Dog Days

The bots were defeated within a matter of an hour, and the team returned back all sweaty and gross. Tony watched the whole ideal on the local news station and knew he wouldn’t have to worry. The bots were poorly constructed and the idiot who designed them didn’t take into consideration how vibranium could easily destroy them with one hit. But there was a lot of them, making it a more tedious task which took the team a longer time to complete.

When they arrived back, Tony was lounging on the couch when Clint picked him up and placed him on his lap. “Well that was a waste of my time,” he mumbled to himself. He sighed and started to pet Tony’s stomach.

“For once, I’m glad that I didn’t have to suit up,” Tony replied, letting out a soft moan when Clint scratched in the right spot.

“Well, it’s not over yet. We have to get to the helicarrier for debriefing,” Steve looked worn down himself, obviously not excited about having to deal more with the robots.

“Ew, that’s gross. Have fun I guess,” Tony’s face twisted with disgust.

“Yeah, that’s the thing…” Steve drew out. Tony looked at Steve, confusion overtaking his face. Steve looked up but refused to make eye contact with the shepherd.

“Capsicle, out with it,” Tony rolled his eyes after Steve shrugged.

“Fury is starting to get suspicious about your whereabouts and graciously asked for you to come to the debrief. I don’t think the whole ‘oh, he’s out doing business’ shit is working anymore, it’s been over a month,” Natasha said, leaning on the doorway. She shrugged her shoulders and turned back into the kitchen.

Tony took a few seconds to absorb this, and the moment he did he lept up out of Clint’s lap. He tried to jump off the couch so he could hide, but Thor (once again, seriously?!) snatched him out of the air, as if he was anticipating Tony’s actions. Tony sagged in Thor’s arms, knowing there was no way he would be able to escape his vice grip. He looked pleadingly at Steve, “Steve, please. I can’t let him see me like this. He’ll never let this down! At least take the cone off!”

“I know, I know. We tried to push it off as long as we could, but he knows something’s up. It’s better if we bring you to him rather than let him make this discovery on his own. And sorry, I can’t take it off, doctor’s orders,” Steve stated with a guilty look on his face.

Tony was desperate and quickly turned to his other teammates, hoping someone would come to his rescue and not make him a victim of Fury’s ridicule. When none of them seemed to be leaping to the occasion, he huffed and refused to acknowledge that he was about to face his worst nightmare.

--------------------------

The team, and reluctantly Tony, made it to SHIELD headquarters within the hour. The quinjet touched down on the roof, and Tony considered re-enacting his first visit here, but thought better of it. He was sitting on one of the benches in the back of the quinjet and had to be forcibly knocked off it by Natasha when Steve opened the back hatch - hell, Tony wasn’t going to make it easy for them, the longer it took for them to make him cooperate, the longer he didn’t have to see the Pirate.

They got out onto the roof and made their way inside. Luckily the team decided to let Tony keep some of his dignity by not putting on his leash - it was obvious Fury was waiting for the day where they had to put a leash on Tony Stark, and today was not that day. Just like the first day, SHIELD agents left and right were cooing at the dog, and Tony couldn’t help but hide behind Steve so less people would notice him, obviously embarrassed to no end. And what made it even worse was the cone, acting as a spotlight that captured everyone’s attention. He considered asking the team to take it off but knew they wouldn’t oblige.

They reached the conference room deep within the headquarters, and each took their usual seats at the table. Tony was shaking with anticipation, making it obvious he did not want to be there. The door opened, and low and behold the man himself walked in, “Stark better have his ass in here or-” Fury sweeped his eyes around the table and laid his eyes on the sole dog. Tony stared right back. Fury broke his gaze to look at the rest of the team, and they all caught sudden interest in another part of the room. Fury’s eye brows narrowed as he shot another glare at the dog, finally seeming to understand.

Then, the opposite of what everyone was thinking was going to happen happened. Instead of the blatant screaming everyone was expecting, Fury started to giggle. Not once in Tony’s life - or the rest of the team’s for that matter - has he ever seen Fury, of all people, giggle. Tony started to bubble up with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

“This has got to be the bes-” Fury continued through another round of giggles, “This takes the cake. Jeez, Stark, if I’m being honest, this is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” He hunched over himself trying to contain his laughter. Tony could see that the rest of the team didn’t know what to do, but Steve could see that Tony was going to burst at any moment, so he stepped up.

“All joking aside, this is a serious situation and I think we all would appreciate it if we treated it as such.” Steve set his shoulders, as if trying to intimidate the Director. The rest of the team also seemed to sit up straighter, causing a sense of pride swell up in Tony.

“Oh Captain, you gotta learn how to lighten up,” he gestured towards Tony, “It’s not like he can understand us… or can he?” A more serious tone overtook Fury as he looked towards Tony.

Tony curled his lip to show his canines as he hopped onto the table and walked towards Fury, “Yes, I can understand everything you’re saying, Mike Wazowski, and I’d appreciate it if you’d, oh I don’t know, actually seemed to care that one of your top hitters for your little dream team is out of commission.”

Fury set his shoulders back, puffing out his chest. Tony tried to do the same, but the cone wasn’t helping one bit. Fury smirked a little, “Of course, Stark. My apologies. Now, how do we get Mr. Weiner here back to normal?”

“Oh, you’re dead,” Tony went to leap but his hind legs were grabbed by Clint, who dragged him back into his lap. Fury smiled at him, loving the fact that Tony was so easy to control in this state - and easy to piss off as well. Clint wrapped his arms around Tony’s torso so he couldn’t make a move against Fury.

Steve sighed, but addressed Fury, “We just have to wait it out. Loki’s the mastermind behind this and he is the only one who can turn him back. Pepper’s been handling the press, and we’ve ensured that no one, besides us, gets any crazy ideas about what happened to Tony.”

Fury clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “So, it’s obvious there is nothing we can do if Loki is involved. I guess just keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll be sure to keep our eyes peeled.” Fury shook his head and waved his hand as if shooing away the team. Tony gave one last growl to show that although he agreed, he was still pissed at the man.

Fury watched as Clint placed Tony on the floor, and laughed when Tony got caught on the doorway because of the oversized cone. Tony shook with embarrassment and glared up at Fury, as if daring him to say anything. Luckily Fury took the hint and kept his mouth shut, or at least until he reached the elevator that headed to the roof, “Bye Stark! It’s nice to see you put on a leash for once.” Tony snarled but didn’t dare look back.

----------------------------

The team boarded the quinjet and made their way back to the tower, Tony still annoyed at the entire meeting. He jumped up on the seat he first sat on when he first transformed, and looked back on the past to only realize that they weren’t getting any further in their search for Loki. It was already nearing October and Tony was nowhere near where he wanted to be.

The quinjet landed, shaking Tony out of his thoughts. As the ramp lowered to allow the team to exit, he stretched out like a cat and felt satisfied as his bones cracked. Clint patted his back as he collected his quiver of arrows and his sleek bow - yes, courtesy of Stark Industries. He hopped down and made his way back into the tower.

“Well, that sucked,” he said as he jumped up onto his spot on the couch.

“I know, but at least it’s over and you don’t have to worry about facing Fury in the future,” Natasha said as she sat next to him. She grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels while absentmindedly combing her fingers through Tony’s belly fur. He moaned at the touch and scooted closer so he could put his head on her lap.

“Come on, get up,” Steve ruffled Tony’s head, shaking him out of his stupor. Tony groaned, “Why, we just got back.” Steve just chuckled as he clipped Tony’s leash to his collar.

“Why? Because you didn’t go on your walk yet,” Steve gave an experimental tug.

“No, I’m not going out looking like a fucking satellite dish,” Tony tugged back on the leash.

“C’mon, you don’t- well, maybe you do a little but for real, you need the exercise,” Steve tugged again.

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand,” Tony plopped back down onto the couch. Steve sighed but went to pick him up. He tucked the small dog under his armpit and waved to the rest of the team, “I’ll be back in a little.”

“Steve, STEVE. You better put me down right now or I swear, I will- I’m, um, I’m gonna take a shit in your shoes. There, you want me to make nasty dump in your lovely velcro New Balance’s, huh?” Tony tried to kick him in the side but his short legs couldn’t reach. Steve ignored him as they made there way down to the lobby in the elevator.

Steve gently placed Tony down when the elevator reached the lobby, and once again gained the attention of all his employees. He looked down and refused to make eye contact with anyone. Steve looked down and felt bad but knew where he was bringing Tony would cheer him up. They walked a few blocks and neither said a word to each other. When they reached their destination, Steve looked down at Tony to see his reaction.

“No way, you didn’t,” Tony looked up, eyes wide as saucers.

“Yes way, I did. C’mon, there’s a few people inside who I know would like to see you,” Steve tugged on the leash and Tony let himself follow. They made their way inside and Tony couldn’t help but smile, totally disregarding the cone wrapped around his neck. Steve walked up to the receptionist who greeted him with a tight smile, “Hello, welcome to Stark Industries. How can I help you?”

“Hi, we’re here to see Ms. Potts.” The receptionist - Tony recognized as Debby - looked him up and down and picked up the phone. “Hello Ms. Potts, did you have an appointment with a,” she turned to Steve and asked for his name, which he gave with a nod, “a Steve?” She paused, and Tony assumed that Pepper was talking, “Yes, he does have a dog with him - yes ma’am - okay, sounds good, I’ll send them right up.” Debby hung up the phone, “If you take the elevator to the fourth floor, Ms. Potts’ office is straight down the hall.” Steve thanked her and tugged on Tony’s leash.

Steve lead the pair into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. This was almost as exciting as when Tony first got his collar. He hasn’t seen Pepper since this all began, and he frankly missed her. They weren’t a couple anymore - Tony couldn’t blame her, the uncertainty that came with superhero business was a lot to handle - but they were still friends, much to Tony’s relief.

When they reached the floor, Tony tugged ahead, urging Steve to hurry along, “Okay, okay,” he chuckled when he knocked on the door. After hearing for Pepper’s voice Steve pushed the door open.

“Hey, long time no see,” Pepper was in her chair and smiled at the pair. Tony looked up at her and smiled, then looked at Steve when he unclipped his leash. Tony ran over to his friend and leaped into her lap, “Woah, hi Tony,” she scratched behind his ears, expertly avoiding the cone.

“Jeez it’s nice to see you Pep,” Tony instinctively leaned into her side more. She chuckled down at him and looked up at Steve and mouthed ‘thank you.’

Tony heard a door open but didn’t look until he heard a familiar voice, “So, it’s true. To be honest, I truly thought you wouldn’t be that stupid.” Rhodey was standing in the doorway and stuck out his hand for Steve to shake. Tony leaped onto the table and took a seat, unable to contain his smile to the point that his tongue was hanging out. He shook his head, “And I would think someone as stupid as you would get into this, but I guess I stand corrected.” Rhodey laughed and sat in the chair across from Pepper to greet his friend.

Steve stood awkwardly in the corner, “So, I’m gonna, ya’know, head out to do… stuff. I’ll be back soon.” He smiled at the group and made his retreat. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go but figured that it’d be nice for Tony to have some alone time with his friends.

After Steve left, Pepper turned her attention back to Tony, “Well, you guys seem to get along better.” She was absentmindedly playing with his tail, “Yeah, I guess the only good that’s coming out of this is that the team is getting closer.” Pepper hummed, but the look on her face showed that she didn’t quite believe him.

Rhodey also look a bit displeased, confusing Tony, “Why do you guys look like you’re gonna murder someone…” Rhodey shrugged, “I just - I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little confused as to why it took your ‘team’ this long to y’know… appreciate you I guess.” Pepper nodded, “I know you Tony, and I know how you feel about them. You don’t trust them.”

Tony looked at both of his friends before looking down at his paws, “At first I didn’t, but I don’t know, they’re really looking out for me now-”

“I know, I know, but they shouldn’t have waited until you got turned into a fucking dog,” Rhodey shook his head, “They should have started looking out for you the first day you knew you were going to be working together, because hell Tony, you’re willing to sacrifice your life for a team that won’t bat an eyelash at you.”

Tony couldn’t help but look at Rhodey with shock, and could tell that his friend was sincere. Damn, maybe they were right. Now that he was thinking about it, what they were saying was true. Before this all happened, the only time he would see his teammates was during missions, but other than that, he could’ve gotten killed in his workshop without any of them knowing. But they’re really making it up to him now. If they weren’t as supportive as they are now, who knows what could happen to him.

Pepper sighed, “You know we both want what’s best for you. If you truly believe they’re changing, then stick with them. But, if at any time you feel that things revert back to how things were before, you’re more than welcome to stay with us.” She was petting his back now, and he couldn’t help but shrug away. He nodded, “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Pepper and Rhodey looked at each other and then back at Tony until Rhodey piped up, “Is there anything you want to do?”

“Honestly? Not really. I’m not in the mood to go outside looking like an inverted lamp.”

“Damn, I was hoping you’d let me walk you around Times Square. You know, show off the goods, I know you like attention,” Rhodey joked. Tony just shook his head, “You’re such a dick.”

That’s how the rest of the afternoon went, the trio talking and bantering until Steve came back - he walked around Central Park to kill some time while giving Tony space. “Well, I have to go,” Pepper said, “I got a company to run, your company.” Rhodey also stood up, “Yeah I gotta head out as well, meetings with the President and all.” Tony rolled his eyes but smiled, “Thank you. Today was nice. I’ll see you both soon.”

Steve looked foundly at the group and clipped Tony’s leash back to his collar. The pair left the room, leaving behind Rhodey and Pepper. They entered the elevator, “I’m glad you liked your surprise, they seemed happy to see you.”

“It was nice to see them. You don’t realize how much you missed them until you see them again, you know?” Tony nodded to himself. The rest of the way down was silent, as well as the walk back to the tower. Tony couldn’t help but think about what his friends said, what they thought about the team. He started to look back at the times before this incident, and what they said were true. The team really only started ‘caring’ about him after he transformed. What if he turned back and things returned back to normal, back to his team ignoring him…

-----------------------------

“Greetings, Anthony. Did you enjoy your surprise?” Thor’s voice boomed from the living room. Tony walked in and found that the rest of the team were sitting on the couch. Steve took a seat next to them and gestured for Tony to join them.

“Um, yeah. It was great. I’m just pooped, so I’m gonna go… somewhere and lay down for a bit,” Tony nodded his head in the direction of the hallway doors leading to the spare bedrooms.

“Oh, okay. We’ll be here,” Steve said, and Tony could see a hint of worry in his expression.

As soon as Tony left the room, the team looked at each other before Bruce piped up from the recliner, “Something happened while he was there.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Clint mumbled from his seat next to Natasha, who not-so-graciously thumped him upside the head. Steve, after a few moments of thinking about what was wrong, went to get up and see what the problem was, but Bruce put his hand on his knee, “Just wait. He’ll come when he wants to.”

----------------------------

Tony went into one of the spare bedrooms and leaped onto the bed. He had JARVIS put on the TV for background noise as he filtered through his thoughts. He couldn’t help but think that once he turned back to normal, his so-called team wouldn’t care about him. He hated to admit it, but being around them made him less lonely - it was doing wonders for his well-being if he was being honest.

He just didn’t want whatever the team had going on now to disappear. He still wanted to have team dinners, team bonding, team movie night, whatever. It was going to be hard to give that up when he turned back to normal.

After about an hour-or-so of thinking, he sighed but knew that the team was probably waiting for him. He leaped off the bed and made his way back to the living room. All of the team perked up when they heard his nails click against the floor - guess they were waiting for him. He forced a smile as he leapt onto his designated spot on the couch. He shifted his attention to the TV, where a Sci-Fi movie was playing, until it wasn’t. He looked over at Natasha who had the remote in her hand, and she raised an eyebrow at him, “So, you gonna tell us what’s bothering you?”

Tony huffed, “What? Besides being a dog, I’m fine.” He knew they could see right through him - one of the downsides of living with two master spies was that he wasn’t able to throw up his usual masks and get away with it.

“No, you’re not,” Natasha stated matter-of-factly. Steve nodded, agreeing with her.

“Yes, I am. Can you please turn on the movie again, the scene I like is coming up,” Tony gestured towards the remote in Nat’s hand. Natasha shook her head, “Nah, I think I’m good.” Tony groaned, showing his disappointment.

“What’s wrong, Tony. Ever since the surprise visit you’ve seemed… depressed,” Steve said, sounding exasperated like he, alone, was the reason Tony was in this current state. Tony looked at the rest of the team and shook his head as he looked down at his paws.

“Want the truth?” He sneaked a peek up at the team and they all looked at each other and back at him, as if urging him to go on. Tony took a deep breath, “What we have going on right now… it’s the best I’ve ever felt. I feel complete, I feel that I actually have a support system in place, I feel like I’m part of a family.” The team all smiled at each other, but the look of confusion was also blatantly obvious.

Tony looked down at his paws again, “But, why did you guys wait until - this happened.” He nodded down at himself, “If I’m being honest, it’s like a slap to the face. If this hadn’t have happened, then, I don’t know, things would’ve been the same as before. Before, when no one paid any attention to each other except on missions… when no one acknowledged me. Pepper and Rhodey were always there for me, from the beginning. And even though I didn’t know it at the time, they noticed that I was willing - am willing, to give my life for any one of you, but it’s not a reciprocated gesture.”

The team looked as if they had just gotten punched in the stomach, Steve looked like he was about to cry and Tony couldn’t even look up again. Bruce was the first one to speak, “I’m sorry, I never knew you felt that way.”

Everyone followed Bruce, saying their own form of an apology, claiming that they didn’t know. Tony wanted to believe them, but couldn’t. Not until they show it, physically and emotionally. Everyone turned to Steve, who hasn’t said anything. Tony bit his lip, unsure on what to do - it was getting kind of awkward.

He was just about to turn and high-tail out of there until Steve spoke up, “I don’t know what to say. Those words I said to you on the helicarrier… you’ve proved me wrong every damn day. It’s so difficult for me to get along with you - man, Tony, you were so arrogant and seemed so selfish that I thought I would knock you out if I even tried to converse with you.” He shook his head, and Tony dared to look up. Tony could see tears starting to gloss over the Captain’s eyes.

“And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve sat down and actually gotten to know you, but I was scared. I was scared that you’d just pull farther away. I really did want to know you, get close, and for some odd reason I thought that staying far away would help. It was stupid, really really stupid,” Steve raked a hand through his hair.

Tony let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. He sighed, “It’s okay, I should’ve stepped up too.” He pressed his lips into a fine line as Cap nodded at him in recognition. After that was said and done with, the team gradually relaxed as Natasha turned the TV back on. Tony laid his head on the couch, shaking his head so the cone would fall into a comfortable place.

Steve scooted closer to Tony and took Tony’s head and placed it on his lap. Tony flinched as he heard something clip - or unclip for that matter. Steve threw the cone over his shoulder and Tony sighed a breath of contentment. He was still as stiff as a board, but he was able to relax when Steve kneaded the area around his wound. Apparently he did something funny because when he opened his eyes the entire team was looking at him and chuckling. He felt a hand press down on his stomach and another on his back. He closed his eyes and savored this moment, because although it would take some time to trust his team, he didn’t mind waiting.