The first ray of morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the half-closed curtains, drawing a thin golden line across the carpet.
Homelander lay in his bed.
He was covered with a gray cashmere blanket, its corners neatly tucked in.
Of course, he hadn’t tucked them in himself; he never tucked in the corners of blankets.
The apartment door closed softly with a click.
Footsteps faded down the hallway: firm, powerful.
Benjamin had left.
Homelander opened his eyes the instant the door closed.
He wasn’t drunk.
His body, modified by Compound V, metabolized alcohol more than ten times faster than a normal person’s.
The effect of those few glasses of whiskey had completely dissipated in less than twenty minutes.
He had remained sober the entire time.
Including when Benjamin pushed the third glass of whiskey toward him at the bar and said:
“Drink slowly, don’t choke like a little girl.”
Including when he pretended to be drunk and collapsed on the table, and when Benjamin put an arm around his shoulder and half-dragged, half-carried him back to Vought Tower.
…
Including right now.
At that moment, Homelander, with his eyes closed, felt a blanket being opened and gently spread over him.
The movements were clumsy and stiff, clearly not the hands of someone used to doing that sort of thing.
Then Homelander felt that hand pause for two seconds above his head.
With his abilities, he could clearly feel a warm palm suspended in the air, seeming to hesitate whether to land, before finally withdrawing.
After the door closed, Homelander opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and pulled the blanket up to his chin.
He took a deep breath.
Dinner with family…
having a drink with your father.
Being carried home after getting drunk, having someone tuck you in.
These things, in the world of ordinary people, become routine from childhood.
But it took him thirty or forty years to experience them for the first time.
He turned over, buried his face in the blanket, and the corners of his lips curved in a way he didn’t even notice.
[You made Homelander feel the discipline of a stern father and the deep love of a caring father.]
[Although he became very sad upon learning that you were disappointed, your encouragement made him very happy, and you are teaching him to be a real man, a very good child.]
[Reward obtained: Nuclear Shockwave Level 3 upgraded to Level 4.]
[Current abilities:]
· Nuclear Shockwave Level 4: Can release high-intensity radioactive energy, capable of incinerating everything and eliminating Compound V from the target’s body.
· Super Strength Level 6: Possesses the super strength of an elite Super.
· Super Durability Level 5: Invulnerable to blades and bullets, immune to conventional thermal weapons and most Super attacks.
· Self-Healing Level 5: Extremely high cellular activity, can rapidly repair fatal wounds.
· Radiation Resistance Level 5: Completely immune to nuclear radiation and all harmful rays.
· Super Speed Level 1: Possesses the speed of an average Super.
· Immortality: The body remains permanently at its peak state.
Damn it.
Benjamin, who had already left, was speechless.
What about his Super Speed and flight?
Why were the rewards always abilities he didn’t use frequently?
Still, the upgrade to Nuclear Shockwave should reduce the recharge time for releasing his nuclear explosion and increase the damage.
Soldier Boy felt that now, after using Compound V1, he was probably on par with Homelander from season five, or even a little stronger.
That is, of course, if that bastard son of his didn’t use Super Speed and flight to toy with him.
Nine in the morning.
At Vought Tower,
When Benjamin stepped out of the elevator, he saw Starlight standing at the door of his office in the distance.
Today she wasn’t wearing that golden suit; she had changed into a dark blue training uniform and had her hair tied up in a high ponytail.
She looked as energetic as a freshly fired cartridge.
She held her phone in her hand, constantly scrolling through the screen, with an excitement she couldn’t suppress on her face.
Benjamin walked toward the door and pulled out his keys.
Starlight looked up; her eyes were bright enough to serve as a flashlight.
“No, Soldier Boy~ Last night, on my way back to my apartment, I ran into two men cornering a girl in an alley.”
Benjamin’s hand stopped at the lock, and he turned to look at her.
Oh, the plot of the first season.
You’ll stop laughing soon, you foolish girl.
“I beat them up~”
Starlight spoke quickly, as if she had been holding back all morning and finally found someone to trust.
“Two bad guys.
One tried to run, I grabbed him by the neck and threw him into a trash can.
The other tried to fight back, and I knocked him out with one punch!”
Benjamin pushed the door open, leaned his shield against the desk, sat in his chair, and looked at her.
“Good job, Starlight.”
He said,
“Although you seem quite naive, like a big idiot, no, like a big fool, I’m happy for you.”
Starlight ignored the curses.
She stood at the door, very pleased.
“Thank you, Soldier Boy.
You’re a very good person.”
“By the way, I called you an idiot because the PR department will give you trouble later.
But don’t pay them any attention.
I’ve got your back, idiot.”
Benjamin said:
“You saw two men harassing a woman, you intervened, and you beat them up.”
“That’s called doing the right thing.
From now on, whenever you’re sure it’s the right thing to do, do it, understood?
Don’t worry about what might happen with the PR department.”
Starlight was perplexed.
She hadn’t thought of that…
“It shouldn’t…
it shouldn’t happen, the PR department…”
Soldier Boy waved his hand, indicating for her to leave.
At that very moment, Ashley, with a stern face, appeared on high heels and took Starlight away.
Starlight followed Ashley, cautiously observing her face and remembering the harsh words that had just come out of Soldier Boy’s mouth.
…
After being scolded, Starlight lowered her head and returned to Benjamin’s office.
“I…
I didn’t think it would end up like this.”
“That’s why I said this damn place is rotten to the core.
Always thinking about profits, always putting on a show.”
“You should already know that damn Vought sends scripts, all kinds of scripts, where superheroes fight crime, but those crimes are just actors.”
“But when a real situation arises that requires a superhero, Vought won’t let you do it.
Isn’t this place rotten?”
Benjamin ranted, cursing at Vought.
“Sir, I think you’re right.”
Starlight nodded, looked at Benjamin, and a sparkle appeared in her eyes.
Perhaps Soldier Boy, Homelander, and Queen Maeve were the true superheroes.
Ah, and of course, herself.
“Don’t pay attention to the PR department, don’t pay attention to Vought.
Go do your good deeds.
Fuck them.”
Benjamin pointed at Starlight.
Starlight blushed, ignoring the last part.
She knew it was just Soldier Boy’s characteristic phrase, not a real intention.
“Thank you, sir…”
Starlight said, then suddenly thought of something, took out her phone to check the time, and quickly added:
“Sir, can we have lunch together?
At twelve, at the Italian restaurant downstairs.”
“Sure.”
Starlight turned and left the office, her steps as light as if she were walking on springs.
…
At 11:50 AM.
Homelander stepped out of the elevator with his hair meticulously combed.
He had purposely arrived ten minutes early, thinking he could chat with his father about what happened the night before after drinking, like whether he had said anything embarrassing while drunk and how his father had brought him home.
Also, about the event this afternoon.
He mentally reviewed these questions with a casual smile on his lips, turned the corner of the hallway, and headed toward Benjamin’s office door.
The door was open.
No one was inside.
He took out his phone and, discreetly, scrolled through Starlight’s social media page.
The latest post was from three minutes ago and showed a plate of freshly served pasta, tagged at the Italian restaurant on the ground floor of Vought Tower, with an incredibly handsome Benjamin in the photo.
Homelander shrugged and spread his hands.
Well, Dad was trying to pick up a girl.
He couldn’t say anything.
Homelander called Maeve, but Maeve was also busy.
…
At 3:00 PM, in the Vought Tower press room.
Journalists from major national media filled the three hundred seats.
At the back, a dense network of cameras, formed by filming crews, focused on the two people on stage.
The flashes created an endless electrical storm.
Homelander stood in front of the microphone, wearing his iconic suit, his cape hanging straight behind him.
Benjamin stood half a step to his left, his shield hanging from his left arm, his dark green suit reflecting a calm gleam under the rain of flashes.
“Today I want to announce something to the people of the United States.”
Homelander’s voice was clear and solemn, with a seriousness rarely seen in him.
“Soldier Boy —Benjamin— from now on, is my father.”
“It’s not a story, it’s not a Vought PR strategy, it’s not anyone’s agreement.”
“He is my biological father.
In the biological sense, and he is also whom I willingly acknowledge.”
The audience was silent for a full second.
Then the flashes exploded, the sound of shutters so dense you couldn’t hear your own heartbeat.
Countless hands rose in unison, and all the journalists shouted questions.
Vought’s PR department had arranged a separate interview session for them.
The CNN journalist was the first to stand up, pointing her microphone at Homelander:
“Mr.
Homelander, publicly acknowledging a father-son relationship that had not been previously revealed, what does that mean in your life?”
“It means…
everything,” Homelander said.
“He is the first member of my true family.”
The journalist turned to Benjamin: “Mr.
Soldier Boy, is there anything you’d like to say?”
Benjamin thought for a moment and then brought the microphone closer.
“Hello, I’m Soldier Boy…
Fuck, shit, everyone knows who I am, why do I need this introduction phrase?
Damn Vought, Edgar, fuck you all.”
The journalists exchanged puzzled glances.
Benjamin was a little annoyed, but soon continued,
“As for what I want to say, my son is the most powerful superhero in the world…”
“From now on, I will properly teach him to be a true superhero and to benefit the people.
But before that, if anyone harasses my son…”
He paused,
“—They’ll have to go through me first.”
Several journalists from recognized media outlets tilted their heads and took notes frantically.
A young journalist looked at Soldier Boy with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Homelander glanced sideways at Benjamin, the corners of his lips slightly twitching.