"You look like hell," Matt said.

Cath only raised her coffee mug in salute, a dopey grin coming across her face. The artificial high would probably last for a few more hours while the caffeine was still running, and then she'd probably collapse on the spot, whether it be on her couch or on an intersection she was crossing.

"You want me to take him to school?" said Matt.

"Nah," said Cath, slurping her coffee obnoxiously loudly. "I mean, come along if you want, but I'm not missing the shrimp's first day."

Cathleen Bate, as a general rule, subscribed to the school of thought that kids were nothing more than a curse for an adult's moment of sinful interaction. They were loud, they were messy, they had no concept of personal space, they dragged their Cheeto-dust covered fingers all over her cape. It was precisely why rooftop-hopping was Cath's preferred method of patrolling San Francisco, because the stupid brats couldn't reach her there. And, on the few occasions they tried and usually fell, she could grab them by the ankle and yell at them to her heart's content. In fact, on one occasion, some brat she'd rescued from a sentient slime had repayed her by clinging to her leg when she took off to get back onto the rooftops. All Might probably didn't have to deal with that shit.

But that was other kids. Her baby was completely different. And yes, people had accused her of maybe not being a child-hater, but she disagreed. She hated most kids, just not this one. This one was special. This one was quiet and polite and kind, all things that other kids weren't, and the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking, like she was his schoolyard crush, made her warm and fuzzy inside.

"That's fair," Matt said, his usually roguish grin softening a little into something more human. "How's he feeling about it?"

"He stayed up all night nearing a panic attack," Cath said.

"Damn," said Matt, wincing. "His experience with other kids his age… isn't the best, is it?"

"Nope. Everyone bullied him, and the only girl that didn't got shot dead before his very eyes." Cath pursed her lips. "But that's even more reason why he should go. He can't run away from his peers forever. Also, I want him to understand that he's allowed to have kind friends who don't…"

"Who don't use the hard R?" Matt offered. "Whose dream professions aren't 'plantation owner'?"

"Yeah."

Matt sighed, picking out a banana from Cath's fruit bowl sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, and began munching slowly. Cath, her brain already having burned out through excess caffeine consumption long ago, was content to sit in that silence, sipping at her espresso. She glanced at the clock: it was 7:09 on the morning of the fourth week of August. She swirled the dark liquid in her mug, before swallowing it all and standing up. As she walked to the big, open kitchen that she rarely used, she debated filling it up with another shot of caffeine, but decided against it. Best not, if only for the next time she had to sit on the can.

"You want me to pick up the kid this afternoon?" said Matt.

"Thanks, but I'll handle that. The first day's important," said Cath. "Besides, I'll need you to take over a lot more in the future, anyway."

"Alright," said Matt, though Cath could detect a bit of disappointment in his tone. It was impressive how quickly the kid had wrapped them around his finger.

Speaking of the devil, Matt and Cath both turned to the sound of whisper-quiet footsteps coming from the staircase. James froze up briefly at their gazes, before he continued on his journey. He was wearing the short-sleeved dress shirt that his school required him to wear under a blazer, and God it was ugly, but Cath guessed nothing good ever came out of posh private schools. Seemed he still had trouble with attention on himself, but the hesitation was far smaller than a month ago. Cath gave her widest grin and crouched down, spreading her arms.

"Morning, squirt!" she called, and James patiently stepped into her arms, though Cath suspected he liked it in secret. All good men she knew loved cuddles. "Did you finally get some sleep?"

"…Yes," he said, very unconvincingly.

"Good, because this is your first day of school!" Cath stood back up, ruffling his hair. "You're going to meet so many smelly, disgusting kids, and maybe the occasional gem, but mostly smelly kids!"

"Don't scare him, Cath," Matt said. "Morning, kiddo."

"Good morning," said James.

"Now let's get some breakfast in you, little man! Up, up, up!" Cath grabbed him by the underarms and plonked him onto a stool, before pulling out the Star-Spangled Cereal (with thirty-six grams of protein per hundred-gram serve!) and pouring it right into a bowl, and pouring full-cream milk on top. James had been slightly horrified on his first such breakfast at the Bate household, but now he was tackling it with gusto. Eventually, he'd grow up to be just as big as her or All Might — and didn't that bring a tear to Cath's eye!

As James ate, Cath munched on the cereal straight out of the bag. A mixture of dried fruits, seeds, and oat flakes, with some honey for taste; if there was one advantage to being a celebrity, it was the occasional sponsorship deal like this that made life a little more catered to her. She couldn't stand the sugary junk that most people ate, but here she was, twisting some cereal giant's arm into making something a bit healthier for everyone. And also lessened the effort she had to expend when she went grocery shopping.

"Did you wash your hands before you stuck your grubby fingers into that bag?" Matt called, and Cath paused.

"Maybe?"

"Wash your hands, you filthy woman."

Cath wanted to roll her eyes, but she was in front of an impressionable young man (who was giggling at her, damn it) so she tried her best to look suitably chastised before setting the box down and squirting water-less soap onto her hands, scrubbing carefully. Once she sang the birthday song twice in her mind, she shook her hands, letting the cool air pass through her fingers, the soap evaporating.

"Don't grow up all blindly idolizing superheroes, now," said Matt. "Some of them, like Cath, never grew up from their teenage years."

"Totally nova, choom," Cath said, giving double-'hang loose' signs, and Matt physically recoiled.

"Is that the slang from your generation?" said James, once again surprising her with how articulate he was, but the way he phrased it…

"From my generation?" Cath said, a bit incredulous. "How old do you even think I am? I'm still in my twenties, I'll have you know!"

"This is your last year being in your twenties," said Matt. "Any teenager these days would consider your teenage habits completely outdated."

"That was cringe, Cath," said James, and Cath felt herself shriveling in on herself. Matt burst into laughter. "I'm sorry. Please don't get upset."

"No, it's… it's okay. I'm just overreacting." She forced a smile. "Are you done with breakfast? Let's make sure we've got all your things ready, yeah?"

"Yeah," said James, looking down at his feet, which he kicked in the air. Nonetheless, he hopped off the stool and insisted on doing his dishes himself, yet another quality that separated James from the rest of his so-called peers. When that was done, he rushed back upstairs and returned with his backpack in tow, nearly as big as he himself was — a very patriotic backpack straight from Cath's office's gift shop.

"All your books are in there?" said Cath, and James opened it up for her to examine. "Good. And you got your pens and pencils? Your highlighters? You got your lunchbox?"

"Right here," he said, putting another very patriotic piece of equipment onto the counter. Cath reached into the fridge, where her personal nutritionist had left a packed lunch for both herself and her new kid. She picked the tupperware marked 'for James :) love, Katie' and put it inside the star-spangled lunchbox. James zipped it up and put that into his backpack as well.

"Good boy." Cath patted his head, and James flushed. Was that too degrading? Hopefully not. Neither she nor Matt were experts with kids — she'd have to ask Isaac again. "So. You ready for school?"

James shrugged uncomfortably. Cath tried to keep her smile on through sheer force of will. She knew it would be hard for him; he was not only a Kommune Kid, as some would call him (and it was one of the kinder terms), but smart enough that he wouldn't have much in common with kids his age. When Cath had gotten him tested to see which grade he should apply to, James had shown knowledge and understanding of high-school level subjects already. She would've been impressed, if not for the fact that he'd grown up in an isolated community that wasn't above using torture to sharpen their bioweapons. Given his new school was an impressive private academy that accepted only gifted children (and occasionally the rich to fund it, she thought snidely), she felt it best to only move him up one grade. That way, he wouldn't be too out of place in terms of age.

And, of course, it meant she could ask a big favor of an old friend to ease James' transition into the wider world.

The doorbell rang, an actual brass bell that released a clear chime. James glanced at Cath, who grinned back at him, and Matt, closer to the door, stood up to open it. On the other side was a seven-foot-tall man in a suit; they exchanged a couple of words, before both Matt and the bodyguard stepped aside to reveal a disheveled middle-aged man and a blonde girl in the same school uniform bouncing on her toes.

"Auntie!"

Cath chuckled as the little hellion charged into the house with no by-your-leave and crashed into her. Cath picked her up and tossed her into the air, the girl squealing as her ponytail brushed the ceiling. Cath glanced at James, who — was that jealousy? Cath felt her grin stretch a little wider as she set the girl down, who groaned.

"Hey, shrimp," she said.

"I'm not a shrimp!" Melissa said, jabbing a finger up at her. "Daddy says I grew three inches this year!"

"You sure? You look exactly the same to me," said Cath, before looking up to the other visitor. "Hey, David."

"Cathleen," he said, with all the energy of a father who got three hours of sleep last night before his excitable daughter woke him up at five in the morning with her Disney princess-like singing. "This is the boy?"

"Yeah. James, come say hi. This is David Shield, he's in charge of my Support items." Cath placed a hand on James' shoulder, as the kid stepped forward awkwardly.

"And I'm Melissa!" The hyperactive girl stepped in between David and James before they could greet each other, and grabbed his hand, and shook so violently that Cath feared James might go flying. "The smartest girl you'll ever meet! Nice to meetcha, I guess! Are you Auntie Cath's estranged son? You don't look like her. Are you adopted?"

"Melissa!" David said, and Melissa pouted as she released his hand and stepped back. Cath glanced down, and James was seemingly stunned into silence. Well, she supposed she couldn't blame him… "Sorry about my daughter, James. I'm David. Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure, sir," said James politely, and David smiled. Or tried to. He looked like a zombie from a Halloween B-movie.

"As Cathleen said, I take care of her Support items," he said. "We've known each other for, what, seven years now?"

"Thereabouts," Cath confirmed. "And you've been a pain in my butt ever since, haven't you, Melissa?"

"You wouldn't be the Number One Hero without my help," Melissa said snootily. "Also, I'm not a kid anymore. You can say 'ass' —"

"Melissa!" said David, scandalized, and Melissa shrunk into herself. "I can't — where did you even hear that? Actually, nevermind, I don't want to know. Anyway, James, since you and Melissa will be going to the same school now, I thought it might be nice to go there together."

"Really?" Melissa turned to James with a slightly suspicious look. "Is that why we transferred from I-Island?"

David's knuckles creaked a bit on Melissa's shoulder. "No," he said, his voice strained. "I thought about it, and I realized that I-Island has no kids your age. Cath brought the idea up to me, so here we are, but we'd have moved regardless."

"But other kids are dumb," Melissa said bluntly, and David looked like he wanted to throttle her. Matt laughed shamelessly, completely immune to David's ire.

"You really gonna take that, James?" Cath said, amused. "Say something back to her!"

"Like what?" said James.

"Yeah, like what?" Melissa planted her fists on her hips. "You're not even smarter than me."

"Melissa, please," David begged.

James looked Melissa up and down with a critical eye. "You look like the kind of girl who would get second place in a science competition and then microwave her hamster when she gets home."

David's jaw dropped, and Matt made a strange wheezing noise. Cath felt a little light, like she was going through an out-of-body experience, and idly wondered if introducing them hadn't been such a great idea after all. She saw Melissa's face turn bright red, almost to the point steam was coming out of her ears.

"I would never get second place!" she screeched.

Wait, what about the hamster? Cath thought.

"Daddy, can we go home?"

"No," David said, snapping back to the present. "Maybe if you weren't rude to people, they wouldn't be rude back. Do you ever see All Might being rude to people?"

"No, but…" Melissa's lower lip wobbled dangerously, but David only shot her an unimpressed glance, and Melissa's tears immediately got sucked back into her tear ducts, and she crossed her arms angrily. Cath was impressed. She'd never have seen through those crocodile tears if she were in charge. Thankfully, James wasn't the type to do anything like that…

Unless he went to school with Melissa for a prolonged period of time and learned it off her. Cath shuddered.

"…Thank God I-Island doesn't allow pets," Cath heard David mutter, and then clap his hands. "Anyway! Are you guys ready?"

"Born ready," said Cath, clapping a hand on James' shoulder. "Right, James?"

"Sure."

"Excellent." David shot Melissa a glare, even though she hadn't even opened her mouth. "Let's try and get along, shall we? Come on, our driver is waiting outside."

"Have a good day, kid," Matt said, waving lazily, to be briefly surprised when James ran up to hug him. Cath smiled at the sight as the vulpine man's expression softened into something almost resembling fondness. Cath waited as James ran back up to the door, and slid his comparatively tiny hand into Cath's own.

In front of them was a sleek black limousine that looked immensely heavy, heavier than even Cath's personal armored Ford-GM F-150; so heavy that it sagged even with four axles, two at the front and two at the rear. All windows except for the front windshield was mirrored, and undoubtedly impossible to open due to its thickness. The bodyguard who had knocked wasn't the only one there — there were three others, including the driver, and one of them held the door open for the passengers. Cath had to duck to enter the door, and noted that the door looked to be about four inches thick.

"How fast can this go?" James wondered, as the door was shut behind him.

"A hundred and twelve miles per hour," said David. "Not bad for a beast this heavy, huh?"

"If you say so," said Cath, not knowing all that much about cars. Yes, she got scammed at the mechanic's, but it was pocket change and she couldn't care less.

James, though, scoffed. "How is it supposed to outrun highwaymen, then?"

David grinned, the first hint of life Cath had seen from him all this morning. "Who says we need to outrun them? Come over to our place sometime, and I'll show you the weapons systems."

James nodded slowly. "I guess that works. What about landmines?"

"It's got a V-hull," said David. "This beast's only weakness are speed bumps."

"And hobos on the road," added Melissa, and Cath palmed her face.

"Richard," David said, raising his voice, "I'll thank you not to talk about running over homeless people while Melissa's in earshot."

From the other side of the armored plexiglass, the driver responded sheepishly, "My apologies, sir."

"What? I'm not a child," Melissa said. "He can say whatever he wants."

The look that David gave his daughter was flatter than the abyssal plains.

"You're immature," said James, and Melissa turned a glare on him.

"Am not."

"You might be book smart, but you've got no street smarts," said James, and Melissa scrunched her face up.

And you do, having grown up in a cult? Cath had to wonder.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Melissa decided. "You're wrong. About everything. Ever."

"Yeah? And what're those, huh?" James kicked Melissa's feet, and Melissa glared. Cath smirked a bit. Low blow, coming from a boy with literal enchanted boots.

"These are custom-made in I-Island," she said. "They can make me fly! Well, if Daddy had let me have rockets in them, but still!"

"Fashion from scientists," James sneered a surprisingly evil sneer. "No wonder they look like that."

"Ouch," David muttered.

"You get a pass because you're old," James added, but David didn't seem all that heartened. Cath laughed.

"I'll kick you," Melissa threatened.

"And your dad will get mad at you."

Melissa looked imploringly to her father, who sighed. "Violence is not the answer." She settled for glaring and crossing her arms.

Cath pulled out her phone, shuffled along her seat until she could find a good angle, and snapped a photograph. Both kids startled and turned to her with a betrayed expression. Cath grinned widely at her phone, which showed James with an insufferably smug expression, Melissa looking like she wanted to murder him, one of the bodyguards who couldn't quite hide their smile, and David with his face in his hands.

"You kids are so cute," Cath said.

"I'm not cute," said Melissa. "Kids are cute. I'm not a kid."

"Sorry, Mel."

"It's okay, Auntie Cath. You just have to be careful what you say to people," said Melissa, completely oblivious. "Like, you don't like when people tell you you're weaker than All Might because you're a girl. Which isn't true, it's because you didn't get hit by a shooting star and absorb its power like All Might did, but it can be hurtful, you know?"

"Right," Cath said, trying not to laugh.

James sniggered, and Melissa turned back to him, glaring. "You got a problem, kid?"

"No," said James, his expression clearly saying otherwise. However, given James had given her no casus belli with that comment, Melissa could only settle for glaring suspiciously at the boy.

The car stopped soonafter, rolling into a gated compound. Cath glanced out of the windows; she'd visited once with James, to test James' knowledge, but she'd taken the back entrance. The main entrance that they were rolling down now was incredibly upper-class, with neatly trimmed hedgerows and hedge sculptures. It looked like every gaudy stereotype of private schools rolled into one. She saw a rabbit munching on a dandelion. At least the roofs were lined with solar panels, which meant this school wasn't intent on being as environmentally friendly as a golf course. The front entrance was filled with other chauffeured vehicles, though none were elongated like their ride.

"We've arrived, sir," said Richard, the driver.

"Excellent." The bodyguard exited first, and held the door open for the rest of them to disembark. Cath smelled cherry blossoms as she stepped out, though it was no longer the season. Melissa looked around, her eyes wide behind her round spectacles, and James frowned a little. One thing Cath had noted was that he didn't like ostentatious displays of wealth — including her Ford.

"Whoa!" said Melissa, in much higher spirits than during the ride. "Do you think they have Japanese gardens here?"

"Unfortunately not," said Cath, remembering the visitor's pamphlet she'd received on her last visit. "But there is one in Golden Gate Park, and now that you're living here, we can visit when we have free time."

"Thanks, Auntie!" Melissa beamed, and Cath grinned at her. "Daddy, let's go!"

"Let's," said David, smiling behind her back to Cath.

"School! School, school, school!" Melissa sang, skipping. Cath stifled a laugh as the other kids stared at her incredulously. Whatever flaws Melissa had, a lack of enthusiasm wasn't one of them. This school better be as good as advertised, or Melissa might lose that positivity.

"So, what do you think of her?" said Cath, glancing down at the boy at her side.

James shrugged. "She's an idiot."

"Don't be rude."

"You asked me what I thought of her," said James, a bit petulantly. "She's an idiot."

"Is there anything positive you can say about her?"

James thought for a long moment. "She's nice," he said, but he didn't sound all that certain.

"Really? That's the best you can do?"

"I've known her for all of forty minutes," said James. "I'll tell you at the end of the day."

"Ugh. Fine," said Cath. "I have to ask you something, though." James looked up at her, questioning. "Do you think she's cute?"

James tried. He really did, and his incredulous expression was quite convincing, but he couldn't hold back the redness that infected his ears and cheeks. Cath felt a sadistic grin tug at her cheeks, and James quickly looked away. So maybe there was something that could fluster the kid after all!

"Come on, just one picture," said David. "It's your first day of school!"

"You're embarrassing me," Melissa whined, but did as he suggested, and smiled for the camera. A moment later, her cheerful expression faded away when David suggested James stand behind her to get a photo together. Cath glanced at his phone with envy — hers was tiny in comparison, and far fewer pixels, and the colors muted. The benefits of being one of I-Island's biggest assets, she supposed. Still remembering Cath's teasing, James gave a supremely uncomfortable smile, and Cath heard David chuckling. Task complete, they continued on until they stopped at the entrance, where they were greeted by a greying woman in a sharp suit.

"You must be Melissa and James," said the woman, her eyes flickering over their respective All Might and Star-and-Stripe backpacks with an unreadable emotion. "Welcome to Heron Academy. I am Jane Wilde, and I teach English literature. I'm to understand you've both been homeschooled up to this point?"

"That's correct," said David, placing a hand on Melissa's shoulder to try and calm her.

"I see. In that case, we'll start with a tour of the school and the expectations students should strive to," she said. "Please come with me, children."

Melissa glomped David and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek, and David laughed. James and Cath shared a glance, and James hesitated before embracing her as well. Cath smiled, squeezing tight before letting him go chase after Melissa. As they disappeared into a corridor, Cath followed David back to the limousine. She climbed in as the door was held open by the bodyguard again, and when the door shut, the car took off almost immediately.

"So." Whatever cheer David had was gone as he intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on them. "Tell me about your boy, the things you said you couldn't discuss over the phone."

Cath felt cold. "He's powerful. I told him to lie about his Quirk. That it was just flight."

"Is he like you?"

"Maybe. I'm not the Quirk expert." Cath licked her lips. The bodyguard was politely pretending not to hear anything, and if David trusted them with the safety of his daughter, then she could probably trust them with James'. "He empowers objects. Permanently and repeatedly. He can't fly on his own — he enchanted his boots over two years, and now they let him fly until their 'charge' runs out."

David didn't visibly react, but he remained silent, and his silence was just as telling.

"You think there's no upper limit to his strength."

"David, over the course of two years, his boots became nigh-indestructible, flight-capable, and lets him teleport short distances." David's eyebrows did increase at that. "Mark my words, he'll become a fucking monster… but that's only if nobody decides to steal him away before then."

"Which is why you adopted him, and not any of your team."

"Yeah." Cath grimaced. "That's not to say I didn't want him. I do like him. But my primary reason was for his safety."

"I understand," said David. "Teleportation in two years… that's impressive, very impressive. His range?"

"About twenty feet at most. And it drains his charge after four jumps."

"Still game-changing. You're right. If he keeps growing at this rate, then he has the potential to become one of the most powerful supers in the world." David sighed. "Jesus Christ. You said you took him from a Quirk commune?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck," said David. "If a kid like that was pointed against the United States…"

"Yeah," Cath agreed quietly.

"We'll have to prioritize the destruction of all those cells, in case there are more," said David. "I assume you're already working on it?"

"Yeah, I called the President the other week."

"I'll phone her as well," David said. "And what will you do with him from this point on?"

Cath shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," she admitted. "I need to ensure he's safe, and then I need to ensure he's able to keep himself safe. At the same time, I don't want to take away his choices. Not like the Army took mine. I don't regret the military, but it wasn't my choice. I want him to have one."

"Understandable. That's what I'd want for Melissa," David said, his features softening. "Have you asked him about whether he wants to be a superhero?"

"Dave, he's only experienced the real world for a month," Cath said, trying not to snap at him. "He doesn't know what a superhero is beyond vague comparisons with Arthurian legends."

"Every kid wants to be a superhero," shrugged David. "Doesn't matter if the only ones they know are a few extra centuries outdated. You don't have to make that choice for him. I'm just saying, especially in your presence… it wouldn't be hard to nudge him in that direction."

"You're proposing I manipulate him. A kid who has known nothing but manipulation."

David stared at her flatly. "Neither I nor All Might ever had to manipulate Melissa to want to be like him," he said. "You raise that kid well, then you'll find that they'll naturally want to mimic their idols. And if you're a superhero, then he'll also want to be a superhero."

"And you don't think this is wrong at all?"

"Cath," David said slowly, "Is it morally reprehensible to teach your kid to be just?"

"Of course not. That's not what you're suggesting —"

"Would you teach James to stand up for himself and others?" David interrupted, and Cath clenched her fists.

"Yes, I would."

"And would you also teach him, with the immense power he has at his fingertips, that he needs to use this power responsibly?"

"Yes."

"That's it. Those are the basic tenets of heroism," said David. "And unless you decide to be a bad parent out of spite, then there's nothing you can do to stop him from admiring superheroes."

Cath glared at him halfheartedly. She really shouldn't have tried to get into an argument with a bona fide genius. After all, had Cath not been inspired by All Might? It would be ridiculous to call All Might's act of saving her in her childhood manipulative. James was going to look up to her so long as she didn't fuck up as a parent, and it was in everyone's best interests that she didn't. Which meant the conclusion was obvious.

"Okay," Cath said, slumping. "Okay."

"There's nothing wrong with it," said David. "If I could've been a superhero instead of a scientist, then I would've. But I take comfort in knowing that my technology has been used to save lives and make the world a better place. There's no more noble calling than using your gifts and talents for others."

"I get that, but…" Cath sighed, and shook her head. "I can't deny I was thinking about it, too."

David nodded.

"I want him to go to Yuuei."

David blinked. "Isn't it a bit early to think about sending him to high school? Well, maybe not, given how restrictive Japan's immigration quota is."

"James is half-Japanese."

"Is he? Why would he be in an ethnic purity cult? Unless…" David trailed off, and clamped his mouth shut.

"Yeah."

The emergence of Quirks had left jagged scars all over the world. China had collapsed into civil war, currently a stalemate between more warlords than she could count. South America was now run by cartels officially as well as unofficially. Europe was constantly struggling against famine and other material shortages. In America, the South Had Risen Again, leading to a two-century long civil war against the Confederate States of Assholes. But that was still much better than whatever was going on in the Balkans. And the less said about the irradiated wasteland that used to be the Middle East, the better.

All Might, though, had cleaned Japan up. It was actually seeing economic growth for once, and crime rates the lowest since pre-Quirk levels. People were able to live in relative stability. The majority of the country no longer paid protection fees to gangs. Faith in the public service was high. It regained its position as a technological capital, only second to I-Island. And everyone around the world wanted a piece of it.

It was nigh on impossible to immigrate legally unless one had Japanese heritage. Spouses were trickier, but still infinitely easier than immigrating alone. And that meant, when a bright-eyed exchange student from Japan had come to Stanford to gain her Master's Degree in English, it meant they almost immediately got kidnapped off the streets and forcibly married to someone important. In this case, the leader of a Quirk cult.

Cath hated the feeling of helplessness that infused her whenever she remembered the slave pens that had been underneath the compound.

"I'm sorry," David said softly.

Cath took a deep breath. "I'm going to use that to his advantage," said Cath. "At least in the States, there's a high chance he'll get contacted by interested parties even with my intervention. If I send him to Japan, that's at least three years that he can spend in safety and obscurity, that he can grow until hopefully he's too powerful for anyone to stop him."

"Makes sense," said David. "And he could learn from the Greatest Superhero of the Century himself."

"Maybe," said Cath. "Depends on what kind of hero he wants to be. He's still too shy to go the grinning oaf route."

David huffed a laugh. "Toshi would be upset if he heard that."

"I'm sure he has enough Benjamins to wipe his tears with."

At that moment, the driver knocked on the window.

"Yes, Hammond?" said David.

"Sir, there's a telephone call for you, from the school. Shall I patch it through?"

David frowned. "Yes, please."

The speakers within the cabin came to life, and Cath recognized the voice of the principal that she'd met on their previous visit. "Is this Mister Shield, father of Melissa Shield?"

"Yes. Is something the problem?"

"I'm afraid," the woman's voice said, clipped, "that your daughter was involved in an altercation with several other students."

"…What?" said David, and Cath chuckled.

"Feisty one you got there, David," said Cath.

"Is that Miss Bate with you, Mister Shield?" her voice snapped, and Cath shut up.

"Um. Yes, ma'am," Cath said meekly.

"Well, your child was also involved. Both of you please report to my office at your earliest convenience."

Then she hung up.

David and Cath shared an exhausted glance, and then sighed in unison.

"So," said Cath, her arms folded, looming over James. "You fought them. Three boys."

"I beat them," said James, but quickly quailed under Cath's gaze.

"Why?"

James fidgeted.

"Are you going to just sit there all day?" said Cath. When no response was forthcoming, she could only sigh. "Okay. Fine. Did you have to cause an incident on the first day?"

"They were being mean."

Cath looked back at him. "That doesn't explain anything, James. Start from the beginning."

"They were mocking her. Calling her Quirkless." James continued to fidget. "I told them to fuck off."

Cath was going to have a long talk with her bros about age-appropriate language when she got home. "You mean Melissa?"

James didn't react. Despite herself, Cath felt a small smile on her lips. It looked like the brats were getting along better than she'd expected, or maybe this was just James' protectiveness flaring up. Now that she thought about it, Melissa looked remarkably similar to… the girl who'd died. Her smile faded almost immediately.

"And then?"

"They didn't," said James simply. "So I beat them."

"I see." James glanced up at her hopefully, but there was nothing on Cath's face. "Up you get."

Morosely, James stood and followed Cath outside the room that had been set aside for them. She was greeted with the parents of the three kids that had been involved, and all of them looked thoroughly defeated. There was a limit to the amount of damage elementary schoolers could do to each other, but it was clear from the morale that James had been the victor. She quashed the spark of pride in her chest and glanced down at James.

"James, I want you to apologize."

James looked up at her with a betrayed expression, but she didn't budge. Grinding his teeth, James glared at the three children, who had perked up a bit, smug.

"I apologize for fighting you," he said, though he made the words sound like a curse.

"You should consider yourself fortunate that I don't take this to the court of law," said one mother coldly, directing it to James. Cath felt a spark of rage which she carefully extinguished, before she stepped forward. Whatever James' actions, she didn't like that this bitch was trying to bully a kid. Any kid.

"Allow me to apologize as well, on behalf of my son," she said smoothly, using her press conference voice. "I'm afraid James was under a lot of stress due to our recent move. I'll let him know this sort of behavior isn't acceptable."

"You'd better," said a father. "Now get out of our sight."

Cath smiled a cold smile, taking James' hand in a firm grip so that he couldn't snake out of it, and strode out. Once outside the gates, James immediately tore his hand from her own. Cath felt like her heart was wrenching in half, and she wished she could say something, but she wasn't sure how to begin. So she continued to walk, and James followed, albeit at a distance. Melissa would likely be sitting in a similar silence in her father's limousine right now.

They continued to walk. Cath worried a bit about James' walking in traffic while keeping a distance from her, but she needn't have; he was more mature than he looked, despite today's incident. Eventually, Cath reached her destination. It was a small, family-owned ice-cream store that she had memories of visiting as a child when her parents were free to take her and her sister out to town. She glanced back, and James stubbornly remained outside, kicking at the sidewalk.

"James," she called softly, "would you like to pick what flavor you'd like?"

James only glared at her, and Cath sighed. She stepped back outside, and when she reached out for him, he kicked off the ground and floated out of her reach. Cath hesitated, and decided not to chase after him. She'd give him his space. Instead, she sat down on the sidewalk, against the glass of the ice-cream parlor.

"Do you know why I told you to apologize?" she said finally.

"Because you don't think I did right?" said James.

"Because you answered with violence," said Cath. "You attacked them when you didn't need to. You could have told that teacher, or you could have told me if they didn't listen. You didn't have to attack them to shut them up, but you did, and that's why I had you apologize to them."

James remained silent, still floating in the air. Cath patted the sidewalk beside her, and James didn't move for a very long time, but he finally lowered himself back to the ground and sat on the cracked concrete.

"Our first instinct shouldn't be to answer with violence," said Cath softly. "The world would be a much better place if everyone remembered that."

"'M sorry," James muttered into his knees.

"But I don't think you were wrong to stand up for Melissa." James froze. "Those kids hurt Melissa, and you stood up for her. That's exactly what a hero should do — stand up against injustices and protect the innocent, even if it means going against authority and prejudice. Which is why, James, I am very proud of what you did today."

James looked up at her, his eyes rimmed red, and Cath enveloped him in one muscular arm.

"You did good. Now come on, do you want ice-cream?"