Chapter Text
It wasn’t unusual for the Fairness Association Hospital to be surrounded by press, it was a little unusual for them to be on Alex’s floor. The third floor was where only non-superhero related injuries were treated - mostly broken bones and the odd laceration. The news crews huddled in the waiting room, cameras trained on the large swinging doors leading to the medical rooms.
Alex wormed his way through the crowd, subtly using his powers to nudge them into making room as he passed. Nobody even noticed as he made his way to the nurses station donned in purplish-blue scrubs, coffee in hand.
“Superhero family in room eight,” said the nurse as Alex approached.
“Shouldn’t they be upstairs? Or downstairs?” Alex asked, a bad taste spreading over his tongue. He hated heroes, and even more when they were places they weren’t supposed to be.
“It’s their son. He’s hurt his leg. Can you help out Dr. Smith? I have to get these cameras out of here.”
That was the last thing Alex wanted to do but he forced a smile on his face anyways. “I’d be happy too,” he said as the awful taste in his mouth spread like an oil spill, churning his stomach with disgust. He took a sip of his coffee to wash down the bile and entered the exam room.
Dr. Smith stood with a chart in hand, talking to an older-looking couple. Alex had expected them to be in uniform, but instead they stood there in civilian clothes - the mom in a pristine dress and the father in a suit and tie. On the exam table sat a vaguely familiar looking boy, his face contorted in a tight grimace. His pant leg was rolled up to reveal blue and purple bruises mottling his skin. The dad had a hand on his shoulder, while the mom gently held one of his hands in her own.
“Ah, you’re in luck. Alex here is one of our finest interns,” said Dr. Smith as the door shut quietly behind him. “Best healing powers of anyone on this floor. He’ll do great things someday.”
“Happy to be of service,” Alex said with as charming a smile he could manage, setting his coffee down on the desk.
“I wish we could get that kind of initiative from Morgan,” said the mother as she squeezed her son's hand.
“I’ll let you know when my healing powers come in,” said the teen.
“Don’t be surly, Morgan,” warned the father. His expression might have looked friendly but Alex didn’t miss the way Morgan ducked his head at the admonishment.
“Do you mind if Alex takes a look? It’s always good to get more experience with these kinds of things.”
“Of course,” said the mother. “We’d be happy to help Alex’s education.”
“How about you, Morgan? Is that alright?” asked Dr. Smith.
Morgan met Alex’s eyes for the first time. Something dark flashed behind them but only for a moment. Then it was gone.
“Whatever you want,” said Morgan with a shrug.
“Thank you for being a team player, Morgan,” said the father. He squeezed Morgan’s shoulder lightly.
Morgan made a soft noise of acknowledgment but didn’t look in his direction.
Alex stepped up to Morgan’s side, holding his hand over his leg. “Is it okay if I-?”
“Whatever,” Morgan said, eyes briefly flickering to Alex’s face before they dropped to the floor again.
Alex lightly touched Morgan’s leg with the tips of his fingers, careful not to press down too hard. He knew the moment he looked at him that his leg was broken. He could even see the exact point of the breakage and how extensive the damage was. If he’d wanted he could have pinpointed every broken blood vessel as well, but he chose not to go that far. Besides, the Doctor didn’t need to know how powerful he really was. No one did.
“What happened?” Alex asked, trying and failing to meet Morgan’s eyes again.
“Poor Morgan here twisted his leg playing football with his brother,” said the doctor. “That’s the problem with superpowered kids, huh?”
Morgan’s lips twitched, almost like he wanted to laugh, but there was nothing mirthful in his face.
“His Tibia is fractured. I don’t think it needs surgery, but you’d know better than I would.” He knew it didn’t need surgery.
“Excellent observation, Alex,” said the Doctor, patting him on the back. “And how long until it heals?”
“A few weeks?”
“Close. About a week and a half and your son will be back to normal. He’ll have to get a cast in the meantime. ”
The mother smiled. “We’re so happy to hear that.”
“Alex, why don’t you get started on Morgan’s cast and I’ll get mom and dad checked out?”
The parents followed the doctor back to the front desk while Alex opened the drawer and pulled out his supplies.
“So what really happened?” Alex asked as soon as everyone was out of earshot.
“What do you care?”
“Venting about stupid heroes is the best part of my job,” said Alex as he rummaged through the drawers for his supplies. That was half true at least.
“... They want me to be my brother’s sidekick,” said Morgan after a moment of silence.
“Your brother did this?” Reason Number One for why Superheroes suck, Alex thought.
“No, my dad did it when he pushed me out of the way,” Morgan sighed. “He didn’t mean to hurt me. ‘The Villains won’t go so easy on you, Morgan,’” he said with a mocking voice and an eye roll.
“Isn’t being a sidekick nearly always lethal?” Reason number two.
“You’re telling me,” said Morgan. “That’s what happens when your powers suck.”
“You know, if you cry they might let you have the good painkillers,” said Alex with a wink.
For the first time Morgan almost smiled. It flickered on his face for half a second, then fell away into an even deeper frown.
“No way. They won’t even let me take an advil.” Reason number three.
“They sound like assholes.”
“I think you just became my new favorite person.”
“I think you just became mine,” said Alex with a wink.
***
When Morgan finally made eye contact with Alex he almost didn’t believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was the former Adonis of Capital City High School. He’d been captain of every team, smartest in every class, and even the teachers loved him. While Morgan was serving detention for putting spy cams in his teachers desks, Alex was working part time as a superhero. Never in a million years had Morgan dreamed of talking to him, and yet there he was in front of him.
“I think you just became my new favorite person,” said Morgan.
“I think you just became mine,” said Alex, winking at him. When he smiled it was that perfect, charming smile that Chad spent hours every morning in the mirror trying to perfect, and yet Alex had done it so genuinely. Still, Alex was obviously a hero in the making, and for that reason alone Morgan could never trust him.
It wasn’t long before his parents came back and Alex finished setting Morgan’s cast.
“We’ll see you in a week or so, Morgan. Remember to get some rest and keep off that leg,” said the stupid hero doctor.
“Will do,” said Morgan, swinging his uninjured leg off the examination table.
“Need help?” Alex asked, offering his arm.
“Of course he does,” said the Mom. “Morgan, thank the attendant.”
“Thanks,” said Morgan, barely repressing his eye roll. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to shove Alex down in protest, but he refrained and leaned against him as he helped him slid onto his uninjured foot.
“Intern,” said Alex, making a face at Morgan as soon as the parents' backs were turned.
Morgan almost laughed. Almost. But every part of himself still capable of feeling joy evaporated as soon as his parents were back in the same room as him.
“Weren’t those doctors lovely?” Mom said as they pulled out of the hospital parking garage. The doctor had escorted them down the staff elevator so they could escape the building unnoticed.
“You could have been nicer to that attendant, Morgan,” said Dad.
“He’s an intern,” said Morgan,leaning his head against the window. Not like I had time to make him cookies.
“Oh? Did you two talk much while we were out?”
“Not really. We just talked about his job a little.”
Mom turned around in her seat, looking at Morgan with a twinkle in her eye. “Maybe you can intern there? I’m sure they always need someone for cleaning up? They probably have lots of jobs for non-superpowered people.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Morgan said. He’d stopped trying to remind them he had superpowers long ago.
Thankfully the rest of the car ride passed in silence until they pulled up to the large modern home at the end of the street.
Morgan was quick to clamber out of the car, hobbling on his crutches for the front door. Someone - probably Mom - telepathically opened it for him. As soon as he stepped into the house he heard footsteps running towards him and braced himself for the inevitable.
“Morgan! My sidekick!” Chad enveloped Morgan in a hug that pinned his arms to his side and lifted him off the ground.
“Get. The fuck. Off,” Morgan said through gritted teeth. He dropped his crutches and winced as a sharp pain spread through his upper body.
Diego came racing down the stairs after him, quick to step between her brothers.
“Chad! let him go,” Diego said as she pried Chad away.
Morgan leaned against the wall to keep from toppling over.
“Be careful with your brother,” said Dad. “Not everyone in this house has super strength.”
“Are you okay, Morgan?” Diego asked, cupping his head in her hands and staring intently into his eyes.
“I’m fine, it’s just a fracture,” he said, softening up a bit.
“And this is why we train. Because the villains won’t pause and take you to the hospital if you get hurt,” said Dad. “I hope you kids remember that.”
“I know,” said Morgan. “I’m gonna go get some rest.”
“I still expect you to keep practicing after school tomorrow,” said Dad.
“What?”
“Not with a broken leg,” said Diego.
“The villains don’t take breaks so neither do we,” Dad said with a tone that meant the conversation was over.
Morgan grimaced. He could already feel the bruises forming on his back, chest, and sides as he struggled to keep up with his superpowered siblings. He tried not too, but sometimes he hated them for not pulling their punches - especially Chad, who was so eager to please their parents he’d break every bone in Morgan’s body to do it.
”He just doesn’t understand his own strength,” said Diego, as she helped Morgan limp into their parents' waiting car. Chad had hung back, staring out at them from the window as if he was the one who’d been injured. ”I know that doesn’t make it okay.”
”When you’re the one ‘walking off’ a broken leg you can talk to me about who’s at fault," Morgan hissed back.
”I wasn’t blaming you," Diego said. ”He just-”
Morgan was jolted out of the memory as Chad attempted to pick him up in a bridal carry. Fortunately, Diego pushed him back before he could.
“He doesn’t need your help, Chad,” she said, picking his dropped crutch off the ground and handing it back.
“But I can carry you!”
Morgan tucked the crutch under his arm and hobbled away as quickly as he would, overly aware of Chad’s attempts to follow him back to his room, and the sound of his parents praising voices as they commented on ‘what a good boy’ Chad was. He closed the door and locked it behind him, not that it mattered much when half the family could phase through walls.
As he curled up in his bed he couldn’t stop thinking about Alex and how his glowing yellow eyes seemed to burn right through him. He wondered what he would say if he’d seen the bruises on Morgan’s back, or knew this was his fourth hospital visit in the past six months.