Don't Stay Out Too Late

The office was filled with the relentless clatter of keyboards as suggestions appeared one after another on the screen before Homelander.

The screen clearly listed the recommended approach: go along with Ryan's idea and don't spoil anything in advance. But you could tell him:

"Son, this movie is based on things that really happened to me. They just exaggerated the villains' strength a little. I'm Homelander, the most powerful superhero in the world. I'd never end up in such a sorry state."

After the suggested dialogue, the special task force thoughtfully provided Homelander with the reasoning behind it.

You should continue to emphasize your absolute strength. This will help build Ryan's psychological dependence on you and make him truly feel the sense of security his father—that is, you, Homelander—provides.

Homelander's gaze swept across the screen.

Years of honing his public image had made his tone immediately fit the suggested dialogue, and he even infused it with heartfelt emotion.

"Son, this movie is based on..."

"But, Dad..."

After a brief pause, Ryan continued with the question he had carefully prepared. "Is there really no one in this world who can give you trouble?"

"If someone is so strong that no one can hurt him, wouldn't other people be afraid of him?"

"Dad, are other people afraid of you?"

As soon as Ryan's words landed over the phone, Ashley, who had been standing nearby with a smile, abruptly clenched her folder. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her clothes.

The office fell utterly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

Homelander's gaze slowly passed over everyone in the room. His Super Vision let him see through their bodies with terrifying clarity. He could see that every heart in the room was pounding like a drum, surging like a wave.

After a few seconds of silence, Homelander waved his hand. The others fled the room in disarray, as if granted a reprieve.

Only after everyone had left did Homelander murmur, somewhat bewildered, "Afraid..."

He whispered the word, and a trace of loneliness flickered in his eyes.

He had always been invincible, believing himself above all things. He had never seriously considered the question until he killed Madelyn.

He had thought about it, but he couldn't understand why.

"I was born strong, unmatched by anyone. The world should love and respect me. I always thought that was what it meant to be strong."

There was a stubborn defiance in Homelander's voice.

But his tone softened in an instant, leaving only a father's tenderness. "I... never chose to become a hero so people would fear me, Ryan..."

He lowered his eyes slightly, his voice growing even softer, with a hint of cautious uncertainty. "In your heart... does Dad scare you?"

"Of course not! You're the best dad in the world!"

Ryan answered firmly and decisively, his voice full of genuine affection and dependence, as if he couldn't hear the pretense in Homelander's words.

"Because I know you love me. No matter what happens, I know you'll protect me."

At that answer, Homelander's tense back suddenly relaxed. The inexplicable emptiness and loneliness in his heart seemed to be filled in an instant.

His throat tightened. The aura of a powerful supe vanished, leaving only a childlike awkwardness and a moved, gentle warmth.

So everyone was afraid of him, but his own son wasn't.

So there was someone in this world who simply saw him as a father.

After what seemed like a long time, Homelander finally gave a quiet chuckle. His voice was hoarse in a way even he didn't notice. "That's good... That's good..."

He raised a hand and gently rested it against the window, gazing out at the city, bustling yet cold.

"Ryan, you know, I never had a father or a mother. All that stuff they said in the promotional materials was fake. I... I actually grew up in a laboratory."

"Huh?!"

Homelander sounded as if he were talking to himself, yet also as if he were confessing to Ryan. "I just want to be everyone's hero, someone people can like and trust.

"But in the end, it seems you're the only one willing to come near me, my son."

Ryan fell silent for a moment on the phone.

He had always understood what Homelander was saying.

But he couldn't keep understanding it any further. He was too young to touch the deeper layers of Homelander's inner world.

Today's scene should end here.

Ryan shook his head, holding his phone, and said in confusion, "Dad, I don't really understand what you're saying. I just know you're my superhero!"

That simple, honeyed remark struck the softest, most vulnerable place in Homelander's heart.

Homelander closed his eyes, his lashes trembling. Obsession, brutality, arrogance, unease, and vulnerability all mingled together, impossible to separate.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his tone solemn beyond measure.

"Ryan, that's all I need to hear.

"From now on, no one will make you doubt me, and no one will make you disappointed in me.

"I don't care if everyone else is afraid of me. I only want you to love me forever and depend on me forever."

He was still the invincible, unchecked Homelander, but at that moment, all his defenses softened for his son alone.

So what if the world feared him?

As long as his son Ryan wasn't afraid of him or pushing him away, he would still be the unshakable god.

Suddenly, Ryan's ears twitched. He heard his mother Becca leaving the house.

Then he heard an odd sound coming from the car parked by the roadside.

Unfortunately, his Super Vision was only at level one, so he couldn't see through the walls of the entire house. But Ryan was certain that Billy Butcher was hiding in that car.

The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.

Ryan pressed his lips together and gave a quiet hum. "Dad, I... can I go out and fly for a while?"

The abrupt change of subject caught Homelander off guard.

He didn't think much of it. Without a moment's thought, he blurted out, "You haven't finished watching my movie yet?"

"Huh?!"

Ryan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Seriously? After that heartfelt conversation, you're going to say I haven't finished watching your movie?

"Ah, no, I mean—cough—don't stay out too late, son."

Homelander added, then winked as if to say he'd keep Ryan's secret.

What could Ryan do but play along?

"I understand, Dad."

After hanging up, Ryan immediately opened the window and flew out.

His mother Becca's car had already driven beyond the range of his Super Hearing. But from higher up, he only had to look around briefly to spot the car about to leave the neighborhood.

Ryan changed direction and flew after it, following it all the way to where it stopped.

As he tried to come up with a way to persuade his mother to let him go live with Homelander, a scene that left him dumbfounded suddenly unfolded before him.

If it had been anyone else caught in the act, Ryan wouldn't have wanted to intrude.

But that was his own mom, and her husband.

There was nothing for it. Ryan could only kick a pebble.