United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Forty-Two - Bonding Moments

After a night of surprisingly good sleep (no screaming, thank god), Jack bids Cry and Matthew farewell and heads back to the hero base. He reaches it in a matter of minutes, entering quietly and kicking off his boots. The heroes and rebels are busy at work, their tones exasperated as they shuffle papers and flip through map slides on the projector cube. Jack enters, gathering his courage and approaching Felix.

"I talked to Cry. Mr. Vincent usually takes his Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays off, but he'll most likely stay if he knows there's a threat of attack," he says, his voice soft as he crouches beside the Swede.  "We need to stay on the down-low if this is going to work."

Felix blinks a few times, meeting the Irishman's blue eyes with his own.  He smiles, although the gesture is small.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Before Jack can straighten up, Felix places a hand on his shoulder. "Mark needs you right now. He went to get something from his room, but he should be back any minute. He didn't sleep at all last night and he's been nothing but stressed..."

Jack bites his lip, nodding. His heart clenches uncomfortably, but he tries not to let it show on his face. He didn't sleep at all? "Thanks. I'll go find him."

The villain gets to his feet and moves towards the hallway leading to their room. He notices for the first time, as he moves past the couch, that Hudson is lying there with a bloodied bandage on his shoulder, making him freeze.

"What happened?" he asks, turning slowly to face the other heroes and rebels.

"He got shot by a pro-NAI group last night. We tended to him, but his wound has set us back," Gunner replies, a slight grimace on his face. He presses the button on the projector cube, flipping to the next floor plan. "We now have to send someone undercover to see if any of the pro-NAI groups know anything."

Jack frowns. "That's not good."

"No it's not," Gunner replies. "We'll figure it out."

The Irishman exhales, glances at Hudson one more time, and moves off to his room. He knocks softly before pushing the door open, leading Mark to look up from his spot on the floor and smile.

"Jack!"

"Mark..." The villain smiles back, but only for a moment. Dark smudges hang heavily beneath the hero's eyes and his every movement is slow. He blinks like there are weights attached to his eyelids, but that doesn't seem to faze him as he gestures Jack over. "You didn't sleep."

"Wha— no, Jack, I'm fine, come here," Mark replies, holding out his hand.

Jack takes it and settles beside him, his gaze never straying from Mark's eyes despite his curiosity about the stack of papers he sifts through. "You're not fine. We're not going to hide anything from each other, remember?"

Mark grimaces a little, his eyes flashing. "I know."

"Felix had to tell me. Felix. We tolerate each other at best, and yet he felt he had to tell me, Jack, about you not sleeping. I was gone for one night."

"I don't want to talk about it. You don't need that right now."

Jack reaches out, taking his hands gently and meeting those chocolate brown eyes. "Mark, I can handle it. I'm more... emotionally stable now that I've been sleeping and away from abuse all the time. You can talk to me."

Mark's face falls and Jack rubs circles into the hero's hand with his thumb. Mark's eyes slip shut and he shakes his head. "It's so stupid, Jack. My reason. It's dumb."

"It's okay."

"I'm scared of the nightmares, so I don't sleep when you aren't here. I never do. When Hudson got shot, it was just another excuse to avoid sleep," Mark says slowly, his voice hushed. "I'm sorry. I just... want to ignore it. I'm a hero and I can't even handle something as petty as a nightmare."

"Oh, Mark..." Jack smiles weakly. "That's not dumb at all. I, of all people, should know that nightmares suck, especially the ones we get."

Mark watches him for a moment before smiling back, the gesture shaky. "I love you. So much. You're just the best."

The villain's grin grows and he leans over, pulling Mark closer with a hand on the back of his head and pressing a kiss to his lips. The hero kisses back, his own hand trailing to Jack's waist.

"You're going to be okay," Jack murmurs. "We're going to be okay. We're going to be okay because I love you and you love me and we're a happy family..."

"Don't quote Barney at me," Mark mumbles, grinning into another kiss. His eyes flutter open for a moment before slipping shut again, his hands tightening around Jack's waist. "God, I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised. Someone didn't sleep last night."

The hero laughs breathlessly and nods, burying his face in Jack's neck. "I want a nap before we go help the others."

Jack mumbles an incoherent agreement and gives Mark enough room to maneuver onto the bed before cuddling up next to him. He's not tired whatsoever, but he'll never pass up an opportunity to cuddle Mark when he's sleepy. The hero nuzzles his nose into Jack's neck and exhales heavily, his eyelashes tickling the villain's skin.

"You aren't tired, are you?" Mark asks, his voice barely a whisper. "Your legs are fidgeting."

"I'm not tired in the slightest."

"That's certainly a change."

"I don't mind. Do you?" Jack kisses his hair. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Mark nods a little, and within a second he's asleep.