The afternoon sun shone through the leaves, casting the park in an ever-shifting dappled light. The smell of kettle corn and cotton candy floated on the breeze from the state fair just down the street. The sounds of laughter and excited cries were muffled this far away, but they still made Morgan anxious to get going. The tickets were burning a hole in their pocket. Full access to all the rides and shows. There was just one thing missing. Alex.
The teen sighed and sat on the edge of the fountain, waiting for their partner to arrive so the festivities could begin. Life at home had been more strained, lately. Their parents were becoming more impatient by the day, as Morgan continued to decline the roll of sidekick. The pressure was beginning to get to them. Their only moments of respite were these dates.
Pulling out a penny from their pocket, they rolled it over their knuckles a few times, before closing their eyes. With all their heart, they wished for their family to leave them alone, and just let them be their own person and love who they wanted to love. Gripping the coin, they gave it a little puff before flipping it into the fountain.
Apparently, one cent was not enough to make that wish come true.
"There he is!" Chad's voice was like nails on a chalkboard as the larger teen approached his brother. "Little Morgan!"
Morgan rolled their eyes, glaring at the coin through the clear water, as if this was its fault. Maybe if they just ignored him, he would go away.
"Morgan! It's me, Chad, your brother!" The hero called, standing beside the other now.
There was a time when Morgan found their brother's ridiculous introduction endearing, but those days were long past. "What do you want, Chad? ...I'm busy."
"Too busy to talk to your brother?" Chad asked with an overacted laugh.
"Yes." Morgan hissed, turning to glare up at the other from their seat.
Chad just laughed again and shook his head. "You know what I want, Morgan." He said, setting his fists on his hips in a ridiculous pose. "When are you going to finally agree to be my sidekick?"
Morgan made a show of looking at their watch and humming in thought. "Hmmm... Probably a few days past never."
The quip made Chad sigh a bit, though he tried to stay positive. The tension in the house was getting to him too, and he was beginning to resent his brother for not just playing the part like everyone else. "Mom and Dad aren't going to wait forever, you know."
"Well, that sucks for them, doesn't it?" Morgan growled, turning back to the fountain.
Chad was beginning to have trouble controlling his temper. The young hero wasn't quite as poised as he would someday be. Without thinking, they just said what they knew would cut the deepest. "Come on, Morgan. We both know it's your calling. You were always meant to be in my shadow." Chad knew he had gone too far when Morgan turned an angry glare at him, but his teenage hormones were in control at the moment, and they wouldn't let him back down.
Morgan stood, fists clenched as they glared up at the other. They knew they couldn't win this fight, but that might not be enough to stop them from trying. "Well, how about you take that calling and shove it up your ass." Suddenly, Morgan's eyes locked on something behind Chad and their whole demeanor changed. They started shaking their head, subtly at first, but becoming more obvious as their brother continued to yell.
"You're being ridiculous!" Chad snarled, heedless to his brother's sudden fear. "Just give in before mom and dad do something drastic—" He cried out as something gripped his shoulder painfully tight. When he tried to jerk away, he found himself trapped, a problem he hadn't encountered since he'd gotten his powers.
"Is there a problem here, Morgan?" Alex asked, a deadly glare locked on the hero he held.
Morgan just hung their head, covering their face with a hand. "No..."
Alex didn't release Chad, even as the other struggled. "Because I can fix it real quick if there is." He threatened. The older teen briefly considered how good it might feel to just give a little yank and let what happens happen.
"Alex, stop..." Morgan said, moving to pull at the other's fingers. "Just let him go."
Reluctantly, Alex allowed his hand to be removed as Morgan stood between the two stronger heroes.
Chad rubbed his sore shoulder gently, looking at Alex, then his brother, the pieces clicking. "This is where you've been sneaking off to all the time?" He asked.
Morgan glared over their shoulder at their younger brother. "Drop it, Chad." They ordered. "It's none of your business."
"You heard what dad said." Chad growled, knowing what might happen if their father discovered this.
Morgan turned to better face the other. "And I clearly don't give a fuck." They asserted.
Chad glared and shook his head. "When he finds out –" He cried out again as his other shoulder was grabbed.
Alex was reaching over Morgan to hold Chad in another painful grip. "Do I need to make sure he doesn't find out?" He asked in a disturbingly calm voice.
The younger hero's eyes widened just slightly as they glared at the other. "Are you threatening me?"
A dark smirk crossed Alex's face. "I really thought that was obvious." He said, not looking very heroic at the moment.
"Alex that's enough." Morgan said, pushing the other back again. "Just let me handle this, please?" They didn't stop until Alex backed off, clearly unhappy as he crossed his arms. "Don't worry. I know Chad won't say anything about us to anyone." Morgan assured, confusing both of the heroes.
"Why would you think that?" Chad said, glaring down at the other. "I don't hide things from our parents."
Morgan turned to look up at their brother, crossing their arms. "Well, you see, it's very simple, Chad." they said, tilting their head to the side. "Either you back off... or I will tell father about your secret weed stash."
Alex chuckled as Chad just looked more confused. "What are you talking about? I've never done drugs."
A smirk crossed the smaller teens face at the words and Morgan shook their head. "That doesn't mean a little box might not appear under your bed one day positively overflowing with the finest grass."
Chad's eyes widened a bit as he finally caught the hint. A shiver shot through him at the thought of what his dad would do if he found something like that. "You wouldn't dare." He said, but he was clearly on edge.
Morgan shrugged theatrically. "I'm sure you're right." They said with an over dramatic sigh. "After all, there's no way I, a lowly E tier sidekick, could ever successfully plant drugs on a big bad A lister like you." It was clear they were mocking their brother.
The larger teen narrowed his eyes at the other. He didn't like this, but he backed down. "You're going to regret this, Morgan."
"Talking to you? Yeah, always." Morgan hissed before waving at the other. "Bubye now!"
Alex laughed as Chad stormed away, and he smirked down at his little partner. "That was fun to watch." He praised, making Morgan smile up at him. He nudged the other gently. "You can be quite nefarious when you want to be."
Morgan gave a single laugh, still a little keyed up, but just wanting to get past it to enjoy their date. "It's a gift." They said with a shrug.
"So, it's off to the fair then?" Alex asked, ready for some fun.
"Hold on." Morgan said, climbing back onto the fountain wall. "I need to get a refund first." They reached in, grabbing their penny, before climbing back down and starting off.
Alex was about to ask when his hand was grabbed, and he was dragged down the sidewalk towards the fair. He glanced back at the fountain before deciding to let it go. If it was important, he would find out, and he had other things on his mind right now.
* * * * *
The lights of the city shone through the fall night as a brisk breeze wound through the buildings. No stars could be seen through the haze, but a harvest moon hung high above the teens as they reached the top of the Farris wheel.
Morgan snuggled into the jacket Alex had loaned them. The cloth was more like a blanket to the smaller person, and they loved it, especially when the smell of Alex's cologne filled their nose. "Tonight was fun..." They said, looking down at the colorful lights of the fair spread out below them.
Alex smiled at the gentle weight of his love leaning against him as he held an oversized German Shepherd plushie with bright green eyes on his lap. One remark about how it reminded him of Morgan was enough to make the smaller teen start playing the carnival games to win it for him. "Yeah..." He said, chuckling as he remembered how Morgan couldn't stop at just one plushie. "The part where you had to hide from security was interesting though."
"It's not my fault I know how the games work." Morgan said, smiling at the memory of winning game after game.
Alex smirked down at the other, arching a brow. "Did you have to clean them out of their prizes though?" He asked, loving the mischievous grin he got in return.
"Yes. Those games are inherently unfair." Morgan said, raising their arms and kicking their feet to make the bench swing. "Viva la revolución!"
Alex laughed with the other, even as he instinctively gripped the rail that held them into their seat. The laughter slowly died down and he smiled as he felt Morgan nuzzle into his side again.
"I wish we could stay like this forever." Morgan whispered, eyes closed as they simply enjoyed the closeness.
A smirk crossed Alex's face at the words. "I mean, if you want, I could just do that." He said, lifting his hand as if to snap.
Morgan didn't even open their eyes as they reached up to take the other's hand and gently set it back down. "You know what I mean." They said, smiling at the sound of a laugh from the other. They were close enough to hear it reverberating in his chest, filling them with a warmth that seemed to banish the cold breeze. With a deep breath, Morgan shifted to look out over the dark city. "I never knew something could feel like this." They confessed.
Golden eyes watched the other closely, a curious look in them. "Like what?" Alex asked, gently moving to wrap his arm around the smaller frame.
The contact made Morgan's smile grow, and they pressed back into the man holding them. "Like... This feels right..." They said, looking down at the plushie on Alex's lap. They tried to figure out how to explain this feeling as they reached out to mess with the soft fur. "I never knew something could feel so real... Sometimes I think you're the only real thing I have in my life..." They confessed.
Alex watched the other messing with the fur, wondering what they were doing. As boring as the hero found so much of his life, he was sure he would never stop being curious about Morgan. This strange and wonderful creature had held him captive from the word go, and he had no plans of trying to escape.
As Morgan pulled back to reveal his beloved plushie now had a mohawk, Alex could only laugh. "Well..." He said, appreciating the handywork before looking back to his love. "Why don't... we make it more real?"
Morgan paused at the question and turned a confused gaze up to the other. "What?"
Alex swallowed hard as he was once more filled with a feeling only this person could instill in him. It was a blend of excitement and fear, with just a touch of nausea. He could feel his heart racing and he had to force his hands not to shake as he pulled a small object from his pocket.
Green eyes locked on the worn, velveteen box and Morgan's emotions began to mirror the other's. They turned to better face Alex, glancing up to see he wasn't looking at them.
Alex stared at the box, unable to force himself to look at Morgan as he opened it to reveal two rings. Now he just had to ask. "I... I know you want to be careful with your family situation." They said, struggling to work up the courage to ask one simple question. "S- so we don't have to have a ceremony or anything... we can keep it just between us if you want, but I... You... Um... Will you..."
"Yes."
Golden eyes snapped up to meet the green ones at the single word. "What?" He asked, afraid he hadn't heard right.
Morgan chuckled and gave a small smile, hiding their emotion much better than the other. "Yes, I will marry you..." They clarified.
Alex let out a small, relieved laugh as one tear escaped. He brushed it away swiftly and moved to slide one of the rings onto the other's slender finger, adjusting it to fit perfectly. The other ring slid on his own finger before he pulled Morgan into a hug, being very careful not to accidentally crush them.
Smaller arms wrapped around him as Morgan leaned up to kiss the other. The feeling of the band on their finger was amazing, but they knew they would have to hide it from their family for now. Soon, they would move out and it would just be them and Alex forever.
Slowly, Morgan pulled back, loving the sight of Alex smiling down at them. They reached up and flicked the other on the nose gently.
"Hey." Alex said, crossing their eyes to try and see the spot. "What was that for."
Morgan just laughed at the sight. "For you being dumb." They teased gently, nuzzling into the other once more. "Did you really think there was a chance I'd say no?"
Alex relaxed at the cuddles and moved to hold the other again. "I mean, not really?" They said, though they sounded unsure. "I mean... I learned a long time ago that I can't assume anything when it comes to you." There was a small chuckle from the bundle in his arms that made the hero smile. He leaned down, nuzzling into the curly brown hair gently. "I just want to give you everything you want..." He confessed, enjoying the other's scent for a moment.
"You already have..." Morgan softly assured. They closed their eyes, a blissful feeling engulfing them as they sat there, surrounded by their love. The world melted away for a moment. No pressures or family expectations. Just Morgan and Alex.
Morgan was content to stay there forever, but as their eyes slowly opened, something dawned on them. They sat up a bit, looking around to see they were still at the very top of the Farris wheel. "We haven't moved in a while."
The observation made Alex chuckle nervously. "Oh yeah... that's my fault." He confessed, looking down to meet the other's questioning gaze. "I didn't know how long it would take me to ask, so I froze the control panel when we got to the top."
A chuckle escaped Morgan at the confession, and they tilted their head to the side. "Awwww. How romantic." They purred.
"Do you want me to fix it?" Alex asked.
Morgan looked up at the other with a small smile. "Of course not." They whispered, leaning up to trap the other in a deep kiss.
Alex smiled, holding the smaller frame close. This moment was perfect. So perfect, that he didn't notice a distant photographer snapping pictures.
Arachnid Lad clung to the side of a nearby building, zooming in to make sure he got some good close ups. Normally, he would be taking pictures of the festivities in the fair below for the Weekly Trumpet. Today, however, they had a specific target.
And their client was paying a lot of money for this job.