A Saviour At Last (Hawksilver/Marvel AU)

4

Pietro woke up the next day feeling more refreshed than he had in years. Opening his eyes, his muscles felt loose and relaxed and he wasn't shivering from the cold anymore; his body felt clean and fresh, rubbing against soft clothing that he knew wasn't his own because of how nice they felt.

Looking around the room a smile spread over his lips. He could see walls and a ceiling, something he hadn't woken up to in a while.

The young brunet sat up slowly, feeling groggy from how well he slept as he stretched his arms, sighing happily. He didn't think he could ever thank Clint enough for what he was doing for him. With that thought in his mind, he slowly shuffled out of bed, placing his feet on the soft carpet and he couldn't help but wiggle his toes and grin childishly at the feeling. He laughed to himself, he couldn't remember the last time he laughed. Probably not since he got kicked out.

Pietro stood up, glancing around the room before making his way to the door to see if Clint was awake. Once the door was open, he was greeted with the smell of bacon and coffee. From that, he assumed that meant Clint was up unless he had a roommate he didn't know about which was unlikely. So he steps out of the bedroom and starts to pad his way down the small hallway to get into the main area of the apartment. And just as he expected, Clint was cooking in the kitchen, coffee next to him which he sipped on as he cooked. Pietro felt his stomach twist a little nervously as he walked over to the kitchen slowly. Clint didn't even notice his presence until Lucky lifted her head from her spot on the floor and barked softly as if she were greeting him. The young boy jumped a little, glancing at the dog before looking at Clint as he turned around to smile at the Sokovian.

"Morning. Sleep well?" He asked before turning back to the food to make sure it didn't burn.

Pietro nodded a little, "Yeah... considering I usually sleep on a piece of cardboard on a good day..." He said, joking a little but Clint didn't seem to find it funny. A small frown formed on his face before it was quickly covered by a familiar smile as he began placing the pieces of bacon on a plate next to him.

"Well, I'm glad you slept well. You're gonna need the energy." Pietro tilted his head in curiosity as he walked over to Clint a little more.

"Why...?" He asked, a little nervous as to what the other had planned. Clint smiled as he then began to place the pieces of bacon in rolls, handing them one to Pietro and keeping another for himself after turning fully to look at Pietro.

"I'm taking you shopping for some new clothes." Pietro blinked, had he heard him correctly?

"I'm sorry, what...?"

"I said I'm taking you shopping for clothes. So eat up, you'll need the energy to walk." He smiled and began eating his own sandwich after putting some sauce in it. Pietro blinked in shock before shaking his head.

"No. I... You're already letting me stay here, I can't make you do that too." Clint waved his hand in dismissal.

"I want to. And it's either you come with me or I guess your size and just buy you the worst possible clothes I can find." He smirked as he quickly finished his food and then turned to pour Pietro's coffee for him. The Sokovian frowned a little but didn't really want to argue.

"You really don't have to...." He mumbled before his coffee was thrust into his free hand, the one not holding his food that he hadn't even touched yet. The blond only smiled as he made himself another sandwich.

"I know, and I told you already that I want to." He began to eat his second sandwich while throwing down a piece of bacon for Lucky who watched it fall to the floor before picking it up and eating it. Pietro watched for a moment before just nodding to Clint as he started to nibble at his sandwich, soon scoffing the whole thing down and having another two afterwards. He felt a little bad eating so much and felt a little self-conscious of the weight gain he might have got from it but he was hungry and he didn't care. At least not at the moment.

It didn't take long for the two to get ready and leave the apartment to walk to the store Clint had said he was going to take the younger too. It was more of a second-hand store, or it at least sold cheap clothing but Pietro didn't mind. Clint wasn't exactly rich and it appreciated anything the man did for him. For someone to even look at him was a difficult thing to find, but this? He still struggled to believe it.

They walked into the shop, Clint leading with Pietro cowering a little behind him, glancing around at all of the clothes on show. He felt odd being in a store, looking for things to actually buy.

It didn't take them much time to find things Pietro would wear (he wasn't exactly picky, but he didn't seem to have a thing blue) and Clint set him off to try some of the things on just to make sure they fit him and that he liked them. Pietro didn't really want to but thought he would just listen to the other and went into the changing rooms. He walked into the little cubical and slid the curtain shut before placing down the clothes onto the little stool on the corner. He sighed to himself, glancing around before taking off the jacket Clint had made him wear and the shirt he had on from the night before (Clint had forgotten to do the washing and didn't have much left). As he turned around to grab the shirt to try on he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. It was only then the reality of it all really hit him. All that time he had been on the streets, he had never looked at him. Not like this.

Holding the shirt in his hands he stared at his reflection. His body looked pale, small and frail, the bone easily visible and he felt like a Halloween decoration. He felt sick looking at himself. He had bruises and scars littering his torso; the muscle he used to have in school from all of his sports clubs had basically disappeared from his body. His eyes were sunken and dark, face hollow and messy brown hair, brushed and uncut, framed his face and a scruffy beard sprouted from his face like weeds.

He heard what sounded like a choked gasp and barely even registered it was him making the noise. He reached a hand up to brush his hair back, looking over every detail before reaching down to touch some of the scars. He flinched, remembering where they came from. He felt his eyes burn but quickly wiped them before any tears could fall and tried on the clothes, his back to the mirror so he couldn't look at his reflection.

He knew he had lost weight, but what he had just saw genuinely scared him. He didn't know how much the whole experience had effected him, both mentally and physically. He tried not to cry as he changed back into his original clothing, gathering all of the new ones into a folded pile. He then took a deep breath and pushed the curtain back, walking out to see Clint entertaining himself by looking through one of the clothing racks. Once he heard the footsteps though he turned and smiled brightly at the young brunet. Pietro gave a weak smile and he knew his eyes looked red and angry from holding back the tears. Clint noticed this and his smile turned down quickly in concern. He decided not to ask though and just took the clothes from Pietro, taking them to the checkout and paying for them all while the other stood behind him and watched. He gripped the inside of his pockets and took a deep breath. He just had to hold it in until he wasn't around Clint.

Soon enough Clint was leading them back out of the store and was walking back to his apartment. Pietro followed behind him silently, staring down at the floor as his mind kept repeating the image over and over again. He didn't know how long he could last without breaking down. He was emotional, he knew that, and always had been. He didn't hide his feelings, but this time he knew he had to.

He snapped back to reality, however, as he suddenly felt himself hit a rather solid object, only to find out it was Clint who had stopped to look at him. Pietro blinked away the confusion before looking up at the blond and giving a small smile.

"What's wrong...?" He asked, only to get a concerned frown in response. Pietro's smile fell slightly as he looked at Clint.

"You don't seem very happy... I just want to make sure you're okay." He said softly, and Pietro was shocked at the amount of care behind his voice. The Sokovian nodded a little before glancing down.

"I'm fine, just..." He flinched as he heard his voice crack and just shook his head. Clint watches the young boy for a moment before nodding and turning back to continue walking home.