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“What the hell are you doing here?” The genuine tone of Alex’s voice sent a wave of annoyance through Morgan. Three months since they’ve talked and yet Alex was acting as if it’s only been a few days.
Morgan looked over at Alex with an unimpressed eyebrow raised.
“Uh, my job?” They gestured around themself to point out the crime scene around them.
“That,” Alex pointed at Morgan’s colorful uniform, “is not your job.”
“I think this whole ‘sidekick’ thing was my calling all along, actually,” Morgan’s voice remained casual despite the growing tension in the room.
“Morgan!” The urgency in Chad’s voice was undeniable as the A-Tier hero ran to step between Morgan and Alex, “I won’t lose you again!”
Chad’s stance was braced to pounce on Morgan, to grab them and run at the drop of a pin. He had always been wary of Alex’s reformation, insisting it was a matter of time before Morgan would find themself back under the S Tier’s spell. Morgan just rolled their eyes.
“It was never mind control, Chadster.”
”Why the hell are you here, Morgan?” Alex took a step forward, ignoring Chad all together.
Morgan, that very same moment, decided to start ignoring Alex all together.
”Chad, if-“
”Name!” Chad hissed, still eyeing Alex.
Rolling their eyes Morgan began again, “Chadster, if you stay to chat with the clean up crew I’ll head back and write the report up.”
Chad seemed confused for a moment, stuck on how Morgan is volunteering to do the paperwork fit for a sidekick when normally they’d argue tooth and nail to avoid doing something as dull as writing a report on a fight. When the moment stretched just beyond the comfortable point Morgan decided to take the silence as affirmation.
“Awesome, it’ll be on your desk by morning, Boss,” they saluted a goodbye and pretended not to hear Alex calling after them.
Unfortunately, they didn’t count on Alex chasing after them a few moments later.
“Morgan! Morgan, please!” There was a desperation in Alex’s voice as they rounded the corner.
Morgan stopped and waited, one eyebrow raised unimpressed. After a moment they waved their hand toward Alex, cueing the other to talk again.
Still, Alex stood staring a moment longer before uttering out, “You’re not a sidekick.”
”Actually, according to the Board of Registered Side-“
”You can’t be Chad’s sidekick,” Alex crossed his arms iin front of his chest.
“Everyone loves a redemption arc,” Morgan’s smile is anything but sincere as they recall the words spoken to them a few months ago.
“Fuck a redemption arc, this is imprisonment.”
Morgan couldn’t help the dry laugh that barked out, “So you can go hero but if I try and swap sides it’s imprisonment.”
”When I went hero I chose a partner, not to follow the orders of some asshat.”
Partner. That’s what Morgan had always considered they were to Alex. They still remembered inviting Alex to their high school reunion, the reluctance Alex had shown when accepting the title of Morgan’s partner-in-crime. In the moment Morgan had figured they had chalked it up to the surprise of adding a new label to an important friendship. But now, hearing Alex so easily give this label to their new hero fling…
“I like the job security. It’s a lot harder to ghost a sidekick than a partner.”
A brief emotion flashed in Alex’s eyes before they met Morgan’s with a trace of guilt lining their voice, ”So this is about me leaving?”
Morgan’s glare turned icy as they stepped toward Alex, “I don’t need you.”
”Really? Because it looks like once I left you became everything you never wanted to be.”
”At least these people are genuine to me,” Morgan was gritting their teeth as they tried to force words out their mouth.
Alex had the nerve to look offended, “What the fuck does that mean?”
”At least Chad tells me all I am is a sidekick. There’s no ‘partner’ bull crap”
”It’s not crap-“
”You’re the strongest entity on the planet, Alex,” Morgan’s voice caught on the name although they tried to push through it, “hardly balanced out with some heart-eyed hero.”
”You of all people should know partnering with me isn’t about what I can do with my powers,” Alex spoke slowly and controlled but there was a raw vulnerability leaking from their voice.
Morgan laughed again, a bit hysterical.
More than a bit hysterical.
“Me? Of all people? You’re gonna hit me with that ‘you know me’ shit after three months of absolutely nothing.”
”So I was supposed to just become the world’s greatest superhero while hanging out with a D Tier bank robber on the regular?” Alex was defensive.
“So I just don’t get a say in my best friend going AWOL?”
Alex scuffed, “I didn’t realize I needed your permission.”
”You didn’t need permission you just needed to say goodbye! You needed to tell me that this choice was worth it! That it makes you happy! I wouldn’t stop you from that, I’d never stop you from that.”
Tears were falling freely down Morgan’s face.
Alex’s face was blotchy, stained with an abundance of inescapable and uncomfortable emotions. They stood there for a second, aware that this moment was very fragile, aware that they had to be careful with their next words. They were upset, confused, frustrated, but being emotional could lead them to burning a bridge they knew they’d never be able to handle loosing. They opened their mouth to speak but then closed it again. And again. And again.
Finally Alex took a calculated step forward and spoke, “Brief or formal?”
Morgan’s expression fell into one of complete confusion.
“The report,” Alex clarified, “We making it brief or formal?”
”We?” Morgan seemed ready to spill into another argument but Alex didn’t give them the chance.
“You won’t sleep at all tonight if you try and take this onto yourself.”
”You think you get to just-“
”No,” Alex’s sincerity made Morgan pause, “No, I don’t expect anything. I don’t expect this conversation to be anywhere near over anytime soon, but it’s a conversation I’d like to still have. You have work to do, I’d like to help an old partner out.”
Morgan is silent for a moment before turning to walk away. If Alex didn’t have enhanced hearing they might’ve missed the “formal” Morgan grumbled out.