Star gazing
It's one of those sleepless nights where neither of them gets any rest. But unlike other nights, this time it's due to the weather and the fact that the air conditioning is broken and the apartment therefore resembles a sauna. On the roof, there is at least a slight cool breeze. It's almost pleasant.
“I miss the stars sometimes,” Clint says, turning his gaze upward with a sigh. Bucky follows his gaze. The sky is dark and empty, with a few exceptions. The moon, of course, shines and the Polar Star also joins in. Occasionally, one or two stars manage to smuggle their way through, but apart from that, the dark night sky seems to swallow everything up.
“Back in the circus, when I couldn't sleep, I would just go up on the roof of our trailer and watch the stars. My mother always-”. Clint stops himself before shrugging and continuing. "And then I came to New York and this-" He points to the night sky. "it's just depressing." "Is that why you have glowing stars in the bedroom?" Bucky asks and sees Clint's satisfied smile.
“Shining stars make everything better"
The stars above them are expanding and they have stopped counting at 160. He is sure that they counted some stars twice and forgot others. Now Clint has moved on to pointing at every constellation he can see and Bucky is trying hard to not only see twinkling stars, but also the figure that the stars are supposed to show. But the people who started it had better imaginations than he did.
“And there’s Andromeda,” Clint says, and Bucky tries to see a woman in the line of stars. “In Greek mythology, she was a princess who was supposed to be sacrificed because her mother claimed to surpass even the Nereids in beauty. The Nereids, felt insulted-” “Of course,” Bucky murmurs.
“and went to Poseidon, who sent Ketos. An oracle said that only with Andromeda's sacrifice could the monsters be appeased. She was hung in chains. But then Perseus came-” Clint points to more stars. “and killed Ketos with his sword. He demanded to take Andromeda as his wife-" "Of course" "In his hand, he holds the head of Medusa."
Bucky looks from the stars to Clint. “How do you know all this?” he asks and Clint looks at him questioningly. “Greek mythology?” Clint asks and Bucky shakes his head. “The constellations,” Bucky says a little more precisely. “My mom,” Clint says, his voice slightly rough, but with a slight wistful grin. Bucky reaches for his hand and squeezes it gently. "I don't remember everything-" Clint continues, clearing his throat. “But I remember sometimes we would sit outside in the garden and she would point out the stars and tell me stories. At the circus it was Madam Mirella who told me all this and various documentaries on Discovery Channel." "Discovery Channel. Of course,” Bucky grins and turns back to the night sky.
Clint presses a kiss to his cheek.
“Thanks,” Clint murmurs and gives him another kiss.
“Your welcome” Bucky begins to reply with a smile. “I- Oh there’s a shooting star. Quick! Make a wish!”