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— I'll be right there . . .
Just by reading that text, Mark feels a little more relieved. Even when he doesn't even know why he texted her. Even if he's unsure why he wants to see her.
But Mark can't sleep.
His head's been a mess for days now. He doesn't know exactly how long he was trapped in between dimensions, but he does know that he hasn't slept for days. And it doesn't seem like that's changing this night.
He feels lost and lonely.
And reaching out to her felt almost like an instinct. Looking back, it's been that way for about a year now. Even though it might not seem like a long time, so much has happened, so much has changed... this short amount of time since he's become 'Invincible' weighed like an entire lifetime.
With her, he's always felt free to be his true, unfiltered self. After all, they were both grappling with similar struggles, trying to find their place in the world and decide what kind of superheroes they wanted to be. With nothing to hide, he could always share the good, the bad, and the ugly with her.
And this moment, is one of the ugly ones.
But Mark didn't seek her out to unload his traumas onto her. Besides, there's a lot that he's not ready to share since he hasn't fully processed it himself. And there's also...
Don’t tell me, tell her...
The voice echoing that in his head isn't his own.
Mark isn't sure what he wants to tell her; he hopes to find the answer on his way there.
Eve doesn't usually stay up this late, especially since she shifted from late-night fighting criminals to focus on humanitarian help.
But tonight, she can't sleep.
When Cecil broke the news to them, her heart sank. Instinctively, she wanted to reach out to Mark and offer him the solace she knew he needed.
But, more than that, she understood that he needed space.
Mark and his family would need time to process everything that had happened to them. So instead, she resolved to await his approach patiently. And only if he took too long to get in touch, she would go after him.
Yet to her surprise — and relief — he contacted her sooner than anticipated.
So she arrived at the meeting point as fast as she could and waited for him as anxiety was settling in. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, until...
Finally
As Mark's figure slowly emerges on the horizon, Eve immediately flies to him.
"Oh my god, Mark!"
She embraces him tightly and he hugs her back. They hold each other in the air briefly, both just glad to be together.
But as their hug breaks apart, Mark can't hide the pain in his face. Though she already knew it was bad, the sight still hurt her more than she imagined.
"Cecil told us all about what happened with that psychopath. Is your mom okay? Eve asks as they land, concern in her voice.
"She's okay. She's a lot stronger than she looks" Mark replies, masking the pain.
"How are you, though?" Eve questions.
"I... don't really wanna talk about it" Mark sights — It's not just tiredness holding him back, he still doesn't have the words to express everything he's feeling. So, he settles into a seat instead.
"Yeah, sure," Eve says, sitting beside him "But you know I'm always here for you. If you ever need a shoulder I- I've got two" She smiles at him.
"Yeah" Mark chuckles softly "I know"
Eve doesn't say anything else. She's not even sure there's anything to be said. Since the fight with his father, Mark's been worried he could turn out to be just like him.
You're not your father, Mark. We all know it. The whole world knows it. — She said that to him a few months ago. But even if she knows that's still true, things have changed for him. Crossing that line after he had promised himself he would never do it... no one could come out unharmed from that experience.
She always understood how much that resolve meant to him. That's why she refrains from saying things like 'You didn't have a choice' or 'He made you do it'. She knows that wouldn't be of any help.
And to add to that, Cecil also told them that the future guardians had to traverse through time and space to bring Mark back home. He kept most of the details disclosed — citing concerns about damaging the time stream — but, somehow, she's certain her future self was there to find him.
This is how important he is... to the world, of course — she thinks.
And she can't fathom what is like for Mark to have that much weight on his shoulders.
If this is the moment he needs her the most in all their time as friends, she will be there for him, no matter what. Whether it's simply to listen or to keep him company while he processes everything.
Just being with him, that's enough for her.
They're sitting side by side, staring at the city skyline. The night is calm. It's almost 4 in the morning now, but the city looks as restless as he is, as if the evening had just started. Somehow, it gives Mark some comfort, knowing that the city remains unfazed by his struggles.
There's a cool breeze and that allows him to regroup his thoughts for a second. He puts his hand down so that his fingers can meet hers.
Tell her something — That voice once again echoes in his mind.
"There's something else I wanna talk to you about," Mark says, turning to her.
"Okay?" Eve replies.
He isn't sure what this feeling is yet, but he wants to say something to make her stay by his side. As his whole life seems to be slipping through his fingers, she's someone he can't afford to lose either.
But as Mark tries to gather the words, he once again loses the battle with his thoughts.
It is even fair to want that?
His muscles tense.
Perhaps she'd be better off without him. Perhaps everyone would. At this point, it was clear that no one around him would ever be safe. She shouldn't get caught up in his mess either.
He looks at her and can't say it.
"It's nothing, I'm sorry" Mark dismisses, turning his face away from her.
"Sure" Eve replies with an understanding tone.
In some ways, Angstrom won. He pushed Mark to a point of no return and ended whatever possibility of normalcy in his life.
No, not him, I did this to myself — Mark thinks — Not strong enough. Not prepared enough. I couldn't control myself. Couldn't protect Amber, couldn't protect my mother, couldn't protect my brother...
But then, his wrestling with his inner thoughts gets interrupted by her hand on his back.
"I'm sorry, Mark. It's not fair, You don't deserve this" Eve says.
He looks at her with bewilderment. Her voice is like a beacon, guiding him out of the darkness of his mind.
"You don't deserve this" She repeats.
As the words reach his ears, they stir something deep within him. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear exactly this. Mark hadn't quite grasped it yet, but there's a difference between accepting the pain and believing you deserve it.
And he didn't deserve it.
Even if he hadn't fully accepted that yet, tonight, he'll take her word for it.
Mark closes his eyes. He needed to get better and learn how to get full control of his strength and his emotions. The future was haze, life was not going to get easier. But, right now, his family is safe and he is not alone. So he chooses to focus on that instead and allows himself to rest his head on hers and relax into the warmth of Eve's embrace.
She held him tight.
And like that, they stayed. Soothed by the calming breeze, comforted by the distant hum of passing cars and the fading glow of city lights.
Epilogue
Mark woke to sunlight streaming into his eyes. He found himself almost lying on his side, his head now nestled on Eve's shoulder, her hand still holding him in place. He couldn't even recall drifting off to sleep. He quickly sat up, feeling disoriented and uncertain about how much time had elapsed.
"Well, I guess the sun woke you up" Eve says.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep" Mark is quick to apologize.
"Please don't apologize, you needed some rest" she smiles at him. "And it was barely a couple of hours anyway"
"You were awake this whole time?" Mark asks, surprised.
"Well, I did say i'd lend you a shoulder" Eve says
He can't help but to smile back at her.
"Thank you, Eve" Mark says "Really, for everything"
Without answering, Eve stands up and extends her hand to him.
"I still charge two-fifty an hour" She then says.
Mark lets out a genuine laugh — his first in a while, he doesn't fail to notice — then, he takes her hand to get up.
"At this point, who knows how much I owe you," Mark says, now on his feet but still holding her hand.
"Don't worry about it. I've got you Mark Grayson" Eve says, pulling him into a hug. "Always remember that"
"I will" Mark replies, his voice filled with gratitude.
They don't let each other go for a while. The moment is not awkward, nor particularly romantic. They're just two people thankful for having each other. Eve is glad she could be there for him, while Mark appreciates having someone he can feel at peace with.
Their hug gently dissolved as they eased back from each other to stare at the horizon one more time. The sun peeking through the clouds paints a beautiful scene. The streets are now mostly empty, but the sky is alive with birds. The city has settled into a peaceful calm, and so has Mark.
They then say goodbye and agree to talk again later in the day. Mark still hasn't told her about quitting college, the ultimatum the viltrumite gave him and his breakup with Amber. There are also feelings about his fight with Angstrom that he thinks he eventually would like to share.
Then, they fly in opposite directions. Looking ahead, Mark appreciates the metaphor in front of him.
No matter how long the night is, the sun always comes rising in the morning.
He glances back at Eve's figure one last time as she disappears from his view. The question he had before coming here, he believes he has the answer to now.
First, he needs to focus on getting better, mind, body, and soul. Then, he'll be ready...
For her