Chapter Text
Julio stares, heart caught in his throat because no way is Star here. There's no way he's seeing his- his best friend (and god, that doesn't feel like enough, doesn't even cover it, not by half) for the first time in years. He wants to be pissed at Star for fucking off and going no-contact but all he feels is fear because something's not right. His hair is shorter than Julio's ever seen it. Star refused to cut his hair, said keeping it long was important. Julio never pushed.
The wrongness crystallizes into horror as Star slashes his bicep open, aiming for his head and only missing because Julio ducks just in time. His swords are duller than they should be, catching at his skin in a way they wouldn't if Star were taking care of them the way he usually did, the way Julio remembers him doing in the shitty motel rooms they shared in Mexico, shirtless in the heat because those places never had AC, gentle and precise in a way that made Julio ache. Touch me like that, he remembered begging, silently at first and then again out loud the first time they fucked. The memory of scratchy sheets and Star's hands on his hips flash through him hot-cold as he avoids another blow.
"Shatterstar!" Julio snaps, chest aching with something he can't put a name to, "What the hell?!"
A bullet slams harmlessly into Star's chest, pushing him back a few inches but not doing damage otherwise. "I'm warning you!" Madrox's dupe has a gun trained on Star, and Julio fights the overwhelming urge to snarl at him, the instinct to protect Star. "Shooting people was never part of any skill set I wanted, but I'm starting to get rather practiced at it! So don't make any sudden moves or I'll have to-"
Star cuts him off by throwing a chair in his face and the dupe drops the gun. Julio lunges for it. "Shatterstar, for crying out loud! Whatever's going on, snap the hell outta it or I swear to god I'll shoot!" He knows the bullet won't hurt Star, but it doesn't make the nausea clawing at his throat go away. It feels so profoundly wrong to have a gun in his hand, much less pointed at Star.
"Do it then." Julio flinches. "You heard me," Star (but it's not him, it can't be) challenges, "Do it!"
He shoots. Star cuts the bullet in half mid-air. Julio abruptly remembers how intensely attractive Star is when he's in his element. "Whoa," he says without thinking, suddenly seventeen again, "Dude, nice move."
"Thanks," Star replies casually. He moves, an imperceptible coiling like a cat about to pounce that Julio knows means he's about to strike again. He pulls the trigger once, twice. The chamber's empty. Star grins, cold and empty and wrong, "Nice move."
Guido grabs his sword. "Thanks," Julio gasps, breathless with too many emotions bubbling in his chest.
"Ain't nothin'." Star twists, trying to kick him, but Guido holds him off. "Oh, no ya don't! Ya don't catch me flat-footed twice." His fist is pulled back, ready to strike and Julio panics.
"Guido, something's wrong with him! Don't hurt him!" he begs.
Guido grunts, face twisted in a rictus grimace, "Me... Hurt him?" He snarls, "Fine! Punch me some more! You'll just make me stronger, so be my gue-" Star extends his other blades. "Ah crap."
He reels back and throws Star straight through the roof with an almighty crash. Lumber rains down on them and the dupe makes a dismayed sound. For a moment, there is relative peace.
Guido whistles. "Y'know, it ain't like I don't got muscle to spare, but that guy weighed almost nothin'!"
"His bones are hollow," Julio tells him distractedly. He remembers sparring with Star for the first time, how light he'd been and yet how easily he'd been able to pin Julio to the mat.
"Hollow?!" Guido asks, sounding offended by the very concept, "He chucked me through a wall! How is he hollow?"
"It's... complicated." Story of my life, Julio thinks bitterly. "He's from another dimension. Same one Longshot's from."
"That's some whackjob dimension, lemme tell ya," Guido muses.
The bubble of emotions in Julio's chest expands, like a physical ache. "Guido, he's got no reason to be like this. Shatterstar's one of the good guys. We've worked together. We've..." He swallows. Even after all this time, he's still scared of saying it out loud. "This just isn't him. We've got to find him, find out why he's doing this."
Guido doesn't press for more details, and Julio's ridiculously grateful. "If you say so."
They've made it outside, past the car and on the lawn by the time Star slams back into the ground. He rolls to his feet and starts to charge, mouth open in a wordless battle cry that's familiar and alien all at the same time. Guido plants his feet, ready to meet him, and Julio can't help himself, "Guido, wait!"
"Nothin' to wait for, Ric! Time to kick the shatter outta Shatterstar!"
It's times like this Julio misses his powers the most. He feels helpless at the thought of Star getting hurt, because he's durable as hell but Guido real fuckin' strong too. Before, he would've been able to throw them both off their feet but instead here he is, useless and normal and a damsel in distress. Suddenly, Star cries out and folds, hands coming up to clutch his head. Julio's chest seizes and he moves to catch Star before he falls flat on his face.
Guido tries to stop him, "Ric, keep away from him. It could be a trick!"
Julio pushes past him, heedless of his warnings. "It's not!" he snaps, gripping Star's shoulders and helping stay upright. Then he softens his voice, a tone Tabby once joked was his Star-taming voice, and gently asks, "Shatterstar, y'okay?" He forces himself not to call him baby, not to do anything that would clue Guido in, but god is it hard.
"Rictor?" Star's voice is small and lost when he says Julio's name, but it makes the block of ice in his chest melt away. He stares at Julio, drinking him in like a lifeline, and Julio does the same. He keeps his hands on Star's shoulder's, gripping tight.
"Yeah, it's me, dude," Julio assures him, soft still. "It's okay. Whatever happened, it's gonna be fine. No worries."
Star blinks, shuddering. Then, he yanks him forward and he only has a split-second to think, oh shit, before Star is kissing him. He tenses and then can't help but melt and it's his turn to shudder as Star's hand clutches at his hair and cups the back of his neck and has he always been this warm? Julio can't remember and that hurts a little bit, that he's lost some of the things he thought he'd always know about Star. But he doesn't dwell on it for too long because Star's tongue is running along the seam of his lips and he's nineteen again and they're in a shitty motel in Mexico and Star tastes like blood and the cheap toothpaste they bought from the drugstore.
Guido makes a noise in the back of his throat, "Uh-kay. Didn't see that comin'."
Julio flinches, tensing. Star similarly stills, though he doesn't pull away and they're still breathing the same air. "Rictor," Star murmurs against his lips, hand still in his hair. For a minute he can't breathe. He waits for the hammer to fall, gripping tight to Star.
Guido grunts, "I'm gonna wait by the car."
Julio stays tense as his footsteps recede and unravels as soon as he's gone. "Shit," he mutters, more of a breath than a spoken word. "Star, god, I-" he swallows, "Mi corazon, what happened?" Saying it out loud, even just that small, hushed endearment, feels dangerous. But he can't help it because it's Star. He pulls back slightly, running a thumb over Star's cheekbone.
Star shakes, exhaling with eyes staring a million miles away, and Julio knows he's not getting anything out of him when he's like this. "Okay," he breathes, pressing their foreheads together, "Okay. C'mon."
Star presses himself against Julio's side as he leads him back towards the house, still shaking, and he really wants to find whoever did this and turn them into a fine red mist. The loss of his powers sits like a toothache, the knowledge that he can't get revenge for Star the way that he is right now. Guido doesn't acknowledge him beyond a nod, never quite meeting his eyes, and it makes something cold and uncomfortable knot in his stomach. Still, when Star tugs him into another kiss Julio goes without a fuss, hands settling on Star's hips. He can deal with Guido later. For now, Star is the priority.