Amaterasu was absolutely, completely, doubtlessly, impossibly, indescribably, utterly… bored. She huffed and dropped her head onto her paws, resting in her bed. She gazed out the doors of her shrine and looked at the people milling about. She had an illusion thrown up to make it seem as if the doors were shut.
It was the evening now, and the wolf had excess energy but she couldn't figure out what to do. She could run laps around Central Park at high speeds until she threw up… but that didn't sound appealing at the moment. The nearby hospitals were all dealt with and she had healed as many as she could. The ones farther into the city would take too long to reach, and she didn't want to harass people so late at night.
Well… She didn't want to harass sick and injured people. She absolutely wanted to mildly traumatize someone, but everyone was away or busy at the moment. She had sent Stephen home after he had sliced through a whole bamboo stalk on his own with her magic (and nearly collapsed from the effort). He was progressing quickly, and she was extremely proud! Only three days in and she was ready to teach him a new brush technique!
Steve was still away on his mission. Clint and Natasha were both gone, as far as she was aware. She didn't dare harass the Ancient One until the week had passed and she took Stephen in; she was slightly terrifying. Fury and Coulson were both somewhere but she had no clue. Probably flying around the skies again. The Hulk aka Bruce (that was mildly confusing) she had no idea about. Then, Thor and Loki (she wouldn't mind harassing him again) were beamed up into space!
Worst of all, the Hot Dog Man had closed his stand for the night! Oh, it was a cruel world indeed, unable to get those tasty treats! Ammy scrunched her muzzle and huffed. She knew Tony was around somewhere. She hadn't really been able to visit him, even though Steve had said she should.
Although… She did meet Happy and Pepper earlier on! Pepper was so nice! She showed Ammy around, gave her pats, and even showed her where the kitchen was being built! The woman had no idea what a mistake that would be. Happy was goofy, and she rather enjoyed the brief time she had to visit him.
Pepper had said Amaterasu wouldn't be able to get in the Tower after eight in the evening. The wolf laughed at the thought, as if walls and barriers could stop her. She had said that if Ammy needed her, she could arrive at nine in the morning. That meant Pepper probably had somewhere to stay in the Tower. She had the faint scent of motor oil and metal on her, masked by some kind of awful perfume. Ammy knew Stark smelled of motor oil and metal from the brief time she had met him…
Coincidence? Unlikely!
Ammy clambered to her feet. It was a little after eight if the sun had anything to say about it, and she absolutely did. The wolf gave a little wuff of excitement as she stepped out of her shrine and started making her way toward the Tower. She casually padded along the streets of New York, very happily pausing for any pets or attention that was given, and then running forward once more.
Once the wolf had arrived at her destination, she looked up at the massive building. It was still under construction, but the lower floors were still operable. She moved up to the doors and leaned forward, attempting to use her head to push open the door.
Thunk!
She bonked her head against the glass. Ammy blinked and paused for a moment, then huffed slightly. She tried again, pulling away, and then pushing forward just a little harder.
Thunk!
The wolf growled gently to herself. Well, there goes being polite about it. She backed up a little and tensed, preparing to teleport herself in—
"I apologize, Miss Amaterasu, but I must insist that you do not break the door." A voice spoke, rather politely, off to her left.
Ammy turned, cocking her head to the side. She looked at the wall, and then glanced behind her, spinning in a tight circle for a moment. There was no one there! The wolf sat down in front of the doors and gave a curious little whine, tilting her head the other way, her ears flopping with the movement.
"I do not have a physical form to communicate with. If you wish, you can speak to the camera assembly in the top left corner of the entryway." The odd voice spoke again. Ammy tilted her head up and looked at the black orb sitting right where the voice had said.
"Arf!" Ammy barked, standing back on her hind legs, stretching up as far as she could toward the camera. She was still far from reaching her goal.
"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Amaterasu. My name is J.A.R.V.I.S., Mr. Stark's artificial intelligence and personal assistant."
"Rurr!" Ammy sounded out, stretching herself just a little higher on her back paws. She stretched, front paws reaching, still falling short of the object in the corner.
"Very well, Ammy. Do you require immediate assistance?"
The wolf barked an affirmative and nosed at the door briefly, her tail giving a little wag. She sat back down and waited, clearly expecting the doors to magically open. They didn't.
"My apologies, but the Tower is currently closed to visitors. You can return—"
"Wuff!"
"For what reason do you need to see Sir?"
"Awuff!"
"…Miss Amaterasu, boredom is not an adequate reason to break visitor protocol."
Ammy looked at the camera assembly and huffed softly, before giving a short little yip.
"Very well, I will ask Sir."
Amaterasu gave a little bark of excitement and padded in place happily. She got to all fours and circled around briefly, her tail wagging. She thought for a moment and looked up at the camera assembly again.
Amaterasu froze time around herself and pushed cold into her Celestial Brush, gradually working her brush higher and higher. Satisfied, she relaxed her grip on reality and watched as a staircase made of ice formed against the wall, leading up to the camera. Ammy happily trotted up those steps, before pausing at the top. She realized she made them slightly too high and huffed unhappily. She crouched down and looked at the gap between the top step and the roof, narrowing her eyes.
…
She could fit. Probably.
Ammy leaned in and had to wriggle her way between the roof and the top step. She shuffled and flailed a little, legs kicking as she wormed closer to the camera. The wolf scraped her claws against the ice, pulling forward and kicking as she wiggled closer, until—
Boop!
Her nose pressed against the camera.
"Arurr," Ammy greeted, keeping her nose planted against the black security camera. She then dragged her tongue aaaaallll the way across the object, smearing wolf slobber across the device. She pulled away with a satisfied huff, looking intently at the device.
"Miss Amaterasu, please refrain from licking the camera housing." The artificial voice sounded… somewhere between frustrated and amused if such a thing were possible.
Ammy leaned in and licked it again. She swore she could hear Jarvis sigh. The wolf wagged happily, her task at a proper greeting complete, and attempted to push her way back.
…
She tried to worm and wriggle her way back again, paws and claws scrabbling against the ice.
…
Maybe if she shifted side to side a little, she could back herself out of the spot between the ice and the roof.
…
She was stuck.
The wolf huffed in annoyance and embarrassment, flailing her back legs a little as she tried to unstick herself. She wriggled and flailed, kicking, before finally giving up with a sigh. She resorted to her magic once again, using her Power Slash to shatter the ice.
The wolf fell to the ground, giving a yelp as she angled forward, landing on her head and rolling. She was stuck upside down, her head and back on the concrete, while her tail and legs were pressed to the door.
"I apologize, but Sir does not want visitors at the moment," Jarvis finally spoke.
Ammy looked up at the camera from her position, tilting her head and gave a little "aroo?"
…
"…very well. Sir is in the basement currently."
The door unlocked with a buzz and a click, and Ammy found herself tumbling through the door, rolling forward into the lobby. She sprawled out on her belly against the tile, and huffed, shaking her head slightly.
Oh, she wasn't bored anymore!
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
"…sorry, could you repeat that number?" Tony Stark asked, pausing in his tinkering for a moment. He set down his screwdriver and turned around on his rolling shop stool, looking up at the woman running most of his company.
"Five hundred thirty-two thousand, three hundred fifty-eight dollars," Pepper replied, standing before him.
…
"…and sixty-three cents," she tacked on. The redhead looked down at her…Boss? Boyfriend? Partner? The line was blurry, but neither of them really cared. It worked well, for the most part.
"So… Why? Why did we spend that much on… advertising?" Tony asked, taking a sip of his water, and then turning back to his work.
"It was a donation... To hospitals… For children," Pepper replied, shaking her head. "It was a good opportunity. We could donate to help, and with Amaterasu running around healing people, it made national news in minutes. Simple marketing."
"Oh, c'mon, that's not a thing!" Tony scoffed. "That's clearly a robo-dog SHIELD made to distract people. Regardless, that's a lot to drop without—"
"It is a thing, Tony. I pet her, she's very polite. Also, do you remember the Super Bowl ad?" Pepper asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.
"…Okay, look. I admit it! Bad idea." Tony threw his hands out to his side, spinning around on his stool as he did, admitting defeat. "Do ya have to bring up that one instance whenever—"
"Three," Pepper interrupted. "You did it three separate times, Tony."
"…did I really?" He took a moment, bringing both hands up to cover his face. He sighed and brought his hands together in front of him. "Jarvis., whatever I was drinking that last time, don't let me buy any more of it."
"Dalmore 40-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky, Sir." Jarvis. helpfully supplied.
"Hey, that doesn't sound so bad! See, that's like what, five hundred for a bottle?" Tony defended himself as Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. "I make responsible choices too, you know." He reached for the glass of water at the edge of his desk and took a drink, looking up at Pepper with a raised eyebrow.
"It's well over ten-thousand dollars a bottle, Sir."
Tony spat out all that water right onto Pepper's fancy work clothes. He coughed and set the glass down, eyes wide as he looked up at Pepper, attempting to salvage the situation while spluttering, water covering the pair of them.
"I can explain—"
"You went through three of them that week, Sir," the AI added.
…
"…Jarvis, please, stop talking."
"Yes, Sir."
"I'm… going to go shower, Tony." Pepper sighed, planting her palm on her forehead. Tony perked up a bit at that.
"Oh, hey, at least let me help—" He stood up from his stool, taking a step forward.
"No. No, you just… Stay there," Pepper sighed. "Goodnight, Tony."
Tony frowned and sat down hard on his shop stool again, watching the retreating form of Pepper with a sigh. She vanished up the stairs, leaving him alone in the basement of the Tower once more.
"…Jarvis?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"I don't wanna talk to you right now…" He paused for a moment, then huffed. "Now ignore that and help me with this module, I need the schematics—"
"I hate to interrupt, Sir, but there's a visitor here to see you."
"Send them away, not in the mood. Visiting hours are over, anyways." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Is it really that hard to read a sign?"
"Sir, they said it was—"
"Don't care. If it was important they would have called." He paused for a moment and then glanced at the wall in thought. "How many of those messages have I ignored?"
"Six hundred eighty-seven, Sir. Miss Potts handled them." Jarvis replied. "Sir, about the visitor—"
"Enough about the visitor, I don't want company, it's late, Pep's upset, and I'm tired. Give them a coupon or something and make them go away."
Stark returned to his work, leaning over his work table and focusing intently. He was working on installing a new module into his suits, one that, ideally, would allow him or Jarvis to control the suits remotely. The first test… hadn't gone so well. The hole in the wall 30 floors up and the multi-million dollar suit at the bottom of the ocean attested to that fact.
Tony hummed to himself, tapping his feet to some unheard rhythm as he worked. While working, he heard the door behind him open. Footsteps approached him from behind, and he didn't bother turning around. He and Pepper were the only ones who were currently living in the Tower. He felt warm breath on the back of his neck, and the playboy grinned.
"Hey, Pep. Change your mind about the shower?" Tony held a screwdriver in his hand as he turned around. "You know, if you want, I can do that thing—"
He came face to face with the head of a massive wolf.
Tony screamed. Hard.
The billionaire fell off his stool as his whole body was wrenched back by instinct. He tipped over his stool and slammed his back into the workshop table, upending it and sending tools and equipment scattering across the floor. In his initial surprise, his hands flew up and the screwdriver he had been previously holding was now lodged in the ceiling. The glass of water that had been at the edge of the desk fell and landed on his head, drenching the billionaire and further adding to his misery.
He panted for a moment, trying to calm himself, looking up at the wolf that he swore was laughing at him. She was hiding her mouth behind a paw! She was absolutely laughing at him!
"Jarvis!" Stark was pissed. "Why is there a dog in here!?"
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"She said 'please'." The AI responded.
"…What?!"
Tony watched warily as the massive canine backed away and turned her attention from him, looking around the basement. It was still under construction, and he was attempting to set up some kind of automated assembly down the line that Jarvis would be able to use. As of right now though, he wanted to get the remote control modules working properly, so it would cut the physical labour astronomically.
The billionaire shifted his feet underneath himself and stood up, brushing off his clothes as best he could. He glanced at the large animal, and then over to his desk, sighing. He turned around and set his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to breathe.
"…Dad, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm sorry for bugging you about getting a dog. I finally get it now," Tony muttered to himself. He approached his stool, and kicked it out of the way, sending it skittering across the floor.
"Woof!" The wolf 'spoke' to the man, tilting her head slightly as she watched from afar.
"Nope. No, not dealing with this. I don't have Scooby-Snacks, so go harass some other billionaire, please," Tony huffed, shooing off the dog. "Go on, shoo, leave, mush, yah! Whatever the word is."
The wolf merely turned to sit, watching him with golden eyes. He swore the creature was smirking at him, but he didn't have proof. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked at the wolf, staring at her and thinking.
"You look familiar. You were at the- uh, the fight, right?" He snapped his fingers, pointing at the wolf. A simple bark and a nod was the only response he got. She didn't miss the slight stutter in his voice when he mentioned the battle.
"Miss Amaterasu said she was, Sir." Jarvis translated.
"Since when could you speak dog? I didn't program you to do that. Quit messing with me, call animal control or something," Tony huffed, turning away from the wolf. He stopped, stunned, seeing his workbench upright once more, in perfect condition. It didn't even look like it had fallen over. His cup of water was even full! "…also, Miss Amaterasu?"
"Agent Coulson from SHIELD sent you and Miss Potts a file on Miss Amaterasu. I take it you ignored the information?" Jarvis seemed to sigh at that one.
"Yup, must have missed it!" Tony turned and grinned, not at all sorry. "Maybe the fax didn't get through."
"It's currently sitting in your personal inbox, Sir. Along with one thousand three hundred thirty-two other unread emails Miss Potts labeled 'important'."
"Anyways! You're, um… Thor's pet, right?" Tony asked, snapping his fingers and pointing at her. A short, sharp growl was his only response, and the billionaire felt his grin falter for half a moment.
"Miss Amaterasu, I am not repeating that. Please do not be so vulgar," Jarvis responded.
A short, sharp yip was the reply.
"My apologies, Ammy."
"Alright, that's enough silly stuff for one night, it's getting late, and I wanna go to bed," Tony started, turning towards his work desk. "Go on, doggy, go fetch another Avenger."
"Sir, I must remind you that you've been awake for thirty-seven hours, and your bed is not at the workstation."
"I know, it's fine, I'm—"
Tony paused as a shadow flickered overhead. He looked up, only to see the form of the wolf soaring up toward the roof, and clamp her jaws around the handle of the screwdriver. She pulled it free, and fell to all fours directly in front of him, causing Stark to step back.
"Wur'!" the wolf 'spoke' up to him around the screwdriver. Cautiously, Tony took the handle as the wolf relaxed her grip on it, giving it to him.
"Huh… Thanks, Airbud. Can you normally jump that high?" He looked up at the ceiling, a good 20 feet in the air, and then back down at the wolf.
His only reply was a pair of gold eyes gazing right at him, sparkling with mischief.
"Alright, fine. Go fetch the screwdriver!" Tony hurled the object, watching the wolf, hoping she would run for it.
She didn't. She merely tilted her head and followed it slowly with her eyes. The duo watched the tool land on the floor with a clatter, and roll lazily across the floor, coming to a stop a few seconds later.
…
"You're doing a poor job convincing me you're some super smart magic dog if you can't even fetch," Tony snipped. The wolf looked at him and tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing at the man. "No, no, go on, explain whatever you were trying to, then."
The wolf huffed, and replied with a short yip.
"Wait, Jarvis, I got this one. Did… Little Timmy fall down the well?"
…
"Sir, I wouldn't—"
Jarvis and Tony both paused as the wolf rocketed off through the workshop, plowing through desks and chairs and all kinds of equipment. Papers went flying, equipment scattered across the room, and anything between the wolf and the thrown object was sent hurtling through the air. She blurred as she shot forward, snatching the screwdriver up in her jaws, and then ran back. She jumped hard, launching herself over the mess she created, and then somehow jumped again in the air.
She landed in front of Tony firmly, skidding to a stop on the floor. He staggered back a step, surprised, and looked down as she spat the screwdriver at his feet. He looked at the golden eyes of the wolf. She was staring right back as if challenging him.
He crouched down to grab the screwdriver and looked at it in thought. A little grin crossed his face. Well, if the wolf wanted to show off, why should he stop her? Something a little more difficult then. He needed proof she wasn't some deity of the superheated hydrogen ball in the sky.
"…what, you think picking up a screwdriver is impressive?" Tony scoffed, "I've seen non-magic dogs do that. Cmon, Furball, impress me."
"Sir, you are tempting fate. I highly recommend you look at other methods of communication and bonding with potential teammates," Jarvis spoke. The AI knew what was happening: Tony was trying to dismiss something he couldn't believe. When that didn't work, his usual next step was to progress situations further, much to his and Miss Potts' annoyance.
"Fate isn't real, Jarvis, that's just the talk of the superstitious and—"
Tony faltered as the wolf padded over to his work desk, looking him in the eyes the entire time. She leaned forward, opened her jaws, and bit down on the edge. She clamped down a little harder, her teeth digging into the metal, denting the work desk. Still staring at one another, the wolf flexed and heaved the table upright, hurling the work desk she had just finished cleaning up over her back and across the room.
"Wuff," the wolf replied, sitting down with a smug look. Could wolves look smug? She certainly did.
"…Ya know that wasn't very nice," Tony said playfully. He looked around the mess of a workshop, and smirked, humming in thought. "…Hey, Jarvis, how good is the soundproofing between here and the main floor?"
"Miss Potts won't hear anything other than a bomb going off."
"Good…" The man paused for a moment, looking at the wolf. "Hey, Airbud, want a real challenge?" A confused head tilt was his only reply. "Jarvis, power up the suit."
"Sir, what are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? Strong, non-deity dog. New Iron Man suit. That looked too easy for 'Miss Amaterasu'." Tony glanced over at the canine. "Whaddya say, Fluff-Butt? Wanna test your mettle on metal?"
A growl and a wag of her tail was all the reply he needed.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Amaterasu stood shakily on four legs, panting heavily. She gazed across at her opponent, a slumped-over Tony Stark in an Iron Man suit. His face plate had long since been torn off, and his armour was completely covered in bite marks and dents. He was grinning even as he leaned against the wall, wiping the sweat from his face after tearing off a sparking glove of his suit.
All around the duo sat the shattered remains of the workshop. Jarvis had long stopped trying to get them to tone things down, instead reserving to record the battle from all the cameras. Fire was flickering over several desks. Ice littered the floor and was carved into the ceiling. Large gashes across the wall and floor were strewn about the place, and neither one of them could remember who had caused that damage. A burst waterline was sticking out of the wall, frozen over by a thick chunk of ice, courtesy of the canine deity.
Oddly enough, in the middle of everything, sat a tree. A squat, wide tree, its branches barely scraping the 20 foot ceiling, yet it spread halfway across the width of the room. Ammy had planted it there and grown it rapidly in an attempt to catch Stark off guard. It had worked! He smacked into a branch and flipped over! Unfortunately, that had lead to Stark ripping a branch off the tree and swatting her with it like a fly several times over.
Ammy huffed in exhaustion, energy and magic drained as she sat down, attempting to look aloof, yet unable to keep her tongue from lolling out as she panted. Tony, for his part, was equally exhausted, having pulled every trick he had at his disposal short of actually just shooting the wolf.
"Ha! You… ya give up yet, Snowball?" Tony stripped himself of his shredded armour, the metallic scraps plinking off the ground as he pulled himself free. He panted and leaned against the wall, a grin across his face.
Ammy merely shook her head, too tired to even verbally respond. Instead, she focused what little magic she had left and used Bloom on Stark, revitalizing him. His eyes widened as he felt energy work over him, his muscles growing less fatigued by the second. The wolf gave him a wink and huffed, before turning and staggering toward the tree that sat in the center of the room, flopping beneath it in the shade under the fluorescent lights.
"…I hope you two realize you'll have to explain to Miss Potts why the room is destroyed," Jarvis spoke from the speakers in the ceiling.
"Hah… don't worry about her… just a little team bonding! Besides, she said I was working too hard, right? Just a little break from the work! Simple."
Tony huffed, trying to clean himself as best he could with his shirt. He stumbled over to where Amaterasu was laying panting under the tree, and dropped to his knees beside the massive wolf. He shifted to his side soon after, planting a hand on the wolf's side to pet her gently.
Ammy merely hummed and shifted a little, panting, and stretching to meet the gentle movements of Stark's fingers, kicking a hind leg a little as he found an itchy spot.
"…this is so weird. Not too long ago I was in a cave and forced to build that first suit to escape. Now I'm wrestling a magic wolf in the basement," Tony looked at the wolf for a brief moment. "Obviously, I won though."
Ammy's head whipped up, a glare on her face. Unfortunately, the expression was ruined by her tongue swinging around and smacking her muzzle from the speed she moved her head, causing Tony to burst out laughing.
"Fine, fine. It's a draw, for now. I'm winning next time though, poochy."
Amaterasu merely rolled her eyes, flopping back onto her side with a huff. She panted softly, relaxing on the blissfully cool floor, her tongue lolled out and laying on the tile. She heard shifting and glanced up, only to see Tony laying down on the ground, his head resting on her side like a pillow. A curious little croon merely had him waving a hand at her in dismissal.
"Oh no, I'm fine. Just… little exhausted from that is all. You're a tough cookie." Tony reached a hand up, planting his palm on the top of the wolf's noggin and ruffled it up, much to her displeasure. She retaliated by turning to face him, and sneezed lightly, spraying his neck. Ammy huffed gently in delight at the sound of utter disgust that came from the inventor. "Ack… Now I've dog germs. I'm not gonna turn into a werewolf now, right?"
Ammy didn't even bother trying to reply, instead merely groaning and rolling her eyes. Tony didn't need Jarvis to translate that one. The wolf did perk up when Tony let out a sharp yawn and shifted around a little.
"Ah, sorry furball, just a little tired. Not slept well recently. Ever since the… sky butt-hole thing. Nightmares. Not fun." Tony found himself babbling in his exhaustion, much to his embarrassment. There was an odd presence about the wolf. A sort of warmth and comforting acceptance made him want to keep talking, much to his confusion. "Ah, sorry, ignore me. I should probably let you get outta here, hey?"
Tony attempted to sit up, only to have a wolf tail smack his face, shoving him back down against the large canine. Ammy took the opportunity to curl around further and planted her chin on Tony's chest, eying the glowing circle under his shirt and giving it a light nudge with her nose.
"No, no, I can't stay and cuddle, furball," Tony protested, though didn't attempt to move, "Pepper would kill me if she caught me sleeping with another woman."
Amaterasu looked up at the inventor and rolled her eyes, the loud huff escaping her causing the man to laugh. Ammy responded by raising her head and dropping it firmly on his chest, digging her chin into some muscle, making Stark wince lightly.
"Ow! Fine, I deserved that," Tony grumbled, shifting a hand to plant on the canine's head, brushing her noggin lightly. "…Hey, fluff-butt, question for ya. You… You're not really some kinda deity of the sun, right? Because that sounds absolutely ridiculous. I can accept a magic wolf, why not, high-tech space gods are a thing. An actual capital 'G' God though? Hard to believe. You're not nearly refined enough."
Amaterasu merely looked up at him and huffed. She pulled on her magic for a moment, forming an illusion above the pair. A dark sphere started settling over the duo, the lights in the room fading, replaced by a slowly growing darkness. Soon, specks of light started appearing, one after another, filling the darkness with stars. Tony was suddenly back in space, watching helplessly as he floated around, unable to move. He was useless. The aliens were attacking and he couldn't do anything. Was that all he was good for? A sacrifice? Everything he had wanted to live up to and accomplish gone in a single decision. Then he was falling. Falling falling falling, further and further, spinning head over heels. Over and over and over again. More were coming. He had to try harder. He needed to be stronger. He needed to save everyone. He wasn't enough. He had to be enough. He had to push himself harder. He had to work faster. He had to—
A cold nose against his cheek and a warm tongue broke him out of his panic. When had the room brightened up? Why did his chest hurt so much? Was he crying? He never cried. What was wrong with him? He hurt. He couldn't think. Something was wrong. He needed air. He needed to leave. He needed to escape. He needed—
A low, soft croon against his neck interrupted his thoughts, as did a soft encompassing warmth working through his form. He shuddered, laying back against the wolf, feeling something working through him, relaxing him, easing the tense muscles. He forced himself to take a deep breath and turned his head to lean in and push his face against the wolf's neck floof. He held himself there for a moment, gathering himself. He noticed the wolf's eyes and the concerned expression within. Her tail gave an anxious flick.
He didn't need Jarvis to translate the low hum she gave.
Are you okay?
"…you know. I hate… I hate admitting this, but… Being up there, all alone. It was horrible. It was so big, empty, yet full of danger at the same time. Will there be a next time?" Tony closed his eyes and took a stuttering breath, blinking his eyes firmly. Why was he still talking? He should stop talking. It felt right though. It's not like the wolf could actually judge him for anything he said… right?
He felt the wolf's tail flick and drape over his form, covering his middle like a blanket. A warmth and heat radiated outward from the lupine, the feeling soaking into his body, settling deep into his bones, almost forcing the anxiety and stress away. He felt his body relaxing a little, a tension he didn't know he was carrying just melting away. He sighed, pressing back against the wolf's side, and hummed in thought for a moment.
"…Hey. Odd question, totally silly, but…" he paused, searching for the words, "…if you were the Goddess of the Sun and all, which is absolutely ridiculous, but if you were… do the other stars count too? I mean, what's the difference other than distance? Same general idea, yeah?"
Amaterasu watched Tony reach up and tried to use her magic to follow his movements. She formed a little ball of light at each little point he poked his finger in the air. Soon enough, a picture was forming. It was her, a wolf, made of little balls of light. She brightened them slightly, working on pushing more warmth and soothing calm through the traumatized man.
The duo lay there together, the inventor brushing his fingers along the head of the massive lupine, staring up at the glowing dot drawing Stark and Ammy had made. Jarvis gradually darkened the room, the lights fading, leaving that glowing image of a wolf hovering over them.
"Amaterasu is a mouthful," Stark spoke suddenly, gaining the wolf's attention. The wolf tilted an ear as she looked up at him, even as he closed his eyes. "What was that dog in space? The first one… Laika? Yeah, that's it, Laika. Everyone needs a fun nickname. That's yours now, and I don't wanna hear any whining about it. You're not the goddess of the sun, you're a space dog."
An amused huff was his only reply.
That night, Tony was able to sleep soundly, free from the nightmares that had plagued him since the invasion. He dreamt of floating along the stars while chasing a wolf through the sky. They danced and tussled and played, stirring up the dark universe with bright specks of light. Galaxies swirled and danced, and the darkness around the duo was full of life.
The wolf he chased in his dreams looked almost identical to the one he was sleeping against that night. The only difference: the one in his dreams had red markings… and glowed with the power of a thousand suns.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Pepper was mildly worried about Tony. He hadn't come to bed last night. She had expected him to at some point in the night like he usually would. Unfortunately, over the last few weeks, he had taken to falling asleep at his work desk, staying up long hours, or until she physically dragged him to bed. She walked downstairs, fully expecting to see Tony slouched over his desk again, snoring as loudly as his power tools.
Instead, she came down to see what looked to be the aftermath of a tornado. The formerly clean and semi-organized workshop was now a mess of materials, water puddled some spots on the floor, and… was that a tree? Tony was laying on the ground, under the tree. His Iron Man suit was in pieces on the floor, and damage littered the room.
"Tony!" Pepper cried out in alarm, racing toward the downed man. She dropped to her knees and grabbed his shoulders, pulling his head into her lap. "Tony, are you okay?"
"Huh? Whassat?" Stark shifted slightly and opened his eyes, blinking hard, squinting up at the face of Pepper, the light from the ceiling causing a little halo effect with her hair. "Oh, hey Pep. You look beautiful this morning… and every morning." He paused, then furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh… where the hell am I? I'm not dead, right?"
"You're not dead. Are you hurt? What happened?" Pepper helped Tony sit up, and he stretched hard, shifting side to side a little.
"Sorry, lemme reboot. That was a good nap. Uh, let's see…" He paused for a moment, trying to recall. "Jarvis let a dog in, we played fetch. Then Laika and I wrestled, and then she and I chatted, and then we slept, and—"
"Excuse me!? Who the hell is Laika?" She dropped Tony's head off her lap and onto the floor, the man groaning lightly from the impact. She stood up in a huff.
Oh. Oh no. Pepper was mad. Tony scrambled to his feet.
"Oh! No, wait, Pep, that sounds bad—Space dog! Laika was the first dog in space, and—"
The duo were interrupted by the sound of a short yelp, and the sight of Amaterasu falling out of the tree. She landed at the perfect angle on the trunk of the tree and rolled forward, somersaulting across the tile and sprawling out beside Pepper and Tony. The wolf looked up at the duo and tilted her head, tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth, and her tail wagging furiously.
"Space dog!" Tony gestured toward the wolf as if that explained everything. "And for your information, we did not sleep together, I slept on her. She insisted, but I said I was taken and—"
A fluffy white wolf tail whacked Tony in the face, pushing him backward and sending him sprawling out across the floor. Tony cackled and sat back up, laughing to himself as the two women glanced at one another, and then back at the billionaire. Luckily, Jarvis decided now would be a fantastic time to step in.
"Miss Potts, I allowed Miss Amaterasu inside. Sir decided to challenge the wolf and the two sparred, leading to the mess you see currently. I am unsure how half of the damage occurred."
Pepper looked between the two, gazing at both of them intently, their sheepish expressions giving them both away. She sighed and planted her hand on her forehead with a smack, and turned away from the pair.
"Just… Just clean this up, please. Both of you." Pepper grumbled as she walked toward the stairs. "I swear, it's not even noon and I'm tempted to open the wine. How am I the only adult in this room?"
"Miss Potts, if you would like, I can send you the recording of the sparring match between the two."
"Yes, thank you, Jarvis, I'd like to see how much trouble Tony is in," Pepper glanced at the man over her shoulder.
"If you would like I also have the moment Miss Amaterasu startled Sir into knocking over his workstation and—"
"Hey, no no, delete that one! Jarvis, don't do it!" Tony warned, standing to his feet.
"Yes, please, Jarvis. I need something to share with my coworkers over lunch," Potts laughed softly to herself, making her way up the stairs.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but you specifically requested I save all video footage for at least one week before deleting it. Just in case you became too intoxicated and tried to delete something important."
"Well, I'm now unrequesting it!" He protested.
Ammy huffed in amusement as she watched Tony run toward the stairs after Pepper, begging her not to share that rather embarrassing moment. The wolf turned and looked around the room, and started repairing everything. Long strokes of her Celestial Brush repaired the floor and walls, patched the ceiling, and restored broken tiles. Tables were moved to their proper positions, materials collected together and everything was put back into its proper spot. The tree was cut down and simply faded from existence; born from magic and died to magic.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, Tony came back downstairs, grumbling to himself about magic space wolves and stubborn business partners. He looked upon the room and stopped, noticing everything was clean and fixed.
Everything, except for the workstation he had been using last night. All of that was still spilled across the ground. To add insult to injury, there was a large, black paw print right in the middle of the floor, exactly where his table should have sat.
"Oh… Oh that's cruel. I see how it is." Tony chuckled, moving to clean up the mess himself. "I'll get ya back for that one."
The wolf was already long gone at that point.