NEW STORY :) This is a romance about Pietro and another agent at the Avengers tower. This will turn into a POV of that agent, but for the moment it is starting out as a POV from Clint. This chapter seems like such teenage girl writing, but it shouldn't be like this for the whole story. Slow build I think...

Do you like the image by the way? I feel like it is a metaphor for him surviving as death is just passing him by...like the bullet...

Clint POV

I felt a cold rush of wind blow past me as I cradled the small boy in my arms, preparing for the bullets to hit me and save the child. I felt nothing but a small pain in my shoulder from where a single bullet had hit. It wouldn't affect me, but I was curious as to why only one bullet had hit and not the twenty that I should have received. Confused, I slowly opened my eyes to see what had happened. What's going on? I slowly lifted up my head and noticed Pietro on my right, his body covered in dark red circles of blood that were spreading across his suit. He had taken the bullets for me.

"You didn't see that coming…" he managed to say before falling to the floor. Under different circumstances I would've rolled my eyes at the catchphrase that we had adapted together, but this was an overwhelming feeling of hurt. I felt a shot of guilt pour through my chest at the thought of it being my fault. He just saved my life. All the fighting and we have never lost one of our own. Never. All of the Avengers had remained alive, but now I realised how vulnerable we were. Pietro was part of the team, like Wanda and Vision. It seriously hurt me to see him like this.

I heard a girl loudly scream from somewhere and I snapped my head round in the direction it came from. I could see through the buildings Wanda falling to her knees and a blast of red energy burst out from her body, killing the surrounding robots. I could have saved him. I thought. I quickly and carefully put the small boy down between the car that Pietro had used to cover us with and went to check on the body beside me. I winced slightly as I checked his pulse, my arm aching from a bullet hitting me.

Nothing. His pulse was gone. Hearing Steve come towards me, I shut my eyes and sighed. I looked up at Steve and he turned his head to the side, knowing that Pietro was dead. I stepped back and looked down at the dead Avenger.

"We need to get him back to the ship. We have no idea when this rock is going to drop." Steve said, sounding defeated. He must have guilt too. He was the team leader after all. I watched him pick up Pietro, almost not being able to look at him as I noticed Natasha running over.

Thor reached his arms forward to take the child out of my arms, but I pushed passed him, ignoring Natasha as she called my name. I couldn't talk to her...at least not now. She had lied to me about Banner and I wasn't ready to deal with that. I picked up the fragile boy who couldn't stop staring at Pietro, Cap carrying his lifeless body in front of us. "Where's my mummy?" the little boy asked.

"I'm taking you to her. Don't worry." I reassured him and he looked up at me.

"Are you the Hawk guy?" he asked me, his voice shaking, and I smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm the Hawk guy." I replied, trying to keep myself from breaking down. The child seemed so innocent and sweet that I didn't want to let him go. Natasha and everyone else would've shouted at me for kidnapping a child, but I wanted something good in the world.

"Aren't the Avengers meant to save everyone?" he asked and I nodded.

"We try our best." I replied and thought about the words in my head. We always tried out best, but this time, the best wasn't good enough. I had to think of a way to repay Wanda and clear the debt from my shoulders. Pietro dying must've killed her and I felt somehow protective over the female Sokovian.

"Then why couldn't you save him?" he asked, talking about Pietro.

I breathed out deeply, walking onto one of the ships. "Some things you just can't see coming kid..." I wanted a child, at some point in the future, but never saw myself ever being with anyone that wasn't the red headed, ex-assassin that I avenged with. It had never gone further than friendship with Natasha, but I always had the feeling that there was something underneath the surface of our relationship. However, I ignored it and continued to do so as I knew she didn't feel the same as I did. I didn't mind, but found not dating anyone difficult sometimes.

"Costel!" the boy's mother shouted and I ran over, giving the boy to her mother. She cradled him tightly, in the same desperate way that I had seen many other mothers embrace their children. Previous battles with the Avengers had me saving the lives of many children.

Steve came over and some people gasped at the lifeless Avenger he was holding. He carefully gave him to me and I took him over to a section of empty seating. I laid him on the floor and stood back up, only to realise that I was bleeding. Wow, that is painful. I sat down and a member of medical staff came over to me.

"No, no. I'm fine." I said, waving them off. They had other people to attend to right now "It's been a long day." I lied down against some set of seats that were covered in rubble and stared down at Pietro. I sat there in silence, watching him. Quicksilver. This time he just wasn't quick enough. "I'm sorry." I whispered, because even though he wasn't quick enough, I could have still done more to protect that boy. I should have found him earlier in the battle. That way...he never would have died. "I should've done better." I whispered, shutting my eyes. I should've done better.

Wanda POV

"I should've done better." I said, placing my hand over his dead heart. He was dead. My brother...dead. I hadn't stopped crying over it... For the first minutes of being back on the helicarrier, my powers were uncontrollable, red spurts of energy flicking from my fingers and causing ornaments and furniture to fly around or burst or break. I had never felt so fragile and weak.

"Wanda, there was nothing you could do." Clint assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I didn't feel any comfort from it though. I had been an hour since his death. It had been an hour since my brother died. He was everything to me. How am I meant to live without him? "I promise you that it will get better." he said, almost like he had my power. The only thing that came out of the battle of Sokovia was a friendship with Clint. He had looked after me once he had been stitched up from the wound he had.

"How do you know that? I asked, my eyes brimming with tears, but before the conversation could continue someone came through the door.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but I need to do an assessment on him." an agent said. She had light brown hair, blue eyes and a clipboard under her arm. She stood tall, like Agent Hill, and certainly didn't look like a medical professional going by the combat suit that she was wearing.

"Who are you?" I asked, defensively. Putting my arm over Pietro slightly. She wasn't going near him.

"Wanda, calm down. This is Agent Riley Moore. I recognise her from S.H.I.E.L.D." Clint said and, after a moment's hesitation, I nodded my head, giving my permission. Ever since I decided to become an Avenger, I trusted him. It wasn't his fault my brother was dead either. Steve already went over with me what happened. Clint was going to give himself up, but my brother was too caring. He's always been that way. Especially about me. In Sokovia, he would always look over me and keep me out of trouble.

"I just want to do an examination." she explained and shut the door. "May I?" she said, asking permission about whether she could look at his wounds or not. At least she had the decency to ask. I nodded and she walked towards my brother. She seemed nice.

"How are things on the ground?" Clint asked and she shook her head.

"Not good. There have already been riots about the Avengers causing too much trouble. I've been trying to keep it under control, but there is only so much we can do you know." They must have known each other from S.H.I.E.L.D missions or something.

"Yeah." Clint replied and they continued with their conversation. I just focused on Pietro. As she spoke, she took off his shirt to examined his wounds and I turned around to not look at my broken brother. Clint came to join me, facing away from my brother, and put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Um...guys?" she asked, unsure about something. What is it? I thought.

"Yeah…" Clint replied.

"Your brother got hit with a series of bullets that went straight through his skin right?" she asked and we nodded. Bullets from the impact that that…thing...was firing at meant that the bullets went straight through. Taking out his heart...it was almost like closure for me. "I think you need to come and see this." she said and we turned around. "Look at his wounds." she said, pointing to dark marks on his chests as we walked over. "He seems to have healed himself."

"Because of his powers, he always healed quicker. I don't see your point." I said, confused.

"Hang on, what powers? This doesn't look like a guy who has been dead for an hour. He looks like he didn't even-" Suddenly, I felt a rush of painful energy surge through me and it caused me to drop to my knees, gasping for air like I had been deprived of it my whole life. I found myself unable to scream as I tightly gripped the railing of Pietro's bed. "What is it, Wanda?" Clint asked, quickly coming round to my side. My head hurt for a couple of seconds more before going back to normal, my heart calming in my chest. I heard a gasp of air from the left hand side of me and I turned to see Pietro's chest pushed forward before it fell back on the bed.

Quickly, I got up with the aid of Clint and leaned on the side of the bed. "Doctor...what happened?" I asked, urgently, breathless from what had just happened. I looked up. Where did she go? I need her to tell me what's going on and she can't have disappeared just because of that. "Doctor?"

I saw a hand emerge from the other side of the bed and a voice say "I'm fine. Just got hit in the chest by an Avenger and not in a nice way." she said, jumping up. "I know it might sound crazy, but I checked his pulse and-"

"He's alive." I smiled and looked at Clint who had a mixture of shock and happiness on his face. "I can feel it in my mind. We've always had a good connection." I explained and went to check the pulse on his neck for reassurance. "Thank God." Everything can go back to normal now. Everything will be fine. You scared me more than anything Brother...I sent a message to his mind, unsure about whether he would even get it or not. Usually my messages did get to him, but who knew what laws of physics were being played with. My brother was back from the dead after all.

"Are you serious?" Clint asked and checked his pulse too. "That's insane. I need to go and inform Fury." he said, excitedly, and ran off to inform the spy. Oh my God...he's actually alive. I can't believe this. I thought he was dead and I would be alone, but I have him back. I hugged him quickly, his body feeling warmer than before, and placed a kiss on his head.

"Are you okay?" I asked the doctor, forgetting that she had been hit by my brother.

"Nothing that a bar of chocolate won't fix." she smiled and picked up her clipboard that she had dropped on the floor. "Does your brother usually come back from the dead?" she asked and I smiled, gleefully.

"Never happened before and hopefully he will never go dying on me again too." I said, grateful to feel the sound of his heart beat when I focused it in my mind.

"Believe me. I never thought that this were even possible. You mentioned abilities by the way. What abilities does he have?" Riley asked, curiously, as she got some equipment together, including a heart monitor.

"Oh I'm sure you will find out." I replied smiling. The news were probably already broadcasting it right now. "How come you are so calm about this? His abilities, I mean." I asked and she looked hesitant before answering.

"There um...there's been a lot of talk on the news about the Avengers and Gods and after the chitauri, aliens and power people kind of became normal. Some people just have amazing gifts." she smiled. The woman mystified me, seeming loveable and brave, but I was never sure about who to trust. That was what Pietro had said. Don't trust anyone that I don't say is trustworthy first. But the thing was, I liked the woman already.

I noticed Pietro turning in his sleep slightly before I looked at the woman again. "Who do you work for now then? Clint said that you used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D, but they've shut down so…"

"Well, there's an Avengers side team that have been working on a new base since the old one was taken over. I should get the privilege to train there if everything goes to plan." she smiled and then went back to attending to my brother. "You are very fortunate to have a brother."

"Lonely child?" I asked her and she nodded, attaching wires to Pietro. I knew it was for his own good, but seeing his body being penetrated with needles didn't make me very comfortable.

"I always wanted someone who I could have as a constant best friend that knew everything. I don't really have that relationship with anyone else." That was what Pietro was to me. He knew everything about my life. He trusted me with everything. And I trusted him.

"No friends or romances?"

"No time. The closest thing I have to a friend is my phone and romantic relationships haven't exactly been great for me."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Being a member of S.H.I.E.L.D means that I don't have time for that kind of commitment." she said, but I could tell that she was lying about something. I was about to question her further, but Fury came through the door with the rest of the Avengers.

Riley POV

I wondered about who this mystery man was and how the hell he came back to life, but I'm used to mysteries and I'm used to solving them too, so it wouldn't be too hard. This guy seemed like one hell of a mystery. He died and then came back to life. How does that even happen? Maybe his cells regenerated fast enough to allow him to return to living state? The Avengers knew his power, but I wasn't informed. I've spent the last week battling HYDRA agents and keeping out rioters from the Avengers tower. There have been many complaints about what happened in Sokovia. The girl, Wanda, won't tell me about him, but I'll find out soon. I looked at the hospital bed guy. From the information I gathered, I could tell that he worked out. Obviously, I only started thinking about this after he was alive again and not before because that would have been creepy. Like it isn't creepy now Riley! What I told Wanda was correct - I don't have time for romance - but I can acknowledge when other people look attractive.

"Being a member of S.H.I.E.L.D meant that I didn't have time for that kind of commitment." I told her. Fury said that I can't be in a relationship with anyone, because they will find out about me. He said it was to protect me, but obviously I wouldn't tell her any of that.

"Right, what in Asgard is going on?" I heard a voice call from the doorway. I tried to keep my nerves and heart rate down as I stared at the billionaire that was casually leaning against the door frame. Tony Stark? I am not a fangirl, but...is this actually happening? I could deal with fit patients with powers, information that they don't elaborate on much to my annoyance, and then give Tony Stark to me. Some other Avengers walked in. You can't be serious… "Who's this dude?" he asked.

"Tony! Manners!" someone warned and Stark apologised.

"Sorry…" he said, clearing his throat. "Who's this dudette?"

Natasha rolled her eyes and stepped forward. I recognised the suit that seemed to be too slim and the iconic red hair that was sprouting from her head. I did notice her cheeks looking slightly puffy, but didn't notify her on the subject. She probably wouldn't have liked me asking her if she was okay as it was evident she had been crying. "Nice to meet you officially, Agent Moore." she said, extending her hand to greet me.

"Likewise, Agent Romanoff." I said, shaking her hand. Wow, firm hand grip.

"This is Steve, James, Sam, Vision and Tony." she said, letting go of my hand and gesturing to the others behind her. One of them, that I recognised as Captain America, was wearing the suit that he fought in. It was covered in his own blood and his uniform was torn. Two of the men were muscular and tall, one wearing a battle suit and one wearing casual clothes. The person who completely drew my attention was a red skinned person...was he some sort of android? I had never seen anything like it. He seemed so human, but artificial all the same. I wonder whether he sounded that way. I guessed that the abstract being had the abstract name of Vision.

"Okay, is anybody going to tell me what is going on?" Tony huffed, his rude tone irritating the hell out of me. People tell you never to meet your heroes and I was now thinking that advice was spot on.

I spun round to him, the anger building up in my body. I had no sleep before arriving at the helicarrier and had been attending to patients all day. I didn't have time for his bullshit. "My name is Agent Riley Moore. I'm not a dudette, I'm a field agent and occasionally a medical agent. 'What's going on' is that this guy has just come back from the dead and I have no idea what his flipping power is, so I can't make a conclusion." I said, explaining my problems as I gestured to the body on the medical bed. Everyone look at me, shocked from my outburst, and I froze suddenly feeling rude. I gasped, worried that I had over stepped the line, but before I could apologise to them, someone spoke up.

"That's impossible." Vision said as they came towards us. So his voice is artificial.

"It is true. He has a pulse." I informed him, the apology slipping to the back of my mind as I focused on what they wanted to know.

"I believe it is because of his abilities." Clint added.

"Would someone please tell me what his abilities are?" I asked impatiently, throwing my hands in the air irritably.

"He has increased speed." Steve informed me. Finally!

"Thank you." I said, relieved, raising my eyebrows. I wasn't shocked by the fact that he had abilities, but super speed? That is damn cool. "Because of those abilities, I agree with Clint's hypothesis. I believe that because he has an increased rate of speed, his body has a faster healing rate. That is why he returned."

Wanda nodded, agreeing with me. "He's always healed faster."

"Seems plausible. Well, coming back from the dead is something very impressive to put on your resume." Sam said, smirking, which made me create an opinion on who he was in an instant. The funny guy.

"I guess it would make him stand out from other candidates." Clint added, smirking. The bag of popcorn that he was holding made my stomach rumble slightly. I hadn't eaten for quite a while, getting food before my shift this morning.

"Back to the point, he's alive. So we check his medical health and then train him like we planned originally before he was shot. Agreed?" Steve asked and they all nodded. I felt odd as I stood there, listening to the information being thrown around that must've been confidential, but I focused my gaze on Pietro and tried not to listen to their conversation, finding it very difficult.

"We'll just have to wait for him to wake up." Wanda said, stroking Pietro's head.

"Don't think you'll have to wait that long. I think he's waking up right now." Rhodes said, gesturing to the Sokovian on the bed.

"Pietro!" Wanda said on the opposite side of the bed to me, leaping at the idea of him being awake. She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand and retracted it slowly when his eyes fluttered open. The man had a nice face, his blue eyes the centre of attention for him, but I did notice his silver like hair that looked slightly unusual. It suited him somehow. His head was turned in my direction as his eyes opened fully. He furrowed his eyebrows at me and I wondered what he was curious about. Maybe it's about the fact that he just fucking woke up from the dead? One side of his mouth lifted into a cute smile that made me suddenly feel nervous about being there. I could see Wanda out of the corner of my eye looking at me with curiosity.

"Pietro?" Wanda asked. His eyes were still locked with mine, almost like he was waiting for me to respond, so I didn't resist and gave him a small smile back, one that was probably unnoticeable to everyone else as their attention was focused on the man who had returned.

Once I did, he turned his head and said "Wanda?". His voice sounded raspy from sleep and I could see his eyes scan her face as she came closer to him.

She reached down and hugged him tightly. "God, I missed you." she said, her voice slightly muffled by the shoulder her face was buried into.

"Missed you too." he managed to reply, but I could see that he was wincing slightly from his injury. Even though I didn't know them very well, I was glad that they were reunited. S.H.I.E.L.D agents are rumoured to be emotionless, but not me. Definitely not me. I smiled at the site of them reuniting. They only had each other, like Wanda said, and I could really see that now.

"Errr...Pietro?" Steve asked and Pietro turned his head to the Captain, slowly easing out of Wanda's hug. "Do you understand what happened to you?"

I could see him freeze slightly, but he relaxed after a second. "We get killed we walk it off, right?" he joked with his thick Sokovian accent. I didn't know what the joke meant, but it made the other team mates laugh. I stood there a bit awkwardly, not getting the joke at all. Luckily, no one seemed to notice. I could tell that he was hiding behind humour instead of taking the situation seriously.

Steve smiled and nodded. "Don't start walking just yet though. We need to make sure that you are back in shape first."

"How are you feeling, Mr Maximoff?" I asked, following on from the Captain's topic.

"Pietro. And who are you?" he asked, his eyes roaming me suspiciously.

"I'm Riley Moore. I was assigned by Director Fury to examine your body after your death...which obviously isn't the case anymore. So I..um...am guessing that I will now be your nurse, an occupation that I am fully qualified for I assure you." I said, wanting to face-palm myself for rambling to him. I heard Stark mutter something about me being ruder to him than I was with Pietro.

"Switching from a medical examiner into a doctor? Quite a career change." he said, a smile, that I could've sworn was flirtatious, sweeping over his face.

"Well I like to keep things fresh." I joked and he laughed, but started to cough after a moment. "I'm sorry. I s-shouldn't have done that." I said, putting my hand on his back to lift him up, so that he could breath a bit better. His skin felt nice to touch, warm against my cold hands, but after a second I registered that this had probably been the closest I had been to a shirtless man in a long time. I began to feel anxious about touching him and lowered him down as soon as he stopped coughing.

"Don't worry about it." he said, as Wanda passed him some water. I adjusted his bed from a flat position to having it half way, so that I could examine him and he could still see everyone.

"I will have to finish attaching the wires to you to examine your vital signs. I hope this is alright?" I asked and he nodded, sipping his drink. I forced my eyes to focus on his face and not his toned stomach as he laid against the chair. I didn't care about boy's bodies at all, but it was distracting me. I was trying to do my job and it irritated me that I could lose concentration so easily.

"Do what you have to do." he responded as he passed his glass back to Wanda.

"Is your head feeling okay now?" Wanda asked as I began to attach the tubes. After a second, I looked up and realised that she was talking to me, not Pietro. I found myself smiling at her caring nature.

"A little sore, but I'll survive." I smiled, trying to forget about the embarrassing incident. I hoped that no one would bring it up as I knew I could get flustered when talking about embarrassing moments.

"What happened to you?" The man I think was called...James asked. He was an older looking one and I remember seeing him with Stark at a meeting about the Iron Man suit or something along those lines.

"I erm…" I began, looking at Pietro and then back to Rhodey.

"Quick kid here hit Riles with his chest." Clint said, chucking a piece of popcorn up in the air and catching it in his mouth. I cringed at the nickname Clint gave me. I never liked nicknames. Clint always had the ability to bestow annoying nicknames for everyone. "It was quite amusing..."

"I did what now?" he asked, eyes wide staring at me in what looked like fear. I could see the smallest amount of pink rise on his face. His abilities probably allowed his blood to circulate quicker so he didn't go as red as anybody else. I wish I had those abilities.

"Do not call me Riles." I said, glaring at Clint as I felt my cheeks flare up. I fiddled with my hands as I thought of what to do to help Pietro and forget about the topic they were talking about.

"I'm really sorry." Pietro said, turning his head to me.

"Don't worry about it." I said and smiled awkwardly at him.

"How come I hit your head with my chest?" he asked. Good question I guess. It's not exactly common to be hit in the face by someone's chest...

"I was examining your wounds. I had to get quite close to your chest to do so." I said and he raised an eyebrow, which flustered me even further. "Sorry, I phrased that wrong! I'm always doing that. I just meant t-that I mean I was examining your wounds just examining them. I was curious as to why you healed so um...so fast and that's why I was so close. I would never be that close to your chest unless it was required m-medically or unless you asked me to...which you wouldn't in the first place." I took a breath, trying to calm down my red face. "I'm just gonna shut up now." I tapped my clipboard nervously with my pen. "Yep." I said, grasping the pen tightly and making some notes on his abilities to distract myself. I could've sworn that I heard a chuckle come from Pietro, but I definitely heard it from the other Avengers in the room.

There was silence for a moment as he turned his head to look at me, his eyes examining my face in the same way I examined his wounds. I caught his eyes for a second before turning my attention to my clipboard again, not wanting to see him staring at me. I didn't want to look up at him. Since he had woken up, I felt pressure to make sure that his condition didn't get any worse and I was worried that he wouldn't have approved of me helping his condition. If we hadn't taken out the bullets, then maybe Pietro would've stayed dead. If he had wanted to die, then perhaps he would have disliked me for helping him. Thoughts flooded through my head at the idea of Pietro hating me for trying to help.

I shook them off as he spoke up again. "Does this mean that I'm immortal by the way?" he asked the others, seeming quite happy about the idea.

"Getting shot, yes. Being decapitated...probably not." Tony said, skillfully throwing a piece of food into his mouth.

"Are you going to be okay here for about an hour? We need to finish speaking with Fury about what happened in Sokovia." Clint said.

"Good food," Pietro said, grabbing Clint's popcorn bag, because he was right next to him. Clint groaned, but didn't bother taking the popcorn back. "a babbling nurse." Pietro said, winking at me as he ate a piece of popcorn. My head rose up at the mention of my name and I felt my face get hotter, if that were even possible. "I think I'm gonna be fine resting here for another hour."

"I'll speak to you later okay?" Wanda said and kissed his head delicately, resting there for 5 seconds before she reluctantly pulled away.

"Goodbye sister." he smiled and she returned the sweet smile. She walked out with the others, glancing at me briefly before she left, and I continued to do my job. They must have some connection. I rubbed my forehead as a faint pain shot through my head and I thought about when Pietro hit me in the face. Since when did my job become so hazardous? "So how are you really then?" I asked, trying to forget about the pain Pietro had caused to my forehead..

"Aren't you supposed to tell me that, being a nurse and all?" he replied and I glared at his smugness.

"I didn't mean physically. You're fine in that field." I said and I almost felt like face planting as he smirked at my stupidity. "I'm just gonna...get on with.…" I said, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear as my cheeks burned.

"You're cute." he smiled and I kept my mouth straight. I am meant to be a professional after all. "Not even a little smile for the compliment?" he asked and I shook my head, determined that I wasn't going to give him a smile.

"Not today…" I said and turned around to pretend to do something as I smiled. I was determined not to let him win. He was very charming. I didn't usually like guys as soon as I met them, but Pietro seemed a bit different. Maybe it was his accent? Of course I didn't like him as more than a friend. We were hardly that anyway. He'd just come back from the dead for Christ sakes! He seemed nice and I could imagine him being a good friend to have here. I gasped, still smiling, as I was quickly turned around to face Pietro again. His hands were round my wrists and he was smiling at me.

"See, I knew you could do it." he said, but his voice was strained.

"Are you in pain?" I asked, changing the subject and looking at the monitor. Everything seemed to be fine except his heart rate was a little higher. He seemed to groan at the subject change and I wondered why he didn't want to talk about it. He seemed to be joking just fine. "You shouldn't harm yourself just to see me smile you know." I said and he chuckled.

"I'd put myself through anything to see your smile." he said and I shook my head.

"I bet that's what you use on all the girls." I replied as I pressed a few of the monitor's tabs.

He shrugged. "Most of them." he said and I couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. He seemed to be telling the truth. He seemed very flirtatious, so I could imagine him being a bit of a ladies man. I decided to change the subject as I got the impression that he was flippant between girls. Not a guy for me then...I thought. He was doing so well too. Damn.

"So how did it feel? Dyi-" I asked him, looking over his vitals and wanting to change the subjects from dating, but he interrupted me.

"So what do you do for a living then?" he asked, trying to change the subject, and I turned to look at him suspiciously.

"Pietro..." I whispered softly and his small grin faded, replaced with a grim look of annoyance. "You've only just been brought back to life. Take a minute." I advised him. He narrowed his eyes at me, in a considering fashion, before shifting himself to sit higher on the bed and breathing out.

"Painful. It was painful. Being shot by bullets isn't exactly the best way to go out."

"Did you know what was happening to you?" His eyes made their way to the floor and I got the strong impression that he didn't want to talk about it. "I'm...really sorry. I should've thought about-"

"No, it's fine." he said, shifting in his bed slightly. I could tell he was uncomfortable and didn't want to talk about the issue, even though he admitted otherwise.

"I didn't think about it. Sorry." I apologised again and quickly decided to move on again. "So, you grew up in Sokovia?" I asked and he nodded, the brightness returning to his eyes after our short, but deep, discussion about his death. That discussion would be waiting for him at some point down the line, if not by me, then by someone else, most likely his sister..

"Yeah, it wasn't special, but it was home." he said, smiling and remembering his country.

"Did you spend your whole life there?" I asked, attaching the clipboard to the side of the bed.

"Yes, me and Wanda haven't needed to go anywhere else. I guess it was mainly because our parents were killed there." he said, anger in his voice more than pain. "We've always had an attachment to it."

I cringed slightly. "I'm sorry. I bring up the most inappropriate subjects don't I…"

"Don't worry about it." he said, waving his hand for me to dismiss my fretting, but I had the feeling that talking about it hurt him more than he let off. "Anyway, we had friends there and the rest of the world didn't really know us, so it was a good hiding place for us. When we volunteered for the enhancement program, me and Wanda didn't even think about not taking it. We were bored in Sokovia, but we didn't want to go anywhere else. It was a good option for us and we thought we were going to help the world. At least, that's what they told us." he explained, remorse clear in his tone. "The process of becoming an enhanced was hell." I could see the memories flash behind his eyes as he spoke and they seemed to zone in and out of the present. "I can't remember whether it was more painful than dying or not. I don't regret it though. It brought me here. To the Avengers." he said. He made me think about chances. Chances of meeting someone. Like if Rogers wasn't as determined as he was to be in the army, he wouldn't have been Captain America and HYDRA would have killed thousands of people.

"Well, it's good that you are comfortable with them, seeing as you will be working with them." I said and went over to wash my hands at a nearby basin. "I'm afraid I'll have to make you uncomfortable though. I need to press where your wounds were to make sure there is no harm to them. Is that okay?" I asked, wiping my hands dry with a tissue, and he nodded. I threw the paper towel in the bin and went back over to his side, tentatively reaching my hands above his arm.

"Tell me when it hurts" I said and began to press lightly against his arm. The wounds were slightly open, but much better than before, almost completely healed in fact. They would scar for definite. "The report said that the bullets were removed so you shouldn't be in that much pain." I tried not to focus on his muscles, but I hadn't been so close to anyone in ages. I forced myself not to smile, remembering that it was very inappropriate. I shook my head, trying to get rid of my thoughts, and he looked at me confused. Ladies man, remember.

"Are...you okay?" he asked wearily. He was probably worried that I was going to faint or something.

"Yeah, I'm good." I replied and continued to move up his arm to his shoulder, hoping he didn't notice me checking him out. He hissed as I pressed against the large one on his chest. "Sorry." I said and moved down to the top of his abs, noting that the one I had just pressed was a little redder than the others.

I was slightly nervous about doing this. Sure, I had done this before with patients, but never with their top off. "I'm sorry. Should I get you a t-shirt?" I asked and he shrugged. I'm not exactly happy with doing this with someone, especially when I've only just met them.

"If you want." he said and I nodded, going over to the side of the room to get one out of our spare clothes box. I took off his monitoring wires and handed him the top. He was about to pull it on, but I warned him. "Be careful! You don't want anymore pain."

He nodded and carefully slipped on the shirt, taking in a few sharp breaths. "Hopefully you will be back to normal in an hour or so." I smiled and noted down the time with his condition state. He was improving an inhuman rates, but I didn't mention it.

"The quicker I get back to saving everyone, the better." he said and I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"You can only save the world when you are recovered." I instructed, pressing down against his stomach with my hands again to check over the bullets. "So no more speeding until you are fully healed."

"Not even for smiles?" he asked, grinning at me.

"Nope, not even for smiles." I said and tapped him on the shoulder when I was done. "I can tell you are not one for listening to orders, but do me a favour and don't rip your wounds open again or I'm afraid your sister might kill me." I told him, making him smirk and chuckle to himself. "You should be fine."

"Hey, what happened to Sokovia in the end? I forgot to ask." he said and I slowly removed my hand from him, coming to the realisation that no one had told him about his home. "Riley…what happened? What aren't you telling me?" I recognised that he used my first name and decided that I needed to put a barrier between us. I knew it was wrong to as we were talking about a delicate subject, but I was too close to him already, his figure making my heart speed up more than usual. Fraternisation was forbidden and I couldn't bring myself to even consider breaking it.

"Mr. Maximoff," I began, remembering to use his last name rather than his first. "I'm afraid Sokovia didn't survive as well as you did." I said, deciding to look at the floor instead of meeting his gaze. He had just gone on about it being his home town, where he grew up and somewhere that he never wanted to leave. It had been destroyed. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Iron Man and Thor had to destroy it to ensure that no one else was harmed by the robots."

"It's fine." he said, gesturing for me to not bother about it, though I could see perfectly in his eyes that he was clearly not fine.

"There were casualties. I can get the list we have if you wan-"

"It's fine." he said again, looking down at the floor. He cleared his throat and asked "So how did you become an agent?"

I re-wrote this chapter to make it longer and to stop Laura from being involved with Clint as it contradicted the story I had planned of Natasha and Clint being together. Go to my author's page to check out my other stories - The Two Assassins, The Real Steve Rogers and The Avenger's Falcon. Enjoy and please review!