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James entered the Tower from the private side entrance. He didn’t want to deal with the looks from the staff he would have gotten by using the front. Shifting the wriggling bundle in his arms, he placed his palm on the reader and waited for the elevator doors to open.
As soon as he was in the lift, JARVIS queried, “James…is that what I think it is?”
James glanced up at the camera in the corner and pulled back the sleeve of his jacket so JARVIS could see. “Uh huh.”
“Sir wil-”
“This has nothing to do with Tony, J. It’s all on me.” He considered that for a moment and amended, “Well, I’m pretty sure Darcy will be on board. But Tony can kiss my ass if he doesn’t like it.”
He could just imagine JARVIS blinking his non-existent eyes as he tried to formulate a response. He didn’t mean to be so short, but this was important to him. He needed this.
“Duly noted, Master Barnes,” JARVIS finally said.
James winced at the formality. “I’m sorry, JARVIS. I don’t mean to be a prick. Dr. Andrews and I have been talking about it for a while. There was an adoption fair in the park as I was walking home and I stopped just to see and…well, look at her.”
As if on cue, the puppy in his arms lifted her head and stared right up at the camera James had been speaking to. She had short, curly hair and brilliantly blue eyes. Her ears stuck straight up, but the tips folded over at the very top and her tail was long and bushy. She was mostly white, except for a small black patch near her tail and a little smudge of black just above her nose. In short, she was adorable.
“Do you know her breed?” JARVIS asked.
“The lady said she was a Labradoodle mixed with a white German Shepherd. I didn’t want to look like a total idiot, so I didn’t ask, but I have no idea what a Labradoodle is.”
“That would be a Labrador/Poodle hybrid,” JARVIS replied. “They were originally bred in Australia to serve as guide dogs for people with allergies. They are quite intelligent, as are Shepherds. As she is not a purebred, I am not certain if she will shed more or be more prone to causing allergies or not. Your puppy is going to grow into a rather large dog, but will also be a very loyal and protective companion.”
“I figured she wasn’t gonna be small. Not with those paws.” James looked down at her and she licked his chin. He smiled, rubbing her ears, and making her quiver in doggie bliss. “She sounds just about perfect, J.”
“Have you named her yet?”
He stared down at her, brow furrowed, as he thought. As the lift reached his floor he decided there was only one thing to call her. “Smudge. Her name is Smudge.”
“Very appropriate, sir,” JARVIS said indulgently. James entered his apartment and JARVIS asked, “Would you like for me to arrange a delivery of supplies for the little miss?”
James put Smudge down and watched as she explored her new home. “Not just yet. I want to see if Darcy would like to go shopping with me. If you wouldn’t mind, though, I would like to see about signing her up for training classes. This wasn’t exactly planned, but I’m pretty sure Dr. Andrews has some information. When we talked about this, she was thinking about a pet to help me when I have nightmares and stuff.”
“I will see what I can find, James.” He paused for a moment then said, “Miss Darcy is inquiring if you are in residence.”
“Tell her to come on up.”
James sat on the floor and watched Smudge as she prowled the living room. She was an inquisitive little thing. He was glad he didn’t have too much stuff where she could get to it.
Smudge had just wandered into the kitchen when Darcy gave a perfunctory knock and came in. “Hey, babe,” she looked down at him. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”
Instead of answering, James just smiled. He made a kissing sound and snapped his fingers. One of Darcy’s eyebrows rose, but before she could say anything Smudge came stumbling out of the kitchen, tripping over her too big paws as she ran towards him.
“Oohhh,” she breathed as she sank down next to James. “You are too cute for words.” Smudge eyed her curiously and Darcy held out her hand, palm down. Smudge sniffed her fingers and gave them a tentative lick before she moved a little closer and let Darcy pet her. “What’s your name, little smudge?”
James choked on a laugh. “Oh my god. If I ever needed proof we were meant for each other, I just got it.” When Darcy just looked at him, he smiled and moved closer to her so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders and give her a kiss. “I named her Smudge,” he said against her lips.
Darcy blinked at him and a slow smile spread across her face. Smudge took the opportunity to flop across their laps and turned onto her back in hopes of belly rubs.
They looked down at the puppy and laughed even as they gave her what she wanted.
“I was wonderin’ if you’d go shopping with me to get stuff for her,” James asked softly, feeling a little shy for some reason.
Darcy bumped his shoulder with hers. “Duh, like I’d pass up that kind of opportunity.” They petted Smudge for a few more minutes before she asked, “Therapy dog?”
See? This was one of the reasons he loved her. She got him. She knew him now almost as well as Steve knew him before the war.
“Yeah, once I get her trained up. JARVIS is going to check on classes and programs for me.” He rubbed one of Smudge’s ears, grinning when her eyes closed and her tongue lolled out the side of her mouth. “Also, I felt something when I looked at her. I just knew she was supposed to be mine.”
“The two of you are going to have a lot of good years together,” Darcy assured him.
He looked at her from under his lashes. “Yeah?”
She swallowed and licked her lips. “Yeah. When you get that kind of feeling, you just have to go for it.”
James wondered if they were still talking about the dog. Either way, she was right.
He was leaning in for another kiss when Darcy yelped and pulled back. She mock-glared down at Smudge. “No biting. Puppy teeth are sharp.”
Smudge didn’t look sorry at all.
“Guess we should get her some chew toys then.” James shifted Smudge off their laps and stood up. He offered Darcy a hand up and wrapped his arms around her once she was standing. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and another to her lips. “Are you glad I went for it?”
Darcy stared him right in the eye and said, “Absolutely.”
James nodded, a slight smile playing at the edges of his lips. Still didn’t matter if they were talking about them or the dog. The answer was the same either way.
“Me, too.”
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