Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Broken

After what feels like hours, Jack finally peels himself off the ground and gets to his feet. With red-rimmed eyes, he stumbles to his bedroom. Once there, he falls onto the bed and curls up under the blankets, feeling more vulnerable and guilty than he ever has in his entire life.

Everything Anti said was like he had memorized it from a script. He never missed a single beat as he spouted those lies. He couldn't see it due to Anti's possession of his eyes, but he can almost imagine the switch from doubtfulness to belief in Mark's eyes. He could certainly hear it in the hero's voice. Every bone in Jack's body wants to race over to Curatrix so he can apologize to Mark, but now, he's not sure if the hero would even listen. The guilt, the sorrow; they weigh on his chest like rocks.

An involuntary shiver runs up and down his spine, causing the villain to wrap his blankets around his fragile, aching form. He's found, over his lifetime, that a body built to run is not a body made to be tortured. Anti, with all his swaying and general movement, has made the cuts and bruises hurt like the day he got them. He drags himself to his feet and looks in the mirror, taking in his beaten figure in detail for the first time. He needs to see the physical damage.

The once crisp white bandages are dirty and tainted with blood, serving as his shirt. Bruises and smaller cuts line his exposed arms, which are pale and appear almost sickly. His eyepatch is as dirty as his bandages and his hair, sweaty and grimy, hangs limply over his forehead. He feels a surge of embarrassment when he realizes that the entire time he was in that room, Jack wasn't even wearing a proper shirt. It's illogical, yes, but being unaware of such a simple fact disturbs him.

He sighs heavily. Now that he knows the extent of the physical damage, he can focus on the mental and emotional devastation. Just thinking of Mark makes him hurt in a way that he's never hurt before. He slumps into bed again, glancing at the machine that whirs softly nearby. Two small wires run from the machine to his side table, waiting for Jack to plug himself in and receive the electric shocks that will stop him from screaming in the night. Now that Mark is gone, he has nobody to help him deal with the nightmares that will undoubtedly return.

Defeated, Jack attaches the wires to his body and settles into bed.

—

Mark hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until he wakes up, the cold sweat on his back causing his shirt to stick to his skin. He breathes rapidly, the images of Anti and Jack flashing through his mind. He shuts his eyes again, only to see Jack being strangled by the monster, followed by an image of the Irishman laughing as his eyes change from their regular colours to green and blue. His heart thuds in his ears, the sound loud in the quiet room.

Felix opens his door, concern flooding his features. "Mark?"

"It's fine, it's fine," Mark responds instantly, waving his fellow hero away with a shaky hand as he attempts to forget the nightmare.

"You get kidnapped by the villains, you're gone for hours without a trace of where you are and then all of a sudden, you're dropped on our front step, unconscious. Then when we ask where you were, you don't talk to any of us. THEN, on top of all of that, you fall asleep and wake up screaming." Felix throws his hands in the air, exasperated. "No, you are not fine! Just tell us what happened!"

Mark opens and closes his mouth a few times, surprised by Felix's angry outburst. The Swede takes a deep breath, calming himself down and moving to sit beside the American.

"We need to know what happened."

After a moment of hesitation, Mark tells Felix the whole story.

When he finishes, the Swede leans against the wall and whistles lowly. "Wow."

"Yeah."

"So what are you going to do? You obviously want the truth from Jack and not Anti, but you're worried that he might actually want you dead, correct?"

"Pretty much."

Felix whistles again and strokes the stubble on his chin. "That's rough."

Mark rolls his eyes. "Are you going to help or just state the obvious?"

"I think you shouldn't go looking for him. If he confronts you at any point, do what you have to do, but other than that, don't search for him."

The American nods, his chest starting to ache again. Felix will never understand how badly Mark does want to search for Jack, but in the end, his advice is solid.

It's probably a good idea not to search for the man who might want to kill you.