Chapter Text
"Donald tell me what we have"
"All the guardians of the globe are dead sir, and Omni man is severely injured"
"What!!?"
Cecil couldn't believe what he was hearing, well maybe he did cause he had always suspected something was up with omni man but the guardians of the globe- that, that he did not except.
"I am a member of the world betterment committee who was sent to help and protect planet earth", Bullshit he had thought.
Nobody would ever do that stuff from the great and kindness of their heart, ( although in this case he was send to, still it really suspicious that someone would just come and be willing to help like that) he had gotten he's team to investigate it but nothing had come up, nothing until now of course
"Donald found out who did this."
"There is no surveillance footage Sir."
" So, what you are trying to say is that the guardians of the globe are dead and we have no fucking footage of what happened."
SHIT
He gulped trying to swallow something. Shit- the world could be royally fucked if there was no one to protect it, Omni man was the best they had and now he was injured, it took a lot to injure him and he knew that because he had tried- A LOT.
See when a person had power like that, you don’t know when they are going to lash out and hurt everyone. You had to be very prepared when they did, and he had a feeling that for Nolan it was going to be soon and he WAS NOT prepared. You have two options you see, you either learn to control the persons and keep them in line or KNOW that you are prepared when they do lose control unfortunately for Cecil, he had not done either at the moment.
"Donald tell teen team the news and tell them to take over for now" he said rubbing his temple, he knew the team would not be able to handle all the chaos, hell even the guardians couldn't handle it they mostly needed backup on missions from Omni man who's is now injured - FUCK.
"Will do sir. "
"And could we also send Nolan's son - Mark Grayson to help the teen team?"
"Sir respectfully I don't think Debbie would agree or like that very much" he stilled.
Debbie.
He stood frozen in place while his heart was trying to jump out of his body.
Debbie.
"Sir I could go talk to her since I know how you two have your differences" Donald said hesitantly.
Sighing Cecil replied, "I don't hate her."
"OH trust me I know" he said not as his employee but as a friend, a friend since high school well maybe not friends since they were in different groups and never really hung out all through high school but I guess it still counted. I mean they had gotten well when Cecil had become director, he had been the only one who had tried to be his friend and not shut him out like the rest of his employees had done.
In a warning tone he replied "Donald"
"Sorry Sir, I got carried away" he said apologetically, apparently it wasn't the time to joke around (it never was with Cecil)
"I know now please go and try convince Debbie to allow Mark help the team" he said shooing his friend away.
"Of course, sir" Donald proceeded to walk out the room.
He would not let Donald of all people or anyone in fact intimated him, although this was not the case for Debbie. Every time he thought about her which was more than he would like to admit, he's mind and body would experience "things" he didn’t know exactly what they were, but he knew they felt good, happy, euphoric.
He didn't know what it was , her hair, her eyes, the way whenever she was truly happy and smiling, her one dimple or her left cheek would just slightly appear or how whenever she was cooking she would always hum the same tune over and over again. How did he know this again?
And how... no no NOO! she was married and it would never work, he doesn't like her (lie?) And she definitely doesn't like him which is why he should never have these thoughts or at least that is what he told and has been telling himself for the past 20 years.
"Damn I’m pathetic", he mumbled under his breath. Entering and slamming his office door, he sighed while talking a seat on the leather black chair.
He liked his room it felt safe, warm, and isolated from the cold tragic world. Although today his room felt particularly chilly, but he put it off as something wrong with the thermostat or his glacial personality finally catching on to his surroundings. It wasn't his fault though, well maybe only partially, if you also got trapped in a flesh- disintegrating gas were you felt every cell in your body slowing get destroyed ,if you even felt a fraction of the pain of having the gas penetrate your dermis and saw your skin on the floor like a pile of clothes you just took off. I highly doubt you would be able to move on from that. But HE was Cecil Stedman and he could move on from anything, even if it were seeing your skin melt on the floor and seeing your life flash well in this case(melt) in front of eyes.
There was something or perhaps someone he could not move on from but he didn't like to think about that too much.
Sighing he slowly opened his folders to see what he had to do for the day, he picked up his pen and shivered??
He let out a breath and... wait why did he suddenly feel so cold and why could he see his breath, fortunately for him it didn't take him long to figure it out, there was nothing wrong with his thermostat or his glacial personality for that matter that was all fine what wasn't though was an intruder being in his office.
Angrily growling he got up from his sit" I know you are there,come out Demon."
"Fine" Damien Darkblood appeared in front of Cecil from thin air with his notebook in hand like he had there the whole time waiting or perhaps looking for clues, Cecil did not like that, his office was HIS and his alone and he really hated when people invaded his privacy although he was so willing to do it to other people... people he didn't want name or think about at the moment or ever in fact, he tried and failed to convince himself.
"Why are you here Demon" he asked sounding annoyed.
"You know he done it" the creature said rattling its red tail.
Red like the rest of him, red like blood but just a shade lighter, you could not say the same for his soul though, his soul was nothing but darkness and terror.
"Who did it?" Cecil asked sounding infuriated, he hated the creature - he belongs in hell he thought, where the rest of those damned devils belonged but he put that thought aside because he knew he needed to hear what the demon had so say.
"You know who" it said circling Cecil who was also doing the same, like they trying to size each other up- see who was incredibly powerful although they both knew the answer.
Cecil might not have wanted to admit he knew who the person was but maybe he did, just maybe, he really didn't want it to be true because if it were then that would mean...
"Unless you have any proof of it, then it cannot be him" he said angrily.
"You human you all same refuse to accept what front of you."
"Go to hell" he said, his voice full of wrath "before I send you there myself and believe me I will.”
Damien of course did not want to test that theory, he didn't even bother to say anything back only put his hat back and did the same for his notebook while his body started to slowing become transparent and he disappeared once again into thin air, like he had never been there.
Cecil released a sigh of relief but just as he was about to catch his breath the doors suddenly budged open and Debbie came darting in.
Fuck.
"He's not doing it” she shouted “ and how dare you not tell me that my husband is in a coma and on top of that- the guardians of the globe are fucking dead" she spilled confusion and fury plastered all over her face and in her words.
"I send Donald" he said, his face showing nothing but annoyance whereas his heart well his heart was panicking beating harder than what should be considered healthy, blood rushing everywhere in his body. He didn't like seeing her because every time he did, every time he breathed her scent, he heard her laugh, it reminded him that he would never be hers that she would always be Nolan's and that there was nothing he could do about that.
"I know" she said scornfully "but that doesn't make it any better Cecil, we are talking about my husband and my son here "I can't lose both, I can't", she confessed tears starting to spill on her cheeks, “I can't lose both.”
Cecil restricted the urge to go and touch her, hug her, comfort her- he couldn't, he wouldn't so instead he fisted his hands and shoved then in his suits pockets "Look Debbie" Damn why did he say her name, he should never say her name, he doesn't deserve to say her name "I promise I will do me and my teams best to not get Mark killed on missions or severely injured in that case - if it gets too much for the team we will pull him out. I promise " he said, his tone serious.
"Please Debbie" he needs to stop saying her name, dammit! It did something to his body, mind, and soul- her everything for that matter even if she was angry at him even, if she showed nothing but distaste it didn't stop him from loving every second of it and loving every part of... no no NO!
" Fine" Debbie finally said annoyed but mixed with a sense of understanding, "but he needs to back for dinner and no overnight missions."
" I can’t promise anything but I will try my best" Cecil said his body filled with relief 'maybe we aren't totally fucked' he thought, of course he still needed to train mark but he wouldn't worry about that for now, now all that mattered is that she agreed and that she was alone with him, he could pretend for just a millisecond pretend she was his and he was hers however that thought quickly vanished when she said...
"Right, now that we settled that, where the hell is my husband?"
Clearing his throat and mind he replied " of course, sorry we are keeping him at the GDA ( global defence agency ) where we also keep and monitor superhuman threats, I will send my team to escort you there" of course he couldn't bring himself to accompany her or tell her that he suspected her husband on the heinous crime that was committed.
"Ok thank you, I better go" she said wiping her tears and slowly turning towards the exit, Damnit she was leaving him, he needed a little more time. Just a bit more.
"Debbie wait" he said desperately, he should tell her - not leave her wondering, who knew when Nolan was eventually going to wake up, he shouldn’t leave her in the dark like that but being the coward, he is and always has been...
"I just wanted to say that I’m here if you need me."
"Fuck you Cecil" she said exiting and slamming his door.