Prompts: Muffled Screams/Stumbling/Magical Exhaustion

Clint/Bucky

An incident from Chapter 10 is referenced.

Sorry, I posted a day late. Thanks for being patient with me! It's been one of those weeks!

"Come on, Bucky," Clint whined as he dragged his boyfriend down the hill toward the haunted house. The couple had made their way through the hayride (ho-hum), a so-called haunted maze (which they made their way through in record time), a fun house (in which some idiot chased them with a fake chainsaw that Bucky almost punched with his vibranium arm), and now Clint was taking them to the haunted house. "Bucky, it's not a house. It's a futzing former insane asylum! How have you not heard of Waverly Hills Sanatorium? It's, like, the most haunted asylum in the United States."

Bucky sighed and put his head in his hand, the metal one, the one not currently being squeezed by Clint. "Doll, there's no such thing as haunted buildings, whether they're asylum, houses, or libraries. "Don't," Bucky held up his hand. "Don't try to regale me with stories of haunted libraries." He pulled Clint close. "You do realize with everything I've lived through, the only thing that scares me is losing you."

Clint blushed, still not used to having freaking James Buchanan Barnes in his life. "Aw, Bucky, you really know how to sweet talk a guy."

"You're not so bad at it yourself, sweetheart. After all, you talked me into coming here."

"Well, it was either that or sit through Titanic and listen to Tony talk about how the ship never would've sunk had he designed it. Have to say, I'm glad you chose ghosts instead of that."

"I weighed my options. It was a close call, but you won out." Bucky smirked.

"I'll take all the wins I can get." They showed their tickets and entered the sanitorium.

As the two entered, Clint tripped over his shoelaces and stumbled, but Bucky caught him before he hit the floor. "Falling for me all over again, eh, Barton?"

Clint shook his head. "Walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Bucky put his arm around Clint's waist. "More like stumbled into it."

"Oh, that was bad," Clint groaned. "Come on." Clint took Bucky's hand again. "Let's go find some ghosts." He dragged Bucky away from the group they entered with and went down a deserted hallway into another part of the building.

"Clint? What the hell are we doing?"

"Super soldier hearing not working anymore? I said we're looking for ghosts."

'The things you do for the ones you love,' Bucky thought. He didn't have the nerve to say the L word yet, so he kept that to himself. "Tell me again why I follow you into these messes?"

Clint looked back at him with a smile that brought sunshine into Bucky's life. "Because you adore me and need some fun in your life." Clint tugged at Bucky's hand. "Come on. There's a tunnel this way. You're supposed to hear the muffled screams of the dead people that they took this way to dispose of the bodies." Bucky had no choice but to go along with Clint. He knew if he didn't, Clint would do something he needed to be rescued from, so he might as well save himself a phone call.

The farther they went down the tunnel, the darker it got. It reminded Bucky of HYDRA bases he'd been on; the oppressive, heavy air, the dampness, and the ability for any light to penetrate the blackness. "All we need is Rumlow and Rollins to show up," Bucky muttered.

A yellow-spinning portal appeared in front of them. It completely covered the tunnel, so Clint and Bucky had no option but to walk through it. "Don't remember this being mentioned being on the tour," Clint whispered. He gripped Bucky's hand a little tighter.

"I got ya," Bucky replied. Suddenly, they were in the Triskelion, watching as someone was dragged down the hallway kicking and screaming. Bucky swore he was watching himself, but as the group got closer, he realized it was Clint. How could this be happening? He felt Clint's hand in his, so this had to be some trick. Bucky thought if he continued watching, he could find an opening to stop this nightmare. As the group turned into a laboratory, Bucky spied The Chair. He tried to move forward, but it was as if his feet were cemented to the ground. Bucky was helpless and could only watch as Clint was thrown into the apparatus and locked into place. Someone put a guard in his mouth, and the halo was lowered. At that point, Bucky's mind was filled with Clint's screams of terror and pain.

While Bucky was seeing Clint being tortured by HYDRA, Clint watched his version of hell coming to life as he saw his father beating the crap out of little James Barnes. Clint tried to close his eyes, but something was keeping them open, so he was forced to relieve his childhood beatings happening to Bucky. He tried to scream as Harold Barton picked up Bucky and tossed him across the room like a rag doll. Bucky crashed into a wall and ended up on the floor in a heap, curled up on himself and crying in pain and mourning the loss of his hearing.

Strangely enough, as suddenly as the portal and visions appeared, they disappeared, and the two were able to move. "Clint?"

"Bucky?"

Bucky nodded and drew Clint to him. Clint buried his head in Bucky's chest, unable to stop the tears. "I'm so sorry, Clint. I'm so sorry."

Clint sniffed. "Me, too." Once Clint stopped crying, he pulled away from Bucky. "Let's get the hell out of here and go home."

"Best idea you've had all night." Bucky led Clint out of the tunnel and back to their car. They buckled in, and Bucky drove away. "Where the hell did that come from? That couldn't have been part of the tour."

"Remember when that witch found us, and we had to relive each other's memories? Maybe this is some remnant from that mission."

Bucky growled. "Never gonna forget that. I'm so tired of magic. Wonder if there's such a thing as magical exhaustion?"

Clint leaned his head back into the headrest. "I saw we drive straight to Wanda. If anyone knows, she will."

"Second good idea you've had." Bucky linked his fingers with Clint's, lifted Clint's hand, and kissed his knuckles. "I love you, Clinton Francis Barton."

Clint smiled. "Love you, too, James Buchanan Barnes."

As they drove away, a tall, thin figure with dark black hair was standing just outside the forest. "It's about time those two idiots admitted that." The man turned and looked up to the sky. "Heimdall, please bring me back. My work here is finally done." A bright flash appeared, and the figure rose into the clouds and disappeared.