For @applypressure

[doctricis]

To say Derek's plan was running unbelievably smooth was... about right. There have been a few hiccups along the way, where Hydra noticed the mere seconds of hesitation from Matt depending on what orders they'd give or the questions they'd ask. Derek tried his best to appear unbothered by their disciplinary reinforcement on him, trying not to flinch as he stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. He had to stay as both his handler and as a medic but sometimes it was just too much for his taste. Every fiber of his being wanting to shove the bigger man throwing punches away from Matt or casually walk over and shut off the machine shooting volts through him.

His superiors had doubts when giving the position to Derek but since then, they've noticed the mission improvements and that alone has Derek on their good side. Even if some of the details of the reports are false. It's enough to give them a little wiggle room from HYDRA's ever watching eyes.

Derek's quite proud that he somehow swapped HYDRA's collar around Matt's neck with his own and HYDRA as yet to notice the change. Matt's gotten better since the first day they met, saying his name easier, gotten better at touching him, asking questions... being more man than a weapon.

Tonight, they ran Matt through an evaluation after their newest mission, having Derek stand outside the room with an armed guard standing in front of the door. It was quiet for awhile... until he could start hearing the contact of fists. Something happened in there that they didn't like to see or hear and Derek takes a deep breath at the thought, wondering what he'll need to patch him up with when they get back to their basement quarter.

Comments

[applypressure]

It's been an interesting, if odd, experience having Derek as his handler. In addition to always having his own personal medic on hand, the man's methods are nothing like the asset would have expected. He was reticent at first, uncomfortable with a methodology change he didn't understand. But it's grown easier for him to accept the longer Derek works with him. And as a result, the Devil finds himself feeling more in control of himself, more human.

Unfortunately, the result of that feeling is that he doesn't always respond the way HYDRA's leaders and scientists would like. And it makes them especially unhappy when an inquiry about why he allowed a civilian witness to escape instead of killing them is answered with a simple 'I didn't want to'. To make matters worse, when one of the guards steps up to respond to the insubordination with a corrective blow, Matt counters by grabbing the man's arm and twisting it until the bone snaps.

The three remaining guards are on him in an instant, their body armor and the butts of their rifles much more effective than his simple cotton sweats and his fists. Nonetheless, the agent conducting the evaluation eventually calls Derek into the room, instructing him to get his asset under control and remove him before the guards decide to just kill him.

[doctricis]

When Derek's allowed in, his steps are slow as he looks over at the guard cradling his broken arm, well that certainly answers one question, he can't help but smirk as he walks past. His gaze traveling over to the other three guards and the asset then back to the agent in charge as he gives them a little wave of his hand as if this was something he didn't want to do, "I got it, I got it." It doesn't take long to close the distance to where he can push aside the guards to get to Matt.

He has to remain professional here, too casual of a touch or an order might make them suspect something so he simply reaches out to him and when he can, grabs a hold of the Devil's forearm with firm grip and gives a little squeeze for him to focus on. Not that he really needs it but his voice is stern when he speaks again, "We're done here, c'mon."

Derek knows he'll listen, that he's not worried about, as he lets go of his hold as turns away from the asset to address the agent, "Please send a copy of the report to me, when you get the chance. I'd like to properly discipline the asset based on proper orders given." He won't, of course. Maybe a little lecture while he patches the few cuts he's sporting thanks to the guards but nothing too severe.

He doesn't wait for a reply from the agent before he's already moving to leave, not bothering to check if Matt follows or not.

[applypressure]

He's aware the moment Derek enters the room, of course, and that fact itself draws a little of his focus away from the fight. Consequently, he takes a blow or two that wouldn't have landed normally. When his handler moves in close, Matt's stance becomes more defensive, not against him but to protect him from any potential attack from the guards.

That attack doesn't come, and instead a familiar touch lands on his arm. His body language doesn't relax exactly, but it does become less aggressive and more controlled, and with a nod of acknowledgement he does indeed follow Derek out of the room.

By the time they reach their shared quarters, the asset is expecting some kind of discipline. It's obvious in the way he stands stiffly just inside, arms loose at his sides, head slightly bowed and eyes hooded. He won't apologize for his response, but he does recognize that it was problematic.

[doctricis]

When they’re standing behind closed doors again, Derek turns to face the asset, giving a tilt of his head at his body language before stepping forward and bringing his hands up towards his face. He was more concerned about how hurt he was than reprimanding him for his actions. The asset already knew he stepped out of line in there, that has been drilled into him enough to know that much. The hits from the guards served as a reminder.

He'll remind him not to speak out of line in front of his superiors later. The rules they had here, behind the safety of closed doors were different than those outside it. Ones they had to play by no matter how their relationship changed. They still had HYDRA's protocols to follow, superiors whose orders they shouldn't speak out of line from.

Derek can only protect him as far as his rank allowed him. If they thought he wasn't doing his job of handling the asset, they could have him replaced easily.

“Where are you hurt?” He asks, his voice soft as he lifted Matt’s face up a little so he can see him better in the light.

[applypressure]

There was a time when the answer to that question would have been 'nowhere important', or just silence. Assets are expected to handle pain and injuries without remarking on them. Admitting to being bothered by them is akin to admitting weakness.

Now, however, he's gotten used to this new dynamic. So as Derek examines the obvious cuts and bruises to his face, the asset indicates the couple of places on his torso where the guards got in particularly painful blows. "Nothing is broken, but some of the bruises are deep."

He feels disappointed in himself, for the way he handled the briefing. It was poorly done, and his handler has every right to discipline him. But he knows it won't happen that way. And the asset's emotions have unfrozen enough to be grateful for that.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to lie to them."

[doctricis]

"Afraid there isn't much I can do for the bruising besides giving you an ice pack and some compression bandaging so it'll be a bit uncomfortable until they fully heal on their own." Derek chimes with as he listens to Matt list off the injuries.

The medic guides the asset by hand to sit down on the bed in his office of sorts while he fished around for antiseptic and a few bandages for the deeper cuts. His touch is ever gentle as he cleans the wounds. He wasn't entirely expecting the asset to apologize for the debriefing mishap but it showed his own personal progress.

"It's alright. You're still learning... and I don't expect this to be easy for you." He applies a bandage to the cut on the Devil's cheekbone, "It'll get easier with time. We just gotta practice until we reach that point and then it'll become like second nature to you. Leaving them none the wiser." He says with a little smile as he goes about looking over some of the deeper bruising the asset had pointed out.

Leaving him again to walk over to the small freezer cabinet to pull out an ice pack and wrap it in a small towel, "Press this against the deeper bruises for a little while and then I'll wrap them up for you. We'll take it easy for the next day or two since I know they won't allow much for downtime when dealing with minor injuries like these."