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“Oh, Ben…” Luther breathed with relief. Tears built up in his eyes. “Oh my god, Ben.”
Marcus immediately hated that huge blond man. He spoke as if he knew Ben. The blond man looked away to dry away his tears.
“Dad, who the hell are these assholes?” Ben looked around confused.
The strangers stared at Ben in disbelief, but no one of them explained themselves.
That was the first sign Marcus noticed. Something didn’t sit right with him. He didn’t like the way they stared at his brother.
That feeling returned again when he noticed the second sign.
Diego was going off about how important it was for Ben to rely less on his powers and polish his other skills.
“Why would I want to jump around, playing a ninja when I got sick ass powers. Dude, I got tentacles coming out of my stomach!” Ben pointed at his abdomen.
“Because there can be a situation where your powers won’t help you. Suddenly all you got is a rock as a weapon, if you’re lucky.” Diego got more and more frustrated with each sentence. “You need to be always ready.” He huffed.
Ben rolled his eyes. It was no secret that he hated Diego the most. The man was so much like him, but at the same time different. “Whatever you say wannabe ninja.”
Marcus couldn’t agree more with Diego. None of his siblings should solely rely on their powers, their fathers trained them to have perfect skills in everything. There have been situations where Ben couldn’t rely on his powers, but luckily he was saved. What annoyed Marcus was the fact Diego was only telling this to Ben. The way he spoke, it sounded like it was from experience.
No. A voice told him. You’re overthinking.
Marcus was maybe overthinking the third time, but still couldn’t help it. He noticed something when all the siblings were getting ready for a mission. His siblings had put on their red uniforms. As always, Ben didn’t pull up his zipper completely.
Allison giggled when her eyes landed on Ben. “You need help with your zipper?”
“Nah, this is part of my look. I need to look hot for my fans.” Ben smirked.
She rolled her eyes at his cocky response. “Sure, your fans.”
Allison walked past Ben, over to her siblings. It didn’t escape Marcus' ears that she mumbled under her breath as she passed him.
“You’re still the same..”
By the fourth time, Marcus was pretty sure he was overthinking.
“You should buy a new jacket,” Alphonso told Ben over the dinner table. “I may or may not have lost yours in a fight last night.”
“You- You what?!” With that, a fight broke out at the dinner table.
Ben was treating his brother to swallow him into his stomach while Fei was laughing her ass off. Marcus chuckled at his siblings. Of course Alphonso would bring this up at dinner, he knew their father would stop the fight if it got too serious.
“You should buy a leather jacket.” Klaus intervened. For once he had a serious tone. “A black leather jacket, with a hoodie. That would fit you.”
It didn’t escape Marcus how Viktor lowered his eyes, biting his lower lip as he remembered a painful memory. His siblings' conversation drowned in the background. Marcus was too focused at the looks the Umbrella gang gave each other and then settled on Ben.
By the fifth time, Marcus was sure he wasn’t overthinking. He was also getting visibly annoyed and clearly hostile to the Umbrella gang. There was something going on between them and Ben. Their father had told the siblings he wouldn’t come home for dinner. Alphonso being the local pizza lover, decided to order pizza for dinner. Siblings being siblings, fought over which pizza they wanted and how many slices they should get. It ended up in the end with Ben not getting a single pepperoni pizza but only the vegans options.
“I feel like a cow.” Ben mumbled frustrated.
Marcus snicker. He had two slices of pepperoni pizza and was ready to offer it to his bro-
“Take mine, kiddo.” Five forced his pizza into Ben’s hand and grabbed the vegan pizza.. “I prefer more healthier options.”
“You have an unhealthy obsession with coffee, grandpa.” Klaus commented. And that was the beginning of another family roasting session.
Once again, Marcus ignored the bickering that broke out and focused on Five. The shorter man nodded at the ‘thank you’ Ben said to him. While Ben was scarfing down, Five looked at the taller boy with a broken smile. Marcus didn’t know what that smile meant, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to know about it.
But it only got worse by the sixth time.
“I feel like I’ve known them for my whole life.” Ben sat beside Marcus with a confused face expression. “I can’t explain the feeling, but I know they’re not strangers but nor my friends.”
“What are they then?” This didn’t sound like his Ben. A familiar discomfort settled in his stomach.
“Like… like a family?”
It came out more like a question, but that sentence was enough to make Marcus' heart drop. No… Am I losing him?
“But they’re not your family.” Marcus didn’t like where the conversation was going, he wanted to end it. “I am your family, your brother. They’re some strangers with worse daddy issues than us. They are not your family. ”
“They’re not my family.” The light-skinned man repeated, as if he tried to convince himself.
The seventh time, Marcus was so done with the Umbrella gang. He wanted to punch every single one of them but controlled himself.
Out of all his siblings, Viktor decided to be closest to Ben. He bought a matching set of hooded leather jackets for Ben and himself, the one Klaus talked about a week ago.
To make it worse, Ben walked around with it as if he didn’t have a closet full of the latest jackets in style.
Marcus walked into them both sitting in the kitchen. He noticed books in Ben's hands but didn't say anything as he walked to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.
“If I liked the book? I loved it! How did you know I would've liked this book?” Ben questioned with a gleeful smile.
“It’s about family betrayal, murder, fake deaths.” Viktor listed on. “It seems like your type of book.”
“How do you know that?” Marcus slipped the question before he could stop himself.
“What? Oh…” Viktor shrugged, shifted his weight on one foot from another. “Just his vibes. Anyway I need to help Allison with her shopping, so I’ll talk to you guys later.”
Before Marcus could ask more questions, Viktor hurried out of the room. Ben didn’t think anything of it, he was too focused on the book. Marcus tightened his grip on the bottle. The whole Umbrella gang was pissing him off. But he didn’t say anything. He kept his emotions in control. Happy Ben meant a happy Marcus.
Not until they dared to test his leadership.
Luther, Diego and Five were pissing Marcus off for every second that passed. Trying to take his role as the leader and coming up with suicide plans.
“This plan will work, it’s the best choice to make” If you have any brain cells left, you would trust me in this.” It almost sounded like Five was begging Marcus.
“The same way your Ben trusted you all with his life.” Marcus finally snapped.
Silence fell in the room. None of the siblings from the other universe said anything, not even Klaus who usually had a comment for everything. Their reaction only confirmed what Marcus had suspected for a while. The anger he tried to control finally took control over him.
“I’m dead in your universe?” Ben looked shocked at Allison who was beside him. She nodded, looking down. Too ashamed to look him into his eyes.
“I’m dead… No wait,” Ben ran his fingers through his hair, an unreadable expression settled on his face. “Your Ben died… so you’re replacing him with me?”
Marcus rather wanted to get stabbed than hear the pain in his brother’s voice.
“You only wanted to replace me with him.” Realization hit Ben. Allison and Klaus protested but it fell on deaf ears. Marcus knew his brother was shutting himself down.
“How did you know?” Five said, not even trying to deny it.
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out with the way you all look at my Ben. Acting like you know him, like he’s your long lost brother.”
You failed him. Was all Marcus could think of.
“His death was… It… It was an accident,” Luther began, the words got stuck in his throat.. Everyone could hear the pain in his voice. but Marcus couldn’t care about his opinion, not when he failed to protect his own brother.
“Let’s make one thing clear, big man. This is my team, my family.” Marcus pointed at Ben who was obviously distressed.. “My brother!” His voice boomed through the room as he took a step closer to Luther.
“And if you think I’ll leave my siblings’ lives at your hands, then you’re wrong, moon boy.” Marcus mocked. “I refuse to trust your plans when you couldn’t even stop the apocalypse, twice! Let alone, protect your own brother.”
“I-I…” Luther stammered, once again the words weren’t coming out.
“You failed him.” Marcus said with a calm voice, regaining control over his emotions. “You all failed him. So don’t think this is a second chance from God to make it up.”