Rocks Fall Everyone... (Closed to Quill, Peter, and Alec)

[st_hotflashes]

Liz was, again, dressed in the leather outfit that Quill had 'designed' in order for her to look and feel more like a superhero. Today was a training day and so she was following Quill out into the wilderness for whatever task he had planned for her. After what happened in Europe, Liz really wanted to be sure she could hold her own. She wanted to be Peter's equal, not a hindrance.

Comments

[st_arkintern]

Through the combined efforts of Quill and Alec, Peter finally manages to burst out through the rubble with an audible gasp --

-- and pulls, then pushes Liz out ahead of him.

[st_x5_494]

When Peter pushed Liz out, she let out another cry in pain and her eyes opened from the surge of adrenaline. It was the only reason why Alec reached for her rather than for Peter.

"You okay?" He pulled Liz to him, but was looking at Peter.

[st_arlord]

With Liz taken care of, Quill went on pulling a few more rocks away and held out his hand to Peter.

"Knew you could do it," He said. Thank God you're not dead.

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, yeah," Peter says, breathless. "I'm fine."

He's not fine.

But when Quill offers him his hand, he doesn't take it; instead, he unsteadily pulls himself to his feet, looks briefly over at Liz, then turns his attention back up to Quill.

"What were you and Liz doing?"

[st_x5_494]

Had it been any other moment, Alec might have smirked at the response Peter gave to Quill, but at the moment he was still in triage mode. His eyes scanned over Peter - he'd be fine. He has seen the kid in worse. Then he started to inspect Liz. Concussion for sure. Maybe a rib broken - that would be hard to tell unless he prodded further, but he wasn't sure it mattered because they were going to have to go to the clinic and find someone like Pike or Kash unless Liz didn't want to use her foot again. It was bad. He could see bone.

Alec pulled off his shirt and started to tend to her foot, mostly to cover it up so Peter couldn't see the extent of the damage. He'd see the blood, but that could just be from a cut.

[st_arlord]

A beat passed when Peter didn't take Quill's offered hand. He tried not to look like that bothered him, but it did. Suck it up, Quill, you almost killed his girlfriend, you idiot.

"We were just training," He started to explain apologetically. "Then this, whatever it was - bird bear thing - showed up and it looked like it was going to attack and things got confusing."

[st_arkintern]

"You were just training?" Peter echoes; it's clear from how he says it that he's angry.

"If I hadn't been here, Liz would have died. She would have been crushed under all of that."

Peter gestures at the pile of rubble.

[st_x5_494]

Alec had to bite back an 'I told you so', but he was at least thankful that Peter seemed to see how a nonchalant attitude was dangerous.

"Even with you here, you both could have died." Alec looked pointedly at Peter for a moment, then glared at Quill, before looking around to for something to set Liz's leg. Even though it would be healed back at the Inn, they needed to get her there first and putting it in a splint would minimize the pain she felt.

He left Liz on the ground and walked to the nearest branch. He ripped it off the tree and headed back to prepare the splint.

[st_arlord]

"I know," He said, almost defensively. "I know I messed up, okay? I wasn't actually planning for animals to show up. She's not actually ready to deal with living things."

If she had just pulled the trigger when I said...

Quill could feel Gamora glare at him from wherever she was.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" He said, "I didn't mean for all this to happen, but you were here and she's not dead, so that's something."

[st_hotflashes]

She was semi-conscious, the pain from being pulled from the rubble having pushed her enough to be awake. She was aware, too, of Alec around her. He moved in a familiar way that Liz had gotten used to, though she couldn't help but wish it were Peter there, despite knowing that she was in good hands with Alec.

Good hands, maybe, but she settle felt the searing pain from her foot and she cried out again as Alec set her leg into a splint. He said something like 'it will help for later' but she wasn't sure what the met. She blinked back tears and tried not to let on how much she had been scared or how much it hurt - she wanted to be strong for Peter. This was her fault, after all.

[st_arkintern]

"It doesn't matter if you didn't mean for it to happen -- it still happened!"

Peter hardly ever gets really, truly angry, but he feels it simmering beneath the surface. He suddenly understands now why Mr. Stark was so angry with him back on the ferry.

"Intentions don't matter when people get hurt because of you."

Peter speaks from experience here. 100%.

[st_x5_494]

This might be the first time that Alec 100% agreed with all of the things that Peter was saying. It actually surprised him a little, though he remained focused on monitoring Liz. He was almost done the splint.

[st_arlord]

He held up his hands, which were scrapped and dirty from helping earlier.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, genuinely. "As much as I'd like to, I can't turn back time."

Quill felt bad, but he also felt a little annoyed. Accidents happen. It's part of the job.

"This kind of stuff is dangerous some times." He said without thinking. "Accidents happen."

[st_arkintern]

"Accidents happen, but they usually don't involve an entire cave caving
in on someone," Peter says, gesturing to the rubble again.

"You're the adult here," he says. "It's your responsibility to make sure that Liz's safe. It doesn't matter if it was an accident. If you can't handle the responsibility, you shouldn't do it."

[st_x5_494]

"As much as I like what I'm hearing, And trust me, I do." His eyes moved to Quill. "and you should really stop talking before I break your jaw so you can't talk." Seriously, the urge to punch was so high.

"I need help getting her back to the Inn. I could carry her myself, but she'll be in less pain if we can seat-carry her." Which meant two people. "She's losing a lot of blood." He was not going to tell Peter about how bad the leg was.

[st_arlord]

"I can handle it." He argued, ignoring Alec. "It wouldn't have gone like this if she had just listened. If she wasn't so -"

Quill stopped himself before he said something he would regret.

He turned to Alec and looked at Liz.

"I'll help," he said. Time to try and make up for my mistake...

[st_x5_494]

Alec could think of a dozen ways to finish that sentence and Quill would be right in all of them but a) he didn't want to agree with Quill and b) he didn't think Quill got a say right now anyways.

He pointed at Quill over Liz's body. Liz, who was currently holding her head with one dirty, brusied hand. "You're touching her over my head body." He wasn't exactly being protective of Liz so much as he didn't want Quill making more of a mess of things, and he was being bitter.

Quill was lucky Alec somehow became in charge of the girl because he really wanted to get up and beat the shit out of him. His medic training wouldn't let him.

"You've done enough. You should be thankful we have magic in this stupid place or else - " he paused and glanced to Peter, then didn't finish the sentence.

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't say anything. He's filthy and he's tired and he's aching and he's still coming off the fear of being trapped under the rubble with Liz and being afraid that he'd end up hurting her in any attempt to escape.

Now probably isn't the best time to be having this argument anyway.

Peter shakes his head and helps Alec pick up Liz, and once they're both ready, lifts her up.

[st_x5_494]

Alec is pretty sure Liz doesn't have any broken ribs because she seemed to be breathing okay in her sitting position. Not that it really mattered once they got her to the clinic.

Liz, for her part, focused on keeping upright and still for them, though she desperately wanted to close to eyes and lean against Peter. She blinked lazily. She was only catching bits and pieces of conversation.

"Sorry." Alec managed in the middle of their walk back.

[st_arlord]

Quill watched as the started to walk away in disbelief and guilt. He was trying to help, but every turn he made turned out wrong.

"Fine, I'll just stay here and.... Clean up." He said, trying to make a joke even he knew was lame.

He sighed and shook his head.

"Good going, Star-Lord." He muttered to himself.