Nearly a year ago, Morgan had made a joke about their room being more secure than a prison cell. Now, they knew all too well how right they had been as they slipped silently through the warm summer night. They were bruised and sore, but they were free once again as they moved into the apartment complex they owned. Glancing at the clock in the lobby made them grin. Yes... New record.
After climbing six flights of stairs, the young adult briefly considered repairing the elevator, which had been used as a deathtrap during a recent confrontation with their nemesis, Saint Bernard. The thought of that battle reminded them that they needed to invite Barnaby over for a game night, now that their new 3D chess board had arrived, and the broken elevator was quickly forgotten.
Morgan unlocked their apartment door and moved inside, kicking their shoes off into a corner. They tossed their keys onto the cluttered coffee table and shoved a pile of laundry over so they could plop down on the couch. With a yawn, they reached down for a half full coffee cup, giving the contents a sniff to ensure it wasn't completely sour. It was good enough, and they took a drink as they flipped on the news, wanting to see what it had to say about their recent heist.
" –Some are suggesting that he may gain the power of those he kills." The reporter spoke over the camera roll of the utter carnage a mysterious new villain was wreaking. Morgan had been watching this person, curious about them. It seemed as if they were shaping up to be one of, if not the, most powerful villain in the world, especially if these new rumors were to be believed. It was certainly impressive. Though many had died trying, no one had been able to get a clear shot of this monster yet. Only flashes of movement and blurred images.
"Civilians and heroes have all been left dead in his wake, and there seems to be no end in sight as even our world's greatest protectors scramble to try and meet this new thre—" Morgan paused the broadcast after a clip of this villain annihilating a cameraman played. Backing it up a bit, they clicked through the scene frame by frame.
Suddenly, the villain choked on their drink, nearly spitting it out. They coughed, patting their chest a few times as they stared at the screen. Staring back at them was a single, golden, feline eye; the last frame before the camera feed cut out.
It was blurry, but Morgan knew that look anywhere. After all, how long had they spent under that predatory gaze?
The screen went black as Morgan snatched their keys up once more. The truth was obvious, but they weren't ready to face it just yet. They had to get out of here, get out of this city, and get some fresh air. Maybe then they would be able to process this...
* * * * *
Green eyes watched as another stone skipped across the river's surface away, only to disappear under the murky water. They had been out here all night, and now the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, illuminating the villain that sat alone on the rocky shore.
Morgan was still struggling to wrap their head around what they had seen. "Are you really alive?" They whispered, before snorting derisively at their own question. "What am I saying... of course you are. You're you..." They stared at their hands for a moment, remembering the weeks of denial... crying themselves to sleep... the nightmares... the guilt.
An anger began to build within them at the thoughts, and Morgan slowly stood. There was only one way to solve this. Walking down the bank a bit, the villain found a weathered concrete block, and they stepped up on it to make themselves a bit taller. Taking a deep breath, they raised their hand.
Snap.
A familiar, naked man appeared before the villain. "Woah, this is diff –" Alex was cut off as he was punched squarely in the face, though the blow didn't even make him flinch.
"Son of a bitch!" Morgan yelled, and Alex looked up to see the other holding their broken hand.
"Morgan!?" He asked, though surprise quickly turned to anger as he glared at his ex. "What the fuck do you want?" He growled, part of him wanting to end the other right then and there.
Morgan turned a teary glare to Alex, pulling some tape from their pocket. "You fucking asshole!" they yelled, taping their pinky and ring finger together to try and set the break.
"Oh, I'm the asshole?" Alex demanded, affronted by the accusation.
"Yeah, you're the asshole!" Morgan said, facing the monster before them with anger and pain burning in their eyes. "What the fuck, Alex!? Faking your death!?"
Alex snorted, crossing his arms as he glared at the smaller person on the block in front of him. "Yeah? Why do you care?" he hissed, still bitter about the way things had ended. Morgan had had to make it convincing, after all.
"I thought you were fucking dead, that's what I care!" Morgan yelled, the effort of holding back their cries only making them angrier. "I kept trying to summon you for weeks, but nothing!"
"Ah, so you're the reason I had to stay incorporeal for so long." Alex said, having taken precautions to avoid someone trying to summon Superior.
Morgan glared at the other, landing another hard smack on the unyielding face and crying out in pain again.
Alex arched a brow as the other held their taped hand. "How many times are you planning to do that?" He asked, fully aware that this person knew their blows did nothing.
"As many times as it takes to knock some fucking sense into you!" Morgan hissed, their glare returning to the target of their rage.
The words only made the monster give a laugh. Well in that case, I won't even have to kill you. You're going to kill yourself just trying to hurt me." He said, a deep malice in his tone. His eyes darkened as he moved to approach his ex threateningly. "But maybe I'll do it anyway."
The threat sent a thrill of terror down Morgan's spine, having never been the target of the other's wrath. Still they stood their ground, rolling their eyes as they held up their damaged hand to cover the monster's lower half. "For the love of god, Alex. Put some clothes on." They ordered with a huff. "I can't take you seriously with all your bits hanging out like that."
Alex smirked, recognizing Morgan's attempt to hide their fear. "What's the matter? You don't like what you see?" he taunted, getting face to face with the other.
"Of course, I do!" Morgan snapped, forcing themselves not to retreat. "Now put some fucking clothes on!"
The words made Alex pause, flustering a bit. He was suddenly on the back foot, the way only this strange person could make him. The familiar feeling was too much, and he had to look away. Taking one step back, the monster snapped, suddenly dressed in the fancy red and black outfit he had come to prefer.
Alex slowly looked back up and the two glares locked together in silence.
Finally, Morgan spoke up. "Why did you do it, Alex?" They asked, much calmer, but still angry. "Because of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself, Morgan." Alex scoffed. "I was sick of being Superior before you ever waltzed in to fuck up my life."
The words cut to the quick. In an instant, Morgan's walls crumbled to dust, forcing them to look away to hide the pain that displaced the anger in their eyes. "I did..." They admitted, sounding utterly deflated. "I did fuck up your life, didn't I?" Sinking down, they sat on the concrete block, hugging their knees to their chest. "You have every reason to want me dead..."
Alex stared at the other, not sure how to handle this sudden change. "What?" Was all he could manage to say as his eyes softened a bit.
"I didn't know what else to do, Alex..." Morgan confessed, curling up a little tighter as they remembered that day. "He was hurting your family because of me... I was just trying to protect you."
"Protect me?" Alex asked, his glare returning. "By ripping out my heart!?"
Finally, Morgan looked up, at the other, no longer trying to hide the pain on their face. "Yes... that was the price demanded of me." They explained. "I cut out both of our hearts with the same knife that day."
Alex stepped back, not sure what to think. He had promised himself he would kill Morgan the next time he saw them. He would make them pay for all the pain they had put him through. And yet here they were, alive and unmutilated, and explaining that it had all been to protect him. Him. The very idea was ridiculous. The monster began to pace, struggling with his inner turmoil. "Why didn't you just come to me?" He demanded.
"Because you are a hero, Alex!" Morgan snapped, before taking a breath to calm themselves. "Or you were a hero..." They corrected. "You couldn't have fought back without compromising your morals, and I didn't want to put you in that position. Not that that makes any difference now..." The smaller villain let out a sigh, looking up at the man. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to be... this?" They asked, gesturing up and down at him.
"Because you are a hero!" Alex confessed, trying to turn the other's statement around on them. "The only reason I stayed Superior for as long as I did is because you loved him! It was torture!"
Morgan's eyes lit up in anger once more at the accusation. "I loved you, Alex. Not that fucking cowl!" they snapped, glaring up at the other. "And it's 'were', by the way..."
The correction made Alex pause, silencing his angry retort. "What?"
Morgan sighed and uncurled, letting their feet rest on the rocky shore. "I'm a villain now." They said. "Leader of a gang down town..." In spite of the circumstances, they still worried the other might think differently of them for this change.
"But..." Alex was so confused, remembering the reason Morgan gave for breaking up with him. "You were Chad's sidekick..."
"Only to protect you..." Morgan said, their tone slowly losing emotion as they had no energy left to give. "I left the second I found out you were gone..."
A silence grew between the villains as Alex tried to piece it all together. If everything the other had said was true, could that mean...?
"Well, go ahead..." Morgan's words interrupted Alex's thoughts, and he looked up to see a resigned look locked on him.
"Excuse me?" He asked, feeling like he had missed something.
Morgan shrugged and clarified, "You wanted to kill me, so kill me." They had accepted their fate the moment they decided to try and summon their lost love again.
Alex could only stare for a moment before he let out a sigh. He knew he couldn't do it. He and known since the moment he met this person that he would never be able to kill them on purpose. And at this point, he didn't even want to pretend he could. He slowly turned and sat on the block beside the other, looking out over the river. "I'm not going to kill you, Morgan..." He confessed softly.
A wave of relief washed over Morgan at the answer. "Ok..." they said, thinking for a moment. They shifted, turning to face the other with a sudden look of determination that Alex knew all too well. "Then marry me." They ordered.
The words shocked Alex, having not expected the other to even like him anymore, much less want to marry him. "What?" He asked, staring down at the smaller villain.
"Kill me or marry me, those are your options..." Morgan clarified, looking up at the man who held their heart to this day. "Because I don't want to be without you anymore."
Alex was at a loss, trying to speak but nothing came out for a moment. "Morgan... I—" He cut himself off as Morgan slid down to their knee on the rocks and pulled out the rings that had hung around their neck for months.
"We can have a big ceremony." Morgan promised, filled with a renewed energy as they fought for their love, now that they knew he wasn't going to kill them. "We can shout it from the rooftops, so the whole world knows I'm yours and you're mine."
One large hand slowly reached out and took the ring as Alex examined it for a moment. "Ok... I'll marry you." He said, turning a slight smirk to the villain kneeling before him. "On one condition."
Morgan nodded eagerly. "Name it." They said.
"I take your name."
The words made Morgan pull back a bit, giving Alex a skeptical look. "Wait, what? Why?" They demanded, having hoped to distance themselves from that name.
An evil chuckle escaped Alex at the question. "So I can run it into the fucking ground."
There was a pause before slowly, Morgan smirked back up at their love. "...deal." They said, leaning up to kiss the monster before them.
Alex smiled, kissing back as he pulled the smaller villain up into his lap. "You know..." He said, pulling back for just a moment. "I don't really think you had to get down on your knee since you're already so much shorter than me."
Their foreheads pressed together as Morgan eyed the other. "Go fuck yourself." They hissed, flicking the end of Alex's nose with their uninjured hand.
"Only if you join me." Alex joked, enjoying the banter that he had missed for so long.
Morgan just chuckled and shook their head. "Later. Gotta save something for the honeymoon." They teased, feeling complete once again, in the arms of their love.