Chapter 1
Doctor Stephen Strange was not a cat person.
Dogs? Sure, they were fine. But cats? They were unpredictable, mischievous, and far too independent for his liking. So, when he found a small, sleek-furred feline curled up near the entrance of the Sanctum Sanctorum on a cold New York night, his first instinct was to ignore it.
The cat, however, had other ideas.
It was an oddly colored thing—mostly brown with streaks of black and gold running through its fur. It had sharp, intelligent golden eyes that stared straight into Stephen’s soul, as if judging him. When he made to step past it, the cat stood up, stretched lazily, and followed him inside before he could stop it.
“Huh,” Stephen muttered, crossing his arms. “So you just invited yourself in?”
The cat meowed, its tail flicking as if it owned the place.
Stephen sighed. “Well, congratulations. You’ve made it past the door. Now get out.”
The cat did not get out. Instead, it sauntered deeper into the Sanctum, rubbing its face against the leg of an ancient artifact before jumping onto one of the armchairs and making itself comfortable.
Stephen narrowed his eyes. Something about this cat felt… off. It wasn’t just the arrogance—though that was certainly present—it was the way it carried itself, like it thought it was better than everyone else in the room.
With a flick of his wrist, Stephen conjured a small rune in the air, letting his magic flow over the feline to check if it was anything more than a mere stray. The results?
Nothing.
It was just an ordinary cat.
With a huff, he dropped the spell and rubbed his temples. “Fine. Stay for now. But if you knock over any priceless artifacts, I’m throwing you out.”
The cat purred, curling up into a ball as if it had won some great battle.
Stephen was already regretting this.
Meanwhile, inside the cat’s mind…
Tony Stark was having the worst day of his life.
One minute, he’d been testing some experimental tech in his lab—something that was supposed to be a harmless energy containment device. The next? There was a bright flash, a weird tingling sensation, and suddenly—bam. He was a damn cat.
At first, he thought it was just temporary. Maybe some kind of energy surge? A hallucination?
But after an hour of tiny paws, twitchy ears, and the realization that he could not build a new device with cat limbs, Tony had accepted his fate.
And now? Now he was stuck in the Sanctum Sanctorum with Doctor “I Have No Sense of Humor” Strange.
Great.
At least he’d managed to sneak inside before freezing to death on the streets. And honestly, he had to admit—the Sanctum was kind of cozy.
He flicked his tail, letting out a small sigh.
This was going to be a long week.