Jealousy

"Of course you should be looking at me. Can't you keep your eyes on me a little longer?"

Homelander quickened his pace and caught up with Madelyn.

His words dripped with jealousy. Madelyn was at a loss for words.

Who would have thought

Vought International's biggest star, the Supe people saw protecting the peace every day, would compete with a child for her attention?

Though she was the object of his jealousy, Madelyn felt no pleasure. Only irritation.

"We're just boss and employee, yet you keep wanting to call me Mother."

"But you let me rest my head in your lap. I want to feel that warmth again."

"Then behave."

Homelander's childish pleading almost made Madelyn laugh.

This Supe, taller and stronger than she was, seemed deeply dependent on her. Because of that, he had done plenty of dirty work for her.

Work that could never be brought into the light. Today, she had another job for him.

Madelyn stopped outside her office, opened the door, and went in.

The hole in the floor had been repaired. A soft carpet covered the patch.

The carpet lay undisturbed as Madelyn stepped across it and placed the child in her arms into the stroller.

Then she turned to Homelander.

"Vought International's plan to join the military has hit an obstacle. A congressman opposes it."

Homelander looked at the child and answered without interest.

"Didn't offer him enough money? Or does he want something special?"

"He's too stubborn to buy off."

"Is that so? What do you want me to do?"

"Here's the departure time for his flight tomorrow."

"..."

Homelander paused, then took the schedule from Madelyn.

It was a night flight. The plane would pass through the clouds beneath a black sky.

Madelyn did not need to spell out the rest. Homelander understood.

"It's been a while since I saw a plane crash on the news. Knowing one will go down tomorrow night makes me a little sad."

Madelyn nodded.

"The flight path crosses the ocean. Do it over the water. Make sure the chance of survival is zero."

With his orders given, the unruly Homelander obediently agreed.

But he made no move to leave.

His gaze settled on Madelyn.

"Your problem's solved. Now let's talk about mine."

"What problem?"

Madelyn picked the child up from the stroller again. Homelander stared at the baby, his expression plainly saying he wanted to be held like that too.

"Madelyn, I've always felt something for you..."

Before he could finish, Madelyn cut in. She said she had a meeting and hurried out of the office.

Homelander fell silent, forced to swallow the rest of his words.

He watched Madelyn leave, pulling the door shut behind her.

Anger flared inside him and spread across his face. He kicked the stroller away.

Then he walked to the refrigerator by the wall.

He opened it, looking for something to drink.

Scanning its contents, he quickly spotted a bottle.

It looked like a baby bottle, filled with milk.

Homelander took it out and removed the cap. The scent of milk rose to his nose.

Like a smoker taking a deep drag, he breathed it in, enraptured.

He was still savoring it when an unexpected voice broke the quiet.

"You like milk that much?"

Homelander turned and saw a figure fly in through the window.

He had not seen Ryan in a while, but the boy's face bore some resemblance to his own. Homelander was delighted to see him, no matter when.

"Yeah, I love it. Want some, Ryan?"

"No. There are other ways to quench your thirst."

Ryan went to the refrigerator too and took out a can of orange soda.

He opened it and sipped quietly.

When Ryan had flown to Seven Tower earlier, he had used X-Ray Vision to find Homelander and seen his conversation with Madelyn.

Now he had seen Homelander's attachment to milk too.

He could not resist saying a little more.

"Mammals grow up eventually. Haven't you been weaned yet?"

"You grew up with your mother. Of course you wouldn't understand how much I long for mine."

With that, Homelander closed the refrigerator and sat on the sofa with the milk.

He watched Ryan perch on Madelyn's desk with his orange soda.

They faced each other across the room.

The silence was awkward. Ryan liked filling it with awkward chatter.

"Aren't you going to warm it up? I saw a microwave over there."

"I can't wait."

"You sound like a smoker craving a cigarette."

Ryan caught Homelander's expression and bared his teeth in a suppressed grin.

It was bright and wicked at once.

"Sooner or later, you'll find something you're obsessed with too."

As he spoke, Homelander reluctantly tipped his head back and poured a tentative taste of milk into his mouth, as if conducting an experiment.

Then he licked his lips, seemingly checking whether it had gone bad.

Satisfied it was fresh, he drank the milk in one go.

For a while,

gulping echoed through the office. Homelander let out a satisfied breath.

He lowered the bottle and noticed white traces of milk clinging to its clear sides.

Wasting it would be a shame. Waste was disgraceful.

Homelander stuck out his tongue, intending to lick it clean.

Click.

The sound made Homelander pull back his tongue, which had stretched out like Orochimaru's.

He looked up and saw Ryan holding up his phone, having just photographed the whole thing.

"Delete it."

Homelander's face went cold.

"Your fans would be devastated if they saw that."

"I'll kill everyone who sees it. If nobody who saw it is left, nobody can be devastated."

That reasoning was so blunt Ryan had no answer. Instead, he uploaded the photo to Vought International's internal cloud storage.

Then he deleted it in front of Homelander.

Only then did he get down to business.

Ryan tossed his empty orange soda can into the trash in the corner.

If you encounter an ad saying "Are you a real person?", ignore it and close it. Do not scan the code or send a text message!

"Homelander, I need your help with something."

"Everyone in this country is waiting for my help."

"I think I should be a little higher on your list."

"Yes, Ryan."

Homelander set the bottle aside and waited for Ryan to continue.

Ryan cleared his throat.

"I want Compound V."

"What for?"

"I'm still weak."

"If you're weak, I can hardly call myself strong."

Homelander shook his head. Their earlier fight had shown him what Ryan could do.

Of The Seven, only Homelander could match Ryan.

Still, he did not press Ryan for a reason.

If Ryan needed it, Homelander would get it for him. He said,

"I'll bring a few doses of Compound V to A-Train's race tomorrow. You can try some too."

"Since when were you so easy to talk to?"

Ryan was surprised. Homelander was not.

"Watching your child do what he wants and supporting him—isn't that what parents do?"

"..."

Ryan had no answer to that. He thanked Homelander and opened the office window.

Homelander put the empty bottle back in the refrigerator.

"Why don't you use the door?"

Ryan leaped out the window without looking back.

"You hardly ever do."

After leaving Seven Tower, Ryan remembered he had to wait until tomorrow for A-Train's race and landed on the street.

He went to see the Video Store where Hughie used to work, but yellow police tape still surrounded it.

Hughie probably would never return there either.

Unable to visit the Video Store, Ryan did not dwell on it. He returned to Seven Tower, teased Starlight, and traded a few barbs with The Deep.

Time passed.

Another day went by in a blink.

Ryan got up and washed as usual, then flew to the stadium with Homelander.

A-Train had already changed in the locker room, putting on his signature hero suit.

In his tight blue athletic suit and black goggles, A-Train looked as energetic as ever.

Until he ran into Homelander.

He had just come out of the locker room when Homelander and Ryan landed at the stadium.

He greeted Ryan warmly.

"Here to watch A-Train break the tape at the finish line?"

"I'm here to watch you plow through the stands."

Ryan's answer left A-Train at a loss, so he turned and greeted Homelander just as enthusiastically.

"I won't bring shame on The Seven."

"You won't. Anyone who does gets kicked off The Seven."

"..."

Feeling the pressure, A-Train anxiously asked Homelander about the Compound V.

Homelander took a dose from the Briefcase he was carrying and gave it to him, then handed Ryan several more.

Compound V.

It was in Ryan's hands again. He gazed at the deep blue liquid in the vials,

his eyes almost lost in it.

"Who developed this drug?"

"A doctor."

Homelander sounded unhappy.

But few people cared whether someone else was happy, and Ryan was no exception. He pressed on.

"A doctor?"

Homelander said nothing more. He apparently had no intention of discussing it.

Spectators were beginning to take their seats around the stadium.

It was a vast arena. A track circled the green field, and beyond it, every seat was filled.

Ryan had heard scalpers were charging astronomical prices for tickets to this race.

Everyone was watching.

Which man was faster: Shockwave or A-Train?

Since he was here, Ryan decided to watch with interest.

Other people's changing fortunes always held a certain fascination. Ryan looked around.

The stands, large enough to seat a hundred thousand people, gradually filled to capacity. Shouts and chatter echoed beneath the sky.

There was no need to look closely to spot the vendors beside the seats, trays strapped around their necks as they hawked food.

As for A-Train, Ryan spotted him not far away.

He stood with Shockwave, basking in the crowd's cheers and adoration.

They seemed to be giving pre-race remarks.

In front of the crowd, both runners declared that they were the fastest.

It was Ryan's first time seeing Shockwave.

Through the shifting sea of heads, Ryan watched him from afar.

Shockwave was much younger than A-Train. He wore goggles, and his thin frame made him look as if a stiff breeze could knock him over.

He and A-Train excitedly answered all kinds of questions from the crowd.

Questions like how many layers of underwear they wore.

Or how far they wanted to run in their lifetimes.

While Shockwave answered, he failed to notice A-Train slipping out of sight and into an empty lounge.

The lights were off inside. Shadows lay everywhere, and through the gaps in the blinds, the cheering crowd was visible outside.

A-Train muttered to himself.

"All those cheers should be for me when I'm running out there."

As he spoke, resolve settled in his eyes, and he pulled out a vial of blue liquid.

Compound V.

In the dark, closed-off lounge, shadows covered A-Train's face as he used the compound.

"In the sunlight, I'm the A-Train everyone loves. In the shadows, I do the work no one sees."

The liquid in the vial of Compound V dwindled as he used it, until the vial was empty.

He tossed it into his private locker.

Then A-Train exhaled, opened the lounge door, and headed back toward the track.

Outside, the crowd still roared like the sea. A-Train raised his head into the brilliant sunlight.

Farther away, the race official was calling for everyone to get into position.

The race was about to begin.