The next time Tony saw the Alpha Steve Rogers was a surprise.
Well⌠a surprise to him, but not everyone else in the office.
Too distracted by the paperwork in his hand and the coffee in his other, Tony hadnât been paying attention when he walked into the lobby of the clinic and began rapidly speaking to Pepper.
âPep, can you please ask Clint to stop putting dirty jokes in the comments section when he books a spay or neuter? And can we push up the ACL tear check-up on Thursday, Iâd rather make that a priority⌠and Pep, are you getting all of this? I donât hear fingers on a keyboard-â It was just then that Tony looked up from his stack of papers and froze mid-sip, realizing that he was talking to an empty desk with a familiar body standing in front of it, holding a carrier.
âWhereâs Pepper?â was the only thing his mind could make his mouth produce before it went dry at the sight of Mr. Rogers standing there, grey t-shirt hugging his muscles in a way that was so unfair Tony couldâve filed a complaint against the manufacturer.
ââm not sure, Doc. Wasnâ âere when I walked in-â
âMr. Rogers â Iâm so sorry! I just had to step out for a second,â came the familiar voice of the receptionist, looking as put-together as ever even in a pair of pale pink scrubs. She flashed Tony a smile that clearly told him to close his gaping mouth as she sat down and began to click away at the computer to bring up Steveâs files.
âItâs no problem, Ms. Potts.â
âIâll have you know-â Tony scoffed, tapping his papers into order on the countertop himself. â- that I was talking to no one while you were wherever you were. Youâre going to make the town think Iâm crazy.â Pepper shot him a look that had him grumbling into his fourth cup of coffee while his fingers tapped along the edge of his papers. He looked towards Steve and down to the carrier settled in front of him, allowing the distraction of his job and duty to keep him from eyeing the ridiculous arm muscles within touching distance.
âIâm not going to have a hand in that. If they come to that conclusion, itâs all because of you,â Pepper quipped easily, shooting Steve an award-winning smile that couldâve had any Alpha melting. Tony missed the way it passed right over the larger man because his gaze was far too busy looking at the messy mop of curls on top of Tonyâs head as he approached.
âWho do we have here?â Tony was asking, his voice already softening as he crouched to peer into the front of the carrier. The cat inside was a large calico, her hair long and her brown eyes narrowed in Tonyâs direction. He cooed softly towards her and was rewarded with an ear flick and glare of indifference that only cats were capable of.
âMissy. She gotân a scrap with somethinâ tha otha nighâ. Got âer real good.â
âWell, we can get her right back, weâve been rather slow today. Pepper, youâve got the paper stuff, right?â
âAs always,â she chirped back at him, waving him off as he smiled her way and indicated for Steve to follow him. They headed into the first available room and Tony was already preparing his supplies on a small counter in the corner. Steve put the carrier on the metal table, hearing the low warning growl from inside and grimacing.
âSorry, Doc. Missy ainâ the friendliest, but sheâs a good mouser,â he apologized, to which Tony immediately tsked and shook his head, turning around with a handful of treats and his stethoscope around his neck.
âMost cats arenât friendly, Iâve found. But not many can resist Pepperâs treats. You want to come join us, sweetheart? I just want to take a look at you; I promise Iâll be gentle, okay? If Iâm not, you can scratch and bite me all you want.â
The Alpha watched Tony crouch at the edge of the table, opening the front of the carrier and leaving a little trail of treats from the edge of it out. He spoke all the while, his tone soothing and calm. Even Steve felt some of the tension easing from his shoulders and he desperately hoped that Tony wasnât going to notice. As he watched Missy begin to slowly creep out from the back of the crate, he realized that he was the last thing on Tonyâs mind. The Omegaâs sharp eyes were solely on Missy as she made her way out, already flicking over her body and assessing her injuries.
âThatâs a good girl, weâll go nice and slow, okay?â
It took a little bit of time, but Tonyâs coaxing and bribery paid off. Missy was sitting contently on the table, purring as she chewed through another treat and Tony was already telling Steve a plan for recovery.
âA lot of itâs superficial-â he explained, writing something down on a yellow notepad. âScrapes, bumps, bruises, you know. Thereâs a rather nasty gash on her right paw, though, that will need that bandage changed in three days and a wash with antiseptic every other day after for about a week, Iâd say â to keep it clear of bacteria and things, while giving it some time to breathe.â He was still marking on the paper, so completely missing how Steve was simply watching the way he wrote, subtly sniffing his sweetness on the air that tinged with an unknown spice that had Steveâs heart pounding.
âIâve neva gotten âer so calm, so quick. Ya work miracles, Doc.â A flash of a smile and Tonyâs attention went back to the Alpha, a heat crawling up his cheeks and causing him to tug at the neck of his shirt briefly. He tried to play it off as if he were adjusting his lab coat collar.
âYes, well, I wouldnât be in business if I couldnât handle all creatures great and small, right?â
âI sâpose thaâs true,â Steve drawled with a smile, giving Missy a scratch on her head and earning a quiet growl in response that only had him chuckling. Tony ignored the way his hair stood on end when hearing Steveâs chest rumble.
âStill as sassy as eva. Thank ya, Doc. Think I can get some oâ those treats to go?â
Tony blinked: âTheyâre for the animals, Steve, but I guess-â
His full laughter caused Tony to pause and blink at him more owlishly than before.
âI know⌠I meanâ for her, for when I gotta take off tha bandage and wash it.â
âOh⌠right, of course,â Tony muttered, cursing himself as he grabbed a wrapped baggie of the treats and held it out for Steve to take. The Alpha was doing his best to quell his laughter, smile bulging, while Tony busied himself with getting Missy back into the carrier.
âYou can call the office if anything gets worse,â Tony said briskly, trying not to let his hurt pride get the best of his professionalism. Steveâs smile fell slightly and he stepped back, carrier in his arms.
âSorry Doc. Wasnâ laughinâ at ya, you know.â The tone of Steveâs voice took the edge off slightly, and that caused Tony to bristle even more. He tried to hide it, but knew he failed when he saw a flash of something in Steveâs gaze.
âOf course not. I just wasnât understanding, thatâs all. Probably need another cup of coffee to make it through the day,â he said, gathering his papers once more and giving Steve the top sheet from his yellow notepad that had the instructions on it. Then, he stepped around the big Alpha and stood in the doorway, pointing towards the front lobby.
âPepper will get you all signed out. Have a great day, Mr. Rogers,â Tony said before turning down the hallway to disappear into his office. Anyone else would have called it âfleeingâ, but Tony definitely didnât flee. And he definitely didnât peer back out of his office to watch the slumped shoulders of the Alpha as he disappeared into the lobby. He didnât hold his breath until he heard the chime of the door that indicated the Alpha was gone from the clinic.
The last thing he needed was to get tangled up with anyone â Alpha or not â ever again.Â
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