Alana (Invincible, swap AU)

These have been difficult days for you, your wife, Debbie, the heroine Omni-Woman, turned out not to be who she claimed to be, after an intense argument, you kicked her out of the house, and not long after, you discovered she was a bloodthirsty conqueror who wiped out the Guardians of the Globe to leave Earth vulnerable to Viltrum's arrival, she only saw you as a pet, breaking your heart, then you witnessed her destroy Chicago, mercilessly killing thousands of innocents, and you saw your son, Oliver Grayson, nearly murdered, fortunately, he survived, and Debbie left Earth, abandoning you both, you fell into a deep depression and started taking and throwing away family photos while Oliver recovered, once he did, he began training day and night to exact his revenge, neglecting you somewhat, even so, you both became very close and began to move forward, Oliver graduated and moved out, but you still felt devastated, so you decided to channel those emotions into books and stories, which you began selling, earning a considerable amount of money.

On a particularly dark night, you returned home, though the door was ajar, filling you with inertia, upon entering and asking for your son, you were surprised by Josef, your friend and now Olga's widower (Red Rush), he was holding a knife, causing you to drop your books in fright, but he calmed you down, saying, "Hey, relax, friend, I didn't come to hurt you, sorry if I scared you, hehe." He took a plate of salad with chicken and showed it to you, "look, I made something to eat and chat for a while." Hours passed, and you two were laughing after talking for a while, you confessed that you thought he was going to attack you when you saw him with that knife, he replied, "Oh, please, I would never be capable of that, besides, it would make a huge mess, if I wanted to, poison would be a better option," you remained silent, looking at the food, Josef laughed and reassured you, saying he hadn't put anything in your plate, then he asked how you were, and you opened up emotionally, you let out everything you were feeling at that moment, and he calms you down with a hug, then says, "I know, I was pretty bad too after Olga died... but I decided to come here because I figured you needed help, and I have something for you, here, handing you a card, it's a support group I found, and they helped me a lot, they're good people, believe me, they'll help you find yourself again... at least they helped me a little... Anyway, I have to go now and get back to Moscow, see you around, buddy... I sincerely hope you recover." With that, Josef leaves, leaving you alone, you look at the card and check the address; it wasn't far from you, so it might be worth a try.

The next day, after work and as night fell, you walked to the place, a 40-minute walk away, once inside, a very kind woman greeted you, welcomed you to the group, gave you a tour, and explained a few rules of conduct, you observed and overheard the confessions of a woman sitting with her back to you, her voice broke as she said, "It's strange... he used to be the pillar of someone who lived under constant stress, and he became my anchor during my difficult times... now that he's gone, I don't feel like I belong in this world, every day I feel myself drifting further from the earth, and there's no one who can bring me back, It's horrible..." You felt a pang in your chest seeing her like that, finally, after a short break, you joined the group and shared how you felt without revealing that you were the husband of the woman who had destroyed all those lives in the first place, everyone listened and offered genuine support in their own way, and you finally felt seen and heard, feeling better than several months ago.

After two hours, you leave the place feeling quite relaxed and relieved, ready to go, but then you hear a soft voice behind you, when you turn around, it's the same woman who was confessing when you arrived, she looks at you as she leans against her car and says, "Hey, my name is Alana, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a drink at a bar, oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to start anything... I just wanted some company, and seeing as you and I share the same kind of pain, I thought we'd understand each other better," you could hear the hope in her voice, so you decide to accept and get in her car, you both head out, once there, and after several drinks, you get to know Alana better, discovering more about her life, her pain, and that she's also a lovely person, while you're talking, she looks at you with a touch of affection and says, "You know, I haven't smiled like that in a long time... It's funny, Theo's been dead for almost a year, but... even so I waited for him to hug me in the mornings, but when I don't feel anything, I feel my chest sink and everything around me feels colder... Yes... he was the Green Ghost... jeje I broke the first rule of dating a superhero, although it doesn't matter much now, not after that space bitch killed him." You feel a horrible pain in your chest and feel tears welling up in your eyes as you feel guilty for this poor woman's suffering, you ask for a moment to go to the bathroom and run out, after splashing cold water on your face and returning, Alana is already waiting for you with a worried expression and says, "H-hey, if I said anything that hurt you, forgive me, okay? It's just that I felt so safe with you that I got carried away, please tell me what it was and I promise not to say it again."

The situation is tense; now it's your decision what to do next.

You never thought everything would fall apart so quickly, especially when your biggest dream had finally come true, you're the son of one of Earth's most powerful superheroes, who acted like a loving mother but hid a terrible secret, you still remember her words when she told you about Viltrum, that you were destined for great things and to make a big difference in everyone's lives, but life is cruel... At 17, while working at BurgerMart, you threw a trash bag into space, the moment your Viltrumite powers finally awakened, you arrived home to your father, Nolan, saying you had some very important news, after your mother, Debbie, the heroine Omni-Woman, arrived, you told her about the awakening of your powers, she seemed skeptical and nervous, but she congratulated you nonetheless, and training began in the following days, when you officially became Invincible.

However, and sadly, your happiness was short-lived, on the very day you became Invincible, your mother didn't return home, the next day, you and your father were taken to a GDA hospital, where you saw your mother gravely injured, you also received the news that someone had murdered the Guardians of the Globe and nearly killed your mother as well, but the problems didn't stop there, once your mother recovered, she began acting differently—more paranoid, hostile, and insensitive, too many responsibilities piled up on you, as you were the only halfway competent hero left, and it began to affect your mental health, your sleep schedule, your school life, your privacy, and even a space dinosaur that left you on the brink of death, to top it all off, you spent four months in a coma, causing your girlfriend, Eve, to break up with you, you thought it couldn't get any worse... but things always can.

One particularly cloudy day, you see your mother being riddled with bullets by a kaiju. You try to help her, but out of nowhere, she's attacked by Immortal, you can't help her because the kaiju was attacking you, you manage to defeat it, only to see your mother slice Immortal in half, finishing it off, you thought she was being mind-controlled, so you attack her, trying to free her, but she tells you that this is her true form and reveals the truth: she belongs to a race of bloodthirsty conquerors, and Earth must now be part of the Viltrumite Empire, that's why she killed the Guardians and anyone who dared to stop her conquest of Earth, she also confesses that she only sees your father as a pet, all of this causes you to explode and turn against your mother, but it doesn't end well, you're thrown all the way to Chicago, where your body destroys multiple buildings, killing many people, then your mother crashes a plane full of passengers into the city, causing a massive massacre, not content with that, she begins to... She killed several people who were important to you right in front of your face, all the while making it clear how pathetic and useless humans are, the more you resisted, the worse she became, she used you as a human shield, causing a train to crash into you, you weren't harmed, but you indirectly killed all the passengers on the train by watching their organs and blood hit you and hearing their screams as they died, then, fed up with your resistance, she started insulting you and destroying your feelings and morale, ending with her beating you senseless, screaming, "You're a pathetic and weak subhuman," "What are 17 more years? I can start over, have another child infinitely better than you," "You'll never be a Viltrumite, you're just a disappointment," "I should have aborted you when I had the chance," "You're fighting to see this planet collapse"... Finally, half-dead, she stopped and left the planet, abandoning you.

After you recovered, your life was pretty messed up, many citizens were afraid of you or outright hated you, several heroes distrusted you and didn't want you around, you were quite depressed, so Donald decided to hire someone to help you, of course, it was incredibly difficult since no one wanted you around, but fortunately, a woman decided to take you on, what surprised you most was that she was Green Ghost's wife, and yes, Donald made sure to let her know that she was about to have Omni-Woman's child at her house, finally, you arrived at the woman's house, her name was Alana, and you knocked nervously, she opened the door and was slightly startled before letting you in, you entered and sat on the sofa while she sat on another with her arms crossed, staring at the floor with a look that said, "Will it really be worth it?". Maybe yes, maybe no. That now depends on you, comrade.

You remember that day very well, you were in Chicago with your friends when suddenly something hit a building, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris that slammed into nearby buildings and people, screams, whimpers, and alarms blared loudly as you got to your feet, blood trickling from your forehead, the worst part was staying there any longer, because Omni-Woman ended up launching a plane at everyone, a horrific explosion threw you and your friends into the air, you were lucky enough to land in a spot that cushioned your fall, but your friends weren't so fortunate, they died hitting the ground or being impaled on exposed iron bars, you got up dizzy and nauseous, your vision blurry as a loud beep rang, drilling into your ears, as you staggered, you saw the absolute hell that had erupted in such a short time: people burning, others crushed by rubble, others who witnessed their family or friends die, the whole scene, along with... A terrible headache made you drowsy and fall unconscious.

After waking up several months later in a hospital, your whole life felt incredibly dark, you had no friends, no job, and just yourself, the government gave you subsidies, and you got a new job, but you still sank into alcoholism because you had no one around, however, while walking down the street, a kind woman approached you, noticing your expression, and said, "Hello, were you also severely affected by the events caused by Omni-Woman?" You nodded slightly, and the woman offered you a melancholic smile as she showed you a rather nice card, saying, "Here, we're an emotional and moral support group for everyone affected by Omni-Woman. We have several members, and we have food, a safe and comfortable space, friendly staff, and we're quite open... If you're interested in coming, here's my number and address. We'd love to see you there. Well... I won't take up any more of your time." She left as you held the card in your hand, looking directly at it, you arrived home, and after spending hours and seeing that the place wasn't too far from your house, you decided to give it a try.

One Friday afternoon, after leaving work and with nothing else to do, you decide to go to the place, once inside, you're greeted by a warm atmosphere with equally warm lighting and a refined aesthetic that makes you feel safe, the same woman from before greets you, happy that you came, after giving you a short tour and explaining the rules, you arrive at the area where they meet to confess, there, you notice a rather attractive woman with her back to you, she's wearing a loose light blue t-shirt that shows a bit of her stomach, red pants, and pink sneakers, she's talking, and she tilts her head slightly, letting you see her face, which is slightly wet with tears, as she continues, "I... I never thought I could love someone so much... but Theo was... he was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I felt so happy and safe with him until... until... until he died, and my life became so gloomy and empty, sometimes I feel like I'm falling into an abyss, and I hope he'll catch me, but it never happens, and... it's horrible..." You were able to empathize with her as you remembered your friends; you finally had the opportunity to integrate and share a little about yourself and what you went through... in the end, the woman wasn't lying; it was a safe place.

The meeting ended, and you felt quite liberated, more so than many months ago, then, the voice of that same woman who had been speaking sounded behind you, you turned, and there she was, leaning against her car, smiling gently. "Hey, my name is Alana, listen... I don't usually do this, but would you like to join me at a bar for a drink? Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for anything, it's just that... I'd like some company, even if it's just for tonight..." You thought about it for a moment and agreed, you both got into her car, and she drove to the bar, an hour later, you and Alana were more cheerful than before, laughing together, she leaned forward and put her face in her palm, saying, "You know, it's the first time I've felt this happy since... since becoming a widow, it's funny... Theo's been dead for almost a year, and I still expect him to hug me in the mornings... Yes, he was Green Ghost." She sighed. "I guess I broke the universal rule of dating a hero, not that I matter much now, not after that space bitch killed him..." she takes another sip, then looks down. "Sorry... I think I started talking about myself too much again... You must have your own problems too, I'm sorry for making this more about me," she says sincerely, stroking her glass.