Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He had to admit it was difficult to find William amidst so much rubble and chaos; all he saw was blood and a few bodies lying on the ground.

He spent a long time searching for him, but in the end, he couldn't find him and left the building to look for Maskless.

He could see him entering another building near the university, and although he was confused for a while, he finally decided to go in too.

And that's when he saw them, on the ground, Maskless crying and sobbing, and someone else, who he assumed was William.

He wasn't very close to his William; yes, they were friends, but after everything that had happened to him, he hadn't really stopped to think about him and the other friends he'd once had. In reality, he knew that if they knew everything he'd done, they'd be afraid of him and stay away, or maybe fight him, but that didn't even matter to him anymore.

He was a spectator for at least two or three minutes, which felt like an eternity, and in those minutes, he listened to Maskless apologize and tell the boy how much he had missed him, how much he hadn't stopped thinking about him during all that time.

When he finally calmed down, he was able to break away from the hug.

-You... You're one of those Marks who... -The brown-haired man stammered in fear, but was interrupted by Maskless.

-I'm not the Mark of your universe... I know... I did so many things to see you again, William... -Maskless replied, his gaze lowered.

-W-Who else is with you

-I'm with him, the others are outside in different places... -Full-Masked spoke, entering the scene. William seemed to grow more scared, and Maskless just looked at him.

-Don't kill me... Please... -the blue-eyed man begged, very fearful, moving away slightly.

-No! We won't hurt you, I wouldn't be able to! - Maskless exclaimed again, hugging him again.

-But... You killed hundreds of people... How could I not know that you would kill me too!? -William replied with some anger and fear.

-We won't kill you. If we wanted to, we would have already done it. I'm only here for my mother, and he's here for you -Full-Masked explained, trying to calm him down -Now that we've found you, I want to know one thing. Where is my mother?

-Why would you say that? Are you planning to hurt her?

-On the contrary, I just want to see her and take her to a safe place, where she can't be hurt...

-Come on, this place isn't safe for you... - Maskless finally spoke, standing up and lifting William off the ground.

William didn't say anything. Even though both of them had told him they weren't going to kill him, he didn't trust them. But a part of him told him not to hold it against them, that perhaps the slightest inconvenience toward them could get him killed. He saw no choice but to simply allow them to take him somewhere safe, or so he hoped. William knew that if he resisted, things could get worse, much worse...

Maskless picked him up and saw Full-Masked.

-Debbie's hiding somewhere safe, I'll just tell you that... -Will answered Full-Masked's question, and although he couldn't see well because of the mask he was wearing, he could see that he seemed relieved.

The three of them left the building and, very careful not to be seen, they could see one of the variants in the distance causing havoc.

They were able to reach an urban area far from the city, since those places had barely been attacked by the Invincibles.

-I'll check if there's one of them nearby. I'll be right back -Full-Masked said.

And William said nothing. Although both had told him they weren't going to kill him, he distrusted them. But a part of him told him not to hold it against them, that perhaps the slightest inconvenience could cost him his life. He saw no other option than to simply let them take him to a safe place, or so he hoped. William knew that if he resisted, things could get worse, much worse...

Maskless lifted him up and saw Full Masked.

-Debbie is hiding somewhere safe, I assure you... -Will answered Full Masked's question, and although he couldn't see well because of the mask he was wearing, he noticed that he seemed relieved.

The three of them left the building and, being very careful not to be seen, spotted one of the variants in the distance wreaking havoc.

They managed to reach an urban area far from the city, as those areas had barely been attacked by the Invincibles.

-I'll see if there's one nearby. I'll be right back -Full-Masked said before leaving.

Maskless took William from his arms and took out his cell phone. He had some signal and used it to check his messages. There were no messages from Rick or any of his friends, especially Mark.

He walked a little until the signal was good, with Maskless behind him, a little confused. They reached a slightly raised point, and William turned to see Maskless.

-Could you... Stay here? Please, I need... To talk to someone -I would ask, a little nervously.

-Who? -I heard him say, and although at first I hesitated whether to tell him, he decided to.

-With Mark... The one from my universe, of course

Maskless seemed to think about whether to leave him alone or not, and finally told him he was fine but not to stray too far. William approached and moved away a little.

I called Mark and waited a few moments; there was no answer. I called a few more times, and now the latter answered.

-Mark? Are you there? -spoke, hoping it was really Mark who answered and not some variant that I just killed.

-William! Are you okay? Where are you? -the original Mark would ask, causing some relief in William.

-I'm just outside the city. I'll explain later how I got here. I called to find out how you were and why there are so many like you destroying so many cities -he spoke with concern in her voice.

"It's a long story... And Rick?" This question discouraged William.

-He... I don't know... I had to stay away from him because he told me he'd help the students escape and stay safe. It worries me to think something happened to him... -He would say sadly -And you? Where are you?

"I'm in the hospital. Eve was hurt, and I'm worried they'll come and kill her," Mark declared, somewhat annoyed at the thought.

-I hope she recovers... But I know she will. She's strong. They're both strong! -he exclaimed, trying to be positive.

"Thank you so much for the compliment, William. Did you just call to check on me?"

-Well... Yes, I wanted to know if you were okay. I'll call you later, or sooner if I'm in danger, but I don't think so

"You sound very confident. Who are you with?" When Mark said that, William was about to answer, except the signal cut out, just like the call.

-It can't be! -He tried to find a spot with a signal, and inadvertently moved further away than he should have.

When he realized this, he had to put his cell phone away and look for the other Mark, afraid the latter might hurt someone.

He spent a few minutes searching until he managed to see him in the sky. He looked so desperate that he had to shout at him to let him know where he was, and he couldn't even react because he felt Mark's arms surround him in a strong hug.

-William! I told you not to stray so far! Are you okay? Aren't you hurt? Why did you leave without telling me? -These questions overwhelmed poor William. He was about to tell him he didn't want to stray, but Mark hugged him tighter, but careful not to accidentally break his bones -You had me too worried... -These words were spoken with a gentleness that William had never seen in his Mark.

-I... I'm sorry... It was an accident. I didn't realize I was wandering off... -the brunette told him, trying to sound as kind as possible -Has the... other Mark come yet? -he asked curiously.

-Not yet... But he'll definitely be here in a bit -Mark replied, resting his head on William's shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, until they separated. William asked Mark to go somewhere with a better signal, and the latter did.

For a moment, her mind wandered to Rick. She wanted to know if he was still alive, but she couldn't because Mark insisted they not go to the city until everything calmed down.

Chapter 1, finished

Chapter Text

You had to admit it was a bit awkward having multiple versions of yourself around you, Maskless Mark didn't want to have anything to do with his other variants, he was there on a mission, not to make friends.

At least that's what he thought until he met Full-Masked Mark. He spoke to him when he noticed he was hiding in the same place as him, a closet large enough for at least two people.

They both had one goal: to find their most precious people and take them to their universes. At first it was a bit awkward, but the more they talked, the more they trusted each other, to the point where they used to hide together to avoid the other variants.

Maskless still remembers when he saw Full-Masked cry when he remembered the lovely moments he had with his mother, he comforted him for quite a while, he was surprised to see a version of himself who loved his mother so much, since he wasn't very close to his own, but he didn't judge, he felt he had no right to do so.

In one of those getaways they used to hide and talk, they decided to talk about themselves and what they wanted to do.

-Why did you agree to work with Angstrom?- Maskless asked, seeing his other self -I mean, I know you're here for Mom and all that, but... aren't you here for something else?

-Not really... I'm only in this for her, I want to see her one more day and feel her warmth again... -Full-Masked spoke with quite a bit of melancholy -When I take her to my universe, I'll make sure to make her the happiest woman on the planet -He looks up to see Maskless -And you? I know you told me you're here for William... But what happened to him? -This question made Maskless look away.

-He died, my father killed him... When I found out... I didn't hesitate to kill him, but... That didn't bring William back to me...-He sighs -When I take him to my universe, I'll do everything possible to make sure he stays by my side and is happy. I want to see him and apologize for not saving him when he was in danger... -He remained silent for a few seconds -You have no idea how much I miss him...

-So you killed your father too... - He hears him laugh a little, but his laugh had no happiness, only bitterness - I also did the same thing when I found out that he killed my mother, I still remember his words... "She was like... A pet" You can't imagine how furious I feel when I heard him say that, he took my mother's life as a simple game... - The anger in his voice was evident

-You did the right thing... I guess

-Thank you very much, although I don't know why you're saying that -They both laughed, this time genuinely. They would have continued doing so if their hiding place hadn't been interrupted.

-But look who we have here...-Mohawk Mark mocked -If you want to have sex, hide somewhere better first -He finished, closing the closet doors.

-Fuck off! -Maskless yelled angrily, and Full-Masked just sighed...

The following days they began to look for other hiding places, but Mohawk had taken it as a personal challenge to catch them and mock them to their faces.

And well, the day of war would come, and everything went just as planned, the variants destroyed many cities, killing millions of people.

Maskless Mark went to destroy all of Paris. It was a bit complicated due to the heroes there, but he took it upon himself to kill them all. And when he finished, he didn't hesitate for a second to go to the United States, ready to go with someone specific.

The screams were heard everywhere, he saw people looking for help, the wounded screaming in agony, and he did nothing to help, those people really didn't care at all.

In the distance he saw Full-Masked who also seemed to be looking for someone..

-Hey! -I spoke to him, and he looked at me -Are you looking for Mom? -I asked. I wanted to know if I could help you after finding William, or not.

-That's right, but I can't find her anywhere. She's probably hiding... -Concern filled her voice, as Maskless stalked past her -I hope she's okay

-I was looking for William, I could help you when I find him... -He was immediately interrupted.

-Mom might be with him! -Full-Masked exclaimed with a hint of hope in his voice.

-If you think that, then let's go find them... -They headed quickly to the University of Usptate, and when they arrived they saw the students running in fear and some hiding.

-I'll look for them outside, you can look for them inside.

-Okay -Full-Masked agreed, and they separated.

He was too scared, he saw several students die in front of his eyes and had to separate from Rick at the latter's request, who begged him to hide while he helped some students hide and escape.

He hid in a building not far from the university, the building was abandoned and desolate, some rubble on the ground and darkness reigned in that place, a good place if he wanted to avoid being seen and killed.

I try to call Mark but he doesn't answer, that scared him more since he had seen on the news that people with the same face and voice as his best friend were attacking many cities throughout the world

He sat on the floor with his back against the wall, trying to call Mark again. There was no answer.

-Damn... -He curses under his breath, but then takes it back and thinks that Mark was probably helping people and didn't have time to respond.

He searched his contacts and decided to call Debbie, he wanted to know if she was okay, and this time he did get an answer..

"William? Are you okay? Where are you?" The woman would say with concern in her voice, calming William a little.

-Hello, Mrs. Grayson... I'm fine. I'm hiding here in a building near the university... And you? Where are you? Aren't you hurt? -I asked with some relief, but the fear still remained.

"I'm hiding, I'm feeling fine, and thank God you called me. Mark went out to help people and stop those... People who look so much like him. He went with Eve, and Oliver also went out to help."

-I'm glad to hear that, I was already getting scared because Mark wasn't answering any of my calls.

"Well, if you're hiding then I'll leave you. I wouldn't want you to be discovered and anything bad to happen to you. I'll try to ask Cecil if he could send someone to look for you." She waited for a response, but there was only silence, and out of nowhere, William hung up the call.

What did he see that made him hang up? Well...

-William...? -the bloodied Mark would ask, surprise in his voice.

William was paralyzed, he didn't know what to do, he just stood up but he couldn't stop shaking.

He closed his eyes, thinking that if he didn't see the face of his perhaps murderer, it would hurt less, but instead of Mark attacking him and killing him alone... He heard him sobbing and before opening his eyes... That Mark pushed him to the ground, with his arms around him in a soft hug.

-I missed you SO MUCH, William... - I heard him say with a broken voice as he clung to him more tightly, as if he were a child who was separated from something very important and had it given back to him.

William didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to react, he just... He let Mark cry on his shoulders, feeling the blood that Mark had stain his shirt.

-I'm so sorry, you should, forgive me... I did so much to come here... I was so desperate to see you again! -Mark's voice sounded broken, happy, and relieved.

The only thing William's mind could formulate was a tender, soft...

"Holy shit..."