Clint's head was throbbing. He could feel every beat of his heart as the blood pulsed around the back his skull. He blinked a couple of times as he attempted to open his eyes to take a look at his surroundings. The light almost blinded him as his eyes tried to adjust from the darkness. It was quiet, too quiet. The world was muffled. He reached up to check his hearing aids. They were gone.
'Jesus Christ!' He muttered to himself as he felt a shooting pain behind his eyes. He'd been hit then. The archer tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. He'd been working a mission with Nat; nothing difficult and certainly nothing they hadn't done before. It had been a simple case of gathering some information regarding the few remaining Hydra agents. Natasha had gone undercover to retrieve the information and he had been on look out to back her up if things went sour. 'Shit!' He swore; hoping his friend had got out safely.
He got up slowly; wincing at the sharp pain in the back of his head. He reached a calloused hand behind his head and gently applied pressure to the source of the pain. It felt wet and he pulled his hand back to look at it. His fingers were coated in crimson blood. He wiped his hands on his trousers and swore again. How had he let someone sneak up on him like that? He thought back again to his failed mission and before he blacked out. There had been interference with his hearing aids; a loud screeching noise and a sharp pain in both his ears. He remembered now. He'd ripped the devices from out of his ears to prevent them from distracting him from the mission then it went black. Well, at least that explains the missing hearing aids. He thought to himself. He looked around. He appeared to be in some high-tech facility. The room was bright as fluorescent beams lit up the space. There were three walls which were a dazzlingly white and a final glass panel made up the final side of the boxed room. He assumed it was some kind of cell. He was sat on a small mattress on the floor but the rest of the room was bare. He grimaced as he realised there was no toilet and definitely no privacy. Hesitantly, Clint reached out towards the glass. It was cold beneath his touch but he felt no shock of electricity so it was probably reinforced in strength. He looked out to the room beyond the glass. It was an empty laboratory.
'Where the hell am I?' He signed in resignation. He sat cross-legged on his mattress once more and gazed out into the lab; watching for any sign of life. He had been conscious for about 20 minutes before he saw it; a flash of silver.
He immediately felt his eyes sting as he was thrown into the memory of Sokovia; the cry of a small child, the sound of bullets ricocheting off of cars and driving hard into the cold tarmac. His throat closed up and his head started spinning as black spots clouded his vision. The air became thin and the archer had noticed his breathing getting heavy as he ran towards the child. The mother's pleas behind him drove him on but he was too late. He turned and saw a pair of glowing red eyes behind the controls of the plane. He heard a cold cruel laugh ringing in his ears. Instinctively, he hugged the child close to shield him from the incoming bullets. Closing his eyes, the archer prepared himself for death; hoping it would be quick. The pain never came. Instead he heard a female scream rip through his consciousness. Red light filled his vision as Wanda's powers erupted; torn apart from grief. When the red subsided he saw her silver-haired brother standing before him. His tight blue running shirt was now stained crimson with the Sokovian's blood. Pietro was deathly pale and his silver hair sparkled for a moment in the sunlight.
'You didn't see that coming?' Pietro choked out in his thick Sokovian accent before crumpling onto the floor in front of him. Wanda's screams echoed through his head once more and the world began to spin. Pietro's last words echoed in a loop around his head as he gasped for air. He heard another scream, male this time, as the lab came back into view; his scream. He felt a sting in his arm and white coats huddled round him until he was plunged once more into darkness.
'Maximoff! Go fetch the prisoner's file from the Laboratory!' The Master's voice screeched through his coms device in his ear. The runner winced slightly at the volume and rolled his eyes. He hated his life at the laboratory but they had saved him from his certain death in Sokovia so he owed them his gratitude. That gratitude was wearing thin after five years of being their runner; literally. He fetched everything for them from lunch to files to laundry. Pietro Maximoff, enhanced super human, reduced to a slave for these bloody American scientists. He had tried to escape once but there was an electric field surrounding the science facility that he had run straight into. It had been a shock; pun intended. He let a few Sokovian curses slip as he fell shaking to the ground. The Sokovian was retrieved by the level 1 scientists who took him back to his room to recover. He never tried to escape again.
'Yes Boss.' He muttered with a roll of his eyes and sped off to the laboratory. He weaved through the white coats in the corridor, laughing to himself as they were knocked off their feet as he blew past. He saw each one of them fall in slow motion and he smirked as he saw the exact moment when they realised what had happened. Their faces slowly changed to pure horror as they fell towards the ground. One of the scientists had just come back from the cafeteria. He had been holding a coffee and a chicken mayonnaise sandwich which had begun to plummet towards the ground. In one swift movement Pietro swiped the items from the air. He took a swig of the coffee and continued towards the lab, the bitter liquid burning down his throat. He barged through the swinging doors and grabbed the brown folder from the desk before turning tail and exiting the fluorescent room. He took a bite of the sandwich before dropping both the food and the coffee. The scientists were just about scrambling to their feet when Pietro rushed past again sending them flying once more. He heard shouts from behind him and he laughed to himself. He had to have some fun in this godforsaken facility.
'Quicksilver! Stop messing around! I want that file!' The Master shouted once more.
'I'm coming!' He shouted back in his thick accent. The accent he never lost. He knew he shouldn't look at the file. It was classified information but he knew no one would be able to see him, especially when he was using his super speed. The flicked open the file and glanced at the first page. He felt his heart stop and he screeched to a stop. The rubber on the bottom of his shoes burnt across the tiled floor. He felt the heat scorch the soles of his feet and he hissed in pain. Pietro's eyes were fixated on the picture in the file. His gloved fingers traced the name written next to it. Clint Barton – Hawkeye. He was dead. They had told him the archer had died when the Asgardian came after Clint and his family. Pietro had taken the news hard. He'd been unable to run for months. Instead he's laid in bed plotting revenge on Thor's brother and crying himself to sleep. He'd given up everything to save the archer's life only to find out that he'd failed. Yet, here he was. Clint's face was looking up at him from the aged black and white photograph; apparently alive.
'Maximoff! Drop the file!' The voice shrieked once more. This time Pietro didn't answer. There was a newfound fire lit in his heart. The Sokovian was furious. He tore off his damaged trainers and sped off in the direction of the lab again. He was going to see Clint Barton; his archer. By the time he got back to the lab a hoard of science buffoons were surrounding the man.
'Leave him alone!' He cried as he charged at top speed towards the unconscious avenger.
He circled round Clint in a silver blur throwing each of the scientists into the walls of the cell. He heard bones snap on impact and cries of pain. Pietro smiled darkly at the sound. He picked up the older man carefully in his arms and ran. He felt a rush of anger as he spotted the blood that had stained Clint's dusty blond hair and he noticed the archer's hearing aids were missing. The scientists would pay for what they had done to him. Yet he couldn't help but grin at the warm feeling of having the archer in his arms. He could feel the firm muscle of the man's arms. Clint wasn't light but Pietro was comforted by the weight and the solid beat of his heart. His archer was alive. Pietro darted into a nearby supply closet. He rested Clint down on a table and quickly sorted through some of the silver technology until he found what he was looking for. He pocketed a couple of small ear pieces. He hoped they would be effective for Clint's hearing. He retrieved the archer from the table after kissing his forehead gently and sped off once more. As Pietro burst out of the laboratory building in a silver blur he was confronted by a forgotten problem. The electrical wall loomed up ahead. At that moment he really wished he had the back up of Stark and the avengers. He had no idea how he was going to break through the electricity field. He did a lap of the circumference of the facility.
'Quicksilver has gone rogue. All men at arms! I want him caught!' The order blared in his ears. Pietro knew there was no way back now. He had to get out for both his sake and Clint's. His bare feet thudding against the grass and he relished the feeling of the soft blades between his toes. As he ran his eyes scoured every inch of the electric field. It was generated by a series of pylons which were situated around the building. One of the giant steel masts had a panel on front. He gently put Clint down a safe distance away from the pylon. He spied a rock nearby and raced towards it. The rock was heavy but he was able to gain enough momentum to thrust the stone through the panel. Pietro fell backwards as sparks flew from the metal structure. His body shook and crumpled to the floor as the electricity course through his veins. He swore loudly in his native tongue as the pain momentarily disabled him. He shot a glance at the archer. Clint was still unconscious. Pietro realised they must have drugged the old man. There was no way he could have slept naturally through the chaos that was occurring around them. The electricity field crackled and sparked as the circuit was broken. The blue sparks fizzled in the air and vanished. He'd done it but was he too late? He heard shouts from behind him and gunshots were fired. The bullets were flying towards them as the scientists drew near. The Sokovian pulled himself to his feet. His legs were weak from the electric shock but the adrenaline was pumping through his veins and pushing him on. He scooped up the archer and set off once more leaving the bullets far behind him.
Clint groaned as his woke up for the second time that day. Something was different this time. He was encased in warmth but he felt a cool breeze on his face. His head still hurt like a bitch but the light was less bright and he didn't wince quite as much when he opened his eyes.
'Holy Shit!' He yelled as he looked up his rescuer. Pietro Maximoff. Alive. Clint felt the beginnings of an anxiety attack as his heart began to race and his breathing became short. 'Put me down!'
Pietro jumped at the sound of his voice and came to a stop slowly. Clint was lowered back down to the ground. His legs shook as he tried to support his own weight. In a flash Pietro's arm was around his waist. He held out his other hand towards Clint. In his palm were two silver ear pieces. Clint took them and carefully inserted the devices, praying they would work. The world burst back into life. The birds were singing and he could hear the sound of traffic nearby. He grinned at Pietro with gratitude before his legs gave way once more and the Sokovian had to prevent him from falling.
'Careful, old man.' Pietro said with a smirk. That damn smirk! But God Clint had missed that voice; the thick Sokovian accent that had haunted his dreams and eventually destroyed his marriage. Clint had been a changed man after the final battle with Ultron. He'd been riddled with guilt after the young speedster had been declared dead. His marriage had collapsed as Clint had sunk into a deep depression as he mourned Pietro. Clint decided he must have died in the laboratory. It was the only logical explanation. There was no way Pietro was standing alive in front of him. He reached out and traced the muscles beneath the younger man's shirt. Pietro's body was emitting blistering heat; a product of his fast metabolism. The Sokovian shuddered underneath his touch. Clint let out a sigh of relief as he felt a fast heartbeat fluttering.
'You're alive' He murmured softly. His own heart began to race as he looked up into Pietro's striking blue eyes. Pietro gave him a wink and a lopsided grin.
'So are you…' The younger man replied equally softly. Clint's face twisted in confusion and he took a step back to get a better look at Pietro's expression.
'Of course, why wouldn't I be? I wasn't the one riddled with bullets lying dead on a table.' He tried to keep his tone light-hearted but he couldn't quite keep the pain from seeping into his voice. Pietro winced visibly at the memory of Sokovia and Clint instantly regretted his statement but he desperately wanted answers.
'The Master, the head of the scientist's facility, he told me the Asgardian, Loki, had slaughtered you and your family.' Pietro's voice caught in his throat and Clint could see tears appear in the speedster's sapphire eyes. 'They lied to me.' He spat out and his voice suddenly hardened with anger at his former boss.
'Yes. They did.' Clint admitted sadly. It had been five years since the two men had seen each other and both had thought that the other was dead. Both men had grieved. There was so much pain that could have been avoided. 'How did you survive?' Clint could hear the desperation in his own voice but he was beyond caring.
'I do not know. I woke up in the facility. I was their slave and I never had the motivation to leave. Not after what they told me.' Pietro hung his head in shame and Clint instantly missed his eyes. He gently rested his hands on either side of the Sokovian's face and tenderly pulled his head up to looked at him once more.
'Well turns out we're both alive. That's good yeah?' Pietro nodded and Clint smiled at the blush that appeared on the younger man's cheeks. Without a warning Pietro's lips found his. Clint instinctively kissed back and stepped further into the Sokovian's embrace. Pietro's lips were chapped from the wind but they radiated with heat. Clint felt Pietro's tongue sweep across his lower lip. He sighed into the kiss as it deepened and stroked Pietro's tongue with his own. When they finally parted to breathe each man was panting slightly and flushed a deep red. The forest around them disappeared for a few moments as they were completely entranced by each other's company. Five years apart had finally brought the two men closer together and they both vowed never to be separated again.