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It all happened so fast.
They had only just landed in some deserted part of Minnesota (Clint had been at the briefing but had admittedly paid little attention) when everything happened at once. Clint still had his kit bag on his back, his quiver attached and his bow in his hands when the first Hammer drone appeared. For a machine that was over ten feet tall and probably weighed a tonne it was surprisingly stealthy. Suddenly ten more arrived on the scene and soon Clint lost count as he fired arrows and ducked and ran.
It was chaos. Clint didn’t see the drone until it was too late and he was flying through the air, the back of his head and right shoulder pounding from where he got hit. It took him a moment to realise that he was falling for longer than what would be expected, and that’s when the cold water pulled him under, filling his nose and mouth. His vision already going fuzzy from the blow becomes dark…
“Clint! Clint!”
“Wha-” Clint blinks slowly and then jerks back as he realises his being repeatedly slapped in the face, “Hey!”
“Oh thank God! Come on, we’ve got to get you out of those clothes.”
Clint shakes his head and instantly regrets it. The earth seems to be spinning and it’s only Steve’s arms on his (for it is Steve that had been shouting at him and slapping him Clint finally realises) that keeps him from falling face first onto the floor.
“I’m OK, I’m OK,” Clint mumbles and takes a few deep breathes before looking at Steve. He’s surprised at how startled Steve looks; he’s looking at him as if Clint’s going to shatter into pieces at any moment.
“Wait, why do I need to take my clothes off?”
If it’s possible Steve looks even more worried. “You fell into a river in the middle of winter; you’re going to get hyperthermia if we’re not careful.” Clint continues to stare at him, “You’re shaking Clint.”
Clint looks down at himself, his field kit is dripping wet and his fingers are not their normal peachy colour and he’s shaking, he’s really shaking. Now his mind has caught up with his body it’s all he can think about. His teeth start chattering and he tries to move his toes in his boots.
Steve starts tugging at his clothes again, he pulls of Clint’s body armour and the long sleeved top underneath, just leaving him in a thin vest top. Steve starts on Clint’s pants but Clint bats his hands away. “I can do it!”
Steve nods and then opens Clint’s kit bag. There’s a spare jumper, a pair of socks, an arm guard, two silver foil blankets, a basic first aid kit and some flints. Clint glances down as Steve thrusts the jumper and socks at him, he really should have a proper kit bag. Clint tries to think back to the last time he actually looked inside it but couldn’t fails.
Clint pulls the jumper and socks on. He can’t feel his toes or his fingers and he barely registers his teeth rattling in his head anymore. He looks at Steve in confusion; he has stripped down to his boxers and has one of the blankets around his shoulders, the other he places around Clint’s. Steve sat down, leaning back against the wall of the cave and beckons Clint towards him.
“Steve?”
Steve sighs and grabs Clint’s hand and pulls him towards him. Clint doesn’t even have time to complain as he is practically manhandled by Steve and before he knows it he is in between Captain America’s legs, leaning against his chest and Steve’s arranging the blanket over him. “What is going on? What happened? Am I in shock?”
Steve snorts and Clint tenses as he feels the puff of air on his neck. “It’s called sharing body heat Clint, you definitely need it. What happened? Do you really not remember?”
Clint thinks for a moment, “There were the Hammer drones, I got hit by one and fell… I’m not sure after that.”
And so Steve tells him what happened, how he jumped after Clint into a freezing fast moving river in the middle of winter and pulled him out of the water. He tells him how Clint was unconscious and unresponsive, how it had started to snow and so Steve carried him to this cave to wait it out. Steve talks and talks and keeps prompting Clint to reply even though all he wants to do is fall asleep. Stark had been right, Steve was like a furnace.
Steve suddenly laughs and Clint realises he said that out loud.
“Tony said that?”
Clint nods and wraps his hands around Steve’s back. Steve hisses at the feel of Clint’s freezing cold fingers but doesn’t move. Clint notices how when Steve blushes it’s not just his face that turns red; it’s his chest as well.
Clint starts to be able to feel his fingers and toes but he’s still shaking. He closes his eyes and nestles his head in the crook of Steve’s shoulder.
“We’ve just got to wait,” Steve says, “Just got to wait a bit longer and the team will find us.”