So this story includes Daredevil and Bucky as well as Hawkeye, but I chose not to declare this a crossover because it would simply get lost in that section. There's one other crossover with Hawkeye/Daredevil and something tells me that it's been long forgotten and lost in the abyss. So I put my story in the regular section in hopes that more eyes would see it.

This fic is based off of Matt Fraction/Aja's Hawkeye, as well as the Hawkeye comics done by Lemire/Perez. The Daredevil is (very loosely) based off of the Netflix show, and I just decided to throw Bucky into the mix as well.

Chapter One: Not A Child

. . .

Clint poured himself some coffee, nowhere near ready to deal with the day yet. He looked over at the man in the living room who was curled up on the couch and silently debated if he should go over there.

He had practically slept on the couch since he arrived here two months ago. It didn't matter that Clint had let him sleep in his bedroom; the man seemed more content sleeping on the couch.

He bit his lip hesitantly. The man was most likely still awake and just half-watching the television. That was his usual state.

Clint took a sip of coffee and then walked over to where he was laying, and knelt down to look at him, eye-level. "Hey, Bucky. How are you holding up?" When the super soldier didn't answer, he sighed gently. "I made coffee. If you're hungry, I can make pancakes or something."

There was a long silence before Bucky finally spoke.

"Not hungry."

Clint tensed slightly. "You need to eat, man. You haven't eaten in a while. If you eat something this morning, I won't bug you to eat again until dinner."

Bucky seemed to be contemplating this bargain. Clint knew it was impossible to make him eat three meals a day, so he would be satisfied with two meals if it meant that Bucky would eat at all.

"Fine."

As much as the archer hated one word answers, he would take it. He walked back into the kitchen and started to mix the pancake mix together before he spilled some onto a pan. He found the news on the television distracting so he turned the radio on low so just he could hear it. A part of him was grateful he had forced himself to put his hearing aids in today.

He piled pancake on top of pancake until he had finished and then got the milk and orange juice out of the fridge. "Come and get it."

Bucky rolled off the couch and headed into the kitchen before taking a seat on a stool in front of the small island. He ate in silence, his metal arm occasionally making a clinking sound every time it came into the contact with the countertop when he cut himself off a new bite.

Breakfast was a quiet affair as Clint delved into his own pancakes and an egg that he also had made for himself.

He cast a cautious eye up and down his friend. Bucky's hair looked slightly greasy and there were dark circles under his eyes. The man also looked underweight. Not that Clint thought that he looked any better but he was more concerned for him. He drank some more coffee and then cleared his throat.

"Still having nightmares?"

Bucky didn't meet his eyes and pretended to be especially interested in his pancake. Clint watched him poke at it before he nodded.

"I still have mine too sometimes." He silently scolded himself; this wasn't about him. This was about Bucky. "Have you been sleeping at all?"

The man shook his head and then shrugged in afterthought. "Sometimes. What are your nightmares about?"

Clint instantly regretted having mentioned anything. He searched Bucky's face and watched as he finished off the last of the blueberry pancake. "Hey, umm… why don't you go shower and get some clean clothes and we can hit the grocery store or something?"

Bucky finally met Clint's eyes but was silent for a long time. His eyes were apprehensive, bordering on challenging.

"Answer my question first and then I'll shower."

Clint raised an eyebrow and took his plate before setting it on top of his own. "No, no bargaining. Come on, we need some more food. Go shower."

Bucky sighed heavily and then exhaustion met his eyes. "Just… go without me. I'll be fine alone."

The archer chewed on his bottom lip in doubt. He thought back to the last time he had left Bucky alone. He had come home to find that Bucky had a fit of rage and broken a lot of his glasses and mugs and blood all over his good hand. He had refused to go to the hospital so Clint had to take the shards of glass out of his hand with tweezers and bandage him up.

Bucky had been so scared that Clint would be angry. He had locked himself in the bathroom and it took him a solid hour to talk him into opening the door so Clint could patch him up. All that time with Hydra traumatized him.

"Come on, man. Come with me. I need you to pick out food that you'll eat. I know you don't like the food I have here. If you come with, I'll get you something small."

Bucky took a sip of his own coffee now. "I'm not a child. You can stop trying to bribe me."

"Well are you coming with me or do I have to find you a babysitter?"

This made Bucky smirk ever so slightly. If Clint hadn't been looking at him, he would have missed it. "Fine, I'll come along…"

"Thanks, man," he saw the nervousness laced in the other man's face and then added, "It won't take long. In and out. Promise."

Bucky nodded and then finished his coffee before he got off the stool and headed towards the bathroom to shower. While he did that, Clint washed the dishes and put it away before he got dressed and shut the television off.

When Bucky came back out, he looked the cleanest that Clint had ever seen him except for a small amount of scruff on his jawline and chin that he hadn't shaved. It didn't matter; Clint realized that he felt just as nervous as Bucky looked.

Bucky was unpredictable about going out in public. It was Russian roulette with him. Sometimes he had panic attacks, other times he was fine. He pulled on his sweatshirt and then pulled on his shoes.

"Ready? Lock the door behind you, okay?" He made sure his voice was soft and kind. The last thing he wanted to do was remind Bucky of those Hydra assholes.

The two men walked down the street a ways until they made it to the corner convenience store and walked inside. He grabbed a basket and started to put coffee, sugar, and cereal into the basket.

Clint could practically feel Bucky's breath on his neck. He was standing that close to him. This wasn't a new routine for them, though. If it helped Bucky feel safe and protected, then so be it. Ever since Bucky came back, it had been one thing after another to try to get him to get back in a normal routine again.

Between the occasional fits of rage, the insomnia, and the ex-Asset's anxiety and his paranoia, nothing seemed normal anymore. He had been just as surprised as anyone when Bucky had shown up at his doorstep with Tony Stark and Natasha both on either side of him.

"It's just temporary," they had told him. "Just until things settle down with Hydra."

"You okay, Buck?" Clint asked as he grabbed a couple boxes of mac and cheese and also placed them in the basket.

"Y-Yeah," Bucky stammered in a whisper, clearly not okay. "I think w-we're being followed though…"

Clint slyly glanced behind him, pretending that he had gone to the wrong aisle, and cast a look in the direction where Bucky had been looking. He saw a man who was trying to decide which tuna packet to get.

He turned back to his friend and leaned in to him, keeping his voice low. "We're not being followed. It's your paranoia again. You're okay, man. Just keep breathing, all right? Just a few more things and then we're out of here. Hang in there."

Clint grabbed a package of frozen ravioli and then some milk before he couldn't fit anything else into his basket and deemed their task finished. He quickly paid for everything, had Bucky grab the bag, and then started out of the store with him.

Seeing Bucky's uneasiness, he thought for a minute. Bucky had to be getting cabin fever. He hadn't gone out of Clint's apartment in Bed-Stuy for almost three weeks. It definitely wasn't helping his paranoia at all.

Bucky had then started to walk towards Clint's apartment but Clint stopped him gently and turned him around.

"Wait… I have an idea. Let's go see Matt. You've met him before. We can just hang out there for a bit and relax before going back home."

It wasn't exactly getting out since they'd just be going to yet another apartment but at least this would get Bucky some fresh air and a change of scenery. He glanced around to check Bucky's reaction and although he seemed nervous still, he nodded.

Clint hailed a taxi after what seemed like hours, and when they were on their way into Manhattan where Matt Murdoch lived, Bucky finally spoke again.

"I don't know why we're even going to see him. It's not like he can see us…"

The archer turned his head in surprise to look at Barnes now. "He still has bizarre superpowers so don't fuck with him, and don't say that to his face either. I thought you would like him."

"Why?"

Clint shrugged. "Why don't you like him? He's a decent guy."

"He's a blind superhero. It seems like he really got the shit end of the stick of life. Why did you think I would like him, though?"

Clint chewed on his lip anxiously, not wanting to tell Bucky the truth in case it might trigger something. "I don't know. He's just a nice guy, Bucky. There's no reason not to like him."

He knew that Bucky was still suspicious but he was grateful when the cab pulled up to Matt's apartment in Hell's Kitchen. He paid the driver and got out before he headed inside. It was a quiet walk up the stairs and Clint was able to feel the tenseness between them.

"What's up, Bucky? Why are you hesitant about coming here?"

He paused when they arrived at Matt's door and turned to face the man. He shrugged and looked down at his shoes, his breathing was subtly erratic. As Bucky looked down, Clint saw him clench his hand into a tight fist and then unclench it again, something he did when he was anxious. For a brief moment, Bucky looked like a small child and Clint felt his heart ache for him.

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself or anything. We're just stopping by to say hi and we're just going to talk for a little bit. You don't have to stay around us or anything and he's not going to hurt you, okay? I'll be inside with you the whole time."

This seemed to put Bucky's mind at ease and his body loosened up a little before he nodded now in understanding. He took a deep breath and then let it go just before Clint finally knocked on the door.

It took a few moments but Clint smiled when he saw his friend, even if Matt couldn't actually see him.

"Hey, Murdoch. I hope you don't mind us dropping by like this…"

Matt stepped aside to let both men inside. "Not at all. It's good to see you guys again. Please come in."

Bucky looked around cautiously, as if there would be Hydra men waiting for him around the corners. He walked over to the living room and turned on the small television before he curled up on the couch, keeping the volume low.

It seemed to become his go-to comfort technique. Maybe white noise helped distract him from his anxiety. Whatever the reason was, Clint was grateful for it.

"Would you like some coffee or tea or anything? Maybe a beer?" Matt offered as he led Clint into the kitchen.

"I'll never turn down coffee. It's getting cold outside anyway. Do you need help or anything with it?"

Matt smirked now, knowing better than to be offended. He gestured at the general placement of the coffee pot on the counter. "I know how much you love making it. Be my guest."

Clint chuckled in embarrassment now but started to make it as a yawn escaped from his mouth. "Is it that obvious?"

He saw Matt smile a bit before the lawyer glanced into the living room and paused for a bit, maybe trying to sense Bucky's physical state. "Is he all right?"

"You tell me, man. He's lost some weight and I've been trying to get him to eat but it's like pulling out teeth. He's barely slept. I don't know what to do," Clint answered quietly before pressing the 'on' button on the coffee pot so it would start brewing.

"It's going to take a while for him to adjust to living with you. He's used to living in a confined area with guards around him all the time. I'm not surprised he's still having nightmares and isn't eating."

Clint sighed and leaned against the countertop, feeling helplessly. He rubbed his temples as a headache was starting to form. "I don't know how to help him. I don't know why Stark thought that it'd be a good idea to hand the kid off to me. What the hell am I going to do with him?"

Matt frowned slightly but leaned against the counters beside Clint so they could still keep their voices down.

"Tony's probably still reeling from the whole wormhole ordeal. That would make anyone question their beliefs. Everyone else is busy Avenging. They probably figure that you don't have anything better to do," Matt suggested.

Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. "Like I don't have anything to do? I do stuff."

Matt smirked and chuckled now. "I don't think drinking coffee and not sleeping counts as doing stuff. By the way, have you considered that maybe you can't sleep yourself because you drink so much coffee all day?"

It was Clint's turn to frown now but it was more of a pout. "How do you know I've been having trouble sleeping?"

"Well I know you've yawned at least once and you've already had your morning coffee or else you'd still be at home, probably in your pajamas still, so even coffee can't touch your tiredness. Plus, it's obvious how worried you are about James, so you're probably losing sleep over him," Matt analyzed.

Clint whistled in impressiveness and poured a cup of coffee for himself before pouring one for Matt and placing it in his hands carefully.

"Those are some class A Sherlock observations. Anyway… it's not like I don't have my own shit to worry about. I got bills to pay and it's not a secret or anything that I live in a shitty Brooklyn apartment. Even your kitchen is bigger than my whole apartment."

Matt took a sip of coffee before he moved over to the counter and placed the mug on it. "Don't you get Avenger-pay or something?"

"I do, once every few weeks, which is just enough to pay my bills and get some groceries but by the time I do all that, I'm pretty much broke for three more weeks. It's a vicious cycle. I've tried talking to Stark about it, who told me to talk to Fury, who told me to talk to Maria Hill, who told me that she can't do anything about it. I don't know how they determine who gets paid what and when, but it's just not enough," Clint complained, taking a drink of his own coffee.

Matt nodded in sympathy. "I would help you out, but… we haven't been getting many clients lately."

Clint shook his head but then realized Matt probably couldn't see that. "It's fine. Don't worry about it, Matt. I know you would help if you could. You've got your own bills to pay. I get it."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe ration the money a bit more? Pay a couple bills two or three days later than usual? That might help."

"Yeah… thanks." He had hoped that Matt would have been able to lend him some money but Clint also understood how difficult the situation was for both of them.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they sipped their coffee. Finally, Matt spoke up again.

"Would it help you any to keep James here with me? Maybe you'd have time to get a part time job to help with your money trouble?"

Clint hesitated now. He couldn't dump Bucky off here with Matt after promising not to leave him. He took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. "Thanks for the offer… but… I need to think about it. I don't know how Bucky would react to that. I think he needs time to trust you first before I do that."

Matt nodded again. "Okay, that's fine. I just thought I'd offer."

"Yeah, I know. I appreciate it, Matt. I just need to think about it."

The two men talked about happier things for the next hour and a half, even laughing occasionally and joking before Clint realized how quiet Bucky was. He felt somewhat jittery now after having two more cups of coffee with Matt, and placed his cup in the sink before he stood up.

"I think it's time we went back home now. Thanks for the talk and the coffee."

Matt smiled. "Of course. Drop by anytime."

"Will do," he walked into the living room and saw Bucky still laying down. He gently prodded him. "Hey, come on. Time to go back home, man."

Bucky seemed thankful for this and shut the television off before he headed for the door. Clint followed behind him.

"See you later, Matt."

"Bye, guys."

As soon as they were outside again, Bucky appeared to breathe out a sigh of relief. Clint gently patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, Buck. You hung in there. You did good. See?"

Bucky just nodded silently as a cab pulled up to their curb and quickly got in the back seat. Clint told the driver where to go and then looked out the window, thinking.

He could barely take care of himself. How was he going to take care of his friend?