Homelander got up from the ground. His cape had been torn, but he only glanced at it before looking away toward Soldier Boy.
Soldier Boy said nothing. His eyes held only deep disappointment.
But a closer look would have revealed a trace of hope beneath that disappointment.
That hope came from something Old Popsicle had said: Homelander would turn toward the light.
Unfortunately, Homelander had already lost his composure. He knew very well that he could no longer make his story hold together.
He could say he had never expected the supervillains to cause such serious consequences, that he had rushed over today to deal with the matter himself, that he was already prepared to stop creating supervillains altogether.
But... who would believe him if he said any of that?
Putting himself in Soldier Boy's shoes, he probably would not have believed himself either.
The timing was far too convenient. Just as he was preparing to stop, problems that had been building up for ages had erupted all at once. Under those circumstances, whatever he did or said would only look like an attempt to cover things up.
"I..." Homelander opened his mouth. "Actually, today I..."
He wanted to say that seeing what had happened with Mother's Milk that morning had given him a lot to think about, but Soldier Boy just watched him, puffing on his cigar.
That silence hurt Homelander more than any angry tirade could have.
Homelander's gaze began to dart away. For the first time, he felt just how useless all his godlike strength was.
"I don't know how to explain it." After a long while, he finally spoke, his head lowered.
"The truth is, just this morning, I made up my mind to become a real superhero, the way you wanted me to, and completely