Work Text:
Toro normally kept it simple in battle. Mostly fire, a little gas when needed, and he was starting to get comfortable with water. He didn't like to take risks, especially when he was with his friends. This fight was a little above the Invaders typical repriture though, and he figured he could take some liberties if he needed to.
Fire.
Water.
Fire.
Fire.
Gas.
Vibranium alloy.
Fire.
Fire. Gas.
More Vibranium. Sodium. Water.
Gas. Fire. Water. Aluminium. Fir-
His vision danced with spots. He had just enough time to call out to his teammates before the world went dark.
---
Spitfire saw it before anyone, possibly even Toro himself. By the time he’d shouted, she was already there to catch him. His fire faded away into a dim haze of heat as he fell, reminding Jackie disturbingly of another fight. At first glance she didn't notice any injuries, but she needed to find cover in order to check properly.
Jackie managed to get both of them tucked away behind a relatively sturdy piece of rubble. Where’s Namor when you need him? Nevermind, she needed to make sure Toro wasn’t bleeding out- or in- before this fight got any worse.
She quickly checked her friend’s vitals. His breathing was steady, if a little rapid, his pulse was fast too, likely a consequence of adrenaline. She couldn’t find any sign of major bleeding, though he was awfully pale.
Jim’s worried voice crackled over the coms. Jackie reassured him, and tried not to notice no one else checked in. (They were in battle, and they probably heard her and Jim’s exchange anyway, she tried to reason. It didn’t make her feel better.)
A pained hiss from below caught her attention, and a moment later Toro’s eyes flickered open. They looked dull, a stark contrast to the brilliant bright glow they had when he used his new powers.
“Jac?”
“Right here,” Jackie rested a hand on his.
“I passed out?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit.”
Jackie made a noise in agreement. A large explosion, followed by a series of whoops and cheers in the comms, signalled the end of the fight. Toro pushed himself up. Jackie offered a hand to help, but it was ignored.
Jim all but tackled Toro as soon as he saw him. The younger man hugged back, and whispered gentle reassurances that he was fine.
---
Later, once most of the team had gone home, Jackie found herself lingering in Toro’s apartment. Jim was there too, ‘just hanging out’, and staying within arm’s reach of Toro. (Jim had been much more protective ever since the Incident with Namor.) Eventually, once dishes were cleaned, and coffee was made, and it was asked more times than felt natural if they wanted anything to eat, Toro and Jim both made their way over to the couch. Jackie followed a bit behind, unsure if she was really welcome for this, or if Toro was just too polite to tell her to leave.
“What happened out there?” Jim started, more direct than Jackie expected.
Toro sighed and stared into his coffee, as if choosing his words.
“I’m not like you Jim. The amount of energy I have is more- finite.”
“So you ran out?”
Toro nodded.
“It was always a problem, even before,” he gestured vaguely, “But when I try for new, or heavier elements, it takes more. I can usually manage, I just wasn’t paying attention.”
Jim nodded thoughtfully. He carefully took Toro’s hand.
“Thank you for trusting me with this.”
----
Jackie left Toro’s apartment shortly thereafter. She was unsurprised, but very annoyed to spot a familiar figure standing on a nearby roof.
“You’re a long way from Atlantis,” She greeted.
Namor jumped, apparently unaware of her approach. Odd, he was one of the few with good enough reflexes to hear her coming and react.
“Nor does this appear to be Falsworth,” He countered. It fell flat, lacking the distinctive bite, but Jackie couldn’t care.
“What do you want?”
Namor didn’t answer for a moment, and continued to stare down at Toro’s building. Some very dark, mean part of Jackie’s mind considered pushing him off the roof. It wouldn’t actually hurt him, probably, but it wouldn’t solve anything either. She’d promised Jim to play nice, so…
“Is he well?” Namor interrupted the thought.
“You lost the right to that question the day you almost killed him,” Jackie snapped. Namor didn’t respond, just turned and leapt into the sky in one motion far too graceful for a man of his build.
Jackie was left alone on the roof, feeling vaguely angry but mostly empty.