United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Seventeen - Building Trust

Jack bids Matthew farewell once again before sprinting from the institute. In a matter of moments, he reaches the hero base and pushes the door open, the cube clenched in his hands. He kicks off his boots with haste and moves towards the living room, unable to wipe the grin from his face.

"Mark!" he calls. "I got it!"

The hero sits on the couch, his eyes brightening when he sees the projector cube in his hands. "Awesome!"

"Come here and I'll show you how it works."

Mark pulls himself off the couch and moves to Jack's side, taking the cube in his hand and turning it over a few times. When he sets it back down on the table, Jack presses a button on the top and sprays an image of the NAI floor plan across the wall. Mark's mouth falls open a bit before turning into a smile.

"That's perfect. You said Matthew made it?"

"Yeah."

"He's incredibly talented. Be sure to tell him that."

Jack nods and shoots the hero a side glance. Mark's eyes twinkle for a moment longer before growing dull, the bags under his eyes darker than the villain has ever seen them. Jack frowns a bit and loops his arm around the hero's waist, pressing his body close.

"Are you okay? You look tired..."

Mark hesitates for a moment before nodding lightly. "I'm fine. Just a bit stressed."

"The road goes both ways, Mark. If you need to tell me anything, you can."

The hero nods and picks up the cube again. He smiles weakly at Jack. "I think you should take this to Matthias. It might help the whole trust thing. I'll wait for you on the couch."

Jack takes the cube and sighs heavily. "Got it. I'll be right back."

With that, the villain pulls himself away from Mark and heads towards Matthias' office. He places his hand on the door handle and takes a deep breath, trying to force the bubbling anxiety down. He inhales again and knocks lightly before pushing the door open a crack.

Matthias turns and tenses the moment he lays eyes on Jack. The villain presses himself against the doorframe, holding the cube out towards the hero.

"The villains have worked together to give you this," Jack says, his voice coming out as a whisper. "It's a projector cube."

"What does it do?" Matthias asks quietly.

"You can download things onto it and then project them onto the wall. We got the NAI floor plans on it already."

Matthias watches him for a moment before gesturing him over. Jack swallows another lungful of air and steps inside, letting the hero take the cube from his hand. He tightens the straps on his eyepatch subconsciously, fidgeting as Matthias inspects the cube.

"How does it work?" he asks, glancing at the villain.

"Uh, you press the button at the top and point it at the wall, then there's two smaller buttons on either side that you can press to switch through the different files."

"Simple, but effective. Who made it?"

"Matthew."

Matthias actually smiles and Jack relaxes slightly. "Ah, your missions control guy." He presses the button on the top and his eyes grow brighter when he sees the floor plans on the wall. "Thank you, Jack. For bringing this here. For asking Matthew to make it."

"You're welcome. We want to help, and this was the only way we knew how."

Matthias smiles at him, and although his gaze isn't as cold as it was before, it's not terribly warm yet. In terms of trust, they have a long road ahead of them.

"Tell Mark that I want to have a meeting in the dining room in twenty minutes, okay?" he asks.

Jack nods and takes leave of the room, heading straight for the couch and Mark's arms. The hero holds him close, pressing a gentle kiss to his hair.

"You good?" he asks.

"Yeah, it was just a lot. Give me a few moments." Jack exhales and leans against his chest, the twinges of panic that had appeared fading away. "Matthias wants to have a meeting in the dining room in twenty minutes."

"M'kay," Mark mumbles. He shifts the villain slightly and rests his head on his shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut. "But I don't wanna get up..."

"I know, Mark. One meeting and then we can cuddle to your heart's content."

"I dunno if I'll make it." Mark's speech grows more lazy and he hugs Jack tighter. "Jaaacckk..."

"Are you sure you're okay, love? How much sleep did you get last night?"

"S'me as alw'ys."

Jack frowns a bit against Mark's fluffy hair, cuddling him until it's time for the meeting to start. Mark groans as he pulls himself to his feet and collapses into his chair, smacking his face lightly a few times in order to wake up. The others gather around the table, spreading maps out in front of them as Matthias starts speaking.

Jack gets about halfway through the meeting before his focus is diminished drastically. His attention is constantly drawn to Mark, who sits beside him with drooping eyes. Every once in a while, his head falls forward before he jerks upright again, blinking a few times.

The villain glances over, resting his hand on the hero's knee under the table. Mark looks over at him, smiling tiredly before turning his gaze back towards Matthias. He goes about a minute before his head starts lolling again, slipping further and further towards Jack's shoulder. Every time he grows close, however, he pulls himself away again.

"Mark, are you okay?" the villain whispers.

"Tired," Mark mumbles in response.

Jack squeezes his knee gently. "Hang in there."

The hero nods just as his eyes slip shut again. Before long, his head is falling to the side again. After a few more attempts to stay awake, he rests on Jack's shoulder and stays there, breathing heavily.

"Mark?" Matthias asks, eyeing him from across the table.

"He's exhausted," Jack replies. "Uh, just keep going and I'll fill him in later."

Matthias purses his lips, his eyes flickering with sympathy for a moment. "Alright."

For the rest of the meeting, Mark rests on Jack's shoulder. Felix glances over at the villain every once in a while, his expression remaining neutral the entire time. When Matthias finally dismisses them, everyone gets up and parts ways except for Mark and Jack.

"Hey, come on, the meeting is over," he says, jostling his knee lightly. "Mark, wake up."

The hero jerks upright, his muscles only relaxing slightly when he takes in the room around him. "I fell asleep, didn't I..."

Jack nods and gets him to his feet, leading him back to their room. Mark holds his hand, keeping the villain close to him. By the time they get back to their room, the hero collapses onto the bed and brings the villain with him.

"Mark, we're still in our super-suits," Jack points out. "Shouldn't we change?"

"Don't leave me please," Mark murmurs. "Just stay here..."

The Irishman snuggles closer to him and the hero relaxes even more, his eyes fluttering shut once again.