Chapter Text
“How is he?” Clint asked, leaning against the doorframe next to Tony, who glanced over to the other side of the room.
Bruce stood at the side of the bed, back to the door, conversing quietly with the two specialists they had called in. It had taken great expense to bring them in, with heavy NDA’s. They were all looking at tablets, as well as watching the monitors above the bed, taking notes as they spoke.
Dean sat on the edge of the chair on the far side of Sam’s bed, his hands clasped together to keep from reaching for his brother while the doctors went through their tests. Tony could see the worry lines drawn all over the hunter’s face. It had taken Natasha’s no-nonsense commands for him to leave the room to get cleaned up and changed. Bobby had vowed to stay with Sam and make sure nothing happened until Dean could return.
It had ended up being a new speed record, Natasha’s eyebrows rising in surprise. The older hunter had only huffed, having not even bothered to sit down, when Dean slid into place next to the bed once again.
Bruce and Bobby had been the only ones allowed near enough to touch his brother. Natasha had left with Steve to go collect Pepper and everything the doctors needed. Clint had asked Bobby to come with him to update Happy on the situation and work on Tower security, prepping for the possibility that either demons or angels might try to breach and get to Sam while he was so vulnerable. Fury had been informed that the last mission had been successful, to a point, so he was working on clearing the Winchesters’ records so they would be free to move around once Sam was back up and in a fit state. He had already planned a visit to the tower once Dean was open to talking. Which wasn’t going to be all that soon.
Tony’s eyes drifted past Dean to the man in the bed.
Sam Winchester’s last mugshot had him at 6’5”. He was definitely tall but could be taller than that as he’d still been growing at that age. The biggest hospital bed he had still left Sam’s feet hanging just off the end. Or Sam’s foot. There was a distinctive blank space where Sam’s missing foot should have been. The cut had been clean, even sealing the blood vessels. He would have compared it to being cut off by a laser, but there were no burns, no cauterization. It was as if Sam had been born missing the foot, but with the end perfectly flat, no skin covering the stump. It was as if a forcefield was wrapped around the cut.
Sam Winchester was also built. Not quite Thor or Steve, but he looked like he had earned those muscles. He had several inches on both of them, as well as on his own brother, which left Dean more solid, where Sam was very lean. Too lean. It was the catatonia that was the most worrying.
They’d closed his eyes. That empty, horrified stare had been eerie. It had taken a few tries to keep them closed, Dean groaning every time they slid back open before they were completely shut.
“If you’re asking about Sam,” Tony replied, looking back down at the tablet he was also tapping on. “He’s pretty much the same. He’s amazingly stable. The leg is a concern but I’m working virtually with a prosthetic specialist for some designs based on what we have left to work with. It’s his mind that we’re most worried about. The scans aren’t looking promising, but there’s something blocking the signal that we’re trying to work around.”
“Hmmm,” Clint hummed.
“When…if he wakes up, we should be able to get a better idea.” Tony sighed deeply, looking up from the tablet at the other side of the room again. “As for his brother,” He shrugged on shoulder, “I’m thinking that depends on Sam.”
“I’ve lived through some shit I’d prefer to never even remember, but these guys…,” Clint shuddered. “Not sure I’d want to wake up after…everything.”
“All that time with two angry archangels?” Tony shared his shudder. “It could be that he’s catatonic because he’s stuck in his own mind with those memories.” He paused thoughtfully. “But that’s not my area of expertise. Want to get Dean’s attention so I can get his input on the design I have going for Sam’s prosthetic?”
“You’re scared,” Clint breathed.
“Cautious. He likes you better and he’s less likely to stab you.”
Clint shook his head with a smile, ambling in to lean over Dean’s shoulder, making sure the hunter knew he was there. He’d learned from Natasha and his own experiences to not sneak up on someone who’s as deadly as they all were. Thor and Steve could take a stab or two; walk it off. Bruce could, but Hulk would most likely step in. Natasha was likely to retaliate.
“Hey, Tony has some schematics he’s working on for Sam’s new leg once he’s up and around.”
Dean grunted, not looking away from Sam’s face. It wasn’t lax as in sleep but also not frowning as though in a nightmare. He appeared to just be waiting quietly for some word to snap up and dive off the bed.
Clint laid a hand on Dean’s shoulder, pulling a blade with his other hand.
“I’ll stay right here until you get back. Between me, Bruce, and Jarvis, if anyone has bad intentions towards Sam, they’ll be dead before they can breathe his air. Bobby vetted the humans.”
He waited for Dean to nod, then shot a glance at Bruce, who also gave a sharp nod. Then, Dean slid up and headed to where Tony stood just inside the doorway.
He had only made it around the end of the bed when the alarms went off.
“Sir,” Jarvis hurried to say, “I’ve detected the anomaly heading to your current location.”
Outside, thunder rolled and lightning crackled.
“And Thor has landed on the balcony on 83. He is on his way, as well.”
Dean had frozen just on this side of the bed, whipping out the demon-killing knife, ready to defend his brother. Steve, with his shield, and Natasha had appeared behind Tony, Widow’s blades in her hands as Tony’s armor whipped in and wrapped around him. Bruce was hustling the doctors to a closed off area to the back of the room, his skin a pale green, past Clint, who had drawn a second blade and was guarding the other side of the bed.
“You guys are fast,” Dean muttered as the electronics in the room flickered.
“Winchester!” An angry voice rumbled through the tower, vibrating the floors and walls.
Dean’s eyes narrowed and he braced himself for an attack.
“You are not welcome here!” Thor’s voice rumbled right behind it.
There was a shriek as the electronics all flared with a bright light, some bulbs bursting in a shower of sparks. The Avengers at the door to the room were flung to the side as a being of energy surged from the hallway, but before it could reach Dean, Thor’s hammer sang through the air, striking the being. It flared, making all of them cover their eyes, but suddenly there was quiet.
“The Warriors Winchester are under protection of Asgard and the Goddess Freya, Queen Frigga,” Thor boomed. “Begone!”
Mjolnir, which had disappeared into the brightness of the being, sparked so they could barely make out the hammer, before the being flickered, then vanished, leaving the hammer floating in the air between the bed where Sam lay and the door, where Thor stood, his eyes filled with lightning, hand outstretched.
“Dean?”
Everyone whipped as one to where Sam was lifting himself up on his elbows, blinking sleepily.
With the electronics finally calmed and the alarms silenced, the only thing Dean could see or hear was his brother, finally sitting up, looking at him quizzically.
Mjolnir floated over to dance around Sam’s face, where he watched it with a smile, before it darted back to land in Thor’s hand.
Sam watched with widening eyes as he recognized the Avengers who were slowly righting themselves and staring back at him. With everyone appearing as stunned as Sam did, the younger hunter locked in on his brother.
“What did I miss?”