The mountain lake glittered like scattered diamonds beneath the afternoon sun, its crystal waters perfectly mirroring the surrounding pines and distant peaks.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of wildflowers and fresh earth, nature continuing its natural actions, seemingly oblivious to how drastically the world had changed in recent months.
Mark sat at the water's edge, absently tossing pebbles that skipped across the surface before disappearing beneath the pristine waters.
Beside him, Eve leaned against his shoulder, her pink energy lazily forming shapes in the air above them – butterflies, flowers, other patterns that dissipated into mist before reforming into new creations.
Always training her control, like Thragg advised.
They had flown here seeking solitude, a rare moment of peace away from the constant craziness that now was their lives.
No training sessions with Viltrumite instructors. No superhero business. No reporters asking for statements about Earth's integration into the Viltrum Empire.
Just them, the mountains, and the thoughts they'd been avoiding for weeks.
"Do you think I'm a hypocrite?" Mark asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them.
Eve turned to him, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Where is this coming from?"
Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Ever since the ceremony where Thragg became Emperor."
He picked up another stone, turning it over in his fingers. "I've given Thragg such a hard time since he arrived. I resisted everything he tried to do. I questioned his motives, his methods, his right to rule Earth."
"That seems pretty reasonable, considering he conquered our planet," Eve pointed out.
"Yeah, but that's just it." Mark skipped the stone with more force than necessary, creating a series of violent splashes.
"My dad did the exact same things Thragg has done. Maybe worse. He conquered worlds. He participated in genocides.
He was sent here to prepare Earth for takeover. And yet I love him. I forgave him. I never once questioned whether he deserved to be in my life."
Eve was quiet for a moment, considering. "Your dad is... your dad. It's different."
"Is it, though?" Mark turned to face her fully. "Or am I just making excuses because it's convenient? Because I want to believe my father is better than Thragg, when maybe they're not so different after all?"
The question hung in the air between them.
"I think..." Eve began carefully, "I think relationships are complicated. Your feelings for your dad exist alongside the knowledge of what he's done. Both things can be true at once."
Mark nodded slowly. "I guess. But lately, I've been noticing something else too." He hesitated, as if reluctant to voice the thought. "I've been... not hating Thragg as much. Sometimes I even find myself respecting him. Listening to him. Looking forward to our training sessions."
A small smile played at the corners of Eve's lips. "I've noticed."
"He's become like... an uncle to me. And now that's literally true, with the whole 'son of Argall' thing." Mark shook his head in disbelief.
"If someone had told me six months ago that I'd be thinking of Thragg as family, I would have said they were insane."
"Life has a way of surprising us," Eve said softly, her hand finding his.
They sat in silence for a while, watching a pair of eagles circle high above the lake.
"Can I tell you something?" Eve asked finally, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "Something I haven't told anyone else?"
Mark squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Of course. Anything."
Eve took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the distant mountains. "I think I might be a hypocrite too. Maybe worse than you."
"What do you mean?"
"I've always prided myself on being compassionate, on caring about justice and doing what's right.
I became a hero because I wanted to help people, to make the world better." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "But the truth is, I'm selfish too."
Mark waited, giving her space to continue.
"Thragg has been..." Eve struggled to find the words. "He's been like the father I never really had."
Understanding dawned on Mark's face. He knew about Eve's relationship with her father – the emotional neglect, the constant criticism, the absence of support or affection.
"He believes in me," Eve continued, her voice growing stronger. "He pushes me to be better, but he also recognizes what I can do. He actually listens when I talk.
He remembers the things that matter to me." A small, incredulous laugh escaped her. "The Emperor of the Viltrum Empire remembered my birthday, Mark. My own father never did that once."
"I didn't know that," Mark said softly.
Eve nodded, blinking back unexpected tears. "A few weeks ago, he asked about my research into molecular manipulation at the quantum level.
I mentioned it once, in passing, during a training session. I didn't think he was even listening. But then he brought it up again, asked how it was progressing, offered resources to help me explore it further."
She created a small, perfect rose from her pink energy, watching as it rotated slowly above her palm. "My dad would have told me I was wasting my time, that I should focus on something else since he hates my powers.
But Thragg... he saw the potential. He understood why it mattered to me. That it is a part of me."
"That's... not what I expected," Mark admitted.
"I know. And that's what makes me feel like such a hypocrite." Eve closed her hand, the energy rose dissolving into nothingness.
"Because I know what Thragg has done. I know the worlds he's conquered, the lives he's taken.
I know he's done terrible things. But when I'm with him, learning from him, seeing the way he's changing... I don't want to hate him anymore."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think I love him, Mark. Not romantically, obviously, but... like a father. And that feels so selfish.
So wrong. How can I claim to care about justice when I've essentially adopted the universe's most feared conqueror as a father figure?"
Mark was quiet for a long moment, processing Eve's confession. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle. "I don't think that makes you selfish, Eve. I think it makes you human."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not just our principles or our politics or our moral judgments," Mark explained. "We're people, with complicated emotions and needs. You needed a father who actually saw you, who valued you.
Thragg, for whatever reason, has become that person. That doesn't erase what he's done, but it doesn't make your feelings invalid either."
Eve leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "When did you get so wise?"
"Probably around the time an alien dictator took over Earth and turned out to be my uncle," Mark replied with a wry smile.
They both laughed, the tension of their confessions easing slightly.
"You know what's strange?" Mark said after a while. "I keep waiting to feel guilty about this. About not hating Thragg anymore.
About seeing the good in him alongside the bad. But I don't. I just feel... relieved."
"Relieved?"
"Yeah. Like I've been carrying this weight of resistance, of opposition, and now I can put it down." Mark gestured at the peaceful lake before them. "The world didn't end when Thragg took over.
In some ways, it's better. Disease rates are down. Poverty is being addressed. Wars have stopped. Crime is at historic lows."
"And we're not free," Eve pointed out.
"Aren't we?" Mark countered. "I mean, we're sitting here, having this conversation. We can go where we want, do what we want.
The only real difference is that there's someone stronger than us making the big decisions."
"Someone who wasn't elected," Eve reminded him.
"True. But was the world really doing such a great job of governing itself before? Were the people we elected solving our problems?" Mark shook his head.
"I'm not saying Thragg's way is perfect. I'm just saying... maybe it's not as black and white as I thought."
Eve created another energy construct, this time forming a perfect replica of Thragg in his Battle Beast coat, standing regally with his arms crossed.
The detail was impressive, down to the subtle expression of authority on his face.
"He's changing too," she said softly. "Have you noticed? He's becoming more... I don't know if 'human' is the right word, but more connected. Less cold."
"Amanda's influence, probably," Mark suggested.
Eve nodded. "Partly. But I think it's more than that. I think Earth is changing him, just like it changed your dad. He's learning from us, even as we learn from him."
The miniature Thragg dissolved, replaced by a tiny replica of Amanda wearing the crimson cape. Eve smiled at her creation. "They're good together, aren't they? As weird as it still seems."
"Definitely wasn't on my 2025 bingo card," Mark joked. "But yeah, they work somehow. She makes him more approachable. He gives her the stability she never had."
"And he actually listens to her," Eve added. "I've seen him change his mind after talking with her.
The Emperor of thousands of galaxies, reconsidering his position because a human woman offered a different perspective."
Mark leaned back on his elbows, looking up at the clear blue sky. "So where does that leave us? Are we traitors to humanity for not fighting harder against Viltrumite rule?
Are we hypocrites for loving people who've done terrible things? Or are we just doing the best we can in a complicated situation?"
Eve lay back beside him, her shoulder touching his. "Maybe we're all of those things. Maybe none of them.
Maybe labels like 'hypocrite' and 'traitor' don't really matter when you're trying to navigate something as unprecedented as this."
"So what does matter?" Mark asked.
Eve turned her head to look at him, her expression earnest. "I think what matters is that we stay true to ourselves, even as we evolve.
That we keep questioning, keep growing, keep trying to understand this new world we're in. That we use whatever influence we have to make things better, not worse."
"And what about Thragg? About my dad? About all the complicated feelings we have for people who've done things we can't fully reconcile with our own values?"
Eve was quiet for a moment, considering. "I think... I think we accept that love isn't rational. That it exists alongside our principles, not in service to them.
That we can love someone and still hold them accountable. That we can see the good in them without denying the bad."
Mark thought about her words for a moment, gained a frustrated expression on his face, until it changed into a more calm one as he then rolled onto his side, facing her.
"You know what? I'm tired of feeling guilty for not hating the people I care about. I'm tired of wondering if I'm betraying some faceless people because I love people who are good to us."
"What are you saying?" Eve asked, turning to mirror his position.
"I'm saying that maybe it's okay to be selfish sometimes. To prioritize the people we love over ideals. " His voice grew more passionate as he continued. "I love my dad, despite everything he's done.
I respect Thragg, even knowing his history. I care about this new world we're building, even if it came about through conquest. And I'm done apologizing for any of that."
Eve's eyes shone with something like relief. "So am I. I'm done pretending that I don't see Thragg as the father figure I always wanted.
I'm done acting like I'm not proud when he praises my progress or values my input. I'm done feeling guilty for caring about someone the world says I should hate."
Mark reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "When did we start caring so much about what the world thinks anyway?"
"Probably around the time we put on costumes and started punching bad guys," Eve replied with a small smile.
"Well, maybe it's time we cared a little less about labels and a little more about what actually matters."
"And what matters to you, Mark?" Eve asked, her voice softening.
"The people I love," he answered without hesitation. "My mom. My dad. You." His hand lingered on her cheek. "Keeping you all safe, happy.
Building something good out of all this change, even if it's not what anyone expected. Even if it means doing things that might seem wrong to people who haven't lived what we've lived."
Eve's hand covered his. "That sounds pretty good to me."
The air between them seemed to shift, filled with something that has been growing these past months.
Mark leaned closer, his eyes searching hers. "Is this okay?" he asked softly.
In answer, Eve closed the distance between them, her lips meeting his in a kiss that felt both new and familiar, as if they'd been moving toward this moment all along.
Her arms wound around his neck as his encircled her waist, pulling her closer.
When they finally separated, both slightly breathless, Eve smiled. "I think Thragg will be insufferably pleased with himself when he finds out his matchmaking worked."
Mark laughed, resting his forehead against hers. "Let him be smug. He's earned it."
"He has, hasn't he?" Eve agreed, her fingers tracing patterns on the back of Mark's neck. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about the Emperor of the universe playing Cupid."
"Just another crazy thing to add to the list," Mark said, pulling her close again. "But right now, I don't really care about that either."
As their lips met again, the sun began its descent toward the distant mountains, casting long shadows across the lake.
They didn't care anymore. They wanted what they wanted. Had what they wanted and that was enough. More than enough.
It was everything.
---------------------------
(Author note: So, Thragg has succeeded, Mark and Eve are together, finally.
Well, do please tell me how you found Mark and Eve's perspectives.
Did you like them this chapter?
Also, do keep in mind Thragg's influence has made them more... well, more contemplative, more formal in speech a bit, just more.
So yeah, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)