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[jumpthegun]

You've reached Dr. John Watson. Please leave a message.

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[awwnoun]

I guess we must just be reliving what happened. That's all I can get out of it, and out of what I've seen everybody talking about.

Not a particularly fun vacation we're on here, is it.

[jumpthegun]

Mm... I dunno if it's that. Even if it is making us relive things, you'd think there'd be a point to that. Either someone or something hit the wrong wires and that's important because what were they trying to do? Or they did it on purpose. And what does that mean?

[awwnoun]

I don't know. [ He has a headache, and he kind of just groans. ] I'm not brainy enough to figure this stuff out. I just want them to stop making us --

It'd just be nice to stop having to be tortured.

[jumpthegun]

[John isn't, either, but he's used to asking questions and looking to his best friend to help sort out the answers.]

It would, yeah. Sherlock is going to help us sort this out, Clint. I promise. He's... he's a little rattled right now, but he'll be back on his game soon enough.

[awwnoun]

I don't blame him for taking a day or two, John. [ Sigh. ]

Just - hey, question though, while I've got you on the line. You talked to Natasha about getting me a prescription, right?

[jumpthegun]

The work helps him, at least. Shouldn't be long. [It's a trait they share--throw yourself into the case and let other problems fade away.]

I was talking to her, but she never confirmed for me that I had your permission to prescribe. If you'd like to give it I can write you a 'script now and you'll have the meds by tomorrow.

[awwnoun]

No, that's the thing. I wanted to make sure she didn't get me one. So that's good, I'm glad she didn't.

[jumpthegun]

[The Dad tone is coming out, Clint. Are you ready for it?]

Clint. If you need medication, you need medication. Don't be a martyr.

[So says John Watson, professional martyr.]

[awwnoun]

I don't need it. And look who's talking, Mr. I Lose Limbs Every Time I Try To Help People.

[jumpthegun]

I've never lost a limb here, thanks. [He's going to get pedantic if you're going to be a brat about it.]

If Ms. Romanov's noticed the pain, then you need it. It doesn't need to be narcotics, if that's what you're worried about. I can get you prescription-grade ibuprofen.

[awwnoun]

Mr. I Lose Valuable Functioning of Body Parts Every Time I Try To Help People. [ Gonna add on a heaping pile of brat, here. ]

Natasha notices everything, including things that aren't there or things that look worse than they actually are. She's my best friend, she picks it out. [ He sniffs. ] It doesn't hurt bad enough to waste resources.

[jumpthegun]

Out of the pair of us, I'm pretty sure, I'm the one who takes medicine when that does happen.

You are not a waste of resources, Clint. I'm convinced. I'm prescribing you pain meds. You can take them or leave them, but they'll be there. [And he knows Nat will make Clint take them.]

[awwnoun]

No! [ He says it sharply. ] Don't. You're wasting - someone else is going to need you to prescribe them something, and it's going to be way worse than mine, and you're going to have used up all your prescriptions. That's what's going to happen, and - no. I won't.

You're not my doctor, you can't.

[jumpthegun]

[John raises his brows, and he pulls back from the sass and sarcasm.]

Clint, what's going on with you? We're not running low on mid- and high-grade pain medications. And even if we were, you deserve to not being in pain. You'll function better if you're not in pain. You'll be able to help us get out better if you're not in pain.

[awwnoun]

No, but we could be, and soon. We already messed up the healing thing. I read about it, there used to be a function where they'd do immediate medical attention, and now it's gone. I don't want that to happen to prescriptions - I don't want to contribute to that when other people could need it more.

[ He actually sounds upset - it's not just because of the pills. There's a lot more that hurts, it's just coming out under this guise. ] I can help just fine. It doesn't hurt that bad.

[jumpthegun]

So everyone else can contribute except for you? You know that sounds really not-good, right? [There's a pause, and John sighs.] Guess Sherlock's not the only one rattled. Clint, what happened last night wasn't your fault. You don't need to punish yourself for what happened with suffering.

[awwnoun]

No, that's not - that's not what I meant, I mean - we have a limited amount and I don't want to take from that limited amount when I don't need --

[ You don't have to punish yourself. Clint's on audio, but his lips tighten and thin, white. ] I killed people. I'm not going to argue with you about how that's not my fault. That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.

[jumpthegun]

[That's the nail on the head, then.]

Yes, it has. Clint, honestly, if I had managed to kill anyone the other night, I'd be in your same shoes. There's still a part of me that thinks losing my eye... maybe that was a good thing. Makes me less of a threat for the next go 'round. But you have to know that's guilt talking.

We have a limited amount of time to use our limited amount of resources in, and if everyone tries to suffer nobly, it'll be a lot of pain for no good reason. You don't have to use the whole bottle. You can give it away if your symptoms let up. There are three people in your group. God knows one of you is going to need some pain meds now and again with who you are.

Think about this logically. Please.

[awwnoun]

It's too easy to just let it go like that. I know you haven't. [ He ignores all of those logical reasons for the one that tells him he's taking something from someone else who needs it more. ]

We can't just pretend like we shouldn't feel guilt and responsibility for this. I ripped into a kid. There's no getting around that.

[jumpthegun]

[He hasn't let it go, but it's do as I say, not as I do. John can lie when he needs to comfort someone.]

It might be too easy, but it's what needs to be done if we're gonna move past what's happened. And we have to move past it. I know that's hard to hear, and I know you don't think it's right. It's not fair. None of this is fair to any of the people here. That doesn't matter, Clint.

Hawkeye, you have a duty to be in the best shape you can possibly be in to protect the people here. That means looking after your own well-being. Barring that, you need to let me look after it. You're not being objective.

[awwnoun]

[ He's heard this from Tony, too. And he agrees, he does, he just - doesn't know how to get to that point. He doesn't see how he can feel like he can protect people when he did the worst possible thing he could to an innocent kid. ]

And you're trying to mom me. [ But it's not mean, just kind of listless. ] I don't want a prescription. I'm fine. You need to take care of yourself and stop trying to take care of me.

[jumpthegun]

I'm trying to be your friend, Clint. And a doctor. Or a commander, if that's more palatable. If you were one of the men under my command, I would've ordered you to get medical attention. Doesn't really matter what you want. It's what you need.

I need you in good shape. You're an asset to the people here. You need to get past your self-doubt and realize that this isn't just for you, it's for me and Tony and Nat, and anyone else who likes you or relies on you.

[Again, do as I say, not as I do. He's going to ignore that comment to take care of himself.]

[awwnoun]

[ Hoo boy. Now he bristles again - because Clint doesn't like orders and when he hears them, he's a contrary brat just to be a contrary brat. This sounds an awful lot like Steve, and Clint's not having it. ]

I don't need someone trying to give me orders, no. You don't know what my pain level is at, or what I'm used to. Stop dodging around me pointing out that you need to take care of yourself, it's getting old.

Not that anybody can rely on you to do that. The second you go anywhere by yourself you end up half dead because for some reason, everybody else is more important than you are.

[jumpthegun]

[John can feel himself bristling, in turn, but he's not going to engage Clint on that level.]

What's getting old is you trying to bring this back around to an issue about me so it'll get the focus off of you, Clint. Every time that I've gotten hurt, I've taken appropriate medication steps. If you're trying to compare our situations, you're doing a piss poor job of it, mate.

[awwnoun]

[ See, he know John's tricks, and apparently, John knows his, so that's annoying. Clint makes a frustrated noise. ]

Someone's gotta do it. Turn this back on you. You're as determined as I am not to let anybody worry about you.