Winterhawk Writing

25

Whumptober Day 3. Delirium

Bucky woke up screaming and thrashing and Clint woke up with a black eye. Bucky hadn't woken up from a nightmare in months and the sudden return made Clint slow to react, so really he woke up with two black eyes.
By the time he got Bucky calm enough to stop throwing fists he had a split lip too. Bucky was sitting silently now, hair limply framing his face and he'd been staring at the same point on the wall for five minutes while Clint soothingly rubbed his back. From what Clint could tell, Bucky wasn't even aware that he was being touched.
In this state, Bruce called it delirium, it was easy to guide Bucky out of the bed and into the bathroom. It always took him a few hours to tune back into reality so Clint always made sure he was as comfortable as possible. He ran a warm bath, filling it with scented salts and soaps. Undressing Bucky was like undressing a slightly more responsive mannequin.
"C'mon, sweetheart," Clint spoke softly, taking Bucky's right bicep to guide him into the water. Clint dragged a stool over and sat next to the tub with a cup, gently pouring water over Bucky's chest. He hummed off-key as he gently shampooed and conditioned Bucky's hair.
"You're so pretty," he commented, once Bucky was out of the tub and sitting on the counter. He was brushing Bucky's damp hair and applying night cream to his face.
Still no response. So, Clint guided him out of the bathroom and into the living room. He sat Bucky on the couch and went off to make tea for the both of them. When he returned, Bucky had drawn his knees up to his chest and turned his head to watch Clint walk over.
"Hey, beautiful," Clint handed him the warm cup and sat, sipping his own. "Feeling better?"
Bucky offered a minute shrug. Clint could barely hide his relief at the small response behind his cup. "Well, we can watch Lord of the Rings until we get tired again."

I really try to write angst but it always ends up as fluff. Not that this is supper fluffy but u know what I mean.