As the car rolled through the streets, the group fell into a comfortable silence. Stephen curled up on Tony's lap, his tail flicking lazily as he gazed out the window at the bustling city. The familiar hum of traffic and the blur of lights gave the moment an odd sense of normalcy after everything they'd been through.
Yinsen, sitting beside Pepper, smiled faintly as he observed the scene. His kind gaze shifted between Tony and Pepper. "It's good to see you surrounded by people who care about you," he said softly.
Tony glanced up from where he was absentmindedly petting Stephen, his smirk softening into something more genuine. "Yeah, well… I'm a hard guy to love, but they manage."
Pepper, seated across from Tony, shot him a pointed look but didn't argue, while Stephen let out a soft huff from his position on Tony's lap. "You could make it easier, you know."
Tony chuckled, scratching behind Stephen's ears. "Where's the fun in that?"
Stephen's initial reaction was annoyance, his ears flattening slightly. But as Tony's fingers hit the right spot, the cat let out a low, involuntary purr.
Tony froze, his eyes widening as a grin spread across his face. "Wait a second. Was that…? Did you just purr?"
Stephen's eyes shot open, his blue gaze snapping to Tony with a look that could only be described as pure betrayal. "No, I didn't."
"Oh, you so did," Tony said, his grin turning mischievous. "That was the cutest thing I've ever heard. Come on, do it again."
Stephen immediately sat up, his tail flicking sharply as he tried to climb off Tony's lap. "Absolutely not. And stop calling it cute."
But Tony was faster. He reached out and scratched behind Stephen's ears again, this time with deliberate precision.
The cat squirmed, trying to dodge his hand, but Tony was relentless. Another low, unwilling purr escaped Stephen, and this time, it was louder.
"Gotcha!" Tony said triumphantly, laughing as he continued his attack.
Stephen growled, wriggling in an attempt to escape, but his smaller feline form was no match for Tony's persistence. "Stark, stop this nonsense!"
"Oh no, you brought this on yourself," Tony said, leaning back slightly to keep Stephen from jumping away. "I've got a new mission now: Operation Purr."
The two devolved into a comical struggle, with Stephen twisting and dodging as Tony's hands chased after him. The cloak-turned-bandana fluttered slightly with the movement, adding to the absurdity of the scene.
From her seat, Pepper watched the spectacle with wide eyes. "What… is happening right now?" she asked, her tone caught between disbelief and amusement.
Happy, who was driving, glanced in the rearview mirror and shook his head. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure this is the weirdest thing I've seen Stark do. And that's saying something."
Yinsen, for his part, chuckled quietly, clearly entertained. "It seems Stephen has met his match."
Stephen finally managed to slip out of Tony's grasp, leaping onto the seat beside him and glaring daggers at the billionaire. His fur was slightly ruffled, and his eyes burned with irritation.
Tony leaned back, arms crossed and a smug grin plastered across his face. "Come on, don't be mad. You purring is the highlight of my day. Admit it—you liked it."
Stephen's tail lashed as he sat primly on the seat, his dignity thoroughly wounded. "I'll admit nothing. And if you ever attempt that again, I'll turn you into a toad."
Tony laughed, unbothered by the threat. "Sure, sure. You keep telling yourself that, Stephen."
Pepper shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I cannot believe I'm sitting in a car, watching my boss and a talking cat wrestle over ear scratches."
"Welcome to my life," Happy muttered from the front.
The car rolled on, the absurdity of the moment giving way to quiet chuckles and smiles. For all his irritation, Stephen felt a flicker of warmth as he settled back into his seat. It wasn't quite the peace he'd expected, but in this strange, chaotic little group, it was enough.
And as the smell of fast food began to drift through the air, Stephen resigned himself to the fact that, no matter how much Tony annoyed him, he wasn't entirely unhappy to be here.
.
As the car rolled through the streets, the group had finally settled after the chaos of Tony's impromptu game of "Operation Purr." Stephen, now perched primly on the seat beside Tony, his tail curled neatly around his paws, glared at the billionaire with a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
Tony, meanwhile, looked far too pleased with himself, leaning back with a smug grin. "You know, for someone who threatens to turn me into a toad, you've got a surprising amount of patience."
Stephen huffed, his eyes narrowing. "If I didn't have patience, Stark, you'd already be hopping around this car."
Pepper, seated across from them, sighed as she glanced between the two. "I still can't believe I'm sitting here watching you bicker with a talking cat."
Happy chimed in from the driver's seat, his tone dry. "I'm just pretending this isn't happening. It's easier that way."
Stephen, eager to redirect the conversation before Tony could start another round of teasing, straightened slightly and spoke up. "So, Stark, what's this press conference of yours going to be about?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, his grin fading slightly as the question sank in. "Why? Curious about how I'm about to blow everyone's minds?"
Stephen tilted his head, his gaze steady. "Let's call it professional interest. Something like this happened in my universe too."
That caught Tony's attention. He leaned forward slightly, his curiosity piqued. "Really? Same kind of deal? Public announcement? Big reveal?"
Stephen nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes, though I was more interested in medicine at the time than the scandals of the great Tony Stark."
Pepper and Happy exchanged confused glances, the conversation clearly leaving them with more questions than answers.
Tony, however, zeroed in on the implications of Stephen's words. "So… how'd it go?"
Stephen hesitated, his tail flicking slightly as he glanced out the window. "I'll tell you later," he said quietly. "And only to you."
That caught Tony off guard. He straightened in his seat, his grin fading as he studied Stephen more closely. "Why just me?"
Stephen turned his gaze back to him, his expression softening slightly. "Because I don't want to influence your opinion more than necessary. This is your decision, Stark, not mine."
The weight of Stephen's words hung in the air, a quiet intensity settling between them. For a moment, Tony didn't reply, his brown eyes locked onto Stephen's blue ones as if searching for something.
Pepper, clearly sensing the shift in tone, cleared her throat. "Okay, I'm officially lost. What exactly are we talking about here?"
Stephen's ears flicked, and he glanced at her with a faint, apologetic smile. "It's… complicated. Let's just say it's not my story to tell."
Happy muttered something under his breath about "mystical nonsense," but Tony didn't seem to hear him. He was still watching Stephen, his expression unreadable.
Finally, Tony leaned back in his seat, his smirk returning, though it was softer now. "Alright, Steph. You win. But you owe me a private conversation about this later."
Stephen nodded once. "Agreed."
Yinsen, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange, smiled faintly. "It seems like the two of you have more in common than you realize."
Tony snorted, his grin widening. "What, me and Mr. Wizard here? Nah. I'm way more fun."
Stephen rolled his eyes but didn't reply, his gaze shifting back to the window as the car approached the burger joint. Despite himself, he felt a flicker of warmth at the thought of talking to Tony later. There was something oddly… terrifying about meddling with the timeline, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud.
However, in for a penny…
.
The car rolled to a smooth stop in the parking lot of the burger joint. Tony stepped out first, holding Stephen securely in his arms, the red bandana fluttering slightly in the breeze. The smell of greasy, delicious fast food wafted through the air, and Tony took a deep breath, grinning as if he were about to partake in a five-star meal.
As they walked toward the entrance, Tony glanced down at Stephen, who was glaring at their surroundings like the cat equivalent of a disapproving aristocrat.
"You know," Tony said casually, "if we're going to keep this whole 'you being part of my life' thing going, you should probably start calling me by my name."
Stephen raised an eyebrow—an impressive feat for a cat. "I do call you by your name."
"No, you call me 'Stark,'" Tony said, his grin widening. "I'm talking about my first name."
Stephen huffed, his tail flicking sharply. "Your first name feels far too… informal."
Tony stopped walking, turning slightly to give Stephen an exaggerated look of disbelief. "Informal? Seriously? You're a talking cat with a magical bandana, and you're worried about being informal?"
"It's a matter of principle," Stephen replied, his tone clipped.
Tony smirked, starting to walk again. "Come on, say it. You can do it. Just try: 'Tony.'"
Stephen's ears flicked back, his expression one of visible discomfort. "No."
"Why not?" Tony asked, his tone teasing. "It's just a name. My name. Tony."
Stephen sighed, clearly regretting every choice that had led him to this moment. "If I must address you by your first name, I will do so properly."
Tony raised an eyebrow, curious. "Properly?"
Stephen's eyes narrowed slightly as he finally relented. "Fine. Anthony."
Tony froze mid-step, his face twisting into an expression of mock horror. "Oh, no. Absolutely not."
Stephen's tail flicked lazily as he gave Tony a smug look. "It is your name, isn't it? Anthony Edward Stark."
Tony groaned, running a hand through his hair as they reached the burger joint's entrance. "Yeah, but no one calls me that. Not even my mom. It's always 'Tony.' Or maybe 'Mr. Stark' if you want to be fancy."
"Then consider this a compromise," Stephen said coolly. "I'll call you Anthony. Take it or leave it."
Tony grumbled under his breath, clearly defeated. "Fine, but only because you're a magic cat and I'm too hungry to argue."
Yinsen, who had been following closely behind, chuckled softly. "Tony, I think you're losing this battle."
Pepper, standing next to him, smirked as she glanced at Tony. "I think it suits you. You should let him have it."
Tony pointed a finger at her. "Don't you start."
Stephen, thoroughly enjoying Tony's discomfort, let out a faint purr of satisfaction. "Anthony it is, then."
Tony sighed dramatically as they entered the burger joint. "Great. Just great. First the purring, now this. You're going to ruin my reputation, Stephen."
Stephen smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I thought you said you didn't care what people thought of you."
Tony paused, his mouth opening and closing as he realized he'd been caught. "Touché," he muttered, before finally heading toward the counter.
.
As the group waited for their food, Tony leaned back in the booth, holding Stephen on his lap. Despite his earlier grumbling, there was no mistaking the fondness in his tone as he absently scratched behind Stephen's ears.
"You know," Tony said, glancing down at the cat, "Anthony's not so bad when you say it. But just so you know, I'm going to call you 'Steph' from now on. Fair's fair."
Stephen let out a low growl, though the effect was somewhat ruined by the faint purring that followed as Tony hit the right spot. "Don't you dare."
Pepper and Yinsen exchanged amused glances, while Happy shook his head from the corner of the booth. "I don't know what's weirder," Happy muttered. "The talking cat, or the fact that you two sound like an old married couple."
Tony grinned, completely unbothered. "Hey, what can I say? He gets me."
Stephen rolled his eyes but didn't move from Tony's lap, secretly enjoying the banter even as he muttered, "You're impossible, Anthony."
And though Tony would never admit it, hearing his full name said like that—low, smooth, and undeniably Stephen—left a faint warmth blooming in his chest.
For a moment, everything felt strangely right.