Increasingly Painful and Incredibly Close

11.0

Clint recovered with ease, nearly fully healed a week later thanks to Dr. Cho's tech. Pietro was still shaken up, pushing his lover to take it easy.

They were going to get suits and decide on wedding party attire. Of course Wanda and Nat were the best women, Kate coming to model the wedding party suits. Pietro was having a good day, and the group cherished his witty remarks and pleasant mood.

As they arrived, they faced the first issue. Four steps leading to the door. Wanda wanted to just use her powers to lift him up them, but as much as the silver haired man loved his sister he was just too afraid of that. So the older archer went inside to explain and returned with a well dressed, short haired man.

"Come around the back, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience." He lead them around the building to a utility entrance, moving racks and pallets out of the way. He lead them through a narrow hallway through the stock area and down into the main area.

He clapped his hands together. "Okay, so now to properly introduce myself. I'm Danny and I'll be helping you guys pick out your perfect suits and dresses today."

"You already know my name, but I'm Clint and this is my fiance Pietro." The archer placed a hand on his lover's shoulder. "I'm sure you read the note on our reservation but we're a bit of a special case so it'll probably take a bit longer than usual for us to do this."

"Oh, of course! I've absolutely planned to make this experience as accessible as possible. Again, sorry about the stairs."

Pietro blushed at this, averting his eyes in shame. Clint squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Thank you. Well, this is Natasha and Wanda, our best women, and Kate, who's gonna be modeling suits for our wedding party."

"Alright! Wonderful to meet you all, now if you'll follow me I'll show you our selections." The man led them down a short hall to a room filled with suits.

He showed them several options, waiting patiently whenever Pietro spoke. It was clear the guy had no clue what the frail man was saying, but spoke directly to him though Clint was clarifying his fiance's words. After collecting a few suits to try on, they got ready to be ushered to a fitting room when the worker interjected. "Actually, if it would be easier you're allowed to change in here. I checked with my boss because of how small the changing rooms are."

"Yeah, that'd probably work better. Thanks!"

Kate and Nat stepped out, Wanda hanging back. "Do you need my help?"

"Nyet... go." Pietro hadn't let her help him change since he started rapidly losing weight. He didn't want her seeing the way his ribs stuck out, hip bones sharp the way they were all those years ago as homeless children in a war-torn country.

She nodded, heading out the door as Clint began to change his love into the first option. It was tender, intimate. Rough, tanned hands on pale, soft skin as the younger was dressed. Gently pulling a fragile arm through the suit jacket and fixing the tie, the archer gave a watery smile. "You're so beautiful, honey."

The smaller man was looking at him with glassy eyes, a faint grin on his lips as he watched the older quickly tug on his own pants. Soon after, he went and opened the door.

"Y'all ready to see option one?" He invited them in.

Wanda rushed to her brother, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Brother, you look so handsome!"

"Mm, think Clint... wears it... better." He tracked his archer, watching the way the folds of the fabric hugged his form.

She hushed the older twin. "I know you have not even looked in mirror yet, Piet. Come, let me show you."

Wanda tipped a full length mirror, allowing him to get a look. The fabric hung from him a bit awkwardly, his thin stature making the suit nearly swallow him up. It was hard looking at himself, seeing just how ill he looked from the outside. The darkness under his eyes, the gaunt look to his face. How distant he was to the man he'd been a year and a half ago. "Don't worry too much about the fit of it. They'll tailor whatever you choose." She smoothed the wrinkles off his shoulders. "I think the light blue grey of the jacket looks good with your eyes."

"Is good... like color."

He watched Clint step behind him in the mirror, draping his arms over the younger's shoulders. "You look so good in that one, babe. Do you like it?"

"Da... but you," he met his lover's eyes in the reflection. "You are... krasivyy."

●●●

An hour and four suits later, they'd chosen. Pietro's wound up being the first option, whereas Clint had gone with the third they'd tried on. It was a warm dark grey suit with a lilac tie. Now came the part the smaller was most nervous for: measurements.

The tailor was kind and gentle, telling them both exactly how this needed to take place. The archer was holding his lover's arm out carefully as the worker measured and made small talk.

"So, how'd you meet?" He looked up from the notepad containing numbers and symbols.

Forest, gunfire. You didn't see that coming?

Clint shook away the memory. "Eh, a work thing. We didn't really make it offical until six months after that, though."

Sneaking around the tower. Screwing in the locker room when no one was around.

"Oh, alright. How long have y'all been together?" He clipped his pen to his notebook before gesturing that he was done with that arm, rounding to the other side of the sickly man.

Clint held his left arm now, a few fingers flickering in spasm. "Seven and a half, almost eight years, right Piet?"

"Mhm. Long time." A soft wheeze from the ventilator shadowed his words.

"Yeah, a very long time. Didn't wanna rush anything." The older smiled.

Pen on paper. "You guys are way more patient than me."

"Eventually we figured out life's too short, y'know? So we're doing it while we can." A pause from the tailor followed this.

"He is... probably... curious." Pietro's eyes flicked to his archer.

Clint blew out a short breath. "It's motor neuron disease, effects pretty much everything but his mind. We can tell when people are trying not to ask by now."

"Oh. That's awful." He continued writing. "I'm so sorry."

They then moved to leg measurements. The archer gently extended his fiance's leg as far as it went, stopping when he felt the tendons tighten. "This is as far out as his legs can go, so if this doesn't work I'm not sure what will."

"It's fine, I can work with this." He measured carefully around Pietro's ankle. "So, who proposed to who?"

"This one did. He's the romantic, I probably would've just popped the question over our normal pizza and beer date night. But Piet did it at the botanical gardens, it was beautiful." A glace up at his partner, who had a faint pink glow to his cheeks as he smiled.

The archer could tell his lover's pain scale was starting to rise, his leg being extended causing sharp pain to his hip. "Do you need a break, roadrunner?"

"Nyet... almost done... anyway." The sokovian was just pushing through at this point, ready to get into bed and cuddle Lucky.

Clint nodded, looking at him sympathetically. "Okay, sweetheart. Just say the word and we can take a break or come back another day, alright?"

A low hum was the only response.