Animo - Avengers {Completed}

Chapter Sixteen: Saying Goodbye

Chapter Sixteen: Saying Goodbye

I woke up to a throbbing pain in my stomach and a slight headache. Whatever I was lying on was solid and hard, kind of metallic. I remembered passing out on the operating table and wondered if I was still on it. And then I wondered if I'd died and that's why everything was so dark. But death shouldn't hurt like that.

Slowly, my limbs regained the ability to move. My eyelids creaked open on rusty hinges soon after. A groan slipped past my lips and I rolled onto my side, pressing my hand against my stomach with a grimace. Propping myself up on one elbow, I glances around at my surroundings. I'd been placed in Loki's old holding chamber from when he attacked New York, the one made of a glass cylinder. Rubbing my head, I sat up completely.

Soft snoring was the only sound I could hear. I slowly turned my head in that direction; fast movements made my head spin. Barton was sitting on the floor outside the cell, leaning his back against the glass. His head was tilted back. He was fast asleep.

My arms shook as I tried to get myself to stand. My legs wobbled and I flopped down onto my knees, hissing sharply. "Son of a bitch," I growled, gritting my teeth against the pain. Every muscle in my body ached.

Barton must have heard me because he jolted awake, leaning forward on his elbows. Yawning loudly, he turned to look at me, a smile on his face that quickly grew into a grin. He stood and pressed his palms against the glass. "Hey, you're up!"

"I could say the same to you," I replied with a smirk, sitting back and rubbing my head again. "What am I doing in here?"

He lifted and lowered one shoulder. "Fury was concerned that you'd wake up and go bat shit crazy again. So he stuck you in there just in case."

"That doesn't explain what you're doing here, though," I pointed out.

He shrugs again, his cheeks turning just a little pink. "You made me promise not to leave you, so I didn't."

I raised my eyebrows at him, scrunching my eyes against the headache. "How long was I out?"

"Three days."

I gaped at him. "You didn't leave for three days? Are you freaking insane?"

He chuckled. "Back to worrying about everyone else, I see. I was fine with it, so don't think anything of it. I left to eat and stuff, of course, but not for very long."

I sighed in defeat and laid back against the metal floor of the cell. "You're crazy, Barton."

"Maybe just a bit." He smiled. "Are you hungry? I can bring something for you."

I nodded. Maybe food would calm the aching in my stomach. Part of me knew that hunger wasn't why I was hurting; it was because I'd just had an alien virus violently torn out of my stomach three days prior. At least I was okay now. "That'd be great. Thanks."

Barton nodded and went to retrieve food for me. I rested my head on one of my arms and used the other to apply pressure to the wound in my stomach. The archer seemed to be in a good mood. All that was really worrying me was anything that I could have said to him during one of my black outs. He didn't appear to be too bothered, but I could never be sure.

When Barton returned with a chocolate muffin and a mug of hot chocolate, I accepted it graciously and began to eat. Barton let the door slide shut, leaving me alone inside. He excused himself for a little while, claiming he needed a shower before he did anything else. I laughed and watched him go, taking tiny sips of my drink.

It was just like that day in the snow when a drunken Stark had kicked me out. This was exactly what I'd ordered from that tiny cafe with Barton. I couldn't believe he'd remembered. Maybe it was just a coincidence.