Whumptober Day 10

Oops, I Did It Again

Prompts: hospital/flare-up/ice chips

Why, yes, I'm slowly but surely getting caught up! Please be advised; there will be no mention of Britney Spears in this chapter. Also, how excited are we for the new Hawkeye trailer that came out today, along with the news that it'll start with 2 episodes! Yep, I'm just a bit excited...

It was Clint's favorite day of the week, sparring with Mikayla. Steve had come up with a schedule for each team member, pitting them against each other in a rotation. As the unofficial team leader, Steve felt the team would be stronger if each member were familiar with the other's strengths and weaknesses. Mikayla tried to argue since she and Clint were married, they already knew each other intimately. Steve disagreed, insisting knowing how well a person handled themselves in battle was different from how they carried themselves in their personal life. "Steve?" Tony argued, "do you not remember how many times you've walked in on them handling each other outside of missions? I'm pretty sure we all know that." Steve's face flushed, but he bit the inside of his cheek and continued setting out the rotation. Tony crossed his arms across his chest, rolled his eyes, and leaned over to Bruce, whispering, "I bet he doesn't spar with Natasha." Bruce just shook his head.

"Any day now, babe," Clint playfully shouted. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

Without warning, something wrapped around his legs, and he was dragged to the ground, landing with a loud "oomph" as the ground knocked the air out of his lungs. "MB, one. CB, zilch." Mikayla stood over him, one leg on each side of him, arms crossed, and a smirk on her face.

Clint was in disbelief, having been bested by his wife. "What the hell was that move, Barton?"

"It's called using the tools at hand. I shot a cable arrow at you, wrapped it around your legs, and dropped your ass to the ground. Gotta be prepared for threats everywhere, Barton – whoa!"

As she spouted off, Clint swung around, taking her legs out from under her and bringing her to the ground. "You were saying?" He hovered over her, his muscular arms propping him above her, blue eyes mischievously twinkling.

Mikayla wrapped her legs around him, flipping him over and pinning him underneath her. She brought her face directly above his, so close Clint could feel her breath in his stubble and swore her chocolate brown eyes were boring into his soul. "Guys, I think we've seen enough. It's like watching the two of them having sex with their clothes on." Tony turned around and jogged out of the training room, the rest of the team following behind, leaving the Bartons by themselves.

"Now, where were we?" Mikayla murmured, running her fingers through Clint's hair as he dragged his hands up and down her body. "Mmm, feels good."

Clint waited for just the right moment, then flipped them again, putting him on top of her. However, Mikayla bent her leg at that same moment, and her knee struck him directly in the abdomen. "Son of a bitch!" Clint grabbed his midsection and doubled over in pain.

"Oh, no, Clint! What did I do?" Mikayla jumped up. "I'm so sorry! Let me call Bruce!"

"No!" Clint frantically shook his head. "I'll be fine." Mikayla thought otherwise, noticing how he desperately gasped for air between each word.

"Shut it, Barton! Friday? Please have Dr. Banner come in here, please." Mikayla tried to hide how frantic she was but wasn't doing a very good job.

"He's on his way, Agent Mikayla."

Bruce showed up, carrying his obligatory medical bag. "What happened?" He asked, kneeling next to Clint, who was doing his best to not writhe around on the ground.

"We were sparring, he flipped me, but I kneed him in the abdomen. I'm sure he hasn't mentioned anything, being that he's a stubborn dumbass, but he's been complaining about his stomach hurting lately." Since her marriage, for some reason, Mikayla tended to start rambling when she was nervous. "I keep telling him it's the grease from all the pizza he eats. I've even tried ordering pizzas with pineapple on them, so he'll at least eat some fruit."

As Mikayla was babbling, Bruce was examining Clint. After poking around and noting Clint's reactions, Bruce nodded. "We need to get him to medical, make sure nothing's ruptured." Between the two of them, they were able to help Clint to the medical wing and onto a stretcher. After running a series of tests, Bruce confirmed with Mikayla. "It's his gall bladder. We need to remove it. The surgeon will have to come over from the hospital, and he's booked until tomorrow. He'll need to stay in medical this evening for observation. I'll call the surgeon to see what time he can do the surgery." Bruce put a hand on Mikayla's shoulder. "He's going to be fine. Go ahead and let the team know. Grab a bite to eat, and then you can come back up here. I'll have the couch ready for you."

"Thanks, Bruce." Mikayla turned around and left the medical wing, returning to their suite to take a quick shower. When she got to the common area, she collapsed into the love seat.

"Rough workout?" Bucky smirked.

"You have no idea. Clint's in medical."

"Damn, Mikayla!" Bucky leaned forward and muted the documentary he was watching. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"I kneed him, and before you say anything, no, not there. It was in his midsection, and now he has to have his gall bladder removed, but the surgeon can't do it until tomorrow."

"Barton's tough," Natasha said, entering the room with Pepper in the middle of the story. "He'll bounce back in no time."

"If he would've had it checked out when I first noticed it, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"He's a man," Pepper joked, "pride gets them every time."

"Morgan? Don't listen to your mother," Tony had brought their daughter out from the lab, placing her in Pepper's outstretched arms.

"I still can't believe I put my husband in the hospital." Mikayla leaned forward, putting her head in her hands.

"Just reminds us not to get on your bad side," Steve joked, sitting down on the couch next to Natasha.

"Can it, Cap. I feel bad enough as it is."

"Not your fault, Mikayla." Mikayla looked up as Bruce appeared. "He's resting. Surgery is scheduled for seven tomorrow morning. Room's ready for you."

"Thanks, Bruce." Mikayla went to the kitchen, warmed up a chicken wrap, grabbed a bag of chips and a bottle of water, then went to Clint's bedside.

The next morning, Bruce and the surgeon walked in and found Mikayla asleep with her head on his shoulder. "Good morning, Bartons," Bruce greeted them. The two looked up at the doctors with the same tired facial expressions, even blinking in unison to focus their eyes. "This is Dr. Brasso. He'll be performing the surgery." The surgeon nodded to them. "Ready?"

Mikayla looked over at Clint. "See you in a few hours." She leaned down, kissed him, squeezed his hand, then left as they wheeled him to the surgery suite. Mikayla spent the time in the gym working on her archery and running the obstacle course. Thor met her as she was coming out of the shower, running a towel through her hair. "Is the surgery done?"

Thor smiled. "It is. Your archer is awake and already asking for his Ladyhawke. I've come to escort you, my lady." The Asgardian bent his elbow, Mikayla wrapped her hands around his arm, and they went to the medical wing. As the door slid opened, Thor leaned down, kissed her temple, and softly whispered to her. "It's good to see you smiling again. The light and the life have come back in your eyes."

Mikayla hugged Thor; then he left as Mikayla walked over to the bed and sat down. "Welcome back." She ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey," Clint replied as he took her hand and kissed her palm. "Remember, not your fault."

"Promise to eat healthier now?"

"Not gonna promise anything while I'm still on the good drugs."

"That's fair," Mikayla smiled. "How about some delicious ice chips?"

"I'll pretend they're anything but ice chips."

Mikayla took a spoonful of ice chips and brought them to his lips. "We'll start with pretending this is a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza."

Clint scrunched up his nose at the mention of fruit. "Aw, fruit mention, no. I want to enjoy the ice chips, not toss them back up."

"Aw, fruit mention, yes. Now, stop acting like a child and enjoy your ice chips. If you do, you'll be handsomely rewarded at a more appropriate time."

"Gimme the damn cup if that's the case." Clint made grabby hands motions toward the styrofoam cup.

"Patience, my young padawan. All in good time." Mikayla fished out another spoonful and fed the ice chips to him.

The team stood just outside the door and watched the couple. "Has he always been such a brat when he's hurt?" Steve asked Natasha. "I've meant to ask you that for a while now."

Natasha nodded. "As long as I've known him. He goes through some metamorphosis and turns into a four-year-old."

Tony came up behind them. "Think how it'll be once we tell them the adoption papers went through, and we'll have two more Bartons acting like children, except, of course, these will actually be children."