Christmas and New Years went by quietly with no real change. Clint spent whatever time he could at the hospital, completely missing the holidays. Whenever visiting hours were open, Clint insisted on going to the hospital to sit beside Pietro and watch over him. No one had the heart to argue against it. He would sit beside the bed in silence, watching quietly as the nurses and doctors came by and left just as quickly for check-ups. Wanda was usually with him while Tony and Nat alternated in looking after the pair, ensuring that they ate and took care of themselves.
Clint found food hard to stomach most of the time but tried for his friend's sake. He slept very little, usually in short bursts whenever his body finally gave out, only to be awoken hours later with panic in his chest and his ears ringing. Someone was always there when he woke up.
Pietro still had visitors. His room was filled with bright flowers and cards wishing him well from people he didn't even know. The colours felt wrong but Clint supposed it was sweet that some many people cared about a kid they had never met before. Pietro seemed to have that effect on people.
The doctors came and went, doing their checks and ensuring Pietro was still healing. Their updates were usually the same. His body had been healing well, the outer wounds had all healed to nothing but scars and the more extensive internal damaged had been doing well. He had started breathing on his own about two weeks after surgery but was still in a catatonic state. The doctors explained that with the trauma of the surgery and the initial gunshot wounds, he was still trying to heal on a deeper, psychological level wherein the brain was trying to protect itself from further trauma. The hospital felt confident that Pietro would wake up with time and a bit of patience.
It had now been almost a month since Pietro was shot. Clint felt he had been as patient as he could be.
"Any change?" Wanda wandered into the room, Natha's jacket around her shoulders and covered in snow. She sat down in her usual spot beside Clint and took the coffee from the tray between them.
Clint shook his head and sighed, "Not yet. The doctor came in this morning, it's still just a matter of waiting."
Wanda nodded, gripping the cup between her hands to warm herself up. Winter was still in full swing and hitting the city hard. Clint didn't care as long as the roads were clear, though he did find something peaceful about the snow. He supposed it reminded him of Pietro, their first meeting, taking him home.
"But he's doing good, that's all that matters." Wanda blew on her coffee before taking a sip, staring at her brother. Pietro looked a little underweight but healthier than he had been a couple of weeks ago. She ran a hand briefly through his messy hair with a small smile on her face. "He'll wake up soon," She said softly, "I can feel it."
Clint hummed in response, squeezing Pietro's hand gently. "He's tough. I know he'll pull through." He pulled his hand back slowly, brushing against Pietro's fingers as he withdrew.
Pietro's finger twitched, barely catching Clint's own as he froze.
Wanda gasped, the coffee slipped between her fingers but she caught it and set it down beside her feet. She brushed her thumb across his forehead and watched as it crinkled beneath her hand.
"Pietro?" She stood and Clint followed, pressing close against her as he gripped Pietro's hand tighter. "Pietro, it's me. It's Wanda, can you hear me?" She watched carefully, tense as Pietro twitched, his head lolling towards the pair as his eyes twitch and his face scrunched up.
Clint almost forgot how to breathe, "Pietro?" He questioned, leaning closer as he choked down on a gasp.
Pietro's eyes opened briefly, blinking lethargically as he adjusted to the light. He grumbled, breathing slowly as his hand instinctively gripped Clint's hand, a little weak but there.
Wanda cried, placing a hand over her mouth as she sobbed. "He's awake!" She stepped back only for a moment and Clint heard as she called out into the corridor for a doctor or a nurse.
Clint heaved out a breath and his head fell to Pietro's chest for a moment. He shook as he lifted his head, cupping Pietro's face as he grinned.
"Hey... Hey, Pietro. I'm here. You're okay," He choked on a laugh, "You're okay, I got you. I'm here." He whispered, kissing Pietro's forehead. The doctor rushed in behind him and Clint stepped back. He turned to Wanda and the two smiled, breathing out laughs as she ran to hug him.
The doctor checked Pietro and a nurse came in with a jug of water to soothe Pietro's dry throat. They sat him up carefully, ran through some questions and let him come around properly. Wanda and Clint watched on, staying close.
"Well, this is definitely very good news. You are alert and aware of your surroundings, it appears that you don't have any brain trauma and all your tests and scans are normal. I feel confident in saying that you are out of the woods. We would still like to keep you here for another day or two for observations, just to make sure."
Pietro nodded, head fuzzy but understanding the best he could before the doctor left to give them some privacy. He tilted his head to the side, giving a tired smile to his boyfriend. Wanda had left, knowing she needed to call everyone and wanting to give Clint some time alone with her brother.
"Hey," Pietro croaked, reaching his hand towards Clint.
"Hey." Clint smiled, leaning close to grab Pietro's hand and hold it tight. "How are you feeling?"
Pietro hummed, "Good... Tired, sore, but... good." He sighed softly, looking over Clint, noticing his messy hair, his dark sunken eyes, the way he slouched. "I'm glad you're okay." He murmured.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay too." He paused, reaching over to tuck a strand of Pietro's hair away from his face. "You had us all scared there for a while. Pretty touch and go but you pulled through."
"Hm, I suppose I did." He huffed, "It's really been almost a month?"
Clint nodded and Pietro's face twisted.
"I missed Christmas?" He realised and Clint nodded again.
"Yeah... Everyone came to visit you. They left some presents." He gestured to the corner of the room where a small pile of Christmas gifts were stacked together.
Pietro nodded this time and swallowed. "I'm sorry I missed it." He whispered before gesturing for his water. Clint caught on quickly and held the glass to his lips, helping him drink it carefully.
"You don't have to be sorry, you big idiot." Clint set the water back down, shaking his head softly. "I'm just... I'm just glad you're alive, Pietro. Christmas doesn't matter." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to Pietro's knuckles before enveloping his hand with his own.
Pietro frowned, wishing he could reach out to Clint and hug him tight and never let go, "I'm sorry I put you through all of this."
Clint was shaking his head before he had a chance to finish. "No. Don't you dare apologise for any of this. I should have protected you more."
Pietro shuffled, trying to push himself up but Clint was already setting him back against the pillows. "Clint," He wheezed, "Please, this wasn't your... your fault, I chose to... I just wanted to..." He trailed off as Clint reached down to hug him carefully, not wanting to jostle his sore muscles about. He hushed Pietro softly, kissing his hair. He didn't want to get into this now, not when Pietro had only just woken up.
Wanda smiled as she walked back into the room, sitting down on her chair. Clint noticed and pulled back, clearing his throat as Pietro just smiled at her.
"I've just rung Nat, she said she is going to let everyone know that you're awake. She's gonna come by to visit tomorrow, give you some time to adjust."
Pietro nodded. He didn't feel up to seeing too many people today, but he was happy he could see his friends soon. "Speaking of visitors," He turned his head to look around at the abundance of cards, flowers and get well soon gifts around his room. "Where did all of these come from?"
Clint glanced around the room and smiles, "I guess a few of the family friend's were just trying to be supportive. You were supposed to meet most of them at Christmas, but..." Clint trailed off and Pietro nodded in understanding.
"Well, maybe when I'm up to it, I can meet them all properly?"
Clint nodded, "I think that would be nice."
The rest of the day was spent quietly. Wanda and Pietro talked, sometimes in their native tongue and other times in English. Clint talked too, but he was content to just sit and watch as Pietro moved around. He wasn't very enthusiastic, in fact, he was rather sluggish, but he was moving and breathing and alive and that's all Clint cared about. The relief he felt was almost paralysing, to know how close he had been to losing Pietro and how lucky they were that he was still alive made him feel sick and fuzzy. Live was so precious and Clint hadn't realised he needed that wake-up call.
Clint thought about the ring buried in his bedside drawer back home.
Now wasn't the right time.
It took a few more days before Pietro was cleared to be able to go home. They wanted to keep him monitored until they were sure it was safe. They had to make sure Pietro could walk around on his own, go to the bathroom and eat without any issues. When they cleared him, they gave Clint a set of instructions and told him to keep an eye on any changes in Pietro's state. He assured them that Pietro wouldn't leave his sight and they were satisfied that he would be in very good hands.
They didn't let him walk to the door. He was wheeled down the hallways in a chair while Clint walked beside him. His room had already been cleared of the cards and get well soon gifts, which were now safely tucked away back home, out of Lucky's reach.
When they reached the door, the nurse helped Pietro out of his chair.
"Right, take it easy for the next few weeks. It may take some time to adjust again so pace yourself."
Pietro nodded, thanking the nurse as they went back inside with a smile.
Clint turned to Pietro and linked their arms together. "You ready to go home?"
"Yeah," Pietro breathed, "I'm ready."
With a nod, Clint led Pietro down the steps carefully and helped him into the car.
When they got in, Lucky was immediately blocked from jumping up on to Pietro and Clint managed to calm her down enough for Pietro to make his way into the apartment and give her the pets she was demanding. Pietro laughed and kneeled cautiously as Lucky licked his face enthusiastically, tail swinging side to side at top velocities. Clint helped Pietro move up on to the sofa instead and Lucky pushed her way in between his legs, her head pointed up and resting against his stomach while he scratched behind her ears.
Daisy was a bit hesitant at first, a bit nerved from all the excitement of Lucky. She had grown a bit while Pietro had been in the hospital but she was still relatively small. Once Lucky had settled a little she crawled over, hopping up on to the arm of the sofa and making her way over along the back. She sniffed Pietro before mewling and butting her head against his cheek. He grinned and reached up, scritching her gently under her chin.
Clint, happy that Pietro was now settled on the sofa, decided to go and make dinner. His nerves had settled a lot now that Pietro was back home and he felt better about eating. He rummaged through the cupboards and managed to scavenge together... something edible.
While he was waiting for everything to cook, Tony's ringtone bleared through his phone speaker.
"Hey, Tones."
"Clint! Hi, its Steve."
Clint raised an eyebrow to himself as he knelt in front of the oven.
"Tony sorta called you and then ran off without his phone, you know how he is." Steven chuckled on the other end."
"Yeah, it's all good."
"I heard Pietro's back home now, how's he doing?"
Clint tilted his head to look at Pietro but he only caught sight of a mop of silver hair.
"He's doing okay, I think. He's glad to be back home."
"Ah, I bet. Well uhm, Tony wanted me to ask you..." He trailed off and Clint heard Peter in the background, something about a game he was playing. "Ah, yeah, Tony wanted me to ask you if you thought Pietro would like to come over here for a sort of 'Christmas Re-do'? Tony said he felt bad that Pietro missed out and he thought it would be good to invite everyone over so Pietro could meet everyone properly?"
Clint considered for a moment, "Uh, I'll have to ask him but I don't see why not. Let me just-"
The phone clicked and rustling sounds came through the speaker,
"Hey, Clint!" Tony's voice, "I've already called everyone. Be here at 4, Friday okay?" Before Clint had time to answer, the phone was hung up. He shook his head and put his phone on the side, checking the timer on the oven.
He sent Tony a message, telling him that he would ask Pietro and let him know.
Clint walked over, placing a soft kiss on Pietro's head. Pietro tilted his head back and grinned, stretching to place a peck on Clin't chin. He grimaced.
"You need to shave."
Clint scoffed, "And you need a shower." He teased. Pietro grimaced again before gently coaxing Lucky from where she had settled on his feet.
"Yeah, a shower does sound pretty good actually." He stood up gave one last scritch to Daisy.
"Well, you have plenty of time until dinner's ready."
Pietro nodded and made his way to the bedroom, grabbing some clothes before going into the bathroom. Clint heard the shower running and made his way back to the kitchen. He filled up the pets' food bowls and made sure they had fresh water.
When Pietro came back, now feeling more fresh and comfortable, he joined Clint at the dining table where the food was just being served.
"So, Steve called earlier."
Pietro hummed as he began to dig into his plate, listening to what Clint had to say.
"Him and Tony are planning a sort of... Christmas re-do? They want us to go over Friday. Tony's invited everyone over, so there's gonna be a lot of people. And if you're not feeling up to it, we don't have to go, obviously. It's completely up to you."
Pietro blinked, "A Christmas re-do?"
"Yeah, you know. You sorta missed Christmas, so they wanted to give you a chance to experience it."
Pietro thought as he chewed, "I'd... definitely like to meet everyone, I think. And I really wanna see Pete again."
"Are you sure, Pietro? You've been through a lot and-"
Pietro placed his hand on top of Clint's and squeezed gently.
"I'm sure. If I'm not feeling up to it on the day I'll let you know, I promise."
Clint nodded slowly, "Okay, I trust you." So he messaged Tony to let him know they were good for Friday.
Pietro paused, watching Clint for a moment before smiling softly, "You do know I'm Jewish though, right?"
Clint froze, blinking. Pietro snorted, covering his mouth with his hand as his shoulders shook with bitten down chuckles. Clint looked absolutely mortified.
"Oh my gosh, Pietro I am so sorry, I didn't-"
Pietro laughed out loud, patting Clint's hand before going back to his food. "Clint, it's okay. Wanda and I fell out with our faith a long time ago. We're only half Jewish, on our Dad's side." He grinned and Clint sighed a relief. He thought he had been pushing a holiday onto Pietro when he didn't even celebrate it.
Clint flicked a piece of pasta at Pietro for scaring him.
The next three days were spent relaxing. Clint got back to work but he was otherwise beside Pietro, watching TV or scrolling through his phone, but he was always there, keeping an eye on Pietro.
Pietro didn't mind if he was honest.
Friday came by quickly and soon they were on their way to Tony's apartment. They had agreed there was no gift-giving as Clint had already given all the gifts on Christmas day and they had all be shared from him and Pietro. Any gifts for Pietro had been dropped off before he woke up and Clint had convinced him to open them when he felt like it.
Tony had messaged them earlier saying the plan was to have a meal and a couple of drinks, nothing too loud or boisterous both for Peter and Pietro's sake.
Everyone had been instructed to dress casually too. Pietro ended up stealing one of Clint's hoodies while Clint settled for a t-shirt and leather jacket.
"You still feeling okay about all of this?" Clint asked as the rode the elevator, shaking off the snow.
"Yeah... I mean, I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of people I haven't met yet but I'm excited." Pietro clutched on to the pie he had baked for dessert. "Yeah, I think I'm good." He decided with a nod. The elevator binged softly as the doors opened. They stepped out, and the first thing Pietro was hit with was the noise.
There was chattering, Christmas music playing between the gaps. And the smell, all different types of foods had been laid out. Everyone had brought their own dish to fill out the table, so there was plenty to chose from.
"Uncle Pietro!" Peter ran from the living room and Pietro almost dropped the pie with the force Peter hit his legs. Clint laughed and took the pie to put it with the rest of the food.
"Hey, Pete." Pietro scooped the boy up and hugged him tight, "I've missed you, detka."
Peter wrapped his arms around Pietro's neck and held on tight, "You're back! I came to see you in the hospital but you were asleep and I was really scared but I'm really glad you're all better now!" His voice sounded wet and Pietro's heart broke.
"I'm sorry, Pete, I didn't mean to worry you." He said softly and Peter pulled his head back enough to look at Pietro with sad eyes. He wiped his cheek with his small fist and sniffled.
"Just don't do it again, okay?"
Pietro laughed, "Okay, I promise. I'm sorry I missed Christmas." He lowered Peter back to the ground and ruffled his hair gently as the boy seemed to settle a little with the promise, making Pietro shake pinky-fingers with him to seal the deal.
Peter shrugged, "It's okay. You needed rest to get better. Plus now we get a second Christmas!" He smiled and gave Pietro's legs another hug before he ran back over to the coffee table where he had left his DS.
Pietro took this as a moment to look around. There were a few unfamiliar faces around the kitchen table, most of them staring at him with kind or curious smiles. Clint came back over after hanging up his jacket.
"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone." Clint guided Pietro further into the spacious apartment and over to the kitchen. He rubbed small, comforting circles over Pietro's lower back as they approached.
"Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Pietro. Pietro, I'd like you to meet Carol, Bruce, Thor and Loki, T'challa and Bucky." He gestured around the room as he listed off the names. Pietro nodded slowly, trying to keep a track of which name belonged to who in his head. Nat, Sam and Wanda were also there.
"Uh, hi. It's nice to meet all of you." He scratched the back of his neck. He just hoped he didn't get anyone's names mixed up.
T'challa came over and shook his hand, a drink held in the other, "Pietro, it's nice to finally meet you. Tony has talked about you in a very high manner." He smiled, kind. He stood in a way that made Pietro think he was almost regal.
Clint shot a raised eyebrow at Tony.
Pietro nodded and smiled, "It's nice to meet you, too. All of you, actually."
"How are you feeling?" Bruce was the one to ask, who Pietro felt was a kind-looking man.
"Ah, I'm... good, really good, actually, all things considered." Pietro didn't know how much they all knew, what Tony or Clint had told them so he felt it best not to go into any detail.
Bruce nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer.
Tony clapped, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Alright! Now that everyone is here, let's eat! I'm starving."
Everyone began to take their seats. The table had been extended so that it could fit everyone around it. All the food was placed towards the middle of the table while the outside was lined with plates, glasses and cutlery. Pietro didn't quite know what to do until he saw people being to take sections from whatever foods they wanted and pass it around the table for those who were sat further away.
Glasses and plates were filled and soon the chatter began. Everyone was already so familiar with one another, chatting with ease and making inside jokes. Pietro felt like an outsider and a glance at his sister told him she was feeling the same. Nat tried to get Wanda involved too but it all felt pretty weird.
Pietro found Bucky was a quiet man, whereas Carol was rather chatty and social and very good with Peter.
Thor was boisterous, the loudest at the table and Pietro found that the man was like a ray of bright sunshine. Loki, who he had learnt was related, was somewhat broody and reserved but made chit-chat with a certain mysterious charm. They were polar opposites, to say the least.
Steve talked a lot with Sam and Bucky while Tony seemed happy to catch up with Bruce. Clint later informed him that Bucky was a very old friend of Steve's while Bruce was a colleague to Tony, but had come to be one of his closest friends.
Pietro then noticed another young boy at the table, besides Peter. The boy had a few visible scars on his face and was very energetic. Peter didn't seem to mind as the two played games together while eating. When he asked, Clint told him that the boy's name was Wade. a trouble-maker but Clint insisted the kid had a good heart. A girl was sat on the other side of Peter, Clint informed him she was T'challa's younger sister, Shuri. Apparently, the three got along well, very well in fact. Shuri and Peter both shared an interest in science.
T'challa was reserved but not in an unkind way. Similar to Loki, he socialised in a way that felt more sophisticated way. Bucky seemed to like talking with him.
They were all kind, though, and Pietro felt very safe despite the large number of people. He engaged with them, feeling comfortable enough to do so with some encouragement from Clint. The others asked questions and he answered. They made jokes and laughed and Pietro felt his muscles relaxing as he enjoyed the food and drink.
Clint watched as Pietro came out of his shell and socialised; he was proud. He thought about when he first met Pietro and how much he had flourished over the year. He had to take a sip from his glass to cover up his teary eyes.
Once everyone had dessert, Tony made drinks for everyone and Natasha helped. Eggnog was served up; alcoholic for the adults and alcohol-free for the kids. Pietro stayed behind in the kitchen with Steve and T'challa to help clear the table and make a start on the dishes while everyone else moved to the living area of the apartment. Tony put some Christmas music on and Pietro noticed they even still had the decorations up. The tree, themed in gold and red with baubles and dancing lights, sat proudly in front of the window. There were tinsel and hanging decorations scattered around the whole apartment.
Soon, everyone was sat in the living area around by the tree. The sofas and seats had been moved closer to the tree, allowing enough space for everyone to have a seat. Some sat on the floor, either on the rug or with some cushions. Pietro wandered over and smiled when Clint patted the spot on the floor beside him, right beside the tree, with a cushion at the ready.
Tony had dimmed the main lights of the living area. It was already dark outside and Pietro watched as the snow shimmered in the light of the moon and streetlights. The room was illuminated in warm reds and gold from the tree as the lights dimmed and glowed in an unsynchronised rhythm.
Clint watched as the lights moved across Pietro's face, reflecting in his bright eyes and hair. He was the most beautiful person Clint had ever seen, definitely one of the strongest too. He glanced at Nat across the circle of friends and family. She looked back at him, looked at Pietro before turning back to him. She smiled, encouraging and nodded discreetly.
Clint took a sip of his eggnog to give him some courage. He was going to do it.
"Uhm, Pietro?"
He nudged his boyfriend softly to bring his attention away from the snow.
"Yeah?"
Clint swallowed, Pietro was staring directly at him. Eyes blue and gorgeous and oh gosh was Clint madly in love with this man.
"I, um... I want to ask you something." He cleared his throat and glanced around the room nervously. People were beginning to look, realising something was happening.
Pietro sat up straight, holding his eggnog tight as he tilted his head slightly.
"What is it?"
Clint swallowed again, throat dry as he reached out and grabbed Pietro's hand gently. He glanced at Nat again and she gave him a firm nod. Pietro glanced between them, curious.
"Pietro," He started, "You are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are strong, you've been through so much and you... you didn't deserve any of it."
Pietro nods along slowly.
"I love you, so, so, much. Um," He took a deep breath and chuckled, "God I had this whole speech prepared but I-" He paused and shook his head, "Sorry I'm not very good at this. Look, what I'm trying to do is- Pietro, I couldn't imagine my life without you. And seeing you in that hospital bed, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. So," Clint reached into his pocket and pulls out a silver-banded ring with three small blue stones.
"Pietro, will you spend the rest of your life by my side?"
Pietro froze, eyes wide as he stared at the ring, then Clint. His eyes watered before he breathed out a laugh, nodding his head.
"Of course I will, you idiot."
Before Clint could blink he was being tackled to the ground in a tight hug and they were both laughing together.
Everyone around the room cheered and once the two collected themselves they began to offer their congratulations. Clint sat up with Pietro and kissed him before he slipped the ring on with a joyful chuckle. The kids ran over excitedly, giving them hugs and wanting to look at the ring that Pietro now wore proudly around his finger.
Pietro looked at Clint as Tony announced another road of drinks to celebrate. Clint looked back at Pietro and they both smiled.
They both knew everything was going to be okay.
Pietro knew he was finally where he was supposed to be in life, and he could never have done it without Clint.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
After all those years this book is finally complete!
I cannot thank the readers enough for your contributions to this book. You all gave me to motivation to keep going and it has made me over the moon to see all you lovely folks enjoying my silly little book. I know sometimes I've been slow with updates and I want to thank you all for being so patient with me.
This has been a wonderful experience for me and it has helped me grow as a writer.
I hope you all have an amazing new year while being safe in these times. Happy Holidays everyone! And thank you so much!!
- KH