United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Five - The New Leader

Mark paces back and forth across the living room in the hero base, biting at his nails and trying to ignore the worry blossoming in his heart. Jack never came home. He had left in the morning like he always does, but never came back. Mark had spent the night by himself, resorting once again to forcing himself awake because he was terrified. Terrified of sleeping, terrified of the nightmares, terrified of what could have happened to Jack. Jack. Where is his little prince? What happened? Did he get hurt?

"Mark!"

The hero spins on his heel at the call of his name, his heart hoping to see Jack's crystalline blue eyes looking back at him. Instead, it's just a very tense Phil, urging him to sit with the other heroes on the couch. Wrong blue eyes, Mark's mind grumbles as he moves forward and settles on the couch between Felix and Matthias.

Matthew sits onscreen, a page in his shaking hand. He takes a deep breath before starting to read, his voice trembling. Mark's stomach churns. He knows what this is. It explains why Jack didn't come home.

"Citizens of San Francisco, I regret to inform you that a terrible tragedy has befallen the New Age Institute today. After a long, valiant battle—" Matthew's voice catches in his throat and the trembling in his hand gets worse, and Mark realizes that it's not from grief. That look in his eyes is of complete and utter terror. "—a long, valiant battle with cancer, your leader has passed away."

Phil, Felix, and Matthias all audibly gasp, glancing at each other with incredulous expressions. Their eyes shine as though something miraculous happened, but Mark is numb. Jack warned him about this. He knows exactly who will take the boss' place.

"However, do not fear," Matthew continues, effectively silencing the other heroes. "Someone is stepping up to the plate to take his place. He is young, strong, and incredibly capable of maintaining this city in all its glory. You all know him as Ghost, but here he is to introduce himself properly. So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your new leader."

The camera switches just as Matthew's face crumples, and Cry fills the screen. He stands there with his mask on as always, hiding everything from the world. The heroes stare at the screen, so silent you can hear a pin drop.

"Good afternoon, San Francisco. My name is Cry, although most of you know me as Ghost.  Today, I take the boss' place with the hope of being greater than he ever could be and doing good things for the people of this city. The new world is here. Thank you."

The NAI logo fills the screen, accompanied by music. Matthias turns the TV off, opening and closing his mouth over and over again but saying nothing. Mark stares at the black screen, wanting more and more with each passing second to pull Jack close and kiss him until it's all better.

"This calls for a minor change in plans," Matthias says finally, looking to the other heroes. "Originally, we were going to dispose of the boss that was old and frail, but it appears that now, the boss is young and incredibly powerful." He clasps his hands together and leans back in his chair. "We might need to adjust our plans slightly so that we're prepared to dispose of Cry. I've been talking and meeting with some rebels over the past couple weeks, and they're willing to help us get intel on pro-NAI groups that are now going to be really fired up. And since our team size has diminished so much, it'll be helpful to have some extra people on our side. They're coming over tomorrow, so we can discuss this more."

Mark watches him, his stomach dropping into his feet. "Kill Cry? Matthias, we can't..."

"Mark, what else are we supposed to do? He's the boss now. He's in charge. Just because you have a villain for a boyfriend doesn't mean we have to cater to all his needs."

"But what if he's different? What if he actually does good for the city?"

Matthias purses his lips, growing more and more frustrated. "He's a villain who was chosen to take the boss' place. He's the one who shot his own teammate without a second thought. I doubt he'll be any different from the former boss."

Mark falls silent, mulling over the other hero's words. He has a point. Mark has never actually met Cry, just heard about him from Jack. There's no way for him to know whether he's right or whether Matthias is.

"We'll plan tomorrow," Felix concludes. "For now, I'm going to my room."

As the heroes start dispersing, Mark hears the faint sound of the front door closing. His heart starts beating faster and he practically vaults over the couch in order to get to the entry. Sure enough there's Jack, his blue eyes red-rimmed from crying and his smile shaky.

"Jack," Mark breathes, pulling him into his arms and resting his face in the crook of the villain's neck. Jack hugs back instantly, his forehead against the hero's shoulder as he trembles, attempting to fight back more tears.

"Mark..." the Irishman chokes. "Did you see the... the... Mark—"

"Yeah, I did."

Jack nods slightly, a soft sob escaping his lips. Mark's heart shatters and he holds the villain closer. These aren't panicked, fearful tears. These are the tears of someone who's sad and defeated.

"Shh," Mark murmurs, tightening his fingers against the villain's shoulder blades. "I'm right here."

Jack presses his forehead a little harder against the hero's shoulder, the muscles of his back moving beneath Mark's fingers with every quiet sob. Tears wet the American's shoulder, but he doesn't care. He just wants to be there for Jack.

"We're going to get through this," he whispers, shifting in order to press a kiss to the Irishman's shoulder.

Jack nods, his fingers twisting into the hero's shirt. When he speaks, his voice is a mere tear-soaked whisper. "I need you so much right now."

Mark exhales shakily. "Then have me."

With that, Jack lets himself sink to the floor. Mark follows, cradling the vulnerable Irishman in his arms and gently kissing his jaw and neck. They may be in an entry, but Mark doesn't care. He has Jack, uninjured and relatively unharmed.

That's all he needs.