Work Text:
FanArt Based on this Fic and Vietnamese Translation
"Alright everyone, thanks for coming this morning to this yoga class," Bruce Banner raises his voice to catch everyone's attention. Dressed up in a loose fitted overworn beige T-shirt and sweat pants, he’s standing in front of the other Avengers, tucked away in a small corner of Stark Tower's gym floor.
"Before we start, does anyone of you have questions?"
"Uh, yeah, what's that weird smell, do I need to call the fire department? Jarvis! Do something!"
"Sir, this is..."
Tony waves his hand to shush Jarvis as Pepper gives him a stern look.
"Ok, never mind."
"That smell, Tony, is Tibetan incense that I brought back from Lhasa. The ashwagandha extract helps release stress and anxiety."
"AshWangathever; the smell stresses me out; I'm going back to my lab."
"Shut up Tony. You're the first reason why we're all gathered here." This time, it came from Natasha and Tony should know better than to roll his eyes at the Russian spy. The red head gives Tony an annoyed look before bending forward in a standing position to stretch her hamstring. Her tight black yoga pants leave no place for imagination to anyone standing in the the second row.
Judging by the blush on Steve Rogers' face, one could wonder how Captain America survived the USO shows during WWII.
Banner looks at Barton's raised hand. "Clint? We're not in a classroom, you don't have to... Anyway, what's your question?"
"Um, yes," Clint scratches the back of his neck, "I was just wondering what type of Yoga we'll be doing today?"
As Bruce's face illuminates with a smile, Tony lets out a low whistle.
"Wow Barton, you just did a complete sentence! Is Yoga your superpower? Super-Zen-Stretchy-Barton? You should start a fan club, maybe Wade Wilson could run it."
"Stark, that's enough!"
Even though Steve looks completely out of his comfort zone standing barefoot on his small mat, blocks, and straps by its side, his Captain voice puts an end to Tony's tirade. No one catches him breathing a sigh of relief when the gym's doors open, and Bucky makes his entrance.
His hair is tied in a man bun, but loose strands fall on the side of his face bearing a 5 o'clock shadow. He's wearing black athletic lightweight running shorts so small; they barely cover his ass. His white sleeveless top is tight enough to allow everyone to see how ripped he is and how his muscular flesh arm is perfectly balanced with the metal one.
"Sorry, I'm late. Clint, can you move a little? I'd like to be in the front row." Clint, who's been watching the view with an open mouth, doesn't move right away and startles when James walks by him and touches gently his shoulder. Bucky signs him his request, not sure if the archer heard him the first time. Since Clint told him that he relied mostly on lip-reading even with his hearing aids, James has been the only one to take ASL classes.
Tony mumbles something related to women's sportswear getting shorter and shorter but stops all at once: having the world's greatest assassin staring at you with deadly eyes has this effect. It just does.
"I like the freedom of movement those give me when I do my routine."
"Oh! You mean, you did yoga before?" Clint asks curiously with admiration in his voice. Realizing just how much he sounded like a teenage fangirl, he lowers his head in shame and turns scarlet red. James, still holding his Winter Soldier gaze with Tony, slowly releases his tense muscles and finally lays his mat on the floor just in front of Clint. He turns to Barton with a gentle smile, no trace of anger left on his face. Speaking softly and signing at the same time, he confesses to Clint how it improves the quality of his sleep and helps him relax the stiff muscles in his back. The blond archer can't help but think how the weight of the metal arm must be a constant burden for James.
"Ok people. Shall we begin?" Bruce, standing in front of everyone on the tip of his mat, joins his hands together and closes his eyes. "Standing straight, bring your hands to your heart, close your eyes and shift your weight back and front on your feet until you feel your balance... From your head to your heart, heart to your hips, hips to your knees, knees to your ankles."
Clint bursts in a not-so-quiet laughter.
"I think he forgot something important between the hips and the knees," he murmurs to himself, eyes opened, fixing James' lower body.
After a well felt sun salutation, they transition into more technical poses. Everyone follows more or less gracefully through the routine; from the basic plank to the various warrior positions. Things become less and less fluid. Bruce asks them to stand on their right leg and grab the toes of their left feet before stretching the leg in front of them and then guiding it to the side while extending the right arm to the other side for balance. Clint hops on his foot but holds the pose unlike Steve and Tony who crash into one another, topple like dominoes, and drop to the ground.
At one point, everyone is sweating heavily. James unabashedly removes his sticky tank top and throws it to the floor before bending into child's pose on his mat, to Clint's pure delight. Watching him from behind, the archer can't take his eyes off James' back muscles - ok, maybe his eyes would drop to his ass too but it's all the tiny shorts' fault. The multiple scars on James' body tell the tale of the fierce fighter that he is and Clint wonders how long he'll be able to keep for himself how hard he's been falling for Bucky these past few months. He watches the beads of sweat trickling above the waistband of James' shorts and feels himself getting tight in his own pants.
Completely hypnotized by James' movements, Clint marvels as he watches Bucky transitioning into a headstand, executing a perfect Salamba Sirsasana. He startles at the sound of Thor's loud voice.
"What is this foolishness! Midgardians surely cannot stretch and stand in this manner!"
Everyone holds their breath for a second, watching Bruce containing his frustration. Thankfully, Natasha's soothing voice succeeds in leading him back to a peaceful state.
After the sudden fear of having to deal with the Hulk, all the Avengers - yes, even Tony - are grateful to lay on their back quietly and relax as they stay into Savasana for a while before returning to a sitting position.
"Namaste."
***
Clint hurries up, rolls his mat at runs after James who's walking towards the locker room.
"James, can I speak to you for a minute."
Clint's stomach squeezes for a second as his peaceful state of mind and his self-confidence melt away.
"I -uh - I, - damn it," Clint laughs nervously and duck his head sheepishly. "You looked beautiful today - eh- I mean hot - oh God - no, I mean you looked very good and... " He covers his eyes to hide his embarrassment.
It's James' turn now to duck his head a little before glancing at Clint from under his eyelashes, a shy smile on his lips.
"I'm glad you noticed."
Clint watches Bucky's face, puzzled until he gets it. A knowing grin spreads across his face. "You're telling me you did this on purpose?"
James chuckles softly, nodding his head. He glances around to the empty room before meeting Clint's eyes.
"Wait, you mean, you - you did this for me?" Clint stammers.
"You think I would wear those for Tony?" Bucky signs to Clint.
They both try to keep a straight face as they debate the question but burst out laughing like two kids. After a minute, they manage to regain some seriousness. They look at each other for a moment, both a little embarrassed until Bucky leans forward to meet Clint's lips. This first kiss, soft and warm, will never be forgotten by neither of them.