Chapter 11

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***

The girl looks at me uncertainly, while I stare back expectantly. She sighs softly and opens her palms, in which a golden light slowly ignites. Slowly but surely, the light begins to gain strength, and the electrical appliances react to the outflow of electricity. But the light immediately goes out, and the blonde looks at me questioningly.

- John. am I sure I can do this? - Starlight says, stopping the experiment for some reason.

- Are you doubting?

- A little.

- Annie, I understand your doubts. But you should also realise that I know more about this than you do," he smiled encouragingly, deceiving the girl. - And if everything is as I suggest, you will succeed. Just try, and then we'll see.

You're probably wondering, "What's going on here?" and "What are you trying to achieve?". Well, I'm trying to unlock the potential of someone who could very well be a contender for second place in the Seven. And I may not know about superpowers, but I do know a little physics. And my knowledge tells me she can fly.

- All right. You can do this, Annie. - Starlight exhaled, palms down in an Iron Man pose.

And then there was a bright flash that would have burned out the eyes of any normal person, and the girl's sudden upward and backward flight. Which would most likely have ended in bruises after meeting the wall. However, yours truly was in the neighbourhood for a reason. So I had no difficulty in picking her up, and the fact that at the same time my hand squeezed her firm arse, it is ... an accident.

- I overdid it. - I grinned when I saw the look on her frightened face.

- Yeah. - She took what I said as a question, nodding confusedly.

Snorting, I slowly lowered myself to the floor, regretfully letting the girl out of my arms. She awkwardly adjusted the skirt of her superhero costume and looked up at me. And something in that look told me I'd been burned after all. But here I would have been surprised myself if it had been otherwise.

- I can fly! - Suddenly, she squealed in a childish way and hung on my neck with her legs tucked up.

I didn't change her mind, just patted her on the back as a sign of support. Then she took a couple of steps away, not looking away. Now the uncertainty in her eyes was replaced by a conviction that she could do it.

- Will you back me up? - She asked with a smile.

- With pleasure. - I answered her question in the affirmative with a nod.

My hands rested on her waist, keeping her from flying off in a direction she didn't understand. Starlight didn't resist, and she didn't even make a complaint, which I took as a signal for action. So I slowly but surely began to reduce the distance between our bodies, and in the end in half an hour I was literally pressed against her from behind.

- Ha... - Quietly exhaled Starlight, keeping her balance in the air with the help of the light from her hands.

The lights in the training room flickered continuously, showing visually how much energy was being expended on this flight. That wasn't what the girl was tense about though. Surprisingly, such a small amount of time was enough for her to become quite familiar with the new skill. Flying outside the city or at too high an altitude should be forgotten, but that was something.

- Releasing. - Warned her before pulling back some distance.

- What? - Asked Starlight before realising what had happened. - Oh shit!

With a shriek, she still managed to keep her balance and even turned towards me. She had to lean forward to keep her body weight in flight. And I even knew how to make her pose more aesthetically pleasing.

- You're doing great, Annie. - I smiled openly, landing smoothly on the floor.

- Thank you. - Nodding, the girl followed my example and landed clumsily, almost falling to her knees.

But I didn't catch her, letting her fall, though I could have prevented it. Still, her body easily withstands pistol bullets and doesn't even get a bruise, and here some fall. It's like with a bicycle, she needs to feel independent to fully ride. A safety net will only slow down progress, which isn't the fastest as it is.

- The landing is worth working on, though. - I smiled, helping her up.

- Yeah. - Starlight replied, biting her lip involuntarily.

I looked into her brown eyes, meeting her gaze. Annie stared back in anticipation, not looking away. Smiling slightly, I slowly moved closer and kissed her gently on the lips, and she reciprocated. Our first kiss was tender and tart. I really wanted to go further, to spread my hands, but I managed, showing heroic will, to hold back, continuing to embrace the beauty by the waist and enjoying the taste of her lips and the nimbleness of the tongue that was forced to fight with mine.

We didn't go any further than that, but Starlight needed the practice of flying and I didn't want to deprive her of it. We also talked, sharing personal stories a bit, occasionally pausing to refresh the memory of the taste of each other's lips. It was surprisingly good and pleasant. The impression wasn't ruined even by Ashley coming to pick up the heroine for another event, leaving me alone.

***

The warming sun felt good against my skin, the breeze was cool and the smell of fresh grass filled my lungs. Well, this place was definitely livable, except for the fact that it was basically a prison. Cosy, sure, but just as isolated from the rest of the world.

- Good afternoon. - The blond smiled, adjusting the collar of his new shirt.

- A pink shirt? - Becca stared at him blankly as she opened the door.

The choice of a pink shirt seemed odd to the woman, perhaps because of her husband, who always wore dark-coloured clothes. Or perhaps because of the image of the Homelander, which implied an idealised masculinity. But John had a different opinion about that.

- What's the big deal? I walk around in blue tights and wear the American flag as a cape every day, and you judge me for wearing a pink shirt? - He pretended to be indignant, which made her laugh. - It's a double standard, sweetheart. And it's actively condemned by our society.

- I'm sorry. Huh... sorry," the girl replied, trying to catch her breath. - It's just too unusual. Men are usually pretty strict about colours in clothes.

- Come on, pink won't overshadow my masculinity, it'll accentuate it. - John smiled, adjusting his glasses.

- Come on in, heh," Becca stepped back, letting him inside, only now noticing the black bag in his hand. - Did you bring something?

- It's not Gone with the Wind, but it's worth a shot. - John grinned, pulling out a box of Blu-ray discs with the cover of Star Wars Episode IV on it.

- Is this the new film? - Ryan asked interestedly as he stealthily made his way down the stairs unnoticed by his mother.

- It's a legendary film that once shaped the development of cinema," the man handed him the box with the film. - Interested?

- And why is episode four? - Ryan asked, genuinely puzzled, noticing the strange detail in the title.

- Because Lucas decided so," John said inspiringly, and then laughed at his own words. - In fact, the creator of these films planned everything in a different chronological order, but didn't have the opportunity to film the backstory. So yeah, the story starts in the middle.

- Wow. - The boy expressed his surprise.

- At least that's how he justified having a four in the title of the first film," John grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. - Interested?

- Of course! - The boy looked at the cover and gave his mother a pleading look, even a little indignant. - Can I see it?

- Can I, Rebecca? - John tried to repeat the boy's look, which looked more comical than begging.

- 'All right, all right, you can,' the woman gave in under the double pressure, smiling at the easy atmosphere. - Only after school!

- Oh, Mum!

- After school, Ryan. And that's out of the question. - Becca sealed it.

- Okay," the boy sighed, and then cheered up. - I've only got maths left!

Before she could even say a word, the boy was already in his room, passing all the obstacles in his way in seconds. Becca looked at the Homelander with a judgemental look, but he smiled guiltily as he handed her a bag of six boxes.

- He won't be able to sleep. - Becca sighed, taking the bag in her hands.

- Just the first film," the blond smiled. - And the rest tomorrow.

- Will you stay for the screening? - She asked, walking into the living room and then setting the package on the table.

- If you don't mind... But I don't insist. - John assured her.

- You can stay," she accepted the man's presence. - Just behave yourself.

- I will," the blond nodded as the phone rang. He didn't get many calls, so Homelander picked up the receiver. - Hello?

The relaxed face of a second ago suddenly became extremely tense as what was being said on the other side. Homelander frowned as he listened to someone almost shouting into the receiver.

- 'Calm down,' the man said in a calm tone as he heard a hysterical voice on the other side. - Where are you? I'm on my way.

- Is it something serious? - Becca asked worriedly.

- Don't worry, it's work-related, - a smile appeared on the blond man's lips, only this time it was obvious that it was fake. - Watch it without me, but I'll try to sort it out as soon as possible.

- Good. - Becca nodded, escorting him out the door.

As soon as Homelander took a few steps away from the porch, he immediately floated up into the sky. Only the blurred silhouette of Earth's strongest superhero was visible for the first couple of seconds before he disappeared from sight.

Becca watched him anxiously, frowning. If Homelander himself was showing concern, then the situation was indeed serious. It couldn't be otherwise.

*** 

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