To Be Invincible (Invincible x DC Crossover)

Chapter 5: School and an Exit

(Disclaimer: I own nothing from Image or DC Comics, nor do I own any of the artwork I have posted or will post.)

Mark returned home after an arduous and cautious journey through the city. He was tired, nervous, and absolutely wired from the events of the night. He belatedly checked the clock on the wall as he entered his apartment that read 4 A.M. and almost choked on his own spit. He had to be ready for school in 3 hours!

'Fuuuuuuuck.... might as well sleep it off. Good thing today is Friday,' he thought tiredly.

He collapsed into bed, mind still swirling with everything he had just learned from his uncle and the files. Hours later (even though it felt like minutes to Mark) he awoke to his alarm and dragged himself out of bed. He entered the kitchen to see his mom sitting at the table on her laptop with a cup of coffee. As he walked in, she immediately looked up and gave him a half-glare.

"Late night for you, young man? Why is it that I woke up this morning to the news that Harvey is back in prison, the Lounge was trashed by some goons, and a letter from my boss explaining that I'm both fired and exponentially more wealthy thanks to you?" Debbie Grayson asked her son accusingly.

"Uhhh..." Mark looked sheepish but was groggy as he responded, "Mom, don't be mad. Uncle Harvey explained some things to me last night, then I went to see Mr. Cobblepot at the Lounge..."

He cringed as his mother exploded. "WHAT!? YOU WERE AT THE LOUNGE LAST NIGHT!? Are you okay? ARE YOU CRAZY!?" She yelled.

"Mom, mom! I'm alright, I was already gone before that happened. Mr. Cobblepot told me about what Uncle Harvey set aside for us, as well as that he was firing you so that we could get out of here. Isn't that what you wanted? We cold move to the better parts of the city now, I can be closer to school, and you could try your hand at a better job too!" Mark said, trying to show the positives. He felt bad about lying to his mother, but considering how stressed and tired she looked already, he wasn't going to push it.

*Sigh* "Oh, alright. As long as you're okay... which reminds me: Happy Birthday sweetie!" Debbie said excitedly as she came over to hug Mark. He smiled and hugged her too, thanking God all he had was Friday in school and then the whole weekend to himself.

"Thanks mom. I better go get ready for school, we can talk later about our brighter future," Mark said as he went to go get changed. As he began pulling on his clothes for school, he felt something in his pocket until he remembered: his uncle's coin. He took it out, look at it, and decided to take it with him and think about everything that happened the previous night.

He grabbed his stuff, made his way out the door and threw a "Bye, mom, see you later!" over his shoulder as he skated to the nearest train for school.

~Line Break~

School had been uneventful as usual, and Mark was sitting at his usual spot for lunch looking at the coin when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and was surprised at who he saw.

"Tim? Barbara!? Hey, guys, what's going on," He said with a laugh. Tim laughed as well and said, "We just wanted to say Happy Birthday, man! I have a few minutes and Babs here was swinging by to bring me something when she figured she'd come see you too."

Mark looked at Barbara with a raised eyebrow but just chuckled and nodded. She had graduated the year prior but remained friends with he and Tim. Apparently, her father the police commissioner was amicable with Bruce Wayne, Tim's adoptive father. "Been a while, huh Babs? You look great, unlike Tim here," Mark said as he motioned between the two. Tim looked exhausted and had a small bruise on his cheek, but Barbara looked as good as she always did.