CH 10:

Licorice survived.

It was on and off to stabilize her that first night, but Rhodey got her to the emergency vet just in time not to bite the dust. Tony had later found out that Stane had busted not only her front leg, but also the right parts of her ribcage and fractured her skull. The lung on her right side had also been punctured by her ribs when they had fractured. The docs had to stitch up her lug and side, removing the four ribs that had been fractured beyond repair. Her fractured skull was even more intense.

Due to swelling and the severity of the fracture, a part of her skull had been removed.

There were three surgeries in just as many days, one was to install a metal plate over her skull where the bone had been removed. They had to wait until the swelling went down first, and she had been restrained the whole time to prevent her from accidentally bashing her unprotected brain bit on anything. Tony's whole body ached as he watched her through the glass of the medical kennel.

The second one was to fix her leg. It had been shattered upon impact and the bits were wrecking her muscles. The doctors had suggested amputation, but Tony had thrown enough money at the clinic that they went with reconstruction. It took a lot of metal plates and screws, but in the end they were able to get it back in shape and set it in a heavy cast.

The words "I am Iron Man" sat heavily on his chest; the whirlwind of media conferences and police statements, doctors visits and vet appointments was tiring Tony out. He felt like a rung out rag that had been twisted into impossible knots, squeezed for every last drop he had to give. But in the end it was satisfying to see Stane led away in cuffs, the orange jump suit clashing horribly with the man's complexion.

He had reviewed the footage of the Houdini arc reactor, going frame by frame, pouring over sensors and readings to see what had been happening in the moments leading up to it. There was nothing in the tapes, his chest was an empty cavity in one frame, and then glowingly full in the next. Jarvis's systems were unable to detect anything other than a significant spike in energy beforehand, originating from Tony's position.

It was a mystery that itches to be solved, a thousand and one theories danced in his head. Temporal displacement? Mass expansion? A fucking wormhole? He didn't know and it was killing him.

There was also the problem of the two arc reactors that Stane had stolen. The reactor in the suit had been recovered, but the spare had disappeared. Tony had Jarvis spare a whole processor just in search for the wayward reactor, but nothing had come of it yet.

Another thing was Nick Fury, Director of SHEILD. Who, apparently, never heard of calling ahead. Disabling Jarvis was a dick move and Tony was no small amount of pissed, Fury's invitation to his superhero group did nothing to quell that.

Corvin hated everything.

But mostly Stane, and his big ass, meaty hands. Musty ass hands, bitch-ass musty crusty limped-dick-

A knock on her kennel door interrupted her internal cursing.

Corvin had been in this kennel for almost four weeks now, the first half had been a haze of images and being drugged to the gills with the best pain meds money could buy. She was hardly conscious for most of it, only really coming out of it about a week ago when they began to lower the dosage.

Her whole body felt like lead, heavy and unwilling to move an inch without maximum effort. She was wearing a helmet of some sort, one that reminded her of those ones that wrestlers wore during matches. Corvin wondered, not for the first time, just what her injuries were. From the cast and helmet she guessed a broken leg and concussion at least, but from the worried looks she glimpsed from when Tony visited…

Tony looked like shit, by the way. All the bruises and cuts from Afghanistan that had just begun to finally fade away were now replaced with a smattering of heavy welts and gashes. His face looked like someone had smashed pomegranate juice all over one side and the eye on that side was completely red where the white was. His hands also looked like shit, purpled scabbed open along the knuckles where he no doubt smashed the shit outta Stane.

Corvin wished she could be out of the glass kennel so she could comfort him, make sure he was eating and sleeping at the right times and more. She had taken her caring of him seriously, embracing the roll to its full and it sucked not being able to do it.

She was spared from further boredom when Tony came in with the doc. The kennel was opened and she was pulled gently out and placed on the examination table.

The two talked over her, the doc explaining to Tony the medication she needed, what care to give, and her next appointment. She felt her human's fingers gently scratching through the fur along her back, in a gesture more self soothing for the man than anything. When all was said and done, she was finally packed up into the back of Tony's car and drove back to the Malibu home.

Recovery was rough. Tony was diligent in her care and medication, but even then the pain was always there. Her head hurt all the time, and Tony only took off the helmet when he bathed her.

Her saving grace from eternal boredom was that Tony kept her glued to his side. Wherever he went, he carried her with him, her riding in a softly padded basket that Pepper had brought over the first day. He kept a running commentary, babbling to her about everything and anything. A common topic was the appearing arc reactor and his meager findings on it. It was a source of unending frustration for the man. Corvin was also very curious about it, but was far more accepting of the magical appearance than her companion, well aware of the fuckery in the Marvel Universe. She figured Tony would work it out and she'd learn that way, at the moment, her head hurt too damn much for deep thinking.

Months passed, she got better. She found out about the plate in her skull and her legs, which fucking sucked. She also started physical therapy. A specialist came to the house every day as soon as she was healed up more and put her through several exercises to regain movement in her front legs. Her motor skills were shot to shit, thanks to her head injury, but she was making progress.

To help, Tony had built her a little suspension machine that let her walk around. The device looked like a four sided walker, with wheels on the bottom. She was held in the center, suspended in a harness that held most of her weight off her legs. It wasn't the most mobile of devices, but it let her roll around the workshop when she felt the need to move. It was also very fun to nyoom around the workshop at top speeds. Tony would watch her as she did, highly entertained as she slid back and forth. He even added bumpers to the device for when she inevitably crashed into shit going too fast. On one of the more memorable moments, Tony had taken her to a small kiddie race track and let her roll around it. He had also dragged Rhodey with, and the two had acted like children as they played chicken with their carts. At one point, the three raced each other around the track, Tokyo Drift blaring over the park's loudspeaker. The video JARVIS took was hilarious and had the two men in hysterical tears when spliced cinematically together.

It was near the 6 month mark that Corvin was deemed "all better" but Tony was instructed to keep her on antibiotics for a bit longer to be safe. Her head and legs ached in the cold, but in all she was moving and grooving.

Corvin was happy to be better, and was ready to get outside again.

Tony, the man, the myth, the legend he is, had upgraded her cat tree while she was away.

There were elevators.

You know someone is a Rich Bitch when even their cat has personal elevators.

The elevators were small platforms that raised and lowered from certain highpoints in each room and blended seamlessly to the floor when not in use. Just big enough for her to sit on, there were two little buttons on it that directed it up and down. Tony and Happy had spent an evening "training" her how to use it with snacks and it had been a very good time.

Tony had apparently revealed he was Iron Man to the world, without her, which was Rude TM. But this did result in a lot of running around to meetings and hearings. Tony fought an uphill battle against the government to retain his rights to the suit. But the man was a certified badass and handed them their asses on a pretty gold plater while smiling even prettier. He ran circles around people, showing off his skills and reminding people just why he was dubbed a genius.

He was also running around, fighting bad guys and destroying his black-marketed weapons. Iron Man was becoming the world's next superhero and Tony had already nabbed up the rights to it, pouring all the royalties he got from the merch anonymously into charities to help rebuild the towns and lives of the people Stane's underdeals had hurt. Corvin thought it was quite an amazing and noble thing for him to do.

Once fully on her feet, Corvin was not idle. She ran around like her tail caught fire; regaining her clout in Malibu as the Zuma Beach cat, now with a fancy collar and coat, adding to her collection of shiny things like a crazed magpie, and taking care of her Tony.

Like she was now. Standing in the kitchen, she waltzed into the giant pantry to find the packaged trail mix. She had to climb up a few shelves to where the grocer had placed the box, and, in the spirit of cats everywhere, she gleefully pushed it to the floor with her paw.

Jumping down, she tore into the thin cardboard box with her teeth until there was a hole big enough for her to drag out a package of trail mix. Booting the box to the lower shelf with her back foot, Corvin exited the pantry and made her way to Tony using her fancy new elevator system.

He was in the workshop, fingers flying over holograms and spinning codes that hung in the air. He had a look in his eye that she easily recognized as hyper fixation so she went over to her cat tree and settled in, content to wait until he reached a lull to interrupt.

The lull came only an hour later after Tony seemed to finish a project and send it off. Jumping back down and heading to the workbench, Corvin chirped prettily to get his attention.

"Baby girl! There you are!" he cooed, leaning down to give her a smattering of kisses along her face. "Oh, this for me?" he pulled back, grabbing the package of trail mix. She meowed in positive, pulling one leg up to push at the hand that held the food. "You take such good care of me, kit kat, what would I do without you?"

'Starve and die,' she thought humorously. The feline made sure he ate every piece of trail mix and some water before leaving him be, going to relax on her cat tree.

She had been thinking more and more lately, grinding the gears in her mind until smoke poured out of her ears. She wanted to communicate with Tony, even in the most basic of ways, she needed that interaction.

The cat part of her was geared one way, social but it wasn't a requirement for upkeep. She could go days without interaction and it would be fine. The human part of her brain was the opposite; she craved conversation and companionship. Tony was helping a lot, how he spoke to her like he knew she was sentient; she could pretend for a while that she was having a real conversation with him. But that fantasy was always broken one way or another by something he said so it wasn't a good, long term idea.

She needed to communicate, even the most basic of back and forth would be wonderful. But how?

An idea stuck with her, but she had no idea how to get it to work. Back in her old life, she had seen this dog use big buttons that said a single word when pressed. The dog could ask to go outside or said they loved their human and more. She thought that was a pretty banging idea, but how the hell was she going to be able to get Tony to that idea as well?

Corvin huffed and put the thought on the backburner for now. Hopefully an opportunity would arrive soon.

Pepper came into the workshop an hour later, a plastic bag in one hand, a digital pad in the other. Tony was elbow deep into the newest armor, tweaking something or another that had him hissing numbers to himself. He looked up when she came in, putting his tools down as she set the bag on the counter next to him.

"Happy dropped this off, said you asked for it." Pepper stated. Tony made grabby hands at the bag before she pushed it towards him. Like a child opening a gift, he tore into the bag, pulling out a few items. Corvin couldn't see from where she was sitting in her little cat tree.

She didn't, however, have to wonder for long, as Tony picked up whatever items were in the bag and came over to her.

In his hands, Tony held what looked like a spray and a brush. The brush was purple, with fine teeth like one would see on those combs people used to prep wool to make yarn.

"Hey baby girl, I got some things here for you." Tony cooed as he moved next to her. "I noticed a while back you don't like to clean yourself like cats do, so I got these to help." He held out the comb and spray.

"This is a cat shampoo that I'll spritz on your fur and then comb it through. I know you don't mind water, but you shouldn't be soaking every day or you might catch a little kitty cold." Corvin's heart melted at the man's explanation. Leave it to Tony to find and care for her in ways she'd never thought or expected.

"This will also be good in case your scars get irritated, I know that one on your head bothers you still." Shit, it did, and he noticed it. A heavy, happy purr started low in her throat. "Let's try it out and see if you like it, the vet said this brand was hypoallergenic so it shouldn't irritate your skin."

Tony began to spray and comb through her fur lightly, getting every inch of her. It was… amazing. It felt so nice, and the act of grooming made some deep instinct inside of her sit up and cling to the man who was becoming her family. Tears came to her eyes at the overwhelming feelings inside of her, her affection for Tony sky high and climbing. He was giving up precious time on his Iron Man suits to care and tend to her.

She loved him. Truly and utterly loved Tony McFucking Stark.

Tears came fully now as she was overwhelmed by the realization. Tony cooed and kissed her face, making many little kissy noises as he pressed his lips to her furry head. His lips touched the small bald patch there where her scars were.

Corvin had never had someone care for her so much, and care so much in return. She felt blessed by the feeling, the love consuming her like a fire under her skin. She pressed her face into his kisses, soaking up his affection like a flower to the sun.

Tony eventually did have to go back to his work, taking up the digital pad Pepper had left and leafing through it. He complained loudly about all the paperwork he had to sort through, most of it relating to the Stark Expo that was happening in two months' time. The year long Expo that was taking place in Flushing, New York. Most of the exhibits had been set up already, leaving room for testing and fine tuning. Tony was, obviously, planning on making a big entrance. He was thinking fireworks and backup dancers, all nicely tied together with some ACDC roaring in the background.

He handed over the paperwork to Jarvis, letting his AI sort through them and place them into piles according to importance. He carved his way through the items Jarvis flagged, sending out emails with a flick of his wrists.

Corvin watched him work, feeling rather miffed that the movies portrayed Tony so poorly. He was shown as a lazy asshole, who pushed off projects and paperwork, who dumped everything on a haggled Pepper and then took off to do something smarmy. But in actuality, Tony was very dedicated to his company. He had time sectioned off every day for work dedicated to Stark Industries, she could see the little highlights on his digital calendar. In those times, he would dive into the innermost workings of his company, reaching his fingers across the board to collaborate with managers and heads of departments, making time for even the greenest of scientists if he caught a whiff of true dedication. He was a wonder to watch.

Corvin made sure to break him out of the groove if he stayed under for too long, bringing him snacks and getting Dumm-e or U to bring him water bottles or vitamin shakes. Sometimes she'd bat over one of her toys and make him play with her for a few minutes, purring loudly at all the scratches he'd give her as they messed around.

Two months later, the Expo was in full swing. Tony made his huge entrance, and the crowds went feral, practically foaming at the mouth.

Corvin was obviously there as well, sitting back stage and waiting for him to finish his speech. She contemplated going out there and stealing the show, but didn't feel like making the effort. Tony would come back and grab her soon enough and she'd be paraded around by the proud man.

Currently, she sat with Happy just behind the curtain. She had on a golden collar with red gems, this time in little circle patterns. A small, cream colored bonnet was tied around her head, acting as both fashion and ear muffs to guard against the ear piercings screeches of the crowds. She also had on her service vest, the one that told people not to touch her. Thankfully, no one had tried to yet, Happy's presence more than likely scaring them off.

When Tony finally came back, flouncing in and high on endorphins, he quickly picked her up and pressed smooshy kisses to her face. Corvin sniffed, smelling the strong scent of fireworks and his personalized cologne. He had one custom made a while ago after he noticed how she'd avoid getting in his space when he'd wear his old stuff. Normally, human cologne was strong and repugnant to her feline sense of smell, which put her off. Tony had this one tailored with only natural oils, ones that didn't hurt her little kitty nose.

Corvin quickly curled herself around Tony's shoulders, her nails digging into the reinforce shoulder pads made specifically for her clinging. They made their way to the doors, Tony often stopping to sign autographs and shake hands with important people. A few people tried to pet her, but Tony dodged out of the way like a fucking ninja whenever he saw their hands in his peripheral. A good number had asked for pictures, to which both man and cat posed pretty for. Tony had, in foresight, placed little sunglasses on her face before they had left the backstage area; camera flashes hurt her eyes, especially after her head wound.

Happy ushered them through the crowds and towards the exit, Tony tossing a few slips of paper that had been snuck into his pockets into the trash next to the door. Corvin approved of his choice, not taking the bait and calling those numbers. She had high hopes for him and Pepper and, apparently, so did he.

He didn't give Pepper his company, and he was in better health than ever. His panic attacks were few and far between nowadays. The new arc reactor wasn't poisoning him like it had in the original timeline, so Tony wasn't looking haggled or pale. If anything, the man was putting on some weight, which Corvin fucking loved. She kneaded his stomach when she sat with him, enjoying the small bit of softness. It was proof to her that he was healthy and well-fed, two things he sure as shit weren't in the OG timeline.

Tony spoke to Corvin often, telling her about his thoughts and fears, his past and what he hoped for the future. She was quick to shut down any self-deprecating statements, which was far more often than she'd like. Whenever he'd start in on it, putting himself down, Corvin would give him a little bat on the head or a nip on the finger. Tony was a smart dude, and quickly learned what she was doing. She also tried to encourage self-love by giving him little kitty kisses when he'd say something good about himself. She believed strongly that the road to true self love began with saying it, even if you don't believe it. Condition the brain with good rather than bad. It seemed to be working in small ways, each baby step making Corvin happy and proud of Tony. She was determined to see him happy.

The trio went to the car, to see a woman standing there. Tony put on the charm, flirting with her as he slid into the driver's seat. Corvin hopped into Happy's lap as he got into the passenger seat.

The charm quickly turned sour as the woman revealed her true reason for being there: a subpoena from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Corvin hissed a bit to herself, recognizing what was happening. She wasn't the most knowledgeable with the Iron Man timeline, but she remembered the hearing, and what was coming after.

Vanko, shit. How was she going to deal with him?

OMAKE:

"Hey boss?" Happy prodded from where he stood. The two men were in the living area, having just got back from a checkup at the vet's office.

"Yeah, Hap?" Tony hummed, placing the cat carrier down on the table. Licorice was already out, waltzing around like the diva she was.

"The State of California only allows dogs as service animals, how did you get Licorice licenced?" the bodyguard asked.

"Ah, yee man of little faith," Tony clicked his tongue behind his teeth. "I was able to get her approved as an 'extenuating circumstance' and I'm working on getting cats approved as service animals across the board as well."

"How'd you do that?"

"Oh I had a little help from a close, personal friend of mine." Tony grinned as Happy raised and eyebrow high. "His name is Benjamin Franklin."

The genius laughed out loud as Happy rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

AN) Time for a Vote!
ive been reading all the comments and a LOT of plp want her to be Flerken, i wasn't going to but i CAN make this story work pretty well with her being one, so ima take a vote. I wont tell the results.
just add to your comment "yes Flerken" or "Do what u want"

Also if u like Lord of the Rings, i have a Corvin story starting in that universe called "Flocking Together" :D