Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Loki rummaged through the living space at the Avengers tower. Nearly taking it apart and searching everywhere for god knows what. Thor and Tony watched him, not daring to ask what he was looking for, because Loki was in THAT kind of mood. This kind where you better avoid him and wait until he referred to you by your name.

Tony lent towards Loki's brother and whispered. „Do you have any idea what he is looking for?“
„No, not at all man of iron. He seems very upset though. I'm wondering what let to this. Normally he is very calm and collected. Even I tremble with fear right know.“, the thunder God whispered back, actually looking nervous.

Bucky entered the room, eating a yogurt and took place first row right besides Tony.
„What's going on?“ the former winter soldier ask between spoons full of dairy. Tony and Thor shrugged their shoulders. „We don't know.“ , both said in unison.

Loki turned to the three men, glaring daggers at them.
„Instead of staring like a pack of unintelligent bilgesnipes that you are, you could help me search!“ the mage snapped at them.
Thor was the one courage enough to speak up. „We don't even know what you are searching for dear brother.“
„A transcript. My transcript!“ the black haired answered angrily. „A very, very important piece of literature back from Asgard. It's a red, leathery book cover with...“
„..with a torn up back and a few scratches on the leather?“

All three men looked at Bucky who just had spoken up and Loki grabbed the brunette ones collar furiously.
„Yes! Yes exactly! It's important! Where is it!“
Bucky brushed Loki's hands of. „Let go of me! I think it might could be with Strange.“
„Strange? Why?“
„I gave it to him.“ Bucky answered, calmly eating away his yogurt.
„YOU DID WHAT?! Do you have any idea how precious and rare this transcript is you dull, one-armed, stupid minion?“

Loki was clearly outraged, but Bucky was calm as usual.
„No. No idea it was yours. Steve asked me to clean the living room and this old book looked magical. So I gave it to Strange when he visited early this day. How was I suppose to know it was yours? Keep a better eye on your junk.“ he said unmoved.
„And it didn't cross your mind, that it could NOT be Strange's but mine?“
„Again, no. I didn't even know you where here. And I don't care. Just ask it back from him.“
Bucky was one of the few people who didn't put up with Loki's bullshit, so he was not impressed by the Jotunn yelling at him.
Tony again lent to Thor. „Your brother is going to rip raccoon boys ass apart, isn't he?“
„Probably.“ Thor whispered back.

Loki stopped his yelling for a moment and looked at Tony and his brother.
„You know what. For once...you two stupid bilgesnipes are having an excellent idea.“

Loki's grin on his face was mean and menacing. He took a few steps away from Bucky, flicked his wrist and indulged Bucky in a cloud of green smoke. Tony jumped a bit aside out of surprise, nearly bumping into Thor.

When the smoke was gone, Bucky was also. The former assassin was nowhere to be seen. At the spot where he stood sat something else.
Instead there was a surprised and confused looking raccoon. It blinked, looked around, than at Thor, at Tony, at his new teenie-weenie paws and then let out a panicked screech. It sprung on it paws,flinging the half eaten yogurt across the room and on the floor, wobbled for a second and darted towards the curtains, trying to climbed it.

„No, not...Bucky calm down. Get back here!“ Tony yelled out, running after the scared animal, after shooting Thor a look. „Get your god damn brother to fix this! Now!“
Thor turned around, but Loki was gone.
Great, this wouldn't be a pleasant search.
Not at all.

Chapter Text

Tony stood at the end of his curtains and scratched his head. There still was a fricking raccoon in his curtains and it was not amused. It hissed at him angrily and its hairs stood up.
The animal was clearly in no state to argue with or even climb down on its own.
The raccoon, former known as Bucky, was not amused. Not at all.
Tony tried to figure out how to get Bucky down from there. But no words of him could move this darn animal.
He sighed and left the room for a moment.

This gave Buck time, to calm down a bit. Breathing heavy and panicked his little raccoon eyes darted to the room. He wan't able to think straight. To think ...human.
No the raccoon inside his head grew louder and louder, urging him to find way out and maybe a nice trash can for sleeping in. It was bright in the room, to bright for an nocturnal animal. And it hurt his eyes. He blinked irritated, a little bit more calm, but still on the edge.

Tony returned to the room with a large, fluffy towel and a handful of blue berries. Buckys little nose started twitching and he licked his snout, revealing his sharp, pointy teeth.
"Yeah...you are hungry, aren't you?", Tony spoke softly and watched Bucky climbing down a bit.
Suddenly Natasha entered the room and saw the raccoon getting back up the curtains. She stood there for a moment besides Tony, observing the situation.
"there's a raccoon in our curtains Stark."
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious Romanov...If you wasn't here, I've wouldn't noticed that." Tony said pissed.
"I can shoot it down if you want."
"Sure, if you explain to Rogers why you shot his best friend..."
"Oh," Natasha thought for an moment. "Did Bucky piss someone off?"
"Loki." Tony said shortly, holding up the berries a bit higher in hope Bucky would grab them and he could throw the the towel over his head.
"Ah, well I guess you send Thor after him?"
"Sure did."
"Great. I'm going to help him track Loki down.", she said, turned on her heel and went for Thor.
"How about helping me?!"
"You got that Stark.", she said without turning around again."

"I got this my ass...", he murmured to himself and looked back to Bucky, who already had climbed down a little more and managed to pick a berry from Tonys hand, happily and soundly chewing it.
Tony smiled. "There we go buddy...come on, let me just...wrap you up..." Tony stuttered as he tried to wrap a surprised and startled raccoon in a towel. Bucky scratched and screamed for his life. Even bit Tony in his thumb.
"Did you bit me you little shit?!" Tony screamed out in pain, trying not to drop Bucky.
With lot of effort, deep scratches and a bitten thumb he finally had managed to wrap Bucky up in the towel.

The animal looked defeated, and tired, but still chirped and hissed in protest.
"It's okay...calm down. You are scared. I know. Trust me I know for fucks sake how it feels to be scared."
The billionaire petted Bucky softly, ignoring his bleeding thumb.
Bucky calmed down a bit, panting from exhaustion.
"You're going to be okay little furball."

Tony pressed Bucky lightly o his chest, offering him another blue berry. Bucky reached out with his little paws, twisted and turned it in his hands. Examine it closely, than looking up to Tony, chirping a him before shoving the berry in his adorable snout.
He loses his grib around the towel.
"You know...when you are not trying to bite me or destroying my Tower...you are actually cute like that."
Another chirp and grabby paws demanding more food.
Tony gave in and put yet another berry in Buckys paws.
"Lets get you somewhere save. Maybe Wanda can check on you or something."
Tony sighed and turned around, wandering off to Wandas room.
He just hopped that the witch could at least tell if Bucky was okay in his fur.
The raccoon at least seemed much more calmer, looking around with interest and batting his paws in Tonys face.
"No...stop that." He demanded but Bucky continued to do it and Tony sighed defeated.
He shifted Bucky to his hips and knocked at Wandas door.
This better was over sooner than later.

Chapter Text

“It's open.”, Wanda said, and Tony took the offer and entered her room.
“Hey Wanda. I got a problem, do you think you can help me?”
The witch looked from Tony to the little fluffy animal wrapped in a towel, happily munching on blueberries, staining the white cotton.
“Did you get a pet? What can I help you with?”
Tony sat down on Wanda's bed and let Bucky out of the towel. The raccoon quickly turned around and started to look for more food in Tony's pockets.
“That's the problem.” the engineer said and pointed at Bucky, who turned Tony's pant pocket inside out and licked at it.
“The raccoon? Why?”
“That's Bucky. He gave away one of Loki's books, and he transformed him into...well. That. Can you do something about this?”
Wanda took a look at Bucky and his little beady eyes stared back at her, then she shook her head.
“Sadly no. Only who had put this on him can lift it. So, you need Loki. I can't do anything about it.”

Tony sighed low and closed his eyes. A light smack on his cheek let him open his eyes again. Bucky had managed to climb the brunettes shoulder. His whiskers tickled Tony's face while he sniffed him out.

“No...get down. Urgh. I probably should give you to Steve. I can't take care of a raccoon. I got work to do.” Another light smack hit his cheeks, paired with a low chirping. “Or do you want to care for him?”
Wanda again shook her head. “Oh no, I am not good with animals. Besides, he seems to like you. He is probably much happier around you than me.”

Tony sighed and got up. Bucky clawed into Tony's suit jacket. He supported the raccoon with his arm and took the towel.
“Still thank you for your time Wanda. I just hope they find Loki quickly. I don't know if he gets any long-lasting damages from being like this for long.”
“I am sorry, I can't do anything, Tony. But its magic. That's how its work.”
Tony just waved at her.
“Yeah, Yeah, I know. Not your fault, Wanda. Thanks anyway. I have to go now and search Steve. Maybe he can take his buddy off me.”
“See you later, Tony. Bye Bucky.”
Bucky chirped at her and Tony left the room. He looked at the small critter and sighed.

“You know, you were a real piece of work, when you were a human. But now you are annoying and adorable. And I suspect you know this very well.”
The raccoon chattered happy and did the grabby paws again.
“No, you ate it all. There is nothing left on me. Unless you want my pocket lint.”
Bucky got up and perched himself on Tony's shoulder, sticking his fingers into Tony's hair and ear, which made him sigh.

Tony went into the direction of the gym.
“Let's see if your buddy is there, big guy. This is going to be fun, explaining this. All because of your big dick energy.”
A protest sound erupted from Bucky's snout.
“This is, what I am talking about.”, Tony remarked back, earning another protested chirping.
He sighed and went through the door.
“Steve? Hey, you are in here? There is a problem with your best buddy.”, he called out. Soon after that a loud thud could be heard and loud, heavy steps coming towards him. Dang, if Steve would act the same if it was him in trouble?
Probably not.

Chapter Text

Like predicted, Steve showed up in the door of the gym. His hair stuck to his sweating forehead and he was slightly out of breath. The look on his face was worried, like always when someone mentioned Bucky being in trouble, like a freaking damsel in distress.
Tony grinned a bit thinking about Bucky in a dress, but Steve's Voice ended his thought early.
“You said something about Bucky? Where is he? Is he alright? What happened?”
Tony sight. “Calm down. He is alive and well. I guess so, at least.” The little furry critter with his paws in his hair continued his mission to annoy Tony by sticking his cold nose into his ear and sneeze.
Tony groaned in disgust and grabbed his neck fur.
“Here you go.”
The billionaire hold the raccoon into Steve's face, and after a while of Steve just staring at it, he shoved Bucky into Steve's sweaty arms.
“I..I don't understand.”
“That's Bucky. He pissed off Loki. Then this happened. Wanda can't do anything, and Thor and Nat are looking for reindeer games. And if you excuse me...I have to disinfect my ear because someone just sneezed in it!”
The Blond look at the raccoon in his arms and back to Tony, who already started to walk away.
“Is this a joke I don't get?!”, he yelled after Tony, but the billionaire just shrugged at him and didn't stop for him.

Steve hold Bucky to his face and looked at him. The raccoon stared back at him and let out an uncomfortable noise, so Steve tucked him back into his arms.
Loki's magic could be very scary at the time. The thought he could do this to Bucky without even break out a sweat was terrifying. And Steve knew, that Loki didn't really need a reason to mess with people. Not a good reason at least. He was the god of mischief after all, but at least Bucky really seemed okay.
Steve turned around and walk towards the shower. There was no way, he would work out with Bucky being a fluffy woodland critter.
He put Bucky down on the tiles and looked at him.
“Okay buddy. I am going to take a shower and you will stay there and wait. And if I am done, I'll see what can be done about this.”
The raccoon started to look around the room and seemed distressed. Sniffing the ground around him and excessively scratching himself.
Steve ignored it and started to undress himself and hop into the shower.
The sound of the water roaring startled Bucky and he jumped to his paws, quickly running around the shower. Steve had left the door open and Bucky took this chance to running out the shower into the gym. He knew where he had been brought in by Steve and jumped onto the doorknob. After fiddling with it for a while, he opened the door and ran out of the gym into the hallway. He again was scared and alone and didn't know what to do. He just ran along the hallway and ended up in the Avengers living quarter afterwards.
Tony had taken a seat on the couch and cleaned his ear with a paper tissue, grumbling about it being wet and feeling nasty.

Without a thought, Bucky jumped on the couch, scaring the billionaire and scrambling on his lap. He pressed himself into Tony's suit jacket, panting in distress and making low whimpering noises. After Tony has composed himself, he sighed again, petting the trembling furry ball and speaking to it softly. “It's okay buddy, it's okay. Calm down. I am here. Nothing will harm you.”
Bucky calmed down quickly, but still snuggled into Tony's cloth.
Steve came running down the hallway, halfway dressed and with still wet hair. He went straight for the billionaire.
“Have you seen...?”
“Your buddy? Yeah. He is here. What happened?”
“I don't know, I just wanted to take a shower and put him down. When I got back out, he was gone. I am just glad he isn't hurt.”
“Me too. Would mind taking him off me? I have a video conference later on and I can't sit Blinky Bill...”
“Uhm...Blinky Bill is a koala...not a racc...”
“I DON'T CARE. Okay? Just take him.”
Steve sighed and reached for Bucky, but the former assassins growled at him angrily and tried to bit him. Steve took a step back.
“I don't think he wants to come with me.”
Tony put his hands around Bucky, trying to pry him off, but to no avail. The sharp claws were stuck to his suit jacket and there was no way that Bucky would let got of him.
“Do something!”, he hissed at Steve, but the Blond just scratched his head.
“Like I said. I don't think, that there is something I do. Seems like he just wants to be with you and no one else. Or at least not with me.”
The billionaire stared at the raccoon glued to him and shook his head.
“No way, I can't take him. I got a conference and I can't reschedule it. No way.”
Steve chuckled low and shrugged. “I guess there are just two things. Either you don't show up…or you take him with you.”
Tony looked at Steve like he had seen a ghost. Steve was right, Bucky didn't want to leave and he couldn't just “not show up”.

“Got fine. I'll take him with me. Like I have a choice. We'll talk later.” He turned around, Bucky still holding on to him and looked at said raccoon. “Just behave for like 45 minutes, okay?!”