Whumptober Day 14

Under Pressure

Prompts: crush injuries/beaten/force

Before you ask, I have no idea where these ideas come from. Thankfully, this is another relatively light-hearted chapter.

"I hate magic," Clint grumbled. "Have I mentioned that I hate magic?"

"Only every time we're in Vegas and see an ad for Penn & Teller, Lance Burton, or David Copperfield," Mikayla snapped back. "I'm not fond of it myself. How and why did we end up here?"

Here was Salem, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, they were transported back in time to the witch trials. "I feel like I'm in a Halloween costume." Clint kept tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Tell me about it. When we get back, I will never wear black again. Plus, how in the hell did women breathe in these outfits. I swear men designed corsets to torture us."

"Yeah, but I still wouldn't mind putting you up against the cabin wall and having my way with you." Clint wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's not happening. My back's scarred enough. I don't want to add to them with the wood digging into my back. Next plan, hotshot."

Clint opened the door but didn't see anyone approaching. "Here's a positive. I can get away with using my bow and arrow. People will think I learned it from the neighbors."

"That's true. What was it we were supposed to be looking for again?"

"Some relic Strange needs for a protection spell." The couple was searching the cabin they'd landed in after arriving in Salem. "So, once we find it, do we just wait to be transported back? 'Cause I don't think our comms will work."

"That's my guess."

The door to the cabin flew open, and a group of men came through the door. "Clinton Barton!" An old, gray-haired man pointed a spindly finger at Clint. "You have been accused of witchcraft."

"What?" Clint said as the rest of the men approached him.

"Oh, God." Mikayla put her head in her hand.

"Woman! Do not take the name of our Lord in vain!" The older man, who seemed to oversee the mob, yelled at her and shoved her out of the way as the other men surrounded Clint and dragged him away, with Clint protesting the entire time.

Mikayla was left behind, trying to figure out how to make her next move. "I'm thinking shooting everyone with arrows won't work in this situation. I need to find that rock so Strange can portal us back, or whatever he calls it." She sat down in a rocking chair, deciding her next move. Mikayla returned to searching the area for the item Strange had sent them to retrieve. He didn't give them much of a description. Just that would know it when they saw it. "Thanks for that, Strange. I hope you know the only reason I agreed to this stupid mission is that you performed my back surgery back when you were just a neurosurgeon. I think we can call it even now." She continued looking around their farm but didn't find anything resembling a relic or a special rock.

Soon, the same crowd as before reappeared, bursting through the door again. 'You people ever hear of knocking?' She thought to herself. "Madam Barton! Your husband Clinton Barton has been found guilty of witchcraft and is sentenced to death by stoning at noon under the witches' tree at the north end of town. He is being prepared as we speak. Therefore, we have come to take you to him so that you will be the last thing he sees before he is sent back to the gates of hell." Two of the men roughly grabbed her arms and dragged her across town.

Arriving across town, Mikayla found Clint had already been placed faced up on the ground and was struggling to get free from the men holding him to the ground. "Mikayla!

The men released her, and she ran to Clint, kneeling at his side. "Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine. Any luck finding it?"

"Not yet, but I'm not giving up. Why are they saying you're a witch?"

"They saw the portal."

"Crap. How are we going to get out of this?"

"They've threatened to burn you as a witch if I refuse to subject to being crushed."

Mikayla grew teary-eyed. "I can't lose you, Clint, especially not like this." She placed a hand on his cheek.

"Hey, hey, babe. You're not going to lose me. You're going to find that damn thing, and we'll be back home in no time."

"Say your goodbyes, witch."

"Clint, don't go, don't do this."

"It's OK. I have faith in you. I love you, Mikayla. If you fall, I will catch you."

Mikayla sniffed. "I will be waiting." The two kissed, then Mikayla was dragged away as the men placed large, flat stones on Clint's chest. She knew her husband was strong but wasn't sure how he was going to survive this. Even as more stones were being laid on top of Clint, he was looking around, trying to find the relic. Mikayla kept one eye on him and another eye on her surroundings. She noticed the townspeople pitching in to help crush Clint by placing smaller rocks on him. Even little children were placing pebbles and small stones on his stomach and legs. To Clint's credit, he was not making a sound, and she knew he had to be in pain, but she knew he wouldn't give in to these people. One of the rocks caught her eye. It was a darker shade than the others, and from where she was standing, Mikayla could make out a design peeking out from the flat side of it. She knelt and picked a rock off the ground, switching it with the one on Clint's leg. As she turned it over, she saw the design was an eye, similar to the amulet the sorcerer wore around his neck.

Mikayla smiled, knowing this had to be the relic. Just off to the side, she saw the telltale yellow lights of the portal. She lightly tapped Clint on the wrist and motioned her head toward the portal. Clint was able to lift his head and see it, even though he was struggling to breathe. He grinned at Mikayla. The crowd saw it and began screaming that more witches were going to show up. As Mikayla tried to figure out how she would get Clint to the portal, his body mysteriously raised off the ground and floated toward the spinning portal. Mikayla grabbed his hand, and the couple was drawn to the portal, eventually disappearing into it, then reappearing at the tower.

As soon as they were out of the portal, Mikayla began screaming. "Cap! Thor!"

Drawn by her blood-curdling scream, everyone ran over to them. "What the hell?" Tony asked.

"Get these damn stones off Clint before he's crushed to death!"

Cap and Thor sprang into action, and, with Bucky's help, they flung the stones off Clint's chest. Tony had disappeared, returning with a portable oxygen tank. He sat up and started coughing. "Ow," he moaned, rubbing his chest and gasping for air. Without a word, he shoved the mask at Clint, who took it, using it until he was able to breathe more comfortably. "Thanks," he rasped.

Another portal opened, and Strange floated out of it. "Oh, I see you found it."

Mikayla threw it at him. "Don't ever ask me to do something again that could cause someone I love to die."

"I was prepared to intervene if that would have happened," he replied.

"Well, nice of you to tell us. You're welcome, by the way."

"Thank you, Clint and Mikayla." Strange disappeared back into the portal.

"Do I want to know?" Tony asked.

"Strange contacted Clint, and I said he needed some help locating a relic for a protection spell and wanted to know if we could help. We said yes, then found ourselves back in time during the Salem witch trials. Clint," she turned and looked at him, "keep the mask on," then returned her focus to Tony. "Hawkeye here was accused of being a witch, and they tried to crush him with stones. Thankfully, we found the relic and got to come home."

"You good, Robin Hood?"

"Yep," Clint answered, handing the mask back to Tony.

"Bedroom, now," Mikayla ordered. "Before you say anything, not for that. I know you won't go to medical to have your chest examined, so you're going to go to bed and get some rest."

"Who am I to argue with the missus?" Clint took her hand, and they went up to their suite.

Later that day, Mikayla came down to the central kitchen to grab some food for herself and Clint. It was eerily quiet, so she assumed everyone had been called out on a mission. When she went to the kitchen, there was a box with her name on it sitting on the island. She opened and found a bonnet. "Just for you, Laura Ingalls Wilder."

"Anthony Stark!"