Word Count: 405 words

Characters: Buddy Pine/Syndrome, Mirage

Summary: He didn't deserve love. He didn't deserve to live. He was a monster.

Mirage knew Syndrome had bad days. Days where he couldn't be the evil mastermind he'd dreamed of being and needed to take a break. But Syndrome refused to take a break. He refused to even consider that he might be human and needed to take a day off.

And that was how Mirage found him, as a human, slumped over his desk and mumbling softly.

"Sir?" She walked cautiously towards the man. He would never harm her, she was sure of that, but it didn't hurt to be careful. Syndrome jerked, awareness suddenly rushing back to him.

"Mirage? What-" She bit down on her smile, trying not to grin at the way his hair was smushed against his face or laugh at the line of dry drool that stretched down to his neck.

"You fell asleep sir." Syndrome nodded absently, his brain still trying to pry itself from dreamland.

"Oh." Mirage couldn't contain her smile and gently pat the man on the shoulder, assessing his emotions briefly. There was the ever present anger that his father had instilled in him and the bone deep sadness that Mr. Incredible's rejection had left behind. Nothing out of the ordinary then.

"I'll leave you to your work." Syndrome reached out, hand just barely brushing against Mirage. He knew she could feel his emotions, hell he was practically projecting them.

"Mirage?" Sadness. Why did everyone he love leave? Why wasn't he enough?

Fear.

Would he ever be enough? Could he ever be enough? Maybe his father had been right after all. He was just a worthless piece of shit.

Regret.

Why couldn't things be the way they were?

"Yes, sir?" Mirage turned back towards the man, fingers twitching. He needed her, that much she knew, but was he willing to admit it?

Anger.

Fuck why was this so hard? It shouldn't be this hard, it had never been this hard. When had he struggled to talk to his sister?

Resignation.

She'd leave him, just like everyone else. She didn't care. He'd dragged her into this. Ripped her from the semi-safety of under his bed and into the harsh reality of life. God, he was a monster.

Acceptance.

He pulled back, hand falling back into his lap as he turned away from Mirage. Monsters never stopped. Monsters didn't deserve love.

"I- Nevermind." Defeat.

Mirage shook her head, backing away from the man hunched over blueprints and prototypes.

After all, monsters never slept.