Chapter Text
A giant smile cracks across his face as she covers hers entirely with her arms.
“I KNEW IT!” he loudly celebrates, “I knew I was your favorite!” He rushes over to her, happier than ever.
“Yeah, so?” She responds muffled from her self-made cocoon.
He huffs with a smile, and leans over her, “You act like this is nothing.”
“It is.”
He rolls his eyes, and picks her up from her chair, holding her like a hero would. She panics for a moment, looking at him like he's crazy.
“That’s a lot of hearts for nothing.” He says, moving his face closer to hers.
“Whatever.” She says, pushing his face away, “Just put me down.”
“Just admit I’m your favorite.” he says, pretty pompous and not letting her go.
“It’s not very hero like you to hold someone hostage.” She says, folding her arms.
“All you have to do is say it. Really, you’re holding yourself hostage.”
“What are we going to do...” Buddy says, pacing, his robotic feet creating a rhythmic tap on the hard rock floor.
Mirage huffs, “Why do you even ask when you’re not willing to actually take care of things?”
“Mirage, you know why we can’t just kill him.”
“Oh, because your precious Vee would be heartbroken,” She begins with a mocking tone, but quickly switches to a bitter one, “just like she is every time you do something she doesn’t like. But somehow, she survives, and comes crawling back to you, right?”
He stops for a moment and looks at her.
“...When did you get so mean?”
She looks at him and slowly turns away. She gets up, and heads for the door, her heels clacking against the floor, echoing around the room.
“Wait, babydoll-” he says moving after her, but as soon as his claw touches her shoulder, she breaks down crying. “...Honey, what’s wrong?” He wraps his arms around her, looking at her worried, “I-I'm sorry about what I said, I didn’t think you’d take it to heart-”
“But you’re right...” She sobs, holding onto his cloak. “But you’re also wrong, and terrible, and great, and awful, and...” She inhales sharply, and cries out her words, “We’re you ever as good as I thought you were?” She looks up at him with wet, glistening eyes. She looks back down at her hands as a few tears fall on to them. Her knuckles are turning white. “Or... do I just feel... guilty...?”
He looks at her, fear overcoming him for a moment. He pulls her in closer, putting his head on top of hers and a claw through her hair. “It’s okay. I already said it’s okay, there’s nothing-”
“But it’s not!” She pushes away from him. “You’re so horrible sometimes it makes me nauseous, and you’re so perfect other times I wonder why I ever doubted you. It’s never just fine with you, it’s always either amazing or fucking terrible.” She grabs her hair tight as she breathes hard, her anger and tears spilling over. Her green eyes pierce his red one. “But you know the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
She stares at him, and he stares back.
“You forgave me. And that’s something I’ll never forget.”
She leaves, tears still welling in her eyes. She closes the door gently on her way out.
He looks after her, not knowing what to do.
“What are we doing to do, Bob?! You send him on this insane mission based on a hunch, and for all you know, he could be in jail right now for harassing a regular citizen!” Helen says, stretching her neck over his shoulder as he sits at the kitchen bar, reading through the entire year's worth of newspapers.
“I know what I saw. It was her.” He says taking a sip out of his coffee cup.
“Oh yeah, then why isn’t it covered in any of these papers then, Bob? You’re searching for someone who doesn’t exist anymore! And more importantly, Dash is who knows where, doing who knows what, and won’t even get punished for it because of his spineless father!”
“Sp-” he takes a deep breath, “You know what, I’m going after him.” He says, taking the jacket off the back of his chair and putting it on. He gets up and starts walking towards the door.
“Oh great, just what we need, half the house lost on some- some wild goose chase!”
“What do you want from me, Helen? To get him, to not get him, what do you want?!” He says, annunciating his last few words.
The pair notice a small, blue, glowing, star-like blip above them. Bob puts his hands on his hips as Helen folds her arms.
“Alright, Jack. Come on out.” He says, looking around.
“...I don’t want to.” He says in an echoey, fourth dimensional voice.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Helen says, looking around as well.
They see a flash of blue light, and Jack Jack around the corner down a hallway, his eyes looking wet and sad. “I... don’t like when you fight.”
They rush over to him, “Oh, buddy, we weren’t fighting, right honey?”
“Yes of course, just a discussion. That’s all.” She says picking up Jack Jack.
“It’s a loud discussion.” He says, clinging to Helen’s arm.
They look at each other for a moment. Their sad eyes linger.
“I’m sorry. To both of you.” He says, kissing Helen on the forehead, and patting Jack on the head. “I didn’t mean to push it so far.”
“...I’m sorry too. I’m just... worried is all. Especially since it's been hours and he’s still not home.”
“Which is why,” He pauses for a moment, putting a hand on her shoulder, “I need you to trust me.” He says with a smile, a genuine one.
She looks up at him, and then back at Jack Jack. “I just... what if he’s upset with us? And that’s why he hasn’t come back yet?”
“Well, then, when I find him, I’ll apologize.”
She smiles as she puts a hand on his. He gives her a kiss and heads towards his car.
“My arms are getting tired.” Kid jokingly complains.
“Just put me down then.” Veronica responds, her arms folded. “It’s not hard.”
“I will when you say it.” He huffs.
She teases him, leaning into him a little as she says, “It seems like you already know, so what difference does it make?”
“I just... want to hear you say it.” He says, turning away from her.
“Psh...” She looks up at him and then closes her eyes as she puts her head against his chest. “You’re just going to keep standing here?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“So stubborn...” She smiles.
Ten minutes pass.
“You’re really committing to this.” She says, a little surprised he hasn’t given up yet.
“I don’t give up easily.” He says unwavering.
Thirty minutes pass.
“You’re not tired?”
“...Not at all.” He says, looking at her face. First her long eyelashes, and then her cute flat nose, and then her lips.
An hour passes. And he’s still standing there, as strong as a tree. He only moves with a sudden flinch when he hears a knock on the door, causing him to stop his staring.
“Oh, let me get that-” she says, pushing away from him, trying to get down.
“Oh no,” he says holding her tight, “You’re just getting out of it.”
“I’m not, I swear, I just need to check-” She turns back to him to see him very sour and upset. She sighs and says, “Fine. I’ll say it, but you have to put me down first.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
He lets her down, and she goes to check the door. She opens it to find a charcuterie board of various snacks: grapes, small cheese cubes, pretzels and the like. And with it is a small handwritten note, and in fancy, very loopy, cursive letters it reads, “snacks for your friend.” Veronica sighs, taking the note and crumbling it, putting it in her pocket. She turns back around to face Kid with an overly happy smile on her face, saying, “We got snacks!” But she sees him looking very defeated, like a sad dog, sitting on the floor and leaning against her bed.
She walks over, setting the board on her bed and sitting on the edge. She pats the bed next to her, but instead of going there, he shuffles over to her, putting his folded arms on her lap, and rests his chin on his wrists. He looks up at her, and then back down sadly.
She sighs with a smile and runs her fingers through his hair. “It really meant that much to you, huh?”
“Well, you promised...”
She looks over at the board a little apprehensively. Anything from Mirage can’t be trusted, especially food, but at this point, she’s running out of options. It’s either this, or... nothing, really. She takes a grape off the board, and holds it in her hand for a moment, rolling it on her fingers. She looks at Kid with sadness in her eyes. If only things were different.
She feigns her smile from before and lifts his chin up gently. “Kid Incredible...” She says looking down at the grape as she places it in his mouth.
“You’re my favorite superhero.”
He smiles at her, his ears and face turning red. But only for a moment is he able to, as after he eats the grape, his eyes roll back, his body goes limp, and he hits the floor.