Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Seventeen - Morning

Mark opens his eyes slowly, the clock on the side table reading 5:26am. It takes a moment for the hero to realize where he is, the darkness shrouding most of his surroundings. As he shifts in place, he finally takes note of the warm body pressed against his side. Jack nestles against him, curled up like a child in need of protection and affection. Mark's heart clenches painfully. How is he supposed to even think about killing him? Every day, he looks more and more like a human and less like a monster.

Mark watches him for a while, observing the Irishman beside him. The strap of his eyepatch pulls his green hair up into a little spike, and every second breath is deeper than the others. Mark can't even imagine how desperately Jack needed sleep. So many questions concerning the villain buzz through his mind. What has he gone through that has led to his lack of rest? What happens behind the closed doors of the villain headquarters? Who is Jack when he's just being himself?

He sighs. Matthias will be here by 7:00, as per usual. The others will all be here by at least 8:00, so he has some time. He settles against the pillows once again, looking through the darkness and to the door. He drifts off a couple times, and each time he does the clock grows closer to seven. Sometimes Jack's breathing grows more rapid in pace or panicked, and each time it does Mark places a hand on his back and calms him. At 6:50am, the hero gets up as gently as he can and wraps the blanket around Jack. As soon as he's gone, the Irishman shivers a little but stays asleep.

Mark glides across the room as silently as possible and pulls the door open, stepping out and locking it in one swift movement. His hand lingers on the knob for a moment before he lowers it, ruffling his bedhead and heading for the showers. Chica wags her tail when she sees him, snuffling his hand as he strokes her head. He smiles, tells her to sit, and heads into the bathroom for a much needed shower.

The steam fills his head, the hot water loosening his muscles and washing away the last of his sleepiness. After he's finished, he gets dressed and steps out of the washroom. As he does, Matthias enters the building with a bag over his shoulder.

"Morning," Mark greets, moving his damp hair out of his face.

Matthias smiles. "Morning. How'd the night go?"

The red haired hero is forced to pause as the memories of last night come again like a punch to the gut. He can still hear Jack's scream in the back of his head, and he can still remember his warmth by his side. He shrugs and rubs the back of his neck.

"Fine."

"And you got enough sleep?"

"Lots."

Matthias raises an eyebrow. "Were there any instances?"

"Just one. It was easily dealt with," Mark replies.

"He seems to be cooperating very nicely," Matthias comments, starting to walk towards his office. "Some of the other villains we've had in here have fought us pretty hard."

"He's sleep deprived," Mark says, following the other hero with Chica at his heels. "I don't think he could have fought back even if he wanted to."

"Really? Wow."

"I don't know what time he got to sleep, but by midnight he was screaming because of a nightmare."

"We put him in there at 9:30... he must be really good at staying awake."

Mark nods, the two of them approaching the office. Matthias unlocks it and steps inside, but the red-haired hero falls behind and instead opts to stay outside the door.

"I'm going to go check on Jack," Mark says.

"Good." Matthias sits down behind his desk and turns his computer on. "We won't conduct any experiments yet. I want to figure out if there's any way of curing his eye and possibly getting rid of Anti."

Mark nods and heads back the way he came, his bare feet quiet against the tiled floors. He unlocks and opens Jack's door gently, finding that the Irishman is awake and has his back to the door. He rummages through the dresser drawers, pulling out a t-shirt and pulling it over his bare chest. Mark knocks on the door, causing the villain to whip around.

"Oh, it's just you," he breathes, his body visibly relaxing. He pushes the drawer closed and sits down on the bed, pulling socks over his bare feet. Mark steps inside, shutting the door behind him and situating himself in a chair. Jack glances over, almost nervous to make eye contact.

"How are you feeling?" Mark asks, leaning on his knuckles.

"Better than I have in a while," Jack replies, stretching.

"That's good. You were pretty exhausted."

The Irishman nods and falls silent, staring down into his lap. Mark stands, turning towards the door.

"I'll get you some food. You're probably hungry."

As his hand touches the door, Jack's voice rises to his ears.

"Thank you. For last night. I probably wouldn't have slept if you hadn't been there."

A smile graces Mark's face. "You're welcome."