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Curt and Owen got to their shared hotel room after another rough mission. They'd both gotten out without any problems!
Well…
Except for one.
Curt hasn’t told Owen yet, but on their way of getting away, one of the facility workers manages to stab his right side. He was lucky that Owen wasn’t up for an argument while there were a ton of Russians chasing them, because when he said, ‘we’ll talk about this when we’re alone and safe at the hotel,’ Curt decided he’d do anything to avoid that confrontation. He knows he wasn’t paying attention and that that was his own fault, but come on, accidents happen!
That's why he was now hiding in the bathroom with the door locked after sprinting over to it to make sure Owen couldn't even get one word out the second they were behind closed doors. He hasn't done anything yet, just looking at himself in the mirror, trying to build up the confidence to take his jacket off and look at the damage. He really wasn't looking forward to it, but he knew that he eventually had to. Curt knew Owen was standing at the other side of the door, almost having it slammed into his face when he followed after him towards the bathroom.
“Bloody idiot..” he heard Owen mutter as he sounded like he was pacing around in front of the bathroom. Curt always tried his best to keep the mood up when these things happened. Each and every time his partner helped him take care of another wound or criticised his decisions, Curt did his best to make the situation feel less serious, looking at Owen with a lopsided smirk and making a little charming comment.
Curt assumed that Owen would eventually probably knock and at least try to initiate the dreaded conversation. So he wasn’t surprised by the soft knocks on the bathroom door.
“Curt.. you’re going to have to open the door anyway. You can’t hide in there forever, you know?” Owen is annoyed. It’s clear as day as it seeps into his tone, yet Curt couldn’t deny the underlying tone of concern there was to be heard. He reflexively stepped back, unzipping his jacket as if to prove he had been spending his time productively.
“You can't make me!” Curt hissed through gritted teeth as he put his hands on his hips, immediately dropping them to his sides again in pain.
Owen was quiet for a moment.
“You’ve seen me break down doors before, Curt. I will do so if you don’t stop being such a bloody stubborn fool.” Curt shut his eyes, slowly taking off his jacket and throwing it to the side as he listened.
“You of all people should know it’s a bad idea to break down the door in a hotel, Owe.” Curt heard Owen lean his back against the door and he sighed. He avoided looking into the mirror for as long as he could.
“You know what, suit yourself.” Owen leaned his head back against the door with a soft thud.
“Fine…”
“Fine.”
“Fine!” Curt would’ve almost felt bad if he wasn’t already busy staying on the ground as he looked at the dark red stain on his shirt. He felt the colour drain from his face and he went dizzy at the sight. He leaned over the sink, taking deep breaths to try and ground himself. He could hear Owen on the other side get up and open a bottle before walking back to the bathroom door.
Curt looked back at his reflection and couldn’t hold back anymore, turning to the toilet and kneeling down in front of it as he started dry heaving. He heard that Owen was trying to open the bathroom door and did his best to unlock it without moving his head away from the toilet. Owen entered the bathroom right after and got down next to Curt, rubbing his back as Curt started emptying his stomach, his vision blurred by the tears that started to form.
After Curt had managed to calm down and relax again, Owen helped him clean up. Owen had started disinfecting Curt’s wound and Curt avoided eye contact no matter how many times he saw his partner looking over at him.
“You should really stop being such a stubborn twat, love. You don’t always have to do this all on your own.” Owen used the cotton swab to get rid of anything in the wound. He moved a little more gently when Curt winced and grabbed onto his free hand. Curt could hear the caring tone in Owen’s voice that he always had when he was worried.
“It really isn’t that bad. I could’ve done this myself perfectly fine,” Curt grumbled. It got the Brit to roll his eyes. Both of them knew that was a complete lie, one just didn’t want to admit it.
-
With his side all bandaged up, Curt sat down on his bed in the hotel room with his head down. He stayed quiet for a while, and the silent and dark night made this feel even lonelier than it was. He felt Owen sit down next to him without saying anything. Curt was fidgeting with his hands and bouncing his leg. It was very visible that he was not relaxed.
Owen put a hand on his leg, his thumb slowly caressing him. The two of them stayed quiet and Curt rested his head on Owen’s shoulder, who leaned against the American right after.
Curt was always glad he wouldn’t have to speak if he didn’t feel like it. It felt like Owen always knew what he was trying to say, as if he could read his mind. The silence was suddenly much more comforting. Curt slowly put one of his own hands on top of Owen’s. They intertwined their fingers and Curt got a little smile on his face, squeezing his partner’s hand three times.
I love you.
Owen did it back.
I love you.
Curt lifted his head and his free hand brushed over the nape of Owen’s neck. He pressed a slow kiss on Owen’s lips, who gladly kissed him back. They gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment.
“You should really be more careful, Curt.” Owen kept his voice at a low volume.
Curt gave the Brit a hesitant nod and avoided eye contact. He knew Owen was right, Owen always was. But sometimes he just hoped to avoid that.
“I’ll try.”
“Thank you, love.”