Wreckage

Out

Bruce was up by the time they got there and swiped a blanket from a hallway on their way up. He wrapped it over his head and around his chest to hide whatever embarrassment he showed in his face. "Sorry." He mumbled to Thor. He didn't say anything, just patted his back.

When they got to the floor, happy had been waiting for them at the double doors, "what the hell?" Natasha tossed him back his keys, "backseat is a little wet, sorry." Happy's jaw dropped and stood in place as they walked by, waiting for a better explanation but decided to hobble after them to steves room.

They turned a corner and saw Halstead and who they assumed was doctor Rhodes in surgical gowns and caps. They both frowned when they saw the two hooded agents followed by two soaking wet avengers, one of which was half naked and wrapped in a blanket. Three of them stopped at the nurses station in front of them but Thor just cautiously walked past them and stood in front of the window of steves room.

He blocked out whatever they were saying and just stared past his reflection in the window to where steve lay, unconscious. He tried to keep himself from looking, but the absence of steves left leg knawed at his gut. He turned his back to the window and shoved his face in his hands.

The others walked past but Bruce stopped in the doorway, "Thor, you coming?" He looked at Bruce from the corner of his eye, "no, not right now."

"Are you—"

"Hey Bruce" pepper cut him off, "why don't you take my seat, I'll talk to him." She smiled and gently pushed him into the room and closed the door behind her. She took a few steps and looked back through the window, looking away from the the tube feeding out of his mouth, the brace keeping his neck stable, the cast on his arm, his right leg, and his— she just decided to turn around because she couldn't bare to look and his battlefield of injuries.

"I can't go in there" he sniffled. Pepper rubbed his shoulder. "I need a break, wanna get a change of clothes then a cup of coffee?" He took a moment to answer but eventually nodded, "make it a beer and you've got a deal." She chuckled and led him down the hallway.

Thor got his change of civilian clothes from some shield agents and when he was ready pepper grabbed the keys back from happy who hadn't realized they were gone until they were in the elevator. He hobbled out of the room but they were already gone.

He huffed when he walked back in and plopped down on his chair. "What did you do to my car?" He asked natasha angrily.

She lifted her head and shrugged her shoulders, "like I said, back seat is a little damp."

He hopped his chair closer so her and start to speak in the lowest darkest voice that happy could do, "back there you said wet, and now it's just damp?"

Natasha huffed, "you're right I'm sorry... it's soaked."  She whispered back. Part of her enjoyed talking about something else, anything else, but tony obviously didn't because after happy shouted out a "what!?" Tony snapped.

"Nobody cares about your car right now, happy. All we should care about is steve. Because you could get a new car but steve can't just—" he stopped himself when he noticed tears falling down his face.

"Tony we all care—" Clint started but tony cut him off.

"Just stop. Shut up. Shut up or get out" he snapped and grabbed steves hand with both of his.  Natasha started to say something but Clint put his hand on her shoulder and simply shook his head, "just leave it" he mouthed at her and they both repositioned themselves in their chair and sat in silence. Nothing was heard excluding the constant beeping and humming of the machines surrounding Steve.

•••

"So I know we're leaving to try to catch a break but I just want to tell you that steves doing okay. He got a little roughed up but he's going to be fine." She tried reassuring him, but she could tell something was still nagging at him after he said "thank you" and looked straight out the window.