[ Does that mean, to some extent, that Viktor will be performing his own surgery? Steve's frown deepens at the thought, but he knows that if nothing else, Jayce and Tony will be present.

Besides, he can't give advice on that in particular, but there is a reason he asked. He squares his shoulders and crosses his arms over his chest, sizing Viktor up for a moment. He can almost see that the pain is now weighing him down, pressing into his bones, but the fight hasn't left him yet. There's still that driven, unconquerable look in his eye. ]

I don't know all the details, but... chances are it's gonna be painful, right? It's gonna hurt like hell. [ This is the part no one wants to acknowledge or talk about, but Steve's been there. ] There may be moments when you want to just stop, when you're screaming so much that everyone else around you wants to stop too. Just... find some way to push through it. If that means mentally going somewhere else, or picking a thought or image to focus on until it's over, you just have to hold on.

[ That small speech, if it could be called that, is delivered with the intensity of someone who's speaking from experience. He clears his throat when he's done, then steps forward to grip Viktor's shoulder, tilting his head down to meet his gaze. ]

You've got this. All right?