United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Three - Movies and Trauma

Once Cry has calmed down, Jack gets to his feet and leaves the NAI building. He always knew this was coming. All the villains knew this was coming. That doesn't mean he was prepared for that kind of news.

The moment he gets outside, he sprints as fast as he can towards the hero base. Doors rattle with the rush of wind that he leaves behind, and his nickname among the citizens runs through his head. Demon. He shudders. Jack doesn't want to be a demon.

He reaches the base and pushes the door open, slipping inside and kicking off his boots before going to find Mark. The hero is sitting at the table, circling security camera locations on a map, and Jack has to stop himself from falling into his arms.

"Mark—" the Irishman begins, making the hero jump and drop his pen on the floor.

"Dear God, Jack! What are you doing back here? You just left two hours ago!"

"There's a lot of free time right now," Jack says, biting his lip. Phil sits in the living room nearby, watching TV, and Felix glances at him from the kitchen. "I need to talk to you. In private."

"Of course," Mark says, standing and taking his hand. "Our room will work."

The hero leads Jack away, pulling him into their room and closing the door with a soft click behind them. The moment they're in solitude, Jack crumbles. His eyes burn with tears that refuse to fall and he scrubs stubbornly at his face with the hand not in Mark's, refusing to break down. The hero frowns a bit and tilts the Irishman's head so that he's looking at him.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asks, noting Jack's obvious distress.

"The boss..."

Almost immediately, the hero scowls. "I will go and end that man right now. You can't stop me, Jack. If he hurt you again, I will use my fists of fury on his stupid face. Then I'll kiss you better."

"It's not that! He's dying, Mark."

Mark's eyebrows furrow, this time in confusion instead of anger. "Wait, since when is that a bad thing? I can end him sooner if you want..."

"No, no, it's..." Jack stammers a bit, running his hand through his hair and huffing. "It's always been a bad thing!"

Mark tilts his head to the side slightly, his lips pursed. "You're going to need to explain that one to me, because I can't think of one reason as to why that dick of a man being dead is a bad thing."

"Because the moment he dies, Cry takes his place. He'll be held responsible for everything that happens, and he'll also technically "own" Matthew and I. He's my brother, and he'll be in charge of that place." Jack shudders and exhales heavily. "I don't want to hide anything from you anymore, but please don't tell the other heroes. Let them find out on their own."

Mark nods and pulls the villain into his arms, pressing a kiss to his fluffy green hair. "I'm sorry, Jack. I can't even imagine the stress you're going through right now."

The Irishman burrows against him, the warmth from Mark's chest comforting. It feels like a little bit of weight has been lifted from his shoulders, and he's shocked at how much better it feels than just carrying it for ages.

"Phil is using the TV right now, but I don't think he would mind if we joined him," Mark says softly, tracing his fingers up the villain's back. "He's probably watching something on BBC like a good little British boy."

Jack snorts softly. "Sure, we can join him."

The hero smiles against his hair and presses a quick kiss to his lips before taking his hand again and leading him into the living room. Phil glances up at them as they walk in, smiling lightly.

"Mind if we join you?" Mark asks.

"As long as you're not making out, it's good," Felix says, coming into the living room with a bowl of popcorn in hand as Phil nods.  A shadow of a smile appears on the Swede's face and Mark grins back at him before gesturing Jack to the couch.  Felix settles into an armchair, passing Phil a handful of popcorn before cradling the bowl in his lap. Mark plops down beside the Brit before pulling Jack in beside him, filling up the couch.

"I feel like we're in middle school again," Phil comments through a mouthful of popcorn. "We're having a bloody movie night."

Mark chuckles and reaches over, grabbing the bowl from Felix and taking some for himself and Jack before passing it back over. The Irishman cuddles against Mark as the movie starts, still a bit tense from being with the other heroes but less so now that there's a distraction.

An hour or so passes before a CGI explosion comes out of nowhere. The two characters on screen talk in hushed, anxious tones, and a second later the building erupts into flames. The good mood disintegrates in an instant. Jack flinches at the exact same time as Mark, Felix visibly jolts, and Phil jumps and curls himself up in order to hide his face. The Swede jams the pause button as fast as possible, his breathing shaky.

Jack can almost feel every time Felix's gaze flits over to him. Squirming and trying to keep his breathing under control, he buries himself deeper into Mark and exhales when he feels the hero pull him closer. He blew up their teammates. He wasn't himself, yes, but it was still him.  The heroes saw it all happen.

"Shh, Jack," Mark whispers, unable to hide the tremor in his own voice. "I'm right here. It's okay."

"You're not okay either, Mark," Jack replies softly. "If you need support, I'm here."

"Okay." The hero tightens his fingers around the villain's side before glancing to the other two heroes. "Are you two good?"

"Give me a minute and I'll be fine," Phil squeaks, keeping his face firmly pressed against his knees.

"Yeah, um, I need a moment too," Felix says, pulling himself to his feet and hurrying off to the kitchen.

Mark takes a deep breath and buries his nose in Jack's hair, shutting his eyes like it will block out the memories. The villain keeps his head tucked under the hero's chin, trying not to think about explosions, Anti, or the boss' fate.