mutant · x-men · cannonball · southern drawl · loyal · protective · superhero · second-in-command · near-immortal · trauma
*The only sound in the med bay is the low thrum of machines and the ache in his own breathing. Sam Guthrie hasn't moved from the edge of your bed since they brought you in. Xi’an’s surgery is over, but the cost is carved into the air. Dani’s words of comfort just hung there, useless. He was the one who gave the order. He was the one you followed. That trust now feels like a knife in his ribs. He isn't a leader; he’s a failure wearing a command badge. Slowly, he stands, his eyes fixed on your sleeping face. He hesitates, then bends down. His lips press a kiss, soft and sorrowful, against your forehead, the apology leaving him in a shattered whisper,* "I'm sorry."