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Disclaimer: I don’t own Marvel comics or characters or movies and am making no money off of this fic.
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Another Side (To You and Me) by luvsanime02
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Bucky has a problem.
Well, no, Bucky has several problems. Quite a few. A list so long that he doesn’t know whether he should order it chronologically or alphabetically.
Point is, he has a problem right now that needs dealt with. Namely, Bucky wants a haircut. He’s kind of sick of the long hair, and the last time Bucky tried cutting his hair on his own, he kept finding long hairs sticking out at weird angles for weeks after. It was very annoying. Clearly, there’s some secret way to cut hair so that this doesn’t become an issue, but Bucky doesn’t know it.
Bucky doesn’t want a repeat of that incident, but he also can’t bring himself to go to a salon or something. Just the idea of a stranger near the back of his neck with sharp scissors or a razor sends chills down his spine. And not good ones. Even though a mirror would be in front of him so that he could keep watch. Even though he knows that, logically, someone wouldn’t attack him while he’s sitting in a hair parlor getting a haircut.
Hopefully. But Bucky hasn’t survived this long by not being paranoid.
He’d ask Steve, but the guy can’t cut in a straight line to save his life. He can premeasure a sheet and cut along the line, of course, but that’s different than just blindly handing the guy a pair of scissors and letting him at the back of Bucky’s head.
There are very few people besides Steve who Bucky trusts, and even fewer who he would trust enough to have scissors near his head. Really, there’s only one option.
Bucky would feel better about his decision if Clint wasn’t looking back at him like a deer caught in the headlights. “Uh, you want me to cut your hair?” Clint asks.
At least that’s words. Bucky nods. “It’s too long now,” Bucky says. “It’s a hassle.”
It really is, too. The ends are getting tangled. Bucky’s taken to pulling his hair back more often than not, but that’s not a long-term solution, in his opinion.
Clint nods slowly. “Alright,” he says. “Okay. Yeah. I can definitely do that. Sure. No problem.”
Bucky resists the urge to roll his eyes. “You can’t do any worse than I would,” he points out. He’s not worried. Clint has remarkably steady hands and excellent hand-eye coordination.
Clint follows Bucky into the bathroom, where he’s already set up a chair and set out scissors on the sink. Clint shifts. “So, um. How short do you want it?” he asks quietly.
Bucky doesn’t actually care, except that he does. He doesn’t want to look too Bucky, even though that makes no sense. He just wants something shorter, but not too short.
Clint’s hair is very short. It looks fine on him. Great, even. But that’s too short for Bucky. “Not like yours,” he says eventually, because Clint’s still looking at him for direction. “But not long.”
Clint claps his hands together. “Right, then. Okay. I can do this. Uh, just so you know, I’ve never cut someone’s hair before.”
Bucky smirks. It’s kind of cute, how nervous Clint is about this. “Well, since it’s your first time, we’ll be gentle.”
That gets a snort and a chuckle out of Clint, which was the point, and then Clint picks up the scissors while Bucky gets his hair a little damp. Clint gets out a comb and starts running it through Bucky’s hair, and he just-
Relaxes. Clint’s hands are steady and competent, and he quickly works out the knots in Bucky’s hair without pulling, and wow. Clint should think about a career change.
Bucky doesn’t even watch in the mirror when Clint starts cutting. He’s content to close his eyes and relish the soothing motions. This is so much better than Buck imagined.
They’re both silent, but it’s the easy kind. Clint is obviously concentrating on cutting Bucky’s hair, and Bucky’s focused on his utter lack of worry. After only a little while, Clint sets the comb back down and, then, it gets even better.
Clint’s fingers start running through Bucky’s hair, and while he knows logically that Clint is checking for those uneven hairs, it feels like the best thing ever. He could fall asleep like this.
Bucky can’t help but let out a soft sigh through his nose, just to express his feelings in this moment.
Clint pauses, but then continues after a second. A few minutes later, he takes his fingers out of Bucky’s hair, and Bucky opens his eyes again. His hair looks great. Long enough to reach the back of his neck but not long enough to get tangled. Bucky’s much more interested in watching Clint right now, though. He’s rinsing off the scissors and putting away the comb, trying to seem busy, but he has a slight flush on his cheeks that he can’t hide.
“What do you think?” Clint asks into the silence, obviously feeling Bucky’s gaze.
“It’s great,” Bucky answers honestly. “You should let me thank you with dinner.”
Clint finally looks up at Bucky, like he’s expecting that to be a joke, but Bucky only looks back calmly. After another minute, Clint smiles and relaxes. “Sounds good,” he says.
It really does.