Typical
"An inner ear infection?" If Clint sounds disbelieving as he parrots Bruce's diagnosis back to him, it's because he is.
Pietro nearly died (again) because of a damn inner ear infection? That is just so...typical of him. From the minute they met - in the middle of a Sokovian forest where the kid had barrelled through him and knocked him on his ass - Pietro had been nothing but a pain in the ass to Clint.
Knocking him on his ass, getting him shot, mouthing off, kicking dust in his face, saving his life, wearing far too tight shirts, having indecently large thighs, being good with his kids, and now almost letting himself get killed by a damn ear infection. The kind Cooper got four times a year until he was six.
Typical.
"With his metabolism it likely set in fast and would have been neutralised before it caused any harm had he not - -" Bruce trails off sheepishly as he makes a broad gesture meant to indicate Pietro zooming off into the sunset.
Clint sighs heavily (typical, he thinks again) and starts to close his eyes at the idiocy of it all but as soon as his eyelids fall he's seeing the crash all over again.
Pietro, cocky and arrogant as ever, turning to throw him a wink before he sped off to scout the building the hostages were trapped on, trusting his speed to keep him safe from any harm with the blind faith of the young.
Clint had known something was off from the minute Pietro moved, how Pietro's body has weaved left from where it was supposed to go and how Pietro couldn't seem to quite run in a straight line. He'd almost have thought that Pietro had been drinking; if alcohol had any effect on him that is.
Everything had slowed down as Clint saw the grenade being thrown from the roof; as he'd saw Iron Man knock the grenade from its path, as he'd saw Pietro fail to dodge the new path the grenade was taken, as he'd watched Pietro be blown backwards in the explosion as the grenade landed too close to him, as he'd frozen; heart in his mouth; and willed Pietro to walk it off.
As Pietro lay unmoving where he'd fallen.
Just like Sokovia.
Clint had made him promise never to scare him like that again. How typical of Pietro - not keeping his promises.
Clint's eyes fly open as fast as they had closed. He's not ready to relive that again, not just yet. He doesn't know if he'll ever be.
"The sudden use of his speed must have accelerated some of the symptoms," Bruce continued, "dizziness, balance issues..."
"He's going to be OK though, right?" Tony asks the question that they all want the answer to and Clint isn't the only one who focuses more intently on Bruce for an answer.
Bruce hesitates and Clint forgets how to breathe for a second before a familiar flash of blue darts through the infirmary door and Pietro is standing before them, perfectly whole and annoyingly perfect.
"Please," Pietro grins, wide and arrogant and attractive, "I walked it off. After all this time, you still do not see this coming?"
Jesus Christ, Clint rolls his eyes, typical Pietro.
Not that Clint would have him any other way.