United [A Superhero AU] - Book Two

Chapter Thirty-Two - Unfortunate Discoveries

Phil and Lili jog up to him and the girl gives him a nudge to the arm. "Mark, go help Jack. Red isn't going to show him any mercy, and if she gets her gun back Jack is a goner. We'll be back here if anyone gets injured."

Mark nods and races forward, slowing time just as Red dodges Jack's punch and reaches for her gun. The hero pulls Jack against his side and takes her gun before resuming everything to regular speed. She reaches for empty pavement and stumbles before quickly regaining her footing, turning towards where Jack was. The villain stiffens, but a second later is gripping at Mark's suit and burying himself as close as possible.

"Mark, what the hell?! You knew about him and you still let him into the base?!" Red yells, causing Jack to flinch at Mark's side. "Give me my gun back!"

"Red, we need him. Go help Hudson and let me deal with Jack," the American orders, flicking the safety on before tossing it to her. She catches it, flicks the safety off, and glares at Jack one last time before racing off.

The moment she's gone, Mark rushes Jack away and sits him down in a spot that's out of view from the fight. The Irishman leans back against the wall and grabs the collar of Mark's suit in tense fingers, his eyes wide with panic as he pulls the hero closer.

"Mark, she's gonna kill Matthew. You can't let her kill Matthew," he pleads.

"Shh, Jack, I won't let her, okay?" Mark replies, cupping his jaw in the hand not being used to support his body weight. "God, Jack, it's felt like forever. I'm so sorry..."

"I know, Mark, I know." Jack pulls him even closer and presses a kiss to his lips, tears welling in his eyes. Mark melts into him, but it's over too soon. After a second or two, the villain pulls away and places his hands on the hero's shoulder. "Go make sure Matthew doesn't die. Please, Mark..."

Mark nods and reluctantly stands, heading off towards the fight again and leaving Jack sitting against the wall with tears trickling down his cheeks. He locates Matthew almost immediately, and his stomach churns when he sees him backing away from Red, clutching a bloody wound with one arm and trying to hold back the girl with the other. Hudson fidgets anxiously and tries to hold Red off, but gets shoved back every single time. A black eye steadily forms on his face and his lip trickles blood, but he keeps going back to try and pull the girl away.

Mark rushes forward, yanking Hudson away first. The boy stumbles slightly, but maintains a firm grip on his bow. The hero notices the weapon and raises an eyebrow.

"You brought a bow to a gunfight? Really?" he asks, keeping Matthew and Red in his peripheral vision. "I can give you my spare if it helps..."

"No, I don't like guns," Hudson replies, his eyes flicking to the rebel and villain locked in combat.

Mark raises his eyebrows. "What kind of American doesn't like guns?"

"I'm Canadian!"  He rolls his eyes, fidgeting even more as he glances to Red and Matthew again. "Go help them, okay? I'm gonna go find the medics."

The hero nods and moves towards the two locked in combat, struggling a bit to pull Red away. She fights against him, trying to land more blows on Matthew, but Mark's grip is too firm.

"Let me go!" she exclaims, shooting off a few bullets that all miss by a lot.

"Stop, okay? You've done enough!" Mark replies.

"He's a villain! He's as good as dead!"

"If he dies, we'll lose Jack and we need him to help us."

Red snarls and yanks away from him, but doesn't go after Matthew again. She hesitates, her gaze flicking between Mark and Matthew, before stalking off towards the two medics.  Mark exhales and turns just in time to see Matthew crumple, his hand coated in blood from his side.

Mark crouches beside him, shaking him lightly and waking him up. "Matthew? Hey, stay with me, okay? You're gonna be okay, just don't fall asleep."

A rush of wind ruffles Mark's hair and Jack is beside him, his hand on his fellow villain's shoulder. He glances to Mark, panic obvious on his face. "Mark, what do we do, Mark, he can't die..."

The American reaches over and places a firm hand on his shoulder. "Go get Lili, okay? She knows who you guys are and she's not a hero, so she can probably be allowed in your base. Where's Cry?"

A strangled exclamation fills the air and a second later, Cry is on Mark's other side. Jack races off and returns with Lili in his arms in the blink of an eye. He sets her down on the pavement and clutches at Mark's hands as Cry scoops Matthew into his arms and hurries off to their base with Lili on his heels.

"Mark, I probably won't come back to the hero base for a while. The rebels aren't happy with the fact that I'm a villain and Matthew is injured, so going back doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm sorry," Jack says softly, his eyes brimming with tears again. "We can talk about your plans later, but I need to go."

"Jack, I know you have to leave but maybe after Matthew is stable you can come back. I just don't want to go another three days without seeing you, and I know I made a mistake with those plans but I want to make it up to you..."

The Irishman wipes the tears from his eyes and leans up, kissing Mark again gently. "I'll see you later, Mark."

"Jack..."

The villain gives him a weak smile and races off at superhuman speeds. The hero brushes his thumb against his lips lightly, his eyes burning and his heart shattering. Nearby, Felix peels himself off the pavement and rubs his cheek, where a fist-sized bruise is starting to form. Red watches him, the look on her face made of pure venom, and Hudson sits quietly beside Phil, his bow in his lap.

"Get back to the base," Matthias says through their earpieces. "That fight didn't go unheard, and I don't want to deal with a pro-NAI group right now."

Mark stares off in the direction that Jack went, only moving when Felix drags him off. He wants to scream and cry and pull the villain into his arms again. He doesn't want to go back to the hero base without him.

Reluctantly, he allows Felix to drag him away and lets the tears start flowing down his face.