Work Text:
You wake up at the sound of footsteps and squint at the light streaming through the oversized glass windows. Your muscles ache from the curled position that you had fallen asleep in. You figured you’d be used to it by now. Your space has been cramped for so long that sleeping this way isn’t just second nature, it’s necessary. You poke around at your bed, fluffing it and adjusting it into a more comfortable position. Once you’re satisfied, you stretch as best you can in the small area. A pleased sigh escapes your lips as your cramped muscles begin to release.
“That was a big stretch, Puppy!” You hear a smug cheerful voice ring out through the apartment. You peer through the bars of your cage. Sage strolls towards you, a metal bowl in each hand. Your stomach growls as you smell the steam coming off the left bowl. She opens the door to the kennel and you behave. You sit and heel as she places the bowls into the small space that isn’t taken up by your dog bed. You wait for her signal which she luckily gives promptly. You look down and grin happily at the contents of your food bowl. You’ve been exceptionally well behaved lately and your hard work has paid off. Your breakfast is a yummy bowl of cheesy scrambled eggs with bacon bits scattered throughout. You give Sage a grateful look before diving in.
Despite how long this has been your routine, you still feel shy at being watched while you eat. Little flecks of egg cling to your cheeks as you eat directly out of the bowl. Sage and Homelander don’t like it when you use your hands. You try to reduce the mess by taking dainty bites and it helps keep any food from escaping and dirtying the floor of your kennel but your face is a lost cause. The food is much better this morning than you’re used to and your discomfort soon fades as you enjoy your treat. It’s not a huge portion but Sage maintains that responsible owners do not overfeed their pets. It should be enough to hold you over till lunch.
Sage dresses as soon as she wakes up. But Homelander prefers not to put on his suit until it’s almost time for him to prepare to leave for the day. He walks up naked as a jaybird and wraps his arm around Sage’s shoulders fondly. You’ve become numb to his nudity. Like everything else, it’s merely become a part of your routine. You finish licking up any bits of cheese and egg remaining in the bowl. Once you finish, you return to heel.
“Our puppy is messy this morning. I think it’s time for a bath.” Homelander exclaims as he looks you over, immediately noting the bits of breakfast clinging to your bare body. Dogs don’t wear clothes after all. But his gaze isn’t sexual, just practical. Homelander and Sage genuinely see you as their little pet, and unlike The Deep, they don’t tend to indulge in fucking animals.
“Good idea, we don’t want our little pup dirtying up the furniture.” Sage gives you another gesture and you crawl out of your cage. They walk to the bathroom and you follow on your hands and knees. You look around the penthouse. It looks like the warehouse of a museum. Portraits and statues peek out amid the stacks of books that Sage brought over when she decided to move in. Homelander complained about the clutter initially but Sage made it clear that it was a non-negotiable. He seems to have made peace with it.
This is your life now. You intend to make the best of it.
———————————————————————
It didn’t start out like this. You didn’t wake up one morning being forced naked into a kennel. No, at first you were merely a terrified survivor of the Vought purge. You were so insignificant to the company that you didn’t have any information of note that would make you a threat. You lived and quickly adapted to the new regime because you were smart and knew how to keep your head down. You quickly rose through the ranks. It was an easy task with the workforce so reduced. Most positions were filled with loyal supes of course, but many felt above menial office work so there was wiggle room for upward mobility to an extent.
You hadn’t necessarily wanted to be upwardly mobile. The more a human employee learns about the company, the more dispensable they are in the event of another “mass lay-off”. It certainly doesn’t help that the higher up the ladder one goes, the more assertive one has to be, and being assertive to supes is a big NO in the new regime.
You tried to step as carefully as you could to hopefully avoid landing on anyone’s toes. But there was no amount of careful you could be to avoid the target on your back.
So sure Sage grooming you into her little “pet” project would no doubt have been horrifying to anyone else. Most people couldn’t have endured the slow degradation of humanity that you went through. From the day she gave you the collar and ordered you to crawl, it was one thing after another. Another new humiliation.
Most people would have failed.
You’re not most people.
——————————————————————
You obediently sit in the tub as Homelander cleans you off with a soapy rag. He moves with a clinical thoroughness as he makes sure not to miss an inch of skin. You relax into the touch. The combination of the perfectly heated water and the tender brush of the washcloth has you dozing off slightly. You love bath time. When you were still fully human, showers were your escape from the anxieties and stresses of the day. That hasn’t changed, even if your biggest worries nowadays consist only of playing your canine role to perfection. They wanted a dog? Well, you quickly learned how to bark.
You twitch and whine as Homelander gently runs the cloth over your chest and between your legs. He’s efficient with it, he doesn’t leer or linger. But you’re still sensitive and the sensation makes you jolt. A tiny splash of water splatters onto the floor. Sage was observing the bath from the bathroom corner but she frowns at the puddle of water and walks sternly over to you and tugs your ear sharply.
“Bad dog! You know not to make a mess.” She chastises you and you shrink away. You plead with your eyes, hoping she understands that you didn’t mean to. She lets go of your ear but doesn’t retreat. She just watches.
Homelander chuckles and reaches out to pat your head. He coos as you look at him with wide eyes, happy that at least he isn’t upset with you. In a surprising turn of events, he’s become the indulgent one. He likes spoiling you and loves to bask in the subsequent affection. Ever since he was a boy, he’d always craved a companion animal that could give him all the unconditional love he could want. That’s what he told you during one of his sentimental rambles. To him, the fact that you used to be a human is irrelevant.
Sage is strict. She likes to challenge you. She keeps you to a schedule, gives you rules, coaches you to be obedient. She doles out the punishments when you misbehave. She decides when you’ve earned more privileges. She’s much harder to please but that makes you even more eager for her approval. When she tells you to fetch then you fetch. You aren’t even ashamed when she sends you on errands around the tower anymore. No supe dares touch or mock you now, even when you are more vulnerable to them than ever. Your collar might mean subjugation to most. To you it means safety and salvation.
“Awww c’mon Sage. She didn’t mean it. Look at that face.” He pouts and squeezes your cheeks until your lips pucker. Sage is unimpressed and grabs a cup on the edge of the tub so she can start rinsing you off. Homelander releases you and you lean over to gently bump Sage on the arm with your forehead. She huffs.
“Don’t think acting cute means that you can misbehave. We have rules for a reason. You don’t want to go back to your kennel for the rest of the afternoon do you?” She arches an eyebrow and you whine but stay still for the rest of the bath until all of the soap has been methodically rinsed off. Once she’s satisfied by your level of cleanliness, she gestures for you to get out of the tub and then proceeds to dry you off with a towel. You shake your head quickly, making sure you don’t have any water in your ears. Water flies everywhere and while Sage leans back to try and avoid it, she doesn’t chastise you this time. It’s mostly theatrical anyway. They appreciate the little touches you make to really sell the illusion.
At least she doesn’t lock you in the kennel again.
———————————————————————
It’s your favorite time of day. The afternoon sun floods the apartment just right and the most perfect sunbeam lingers on the leather couch. It always feels delicious on your bare skin. The tv is usually turned on low and is a pleasant backdrop to the lazy naps that you take. Sage and Homelander take this time to debrief and discuss what needs to be done next as they execute their plans. While you’re not allowed to otherwise, as long as you’ve been good, they’ll let you doze on the couch next to them.
It’s part of your daily schedule and it should be happening right now.
You give a disgruntled sigh from your uncomfortable position on the ottoman across from the bed. You try to shift to get more comfortable but the surface is too small for you to really settle. It’s nothing like the nice comfortable couch you wish you were on right now. Normally such a noise would earn you a reprimand. But not even Homelander can hear you over the explicit moaning and loud banging of the headboard as Sage rides him into oblivion.
You’re not sure why it’s happening now? What is the point of a schedule if no one ever sticks to it? You’ve been very well behaved today and you deserve what few creature comforts that they give you. You shouldn’t have to wait like this!
A pathetic whine leaves Homelander’s lips as he grips her hips desperately. Her movements are aggressive and assertive. While he could now doubt control her movements if he wished, he appears to be more than enjoying letting her take the lead. It fascinates you how the more pleasure he feels, the more his expression becomes pained. He bucks up and Sage moans loudly. She wraps her hand around his jaw and jams her thumb into his pulse point. He flashes his fangs and Sage laughs breathlessly. She turns to look at where you lay on the ottoman. She seems deeply amused by your waiting. You suspect that this is another test. She doesn’t break eye contact even while Homelander is still pumping into her. You meet her gaze back. You’ve learned she likes it when you watch.
You used to be scared when they’d fuck. You felt intrusive and uncomfortable. Especially on the nights when they would go for what felt like forever. You still had human conventions then. Being trapped in an apartment with people having wild sex was not something you were used to. You worried it was a trap. You worried that they would try to involve you somehow. Your mortification was so great it made you ill.
Now…you don’t even flinch. You’ve become so accustomed to your new life that it doesn’t phase you anymore. It isn’t your business. Watching is no longer a shameful thing. You’ve evolved beyond that.
Homelander gives another whine and reaches up to grab Sage’s jaw and pull her attention back to him. He doesn’t mind you watching. But he doesn’t like when you take Sage’s focus away. She huffs and grabs his wrist, slamming it down into the mattress and leaning over him. You can’t see his face anymore but by the way his leg is twitching, you can bet he’s trying to hold off. Sage always chastises him when he comes too early and he hates to disappoint. You can hear him mumbling something low and intimate to her although you can’t make it out.
Next thing you know, Sage reels back and smacks him hard across the face. You jump and fight the urge to run and hide. You worry that Homelander will fly into a rage. Lasering Sage and you along with her. You’ve seen the aftermath of his wounded ego. But that is not at all what happens. As the loud slap echoes through the open penthouse, Homelander lets out an undignified noise and spasms under Sage. The twitching of his leg becomes a full on shake and there is no way his grip on her hips isn't bruising. Sage doesn’t seem to care. She keeps up her pace, her hand dipping between her thighs to finish herself off while she wrings Homelander dry.
Eventually Sage collapses to the side, leaving Homelander laying hot and sticky on the sheets catching his breath. He reaches out for her. But Sage isn’t one for cuddling or afterglow. She’s already walking to the bathroom with a change of clothes. You’d suspect that she wasn’t interested at all if it wasn’t for the amorous look she shoots him before she disappears out of sight.
Homelander follows her with his keen gaze even after she disappears out of sight. He’s no doubt looking through every wall that keeps her from him. He sighs. As much as Sage likes to get back to business after, Homelander craves affection and closeness after sex. It’s become a sticking point between the two of them.
That’s where you come in.
“C’mon puppy! Come join me.” Homelander says with a lazy satisfied smile. He leans back on the pillows with his eyes closed, clearly enjoying the buzz of endorphins. The room smells like sex. You hesitate for only a moment. Something in your hindbrain still understanding how fucked the whole thing is. But that part gets smaller and smaller everyday. You’re happy to help. You truly are. You climb onto the bed and Homelander pulls you on top of him and holds you close as he pets your head. He likes using you for closeness after a romp. He enjoys the skin to skin contact and affection even if he holds no desire for you himself. You’re his beloved little pet. You’ll always be here for him. You can’t leave.
You close your eyes and soak in the gentle touches. You hear approaching footsteps and the bed depresses under you as Sage crawls in as well. She settles in on the other side, her t-shirt tickling as it brushes your skin. She proceeds to scratch softly behind your ears and you melt into the bed. You’ve already forgiven them for denying you your couch time. Being allowed on the bed is an even rarer treat.
“We have a surprise for you!” Sage leans down and whispers in your ear. You perk up. You tilt your head curiously as she opens the bedside table drawer and pulls out a package. Homelander stops petting you. He simply looks down at you indulgently. Sage gestures at you to sit up and you oblige happily. You can’t remember the last time you earned a surprise. Homelander chuckles at your excitement, his expression is pleasant and relaxed in a way that only happens after sex.
You whine with impatience as Sage opens the box. Your mannerisms having adapted to your new role. When she pulls out a beautiful leather collar, you can’t help but to reach out and pull her into a hug. It doesn’t last long before Homelander grabs you by the nape of the neck and tugs you back sternly.
“No jumping!” He huffs while poking your chest hard with his index finger. You bow your head in apology. You broke the illusion for a moment. You need to remember to be your place despite your excitement. You wait for Sage to lecture you as well but she seems content to let Homelander deal with you this time. She reaches out, unbuckling the uncomfortable nylon collar that you’ve been wearing the past year. You feel naked as the cool air of the apartment brushes over the irritated skin where the harsh material rubbed you raw.
“Good puppy.” Sage croons as you sit still for her to place the new collar around your throat. The leather is a rich brown and buttery soft. It feels incredibly comfortable and you have to resist the urge to hug her again. If you actually had a tail then it would be wagging like crazy right now. Your hips wiggle as you sit on your heels. There is a charm on the front with your name engraved. Your real name. There is a spark of recognition as you see it and for a moment you get a flash of the person you used to be. But in this moment, you find that you no longer miss her.
The charm shimmers and it reminds you of what you have now. You are safe and taken care of. You have no responsibilities and nothing to worry about. You are fed, bathed, cuddled, and mercifully kept apart from the current regime which used to have you so terrified. Most people would find you disgusting for your eagerness to submit. You’ll never be like most people. Your freedom doesn't look like much but it’s yours. You realize that you are happy here against all odds.
“Look how excited she is! I knew she’d like her present. A pretty collar for a pretty dog.” Homelander coos, stroking between your shoulder blades affectionately. Careful not to jump, you lean into him and nuzzle against his cheek without fear. You’re so grateful. You’re so grateful to them for choosing you and saving you.
“I think she should sleep with us at night from now on. She can curl up right at the foot of the bed. What do you think, Boo?” Sage asks pleasantly, reaching out to join Homelander in petting you. You turn and give her a nuzzle as well, hoping you can express your gratitude for all they have done for you.
After all, you are such a good dog.