When Tony walks into Fury’s office, Fury isn’t there.
There is, however, an orange tabby sitting on his desk, cleaning itself with an air of grace and disdain that only cats can manage.
“Oh, look at you!” Tony coos, even though it would be just like Fury to let a cat loose in his office in a plot to get camera footage of Tony loosing his cool over a cat, holds his hand out, palm down, fingers curled in for the cat to sniff.
The cat looks him over, sniffs his hand, and butts his curled fingers with the top of it’s head, meowing quietly. Tony coos agian, scratches the cat under it’s chin, behind it’s ears. It pats his chest with one tiny paw as he gets closer, claws hooking in the material of his shirt like it’s trying to drag it closer, and Tony obeys, scratching at it’s ears to the sound of loud and content purring the whole time.
At some point it must deem that he’s close enoug, because it gets up on it’s hind legs, front paws resting on Tony’s shoulder, meows agian, and then—
Jumps up and onto Tony’s shoulder, curling around his neck and settling in like a very fuzzy scarf.
Tony can’t help but beam — he think this might be the best thing that’s ever happened to him, in his life — and reaches up to scratch the kitty’s ears. It’s an awkward angle, but he manages.
And that’s when Fury opens the door and stops dead, staring at the cat.
“Hey, Nick,” Tony says, pretending like he doesn’t have a purring scarf at the moment, “You know, I really wouldn’t’ve pegged you as a cat person, but I guess—“
“You really should not be holding that.” Fury says, voice low. He looks more surprised than Tony’s ever seen him.
“It’s a cat,” Tony rolls his eyes, scratches under said cat’s chin, “and besides, he likes me.”
“Of course he does,” Fury says, and he mostly just sounds resigned, crosses over to his side of the desk and sits. “So—“
“You know,” Tony says, cutting Fury off, “One of Rhodey’s airforce buds made us cat-sit for her this one time. Looked just like this little guy, here. Just as friendly, too.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Fury responds, like Tony’s just made some sort of inside joke.
Tony lifts a shoulder infitesmially, careful not to jostle the cat. “Same colour,” Tony says, “And Goose really was the sweetest cat. I don’t get how no one else saw it. Man, I miss that cat.”
“…Goose.” Fury says, slowly, like he’s trying the word out in his mouth. “Who did you say you catsitted for agian?”
“One of Rhodey’s airforce buddies, uh, Danvers? I think?” Tony says, slightly baffled that Fury’s taking an interest in this, but, hey, cat person. Maybe this is just how Fury is about cats. “Technically I think it was her CO’s cat? I don’t really know how me and Rhodey ended up with it, but I can’t say I’m not grateful. I loved that little fuzz ball. I wonder where he ended up.”
Fury stares at the cat, just over Tony’s shoulder. “I wonder, indeed.”