"All right, sweetheart, I promise you this won't happen again." Homelander crouched in front of Ryan, his face completely serious.
Ryan, however, seemed uninterested.
Ashley had been quick to act, already sending people to throw The Deep out of Vought Tower.
Immediately, countless onlookers crowded around, holding up their phones to film.
When they got a clear look at the naked man's face, they were instantly shocked speechless.
Soon, videos of The Seven member The Deep being stripped naked and thrown out of Vought Tower went viral online.
As the one who had started it all, Homelander was still comforting Ryan.
He said hopefully, "Come over to play again when you're feeling better, okay?" Homelander asked softly.
Ryan nodded with a pout, then said, "I miss Mom."
"All right, I'll take you home now." Homelander stood up helplessly and picked Ryan up in his arms.
As they were about to leave the conference room, Soldier Boy called out to them.
"Hold on, kid. This is for you." Soldier Boy seemed to remember something, and his eyes lit up.
Then he walked over to the table and chose the very old bottle from between the two bottles of beer.
"If you're going to drink, drink the good stuff. The older it is, the richer the flavor."
Soldier Boy shoved the bottle into Ryan's arms. "Take this one home. I hope you grow into a tough guy like me."
Almost everyone found the scene utterly absurd, and even Homelander was no exception.
Giving an eight-year-old alcohol and thinking it was perfectly reasonable-was that something a human being would do?
Ryan also looked up at Soldier Boy in disbelief, holding the bottle, somewhat at a loss.
Drinking this can make me a tough guy like Grandpa?
*I knew Mom had been hiding something