Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 3356
Written for Dash - I hope you like it, lovely.
Credit Where Credit's Due
"What in the world is going on?" Tony asked, stepping into the lounge of the shared floor of Avengers Tower to find chaos reining. "I leave you all for three days and come back to… this."
Clint glanced his way and then pointed to the large fluffy dog sitting in front of the tv. "That's going on."
"I need a bit more explanation than that, Legolas," Tony huffed, throwing his jacket over the back of the couch as he stepped closer to the dog. It tilted it's head to look up at him, and then barked once, before it's tongue lolled out ridiculously.
Upon closer inspection, Tony realised with some amusement that the dog was wearing a Captain America uniform.
"Okay, why do we have a Cap-Dog, and—" he cut himself off, glancing around the room. "Where is Cap?"
"See, you just answered your own question," Natasha told him, as she walked in, file in hand. As the occupants began to calm themselves a little, joining Tony in the living room, he glanced around at them all and then back to the dog.
Now, Tony was intelligent—he was actually a genius—but it wasn't really surprising that it took him a moment to understand what she was telling him. Tony had learnt that impossible wasn't really a thing but… still.
"Why is Captain America a floofy floof?" he asked, frowning, completely baffled by this turn of events. "I'm pretty sure that he was fully human when I left for Malibu."
"You're not wrong," Clint said, as Thor entered, a sheepish look on his face.
That was all the explanation Tony needed. "Ah. Loki paid a visit, did he?"
"It is not permanent," Thor rushed to assure him, as the dog—as Steve—raised up onto all four legs and holy shit he was a big dog, and cautiously moved towards Tony.
"Is he still… him?" Tony asked, glancing back at Thor.
"He is. He will retain his memories of himself and the people he loves. He will not hurt you, Tony."
"Uh huh," Tony said, raising his eyebrows when Steve nudged his hand with a wet nose, ducking his head beneath Tony's hand in an unquestionable request for petting.
"He's actually quite playful," Natasha added, her lips tilting up. "It's quite sweet."
"How long has he—"
"Loki visited us last eve," Thor said.
"Right. And this is going to last..?"
"Loki's animal transformation spells usually last between five and seven days," Thor confirmed. "And then we shall have our Captain back no worse for wear."
"Stellar," Tony said, absently stroking Steve's head. "Right, well. I'm going to the workshop, I'll see you all… later."
With a final pet of Steve's humongous head, Tony nodded to his teammates and turned to leave.
Except he couldn't, because Steve let out the most pitiful whine Tony had ever heard, and used his paw to bat gently at the back of Tony's leg.
Tony turned slowly to look at Steve. "What's up with you?"
Steve whined again, patting the floor with his front paw before he shuffled forwards to nudge at Tony's hand again, making his intentions quite clear.
"You want me to stay here?" Tony guessed.
Steve nodded.
Tony sighed. "I have work to do."
Steve growled a little, not menacingly, but enough to make his feelings clear.
"I think he's missed you," Natasha put in helpfully. "He's been a bit mopey since you've been in Malibu."
Tony softened a little. He and Steve were close, but it hadn't occurred to him that three days apart would bother Steve so much.
"I guess work can wait a little," he said, giving in. "But I refuse to sit on the floor with you."
Instead, Tony sunk into the last remaining armchair in the room, snorting when Steve let out a giddy little yip. He glanced up at the others.
"Movie night? I'll have JARVIS order us some food, since apparently I'm not allowed to work."
Various noises of agreement sounded in the room, and Tony nodded, then glanced at Steve. "Am I allowed to go and shower and change at least?"
A nod from the dog, and Tony rolled his eyes. "Thank you, your highness."
…
Showered and dressed in red and gold pyjamas—he was on brand, okay?—Tony returned to the living room to find that Bruce had stolen his armchair while he was gone.
"Sneak thief," he muttered, tugging Bruce's hair gently as he passed him, settling on the sofa instead.
"You snooze, you lose," Bruce replied, smirking.
"Just for that, I'm not ordering you any extra dumplings," Tony snarked back, grinning when Bruce snorted.
Steve padded over to the sofa, looking at the gap between Natasha and Tony with his head tipped to the side. Tony rolled his eyes but patted the furniture for Steve to hop up.
Steve did so, curling in himself to get comfortable. He ended up with his head firmly in Tony's lap, looking up at him with innocent eyes.
"You're such a troll," Tony said, shaking his head. "JARVIS, order us some food please. A mixture is fine—and have someone send something safe for Steve to eat. I have no idea what being transformed into a dog has done to his stomach, but I'd rather not have vomit all over the place if we let him have his usual order."
"Of course, Sir."
"What are we watching?" Tony asked, glancing at Nat.
"Thor wants to watch Jurassic Park," Natasha replied. "I figured since we're starting early, we can probably watch the trilogy in one sitting."
Tony nodded and then glanced down at Steve. "You'll like these movies. They're about dinosaurs, so you'll feel right at home."
Steve barked, nipping gently at the hem of Tony's t-shirt in protest, while Tony chuckled, burying his hand in the soft fur on Steve's neck.
JARVIS darkened the room for them as the movie started, and Tony quieted, leaning back into the cushions. It was good to be home.
…
With Cap lying against him, warming him so beautifully, it was probably inevitable that Tony fell asleep halfway through the second movie. He was just so comfortable, and Steve was warm and making odd happy mini growls, and…
Yeah, Tony hadn't slept for practically his entire trip, so he'd been a little bit tired to begin with.
When he woke up, it was to find the living room empty except for Steve, who had spread out in the extra space. Tony groaned, his back aching from sleeping sitting up, and stretched, dislodging Steve's head from his lap.
Steve startled and raised his head, blinking sleepily up at Tony.
"Aroo?"
Tony snorted, pushing himself up from the sofa. "Do you need to go… outside?" he asked, scratching his head. "Is that a thing?"
Steve barked cheerfully, leaping down from the sofa. Chuckling, Tony grabbed his jacket from the back of the sofa and pulled it on over his pyjamas. It was dark outside, which meant it was going to be cold.
"C'mon then," he murmured, leading the way to the elevator. Steve padded in behind him, crowding him against the wall because large elevator or not, Steve really was a very big dog.
They made it to the roof, where Tony had had a garden fitted, and unsurprisingly there was already a poop-a-scoop, bags and a bin up there. Tony thanks JARVIS quietly as Steve wandered onto the grass.
To give the soldier-pup some privacy, Tony wandered over to the balcony. He enjoyed New York at night—it was never empty, but it was nice to see the normally bustling city a little quieter, almost sleepy at three in the morning when most people were sleeping soundly in their beds.
Steve barked a few minutes later, and nudged Tony's hand with his nose again. Tony took care of his business with little fuss, and then guided him back into the elevator.
"Do you wanna go to your room?"
Steve simply looked at him.
"The communal floor?" Tony offered.
Still nothing, and Tony sighed. "I'm not getting you a dog bed for my bedroom, but you can sleep on the bottom of my bed if you'd like?"
Steve yipped, and pushed up on his back legs to lick Tony's face.
Tony yelped, wiping at the slather left behind and then shook his head. "Ew."
…
Having Steve around as a dog was oddly fun, and he seemed to be stuck to Tony's side. He'd slept the rest of the night sprawled across the bottom of Tony's bed, and when they'd woken up, Tony had given in and taken him on a long walk, meandering through the streets and then through the park for hours.
Steve slept the second night in Tony's room too, but by the third day, Tony knew he really had to go and get some work done.
He manfully ignored Steve's pitiful whine when he dropped the dog off on the communal floor with Natasha and Clint, and made his way down to the workshop, intent on losing himself in science until he was either called away, or his stomach insisted on a break.
That lasted about two hours.
The doors to the workshop slid open silently, and Tony only became aware that he wasn't alone when something cold nosed along his hip, where his tank top had risen up.
Tony yelped, dropping his spanner with a clatter as he looked down to see Steve peering up at him.
Raising a hand to his heart, Tony shook his head at Steve. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What are you even doing down here, I thought you were with Nat and Clint?"
Steve tilted his head, and then looked down, laying on the floor with his head between his paws.
Tony sighed. "Okay you can stay. Think you can manage to entertain yourself while I finish this?"
Steve wagged his tail, and Tony snorted. "I'm never letting you live this down when you're you again. Just so you know."
The happy bark Steve let out told Tony that he did indeed know that and he was willing to accept the consequences.
…
"You look… so… adorable!" Peter gushed at Steve, when he swung by the tower to pick up a project from Tony.
Steve—tail wagging furiously—bounded over to Peter, licking his cheek like he did Tony's before he dodged around Peters legs and then through them, knocking the laughing teen on his ass.
"I think he's happy to see you, Pete," Tony said, putting the project file on the table. "Wanna stick around for a while, I'm going to take him out soon. He's got just as much energy now as he did when he was himself, but he can't go to the gym like he usually does. Means lots of walking for me."
Peter sighed. "I have homework," he complained. "Oh, and, uh. I need your help? Maybe."
"What do you need, Pete?"
"My science fair project is being problematic, I just… thought maybe I could send you the notes and you can point me in the right direction of where I'm going wrong?"
Tony nodded. "I can do that. Send them to me later, and I'll look them over. I'm not getting much time in the workshop at the moment with Captain Clingy over there, so it'll give me something fun to do."
Peter grinned. "You're the best, Mr Stark."
"Yes I am."
"I should go," Peter said, picking himself up from the floor. He grabbed the binder from the table and waved, petting Steve's head as he left. Tony watched him go with a small smile. "I love that boy."
"Aro!"
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, you big lug, let's get some of this energy out of you."
Tony clipped the lead onto Steve's collar—a spectacular red white and blue affair that Tony had taken entirely too much pleasure in buying—and grabbed his jacket. He'd never spent so much time outside.
…
"You can't have this," Tony said, shaking his head as he nudged Steve's nose away from the molten chocolate cake. "Chocolate is bad for puppers."
Steve's tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, and Tony snorted. "I know you're not really a pupper, but I'm the one dealing with the poop-a-scoop, so you're not having chocolate."
"I'm bored," Clint complained, slumping down on the breakfast bar. "Entertain me."
"Oh look, you just nominated yourself for Steve duty," Tony said, grinning as he handed over the lead. "I've got a meeting in an hour, and as much as I've enjoyed his company, he can't come with me for this."
Clint snorted, but took the lead and looked at Cap. "Wanna go for a walk, dude?"
Steve looked at Tony with puppy eyes for a long moment—his puppy eye game was strong as a human, but now it was criminal—and then lopped over to Clint's side, standing still while the archer clipped his lead.
"He should be back to his normal self in the next couple of days, right?" Clint asked, petting the top of Steve's head.
"Yup," Tony nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling in his stomach. He'd somehow grown attached to Steve being a dog. It was probably the utter devotion Steve had shown to Tony, which Tony absolutely wasn't wishing human Steve felt the same way. "Maybe we should get a dog."
Clint brightened up. "Really?"
"Hmm. We'll take a trip to the adoption place next time I get a free day, yeah?"
Nodding eagerly, Clint grinned. "Awesome. He's been so attached to you, I didn't want to intrude, you know? I just… really love dogs."
Smiling, Tony got up and put his bowl in the sink before he clapped Clint's shoulder. "Look after him. If he comes back in less than perfect condition, I'm going to take it out on your arrows."
Tony stroked Steve's head and then tilted the dogs head up to look at him. "Be good, you hear me? I'll see you later."
He accepted the lick to the cheek and used his pre-prepared handkerchief to wipe the saliva away on his way out.
Despite his feelings about Cap-Pup, Tony was looking forward to Steve being his human self again. Even if he'd miss their newly acquired closeness, there was something to be said for a Steve that could talk.
…
Tony wasn't there when Steve changed back into his human self. He was actually quite glad for that, though the scientist in him was irritated to have missed it. Bruce had been on hand though, and Steve seemed fine.
He'd blushed brightly when Tony had first entered the room, but they'd easily settled back into their usual banter within minutes. When Clint brought up a movie though, Tony had begged off with an excuse about catching up on work.
It wasn't even really an excuse, but it had felt like one when Steve arched his eyebrow at him, and Tony had had to avert his eyes.
That was hours ago, and Tony was leaning back in his chair, tired but happy with the progress he'd made. Rubbing his eyes, he forced himself up from his chair, and into the elevator.
He'd planned to go straight to bed, but his stomach grumbled unhappily at the prospect, so he redirected himself to the kitchen. Steve was sitting at the breakfast bar.
"What are you doing up?" Tony asked, as he opened the fridge. Bruce was an angel and had packaged him up some food, so he pulled that out and turned to look at Steve.
"Couldn't sleep," Steve replied softly. "I, uh. I think I got used to being with you and. Well. I'll get over it."
Tony's brow furrowed. "You mean sleeping on my bed?"
"Scents were stronger," Steve explained, his cheeks pinking a little. "So I got used to being around your scent, and especially on your bed, you know? My bed just felt… wrong."
"Huh. Well, help yourself to my bed," Tony offered. "It's not like I spend much time in it."
Steve rolled his eyes and stood up, crowding Tony against the counter, one hand either side of him. "I don't think you're getting my point, Tones. It's not the bed that's wrong, it's that you're not there."
Later, Tony would blame his utter brain blank on exhaustion, but really, it was because feelings—ew—were rising quicker than a tsunami, and he wasn't really sure how to deal with it.
"You—"
"You didn't realise?" Steve asked, his lips tilting up slightly. "Dogs always have a favourite person, you know? Is it really a surprise that you were mine?"
"I thought that was just because… I mean, you spend quite a lot of time with me anyway, Steve, so I thought—"
"I love you," Steve said softly. "I love you as a dog, I love you as a human, and if I get turned into anything else, which is utterly likely in the job we do, I'll love you as that too."
"Don't tempt fate," Tony said absently. "You… I didn't know? Was I supposed to know?"
"Everyone else does, but I knew you didn't. You're not the most observant when it comes to emotions, Tones."
"Huh."
"So… are you… do you—"
"Oh. Yeah. I mean, yes, of course, I love you too, duh. I just… sorry, I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not dreaming."
Steve chuckled and then pinched his hip, making Tony yelp. "What was that for?"
"Now you know you're not dreaming," Steve replied cheekily.
"I… Yeah, I guess I do. We should, uh, go to bed? You want to sleep in my bed right? That was… what started this?"
"You need to eat."
Tony glanced at the food he'd put on the side, and then nodded. He'd completely forgotten about eating, but his stomach grumbled and he was reminded just how long it had been.
"Yeah. Probably. I, uh, you can head up if you want? I'll be there in a bit?"
Steve shook his head. "I'll wait. Take your time, there's no rush."
Tony blinked. "No rush. Right. Um, actually, there is a little bit of a rush, because I've wanted you in my bed for a long time and when I finally got it, you were covered in fur so I'd really actually like to see human Steve in my bed and—"
"Tony," Steve interrupted, laughing. "Eat your food and then we'll go to bed. Okay?"
"I… yeah. Okay."
…
When Tony woke up, it wasn't to a ball of fluff waiting on him, but the bright blue eyes were the same.
"I thought you'd have gone running," he murmured, snuggling his face against Steve's chest. "Or the gym. Or… something."
"There's no place I'd rather be than right here," Steve replied, his fingers nudging through the nest of hair on Tony's head. "You're not the only one who wanted me to be here as a human, you know?"
Tony hummed happily, pressing a kiss to Steve's chest. "Human you is great, though I did promise Clint we'd get a real dog. Because, you know, reasons."
"I remember," Steve said. "I like it, I like dogs too. Though Natasha will want a cat."
"I know," Tony replied, wrinkling his nose as he sat up, the sheet moving with him to give him a rather delightful view of Steve's bare chest. "She told me. We're going to end up with a zoo, I can already see it coming."
Steve snorted, then propped himself up. Tony dropped a closed-mouth kiss on Steve's lips—he wasn't about morning breath—and smiled. "I… am very happy you're you again."
"Me too," Steve replied, pressing up for a second kiss. "And I'm even happier that this morning, I can join you in the shower instead of having to wait on the rug."
Tony grinned. "You're a genius."
"I thought you were the genius in this relationship?"
"We can take turns," Tony said, as he threw the covers off them both. "Credit where credit's due and all. And that was the best idea i've ever heard."
Steve smirked and then gestured to the bathroom. "After you."
Written for:
Record Collection: 8. Step Into Christmas: "There's no place I'd rather be."
Time Machine: 14. Stellar
Bex's Basement: 8. Infusion: Mix together two tropes or AU's in a single fic. (Sharing a bed/Animal transformation)
Film Festival: 1. Friendship
Marvel Appreciation: Iron Man: Red, Gold, Intelligent, Spanner.
Lyric Alley: 9. Come with me
Forecast: 23. Playful.
Naughty or Nice: Nice 30. "You look… so… adorable!"
Shoebox to Charity: Gift Fic for an Active Slytherin (DashFnanz)
Hot Chocolate Station: 5. Buttered Rum Hot Chocolate: (genre) romance
Dear Santa: Prompt 1: Heya, Santa: (dialogue) "I'm bored. Entertain me."
Big Dinner Bash: Potatoes: Mashed: Sleeping
Toy Making: Teddy/Plush: 1. Sharing a bed
Pop Figures: Television: 121. Buffy: Red
Hogwarts Talent Show: Nostril Flaring: 2. "I need your help." / 3. Baffled / 5. Molten