AVENGERS + DOGS HEADCANONS
So @thiccestavenger asked about dogs and it got a little bit out of hand, so I’m posting it here. I don't know what happened, this spiraled out of my control, but here you go:
(Everything’s below the cut because it’s a long ass post.)
• I think Bucky would totally have a rescued pitbull. He takes it home after finding it on the street, the poor thing is wounded and under fed and it recoils from human touch so quickly Bucky feels its pain. So he takes... Her. It's a she. He takes her home, feeds her, takes care of her. Eventually the dog starts feeling better and trusting him, and Bucky finds out how touch starved she is. It takes a long time before the dog stops flinching when Bucky does a sudden move, but eventually she does and Bucky counts the victory. She sleeps at his feet on the bed, nuzzles against his thigh on the couch, sits patiently at the kitchen door when he cooks. Bucky finally settles into this new life, just him and his dog in his Brooklyn flat, living a normal life. Early retirement doesn’t seem so bad now. One night, after waking up from a pretty bad nightmare, the dog jumps on the bed and starts licking his face. Bucky runs his hands through her fur and it anchors him to the present, he calms down, and thinks that maybe he wasn’t the one to save that small pitbull but the other way around. He doesn't realize that by working on the dog he's also working on his own issues until one day he finds himself at a crowded park, watching the dog run and play, when it hits him that it's the first time he's willingly gone to a public area full of people on his own. Well, he's not alone, he has Winter. The name started as a joke from Clint, "but dude, it's you, she's your dog version. Gray, has blue eyes, misunderstood misfit. It fits." And it did fit, so it stuck, and Bucky learned to give the word a new meaning.
• Steve would have a dog he could work with. Labrador, German Shepherd, the likes. Eventually he finds out he really likes to train him, Brook, and he's damn good at it too. He also realizes that it does wonders for his mind. He trains Brook for field work, explosive recognition, extraction protocols. He teaches him basic signs and they learn to communicate with and without words. The dog learns to be on and off the job, so when they're home, Steve lets him lay on the couch with its head on his thigh. It's nice, the company. Having something to take care of and come back home to. Steve scratches its head and behind its ears and it's comforting. Brook becomes a really good agent after training for so many months, he goes with Steve on some basic missions. Steve's reclutant on taking Brook to more dangerous operations, because he didn't get the dog to make it his partner like that. Eventually, he gets called by Tony, who's been watching him, and the proposal of having dogs for field work gets dropped on his desk. "You're good, Rogers. You've done an impressive job with this one" Tony points at Brook, who sits by the door, eyes fixed on Steve. "You could take some time off the field, stay at the compound and do this." Steve turns to look at his dog, who wiggles its tail once in return, still on working mode. "Maybe you could learn some more and train them not only for field work but for therapy. Actually, hold on, I think we need more therapy dogs than agents around here." Steve scoffs a laugh at that because well, where's the lie. And it could be good, he thinks. Taking some time off, no more missions. Just, staying back, train the dogs. He could start off slow, with two or three. Brook by his side. It could be nice. He tells Tony he's gonna think about it, and that night he falls asleep on the couch with Brook pressed against him. He already made up his mind.
• Natasha is definitely not a dog person. She has a black cat and denies that she loves her. Cat, yes she named the cat Cat, turned up at her windowsill on a stormy night and contrary to popular belief Natasha's not heartless, so she let her in and fed her a can of tuna. The cat purred, rubbed her head against Natasha's leg and jumped on the lounge chair Nat had been occupying, the spot still warm. Natasha shrugged and went to bed, deciding she'd get rid of the fur ball the day after. It never happened.
• If Thor were to have a dog he'd probably have a Golden Retriever and it would be the funniest thing to watch them together because they're practically twins. Thor loves the dog, he loves him and pets him and hugs him and he takes him outside to play fetch under the sun every single day until they're both tired and crawl back to the compound happy and sated. Kvasir is a happy and silly gigantic furry bear and loses too much hair, so he's banned from the living room. Tony almost breaks at both the dog's and Thor's puppy eyes, but then he looks back at his expensive couch and shakes his head again. Thor still sneaks him into his room all the time and they sleep sprawled on the bed. Twins, I’m telling you.
• Tony, according to his own words, is not a dog person. He doesn’t want a dog, but secretly dotes on everyone else’s pet and sometimes, when no one’s watching, he lets Kvasir in the living room. Tony sits on the floor with his back against the couch, the dog lying next to him, and he closes his eyes and rubs Kvasir’s belly and head, relaxing as his fingers run through the smooth fur. It’s better than any anxiety therapy he’s tried so far, but he’s not ready to commit to having a dog of his own yet, still scared of losing what he loves and not willing to add something else to the small list of things he holds close to his heart. So, for now, he’s content with sneaking Kvasir in for some petting when everyone is away. Thor knows, of course he knows, and he’ll be dead before he says anything about it.
