You'll Turn into a Lizard? No? Then...

The more desperate the enemy got, the steadier I had to remain.

Over the next two weeks, the script went through a cycle of repeated rejection, revision, and then more rejection and revision.

During that time, Homelander's mood kept swinging back and forth.

He worried that the public increasingly wanted to see how he would perform in the movie after losing his superpowers, yet he also kept trying to reject the premise that he would lose his powers.

That was so unlike Homelander!~

Time passed as Stormfront grew more and more irritable, The Boys grew increasingly anxious, and Stan Edgar's plans became ever more secretive.

Everyone was hoping the movie would start filming as soon as possible, so they could each get what they wanted.

Until...

"Dad, I have a present for you."

Homelander, who had known about it for a long time, finally got to see the day arrive.

He took the little box from Ryan and pretended not to know what was inside. "Son, what's this?"

Ryan kept the answer to himself and simply raised his wrist for him to see.

"Look, Dad."

A children's watch was strapped to Ryan's slender wrist.

At the center of the watch face, the most noticeable feature, besides the hands, was a black button.

"Last time I flew off to play and my phone lost its signal, you got really worried. So I secretly asked Ashley to make this."

Ryan opened the box. What he showed Homelander wasn't a matching Wristwatch, but a small badge meant to be worn on the chest.

Its outline reproduced Homelander's signature starburst design, and it matched the uniform he always wore. Once pinned on, it wouldn't look out of place at all.

Ryan picked up the badge and floated over without another word, holding it against Homelander's chest. "It's a communicator just for you, Dad. Only the two of us can use it."

"That way, the next time my phone loses its signal, all I have to do is press the button..."

Ryan pressed the button on his Wristwatch.

The badge already pinned to Homelander's chest immediately began to emit a series of faint buzzes.

The sound was quiet, but to father and son, who both had Super Hearing, it was as clear as normal speech.

At the same time, the badge began receiving satellite signals through a tiny hole on its front and pinpointing its location.

Then a laser beam shot into the air, forming a signal indicator that could adjust its direction in real time.

At that moment, the marker was pointed at Ryan, standing in front of Homelander.

"Now you'll never have to worry about not being able to find me again."

Late at night, in a house Homelander had kept hidden.

It was a place that belonged to him alone.

After Madelyn's death, it had become his refuge whenever he felt lonely, sad, or wronged.

But this time, he was overjoyed. For the first time, he even felt the urge to share his feelings with someone else.

Yet after thinking it over, he sadly realized that this was apparently the only place he could come to, the only place where he could let go of everything and pour out his heart.

"Madelyn, did you know I have a son? Oh, I've told you that already. Ha-ha! He gave me a present today."

In the quiet house, Homelander's eagerness to share his news was like a child who'd just received a birthday present.

"Look, doesn't this badge go well with my uniform?"

A gentle female voice answered him. "Yes, it looks great."

"Good. I really like it. It's the first present I've ever gotten." He nodded, apparently very pleased with Madelyn's reply.

Then he shifted his position, making himself more comfortable as he lay with his head on the woman's lap. His expression relaxed, too.

The woman gently patted him again and again, as if soothing a baby to sleep.

Suddenly, Homelander, who had been lying with his eyes closed and seemed on the verge of falling asleep, asked a question that had nothing to do with what they'd been discussing.

"Can you turn into a lizard?"

"A lizard?"

The woman exclaimed in surprise. Afraid Homelander would get angry, she hurried to answer, "I've never tried, but if you bring me a lizard, I can give it a shot!"

"Homelander, you know I'd do anything for you."

"That's what Madelyn said, too. But in the end, she told me she was afraid of me!"

Homelander opened his eyes and stared at the familiar face. "Are you afraid of me?"

The woman, wearing only a thin nightgown on the sofa, shuddered. Then her whole body began to tremble.

As she shook, her entire body twisted and swelled.

Homelander was taken aback. By the time he recovered, he realized he was lying in the arms of a fat man.

He lifted his head in pain and turned it away, trying to avoid touching the man's body or looking at his revolting appearance.

"Damn it, change back. Now."

"Y-yes. I-I am afraid... No, no, I'll change back right away."

As soon as the man finished speaking, his body began to change again.

The nightgown that had been stretched tight loosened once more. His figure slimmed down, and his fragrant hair fell across Homelander's face.

Homelander managed to calm down and lay back in the woman's arms. "Madelyn, Ryan really is wonderful. He's thoughtful, he loves me, and he isn't afraid of me!"

"I-is that so? That's good."

The shapeshifter Madelyn was practically numb with fear.

He truly had no idea what had gotten into Homelander today. The man kept startling him, and it was terrifying.

Hadn't he said he'd received a gift from his son? Shouldn't he be happy? Why did he now look like someone who'd suffered a terrible injustice but could only keep it bottled up?

He isn't going to kill me, is he?

Just then, Homelander said something that sent a chill down her spine.

"He's starting to have ideas of his own!"

"What? I-ideas?"

"The whole movie script is basically following his ideas. I've tried changing it many times."

"But every time, he finds a way to change my mind. He can even make me happily accept his ideas. Don't you think he's got a mind of his own?"

"I-I don't know!"

The shapeshifter Madelyn was close to losing his ability to maintain the transformation.

To keep himself from dying, he tried to soothe Homelander the way he usually did, slowly moving his hand downward...

"Smack!"

Homelander clamped a hand around his arm. "You make me sick!"

"No! Please... don't kill me!"

"I can turn into a lizard. I really can..."

Homelander placed his other hand against the man's jaw.

He had always known this wasn't Madelyn, but a pathetic, despicable shapeshifter with not a shred of dignity or personality.

A substitute for someone he was emotionally dependent on.

But now, he no longer needed that substitute.

"W-why?"

Crack—

A bone snapped out of place, and the shapeshifter's head bent backward. He was dead.

Homelander casually tossed him aside and had no intention of answering his question.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, either. One moment he felt happy, and the next he was angry.

After leaving the hidden place where he would never return, Homelander sped back to Seven Tower.

As soon as he returned, Ashley, who had been waiting outside his room, immediately reported, "Sir, everything's ready for tomorrow's opening ceremony."

"It's scheduled for eight in the morning. Should I arrange a car for you and Ryan?"

"No. We'll fly..."

Homelander was about to explain how they would arrive at the ceremony the next day when he happened to meet the eyes of Ashley's new assistant.

The heart that had calmed down a little after killing the shapeshifter suddenly grew restless again.

With an impatient wave, Homelander said, "Ashley, you handle it. Let Ryan go ahead tomorrow."