Work Text:
Sleeping habits of the Avengers:
Tony Stark: Tony has become rather accustomed to not sleeping for long, unhealthy, usually alcohol filled spells, and so there is not much habit behind how he falls unconscious. More often than not, Tony is left sprawled on top of his workbench, or lab table, covered in greased, drooling with wild abandon all over whatever instruments were left in his iron grasp of slumber. But, when occasionally Tony does take a shower, ignoring the lure of his bar and his lab, and lays himself down in his own, primly made bed, he sleeps quite particularly; sleeping on his back, with one arm flung over his eyes, and the other over his chest, hand usually splayed across the arc-reactor, or curled protectively around it. His paranoia follows him quite heavily into his sleep and, if he isn’t disturbed by his usual horrid night-terrors, Tony will sleep in such a position throughout the entire night.
Steve Rogers: Steve goes to sleep roughly around the same time every night, if not otherwise disturbed by his superhero duties, in lieu of his military training. He does not ruffle the sheets he lays in, usually, laying in much a manner you would see a ken doll sleep—unmoving, sans the rise and fall of his chest and the occasional toss of his head—and straight as an arrow. (When he was small, he often fell ill due to chills, so he would huddle down beneath his blankets, unmoving, trying to preserve as much heat as he could in a house that did not have heating.) But, no matter the ease with which he falls asleep in this position, and occasionally stays as such through a few nights, it never really lasts—most nights Steve will fly out of his bed with terror, due to the flashbacks of his time at war or, more often than that, the crash into the ice, awoken freezing and terrified. Jarvis has been set to remind Steve of where he is and, most importantly, what year it is, every time he awakes in such a manner from his nightmares.
Thor Odinson: Thor does not have troubles sleeping—he is not, in fact, haunted by much after such a long existence. He has always been a sound sleeper, and it has not changed thus far. The few nightmares he encounters are often brief and leave him slightly disgruntled when he wakes, but that would be all. He is, however, a bear when he sleeps. He sleeps on his stomach, arms spread eagle and throne quite casually over the sides of his bed—depending, of course, on the size of the bed, but he often dwarfs the beds he is offered—face buried in the pillows as if he had no need to breath, or turned to the side, mouth wide open as he snores, sometimes softly and cutely; more often than not, though, it’s loud, slightly frightening, and could shake a small city to the ground. The blankets, somehow, almost always end up kicked off of his lower body and up onto his head. Did I mention he sleeps nude?
Bruce Banner: During the days Bruce was on the run, depending, of course, on just how safe he felt in any particular place (read: he never felt safe) he would sleep according to his anxiety level. He couldn’t allow himself to be an insomniac (mostly because the Hulk drained his batteries like running five marathons in a row), so the only logical way for him to stay safe while asleep was for him to sleep sitting up. And not just sitting up in a bed, propped up by pillows, no; Bruce would sleep in a chair almost every night, face down on a desk, glasses next to his face, drool on his cheek, book bag gripped tight in one hand or held securely in his lap. Even when he felt marginally safe, Bruce did not allow himself to sleep completely comfortable; he would sleep on his side if he were in a bed, curled in on himself as though to avoid any harm, as small as physically possible, only one arm held out, gripping that same, precious bag of supplies he tried to never lose. Even while living in Stark Tower, Bruce slept with that bag, always packed, always ready, held in one hand while he slept. (Of course, when not on the run or coming down from the Hulk, Bruce doesn’t sleep, because a calm night of sleep equals The Nightmares [father and mother and Betty] and those are not allowed to be had.)
Clint Barton: Clint is a rather casual sleeper usually; however he feels comfortable. He’ll flip-flop his way out of the bed he’s in trying to get comfortable, and then might just fall asleep on the floor if it suits him. His favorite way to sleep is curled up on top of someone, but, of course, that happens close to the side of never for him and he’s mostly okay with that. But there is always the week after a stake-out, or a Hit job, that leaves Clint’s sleep a bit wonky. While on a mission, Clint developed a good survival technique for keeping alert while asleep, and he and Bruce may have a bit in common because of it: Clint can sleep while crouching. That perfect position for taking out a long-distance or close-distance target? He simply needs something for his hip or shoulder to lean on, and he’s out like a light, bow and arrow in hand, ready for anything. And with the hearing-aids SHIELD issued to him, he can wake up at the slightest noise and be ready to kill in an instant. So, for about a week after coming home from a mission, this is how he sleeps, unable to feel comfortable any other way, sitting half perched at his headboard on his bed, head dipped against his chest as he crouches, ready for anything. (After Loki’s mind control, it took him a month and a half to stop falling asleep like this, when he managed to get to sleep at all, and sometimes, when the nightmares wake him up, he can only go back to sleep if he crouches, bow ready, at the head of his bed, waiting for an attack).
Natasha Romanoff: She doesn’t. She’s the fucking spider, the goddamn Black Widow. Literally no one has any idea how she sleeps because no one is allowed around her when she is vulnerable. Therefore, she does not sleep. She recharges her awesomeness with vodka and Russian feminist spite.
(Clint whispers tales in the dead of night, recalling the few times he has witnessed her in such a state—it was, as he tells it, a terrifying ordeal, full of eye-masks and face creams and special heating blankets with frilly pink edgings and a stuffed bear dressed in Russian hat and hand-warmers. Of course, on missions, Clint’s not even sure if she sleeps—her eyes are, as he says, always open.)
Special Bonus:
Loki Laufeyson: Loki is, in short, used to be extravagant. He slept on silk and satin sheets, with pillows stuffed full of feathers and covered in comforters thick enough to keep out even the slightest hint of a chill—not that he was ever bothered by the cold, of course, but he had always simply preferred to be completely covered in soft and fluffy things. When he, later on, of course, no longer slept in that dull haze of his, hair wild and frizzed atop his head and limbs tangled among fine, royal sheets, he was forced to sleep in far different manors than he was used to—after his fall he slept in cramp, tight spaces, much too small for his long limbs, so he was often forced to pull himself in tight, make himself as small as possible. When he was captured by the Chitauri, he was forced to cross his arms over his eyes to block out the bright lights, allowing himself reprieve so he could sleep in peace. And, later on, in various cells and hide-outs, those sleeping habits followed him—he sleeps as small as he can, when possible, with one or both arms crossed over his face, blocking out the none-existent light of his long-gone holding cell.