Increasingly Painful and Incredibly Close

15.0

He was recovering more smoothly at this point, almost over the infection. His bruises were nearly faded, courtesy of his enhanced healing factor.

Kate and Pietro played around while Clint trained in the gym. They both giggled like children while Kate stood on the the back of his chair, using the attendant controls on full speed to zip them around the open area.

They came to a dead stop as Steve entered the gym, clearing his throat.

"Maximoff, I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah." He mumbled, Kate walking over with him.

The young archer stood with him, helping him shift position as he was slightly tipped to one side uncomfortably. The captain spoke. "Kate, why don't you give us a second?"

"Can you understand what Pietro's saying without someone to clarify?" She challenged, arms crossed.

Steve sighed deeply. "Fine. But what is said does not leave this conversation, understood?"

"Yep. Carry on."

"Maximoff, we have reason to believe the people that held you captive are linked to the location of The Winter Soldier. Did you happen to see or hear anything of interest while you were there?" He was all business, tone stern.

Pietro's heart dropped. "They did... not tell... me shit." Kate translated his speech as it was far too distorted at this point for most to understand. "Was in... too much pain. To be... observant."

"Okay. If you think of or remember anything, report to me immediately. This is a high priority issue, Quicksilver." The young archer lowered her eyes at the leader's cold and unsympathetic tone.

He walked off leaving the younger man to mutter to himself. "Stupid, stupid... should've... observed more."

Kate took his shoulders. "No. Pietro, you were tortured. You weren't on a mission, you didn't do anything wrong. You were in agony, it's unfair for anyone to expect you to have gathered information."

Tears began to flow as Clint approached, expression filled with worry. He knelt down by his love, taking his face in his hand. "Baby, what's the matter? Are you hurting?"

"Nyet... is..." he was crying too hard to speak, looking to Kate for help. "Kate... please."

"Captain America just came over here and asked Pietro shit about being hostage as if it was some kinda stealth mission and not, I don't know, actual torture, then got pissy when Piet couldn't give him the information he was looking for." Kate supplied, arms crossed.

The elder archer sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go sort this shit out. This is not okay."

"No... no." Pietro wept. "Just... wanna go bed. Please."

Kate looked to Clint, it was almost scary how much they could communicate without words, and nodded. "I'll take you, dude."

His husband kissed him quickly, promising to go to him as soon as possible. The younger archer took him up to his room, pausing a minute before lifting him.

"You sure it won't hurt you too bad for me to lift you? I know I'm not as graceful as Clint." She looked at him with concern.

Pietro just eyed the bed. "I will... be fine."

The younger stretched, psyching herself up for what was only her second time transferring Pietro. She lifted him as gently as she could, wincing as a quiet groan came from the man. Careful of the tubing, she laid him onto the bed a little harder than she intended. She gently settled pillows under his knees, sitting him up a little further. "Are you okay?"

"Am fine." His voice shook. "No worry."

"Do you need anything?"

He blushed, looking away. His eyes were still wet with tears. "Water. Mouth is dry."

She smiled, sitting him up and lifting a glass with a straw. Once it was situated in his mouth he tried to drink, he really did, but nothing would come through.

"Can't..." Pietro began to cry again, for a different reason. "Kate... I can't."

"Hey, it's okay. I have another idea." She capped the end of the straw, trapping water in it. The other end was then inserted into his mouth, dripping water out. Most of it dripped back out of his mouth, but that was fine. Kate didn't mind. She gently wiped his face with the hem of her shirt. "That good, or you want more?'

"Is good." He murmured softly and she laid him back down.

●●●

Meanwhile, Clint was furious. He wasn't playing around, not about this.

"Steve, you have a lot of explaining to do. Right fucking now." He didn't give a single shit that he'd just walked in on him and Tony fooling around.

Steve was immediately cursing, standing up from the couch. "I told him and Kate that nothing was supposed to leave that conversation. Stay out of it."

"Excuse me? You're putting pressure on my dying husband to remember details from torture, and I'm just supposed to 'stay out of it'? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Fists balled at his sides, he stepped closer.

"He was part of the team. He can take it and this is far bigger than any of us, so excuse me if I'm not exactly courteous." Steve was uncaring, unfeeling.

"You are fucking sick! Yeah, Pietro was part of the team, but he's not anymore! You can't- you're fucked for even thinking that is okay by any stretch of the imagination. He's got a very, very finite time left to live, and you are so incredibly selfish for trying to guilt him into using that time to nitpick every fucking second of being captive, tortured to a level of pain that you and I will never experience. You're disgusting. Don't think I won't be telling everyone on the team about this, hell, maybe I'll even take it to the tabloids. You stay the fuck away from him, or I swear to god I will make your life hell." Clint turned on his heel, storming out before he could even get a word in edgewise.

The door slammed behind him and Clint growled, butting his head against the wall. He was sick to his stomach and shaking.

"Stupid fucking jackass. Fucking self centered prick!"