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2018-06-10
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The Man Behind the Mask

Summary:

A trip to a children's hospital, a sick boy, and the day Elastigirl realized there was more to Mr. Incredible than met the eye.

Work Text:

As far as jobs went, being an officially licensed hero wasn't bad. Sure, the hours were rough and the pay could be better, but it beat being a vigilante any day of the week. As a full-fledged member of the National Superhero Association, Elastigirl was eligible for both health insurance and a 401K, and as someone who had wanted to use her power to help people for as long as she could remember, it wasn't as if she had a ton of options available that would be both fulfilling and pay the bills.

But as a full-fledged member of the NSA, Elastigirl also had certain contractual obligations to fulfill. Usually it was interviews or menial community service that helped spin superheroes into a positive light. Annoying but simple, and also necessary given the delicate political position the profession was in due to mindless meatheads who caused more harm than good.

Which was how Elastigirl found herself spending her afternoon off at a children's hospital accompanied by Thunderhead, Stratogale, Frozone, and the chief meathead himself, Mr. Incredible. It was the setup for disaster. Stratogale was just a kid herself, more comfortable with the birds at the zoo than sick children. Thunderhead couldn't read, and it took the whole group to keep him from getting lost as they wandered to the cancer ward. Frozone kept trying to drop one-liners and pickup lines while his buddy Mr. Incredible snickered behind a hand.

And people wondered why she worked alone.

"Look, let's just get this done and over with," Elastigirl snapped.

"Ooh, kitten's got claws," Frozone said with a grin. "Better watch out."

One hour, Elastigirl thought to herself. One hour, and the NSA will finally pay for that new super suit.

Stratogale adjusted her mask nervously, floating a little closer to Elastigirl as they passed a group of doctors deep in discussion. "I don't like hospitals," she said quietly. "Too closed off. Can't catch a decent wind, you know?"

"How'd you get wrangled into this, then?" Elastigirl said.

"They said it'd be good for my image," the girl said miserably, "and my resume."

Elastigirl winced sympathetically. The life of a hero wasn't an easy one.

Saving the world was simple. Giving it hope was another matter entirely.

Bad enough that they were surrounded by sick kids, some as young as three and most hooked up to IV medication and all without hair, but somehow the media had caught wind that there'd be supers around, and the group was accosted by photographers and reporters as soon as they stepped onto the ward. This irritated the media members accompanying the heroes who'd gone through the trouble of being vetted by the NSA. Suddenly their exclusive humanitarian story wasn't so exclusive, and in the ensuing chaos the purpose of their visit was almost forgotten.

Thunderhead was somehow able to plow through the mob of journalists to get to the kids. The guy wasn't the brightest lightbulb around, but he had a passion for children and it showed. Elastigirl hung back as he began a highly embellished retelling of his most recent victory against Count von Boom, unable to stop a smile as he got a pale young boy of about ten to giggle uncontrollably.

After pausing to flirt with a reporter or two, Frozone started making frozen lemonade treats, while Stratogale found a girl well enough for a quick flying piggyback ride. Noticing that Mr. Incredible was using the opportunity to stroke his own ego with the media, Elastigirl wandered further into the cancer ward. She didn't want to be here, but she was a professional, and a professional did their job to the best of their ability.

Most of the rooms were empty, the children out in the lobby to be with the supers, but eventually she found one that was unfortunately occupied. From the doorway Elastigirl couldn't tell if the child was a boy or a girl. A small bald head poked out of a mass of blankets that moved steadily up and down with every uneven breath. There was a heart monitor and IV poles and a great many other things that Elastigirl didn't know much about, but didn't have to to know that this kid was very ill. The child's mother sat in the lone chair, dark bags under her eyes and a careworn, haggard expression on her face that went beyond exhaustion.

Elastigirl's stomach clenched a little at the uncomfortable sight, and she knocked at the door. "May I come in?"

The mother jumped, and when she saw who was in the doorway she made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "Y-you're…you're…"

"Elastigirl, at your service. A few colleagues and I are visiting the hospital today. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course!" the woman said, jumping to her feet. "I'm sorry, they said that there'd be some heroes coming in today. But with everything…" her eyes glazed over with tears, and she shook her head sharply before extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. It's not every hero who takes time to do stuff like this."

"The pleasure's mine, Mrs.…?" Elastigirl said, feeling vaguely ill as she recalled how she'd been coerced into this in the first place.

"Smith. Miss Lauren Smith," the woman supplied. "This is my son James."

A single mom whose son had cancer. There were Greek tragedies with less depressing premises. Elastigirl made a sideways glance at James. He appeared to be sleeping and looked even worse up close. Disease had wasted his small frame to almost nothing, and Elastigirl noticed that the boy made a disconcerting noise each time he exhaled.

At least he was sleeping somewhat peacefully, and his mother smiled. "He loves heroes," Lauren said fondly before reaching out as if to touch his forehead. She stopped just short before bringing her arm back to her chest. The smile faded.

"I'm so sorry," Elastigirl said. "Is there anything I can...?"

"No," Lauren said thickly. "Maybe…no. Never mind."

"What is it?" Elastigirl asked. "What can I do?"

"Mr. Incredible is James's favorite. No offense," she added hastily when Elastigirl couldn't hide her distaste in time. "I think it's the costume; blue is his favorite color. If there was any way…"

"Of course," Elastigirl said gently when Lauren's voice trailed off into nothingness. "I'll see what I can do."

When Elastigirl returned to the lobby and saw that Mr. Incredible was still addressing the media her temper almost snapped. She pushed through the crowd until she was close enough to grab his arm without stretching. Mr. Incredible startled and looked down at her.

"What in the world…?"

"Excuse me," Elastigirl said in a clipped tone, "I need to speak with my colleague privately."

Without offering any further explanation, Elastigirl pulled Mr. Incredible out of the ward, marching down the hallway until she found a small room the hospital used for a chapel. Whirling around, she pointed her finger in his chest.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Excuse me?" he said incredulously. "I should be asking you the same thing!"

"There are kids out there who want to see you. I don't know what's going through your thick head right now, but there's more to being a hero than sitting back and looking pretty!"

"You think I'm pretty?"

Elastigirl wanted to punch him right in his big, fat chin. "You disgust me," she said coldly. "There's a little boy back there who's dying who needs to see his hero, and you'd never know it because you're too busy running your campaign for hero of the year."

Beneath his mask, Mr. Incredible flushed scarlet. "You're assuming things. This whole idea was a disaster to begin with."

"That doesn't mean we can't make the best of a bad situation," Elastigirl retorted as she crossed her arms.

"The more I distract those parasites with the media the more you guys can do with the kids. I'd probably…Look, a guy with super strength isn't the best choice for hanging around sick children." His shoulders slumped a little. "I'd probably break something."

"Wait, you were distracting the media on purpose?" Elastigirl said, her eyebrows raising.

"I'm not going to be much use doing anything else."

Elastigirl rocked back on her heels, the anger leaving her like air out of a deflated balloon. Mr. Incredible had done something—dare she say it?—clever. Based on what she'd heard of the guy, she didn't think he had the brains to come up with something like that.

"That's not true," she said, almost gently. "There's a boy that needs you. I'll take care of the reporters. You go do your thing."

He grimaced. "I'm not sure…"

"I am," Elastigirl interrupted forcibly. "Time to put your money where your mouth is, pretty boy, and do your job."

For a moment it looked like he was going to argue with her, but instead Mr. Incredible squared his shoulders. "It's show time."

Elastigirl resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he strutted out of the chapel and back to the cancer ward. Men.

Their hour was up. The camera crews were gone and the children trickled back to their rooms. It was time for the supers to go home.

Stratogale was the first to go, storming out of the ward without saying a word. Elastigirl noticed the girl was close to tears, and put it in the back of her mind to talk to her later. If the kid was interested in full-time hero work she was going to see a lot worse than this, and she had to be able to handle it when that time came.

The next to leave was Thunderhead, muttering something about needing to see his kids, and for the first time Elastigirl wondered what it was like trying to be a hero with little ones of your own. She shook that thought away. It would be a long time before she had to worry about that, maybe never.

"Well, not that that wasn't stimulating, but I've got a date to get ready for," Frozone said, adjusting his mask.

"You're going out? Tonight?" Elastigirl asked.

"Sure. These kids are in here fighting for their damn lives. It would be disrespectful to them for us not to live ours."

He was gone before Elastigirl could answer, and she wondered if perhaps Mr. Incredible wasn't the only one she'd underestimated today. Shaking her head ruefully, she went to James's room. She paused in the doorway when she saw that Mr. Incredible was still there. He sat as close as he could without getting in the way of the medical equipment, the boy's mother standing on the other side of the bed. James had finally awoken, his brown eyes looking almost too large for his sunken, hollow face.

"The reason I work alone is because I haven't found another hero of my caliber," Mr. Incredible said, keeping James's rapt attention as he spoke. "A sidekick has to be brave. Resourceful. I can't worry about someone else when fighting crime, or else the bad guys have a greater chance of getting away."

This time, Elastigirl did roll her eyes.

"But I think you're the bravest kid I've ever met. Do you think I could get an autograph?"

James's mother brought her hand to her mouth as Mr. Incredible found a paper and pen. With the greatest tenderness, he helped James sign his name. When he was done, Mr. Incredible folded it carefully and put it into his utility belt, before returning the favor.

When presented with Mr. Incredible's autograph, James smiled. It transformed his whole face, joy and happiness overriding the pain. His mother cried openly, and Mr. Incredible's gaze flickered to her, as if he didn't know what to do.

Elastigirl coughed politely, and Mr. Incredible's head snapped to the doorway. His expression couldn't have been plainer: Please, help.

"There's been a call," Elastigirl lied. "I'm so sorry, but Mr. Incredible is needed at City Hall."

"Thank you," Lauren said. "Thank you for everything you've done."

Mr. Incredible shook her hand. "No, ma'am, the honor is ours."

It was a few weeks until Elastigirl saw him again. She was enjoying her first night on the job with her new suit when they stumbled over the same group of thugs trying to mug a helpless civilian. It only took a couple of minutes to deal with, and suddenly she found herself alone with the biggest meathead she'd ever had the misfortune of misjudging.

"Hey," Mr. Incredible said awkwardly. "How…how've you been?"

"Good," Elastigirl said. "And yourself?"

"Good, good. Um, hey, about that thing at the hospital, I just wanted to say…"

"Don't mention it," Elastigirl said, noticing for the first time how blue his eyes were. The exact same shade as his super suit. She was beginning to understand how a girl could go ga-ga over eyes like that.

"Well, thanks. I'm no good with stuff like that. I'm better off out here, where I can actually do some good." He scratched the back of his head.

Elastigirl arched an eyebrow. "And you don't think you did any good there? You need to be a little more flexible, pretty boy."

He chuckled quietly, but there was no humor in his expression. He reached for his utility belt and pulled out a sheet of paper with a shaky signature. "I keep it with me all the time. You were right; that kid was more important than all the cameras. It's just...it's nice to get recognized every once in a while, you know? Not to get blamed for knocking down a building or accidentally blowing up some factory. I wish people could see how much we try to help."

"I think all the important people do," Elastigirl said, thinking about the look on Lauren Smith's face when he asked for James's autograph. Mr. Incredible looked confused, she chuckled. How thick could he possibly be? "Think about it, pretty boy. I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

She bounded off into the sunset before Mr. Incredible could reply, wondering when she'd get another glimpse of the man hidden behind the mask.