#sinhawk

almost all of them stopped wearing their suits 24/7 , instead opting for more casual clothing when not doing superhero work much like mark . maverick even convinced mark to let him get some cool piercings on his lips , ears , eyebrow , and nose to stand out a bit more . of course , to further stand out , his style was primarily a goth-style look with mostly blacks and dark blues , much like his costume .

to absolutely no one's surprise at this point , some of them started dating . mason (one of the invincibles who wore no mask) started going steady with a guy who went to upstate university (and just so happened to look very much like william) , mercury (the invincible who previously wore viltrumite attire but without the mustache) and maxwell (the invincible with long hair) ended up together , and maverick began dating malachi (the invincible who everyone used to refer to as 'sinister invincible' or 'sinister mark' , the one with the cape who brutally and ruthlessly murdered angstrom's son in his dimension) .

the former villain has to admit , though , that this new life , this new chapter ? it's ... thrilling . at first , it was admittedly scary to just dive into a new life , a new identity , and a new relationship (especially with a guy , but hey , maverick ain't complaining as long as he and his partner fuck every once in a while , and boy , does malachi deliver on that) , but over time , it became easier to settle down .

hell , cecil even helped them all get places of their own , with mason and his boyfriend being able to stay in the same dorm (of course mason had to enroll himself into college with mark and william's help , deciding on a degree in astronomy) , max and mercury living in a studio apartment in downtown chicago , and maverick and malachi settled comfortably in a two-story house near mark's place (which actually made meeting up with mark to do their scheduled patrols much easier) .

it was around this time that malachi learned that his viltrumite biology allowed him to carry a baby , so he and maverick decided shortly after to stop using condoms when they have sex . it took a couple tries , but eventually , they both were overjoyed when the pregnancy test showed a positive result .

since then , malachi has been more strict to at least try and stick to a ... healthier diet that didn't consist of human flesh , but occasionally , the cravings were too overpowering and he couldn't help himself .

little do they both know that this will lead to a tragic consequence that they'll have to come to terms with ...

" c'mon , man , keep up ! you're going to miss anybody that may need help ! "

maverick rolls his eyes at mark's demand as he puts his phone in his pocket and zips it up , flying faster to catch up to mark . the sun is starting to rise , and he can't help but marvel at the beauty ...

" maverick ! seriously ?! "

" jesus christ , marky , calm the fuck down ! " it's mark's turn to roll his eyes at the nickname that his variant gave him a while back . " not like there's much of anything going on this early . "

" still , you wanna be diligent and focused , just in case . " mark then mutters under his breath , " jesus , you're just like oliver sometimes ... "

maverick groans and switches his position so his back is facing the earth , soon gazing up at the sky that is still kind of dark .

his phone soon rings in his pocket with the familiar ringtone he set specifically for malachi , and mark is about to snap at him again , but maverick holds a finger up to silence him as he answers it .

" hey , sexy , " he greets , mark groaning in exhaustion next to him as he hears that , " what's up ? did you need—"

" come home , " malachi's voice is unusually shaky , almost as if he's trying not to cry , " please ... i need you here ... "

" hey , " maverick's voice takes on a softer , gentler tone as he halts his flying , " you okay , kai ? "

" just come the hell home , maverick !!! please !!! "

" go , " mark says to him , " i'll see if max or mason can help patrol . "

maverick nods and gives him a small smile before turning and heading back home .

the scream of agony and sound of something breaking before the line goes dead makes his heart drop into his stomach , and he propels himself with a sonic boom , making his flight faster .

maverick's landing is a bit rough as he descends in their front yard , but his thoughts aren't on how the lawn looks when he's nearly breaking the front door off its hinges and rushing upstairs .

his thoughts are only on malachi and what might have happened . however , he's in for a shock as he enters their bathroom , this door already hanging off of the top hinge .

malachi is at the sink , fingers gripping the edge of the marble countertop so hard that his knuckles are turning pale . the mirror is shattered , bits of glass decorating the counter , sink , and floor , and his cell phone is also shattered into pieces at his feet . he's silently crying now , head hung low and tears flowing quickly down his cheeks as his shoulders shake and his breaths come in shudders and harsh gasps .

before addressing his partner , maverick takes a glance around the rest of the bathroom , which looks like a violent tornado ripped through it . however , there's one thing about it that makes his eyes widen in horror and then fill with tears as he draws in a sharp inhale ...

... the menacingly large puddle of blood in front of the toilet . maverick's eyes stay glued to it for what feels like hours before he finds the strength to tear theem away and instead look at his partner .

" ... kai ? "

" ... "

" hey . " he walks over to him as if he's approaching a frightened deer , his fingers cautiously brushing against his shoulder . " baby , i'm here . i'm home . i came as fast as i—"

malachi quickly grabs onto his boyfriend , the wails that penetrate the silence echoing off the walls , and maverick's heart just shatters .

" i'm right here , " he whispers , voice trembling as he himself tries desperately not to just break down . his eyes betray him in that moment , though , as tears begin to run down his face .

there's a buzz coming from his jeans pocket , indicating an incoming text (most likely from mark or cecil) , but he ignores it as he carries malachi over to the bed , feeling his boyfrieend's frame shaking as he lets out wail after wail .

they stay like that for the next few hours , maverick rocking malachi comfortingly , until the sun sets and enshrouds their bedroom in darkness , the only light coming from the moon outside their window , and they both fall asleep restlessly in each other's arms .