"
Tony winced when Scully, the third and smallest Raptor, jumped back when he yelled out. He'd been trying not to scare them, but also, big ouch.
"Are you okay?"
He turned to see Steve behind him, a concerned look on his face.
"I'm good, just a little scratch," Tony replied, looking at the rip in his trouser leg. Blood was staining the material and he wrinkled his nose.
Gross.
"See, this is what I was talking about," Steve told him, helping him to his feet. "You're a squishy human, and they have claws."
"It was an accident," Tony defended. "Scully didn't mean to hurt me, did you, dude?"
He put his hand down to the raptor, practically melting when it nuzzled his palm.
"I'm not stupid enough to think that they're harmless, Steve, but they're not monsters either."
"I know," Steve admitted, as Tony shucked his trousers to his knees so they could get a better look at the damage. "That needs stitches."
Tony was about to deny it, and then nodded. "Yeah, it does. How steady is your hand?"
"Steady enough to stitch you up," Steve replied. "You've got supplies?"
"Have you met Rhodey?" Tony asked. "Of course I have supplies. I have them in every room I dare spend more than ten minutes a day in because he's protective as hell and moody if I don't do as he tells me."
Steve snorted. "Fair. I don't think anyone who knew you for longer than a day wouldn't be protective of you, what with how clumsy you are."
"You rude," Tony complained, as Steve threaded a needle.
"And yet, you can't deny it."
And Tony couldn't. Part of the reason he loved being Iron Man was the grace of the suit. Grace was something he could act at for only so long—if he was in front of clients or the Board—but certainly not something he was when he was relaxed.
Steve quickly stitched the scratch—a tidy five stitches covered it well—and then put gauze over it, sticking it down with surgical tape.
As soon as it was done, Tony pulled his trousers up and returned to his seat on the floor. He'd been teaching the babies to play catch and fetch, but so far, only Rascal had managed it consistently.
Frank didn't appear to care unless it was food being thrown his way, and Scully was about as clumsy as Tony himself.
It was endearing, Tony thought. Scully might be his favourite.
Steve hovered for a few moments and then joined him on the floor, crossing his legs in front of him. He watched as Scully practically hopped into Tony laps, nuzzling his face against Tony's chest.
"They seem to really love you," Steve commented softly.
"They're just used to me," Tony pointed out. He wasn't wrong. It had been a week since he'd smuggled them home and he had barely left the Hulk's containment suite—where Steve had insisted they keep the Raptors—since then. "But I was thinking, when the whole team is here and has a little while free, that we could take them out onto the grounds?"
Steve sighed. "It's not safe."
"They're not meant to be kept inside like prisoners, Steve."
"They're unpredictable," Steve pointed out.
"They're innocent," Tony burst out passionately. "Steve, they were just hatched when I found them, they don't know to be destructive. They've only hurt me once, and that was an accident!"
"Okay, okay," Steve said, holding his hands up in surrender.
Tony sighed. "I understand why you're worried," he admitted. "And if it was anyone other than this team, I'd even agree with you. But come on, Steve, we can handle these three babies between the six of us."
Steve nodded and leant back against the wall.
"Here, look," Tony offered. He gripped Steve's hand and tugged it gently until it was held out in front of Rascal.
Rascal sniffed at him cautiously, and then nipped his finger. Steve startled, but Tony held his wrist steady, watching the raptor diligently. Finally, after a lot of sniffing, Rascal knocked his head against Steve's palm.
"You can stroke him now," Tony murmured. "S'okay, he won't bite you. Just be gentle, like you're stroking a puppy or something."
Steve chuckled but did what he was told and Tony smiled brightly when it became clear Rascal was enjoying the attention.
Clearly feeling left out, Frank joined them, nudging insistently at Tony's side until he scratched under his chin.
"Okay, Tones. I'll sort it out with the team," Steve said eventually. "We can take them outside."
…
The team spread themselves out strategically in the fenced off area. Tony led the Raptors out, smiling at his team as they practically flew past him as soon as the doors were open.
He watched as Frank ran a perimeter, Scully and Rascal following behind him a little more sedately.
"They're fine," Tony called to the others, who were all watching them closely. He understood why they were being so alert, but he knew in his gut that it wasn't necessary.
His boys were just fine.
Tony threw a ball and laughed, delighted, when Scully and Rascal immediately watched and then gave chase. Frank made a chirruping noise and then sneezed, and Tony just about died at the cute.
It took the team a while to settle down and realise that Tony was right, but eventually they did, sprawling as a group under the shade of a sycamore tree while Tony played with the Raptors.
"He really loves them, huh?" Clint said, watching on with a fond grin.
"He really does," Steve agreed. "I thought it was a bad idea, but seeing him so happy… well, now I'm not sure if it was."
"You're just a sap when it comes to him," Natasha pointed out teasingly, resting her back against the gnarled, brown tree bark.
It was like the worst kept secret in the Avengers that Tony and Steve were soft for one another. Even the two of them knew it, though neither of them had acted on it beyond a very, very close friendship.
"Yeah, yeah," Steve said, rolling his eyes at the tease. "It's just… it's a privilege to see him like this."
The others sobered a little and then nodded, because in all truth, it really was. All the world thought they knew Tony Stark, but they didn't. Not really.
As far as the team were concerned, the world knew Stark, but they had the good fortune to know Tony, and there weren't many people who could say the same thing.
Steve glanced over at Tony and then laughed. "Tony, what on earth are you doing?" he called out.
Tony looked over and grinned waving his phone. "Taking selfies with my boys!"
Steve shook his head. "Of course you are."
…
"Ow, fuck, fuck, ow, fuck," Tony muttered. "It's okay, Frank, I know you didn't mean it," he added, when the Raptor nudged his hand. "I know, it's okay. Just… fucking ow."
He limped over to the sofa he'd installed and sat down, pulling the boot from his foot. He'd been playing with Frank and it had got a little… rough.
Apparently, Frank's teeth were growing well at any rate.
He tugged off his sock and winced at the amount of red that came away with it. "Ah, jeez, Steve's gonna be mad."
"You know," Steve said, making Tony jump. "I've been lying awake at night with scenes just like this one running through my mind."
"Welp," Tony said, shrugging. "It was an accident."
"I know," Steve said. "JARVIS told me what happened when he asked me to come check on you. Can I take a look?"
Tony nodded, lifting his leg into Steve's lap when he sat down beside him. Frank came over to nuzzle against Tony's side, chirping soft noises, almost as though he was apologising.
Tony stroked his nose. "I know, boy, I know. It wasn't your fault. You're okay."
"Well, I don't think you need stitches," Steve said. "But I'll dress and wrap your foot, okay? We'll have to keep an eye on it for a few days, make sure it's not infected."
"Kay. Thanks, Steve."
Steve smiled. "Anything for you, you know that."
"I know you didn't want me to bring them home," Tony said, still stroking Frank's nose. "But I'm still glad I did. I know I can't keep them forever, but I'm glad I had the chance to get to know them. They're special, you know?"
Steve glanced at him, and then looked over at Scully and Rascal in the corner, lay on the ground.
"Yeah, I know. They are special, Tony. Just like you are."
…
"The Reserve is ready," Natasha said to the team as she joined them beneath a large sycamore tree on the grounds. Her eyes flicked to Tony, who was rolling around in the grass with the dinosaurs as though they couldn't tear his throat out at any minute. "How do you think he's going to take it?"
"He'll miss them," Steve said softly. "But he knew it was coming."
"Maybe he'll be allowed to visit," Clint pointed out. "He is Tony Stark, after all."
Bruce nodded. "That's true. And in fairness, he's donated a good amount to the project since its beginning, so if anyone is going to be allowed in, it'll be him."
"Want me to tell him, Cap?" Natasha offered.
Steve wrinkled his nose. "No, it's fine, I'll tell him. We need to think about how we're going to transport them. I think tranquilising them is our only real option, but I'm not sure what Tony's going to think about that."
"He's not daft," Bruce said, shrugging. "I'm sure he'll know it's the only feasible way to transport them."
"There is one other problem," Clint pointed out, watching Tony and the Raptors. "They're clearly very humanised. What's going to happen to them when they're put on a Reserve with a tonne of other predators? They don't know how to look after themselves. And that's not to mention that the people in charge are absolutely going to realise that they're not wild."
"That's true," Steve agreed. "But they're young, and they'll learn. Besides, it's not like it's going to be completely wild. They'll keep a few barriers and such between certain species."
"I guess so," Clint replied, but he didn't look convinced. There was a pause, and then he said, "I don't suppose we could keep them? I mean, Tony seems happy enough to look after them and they clearly love him."
"It's not safe," Steve said sadly. "They're still juvenile right now, but when they're full grown… we've all read the studies. We know what Raptors can be like, especially if they go on the turn. It would only take the slightest thing."
Clint wrinkled his nose but nodded and Steve sighed and stood up. "I'll go and let him know that the Reserve is ready."
…
Tony sat in his seat with his head on Steve's shoulder. He'd been quiet for the last few days, and even more so this morning as they'd been preparing the Raptors for transport.
"You doing okay?" Steve murmured, the words low and for Tony's ears only.
"I'm fine," Tony replied softly. "Just… gonna miss them, I guess. And a little bit worried that I've softened them up too much to be okay with the other dinosaurs."
"They'll be fine, Tones. Frank will protect Scully and Rascal, you know he will. He's a proper big brother."
Tony chuckled a little and nodded against Steve's shoulder. "Yeah, he really is. Bossy boy."
"They'll adapt for their own survival, Tones. It's what dinosaurs do."
"Yeah. I know."
…
"Hey," Steve murmured, leaning over the sofa to put his hands on Tony's shoulders. "You good?"
"I'm good," Tony replied, tilting his head back. He showed Steve the photos he'd been looking at on his phone, all the pictures he'd managed to take of the Raptors. There were quite a lot that Steve thought had been taken directly from the cameras, likely JARVIS's work.
Steve chuckled as Tony swiped through a few of them, and squeezed lightly. "It's good to be home, right?"
They were back at the Tower. Now that the Raptors were at the Reserve, there was little reason for the team to spend all their time at the compound, and they'd all been glad to return to the Tower.
"It really is," Tony agreed, stretching out on the sofa. "Wanna do something fun?"
Steve nodded. "Sure."
"I'm gonna teach you to dance."
Tony nudged Steve's hands off his shoulders and stood up, and JARVIS took the hint, playing a slow song through the speakers in the room.
"I didn't forget that I'd promised you," Tony said softly, as he took Steve's hands in his, putting one of them on his waist, and tugging the larger man closer.
They swayed together and Steve relaxed into it, letting Tony lead them in a simple box step.
The music changed, song to song, and still they danced, soaking up the closeness. Tony never felt better than when he was in Steve's arms, and Steve just loved having Tony right where he could keep him safe and warm and protected.
When the music eventually drifted to a close, it was the most natural thing in the world for Steve to lean down and press a chaste kiss to Tony's lips.
When he pulled back, Tony beamed at him, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
"You know I love you, right?" Steve asked softly.
"Course I do. Just like you know I love you too, right?"
"Right."
…
Epilogue
"Mr Stark, I really don't think this is a good idea. Velociraptors are pack hunters and if you just go right into their midst… well, it's likely that they'll rip you apart," said Mr Simon, the manager of the Dinosaur Reserve, his tone panicked.
"I'll be just fine," Tony assured him with a smile. "Besides, I'm taking my very own super soldier in there with me. Steve will be able to get us out if it goes badly."
"But really, sir—"
"It's fine, Mr Simon," Steve said calmly, patting the man's shoulder. "Just watch. I promise you, he'll be okay."
Mr Simon sighed but nodded his head, motioning for the gates to be opened. The Raptors had already been segregated into a smaller pen and Tony and Steve slipped through the gates as soon as the gap was big enough.
"Hey babies," Tony greeted cheerfully. "Daddy's home."
There was a pause, and Frank came first, sniffing at Tony. Outside of the pen, Mr Simon let out a yell when Frank pounced on Tony, while Steve only chuckled as the biggest raptor rolled around on the floor with Tony.
Scully and Rascal were quick to join in, greeting Tony in their own special way.
Steve only joined when they'd backed off a little, sitting down beside Tony as the Raptors nuzzled at him calmly.
"I don't believe it," Mr Simon was repeating outside the gates, shaking his head.
Steve took pity on him. "We can take it from here, Mr Simon. We'll call for you when we're ready to leave."
The man nodded, his brow practically dripping with sweat, and wandered off. Steve could hear him muttering to himself about needing a stiff drink.
Tony was laughing at Scully, who, while no longer pint-sized, still seemed to want to climb into his lap.
Steve laughed along with him and when Tony looked at him, he simply asked, "Are you happy?"
Tony nodded. "I really am."
Written for:
Bromance To Romance: 4. Doing something illegal
Record Collection: 5. I Wonder Why, Curtis Stigers: Write about struggling to find common ground over something.
Book Club: Hrothwulf: Survival / Clumsy / Red
Showtime: 2. Privilege
Lizzy's Loft: 17. Taking a selfie.
Angel's Archive: 9. Unpredictable
Scamander's Case: 14. Smuggling something
Film Festival: 6. Protective
Marvel: 4. Destruction
Lyric Alley: 2. I've been lyin' awake at night
TV Spree: 4. Kelso: Someone in charge
Forecast: 1. Furry
Hobby Hole: 4. Passion
Build A Comic Book: Setting: New York City
Detroit; Becoming Human: Prompt 2: "I'm worth a small fortune."
Founders Says: Rowena: 5. "Why does everyone assume the worst of me?" / "It saves time."
Brand Wars: 7. Groot: Innocence / "I am [insert name]." / Brown / Dancing / Forest
365: 118. "This is what I was talking about!"
Scavenger Hunt: 41. Write a story from another fandom
Fantastic Beasts: 107. Kamaitachi: Write about being scratched.