Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

*Takes place after Mark leaves for Thraxa (episode 12)*

William, the lover of trashy reality television and a gemini on the astrological charts, knew that his friendship with Mark would fade away after high school. Most friendships do, and it was pretty much solidified once he discovered that he was Invincible. Their worlds were just too different, so William accepted that he would simply become that friend to be checked on once in a while just to give a sense and perspective of normalcy .

He honestly didn’t mind being an NPC in his best friend’s life since he got all the perks of having a hero for a friend, and none of its cons like being kidnapped or killed by one of his lunatic sworn enemies.

So with Mark out of the picture for most of his life, there being no absolute certainty that Rick will return, and Amber being more Mark’s girlfriend than his friend, William was ready to make new friends of his own.

But before that, he needed to get into the groove of attending several classes at odd hours of the day. He loathed the idea of taking his required English courses, much preferring the scientific ones that felt far more useful to his future medical career. But he guessed there was a bright side to taking these mandatory courses since there was more of a variety of people also just there for the credit. 

Although “variety” might not be quite the right word when a woman entered the class looking like she could be his twin! When she saw him, she was also just as bemused as he was, and they clearly needed to sit next to each other.

“Hiiii, my name is Willow.” Even her voice seemed like the lighter version of his. 

William couldn’t help being stoked, “No way! My name is William. Were we separated at birth or what? I mean the same pale sky gray eyes? The light brown hair and our aquiline noses?”

Willow giggled. They did have the same face, but naturally she had on the seasonal true summer makeup package where her dark grey mascara matched well with her gentle mauve lips and eyeshadow. Her revenant brown hair was put up in a braided crown with intricate knots of smaller braids accessorized with ribbons and gemstones. 

He inquired, “I have to ask what are you majoring in. Let me guess, business?”

“Not even close. Mechanical engineering.”

“Damn. Should’ve guessed that with your outfit, which I loooove by the way.”

Clearly inspired by the 40s when women were allowed in male dominated fields, Willow had on the crisp button up collared shirt tucked in belted high waisted wide pants and a cute pair of brown oxford shoes. 

“If I had known we should dress like the careers we want, I would’ve worn scrubs but like from the 70s. If you’re wondering why, it’s cuz I’m gay.”

Willow snickered at that, “Personally, I’d go with 1980s cuz of the whole aids epidemic and the monumental Princess Diana moment that changed the world. Plus, you’d look amazing dressed like an 80s heartthrob.”

“You are so right! It was also when the tv series Magnum PI starring Tom Selleck aired, and it was my gay awakening as a kid.”

“So you’re into big strong guys with a carefree attitude full of charm and a heroic side?”

“When you put it that way, how can I not? What about you?”

“Uuuuh,” There was a passing dimness to her eyes as she glanced to the side, “Kinda the opposite. I mean I like a strong, heroic guy, but I prefer them a little serious and clumsy.”

“Do you now? Y’know I do know a guy like that, but he already has a girlfriend at the moment. But, and this is so gonna sound rude of me, they’re not gonna last so you might have a chance if a friend of ours doesn’t claim him first.”

Willow snorted as if it were an inside joke, and said, “Uhm, that’s nice of you, but I just got out of a relationship recently. But enough about me, I wanna know your career choice. Let me guess! Pediatrician?”

William didn’t want to change the subject but they just met, so he followed her flow. He answered, “I love kids. Want to have one of my own someday, but you’ll be surprised to know that I’m actually aiming to become a surgeon.”

“You’re kidding me! Not only do we look alike, but we’re both aiming to dissect and fix a body of work! Mine being not alive though, but I grew up a daddy’s girl so I’m like totes into cars and rockets and kinda a rockstar with math.” She winked. “Is it for the money and prestige for you or the good will part?”

“Both. I just had a really big thing for how medicine fixed things. Doesn’t hurt that I have a great memory and I like talking with people. I was looking into becoming a pharmaceutical scientist but after seeing someone mangled after an attack, I thought trying to sew people back together could do more than a pill.”

“I know right? I was into computer science, and the larger paycheck didn’t hurt, but after all the damage that happens after an attack, you just can’t help thinking that there had to be better machinery to speed up the process while keeping up to code!”

“Would really help with how superheroes don’t mind cra-”

“Good morning, class!”

The two hushed when the professor came in, greeting themselves. As lectures went on, William noted how Willow neatly wrote in all caps with a fancy gearshift pen with a wooden barrel that had to be from a willow tree. 

William on the other hand looked basic with a number 2 pencil in comparison. But he reminded himself that he wasn’t attending university to stand out gorgeously like the goddess version of himself beside him. At least not until he got his monthly allowance from his parents.

When classes were over, they exchanged phone numbers. William was surprised when she pulled out a veronica purple phone shaped like a compact.

“No way! Is that the Totally Spies Compowder?! I always wanted those as a kid!”

“Pretty neat, right? It can do all the technical stuff, but not the ones completely out of sci-fi like changing my outfit or teleportation. Yet that is.”

“You are amazing.” William said with full seriousness and then complained, “Wow, I think I need to bring up my A game.”

“Nah. I’m an engineer so I can afford to fuck up. You can’t.” She had her compowder request for the phone number which William accepted. 

“That is a really good point.” He darkly joked as they walked along the hallways, “And here I was about to go full psycho mode like the freak who tried to turn me into a cyborg cuz of some dumb evolution obsession he had.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. RIP to his victims who suffered for his bullshit theory. Earth hasn’t discovered the non-toxic metals necessary to create a fully functional cyborg that can defeat aliens with the power to destroy planets. Granted I’m not an expert in other fields, but if he wanted true evolution, he should’ve looked into genetic engineering instead since people have the funkiest genetics.”

“Tell me about it! We literally live in a world of superheroes, demons and aliens, and he chose to be basic! I mean on my mom’s side of the family, we have witches, so I might have a gift for magic.”

“Seriously? Have you tried it out?”

“Nah. The spellbook passed down to my mom has some satanic drawings, so I’m pretty sure my ancestors were actually warlocks and I am not damning my soul to hell just to have cool powers.”

“Shame. My dad’s side has an alien ancestor from Jupiter known as the Jupitereans. Lore is that Jupitereans were beings of pure energy that needed to be in constant motion in order to live. Kinda like sharks. Other planets in our solar system hired them to power their machines. But like corporations today, they got greedy and tried to enslave them which led to a war. They used biological warfare and it caused widespread extinctions. That’s why the other planets don’t have a dominant species like us besides Mars.”

“If that’s true then that explains why no other alien other than Martian Man has been to earth.”

“Yeah. Martians mostly keep to themselves, but a few like the Martian Man were exiled to here on Earth which led to the evolution of the English language of today.”

“So do you like, have energy based powers?”

Willow shrugged, “I kinda do, but I got them after being killed by a psycho. Heart stopped and everything, but the alien genes kicked in to jumpstart my heart again.”

William cringed, not knowing what dying was like, but almost being killed was already traumatic enough. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine!” Willow nonchalantly waved her hand. “That was like a year ago, and while I’m no superhero, I’m grateful to be just alive. I imagine you feel the same.”

William for a moment thought about Rick and how his life hung in the balance. He could already be dead for all he knew, but worrying about that wasn’t going to help him. Whatever the result was, he needed to remind himself that it was no one’s fault but D.A. Sinclair’s. And despite the damage inflicted on him, he was grateful to be alive. 

He smiled, annoyed by the little pride that came with doing so, “Yeah. So do you do yoga?”

“How do you think I keep this fit on? Pilates? You?”

“With the amount of stress this city puts me through, how could I live without it? Saturday?”

“Saturday.”

._._._.

The rest of the day went by quicker than he expected so William found himself free. Around this time, he and Mark would usually play video games before Mark got that dumb job at Burger Mart. William had gotten used to playing video games by himself, but the thought of doing it now felt so immature and pathetic. Not because video games weren’t for adults, but because he should be enjoying his newfound freedom out in the world and not in his bedroom!

VROOOM! VROOM! 

He looked around the parking lot for what must be a motorcycle coming around, but there were only cars and other students passing by. Yet a few were looking up to the sky. William did the same and his face dropped when he saw his great grandmother descending to him on a futuristic motorcycle inspired by vacuum cleaners. Everyone else tried to record her, but found their phones completely frozen until she landed and put the motorcycle in her shoulder bag.

The thin, old lady was only 4 feet tall and covered in wrinkles yet her skin still looked undeniably soft. She had William’s pale sky gray eyes and her 2C hair waves were in the iconic Gibson Girl hairstyle. The witch wore a fitted black leather jacket with silver buttons and black lace attached to the hem and cuffs. The lace continued on her high waisted purple lined skirt. To finish off the outfit, she was bedazzled with silver and crystal drop earrings and collar necklace and knee high leather boots. 

“Granny?! What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since I was 13 at the last family gathering!”

A perpetual scowl was on the old woman’s face but her tone was kind and with an odd accent, “Received yo’ lettah from yur mom n’ was told abu de carnage from de woods. Let’s head to ya room fer privacy.”

“Okay, yeah sure. But aren’t you famished from traveling from your den? I can order us delivery from my favorite restaurant.” He suggested as they made their way to his dorm. 

“I fery much prefer yur home cookin’! You haf de witch’s touch wif yur meals like yur mottah!”

“We do have a kitchen but I have to head to the store to get some ingredients.”

“No worries abu dat! I bought plenty in mah bag!”

“Kitchen it is then.”

The two went to the dorm’s communal kitchen that was empty since a majority of the students prefer coffee for breakfast and delivery for the rest of the day. William’s great grandmother set everything he needed on the island counter, so he went to work making the perfect lasagna, caesar salad, spumoni ice cream and freshly brewed coffee and tea. 

That should be it, but William felt like he was back at home where he helped his parents prepare dinner. It also didn’t help that his great grandmother was setting down more ingredients, so when he saw the peeled potatoes, he made mash potatoes with gravy. When he saw the turkey, he made the stuffing and put it in the oven. When he saw prepared noodles with a glass jar of tomato sauce beside it, he enhanced the sauce before pouring it over the noodles.

His great grandmother was helping him, so once it was dinner time, he had already prepared a buffet of food that attracted the tired students just coming out of class and were salivating. His great grandmother told them to dig in, having already prepared a basket for the two. They finally went up to the bedroom, and enjoyed their hard work.

“Yah mottah has not let yur witch skills go down de drain! Everythin’ is moist, flavorful but not too heavy!”

“Thanks. But you can also tell that I haven’t awakened any magical abilities, which I would rather very much prefer since I don’t want to discover that I can summon demons.” 

“Ai! Has yur mottah not taught ya to not fall into dat church bullshit! What am I sayin’! Yah don’t attend church! We’re pagans! It’s those shows on screens, isn’t it!”

“They’re actually making demons sexy and more complicated on TV, and making Heaven out to be this over controlling corporate place.” William showed her a list of shows on his phone. His great grandmother’s scowl deepened at the sight. “Anyway, not that I don’t love having you around but why are you visiting me? I’m pretty sure mom also wrote in her letter that despite being traumatized, it didn’t awaken my magic.”

His great grandmother levitated their dishes into the basket which she placed in her wormhole of a bag. She took out a vial from her leather jacket’s pocket to take a sip. In doing so, she became the same height as William with a youthful face. She said with a clear voice, “I came because my divination had foretold that after your 19th birthday, you will enter into a journey that will awaken your powers and find your true love.”

“My true love? That’s a real concept?”

“Your mother is happy isn’t she.”

“Good point. So does your divination go into more detail or am I supposed to be surprised?”

“My divination can’t reach where you will be going my child. Believe me I’ve tried. But I had help from the other witches to make it fuckin’ tell me about this man of yours.” The witch had reading glasses and a scroll appear in her hands. She unraveled the latter to reveal a list. 

Bluntly she started, “So he has a kill count.”

William froze, and then his face melted into an expression of confusion. “Of bad people?”

“He is not evil, but he is part of a tyrannical organization by birth.”

“Oh my gawd. Is he a Viltrumite? Am I going to get kidnapped into space and fall in love with a Viltrumite?!”

“Divination was not clear on his origins so he’s definitely not from here. But good news, he doesn’t take pleasure in killing innocent people. He would rather fight warriors. He has killed superheroes though.”

“So he’s a warrior who doesn’t like to pick on the weak, but because he was born into a tyrannical empire, he’s evil by association.” William weighed his ethics in his hands, and thought that he can get with that. “Is he open to change?”

“Surprisingly, I was able to learn that he was born under the Aquarius constellation and is the same age as you.”

“An Aquarius?” William thought about how his zodiac and Aquarius are actually a pretty good match. But, “That’s a fixed sign. Oof. This one might be difficult to convince that killing is not a good thing.” 

“Is killing that bad?”

William deadpanned, “Granny.”

“What?! This old bat comes from a time when it was okay to murder intruders on your front lawn!”

“I would like at least superheroes to not die!”

“They should’ve learned to buck up or flee!”

“Granny!”

“Psssccch! You modern child!”

“Whatever! What else can you tell me about him? Is he hot?”

“Divination is a prude. Just tells me that he has a face you’d find familiar which will become an obstacle in your journey of falling in love.”

“Holy shit, he might look like Mark’s dad.”

“Nah, the books told me that he had a hard childhood so he had to grow up early, but when you two meet, you are at a stage in his life where he is youthful in appearance and personality.”

“Youthful?” 

William thought about all the people he met in his life and whose face may make the relationship be a bit of an obstacle. Martian Man popped into his mind and how he was a shapeshifter, so there’s a chance the alien he falls in love with is not a Viltrumite but someone who takes on the human appearance of someone he knows. And William always did feel a bit weird about romance where a robot/demon/alien takes on the appearance of a dead loved one, and the widow(er) falls in love with them.

“Fuck! Granny can you check if my friend Rick will live! He got att-”

“He’ll live.”

William gave a big sigh of relief. “Thank gawd! But will he be fine mentally? He had the part of his brain that feels emotions removed. Luckily that DA Sinclair guy was a quack because I was still able to reach him in time to save Mark’s life. Do you think one of our relatives can help?”

“We’re the Riach family aren’t we.” She pulled out another vial from her pocket and gave it to him. “Spill this in his ear on the night of a full moon. The feminine energy will be at its strongest to heal his brain to its original state.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He gave his great grandmother a hug and a kiss on the cheek before placing the vial in a secure place.

“You seem to really care about this Rick person. But I hope you understand that he isn’t your soul mate.”

William’s excitement faltered yet he grasped at the opportunity to finally be honest, “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about that. I…had a lot of time to think about what happened.” He looked off to the side guiltily, “He’s someone I hooked up with last summer when I signed up to be a camp counselor. It was like being in a cheesy gay romantic movie built on a small budget. It was amazing .” William smiled at the cute memories yet quickly frowned at the future, “But after what happened in that sewer, it made things complicated. I still really care about Rick, but I became scared that when or if I see him again, these strong feelings in me is more this sense of relief and obligation. Do you get what I mean, Granny?”

“A hundred percent, I do. Like me, you’re too much of a free bird, my child. You hate being chained to anything that isn’t authentically you. I’m sure this Rick boy is amazing because you would never settle for less, but you know it deep down that you were only excited, which is why you should only remain friends with him.”

William didn’t want to be an asshole. They weren’t dating, but it still felt wrong to reject someone who had so much of themselves removed, and is fighting to survive while being put back together. A majority of it being new parts so the scars can’t even disappear til he died.

However, his granny was right. William can’t settle for less. And it wouldn’t be fair to Rick. William loudly groaned at his situation, laid down on his bed and breathed into his pillow to relax. Yet in doing so, the tears spilled down his face. His great grandmother went over and patted his back.

She reassured him, “Rick’s true love is abroad so when he has the opportunity to travel, that is when you can let him go.”

That did help soften the selfishness William hated feeling but it still massively sucked that he was in such a position to begin with. So he cried out all that bottled up frustration and unease into that pillow.

._._._.

Willow walked along the perimeter of William’s dorm. She looked up and blinked, shifting the whites of her eyes to black with matching black irises lined with neon purple. She scanned the area, and then pressed the com in her ear. 

“Willow to Wilhelm. Area appears to be safe. Over.”

“Wilhelm responding. Understood. Did you meet the target today? What is he like? Over.”

She leaped up into the sky, gently landing on the rooftop. She took a seat at the edge, letting her legs dangle as the cool wind blew. “This one is an aspiring surgeon. Over.”

“Interesting. An Engineer. A Surgeon. If our villain didn’t wipe out Wilma from existence, we would’ve had a Lawyer to complete the trio. Over.”

Willow gave a sad smile to the dark joke. She continued, remaining serious, “How about the other remaining surviving variants? Was Clockwell and Francois able to locate them? Over.”

“Not yet. We’re still only finding dimensions where our existence is wiped out. 17 so far. Over.”

Willow swallowed thickly as the memory of her murder flashed before her eyes. She forced a steady breath, inwardly cursing at the fucked up situation they were in. “Dammit! There are only 36 universes, and she wiped out half of us! FUCK!...Over.”

“The situation is fucked up, but we found one more. We’ll definitely find the others. Over.”

“But this one hasn’t awakened his powers yet, and that only happens when we’re under incredible stress or we’re killed. And I can’t bear to let that happen to him even if it could mean our survival. At least not in this context.” She hugged herself. “The original canon for most of our universes was that we’re supposed to go through this shit after Mark leaves Earth to pursue his destiny. And never make contact again…”

“That’s only true for a majority of our universes. And time is different in each universe. Although we’ve been doing this for three years, it’s only been a few months in your universe. You can still patch things up with your Mark. You can still marry him and protect Earth together.”

Willow considered it for a moment but responded, “...He deserves a better future.”

Chapter Text

14 years ago

A 4-year-old William latched onto his mother’s sage green sundress with off-the-shoulder butterfly sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. His mother had a gentle face with William’s nose and pale sky gray eyes. They also shared the same dark ash brown hair, but her own were in natural waves while William’s straight hair reached his shoulders in layers. 

The two walked through a portal which instantly brought them in front of a two-story conservatory shaped like a castle in William’s young eyes. 

“Is dad not coming with us?” He asked.

“He’s busy with getting ready for his job transfer to Chicago, William. Now remember, this is a Witch Assembly so be careful of where you step, what you see and don’t repeat any phrases because you might accidentally summon a beast.” 

His mother led him into the gigantic building where all of the plants were in full bloom with fairies using them like furniture. Plentiful beasts and mystical creatures from different dimensions flew through the air, ran across the floors or phased through the walls. One large section of the room had buffet tables filled with an array of colorful dishes, different fountains from chocolate to questionable soda, floating cotton candy clouds filled with different sweets, and even small living alien-like creatures eaten despite their screams.

The 4-year-old was more amazed by the beautiful and bizarre people attending. There were hundreds of them from all across the globe, and they were all dressed to the nines in their country’s formal wear that was appropriate for the spring garden theme. It made William make sure he was wearing the flower crown his mother made him on his head.

The child grasped his mother’s dress tighter to not lose her as they walked through the crowd, only stopping when his mother saw either her relatives or friends. William, being a social child, would babble about anything that came to mind or do a cool dance move that made them laugh or applaud. 

He finally let go of his mother when he spotted the other children playing in the backyard. William had no magical powers, but the children did not turn him away since there was no magic hierarchy. The Assembly of Witches included those without powers but held important destinies or corporate positions in the world. They were all put to good use, so they could keep the Earth alive and stable. 

In fact, today was to be the night of the first Full Moon of Spring. Everyone’s powers would grow a 100 times stronger than normal and they would all use that power to help heal the Earth after all the abuse it went through.

“So which family are you from, William?” One of the kids asked while they were shaping bubbles with their hands and adding smoke, sparkles or sprinkles in them. 

“My mom says I’m from the Riach family.” He speaks very matter-of-factly to make sure his voice came out clear enough for others to understand and listen.

One older kid asked, “Isn’t the Riach Family the head of the UK faction?”

Another looked confused, “Faction?”

The kid explained, “Dad said that the Witching organization is separated into different factions. There’s the UK Faction, the Nigeria faction, the Zhongguo faction, the Turtle Island faction and a lot more. William’s family is the Riach family of the UK faction who have long been under the leadership of Madam Riach. She’s known to be one of the most gifted divinators in the Divination Coven.”

The other kid still looked confused so they just focused on their bubble. William sort of understood what they meant.  

As far as he knew, there were hundreds of families from all over the world and many of those families were separated into different covens. While witches can possess many magical spells and skills, the covens they choose heavily depend on their one magic specialty. 

His mother, for example, was part of the Riach family, but her coven was the Coven of Rehabilitation. They basically worked in crisis prevention centers. His mother was part of this coven because her magic specialty was willpower inducement. She would infuse her energy into donated food, items and in areas where the hopeless would roam, which has provoked change that not only helped the people but the environment. Happier people meant cleaner surroundings.

The one who started the conversation said, “My grandmother says she feels sorry for Madam Riach because she has the most ugliest of nightmares. We only hear about what happens but she sees what will happen and what has happened. She said the wars were hard on her since divinators aren’t allowed to join since many who did only end up dying because they can’t see with two different eyes. Not sure what she meant by that but it sounds scary.”

That made William remember, “Granny is going to send me to America for a vision she had.”

“What kind of vision?”

“She said I need to be friends with someone. I don’t know but I like making friends.”

A romantic kid asked, “Are you going to meet your soulmate?”

Everyone went “Ooooooh” with giggles and then continued to play. 

Hours later, William became so sleepy that he missed the Full Moon Spring ritual, but he woke up when he had to go home. He was so comfy in his flower bed that he didn’t want to leave, but he really missed his dad so he forced himself awake with droopy eyes. His mother picked him up.

“Martha!” William heard someone call for his mother. He looked up and saw that it was his great grandmother in her youthful form. “I haven’t seen you all day! Trying to flee before I see the wee brat are you.” She came over and gave his mom a hug and took William into her arms. 

But his mother wasn’t happy about it. She seemed scared when she spoke, “Granny, please, he’s tired. And Jeff must be waiting for us at home.”

“Can’t a great grandma hug her great grandkid? I won’t be able to see the brat as much as I want once you guys leave.”

“You know that wouldn’t be the case if you didn’t pick him to go. Must it be him? Isn’t there a way to not get the children involved. What if the alien kills him permanently?”

“I understand your concern, but my coven has seen all the possibilities. And in all of them, our planet becomes subjugated by the Viltrumites.”

“But the Riach family or any witch family for that matter doesn’t directly involve themselves with the lives of politicians or superheroes and their villains. We are meant to only prepare to heal the Earth and its residents from disasters in the shadows. Not prevent them. He wasn’t even born with magic. And you know that in order for a witch born without magic to awaken it is through intense stress or even death.”

His great grandmother didn’t answer immediately. She waited until Martha calmed down as the tears flowed down her face. She wanted to plead further, but despite how incredibly heartless this mission was, Madam Riach’s divination never failed the family.

Martha took William back into her arms, kissing him gently as she petted his head. She tried not to let the tears wet him and bit back her sobs.

The great grandmother finally answered, “The Viltrumites goal is to turn our planet into a breeding camp. And I have seen them in my vision stripping resources from the planets they conquer in order to sustain themselves. There are no preparations we can make for that.” She looked down at William who was lulling back to sleep, “Your son won’t need his magic in order to do this mission. His soul is compatible with the alien’s son. As long as they are exposed to one another, the alien’s son’s own soul will become influenced to care for Earth too much to let it be subjugated. He will also fix all the wrongs the Viltrumites have made, which will bring intergalactic peace to our galaxy. This mission is bigger than any of us. You must go to America and do what must be done.”

Martha’s lips trembled but she nodded her head. 

._._._.

Present

William woke up to a fresh hydrated face, silky hair, manicured nails and his body was positioned as if he was laid in a coffin instead of his bed. He should find this strange since he cried his eyes out last night from the relief that Rick would be okay but he hated himself for how he could end up adding to Rick’s pain and trauma for no longer wanting a relationship.

Yet he remembered his great grandmother was visiting him, and a witch always made sure they were in their best shape to work. He sat up and found his great grandmother levitating in the middle of the room with arms stretched out and eyes rolled back. She emitted a grey aura and spoke an ancient language that William couldn’t decipher.

She descended down gently onto the floor and rolled forward her pupils to look at William. “Finally awake, I see. Here, eat a breakfast roll. They’re good for you. Finally build some muscle in those scrawny arms for your journey.”

He dryly laughed, “Ha ha. You of all people should know that building muscle requires steroids for this body.” He took a bite nonetheless. “Not that I need them. I’m pretty sure mom told you all about my achievements during high school.”

“Ah yes. You’ve won multiple small competitions from sharp shooting to gymnastics for their cash prizes. All so you could buy your concert tickets for a Korean band. A real Helene Hadsell here.”

“Not just the concert tickets, but the plane tickets, the hotel fee, car rental fee and all other accommodations and that’s not including the concert merchandise!” He accepted the drink from the witch and took a gulp before continuing, “I had to bust my ass to win several competitions throughout Chicago while also balancing school and my social life. If I can handle that while going through puberty, then I can handle some prophetic journey that hopefully won’t fall into the horror genre.” He crossed his fingers.

His great grandmother smirked, amused, “You may not have the magic touch yet, but you’re certainly well-rounded. I’m surprised Mark doesn’t depend on you more.”

“He did before he was a superhero, but now, he has Eve to fill that spot. You know which Eve I’m talking about, right?”

“I know of this Atom Eve.”

“Yeah, so he has Eve to go to for superhero advice, and not to be a total asshole, but Mark clearly has a thing for her even though he’s dating Amber. I won’t be surprised if you told me that you can foresee those two breaking up.” William eyed his great grandmother.

She snorted and replied, “I do. This Amber is a strong gal, but her love language is quality time. Mark and Eve are fated to end up together.”

“I knew it!” William pumped his fist in triumph and took another bite of his breakfast. “Buuuut I also noticed Amber talking to this guy named Kyle! Super nerdy but hot! Tell me they’re gonna date!”

His great grandmother nodded.

“YES! Two-for-two! Now I feel less like a dick about Mark and Amber because they’re clearly meant for different people! Honestly, if I had known he was a superhero before he was considering dating Amber, I would have never given him her number! Superheroes dating civilians are cool in the comics, but there’s no way that can work in real life.”

“But didn’t Mark’s mother have a good marriage before the event?”

“I mean yeah, but Mr. Grayson came to Earth already with super powers so Mrs. Grayson got to meet the hero before the person. To do it the other way sets different expectations. Amber wanted Mark Grayson. Not Invincible. But Eve met Invincible before Mark Grayson and she’s a superhero so it works out even better.”

“And who do you want?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

William thought that was an odd question, but he answered anyway, “I guess my best friend Mark obviously, but we’re not in highschool anymore. We both knew during Senior Year that we would always be best friends, but we wouldn’t be able to hang out like we used to. That we would eventually drift apart. But I’ll admit that before he became Invincible, I thought we could at least enjoy our twenties together, but that’s all but impossible now.”

His granny held a placid smile, “How odd that the both of you came to that conclusion and he developed his powers within the same year.”

“I know right. Was his powers waiting for him to become a legal adult?” He laughed, “What was all that about?” 

“Or perhaps his subconscious could tell that it was about to be detached from its source of earthly happiness.” She turned around and with a wave of her hand, several boxes appeared and everything of Mark’s were placed in them.

“H-Hey! Granny! You can’t just do that to someone else’s stuff!”

“Relax! I’m doing the kid a favor since he won’t be back for another 2 months and he’s going to need to focus more on training than studying. Earth will be visited by multiple Viltrumites throughout the rest of the year once he comes back.”

“Oh shit! Is there a way we can stop them?! So many people will die if we let them!”

“You know the Riach family’s magic and all other Witch magic is used to sustain Earth. At least half of us while the other half are ass-sharts. It’d literally crack apart with how much underground shit is done to it. Right now some idiot is controlling some underground bugs, causing earthquakes.”

William tried to think of a solution, but he didn’t have powers. So he asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

“There is no need. You have already completed your mission.”

“What?”

“Did you forget? I told you when you left Europe with your parents that you had a duty to befriend an odd child and persuade him that Earth was worthy of freedom.”

William squinted at her, “When I…I was four at the time we left! You didn’t remind me all the times we saw each other at the get-togethers! Last time was 5 years ago! But even if you did, that’s too big of a concept for a kid to explain to some odd kid my age!”

His great granny thought about it. “I guess at the time I didn’t think I needed to since it was practically fate that you became Mark’s friend. Your spiritual connection is highly compatible. You also always had a vivaciousness for the common life without magic. Not once had you ever complained or cried when you couldn’t use them like your cousins. Instead, you awed them with your knowledge of fashion and celebrities.”

“Wasn’t exactly hard since anyone who used magic in our family was really out of touch with reality.” William shrugged, “And like I told you, I don’t like the idea that my magic specialty could be summoning demons like some warlock.”

The witch rolled her eyes before taking a more serious yet gentle expression. She walked over to her great grandson and gripped his shoulders. “It may not seem like it now, but we are at war with the Viltrumites, so the high death toll is inevitable. But we have a chance. They will listen to only their own, and that person is Mark thanks to you.”

“Oh. Great! Or not great since Mark barely survived being beaten by his dad and now we’re facing a whole bu- Wait. Thanks to me? You’re…” William’s brows furrowed and eyes glanced to the side for a second as his thoughts tried to remain focused. At first he thought his great grandmother meant that William was meant to be friends with Mark to help them keep an eye on him. But what his great grandmother was insinuating was something more, “You’re not saying that I prevented Mark from joining his dad.”

“Yes I am.” She shrugged like it’s the most obvious thing. “You’re a Riach. Why are you surprised?”

William scoffed in his brief laugh, “Forgive me, Granny, but I find that very hard to believe. Flattered you think your great grandson is the sole reason Mark isn’t betraying the Earth to have it conquered by his dad’s people, but Mrs. Grayson was the one who raised him. He has his girlfriend Amber or Eve I guess. And Seance Dog! A-and Mark always wanted to be a superhero and likes working with the other superheroes! Mark and I on the other hand have barely seen each other since he became Invincible. And not to put myself down,” He whispered loudly, “I’m not that great a friend!”

“Why are you like this?” 

“Be-because not only is it WEIRD! But because if I’m the reason Mark isn’t betraying the earth, then you’re putting me in a very awkward position where if I don’t continue being a good friend to him or if I die or something happens, then the earth might get a new dictator! And again! I’m not that great of a friend! I was just cheering over his future breakup!”

His great grandmother took a seat with her arms crossed, not at all amused by his put downs. “Nonsense. Actually what you said is all true, but you’re overreacting.”

“OVERREACTING?!”

“Yes. Overreacting.”

William groaned, taking a seat himself and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he dealt with the heavy weight of his existence. At least he was pretty sure he wasn’t created for this purpose since taking action on predictions wasn’t done until all the pieces on the board were placed. But the literal fate of the world was put on his tiny little shoulders in the hope that his spunky attitude would appeal to a potential fascist.

It made him wonder how things would’ve turned out if Mark wasn’t able to save him from DA Sinclair. William was definitely going to die of blood loss and shock by how he was being cut apart without drugs in a sewer of all places.

After taking a breath and letting it all just be what it was, he immediately rejected the idea again, “I still don’t believe you. I mean. What about his mom? Mark loves his mom. He would never betray the earth if she’s here.”

The witch’s eyes glowed as her hands raised to bring forth her divination board between them. It looked more like a map of part of the universe. In the milky galaxy, there were miniatures of Mark’s family and friends on it. William wasn’t there.

She brought forth the Grayson family and answered, “It’s true that Debbie taught Mark how to be a good person with plenty of love and empathy, but Nolan’s conditioned ignorance and ego plays a part in Mark's upbringing, too. I mean the brat can’t even drive a car just because he can fly.”

“Does explain why Mark never really put effort in anything since we were in the second grade.”

“So you see what I’m saying.”

“Kinda hate that I do. But I know Mrs. Grayson would never side with Mr. Grayson even if she were to become the queen of their alien race! Mark wouldn’t force her! I know that for a fact!”

“That is your perspective, but when you have children of your own, you will learn there’s always conflict of interest between a parent and child on how the future should be shaped. Hence why you never see your own grandmother around.” 

The divinator had the Mark miniature float above the universe and had the planets and the stars spiral quickly, which made all the other miniatures age to dust, except for Mark and Nolan. 

She explained, “When you give someone all that time, power and galaxies to explore, Earth and its isolated ideals become meaningless. What would Debbie understand about that? What could she possibly say in her deceptive finite wisdom about what is truly right? Love? Love is such a fickle thing that Mark betraying her could be seen as an act of love because he’s supposedly helping enlighten her.”

She rewinded the universe on her board, bringing back the other miniatures. She brought forth Amber, Eve and the current Guardians of the Globe. 

“You believe that being a fellow super hero brings along greater perks than being a civilian. However, you neglect the faults of such a relationship. When you become sucked into the world of superheroism, you begin to lose track of what’s truly worth fighting for. What was once common sense fades. It can radicalize you, especially when ideals held just by their trauma and flimsy ego begin to collide. Civilians are necessary to keep them grounded and humble. At least from those who have the strength and patience.” She gestured to Debbie. “Another superhero would have never changed the alien into a being of desires spawned from love. You were the same for Mark.”

“Uh…?”

“Not romantically.”

“Good to know. So I guess because Mark knew he’d always be a superhero, I was the one who kept him grounded in reality. Wow. Who’d known that me beating him at bowling and every other game we played would determine the fate of our planet.”

His great grandmother had the board disappear and sat down next to him, “Finally getting it, are you, idiot. Your disinterest in power, your love for normalcy and the fun it comes with and even your faults have all shaped the half-alien boy. His father could spout all the bullshit about how Viltrum is better for our Earth, how their powers and lifespan made this all meaningless to them- but the boy, even if he doesn’t realize it, could never bring himself to let anyone take your home, William. You are the ideal he is trying to protect.”

“Yeah, nice speech, granny, but you’re making it more super awkward instead of flattering.”

SMACK!

“YOU’RE A RIACH! Stop with the negativity!”

William rubbed the back of his head! 

“OW!”

His great grandmother huffed and stood up. She concluded, “You’re different, William. Whether you choose to believe it or not, does not remove the truth. Your friendship with Mark may cease to exist after he forgets all about it after thousands of years, but you will always be deeply embedded in his subconscious to cherish Earth’s freedom.” She gave her great grandson a kiss on the cheek. “I said everything that needed to be said. I’ll see you again when you find your true love.”

“Right. Bye, Granny. Thanks for visiting.”

The witch turned to the window, but then turned around and handed William her credit card. “It’s unlimited. Buy yourself a whole new wardrobe so you’re not embarrassed in front of your new friend.”

And with that, she leaped out of the window, took out her vacuum motorcycle and flew out into the horizon.

._._._.

Ding!

⚙️Willow💗

Hey! Just got done w/ classes. Wanna hang out?

🩺William❤️‍🩹

Totally! Where should we meet? Burger Mart?

⚙️Willow💗

I was thinking somewhere more exciting…

._._._.

William couldn’t remember the last time he’s been to the amusement park. It was probably during his junior year with Mark when they wanted to meme pose during the rides for the pictures.

Excited to do something familiar yet new for a change, he took advantage of his great grandmother’s card to dress his best. To let Willow really see him in a way he didn’t think he could look around others without being uncomfortable. 

He was going to wear patterns . 

Yeah, it’s stupid. 

But today, he was going to rock a fitted and open pink floral button up organza shirt over a white shirt tucked in teal pants. He had on his best new sneakers, cologne and styled his hair a bit, hoping he still looked effortlessly casual.

VRRRRRRRRR

William heard a motorcycle coming around the parking lot and was taken aback by its striking purple and black design that almost seemed to come right out of a mecha anime. He was surprised when it parked right next to his car, and his jaw dropped when she got off and removed her helmet. 

“Willow?!”

William took in the woman’s fitted motorcyclist gear that had a willow machine design on the back. And was impressed by her elaborate layered triple french braids woven with ribbons.

She turned around, gray eyes glittering in excitement, “Hey, William! Hope I didn’t keep you waiting! Forgot to charge this baby before hitting the road!”

“Don’t tell me you build that yourself?”

“I wish! Got this baby as a birthday gift from my pops! Anyway, loving the outfit! It’s totes adorable!”

“Nothing compared to you, Mrs. Megatron! If we’re gonna go out with the same face, we gotta be on theme!”

“We so totally should! Since I moved here, I’ve been in need of a shopping spree! Let’s take a selfie!” 

Willow took out her phone and the two smiled for the camera, taking multiple photos until they found the perfect one to post online.

⚙️Willow💗

[Picture]

#Siblingsforlife!!!

They laughed and made their way to the park that was pretty packed for a week day. So while they waited hours in lines, they were taking more selfies, gossiping about celebrities, eying cute guys, sharing favorite childhood memories and their many, many small accomplishments. 

As they talked, William was too self-aware that he was avoiding Mark’s name. Only referring to him as “a friend of mine” when he couldn’t avoid mentioning him in a story at all. What his great grandmother had just told him a few hours ago was still fresh in his mind, and when the day was coming to an end, he finally found himself talking about it. 

“Hey, so you know that I’m a dormant witch right.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them had booked a 5 star hotel room just for the night through William’s credit card. They had the money, so they might as well splurge. They were in the softest white bathrobes, eating chocolate dipped strawberries on the king sized bed.

“Yeah, so my great grandma visited me yesterday. She’s like one of the most gifted divinators in the world and she told me that I have this grand journey ahead of me and I’m going to meet my true love. My soulmate.”

“Really?” Willow knitted her brows, clearly confused and conflicted about something. 

But William had something to say so he continued, “And yeah, cool, but what she told me the next morning threw me into a loop.”

“What did she say?”

“So I used to live in the UK until I was 4, and the only reason I even came to the states is because she saw in the future that in order to prevent an alien invasion is by having me become friends with the son of the guy who is part of that alien invasion. Am I making sense?”

Willow tried not to speak as if she understood him 100%, and said in a flat voice, “So your life went through a massive change because you needed to create an ally within the alien race trying to invade us.”

“Exactly! But the thing is, I completely forgot about it! Not that it made sense to 4-year-old me in the first place, and I became friends with the guy anyway!”

“So?”

“So now that I’m aware , that makes our whole friendship weird ! Before I was told all that, Mark was just my best friend! And living in the world we do, any of us dying is pretty much going to happen whether we like it to or not because that’s life! But now, I actually can’t afford to think that way because it could fuck this all up! Not until he either leaves Earth or when I die!”

Willow sat up, not mentioning his slip-up of Mark’s name, and instead comforted him, “That’s pretty fucked up.”

“It is! How am I supposed to even look at him without thinking that if I fuck up, he’ll betray the Earth?! Not that I think he will! I mean I never did! Because I’ve known Mark since I was like 5, and he’s always been - well - Mark. He doesn’t like hurting anyone despite having the power to do so, and obviously he doesn’t want Earth to be invaded because this is his home! But after having that talk with my granny, it made me wonder if Mark is capable of doing that. It’s honestly all I’ve been thinking about all day. Could he betray his mom? Could he betray his girlfriend- his friends- for a taste of power. I just…can’t imagine it.”

“Maybe…” Willow thought about her Mark and her situation, but that wasn’t the same. William’s situation was honestly a lot different than hers and the other variants. So she tried her best to reply, “That’s why he doesn’t do it. Because you think you know him so well, without the judgement and expectations that comes from other relationships, that he truly believes he’s a good person.” She tried not to wince by her own words as she continued, “Besides, knowing what you do now, does it really change anything? Sure you are a huge piece in making sure we don’t get invaded, but his mom, his girlfriend, his friends are still huge pieces in all this- That maybe it was true that if anything happened to you specifically, things would’ve gone wrong. But now, as heartless as it’s going to sound, there’s more important people in his life. You dying now isn’t a catalyst anymore.”

William let her words sink in. He sat up and replied, “That is a completely fucked up thing to say to me, but it really helped. Thanks. But to be honest, I still don’t get it. I don’t see myself as that great of a friend to stop an invasion. It could have been literally anyone else.”

Willow thought for a second before answering, “Well, sure. It could have been literally anyone else since there’s billions of us. Even more since there’s aliens out there. But you are from a family of witches, so out of every other divinator or whatever, your family took the initiative. So maybe it didn’t have to be you, but you were convenient.”

“Convenient? Yeah. That makes sense. It’s not like I regret becoming Mark’s friend. But knowing what I do now, it almost made me feel like I’m his keeper, which I did not sign up for.”

“Exactly. Besides, look at the bright side. At least you two are not dating. Then you’d really feel like you are his keeper.”

“Oh gawd! Can you imagine?! Friends breaking up is one thing, but if we were a couple, that would’ve gone downhill real fast! I mean Amber and Mark breaking up is a given, but if it was us too, there’s no way that wouldn’t have ended ugly.”

Willow nervously chuckled, “Yeah. Would definitely not recommend.”

William took a deep breath and loudly let it out. “Thanks, Willow. I feel a lot better now. I mean sure, it was my duty to be friends with Mark so he didn’t grow up into a fascist, but now, it’s not my problem anymore. My great grandma said so herself that I completed it. So I’m just going to relax until my next journey comes.”

He lied down, popping another strawberry in his mouth.

Willow lied down, too, as she pointed out, “You seem really chilled about this whole journey thing. It could be dangerous.”

“Sure, but entering into any field is, and out of all of them, I decided to be a doctor. So if anything, I was already out of my mind.”

Willow giggled, smiling. Yet it faded when she looked out the window that gave them a view of the city. A view of the sky she was once carried through. She closed her eyes, trying not to cry.

“Mark, I hope you’re happier now that you’re with Eve.”

Chapter Text

Universe 7

Reginald Vel Johnson Highschool’s prom was in full swing at the Ramova Theater. They were screaming in delight when the famous Kpop band, DTF, came on stage and gave an amazing performance as the kids danced.

Willow Clockwell was in the crowd dancing to her heart's content. She was twirling in a silver dress with one shoulder strap up while the other was hanging off. Her sheer bodice was beaded which made it twinkle under the lights. The sheer beaded work continued down the front of her skirt with strips from the metallic fabric used for the back of the skirt included. She had her hair up in a modern french twist, and kept her makeup soft and light since she knew the heat from dancing made her perspire a little. Her shoes were a pair of sparkling ankle strap low wedge sandals and her jewelry consisted of a silver cuff bracelet, crystal drop earrings and a promise ring.

When the song died down, she noticed her body aching from such exhilaration that she decided to get a drink from the automatic drink dispenser she made so no one could spike it.

Her best friend Amber approached her, “Damn girl, you really know how to have a good time.”

Willow took a few more breaths and a gulp before answering, “After hauling my butt to make all of this happen as the school’s president, I better! It’ll be even better when they finally announce this school year’s promising Prom Queen, yours truly!”

“Right. Pray that your Prom King isn’t going to be Todd.”

“If it is, I already have Evan from the football team ready to tackle him if he tries to touch me inappropriately during the slow dance portion.”

Amber arched an eyebrow at that. “Evan, huh. Not your boyfriend? Is he not coming? I didn’t want to bring it up, but I think everyone noticed that you’re not wearing a corsage.”

“Mark got caught up helping his mom with something. He’ll try to make it when he can.” Willow waved it off. 

But Amber scowled at the behavior, “And you’re okay with that? Hasn’t he been acting a bit odd lately? He’s been late to your dates, making these lame dumb excuses, or doesn’t even bother showing up at all. He’s even been gone for weeks at a time. I know you two are childhood sweethearts and all but if I were you, I would have already dumped his ass.”

“It’s our senior year.” Willow explained with an understanding tone, “Just like how I’ve been crazy busy with all of this to make a good impression on my letters of recommendation, Mark has things to figure out and it just became a whole lot harder since his dad died.”

The Chicago incident still laid heavily in the hearts of everyone after Omni-Man was revealed to be a traitor. Only alien invasion conspiracy theories from podcasters were given as a reason as to why the once beloved superhero did it. All people truly knew from the news was that they had Invincible to thank for stopping him.

Amber pointed out, “Yeah, but instead of confiding in you, he’s been confiding in that other girl, Eve Wilkins. Doesn’t that alarm you?”

“I know what you mean, Amber, but they’re just friends. God knows Mark needs more of them.”

Amber stared at her for a moment before giving in, “Alright, if you say so. But if it turns out he’s been cheating on you, I already have the tools in my trunk to bury a body. In cement. ”

Willow giggled and hugged her best friend.

Just then, one of the DTF members announced, “Alright everyone! It’s time to announce the Prom King and Queen! For our Prom Queen we have, Willow Clockwell!”

Everyone cheered as Willow was escorted to the stage by Amber, and she accepted the sash, the bouquet and tiara. She posed in the middle of the band members for the photos.

“Now for our Prom King!” 

They called out a name that was thankfully not Todd, so Willow was able to have a nice slow dance with a cute boy and several others who wanted a chance to slow dance with her before graduation. 

After the slow dance portion was over, they went back to dancing their hearts out until the time was up. Her and Amber remained behind while everyone went home since they were part of the clean up crew. When that was over, Willow stayed back a little longer. Lying to her friend that her dad was picking her up late.

It wasn’t necessary to lie, but she knew Amber would be a bit too judgy of Mark if she knew what Willow had in mind.

Even though prom was over for them, it wasn’t over for her. She had booked two extra hours and hired the prop makers in her school to re-set up the photo area, the buffet area, and also set up a garden with a gazebo on the stage. She freshened up and then waited at the gazebo until Mark came in scrambling to his feet in a messy tux.

“I-I’m here! I’m here! Uhm…Where is everyone?”

“They went home.” Willow said as she stood up and slowly walked out of the gazebo like a princess. “I may have given you the wrong time so you thought you could try to squeeze in at the last hour instead of heading to my house to profusely apologize for not being here at all.”

“So I missed it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Yeah, pretty much. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have our own little prom. Just between the two of us.” She walked down the stage and went over to Mark. She held out her wrist expectantly.

“...OH! RIGHT! Right…” He took out a corsage of wax flowers. 

Willow took off her cuff and accepted the accessory. She then took out a boutonniere of wax flowers and pinned it to his suit jacket. 

Next, she led him to the photo backdrop where they posed for an automatic camera that flashes when they say “Prom!”. Willow made use of several poses, which she told him was one of the perks to not having a line of their classmates stare at them as they waited for their turn.

She then brought him over to the party table filled with smaller portions of the same food that was served during prom, which she had prepared. The two had a meal at the gazebo while Willow told him everything that was happening in the present tense so he could imagine being there. The two shared laughs when they began sharing their high school memories.

After they had their fill, Willow had them stand up for their own slow dance. She turned on the speakers, playing Love and love by Baek Ji Young . It was a pretty depressing song to play, but it was her favorite because it also carried the hope that they would still be in love in spite of the bitter moments.

Willow gazed at Mark, falling in love all over again with his soft brown eyes and the way he oh so gently says, “I love you.”

Willow repeats just as gently, “I love you, too.”

The two shared a kiss and continued slow dancing until it was time to leave. Mark was able to borrow his mom’s car, so he could drop her home, but Willow had other plans. 

She leaned into his ear, “I booked us a hotel suite for the night. It was my gift for getting into Grainger.”

“Wha-What?” Mark looked at his girlfriend, not sure if he was hearing her right or if he was correctly assuming what she meant. But the sultry look she gave him quieted any doubts. “O-Oh. Uhm. I-I-” He blushed bright pink. “I thought we were waiting until marriage.”

Willow displayed her promise ring to him. It had cost a little over two hundred dollars which he worked hard to earn from his job at Burger Mart. He had his mom help him pick it out, and had Amber help him plan the perfect date to pop the question since promise rings were technically pre-engagement rings. And what could be better than crafting a scrapbook together since they’ve known each other since they were 5, started dating when they were 9, and during their last summer as high schoolers, he wanted to let Willow know he was dead serious about their relationship. 

So when they reached the last page, he pulled out the rings. He wished he was brave enough at the time to look her in the eye when he suggested that they should take a picture of this exact moment. The door had been open, so her mom was able to take the picture.

Willow was in tears as she happily accepted the promise ring and kissed Mark before going over to her mother to show off the silver ring with a teardrop amethyst. 

Presently, she said, “We’re practically married. Just missing the paper.”

“Oh…”

._._._.

Willow stared at the promise ring while waiting for her boyfriend at Upstate University. She was still going to attend Grainger, but came to check it out with Amber who had a cousin attending. She had her hair parted to the side with waves cascading down her shoulders and accompanied by large pearl stud earrings. She had on an ivory white turtleneck long sleeve blouse with lacing from her shoulders to her neckline and it was tucked into a belted gray pencil skirt above comfortable stiletto heels.

“He’s late.” Amber let her know. 

Willow let her know, “We have location trackers, so he can find me. I’ll just text him that we’re going ahead.”

“Is that so? Where is he now?”

Willow opened the app on her compowder, “It looks like he’s still at home. Must have overslept.”

“Oooor, he left it there on purpose and is off doing who knows what. He hasn’t been responding to your text since this morning.”

Willow defended, “He just started his new job as an intern for his mom. He figured that he could attend college online and that having hands-on experience in the adult world was more effective. We’re both ridiculously busy so being a little estranged cannot be helped.”

“You are way too good for him.”

Willow joked, “I know.”

The two met up with the cousin who was about to head to a biology class and they were allowed to join. 

Willow had thought about becoming a doctor, but felt more passionate about engineering. And apparently someone almost felt the same, although a bit too egotistical. 

“Oh please.” DA Sinclair started, “All human failings are simply engineering challenges crying out to be solved. We’re machines! And the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we’ll reach our true potential.”

“Dramatic much.” Amber commented. 

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m not.” She stood up. “You’re being a jerk.”

Sinclair glared and walked up to her, yet stopped when Willow commented, “Definitely could use some speech classes to deliver your point since you’re not wrong.” She flashed her signature customer service smile. “Cybernetic enhancements could definitely improve human physiology, but we don’t have humane resources nor the right metals to make it sustainable as we age. Sure we use technology to do things more efficiently, but even cars and planes require a team to keep them efficient as they are. So unlike humans who can attend a doctor’s appointment whenever it's necessary, these machines have daily appointments.”

DA Sinclair’s glare softened to a look of intrigue, albeit slight annoyance. “And who are you?”

“Willow Clockwell. I’m a student enrolling into Grainger to become a mechanical engineer.”

“A mechanical engineer? Yet you speak as if you know anything about cybernetics.”

“I mean these fields do overlap when it comes to a project. One of the machines I’m hoping to invent are cybernetic prosthetics for construction workers who have been injured on the job. Companies want to completely replace them with AI machines, but forget that while the rest of our body needs enhancement, our brains cannot be replicated.”

“I’m inclined to agree, though not every individual has a brain worth preserving.”

“I’m inclined to disagree. The more brains, the merrier to compare during testing.”

Sinclair huffed a laugh before covering his mouth. He passed Willow another intrigued yet confused look. The teen was used to men being surprised by her intelligence. Insulting yet funny to see.

The professor cleared his throat loudly and asked if he could continue the lesson. Sinclair straightened his suit and exited the class. 

Amber sat back down, “Why did you bother entertaining that asshole?”

“Comes with the job as a woman in a male dominated field. Besides, I know him from magazines and research papers. He’s an actual genius when it comes to cybernetics, so it’d be an advantage to know him.”

“Sure, but be careful. He gave some major incel vibes.”

Willow agreed and thought that they might not see each other for a long while since she was only here for one night. However, when the class was over, Sinclair called out to her in the hallway.

“Miss Clockwell, if you have the time, I would find it preferable if you dine with me for lunch.”

Amber answered for her, “Uh yeah no. She has a boyfriend.”

Willow answered much more nicely, “Sure if it’s just about engineering. I do actually have a boyfriend.” She happily showed off her promise ring.

Sinclair frowned at the jewelry, but he didn’t back down. “Congratulations, Miss Clockwell. He is certainly a lucky man, but I would still like to further discuss with you about the future of cybernetics. Very rarely I meet someone who actually cares for the field and is not doing it for the money or family expectations.”

“Much like an athlete who gets a high off of victory like a gambler, I feel the same when I successfully invent something. The more difficult, the sweeter, but I have my ethics.”

“I see. Then follow me. I made reservations at a 5 star restaurant and what you are wearing is decent.”

“Thank you.” She turned to Amber and whispered, “It’s just lunch. The more connections I make, the better for my career. I’ll text you in thirty minutes, but if I don’t, call me first, then call the police if I don’t answer.”

“You better know what you’re doing.” 

Willow followed Sinclair to his car, which was a practical SUV. On their way, they talked as if they were interviewing each other. Eventually, they arrived at the 5 star French restaurant and having expected to have meetings like these with potential buyers and co-workers, Willow had taken French classes so she was able to order easily, which impressed the man. 

“You seem rather well-rounded, Miss Clockwell. I’m surprised you are not attending MIT instead, or at least Harvard. Why Grainger of all places?”

“Sentimentality, I’m afraid. I grew up in Illinois, so I want to put my talents here and raise a family with my boyfriend after our careers are steady and we finally tie the knot.”

Sinclair seemed a bit critical of the answer yet replied, “That’s a sensible plan to have for the future. I personally decided to attend Upstate University to gain a higher grant since the school could use a few geniuses to raise their reputation. It also gives me more flexibility with my work. Tell me, Miss Clockwell,” He took out a folder from his bag. “What do you think of cybernetic enhancements to this degree?”

Willow looked over the designs of “Reanimen”, finding their schematics and such striking. She commented, “Wow, you truly created what the government would love to have applied to their soldiers. If you had worked with them prior, you could’ve helped prevent Omni-man from destroying part of Chicago.”

Sinclair smirked, “They could’ve wouldn’t they. However, I don’t take kindly to the idea of becoming part of such an unstable organization where funding is treated like your typical house finances depending on who is elected.”

“In that case, the GDA may be your next best option.” She further observed the design. “Although living subjects may not be your best options to try these out.”

Sinclair’s brows knitted at her, “Why do you say that?”

She explained, “Clearly you are working to create the ultimate soldier. I don’t think using such cybernetics on living human beings would give you that. When we’re alive, we have brain inhibitors so we don’t try to overstrain ourselves. We’re also complex creatures when we’re alive, so any abnormality in the brain may cause issues in the tech. It would make more sense to implant them in fresh corpses of those willing to donate their bodies to battle one more time.”

“That’s…quite the comment.”

Willow shrugged. “I’ve read enough conspiracy theories and actual reports on what the government and the GDA are willing to do to their own people for the people. The only matter I have with it is consent. I’m telling you now that after what occurred with Omni-man and the potential aliens that could attack us, they will be more than willing to support your research.”

Sinclair thought about that for a moment with a sip of his water. “You may be onto something, Miss Clockwell. Experimenting on living humans does pose too many obstacles that it’s best to experiment on the least complicated.”

Willow carefully observed Sinclair’s thinking expression since he spoke as if he had some cleaning to do. She thought about the missing posters on the university’s board and how the victims all looked perfect as test subjects to this project. However with no evidence, it wouldn’t be right to report him just from a hunch.

When it was 30 minutes, Willow informed Amber that she was okay and enjoyed the rest of her meal. 

It became pretty late when she was dropped back to the university. Sinclair insisted on opening the car door for her, which she accepted, thanking him for the meal and conversation.

Yet Sinclair replied, “It should be me thanking you. You’ve enlightened me. Not many I can say this to. At least not alive.”

Willow felt that nagging hunch again that this man was a serial killer for science, but she pushed it away again. Besides, she didn’t expect to see this man again.

She went to the dorm where Amber’s cousin was staying at, and to her delight, Mark was there!

“Willow! You’re back! I’m so so sorry about this morning! I got called in last minute at this new job, and forgot my phone at home! And I couldn’t get in contact with you-”

Used to his apologies, she casually interjected, “Sorry about that. I had lunch with a prodigious engineer in cybernetics, so I had my phone on mute.” She pulled it out and checked her notifications to see the many missed calls and unread messages. “Oh wow. You were really worried.” She glanced at Amber who was not at all amused to have Mark here.

Amber explained, “I told him, but apparently, he can’t stand the idea of you being around another guy when mister popular here is who knows where with other girls.”

Mark passed an annoyed look at her and defended himself, “I wasn’t with other girls and you told me he was a creep, so how can I not be worried?”

“But you saw that she was at a legit 5 star restaurant with your tracker and I told you she called me and told me she was safe.”

“Anything can happen afterwards! Am I the asshole for being worried about my girlfriend eating with some creep?”

“It does when she trusts you and you don’t.”

Mark wanted to continue arguing but Amber spoke facts. Both women knew he was off doing something secretive. With Eve no doubt. But Willow never accused him of anything, interrogated him or intruded on his property.

He gave in, “Okay! Okay. I’m sorry. I was just really worried.”

Willow gave him a kiss on the cheek to cheer him up but informed him, “Meeting creepy men comes with the job. Read enough news about the subject, so you know I come prepared.” She showed her watch which monitored her heart and brain patterns. If she were to be drugged or knocked out, the watch would send out an immediate alert and location to her loved ones. She also showed her hidden pocket knife in her sleeves, the pepper spray necklace, the disguised alarm on her belt that would emit a high pitched screech, and other gadgets. 

But despite showing them, Mark only seemed defeated. Willow wrapped her arms around one of his, still awed by how much muscle he built rapidly throughout their senior year. They almost felt like steel, that Willow was almost tempted to try and test them with a hammer. 

She pushed away her thoughts before they got naughty, and told Amber that they were going out to talk. She brought Mark out of the dorm and into the wide empty field that led to a forest.

“Are you alright? You seem shaken by something, and I don’t think it’s my impromptu meeting with Sinclair.”

Mark held a contemplative expression before answering, “My new job…I’ve actually had it for a while, and it has me…check on dangerous sites- not when the danger happens of course! And last night, the site I was at was attacked. I was one of the very few survivors.”

Willow gasped, “Mark. That must have been horrifying!” She hugged him tightly. 

He wrapped his arms around her gently, “Yeah. It was.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for acting like a complete jerk. But when Amber told me you were with that creep, the thought of losing you scared me, even though I know that you can handle yourself.”

Willow held him tighter, letting him know silently that she was still alive. That everything would be okay because she had no plans of dying anytime soon. But the idea of letting him go tonight just didn’t sit right with her. “Let’s go back to your place. I’ll call Amber, and let her know.”

“No. I don’t want to get in the way of your plans.”

“What plans are more important than being there for you in sickness and health?”

“Yeah, except this useless boyfriend of yours is barely around when you need me.”

“But you always do come around.” She leaned back. “And if I truly need you, I’ll come to you. Just like you did right now. I wasn’t there for you when it happened, but you came to me, and you were honest with me. And I’m here.”

“But what if I’m too late?”

“If you’re gonna ask questions like that, then direct them at me, too. What if I’m too late, Mark? What if I was somewhere out of reach when you needed me most?”

Mark’s eyes seem to widen like a puppy, “Yeah, but you don’t…”

Willow wasn’t sure where Mark was going with that sentence, so she waited patiently for him to finish. 

However after Mark dealt with his inner struggle, he answered, “I wouldn’t blame you. If anything, I’d be waiting for you to help me make it all better. Because you’re my best friend, Willow. I can’t think of anyone who knows me better than you do.”

Willow smiled approvingly at the answer, “Exactly what I was thinking. Let’s go home.”

._._._.

Willow knew she would have to deal with creepy men and misogyny, but that was to be when she joined the competitive workforce. Her university years were going to be different since not just anyone could enter the rooms she did without having her level of intelligence and determination.

At least that was what she hoped, but to her horror, the creepy part came true. 

Sinclair transferred to her university. 

For her.  

He said that it was purely for her intellect, which she could tell was true and she was flattered. But when he spoke about having found a benefactor for his ReAnimen project, she had a hunch that he wasn’t talking about either the government or the GDA. She did not want any part of some menacing organization. Not that the two organizations she suggested were respectable despite the propaganda, but at least there was some transparency! 

If she could without postponing her future, she would avoid Sinclair at all cost. But with no evidence to get a restraining order, it was inevitable. Fearing what he may do if she rejected him, she agreed to only have lunch together every now and then to discuss engineering. 

However, what should’ve been a once-a-week interaction, her classmates made it otherwise. Sinclair may have an ego, but his genius could not be ignored. So when he offered to have lunch in person, her classmates would try to join in. Willow honestly thought Sinclair would reject them, but to her surprise, he actually made an effort to get along with them. She thought he may be up to something, but after weeks went by, Sinclair had kept it very professional. He never made a pass at her, never crossed a boundary as acquaintances and never belittled her or her pre-engagement.

Even though there was good material to belittle since Mark had pretty much ghosted her for over a month despite being terrified for her safety. 

She reached out to Debbie who told her that he joined an international aid program and didn’t tell Willow because it was last minute. According to her, Mark felt restless from his job as an assistant site manager for a corporation she never heard of but was legit from her research. 

Then suddenly Mark remembered how the two of them joined Amber to build schools in the Philippines, so he took the first opportunity he saw. 

Willow was convinced since Mark was an opportunist, but when it came to asking the details, Debbie couldn’t give a straight answer. Instead the widow sobbed, blaming herself for not informing Willow since she had been so distraught since Nolan’s passing. 

Willow had been there for the family after it happened. She cooked the meals, did the chores and was willing to talk with Debbie when she was willing to open up. But Debbie never really did. Willow thought it was because of her age, so she would wait for whenever Debbie thought she was older and mature enough to rely on and take that chance. 

She dropped the questions to finally comfort Debbie, and she figured she’d talk to Mark once he got back. She’s known him practically their whole lives, so she confidently knew Mark wasn’t the type to do anything sinister. 

There’s absolutely no way he would.

“You’ve been staring at your ring for a while.” Sinclair commented.

Him and Willow were currently at one of Grainger’s labs at night. Not exactly a good time to be alone with a possible serial killer, but after all the time they spent together, she had seen a softer side to Sinclair. She was almost convinced that she may have been wrong about the fellow engineer. But the reason was mostly because Willow’s desire to work on her project outweighed her protective instincts. The machine was a kinetic energy absorber for underneath the floors, which she hoped would be a new source of clean energy.

“I’m just missing my boyfriend.” She sadly smiled. “He joined an international aid program, but it’s like he’s been deployed to the military, so I can’t contact him as often as I would like.”

“That must be…difficult for you?”

Willow gave a happier smile, finding Sinclair’s attempts at empathy adorable. “It is, but this is what growing up is about. His mom told me that he doesn’t have much cell service where he’s at so he updates me through her on how he’s doing.”

“Has she been updating you?”

“Not yet. But she will.”

“Right. Right…Miss Willow, if I may be frank. I-”

RING!!!

Sinclair glared at his own cell phone, yet excused himself from the room. Willow continued the project, careful to not tap on the device too hard since that would strangely elicit purple electricity from her hand. 

She noticed it coming out last summer whenever she would touch things like chairs or door knobs that secretly had static electricity built-up. Her great grandmother explained that although Willow hadn’t fully awakened her powers, her magic wasn’t completely dormant. Her constant contact with electricity and her growing feminine energy was awakening her father’s dormant Jupiterean alien genes. This allowed her to absorb kinetic energy and expel it out, and it proved so useful in charging her devices, she wanted to share it with the rest of the world. 

Sinclair soon came back and appeared nervous. “Miss Willow. I was just on the phone with my benefactor.”

Willow put on a safe expression, “Do they need you now?”

“Not exactly. I think it will be better if I explain everything in a different location.”

“Different location” was never a good combination of words to refer to their next unknown location. Especially to a woman. The memory of all of her self-defense classes and every possible weapon and escape route in the room she could use was at the forefront of her mind. She kept her expression from shifting, and casually moved towards the table with the tools and miniature prototypes were displayed. 

Casually, she spoke, “Right now? But it’s so late. Can we go tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid not. Willow, I need you to trust me.”

Once those words left his mouth, Willow felt her body go light and cold. She tried to control her heart rate but she couldn’t hold back the words that spilled out of her mouth, “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not giving me a choice?”

Sinclair remained nervous and there was a guiltiness mixed into it now. “Please don’t make this difficult, Ms. Willow. I’m doing this for your own protection.”

“Sonofabitch! Are you fucking selling me to your benefactor?!” She yelled while discreetly grabbing a small device on the table.

The power suddenly went out. Willow waited for the generator to kick in, but the room remained pitch-black. She checked her compowder, but it won’t turn on. In fact, all of her own electronic devices on her body were turned off. She came to realize that an EMP device had been activated so she was cut off from everyone.

She forced her voice to speak clearly in between heavy quiet breaths, “Sinclair…What did you do?”

“Miss Willow,” the bastard tried to sound endearing, “I followed your advice and the test subjects were all very cooperative! They wanted the power my machines would give them! And those who were already dead, well, they were worthless to society anyways! I wouldn’t have gotten such an opportunity and our fellow classmates wouldn’t have either, if it weren’t for you! Which is why I want to protect you! Right now, my benefactor has me set my ReAnimen on a rampage in Chicago and the cities nearby to show do-”

CREAK! SLAM!

“MISS WILLOW!”

Willow sprinted for dear life! Almost miraculously, the moon was bright and full, providing enough lighting through the large windows to help her find her way through the darkness. As she ran, she fiddled with the small device in her hands that was a prototype of the kinetic device. She also snapped open her compowder, hoping that by rewiring and using her own kinetic energy, she could send an SOS to any hero!

When she reached the stairs, she slipped and tumbled down the steps. She was quick to press the devices against her chest to protect them and landed ungracefully onto the floor. Her adrenaline helped block out the pain receptors. She got on her knees and worked on the device, thinking she had enough time since Sinclair wasn’t an athlete.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

The window shards fell to the ground! She froze when she saw the familiar gleaming metal cyborg helmet. Her heart pounded quickly when her sight blurred but her ears let in the loud thumping across the floor followed by inhumane snarls aimed at her!

A spike of adrenaline helped her to her feet and she ran off to wherever the monsters weren’t coming right at her! She shoved the devices in her uniform jacket’s pocket, and proceeded to clap her hands thunderously, hoping to awaken her power faster!

“COME ON ALIEN GENES! WITCH GENES! WHATEVER THE FUCK I HAVE! WORK FOR ME NOW!”

She felt one of them grab her, and her heart jumped! Every brutal and cruel news she read about a woman being assaulted in her work place flashed before her eyes! The full force of her adrenaline rush kicked in, triggering her body to discharge a field onto her surroundings! Willow was unsure of what was happening in reality as she felt her own mind expand to process the flow of energy directed towards her.

Reflexively, her body pulled out her compowder and the small prototype kinetic device from her pockets and with all the electricity she could muster from the beating of her heart, the motion of her body, the temperature of the room, anything that was moving the particles within her field, she slammed the devices together, creating another EMP that was enormous enough to disrupt the other EMP and destroy the ReAnimen. Every other device that had been turned off during the event turned back on.

Willow flew across the hallway, having her fall broken by a sofa chair that fell back, allowing the rest of the inertia to roll off her body. Still panicked from almost being kidnapped, she blacked out. When she came to, she wasn’t sure if she was even breathing or forgot how to. 

When she regained her sight and hearing, she realized orange feet were approaching her. She looked up and was stunned to see Robot from Teen Team, her favorite superhero.

Chapter Text

Willow clapped her hands, expecting purple lightning to spark from her palms, but that wasn’t the case. The GDA medical staff didn’t notice anything odd about her DNA when she asked them if the blast had done something to her. She called her parents to inform them that she was okay, and that she wanted to speak to her great grandmother. The witch came to the building in person in her youthful appearance, and discreetly put a spell on any hearing devices in the room so anything they said would be changed in the recording to something normal. 

Willow explained, “I definitely activated my powers when I had that Freak Out, but now, there’s nothing.” She clapped her hands as proof. “I think I created a kinetic absorption field around me, and just the slightest shift of particles powered me. Strange thing is I don’t think there was enough movement around me since I was in a closed building and the ReAnimen weren’t running fast enough to generate that amount of power.”

The divinator pointed out, “It was a full moon last night, my love. The feminine energy is strongest then, so it multiplied your power by ten folds. Maybe even more.”

“Explains why I don’t even have bruises or a strained ankle. Count my lucky stars that I was born a woman, otherwise I’d have to die from a heart attack to activate that power. Was everyone else okay?”

“Thanks to you, no one was hurt by the ReAnimen. A few with medical issues did die due to the first EMP attack, but other than that, no other issues. I would say good job, but it’s already to be expected of a Riach.”

Willow let out a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear. And thanks for coming all this way to see me despite being so busy.”

“Never too busy for you, my love. And congratulations on meeting another person with a compatible soul. This Robot hero you like so much. He will be a great asset to you emotionally and mentally. Can’t say much physically since your boyfriend is hopeless.”

“First of all, EW! And I already told you no spoilers on Mark! I want him to tell me when he’s ready. Amber and everyone else thinks I’m too lenient on him, but I know he’s just trying to prove himself since we practically did everything together growing up. I want to give him that space to explore.”

His great grandmother kept a steady smile. “You two indeed have compatible souls, but even they drift apart. I see a reunion in your future, so don’t be afraid to walk away, even when it's a whole shit show.” The witch kissed her forehead and left.

Willow took her words to mean that her and Mark will be too busy that they will drift away from the relationship eventually. But with the promise of a reunion, she was confident that they will have their happily ever after.

She relaxed on her hospital bed until someone activated the sliding door. She jolted up when she saw it was ROBOT!

With his monotone voice that edged with sincerity, he said, “Good afternoon, Miss Clockwell. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

She quickly sat up straighter, trying to discreetly fix her hair to appear professional, “Not at all! Please take a seat if you like! I’m open to answering any questions you may have!”

“Thank you. I prefer standing if you don’t mind. And do not worry. I did not come here with questions pertaining to D.A. Sinclair. What you’ve given the GDA is more than efficient to catch this benefactor of his.”

“I hope so since they had just lost their star engineer. At least that’s what I believe from how Sinclair bragged about how much they funded his project, so this benefactor may try to kidnap me to finish what he started if they can’t get to him.”

“That is why I’m here. I have looked into your kinetic energy absorption device, and I was quite impressed with what you have made so far. The engineers here in the GDA have been working on a similar device, but where they had spent years trying to create a successful prototype, you’ve accomplished it in mere months. As you may be aware, I am currently a member of the Guardians of the Globe, but I would like to offer you the position as my assistant.”

Willow blinked rapidly several times. “What? Y-you want me to be your assistant?”

“Yes. After I speak with the director and get his approval, you may stay with me at the Guardian’s headquarters. While you are there, I can arrange for your loved ones to be moved to a safe place until we can find this benefactor.”

Willow figured her family would be safe, so she thought about Mark and Amber. She had given Amber a watch that will create a powerful flash or a powerful noise to help her get out of bad situations. It would also alert her immediately if Amber did. Although after the EMP incident, she may need to create a stronger watch. As for Mark, he wasn’t around and she didn’t want to worry Debbie who was already going through so much. Villains don’t usually go for the protagonist’s lover’s parents, so she wasn’t worried.

“It’s fine. I get the feeling this benefactor is the type to go to the source. I would be honored to be your assistant.”

Willow was aware that Robot may be keeping her close just in case she may actually be hiding the truth that she knew who the benefactor was all along. But this was such a great opportunity, she couldn’t say no!

“Then I will take my leave and be back once I have the director’s approval.” Robot exited the room.

Willow planted her face in her pillow to contain her excited giggles. “Oh my gawd! I am going to be Robot’s assistant! One of the most brilliant minds in the world of superheroism and engineering!” She kicked her feet in the air, squealing! “I gotta tell Amber and Mark!” She texted Amber all about it, but then hesitated with Mark.

Her excitement died down, remembering that she had just narrowly escaped being kidnapped by a maniac. If Mark knew, he would drop everything and come see her. She didn’t want him to do that. He’s working so hard to build his own future- to become the man he hoped to become so he could support her and their family. She didn’t want to stall it. He can get mad and forgive her later. She let Amber know not to tell Mark or Debbie so he didn’t needlessly feel guilty for something he can’t control.

She laid back down, seeing Mark when she closed her eyes.

“Mark, I miss you. But I know we’ll have a whole future ahead of us. I can wait.”

._._._.

Willow was disappointed. 

Immediately after recovering, the assistant director, Donald Ferguson, had brought her to the GDA’s Director’s office where she sat before Cecil Stedman. He personally told her that he rejected her membership into the Guardians and instead, he wanted to hire her to work in the GDA’s engineering wing. It turned out that he was also impressed by not only her kinetic absorption device but by the other gadgets she had on her body and at home. Cecil figured that she would be more useful inventing gadgets for all the superheroes on their payroll. Not just Robot.

He also said that Robot had been agreeable, so Willow didn’t truly have a solid reason to say no. There was definitely a secret agenda, but she knew that would always be the case once she entered the field. However, she wasn’t going to be that easily led. 

“I will work for you but only on one condition.”

Cecil raised an eyebrow, mildly intrigued by the mystery of her condition. “What are your demands?”

“I was informed by one of your employees that D.A. Sinclair will be locked up for what he attempted to do under his benefactor. But I know how an organization like this works. D.A. Sinclair is too brilliant of an asset and only his ReAnimen shows promise to take down other aliens like Omniman.” She didn’t know that for sure, but she couldn’t risk it. “I’m sure you’ll supply him with corpses of soldiers and those with unique abilities for an undead army.”

Cecil neither confirmed or denied it with his silence.

Willow continued, “But what if I could supply you with a better alternative? My kinetic absorption device was intended to be another source of clean energy. But I can easily change its intention for battle. What if I build you a suit that can absorb the kinetic energy of a punch as powerful as Omniman’s? That the impact will feel like nothing more than the left hook from a rookie boxer? And all that absorbed energy will be easily given right back in the form of a phantom punch.”

“That’s quite the promise you’re setting yourself up for. What makes you so sure you can deliver on it?”

“I already have the blueprint right here.” She pointed at her temple. “At first I wanted to create cybernetic limbs for construction workers who have been injured on the job, but I dropped the idea after meeting Sinclair. So instead, I looked into safety prevention. Construction workers, miners, firefighters and other blue collar jobs face the danger of explosions, collapsing buildings and more. But if I were to create protective gear that can absorb the impact or the temperature of the situation, the likelihood of their survival would rise.”

Cecil seemed to soften, “It sounds like you truly put a lot of thought into the everyday worker.”

“Heroes save my life. But everyday people like me save my livelihood. And that’s why I don’t want someone like Sinclair to be allowed to continue what he considers his passion project. I don’t want the foundation of the protection against what could be our next biggest threat to be in the hands of a psychopath. And for it to come with the possibility that my life may come as an exchange for that.”

“I would never do that to you.”

“It’s pointless to act idealistically from where you're sitting. When I chose my career to be an engineer as a kid, I received the full support of my parents, but when I hit puberty, they gave me the harsh truths that my career choice came with. I can’t afford to have blind faith in you. I can only believe in myself to never let it happen.”

Cecil sighed through his nose, looking down at his desk with memories of the past. He had full confidence he could control Sinclair to do what is right and not gain anything from it. However, Willow was right. He can’t afford to be idealistic from where he sat.

“............I’ll give you three months. If you can’t give me half of what you’re promising, then consider our deal void.”

Willow smiled brightly with determination in her eyes, “I won’t let you down!”

The two worked out the details on paper to legitimize their deal. Afterwards, Willow was led by Donald to her own personal bedroom. It was the typical 11x12 space with sage green walls and surprisingly wooden floors. It had one twin size bed, a mounted flat screen tv, an artist table at one corner with a drawer full of supplies, a sofa chair and small table over a soft rug and potted indoor plants. There were also tags hung next to the door to inform the cleaning staff. Willow also had her own personal bathroom with the typical shower and bathtub combo but the diffuser they used brought about a nice calming smell. There were no windows for safety reasons, so there were air ventilators instead. They did have smoke and poison sensors, and in the event that it happens, there was a backup oxygen tank hidden underneath the bed that would last 72 hours.

Donald informed her that she would start her project tomorrow, and that their people would bring all her luggage and a new uniform and badge in a few hours. He also provided her a new cell phone since her own broke the other night. He reassured her that it was protected from being bugged, and will distort other bugged phones she called. He excused himself afterwards.

Willow took the time to inform her parents and Amber about her three month absence, and they were both worried yet excited for her new job. Amber reassured her that she would keep her watch on her, even in the shower, until this whole benefactor thing cleared up. Willow also informed Debbie so she could inform Mark, but unlike with the others, she lied that it was an international internship. She didn’t want Mark to become worried about her, yet was unable to see her since she couldn’t afford distractions.

When the staff delivered her luggage, she got herself situated in her new living space. She found her thick leather journal that was protected by a number code password. It had all of her mini blueprints inside, so for the rest of the day, she spent it at the artist desk to copy her kinetic suit blueprints with some changes now that she can afford anything on the government dime.

._._._.

What should’ve been three months to build, only really took up to about two weeks since Willow only really needed to assemble everything like a puzzle, and she was provided with assistants to cut down the workload. 

“Doing great work, missy.” Art Rosenbaum commented as she fitted the suit on a jacked up mannequin. He was called in by the GDA as a favor to help Willow learn how to tailor the suit.

The full body suit was an eminence purple color with geometric silver patterns. It all led back to the disc reactor at its chest that glowed a starry color. 

Willow dripped eye drops into her heavily baggy eyes that hung on her clean face. She did have a bedroom, but she instead had a cot brought over, where she allowed herself only three hours of sleep every two days so she didn’t die of a caffeine overdose.

“Thanks, Art. Couldn’t have done it without you and the rest of the team. Otherwise, I might’ve needed those three months after all.”

“With how anxious you were to finish this project, how could I not? Now that you’re done with the first stage, you should finally give yourself some well deserved shuteye.”

“I should.” She yawned. “But not yet. I still need to get this tested, and I have the perfect person in mind.”

Right on time, Scott Duvall stepped in with Black Samson and Robot behind him. 

“Miss Clockwell, I brought them as you asked.”

“Thanks, Scott. I can always count on you.” 

Scott chuckled, “I brought you iced coffee to help you stay awake during the test trial.”

Willow took a big gulp which only made her gestures more lively, “Whew! Okay! Let’s get this trial going!” She went over to Black Samson with an extended hand, “Welcome, my name is Willow Clockwell. I believe my top assistant here already went over the details as to why you’re here.”

“That he did.” He shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Robot has mentioned you before, which means you left quite the impression on him.”

“I did?” She looked over to Robot with overwhelmed yet exhausted joy.

“Of course. Were my words not clear the other day?”

“It’s been so long ago, and you never visited me.” 

“I apologize. I should have been the one to give you the news about our lack of partnership, but I’m always available if you need me, Miss Clockwell.”

Black Samson said, “If your suit works, then I may ask Cecil myself to make you an honorary member of the Guardians. Scott informed me that this may be the key to fighting aliens like Omniman, which I’m all for.”

“Then let’s not waste anymore time!” She led the group to the suit and explained, “Flexible and durable, this suit was built with nanotechnology that will form an invisible kinetic absorption field that will practically be like a third skin. So before the person hits you, the kinetic energy would be instantly absorbed so the impact will feel only like a feather. Naturally,” She went over to a board to write down the mathematics, “the nanotech will not absorb each force it receives with the same amount of intensity each time. Otherwise doing so may not only slow things down but also affect the temperature of the surroundings as well and freeze the opponent. That doesn’t sound like a bad thing depending on the enemy, but without this controlled measurement, you will be cooked inside the suit since the kinetic energy can convert into not only electricity, but also heat, sound or just a straight up explosion. Kaboom!”

Samson understood, “So these are the drawbacks I have to watch out for, which is why you have me in the suit since I have electrical based powers.”

“I did consider Throwbolt, but she’s too green compared to you. But she’s one of the super heroes I want this suit assigned to once it's in production through Art. The suit will allow your electric powers to seep through and be absorbed by the suit to fuel it in the event that you're constricted.”

“That way we could convert that energy into heat that could melt through such constrictions. But what about those without super powers like mine?”

“Way ahead of you!” She held up a matching purple helmet that had the silver form lightning patterns. “It has its own regulating cooling system and cushioning material for comfort. But most importantly, your mouth cannot be covered, so just scream with all your might into the helmet and it will help power the suit. Now for those who are mute or have been muted,” She made a slicing gesture at her throat, “That’s still in the works since putting an emergency timer for lack of activity may disrupt non hazardous situations like sleep if they were put in a situation where they can’t take off their suit. Probably wouldn’t be good for spy missions either.”

Samson commented, “What you’ve done already is plenty.”

“Couldn’t have done it without my team and the government money!” She fist bumped Scott, who awkwardly reciprocated it. “Now let’s take this magnificent piece of work out for a spin!”

They carried out the trial in the training room where robots aimed to either hurt him or constrict him, and like a dream, the suit worked perfectly. It might’ve been a dream since Willow fell asleep right after.

When she woke up, she found herself in her bedroom. She reached for her phone to check the calendar, and found that she had been only asleep for a whole day. She sat up and was surprised to see Robot standing at the corner like some life sized nutcracker doll.

The light turned on in Robot’s eyes, “Good morning, Miss Clockwell. I apologize if this appears unsettling. I simply thought it would be rude to leave after you requested to see me so I had left a double here that would only activate once you awoke.”

“Definitely gave some Twilight vibes, but there is the whole benefactor mystery thing, so I understand why you stood there and not outside my bedroom.” Willow honestly did not get predator vibes from Robot, so she gave him more leniency than she would for others.

“With the suit nearly completed, Cecil held his end of the bargain to not let Sinclair out of jail. I made sure of that, but that will come with its own set of problems. His benefactor may have had the same thought as you where Cecil would’ve used Sinclair to build an army against Ominiman’s people known as the Viltrumites. However, now that he is in jail and Black Samson will be using your suit in public from now on, I’m afraid you will become the direct target.”

“That’s really nothing new.” She shrugged with a frank smile. “But thank you for thinking about me.”

Robot added, “I do have good news. I was able to find a lead into who D.A. Sinclair’s benefactor could be. There is an underground criminal organization known as The Order. They have been able to move in secret for many centuries that not even Cecil knows about them.”

“Why did they want to raid through part of Illinois?”

“D.A. Sinclair informed us that they wanted to send a message of how powerful they had become in the eyes of other evil organizations. Thankfully through you, they were stopped in time. However, The Order is difficult to track, so it’s unknown whether we can assure your safety anytime soon.”

“That blows, but with the new kinetic suit, even if The Order could create an undead army, we’ll be prepared.”

“It was truly a marvel of technology that you invented with Mr. Rosenbaum and Mr. Duvall. It fills me with regret that I didn’t invent it with you as well.”

Willow tried not to sound too eager, “You still can. I still need to figure out how to make the suit work for everyone like those who are mute. But after working practically nonstop for two weeks, I need a break. If it’s okay with you, do you want to go watch a movie? As friends of course.”

Robot was silent for a while, which eventually made her laugh, “If you don’t want to, that’s okay.”

“No.” Robot finally said. “I would like to. I just have never been to one before.”

“Really? Why’s that? Social settings not your style?”

“No. It’s just that no one has ever invited me. Even when I created the Teen Team, none of my team members has ever invited me out to see a movie.”

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

“I never thought it was since we were only colleagues. There’s also the fact that I am just an artificial intelligent robot. I’m not human like the rest of you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a reason to not hang out with you. Maybe you just never found your own crowd. Come on.” She got up. “After I freshen up, how about we have breakfast at the cafeteria, and we go see that movie. Give me an hour.”

Robot was silent again for a few minutes before agreeing. He excused himself out of the bedroom so Willow could get ready. She made sure to deep scrub herself since she hasn’t bathed in awhile. Only having gotten by without smelling rotten through deodorant and not sweating.

Afterwards, she sat down at her vanity table, having requested one during work when Cecil had checked on her mid progress. She went through her full skincare routine before applying makeup. Since it was a friendly night out, she put on her daily makeup of mauve purple lips and eyeshadow. On a mini plexiglass lectern, she opened a book of complex hairstyles, and chose the double dutch hair buns and kept two skinny locks of hair out to frame her face. 

For her outfit, she wanted to match Robot, but she ironically didn’t have any tech wear outfits because they were too monochromatic which was really too bland for her. Instead, she put on a faded deconstructed blackberry purple top woven with straps which really gave cable like vibes. She put on a pair of stirrup pants with an abstract design that continued the cable like vibes. To keep herself warm, she put on a fitted brown denim jacket with a really cool mechanical design that made it look like it came from a futuristic society from ancient times. And she finished her outfit with a pair of platform boots and her promise ring.

Done, she came out of her bedroom and the two headed to the cafeteria. She grabbed herself breakfast and the two sat down at one of the many free round tables. They talked about literature which Willow wasn’t so fond of, but it was one of Robot’s hobbies and it was something besides engineering. So as they talked, she was mostly asking questions and giving input when they got philosophical. They also talked about their favorite color and such, politics, trashy reality tv shows and Willow helped set up a social media account for Robot to appeal to more people in his crowd.

When she was done eating and it was well into the afternoon, Robot drove them to the nearest movie theater that Willow booked the tickets for online. It was the weekday so not many people were there and the ticket agent didn’t react when they saw Robot. The movie they saw was the Pixar movie, Onward since Willow wanted a different vibe.

After the movie, the two talked about the importance of fatherhood, death of a loved one and other topics.

“I’m glad you liked the movie.” Willow said as they walked through the mall. They only received a few passing glances by adults and full on stares from children, but they were left unbothered. “I was worried it would be too childish for you.”

“I don’t think the movie was childish at all.” Robot responded with a casual tone that was lighter than his usual flat voice. “Granted the pacing was awkward and the gimmicks were colorful, but I think that has some resemblance to reality when you live in a city. Yet it did slow down when it counted most. I truly appreciate you taking me out to see it, Ms. Clockwell.”

“You can just call me Willow when we’re not on the clock. What about you? Do you have another name besides Robot?”

“Should I?”

“I don’t see why not. You said that you aren’t close with your colleagues, but maybe they don’t realize that they internalized a stigma around mechanical artificial life forms. Of course you shouldn’t change for them, but think of the name as an add on. Maybe they just need that extra help to finally get around to really learn about you just like I do. I mean I would never have guessed you actually prefer to read horror novels. Many would stereotype you to only read nonfiction pieces.”

“....I supposed it would help remove that barrier. There’s a colleague of mine in the Guardians who I want to form a closer bond with, but I’m afraid my form has built a barrier between us. Perhaps if I gave myself a more human name, then we could grow closer as friends.”

“Do you have one in mind?”

“.......Rudy?”

“Rudy? So unexpected but I like it. Sounds like a really casual name, but perfect for someone who can lead a team. So Rudy, why do you want to form a closer bond with this colleague over everyone else?”

“She’s…trapped in a situation similar to mine. Because of her powers, she can’t live her life like the rest of us.”

“So you can relate to her situation. But from how you speak of her, I take it that you fancy her, too.” Willow has read enough android x human sci fi novels to have faith Robot had the ability to form affection.

“I do. Right now, I am trying to find a way to fix her problem with the Flaxan technology, but it’s been proving difficult.”

“Want me to take a look? I’ve never seen foreign dimension tech before, but I might learn something.”

“I would like that.” 

Robot brought her to the Teen Team’s old base at one of Chicago’s bridges. Willow was brought over to the lab section of the building which was much smaller than the one she got used to in the GDA. Robot opened a secret compartment in the wall that revealed the Flaxan tech that has been pulled apart. 

“The Flaxans were able to create a device that could stop them from aging once they stepped into our dimension. I was able to remove this from one of them without damaging it too much.”

Willow took a look and it was like reading a whole new computer code in a foreign language. But like an etymologist, she could find hints in the tech that could be translated into her own language. But she needed to know what she was looking to translate. 

“May I know who you are doing this for?”

Robot brought up Monster Girl’s image on the screens with her information. “If it was simply about not letting her age anymore, I would simply let her wear that. However, what I am trying to fix is how her transformation makes her younger by days in mere minutes.” He put all the information into a tablet and handed it over to Willow.

The engineer thought about calling her great grandmother about it. However, she didn’t want to lose the opportunity to work with Robot to overcome something not scientific. This could be a breakthrough that could bring them closer as friends since she lost the opportunity to become his sidekick.

So she took a moment to really examine the data of Monster Girl and it was definitely magical. She thought back to what her great grandmother had taught her about curses. Something about how it always took its pound of flesh whether it was done correctly or incorrectly. 

Her thoughts processed in a unique way that blended science with social constructions, and as a result, she bluntly answered without realizing, “Cells.”

“What?”

Willow took a moment to let the theory settle in her brain and then explained, “Growing up, I was kinda into the occult, so I know a few things about magic. In Monster Girl’s case, she becomes younger after each transformation but she also becomes stronger with each transformation the more she deages. If she wasn’t a hero, this curse would actually be seen as a blessing of immortality. The whole increase of strength may have been an added advantage in the event the person may need to use the form in a bad situation.”

“So this curse was intended to be a blessing?”

“Hard to say. Witches live in a completely different reality since they can manipulate it somewhat. Anyway, there may be a way to counteract the magic by understanding what it is stripping away so we can provide the replacement. In this case it may be cells since the more you de-age, the less cells you have.”

“So if we can provide the copy of cells it needs, then the curse won’t affect her!” he exclaimed with so much emotion behind it, that Willow almost believed he had fully evolved into a human.

“Bingo! And we won’t need Flaxan tech to make one! It would be cool if you let me have it though for future projects.”

“For what could possibly be a breakthrough that you have given me months in advance, you may take anything you like.”

“Then…how about you let me crash here every now and then? You and the Teen Team used to live here, and it would be nice to have somewhere we can hangout from time to time or be alone and chill, y’know.”

“I’ll prepare a room for you right now.”

Chapter Text

“BEHOLD THE MIGHT OF OMNIPOTUS, THE WORLD SHAPER, AND BEHOLD THE END OF ALL THINGS! TREMBLE BEFORE MY UNLIMITED POWER!”

Willow watched the fight from her phone through Robot’s eyes. She was intrigued by how the 80’s-looking villain was warping reality and absorbed the energy of any hero who came near him. Many of the heroes struggled against him and the monsters he formed from the ground. The only one who appeared to land a hit was none other than Black Samson in his kinetic suit! 

“Heck yeah! I mean due to the give and take of energy between the two, there’s no real damage being inflicted, but at least we have a distraction!”

Robot or now commonly known as Rudy informed her through the ear com, “This certainly gives me time to change the coordinates of the warp-key I was able to invent thanks to the efforts of Tech-Jacket stealing the blueprints from his warp-vessel.”

“The best place is a dimension that absorbs energy instead of his own dimension that must be devoid of it. He’s already weakened, so there’s definitely no chance he’ll come back from it.”

“Or perhaps we don’t need to send him to another dimension but to different coordinates in our own universe.”

“A black hole! Of course! Considering the intensity of his energy absorption is equal to Samson’s in his weakened state, there’s no way he could survive the intensity of a black hole!”

Rudy gave the warp key to Tech Jacket who powered it, and Black Samson easily threw the man into the portal. They watched as Omnipotus was thrown into a black hole and those with supernatural eyesight could see his limbs being torn apart and then fully obliterated to nothing before he even entered the black hole. 

The portal was closed and everything that was destroyed was restored back to normal as if everything that happened never did. 

“It appears that what had been warped in our reality is only as permanent as its host.”

“That’s a relief. It scares me to think of what would have happened if that guy had come to our dimension fully powered. It’s bad enough that we have to deal with the Flaxans and their evolutionary technology, but we now have to watch out for reality shattering godly beings. What would we do if there was a god who can devour realities? How would we even face something like that?”

Rudy looked towards the sky, “I don’t know. But I have confidence that we can solve it.”

“Is that Willow you're talking to?” 

Monster girl came onto the phone screen and Rudy allowed Willow’s voice to come through him. 

“Amanda, girl! Great job today! How’s the belt working for you?”

Amanda turned back to her human form and modeled for her, “Like a dream! I finally got my period again! Never thought I’d be so happy to get cramps!”

Rudy inquired, “Would you like me to prepare you a basket of goodies and a warm water bottle to help you?”

“Could you? It’d be really helpful. Thanks.”

“I’ll be right on it when we return back to Guardian headquarters.” He already had his vehicle that he had parked outside of range to come over. He hopped on first, and like a gentleman held out his hand to Amanda. 

The young woman looked at Rudy with a little sparkle in her eyes as she accepted the hand. 

Willow inwardly squealed! The poor man had no idea how to speak to others as human beings and not machines, so Willow worked hard to teach him while they worked together on the belt. All of her efforts were paying off!

She got up from her seat when the Guardians arrived back at their headquarters. As promised by Black Samson, she had become an honorary member; the team’s secondary inventor who mostly worked at the GDA, but had access to pop in every now and then when Robot needed her or when Samson needed a checkup.

For today, Rudy wanted to see her. After he’s done spoiling Amanda, of course.

“I’ll be right with you after I finish preparing everything for Amanda.”

Willow held back a giggle, “I’d be the last person to stop you, Prince Charming. I’ll wait for you.”

“Thank you for understanding.” He walked quickly to the kitchen.

Willow and Amanda looked at each other and began giggling at how adorable Rudy acted. 

“What’s so funny?” Rex asked.

Amanda flippantly answered, “It’s just a girl thing.”

“Oh right, girl thing . Y’know there’s been a lot of girl things since Miss Mc-hottie-scientist over here came barging into our lives turning Robot-or-Rudy-or-Whatever of all people to be less…Robot. And only giving the good shit to everyone else but ME!”

Other than Amanda’s belt and Samson’s suit, Willow supplied Kate with bracelets that could duplicate with her and they either emitted stun lasers or created a shield. This way she could become a mid-range fighter with less death counts and do her job of crowd control more efficiently. She supplied Shrinking Rae with a utility belt that shrunk with her. It was filled with different pills and poisons in the event she’s swallowed or trapped. 

As for Immortal and Bulletproof, they were given new training regimes to increase their potential against viltrumites, so they were given belts that increased their gravity. Everyone was to be given different types of kinetic suits by the end of the month, which Rex will have too. 

He knew that, but couldn’t help being butt hurt and impatient for not getting a new toy yet. 

Willow pointed out nicely, “I’m only here to help improve your arsenal. You don’t need my help.”

“Well - pffft! - still would be nice to be given like a jet pack or something.”

“Good idea, but why do I get the feeling you’d use it to prank people by dropping ice cream on civilians and making them think it’s bird poop.”

Rex theatrically gasped, “ I would never! What kind of jackass do you take me for? Clearly I would use it to drop fudge on people while ringing a stupid bell to make them think it’s reindeer droppings! It’s December! Hello!”

Willow snorted, “It’s November!”

“And those toga guys did not stab the bastard enough for putting August in the middle of the damn calendar!”

“I know right!”

Amanda joked, “Hey instead of reindeer droppings, you should wear a grinch costume and have rotten green eggs slip out your asshole!”

Shrinking Rae deadpanned, “You’re nasty.”

They all burst out laughing! Kate, Immortal, Bulletproof and Samson watched them with raised eyebrows.

Immortal decided to cut in on the fun, informing everyone that they did a good job today, especially Robot and Black Samson who dealt with the immediate threat with minimal damages. Willow scanned Black Samson with her tablet, and found no problems at all with him or the suit.

Rudy arrived with all the necessary items to help Amanda through her menstruation in one basket. There was a lot of chocolates, a heated water bottle, pads, medicine, tea in a thermos and more. He even had Amanda’s bed already prepared with an extra comfy blanket, a hug pillow and her favorite show ready on a tablet.

“Wow, thank you.” The twinkle in Amanda’s eyes came back. “I appreciate it. A lot.” 

“I only want to make things easier for you.”

“Thanks anyway. So if none of you need me, I’m going to go through the motions of puberty in my bedroom.”

Rex commented, “Uhm, ew.”

Rudy turned to Willow, “There’s something I need to talk to you about. Please follow me.”

“Sure.”

She waved goodbye to the others as they boarded Rudy’s vehicle. Rudy put up a cloaking shield and brought her to a tall building that she recognized belonged to the Conners Family. They were multi-billionaires in the tech industry, but no one has ever seen the family since they had hired someone else to run it for them as their CEO. When they entered, there was no human or android on site. It was practically deserted.

Willow tried to stay quiet, but the words were spilling out of her mouth, “Uhm, are you by any chance about to introduce me to your creator, or…”

“Yes and no. Everything will be explained once we get there.”

They took an elevator that went down further than what could be basement level, and was brought to another hallway, except it had a futuristic alien aesthetic to it. Rudy led her to its only door down the hall, and had them stop.

He turned to her, and he may have not had a human face, but Willow could feel an uneasy tenseness in him. 

She asked, “Rudy, is everything okay? I know we’ve only known each other in a short time, but you can tell me anything.”

“That’s just it.” Rudy hesitated for a second before he ultimately continued, “We’ve known each other for exactly 18 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes and 22 seconds while I have been with Teen Team for years and with the Guardians for months. Yet when I am in your company, I understand what it means to have a friend. The value that comes with empathizing with others and to be more comfortable expressing myself in other ways than what I thought should be expected of me.”

Willow wasn’t sure what to say so she let the silence sit between them until Rudy was willing to continue, “I brought you here because I wanted you to know who I truly am.” 

The doors slid open and Willow eyes were drawn to the center of the room where another robot stoof but this one was shaped more like a crab with a tank. Inside the tank, it looked to be what seemed to be a blob of pale flesh. She couldn’t see it clearly, so she approached it. When she realized the blob was a living human being, she gasped.

Rudy explained from the tank, “Yes. This is my true form. I-”

“SO YOU ARE HUMAN!” Willow yelled at the person in the tank with a pointed finger! “Oh wow! I always thought you or when I thought you were a robot that you were like a really, really good artificial intelligence but this makes so much more sense! You were way too awkward for a robot with no clear understanding of basic human activities!”

The blob slowly responded, “...Yes. My true name is Rudy Conners. I am the current owner of the Conners Family’s Lycan Industries. I was born with a unique brain deformity that caused the air to become poisonous to me, which has left me in this pitiful state. The only thing life afforded me was my high intelligence. I used that intelligence to further improve my family’s fortune by creating an android to hold the CEO position. But I was not satisfied.”

“Being in a room full of entitled nepo-babies, I can’t imagine it being a fun time.”

“No it was not. That was why I decided to create another android to act as a hero and find vigilantes of great potential to create the Teen Team.”

“That’s amazing. I understand a hive mind being controlled by a computer, but to think you’re doing it all by yourself from this very room. Your wifi connection must be off the roof.”

“Willow.”

She caught herself from rambling, “Right. Right. Sorry. Thank you for being so honest with me, but there’s no way you’re satisfied being in that tank when you’re in love with Amanda. What’s the plan?”

“My plan is to create a duplicate body of Rex.”

Willow tried not to pull a face, but her voice betrayed her, “ Why ?”

“That is because Amanda has shown interest in him. My train of thought is that if I looked like him, she would show interest in me.”

“Except, that is totally untrue. She’s totally into you now. Wel, in a robot body, so let’s try to go for originality. We can get DNA from your parents and create a new body for you.”

“I have considered that since my parents are attractive people, or so I have heard, but I fear that my form may have been a result of mismatch of genetics which had left me in my pitiful state. Perhaps we could create a genetically perfect body for me, but it may have a sudden regression.”

“Okay, then what about my parents? My medical history on both sides of my family have no hereditary issues.” There was a second of silence before Willow added, “And yes, I know that would basically make us siblings which will make you family. And yeah, we only met for like about a month, but it’s not like siblings get to choose each other. And if we have a falling out, that’s like totes typical sibling behavior.” She shrugged to make this suggestion more natural.

But Willow felt like a freak about it anyway since she was originally Robot’s fan, and they were now friends, and now she thought about how all the other thirsty fans would die for a chance like this with their idol. Not that Willow lusted for Robot like they did, but it still felt like she was crossing a line. 

However, Robot, who barely had normal social circles, thought it was the most convenient, “It is odd when you think about the length of time, but the quality time we spent together doesn’t make this an awkward suggestion for me.”

“Oh! Great! Great! If it’s totally not awkward for you, then it’s only a little awkward for me cuz I understand the situation a little more, but I won’t make this weird. I promise.” She placed one hand on her chest and the other hand up. “Okay! Now we’re going to have to figure out how to shift you into that new body. Complete with both mind and soul.”

“I have been tracking down the mauler twins. They seemed to have perished after an encounter with Invincible, but if they were a genius like the rest of us, they would have a spare somewhere in the world.”

Willow furrowed her brows, “I mean if you want just a complete copy of your memories embedded into a new body to create a clone, then they’re perfect. But what about your soul? I thought you wanted to be free.”

“I do. But logically, you cannot place a soul into another body. I’m not even sure they truly exist despite the existence of magic and apparitions. I have lived long enough to-”

“Finish those words, and I’ll find a way to reach through that tank and punch you.” Willow threatened and Rudy knew better than to challenge her.

The engineer sighed, wondering if she was smart enough to figure out a machine that could truly warp a soul into another body. Or if she could cure Rudy of his deformity. But she didn’t want to put him through such torture or go down a dark rabbit hole that could kill him and destroy her as a result.

So unlike the first project they had, she needed to call her great grandmother on this one.

She informed Rudy, “I do have a way, and it may come with a sacrifice, but if it means you get your chance in living a normal life for once, then I’ll do it.” She placed her hand on the glass of the tank. This being the closest she could ever be to his original form. “Can you trust me?”

“I could never doubt you.”

._._._.

Mark returned from Thraxa with his new little brother. He intended to go see Willow right after dropping him off to his mother, but she told him that Willow was in the middle of a three-month-long project that would require her full focus. She had gone completely radio silent, having not shared any specifics, even with her own parents.

This news made him wonder if the universe had it out for him since he ditched his girlfriend for two months, and now he couldn’t see his girlfriend for another two months. It got worse when Cecil decided to teleport into his bedroom when all he wanted to do was rest. 

Strangely, however, Cecil didn’t seem agitated by Mark’s absence or by how he was leaving a rapidly aging purple humanoid alien with the blood of a viltrumite in his mom’s care. Instead, he was very…understanding.

“We don’t know when his powers may kick in. It might kick in tomorrow and your mother may be accidentally harmed. But I imagine you’re not privy to the idea of us taking custody of him.” 

“After listening to the former Teen Team’s backstories, yeah, not a chance.”

“Fair enough. In that case, I will discuss with your mother about the possibility of sending one of my people who have experience in caring for children like your brother to do their work here. Completely under the government’s dime, of course.”

Mark thought he shouldn’t trust Cecil but because of how relaxed the man was, he couldn’t help agreeing, “...I would like that.”

Cecil exited through Mark’s bedroom door to do just that. After everything Mark has experienced, this was strangely one of the more odd ones. 

But that wasn’t important. This encounter actually made him really want to talk to someone, so he decided to go see Eve. She was his best friend, having been the one to help him out with this whole superhero thing after his dad left the face of the earth to go have that second family he promised. She wasn’t at her tree house, so he went to her parents’ house, directly to her window where he saw Eve and Rex talking. 

That was weird.

But as much as an asshole Rex was, his no-bullshit-but-prefer-to-party personality when it came to anything but dating made him relatable, hence somewhat likeable.

“Mark?!” Eve lit up, getting off her bed. 

The two shared a hug that lasted longer than 5 seconds, which Rex noticed, but chose not to comment on. He had no idea that Invincible was Willow’s boyfriend, so he was rooting for the two since they were practically already dating with how often they were together.

Mark asked as they stepped apart, “Hey. What were you two talking about?”

“Rex was asking me for a favor to go on some space mission in his place. Figured I’d hear the details from Cecil to see if I’ll join after all.”

“Have room for one more?”

“Really? Didn’t you just come back from space?”

“Uh yeah, but I’m pretty used to it now, so I don’t mind going back out if the world needs me.”

Rex answered, “The more the merrier, so let’s head to headquarters, shall we!”

He jumped out the window and onto a hover vehicle. The three flew to the mountains and Mark saw all the Guardians there except for Robot. He definitely noticed the upgrades to their suits and accessories. They seemed stronger somehow. 

“Nice to see you back, Eve.” Kate welcomed her.

Immortal glared at Invincible, but he also welcomed him. After all, Invincible had done nothing to disprove his loyalty yet.

Mark commented, “Everyone here looks so…cool. Especially you Black Samson. Did Art make new upgrades?” 

Monster Girl answered, “We actually have a new engineer on the team! Her and Robot worked together to invent these!”

“A new engineer?” Mark didn’t like how Willow’s project happened to align with these changes. He knew his girlfriend was a genius, but there’s no way it could be her since she’s supposed to be in university. Not a big named scientist already working with the heroes.

But then Cecil entered the room and Mark almost fell over himself when he saw WILLOW right next to him. He looked to Eve who quickly told him that he had no idea about this either.

Cecil started, “Everyone, listen up, before I start today’s meeting, I would like to reintroduce a team member of yours. I would like all of you to meet the true Robot.”

Willow and him stepped aside to reveal a 13-year-old girl with round brown eyes, an aquiline nose and wavy ash brown hair tied with a ribbon scarf bow. She wore a plaid overall jumpsuit over a long sleeve white blouse and mary janes.

“WHAT?!” Rex’s jaw dropped! “YOU’RE A GIRL?! No wonder you knew so much about girl stuff!”

“Researching the female body and understanding its needs isn’t that difficult, Rex.” Robot deadpanned. And then clarified with more heart, “As for who I am, all of you must understand first that the Robot you knew was just an automation. My true form was actually that of a man with a deformity that left me unable to live a normal life, so I was forced to rely on androids to live it. But with Willow’s help, I was able to transfer myself into the body you all see before you.”

Rae asked, “Why a girl?”

Willow explained, “The process of creating a fully formed body capable of handling the transferring process was only manageable with the female sex. We also needed DNA without hereditary issues, and I was a convenient match, so with my parents' permission, we became sisters. So not only are you meeting the true Robot, but I would like you all to meet my new little sister, Ruth.”

Ruth told them, “My former name used to be Rudolph Conners, but now that I have been assimilated into the Clockwell family, I would like to be known as Ruth Clockwell from now on.”

Bulletproof said, “I don’t know how to feel about a grown man in a little girl’s body.”

Ruth defended, “I spent all my life inside a tank due to my deformity, so I have no actual real life experience being a man. I don’t even feel dysphoria in this new form or any attachment either. But I guess that’s because I never was able to live like an actual human being at all. I am a genius so figuring things out is easy for me, but to experience what it means to touch and taste things for the first time in my life made me discover myself in new ways I didn’t think was important at all. Not until Willow taught me. It’s also been embarrassing. I spent the last week learning how to use the restroom and to not touch my eyes after preparing a meal with hot peppers. I still can’t live down the humiliation.”

“Yeah, we can all bond over that once your mission is over.” Cecil went on to expose Shapesmith for being a martian and have him explain the parasite that was coming to invade Earth. 

Mark tried to pay attention, but he couldn’t help glancing over to Willow from the corner of his eyes. Despite his initial thoughts earlier, he honestly shouldn’t be surprised his super smart beautiful girlfriend would end up working alongside the Guardians! It’s just he didn’t expect it to be so soon! And for her to turn her favorite superhero into her little sister?! What in the world happened in the two months he was gone?!

He wanted to ask her so badly, but he didn’t want to mess up and reveal his identity! He was such a mess of a superhero compared to how seamlessly she fit in with everyone saving the world.

“Hey, are you okay?” Eve asked him as they flew over to where the spacecraft would be. “I know it must be shocking, but I bet she’s going to tell you all about it once she sees you when you’re Mark.”

Mark sighed, “I know. I guess I’m mostly shocked that she accomplished so much in so little time. Before I left, she just started attending university. I imagined she would’ve done her four years while I was being a superhero. But in less than a year, she’s already working for the GDA, for the guardians and even bonded with her idol. And all I got to show for it is nothing.”

“That’s not true. If her and Robot were able to get along as much as they did, that just means she’s always been different from the rest of us with or without powers. They see a bigger complex picture than any of us could ever understand.”

“Yeah, she’s always been on a lane of her own. Ever since we were kids, she was never indecisive about things. So for her to choose me, I figured I had something in me that she could see. But every time I try to live up to it, I always fall short.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself. Willow doesn’t even know you’re a hero. Heck, she didn’t even recognize me, even though we went to the same highschool. For all she knows, you're a site assistant manager, and she thinks you’re doing great regardless. You gotta stop putting her on a pedestal. She’s your girlfriend. Not your goal post.”

“....You’re right. I already have enough problems on my hands. I shouldn’t turn my girlfriend into one of them.” Mark took a deep breath and let it go. “Here. Hold my hand. This way we can get to the ship faster.”

“Thanks.” Eve took his hand with a smile, but when he looked away, she frowned with a yearning in her eyes.

._._._.

Willow, Monster Girl and Robot already arrived at the station through Cecil’s teleportation devices and handed them back to a staff member. The engineers were to get onto the ship to make sure the coordinates, fuel tank and others were ready for launch. 

But Amanda wanted to talk to Ruth, so Willow did it by herself. When she was done, she came out to find Amanda and Ruth laughing among each other. Willow saw that there was still a twinkle in Amanda’s eyes, which relieved her. 

The first ones to arrive were Immortal, Bulletproof and Black Samson through his jet shoes. Shape Smith had been holding onto Immortal for dear life in the form of a belt before shifting back to his humanoid form. The last group to arrive was Invincible and Eve. 

Willow raised an interested eyebrow at how they were holding hands and didn’t let go despite having landed. She thought they were so cute together. 

Now that they were all there, they turned to board the spacecraft. But Invincible spoke up, “H-hold on. Sh- You’re following us.”

Everyone but Eve was surprised by the question, until everyone remembered that Willow was just a civilian in other people’s eyes. 

“I am.” She showed her necklace where with just a press of a button, she created a shield around her. “Robot and I work faster together and as much as it's a hero mission. It’s also an interplanetary diplomatic mission. From the reports from the astronauts that you bodyguarded last year, the Martians’ government is a monarchy. So if we succeed and speak with their ruler, they will no doubt ask for Shapesmith’s execution for endangering two planets.”

“Gulp!” Shapesmith exclaimed, almost fainting on the spot.

Ruth continued, “We want to establish a sense of trade and peace. I personally wouldn’t mind trading Shapesmith’s life, but of course, we don’t want to start a relationship through blood.”

“Oh thank the emperor!”

Willow added, “After researching the data the GDA and Ruth had on Shapesmith and Martian Man, we came up with this.” She took out a seed. “The Martians have an incurable genetic disease that skips a few generations, and those who have it are instantly melted off the face of their planet to prevent the spread of it. The public believes Martian Man was exiled, but the truth is that his parents sent him to Earth when they discovered he had this disease. Martian Man stated that although dying by the disease may be worse for him, his parents couldn’t bring themselves to report him. They had sent him away in the hopes he may come across a miracle cure for himself, and he did.”

“What kind of seed is it?”

“It’s a potato seed. Martian Man landed at a potato farm apparently and eating these actually cured him.”

Bulletproof was in disbelief, “Really? A potato is a miracle cure for them?”

Immortal placed a hand on Willow’s shoulder, “I will help you with your diplomatic talks with the emperor. The both of you had done tremendous work once again. I’m very proud of you. I’m sure War Woman would have been, too. Your dedication reminds me of her.”

Ruth told him determinedly, “We won’t let you down.”

Mark thought that this was a mistake. His own father killed War Woman, and he remembered her from his birthday party. He only asked for Darkwing since he was like the coolest member without super powers, but she came along anyway to meet him. At the time, Mark felt frightened by her height and strength. But when she smiled, he knew she was safe and amazing.

“Mark.” Eve placed a comforting hand on his arm. “You okay?”

“Uh…” He looked at Willow in her lab clothes and simple braid, but just the way she stood made her blend in so well with everyone. And soon, she might bring two planetary races together while his time at Thraxa brought devastation and will only bring more devastation. 

But he can’t let that hold him back. The only way forward is to do his best, and now part of that was to be there for Willow. “Yes. I’m sure.”

Eve was still concerned, but she didn’t want to upset him. “Okay. If you say so.”

Everyone boarded the ship, and Willow thought about how cute Invincible and Eve looked sitting together and was apparently discussing some heavy stuff. Willow could see the love and yearning in Eve’s eyes when Invincible would look down depressingly. She noted to herself to ask Rex and Kate for the scoop after their mission was over. 

For now, she needed to connect an oxygen tank to Samson’s back and helmet. “Your suit should be able to absorb their lasers, and you can use that power to blast us into it. From there, we should try to find the astronaut where Ruth will activate a sonic device that will disrupt their hive mind. Only issue is that we don’t know the correct frequencies since the Martians have strengthened them for hard labor. We don’t want to pull off a powerful sonic boom that could kill the host or those in a close vicinity.”

Immortal said, “In that case, you should trust one of us to deliver the attack.”

“Sounds like you already volunteered yourself, but the person with the right strength and speed to deliver the attack should be Invincible.”

Invincible perked up, “Me?”

“Ruth and I will need everyone else to protect us from all corners. You haven’t worked with this team for a while, so it only makes sense that you are given the solo mission.”

Immortal quickly said, “Miss Clockwell, I don’t think he should handle such an important task.”

“No. He should.” Her gray eyes were bright on Invincible. “He fought against Omniman despite being outmatched on all fronts. Someone so young and reckless but ultimately selfless is perfect for the role.”

Mark felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks became warm. She just pointed out such a traumatic time in his life, but it was the first time he felt anyone truly acknowledged how strong he was for facing his father. He guessed it was because there was no pity or softness. Where everyone tried to coddle him. 

Willow wasn’t like that either when she believed his dad died by an explosion. She would hug him, but the way she spoke still held a lightness that made him feel like everything could be okay.

He awkwardly said, “I won’t let you down.” 

Eve tried not to frown and looked away when she couldn’t stop herself. 

._._._.

The mission surprisingly went smoothly since everyone kept to the plan. They were able to save the astronaut and prevent Shapesmith’s execution by presenting the potato seed. The Emperor was willing to work with them since the items they presented were renewable, so there would be no unfair reliance on a planet. Hence, they were deemed unhostile. 

They agreed to an exchange program where the Emperor had a group of his own scientists and a diplomat travel to Earth to find new renewable sources that could be grown on Mars. And they would send a team of their own to Mars to do the same.

While this was all happening, the Martians went to work destroying all the sequids with the remaining heroes’ help. They were also able to locate a few hiding inside the astronaut and had them removed through vomiting.

All in all, everything was ending on a good note. 

That was until they got back to Earth. The lizard league had attacked a nuclear missile base and it resulted in Rae and Rex in critical condition. But as for Kate, she was dead. For some reason she completely forgot to wear her bracelets, and must have figured that since it was the Lizard league, she wouldn’t need them. Rae had her belt on, but she was confident she could just blow the big guy’s head off by changing her size. Only to be crushed as a result.

Willow stood in front of the window where Rex was receiving surgery.

Ruth stood beside her. After a while she commented, “You were right.”

That was such a left field statement that Willow asked, “About what?”

“Rex didn’t need the upgrades. He was able to stop the Lizard League before it became drastic for everyone.”

Willow sighed, hugging herself, “I actually wanted him to learn archery. He didn’t have a super pitching hand, and now that’s even gone. I looked at the cybernetic hand they plan to give him, and they want to install a laser cannon. Talk about a cliche’.”

“What would you propose?”

“I can’t think of any right now since I’m still shocked by Kate’s death.” 

The sisters shared a glance, knowing full well that Kate wasn’t dumb enough to not have a spare duplicate somewhere. It just shocked Willow that she hadn’t come back yet. Was she quitting for good? It wasn’t exactly her business, but the audacity was a bit much. She didn’t have to come back as a hero, but she deserved to let Immortal know at least.

This fact had her point out, “The team might be short a leader after this, which might make you team leader again since you have the most experience.”

“I don’t know if I can. As an exchange for a family and this human body, I fear I have become codependent on you. On Amanda. If either of you were to die or become critically injured like them, I’m not sure if I can bear the weight of it. The Guardians deserve a leader who can control their grief and fully dedicate themselves to the role.”

Willow looked to Black Samson who was watching over Rae, most likely also thinking back to how the original Guardians died. Yet his eyes were resolute.

“Perhaps there is someone.”

Just then a familiar jingle came from her compowder. She checked it, and her eyes twinkled at the new message.

🥺Future-hubby-Mark🤵🏻

Hey! I’m back! 

I know it’s late, but it's the weekend tomorrow! 

So if you’re free 

Do you want to eat out tomorrow?

Our go-to restaurant?

🥺

🤭Future-wifey-Willow👰🏼‍♀️

💜💜💜Yes💜💜💜

🥺Future-hubby-Mark🤵🏻

YES!!! 🥳

Chapter Text

Cecil stood on the roof of the GDA headquarters, waiting for Mark to finish grieving over the state of his friends to come see him. Soon enough, the young man stepped out in his signature yellow, blue and black suit. But this one came with a helmet that would appeal to kids and hide his identity from Willow.

Mark said, “I take it you didn’t tell me when I came back because you wanted me to see it for myself.”

Cecil didn’t mince words, “She’s been on our radar since she first became your friend and then we showed interest when she got into engineering. Whether you two fell apart or not, I always intended to hire her.”

“Good. She deserves to be hired based on her merit. Not because she’s connected to me.” Mark let the words settle for a moment before continuing, “But giving her the project to take down viltrumites when she’s connected to me is pretty fucked up, Cecil.”

“She was the one who offered in exchange that I keep someone locked up. That’s a story for her to tell you. Not me.”

Mark grimaced at the idea that Willow’s life was in danger while he was absent. He held back his rage, and told Cecil upfront about what happened on Thraxa- what his father told him, and what the Viltrumites wanted him to do. “I remember those sci-fi novels as a kid. My dad gave them to Willow as a birthday gift. I’m not surprised if she gained inspiration for the gravity belt for Immortal and Bulletproof from them. They’re a lot stronger that they could’ve taken down one of the viltrumites I faced on Thraxa. Together that is.”

“And Black Samson?”

Mark let out a gush of air from his mouth, “Not gonna lie. He might’ve helped me stop them from taking my dad. We were able to take down the first three they sent, but were heavily wounded in the aftermath. If Black Samson had been with us in that suit, we could’ve taken them. All viltrumites seem to know is how to hit things.”

“Good. Immortal and Bulletproof’s suits are made with the same material, but they cannot fuel it themselves and have their reasons against wearing a helmet. We’re adding to the guardians roster now that we’re down three people.”

“Who are you going to add?”

“Throwbolt, Kaboomerang, Outrun, and you may not like it, but I’m planning to add Darkwing to the team as a way for him to make up for his actions in Midnight City.”

“Are you sure you want to put a former criminal on the team? That makes me wonder if you’ll really keep up your end of the deal with Willow.”

“Darkwing is different. He was always intended to take the mantle, but lost his way after the loss of his master.”

“Cecil.” Mark wasn’t going to play these mind games with him. What his father did…can’t be on him. Not anymore. Not when Willow was in the game now.

“Right. Sorry. What I’m trying to say kid is that Darkwing is too useful to not use on the battlefield. And with the viltrumites concerned, someone who won’t hesitate to take them down permanently is necessary.”

“......You’re right. Thanks for trusting me with this information. I know it didn’t look good when I went into space doing who knows what with a looming threat over our heads. But like I told you before, I grew up here, Cecil. As screwed up as this world can be, I want to raise my children here. With Willow. So you know what you have to do to make sure I remain loyal.”

Cecil didn’t take the quiet threat to heart. If anything, it was reassuring that Mark was driven by the simplest thing. He reassured, “With her new sister by her side, she’s the safest employee under my payroll. It’s up to you to make sure they don’t pass the front lines.”

With that said, Mark had one more person to talk to.

After Willow left the GDA building, Mark met Ruth at her assigned bedroom at the Guardian’s headquarters. His future sister-in-law sat on her bed in silk and satin ruffled pajamas with a matching spa headband on. 

Mark started, “Uhm, hey.” 

Ruth greeted him calmly, “Welcome. I take it my form is even more unsettling for you since I am biologically Willow’s sister now.”

“It’s definitely weird but Willow has always been a big fan of yours, and you’re both engineers. And like you told everyone before the trip, you needed a new body. I guess I’m just weirded out by your…aesthetic?”

“Willow was telling the truth that a female body was far more compatible with the transferring process. As for my aesthetic, my train of thought could be considered similar to traditional parents determining the sex of their child. If I had a male body, then I would try to dress more like a gentleman. With this female body, I decided to dress like a lady. I thought the sweet aesthetic would be fitting for my physical age.”

“I guess that makes sense. May I ask why the name Ruth?”

“I thought it would be a name that others could easily transition from Rudy. I also took a liking to its meaning, which is ‘friend’. Something I never had until I met Willow. Truthfully, before I met her, I knew that I couldn’t relate to other people…on a normal level. I thought that it was because I lacked humanity, but now I recognize that was simply my insecurity speaking after I came to realize I never truly took the chance to reach out to others. I always tried to play a character bigger than I thought I wasn’t. Before this body, I was planning to put my memories in a clone of Rex just because Amanda fancied him.”

“Wow. You dodged a bullet.”

Rex was a good looking guy, otherwise there was no way he would be able to bag both Eve and Kate. But to be a clone of that guy in order to snag a different teammate who you met looking like a child was insane.

“I did. Now, I am Ruth Clockwell. Not a clone. Not a robot. Instead, I am a genius pre-teen girl who discovered she likes strawberries and silk blankets, and is the Guardians of the Globe’s mechanic and strategist. Currently, my dearest companions are Willow and Amanda. I hope to make more going forward.”

Mark thought he was playing a video game for a moment after hearing that monotonous speech that came with a hint of emotion that could be considered brave yet awkward. Mark only ever considered them as co-workers since Robot always seemed so odd and distant. But upon reflection, that might have been his bias against artificial intelligence. Actually, Ruth was still odd and distant, which made it hard to feel comfortable around her, but Mark was going to take more of an attempt now.

“Great to hear…so it seems Willow doesn’t know who I am.” He knew saying this would make him seem artificial after Ruth just poured her heart out to him, but he really wanted to know her side to all this.

Ruth understood and answered, “Yes. She informed me that she is aware that you have secrets, but she understands that you want to build a separate foundation for yourself to navigate through. This way you two do not build unhealthy codependent habits in your relationship. For that reason, I did not tell her that you are Invincible. I thought she may have noticed since you two have known each other for a long time, but I suppose she hasn’t recognized you yet for the same reason she hasn’t recognized Eve.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t believe that her Mark could be a superhero.”

“No, I think it’s more along the lines of her not wanting to assume anything about anyone unless they are a danger to her. Perhaps she actually noticed how similar you are to her boyfriend, but she did not want to assume Mark is Invincible because that may set unnecessary expectations.”

“That…” Mark briefly paused to think, “Wooooooow, I’m an asshole.” And then continued, “Yeah, that checks. Willow likes to gossip, but she uses the word allegedly.”

“Yes. She does. And do not worry, Invincible. Your secret is safe with me since I’m sure Willow will take no offense to it.”

“Thanks. I really want to make this whole superhero thing work on my own so I can show her that I can be reliable, y’know.” Those words felt heavy when all he could list were his failures. 

But it wasn’t over yet. He just helped save Earth from an alien invasion, and he’ll do it when the viltrumites arrive. He had no choice.

._._._.

“Mom!” Mark quickly walked down the stairs and found her in the living room getting ready for work. Oliver’s new babysitter, April, was also there. “How do I look? Do I look good or a total dweeb? Be honest. I’m going on a date with Willow.”

Mark was currently wearing a burnt orange one button fisherman sweater over a charcoal gray button up and coffee brown pants. It was winter time so on his arm was a light brown coat, his hands were fitted with leather gloves and he was no doubt going to wear his chukka boots.

His mother replied, “You look very dashing. Will I be expecting you back later?”

Mark safely answered, “I’ll be back really late, so you don’t have to wait up for me.”

His mother knew, but she played it cool since Mark was an adult now, “If you say so. Will you be telling Willow that you’re Invincible soon? She might already know since she’s working for the GDA.”

“I asked and Willow doesn’t know. Nobody plans on revealing my identity to her since Willow wants to wait for me to tell her everything when I’m ready.”

His mother frowned and cautiously warned, “Be careful, Mark. She’s working with the GDA now, which will muddy the waters between the two of you. Especially since she’s part of the project to take down viltrumites. It’s best that you tell her now so she doesn’t do anything she regrets later.”

“I know mom…” Mark hung his head at the idea, yet said, “But Willow is a great judge of character. She won’t hurt Invincible because I’m the good guy.”

“Mark-”

“I need to go. I can’t keep Willow waiting! Bye April! Bye Oliver!” He got out the door before they could even give their goodbyes.

Debbie sighed. 

April passed her a wary look and said, “I know it’s not my place, but I’m worried about how much Mark doesn’t want to tell Willow the truth.”

Debbie readily answered as if she had been holding these words back for a long time, “You and I both. Back then when they were just kids, Nolan and I took their little dating lightly since kids change their crush daily. But when they still held onto the relationship til their pre-teens, we realized they were serious. That quickly shut down all future sleepovers and we had to give Mark the talk. We watched over their relationship, waiting for the fights and the temporary break ups that teens go through. They never came. Good for them, but that also means that they might not know how to deal with each other when an actual argument happens. Mix that with superheroism and the GDA, well, I can only imagine it might not go well for them. I can only hope neither of them are harmed when that time comes.”

._._._.

Mark got into his car, a second hand toyota rav4, that he bought and insured from his GDA paychecks throughout his senior year. If Cecil was going to jeopardize his chances of graduating, he was sure as hell going to pay for it. He got this one specifically to show that he wasn’t like those chauvinist guys who’d blow their significant other’s life savings for a new sports car. Instead, he would be seen as thoughtful and responsible. His guy friends made fun of him, but Willow’s friends were really impressed and took advantage of the extra space to get to places like the malls.

The superhero drove to a hotel that had what he and Willow considered the best Chinese hotpot restaurant hidden from the locals. Usually he would pick up his girlfriend at her parent’s place, but today, she told him that she would meet him at the spot. He parked at the rooftop parking lot and exited his car, barely feeling the cold air but he was still jittery. He hasn’t seen Willow as Mark for over 2 months which felt like years to him. He had rehearsed the stories he made up in his head while he waited.

After a few minutes, he heard the whoosh of a familiar hover vehicle. He looked up to see Willow cruising through the sky with the vehicle’s forcefield up to prevent freezing on the way. She turned it off as she parked right next to him.

“WHOA! Willow?! Did you build that?!” He pretended to be amazed, but his face did not betray him. 

His girlfriend of nine years and counting was wearing a long sleeve mazarine blue wool wrap mini dress. Her hair was styled in feathered layers, ears hung 70s silver disco drop earrings, and she stood on knee length boots. Yet what had Mark’s full attention was the amethyst promise ring on her wedding finger.

Willow playfully told him, “Hey. I’m here for a blind date with this really hot guy who asked me out last night. You wouldn't happen to see him around, have you?”

Mark quietly laughed, not at all surprised by Willow’s joke since she always preached that every date should feel like a first date. That really helped settle his nerves. “Yeah, I think that really hot guy could be me. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Clockwell. I’m Mark Grayson.” He took her hand with the promise ring and kissed it.

“Oh my! I know we just met but can I get a kiss?” She pointed at her pink lips.

“For you, I could give you all the kisses you want. Including the one after we say ‘I do’.” He pulled Willow close and the two shared a sweet kiss.

After their lips parted, Mark placed his forehead against hers, bathing in this moment of peace. He took in the scent of Willow’s lavender soap, the taste of her strawberry lip gloss and the feel of her soft clear skin and the warmth it radiated. His heart had felt so heavy and mind unsteady from all the chaos that had been happening in his life. Yet now that he had Willow with him, he felt hope.

He whispered, “I missed you.”

Willow whispered back, “I missed you, too.”

They angled their heads away and tightened their embrace, further cherishing their reunion after so long without contact. A part of Mark felt guilty since he was the one who initiated it first, but he reminded himself of why he was doing all this. The wait would be worth it, he told himself.

When the chill got to Willow, she pulled back first. Mark took off his overcoat to hang it on her shoulders. This made Willow blush that she couldn’t meet his smiling gaze. She quickly wrapped her arms around one of his own and said, “Let’s head in and eat.” 

They made their way to the restaurant and took their seats where screens stood between the tables. They could still hear chattering around them, but the lack of eyes on them gave them all the privacy they needed.

Willow started, “So what do you think of my look? It was 70s inspired because it was in the year 1974 when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was enacted!” She showed her new card like a salesperson. “Granted it was in the 1950s when women had their first debit card, but it wasn’t until then when women had full financial freedom in America! So lunch is on me because I got a new job!”

Mark gave her an applause and said, “Congratulations! I figured that must have been the case when my mom told me that you were supposed to be doing a three month long project that had you go radio silent. There were still two months left, but I wanted to take the chance so I texted you. Sorry if I interrupted your work.”

“You don’t have to worry about that! I actually finished a lot earlier than expected. I just haven’t been contacting anyone because I was doing other projects.”

“Really? Tell me about it. How did you get this job?” Mark braced himself.

“Okay, but you gotta promise not to get mad at me.” She held Mark’s hand on the table. “I didn’t want to interrupt what you were doing since there wasn’t much you could do in my situation. I mean it would have meant a lot to me if you came to be by my side, but we’re still at that stage of figuring ourselves out, and I wanted to handle this on my own. Otherwise, I won’t be able to get far in my career if I don’t.”

“I understand.” Mark placed his other hand over hers. He really did understand Willow since he was doing the same thing, so he had no room to criticize. Not that he wanted to. “You gotta do what you gotta do, and I’m here for you now. That’s what matters. That there’s someone at the end of all this.”

Willow gave Mark a relieved and endearing smile. She went on to remind him of the DA Sinclair guy and the whole creepy relationship they built until he landed in jail. As she talked, Mark kept a blank expression so he didn’t trigger any awkward emotions out of Willow who must’ve been traumatized by all this, but was playing it off since she handled it. She needed to believe she handled it, even though Cecil wasn’t exactly the most trustworthy.

But deep inside, Mark wanted to squeeze DA Sinclair’s bones that it would crunch like plaster clay for asmr. He’d rip his voice box first, of course. That way Sinclair will instinctively try to scream louder, but could never find comfort as he could only hear his own body distorting. 

Yet he withheld the feeling. Respecting Willow’s approach in handling it was more important. Still he said with all seriousness, “If he ever does get out, I’ll kill him.”

Willow knew he was serious, which was touching, but she was sensible, “Thank you, but I’d rather my kids’ father was not a criminal. Even if Cecil used him to make that undead army and Sinclair used it to kidnap me, I’m friends with the Guardians and multiple other heroes. And I’m loaded with even better devices that can withstand an EMP.” She tapped at her new watch. “But let’s stop talking about him. I have bigger, better news! I have a new sister!”

Willow went on to explain about how she met Robot after the fiasco, how they quickly became friends and how that quickly turned into becoming part of the family.

If Mark had heard this before seeing the truth for himself, he would’ve been in pure disbelief since he believed Robot was an actual robot. But after meeting Ruth last night, it made a lot of sense. Still he tried to pull his best shocked face, “Wow! So you just convinced your favorite superhero to not only be like a sibling to you, but you actually made them your sibling?! If I didn’t know better, you were secretly obsessed with them!”

“Shut up! I know it’s weird, and never in a million years would I see this coming, that if I went back in time to the me two months ago, I would’ve called myself crazy! I mean I would’ve believed myself but still call myself crazy! But Ruth wanted to be in the body of that mouthy hero Rex Splode, and I did offer to create a new stable body from his parents DNA, but she was scared that her health might relapse, so I was like ‘You know, not to brag, but my genetics are waaaaay better!’ My parents were totally on board since life is crazy like that. I mean we literally have a city cursed to always be dark!”

Mark lightly laughed, “Okay, I believe you! You’re not a total obsessed freak!”

“Whatever, you asshole.” She took out the sliced beef she let cook in the broth that they’ve been eating throughout her stories. “Now that all of my stories are done and over, what about you? Where have you been?”

“Me? Oh, uhm, so now it’s your turn to not be mad at me, but where I went wasn’t an international aid program.” He took a deep breath. “The truth is…I was contacted by my dad’s…second wife.”

Willow dropped the chopsticks, speechless. 

Mark kept a small smile on his face as he sorta lied through his teeth, “Yeah, so it turns out that my dad had a second family. Every time he went on his travels for his books, he went to see them. The second wife actually knew about us but thought my dad separated from my mom, so they had my little brother.” Mark thought he could’ve worded all this better, to sound a bit more…in control of the situation, but he didn’t want to give off the impression that he was hiding something worse.

Willow’s jaw was dropped and nothing could come out. Mark had it in him to giggle at her expression, which snapped her out of it. She said, “Damn. And she contacted you guys after Nolan stopped making his routine stops?”

Mark was relieved she brought it and answered, “Something like that. She was actually really ill when she called. Didn’t have a lot of time left so she asked me to pick him up.”

Willow let out a huff of laughter from disbelief. Her eyes became watery since Nolan was like a second father to her. If it was her, she would’ve burned her father out of all of their family photos, destroyed everything he ever owned, changed her last name, and denied receiving anything from his will. She could imagine Mark’s emotions being a hundred times worse! But of course, he didn’t throw a fit since he was always gentle like that and wouldn’t be surprised if he still loved his father regardless.

“That’s…Wow. Mark…” She was happy they were sitting at a round table where they could hug more naturally as she sobbed. “That is so fucked up. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But there would have been no one better than you to handle it. I want to say that I wish I was there for you, but that would be so hypocritical of me after hiding everything from you.”

Mark just hugged her, letting her love lift him from the pit of despair that was trying to pull him into the dirt like quick sand. The more he struggled, the deeper he fell. But like a vine, Willow pulled him up just enough to get him crawling to safety.

Willow wept for a bit longer. When she could get ahold of herself, she excused herself to the bathroom so she could wipe away her ruined makeup and freshen her face. After she got back to her seat, the two stared at each other with bittersweet smiles before Willow broke the silence again, “So when do I get to see this new little brother of yours? Ruth is up to meet you any time. If we were religious, it could’ve been over a holiday dinner. But maybe we can all go see the lights at least. How about Holiday Magic at the Brookfield zoo?”

Mark’s eyes twinkled and he tried not to sound smug, “What a coincidence. I booked four tickets to the zoo just in case you wanted Amber to follow us with her new boyfriend.”

Willow gasped and showered her boyfriend with kisses! 

“You are the best!”

“But!” Mark quickly added, “My little brother might not go. He’s been through a lot and prefers not to see anyone until he’s ready. Sorry. I don’t want to push him.”

Willow was a bit disappointed but understood, “That’s okay. Another time. But I really want you to meet Ruth. Amber, too. Maybe we can invite her and invite Eve.”

“I don’t think Eve will make it since she’ll be with her folks for the holidays.” Mark hoped he didn’t say that too quickly. He thought it was better to only have people who didn’t know Robot or Mark’s identity. Not that he believed Eve would slip up, but that the combination would’ve been too awkward.

Unfortunately, Willow kept a web of relationships and addresses in her head, “Doesn’t her parents live here? I’m sure she can spare a day to be with us since it’s been so long since I’ve seen her. If she’s going to be the best woman at our wedding she should meet Ruth, too, since we’ll all be busy with our new jobs.”

Mark tried to think of a different friend to invite since Eve being his best woman wasn’t concrete, but he lost contact with Chad after graduating. He really had no one else but those who were in the Guardians, so he reluctantly agreed. He only hoped that Eve would reject it.

With that said and done, Mark changed the subject, “Can I ask what you’re working on now at your new job? Or is it classified?”

“Just as long as I keep it vague, it should be fine. Cecil has me upgrading the arsenal for the new teammates. Today is their observation. As for my personal project, one of the members in the Guardians lost his hand, so I’m building a new prosthetic for him. But in order to get it done, I’m going to have to work with your favorite superhero, Invincible.”

Mark gasped! He didn’t want to get too close to Willow, but with the moves she was making for other heroes, he wanted in on the action!

“What?! Seriously?!”

Willow gave a cheeky grin, “Yup! Right now he’s the epitome of peak physiology. Invincible already agreed to a training regime with the GDA, and I am part of that team.”

“Will you be giving him upgrades? Like that new suit you gave Black Samson?”

“Naturally, but the nanotechnology we have can only handle the strongest punch recorded on Earth, and that’s from Omniman fighting against this monster.” Willow took out her phone to show a video of Omniman fighting Hail Mary. “But there’s a theory that there could be viltrumites more powerful than him so despite his superhero name, the suit won't make him invincible.”

“After what he went through, I think he’ll appreciate all the help he can get.” 

“Of course he will because I’m the brains behind it.” She put her phone away and then leaned closer to her boyfriend to act like she’s whispering but the eagerness in her voice couldn’t be contained, “But more importantly, do you remember the online rumors of him and Atom Eve dating back when we were in highschool? Well, we were on a mission together, and I think they’re dating for reals!”

“What?! I mean,” Mark took an inconspicuous deep breath. “They’re dating?! That can’t be right! They said in all of their interviews that they were just friends!”

Willow leaned in even closer as she spilled what she considered the juiciest gossip right now, “Yeah, that’s what they say to the public because they want to keep their private lives separate from work! But I saw it with my own two eyes! I saw the way Atom Eve looked at him! She is like totes in love with him! And when we were just on a mission in outer space, Invincible was practically latching onto her like a puppy!”

That was only because Mark was worried that he would give himself away if he got close to her, and only Eve knew of his situation! But then, Mark tried not to speak for Invincible because that would be stupid. Instead, he said, “G-good for them. I guess I should take it as good news since you’ll be working with him for a while. He might fall in love with you.”

Willow took it as a joke and jest, “And I bet if you were my assistant, Atom Eve and all the other girls would fall head over heels for you. Too bad for them, we’re spoken for.” She placed her hand slightly over his so their promise rings were right beside each other. Mark intertwined their fingers, smiling at the brighter parts of his future. But then Willow suddenly snorted to herself and asked, “If we weren’t dating, and Atom Eve asked you out, would you say yes?”

Mark honestly answered, “That would depend on whether we’re friends or if you have a boyfriend because unless I have zero chances to be with you, I’d say yes.” He said the last part in a more joking manner because he couldn’t imagine dating Eve at all. Sure she was a beautiful woman with a great personality and impressive powers, but that just made her a great comrade in arms. Willow on the other hand just evoked something integral inside him to be a man.

“So you think she’s pretty?” Willow said accusingly before bursting out in laughter at her own teasing!

Mark joked, “I have eyes to see attractiveness but you’re the only one who can put the ‘-tion’ in ‘attraction’!”

Willow tried her best to hold back her laughter but ultimately failed to be menacing when she warned him, “You better stop with that terrible flirting!”

“What’s wrong, babe? I’m just trying to give the ‘tea’ in ‘honesty’!”

Willow teared up as she tried to stifle her laughter. “That’s not how you use that! And you know that! Stop acting like an old man trying to relate to the youth!”

“I’m not called Grayson for nothing.”

“What does that even mean?!” Willow squeaked, genuinely confused by her boyfriend’s logic!

Mark didn’t help, “Y’see how people say ‘Cray cray’ but I’m ‘Gray gray’! Like black don’t crack and grayson don’t raisin!”

Willow burst out another fit of laughter and then tried to hold it in to sob, “I did not raise you to be this way.”

“Sugar babies come in all flavors and sizes.”

Willow smacked him and demanded answers, “Who did this?! Who did this to you?! Was it because I said Beat boy from Teen Titans was cuter than Robin?” She placed her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands to suffocate herself a little to stop herself from committing a crime at the table. She let herself breathe while holding her head up, “I think I just lost a brain cell.”

“You’re welcome.”

Willow playfully punched Mark on the arm, getting a small laugh from the idiot. Willow got annoyed that she playfully threw a barrage of punches at him, and Mark pathetically tried to cover himself.

Mark jokingly cried out, “Stop! Stop! This is spousal abuse!”

“Your jokes were verbal abuse! A brain cell for one of your lungs! Choose!”

Mark let out between laughs, “Why the lungs?!”

“You’ve taken the ability to speak for granted! You need to learn how to save your breath! The less air you take in is a win for the environment!”

“Ow! That was vicious.” Mark let down his guard to smile down at his girlfriend. Both of their faces flushed and their chest felt full with content.

Willow scowled at him for a moment before giving him a quick kiss. She grabbed his arm, making him turn towards the food so she could lean on him. They remain silent for a while, basking in the glow of their happiness.

When the mood settled down, Mark asked, “So what if we weren’t dating and Invincible asked you out? Would you say yes?”

“Hard pass.”

Mark froze for a second. His reddened skin turned pale instantly. His body thought Willow had just slapped him in the face so hard it sounded like a whip crack. His nerves were in hyper alert for her next attack, but his brain rationalized that Willow could just not be impressed by Invincible since he was a newbie superhero after all. 

He tried his best to ask like a normal person, but his voice seemed a bit too on edge for his liking, “W-why would you say that?”

“Easy. One, he’s not you. But even if I wasn’t dating you, viltrumites have the ability to live for thousands of years. My ego couldn’t handle just being a memory in one of his hundred lifetimes before he finds his true love centuries later. Rest in Peace to Immortal’s first wife who knew of his immortality, but I’m different.”

“Not to shoot myself in the foot, but you’re so smart, I’m sure you can work around figuring out a way to live as long as him.”

“Yeah, I’m here for a good time, not a long time. I’m not built like the Immortal. I can’t stomach the idea of seeing generations come and go. That I might have the mindset of a mother back then when infant mortality was high. That if we break up, my options are either other immortals with mental issues that can’t be addressed to a typical therapist or rob the cradle. It also scares me that I might become someone with a god complex. I could travel to space to avoid these issues, but I’m a homebody. I might die of homesickness if I left.”

“Then…what if you could help him give up that long life span? What if he doesn’t want to live for such a long time either.”

“Then I can’t be the one to do that because what if he regrets it? What if it came at the cost of his powers, too? I imagine that would be the equivalent to becoming a paraplegic for someone like Invincible. To make such huge changes for love would only form heavy resentments.”

Mark genuinely couldn’t imagine how his life would turn out in hundreds of years, and didn’t see much benefit when he thought about how Immortal was handling Kate’s death. But his girlfriend made a good point about the cost of getting rid of it. Mark may not like the superhero life, but he can’t go back to being a normal human anymore. Without them, he would feel like he was nothing. He just couldn’t see a different path he could take that would make him feel equal to Willow and important to the rest of the world.

But was his ego worth breaking up with Willow over? Perhaps he could help her see it in a different light once he told her the truth.

But what if she didn’t?

He knew it was important that he was honest since it would be unfair to Willow that she spent the remainder of her life with someone who will live several hundred lifetimes after her. The only thing he didn’t agree with was that he would find his true love centuries after. Willow was his true love. He felt it in his bones that that was true. 

He needed time to think. He had already decided that until after the Viltrumite invasion is put to a stop, he’ll tell her the truth. 

Until then, he might have the courage to deal with the answer.