Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Act 1: The past

Mark Grayson got his powers 13 days, 7 hours, and 9 minutes ago. He made his debut as invincible 12 days, 5 hours and 37 minutes ago, but who’s counting? Usually, the emergence of a new superhero would make headlines, yet his big moment was seemingly overshadowed by the recent death of the guardians of the globe. The whole thing had Mark seething inside, even though his constant unamused expression left his best friends William and Amber unaware. Like the rest of the school, they were preoccupied not only with the death of earth’s saviours, but with the whispers that echoed throughout every corner of the halls. Eve Wilkins.

She was transferring to their school that day. Apparently, she was kicked out of some sort of academy for geniuses for causing havoc. Mark and William knew more than those just spreading baseless gossip, since Amber used to hook up with the infamous transfer student. Everyone was hyping Eve up to be some kind of legend, so much so that the moment she entered the halls, the world went silent.

She strutted in without a care in the world. Her long red locks had been dyed hot pink at the bottoms, not quite the same shade as the lighter pink leather jacket she wore. The jacket had hand stitched patches on it. One had the world on fire, another one had a venus fly trap. She was some kind of eco-nerd, it seemed, and she wore it on her sleeve literally. Chains dangled on her waist, clinking against her black ripped jeans. They were long, but not long enough to match her pink doc martens; their laces were green to show her support for eco activism using the lace code, obviously.

“Seriously? That’s her? She doesn’t seem like all that,” Mark scoffed, leaning against the lockets as he ran a hand through his mohawk. The chick was probably just a poser. Having spikes on your collar doesn’t make you punk, after all. He didn’t back off from his statement, even as the woman in question approached the trio. Initially, she was just going to greet amber. Unfortunately, she heard someone else talking shit.

“I could say the same to you, dickhead,” Eve sneered, rolling her eyes as she flipped him the bird, showing off a silver ring in the shape of the female symbol.

“What the fuck did you say to me?” William grabbed Mark’s arm to keep him from lunging at the new student. She just laughed, flashing a sly grin towards Amber.

“You heard me. Besides, you started it, Mohawk.”

“I have a name,” his voice came off in a grumble.

“I’m sure you do, but I’m not a mind reader. I won’t know it until you tell me.”

“Mark. Mark Grayson.” If he were a gentleman he would have held out a hand for her to shake. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t.

“Oh, I’ve heard of you. And you must be William right?” Eve shook hands with William just to spite the boy beside him. She watched with amusement as his jaw ticked. She knew Mark’s type. Always acting like they’re tough shit, and like they’re too cool for the rest of the universe. In his mind, the rest of the world were pawns on a chessboard. But Samantha Eve Wilkins had never been anyone’s piece to topple. No, she had always been the queen.

Throughout the entire day, Mark glared daggers into the new girl. At first everyone seemed so afraid of her, but she went out of her way to talk to her classmates. Despite her appearance she was… nice? It pissed him the fuck off. The way her dimples showed when she smiled, and the way the stud in her nose shone in the light. He hated that he counted every single freckle splattered upon her cheeks, and whenever he looked back it seemed like he missed one. This chick was supposed to be an outcast! Feared and ostracized. He had to wonder what she did at her old school to get expelled. That was the one thing that she seemed to keep quiet about. She ran her mouth about science, even correcting teachers, but the moment someone brought up her history the subject was changed. What was she hiding?

Sauntering into the cafeteria, Eve wasn’t sure where to sit. The faint sound of Na Na Na by My Chemical Romance rang through her headphones as she examined her options. The science club invited her into their ranks, but she didn’t want to look like more of a dork than she already felt like every time she raised her hand in class. The cheerleaders were nice to her face, but she heard them whispering about the way her crop top made her look like a ‘whore’, as if their lip plumping gloss and patchy spray tans were any better. Eventually, she found herself gravitating towards the trio from earlier. Amber was a friendly face in the sea of people, like an anchor keeping her glued to land. The academy she’d attended before was far smaller than Reginald Val Johnson High School. Beside Amber, William was rambling about the broadway revival of Cabaret. Then there was Mark. He noticed her enter the room before anyone else, almost as if he could sense her coming. She watched his teeth graze over his lip piercing, expressionless. He was one she couldn’t quite get a read on. A ticking time bomb, he was unpredictable. Yet like a moth to a flame, she found herself sitting across from him despite the danger in his gaze.

As she took out her headphones, Mark’s ears perked up at the music that played through them for a single moment before fading. It wasn’t the song he was expecting to hear. Hell, it was a song he actually liked, not that he would admit it to the new girl. Instead, he leaned back in his chair with a smug grin, kicking his feet on the table.

“If it isn’t the science whiz herself. One class and you’re already making the geeks look dumb. Think you’re tough shit, Wilkins?” Amber nudged Mark for his comment, but Eve didn’t even flinch.

“I think I’m tough shit, but not because I’m smarter than you. It’s because I’m better.” Her response made William gasp out loud, both him and Amber laughing their asses off as they watched the drama unfold. Neither Mark or Eve broke eye contact, the tension so strong you couldn’t even cut it with a chainsaw. Finally, Mark leaned in, so close she could feel his breath.

“You’ve got spunk, baby. I like a woman who gives me a challenge.”

SMACK!

The room went silent, every conversation coming to a sudden halt. Samantha Eve Wilkins had just slapped Mark Grayson in the face. It felt like time stopped, jaws glued to the floor until the faint sound of a click interrupted the moment. From across the room, a student from the school newspaper snapped a photo. This was so going on the front page.

Chapter Text

Even when he went home, Mark found Samantha Eve Wilkins still on his mind. Not even the sound of Korn blasting from his record player dulled out the sound of her sugary sweet voice. He should have been worried about his reputation as a badass being tarnished, but instead his thoughts wandered to what she might be doing at that very moment, or what she’d wear tomorrow. He wondered if she’d still smell like cherry blossoms, or if she’d wear another fragrance in the morning. It was fucking torture. His hand banged against his desk, causing his beloved science dog action figure to hit the floor with a thud. Quickly he rushed to make sure no pieces were chipped or damaged. He’d never tell anyone, but he was secretly a huge comic book nerd. That single limited edition action figure worth more than 10x it’s original price on second hand markets was the only merchandise he had to show his passion, and it was hidden behind a bedroom door with bright yellow caution tape literally plastered upon it.

He needed to get her off his mind, and fast. So, with one swift motion he threw on his costume, transforming from Mark into Invincible. The yellows, blacks, and dark blues in his suit made his appearance eye-catching, and of course he refused to hide his sick mohawk. He didn’t bother telling his mom he was going to go find some bad guys to beat up; she was never home anyways. Debbie Grayson always had her nose buried in her work, all while her husband was off flying around doing god knows what.

There’s something about crime on weekdays. It’s slower than a fucking turtle stuck in molases. Maybe villains have day jobs and get too tired to rob banks after a 9-5, or maybe they had families to get home to. That day, maybe the universe took pity on Mark, as it turns out the Mauler Twins were trying to break into the whitehouse and kill the secretary of state… again. The buff blue buffoons made it to the steps, their victim in hand, when suddenly invincible landed down from the skies. Personally, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the government. In his mind it was made up of a bunch of old fucks who got off on having power over everyone else; living in luxury and laughing at the rest of the country. Still, he was the hero of the story, so he got down to business and threw a quick punch at the Mauler on the left.

“On your left!” He shouted as he swung, always ready with a quick quip. The twin tried to dodge the ambush, but Invincible still managed to graze his arm. The one on the right scoffed, looking at the woman he’d just kidnapped in his arms.

“Seriously? We break into the white house and this kid is who they send? Your people insult us.” Of course, the moment he said it out loud, Mauler regretted his words. From nearly the same spot invincible came from, more heroes emerged from the skies. Not one, but three caped crusaders were ready for action. The three of them were newly appointed members of the Guardians of the Globe, each graduating from their ranks on the Teen Team when the original Guardians were killed.

First there was Robot Man. He had a somewhat steampunk looking exterior, a tall and almost lanky copper colored machine shaped like a man. Nobody really knew his deal. Was he a human turned machine, or was there someone operating from inside Evangelion style? Perhaps he was an AI program, or maybe he was piloted remotely. Honestly, he was kind of a mystery.

Then there was Rex Splode. On TV, the jackass always seemed cocky, not that Invincible had any right to comment on cockiness. He had some sick spikes on the shoulders of his orange and black leather jacket that Mark couldn’t help but appreciate, not to mention the sick hand painted design on the back of a bomb going off was quite the statement piece. But why did he wear a cowl to cover his head? Was he bald or something? Invincible couldn’t imagine ever hiding his hairdo.

Finally, the star of the show, Atom Eve. Her pink bodysuit gave off a classic heroine feel, but with a unique edge. Where the shorts ended, fishnet tights started. Her shoes weren’t your typical high heeled boots, but black platform demonias with symbols that matched the one upon her chest on every buckle. It was clear she loved pink. Even her long red hair that blew in the breeze was dyed pink at the ends… that made Mark pause for a moment. Atom EVE. Fuck! It was so obvious!

Staring at the woman descending from the skies like a deer in the headlights, Mark was too lost in his own thoughts to even notice that the twin he’d punched before got back up. He was about to hit Invincible, only to be thrown back by a giant glowing pink fist. THWACK! His body hit the ground.

“Thanks for holding them off till we arrived. It’s Invincible, right?” The red head smiled, causing the boy’s heart to race. He told himself it was the adrenaline of almost getting hit, but common sense knew better. Karma sure was a bitch. He went out to get her out of his head, only to find Eve descend from the skies like a goddess, further cementing her image in his brain. When he saw his dad emerge from the clouds for the first time, Mark thought it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. But this wasn’t cool, not like that. This was beautiful.

“I uh-” Invincible stammered, lost for words for the first time in his entire life. It seemed Eve’s punch knocked one of the Mauler Twins out, and with an explosion courtesy of Rex Splode, the next one came tumbling down. Robot was busy handcuffing the two men who were rapidly accusing each other of being clones when Rex sauntered over.

“Thanks for the help, new kid,” Rex gave the half viltrumite finger guns and a cocky smile as he wrapped his arm around Atom Eve. His red gloved hand then reached for her chin, tilting her head towards him to lock her lips in a sensual kiss. By the time they were done, the heroine was gasping for air, her pink lips swollen. It was like they’d forgotten Invincible was even there, but he was watching all right. Staring intently as saliva parted between the couple’s lips, his fists clenched at his sides.

For the first time in his life, Markus Sebastian Grayson wanted to fucking murder someone.

Chapter Text

“… and omni man is said to be the closing speech at the funeral. Yet the question still remains, who killed the guardians of the globe?”

Walking downstairs, Eve could hear the TV blaring, her father lounging at the couch with a cup of coffee in hand. The death of the guardians was all anyone could talk about lately, yet when the planet was dying nobody batted an eye. It made Eve kind of angry— scratch that, really fucking angry. But maybe the shrill voice of the female newscaster moving on to discuss the impact of War Woman’s costume on feminism would distract her dad enough from noticing his daughter leaving for school. Yeah right. The moment the subject came on he scoffed and switched off the tv, turning to see Eve with her backpack over her shoulder. His second scoff was even louder, eyes scrutinizing every detail of her appearance from her winged eyeliner to the acid wash jeans she’d customized herself. She knew he’d hate the pants even more if she turned around and showed the iron on patches attached to the pockets. The one that read “fuck the patriarchy” wasn’t really school appropriate, but public schools didn’t care much about dress code. Not when you’re their sole chance at getting to the state wide science fair, anyways.

“Do you have to look like such a… such a…” Adam Wilkins was never good with words that weren’t profanities. He struggled to find anything even remotely intelligent to say, before deciding to finish the sentence with the word “tramp”. Well, it was better than last week’s choice words. Eve didn’t reply, clutching the straps of her backpack so tight that little crescent moon shapes from the ends of her fingernails were left denting the fabric. Eve was a radical activist, and she had a bit of an edgier sense of fashion, but she still loved her parents. They weren’t really the ones that birthed her, but they were still family. They were all she had. So she put up with the insults, and the pointed looks. She tolerated getting her dad a beer from the fridge before dinner, and listening to him complain about his job every day, all to try and keep the only people who would never leave her from fading into a distant memory.

Instead of engaging in the conversation, she just gave a nod and a wave to her father who wasn’t even watching her anymore, distracted by a notification on his phone telling him he’d lost another ten bucks in sports betting again.

The second day of school felt more unnerving than the first. Now everyone knew her. They had expectations of the girl who got 100% on the pop quiz in history class, and thoughts about her bold fashion sense. Thus, she arrived early so as to not cause a stir. It was nice to be in the halls without the constant chatter of kids around her. She had enough voices in her head, ones screaming about how she could have handled the battle yesterday better, and about the new hero who Rex probably scared off by being his egotistical self. Rex, who hadn’t answered her daily good morning text for the third day in a row. She told herself he was probably just hungover, but was that really the truth?

Humming to an old paramore song stuck in her head, the new girl rummaged through her locker to find her English textbook. Only when she turned around, her face bumped right into a broad chest. There stood Mark Grayson, hands above her head on the cold metal lockers behind them, cornering her up against the now closed door. He looked smug, like the cat who just caught the canary within its fangs. His right dimple was prominent as his lips tugged into a smirk, his face leaning closer as if to inspect her features. The same eyes that seemed so powerful in battle, so full of life, now exhausted from an already dreadful morning at home. It was a look that made Mark’s heart sink, not that he would admit it of course. Just like he wouldn’t admit he noticed the dark circles under her eyes that she’d tried to cover with concealer, now even darker than the day prior. Instead he continued to hold himself like a predator cornering its prey.

Eve could feel his breath upon her skin, making every single hair on her skin stand alert. She was anxious as to what he had to say, as to why he arrived so early in the morning to intercept her before other bodies flooded the halls. There was something dangerous about the boy. Not dangerous in the sense that she had to get her powers out and kick his ass, but in another way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting in anticipation, he whispered into her ear.

“Quite the show you put on there last night… Atom Eve.”

With those words her entire body froze. The color drained from her face as she met his gaze, trying to put the pieces together. For a genius, it took her quite some time to figure it out. Then it clicked by looking at his hair. The mohawk. He was the new guy who helped them fight the mauler twins!

“That was you? You’re-” She was cut off as he put a finger to her lips, pausing her as a teacher walked by. Once the coast was clear once more he let her pout free, though sparkly pink lipgloss coated his finger. Just to be a dick, he licked it off with a wink.

“Mhm. Seems we’ll be seeing each other more often. I know your secret, and you know mine. Steadman’s taking me on some tour of the new Guardians HQ tonight to try and convince me to join, even though my dad says it’s a waste of time.” Mark gradually moved from his predatory stance, now leaning on the locker beside hers.

“My dad thinks it’s a waste of time too,” The red head ran a hand through her hair with a sigh, not really questioning why Mark’s dad would be against the team. He was probably just worried about his kid getting hurt or something, not unlike her own.

For a moment there, her posture softened. The conversation felt nice, like the two were old friends reminiscing on shared grievances. Then she remembered his attitude the day prior, and who exactly she was talking to. Mark Grayson was not her friend, and if he joined the Guardian’s he’d probably use it as an excuse to taunt her again and again.

“But maybe your dad is right. I dunno if you’d be the right fit. You don’t seem like much of a team player, Grayson.” There was no way Eve could convince Cecil to cancel the tour. Invincible was an asset. A powerhouse in strength, even he was untrained. But maybe she could discourage him on her own.

Catching on to what she was trying to do, Mark couldn’t help but laugh. “Maybe. Guess we’ll find out. See you tonight, Evie.” The new nickname made Eve’s hands curl into fists, but she couldn’t act on her impulses to hit his shoulder as he disappeared into the sea of students who had started to show up for class. Within a mere 48 hours, Samantha Eve Wilkins had her entire world turned upside fucking down.