An air of confidence radiated off of Emery as she walked into Memoria early Thursday morning with her head held high. The studio's owner, Jesse, narrowed his eyes and grinned.
"Honey, you look rough," he mentioned as he clenched his jaw. "But there is a glow around you. Did you have sex?"
Emery grunted.
"No. I did have a very interesting date last night though."
"They are doing wonders for you."
Was he? She had only gone on one date with Homelander. Did he mean so much to her already? Emery suppressed a grin and cleared her throat.
"How is the shoot going?" She asked.
"Our Supe is in makeup, but he should be done in a minute or two," Jesse answered. "He has a very important induction ceremony to attend after this. Are you going?"
Emery hummed.
"I might as well. The shoot was the only thing I had planned for today and I technically didn't have to show up for that; not with you behind the camera."
"You flatter me," Jesse stated.
A few minutes later, Jesse's assistant Anne – a woman with a thick head of dark hair – came out from the dressing room and gave the thumbs up. She turned and went back in as a tall man with well-developed muscles and two pairs of arms walked out.
Emery widened her eyes. Was he The Emerald Beetle? At least she understood now why he was given the name.
And why was he shirtless? Emery stared in awe as he walked over to them and put on a smile. His eagerness was contagious.
"Let me introduce you to Miss Emery Stillwell. She is the Director of Advertising over at Vought; the lady who sells your image," Jesse said as he motioned towards the said woman.
"It's a pleasure," Emery greeted with a smile.
The Emerald Beetle offered his upper right hand to her for a shake. Emery took it. His brown eyes seemed to glimmer with admiration.
"Stillwell?" He questioned.
"My sister is the Senior Vice President of Hero Management," she explained. "You've met her, I'm sure."
The Emerald Beetle shook his head.
"I do believe I have. She's … frightening."
Emery snorted. That was one word to describe her; control freak was another, and that was just her being nice.
Noticing that her hand was still in his, Emery averted her eyes and cleared her voice. She was a mess when it came to meeting new people.
Thank goodness she wasn't alone.
"Time is money, dears. Let's get this photoshoot done so I can get something stiff in me," Jesse interrupted, reading the room.
"And maybe a coffee," he added in an utter.
Emery snorted and followed him over to the camera as he directed The Emerald Beetle on what to do. The said man was a natural, but Jesse had a particular way he liked to do things. The protein shakes were the main focus, but in the hands of the Emerald Beetle, they were no more than a prop. Emery could understand now why he was shirtless.
Once Jesse joined Emery behind the camera, he adjusted the tripod and looked through the lens.
"And here we go."
Later that evening, Emery took a cab to Central Park where the inauguration was set to take place. She walked up the path to the "North End" until she saw the sign with the client's name on it, then walked up to the front of the makeshift stage. She was early, but a crowd had already begun to form, standing in the grass. It was no surprise to her that Madelyn was already there and waiting. For a moment, she thought the said woman hadn't noticed her, but as their eyes met, Madelyn sauntered over to the edge of the stage and motioned her over.
"Emery? What a surprise," she said.
"The shoot is over, so I came by to watch my new client be inaugurated," Emery explained.
Her sister raised a brow as if she had caught her in a lie.
"Or did you come by to see Homelander? He's introducing your client," Madelyn brought to light.
John was here? Emery widened her eyes.
"I had no idea."
Madelyn grinned.
"Come on stage. You can stand to the side," she offered.
Emery shook her head no.
"I don't think––"
"Of course, you can. Come on. I'll show you where you can stand," Madelyn ordered.
Groaning in annoyance, Emery followed her on stage and stood to the side. She tried to look natural as people piled in, standing shoulder to shoulder with one another. Even with a new Supe, so many people showed up. Or perhaps they knew Homelander was doing the introduction. Emery groaned; he was sure to get a big head upon hearing she came there for him, even though she didn't. Why did she come? She never attended an inauguration before, not even for Homelander. Perhaps she was just bored.
Was it too late to go home? Emery took an uneasy breath. The moment Madelyn stood in front of the podium center stage she knew it was.
"Good afternoon. And thank you all for coming out," the said woman greeted. "It is a wonderful day to be in the business of superheroes. With the rise of Vought's new protein shakes, the worldwide protein market is determined to touch about 1.2 billion by the end of this year and that is something to be thrilled about."
"But let's not waste time focusing on the statistics. We are here today to welcome a new hero into Vought's ever-growing family. And to introduce that hero, is our American treasure, the leader of The Seven, and The World's Greatest Superhero, Homelander," Madelyn added, raising her hand.
Emery watched in awe as the said man flew down from the sky and landed with grace on the stage, waving as his fans cheered. She almost felt bad for The Emerald Beetle; Homelander was a show steeler.
Madelyn sauntered over to him and kissed his cheek as she uttered something to him.
"Wow! Thank you. This is an honor," Homelander stated. "But come on, you didn't come here just to see me."
The crowd erupted in a fit of worship for him. Homelander seemed pleased.
Emery recalled him saying he loved the spotlight. Perhaps he loved it a bit too much.
"I guess you did," Homelander said with a snort. Raising his hand, he motioned for the crowd to settle. "As Madelyn said, we're here to welcome someone very special to our family, the new face of Vought Protein Shakes. Please welcome The Emerald Beetle."
From the far side of the stage, the said man appeared, waving one of his four hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Homelander and The Emerald Beetle," Madelyn announced.
The crowd clapped for them, and Emery followed suit, grinning as she watched the two wave and shout out to their fans. For a moment, she felt like a sore thumb sticking out on the sidelines, and if not for the pair of gorgeous blue eyes on her, she would have run. But it was far too late.
Homelander had seen her and was walking her way.
"Emery? You came out to see me," he said with a grin as he stood in front of her.
The said woman couldn't help but smile.
"Um, well––"
"Emery, long time no see."
Her face heated up.
The Emerald Beetle walked over and put his arms around her, hugging her tight. His embrace felt a bit strange, but she allowed him a moment to touch her, then moved back. She felt uneasy standing there, especially with Homelander watching them.
He looked a bit awkward too, honestly.
"I wasn't aware that you were going to come out and see me," The Emerald Beetle mentioned.
Emery wasn't either.
"Jessie told me about it, and I thought I'd take a look," she admitted.
"I'm glad all the same," he declared. "But hey, maybe next time we can chat more. I have a long day ahead of me."
She imagined. Waving as The Emerald Beetle walked away, Emery took an uneasy breath. That was strange.
"Do you know him?" Homelander asked, clearing his throat.
Emery shook her head. Her face was a hot mess.
"I just met him this morning at the photoshoot. He's a bit handsy, isn't he?"
"A bit," Homelander uttered.
She swore that his eyes darkened. Raising her hand, Emery touched his arm.
"But hey, I'm happy to see you."
His smile returned.
"Are you now?"
Emery agreed with a nod. It wasn't a lie. She was nervous as hell but seeing him brought a smile to her face.
"Last night was nice," she added awkwardly, not sure what to say. "I wanted to––"
Taking her hand, Homelander leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. What was he doing? Emery widened her eyes. Wasn't this too soon?
She saw the sudden flash of a camera in the corner of her eye and pulled away from him, horror-struck.
"T-thank you for um … last–– "
Before she finished her sentence, Emery turned and walked off the stage. Her face was on fire.
What the fuck just happened?
There were eyes everywhere, pointed directly at her.
