I have fallen in love with STONY stories and decided to write one; well actually, this is more of a "budding romance developed from an odd situation" STONY story. Hopefully y'all like it.

Furry Valentine

It was a sight that had The Avengers worried.

For the past few days, Tony has been wandering around the tower, almost as though he were lost. Each time Steve, Peter, Clint, Jessica or Carol would try to engage him with conversation, he would give them a blank stare and head down to his workshop. This alone had them worried since Tony left them without drinking his standard 4 cups of coffee as breakfast.

"This is bad." Jessica muttered into her cup of green tea.

"How so?" Typical Peter would be clueless. "Tony is just moodier than usual. Give him a few days and lots of coffee and he should be fine."

"I don't think so." Carol stared at the direction that Tony had just left the kitchen. "With everything just piling up on him, especially with him not talking to anyone after his relapse into alcoholism and his time captured by the Mandarin…I think Tony might be depressed."

"Tony does seem a little unfocused than usual…" Steve diverted his eyes to the same direction that Carol was staring off to. "But I wouldn't say depressed." Carol glared at him, thinking that Steve doesn't seem to understand the big picture. "At least not yet…Maybe one of us should talk to him; try and get him to open up."

"Okay, Cap." Clint got up from his seat and started to head towards the gym, Jessica following close behind him. "Let us know how that turns out."

"Wait a minute." Steve turned his attention to Clint. "Why me?!"

"Makes sense to me." Peter chimed in as he gathered his stuff to go to work. "You're the closest one out of all of us to get Tony to talk." He slipped in the elevator with Clint and Jessica and waved to Carol and Steve as the doors closed.

"What makes him say that?" Steve was perplexed over Peter's statement.

"Maybe it's because of the way you and Tony sometimes act as though you're the only ones in the room…" Carol couldn't hide a smirk as the words left her lips but tried to hide it with her cup of coffee.

Just as Steve was about to question her, he received a text from Clint. 'Don't b a DF. This is u r chance 2 ask Tony out!' The look of confusion had Carol puzzled until she leaned over and saw the message, which caused her to laugh. "What does he mean by that?!"

Carol scoffed. "Like I said, you two act like you're the only ones in the room sometimes. It's obvious you've had a thing for Tony for years." Steve was about to deny it, but Carol cut him off. "Deny it all you want… but we all see it, Steve." Carol schooled her expression as she stared Steve down. "Fact is, there's an undeniable attraction between you two that everybody sees it…even Thor." She got up from her seat and patted Steve on the shoulder as she left the room. "But do us all a favour and don't take Barton's advice. We can tell that Tony likes you too, but considering something is bothering him…just be a friend to him and see how you can help him deal with whatever's bothering him. The last thing he needs is somebody he trusts to take advantage of him again while he's at his lowest."

Steve continued to sit at the breakfast nook, contemplating Carol's words; yes, he's attracted to Tony, but Carol was right; what Tony needs is a friend, nothing more.

The following day, Steve tried to visit Tony in his workshop, but was denied access; he tried using his override codes but nothing worked. Getting worried, Steve decided to contact Tony with his communicator. "Tony?" Steve tried to keep his voice even, hiding the worry that he knew was there. "Can we talk?"

"Can it wait?" Tony's voice sounded off. "I'm not in the mood for conversation right now."

It sounded as though Tony was crying. Steve wanted to push the subject but he stopped himself; forcing the issue would only make Tony close himself off to everyone even more. "Okay, Tony." He felt defeated that he couldn't help. "I'll come back later." Steve left the floor, deciding to head up back to the common rooms and try to do something to keep his mind preoccupied.

Steve sat in the living room, reading the same page of his book for what felt like an hour. Something was bothering Tony, and he wanted to know what it was and how he could help.

"You seem to have been on that page for quite some time, Captain Rogers."

Steve almost jumped out of his seat, not expecting Jarvis to come up behind him. "My mind isn't really into reading at the moment, Jarvis." Steve responded. "Tony has been acting...not quite himself these past few days."

"Mmmm..." Jarvis hummed, agreeing with Steve; obviously he has seen this before. Jarvis sat in an adjacent couch, setting down a tray of silverware that needed polishing. "It is that time of year...the celebrations for Valentine's Day has been rather — unkind to Mister Stark over the years."

"Tony's mood has happened before?" Steve questioned; how has he not noticed this over the years that he's been friends with Tony?

"It has been a series of unfortunate events since he was a child." Jarvis looked up at Steve from polishing a serving spoon, giving the soldier a slight glare, as though he should know better. "It was this time of year that Miss Dare had shot him and Miss Fujikawa had cheated on him with his former friend, Mister Stone." Steve felt like an idiot. He knew that Tony felt betrayed when Kathleen shot him; and the months of physical therapy kept the memory of that betrayal vivid in his memory for the longest time. And what Rumiko and Tiberius did to Tony...well, Tiberius being an ass was not surprising; but Rumiko...if there was ever someone that Steve ever wanted to punch harder than the Red Skull, it was Rumiko for breaking Tony's heart — how Tony could have ever forgiven her for that and resume the relationship, Steve could never understand; then again, it was rather pointless to continue feeling rage and jealousy towards a woman who's already dead.

"I have to admit, though," Jarvis continued. "Those moments pale in comparison to the death of Mister and Missus Stark."

This caught Steve's attention. "Jarvis, are you telling me that —"

"Tony's parents died in a car crash on Valentine's Day." Jarvis' tone was sombre; he remembered that night. Receiving the call from the hospital about his former employers' passing was sad, but trying to tell the horrific news to their son — it was heartbreaking.

Steve cursed after hearing this revelation. "I never knew..."

"Of course not." Jarvis said, returning to polishing more silverware. "It was well before your joining the Avengers, Captain."

Steve felt that he still should have known about the death of Tony's parents; with this being the anniversary of their death, no wonder Tony's been depressed. "Can you tell me about Tony's parents?" He asked Jarvis. It might not help the situation much, but it may give him some insight on Tony's past.

"Mister and Missus Stark?" Jarvis paused, thinking if he should tell Steve about them; he sighed, deciding to tell the truth. It may not be wise to speak ill of the dead, but then again...it was public knowledge anyway. "They did have their faults, like any other human being. But those faults have left some psychological damage to their child."

"Missus Stark — Maria — it took her quite some time to warm up to the concept of motherhood. She hadn't held Tony from the he was born until he was almost a year old. All of his care was delegated between the nanny and myself. Maria was much more interested in parties and drinking. Her abuse of other substances did not help much either. It was not until Tony said his first word...Mama..." Steve smiled at that, thinking that the word must have snapped Tony's mother to her senses. "It was directed to the nanny; Maria was obviously jealous and had her fired immediately. Once the nanny was gone, and no one else wanted the position, it forced Maria to spend time with her son. Thankfully, that time with her son forced her to clean up her act." Steve sighed in relief; the firing of the nanny was extreme, but if the end result made her realise her mother instinct, then it was for the best. "After that, Maria was the perfect mother; tutoring Tony in foreign languages, taking him to church mid-week, encouraging him to accept his early enrolment to MIT...Tony loved his mother; her death absolutely broke him."

Steve blinked his eyes, trying to hold back his tears. "And Tony's father?" He was afraid to ask, but he needed to know.

"Hmph!" Jarvis frowned. "Mister Stark — Howard — was quite cruel. Tony was virtually a prop for him, using his son as a piece of propaganda to help push his weapons deals; making press statements that his weapons were built to protect children, like his son, from the transgressions of terrorists."

"He forced Tony into the weapons business; Tony was much more interested in the medical field, wanting to invent things that would facilitate surgeries and prosthetics. But Howard told him that there was no profit in such endeavours. He made Tony feel inadequate for seeking other interests besides the family business."

"There was this one time, I believe Tony was nine-years-old...the family had visited the Statue of Liberty for some promotional business...it was related to one of Maria philanthropist projects...Tony found a stray blond kitten — it was a filthy little thing, yet quite sweet-looking, despite the dirt in its fur — he had asked Howard if he could keep it, but Howard..." Jarvis stopped talking, taking a deep breath and muttered many obscene words about Howard that almost made Steve blush. "He yelled at Tony to throw the kitten away; how it was a disease-ridden, useless creature that had no place in their family or the business. Poor Tony cried for days after that. Maria tried to comfort him by buying a beagle puppy. It helped some...Tony would not go anywhere without that dog." He smiled faintly at the memory; Maria was a remarkable mother once she cleaned up her act. "But as the old expression went: 'All good things must come to an end'."

"What do you mean?" Steve didn't want to interrupt, but he was curious.

"One day, one of Howard's military contacts, a general, came by the mansion to discuss missile contracts and left the main door open..."Jarvis began to cringe as the memory. "Jessie — the dog — ran out of the house and into incoming traffic..." Steve shook his head, automatically making Jarvis stop with the rest of the tale. "Tony was heartbroken; he wanted a proper memorial for his lost friend but Howard was much more interested in his contracts than to comfort his son. The general who visited that day had more compassion...probably guilt for leaving the door open...and presided over the service for Jessie. He eventually offered Tony a new pet — turns out he had a cat that just had a litter — but Tony was too grieve-stricken to think about ever having another pet."

"My God..." Steve started to wipe away the tears that were forming. How can anyone be so cruel to their only child? "Did Howard ever care about Tony?"

"He cared about the successes that Tony earned, and how they benefited Stark Industries...but did he care about Tony?" Jarvis paused. "In all honesty, I doubt it. With the amount of stories I have on Howard and his poor treatment of Tony until he went away to college...we would need a pot of coffee to stay awake for the rest of the night."

Steve nodded his head. "Thanks for talking with me, Jarvis." He stood up, ready to leave the room. "I think I understand Tony a little better now."

"Anytime, Captain Rogers." Jarvis responded, continuing to polish silverware. Steve started to walk away until Jarvis called back to him. "Captain?"

"Yes, Jarvis?" Steve turned back to face the man.

"Your book, Captain..." Jarvis smiled, pointing to the abandoned book.

"Right," Steve rubbed the back of his neck, feeling sheepish. "Thank, Jarvis." He returned for the book and as he was about to leave the room, Jarvis called out to him again.

"Captain Rogers?"

"Yes, Jarvis?"

"Mister Stark — Tony — has very few people he could truly depend upon." Jarvis gave him levelled stare. "Miss Potts, and Lieutenant-Colonel Rhodes have been the only true friends he has ever had...it would be an honour to consider you as part as that select list, sir."

"I would never do anything to betray the trust to be part of a group of trustworthy people, Jarvis." Steve said. "I'd rather give my life than hurt Tony."

"Let us hope your passing never happens." Jarvis offered a kind smile. "You are an important person to Mister Stark; he could not ask for a better friend."

"Thanks, Jarvis." Steve smiled back. He finally left the living room, his head spinning with the tales that Jarvis just told him.

This certainly explains a lot about Tony...the emotional distance between him and his parents — mainly his father; the failed relationships; the self-loathing and doubt...

Tony needed to know that someone was there for him unconditionally. No strings attached…no hidden agendas. This was Steve's mission...it was up to him to show Tony that he was someone of value, not because of his intellect, but worthy of his heart.

The next day felt like any other cold February day, and Steve hated the cold; he's spent much of his life encased in ice…the last thing he wanted was to feel the prickling touch of freezing rain on his skin.

But he was a man on a mission. Tony was the closest person to him and he wanted to make Tony's pain go away, even if it's temporary. The stories from Jarvis continued to plague Steve's mind, causing him to walk around the city, glimpsing window displays that were overly decorated for Valentine's Day – a sick twisted holiday to make lonely individuals feel unloved and promote false emotions of love for couples who took the term as a joke.

Steve was ready to return home to the Tower until a small shop caught his attention and something in its display window caught his attention. A small smile formed on his lips as he made a bee-line for the shop to get Tony a gift.

Valentine's Day…the day of reckoning for many individuals.

This was not lost on Tony, who was becoming more irritated with Clint's attempt with small talk; making poor jokes that made Tony wish that he had his gauntlet so that he could blast a powerful repulsor beam to the archer's head. At least Jessica tried to diffuse the situation, all for naught. Seriously, what made Barton think that Tony wanted to carry a stupid discussion about the latest episode of Survivor before his first cup of coffee? Besides, Tony hated Survivor.

"Leave him alone, Clint." Steve interjected as he entered the kitchen with a small package. "You know Tony can't function properly without coffee first."

"Obvious fact." Clint smirked. "Anyway, shouldn't you cut back on the stuff?" He directed the question to Tony. "All that caffeine's making you more irritable than usual."

"Shut up, Clint." Jessica interjected as she poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat next to him. "Even I'm not in the mood for your crap." Tony cracked a smile.

'At least he's a little less dour for now.' Steve thought as he placed coffee mugs in front of himself and Tony, then setting the small package next to Tony.

"What's this?" Tony asked, his eyes bouncing between Steve and the box.

"Well, we've all realised how upset you've been for the last few days," Steve started; Tony's expression turned sullen. "And I've been talking with Jarvis…and a few things started to click." Steve was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, seeing how Tony's eyes began to look clouded and upset. Since he couldn't back-peddle now, he might as well continue. "So, I was wandering around the city yesterday, and saw this, and hoped it might help you."

Tony glared at Steve, not liking the fact that someone so close to him would invade his privacy; Jarvis was pretty much in the doghouse for saying anything to Steve about this. His expression loosened slightly, seeing the apologetic look that Steve gave him. Sighing, Tony opened the package, eyes widening. This confused Clint and Jessica until they heard a tiny meow.

Tony reached into the box and pulled out a tiny blonde kitten. He held her at eye-level, thinking about the stray that he found so many years ago. He never forgot about that little defenseless creature, even when he had Jessie.

The kitten mewed at Tony; he held her closer to his chest, her immediate reaction was to rub her head near the arc reactor and purring in contentment as he finally began to scratch her head. It was love at first sight for Tony and the kitten. "She's so sweet." Tony mumbled, practically ignoring the others in the room; his focus only on his blonde kitten.

"I know I overstepped some boundaries," Steve explained. "And don't be mad at Jarvis; he was only trying to be helpful…"

"Steve, it's okay." Tony said, still paying attention to the little ball of fur in his hands. "But if you really want to make it up to me, you can help me buy some stuff for this little girl."

"Okay." Steve smiled, glad to be easily forgiven. "Let's find some kitten supplies." He followed Tony to the elevator, ready to spend the day shopping.

"Hmph." Jessica pouted.

Clint stared at her. "What?"

"Steve got Tony a kitten to cheer him up, and managed to work his way into a relationship."

"Yeah, so?" Sometimes, Clint can be dense.

"Today's Valentine's Day," Jessica answered, and judging by the scared look Clint was giving her, he forgot. "We've been dating for months now...where's my gift?"

The rest of day was spent with many apologies and Clint trying to cook a romantic dinner as a means to get out of his doghouse.

FIN

A few notes:

Tony's captivity by the Mandarin did happen in Iron Man #520-526. When he was free in #527, he was in a morose state, thinking that he was becoming depressed.

I did some creative licensing on the reasons why Tony being sour during the Valentine's Holiday...the issues where these unfortunate events happened were published nowhere near Valentine's Day; I just made them fall into this pattern for the sake of this story. And yes, the dog is canon; it's in one of the myriad of universes in Marvel. I just don't remember the name or the breed so I came up with one.

I like Hawkeye and Spider-Woman as a couple; I just had to add something with them at the end.

Reviews and constructive criticisms are appreciated.

Happy Valentine's Day! XOXO