The night in the void was cold.
At first, Laura felt very embarrassed, but as time passed, that feeling gradually faded.
After all, the situation was urgent, and there was no other choice—and the man didn't take advantage of her.
With the strength he showed when restraining her, he could've easily killed her if he wanted.
It was rare to meet someone decent in the void.
After coming to terms with that, the heat from their close contact suddenly felt comforting.
For the first time in three years of surviving in the void, the night didn't feel so cold.
The warmth of his breath even started to make her sleepy—and that drowsiness grew stronger by the second.
"Don't fall asleep, Laura!"
"You're in a stranger's arms! What if he gets ideas after Elrios leaves?! You'll be finished!"
She tried to force her eyes open and warned herself repeatedly in her head.
An hour later.
Russell suddenly heard something—and was left speechless.
What the hell?
The soft, rhythmic, steady breathing he heard confirmed one fact:
The girl in his arms had fallen asleep.
Seriously?
With a sigh, Russell gave up mentally.
If she wasn't embarrassed, why should he be?
Thinking that, his "little brother" also returned to rationality.
The room was pitch black.
In the silence, the only sound was the even breathing by his ear.
And so—
After a day of high tension, and having just fought two intense battles in a row, Russell found himself infected by the calm.
The more he listened to the girl's breathing, the sleepier he got.
"I can't fall asleep!"
Russell stared at the bed plank above him like he wanted to burn holes through it.
"What if she wakes up tomorrow and stabs me out of nowhere?"
"Without Elrios around, maybe she'll see me as the enemy!"
"Sure, none of my vital organs are exposed, and even a stab to the head won't kill me thanks to the Extremis virus—but it'll still hurt like hell!!"
"Absolutely... can't... sleep..."
Hoo~
Hoo~
Holding the warm, soft girl in his arms like a giant body pillow... Russell fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
He didn't wake until something firm pressed against his chest.
Startled, Russell's eyes snapped open.
He immediately locked eyes with the girl—who had also just woken up.
The morning sun was already filtering in through the cracks.
Somehow, in their sleep, they'd shifted to face each other.
His arm was around her shoulders.
Her arms were wrapped around his waist.
They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
"You're annoying me again…"
Laura murmured instinctively, still groggy from sleep.
But she snapped to attention a moment later, her face flushing bright red at a speed comparable to Russell's own Extremis heat spikes!
Wait a second!
Russell blinked.
He finally realized—
This girl was X-23—Laura Kinney!
He had been wondering why claws had popped out from between her fingers the night before!
Just then, his arms suddenly felt empty.
Laura had squirmed away like a startled kitten, crawling out from under the bed at lightning speed!
Then—
SLAM!!
The door banged open and shut.
Russell shook his head and chuckled.
"So heartless~ Run off after sleeping, huh?"
"Scumbag!"
He crawled out from under the bed and stretched in the morning light pouring through the broken window.
His joke was lighthearted—last night had been the most restful sleep he'd had in ages.
As for her running away? He didn't really care.
Not everyone gets to spoon with Wolverine's clone.
He wasn't a saint—but he wasn't a full-blown villain either.
The plunder entry system gave him choices.
If he had wanted to kill her the moment he recognized her, he could've done so instantly.
Even Wolverine can't survive without his head.
After stretching a bit, Russell stepped outside.
His plan was to build a shelter and then use the computer Tony Stark had given him to try cracking the TVA's time tablet.
As for electricity—he'd kept one of the three arc reactors, which could transmit power wirelessly.
Retracing his route from the night before, Russell walked back along the river.
But not long after, he heard footsteps approaching.
A moment later, he spotted the little wolf girl—Laura—running at full speed!
She clearly saw him too.
But after a moment's hesitation, she gritted her teeth, veered off to the right, and disappeared into the forest.
"Wait... do I really look that scary?"
Russell touched his face, a little confused.
He was a certified school heartthrob.
If he hadn't been so disciplined, he probably could've hooked up with half the cheerleading squad.
Yet here was Laura, sprinting away from him like he was the boogeyman—for the second time!
It was kind of demoralizing.
Just as he was about to start questioning his entire existence, he heard something else from a distance.
This time, it was the roar of motorcycles.
Three rugged, Mad Max–style bikes came tearing across the landscape, five men shouting and whooping as they chased after Laura.
Russell instantly understood.
She wasn't running from him—
She didn't want to drag him into it.
Once that clicked, his mood improved significantly.
"If you'd just asked for help, I might not have done anything."
"But now…"
He narrowed his eyes, a grin curling at the corners of his lips.
"You might be a scumbag, Laura…"
"But I don't want to be one too."
Russell's eyes gleamed as he vanished in a blink.
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