Sam (The Dog)
“Who’s the best little doggie in the world? That’s right Sam! It’s you!!”
Sam stopped in his tracks on his way into the building. He had just been untying his shoes when his ears perked up at the sound of Peter calling his name. Is he talking to me? Curious, Sam continued to eavesdrop as he approached the room. “What a good boy you are! You’re being so brave for me!” There was laughter from several people and a couple groans afterwards.
Sam finally peeked his head around the corner and was met with an interesting scene. On the tiled floor of the kitchen was a fully inflated kiddy pool filled with water. Covered in suds and trying to escape was a dog coated in mud. It appeared as if he had just shaken his body because Peter and Bucky, who were knelt against the sides of the pool, were covered in water, dirt, and bubbles. Steve was laughing and even Natasha had a grin on her face. “We should’ve done this in the bathroom. That way Sam couldn’t escape.” Clint came into the room with a leash and Tony followed behind with some stained, but clean, towels from his lab.
“You think?” Bucky spread his arms to fully show off the damage the dog had caused. He had a grin on his face though. None of the people seemed to notice Sam in the corner as they all pitched in to get the dog clean. Without the dirt, it looked like it was a Pit Bull mixed with a Golden Retriever, maybe?
“You’re so handsome now that you’re clean Sam, aren’t you? See the bath was worth it. It wasn’t too bad was it?” Tony talked to the dog as he dried him off with one of the towels. Bucky and Peter used the others to wipe themselves down.
They were definitely calling that dog Sam. Is that a compliment? Sam contemplates their choice in naming before announcing his appearance. “Hey guys, I’m back.” “Hi!” Peter beamed at the man, hero-worship still strong even after a full year of living with the Avengers. The rest of the team also greeted him in their own ways.
“You got a dog?”
It was well-known that Bucky and Peter really wanted a dog, Steve, Natasha, Tony, and Clint also did, but they were less public with their whining, but it was another thing to actually go out and get one. As everyone’s parents say “owning a dog is a big responsibility”. “Well, Bucky and I were walking back from the outdoor training facility and the pound is right on the way so we decided to make a quick stop there.” Clint rolled his eyes. Everyone knew that the pound was a ten minute detour from the route home and that a ‘quick stop’ usually meant an hour when the teen and the super solider were involved.
“So we were in the pound, and they brought this guy in. He’d just been rescued from the streets. There weren’t any open cages so they were contemplating transferring him, but apparently it’s a busy season for all the nearby pounds so they’re all full.
The only other option was-“ Peter covered the dogs ears with his hands “-putting him down. And we couldn’t just let them do that. We’re superheroes, we’re supposed to save things. Plus, how could we say no to that face. So now Sam’s a member of our family!”
“Did you name him after me?”
Bucky scoffed. “Of course not, that was his name when we got him.”
“Wasn’t he a stray?”
“No, his owner died so when the paramedics entered the building, they found Sam cowering in a corner. He was being abused. See, he’s so skinny and dirty.”
“Can’t you change his name?”
“No, he already responds to Sam. Come on Sam, you can share your name, right?”
“Duh, I’m not a child. I just think it will get confusing with two Sam’s in the house. How will you differentiate who you’re talking about?”
Natasha and Steve smirked. They thought Sam was just being stupid. It would be obvious if they were talking to human Sam or dog Sam.
“We’ll call him Sam and you Sam W. or he’s Sam and you’re Sam #2.” Bucky supplied with a mock serious tone. “Handsome Sam and the other one. Sam and that guy over there. Sam and-“
“-shut up.” Sam waved his hand up in defeat and reached for the leftovers from last night’s dinner in the fridge.
—————
As it turns out, Sam’s worries weren’t as unfounded as the team dismissed them to be.
“Sam! Come here. We’re going for a run.”
Sam shot up in bed. Damn was today a training day? Without even checking the clock or the date, he shoved himself into some running clothes and rushed down the stairs. He couldn’t train with Steve everyday because his body wasn’t superhuman, but it was good for him to join once or twice a week. They’d made a flexible schedule where they would work out together when Steve was taking an easy day and Sam was going to go all out. He’d never mixed up a date before. It’s not like Steve would get mad or anything, but he was a very punctual person and lateness annoyed him.
Sam came down the steps at lightening speed. He made it down the last flight just in time to see Steve clipping the leash onto the dog’s collar. He turned at Sam’s stomping feet.
“Oh, are you joining me today? I thought it was a rest day for you.”
All of a sudden, Sam’s cognitive functions returned. He realized that he had just done weights with Steve and Bucky yesterday and that his jolted movements had made every muscle in his body ache. It also occurred to him that Steve had been calling for the dog. He was tempted to just go along with it to save his pride, but he knew he would feel like death afterward. He’d learned the hard way that you can’t compete with a super solider - you’ll hurt yourself and they probably won’t even realize you’re trying to compete.
“Nope, see you later.” Sam made a hasty retreat back to his room before Steve could ask any questions. He barely got his shoes off before faceplanting back into bed and falling asleep.
————
“Hi, Sam. Did you want to sleep with me tonight? Come over here and give me a kiss.”
Sam’s brain short-circuited for a moment. He’d been flirty with Natasha for a while and he’d been working up to asking her on a date because there was definitely chemistry. Maybe Russians were just more straightforward? Or maybe it was because she was a spy and a very confident woman? His mind was working overtime coming up with scenarios as he slowly made his way down the hallway toward Natasha’s room, which had the door cracked open. She couldn’t even see him - how did she know he was here? Was it a spy thing? He wouldn’t be surprised if she had cameras or something in the hall. Or maybe she was giving herself a pep talk? Practicing asking him out? Or more from the sounds of it. Sam was feeling pretty good about all the situations, the aspect of her secret spy skills was a little unsettling but so was everyone else on the team. The thought of Natasha talking herself into asking him out was adorable.
The confident grin on his face dropped right off his face when he actually opened the door. Inside was Natasha in pajama pants and a large T-shirt sitting criss-cross on the bed and patting the empty spot next to her. The dog was wagging his tail and preparing to jump.
“Oh, hey Sam. Did you need something?” Sam just stared blankly down at the dog.
“Peter and Bucky both like to say they’re his favorite because they adopted him, but I think I’m the only one who leaves him enough room in the bed to stretch out so he likes to sleep with me more.” Natasha explained. She then looked expectantly at Sam, the human, waiting for him to say wherever he came in her room to say.
“I forgot what I wanted to say. Goodnight.” Sam slumped as his previous excitement and adrenaline left his body. “Goodnight.”
—————
“Why’d you name him Sam? Does he look like Sam?”
Sam walked in to Pepper and Bucky having a conversation in the living room.
Bucky turned around to look Sam dead in the eyes and said “Nope, thank god. If he was as ugly as Sam, we probably wouldn’t have been able to adopt him without throwing up in horror.”
Pepper turned around to see what Bucky was looking at and sighed. She knew better than to get involved in their childish games.
—————
“Come here.”
Sam waved the bacon in his hands and made kissy noises at the dog, luring him into his room.
“Good boy.”He refused to call the dog ‘Sam’, that was his name.
Once he got him inside, he quickly shut the door and grabbed the crinkly package on his kitchen table, grinning like a fiend. As soon as Sam reopened his bedroom door, the dog rushed out to the kitchen to beg for some deli meat, despite the fact everyone swears they haven’t been feeding him table scraps.
“SAM” Bucky hollered from the kitchen. Sam hums under his breath, purposely ignoring the yelling. Bucky rushed into the doorframe of Sam’s room, the others coming out to see the commotion.
“Oh, sorry, were you calling me? I thought that wasn’t my name anymore.”
“What did you do to Sam?”
“What makes you think I did something to him?”
“He’s dyed all red and grey.” Bucky made exaggerated gestures at the dog, who was sniffing some shoes and wagging his tail happily.
Sam held back a snicker. He’d found the perfect nontoxic, temporary fur dye and carefully mimicked his own Falcon uniform on the dog’s coat. He also fashioned fake wings. The real kicker was...
“Is that Buck?” Steve squinted at the toy in the dog’s mouth.
“Does it look like him? What a coincidence?”
“Sam, the arm is colored silver.” Peter tried to seem chastising, but was clearly failing as an amused smile crept across his face.
Bucky smirked like an idea popped into his head and stalked off. The other Avengers laughed it off and went about their business. Sam sat on the floor and rubbed under the dogs ears. “I think we’re going to be good friends, right pal? Now, I need to stop whatever bullshit Barnes is trying to pull, you with me?”