YEAR TWO COPING WITHOUT THEM

Time had passed, yet the wounds left by Thanos still felt fresh. Scars were left on their hearts from the loss of Messalina, and a permanent reminder of their failure had been etched onto Octavian's skin forever. If this hadn't been enough to defeat Curio and Octavian, Locusta's hospitalisation had. 

After she had let her rage consume her, her poison quickly tried to burn her body from the inside out. Thankfully they had gotten back in time to get Locusta to a hospital where she's now laying in a coma, surrounded by nurses and doctors in hazmat suits and a bubble protecting the outside from her potential danger. In a few days she was going to be placed into cyro, doctors believing that this may be the only way to save her. 

It had been really hard coping without them - now all Curio and Octavian had left were each other. That knowledge didn't act as much reassurance, especially with Octavian away indefinitely training with Matt Murdock in order to overcome his blindness and be able to return to the field. 

And that left Curio all alone. 

He tried to fill his days with meaning; he would visit Locusta as often as he could, speaking to doctors who had the same news to report every day. "She's stable." The words were deaf to his ears as each time, through the window over the doctors shoulder he could see the poison surging up through Locusta's skin and sometimes oozing out onto the linen sheets. When he'd leave he would go back home, to the Avengers compound, where Natasha would be organising the effort to keep intergalactic peace and get information on Thanos. She asked for his help more times than he could count - all he did was offer to make lunch. 

Sometimes he would visit Steve's support groups. No matter how hard he tried to engage with Steve's positive attitude, his advice on how to cope with the grief, he couldn't focus on it. It all felt like words. Curio knew this, from the way Steve almost looked like he was telling a lie when he told people he had moved on. 

Steve hadn't moved on. None of them had. 

That was why Natasha was working as hard as what she was. That was why Steve was lying through his teeth. That was why Octavian abandoned him so he could hone his skills and take down the one monster who caused all of this suffering. 

That's why Curio remained at the Avengers compound. 

Nothing about that complex was homely. It was large, void of noise and empty rooms missing their owners. It was a constant reminder of what they had lost. 

Curio walked down these halls now, paying little mind to the incessant thrum of pain emitting from his arm. His footsteps were like gun shots to his ears - bang, bang, bang - until everything around him was dead. 

He tuned all of this out, meeting Natasha in the office nestled into the side of the complex. She was laid out with her legs propped high, throwing an apple up in the air. When she heard Curio coming she stopped, giving the man a small smile. He didn't have the energy to smile back. 

"Hey Curio, it's all free for you now." She pushed herself off the desk, getting off her chair with an inhumane like grace. Curio nodded, shuffling into the space she once occupied and noted how warm the seat had been. She'd been sat here a long time. 

"Hey, Nat." Natasha stopped in her footsteps, turning around to face Curio. That small smile was on her face, and he marvelled at how it could have been stuck there for so long. "Have you had a break today?" 

"I stopped at 12 for a bite to eat." Natasha shrugged. A quick glance at the time told Curio it was way past eight at night. 

"Please look after yourself." 

She just kept on smiling, shaking her head at him. She bit into her apple, nodding to the laptop screen open wide in front of him. "Enjoy your catch up." 

Curio didn't say anything else. She took it as a sign to leave, the only sound for a few seconds being the distinct crunch of the apple being eaten. 

He sighed, turning his attention back to the laptop in front of him. Hesitantly he logged in, opening the video calling app. His eyes darted back to the time. 8.12 PM. He was due to call Octavian in twenty minutes, yet he still had no idea what to say to him. What could he say? A few days after Locusta had been admitted to hospital him and Octavian had a massive fight, and before he even had a chance to apologise Octavian had left to go get his life back on track. 

He wished he could pick himself up as easily as Octavian did. His resolve had crumbled once he had realised half of the people he had come with had fallen. Fear told him that he would be next. 

His eyes danced to the time once again. 8.20 PM. 

Think, Curio cursed himself. He needed to think of something he could say to Octavian, besides update him on how Locusta is stable but doesn't appear to be waking up any time soon. He didn't want to give Octavian an insight to how his days have recently been filled with the same monotonous drone, to the point where sometimes he would wake up and wonder why he even bothered to move. 

But seeing his face would make it okay. 

He told himself that the moment he saw Octavian's face he would know what to say. And no matter what he said it would be okay, because everything will be alright. 

8.32 PM. 

Curio eagerly watched the screen for any sign of change. Octavian's contact didn't show any indication of being active. 

It's okay, it's only a few minutes, Curio assured himself. He told himself that in no time he'll be talking to Octavian and all the venomous words said on his departure would be healed. 

8.51 PM. 

Curio sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. There wasn't much else he could tell himself now to make up for what had happened. Clearly Octavian didn't want to speak to him. He was fine with that. After all, Octavian was the one who left. He'd clearly been thinking about leaving for a while. 

He checked the time one last time. 8.55 PM. 

Curio's face remained impassive as he logged off of the laptop, shutting it down. He stood up from the chair as if nothing was wrong, switching off the light to the office. The only indication of his feelings was the slamming of the office door that shook the entire building. 

He wanted to believe that he was okay with Octavian blowing him off. But he was furious. So when the doorbell rung throughout the complex and Natasha was no where to be seen, Curio stormed to the front door, swinging it open so fast the door nearly flew off it's hinges. 

Curio froze. 

Octavian stood before him, a suitcase in hand and a smug smile on his face. He looked directly at Curio, much to his surprise, and muttered two words. "Miss me?" 

Curio punched him in the gut.

-

hey guys! sorry this is a few days delayed, but it's here now! i did try to write another chapter last week but it didn't happen, so i'm going to work my ass off to make sure i get something done today. wish me luck lol. 

anyways i hope everyone is staying safe! i understand that these are really scary times, and it can wreck havoc on us all so if you ever need someone to talk to or just a distraction feel free to message me, i'd love to help in any way i can.

thanks for reading, see you all soon!

-thirdwheelchurchill