A/N: So I got a pretty cool reaction to the first one shot. Thank you everyone for following, the favorites and reviewing. I am so thankful for the support. Now this short story is actually based on my husband's childhood dog. I got the idea from him and he said I should write it out. So this chapter is dedicated to Chris and Buddy. These stories are going to jump around the timeline so always read the forward!
Forward: This lines up with the end of Shifter. Steve has left with Natasha for Washington D.C. (CA: TWS) and Gunnar is at the tower with the rest of the Avengers.
BEGIN.
Clint walked into the kitchen to get coffee early one morning. He had just gotten back from a classified location on a mission the previous night. He winced slightly as felt the bruises on his ribs as he prepared his mug waiting for the coffee to be ready.
As he was standing he looked at the pristine floor and saw something strange. A plastic eyeball. His face scrunched up in confusion and picked it up to inspect it further. It looked like part of a dog toy. The archer was brought back to reality when the coffee machine beeped. He poured a steaming cup and headed into the living room.
Before he could sit, he spotted yet another plastic eyeball. This one was attached to brown colored fabric. He also found a couple remnants of stuffing trailing back to the sleeping quarters. He walked quietly to the bedrooms and peaked around the corner. Gunnar was on the floor of his bedroom growling and tearing all sorts of stuffed animals apart. But he was only focusing on one thing. The eyeballs. Once the toy had become eyeless, he threw it to the side and started working on another one.
Without making a sound he headed back down the hallway and up one floor to Bruce's library. He knew the scientist was an early riser and spent most of his mornings in the quiet sanctuary of the study. He wasn't one who usually meddled in people's business, but he thought it was concerning enough to tell someone.
He walked into the study and sat down on the comfortably large couch that Dr. Banner was sitting across from on a single oversized chair.
"Morning Clint, what brings you up here?" Bruce asked.
"I saw something strange, Doc." He answered. "It was Gunnar."
Bruce stopped what he was doing and focused his attention on the agent sitting across from him. "What happened?"
"I found these on the floors." He said as he opened his hand to reveal the eyeballs. "Then I found him destroying toys in his room."
"I'm not a dog behaviorist, but it I would say that was fairly normal. To destroy toys…" Bruce said.
"He's only pulling the eyes out! Then he goes on to the next one." Clint laughed.
"Oh. Well that's… interesting." Bruce smiled slightly.
"I think someone needs to talk to him." He said then pausing.
"And you think that should be me?" Bruce scoffed. "I'm not that kind of doctor, Barton. You know that."
"He's pulling out eyes, Bruce. Eyes. I'm all for violence but seriously?" He replied.
"Alright, alright, show me." He succumbed.
A few minutes later they were both peaking around the corner watching Gunnar tear the eyes off every single toy.
"I didn't even know we had that many toys for him." Bruce whispered.
"That's what I thought!" Clint hissed.
"Doesn't he have ridiculous hearing? Why doesn't he know we're watching?" Bruce asked.
"Maybe he's just so focused." Clint laughed quietly.
"What are we watching?" Pepper said making Bruce jump slightly. Clint didn't seem to be startled by her.
"Gunnar is ripping eyeballs off of toys." Clint responded.
"That's a little sadistic, even for him." She replied.
"Maybe it's his way of coping while Cap is gone." Bruce offered.
"Look! Now he's rubbing his body all over the carcasses!" Clint said mortified.
"It looks like he's really happy…" Pepper commented.
"Is that a stuffed Iron Man?" Clint said squinting.
"It is!" Pepper replied worriedly . "I brought that home the other day because I thought it was funny. Oh dear, looks like the eyes are missing off him too…"
"You're right. We should go talk to him." Bruce concurred.
"Yeah." They said at the same time.
All three of them walked around the corner from which they were hiding and walked slowly up to their teammates room door.
Gunnar looked up with an eyeball attached to fuzz hanging out of his mouth.
"Hey bud… are you okay?" Bruce asked.
Gunnar wagged his tail with the eye still hanging out of his mouth.
"We just wanted to see why you were doing that to all your toys." He said softly.
Gunnar sat up and rubbed his face on Bruce's leg and licked his hand.
"Alright. We're going to go now… just please stop doing this. It's creeping everyone out." Clint replied.
Gunnar cocked his head to one side at Clint's comment like he wasn't sure why it was so creepy then laid down sighed heavily. Bruce noticed a lone toy up on his bed. It was a stuffed Captain America. But the eyes were still intact.
END.
