Title: Lazy, Hazy, Dog Days of Summer
Fandom: Hawkeye Comics
Characters/Ships: Clint Barton/Kate Bishop & Lucky
Rating: G
Length: 721 words
Written For: fan_flashwork's "dog" prompt.
Summary: There's a heatwave and it's really too hot to do anything. Two Hawkeyes, one Lucky and no air-conditioning.
Originally Posted: January 21, 2017
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Kate was sprawled out on the floor. She had started out on the couch but it was too hot for cushions and tight spaces. Lucky, being a dog was happy to have the couch all to himself. Poor guy looked hot. So much panting and slobber. The news wouldn’t shut up about the record heat wave. As if she wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. Dog days of summer, blah blah blah. Whatever. It was over one hundred degrees and there was no air-conditioning in this stupid apartment. Why was she here again? She asked herself for the millionth time.
“What are you doing on the floor, Katie-Kate?”
Oh right, that was why. Clint Barton. “Why don’t we have an air-conditioner?” she asked.
“We?” Clint scratched his head. Standing there in his boxer shorts, he looked uncomfortable. Kate thought about telling him to put more clothes on, but she was enjoying the view. She sat up to better admire his abs. Nice. Running around with the Avengers certainly kept him in shape.
He stood there. Was he waiting for her to say something? He could on keep waiting. It was hot and she needed to get her amusement somewhere, and annoying Clint could certainly be amusing.
“Why is Lucky on the couch?” Clint asked. She looked over at the dog, looked back at Clint and shrugged. He shook his head at her and ran both of his hands through his increasingly messy hair.
“Is that your look for the day Hawkeye?” he asked.
“Are you ogling me Hawkeye?” she smiled at him. He looked away. He was so cute when he was uncomfortable.
“It’s summer, this is a bathing suit. I’m the one who’s appropriately dressed. You, on the other hand are the one who’s wandering around in his underwear.”
She watched him looked down at himself, as if he was just now realizing that he was dressed only in purple boxers.
“I think there’s an air-conditioner somewhere in one of these boxes.” he said.
“Cool” Kate said and stretched back out on the floor. Cool was so the opposite of how she felt. The air felt like thick soup. Something completely disgusting, like split-pea, but without the green. She felt hot, sticky, and gross. She really hoped that Clint could find the air-conditioner.
After a few minutes of listening to him rustle through boxes and quietly curse, he finally called out, “Found it”.
“Awesome” Kate rolled over on her stomach and watched Clint drag the box over to the window. She thought about offering to help, but figured if he needed help, he’d ask. Who was she kidding? Clint Barton ask for help? He didn’t even like admitting he needed help. Still, she stayed where she was.
It took him some time, but he eventually got everything set up, and was about to plug the machine in when the lights flickered. “No, no, no” he chanted under his breath. Kate crossed her fingers in hopes that the power would stay on. She watched as they flickered off twice more and didn’t turn back on again.
Clint swore. Kate closed her eyes and Lucky whined.
Kate heard a crash and opened her eyes to see that Clint had kicked the box the air-conditioner had been in, across the floor.
“You okay?” she said softly.
“Everything sucks” he said.
Kate sighed. “Everything does not suck. I definitely do not suck” she gave him what she considered her most winning smile. She hated when he got like this. Clint was his own worst enemy sometimes.
He gave her half a smile back.”No, you don’t suck.”
He sat down next to her, on the floor.
“We should probably go some place cooler” he said.
Kate rolled onto her back and made a face. “It’ll be worse outside” she told him.
“I could call Tony and see if we could crash over there.” he suggested.
Kate thought about it a moment but, as tempting as the idea of Stark Tower’s super cooling system was, she didn’t feel like going anywhere or being around anyone else. She reached out for Clint’s hand, and wrapped her fingers around his. “Everything I need is right here” she said. His hand relaxed in hers. “me too” he said. Lucky barked twice and Kate smiled. Nope, this didn’t suck at all.
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