Bound

The word Ryan hated most was "restraint."

And a threat like this was even worse. Red light flared in his eyes as he forced Madelyn's head around to face him.

"Do you want your pupils burned to hollow cinders by Laser Eyes after this passionate stare?"

"You're too quick to anger. That's your weakness."

Madelyn's voice was calm and matter-of-fact. She stared blankly at Ryan.

She waited for him to decide.

After a long moment,

Ryan let go of Madelyn's head and looked toward the horizon.

"Hostages don't work on me. If you threaten me with one, I'll mourn their death, then pay you back twice over."

"..."

Shattered window glass still littered the floor. Wind blowing in through the opening made Madelyn shiver.

She studied Ryan and suddenly felt a twinge of regret. Perhaps she should never have taken him beyond the walls.

But it was too late now. All she could do was follow the course she had set.

Ryan said nothing more. He took a light step forward and rose on the wind, flying off with the helicopter and Homelander.

They receded into the distance until they were tiny specks.

Madelyn was left alone in the office, standing quietly in the wind as she gazed at the distant sky.

Light poured down from a blue sky, just like the ones described in books.

"The sky over New York is so cold."

With that, she turned and left the office.

The helicopter was too slow. Up in the sky, Homelander got the address from the pilot.

Then he raced Ryan to Becca's location.

Neither held back in the race. Above the sea of clouds, Homelander swept his Laser Eyes at Ryan from time to time, determined to win.

He meant to slow Ryan down, but Ryan wasn't about to take it lying down.

Scorching beams shot from his Laser Eyes in return.

When they reached their destination,

they landed at the same time in a forest enclosed by walls, both men dressed in clothes riddled with burned holes.

Ryan felt his clothes. They were a total loss.

Homelander, beside him, looked much the same, with skin showing through the holes in his outfit. Once they landed, though,

Homelander took out his phone and asked Madelyn to air-drop them some new clothes.

Problem solved. Ryan set off toward the house he remembered.

Compared with when he had left, little had changed here.

There was the forest, and there were the birds.

He used his long-range vision to look toward the place where he used to practice his powers. New life had sprouted from the charred earth and trees.

A bird's nest sat among the branches.

He had spent his childhood on this patch of land. Apart from his mother, birds were what he had known best.

Birds built nests in the woods when the seasons were mild. When harsher weather came, they beat their wings and flew far away.

Watching them migrate, Ryan had always thought people were the same.

They lived where conditions suited them, and when those conditions no longer did, they moved on.

The sun was still bright. Ryan drew his gaze back.

"Let's go."

He walked ahead, with Homelander following behind. The blond man seemed to be enjoying himself.

With every step, Ryan could hear Homelander breathe deeply, then slowly relax.

The rise and fall of his body betrayed his pleasure.

Homelander spoke.

"Becca—I don't actually know her."

"...That's something a deadbeat would say."

When they reached the little villa, the door seemed unlocked. Ryan carefully pushed it open and saw Becca.

She was curled up alone on the sofa, eyes closed. The windows were open, letting the wind into the room.

It was still daytime. Becca was probably taking a nap.

Ryan didn't want to disturb her. He planned to slip around the sofa, take a quick look at her, and leave.

Leaving quietly would be best. At least, that was what he thought.

What he hadn't expected was for Homelander to kick the sofa over. Becca rolled off it.

She rolled once and struck the corner of a table before getting to her feet, clutching her head with a look that said, That hurt like hell.

She rubbed her head and looked around. A familiar figure stood on the floor.

Becca pinched her cheek. It felt soft and warm beneath her fingers, and the pain nearly made her cry out.

So this wasn't a dream.

Her child really was standing there. He had come back.

That face, as cool as ever, filled Becca with warmth.

She tried to steady herself. Even at a reunion, she shouldn't lose her composure.

If anything, she ought to scold Ryan for leaving.

He had always been too independent. That was what she had planned to say.

But her body betrayed her. Becca rushed over and wrapped Ryan in a hug.

She couldn't hold back what she felt.

She held Ryan tight, but what came out wasn't how much she had missed him.

"So you do remember how to come home."

"I needed to make sure you were still alive."

"Your mother's been lonely here all by herself."

"You can cry, but don't wipe your nose on my clothes."

After a few more words of concern, Ryan pushed Becca away. Only then did she notice the other person in the room.

The outfit full of holes, the handsome features, the bulging muscles, the gentle smile on his face.

Becca knew who he was: a man the people of this land worshipped like a god, and one she would have loved to bury.

The superhero Homelander.

Women could change their expressions faster than pages could turn. The joy and tenderness vanished from Becca's face before their eyes.

Her manner turned colder than Ryan's.

"There's a cockroach in the house. How scary. Ryan, beat him up for me."

"A cockroach..."

Ryan looked at the "cockroach" Becca meant. The smile froze on Homelander's face, and the friendly atmosphere evaporated.

After a long moment,

Homelander still made no move against her.

After spending so much time with Homelander, Ryan knew that if anyone else had called him a cockroach,

he'd probably have drawn circles on their face with his Laser Eyes.

Becca seemed to be different. Her cold stare and standoffish words didn't upset Homelander.

Ryan was at a loss.

"So you can be patient and forgiving after all."

"A wife and child are hard to come by."

"Not that hard, as long as you can afford the wedding gift."

"..."

Homelander looked puzzled, while Becca seemed used to it. Ryan offered no explanation.

He knew what he was like. As someone who had crossed into this world, he sometimes let slip words these people didn't understand.

The mood in the room hadn't quite frozen over, either.

Ryan waved a hand, leaving the two people who couldn't talk to each other to have a proper conversation.

He turned and went back to his room. The door still hadn't been repaired.

He remembered how Becca had torn it apart with a chainsaw.

Lost in those memories, Ryan entered the room where he had insisted on living independently when he was little.

Even though he had been gone for some time, the room was still clean. There was hardly any dust on the floor.

Becca had clearly cleaned it now and then. Ryan walked farther in and saw the toy train he had played with as a child.

It sat neatly on a shelf, though it no longer ran along its tracks.

He opened the window. Outside lay the same view as always.

Green grass and trees.

After he had spent a while in his room, a noise came from the living room. Thinking those two might have started fighting, Ryan went out to cheer them on.

But Homelander was the only one in the living room, sitting on the sofa. The noise came from the kitchen.

Homelander watched Ryan approach.

"Becca said she wanted to cook for you now that you're back."

"She's always been a good cook."

"I like women who can cook."

"..."

Ryan had no answer. He had talked with the heroes of the Seven Tower and knew a little about Homelander.

Including how messy his private life was.

The wait was short. They didn't even turn on the television. After Ryan and Homelander exchanged a few words, Becca called them to the table.

Ryan sat down as she asked. White plates had been set out.

On his plate were the home-cooked dishes he used to eat.

Tomato salad, pancakes drizzled with sauce, and macaroni with black pepper.

Ryan stirred his macaroni with his fork and looked across the table. He had no idea what Becca was thinking.

Despite the reluctance on her face, she had set out a white plate for Homelander too.

She claimed she had made him air, rich in nitrogen, and told him not to complain about the humble fare.

Homelander said he ate it often and wouldn't complain. A smile returned to his face.

"Ryan, this is what I wanted. The three of us together, eating happily as a family."

"Are you sure about the 'happily' part?"

Ryan looked at Becca. She looked one step away from poisoning Homelander's plate.

The atmosphere between them was so politely hostile that Ryan had no idea what to say. He lowered his head and ate in silence.

The macaroni tasted pretty good.

The silence stretched into the evening. Homelander was the only one who remained cheerful.

He had always been like that. When he was happy, he paid no attention to anyone else or what they thought, simply moving at his own pace.

That was what made him so hard to be around.

That evening, Becca said nothing as she washed the dishes. Then she returned to the living room and told Ryan about her life.

Life alone for a woman approaching menopause was terribly dull: mopping the floor, sunning herself, taking afternoon naps.

Yet Becca talked about it with endless enthusiasm. Ryan listened patiently and offered the occasional response.

He thought,

Maybe she isn't trying to tell me anything interesting. Maybe she just needs someone to talk to.

As they talked, Becca asked him something else.

"Is there a girl you like?"

"No."

"Well, people here are very open-minded. Is there a boy you like?"

"No."

"As your mother, I'm worried. You haven't taken a liking to an animal, have you?"

"How could I?"

That sudden leap was too bizarre. Ryan shook his head. He didn't understand why he had to like anyone in the first place.

Becca, however, spoke with the air of someone who knew better.

"I know what children your age are like, Ryan. You may look innocent, but you're actually very interested in that sort of thing. Your mind's as filthy as a public toilet."

"Is that really a topic for a mother and son?"

"Don't interrupt. Let me finish."

Becca pressed a sofa cushion against Ryan's mouth to shut him up, then went on.

"But the strangest thing is that, at that filthy age, you still want love that's pure and beautiful. So it would be perfectly normal to have a girl you like."

Ryan pulled the cushion off his face and told Becca she was making it all up. He hadn't even said what he thought.

Beside them, Homelander nodded solemnly.

"I was that age once too. She's right."

Ryan couldn't take it anymore.

"What makes you think you two are on the same page?"

"Ryan, parents always agree when it comes to raising a child."

Ryan didn't want to talk. He even wanted to leave right then.

But as Ryan took his first step, Homelander caught his hand.

"Wait. I can't keep watching you go on like this."

"..."

Ryan looked at him, unsure what he was planning.

Homelander looked out the window instead. The moon shone clear and bright.

Its cool light spilled through the window.

"There's not much in this world worthy of you. The moon, at least, is worth a look."

"Wait, wait—"

Before Ryan could get his refusal out, Homelander took him outside.

The night sky was dazzling, too.

A few puddles dotted the grass outside.

Wind stirred their surfaces, and the reflected sky rippled with stars.

Night dew dripped from the trees, while the plants rustled together in a symphony.

The place was almost absurdly beautiful. Little ladybugs fluttered about at night; if you reached out a finger and gently touched them, they would settle there without a care.

Tiny lives perched on a fingertip.

On the grass, Homelander pointed toward the sky and took off first.

Ryan followed him into the air.

Becca had come out with them. She held down her hair as the two superhumans took flight, stirring the air around her.

Her hair whipped about. When she looked up, the two of them had already climbed so high into the night sky that she could no longer make them out.

Becca watched anxiously, feeling strangely bereft.

Ryan had come back so suddenly. She was afraid he might leave just as suddenly.

The truth was, back in the living room, she had hoped to hear Ryan wish her good night.

To hear her own child say good night.

Those were the days when food tasted good and sleep came easy.

So even though she could see nothing but darkness overhead, Becca kept looking up.

Far beyond the limits of Becca's sight, at a height she could never reach,

Homelander and Ryan hovered in the air. From here, even the moon looked enormous.

Beneath its pale light, Homelander felt the wind brush past him.

"Today, Ryan, you get your first lesson in adulthood."

"This is definitely not something a parent should be talking about."

Homelander went on as if Ryan hadn't spoken, his face shining with righteousness in the moonlight.

He unbuckled his belt.

"Nothing in this world lasts forever. You and I will grow old, but even when our bodies are gone, the moon will remain."

"What the hell have you done in front of the moon?"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Homelander's laughter echoed freely across the vast sky.