Iron-Hawk Short Stories

Trouble Sleeping

Third Person's POV

"Hey."

The voice caught him off guard. He turned his head and was met with disappointed blue eyes. His hand subconsciously put down the screwdriver as if the other didn't already see.

"I thought I told you to sleep."

The clock ticked in the background as if to remind him that it was late.

"I-I know, but I'm close to solving this." He tried to excuse himself and pointed towards his latest work. "It's fine, I'm not tired." The other man let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. They both knew that each other were exhausted.

"Coffee isn't a substitute for sleep."

"That's rich coming from you." He snapped and felt the heavy stare of the other man. He knew he shouldn't try to push away the other, but he couldn't help it.

"I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. I'm not leaving until you get some rest."

He continued to work away at his project to ignore the other. He didn't need a lecture at three in the morning.

"Well you better enjoy standing there for the next couple of hours then." He grumbled and ran lines of commands through his computer.

An hour passed, and the other man refused to leave. Blue eyes continued to watch him work on his project. He let out a deep breath as guilt crept up on him. He couldn't be the reason that his partner got no sleep tonight. He turned his attention away from his work for a brief moment and made eye contact with the other.

"Don't just stand there." He whispered, "You make me feel like an asshole."

"Good, because you are one."

It was a reply he wasn't expecting but yet felt deserving of it.

"Truth be told." He licked his lips, "I don't want to sleep." The other man frowned but remained silent. "Every time I do, nightmares just come and I'd rather not go through with that."

"You can't predict when your dreams-"

"I don't want to risk it okay?!" He raised his voice once again. A moment passed and the other felt more anxious rather than malcontent. "You wouldn't get it alright?"

"What makes you say that?"

He frowned and wondered what the other man was talking about.

"You sleep damn fine every day. I know because I fucking sleep with you." He thought out loud. "Nothing that the Avengers has ever done even fazes you."

"I've been in your exact position before Tony."

He asked himself if the other man was telling him lies. He wouldn't put it beyond his partner, after all the man was a world class spy.

"Do you really think killing people for a living wouldn't do anything to you? I get nightmares more than you think, I just do a good job of hiding it. These days I've been sleeping a little easier though."

"Oh yeah?" He scoffed, "Why so?"

"Because you're in my arms every night. It helps me sleep more than you think."

There it was. The sentence that wanted to make him puke out of pure guilt. Was the other man really here because he couldn't sleep without him?

"I really help you sleep?"

"Life's been a little easier ever since I started dating you Tony. Even if you do act like an asshole sometimes, I'd rather have you around than nobody."

He bit his lip as he asked himself what to say.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you up."

"C'mon. How about I cook you something, run you a relaxing bath then we can get some rest?" The other man suggested, "The both of us could use some sleep."

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled wearily and watched as his partner straightened himself up to leave. "Hey Clint?"

The other paused and glanced at him, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for snapping at you. I know you just care about me and I'm forever grateful over that."

Clint smiled back. "No problem, somebody has to look out for you right?"