vix_spes

Even after a year of this domestic bliss, Bucky hadn’t grown accustomed to it and, in a way, he hoped that he never did. He never wanted to take this for granted, this tiny family of his. It was never easy to leave for a mission, in fact it was harder than ever, no matter how short the mission, but it was made sweeter by the homecoming.

It had been a year since he and Clint had brought Leo home from the CPS and the pup they had now was completely different to the terrified creature they had brought home in the snow. Then, he had been undoubtedly mistreated, far too skinny and skittish like a frightened creature, scared of his own shadow. He had barely tolerated Clint and Bucky had been regarded with a mix of fear and mistrust.

Now, he was the complete opposite. After a year of Clint and Bruce’s cooking plus infinite patience and endless love, Clint and Bucky had a happy, healthy, loving pup with the curiosity of a magpie and, to Bucky’s frustration, a healthy dose of Clint’s fearlessness.

Whereas once their suite in the Avengers Tower had been relatively quiet, it now echoed with laughter, chatter and Leo’s shrieks of delight as he chased around after Lucky, the dog gamely tolerating childish hands grabbing at him. Now, though, the apartment was quiet as Bucky let himself in.

The living room looked as though it had been hit by a hurricane, which was actually a fair description of both Clint and Leo. There were Legos scattered over the floor, the table stacked high with a mix of SHIELD reports and childish drawings while the credits of some Disney movie scrolled on the tv. Lucky whined at him from where he lay flopped on the couch, clearly exhausted and Bucky smiled ruefully as he crossed over to scratch him on the head. He could smell something in the crockpot that he thought was Clint’s famous chilli and Bucky’s favourite; clearly, he had been expected, or at the very least, hoped for.

Moving through into the bedroom, Bucky leant against the doorjamb, smiling at the sight in front of him; both of his boys cuddled up in Clint and Bucky’s huge bed amidst a myriad of blankets. This was his favourite kind of homecoming although he wasn’t sure why they were in bed in the middle of the afternoon. Then again, Leo had just recently started kindergarten and was struggling to adapt to the new schedule. Leo was cuddled around the hoodie that had been Clint’s favourite and the same one that Bucky had wrapped Leo in on the day that he became theirs and they brought him home from the CPS. It had become Leo’s security blanket; he slept with it, toddled around with it around the suite and would shower with it if he could. Every so often, he would give it back to Clint and Bucky so that they could refresh their scent on it.

Bucky found himself moving forward as Clint stirred, holding out a hand to Bucky, all ruffled bedhead and sleepy smiles. This was the infamous Hawkeye, the man who had been Ronin, and only Bucky and their son – maybe Natasha – got to see him like this. Shucking his clothes, Bucky slipped into the bed, curving around Clint and Leo automatically. He pressed a kiss to Clint’s neck, smiling as Clint purred happily and Leo snuggled closer as though sensing Bucky’s presence.

“Mm, welcome home Buck. Naptime now then food. ‘kay?”

“Okay, Clint.”