Increasingly Painful and Incredibly Close

6.0

It was two in the morning when Pietro next woke. He again tried to speak before remembering, seeing Clint deep asleep next to him. Kate looked up from her book as she heard the monitor's speed increase. She got up and scooted closer, not wanting to wake the others. "Hey, dude. Want me to call for a nurse?"

He barely managed to shake his head before wincing in pain. She just nodded, putting a hand on his arm. "Well I'm here if you need anything. Just let me know, okay?" She paused for a moment. "Wait, I've got an idea."

She unzipped her backpack, quietly pulling out a sketchpad and writing a large 'Yes' and 'No' on either side, separated by a line. She placed it gently under his hand. "There. Think that'll work for now?"

He slowly dragged his hand to the 'Yes' side, a faint smile on his lips. She grinned. "Great! Do you need anything?"

A slow 'No', his eyes drooping with effort. "You want company? I can let you get back to sleep..."

'Yes'

"I can read some of my book for class to you if you want. Might bore you to death, though." His nose wrinkled at that as he smiled, a silent laugh, keeping his hand to the 'Yes' side.

Kate squeezed his arm, sitting on the floor by the bed and beginning to read. She read for hours, even after she thought he might be asleep. It was around five when she softly asked if he was asleep.

She had to cover her mouth to muffle her laughter as he weakly tapped the 'Yes' side. "Want me to stop reading?"

'No'

She kept reading to him until the morning nurse came in for rounds. Clint woke up slightly at the lights being turned on, groaning. He was clearly still dreaming, mumbling softly. "Mh... five more minutes, Piet..."

The new nurse charted vitals, smiling at the sketchbook system they'd implemented. "Smart. Did you think of that?" He asked Pietro.

A sluggish 'No' as he looked over to Kate, who rubbed her neck sheepishly. "I talk to much for him to not be able to tell me if I'm annoying, heh..."

It was then that Clint fully woke, gently kissing his partner's cheek before untangling himself and stretching slightly. "Oh, shit. Sorry, honey, didn't mean to steal your bed all night."

The younger just stuck his tongue out a bit at this. Clint felt his ears before realizing why it was silent, putting his aids in quickly. "Hey, I'm Clint." He stuck a hand out to the nurse who shook it. "Kurt, nice to meet you."

"I'm Pietro's boyfriend of, like, seven years." Clint started to get up, immediately stopping and laying back down when his lover shot him daggers and loosely grasped his shirt. Kate giggled and made a quiet whip noise.

"Well, Pietro, your vitals are looking much better this morning. Your fever is down to a hundred and one degrees, also. Which, for you, would be classed as low grade since your normal is a hundred. Today we'll just be managing pain and try to get someone from nutrition in here as well. We might also get someone from respiratory therapy in here to teach your family how to care for you, maybe speech. It all depends on how you do. You got any questions?" He writes everything he listed on a whiteboard in front of the bed.

Pietro just tugs his boyfriend's shirt, mouthing 'talk'. It takes a second to click before Clint nods. "He wants to know if or when he can talk."

"Well I can't say for sure, but usually respiratory starts working on the speech valve about a week into recovery. Speech therapy'll probably get you working with some sort of communication device much sooner than that, though."

The sick man rolls his eyes at this, frowning. He slightly lifts then drops his hand onto 'No'.

"I know, honey. But you have to heal, okay." Clint could hear an echo of "I heal fast, Barton.", something the other was itching to say for the millionth time. "I know, you heal fast. Stop giving me that look."

The nurse reiterated this. "Unfortunately these things just take time and patience."

"I'll talk enough for both of us for now." Kate smirked. "Gotta keep Clint annoyed."

"If that's all, I'll see y'all again in a few hours." The nurse took his leave. Clint curled back into his lover, running a hand up and down his chest soothingly.

Wanda somehow had slept through the interaction, Pietro looking at her fondly.

He then tugged Clint's shirt again, this time mouthing 'Kate sleep', to which the other turned to the young archer. "He wants you to get some sleep."

"But-" Pietro shoots her a pointed look that then softened. Clint just laughed. "Just so you know, he's almost definitely wanting to pull the dying card on you right now."

"Fine..." she grumbled, finding a corner of the room that looked cozy enough before curling up, draping her mentor's jacket over herself and using her backpack as a pillow. She was fast asleep in record time.

Clint laid with his lover through the day, only getting up a few times for various reasons. Respiratory had been by, teaching Clint and Wanda how to suction him, to which the latter had to leave the room in tears as Pietro cried silently. Clint had held him as he bucked the vent in a weak attempt to cough, the feeling deeply painful. The team said it would be easier in time, that it wouldn't be that bad every time. He'd sobbed mutely, his partner carding a hand through his hair and kissing him. 'Home.' He'd mouthed to Clint, who just kissed him and cupped his face. CNAs came and taught the two about clothes changes, Pietro thankful for getting out of the hospital gown. He wasn't happy about strangers seeing him naked, but it boosted his morale a bit to get into Clint's soft sweatpants and loose purple t-shirt with his favorite fluffy socks.

It was around this time that Kate stirred, popping her neck before sitting up. "You're lookin' better."

He'd come back to life a bit, a little more life in his eyes. As much as the hole in his throat hurt, he did feel a lot better. He had more energy, he could stay awake to spend time with his family. Speaking of which. 'Laura. Kids.'

"They know you're sick, Laura wanted to come down when I told her how bad. But I know you didn't want the kids seeing you like this, so I told her to wait."

It was at this point when Wanda came back. "Sorry for running out, Piet."

"It's okay. I didn't want you to watch that." Her brother projected toward her mind, knowing she was poking around in his.

"I know... I should be there for you though."