Dog Days

Tony was actually coping pretty well, all things considered. Only three days have passed when he started getting into the rhythm of things. He started eating the dog kibble, but only if some sort of wet food was added in. Clint and Natasha would take him on walks, Bruce would bring him to his lab so Tony could ‘help’ with some of his projects, and Thor may as well be the God of Petting because he nearly lulls Tony to sleep every time he lays a hand on him. Whenever Tony has to use the bathroom, one of his teammates would open the door to his patio where a few patches of grass sufficed as a toilet. The team was starting to act normal around him.

And Steve, well, it was hard to pinpoint what was happening in the guy’s mind at times. After the first big argument in the kitchen, Steve seemed to disappear. Tony knew that he was still in the tower after asking JARVIS about his whereabouts. Tony was starting to get worried, to the point where he looked to Bruce for advice on how to go about it when he was in the lab.

“Well, if I were you, I would probably just wait it out. Not to be a jerk, but you two aren’t exactly the most compatible teammates. If you go out searching for him, he may take it the wrong way and push away even further,” Bruce said while poking a 3D interface model of a DNA strand.

“Yeah… but I feel like if I don’t do anything, he’ll interpret it as if I don’t care. Believe it or not, I actually respect the guy. I don’t want to ruin anything we have goin’ for us,” Tony looked down at his paws.

“And what exactly have you got going for you two?”

“That’s... a good question,” Tony sighed as he tried to think what they possibly could look eye-to-eye on without breaking out into a screaming match.

“Well, I guess he wouldn’t have agreed to move into the tower if he absolutely hated me. I would say that our… relationship? No, not that. Um… companionship? That’s better. Our companionship definitely strengthened after Loki. We work together really well when we aren’t arguing,” Tony nodded along with what he was saying, realizing that they had indeed come a long way since their first meeting on the Helicarrier.

“If you really think reaching out to him first is the way to go, then do it. Always trust your gut. I’m sure this will all work out soon enough either way,” Bruce glanced at him, obviously waiting for his friend to make a choice. Tony stood up and leaped from the table to the chair, and looked up at Bruce as he jumped to the floor, “Wish me luck.”

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Once again, Tony had to ask JARVIS where Steve was. It should have been obvious that he was in the gym, countlessly destroying punching bags one after the other. Tony watched as he punched the bag so hard he unhinged it from its hanging post, and it flew across the room. He took this opportunity to cough, which came out more like a gag. Either way, it caught the super-soldier’s attention. Both of them tensed up immediately.

“Uh, hey Steve,” Tony couldn’t quite look him in the eyes, rather concentrating on the wall directly behind him. He assumed Steve already knew about Tony’s collar, because he didn’t seem all that surprised when he talked.

“Hi,” was the reply he got back. Tony sighed, knowing that this was going to be a hard conversation to endure. He got a nervous knot in his stomach, and he realized he should’ve listened to Bruce and let Steve come to him first. He began walking backwards towards the exit, realizing this was one of his more stupid mistakes.

“I’m, um… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come. Sorry to interrupt, I’m just gonna-”

“No… no. It’s okay. You’re not interrupting anything,” Tony was pleasantly surprised, enough to stop retreating from the gym. Steve started to unravel the tape around his hands, also unable to look his teammate in the eyes.

“I just wanted to check in. Haven’t seen you in awhile, so…” Tony trailed off and attempted to shrug his shoulders. He wasn’t sure when or how he should bring up their latest conversation, but he knew that was definitely the elephant in the room.

“You know, just been working out a lot,” Steve bit his bottom lip, passing the unraveled tape from one hand to the other. Tony was just about to make a snide comment about working out for three full days but bit his tongue. He just had to keep telling himself that he was not here to argue.

“Ah, well… do you wanna go on a walk? I haven’t been out yet today, and Clint and Natasha are busy.” ……. What. The. Hell… Why did he say that? Tony mentally face palmed himself, wondering what was going through his head that made him say that. Oh, jeez. He just made the situation a hundred times worse. Steve was gonna say no -

“Ok.”

- and they were probably never gonna speak again after this because Tony just had to go and make it more awkward. Goddammit, goddammit, goddam-… what?

“Come again?”

“Um yeah, I can take you. I just needed to change real quick, but yeah. I’ll meet you on the communal floor?” Steve scratched the back of his head.

“Sure, I’ll um- I’ll meet you up there,” Tony nodded his head, utterly shocked at the response. Steve’s lips turned upward into the slightest smile and he walked passed Tony to the exit. When Tony heard the elevator ding, alerting him that Steve was heading up to his private floor, he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He hesitantly made his way up to the communal floor, still unsure if this was a trick or not. It couldn’t be though, Steve is incapable of that sort of stuff.

Thor, Natasha, and Clint were all on the floor when he got there, and it seemed as though they knew something was up - his face probably gave him away. “Oh no, what did you do?” Tony looked at Clint, his mouth still slightly open, “Uh-” He was cut off when Steve walked into the living room, harness in hand.

“Ready?” Tony nodded and looked back at his other teammates, who looked just as shocked as Tony did at first. He walked over to Steve, and hesitantly let him put the harness on. He hated the damn thing, but unlike when Clint or Natasha put him in it, he didn’t make it a struggle for the soldier. The pair made their way to the elevator and waited as it arrived.

“Have a glorious time!” Thor innocently called from his spot on the couch right when the elevator doors closed, oblivious to how big a deal this was. But boy, Tony did pray that they would indeed have a glorious time…

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Stark Tower wasn’t far from Central Park, so that was where Steve was currently leading him to. It was Thursday, and earlier in the day so not that many people were out, much to Tony’s satisfaction. It took them about ten minutes to get to the park, where they began walking on the whirling paths. They didn’t really speak much on the walk, sometimes just pointing out some billboards or joking about almost getting run over by taxis. It was okay, though. It seemed as though they were both enjoying getting some fresh air.

It was nice that the park was shaded due to the number of trees, so Tony wasn’t dying as much as he usually did when Nat and Clint would take him around the block. However, Steve took longer strides than Natasha, so he did have to trot a little faster than normal. They stopped once they reached ‘The Lake’ and Steve took a seat on a bench. Surprisingly, Steve patted the spot next to him, and Tony jumped up, glad to get his delicate paws off the rough cement.

They sat in relative silence, which Tony didn’t mind. However, he could see that Steve was starting to get a little anxious, so he broke the silence. “Thanks for taking me out. Never thought I’d say it, but I need the exercise,” Tony shook his head but let a subtle smile creep across his face when he heard Steve chuckle. He quickly forgot that they were in public, and that it would be quite strange to see a talking dog, so he looked around swiftly to make sure no one was around, glad to see there was nobody.

“Yeah, no problem. It’s good for me to get out too. I’ve been cooped up in the gym for too long,” Steve sighed, watching the ducks swimming in the water in front of them. Tony looked up at Steve when he saw the soldier start fiddling with his fingers. Steve glanced down at Tony, “I’m sorry. About what I said before.” Tony raised his eyebrows, surprised that the argument was this quick to be brought up, but he shook his head slightly, “No, no it’s ok. Really, it was my fault. I was being a pain, I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and I didn’t have any right to assume that you would adjust just like that, in a moment’s notice. I should’ve been more considerate. But, please believe me when I say that you’re not worthless, okay? I don’t even know where that came from, but you’re not, you’re quite the opposite,” they looked up at each other for a moment before both of their gazes shifted to the ducks.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Well… that conversation went a lot smoother than what Tony had thought it would go. They stayed on the bench for awhile longer before Steve stood up, lightly tugging Tony’s leash. Tony stood up and leaped off the bench. They were circling ‘The Lake’ and came across an area deemed an ‘off-leash zone’ where there was one other dog running around freely with their owner close by. Tony stopped walking for a second to watch as the dog started rolling around in what looked like the fluffiest grass ever. Steve seemed to notice Tony’s attention shifting, and he tugged him over to the section.

After the whole SHIELD incident, Tony would’ve never thought he’d be let off-leash again in public spaces, so it was shocking when Steve - of all people - unclipped him. Tony looked up at him, uncertain if he was joking around, but when he stuck his chin outward towards the other dog, Tony knew he was given permission to run about.

The tower was big, but there was a lot of fancy - and expensive - furniture scattered around, and Tony knew that if he damaged anything Pepper would kill him. So, Tony didn’t really get to release his energy until Nat and Clint took him outside, and even then, he was attached to a six-foot leash so he couldn’t really run without getting tugged back by the spies.

Knowing that this may be his only time to release all his energy, he bolted around the field, as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Australian Shepherds are known for herding livestock, so he naturally happened to be a very fast runner. He slowed down enough to be able to throw himself into the fluffy grass without hurting himself. He experimentally rolled around a bit, and the grass felt so good brushing against his body. He didn’t care how stupid he looked.

He looked up and saw Steve in the distance with his arms crossed over his chest, and he could clearly see that the soldier was wearing an amused grin. Tony turned away from Steve so that the soldier couldn’t see Tony’s own goofy smile. After a few more rolls in the grass, he reluctantly got up on all fours and shook his fur out. He started trotting over to where Steve was standing, but before he took even a few steps the other dog, a Dalmation, stumbled into him.

The Dalmation crouched real low to the ground, playfully taunting Tony. Tony looked over to Steve - who happened to walk over to the Dalmation’s owner and start a conversation in a matter of seconds - and saw that neither of them watching their pets. Unsure of what to do, Tony mimicked the Dalmation. Apparently in dog language the gesture meant it was now allowed for the other dog to pounce and successfully tackle Tony to the ground. Tony was flat on his back in a matter of microseconds.

Tony tried to roll away from the Dalmation, but found that he was pinned to the ground. The Dalmation playfully bit Tony’s front leg, giving him the opportunity to twist out of the pile. He got up real quick and dashed straight for Steve, who had the audacity to laugh at the dogs’ behavior. Tony looked over his shoulder and sure enough, the Dalmation was right on his tail.

By the time Tony looked straight ahead, he nearly collided with Steve’s legs. Luckily the super-soldier leaped out of the way so that wouldn’t happen. He could hear Steve laughing as he circled back around, this time successfully hiding behind his legs. Tony was finally able to catch his breath when the Dalmation’s owner took the opportunity to click the leash back into place. The lady chuckled, “Sorry, Daisy can be quite energetic.”

Tony’s face dropped at the fact that he got tackled and chased by a female. Steve seemed to notice Tony’s shock and smugly looked down at him, “Ah, don’t worry about it. Tony here definitely got a run for his money. Might do him some good to know he got outrun by a lady, he thinks he’s the top-dog ‘round here.” Tony glared at Steve before pouting as both humans laughed. Even Daisy gleamed at him. How dare she.

“Well, it was really nice meeting you Steve! I’m afraid we have to get going.”

Steve stuck out his hand, the gentleman he was, “Yes, it was nice to meet you too, Molly. Maybe see you another time,” Tony missed the wink Molly directed towards Steve. A few seconds passed as Steve and Tony watched Molly and Daisy leave the area. They both looked at each other, Steve curling into himself as giggles - fucking giggles - took over his body.

“Ha Ha. Very funny, laugh it up. I just want to let you know that I was not prepared for the surprise attack, okay? Clearly Daisy has more experience being a dog, so how was I supposed to know whether she was playing or trying to kill me…” Tony trailed off as Steve’s laughing fit settled down.

Steve wiped tears from his eyes, clearly from laughing too hard, “Ah, that was most I’ve laughed in a long time. You should’ve seen your face,” Steve erupted into another giggling fit. Tony couldn’t help the small smile creep across his face. Steve was never this happy around him.

“Okay, I think we should head back now. But this was really fun. We should do this more often,” Steve said, a more serious tone taking over. Tony nodded, noticing other people starting to roam too close for comfort, not wanting to risk being overheard.

They started towards the park’s exit, and on the way out Steve noticed an ice cream vendor. He tugged Tony towards the cart, and Tony was utterly surprised when Steve ordered two vanilla ice creams, one in a cone and the other in a cup. After Steve paid, the cup was placed in front of Tony and both started enjoying their ice cream cones in the August heat. They were both silent, and Tony could only assume that Steve was feeling the same way about how this little ‘together time’ ended up.

Tony silently licked at his ice cream, savoring the vanilla flavor, and smiled into his ice cream knowing this was by far the best moment he had spent as a dog, and possibly the best time he’s ever spent with Steve…

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The pair made it back to the tower just in time for lunch. Clint was making his legendary grilled cheese, and Tony found that his dog bowl was already filled with kibble and a scoop of tuna. Although the ice cream helped to hold him over, Tony found that he was actually pretty hungry. He took a few bites, and nearly moaned at how good the tuna tasted. He finished off the bowl just as his teammates were getting served their sandwiches. A newfound hunger arose because damn did those smell good.

“So, what did you guys do?” Natasha said before taking a generous bite of the cheesy food.

“Just walked around Central Park,” Steve said looking down at Tony, a small smile creeping onto his face. Tony knew where this was going. Steve talked about some of Tony’s encounters with various critters, Central Park itself, the ice cream, and as if saving the best for last, Steve went into details about Tony’s little play date with Daisy. Of course his teammates had something to say about that.

“Y’know, in my defense, the attack was totally unexpected, okay?”

“It is indeed okay, Son of Stark. Sometimes us men underestimate the power women behold. You should not be embarrassed about getting defeated by dear Daisy.” Everyone knew Thor was trying to lighten the situation, but nobody could hold in their snorts when Tony pouted.

Steve sighed and absentmindedly ripped a piece of his grilled cheese and held it down to Tony. Everyone stopped laughing and watched as Steve realized what he was doing, but all he did was shrug and wiggle the piece more. Tony smiled up at him and snagged the piece out of his hand, moaning as the cheese melted in his mouth. Light banter started up again at the table, but Tony was too busy thinking that Steve and him were probably going to end up alright.

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Ever since Tony and Steve went for their stroll in Central Park together a week ago, the atmosphere in the tower brightened up immensely. Granted that Tony never seemed to be unsupervised, he noticed that the entire team was always with him instead of just one or two individuals. Unlike before, they now seem as though they enjoy each others’ company, instead of be forced to.

He still did his daily activities, but others were joining in. For example, today, Bruce voluntarily left his lab to join Natasha, Clint and Tony for his walk. And earlier that morning, Thor joined Steve on his morning run, which Tony had just started waking up for as well - Tony was very reluctant, but Steve insisted it’d be good for him. But on top of it all, they all started eating dinner together every night. They would sit in their ‘designated’ seats, Tony on the floor in between Steve and Bruce, and just talk. It was nice, and as aforementioned, it didn’t feel forced for once.

After dinner that night, the group migrated out into the communal living room. Even though Tony had joined Steve on his morning run and went on his daily walk with the pair of assassins, he still felt like he had too much energy. He couldn’t sit still as everyone else settled onto the couch.

“Do you have to pee or something?” Clint said after noticing Tony’s jittering. He was smirking a little, still amused that Tony has to ask someone in order to relieve himself.

“No. I don’t know, something seems off though. I feel like I could run for hours, holy shit. Can someone please help me stop moving, goddammit,” Tony bit his lip in frustration, trying to stop moving for one damn second, finding it near impossible. Just as he thought he had gotten a lid on it, Clint protruded a tennis ball - just one of the many toys the team has bought him - from next to the couch.

“Not in the tower, Clint,” Steve warned, but Clint threw it down the hall anyways. The first time any of them tried to play fetch with him, he thought he was going to mangle them for thinking so little of him. But, he found that it was actually quite enjoyable and burned off a lot of his energy. So, he couldn’t help it when he instantly bolted down the hall, successfully retrieving the ball and bringing it back to Clint, tail wagging as fast as it could.

“Clint,” Steve urged on again, his voice becoming more serious, but was seemingly ignored once again. Steve finally gave up trying after Clint threw the ball a few more times, each time Tony dropping it on his lap ready to fetch once more. Everyone started ignoring the two, and turned their attention to the TV screen, watching some comedy show.

Clint kept throwing it down the hallway, careful to avoid the luxurious decorations scattered about. Tony also knew to avoid them as well, knowing full well Pepper would have his head if one thing was out of place. So, Tony was a little more cautious than he would be if he was outside. Maybe Steve should’ve been more persistent about stopping their little game, because although Clint’s aim was impeccable, he couldn’t control how slippery the floor was.

Clint threw the tennis ball, but it didn’t travel along its usual trajectory, which was straight down the hallway, lightly bouncing off one of the spare bedroom doors and into Tony’s mouth. Instead, right when Clint was releasing the ball, Thor accidentally nudged his arm, so it veered to the left. Tony tried to correct his path so that he could anticipate where the ball was going to end up, but the bottom of his paws had the tiniest amount of hair sticking out from in between the pads and he was running too quick, so he couldn’t help but slide across the floor.

Before Tony could do anything about it, his body slipped out from underneath him and he was heading full force into a sturdy cabinet, where three very expensive crystal vases happened to be set on top.

Steve heard the commotion before he saw it, and it was like he was seeing it in slow motion. He watched as Tony’s body collided - hard - with the cabinet. He leapt to his feet but was too slow as all three of the vases tumbled off the side, falling directly on the dog right beneath. He couldn’t do anything as the crystal decorations shattered against Tony’s body. Tony yelped in pain when the last vase hit him directly on the head.

Tony briefly heard panicked voices surrounding him, so he opened his eyes just a sliver. The image he saw reminded him of the first time he woke up in this body in Maine, everyone staring down at him with pure worry in their eyes. He heard a voice telling him to stay awake, but the thought of sleeping was all too inviting. So, he allowed for himself to close his eyes and succumb to the deep slumber taking over his body.