"Hunter? Hunter? Where are you, come on boy, Hunter!" Steve called out with increasing worry searching around his apartment, checking under the bed and in every nook and cranny. He felt the increasing squeeze of worry and panic clenching his chest as he shook the bag of treats in his hand as loudly as he could and went around again.

Biting his lip he frowned at the door and wondered if the cat had managed to sneak out while he had been gone.

He had not been sure what Tony would say to a pet in the Tower, but he had not seemed like the type to want an animal potentially making a mess inside his home. Steve had been more than grateful that Tony had given him a home here in the Tower that felt far more comfortable than the cold, empty apartment that was based in a Brooklin that was nothing like his Brooklin. But when he had come across the poor stray kitten, well he had not been able to just leave it there mewling pitifully.

He had snuck Hunter into the Tower, and he had kept the little cat in his apartment looking after him and nursing him back to health for the last two months. But the damned cat was sneaky, and he had managed to escape Steve's room 14 times already. 6 of those times Natasha had shown up at his door and handed the cat over without saying anything, he hadn't told her about Hunter but of course she knew. And once Clint had shown up with the cat.

"Hunter! Hunter!" Steve hissed. He had checked the whole of his floor and the levels above, he was now in the living room sneaking around hoping to find his cat.

"Now that is just rude! Wait your turn!" Steve froze at Tony's voice coming from the kitchen just as he was about to walk in and call out for Hunter there.

Poking his head around the door Steve's heart sunk as he spotted Tony sitting at the table with a pizza in front of him, he was dressed in old jeans and a black wife beater, oil-smeared over his face, arms and back, and his hair was sticking up adorably, all of which Steve had learned meant he had been on a design binge.

The reason his heart sunk however was the sight of a ginger cat with one eye, scrawny and still a little patchy sitting on the table in front of Tony batting at his hand and mewling demandingly for the pizza.

"No! I am not exactly sure where you came from, or how you got in here, but you wait your turn," Tony scolded before taking a big bite of the pizza. Steve watched feeling a little bemused as once Tony finished chewing he picked up a bit of meat from a pile he had made and handed it to Hunter.

"He's mine," Steve said softly in answer to Tony's question, stepping fully into the kitchen causing the genius to start and turn to blink big brown eyes at him. Hunter took the chance to shoot a paw forward and snatch another piece of meat.

"That is cheating!" Tony scolded the cat who licked his paw uncaringly. "What do you mean he's yours? How did he escape on his first day here?"

"I...I have had him for two months, I wasn't sure how you would feel about a pet in the Tower but I found him starving down the street and I couldn't just leave him there," Steve said quickly.

Tony blinked at him another couple of times before sighing and holding out the pizza box. Steve crept over feeling a little sheepish, taking a slice and sitting beside Tony.

"Why didn't you just say something?"

"He's the first thing that I have had that I really chose since coming to this time. Though to be fair I think I am more his," Steve snorted as Hunter crept forward and started batting at his hand demandingly, his eyes on Steve's slice of pizza.

"Ok, I get that, but why not just say you had him?" Tony asked still looking confused.

"I didn't want to risk you saying I couldn't keep him," Steve admitted reaching out to pet Hunter who preened under his attention.

"Steve...this is our home, the Avengers home. If you wanted 100 cats then you could move them in as long as you change the litter trays, though I would prefer you keep it to something more realistic like 10. I mean, things like pets should probably be discussed to make sure no one is allergic, but it is discussed and decided between the six of us, not just me," Tony shrugged.

"Oh, right," Steve hunched his shoulders a little feeding Hunter some meat from his pizza.

"Have you taken him to the vet?" Tony asked.

"The vet...no?" Steve found his answer coming out more like a question.

"He's handsome, but he should probably have a little more meat on his bones, and his fur probably shouldn't be so patchy. He probably needs things like flea treatment and worming," Tony thought out loud tilting his head to check the cat out. "JARVIS? Find the best vet in the city and book an appointment for Steve for tomorrow please,"

"Done Sir," JARVIS answered. "The information has been sent to your phone Captain Rodgers,"

"Oh...thank you," Steve blinked.

"Also shop for some cat essentials and get them sent here tomorrow please JARVIS. I could build him a cat tree if you wanted?" Tony rubbed his chin.

"Cat...tree?" Steve frowned feeling completely lost now.

"It's a climbing tower for them, various platforms and hammocks things like that. It will be fun to build," Tony grinned grabbing and pen and in seconds had what Steve was sure had to be the most elaborately designed cat tree ever designed.

"Wow, he will love that, I am always fishing him off the wardrobe and cupboards," Steve grinned looking at the design.

"I can have it built by tomorrow night for him...unless you don't want me to, he's your cat, if I am interfering too much just tell me, I know I tend to steamroll through things and…"

"That would be really kind of you Tony, thank you, and I appreciate your help, there are things I don't think about doing that are probably normal, like taking him to the vets. Vets in my time were for your working animals and things like that, only the really rich could afford to have their pets checked out. If your pet got sick in my time, there wasn't really much you could do for them," Steve grimaced. "I am more than sure he will enjoy having more space to roam around, and more people to fuss him,"

"I never had a pet, I wasn't allowed one, it is why I built DUMMY and U, they were the closest I got," Tony held out another bit of meat to Hunter.

"You weren't allowed one?" Steve frowned a little at the phrasing.

"Howard said that it wasn't good for me to make attachments to animals and things like that, it was a distraction only," Tony shrugged as he scritched Hunter's chest. He huffed out a laugh when Hunter flopped dramatically onto his side and rolled a little, pointedly exposing his stomach for Tony's fingers. "Anna had a cat though,"

"Anna?" Steve asked, eager to learn more about Tony and his past. Hunter seemed to have relaxed Tony in a way he hadn't been with Steve before, there was always something between them, an edge that Steve blamed on the things that had been said on the Helicarrier and didn't know how to undo.

"She was Jarvis' wife," Tony smiled softly, intimately.

"Your AI?" Steve blinked confused managing to get Tony's attention back onto him from Hunter.

"JARVIS is a mixture of Edwin and Anna Jarvis. Jarvis was Howard's butler, but you must have known Jarvis, he and Howard met during the war," Tony frowned a little at him confusedly.

"Howard and I were friends but we weren't that close," Steve said before hurriedly carrying on when Tony made an odd noise, "but I did think of him as a friend!"

"No...it's just, he always made out as though you were best friends, I thought you were comparing me to him this whole time," Tony chuckled weakly into his hands.

"Well I mean Howard was impressive with his work, but you're so much more than he was, look at all this," Steve waved his hand around, open awe on his face. "And you are confident and sure of yourself, but Howard I found to be really quite arrogant, sorry," Steve grimaced when he realised that Tony was gawping at him.

"You realise he was my dad right," Steve grimaced deeper at Tony's words and opened his mouth to apologise. "Arrogant is putting it politely,"

"Can I ask…" Steve started to say before biting his lip unsurely.

"What is it?" Tony asked curiously, reaching out to rub Hunter's belly again as the cat mewed unhappily at being ignored.

"Is that why there is always something between us?"

"I...I didn't have the best childhood, to be honest, Howard wasn't the most loving or caring of father's. I am fairly sure that the main reason he had me was simply to have an heir to his empire. I was such a big fan of yours growing up like most kids my age were, you were a real-life superhero, and one that my dad knew and had helped. He used you as a weapon, constantly telling me how you would be disappointed in me if you knew me, or that you wouldn't like me. I ended up resenting you and the relationship you had with Howard. Part of me thought that maybe he was right when we met and had that fight and…" Tony scrubbed his hand down his face, his cheeks suddenly burning red. "Shit I'm sorry I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you,"

"I want to understand you better Tony, I want to know this about you, especially when it concerns me as well. Tony, you're a good man, you're a better man than Howard that is for sure, I wouldn't want to call anyone else a colleague and be on a team with. I learned that Howard knew how to hurt people best to control them, I am sorry that he did that with you," Steve frowned.

"Nothing like a late night and a cat to help work through some demons," Tony laughed awkwardly.

"A cat that is currently eating all the meat off the pizza while we're distracted," Steve snorted scowling at his cat who just carried on chomping away happily, starting to purr like the cheeky bugger he was.

"Ah, he could you the extra meat," Tony shrugged. "I should head to bed, I have a meeting in the morning, don't forget about that vet trip," He yawned.

"I won't, thank you, Tony," Steve wasn't sure where his courage came from to do it, but he found himself reaching out to wrap his arms around Tony and hugged him. He felt as amazing as Steve had imagined he would in his arms, smaller and leaner, he felt like he fitted there perfectly.

And he was delighted to see that there was a bright blush on Tony's face when they stepped back.

Tony started a little from where he had started falling asleep in the meeting when his phone vibrated against his leg. Sliding the phone out as sneakily as he could without Pepper seeing him, he glanced down and felt a little concerned when he saw that Steve had text him.

If it was something Avengers concerned he would have called him, he hadn't text him before. With the hug from the night before flashing through his mind, he opened the message and blinked when he was met with a photo of a ginger cat's back, one that looked very annoyed. Scrolling down he had to fight hard to hide his laughter at Steve's short message. *All ok, but he had to have injections*

"Sir is requesting you come to his floor please Captain Rogers. He says and I quote 'this is all your fault so you can come and help me with this' and then 'no one is dying or hurt so don't have a heart attack old man, but get here quick.' If you could make your way to him please Captain?" JARVIS said primly interrupting Steve from his drawing.

Confused as to what could be going on he quickly put his pencils down and hurried to the elevator, JARIVS taking him to the penthouse quickly.

He was baffled when the moment he stepped out onto Tony's floor and opened his mouth to call for him he heard a small yap. Closing his mouth he hurried forward and was greeted by the sight of Tony sitting in the middle of his living room floor, holding a tiny puppy, with four others clambering around him, including the one who was fighting with his shoelaces, growling in what it probably thought was a fierce way.

"What on the…" Steve managed to get Tony's attention.

"This is your fault!" Tony glared at him.

"Really? How?" Steve fought not to smile as he carefully made his was around the sofa and picked up the puppy trying the destroy Tony's shoe, the puppy being quite happy to gnaw on Steve's thumb instead.

"We were going passed some kids about to throw them into the river. Instead of dropping them off at the pound, I brought them back here some reason, I know nothing about dogs or puppies Steve! And what will Hunter think?!"

Steve hid his smile against the puppy's fur, Tony had become amazingly attached to Hunter since that night five weeks ago, and through Hunter, Steve had been able to get closer and closer to Tony. And he was not above using his cat to get to spend time with the man he was interested in.

"I'm fairly sure he is fine with it," Steve snorted nodding to where Hunter had made his way into the room and was staring fascinated at one of the puppies who was wiggling its bum and bouncing slightly as it took Hunter in.

"What am I going to do with 5 puppies, Steve!" Tony blinked at the little bodies wiggling around.

"We could always take them to the animal rescue for them to be adopted," Steve suggested as he sat down on the floor next to Tony.

"But…" Tony started to say and Steve turned to see him frowning down at the tiniest puppy. "But what if they don't go to good homes? What if they don't get adopted and get put down?"

"It sounds like you want to keep them," Steve grinned.

"I...might do," Tony looked down.

"I could help you, get them settled in and training them, looking after them," Steve suggested.

"You would?" Tony asked, brightening a little.

"You have helped me with Hunter, and it is hardly a hard thing to spend time with you, and a bunch of cute puppies," Steve smiled when Tony turned wide-eyed to him, a pretty blush dusting his tanned cheeks.

"They are cute puppies," He muttered. Steve allowed him the slight retreat, knowing that he had been working his way into the genius' heart but more importantly his trust.

"I'm not even sure what breed they are, I think they're mutts," Steve lifted the puppy in his hands up to look closer at it, chuckling when it licked his nose and started wiggling excitedly to try and nip it. "JARVIS, could you make appointments for them please at the vets, we should probably get them checked out,"

"Yeah, and get a list of things that they will need, I have food being dropped off for them, Happy is out getting it now," Tony grinned when Hunter hopped onto the armchair looking highly affronted after one of the puppies tried to lick him, the puppy trying desperately to jump onto the chair after him, yipping excitedly. The ginger cat huffed and curled up with the utmost dignity onto the chair, staring down in disdain.

"Well it seems that we have 3 boys and two girls on our hands," Steve said after a quick check.

"I guess we need to start thinking about names for them," Tony smiled a little, laughing when one of the puppies fell over its own feet.

"What the…" Fury blinked down at his feet as he was pounced on by five giant fluffy puppies.

"Ariel, Aurora, Philip, Eric, Flynn heel!" Tony commanded and the fluffy puppies stampeded over to him, falling over each other as they hurried over.

"What the heck are they?" Fury frowned at them.

"They're puppies! What do you think they are," Tony huffed. "Steve!"

"They're bloody monsters!" Fury eyed the five writhing bodies as Steve hurried into the room.

"Behave!" Steve said firmly and the puppies all calmed down.

"They always listen to you," Tony pouted.

"Because I am firm with them, you spoil them," Steve laughed.

"What the hell breed are they, they're massive!" Fury stared at them with mild horror.

"We think they're a mix between a great dane and a st bernard," Tony shrugged.

"We were tricked into thinking they were small and cute," Steve snorted scratching behind the ears of one of the puppies.

"Why are they here?" Fury scrunched his nose.

"Steve and Tony are dog and cat dads," Natasha said strolling into the room.

"There is a cat as well, what the hell is going on around here?" Fury frowned. "I thought you were learning to be a team living here,"

"We are, and a family," Tony said confused looking to Steve.

"He wanted us to be a good team, but not too close because that could risk him losing control of us. He thought we would chase against each other enough to stop us bonding," Natasha grinned.

"And here you are adopting bloody dogs," Fury huffed not really looking that put out.

"And a cat," Steve shrugged.

"Oh...oh!" Fury looked between Tony and Steve before looking to Natasha who just nodded.

"Are you really surprised?" Natasha asked.

"Not really," Fury rolled his eyes. "I only came to get you for our monthly lunch, come on, I have been traumatised enough,"

"Coming," Natasha grabbed her bag and hurried over.

"You have a monthly lunch?" Steve blinked.

"I lost a bet," Fury waved him off before stomping towards the helipad muttering to himself.

"He still has four more years of paying for my lunch," Natasha smirked before hurrying after him.

"What was all that about?" Tony asked confused as their pack meandered to the windows to watch the quinjet taking off, smearing their nose art all over the window yet again.

"Fury was realising that I am falling in love with you," Steve said simply.

"Oh, he was a bit funny about it really and...wait what?" Tony turned big brown eyes onto him, they widened as what Steve had said really sank in.

"He realised that I am falling in love with you," Steve smiled gently reaching out to brush chocolate brown locks from Tony's forehead. "And I hope that you feel the same way?"

"I thought...I wasn't sure that you felt the same," He breathed out, watching relief and happiness flare in Steve's blue eyes.

"I have been for a while, getting to spend time with you through the animals allowed me to get to know you properly, and I could not help but fall in love with you," Steve dared to cup Tony's face, breathing out a sigh of relief when Tony tilted his face into his hand.

"I hoped when you agreed to help me look after them that we would get closer," Tony admitted stepping into Steve's body and looked up at the super solider, confidence flaring through him now that he knew he was not risking the friendship that they had formed.

"Well, we do have children now, we can't let them down," Steve grinned.

"The six of them would be very upset were we not to stay together," Tony nodded, fighting to keep from laughing.

Tony biting his bottom lip to hold in his laughter was too much for Steve, and he leant down to capture that lip, wrapping his arms around Tony's waist and pulling him as close as he could as he finally got to kiss the amazing man that he had been falling in love with since they had run off the get the engine of the helicarrier going again, finally getting to see Tony and not the front that he put up, all of their moments from then leading to this moment, standing in a home that Steve had been sure he would never have again, a home that held their family, Natasha, Bruce and Clint, and their furbabies.

"Woof!" They laughed against each other's mouths at in the indignant bark, the sound now familiar when one of their dogs thought that they were being ignored. Turning they found all five of them staring at them, Hunter curled up on Aurora's back where she was laying on the floor - the laziest of their dogs - kneading her back as he cheerfully ignored everything that was going on around them.

"I guess it is time for a walk hey guys?" Tony sighed. All of them perked up except for Aurora who huffed loudly. "How would you feel about going out for supper tonight? We can get Bruce to babysit," Tony asked nervously.

"Nowhere fancy?" Steve asked nervously.

"I was thinking that little dinner we like,"

"That sounds perfect, my fella and our favourite place to go together," Steve smiled happily.

"Your fella huh?" Tony smiled pulling Steve in for another kiss.

"Yeah, my fella, and I'm yours," Steve said softly against Tony's lips.

"I ugh!" Tony turned to glare at Eric who had jumped up on him and nearly sent him flying off his feet if Steve's arms hadn't held onto him. "Eric!"

"Woof!"

"Don't answer me back!"

"Woof!"

"No!"

"Woof!"

"You're spoilt!" Toyn scolded.

"I wonder whose fault that is," Steve teased moving to grab the leads before they were overrun by their demanding dogs.

"It isn't my fault!" Steve laughed at Tony's protests.

He always insisted that he didn't spoil the dogs and Hunter, but he could not help himself, he doted on their animals, and Steve loved seeing how sweet and loving he was with them.

"What are you grinning about?!" Tony grumbled as he battled Flynn into his harness.

"I'm just happy," Steve finished fighting Ariel into her harness and stole another quick kiss.

"I am too," Tony sighed, smiling openly and lovingly at him.

Whatever happened, with their family around them, makeshift and hodgepodge though they were, they would be happy. With each other, they would be happy.