Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Fifteen - Exhaustion

Mark raises his fist, preparing to swing, but as he does Anti disappears from Jack's eyes. The Irishman squeezes his eye shut, unable to cover it with his hand. Before he can panic, Mark grabs his eyepatch from the nearby table and ties it around his head again.

"Did I hurt anyone? Please tell me I didn't," Jack pleads, pulling against the restraints in an attempt to grab Mark's wrist.

"No, you're fine."

The Irishman takes a deep breath through his nose, looking down at his lap. Matthias touches Mark's shoulder gently, and the red-haired hero takes a step back.

"How much does Anti affect you?" Matthias asks, his voice gentle yet firm.

"I... I can hear him speaking, but I can't see anything," Jack replies. He glances around at the heroes, who all look terrified or wary of him. He shrinks back into the chair.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Matthias writes something down on his clipboard and adjusts his glasses. "Mark, can you take him to his room, please?"

The hero nods and takes a step forward, but Felix stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful, okay? Anti obviously has something against you."

"I'll be fine," Mark replies.

Felix nods and leads the others out. As soon as they're gone, Mark approaches the chair and releases Jack's wrists before helping him up. The Irishman stumbles, leaning heavily on the hero as he's led from the room.

"I can carry you if walking is too much," Mark says.

"I can walk," Jack insists, gritting his teeth.

The hero watches him with skepticism. Every step looks like a chore and the cut on his leg looks worse than before. Jack clenches his jaw, his eyes drooping. Mark isn't sure whether the circles under his eyes are actually darker or whether it's just him. He sighs and picks up the villain again, causing a sound of protest to escape Jack. Mark walks towards the room where they keep their captives, and after several minutes of the Irishman being incredibly tense in his arms he finally relaxes. Jack's skin is cold to the touch, almost freezing.

"This is stupid," he murmurs. "I can walk, damn it."

"You're injured, the tranquilizer cut is still affecting you, and you're obviously sleep deprived," Mark replies.

Jack doesn't respond, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He shuts his eyes, finally realizing the extent of his exhaustion as he rests his head against Mark's shoulder. He shivers, the cold that clings to him finally seeping through to his very bones.

Mark reaches his room and pushes the door open, settling the villain onto the bed. The Irishman opens his eyes, instantly reaching for the blankets that will maintain the warmth left by Mark. He wraps himself in them, trying not to shiver too badly.

"You need sleep," the American insists.

"Sleep is for the weak," Jack replies without a moment of hesitation.

Mark frowns. "Maybe this is why you couldn't get away from us. When was the last time you slept?"

Jack shrugs. "I got drunk and passed out a couple days ago. Other than that, I doze off for ten minutes at a time sometimes."

The hero's eyes widen. "No wonder you're so sleep-deprived!"

"Shut up," Jack mutters.

Mark smirks and turns on his heel, heading towards the door of the room. As he does, Jack's voice floats softly to his ears.

"Are you afraid of me?"

The hero stops in his tracks, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm not scared of you, Jack."

"You're afraid of Anti."

Mark bites his lip. "You aren't Anti."

Jack falls silent, pulling the blankets tighter around his body. The American takes this opportunity to leave the room, locking the door behind him with a click.