Work Text:
Tony had just stepped out of the elevator onto the communal floor when Thor greeted him. "My friend, welcome back!" He was sitting on the couch next to Natasha and Clint. On the screen in front of them Marley and Me was playing.
"Jeez, are you guys trying to kill yourselves with sadness?" Tony took off his shoes, grabbed a beer from the refridgerator, and then plopped down on to a bean bag. Clint had insisted that the communal living room needed bean bags.
"Clint and Natasha said that this movie would be most beneficial for me to watch for our new pet." Thor grinned widely at Tony. "I have enjoyed seeing the little furry creature, named Marley, so I do not understand why you have implied that this movie is sad."
Tony paused as he was about to take a swig of his drink. "I'm sorry, did you say, 'our new pet'? Natasha, what's he talking about?" Just then, a yellow ball of fur ran out from behind the couch and jumped in to Tony's lap. The creature was licking his face and pawing his chest. Tony set his beer down and then picked up the fluffy ball, holding it out at arm's length. Blue eyes, a black nose, a pink tongue, and yellow fur stared back at him. "A puppy? Seriously? I was gone for three days and you guys got a puppy?"
Clint raised his hands in innocence. "Hey, I had nothing to do with it. Steve was the one who brought Annie home."
Tony's eyebrows raised. "You named it Annie?"
"Steve did."
Tony looked back at the dog, who was now wiggling to get out of his grasp. "Didn't I say 'no pets allowed'?"
Thor's face knitted together in thought. "I do not recall such a rule in the book you gave all of us."
Clint laughed. "You actually read that?"
"Well, of course, I am a guest..."
Thor and Clint continued as Tony stood up, tucking the squirming puppy against his side. He stepped into the elevator and sighed. To no avail, the puppy was struggling to be free of Tony's hold. The elevator opened at Tony's workshop and Steve sat on the couch. Steve had taken to sitting down here almost as often as Tony was in the workshop. He would sit on the couch to draw and every couple of hours, he would disappear to get them both food. Tony usually ate it; only because Steve would get this really sad look on his face and it was damn impossible to ignore.
Finally, Tony let the puppy go onto the couch next to Steve. The puppy jumped into Steve's lap, almost clawing his sketchbook. "Hey, gal! Who brought you down here?" He looked up to see Tony and the smile disappeared from his face. "You weren't supposed to see her yet."
"Well, you know, it's extremely hard to ignore things that jump into your lap, especially when said things aren't supposed to be in the tower in the first place."
Steve frowned. "You don't want a puppy here?"
"The only animal allowed around here is Clint and that's because I'm afraid of what Natasha would do if I didn't let him live here." Tony sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Why did you get a puppy?"
Steve stood, holding the squirming animal in one hand, and scratching the back of his neck with the other. His face was quickly turning pink and kept sjifting his weight. "I uh, well, I was going to, um, attach a note to her collar and then um, send her over to you."
Tony was confused. "Why were you going to send me notes via dog? I mean, you're around me all the time; all you gotta do is speak, Cap. Telling me things via adorable animals sounds like-" He stopped. Oh. "Like you were trying to ask me out."
Steve's face looked like a tomato and he was now gripping the back of his neck. "Yeah, but, uh, you don't want puppies around and so that probably, um, ruined it and I'm gonna go upstairs and figure out what to do with Annie." He was heading towards the door and wait, Tony didn't want him to go. How is he supposed to stop Steve from leaving?
"JARVIS, code 000645." The door all but slammed shut and the windows darkened. Locking a soldier in a room, smart move. "She can stay and so can you" He added, "if you want."
Steve's back was stiff. "I think I'm gonna go upstairs."
Tony sighed. "No, thats not what I meant. I mean, if you stayed we could have a date right now." Tony was rambling now. "DUM-E could be our waiter and I promise I won't let him feed you anything that isn't edible and the dog can stay down here too if you want, or wait, no, I'll take you out. You deserve a nice place without robots that could kill you or dogs, but then again, you like dogs. Maybe we could go some where that they have dogs or allow dogs. JARVIS, search for places that either have dogs or allow dogs."
"Tony-"
"There are thirty restaurants that allow dogs, Sir," JARVIS chimes in.
"Great, come on, Steve, lets go. Don't let go of the dog, wait, she needs a leash. JARVIS, find a pet store on the way-" Steve had grabbed Tony by the shirt and crushed their lips together.
He pulled away, but not far enought tha he couldn't kiss Tony again. "You talk too much." Steve let go of Tony's shirt and kissed Tony's cheek. He smiled and walked back towards the door, which JARVIS had opened in the middle of Tony's endless talking. Steve called out over his shoulder, "I asked you out so I decide the date. Meet me on my floor at 7. I'm making you dinner." The last Tony saw of him was Annie's wiggly tail.