When your new puppy arrived at the compound, he was everyone's best friend almost immediately; even Tony found himself unable to be without cuddling up to the little guy for very long without going through withdrawal. Steve reverted back to what he must have been like as a little kid, annoying and whining to you when Tony was hogging puppy time, Thor couldn't understand why you wouldn't let him take your fur-laden beast to Asgard for a few days, and both Natasha and Wanda were having far too much fun dressing the little guy in new puppy clothes for you to get much time with him yourself. Even with as much fun as he seemed to be having, your little protector wouldn't want anything to do with any of them unless you were there too, making it very clear with his best attempt at a snarl if they crossed him.
Overall, the tiny addition to the team was beyond welcomed with open arms by everyone except Sam, who was the last person who you expected to be against something so adorable. The attitude wasn't lost on your pup either; whenever Wilson came into the room or sat too close to you on the jet, that little snarl made an appearance, his barely grown teeth showing his dominance and daring your friend to get closer. Even now as he slept, it seemed as if he could sense the man coming closer.
"What's up with Fuzzbutt?"
"What did you just call him?" you snapped at Sam, covering the small and innocent ears on the bundle in your lap. "That's not his name, Sam."
"It's not like he can understand me."
"But he can hear you, and he's asleep. Tony wore him out and he needs a nap so maybe keep it down, alright?"
"Then explain the attitude, (Y/N). He's growling in his sleep. I'm telling ya, there's something broken in that thing. Dogs love me."
"Maybe it's because you call him a thing? His name is East," you offered, snuggling your boy. "A little respect goes a long way."
"East?" Sam scoffed. "That's not a name, (Y/N). Where did you come up with that?"
"Steve suggested it."
Sam stood silently for a moment, finding it difficult to ignore the pangs of recognition running through his mind at the mention of the name. When he finally realized the association, his hand slapped down onto the back of the couch that held you hard enough to wake the puppy. "That's it! That's the name of Evans' dog! Of course Steve would suggest it, he's such a damn fangirl."
"I thought his dog's name is Dodger?"
"The dog before Dodger was East."
At the sound of Sam speaking his name, East looked up and barked as loudly as he could, standing on his stumpy little legs and wobbling with each yelp in his direction. "Oh, now you did it, Sam. You pissed him off."
"Oooh, I'm sooo scared..." he mocked, sticking out his tongue, "what's he gonna do-"
East responded just as you would have expected as your guardian, jumping from the couch and tumbling across the floor in a heap, rolling a few times before coming to a halt on his feet to immediately run after his least favorite Avenger.
"(Y/N), get your dog!" Sam pleaded, turning to run away, but not before East got in a nip at his ankle. "Oh, come on!"
"Sorry, Wilson," you smirked, turning him down, "I think it's time for you two boys to figure out how to get along." Leaning back into the cushions, you closed your eyes and waited for one of them to give up and run back to you for safety, but when it never happened, you thought that maybe some progress was being made. It wasn't until you were awoken from your brief nap by Clint that you realized your mistake, and that your little pup might actually be winning.
"Hey, (Y/N), why is East barking at that closet?"
~~~
It wouldn't take long after that day for Sam and East to have to find a way to work past their differences, despite the small bite mark still visible on your teammate's ankle and the still stinging swat on the nose that the pup took in retaliation. It was only the next day when you were called out on a mission with Steve, Natasha and Clint, and as usual, East was along for the ride to train into his role as a scout at your side. Your group had been gone for no more than an hour when the emergency call came in from FRIDAY that the jet had been grounded and that backup was needed, with Sam and Tony taking to the skies before the message even had a chance to finish. As the duo neared the crash site they were thankful for their own haste, finding their way easily by the large plumes of smoke coming from the craft.
"Steve! (Y/N)! Anyone!" Tony called out, his repulsors cutting through the fuselage to find a way inside to get his team out and to safety. There wasn't much room to move, and he silently hoped to himself that the four of you were together in the main cabin when the plane landed. In the darkness billowing out, he was just able to see movement through the haze, and a hand shot out from the new opening he had made, desperate to connect to him. "Barton! I've got ya, just hold on!"
"I've got Nat," the archer groaned and coughed, gripping the hand of Tony's suit with as much power as he could, "but I couldn't reach Steve or (Y/N)." When the duo finally emerged and the sunlight was allowed to touch his skin, Tony gasped at the sight of a large gash down his friend's arm, and an equally terrifying break in Natasha's leg.
"FRIDAY's calling for help, okay? Just find a place that's safe to wait. I'll find the other two-"
"Stark! Over here!"
"Or, you know, Sam's got it," he sighed with a clear relief. "Wilson, talk to me!"
Sam had quickly squeezed his way into the craft despite the clear danger in doing so, not giving himself a care as to being hurt himself; it went against everything that Steve had ever taught him, but you were in there, and even though you didn't know it yet, you were his number one concern. "Come in from this side, you can reach Steve," he ordered, "I can grab (Y/N). Where's Fuzzbutt?"
"Who?"
"Her dog...Fuzz...ugh, dammit, what's his name...?"
"East?"
"Yeah! Do you see him anywhere?"
"FRIDAY, scan for the dog," Tony commanded between strained grunts, trying to move the limp weight of an unconscious Steve from the pilot chair. "East?! Here boy," he whistled, hoping that the little beast would answer him. "Come on boy, it's me! I'm not Sam!"
"Nice, Stark, thanks."
"Just get her outta here!"
"I am," Sam hissed, "but we can't leave without the dog or she'll never forgive me...us. Come on, mutt, don't do this to me." Sam pushed into the jet just far enough so that he could get his arms around you, taking care to not jostle you too much until he knew the extent of your injuries. You were still knocked out, and he didn't know why; once he had clear sight of you, there weren't any obvious marks or trauma. With Steve still out too, he grew concerned that the air inside of the jet might be toxic and his sense of urgency spiked. "Stark, I think we need to move faster. She doesn't look hurt but she's not waking up."
"Yeah, I'm with ya. Any sign of the damn dog? FRIDAY?" The screens inside of Tony's helmet shifted, the colors changing before his eyes to darken around him with the exception of a tiny red heartbeat only a few feet away, tucked at the farthest point under where he had just retrieved the Captain. "I've got him," he smiled to himself, dropping Steve gently onto the ground before hurrying back into the plane. When he emerged a few minutes later, he held the puppy in his bare hands, but he was too still for Sam's liking.
"Here, give him to me," he insisted, waiting for Tony to take you so that he could focus on East. Without a second of hesitation, he put his mouth to the dog's nose, holding his jaw closed as he breathed into him. "Okay, you little fuzzy bastard, perk up," he muttered quietly as he worked, watching for East to respond between each breath. "I promise that I won't tell anyone about this if you just open your eyes, alright? Unless that makes her like me more...then all bets are off and you'll never hear the end of this."
~~~
When you woke up a few hours later, you felt like a truck was sitting on your chest, and taking a breath hurt so much that you considered letting them shove a tube down your throat to let a machine do the work for you. Sure, it wasn't that much better of an option, but you felt like there couldn't be much worse.
"Hey, try to take it slow, okay?" Sam urged, standing up quickly with a start from the chair at your bedside that had held him since your arrival. Even with other members of his team in similar shape to you, no one else held his attention as you were. "You're at the hospital. Steve's okay, he's coming to see you in a little bit. Nat has a broken leg, and Barton has some kick-ass stitches that go up the whole length of his arm. They're actually kinda cool."
"East?" you choked out, eliciting a cough that robbed you of air enough to make Sam panic for you.
"I said take it slow. Come on, focus on each breath. You've got this."
"Sam-"
"He's fine, (Y/N). Look." Sam took a step to the side for you to see just past him and to a pile of hospital pillows in one of the far corners. Atop the stack was your pup, sleeping contently with one of Sam's t-shirts wrapped around him like a blanket. "He's been asleep since we got here."
"Is that...your shirt?"
"Yeah, and it's the first time that I've been able to get him to leave me alone this whole time. I swear, I thought he hung on you too much and now I can't get the kid off me. Every time that I tried to set him down he just whined until I gave in."
"He likes you now?"
Sam shrugged and turned to look at the sleeping fluff ball again, finding himself smiling at the sight and deciding that maybe he wasn't so bad after all. "Yeah, I guess so. After I dragged your unconscious butt out of the jet, I helped him breathe a few times to give him a little kick-start. Apparently we've bonded...or whatever."
"Oh my god, Sam, that's the sweetest thing ever, I love you."
"Thanks, I love you too."
It took about a single heartbeat for the two of you to realize what was just said, Sam's response tumbling through his lips as if it were perfectly natural for him to say. His eyes were filled with embarrassment and terror before he turned away, leaving you to nearly fall from your bed when you reached out to grab his arm before he could run. "Sam, you love me?"
"Y-n-no, pfft, what are you talking about?" he stammered. He was trying to shake it off as an accident, but he knew as well as you did that it would be a blatant lie. "Yes," he relented with a heavy sigh and a slumped posture, accepting that you weren't going to buy anything but the truth. "You really think that I'd blow into a dog's nose if I didn't?"
"Hey, to each his own, Sam..."
"I could change my mind, you know," he warned, doing his best to hold a stern look, but when your reply was a smile that he couldn't resist, pretty much how it usually went, his resolve melted away. He turned and glanced at East, who was now yawning and stretching in his t-shirt, letting out a quiet whimper for attention when he saw Sam looking back. "Yeah, I'm onto you, you little shit," he smirked, "you totally did this on purpose."