joasakura:

Location: Another in an endless array of shitty alternate earths.

Lying in the choking smog of cement dust in ash, Rictor has just about fucking had enough. When they get back to their earth, he’s going to shove Mephisto- and Guido’s – heads so far up their asses they’re gonna look like a Möbius strip.

On the plus side, the sentinels following them had been swallowed when Rictor collapsed a section of bedrock and the earth had opened up and taken them and an abandoned strip mall along for the ride.

But he thinks he can hear the sound of this world’s HYDRA forces through the ringing in his ears so he drags himself up, and looks for Shatterstar. The big redhead was next to him when it all went down, and Ric remembers white and black and red in his vision as ‘Star shielded him and…

“I’m here,” ‘Star grunts, one leg pinned under some rubble. “They’re coming, Julio, you have to think, so I can open a gate for you.”

“Lemme just get this thing off you first,” Ric starts, already seeing the faults in the cement block, where to split the fragmenting earth in it.

‘Star’s hand closes over his and he shakes his head. “I can’t walk. I think something sharp in there has severed my femoral artery. I can feel the edge,” He says with an eerie calm. “The moment you take the pressure off, I’m going to bleed out. My healing factor isn’t as fast as Wolverine’s, Julio. It won’t be able to keep up before shock sets in.”

“I’m not just leaving you here to be taken or killed by a bunch of mutant-hunting fascists, baby.” Ric kneels beside him. “I passed all my first aid courses that Scott made us take back in the day.”

“Julio,”

“I’m serious, ‘Star. I’m never gonna abandon you again.”

Oh, my heart!