Dog days

Phil Coulson has seen a lot of strange things in his life as a SHIELD agent, but getting turned into a dog of all things, was somehing new entirely.

Even worse was getting lost from the team and being sent to a shelter.

He was sure that he would stay a dog for ever and die in a shelter, as his team tried and failed to track him.

He sat down feeling sad and miserable.

It's been two days. No one seems to like him to buy him – which is fine by him, he needs to be in one place so they can find him, but it hurts his ego a little.

"Hey there, handsome. Why so sad?" a voice said.

"No one wants that one and it's a pity. He's a good breed, if a little old." the woman of the shelter said.

Phil huffed.

A chuckle.

"I like him. Can I take him?"

Phil looked up and met a pair of deep, brown eyes, warm and smiling. He tilted his head to the side.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked dubiously.

"Yeah. He just needs some love." the young woman rubbed his head. Phil closed his eyes, enjoying it.

"I think he likes you." the woman smiled. "Ok, come with me and we'll give you some stuff for him and the papers of ownership."

An hour or so later he was walking beside his owner, a woman named Daisy, who kept him on leash for a total of ten minutes.

"Now. You need a name." she said, as they walked towards a van. "Welcome to your new home."

He made a sad sound at the sight of it.

"Now, no dissing Cloud. That van saved me." she said. Phil looked up. "How about...Fluffers?"

Phil looked away.

"Yeah, that was bad. Arthur?" she tried again. "Ben? Clay? Dean? Ernie?" Phil snorted, or what passed as snort for dogs, "Freddie? George? Harry? Ickman? John? Ken? Lenny? Mannie? Norman? Oswald? Paul?" Phil turned his head and wiggled his tail.

Daisy stared at him, amused.

"Paul?"

He growled.

"Patrick." another growl. "Paul? Peter? Phillip?" a happy bark, and tail wiggle.

Daisy looked at the dog at her feet and smiled.

"OK, then, Phillip. Welcome home." she opened the door and he jumped in and curled on the feet of the matress at the back. "Get comfortable, love."

Living with Daisy in a van wasn't bad or crammy. Daisy herself was the most amazing person he had met. She made sure he ate, they went for walks, she even looked away when he had to pee or poo.

At nights she lets him sleep with her and he slowly learnt stuff about her.

Apparently, she came from a semi-gifted family – her mom was gifted, her dad made himself one to appear worthy in his wife's eyes after she was attacked. Daisy herself took off after she had control over her power.

He looked up and licked her face. She beamed everytime he did it. She hugged him tightly the nights she cried.

Sometimes, he was the one feeling sad and Daisy would sit with him and pet him.

"You got friends and family, Phillip?"

He nodded.

"They left you behind? Or did you get lost?" he woofed at the latter.

"Ah. You want me to find them for you?"

Phil licked her face, wanting to tell her that he was happy with her.

"Yeah, ok. If we accidentally stumble on them, I'll grab you and run away as fast as I can." she joked.

SHIELD found them in the end, about two and a half months later.

"There you are." a female voice said and picked him up. "What did you get yourself into?"

"Hey! That's my dog!" Daisy tackled the woman down and Phil realised it was May when he reached the ground and looked around. He sat down to enjoy the show.

"Phil, you gonna sit around?" May asked, as she and Daisy threw punches back and forth.

Phil stood up and went to Daisy, nudged her leg with his head, yipping a little.

Daisy sighed and looked down.

"Friend?" she asked. Phil yipped. "Remember what I told you I would do if we found your friends?" she asked kneeling next to him.

Phil barked happily, but looked saddly at her. He looked at May and she sighed.

"Here. You bring him to this location and we'll explain what is going on. Actually, I'll let him talk his way out of this one." she smirked, handing over to Daisy some co-ordinates. And then she was gone.

"Wait, what? He's a dog." she said after the woman. "Phillip, is there something I should know?"

Phil barked lightly, nudging her hand with the note.

"OK, OK, we'll go and see what's up. That a good plan?" she asked.

Phil licked her face. Daisy laughed.

That evening, she drove Cloud to a deserted building. And then a man came around.

"You must be the one that found the Director." he smiled. "Antoine Tripplet. Call me Trip, all my friends do."

"Daisy Johnson." she shook his hand.

"Permision to come aboard?"

"Granted."

"Director." he greeted Phillip as he opened the door.

Trip sat on the passenger seat and navigated her to the garage.

"What's this place?"

"I'll let Coulson do the welcome. Once he can speak again." Trip grinned and let Phillip off the van.

"Oh! Director Coulson! There you are!" a British woman said excitedly. "Now we can finally reverse the effects of the object."

Phil, or Director Coulson, let out a low growl that was translated as a question.

"Of course we can! Fitz and I have been working on it for the past two and a half months. We were more worried we wouldn't be able to ever find you." she said as they walked towards the lab, Daisy following them.

"Ah...Daisy?" Trip caught up.

"Yeah?"

"You can't go to the lab."

"Watch me. That dog may be your boss, but I paid money to the shelter that had him, for his food and toys and care and he was my best friend." Daisy narrowed her eyes. "So."

Trip smiled.

"Very well. Follow me."

They reached the lad and watched as the woman and a young man bustled around Phillip with strange machines and then, suddenly, a bright light blinded everyone.

Seconds later, a man in a black suit was sitting on the chair Phillip was.

He stood up and stretched his limps.

"It's good to have you back, sir." the young man said.

"It's good to be back. Fitz, Simmons, thank you."

"Sir." Trip walked in, laid a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Trip." there was some extra warmth in his voice.

Daisy watched amazed and a little sad. He was taller than her by few inches, brown hair and a well-shaped butt. He turned around and she met with his blue eyes and warm smile.

"Daisy." he said.

"Uh...hey?" she waved lamely.

His smile brightened and he walked toward her. A moment later, he had wrapped her in his arms and Daisy wrapped hers around him on instict. (athrok the conqueror)

"Thank you for everything." he whispered in her ear.

Daisy hid her face in his shoulder and closed her eyes fending off tears.

"Damn it, Phillip." she said softly. "Couldn't you give a nudge that you were human?"

He laughed, his body vibrating with her.

"I told you my name."

Daisy laughed at that.

"Yeah. You were such an odd dog." she teased him.

"Good or bad odd?"

"Good. Definitely good." she said, pulling back to look into his eyes. "I'll miss my furball of a friend." she smiled.

"You don't have to miss me." he said.

"What do you suggest?"

"Join us. We could use some help. I saw you fight May off me. I know how good you are with computers." he said.

"I'm not calling you 'sir' or 'director'." she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm calling you Phillip and you have to deal with that."

He smiled.

"Phil. Or Coulson. Though you'll have to call me 'sir' or 'director' sometimes."

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"You never told me your powers."

Daisy smirked.

"Vibrations." she said. "I can feel you." she whispered.

Phil blushed.

"So. What do you say? Would you like joining?"

"Well, I suppose I could. What am I joining, anyway? No one bothered to tell me what I got myself into."

Phil smiled.

"Welcome to SHIELD, Daisy Johnson." he said.