e2 | UN: BOMBAF

[Rex sort of gets the jist of it, although he perverts the meaning.

Getting to know him, having to put up with him, just being in his general vicinity for sooo damn long-]

I know.

[It is a weak utterance, of sorts.

His shoulders slump as he tries to ignore the quiet burst of joy he feels, it's innate, he can't help it. Touch, when it doesn't involve being punched in the face or pulled by the collar, is nice.

He can't allow himself to get used to this.]

I don't really get why you're still here.

_{[ Tension subsides as Rex continues to be allowing of his care, and with that first hand rinsed and tended to, he works on tying a dry bandage around it, finishing the knot with a delicate little bow. He breaks contact with Rex and tuts, giving him another bossy command: ]}

Other hand. Here. Right now.

_{[ Mark keeps his hand up right and doesn’t respond to Rex right away, watching him and making sure he is going to be compliant or if he’s going to have to be forceful with him again. ]}

[Rex doesn't say anything for once, not with his tongue.

When he hands over his, well, hand, he offers Mark a puzzled expression. The lines between his brows, accompanied by the fear in his eyes, tell the other boy everything he needs to know.

Rex is not used to being cared for, and as a result, he's learned to do it all by himself. He's gotten lazy these past four years, in part because Eve has never slacked. She has worked relentlessly, on the battlefield and off, to give her heart and soul to anyone who needed the help.

And needed it he did.

But he wore her out and then screwed her over.]

Thank you.

_{[ Mark’s voice sounds like he’s relieved.. and it’s true. Relieved he doesn’t have to get aggressive with Rex again. This hand looks a little more busted and Mark isn’t sure what the cause of it is, but he’s not going to ask right away. Instead, he presses the damp cloth over the wound for a moment and finally lifts his gaze to meet Rex’s. His voice softens. ]}

I’m still here cause.. uh.. cause I want to be. A-And also, you have no right to be so supportive of me and not allow me to also be supportive of you, okay?

_{[ He squeezes the rag and allows it to rinse, putting it aside as another silence falls between them. ]}

You call me a baby and shit all the time but look at you— acting like a frightened animal whenever somebody even dares to help you. And I can imagine how rough it is because like you said, Eve is the only one who did.

But there are more people out there, Rex. And eventually, they’ll start to care and you just have to let them in.

_{[ Mark dips down, his eyes fanning shut as he blows cool air over Rex’s hand to further soothe it, falling quiet. He pulls away to get the next dry cloth to give this hand the same patch up. ]}

.. Like me, for example.

[Mark is right.

Why is he blowing on his fingers? That feels nice.]

That's 'cause everybody else dicked me over. Hard.

[He had expected Eve to do the same.

Being a superhero is a thankless job. After three years with the Teen Team, Rex has that much figured out. You risk your life for people every day and they don't even remember your name, confusing you with other colleagues of similar builds or color schemes. They make comments about your abilities, which feels so, so very personal. Rex could do to be a lot more selfless, sure, but he still sticks his neck out for people who don't give a rats ass whether he lives or dies.

It's not kindness, it's penance.]

And those motherfuckers are dead. Or, well, one of 'em. But, in my defense? He tried to kill me first! Mom and dad are still-

[If Eve had not stepped in, they'd be dead too.]

Fuuuuuck-in' scumbags! But, alive n' well, as far as I know. I haven't really checked.

They never really gave a shit about me.

Edited 2021-10-01 06:16 (UTC)

_{[ Mark can't explain it, but he gingerly takes both of Rex's hands in a motion that appears like he's comparing both of them now that they are bandaged up. Mark makes a note that his hands are so warm and maybe he is just seizing an opportunity to hold them. Once he realizes that, he exhales slowly and breaks all contact entirely, carefully letting go of his hands. Are his cheeks a little rosy? Possibly. It's very light. ]}

I'm so sorry.

_{[ Mark shifts, feeling a little awkward, but he feels like it might help if he makes this known now that he's grown closer to Rex. ]}

People do care about you, though. Even if they aren't your parents, so I know it's different when it's not your parents, but..

I give a shit about you. Other people do too— they're just not here to tell you that. So.. you just.. kind of have to deal with me for now. I always cared about you as a team mate, but now I can say that I care about you as a friend.

_{[ If he would have just gone about his life back home, Mark can sincerely say that he probably would have had no interest in getting to know Rex better, but because of their situation here, he's grown fond of him. ]}

[Rex simply stares at his own hands, eyeing the bandages as if they are somehow UFOS, unidentified foreign objects. He remembers being small and going around the neighborhood, sporting black eyes and ill-fitting jackets from local donation bins, as others, grown adults mostly, looked on with contempt or in pity.

The latter, they... They never did anything, though.]

It wasn't just my mom and dad.

[It occurs to Rex that this gentle exchange between Mark and himself, including the genuine concern for his own well-being, is normal.

He knows that now, and that is the knife that's been twisted into his heart for nearly a decade. When he was younger, he didn't understand that. His own experience, devoid of love or proper affection, was all he had to go off of.]

I wanted somebody to think I was cool so bad, I-

[He sucks the air in behind his teeth once more, eyes closing tightly.

There it is.

Shame.]

I did some really awful stuff.

[Oh, how it hurts him still. To know he killed all those innocent people.]

I was a kid that nobody ever saw! I just wanted to be the big guy, for once...

I didn't know any better.

[He took advantage of me.]

But that doesn't-

[That will never bring back the dead.

There are hundreds.]

Change anything, really.

Edited 2021-10-01 17:04 (UTC)

_{[ The more that Rex opens up about himself, the more Mark is realizing what a dark, dark place he came from. The redhead is vague enough in his response that Mark isn’t sure he understands what exactly was going on, but it sounds like he did something in the past that he regrets immensely. Mark somewhat understands as a hero now. There are people he couldn’t save and he thinks is hard about if there was anything he could do differently to rescue them.

But it doesn’t matter cause he can’t bring them back. It’s in the past.

The brunette closes the distance across them and wraps his arms around Rex in a warm embrace. ]}

I don’t fully understand and that’s okay. What I do understand is what happened is in the past now, and even if you can’t change that, you can continue to be your best in the present.

And I know for a fact you’re a good person in the present.

[Rex is completely still for a few seconds, so stiff he almost resembles a corpse.

He was not expecting the embrace, not from Invincible of all people, but then again Invincible isn't really... Well, a real person. Much like the boogeyman supposedly hiding under the bed of an eight-year-old child, Invincible was whoever Rex made him out to be. A rival, a girlfriend-stealer, a goob! With terrifying, unimaginable strength... The son of Omni. Omni-spawn!

But Mark couldn't be more different. He is naive and stupid, sure. The sort of boy who is sympathetic to a point where it's almost pathetic. He doesn't understand everything but he tries to, even when he doesn't have the capacity for it. It occurs to Rex that he's never met another boy who felt so... Normal. An average joe, if much kinder and somehow far more patient most goons their age.

In a way, Rex feels sorry for him. The life of a hero is miserable one, rife with picking between options that are all bad.

Slowly but surely, Rex returns the hug by wrapping his arms around Mark's torso and leaning in. At a whopping two-hundred and fifteen pounds, he's much heavier than he looks, but for a Viltrumite, that wouldn't be a fucking problem now, would it?]

Edited 2021-10-01 19:51 (UTC)

_{[ Mark isn’t sure what to expect after doing this, but he relaxes when he feels the heavier weight against him. His smile reappears and his hands smooth up and down Rex’s back.

He feels accomplished. It is paying off to force himself into Rex’s bubble and see the parts of him that truly are nasty.

Mark feels like a hero. ]}

… You feeling better now?

_{[ He asks this with some hopeful tone to his voice, but doesn’t break the hug. Instead, he tightens.
Um.
He tightens maybe a little bit too tight by accident. You might want to tap out of that, Rex. ]}

You're really pushin' it, there, Mister Rogers.

[He does nothing to wriggle out of Mark's embrace, but he does smile! Sarcastically.]

Don't ruin the moment!

[Followed by a deep inhalation, because damn, even if he wanted out of this hug, any form of escape looks to be physically impossible.]

Or my ribcage, ow! That thing has vital organs in it, hey!

Oh! Ohh, oh my God. I am so sorry, uh, uhm.

_{[ At that moment, Mark releases him entirely and sits back on his butt across from him, his cheeks pink as ever. He adverts eye contact pretty much right away, unsure of what to say. ]}

.. Yeah, uh. I hope your hands heal quickly. Take it, um, easy with them.

I already told you-

[Thank god, he is free of the superboy chokehold.

Rex would never admit it out loud, not willingly or without coercion, but as mentioned before, he is the tactile sort. Get on his good side or become a friend of his, and he will be extremely touchy-feely. He likes to drape himself all over Robot despite the other's cold, metallic, and generally uncomfortable body, and he loves to high-five people or pick them up when celebrating.

He keeps the Guardians together, close, in his own little way. Loathe as the others are to admit it, Rex really is at the center of the team, its beating heart, one that might need to be put on several medications for high blood pressure.]

They heal on their fucking own! By tomorrow, they'll be as good as new.

[He should be saying thank you, but it is hard.

Mark is soft and warm. He embraces without abandon and gets excited about things. On certain occasions, the other boy had legitimately been happy to see him.

It's not as though Rex hasn't noticed. When he is paying attention, he is frightfully perceptive. He remembers everything.]

Yeah, yeah. But for now.. take care of them!

_{[ Mark stands to his feet again. He feels like he’s really made progress this time and it feels good. The heat has subsided from his face but for some reason he can’t get rid of a small smile on his face. It really looks like Rex is feeling better and Mark thinks he helped in all aspects: physical, emotional and mental. ]}

I didn’t mean to interrupt your routine, but I’m glad that you allowed me to. I should probably let you get back to that.

_{[ Unless you want him to stay for some reason? ]}

[And therein lies the problem. He does want Mark to stay.]

Ch'yeah. I've still got a couple hundred more sit-ups to do.

[But he thinks he does not know the other boy intimately enough to feel comfortable expressing that request. He has yet to learn through trial and error what humorous notes are always guaranteed to make the younger teen laugh. Rex knows that Mark had a hard time at school and lacks confidence in many areas, and that his father, once one of the world's greatest superheroes, is actually a murderous psychopath. The dark haired, bright eyed boy is close to his mom, has recently been through a breakup, and possesses a literal gay best friend whom he cherishes dearly (that's how you know this series was originally written in the early 2000s). Lastly, he rocks a love for all things nerdy, like comic books about a psychic pooch and Renaissance fairs.

Somehow, that is not enough information??? rex that's gay as fuck lmfao]

And god, would it kill ya to be a little less polite all the goddamn time? Language!

[That's a joke, he is joking, even if it's hard to tell.]

This isn't Sunday school!

_{[ Apart of Mark wants to stay too simply cause he doesn't really have any other place to be, but also, he feels like maybe he interrupted what Rex was doing and is trying to give him some space. Rex's comment makes him reconsider. ]}

Less polite? Do you want me to be rude to you, Rex?

_{[ He sounds and looks a little playful. ]}

What? Should I insult you?

_{[ Mark, could you even do that? ]}

Maybe.

[Oh no, that's a real smile, if a tad mischievous in nature.]

Then again, you haven't got enough dirt on me to hit the hilarious sweet spot between actually offensive and chronically lame just yet, so.

Don't push your luck.

Didn't know you liked to be insulted either way.

_{[ Good to know. Wait. Why is it good to know? ]}

In that case, I'll just peace out then and you can do whatever the hell you're doing. _{Is that less polite?}

[Rex crouches back down to the ground on his elbows, as if setting up for some hardcore planking.]

Well then, fuck off already!

[As usual, his bark is worse than his bite. If anything, this is his own way of encouraging Mark to spread his wings and see what else is out there.]

UN: BOMBAF | TEXT

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