The next time he opens his eyes, the two are arguing.
"No, Nat. I didn't agree to that. It is cruel, and I don't wanna be a part of it."
Nat grabs his arm, stopping him from storming out.
"He can't know. Not yet. It has been three years. We have no idea what kind of lingering effects there might be. Bruce only said he needed to be thawed immediately if there was any chance we could reverse the deterioration. If we tell him, we need to be sure it can be fixed. This could wreck him, Barton. He is not someone we can afford to break."
"Jesus, Natasha. If collateral damage is all you are worried about, imagine what he will do when he finds out you kept this from him- that we kept this from him."
"I know what he'll do. Because I know what I would do. But if we hand him this- this thing- this person with his best friend's face- this shell. It will destroy him, Clint."
She shoots him a searing look.
Clint shifts awkwardly. He clears his throat "Look, Nat. When- when Loki-"
"I fixed it." She barks
Nat snatches her hand from his arm and marches from the room, slamming the door behind her.
Clint turns away from the door and catches Jamie's eye.
"Sorry we woke you. Women. You can't live without them, can't beat them in close quarters combat. She needs to watch her six. I stocked up on shock arrows and I am not afraid to use them. "
Jamie watches Clint warily, unsure which of the two them he owes his allegiance.
Clint sits in the chair next to his bed and pulls out something wrapped in brown paper.
The smell hits him like a bullet.
Chocolate.
Oranges, and candle wax, and a square of his mother's baking chocolate in his pocket as he runs through the cold air. Up the rusted fire escape. Cold glass under his palm. White teeth smiling at him.
Chocolate
Shells exploding overhead. Caked in dirt. A package wrapped in brown paper. Familiar scrawl with his name. A large, dark hunk. Carefully wrapped by little, clever hands. A picture a smiling monkey.
Chocolate
Squatting in the snow. Hands shaking with nerves and cold. A warm hand pressing a steaming mug into his hands. A gentle voice teases him. "Blow on it first" he says. Rich, sweet liquid warming his insides.
шоколад
A crying girl in a hospital bed. He sits beside her silently. He pulls out a stolen bar and breaks off a piece. She takes it and stares at him, blood spots on her pale blue hospital gown. He places his cold metal arm across her forehead. She closes her eyes eventually.
Clint holds out a piece to him.
"We took out your feeding tube this morning. You'll have to eat something real later, but in the meantime, I have it on good authority that you like this."
Jamie takes the chocolate.
As it melts in his mouth, he decides that he will protect Clint from Nat.
Clint is kind.
