The scene was a familiar one. A dark messy room, moonlight streaming in the window, a teen working away at a locked door. Morgan was frustrated, though, feeling the tension give way again as the lock reset. With a muffled swear, they looked at the time and shook their head. There was no way they would be able to get out in time.
Pulling out their phone, they scrolled until they found a contact only labeled with the cat emoji, and pressed call.
"Hey, are you ready?" Alex's voice made Morgan smile, but they still weren't happy.
"...no, not really..." They said, putting it on speaker with the volume low as they went back to their lockpicking.
"What?" Alex asked, frustration in his voice.
Morgan sighed, feeling the tension in the lock slip again, making them start over. These tools were worthless. "I'm grounded..." They grumbled, as they tried to push their tension wrench a little deeper to get a better hold.
"What? You can't be grounded, we have plans."
The angry voice made Morgan sigh and they leaned back from the lock for a moment. "I know, and I'm sorry, but my father added some new locks, and he took away my last set of picks." They explained, leaning back in to try again. "I've been working at this for twenty minutes but it's a four-hundred-dollar lock and all I have is a paperclip and an old metal hair pin. I can do it, but not fast enough to make it to the movie."
Alex grumbled a bit in irritation. "Just break the door down."
There was a pause as Morgan glanced at the phone, waiting to be told the other was joking. No such confession came though, and they arched a brow. "You know these are reinforced, right? This thing may as well be a bank vault."
"Since when has that been a problem." Alex demanded.
"Since forever."
Alex let out an exasperated sigh, sure the other was joking around, and not finding it funny. "Quit messing with me, just break it down."
Morgan was working on the last pin, when they heard a small snap, and the lock reset. Pulling out their tools, they looked to see the hair pin they had been using for the wrench had snapped. "Fuck..." they muttered, shooting a glare to their phone. "You know that not everyone can just kick down a bolted, steel reinforced door, right?" They said, getting up to search for another makeshift tool.
"Oh yeah..." Alex said, having honestly forgotten. "I'm coming to get you."
Morgan blinked in surprise at the words and looked at the phone. "You're what?" They asked, jumping in surprise as Alex appeared on their balcony.
The hero simply stepped forward through the door as if it were made of tissue paper, and Morgan stared for a moment. "heh... thank you?" They whispered.
Morgan looked up at Alex and a thrill of terror shot through them as they saw a sudden rage fill those golden eyes.
"What the fuck did he do to you?" The hero snarled, stepping forward with a murderous look.
"What?" Morgan asked, stepping back from the powerful man fearfully. They reached up and touched their face before remembering the healing bruises and wounds there. "Oh no, that wasn't my father." They assured, understanding now.
Alex wasn't convinced as he looked the other over. It was clear these injuries were from a beating. "It wasn't?" He growled, the doubt clear in his voice.
Morgan flinched at the other's louder words. "It wasn't." they quietly assured. "And be quiet. Someone will hear us."
Alex just shook his head. "I sound proofed the room. Now stop lying." He demanded. It took so much willpower not to just erase Morgan's father from existence right then and there.
"I'm not lying, Alex. It wasn't him." Morgan repeated. While Alex's concern was endearing, it was also terrifying. "I got in a fight with some thugs. That's why I'm grounded." They confessed, expecting a lecture.
The words made Alex pause, and he softened a bit. "You got in a fight?" He asked, trying to picture it.
Morgan just nodded. "Yeah. I was dumpster diving and these three thugs tried to mug my best friend, so I beat the shit out of them..."
"Huh..." Alex leaned back, crossing his arms as he eyed the other.
The appraising gaze made Morgan shift uncomfortably. "Yeah..." They cleared their throat. "One of them got me pretty good, but you should see the other guys. Two of them are still in critical care."
Alex continued to stare, imagining the way the scene might have gone down. The thought made his mouth go dry. "I wish I'd been there..."
"Oh, come on..." Morgan grumbled, crossing their arms and leveling an irritated glare at the other. "I can take care of myself!" They asserted.
"No, it's not that..." Alex chuckled, unable to keep a smile off his face. "It's just the thought of you beating the shit out of three street thugs is..." He paused to take a deep breath, enjoying the mental image he had. "Fucking hot."
Morgan paused, having not expected that reaction. "Oh..." they said, feeling bad for their previous irritation. "Well thank you..."
Alex smiled. It wasn't often he got to see the other fluster. "You're welcome." He said with a charming smile.
There was a moment of silence before Morgan cleared their throat again. "I'm going to get some makeup to cover these bruises, then we can go." They said, moving to their nightstand.
Alex nodded. "Ok, but hurry up. The movie starts in fifteen minutes, and I want popcorn."
* * * * *
Alex sat at his favorite booth, in his favorite pizza place, with his favorite pizza in front of him. He had given up asking how the other knew so much about his preferences weeks ago, deciding instead to just appreciate it. As he crunched down on a slice of thin crust, listening to his partner talk, it dawned on him, that he never needed to watch another movie again. He could just have Morgan watch it, and they would describe the entire thing in graphic detail, just as they were doing now.
It didn't bother Alex as they listened to the retelling of the movie's dramatic twist. There was nothing they loved more than to listen to the other talking passionately about something. Usually, the topics that got Morgan this fired up were ones the hero didn't understand, so this was a refreshing change of pace. He rested his chin in his hand as he stared, so very in love with the person before him.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" The sudden topic change was a bit jarring, and Alex blinked a few times as he watched Morgan pull out an envelope. "I got you a little something."
Alex stared at it, taking a moment to wonder if they had missed something. "What? Why?" He asked, arching a brow at the other.
Morgan just smirked, shrugging. "Because I can. Open it." They ordered.
Alex looked back down and slowly picked up the envelope. Glancing back up at the other, they began to open it, pulling out two objects. The first was what appeared to be a surprisingly heavy, polished metal credit card. It had no words or numbers on it, but it was colored similarly to Superior's cape and cowl. The second was a little saddle stapled booklet. Alex opened it and paused, seeing the words "Spider Card Owner's Manual" printed on the front page. "Is this..." He looked back up at the other, a bit of confusion in his eyes.
"The Spider Card. Serial number 00001." Morgan said, smiling as they watched the other look back at the card in stunned silence. "I know you don't really need it with all your fancy powers. But I still wanted you to have the first one... I... I haven't even pitched it to any other heroes yet." They explained, almost feeling silly for the gift.
Their worry vanished when Alex turned a warm smile to them. Seeing those eyes soften like that could make the teen melt every time. "I love it..." Alex assured. "Thank you."
A silence fell over the two as their eyes stayed locked on each other. Slowly, they began leaning closer, as if some invisible forces were drawing them together. The whole world seemed to vanish. It was just them, together in this moment. They could feel the heat of each other's breath as their eyes slowly closed and –
"Morgan?"
The new voice made Morgan sit bolt upright, eyes wide and face flushed. They looked up to see a young girl standing at their table, curly brown hair up in pig tails, and green eyes matching Morgan's. "Diego!?"
Alex slowly sat up straight, clearing his throat as he observed the situation.
"What are you doing here?" Diego demanded in a half-hushed tone. "Dad would freak if he saw you."
Morgan grumbled and crossed their arms. "Yeah well, what he doesn't know won't hurt anyone. Now, go away." They ordered fruitlessly.
Alex looked between them, noting the similarities. "Who is this?" He asked, not remembering her from the party.
Morgan sighed in irritation at the question and looked down at the table. "This is my little sister, Diego. Diego, this is Alex, my partner." They said, gesturing between the two.
The girl eyed Alex for a moment before glancing back at her brother. "Partner as in crimefighting partner, or partner as in boyfriend?" she asked.
"Boyfriend, obviously."
The quick response made Alex look over at the other in surprise, having never heard the other say that before. They smiled at Morgan, even as the smaller teen seemed to be wishing they could melt into the seat. From the corner of his eye, he caught the girl staring at him, and he looked up to meet an appraising gaze. "What?" he asked, not sure why he was the subject of such scrutiny.
"You better treat them right." Diego ordered with a glare.
The sudden seriousness surprised the hero. "Excuse me?" he asked.
Morgan just sighed, covering their face with their hands. "Diego, please stop..." They begged, mortified.
Diego did not stop however, leaning in and pointing at Alex. "If I ever catch them crying because of you, I will personally track you down and kick your ass." She warned, leaving the hero stunned.
"Ok, ok, enough with the threats." Morgan said, pushing their sister back. "Just go away, will you?"
The girl backed off, but gestured that she was watching Alex before heading off to join her friends.
Morgan groaned, setting their head in their hands again.
"That was weird." Alex said, and Morgan didn't even look up, only giving an affirmative noise.
Alex looked over at his partner, trying to understand what had just happened. "Does she even have superpowers?"
Morgan shook their head. "Not yet." They said, slowly sitting up and taking a slice of pizza to avoid meeting the other's gaze.
"I see..." Alex said, taking a drink of his soda. "So does she just not know who I am?"
"Oh no, she knows." Morgan quickly confirmed.
Alex arched a brow at the words. "And she's still threatening me?"
Morgan nodded. "Yup..." They said, finishing their slice. "And she means it too."
There was a slight chuckle from Alex, and Morgan looked up to see a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well... Maybe you're not so different from your family after all." He teased, chuckling at the glare he got.
"Ok, I'm just going to skip over that savage blow to my pride, because we need to hit the road." Morgan said, closing up the pizza box. "Her friends aren't exactly known for their secret keeping capabilities, and I don't want them to see us."
Alex chuckled softly and nodded, moving to leave a tip as Morgan gathered their things. He slipped the Spider Card into his wallet gently and stood, offering a hand to Morgan. "Let's go."
* * * * *
Morgan shifted as they stood on their balcony once more, looking at their broken door. Tonight hadn't gone exactly as they had planned thanks to their sister's interruption, but they still had a nice time. "So uh..." They looked up at the hero standing beside them. "Any chance you could fix my door?"
Alex gave a snort at the question. "Of course, I can." He said, gesturing to himself. "I'm a reality warper."
A moment passed before Morgan cleared their throat. "Ok... will you?" They asked.
Alex rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit. With a snap of his fingers, the door was like new once more.
The sight made Morgan stare for a moment, and they wondered if they would ever get used to this man's powers. "Thanks..." They said, smiling up at the other. "You know, the world is really lucky you decided to be a hero and not a villain."
The observation made Alex tense a bit, and he glanced off to the side. "Yeah..." He didn't want to admit it. The bloodlust he longed to satisfy. The crushing boredom he felt playing the hero day in and day out. He felt like a beast in a cage. He looked back down at the other, swallowing hard. He would keep it hidden, keep that cage locked tight, because that was what it would take to keep Morgan.
"Anyway." Morgan broke the silence, glancing down at the balcony floor. "My parents are planning some big trip, so I won't be around for a while."
The words surprised Alex, and he eyed the other in confusion. "Wait. What?"
Apologetic green eyes looked back up and Morgan gave a sad sigh. "I'm sorry. I just found out last night." They explained, feeling bad for springing this on the other.
Alex paused, not wanting to believe it for a moment. "How long will you be gone?"
"A few weeks?" Morgan said, unsure. "Maybe a month?"
"Oh..." Alex looked down, sure the other wouldn't want him to visit if the whole family was going.
Morgan's heart broke, not wanting to be away from their partner for so long. "I'm sorry..."
Alex slowly looked back up at the other, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too." Morgan said, trying to offer a hopeful smile. "But I'll see you when we're back?"
That confirmed it. No surprise visits from Alex were allowed. "Ok..." He said, trying to smile back, but it wasn't very convincing.
"Good." Morgan said, stepping forward and setting a hand on the other's chest.
Alex looked up just in time to be caught in a kiss. The contact surprised him, but he quickly melted into it, eyes closing as his arms wrapped around the smaller form. The feeling of arms wrapping around his neck warmed his heart as he lost himself in the moment.
Finally, Morgan pulled back just enough to break the kiss, though their noses still touched. Alex opened his eyes, meeting that beautiful emerald gaze he so adored. There was only silence as the two simply existed together for a moment.
"Goodnight, Alex..." Morgan whispered, slowly pulling away and heading inside.
Alex watched them go, seeing his heart leaving with them. "Goodnight, Morgan..."