Chapter Text
Mark missed William.
It was an all-consuming feeling that gnawed away at his psyche. William had been his everything, his muse. William was the embodiment of love to Mark from the way his eyes would light up when he was excited, to the way his voice sounded when he’d talk about whatever it’d never mattered because all Mark wanted to do was listen to that voice and he would never get to again.
William had been insecure but to Mark, he had been perfect, beautiful, and something he wanted to hold down and cherish forever. He wanted to run his fingers through William’s short hair, slide his hands down Will’s smaller frame, and wrap him tightly in his embrace feeling the warmth of the other man’s body just once more. His arms felt empty without the other man to hold close, to protect, everything he had been doing had suddenly felt worthless at the sight of William’s lifeless body.
He had failed to protect the person who meant the most to him. It was driving him crazy with need, the need to have what was his. No feeling had ever compared to the pain he felt now.
Mark would retreat to those memories with his lover, the calm before the storm. William had been like a sedative and without him, there was a constant buzz in his brain. He felt like a rabid animal, driven insane by this hunger for his lost love. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to have William back.
Mark remembered so clearly that day William had finally become his. When they had first gotten together Mark was soaring, it had been possibly the best thing that could’ve happened to him. He was stuck on Cloud Nine. Now all that had burnt down, even so he still had those memories and sometimes reminiscing made him feel a little better.
The memory rang so clearly in his mind like a beautiful summer day, not a cloud in the sky.
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William was nervous, more so than Mark had seen him in a long while. It wasn’t like William was the most confident person on the planet but he had always carried himself with a sort of air of self-assurance. “Can we talk?” He’d asked Mark and so later that afternoon the pair met up in Mark’s room.
William fidgeted a moment, a nervous look on his face, a look that Mark found to be absolutely adorable. William looked down before he began his confession, gaze avoiding Mark’s eyes which had not left William. Mark could tell William had put a lot of thought into what he was going to say. At the end of his rambling, he said, “I guess what I mean is… I care deeply for you” and all he could hope for was an easy letdown from Mark. But that didn’t happen, instead, William felt arms wrap around him.
“Oh William” a grin broke across Mark’s face as he pulled the smaller man into an embrace, “of course” He stayed like that, silently clinging onto the other man. He pressed his face against William’s neck, taking in his scent, the warmth coming from his body. He could stay like this forever.
Eventually, Mark let go, ruffling William’s hair and smiling at him, “You’re all mine now” and Mark had vowed to keep him safe. William’s heartbeat at the statement, his cheeks flushed a soft pink that made Mark’s heart melt.
All he could think was; what gave William the right to be so beautiful?
After that, most of Mark’s free time became devoted to William. He clung to William like a lost puppy. Their relationship continued to evolve and Mark’s feelings only grew deeper. He hadn’t known it was possible to be this captivated by a person. He had always been close with William and had a piece of him that desired the man but having him made these feelings so much deeper.
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Mark had been all over William, he had known his love for the other was more intense than most loves but Mark had, and still did believe it was because of his understanding of William and his abilities.
Desire for William seeped into his being, settling down in his bones. He wished he could find closure but without his lover how could he? That weighed heavy on his mind. His home didn’t feel like home anymore, nowhere truly did. He wished he could transform the world with his William by his side but it all felt so hopeless now.
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Eventually, with the money Mark had earned up with the whole hero-ing, he bought them an apartment.
“Isn’t this a little quick?” William had asked.
“No” Mark had said confidently before cupping William’s face and adding in a quieter voice, “Anyway think of all the possibilities that come with living alone” Mark winked, voice laced with suduction and William had no more arguments. Mark prided himself on knowing exactly how to get William’s agreement.
The apartment was nice, it wasn’t too fancy but at the same time, it wasn’t too modest.
Moving in had been a little rough as William had very strong opinions on what should go where and the ultimate aesthetics of the house. Since he was so particular about it Mark had done his best to appease exactly what William wanted and where he believed things should go. It didn’t matter as much to Mark because he had William. Anyway, it was easier to appease his boyfriend than listen to him vaguely complain about things he’d wanted.
That night Mark nuzzled into bed pressed up against William one hand holding his face and the other rubbing against William’s hip. The smaller man made a soft noise at the tough, the type of noise that made Mark hunger for more. He leaned in catching William’s mouth in a kiss, a kiss that quickly evolved, His hand drifted down rubbing the inside of William’s thighs, swallowing the breathy noises that William made. Mark pulled back from the kiss, shifting positions so he was on top of William, looking down at his face. William was panting, face dusted a soft pink and it was stunning. Mark’s arms wrapped around William, he leaned in and pressed his face against his neck kissing the soft skin, leaving little marks, and soaking up all the beautiful noises William made.
“William” He whispers, “I love you more than life itself”
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That sentiment rang through Mark’s brain, it hurt not having Wiliam here. It hurt worse than any punch could. Earth had no value to him anymore, what was the point if he couldn’t have protected William?
It wasn’t fair, he didn’t deserve to have William taken away from him like that. He knew loss was part of life, especially the life he led but taking his one true love was too much for him. It left a crack in his heart that he felt could never be filled.
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“Mark” William sat down on their couch next to Mark. Mark’s hand moved to rest on top of William’s hand.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking…” His voice trailed off a moment, “It might be a good idea if I started working, you know… contribute something”
Mark tilted his head as if the proposition had been weird. William after school and moving with Mark didn’t have much else in the means of a social life but to Mark that had never seemed to hurt William. He still had some friends and more importantly, he had Mark.
When Mark didn’t reply William continued, “I mean it could be part-time, just something to get out of the house when you’re busy”
Mark considered it, “What about when I’m not busy? I’d rather you be here than off playing shop keeper”
“But sometimes I just get lonely-”
“You have me” Mark interrupted, “Normal jobs are beneath us now”
“Just let me finish, Mark, I’m not just your trophy wife. Normal jobs may be beneath you but not me”
Mark sucked in a breath. A piece of him could acknowledge this was selfish. William shouldn’t have to ask his permission but a larger voice in his brain knew all he was doing was for the better of Will. After some thought and looking into Will’s soft eyes he sighed and nodded. He had always had trouble saying no to his beloved.
“Fine. But only part-time”
The agreement brought a smile to William’s face and that had been enough to keep Mark from second-guessing that decision too much.
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Mark remembered his weakness to William, he always struggled to say no to those soft blue eyes. William asked to go flying? Mark would pick him up like a princess and they’d soar. William wanted to try something new? Mark would go out of his way to bring William back something from a place in the world he’d never gone.
Loving William was as easy as knowing how to breathe and he had loved the sensation of coming back home and cuddling into his boyfriend. He missed that feeling of hugging him after a hard day and whispering sweet nothings to his beloved William. He had loved the way William’s nimble hands felt rubbing against his back and chest. Sometimes Mark hugged himself, trying to bring back that feeling but it never came close.
No matter how much he wished, prayed, and hoped, he could not bring his William back.
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“You know you mean everything to me”
William nodded, nuzzling his head against Mark’s shoulder. Mark’s arm reached around William, rubbing his back. Mark loved the way William’s body felt pressed to his, the slender frame of his thin body, the way his small hands felt against Mark’s skin, and how he was perfect to hold. It was heaven and William felt like an angel. His angel.
“I love you” Mark continued
“I love you too” William whispered back and before he could say anything else Mark pressed a kiss against his lips. Kissing those soft lips made any of Mark’s problems melt away. All that mattered when he was with William was them. He felt as if they were the only two people on earth. Sometimes he felt like William was the only person who mattered.
The kissing grew into making out. Mark felt William’s hand slip beneath his shirt, he felt those nimble fingers glide down his pecs to his abs. Mark returned the favor by having one of his hands move to fondle William’s ass, causing the other man to let out a soft squeak. Mark always treated William as if he were glass, handing him with care as the last thing he’d want to do was hurt his lover.
But sometimes his control slipped and his touching became rougher. William never seemed to mind this. Actually, it seemed to be something that got the other going. He let out moans that increased in volume and fueled Mark’s need to feel William. “You like that?” He whispered against William’s ear to which he’d receive a breathy, “Yes”
And that was one of the hottest things Mark had ever heard. He loved hearing when William’s voice got all needy like that.
“I love you, Will” Mark whispered again, before continuing his claim on William.
William loved him too. He knew that. He knew William did because there was no one else who could ever love him the way Mark could and so there was no point in loving anyone else.
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Mark still knew that to be true. No one would have ever been able to understand William the way he had. He knew that only he could have protected him and because of that his failure only made the ache worse.
Some days Mark wanted to cry, scream, punch, and others he just sat with that heavy feeling. Remembering the good times always ended with the bad memory flooding in like a tsunami, crashing over what had once been the happiest thing in Mark’s life.
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Mark hadn’t left the hospital where William was being kept. William had not woken up, it’d been a little over two weeks since he had been brought here.
William had been caught up in collateral damages in an attack, by the time Mark had found his boyfriend it was already too late. He had inadvertently hurt William and nothing could sting harder than that realization. He found his bloodied body, where some debris had caught him. Mark immediately cradled the limp body, feeling for a pulse and watching for shallow breaths. He felt a temporary relief when he found one and without hesitation got William to safety.
Seeing William in this condition Mark’s heart ached.
William’s hospital had gifts from Mark littered throughout in the hopes that William would wake up and see how much Mark cared, There were flowers, little plushes, and all the stereotypical ‘get better soon’ gifts but still there was no stirring from the man.
Mark spoke with him for hours but his condition never improved. Mark would rest his head by the hospital bed, next to William but it changed nothing.
Three days later William’s condition turned for the worst. He passed away that night, Mark watched any warmth leave his body.
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That had been the worst day of Mark’s life and every day that followed brought on a new layer of awful. There was no longer any point in saving Earth, no, his focus should have been on protecting what meant the most to him.
That’s why when an opportunity had been given to Mark he had reached out and grabbed. One that would allow him to have William back, even if it wasn’t the same William he was desperate for it, craving it- no needing it like humans needed to breathe. This was his chance to get his beloved muse back, to hear the chirp of his beautiful voice, and to see those soft eyes.
He desired the feeling of William so badly nothing else mattered, all he wanted was to fill that emptiness in his arms with the sweet and soft feeling of his true love. His mission was to find William again and bring him back. This world was best suited for any William because he was here and no one else could take care of him. Where he had failed in this timeline would not happen again because he knew how to keep William safe this time.
This time he would protect him, cherish him and he would not lose him. This may not have been the same as bringing back his William but he was desperate enough to try anything to fill this void.
Mark refused to fail William again. No matter what, he would make this William his.