The vigilante Iron Man is in the habit of showing up at a fight and disappearing again when it's done, whether the Avengers want his help or not. Steve has had more than enough of it, which is why, when Bucky finally manages to get him with a tracker before he flies off, Steve isn't going to let little things like a broken leg, an overprotective boyfriend, and a mysterious satellite deadzone get in the way of tracking him down.
Their - okay, fine, Steve's - truck breaking down on them might be a bit more of an obstacle, but at least the mechanic they've found, a guy called Tony, is nice enough to put them up - or should that be put up with them? - for a few nights while he works on repairing it.
Steve wakes up in the morning with permanent marker on his palm. It simply says: Come to the bathtub. Time to plan Operation: El Dorado. In hindsight, trying to put together a strategy to woo Bucky was never going to work while Tony was naked and in the bathtub.
(In which Tony does whatever the hell he wants, but it works out anyway).
Steve's jaw drops. Inside the chest cavity of the Iron Man suit a gorgeous fluffy black Ragdoll cat with a perfect circle of white fur on his chest stares up at them with an expression of pure irritation.
“Ah. He is not lost to us then.” Thor says, smiling down at their fluffy new friend.
“Mustache markings.” Bucky says faintly, drawing Steve's attention to the white spots of color that do indeed form a tiny mustache on the cat's face.
“Tony?” Steve whispers. The cat meows in a way that can only be described as miserable.