AN: (26.9.14) For Esomem. Winterhawk week continues - with a prompt! Put this on AU day but I'm still gonna try uploading a separate, un-prompted fic too, but this one felt appropriate so lucky you! ;-) The prompt was: "I feel like we need a de-aged/time shenanigan thing where pre-war stand up guy Bucky meets pre-S.H.I.E.L.D. mercenary Clint." I might not have done exactly that, but they're still de-aged... ^_^

The Hearts of Children

Bucky watched the boy next to him on Big Steve's couch. He had a lean build yet looked a little gaunt in the face, bright blue eyes taking everything in with undisguised mistrust, and his short hair was blonde. Discomfort was practically radiating off him, and Bucky sympathised with him - waking up to find Steve was a grown-up, and that they'd apparently travelled to the actual, real-life future, was very disorienting.

But still, the boy was the only other kid Bucky had seen around the place, and if Steve was going to be doing grown-up things, a friend his own age might be an idea. "Hi," he said.

The boy ignored him.

Bucky frowned. "Hi there." Still nothing. "Hello? Hey, can you hear me?" The boy didn't make a move, and Bucky frowned before raising his voice. "Hey!"

This time, the boy turned to look at him warily. His hands, Bucky noticed, gripped the edge of the sofa tightly.

He held his hand out - the right one, so the kid didn't get freaked out too much (like he'd done). "My name's Bucky," he said loudly. "What's yours?"

The boy's brow creased for a moment, then he answered, "I'm Clint."

"Nice to meet you, Clint." He waited until Clint hesitantly reached out to shake his hand. "You new here too?" Clint nodded. "What's say you and I stick together in this future place then?"

And so it was that Bucky and Clint became virtually inseparable. Bucky convinced Steve to let Clint stay with them ("We don't even need to use the couch cushions 'cause we got a big bed!"), and the rest of the team got used to seeing them attached at the hip. Steve noticed that Bucky had a habit of repeating things the adults said for Clint's benefit, and in return the circus boy stayed on Bucky's weaker right side.

Of course, there were instances where separation had to occur, though Steve ensured it was minimal even then; because nobody knew how long their snipers were going to stay children, they'd decided to plan for the long-term, and thus Bucky had to go through physical therapy so that he could keep the re-sized metal arm. He didn't always enjoy it, obviously, but Steve knew having Clint nearby helped as much as his own presence. Clint was given hearing aids, too, though he rarely wore them, preferring to have Bucky's interpretations get him by instead. Steve never asked, figuring if it made him happier to do things that way then why not let it be?

Similarly, Clint benefitted from being near Bucky during the night. He'd woken up from nightmares when they'd slept alone, and though they still happened it was much easier to calm him down in the aftermath, largely due, Steve felt, to Bucky, who woke up with him every time and did whatever he could to help Clint relax again. He was even learning basic ASL, and Natasha warned Steve that the two of them would soon be plotting things behind his back.

The depth of their relationship wasn't made obvious until the day Steve left them in the care of Jasper Sitwell for the day. Returning mid-afternoon, he was confused to see the boys curled up at one end of the sofa - Clint's face pressed into Bucky's chest, Bucky's metal arm draped protectively over his shoulders - and Jasper in the armchair, attention fixed wearily on the TV playing a kids' movie. Bucky was glaring fiercely at him, and Steve recognised the look.

"What did you do?" he said to Sitwell.

"He was gonna take Clint back to the circus, Steve!" Bucky said, unbothered when Clint buried into him a little more. "You can't let him!"

"I offered to take them out to a circus," Jasper explained, "and Barton... freaked out, I guess. Barnes has refused to let me near since."

Sighing, Steve went to crouch down in front of the boys. "Clint? What's wrong with going to the circus?"

"They're mean to him," Bucky answered. "He said they hurt him when he did something wrong. If they see him, they'll try to take him back, Steve, and the punishment -"

"We're not going to let anyone take either of you, Buck," Steve promised. Smiling, he tried to catch Clint's eye, and said clearly, "We'd all miss him too much."

Blue eyes darted to his face, and Clint lifted his head slightly. "I c'n stay?" he mumbled.

"Absolutely."

His tiny smile was heartbreaking, and Steve couldn't miss the way he relaxed against Bucky completely. He stood, turning to thank Jasper for keeping an eye on them at least, and saw him to the door. When he next looked at the couch, Bucky had Clint wrapped up in his embrace, and the pair of them appeared to have fallen asleep. Heart melting a little at the sight, Steve gave in to the temptation to take a picture, then left them where they were until dinner was ready.

(A few weeks later, when they'd both been brought back to their respective ages, he showed the picture to Bucky. Not long after that, a physical copy was found in Clint's bedroom.)