United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Fifteen - Out in the Open

The moment Mark pushes the door open, he freezes.

Jack pulls his shirt off, revealing a chest that's painted with scars and dark purple bruises. They look old and Mark's stomach churns, making him feel physically ill. As the Irishman tosses his shirt aside, he finally notices the hero standing in the doorway. At his horrified expression Jack visibly freezes up, every muscle growing rigid.

"Jack—" Mark starts to say. As the word leaves his mouth, the villain sprints into the closet and crouches in the darkness, his breathing shaky and sporadic. The hero's heart breaks as he takes slow steps towards Jack's hiding spot. Is that what he's been hiding all this time? Who did that to him? Is that what he's afraid of?

"Jack?" Mark asks quietly, settling down on the ground outside the closet door. Inside, he can hear the villain struggling to breathe through his whimpering, which makes the American nearly cry. "It's just me. Mark. It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm sorry, I should have knocked before I came in. Can I... Can I join you?"

"I-I don't... Mark, I... um," Jack stammers softly. The sound of his breathing grows more anxious and the hero sighs heavily, opening the closet door slowly. There, the Irishman crouches, shirtless, in the darkness with his arms wrapped around his legs. He hides his face in his knees, trembling like a leaf. Mark reaches out, touching his arm gently and making him flinch.

"Jack, listen to my voice and focus on that. You're okay. Breathe. Nobody is going to hurt you," Mark says, dropping his voice into a lower register. He's the only person Jack knows with a voice this low, right? Maybe it could help...

The Irishman relaxes slightly, reaching out but stopping himself before he can grasp at Mark's hands. He inhales and sobs again, trying desperately to speak.

"Y-you lied."

Mark's eyebrows furrow, his heart shattering more with every second that passes. "What?"

"You said you l-loved me, but why would you b-bother?" Jack sobs again and presses his forehead harder against his knees. "Y-you can leave, Mark. I-I would understand."

"Jack, I'm not going to leave..." Mark shakes his head, trying desperately to speak through the heartbreak. He takes a deep breath and starts talking about nothing in particular in the lower version of his voice, watching as more and more tension reluctantly drains from Jack's muscles. Eventually, the villain lifts his eyes to meet the hero's. Mark reaches out, pulling the villain against his chest and letting him bury his face in his neck, although he seems hesitant to do so at first. The bruises are so stark against his pale skin. It makes Mark's heart shatter even further. Why would Jack even think he would leave him over a few bruises?

"How did that happen?" he whispers.

"Um... the boss..." Jack murmurs, trembling in Mark's arms. "He's irritable."

Mark scowls, but attempts to hide the gesture in the villain's hair. "You should stay here full time instead of just the nights. I don't want him hurting you."

"Mark, I can't. Not going back would only make it worse."

"Jack, he's abusing you. You're safe here."

The Irishman flinches, although Mark isn't sure whether it's because of his anger towards the boss that slipped into his tone or the word "abusing".

"Please, just... don't look at them. I'm scarred and bruised and it's bad, Mark, it's really bad." Jack starts shaking again, his breath hot against the hero's skin. "I don't want to repulse you."

"Jack, I could never be repulsed by you," Mark whispers, his heart clenching uncomfortably. How does he show him how much he loves him? Gently, he presses a kiss to Jack's temple before shifting, kissing one of the dark bruises on his shoulder. "Your scars, your bruises, your blind eye... None of them change the fact that I love you."

"M-Mark, you don't have to pretend—"

"Your eyes are like diamonds and your smile never fails to brighten my day. You make me laugh and despite everything, you care so much about other people. You're one of the reasons I'm still sane. You're so strong, Jack, even though you may feel weak," Mark murmurs, feathering kisses across the scars and bruises on his collarbone and shoulders. "You're my little prince, and I want you to be okay."

Jack bows his head, tears welling in his eyes. He runs his hands down the hero's arms and clutches his hands as Mark continues to kiss his blemishes, evoking sobs from the Irishman.

"You don't have to deal with me anymore," Jack whispers through his tears. "You can just go. It would hurt like Hell, but I would understand."

Mark shakes his head slightly and presses more kisses to the villain's wounded torso. He realizes it's silly, kissing his boyfriend in a closet, but he doesn't care. With every touch of his lips Jack relaxes more, which is exactly what Mark was hoping for. He frees one hand from the Irishman's grasp and reaches up, brushing his tears away with his thumb.

"I want to deal with you for the rest of my life," Mark whispers. "How do I prove to you that I love you and that I'm never going to leave you?"

"I don't... I don't know. I'm sorry, Mark. I'm so sorry." Jack sobs again and buries his face in his hands. "I'm sorry you have to deal with me and my trauma and all of my issues that I can't seem to get a hold of..."

"Jack, Jack, I love you. I love you so much, trauma or not I'd still love you." The hero reaches over, pulling the villain's hands from his face and holding them tightly. "Please come to bed. I want you at my side so you can start to believe that you mean the world to me."

Jack sobs again and covers his mouth, curling himself into a tighter and tighter ball. When he doesn't move Mark reaches over and gently picks him up, carrying him bridal-style to the bed. The villain seems hesitant to cling to him at first, but after a second he hangs onto him for dear life. His breaths are heavy and hot against his neck and tears still flow down his face in waves.

Mark tucks him into bed before climbing in beside him, holding Jack's head against his chest and pressing kiss after kiss to his head. The villain takes deep breaths, his fingers twisting into the material of Mark's shirt.

"I love you," Jack whispers, his voice breaking. "I never want to stop loving you..."

"Then don't," Mark murmurs in response. "I love you, Jack. I'll love you for as long as I live, whether you believe it or not."

"Mark..." the villain whimpers, clutching at his shirt. "Mark..."

"Get some sleep, my little prince. I'll be right here in the morning."

Jack exhales heavily and buries his nose in the hero's shirt, inhaling deeply and gradually calming down. Mark manages a small smile, some of the tension from earlier draining away. That's one problem off the table.

Only a few more to go.