Hope everyone is well and staying safe through this public health crisis! :'(

this is set in a happy au where civil war never happened but spiderman is with the avengers and stark tower is their home

"Clearly we're just wasting our time." Tony stood up. "If you're not going to say anything useful, there's no point in listening."

Loki stalked closer to the glass. "Oh, there are things I could tell you that would haunt your nightmares for years to come. If I told you what was really out there in that night sky you mortals love to look up at," his mouth slid into an oily grin, "perhaps you would not be so quick to write poems about its beauty."

A muscle in Tony's jaw jumped.

"I have friends out there. Powerful friends. They'll come for me. They'll come to your precious Earth and destroy it. And when they free me, the first thing I'll do will be to split your skull!"

"That's enough." Steve stepped forward, placing himself between the two of them.

Tony let out a relieved breath. With two hundred plus pounds of super soldier between himself and Loki, the threats didn't seem quite as scary anymore.

Loki sneered, but moved back to the cot on the other side of his cell. "You're lucky, Stark. Lucky to have such a protector. He's loyal." He narrowed his eyes at Steve. "Like a dog."

Steve's only response was to ignore the jab and walk away. Surprised, Tony quickly followed.

"I will make you regret this, captain! I'll make you both regret this!" Loki's parting call faded the further they walked away.

"That's it? No goodbye? You just walked out of there." Tony quickened his pace to keep up with Steve's marching strides.

"Guys like Loki crave attention. Nothing frustrates them more than not getting it," Steve explained.

"Nice move," Tony said. He pursed his lips, weighing the pros and cons of asking his next question. "Do you think he was right?"

Steve swiped his ID badge at the locked door. "What do you mean?"

"About the whole 'my big, bad friends are coming for me' thing?"

The card reader chirped and Steve held the door open for Tony to go through first. "You honestly think a fella like that's got friends?"

Tony shrugged. "I think Loki knows how to talk his way in or out of anything he wants. He was practically talking circles around me in there. Me! There are very few people who can do that."

Steve hummed in agreement and pushed the button to summon the elevator to their floor.

"And you know we've only explored about four percent of space. Obviously we haven't gotten to Assguard or wherever Thor's from." Tony's mouth was on autopilot, voicing thoughts as they popped into his head. "And what about Loki's army? Which corner of the universe have they been hiding in? What if there's more of them? What if they do come back?"

"Stark?"

Tony paused. "Yeah?"

"Let's just focus on right here and now, okay?" Steve had that annoyingly amused and patronizing smile on his face again. "There's no need to get caught up in all these what if's."

Annoying or not, it did help calm Tony's racing thoughts. "Right. Focus on the present. Mind in the moment. Got it."

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Right before the doors closed, Steve stuck his hand between them.

"Almost forgot."

"Where are you going?" Tony asked in exasperation when Steve started off down the corridor.

"I was supposed to bring up a file for Fury," he called over his shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Sighing, Tony stuck a finger into the hold door button and leaned against the wall. He hoped Steve wouldn't be gone long. This place creeped him out a little bit. Knowing that there were superpowered, super intelligent villains of all sorts being kept in the basement of SHIELD's HQ was not the most comforting idea. Being in such close proximity to them only made it worse. And interacting with Loki in any capacity always made his skin crawl. The elevator beeped impatiently.

"I know, I know. I wish he'd hurry up too," Tony said. "But I guess you can't rush-" A dog barked. He froze.

There was no way he'd actually heard that. Wait, there it was again! Definitely a real dog and not his imagination. Cautious, he poked his head around the doorframe. A golden retriever came bounding down the hall. Tony sucked in a breath and whipped back into the safety of the elevator, the doors finally closing like they had wanted to for the past five minutes. A prison was no place for a dog. How did a dog even make it into the building? Maybe it was one of the guard's service dogs and it had gotten loose? Although in Tony's personal opinion, it wasn't much of a service dog if it abandoned the person it was supposed to be helping. He supposed he could check for a service harness or a collar or something. Steeling himself, he opened the doors.

The dog was sitting directly in front of him like it had been waiting. As soon as the doors rolled away, it walked right in. Tony jumped back. It wasn't that he was scared of dogs. But they were slobbery, hairy, noisy eating machines. What was appealing about that? Nothing.

While staying in his corner of the car, Tony gave it a once over. It was full grown and well groomed. Obviously it had been trained because it didn't come up and stick its cold wet nose anywhere on Tony's body. There was no collar but instead a bandana was tied around its neck. An American flag bandana. A horrible thought crossed Tony's mind as Loki's taunt about Steve came rushing back. With one eye on the dog's head in case it took offense to what he was about to do, he crouched down and lifted one of its hind legs. Yep, just as he suspected, it was a boy. He slowly lowered the leg and shifted to look at its face. When he caught its eye, he asked very seriously, "Cap? Is that you in there?"

The dog wagged its tail and sat down. Tony pitched backward, arms pinwheeling before he landed on his backside. In all his flailing, he had hit the button panel and the elevator started moving.

"Loki's revenge," Tony muttered. He frowned at the dog. "We need him to change you back." Getting to his feet, he punched the emergency stop button. The elevator screeched angrily but complied. He pressed the button for the detention level.

"Restricted access. Please enter clearance code or swipe authorized ID badge."

Tony cursed. He glanced down at the dog. "Hey Air Bud, I don't suppose you got to keep your wallet through the transformation, did you?"

The dog blinked at him.

"This is great." Tony parked his hands on his hips and glared at the computer screen by the button panel. "This is an emergency. Can't you make an exception?"

"Restricted access. Please enter-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. A simple no would have been fine." He looked back at the dog. "Now what, Rogers?"

Steve stood up and nudged Tony's pant leg with his head.

"We're going to need a different method of communication because I am not okay with someone rubbing their head all over my legs." Tony pushed him away, incidentally brushing his fingers through the fur that was, admittedly, the softest thing he'd ever felt. He indulged in petting through it for just a moment, marveling at how far he could plunge his hands into the fluffiness of the dog's fur. "How in the world am I supposed to change you back?" Steve only wagged his tail.

"Okay." Tony shook himself and cleared his throat, pulling his hands away from the velvety coat. "Focus on the present. First things first. We can't stay in this elevator all day. We can't access the detention level on our own so we're going to need to find someone who can. There aren't very many people with clearance that high. " He tapped a finger against his chin. "Nick Fury?" Glancing down, he found Steve with a doggy smile on his face. "I thought so. Besides, we're going to have to tell him sooner or later, what with you being the teacher's pet and all." It took less than a second for Tony to realize his pun. He chuckled to himself as he selected the floor that housed Fury's office.

As the numbers scrolled higher, Tony turned to Steve. "Look, I'm sure you'll get your Adonis body back in no time. But until then, we're going to need to lay down some ground rules. Number one, and the most important, no licking. Got it?"

Steve's ears perked.

"Number two, no barking. Number three, there aren't any fire hydrants in this building so if you have to go, you have to hold it. Number four, you stay right beside me. I don't have a leash so I need you to not wander off. Dogs aren't allowed in here and I don't want anyone asking uncomfortable questions. Blink twice if you understand."

One blink and a head tilt.

"I'm going to count that as a yes."

They arrived at their destination. The doors opened and several men in suits were waiting. Tony did what he always did: lifted his chin and oozed confidence. No one stopped him to ask him what he was doing or where he was going or why he had a dog with him. He received a few disdainful glances but that was normal so he discounted those. Only a few more steps and he'd be in Fury's office and Steve's new found form would be someone else's problem to solve.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark. Excuse me!"

Another one of his favorite tactics to avoid unwanted interaction was to pretend he didn't hear anyone calling his name. Nine times out of ten, it worked. This was number ten out of ten. Fury's petite receptionist cut him off in front of the office door.

"You can't go in there," she said.

"It's okay. Nick and I go way back." Tony flashed her a smile.

She shook her head. "He's on a call with Secretary Pierce. You can't go in."

"This will only take a second," he tried.

Her face was stony. Tony was beginning to wonder if they taught that in agent school or if it was a requirement on SHIELD applications. "You're welcome to wait for him but it might be a while before he's finished."

Tony swore under his breath.

"And your dog needs to wait outside. I'll call someone to take it for you." She was quick, already heading back to her desk.

"That won't be necessary," Tony said. "We'll just go."

After that announcement, the woman turned all syrupy sweet. "Would you like to leave a message for the director?"

"No, I would not." Tony turned and went back to the elevator. Despite her too bright smile, Tony was sure he could feel her disapproving eyes boring into the back of his head until he got into the lift. "That was a bust." Steve laid down, resting his head on his paws and giving Tony literal puppy eyes. "Don't worry, Rogers. I'll figure this out." He snapped his fingers. "Thor! It's his brother's fault you're like this. If anyone would know how to undo Loki's magic, it's probably him."

With a new plan in mind, Tony left the SHIELD building. He wasn't sure whether to be insulted or flattered that multiple agents saw him blatantly violating the rules yet didn't bother to stop him. In fact, some of them even smiled when they caught sight of Steve. "I guess you just have that effect on people, don't you?" Tony muttered, walking out into the afternoon sunshine.

He took his phone from his pocket and texted Happy to bring the car around to the front. As foot traffic was heavy by the front doors, Tony moved to the side of the building. His phone buzzed with a new message, this one from Pepper. Eyes on his screen, Tony didn't notice when he drifted to the mouth of the alley.

Steve growled. Tony lifted his head from his phone. "What's wrong?"

Muzzle wrinkled and teeth bared, Steve adopted a stiff stance, weight centered forward slightly. The dog's aggressive stance set Tony on edge. He peered into the shadows but couldn't see anything beyond the usual dumpsters and scattered trash. Moving closer to get a better look sent Steve into a barking frenzy.

Backing away, Tony lifted his hands. "Alright, take it easy, Cujo. There's nothing in there." Steve wouldn't stand down. "Okay, Rogers, I don't know what's you all worked up but if you could stop, that would be great-"

A hand clamped down on Tony's shoulder. Whoever grabbed him spun him around to face them and promptly slugged him in the jaw. Knocked off balance, he fell to the ground. His attacker lifted a knife, sunlight playing off the metal. Tony flinched, raising his arms defensively. A golden blur leaped over him and sunk teeth into the arm holding the knife. The man yelled, dropped the knife, and began shaking his arm to dislodge the dog. Steve was stubborn and held on with his jaws.

Another set of hands pulled at Tony and he jerked away. Idly, he wondered at the nerve of these thugs. Attacking someone right outside of SHIELD's New York base of operations was pretty bold. Well, if they thought they were going to get something out of Tony Stark, they were sadly mistaken. He lashed out with a kick toward the new arrival before scrambling away.

"Tony, Tony! Stop. It's me, Tony! It's just me."

He stopped. "Happy?"

Happy caught up to him and pulled him to his feet. "Get in the car." As his head of security manhandled him to the car, Tony resisted.

"Wait! The dog-"

"There's no time! Come on." Happy urged him.

Tony twisted his head to look over his shoulder. The commotion had finally drawn the attention of the passersby, many of them being armed government agents. Already, they had separated the dog and the would-be mugger, now being handcuffed. Without thinking twice, Tony whistled. Steve's ears perked and he jumped away from the agent that was attempting to corral him. He sprinted for the car and just made it into Tony's lap before Happy shut the door.

Happy took his position in the driver's seat. "Are you okay, Tony?"

"Yeah," Tony mumbled, nearly squashed by seventy pounds of dog. "Just a little shaken up."

Happy turned to face him. "If you need to - what is that doing in here?!"

"Oh, him?" Still reeling from the encounter in the alley, Tony's mind wasn't as quick to think up an excuse as it normally would have been.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Happy got out of the car and opened Tony's door again.

"No!" Tony threw a protective arm around Steve.

Happy frowned. "I thought you didn't like dogs."

"This one saved my life," Tony said.

With a bemused expression, Happy backed off. "Okay, but I don't think Pepper's going to like you bringing it home."

Aside from an occasional glance in the rearview, Happy did nothing more about the dog in the backseat. On the way to Stark Tower, Tony worked on getting his racing heart back in order. He managed to push Steve off his lap but the dog stayed close, retreating only to the next seat and laying his head on Tony's legs. It was actually kind of nice. Relaxing, even.

When they arrived, Tony headed for his private elevator. Happy tried to stop him, telling him that both SHIELD and NYPD were trying to reach him with questions about the attempted attack. Tony waved him off with a vague promise of getting back to them eventually. Being a billionaire did have its perks. JARVIS welcomed him as soon as he stepped inside. The AI made no comment about the dog. Tony found that refreshing.

The elevator deposited him and his canine companion on the floor housing the common areas. Once there, he headed straight for the kitchen. If there was anywhere Thor was likely to be found, it was there. The demigod spent eighty percent of his day eating or talking about eating, so Tony liked his odds. To his surprise, the kitchen was empty. All the same, he wandered to the fridge and pulled out a package of deli meat. He tore off some scraps and held them out for Steve. The dog instantly snatched up the treat. Tony chuckled.

"What are you doing?"

Tony stood up so fast, he knocked his head on the fridge door he had left open. "Ow. Nothing."

"Is that a dog?" Natasha easily sidestepped him and kneeled next to Steve.

Steve's tail started wagging and he licked every part of her face that he could reach.

Tony watched with a raised eyebrow. "Uh huh. Smooth, Rogers."

"Rogers? You named your dog after Steve?" Natasha managed to sound skeptical while maintaining her natural grace, even with a dog licking her cheeks, nose, ears, and chin. It was one of her many skills.

"No. He's named after Fred Rogers, but I can see how you might get confused," Tony said. "And he's not my dog. Speaking of which, where's Thor?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "That is not how segues work."

"Do you know where he is or not? This is important." If his words came out more harsh or impatient than he intended, Tony blamed his near death experience less than thirty minutes ago.

"Try New Mexico." Natasha stood, much to Steve's disappointment.

"New Mexico?" Tony repeated dumbly.

Natasha nodded, giving Steve a final pat on her way out the door. "Jane Foster is back."

Tony sank into a chair at the dinette table. "Great. There's no telling how long he'll stay out there." Claws clicked on the flooring as Steve walked over and laid down at Tony's feet. Tony bent forward and scratched absently at Steve's ears. "Which means there's no telling how long you'll have to stay like this."

Steve pressed his head closer to Tony's hand, a doggy grin on his face as he enjoyed the ear scratch. In spite of the bad news, Tony couldn't help but smile too.

"Oh, you like that, huh? I bet I know what you'd like more." He moved his hands down to the dog's belly and began rubbing. Steve immediately rolled over to fully expose his stomach, tongue lolling out in joy.

"There we go. I knew you'd like that." While he petted, Tony kept up a stream of inane chatter. "Who's a good dog? You are! Yes, you are. You like belly rubs, don't you, Steve? Yeah, you do. Well, Rogers, you're in luck because I give a mean belly rub. How do you like that, Steve? Feels good, doesn't it?"

Someone cleared their throat behind him. Tony jumped in his seat, spinning around to find none other than Steve Rogers standing in the doorway. All Tony could do was blink at him in shock.

"Were you saying my name?" Steve asked, perturbed.

Tony played dumb. "When?"

"Just now. When you were talking about...belly rubs?" Steve's whole body posture screamed discomfort and embarrassment.

Tony cringed. "I have a perfectly good explanation."

Steve waited expectantly.

"See," Tony pushed his chair back to show what was laying in front of him. "I thought this dog was you."

"You thought I was a dog," Steve repeated, eyebrows coming together.

"Yes."

"So you decided to rub my belly?"

"...yes."

Steve frowned.

Tony tilted his head. "It was a lot less awkward before you said it like that."

By now, the dog had noticed the newcomer and with a happy bark, bounded over to Steve. Steve obligingly offered his hand for a sniff and a lick.

"What made you think this dog was me?" he asked.

Tony scratched the back of his neck. "I thought Loki had transformed you. He said you were loyal like a dog, promised his revenge, and next thing I know, this dog's getting on the elevator with me." At Steve's skeptical glance, he added, "It made sense at the time! Look, it even has an American flag around its neck."

"People can't just get changed into animals," Steve said.

"When dealing with Loki, I wouldn't be so quick to rule out anything. That guy's got magic tricks that would make David Copperfield jealous."

By now, Steve was petting the dog in earnest, though he did take a moment to check beneath the bandana for a collar. "That still doesn't explain where this fella came from."

"Or how he got into SHIELD's secure facility and ended up on the detention level," Tony added.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter's voice came drifting down the hall toward them.

The dog instantly perked its ears, head whipping in that direction.

"In here, kid," Tony called.

Peter wandered into view, head down. "Mr. Stark, I need your help. I was- oof!" He got cut off by the dog jumping on him. "Hey, you found him!"

"Him?" Tony crossed the room and pointed at the retriever. "You own Marley here?"

Peter laughed. "This is Max. He's actually Ned's dog."

"What are you doing with Ned's dog?" Tony asked.

"Well, Ned's family is going on vacation so he asked me to watch Max while they're gone so I was going to keep him at my apartment, and I knew Aunt May wouldn't mind, but then the landlord found out and he told us dogs aren't allowed, even though he's never mentioned a no pet's policy before, so I needed to find somewhere else to keep Max and since I knew you were supposed to be at SHIELD today I tried to find you there so I could ask you if it would be okay if he stayed here instead?" Peter rushed through his explanation, biting his lip at the end. When Tony didn't give an answer right away, he added, "It would only be for a few days. And I'll take care of him, I promise! I'll feed him and take him for walks and bathe him-"

"Okay, kid, he can stay." Tony cut him off.

Peter's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, and Max is going to love it here. Apparently Tony gives mean belly rubs," Steve chipped in, smirking at Tony as he walked out.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark!" Peter said. "You won't regret it!"

Sensing the teen's excitement, Max broke out into a bout of happy barking.

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I already do."