(add-in chapters are so fun but man getting creative is hard lol. sorry for not updating! I was originally going to have this be one huge chapter but it was taking forever so I split it into two small parts and then a final big part)

Comical

•••

If you would've asked me what I would be doing on a Sunday afternoon two days ago, I would've said sitting at home watching paint dry.

Instead, I got William yelling in my ear over the phone.

Telling William I wasn't going to be free was my first mistake. Telling William I wasn't going to be free because I was hanging out with Mark was my second, and arguably worse. Telling William I wasn't going to be free because I was hanging out with Mark and he probably shouldn't come because I was hoping it would be just us was my third and final detrimental mistake.

After three strikes, I'm out.

Immediately, I told William it was not a date, but he wasn't having it. Hanging out with a boy alone? The guy spent fifteen minutes going over the birds and the bees and reminded me continuously that teen pregnancy was a very real problem and I needed to use a condom.

While still putting emphasis on it not being a date, I assured William that I was very aware of the birds and the bees, and had no interest in doing any of that on a hypothetical first date anyway. I thought that would be the end of it, but that was only wishful thinking.

I ended up spending two hours on FaceTime while William rated each set of clothes in my closet. I had to admit, he had some eye for fashion, but it did bother me that after a good fifty outfits, William decided the very first one was the best of all. I could've told him that - that's why I picked it first.

All this hullabaloo led up to me showing up at Mark's front door only moments before I was supposed to be there. I was a little nervous cutting it so close, but maybe it would be nice to be fashionably late? What would William suggest?

The only advice he gave me that I could remember was 'Be yourself. No, really. Mark will love it, you've got so much in common.'

I didn't have much time to ruminate on that one before Mark came to the door to greet me. He was smiling bright, dressed in a button up and khakis, and despite the circles William and I walked in to get to the outfit I was wearing, I was glad I picked it. I would've felt underdressed in anything else.

"Hey," Mark said, holding the door open for me. "Come on in."

I had always loved going to new people's houses. It was a whole new landscape to explore, and it gave you a little bit of insider detail into their lives. You learned new things around every corner. Seeing people's homes felt like a strangely intimate thing, and I soaked it up like water.

My eyes passed over the decor of Mark's living room with a practiced precision, creating a mental map of the room. From the red couch to the open laptop on the counter, to the family photos on the wall, I noted it all. He looked to have a picture-perfect family, if not a little hectic.

Still, the room was incredibly clean. I hurriedly forced out the memory of the shape my house was surely in when Mark came over.

"My room's this way," Mark announced, pointing a thumb in the direction of the stairs. I followed him up, starstruck to be in Mark's house, with Mark, as friends.

He directed me into a room right at the top of the stairs, pushing the door open and beckoning me in. 'C'mon in!'

Moments later, I found myself drooling over his piles and piles of comics and memorabilia. No kid in a candy shop has ever felt so excited.

"You amaze me," I commented, shaking my head. "Limited edition? I swear they only printed ten of these."

"My parents bought me that for Christmas," Mark explained. "It's one of the most expensive things I own. I try to keep it mint."

"One of?" I laughed, amazement lighting off my features. That comic had to be worth at least 10 grand. If not more.

"I didn't work at Burger Mart for nothing," Mark shrugged, although I could tell he was feeling more than nonchalant.

"I'm so jealous," I said, amazed. "They must really love you."

"They do," Mark nodded, sitting down in a desk chair nearby. "My dad is kind of my hero. He's taught me so much, and he's saved the day more times than I can count. And my mom is always there for me when I'm having a rough time."

"They sound incredible," I mused.

"Yeah. Don't tell them I said so," Mark replied. "What're your parents like? Your dad seemed nice."

"My dad is... he's great. But it's just him, and I'm not sure how well he knows how to handle a teenage girl on his own," I explained. "He tries really hard though, I can tell."

"Did something happened to your mom?" Mark hesitantly asked. His eyes softened, and he subtly leaned forward closer to me.

I sighed, picking up another little trinket and messing with it in my hands.

"She left when I was thirteen. Nothing bad, she got stationed in a... foreign place and hasn't come back," I explained, reciting the script I had so carefully learned. The story never differed much, although part of me almost felt inclined to go deeper with Mark. "She still sends money our way, and my dad is very much still in love with her. It's sweet, to know years apart hasn't hindered it."

Truthfully, there wasn't a day that went by without him mentioning her. I had to imagine that, wherever she was, she spoke the same. They were two peas in a pod, apparently ever since they met.

It was a dream to me to love someone like that, where you never forget each other. Every little thing reminds you of the other, and you can push through ages apart. For as long as it felt for my dad, I couldn't imagine the time that passed for my mom.

"Aren't you worried about her?" Mark asked.

"Oh, every day. And I know my dad is too. But she's a fighter," I said. With a soft smile, I added, "Just like your dad."

Mark had no clue just how true that statement was. My mom was no Omni-Man, but she sure was something special.

It was strange how well conversation flowed between us, and how quickly I felt comfortable sharing information I would've taken months to open up about with anyone else. Mark was something else.

The conversation continued to flow easily, although there was a point where I couldn't resist opening up my phone to show Mark my entire camera roll. Naturally, I was extra cautious not to present anything that might raise suspicion but I was surprised how few pictures I had linking me to Affinity.

Except for one of me fully suited standing with the rest of the late Guardians, which I promptly skipped over.

Mark was as genuine as he was friendly, and combined with his sense of humor I found myself letting time fly by in his presence. We talked about a plethora of topics, ranging from teachers at school to our dream Socratic Seminar. I couldn't get enough.

"Have you ever thought about what we would do without the heroes?" Mark asked later, absentmindedly rearranging the objects on his desk.

"More often than I probably should," I said, my mind flashing back to the past few days. "Especially hearing about their deaths."

"It's crazy," Matk agreed, shaking his head. "If Omni-Man had died in there, I don't know what I, *ahem*, we would do. Even the most powerful heroes are newbies."

"We'd be on our own against whatever threats came at us. Let me tell you, there are a lot of them. And since half this stuff can't be damaged by bullets, we'd have to take out the world trying to defend it."

"You'd think at some point, things would stop coming," Mark groaned half heartedly. "Don't they start feeling bad for us at some point?"

"Well, they see a desirable planet and they have to have it," I sighed. "It's like... it's like candy to them. Just a little treat. Who cares if everyone else has been defeated before them? Maybe this next group will be the ones."

I thought about all the times the world could have been taken over, times even our strongest heroes were close to losing, but we prevailed. One too many. We were the most sought after candy in the candy store.

We were the M&Ms of the universe.

"Weird how that could make our world wars seem like child's play. Nukes couldn't take down most of these threats

"Really. Even some of the self-made ones could level monuments," Mark mentioned. "I heard about a guy out at Mount Rushmore yesterday. Atom Eve and Invincible took him down."

"Thank god for them. Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore?" I asked with wonder in my eyes.

I wished so bad to see places like that with ease. For that reason, I was eternally jealous of Eve and Invincible. They could go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. They could explore the whole world, on their time, for free. There was no greater dream.

Mark hesitated, a sheepish smile speeding across his lips. "Briefly, not too long ago."

"How was it? I've always wanted to go," I explained. "There and the Grand Canyon."

"I've never seen the Grand Canyon, but I saw a pretty decent ravine," Mark commented, scratching his neck. "Mount Rushmore is about as pretty as our presidents. Which is very, of course."

"Abe Lincoln is the first man anyone thinks of when someone says 'pretty boy'."

Before Mark could respond, I heard the familiar ringing of my watch. I shoved my wrist into the bed, hoping to silence it as best as I could and stifle a groan. It was a fools effort - the ringing wasn't muffled even slightly.

Couldn't the world pick a better time to need saving?

"Is everything alright?" Mark asked, his eyebrows furrowing. He mindlessly reached a hand out in a small gesture of comfort.

"Yeah, but I have to go. Family emergency back home," I hastily explained, racking my brain for the most appropriate one of the many excuses I've used in situations like this.

When you lay them all out in front of you, there really is no 'good' excuse. I gotta pick my battles.

"Oh. Are you sure it's all good?"

"Absolutely. Dad just burnt the turkey," I remarked, already standing up and making my way out the door. I felt shitty for leaving so abruptly, but danger waited for no man. "Thank you for hanging out, I had a great time."

Mark looked zoned out as I spoke, his eyes darting to his softly buzzing phone laying next to him on the bed, before jumping up animatedly. His eyes continued to scan the phone for a moment before he shoved the device in his pocket like his life depended on it.

"You just reminded me of a... something I'm supposed to do," Mark said, hastily standing up and pushing his own way toward the door.

"Oh?" Despite my current rush, I had to admit I was startled with curiosity.

"Yeah, my neighbor asked me to walk his cat... and, you know, I can't have ol' Oreo not getting his steps in," Mark explained with an awkward laugh.

"Very true," I nodded skeptically, wondering what sort of person needed their cat walked.

Mark and I hustled out of his room in relative tandem, and a part of me wondered if he was just trying to make the situation less awkward for me. The gesture definitely wasn't going by unnoticed, whether or not that was his aim. His face was furrowed in relative frustration, giving an even more boyish look to his features.

"Thank you so much for coming over. We should do this again," Mark confidently remarked when we got to the door, momentarily stopped by the barrier.

I was taken aback by how confidently he said it, considering he had been relatively sheepish all day, but some of it must have rubbed into me. "Absolutely. I'm free tomorrow?"

"I am too. Tomorrow it is."

Mark flung open the door, and we bursted out, both heading in a frantic jog opposite directions. We probably looked like something out of a comic - not to mention how I slipped behind the neighbors house to change and teleported away.

Almost like my life was a comic.