being pro hero deku and dynamight’s personal secretary and having to sit sandwiched between them at press conferences and public appearances because you’re like some stray they picked up off the streets.
you’re pretty sure they’re married but just never say anything meanwhile they’re both plotting on how to make your ex drop off the face of the planet, or trying to give you flowers and gifts without making it look weird. . .
miscommunication trope final boss. bonus points if you’re a freak ass fujoshi
bakugou katsuki doesn't do casual. there is no such thing as a hookup in his mind. no, you can't just up and leave in the middle of the night without giving your phone number to him. no, you're not going to be able to pretend you don't remember him. he won't allow it.
gods forbid you fall into the category of his type. he gets real pissy if you ever try to brush your relationship off as casual. the word makes his nose scrunch up in distaste, makes him stare you down. he doesn't do casual, and he can prove it.
bakugou katsuki doesn't do casual. there is no such thing as a hookup in his mind. no, you can't just up and leave in the middle of the night without giving your phone number to him. no, you're not going to be able to pretend you don't remember him. he won't allow it.
gods forbid you fall into the category of his type. he gets real pissy if you ever try to brush your relationship off as casual. the word makes his nose scrunch up in distaste, makes him stare you down. he doesn't do casual, and he can prove it.
PAIR: Mark Grayson x Reader, Sinister! Mark x Reader, Mohawk! Mark x Reader, No Goggles! Mark x Reader, Viltrumite! Mark x Reader
SYNOPSIS: He finds you crying.
WARNINGS: mentions of violence, not too graphic though, emotionally constipated men
A/N : let me know if you guys liked these!! i love each variant in a different way mwhahah °ʚ(´꒳`)ɞ°
MAIN MARK
he's coming home, but it doesn't matter what from, because the moment he enters your place, the air feels thick, he calls out your name in a sing-song tone, hoping that will ease any tension.
he hears it then, a single shaky breath, and his eyebrows furrow. he rushes to your room to find you lying on your bed, curled up like something hurt, trying to sob quietly, make yourself smaller
rushing over, he panics. mark grayson is panicking because you look hurt, and he can't stand the sight of his partner hurt
"(Y/N)? Please tell me what's wrong, are you hurt?" he rasps in his voice, hands hovering over your body, looking at you like your entire body is a bruise
"I-I just tried to come back home and I tripped and skinned my knees, then I came home and ordered food and they messed it up, and then I tried to cook but it—" you're cut off by a sob racking through your body like thunder, every emotion is high and rehashing the horrible day makes you unable to stop
he gives you his puppy dog eyes before gently moving himself into the bed beside you caressing your face, and pressing his body agaisnt yours being careful to avoid grazing your knees
comfort, mark will always give you comfort he holds you close as your sobs die down to a sniffle
"I'm sorry your day was so bad... Let me help make it better, I'm gonna be right back." he gives you a small grin before pecking your forehead and speeding out of your place
he comes back 10 minutes later with a bowl of what looks like ice cream
"I got you gelato, it's from Italy, so it's the real deal." he bashfully hands you the bowl, and you flash him a smile, his ears tinge red
SINISTER MARK
this one is the most unstable; therefore, his responses can tend to vary depending on his mood, this man is devoted to you but he's not a lovesick fool
at first, he won't take you seriously, eyes watery, snot running, hair like a birds nest, he may even make fun of you because he doesn't think there's any real reason you have to be upset. he listens in rapture, a weird sense of pleasure he basks in while you sob, especially if you're crying over him, expect him to dryly laugh in your face if that's the case
"You're so cute when you cry, it's not like I'm ever letting you go."
"I-I Mark please," you'd beg, he'd stare at you with empty eyes, raking his fingers through your messy hair
now, if your tears are because of something someone did, like if someone, somehow, hurt you, he doesn't take kindly to someone hurting what's his, he'll lap at your tears while whispering how no one will ever touch you again, caressing your face, the person is already locked away, limbs cracked and bent wrong
"The dumbest vermin I've ever witnessed," he spat in their face before leaving them in the mess of their own bodily fluids
MOHAWK MARK
there's two versions of him in my head, one is more callous, and finds it hard to speak sweet things to you, the other does it easily because he loves big, gross and obsessively (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)
this mark is unhinged but differently, his eyes shoot over to you crying, and at first he also wishes to laugh a little because c'mon they look so cute crying like that
that dies down quick when your fingers dig into your scalp, desperation clawing into your fingertips— seeping out like spilled water, he's suddenly worried, not used to the feeling, he'll charge towards you, gripping your shoulders like that'll bring you back here, to him in this moment
"Hey, hey, come on, talk to me, what's wrong?"
you're choking on your own spit, and he's getting increasingly more frustrated with your inability to talk. seeing you like this makes him feel wrong; he doesn't like it
"I just, I can't do this," you heave through your chest, he grabs your head and places it on his chest. you hear the thump in his chest, his heart beating just slightly above normal. for a second, he feels human
shakily, your fingers grasp at him instead, clawing their way into him, never hurting him—because that's nearly impossible for you, but you calm down. he lets out a sigh of relief, he's not always there with words, in fact, he sometimes says things that make it worse. so he resorts to letting you know he is there in this moment with you
NO GOGGLES
this one may be a little freak, but deep down he does care about you.....
you're crying— and he doesn't flinch at first, nor does he take the most pleasure out of it either. he is used to hurting people, and normally, he takes immense pleasure in it, especially if they manage to hurt him, but something about seeing your tear-stained cheeks mixed with your pout makes him feel almost... sad? it feels weird to say it out loud
"Don't be that way, c'mon... what happened?" he's already sighing and pulling you into his chest, relishing in the feeling of you weak in his arms; hearing your pulse run like a rabbit his voice honeyed over your ear
you murmur something about not feeling good enough, and he's genuinely confused, fingers tousled in your hair his voice comes out louder then he means to
"If I choose to have you by my side, trust me, you are enough." his voice comes matter-of-factly as he flashes you a grin, you jump a little at the volume but nod your head in agreement
VILTRUMITE MARK
he's most different from all of them; he doesn't hurt because he wants to, it's because he believes he needs to
so when he sees you, the one person he doesn't hurt, no—chooses not to hurt, cry? he isn't sure if he should be upset or not. years of Viltrumite missions have numbed him out to things such as human emotion, so then why does he feel... like something's off, he feels something wrong in the pit of his stomach, like his organs are suddenly heavier in his body
your weak form curled into the couch, shaking like the entire world is screaming at you, he twitches, subtle but there
he begins to make his way to you, smoothing out your hair, almost coaxing you to come out, but he doesn't speak
not yet
your head cranes up to him slowly, and you know something is off with him, you can tell, the subtle expressions, the little twitches, everything that no one else noticed
so when he silently holds your hand, you let him. a tear falls from your eyes and lands on his hand interlaced with yours, you watch his hand tense, just barely, like you'd stung him
"Why?" one word, one syllable, cuts through the air, his voice like a whisper in the apartment, hushing itself like everyone in the world could hear him
"i felt alone." one sentence, one feeling, yet lots of tears, mark feels something in his stomach turn, and his hand tightens again, just slightly
enough to notice
"I'm... not going anywhere," he eventually says after the long silence you two sit in, and you twitch, just barely, enough for him to notice "..so don't feel alone, not with me, never with me." he finishes
this is definitely one of the earlier times of your vulnerability with mark, so he's not as vocal as he would be in the future; nonetheless, you feel a hint of comfort in the sureness of his words. he doesn't say things like that if he doesn't mean it
while you are protecting the world during the Invincible War you come across one of the Invincible Variants
I WANT SOMEONE BADLY | @digitald0rk
after a hard night of fighting crime, you take mark back to yours to spend some extra time with him, one of your closest friends. he is a yearner, through and through.
and they called it puppy love | @sqgeism
a man | @/sqgeism
a mans greed | @/sqgeism
Hold me while you wait | @damselneedssaving
An ordinary movie night over at your place with your favourite crime-fighting vigilantes ends in a knock at your door and you wrapped up in the embrace of a complete stranger claiming to be your boyfriend of another world—much to the blatantly obvious dismay of your house guests.
Batboys X Reader, Mark Grayson X Reader
Cut Deep, Kiss Hard, Part Two, Part Three | @wordsofwhimsy
Your dangerously unhinged not-boyfriend threatens to “take care” of the friends of yours that keep trying to pull you away from him, and you are having none of it. literally a crazy stand-off
All the Pretty Girls | @/wordsofwhimsy
Three weeks after a breakup he can’t shake, Mark finds himself aimlessly nursing milkshakes and regrets—until William drags him out for a night at the club to help him “move on.” But no amount of drinks, dancing, or pretty strangers can quiet the echo of what Mark lost.
If I Was Your Girlfriend… | @/wordsofwhimsy
Mark just needs to be close to you dammit and he can’t stand that you’ll be that way with your girl friends but not him
Shy Girl Supremacy | @/wordsofwhimsy
You & Mark have been going steady for awhile. You’re the personal assistant to Cecil – handling all the jobs that are too low for Donald (think coffee runs, taking calls, etc.). You’re shy, reserved, and quiet. So the night you come crawling out of your shell and take the reigns in bed? Mark becomes your biggest fan, your personal hype man, and a man on the edge of religious experience.
misery of a superhero | @certifiedlovergirlsstuff
a new dawn begins | @/certifiedlovergirlsstuff
ROLLED UP ‘N RUINED | @slutla
you try to teach your friend how to smoke a blunt—instead, you learn something entirely different.
“A” 4 EFFORT | @/slutla
mark, smart, awkward, and far too soft-hearted, made the mistake of doing one too many assignments for you. a bully in heels, unhinged and relentless, you’ve taken a liking to him in the worst way possible.
They Do It In Porn | @sobbingscripter
Daddy Dearest | @tiramissyoucake
A possibility of a powerless firstborn is raised, where the child is almost entirely earthling. Nolan is not happy.
Omni-Mark's loving housewife | @/tiramissyoucake
Being a hero was exhausting work, but maintaining a wife's satisfaction and happiness was an 'enjoyable' way to unwind
Your Only Good Boy | @/tiramissyoucake
Mark loved being praised by you, he loved being good for you. on days where he could be himself in your lap, he was the happiest.
Variants x Fem! Reader, Pt. 2 | @mirai-lunar
Right There, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6ish | @acenanxious
mask on | @ruusawa
Just for Practice | @cherryyluvs
What started as homework turns into something else entirely… and it involves kissing Mark
You're All I Think About | @/cherryyluvs
Mark becomes obsessed with you, stalking your social media, learning your routines and slowly inserting himself in your life.
Late Night Confessions | @/cherryyluvs
late night calls and movie nights with you slowly turn into something more.
Little Notes, Big Feelings | @/cherryyluvs
Notes in your locker, simple, and anonymous. A little bit sweet. You never expected Mark Grayson confessing that he likes you.
Third Wheel Trouble | @/cherryyluvs
Mark was supposed to have a romantic skating date with you. But thanks to Debbie, he now has an unexpected plus one, his very nosy little brother
Don't Wake Up My Parents | @/cherryyluvs
You're staying over at Mark’s house. He sneaks into the room late at night and things get… risky
Study Break | @/cherryyluvs
Who needs textbooks when Mark's teaching you anatomy like this?
Varient!Invincible x reader MasterList | @slutoru1207
Multiple versions of Mark Grayson from different dimensions find the reader, each desperate to keep her because they lost their version of her. Now, they refuse to let her go.
Imagine Invincible!Mark x reader window moment | @/slutoru1207
You're Dead Everywhere But Here, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, | @readingbunny44
You were thrown out to the wolves—well, in this case, Invincibles and they seem a bit too eager to see you.
IF YOU CARE | @controld3vil
In this version, where Mark only ever saw you as a comrade, you were spared the worst. You escaped the fate that awaited you in every other reality.
u love me and i love you | @/controld3vil
Mark accomplished what his father couldn’t – he conquered Earth. Accepting that wasn’t the hardest part; living with it wears you down.
big flirt | @grimmsbride
the almighty invincible has no problem showing his lovely girlfriend how beautiful she truly is..
Touch | @/grimmsbride
mark grayson doesn’t give a damn what you can do, or how fear hurting him; he would touch you again and again no matter the consequences.
best time | @/grimmsbride
an opportunity presents itself that your beloved mark grayson simply can’t give up.
sinister! Mark
boyfriend material, pt 2 | @0bticeo
“boxers? as boyfriend material?”
you shrug, your movements stifled from your position between his legs, your cheek pressing up against his thigh. you shift a little, the pleats of the oversized tee you’ve stolen from him somehow having gotten stuck under his leg.
“what? you can’t tell me these-” a gesture towards his boxers, the ones you’re currently wearing “- aren’t the type of stuff a hypothetical girlfriend would steal.”
takeout mishap | @/0bticeo
mark stumbles in, looking wrecked—bruised, bloody, barely holding himself up—but guess what? he still has a takeout bag. the paper’s stained red, but he just grins like an idiot and goes: "still hot." priorities.
love me like an innocent (and hold me tight) | @/0bticeo
viltrumites are war-borne. the only love mark grayson has ever known is the crushing weight of his father's fist. you remedy that.
"in every dimension, Mark Grayson falls for you, but not this one." | @swightops
Inexperienced Boyfriend Mark Grayson | @angelltheninth
Mark Grayson Sees You Get Hurt | @/angelltheninth
Mark Grayson x healer!reader | @thegr33nc0met
Second Chance At Love, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 | @tokoyamisstuff
During the war, one particular variant searches for someone he once lost.
Psychosocial | @/tokoyamisstuff
Yandere! Sinister Mark x Reader
Payback | @/tokoyamisstuff
After killing you in his timeline, Mohawk is seeking you out to do it again.
cuddling with mark | @sanguineterrain
The Ones That Belong to Me | @markeater
After fulfilling his part of the deal with Angstrom, he moved on to the main clause of the agreement. What he truly wanted to possess. Still the differences between universes could be quite strange.
Sinister Mark x F!Reader
boyfriend hcs | @ditzybeee
he's in love, pt 2 | @starzyangel
How Mark Grayson Realizes he’s in Love with his Best Friend and how he always has been
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝐸𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 | @your-s-truly
in every universe, mark grayson turns into his father and seals his destiny as a true viltrumite. what if things are different this time around?
Mark talking you through it | @justevelynnnn
your first time together gets ruined by sex pollen | @sunaskura
Hello, You | @earlgreylatte
Of course he would come to see you. You’re the reason he’s here, after all.
Another You | @/earlgreylatte
In one life, Mark loses his sister too soon. In another life, you willingly left him behind.
Unyielding | @/earlgreylatte
You’re usually at his mercy.
I Can Feel It in My Bones | @couldeatthatgirlforlunch
Being Invincible’s pet is cruel, but you manage to find comfort in it.
Masterlist | @/tiramissyoucake
Viltrumite Mark Masterlist | @/tiramissyoucake
Dad Viltrumite Mark | @/tiramissyoucake
CHERRY BOMB | @/digitald0rk
he’s whipped — more than the cream on your milkshake.
NERD ALERT, pt. 2 | @/digitald0rk
in which mark falls for the new comic book store employee who matches his nerd and realizes he wants that effing cookie SO BADD.
mark grayson/ invincible Masterlist | @/justevelynnnn
BABY, IT’S COLD | @/starzyangel
you ever seen the northern lights? me neither
FLYING | @/starzyangel
Mark takes you on a date flying
Of Moons, Birds, & Monsters | @/earlgreylatte
Where Mark Grayson having a sister changes everything and nothing.
Eldest Daughter Syndrome | @/earlgreylatte
Where being the daughter of Nolan Grayson was a burden in itself, despite him wanting the best for you.
dad mark HCs | @/ruusawa
not so secret identity | @/certifiedlovergirlsstuff
touch …. | @/grimmsbride
mark grayson doesn’t give a damn what you can do, or how fear hurting him; he would touch you again and again no matter the consequences.
Notes in your locker, simple, and anonymous. A little bit sweet. You never expected Mark Grayson confessing that he likes you. ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗
It started with a note, neatly folded and tucked in between the vents of your locker. Just barely sticking out and impossible to miss.
You were half asleep still rubbing the exhaustion from your eyes. grabbing the little slip of paper
“Pop quiz in Johnson's class today. Hope you studied. (I didn't, Whoops.)"
You blinked at it, turning it over just to see no name, no clue on who wrote it. Just a simple, neat handwriting, and a tiny smiling doodle of Seance dog in the corner. You glanced around the busy hallway, scanning faces. But no one seemed to be watching you. Just students going to their class, laughing with their friends, and stuffing books into their bags.
Weird. But sweet.
After that notes kept coming, little messages that made you smile. “Did you see the new episode of Seance Dog? Crazy right?” Other times they would be personal. “You looked really happy today.” You kept every single one, tucking them into your notebook like they were little treasures. You found yourself looking forward to them, and you wanted to know them too. So one afternoon you decided to write back, slipping a note into your own locker. Leaving it right where the mysterious writer had been placing theirs. “Okay, secret admirer, your turn. Who are you?”
The next morning a reply was waiting. “If i tell you. It ruins the fun doesn't it?” You let out a huff, fine.
If they wanted to play, you’d play. The back and forth went on for weeks! You had asked what their favorite color was (Yellow but sometimes blue) . Some were rants about a new superhero sighting or how the cafeteria’s chicken nuggets are a danger to society. “The cafeteria nuggets are definitely a health hazard. Stay safe out there”
There's a response the next morning, “RIGHT?? I'm glad someone gets it. Also I can neither confirm or deny that I saw one of those nuggets move.” The messages became part of your daily routine, a little secret, something that made the school day a little brighter.
And one day you found a note that made your heart drop.
“Would it be weird if i said i kinda like you?” Your fingers trembled slightly as you held the small piece of paper. This wasn't just playful anymore, this is real. At this point you needed to know who it was.
You waited, keeping an eye out at your locker, hoping to catch them in the act. Whoever they were, they were good at being sneaky. So you tried a different approach.
You left a note in return, simple and direct. “Not weird. Kind of sweet, but I think i'd like it more if I knew who you were.”
The next day there was no note, and after that, nothing. Your heart sank, had you scared them off? Had they changed their mind? It gnawed at you, making you realize just how much these silly little notes meant to you.
And then it finally happened. You were at your locker, gathering books for your next class, when a voice behind you cleared their throat. “Uh… hey.” You turned around to face the stranger and there he was. Mark Grayson, moving nervously on his feet, his easygoing confidence nowhere to be found. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding your eyes but you could see the pink creeping on his cheeks.
It clicked instantly. The handwriting on the notes, the way he always looked in your direction in class when you weren't paying attention. Mark, who was sweet and awkward, always rambling about comics and superhero movies.
“You're-”
He exhaled like he'd been holding his breath for days. “Yeah it's me.” Your heart fluttered, warmth flooding into your chest.
Mark Grayson, you'd noticed him, you never thought if he had noticed you but he had. And for a long time apparently, “So.. was that too weird? He asked hesitantly. “I can stop if-” You shook your head, a small smile creeping onto your face.
Pulling out a pen from your purse and grabbing his wrist, before he could question it, you scribbled onto his palm.
“No, not weird at all.” When he read it, his entire face lit up.
Request: Could you do a invincible variant or Mohawk Mark x reader who has the powers of super girl/man. They are main marks childhood best friend who didn’t have the courage to confess to him before he started dating other girls. The other versions of them are most likely dead so Angstrom promised the Marks a second chance but this reader isn’t as fragile and can fight back.
Tags: sfw, a little bit of angst, unrequited love, love triangle, kryptonian! reader
Summary: while you are protecting the world during the Invincible War you come across one of the Invincible Variants
wc: 2.6k words
A.N. I'm so sorry if this sucks, I'm not into DC (for now) and I don't know a lot about superman/supergirl lore… but I tried! Also I wrote this with no specific variant in mind, I tried to keep it more generic as possible. Enjoy!
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“They’re everywhere…” Eve’s worried voice was barely audible over the screams of terror and destruction echoing beneath you.
Mark, your childhood friend, flew between you and her, his eyes fixed on the burning ruins of the city below. “They’re attacking every part of the planet. I don’t know how long the others will be able to hold them off.”
“Given your Viltrumite qualities,” you added quietly, eyes following the chaos below, “I doubt they’ll stand much of a chance… especially if they act on their own.”
Watching so many lives being wiped out filled you with a deep, suffocating ache. It reminded you too much of your home planet, of everything you’d lost once before.
Because of your powers, you were one of the very few capable of standing toe-to-toe with a Viltrumite like Mark. The two of you often trained together, challenging each other to push past your limits, testing just how far you could go.
It had become clear over time, however, that you were the one who managed to unlock the full potential of your abilities.
Lately, the GDA had taken full control of the situation, putting all their faith in Mark. He was the only one who might have a chance to stop the Empire, or at least delay it. But that faith came with fear: they needed to keep him close, to monitor him constantly, just in case he ever turned against them.
Your time together had been cut in half since then, and now that he was with Eve… spending time alone with him had become even more complicated.
The faint cry of a child pulled you back to the present. You knew neither Mark nor Eve had heard it, but you couldn’t ignore it. You broke formation, diving toward the remains of a collapsed building. They stopped mid-air, probably thinking you had spotted one of the eighteen variants currently tearing the planet apart.
The sound led you to a small boy trapped under rubble. Somehow, he was unharmed, though his sobs made your blood boil. The more debris you moved aside, the stronger your anger grew: not at him, but at whoever had caused this devastation.
You stretched out a hand, and the child immediately leapt into your arms, trembling. You barely had time to ask if he was okay before a shimmering pink bubble enveloped him, pulling him gently out of your grasp.
“I think it’s better if we split up,” Mark suggested, landing behind you alongside the red-haired girl who had conjured the forcefield. “We need to cover more ground and find the version of me that’s behind this. If we all stay together, it’ll just slow us down.”
“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” you asked, unable to hide the concern in your voice. The idea of letting him wander off into a battlefield like this made your stomach twist, especially after his last encounters with other Viltrumites, his father included. “We don’t know how strong they are. You might need backup.”
“I’ll go with him,” Eve interrupted softly as she tended to the boy inside her energy bubble. “I can help with civilians along the way, get them to safety.”
You said nothing. You just looked at them, at the way they moved so easily in sync and how she touched his arm like it was the most natural thing in the world. You couldn’t deny the sting of jealousy that burned in your chest.
You’d had your chances, but you never said anything. You never told Mark how you felt, never even tried to show him. How could he possibly have known?
“You’re probably the only one who can beat me,” Mark said with a half-smile, resting a hand on your shoulder as if he could sense your unease. “You shouldn’t have much trouble if you run into one of the variants. Just… try not to get too caught up with the civilians, alright?”
“You know I can’t just ignore them,” you replied, your voice tight. The thought of leaving people behind to die clawed at your chest. “They need me.”
“If we manage to stop all of them and find whoever started this, that’s how we’ll really save them,” Eve interjected, her tone pragmatic but not unkind. And she wasn’t wrong, logic was on her side.
“Fine.” You turned away, taking to the air again, the wind catching the edges of your cape as it billowed behind you. “Just don’t underestimate who you’re up against, and-”
Mark shot upward before you could finish, Eve right behind him. “You’re the one underestimating me now,” he called out with a teasing smirk before vanishing into the distance, heading east.
Even flying at high speed, your enhanced vision allowed you to see every single civilian below, all of them in danger.
How could you possibly ignore them?
You descended swiftly, throwing yourself into rescue after rescue, pulling people out of collapsed buildings, moving them to safer areas, treating their wounds as best as you could and coordinating with the scattered heroes still standing to protect those who couldn’t defend themselves.
Once you’d cleared the last area, you soared upward again, scanning for more survivors. That’s when an explosion caught your attention, a massive shockwave rippling through the skyline. You turned toward it instantly, reaching the collapsing tower in seconds. People were still trapped inside.
You braced your arms and caught the massive building before it could crash down, the weight straining even your strength. Slowly and carefully you lowered it to the ground, creating a path for the trapped civilians to escape.
Then… “Help!” A voice. Several cries echoed from above, drawing your eyes upward. You shot into the air without hesitation, heart pounding, and that’s when you saw him.
His suit was different but his face… his face was the same. Mark’s face. Except twisted into something cruel, his expression filled with the kind of rage you’d only ever seen in his father.
The variant hovered only a few feet from the terrified civilians waiting… or maybe just enjoying their fear.
“Leave them alone!” you shouted, launching yourself forward. Your hands slammed against his shoulders, grabbing him before he could react, and together you shot upward, away from the civilians.
The variant slipped free of your grip with unnerving ease, landing a punch square in your gut that forced you backward.
“Pathetic superhero!” he ground out through clenched teeth, obviously irritated that you’d interrupted him, yet the moment he got a better look his whole expression shifted: surprise, as if recognition warred with disbelief at finally finding you.
You stopped too, studying him more closely: he was an exact copy of Mark, so convincing that for a heartbeat you could have sworn your real Mark hovered in front of you. Of course it wasn’t him, though even the thought made heat rise to your cheeks.
“You started all this, I can’t let you get away,” you said, pointing at him and bracing for the next attack, your fists tightening as you closed the distance and landed several blows to his face.
The harder you hit, the more confused you felt by your own restraint: with your best friend you’d always trained together, testing limits and trading blows as practice, never once imagining you’d kill him, and even the idea of ending the life of a copy of Mark sickened you.
It was still him, in a way.
The variant exploited that hesitation, seizing control of the fight. He grabbed your cape and spun you around him until the centrifugal force flung you into the sky, only for you to stop yourself just in time from slamming into a still-standing skyscraper.
When he spoke your name you noticed, unnervingly, how like Mark his voice sounded: the cadence, the way he watched you and he began, almost pleading, “Listen to me, I only ask this…”
Reluctantly, you paused and let him finish, you hovered thirty meters apart, the city’s smoke and ruin framing the space between you.
“First... where did you get these powers?” he asked, as if it were a private detail he had a right to pry into.
The question felt invasive, you wouldn’t lower yourself to answer something so personal to an enemy.
“That’s none of your business,” you said, keeping your tone neutral and distant, forcing your face to mask the strange storm of emotions that rose at confronting an uncanny copy of the person who’d shared your childhood.
He ignored your rebuke as if he hadn’t heard it and continued instead, “I’m here for one reason.”
“And that is?” you cut in, you wanted straight answers, no games.
His face clouded for a moment as memories of the version of you he knew in his world flickered across his expression, hesitation that seeded doubt in your chest. “I want you to come with me.”
“What?” you shot back, eyes wide at the audacity of the proposal, instantly suspicious of why you were even listening. You kept telling yourself stalling him might buy you some advantage. “Where?”
“To my dimension,” he said finally, the gravity in his voice making your teeth ache, and you could read the pain in his eyes, the same vulnerable, familiar hurt you’d seen in Mark a hundred times. “I miss you, I don’t know what to do since you…” he pressed a hand to his forehead, fingers stiff with emotion.
“To your dimension?” you repeated, hoping you’d misheard despite the infallibility of your hearing, he sounded earnest. “No. I won’t, and I don’t want to.” The words tumbled out uncertain, the whole proposition was too tangled, too loaded even for you to sort through calmly.
He blinked, then said, “I’m serious, I came here for you alone… I’m doing all of this to get you back.” He spread his arms, the destruction and death around you both an ugly, undeniable punctuation to his confession. “I’m not asking you to forgive me for what I’ve done here, but-”
“How can I go with you if I haven’t forgiven you?” you snapped, frowning and digging your fingers into your palms until the skin bit back. “I can’t follow someone who caused this, and I don’t want to.”
The copy of Mark’s face hardened at your refusal. “I didn’t come here to waste time.” In an instant he closed the space between you, his face inches from yours. “This isn’t a request.” He laid a hand on your arm, pressing a firm hold that hurt without breaking skin.
“Don’t touch me.” You jerked away, ripping his hand off your arm. He watched the motion, unmoved and almost unreadable, and said nothing more. “You can’t tell me what to do… this is my home.”
He looked away and exhaled, and when he turned back there was no pretense left: he lunged, all the force he could muster, and you raised your arms to shield yourself as his blows grew heavier, relentless.
“Then I’ll be forced to take you with me!” he snarled, hammering your forearms again and again to test how long you’d keep defending without answering. “Why don’t you show me again those powers of yours? The version of you I knew didn’t have them, I’m curious.”
“You’re curious?” you asked, half-mocking, though he didn’t care for your tease. “Fine. If you want to see.” You trapped his wrists between your hands, his momentum snapped forward as your hold redirected the force, and you drove a headbutt into him, disorienting him.
He immediately clapped his hands to his forehead, grinding his teeth with pain and irritation, then let out a begrudging, almost satisfied, “You’re strong… didn’t expect this from you... I like it.”
Suddenly your eyes flared red and the variant watched in baffled alarm at what unfolded next. When the diagonal arc of your heat vision sliced through part of his costume and hotness seared his chest, he screamed, clutching at the burning fabric.
“You still like it?” you said floating closer, your cape snapping behind you, your words heavy with something that wasn’t quite victory and wasn’t quite pity.
He should have seen you only as an enemy after all he’d done, yet he refused to let go of what he felt: his feelings wouldn’t change even if you killed him… though, perhaps, he secretly hoped you never would.
“Of course,” he replied once the pain had dulled to something he could hide behind a smirk. “The version of you I knew was softer, weaker… you’re different, but you’re still them.”
In the next instant he was behind you, too fast to follow, and his fist slammed into your shoulder, sending you crashing downward through the debris.
“You’ve got their eyes,” he said, landing beside your body sprawled across the rubble, voice low and deliberate. “And I can tell, just by the way you look at me, that you feel the same way about me as they did.”
“I don’t feel anything for you.” You pushed yourself up immediately, brushing dust from your face and wiping the blood trickling down your temple.
Strangely, he didn’t stop you. He just stood there, watching. He huffed, folding his arms across his chest. “Then I’ll just have to change your mind.”
Another voice, the same voice but coming from above, cut through the tension like a blade. “Hey, watch out!”
Before the variant could react, a punch landed square in his jaw, sending him skidding across the asphalt for several meters. You turned, heart skipping, recognizing that voice instantly.
Your Mark had finally arrived.
He hovered there, chest heaving, eyes narrowing at the other version of himself. Eve was nowhere in sight, she must still have been dealing with the civilians. And then, as if the chaos hadn’t been enough, several portals tore open in the sky, unleashing a swarm of ReAnimen that immediately locked onto the variant as their target.
“You okay? You’re bleeding,” Mark said, landing next to you, concern etched across his face as his eyes darted over your wounds.
You nodded, forcing a small smile to reassure him. Kryptonians were tougher than that, the pain had already started to fade. “I’ve been through worse.”
He frowned, glancing toward the variant struggling against the onslaught of mechanical soldiers. “Strange you haven’t finished him yet. He give you trouble?”
You gave a small shrug. “Something like that.”
You didn’t bother explaining the real reason, that you hadn’t been able to bring yourself to truly hurt him even knowing what he’d done. Instead, you just watched silently as the variant fought back, every punch and blast chipping away at the façade of power he’d tried to project.
For a fleeting second the urge to help him, to stop this from ending with his death, rose unbidden in your chest, but then Mark’s voice pulled you back.
“Eve needs backup. The GDA will handle things here.” He took off before you could respond, his voice carried by the wind. “If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve found this variant or stopped him before he caused more damage.”
You hesitated for half a heartbeat, eyes lingering on the variant still thrashing beneath the swarm of ReAnimen. “Yeah…” Then you followed, launching yourself skyward, leaving both the battle and the confusion it brought behind you.
Was it actually wrong to feel bad for that variant in the end? Maybe you should've followed him, give him a chance... maybe he could've changed for the better. Or maybe you were just delusional and wanted Mark, no matter what Mark, to actually see you as something more than just a friend.
Some fan art for @b0nesjam that I FINALLY got around to drawing 🙏
I sent an ask for permission to draw the twins I think almost a month ago... I've need dragging this out as much as I could and I'm posting it before I start to hate the drawing✌️🥹
I love them sm I can't even explain it
And, of course, mandatory self insert interaction because I'm self centered and all that jazz 😸
A really quick sketch because it's a school night and I have a math test tomorrow (wish me luck ✌️)
vaporwave
turnnoffyourmind
2087
titsay
gummygunk
annaxmalina
ellievsbear
blakekathryn
