AN: (28.9.14) The last day of Winterhawk Week! D: oh no! So sad... But hey, we get to end on a fluffy note, so at least we're all smiling and aww-ing with happy hearts.

Slumber Calls

"You want to what?" Bucky thought he might have misheard, but Clint, back from training at the range, just stretched one arm above him, scratched Lucky behind the ear, and repeated what Bucky thought he'd said.

"I wanna take a nap with you."

"... Right. Except I'm not tired and you smell."

"I'll shower first."

"Even so, I can't nap."

"Aw, why not?" Clint whined.

"I have PT in half an hour."

"Oh, yeah." Looking a little morose, Clint ducked his head and pouted at Lucky. "Looks like it'll just be you and me, buddy." Lucky wags his tail, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes I think he's more your dog than both of ours."

"'Cause I saw him first, that's why." Clint squatted down, letting Lucky lick his face as he said, "It was love at first sight, wasn't it boy?"

"You're both ridiculous."

"Hear that Lucky? Our grumpy soldier's jealous."

"But I'm not the one getting dog slobber all over his face."

"I said I'll shower!"

"And I'm not coming near you until you do." Muttering to himself, Clint disappeared into the bathroom. Dejected, Lucky padded over to the couch to stand before Bucky, who lowered his newspaper and smiled at him. "You love me too, don't you?" Lucky leaned forward to lick Bucky's fingers, and Bucky chuckled softly, trying to scratch the dog's head and getting his wrist licked instead. "Course you do. Sorry for doubting that." Leaving his hand on top of Lucky's head, he sighed and craned his neck to check the time. He really should get going - Carol would just make him stay longer if he was late, and his arm had been feeling stiff today. He probably slept on it funny.

So he expected it to hurt like a motherfucking bitch after his session, but that didn't make it any easier to bear. He came home, sore and tired, and wanted nothing more than to fall into bed - literally sink into the mattress - and ignore the real world for a bit. And there was Clint, playing tug-of-war with Lucky in the kitchen as if he hadn't been whining about sleeping almost two hours ago.

"Enjoy your nap, then?" Bucky asked, exhaustion bleeding from his tone.

Letting go of the chew toy, Clint watched as Lucky bounded over to the door. "We didn't have one in the end," he said.

Ignoring the toy being enthusiastically offered to him, Bucky just stroked Lucky's head as he asked, "Why not?"

Clint gave a little shrug. "Thought you might be tired after your session. Figured we could nap together."

That did sound appealing. Stepping around Lucky, he let his feet take him in the direction of the bedroom, thoughts of a hot shower beckoning him over. "Sure. I wanna shower though, so..."

"How was it today?"

Pausing in the doorway, he grimaced as he rolled his left shoulder a bit. "Tough," he admitted as Clint approached. "Must've done something to it last night. Hurt a lot, but I still managed."

Clint's hand was gentle, his fingers pressing lightly against the scarred tissue on his shoulder. "You want a massage under the water or anything?"

He shook his head. "I really just want to sleep, so I'll only be a few minutes."

"Okay. Don't overdo it, though."

The hot water was a godsend, and it took a lot of effort to not fall asleep under the soothing spray. But he got out, pulled on his comfiest sweatpants and t-shirt, then stepped back into the lounge to get his iPod.

"There you are! Come on, the couch is waiting."

Bucky blinked at Clint as he was led over to said couch. "Uh, what?"

"Nap. Couch. Us."

"Oh." Clint pushed him down onto the cushions, patting his legs until Bucky stretched out fully on the piece of furniture; then, without any preamble, he fit himself neatly on top of Bucky's right side, let thrown casually over Bucky's, arm solid and warm across his midsection.

Bucky stared down at the top of his blonde head. "A few minutes ago you were playing with the dog. What happened to all that energy?"

Clint snorted. "You kidding? I was trying to wear him out." As if on cue, Lucky hopped up into the barely cat-sized space between Bucky's left arm and torso, realised too late he was a little too big, and ended up lying balanced on the edge of the sofa with his chin on Bucky's ribs, huffing a dog-weary sigh, his one eye already drooping. Bucky didn't even have it in him to complain.

Yawning, he wriggled his right arm free to rest it across the back of Clint's shoulders, hugging him close and enjoying the feel of him. "So how long're we napping for?"

"Long as we need to," is the mumbled reply.

Bucky smiled and let his eyelids shut. "Sounds perfect." Clint and Lucky are both warm and comforting, the presence of each of them more pleasant than Bucky thought possible given the dimensions of the couch. He lifts his hand to thread his fingers through Clint's hair, relishing the way Clint snuggles happily against him. It's one of the rare moments where he wonders why Afghanistan ever seemed remotely alluring. The argument began to develop in his head, so he shut it out and focused on how surprisingly comfortable he still was. "Should do this more often."

"Not if you keep talking."

"Sorry."

He felt Clint move his head momentarily to press a kiss to his collarbone. The sensation lingers, even while the rest of his senses dwindle away, blanketed by the deep caress of sleep, and Bucky thought he might end up staying here forever if given the choice. The quiet and the comfort coaxed him away from reality soon enough, but the smile stayed on his lips long after that happened.

AN: Big shout out to saintnoname for making this whole week happen! I've loved it - even though my laptop died for good on the very first day and I had a midterm assignment to crack out in the middle of the week! And thanks to all the supporters, too - the response has been fantastic ^_^ keep spreading the Winterhawk love, and check out everything on Tumblr and in the Winterhawk Week Collection of you haven't already! xx