A Little Secret Between Father and Son

Now that Ryan had said that, it no longer mattered to Homelander whether his son could actually fly.

What mattered most was that his son trusted him.

His sweet son Ryan had even refused to listen to Becca's objections for his sake.

Homie was deeply moved.

Without another word, the rare sight of him shedding the violence and irritability he showed at Vought International amid chaos and idiotic teammates, he found himself drawing on every ounce of patience.

Homelander's gaze was incredibly gentle, an expression that never appeared on his face.

Looking at Ryan, he encouraged him, saying, "Son, maybe you should raise your arms just a little higher."

"Is it because my form isn't right?"

Before Homelander could answer, Ryan continued, "I've never done this before, Dad. Can you check if there's anything else I'm doing wrong?"

"Of course. I'll come over right now, son. Here... here... yes, that's it. That's the angle."

"Try again."

"Okay!"

Becca's heart was about to break at the absurd sight before her.

Her beloved Ryan was actually getting along intimately with her sworn enemy, playing out a father-son moment right before her eyes.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Becca didn't want to endure it any longer. In a strangely calm voice, she said, "Ryan, take a break if you get tired. Mommy's going to the supermarket."

"Okay, Mom."

After that, even looking at Homelander made Becca feel sick. She turned and left.

She got in her car and drove straight out of the community, heading without a backward glance for the estate where Dr. Vogelbaum lived. He was Vought International's chief scientist and had once been in charge of the Homelander project.

Not long after she had driven out of the community, Becca's gaze suddenly shifted from the road ahead to the distant sky beyond her passenger-side window.

Two figures were flying freely there, facing each other and moving slowly.

"Skreeee—"

The tires smoked as she slammed on the brakes, grinding to a halt against the pavement.

Becca covered her mouth, shocked and helpless. She muttered in disbelief, "Impossible. Ryan... how could he have learned to fly so quickly?"

This was Ryan's first time soaring freely through the sky since unlocking the ability to fly.

The wind tore past him, and the Earth's gravity tugged at his body, keeping his speed from breaking the sound barrier.

But that didn't matter!

The sky stretched endlessly above him, and the wind swept around him, carrying freedom with it. The moment he came to a stop, an exhilarating rush surged straight into his heart.

For eight whole years, he had lived under his mother's strict control and the ever-present cameras, hiding his true nature, suppressing his instincts, and dutifully playing the part of a well-behaved child.

All those years of patience and pretending had worn him down, body and mind. The repression and restlessness he'd built up inside were close to spilling over. That kind of extreme suppression was more than an ordinary person could endure.

Or rather, it was something no ordinary person could do.

Ryan's mental state was a little troubled too, a family trait passed down from his father, Homelander, and grandfather, Soldier Boy.

Even his mother, Becca, was somewhat obsessive.

"Son, I know how that feels. I love flying through the sky too."

Homelander stood beside Ryan and rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "You're still pretty slow, though."

"That's okay, Dad. I'll train you."

"One day, you'll fly as fast as I do."

Ryan quickly came out of his earlier emotional state.

By the time he turned around, his eyes were bright and his face was full of excitement.

"I really can fly! By the way, Dad, how fast can you fly?"

Homelander immediately put his hands on his hips and proudly replied, "I can fly faster than the speed of sound."

Ryan tilted his head. "Faster than the speed of sound? How fast is that?"

"Uh..."

Homelander couldn't explain it. He had never learned physics.

He was about to say, "I'll take you for a spin and you'll see," when he suddenly remembered that his son's body might not be able to withstand flying at supersonic speeds.

So he dropped the idea.

It was from this moment on that the plot of The Boys began to veer off course.

When had Homelander ever considered what other people could withstand?

Never.

But when it came to his own son, he found himself thinking about Ryan's body, afraid he might get hurt.

"Hey!"

Just as Homelander was wondering how to describe his incredible flying speed, Ryan let out a soft sigh.

A hint of caution and worry crossed the young boy's face.

While Homelander looked on in confusion, Ryan spoke quietly. "Dad, can I tell you a secret?"

"Huh? Oh, of course!"

"I actually noticed a long time ago that something wasn't right."

Ryan frowned. "I noticed that people in the community, like Uncle Ram, Grandma Susan, and Aunt Jessica, do the same things every day."

"None of their smiles seem genuine."

"Sometimes I can hear them saying strange things, but Mom tells me I'm imagining it."

"Wait, Ryan. You can hear them talking? From how far away?"

"From places where I can't see them."

Ryan's seemingly innocent answer was actually part of a plan he had been working on for some time.

He wanted to reveal his existing superpowers to Homelander bit by bit and make them a little secret between the two of them.

See? I haven't even told Mom, but I've told you everything.

What does that mean?

I trust you, Dad.

Is there anyone else in this world who treats you like that?

Homelander's attention shifted.

His thoughts moved from Ryan inheriting his superpowers to this sudden heart-to-heart between father and son. It warmed him, as if the distance between him and his son had grown smaller.

Ryan waited a moment, then continued, "I didn't want to worry Mom, so I never talked to her about it again. Dad, is the world I live in real?"

"A lot of the time, I even think I'm like Walter in the cartoon, that everything's already been decided for me."

As Ryan spoke his final words, a powerful fury surged through Homelander's heart, one he could barely hold back.

Already decided for him... an experimental subject!

His only family, his son Ryan, was a test subject for Vought International, just like him!

In an instant, Homelander was transported back to his terrible, dark childhood.

"Never!"

"What?"

The red glow of Heat Vision boiled like lava in Homelander's eyes, but the moment he saw his son beside him, it quickly faded.

His Heat Vision had stopped going Berserk, but Homelander's eyes had somehow turned red. "I mean, son, I'm going to take you away. The world you live in is... will you come with me?"

It was fake.

Homelander swallowed the words.

He was afraid the cruel truth would crush his young son's heart.

Ryan's mouth fell open in surprise. "What about Mom? What will happen to her? I can tell that Mom's scared of you, but I can also tell you're a good dad. I don't want to leave Mom all alone."

"Leave it to me. I'll take her with us."

Ryan shook his head. "Mom won't like that. I don't want to make her angry. Dad, can you tell me why Mom's afraid of you?"

Homelander was at a loss for words.

What mortal wasn't afraid of him? Even Madelyn, whom he'd treated like a mother, had eventually told him the truth: she was afraid of him.

So Homelander had killed Madelyn without mercy.

After a long while, Homelander finally said hesitantly, "Our relationship, uh... isn't very good. You're still young, son. You'll understand when you're older."