Dog Days

A Few Weeks Later…

Tony was still a dog… shocker. It was nearing November now and there was still no sign of Loki. Fury wasn’t on his ass about the whole situation, and the team was becoming accustomed to this new life. It was six in the morning and Tony stretched as he heard Steve getting ready for his morning run. After the accident, Tony became less active in fear of hurting himself even more, but this week it was decided to ease him back onto an exercise schedule.

Tony shook out his fur as he stood, and made his way to the common area. No one else was up - Tony couldn’t blame them, who in their right minds would wake up at a time like this? He wasn’t waiting long when Steve came out dressed in his joggers and a long sleeve shirt. He chuckled when Tony yawned, obviously not excited about getting up this early.

“What’s the matter? Scared that this 90-somethin’-year-old is gonna make you eat his dust?” Steve playfully joked as he grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. Since it was so early in the morning, he didn’t bother grabbing Tony’s leash since there wouldn’t be a lot of people out anyways.

“No, I’m just planning my celebration for when I sweep the floor with you,” Tony yawned again.

“Alright, I’m holding you to that. Let’s get going,” he stepped into the elevator that JARVIS so gratefully opened for them. They went down through the lobby and stepped into the chilly New York air. Tony shivered but started running alongside Steve, knowing he wouldn’t be shivering by the end of it.

Tony wasn’t able to sweep the floor with Steve, losing his breath within the first mile - damn, he needed to get back in shape. Steve took mercy on the dog and stopped, letting him take a breather, “Ya’know, once you turn back to normal I still expect you to come on these runs with me.”

Tony snorted, “Haha, that’s a good joke Cap. Finally found your sense of humor…” Tony gradually went from a standing position to rolling on his back on the cement. Steve shook his head and bent down to pick him up. He tucked Tony under his arm and carried him for another mile and then back to the tower.

They went back up to their floor in the tower, and routinely, Steve started the stove up to cook his eggs while simultaneously preparing bacon to put into Tony’s dish. Tony went into the living room to take his spot on the couch while waiting. Something Tony loved most about his situation was being able to smell just how delicious his food was going to be. His stomach grumbled as Steve prepared both their breakfasts.

Like normal, Natasha was the next person to wake up. She usually came into the kitchen in the middle of Steve and Tony’s breakfast to make her own - which only consisted of coffee (it killed Tony that he couldn’t have coffee).

Bruce stumbled in, and it was a toss up on whether he actually went to bed the night before or pulled an all-nighter in the lab. Tony still couldn’t get over the fact that although Bruce stays up all night working like Tony, Tony’s the one who gets yelled at for it. However, in this form, Tony needed to sleep or he couldn’t function. Like that one time where he couldn’t sleep because he was so nervous about his predicament that he accidently pissed on the couch - yeah, the team would never let that down.

Anyways, Bruce would usually use the same pot that Natasha brewed to pour his coffee, and as if on cue, “Why didn’t you save any for me?” Clint usually said as he strolled in in just his boxers.

Thor was always the last to get up, surprisingly. He would come in with a crazy case of bed-head and go straight to the snack cabinet for his breakfast: two packages of varied flavored pop-tarts.

Every morning, Tony would look at the team and could see that with everyday, they became more relaxed and comfortable. As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to prepare for long-term circumstances. He knew Loki wouldn’t change him back anytime soon, the stubborn bastard. No matter how hard Thor would look, he would always return with a gloomy attitude - who knows, maybe Loki could’ve died in a cave in the middle of nowhere, no one would know.

Typically after everyone’s have had their breakfast, they would all gather in the living room to chill out for a little. Steve would whip out his sketchbook, the news would be playing garnering the attention of the rest of the team, and Tony would nap to catch up on some of the much needed sleep he sacrificed every morning. He was jostled awake at the sound of someone getting his leash. He glanced up as Clint maneuvered Tony into his harness and clipped the leash.

“No. Five more minutes,” Tony threw his head back as Clint chuckled and tugged his leash to get him off the couch. Tony obliged, knowing that Clint wouldn’t hesitate to drag him off the couch and threw the building, much like his first time on the leash. As Tony broke out of the haze he was in, he could see that the rest of the team were throwing on their coats.

Noticing his look of confusion, Clint perked up, “We have a nice, relaxing day planned out for you. Don’t worry, nothing bad.” Tony looked at the rest of the team and saw that they all seemed on the same page, already planning the day without his input. He sighed, both excited and nervous to see what they had planned.

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“HELL NO,” Tony was now struggling and pulling against the leash, but Clint continued to push forward. Tony could smell the place before he saw it. And sure enough, his nose didn’t let him down. He could see through the fence that there were about a dozen other dogs, all shapes and sizes.

“Molly recommended this place, and I thought it’d be fun to get out of the tower. You know, socialize,” Steve smirked. One more tug and Tony gave up, groaning as he walked into the park. The entire team wore amused smiles as Natasha took Tony’s harness off him and gave him a little shove in the direction of the other dogs.

Tony looked back at the team and saw they were all waiting for him to do something. It was obvious they wanted something embarrassing to happen to him, and there was no way in hell that he was going to give them that. Tony trotted over to the corner of the park and laid down in the tall grass, and turned his head towards the fence so he was facing away from the team.

Thor turned to the rest of the team, “Well, this isn’t as exciting as I imagined it would be.” Bruce rolled his eyes, “He’s just being stubborn.” Clint nodded along, but he knew exactly what to do. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a squeaky tennis ball, easily capturing the attention of half the dogs in the park. Natasha mumbled something inaudible under her breath, but didn’t stop Clint as he winded up his arm and threw the ball right towards Tony - “This should be good,” Bruce said as the ball landed right next to the Australian Shepherd.

Tony was just minding his own damn business when a tennis ball landed beside him. At first he ignored it, because he knew that the team was trying to rouse him, but not even five seconds later he was bombarded by every other dog in the park. He went to get up so he could run away but he was pinned down and couldn’t move. He rolled quick enough to throw the dog - a German Shepherd - off.

He ran across the large yard and looked back to see that sure enough, the German Shepherd was chasing him. He also noticed that he garnered the attention of some of the other dogs, who were also pursuing him. He heard his team laughing in the background, and growled to himself.

The pursuit of Tony last for about a minute when he was cut off by a larger dog, who which he collided with and he skidded across the shorter grass. He groaned while trying to regain his breath, but was toppled by the other dogs. He tried to paw them off of him but it was no use. He just laid there until eventually, the dogs got bored of him and let him be.

After checking if the coast was clear, he stood up and shook to get rid of all the extra grass that got stuck in his fur. He growled at a dog that loomed behind, but apparently they didn’t get the hint. The dog had a rope in his mouth, and as if taunting him, he dropped the rope at Tony’s feet, daring him to take it. Tony looked at the team and could see that they were watching to see what he would do. He looked at Steve, as if pleading for his help, but he also gave Tony an incredulous look.

The dog opposite of him started to bark and wag its tail, trying to get Tony to play with them - well, Tony was having none of that. Instead, the billionaire turned his back to the dog in retaliation. He puffed his chest out but couldn’t help the high-pitched squeal that came out of his mouth when he felt a nose shove up into his ass. He turned back around to pounce at the dog, but was too slow. The dog dodged, and Tony fell flat on his face.

The whole team was hunched over, obviously enjoying the show. He snarled at them, and decided he’d show the dog who was boss. He lunged at the rope and the other dog did the same. At first, pure adrenaline and anger was running through Tony’s veins, so grabbing the rope seemed like the more dominant thing to do. However, after the other dog started tugging on his side of the rope, he realized that grabbing the rope may have been a mistake.

The other dog was a Mastiff. So in other words, he was faced up with the biggest dog in the park - and probably New York in general. His eyes went wide, but it was as if he had lock jaw. He didn’t let go of the rope, so the only thing he could do was tug back. He could see out of the corner of his eye that the team was still laughing and were predicting the outcome of this little tug-of-war match. Tony dug his paws into the grass and tried his best to rip the rope from the mastiff’s mouth, but to no avail. Instead, the Mastiff was dragging him across the park once more.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen,” Clint said in all seriousness as he watched the match between his teammate and the mastiff.

“Typical of Stark, facing the biggest guy in the park. And like usual, he’s gonna get his ass kicked,” Natasha stated at his side, her arms crossed against her chest. Thor and Bruce chuckled beside her. Steve rolled his eyes, “Love the confidence in our teammate, guys.” The team chuckled collectively as they focused their attention back on the match.

Tony was quite proud of himself, he managed to last a good minute-or-so before the Mastiff won. And by “won”, the Mastiff was able to literally throw Tony a good three-feet as Tony’s jaw finally released. Tony rolled onto his side and groaned, obviously getting the wind knocked out of him. But the Mastiff wasn’t done. The Mastiff stood over Tony, and Tony cringed when he figured out what was going to happen next. He clamped his eyes and mouth shut as the Mastiff licked his face, leaving a trail of slob and drool across his face. Tony whined until the other dog finished.

Tony gagged as he some of the drool made its way into his mouth. He stood up and dry heaved. Steve rolled his eyes, “Such a drama queen.”

“Damn straight,” Natasha said as she watched the super soldier grab the harness out of Bruce’s hands. Bruce just shook his head, “I think this was more enjoyable for us than Tones.” Clint chuckled, “Yeah, I gotta say this was a lot more eventful and entertaining than I thought.” They watched as Steve approached Tony.

“C’mon, if I could guess, I don’t think you’re having a fun time,” Steve said as he picked up one of Tony’s paws to put through the harness, followed by the other. Tony was too pissed off to satisfy the captain with an answer. Instead he walked in front of Steve and led him straight to the gate. The team stifled their laughs, but Tony could care less - he just wanted to get the hell out of there.

“Damn, I think we’re being given the silent treatment. And it’s from Stark, which is even more surprising,” Clint nudged Steve, who pursed his lips but silently agreed. Tony ignored them, but snarled to himself. He started leading the team back to the tower, anger pulsing throughout his entire body. He was just about to cross the street when his leash was tugged, signalling him to stop. He glared at Steve and the rest of the team and tugged back in the direction of the tower.

He was no match for the supersoldier. He groaned loud enough for the team to hear his displeasure when he let them lead him elsewhere. Bruce piped up from his side once not a lot of people were around, “Okay, as your friend, I can promise you that the next place we go is going to be a lot better.” Tony couldn’t help but roll his eyes - he wouldn’t be surprised if he was being brought to a doggy daycare or something.

They walked for another mile or so until they entered a rustic building. He could smell the scent of other dogs, and sighed. He wondered if his team was purposely trying to torture him. They reached the receptionist and as he looked around he realized that this was some sort of spa, but for dogs. There were tubs scattered about, numerous shampoo bottles on a big shelf in the back, and tables with leashes attached for some reason Tony couldn’t figure out.

“Hello, how are you?” The receptionist greeted.

“Good, yourself?” Steve said, manners never seeming to fail. The receptionist smiled at him in response, and looked down at Tony, “Oh, what a pretty girl you have here!” Tony sighed, already knowing that the team was never going to let that down. Clint snorted, “Yes, she is beautiful, isn’t she?” Tony sulked.

Steve smiled but finally decided that Tony has had enough embarrassment today, “Actually, we’re here for Tony, Tony as in a boy.” At least the receptionist had the decency to look bad, “Oops, haha sorry about that,” she was searching on her computer, “Ah, Tony. Got him. Okay, you all can go to Station #2, it’s right through there.” She pointed to a tub near the back of the room. Steve nodded and led Tony back there.

The supersoldier got the harness off the dog, and hung it on one of the hooks. Tony honestly wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to this or downright petrified at what his teammates had up their sleeves. But nevertheless, he was picked up and placed in the tub. Each member of the team was putting on a tan apron - since when did they worry about getting down and dirty?

He watched as Bruce turned on the water for the hose and felt a hand lay on his back. He closed his eyes as the water hit his back. He flinched at first, but it was actually relaxing once he got used to it. Something was being massaged deep into his fur and skin and led him to let out an audible moan. He heard laughter behind him, but paid no attention.

“Ha, I think he likes it,” Bruce said as he continued to spray down Tony.

“I would have to agree, since normal Son of Stark loves to be pampered, it makes full sense that he would in this form too,” Thor lathered his own hands in strawberry-scented shampoo. He smiled down at Tony, who was both still angry but happy at the same time. He supposed that he could accept this as a form of apology. He moaned as Thor started to massage the shampoo into his head. It felt good to get the drool and dirt out of his fur, and it was the closest thing to a shower he would ever get.

“I must say, if this is your way of making up for that shit show back there, apology accepted,” Tony closed his eyes but addressed the team all the same.

“We actually made this appointment far in advance. We never would have guessed that the dog park would make you that upset,” Natasha said as she grabbed some sort of comb. She dragged the comb over his entire body, and he absentmindedly leaned into the touch. He hummed, not really wanting to argue at the moment.

After a few more minutes of getting lathered in different scented shampoos and conditioners, he was shook out of his stupor when he was lifted out of the tub and carried to one of the tables that had the leashes attached. He was placed down and Cap clipped the leash to his collar. He looked around and could see a hose hanging from one of the walls. He leapt as he heard a loud machine start up, and almost fell off the table when a burst of warm air hit his behind.

“Woah, Tony,” Bruce chuckled as he re-adjusted the dog back onto the table.

Clint snorted, “Aw, are you scared of the wittle vacuum.” He pursed his lips as he pointed the vacuum towards Tony’s face. Tony sneezed, eliciting a few cute looks towards him. The vacuum didn’t feel like it was working, and as if his dogs instincts took over, he shook with all his might.

“Aw, C’mon dude!” Clint looked down at his now drenched self. He shot Tony a glare, in which he received a dopey smile instead.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Tony shrugged his shoulders as best he could.

“Yeah, sure. ‘I couldn’t help it’ my ass,” Clint mumbled under his breath as he grabbed a towel to wipe himself down. Natasha rolled her eyes but smiled all the same, winking at Tony as if thanking him.

“Okay, for real now,” Steve chuckled and continued to vacuum Tony. After he was completely dry, each team member grabbed a comb of their choosing and began to brush Tony’s fur. Tony couldn’t help but moan at how good it felt. Tony shook one last time, letting his fur puff out.

Thor ran his hand down Tony’s back, “Well, Son of Stark! I hope this pampering has made you feel like a - what do you Midgardians call it?-” he looked at the team, who shrugged, not knowing where he was going with it.

“Ah! A princess! I hope you feel like a princess, Tony!” Thor gave his rump two pats and smiled down at him. Tony couldn’t resist the smile even though he has, yet again, been called a girl, “Yes, indeed. Thanks.”

Clint snorted, “Alright, let’s go get this princess checked out.” Steve lifted Tony off the table and instead of placing him on the floor, he was placed under the captain’s armpit and carried back to the receptionist.

“I hope you all enjoyed bonding with your pup! If I do say so myself, he looks like he had a fabulous time!” The receptionist greeted the group. She looked down at Tony as Steve was putting him in the harness, and let his body take over as he wagged his tail - Man! He felt good! She giggled down at him and nodded at the group as they left. Happy was waiting for them outside, “Wow, Boss. Looking snazzy.” He gave an amused look at Tony as he opened the door, allowing each Avenger to slide in.

“I feel great. That was amazing, by the way. Finally being treated the way I should be,” Tony jumped onto the windowsill, allowing the wind to blow through his newly groomed fur. Unlike the first car ride, Tony was no longer ashamed of looking like an idiot.

“Yes, he was treated like the princess he is!” Clint said as he patted Tony’s behind. Tony was too relaxed to care, letting the chilly air flow down his back. Natasha chuckled, “Yeah, no more dog parks, but a lot more pampering I guess.” Steve scooted closer to Tony and picked him up to place him on his lap. Tony hummed as Steve run his fingers down his back, silently agreeing.

Happy drove them through the busy streets of New York and back to the tower. He dropped the team off in front of the entrance that only the team had access to. He nodded as he pulled the car around, back into the crowded street - presumably back to Stark Industries.

The team got onto the elevator and made their way up to the communal floor. There were no more plans for the day except to relax and probably throw on a movie - it was Bruce’s choice this week, meaning they would most likely watch a documentary or something. All Tony knew though, he was pooped. Both the park and standing around doing nothing while his team washed him made him extremely tired for some reason, and he knew that he was going to pass out as soon as he hit the couch.

The elevator dinged when the team reached their destination. They all seemed to have the same thought of starting a movie as everyone went to their respective spots on the couch. Bruce went to get the remote and, like predicted, was scrolling through the lists of documentaries available to watch.

“Wait, don’t start yet. I gotta piss,” Tony hopped off the couch and looked at Clint, who was the closest to the door. Clint rolled his eyes, but got up to let Tony out to do his business on the few patches of grass on the balcony. Clint opened the door and then closed it once Tony was out. It was starting to get darker, and since they were higher up the wind was starting to make the coldness unbearable.

Tony found a patch and quickly did his business before heading back in, not wanting to stay outside for any longer than necessary. He pawed at the glass door, trying to signal Clint back to let him in. After a few seconds, still nothing happened so he scratched at the door again - he knew he should’ve told one of the team to install a doggy door.

Clint usually liked to joke around, so it would make sense for him to leave him outside for a little longer, but he would never do that now since it was getting colder. He peered inside and nearly had a heart attack when he saw that all of them were passed out on the couch. He knew they were tired, but not that tired. No, that was not natural.

He tried stretching up the door, reaching for the handle but he was too short. JARVIS must have known something was up, but wasn’t doing anything about it. He whined to himself, trying to find another way in - except there was none.

He turned around and bumped straight into a pair of leather-clad legs. “Shit,” Tony said as he looked up to see who it was.

“Stark, it’s nice to see you again.”