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This room was charged. The electricity here, literal and figurative, had the fur on his scruff standing on end. He raised his nose to sniff the air. His tail swept low over the floor, slow and careful. The other sleeping quarters he'd checked tonight had been proper dens, dark and quiet, their inhabitants wrapped beneath nests of warm furs, or curled around each other. It was enough for him to leave satisfied, because even if his pack wasn't all together, they were comfortable and safe.
Here, the light blinded his eyes, and his ears pricked high and alert as he scoped the room in search of what he came looking for.
At the table, the man slept slumped over, face buried in his arms folded atop the surface. Just seeing it made one's fur itch. That wouldn't do. He had to properly care of what was his. He padded around the room, stubbornly picking past the overwhelming scents, until he found what he was looking for behind a corner cabinet. He dragged several furs onto the floor, shaking them out and sneezing at the small cloud of dust that created.
He soon discovered he wasn't long enough to drape the furs over the man. He paced back and forth, a whine threatening to escape his throat. Finally, he arranged the furs in a pile the best he could before rising up, holding his paws steady on the edge of the counter. He gently tugged at the back of the man's neck to ease him off his stool, settling him atop the furs and tucking them carefully in around him.
He sat on his haunches, satisfied at his work. Here, it was easier to keep watch. He leaned forward to rest his snout on his paws, staring intently at the man whose breath deepened as he nuzzled deeper into his covers. Warm contentment sank into his fur, like sunlight before a nap.
Even in the middle of this sterile room, with its bright lights and unnatural smells, their nest felt like it belonged to the coziest den. Home. He wiggled closer, the easier to bury his snout in the man's neck, panting softly, tongue darting out to catch on the rough bristles of the man's fur covering his chin. He curled his body, the easier to nestle next to his mate. That idea made his tail thump uncontrollably against the floor.
There was a soft groan as the man shifted beneath him.
He tugged away, darting backwards into the shadows of the bare room, seized with a sense of impending danger.
By the time the man's eyes opened, blearily blinking at the ceiling, the lab was empty.
“Good morning.”
“Jesus!” Tony jumped. The coffee he was pouring missed the mug, sending hot coffee to splash over the counter.
“Hey! You okay there? Did anything get on you? Let me help you clean that up.”
Tony took a step back, turning. The daylight shining through the mansion's kitchen windows illuminated Steve's profile, making him glow. Tony had lived like this for years, but there was still times like this when Tony could watch Steve safely, wiping at a spill in their shared kitchen with loose-fitting clothes and mussed hair. It was these moments that'd catch Tony off-guard.
The moment broke when Steve finished, turned toward Tony, and leaned in. Tony froze, transfixed in place by intense, blue eyes, as Steve...sniffed at him.
They both jumped back like springs. From the panic in Steve's expression, it was due time to mutually agree on pretending that never happened.
“You didn't go out for a run today?” Tony asked, gesturing at Steve's clothes.
Steve shook his head. “Not today. I went for a run last night, instead.”
“Really.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason you want to be out of here at night?” If Steve had noticed, too, that would go a long way in making Tony feel better.
“Not...particularly, no.” Steve's voice was careful, and Tony had to pounce on that.
“No? Nothing strange at all?”
Steve's smile was pinched. “That obvious?”
“Well, it is when you're trying to hide it from me.”
That won him a laugh from Steve. “Of course you'd notice. It's nothing important. I'm not getting much sleep.”
“Oh.” Tony couldn't tamp down on the disappointment. He shouldn't be like that, if it was bad enough for Steve to be skipping out on his daily routine. “Nightmares? Do you want to talk about it?”
“Ah, they're not nightmares!” Steve avoided eye contact. “They're...hard to explain.” Steve didn't usually shut the door on topics like that. Tony wasn't convinced, but he didn't want to needle Steve further until he was ready.
“These must be really out there, considering our lives,” said Tony. “Us insomniacs could keep each other company, at least.”
“You're not sleeping because you spend too much time in your lab.”
Tony rose his hands in surrender. “Hey, I won't deny it. I'd love to sleep, too! It's just that—”
“What?” Steve narrowed his eyes; Tony had his full attention now. “What is it?”
“You'll think it's stupid. I think it's stupid.”
“You're one of the smartest men on the planet. Try me,” Steve said. He rested his hand on Tony's shoulder, running the inside of his finger along Tony's neck. Tony shivered, and he caught a flash of satisfaction flitting over Steve's face.
“I think the mansion might be haunted,” Tony blurted.
To his credit, Steve didn't laugh at him. “What makes you think that?” he said carefully.
“Or, maybe not haunted. But something's off. This isn't some unmaintained, old mansion that creaks at night. I shouldn't be hearing noises at night, when I'm working. Even if I was, I could live with that!” Tony threw his hands up. “But what I can't explain away is how my things are going missing.”
Steve frowned. “What sort of things? If tech you've made has been going missing...”
“That's the thing. If it's anything like that, it'd be something to bring up with the Avengers.” Tony fought the urge to fidget. “It's mostly clothes.”
Steve didn't meet his eyes. “Your...er, clothes are disappearing?”
“Not the expensive stuff, either. It's the ratty t-shirts and undershirts, or sweatpants that I've had for years. But there's a reason I keep those around! They're more comfortable to work in.”
Steve leaned back against the counter. “And how long has this been going on?”
“A week. No, make it two weeks. At first, I thought I was just being forgetful, but it's more than coincidence at this point.”
“Maybe it's because of DNA samples on your clothing?”
“Of me? Who'd bother cloning me, when you live here, too?”
Steve looked at him oddly. “You're a genius with a mind for science and for business. Why not you?”
“I mean, who wouldn't want their clone babies to have a penchant for alcoholism and emotional disregulation?”
Steve's eyes sharpened. “Don't say that about yourself, Tony. How long has this been going on?”
“There are far easier ways to get a swab of my DNA.” Tony ran his hand over his face. “Wanda's double-checked the wards for intruders around the mansion, and there's been nothing strange on the security footage on the cameras outside. Whatever it is, if it exists, it's coming from the inside.” And if he was a betting man, he wouldn't bet on any of their team members. That's what was scaring Tony. It was embarrassing. He was an Avenger, for crying out loud.
“If that's the case, why don't I stay with you tonight?”
Tony spluttered. “You want to, what?”
“If neither of us are sleeping, I don't see why it's a bad idea.” The more Steve spoke, the more determined he'd decided he was. “Anything that's on your mind is on the Avengers' mind as well.”
Right. Right. Of course it was about the team, if Tony wasn't working at full capacity because of his insomnia. More importantly, Steve didn't think Tony was crazy. He wouldn't, and isn't that why Tony had told him, and why Tony loved him? The least Tony could do was say yes.
Steve wasn't a stranger to Tony's lab. But, it had been a while since they've spent time here together. Steve had his own apartment, and he had missions for SHIELD that couldn't be disclosed to Tony. It was a long time from when Steve had come out of the ice and before he knew Iron Man's true identity, when they'd pass sleepless nights together talking in the mansion common areas or the library.
When Steve entered, he raised his head, nostrils flaring as he breathed in. Tony tried sniffing at the air too. He didn't smell anything off, but maybe Steve was picking up tricks from Logan. When he looked back, Steve was settling himself on the couch with a tablet. Steve shot him a reassuring smile.
For the first time in weeks, Tony took the reassurance to heart and could relax.
They settled into a comfortable silence, with Tony tinkering with the armor and Steve reviewing and signing off on mission reports. There was a reason the Maria Stark Foundation audit team adored him.
Tony wasn't sure how much time had passed the next time he glanced over to Steve. Steve had forgone the tablet in favor of studying Tony. When he noticed, he startled, glancing back at his tablet that was face-down on his lap.
Tony's face felt hot, but he wouldn't trade that for the gratification of being watched as he returned to work. After some much-needed adjustments to the flight stabilizers, his little moment of triumph quickly turned into a large yawn..
A chuckle came from behind him. “There's always your bedroom, if you need a place to sleep.” Steve smiled at him indulgently, but going back to his bedroom meant leaving Steve here, and Tony was sure that it was Steve's presence that was making his eyes droop comfortably.
“It's fine, I want to finish this before I lose where I'm at.”
“You talk about working on your armor like it's a book,” Steve laughed.
“Oh no, the armor is much more fun.” Tony winked at him. “If you're sleepy, you could always go.”
Steve didn't answer, and part of Tony wondered, hoped if Steve felt what he did. That it was the other's presence that made this easy, and kept the shadows away at night.
Tony woke slowly. Maybe it was because he was warm and comfortable, wrapped in blankets on the floor, like he'd been waking up to in the lab the past week. This was the part he couldn't bring himself to tell Steve. Ghosts didn't do this. Who would care about Tony's well-being enough? All he could think of was himself, and even that was a barely. If Tony was doing things without knowing about them, if he was missing bits of his memory...whatever the reason, he was a danger. He couldn't be an Avenger anymore. And Steve would have been furious to know Tony was hiding this from him.
He bolted upright. Steve. The room was empty. It figured that Steve would leave after he'd seen that Tony had fallen asleep. Was it Steve, who'd covered Tony with blankets? But that was ridiculous, Steve would have woken him up, or, failing that, would have carried him to the couch.
Tony threw the covers off, getting to his feet, when he heard something clatter to the floor. He spun around.
“Doors, closed!” he ordered. They slammed shut as Tony lunged for the repulsor on the table. It'd still shoot, and hopefully not take out his arm with it.
Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Maybe he should have called for Steve, first. But Tony was used to fighting for his life. Very rarely while he was still barefoot, but that's where Captain America's hand-to-hand training came in handy..
Peter described his spider-sense as sirens going off under his skin, rather than his ears. Tony didn't know if he could call this that. There was something else in the room with him, but...he didn't know how to describe how he knew. He sighed, turned around.
“You can come out now,” he said. “I'm tired of not knowing what's in my own mansion. Or my own head.”
No response came. Maybe Tony really was hallucinating. He snorted at himself, before something shifted in the corner of the room.
Tony's first thought was that he had no idea how he had missed that being in the room. The wolf was massive, bigger than any other wolf Tony had seen. It was beautiful too, with golden fur and a powerful, lithe body. Tony didn't doubt it could clear the space between them with a single leap. An alpha male, if he'd ever seen one.
But the wolf's demeanor didn't live up to its majesty. Its head was low, ears flattened back as it staring up at Tony. It moved in an awkward shuffle, tail wrapped firmly between its legs. By the time its body was fully exposed to the light, it stopped. It was trembling.
“Hey. Hey there, boy,” Tony said softly, holding a hand out.
The wolf whined gently, making to back up. The closer Tony came, the lower it sank to the floor. Tony reached out to touch it, and the whine rose in pitch. But the wolf didn't run, tracking his hand with its sharp blue eyes.
“It's okay, Steve. I'm not afraid of you.”
When Tony sank its hand into Steve's fur, he pushed its head up, seeking the contact. His tail swished back and forth cautiously, but by the time Tony had brought both hands to scratch behind Steve's ears, it had become a little rotor of wolf tail.
The fur loosened and shortened beneath Tony's fingers the more he pet, and he had to back up and lean back, as the wolf grew taller, its snout and ears shortening. It was one of the most surreal things he'd ever seen, and by the end of it, it wasn't any less surreal, with his hands resting on the face of a very naked Steve Rogers.
Steve's eyes were closed. When he opened at them, he took a deep breath, shuddering, drinking the sight of Tony in.
“Tony,” he said, his voice rough, “I'm sorry.”
“I didn't feel like myself,” Steve mumbled. They'd found him some clothes, and he was sitting on the couch, hands clasped before him. “I don't know how to describe it. I wouldn't remember or care about the same things I would as a human. But I think part of me knew, it wasn't any less real than what I have now. But I lied and took the easy way out, saying they were dreams. I'd wake up properly, and I'd be surrounded with.” His nose wrinkled. “Mostly food, or blankets, or whatever it is I cared about while I'd transformed.”
Tony suspected that if he went into Steve's room, he'd find some of those old shirts he'd been missing.
“So, you didn't feel the need to bite anyone? Turn us into one of you?” Tony's attempt at humor landed a little, with Steve exchanging a small smirk with him.
“I'd go around, checking on the Avengers. My pack.” Steve shrugged.
“Including me,” Tony said. “So really, if I'd been sleeping like the rest of the pack, it would have been fine.”
“It's not your fault.” Steve scowled. “And I ended up making you lose even more sleep with my patrols, and trying to keep out of sight.”
“Well, you didn't want to get caught. I understand,” Tony reassured him.
Steve was shaking his head. “I wasn't thinking about things like that,” he insisted. “I didn't care about something like that. I just thought that...if you saw me, you'd be afraid of me.”
“I wasn't, though. It was still you,” Tony said.
Steve shook his head harder. He shuddered, rubbing his arms like he was cold. “It's not about how I looked. You couldn't know, how I've been acting these past two weeks. If you did, then you'd—” he tugged at his hair. “You smelled so good,” he blurted, “and I couldn't stay away from you. I didn't want to stay away, not when I was like that, if I gave into that instinct, I don't know what would have happened.”
“Steve—”
“When I woke up, it was even worse. If you saw how close I wanted to be to you, I would have scared you off.”
“Steve!”
Steve's eyes jumped up to Tony's when he joined him on the couch. Tony brought his hand, slowly, making sure Steve could track it, until it settled around the back of Steve's neck. Steve's eyes were wide, like he couldn't believe what was happening. Tony craned his neck back, and that was enough invitation for Steve to move. It was lightning fast, his hands gripping Tony's shoulders, face buried in his neck as he took several deep, shuddering breaths.
“I smell good, do I?”
Steve nodded frantically against his neck, rubbing his cheek across it. Tony brought his arms up, circling around Steve, returning the hug.
“But I'm going to guess, what you really want to tell me, is that it'd be better if I smelled like you?” Tony continued. “Because I'm in complete agreement with that.”
Steve turned his face, pressing his lips to Tony's neck. Against his skin, Tony felt the smile slowly spreading over Steve's face.