Brown Eyes

Chapter 18

When Tony arrives back at the tower from his business trip, FRIDAY is quick to let Bucky know. The speed at which you fly off of Bucky's lap on the living room recliner to sit in front of the elevator is a speed unknown to mankind. Bucky fails at holding in a chuckle at how you practically vibrate in front of the doors.

When Tony opens the doors, he looks tired. The trip took a lot out of him. He worried about you the entire time he was gone, constantly checking in for updates from Friday. At one point, Pepper even took his phone away so he would pay attention in the meetings for the day. But when the elevator doors open and he sees a small kitten waiting for him, he forgets about the last few days, kneeling down as you fling yourself at him, catching you and snuggling his face into your fur. You instantly begin to purr, happy that he is finally back.

Tony stands up with a grunt, leaving behind his briefcase and coat that he dropped on the floor when he saw you. He shuffles over to the living room, toeing off his shoes as he goes, giving Bucky a quick nod and small smile before collapsing onto the couch, careful not to squish or dislodge you from where he is holding you. You curl up in his arms, purring softly.

"How's my fur ball?" he asks you tiredly, barely able to keep his eyes open. You lick his nose and he smiles, letting his eyes fall closed and holding you a little tighter. "That's good sweetheart. I'm glad you are okay. I missed you..." he whispers as he drifts off. Bucky stands up to leave the two of you alone. And if you purr louder at Tony's words, no one will know. Tony's soft snores slowly put you to sleep as well.

That is how Nat, Sam and Steve find you when they return from their mission. They drag their feet into the common room, instantly noticing the scientist curled up on the couch, as a small ball of fur snuggled up with him. It brings a smile to their faces, Nat snapping a photo before disappearing to the kitchen to grab some food before she heads to the shower. Steve and Sam don't even bother, collapsing onto the other couch and chair, slipping into sleep themselves pretty quickly.

You wake up an hour later, still cuddled up to Tony, who looks even more tired now that you can get a good look at the bags under his eyes. You slip out of his arms, making your way over to the elevator. You go to Bucky's bedroom but can't find him, huffing in annoyance, meowing at the ceiling for FRIDAY, not that she understands you. The AI surprises you with her words.

"Would you like me to take you to Sergeant Barnes, [Y/N]?" You scurry over to the elevator doors, waiting for her to open them. You can feel the AI laugh at you, despite the lack of noise, but choose to ignore it. She takes you down a few floors, the doors opening to what looks like an Olympic size pool. You gingerly walk out of the elevator, looking around the large room for Bucky. You get an odd sense of distaste for the pool, despite how much you would like it as a human. Must be the cat senses again, you think to yourself. Giving into the sense, you keep a wide space between you and the pool as you walk around it, trying to identify where Bucky is. You can't seem to find him, wondering if perhaps the man is changing in the change room you see the door for off to the left side.

You are about to give up when you see a few bubbles pop up to the surface of the water. You slowly make your way over to the edge looking down into the pool, seeing a figure sitting at the bottom of the pool. You panic, the man appearing to not be moving. You yowl, trying to alert FRIDAY, but the AI does not answer. You begin to panic, knowing that you will not be able to help the man, but feeling as though you can't just leave him there without trying.

In a split second, you find yourself jumping into the pool, not thinking about how you don't know how to swim as a cat. You instantly regret your decisions when you feel yourself sink below the water, struggling to keep your head above water. You begin to sink further into the water, panicking and struggling against the water.