It takes too long. That's the thought that starts panic-racing through his mind. It takes too long which means Phil's in pain and Phil's alone and he's making his fucking boyfriend put in too much effort because he's too chickenshit to just pick the lock. (There's been a quietly ongoing conversation about giving him a key. Now he's regretting waffling on that.)
He's really thinking about it, too, just jimmying the lock open and saving them both some effort, but Phil makes it to the door and is so--so pleased, so relieved, and already hugging him before Clint can actually process Phil being alive and on the way to well.
So a funny thing happens when you turn traitor even temporarily, and it's that you turn into a pariah and a leper and nobody really wants to do a whole lot of interacting with you until you're cleared. The most touch he's gotten outside of Natasha has been docs running their tests, taking down numbers, poking and prodding and sticking leads on him and prepping him for so many brain scans he wonders if he won't be getting Hulk-y soon enough.
Has he frozen? He might have frozen. He makes himself crack the ice and put his god damn arms around his god damn boyfriend that he hasn't seen since before something poked its fingers into his brain and wrapped around his heart. The man's alive. And even up and about. That's worth celebrating with a hug.
"Hi, Phil." A little strained. Should he be here? Should he just make an excuse to get his things? Shit, no, then that sounds like a breakup...
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He's really thinking about it, too, just jimmying the lock open and saving them both some effort, but Phil makes it to the door and is so--so pleased, so relieved, and already hugging him before Clint can actually process Phil being alive and on the way to well.
So a funny thing happens when you turn traitor even temporarily, and it's that you turn into a pariah and a leper and nobody really wants to do a whole lot of interacting with you until you're cleared. The most touch he's gotten outside of Natasha has been docs running their tests, taking down numbers, poking and prodding and sticking leads on him and prepping him for so many brain scans he wonders if he won't be getting Hulk-y soon enough.
Has he frozen? He might have frozen. He makes himself crack the ice and put his god damn arms around his god damn boyfriend that he hasn't seen since before something poked its fingers into his brain and wrapped around his heart. The man's alive. And even up and about. That's worth celebrating with a hug.
"Hi, Phil." A little strained. Should he be here? Should he just make an excuse to get his things? Shit, no, then that sounds like a breakup...