Chapter 17
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They don’t leave that night, want to plan things out just a bit and when it comes time to go to bed, something has to be decided. Steve obviously wants to sleep in the same bed as Clint but doesn’t want to let Bucky out of his sight and the safe house is small anyway, only one real bed right now, Clint thinks Bucky may have slept on the couch the night before if he slept at all, so it is an easy thing to suggest.
“The bed’s big enough for three, unless there are any objections I think we should all just bunk there tonight, will be better than the lumpy couch or the floor.”
He says this now and Bucky hesitates for just a moment before giving a little nod and Steve gives Clint a thankful smile. They all end up there around the same time, all in sleep clothes and Clint is the first to go to the bed, puts himself in the middle.
“I can scoot if needed, just let me know which way but you and I are cuddling tonight.”
He says this to Steve who just gives a little smile as he lays down on Clint’s right, the side that is closer to the door and after just a moment Bucky clicks off the light and settles in on Clint’s left side. He doesn’t lay that close to them, isn’t touching either of them, has put space between them but Clint doesn’t say anything and there are a few moments of quiet before Steve speaks.
“I will wake up if you need me, if either of you need me. Try to get some sleep.”
He says this to both of them and Clint just smiles, brushes a quick kiss against Steve’s cheek as he snuggles into him a bit more.
“Ok ,I’ll try. Good night.”
Bucky says this and Clint can feel Steve relax just a bit more. It takes a little while but Clint drifts off after a while, is pretty sure Steve and Bucky are both still awake when he does but he isn’t too worried about it. They will either sleep or they won’t, Clint can’t really affect it too much, so he drifts and sleeps through most of the night.
He wakes up the next morning, Steve wrapped tightly around him and the bed feels a little off. Clint figures out what it is once he opens his eyes fully, Bucky isn’t in the bed with them anymore. This may be a problem but he forces himself to keep calm, to shift just a bit in Steve’s arms so he can get out of them.
“Got to pee, then coffee, let me up, I’ll be back soon.”
He says this to Steve, who loosens his grip while mumbling something about Clint drinking too much coffee but his eyes are still closed and he just snuggles into the pillow a bit more and Clint is pretty sure he is drifting back to sleep. If there is a situation with Bucky, Clint will wake him soon but he will wait till he knows for sure before doing that. For now, he makes his way out of the small bedroom, uses the bathroom quickly, and decides to see if there is any sign that Bucky has left.
He heads towards the kitchen and there is the smell of coffee and it relaxes him just a bit. It is possible that the other man made coffee to take with him but Clint kind of doubts it. He enters the kitchen and sure enough, Bucky is there, standing next to the stove, looking down at the pan on it frowning just a bit.
“I don’t remember you scowling at your breakfast yesterday. Is it just pancakes that give you the frown face? I promise that the syrup is still good.”
Clint says this as he walks closer to the stove, has had a chance to see what is in the pan. It is a couple of pancakes, almost too close to each other but still separate and it appears Bucky got up to simply make breakfast. Bucky just turns and looks at him as he speaks.
“I thought I would cook today and I’m just trying to decide if these are ready to flip. Pancake flipping has given me trouble before, I once flipped one when it wasn’t ready yet, it was still really runny and I somehow got it all over the floor and ended up stepping on it and I hated cooking them since then. ”
There is something almost pleased sounding in his voice when he tells this to Clint, like he is happy to remember why he hates flipping pancakes and maybe he is happy about it. Clint can’t imagine what it has been like to not remember so much about your life, about yourself, and he is sure that there is relief that it is coming back even if there is guilt and pain as well. For now, he just steps closer to him, looks at the pancakes a little closer in the pan.
“You should be able to flip them, see the little bubbles? That means they’re ready to flip. Nat taught me that a few weeks ago. I can help you do it.”
He is pretty sure Natasha learned it from Sam but doesn’t know for sure, she just showed him how to flip them when they had breakfast that day, happy that she knew a new trick since as much as she loves breakfast food, pancakes had been a bit of a challenge.
“Ok, put the spatula under the pancake gently, like this.”
He does it without really thinking, puts his hand around Bucky’s wrist to help guide him and the other man tenses up just enough that Clint almost moves his hand away but Bucky relaxes just a bit and gives a small nod. He guides him through flipping it and there is a little mess but it stays in one piece and in the pan. Bucky smiles just a bit and Clint grins back.
“You do the next ones on your own, I need coffee.”
He says this simply and moves away from Bucky, pours a cup as Bucky finishes flipping the other pancakes. He’ll go wake Steve in another minute or so, right now he just asks a question.
“So if you hate flipping pancakes, why are you making them?”
“They were Steve’s favorite or at least I remember them being one of his favorites. I thought it would be nice to make breakfast for you since you have fed me the last few meals and I thought it would be nice to make something that Steve likes or at least used to like.”
Bucky shrugs his shoulders just a bit now, almost like he is embarrassed just a bit. Clint just moves a little closer, gives a little smile.
“Thanks and Steve still likes pancakes.”
Bucky gives a nod and a little half smile and puts the pancakes that are ready on a plate, pours some more in the pan while Clint pours a cup of coffee for Steve. There are a few moments of quiet and Clint is thinking he should probably go wake Steve when there is the sound of footsteps and then Steve walking into the kitchen, face relaxing just a bit as he sees both of them there and then his eyes light up as he sees what Bucky is making.
“I love pancakes.”
He says this and Bucky just gives Steve a little head tilt as he comes closer.
“I know.”
That makes Steve smile and for a moment Clint thinks he is going to go over to Bucky but instead he comes over to Clint, gives him a quick peck on the cheek as he takes the cup of coffee with a smile. The quiet settles again, the three of them just standing there, Clint and Steve with coffee as Bucky works on the pancakes and it is kind of nice. They should probably be discussing things but Clint is planning on waiting till one of them brings it up and Bucky is focused on the pancakes right now while Steve just seems to be enjoying having Bucky in his sights and is still waking up a bit. It doesn’t take too long till Bucky has the pancakes ready and they all sit down for breakfast again. It feels easy, just like it did before, the three of them comfortable enough with each other it seems and there is some talk and then Bucky asks a question that kind of throws Clint for a little bit of a loop.
“Do you have a spare room, Clint?”
“Are we talking in safe houses of in my apartment? Cause I have a lot of rooms if we count safehouse, even have a farm with some bedrooms, but I only have one spare room in my apartment but it is a bit on the small size, have an air mattress I put in there sometimes but it isn’t very comfy, my couch is though.”
Clint is babbling again just a bit and Steve gives him a look that says that he finds Clint’s chatter both ridiculous and cute and Bucky is just looking at him with something curious in his eyes and he asks another question.
“When we go to New York, can I stay with you?”
“Uh, sure.”
Clint stammers out the answer, wasn’t really expecting Bucky to ask to stay with him and from the sort of guarded look Steve is sporting right now, he wasn’t expecting it either.
“You don’t have to stay with Clint, there are other people there you can stay with.”
Steve doesn’t say Bucky can stay with him but Clint knows that is what he means and Bucky just shrugs a little bit, isn’t really looking at either of them right now.
“I think Clint’s place is fine, unless it isn’t going to work for some reason.”
There is just a little hesitation in his voice and Clint speaks up now, reassures him.
“My place with do fine, just have to deal with Steve being over a lot, Sam and Nat too but I have plenty of blankets and we can figure out somewhere else after awhile. Sound like a plan?”
He asks directs his question to both of them and Bucky is looking at Steve now who gives a nod after just a moment.
“It does, we can head out later today, should probably give Nat and Sam a heads up about what is going on. Do you need to go anywhere to get anything?”
Steve asks now and the next few minutes are spent discussing various things, about what Bucky should grab from where he was staying. He had brought a back pack with him, had placed it in one of the rooms before he had attacked Clint just two nights ago and apparently most of what he wants to take with him is in it, hadn’t left anything important at the apartment he was staying at. He probably did that in case he needed to run when he came here and Clint understands that. He is glad that Bucky is not running anymore and he knows that Steve is as well, even if he may be a bit confused by Bucky wanting to stay with Clint and Clint knows they are going to have to talk about it and they get the chance when Bucky gets up to go to the bathroom.
“You know, he is still coming back, even if he will be at my place and not yours. Besides you spend most of your time at my place anyway, this will just give you more of an excuse to be around.”
Steve gives a little smile at Clint’s words now but it doesn’t quite look right and Clint grabs his hand, rubs little circles on his knuckles.
“I know, it is just he seems a little unsure around me and I’m not quite sure what to do about it.”
Steve says this and Clint gets it, he does, but he also gets Bucky’s side of it too and he tells Steve the only thing he can think of.
“Give him time, he’s remembering you, he’s coming back with us, just give him time, ok?”
“Ok.”
Steve says this now, places a quick kiss against Clint’s lips and he is sure that they are going to have to have another talk about this at some point. For now, he just reassures and thinks about what they need to do before they head back home.
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It has been a long trip, a long day, and Clint is glad to be back home even if he isn’t thrilled with all the stairs there are on the way to his apartment. Both Bucky and Steve seems fine even if Clint is pretty sure they have to be tired just like him and it dawns on him now that he has two super soldiers to try to keep up with and he groans out loud.
“You alright?”
Bucky asks and Clint has stopped on the stairs now, finds himself being stared at by both of them and he decides that he should just tell them.
“I just realized you’re both all serumed up, if we run and I try to keep up with you both, I may die and Natasha will lecture my ghost about not taking care of myself. I don’t know if I can deal with that.”
Bucky looks at him like he isn’t quite sure what to make of Clint but his lips are turned up just a little bit and Clint gets the feeling he is a little bit amused right now. Steve just sort of smiles at him for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t know, you do have great stamina, maybe you wouldn’t die. You could just not run with us.”
“I guess that is always an option. Let’s get up stairs.”
Clint says this now, shrugs his shoulder just a bit as they head up the rest of the way to the apartment. They are close to the door now, a few feet away and they can hear the sounds of the TV playing now and Bucky tenses up a bit and he is reaching for the knife tucked into his belt and Steve has his shield out. Clint sort of sighs but gets his bow out quickly, gets it ready.
“I’ll go in first, if anyone is going to shoot or throw something that might hurt my apartment, it might as well be me. You guys can follow me in. “
Clint whispers this and gets two matching nods and then he is going to the door, opening it quietly and then walking into the apartment, bow raised and ready to be shot if needed.
“Good to see you and your bow can rise to the occasion.”
Natasha says this from where she is sitting with Sam, Clint’s little love seat thing and Clint just sort of shakes his head a bit as he puts the bow down.
“Did you really come over here, used your key to watch my TV and make puns?”
She shakes her head a little bit as Sam gives Steve a nod in greeting.
“ No we came cause we figured we should be here when you guys showed up. Besides, I didn’t use my key, we broke in through the window, don’t want to get out of practice .”
It is Clint’s turn to sort of just shake his head as Steve asks if they really did it.
“Oh, we totally did, Natasha showed me a trick for it, think I might have to write it down, it would save me problems when I lose my keys”
“Do you lose your keys a lot?”
It is Bucky who asks and both Nat and Sam look at him for a long moment.
“It goes through phases, probably due for another one. So you’re here, are we supposed to be cool with everything now?”
“Sam.”
Steve says it simply and Sam just shrugs a bit while Nat leans just a little closer to him as she looks at Bucky and Clint just decides to let someone else speak about this and after a moment, Bucky speaks again.
“I’m sorry I broke your wings and your car. “
He says it simply, a little bit of regret in his words and Sam just stares at him for a moment, tensed up just a bit and Clint doesn’t think there will be a problem but he could be wrong but Sam’s glare is not that harsh so Clint thinks it will be ok.
“You should be. I just paid them off.”
He says this now and Natasha just rolls her eyes a little bit while bumping his shoulder and Sam sort of gives a little sheepish smile.
“Alright, so I guess technically we stole the wings but since they were stolen to save the world and everything, I didn’t get charges pressed against me, didn’t even get a fine. The car was just paid off but at least it makes an interesting story. We haven’t officially met, kicking each other doesn’t count. Sam Wilson.”
Sam has gotten up while he said all of that, has moved closer to Bucky now and has his hand out for a shake. Bucky hesitates for just a moment before moving his knife to his metal hand and then reaches out with his flesh hand to shake Sam’s.
“Bucky Barnes.”
He says this and lets go of his hand and Natasha has stood up as well now, has come closer and holds a hand out now.
“Last time we met, I was still going by Natalia, that was a long time ago and I haven’t been her for a while. Natasha.”
Bucky takes her hand, gives it a gentle shake.
“Bucky Barnes, nice to meet you Natasha.”
“So what is the plan now that everyone has been introduced?”
Steve asks now and Clint is a bit curious as well. Natasha answers the question.
“You guys are going to put your stuff somewhere and in a bit the pizza I ordered a little while ago should show up and we are having pizza and watching movies, will focus on more important things later.”
Clint grins and moves towards her, brushes a kiss against her cheek.
“You’re one of the best ,you know?”
Natasha smirks just a bit.
“I know.”
Steve is just sort of rolling his eyes a little bit but he takes Bucky to the spare room to put his stuff there and Clint sticks his in the bedroom. It is going to be a lazy night it looks like but that may be good for all of them and so Clint will enjoy it.
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