TA, Changing Spots, 1/1, PG, Steve, Natasha, 814
Title: Changing Spots
Author: sephirothflame
Fandom: The Avengers
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark, Clint Barton
Warning(s): AU, were!cats
Spoiler(s): None
Word Count: 814
Master List: N/A
Notes: Le BFF wanted werecats. Who am I to deny her?
Summary: Steve isn't used to being around other Cats.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers. This is a work of fiction inspired by the movies. No harm intended.
Steve is drawn in by the wild cat roar, even though he had no intention of going to the gym initially. He has nothing else to do though, and he can’t quite resist the urge to check it out. He wants to know who’s here, and if it’s a Cat he hasn’t met yet.
It’s a little disappointing to see that it’s just Tony, stalking around the boxing ring and roaring his encouragement with every little pounce. He pays no attention to Steve, even when he approaches the ring, focused instead on Clint and an agent Steve doesn’t recognize wrestling.
There’s a soft prickling at the back of his mind, a soft purr of you’re in my way.
Steve reels on the spot, suddenly aware of the fact there’s a Cat behind him. She’s stretched across a pile of mats, head perched on her paws and tail flicking lazily. He doesn’t recognize her in this form, but he figures from the soft press of her mind to his, it must be Natasha. She’s as beautiful in spotted fur as she is in her skin, and her gold eyes watch him with gentle amusement.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Steve asks, “mind if I join you?”
Natasha doesn’t respond at first, but her hind legs curl in tighter to her body and she doesn’t seem to object when he comes closer and pulls himself up onto the mats beside her. Her tail flicks lazily and she turns her gaze back out to the wrestling match. Watch him.
For a moment, Steve doesn’t know what she means. Clint and the agent seem well matched, despite the fact Clint is smaller. The agent grabs Clint around the middle, preparing to flip and drop him on the ground, and Steve sees it; he feels it.
There’s an instant, right as the shift begins, where Steve feels the energy in his bones, the Lion inside him perking up and standing its ground. Clint’s body twists in the air, arching, clothes ripping as he shifts form and roaring as his paws hit the ground. It’s over in an instant, blink and you’ll miss it, naked skin replace with spotted, hackled fur.
“He’s cheating,” Steve says, frowning. He can feel Natasha’s amusement in the back of his brain, the heart of his Pride, but he doesn’t push her away. He wishes she would talk to him, but Natasha is just quietly amused and Steve just watches in disappointment.
Clint pins the agent down easily with a paw to his chest, large claws peaking and teeth bared. It should be over, because the agent gives, but Tony pounces over the ropes and onto Clint and the wrestling tussle starts all over again. The agent rolls away before he gets crushed, but Tony and Clint bat and bite at each other in between roars and Steve can’t look away.
You should join them, Natasha says. She stretches her paw in front of her, examining the spots and the peaks of her claws, before she starts to lick. Natasha looks just as indifferent now as she did before, as she always does, but Steve can feel something deeper. She’s judging him, maybe, appraising.
Steve knows he should say something, but he isn’t entirely sure of what. Instead, he smiles politely and watches Clint pin Stark down with a fierce pounce. He could take them easily, if he jumped in now. But there’s something between Clint and Tony, a playful rivalry he can feel in the back of his mind. He doesn’t want to interrupt. “Are they fighting for you?”
Natasha’s amusement is obvious, even if she doesn’t pause in rubbing her paw over the top of her head to clean it. Go play, little lion.
When Steve doesn’t move, Natasha stretches her feet out to push him from the mats. He doesn’t budge, not at first, but she keeps pushing and Steve lets her win in this. If she wants to lay on her own and take a bath, he can hardly stop her. Besides, as much as he wants to deny it and distance himself, the idea of playing with Tony and Clint like this, as a Cat amongst Cats, is hard to resist.
Steve strips self-consciously, despite the fact Natasha is pointedly not watching him as she bathes, and he shifts slowly. It aches, burning in his lungs and bones, pain building in the pads of his fingers until he feels it - the shift, the snap of energy - and he’s dropping to his paws and flicking his tail experimentally.
Clint is pinned by the time Steve bounds across the gym, but it leaves Tony open. Steve pounces, rolling them both easily and the laughter bubbles inside of him when he feels Tony nipping at his ears and kicking with his back paws.
Distinctly, Steve hears Natasha’s voice, welcome to the Pride.
Author: sephirothflame
Fandom: The Avengers
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark, Clint Barton
Warning(s): AU, were!cats
Spoiler(s): None
Word Count: 814
Master List: N/A
Notes: Le BFF wanted werecats. Who am I to deny her?
Summary: Steve isn't used to being around other Cats.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers. This is a work of fiction inspired by the movies. No harm intended.
Steve is drawn in by the wild cat roar, even though he had no intention of going to the gym initially. He has nothing else to do though, and he can’t quite resist the urge to check it out. He wants to know who’s here, and if it’s a Cat he hasn’t met yet.
It’s a little disappointing to see that it’s just Tony, stalking around the boxing ring and roaring his encouragement with every little pounce. He pays no attention to Steve, even when he approaches the ring, focused instead on Clint and an agent Steve doesn’t recognize wrestling.
There’s a soft prickling at the back of his mind, a soft purr of you’re in my way.
Steve reels on the spot, suddenly aware of the fact there’s a Cat behind him. She’s stretched across a pile of mats, head perched on her paws and tail flicking lazily. He doesn’t recognize her in this form, but he figures from the soft press of her mind to his, it must be Natasha. She’s as beautiful in spotted fur as she is in her skin, and her gold eyes watch him with gentle amusement.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Steve asks, “mind if I join you?”
Natasha doesn’t respond at first, but her hind legs curl in tighter to her body and she doesn’t seem to object when he comes closer and pulls himself up onto the mats beside her. Her tail flicks lazily and she turns her gaze back out to the wrestling match. Watch him.
For a moment, Steve doesn’t know what she means. Clint and the agent seem well matched, despite the fact Clint is smaller. The agent grabs Clint around the middle, preparing to flip and drop him on the ground, and Steve sees it; he feels it.
There’s an instant, right as the shift begins, where Steve feels the energy in his bones, the Lion inside him perking up and standing its ground. Clint’s body twists in the air, arching, clothes ripping as he shifts form and roaring as his paws hit the ground. It’s over in an instant, blink and you’ll miss it, naked skin replace with spotted, hackled fur.
“He’s cheating,” Steve says, frowning. He can feel Natasha’s amusement in the back of his brain, the heart of his Pride, but he doesn’t push her away. He wishes she would talk to him, but Natasha is just quietly amused and Steve just watches in disappointment.
Clint pins the agent down easily with a paw to his chest, large claws peaking and teeth bared. It should be over, because the agent gives, but Tony pounces over the ropes and onto Clint and the wrestling tussle starts all over again. The agent rolls away before he gets crushed, but Tony and Clint bat and bite at each other in between roars and Steve can’t look away.
You should join them, Natasha says. She stretches her paw in front of her, examining the spots and the peaks of her claws, before she starts to lick. Natasha looks just as indifferent now as she did before, as she always does, but Steve can feel something deeper. She’s judging him, maybe, appraising.
Steve knows he should say something, but he isn’t entirely sure of what. Instead, he smiles politely and watches Clint pin Stark down with a fierce pounce. He could take them easily, if he jumped in now. But there’s something between Clint and Tony, a playful rivalry he can feel in the back of his mind. He doesn’t want to interrupt. “Are they fighting for you?”
Natasha’s amusement is obvious, even if she doesn’t pause in rubbing her paw over the top of her head to clean it. Go play, little lion.
When Steve doesn’t move, Natasha stretches her feet out to push him from the mats. He doesn’t budge, not at first, but she keeps pushing and Steve lets her win in this. If she wants to lay on her own and take a bath, he can hardly stop her. Besides, as much as he wants to deny it and distance himself, the idea of playing with Tony and Clint like this, as a Cat amongst Cats, is hard to resist.
Steve strips self-consciously, despite the fact Natasha is pointedly not watching him as she bathes, and he shifts slowly. It aches, burning in his lungs and bones, pain building in the pads of his fingers until he feels it - the shift, the snap of energy - and he’s dropping to his paws and flicking his tail experimentally.
Clint is pinned by the time Steve bounds across the gym, but it leaves Tony open. Steve pounces, rolling them both easily and the laughter bubbles inside of him when he feels Tony nipping at his ears and kicking with his back paws.
Distinctly, Steve hears Natasha’s voice, welcome to the Pride.