Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen
...
Connor was loath to wake Victor, knowing how much he needed to rest and recover, but he also knew that Victor needed to see his sons after everything he'd been through. Besides, the twins had been demanding their Dada all morning and driving poor sleep-deprived Edith crazy.
"Come on, let's go see your Dada," Connor murmured, picking Elliot up.
Craig lifted Elijah with an exaggerated groan. "You're getting so big!"
Elijah babbled something in return, then added "Dada" for good measure.
"Geez, taking after your Da, aren't you? Can't even walk and you're already lawyering me around," Craig muttered, holding Elijah properly and following after Connor to the library and door down to the lower Hive.
Victor was somewhere between awake and asleep when he heard Elliot and Elijah babbling to each other, the word 'Dada' interspersed every so often. Smiling at the sound - he was sure he'd never get sick of hearing it, even if they said it a thousand times in a day - Victor made himself wake up fully and sit up slowly. By the time he was sitting up, Connor and Craig had arrived in the doorway with the twins in their arms.
"Good afternoon, darling. We brought two tiny humans to visit. You be careful with your Dada now," Connor said as he rested Elliot in Victor's lap.
"You've got one tiny human and a worm," Craig corrected as Elijah squirmed in his arms to get to Victor faster.
"I'll take them both. I can hold them," Victor said, promising and reminding himself at the same time.
Craig nodded and set Elijah down next to his brother. "I'm going to rearrange the bed, okay? Not that I don't trust you, it's just that they've been squirming all morning and they'll probably roll off by themselves," he snickered, changing the bed to slope the sides upwards.
Before he'd even finished modifying the bed, Elijah and Elliot were both asleep and clinging to Victor's shirt with small chubby fists. He smiled and held them close, surprised to realise that they were growing taller since his hands no longer covered their backs completely.
"Thank you, Craig. Did you say it was afternoon?" Victor asked Connor, who nodded. "I've missed my work allocation; I have to go over the research the juniors sent me for next week's case and - "
"Darling, you were literally tortured, can you not think about work for one day?" Connor tried to sound stern, but came across as fond, and he couldn't stop himself from kissing the back of Victor's hand.
"It wasn't that bad; I need to look after my clients," Victor said. "I'm up against Eliza on Monday and I need to be prepared."
Connor sighed, doubting that this would be the healthiest way for Victor to cope. He had coped with his torture by retreating into himself, but that hadn't been healthy, either. He also wasn't Victor. Perhaps it would be better for him to concentrate on work instead of what had happened.
"All right, darling. I'll get your work for you and some food. I want you to try to eat something first," Connor said, kissing his temple before leaving.
"Are you sure you want to work, Vic? No one would be upset if you waited another day or ten to recover," Craig said.
"I'm fine, Craig. I need to work."
Craig didn't look convinced, but nodded. "All right, man. You're an adult, so you probably know what's best for you."
Neither of them mentioned how Victor hadn't looked after himself to the point that Connor had needed to rescue him.
Connor returned with Victor's bag and briefcase, which Edith had brought with her reluctantly at Honey's insistence. He was also carrying a tray with various fruits from Layla, a glass of water from Wendy, and a bowl of vegetable soup that Warren and Zach had made for him.
"Thank you," Victor said as Connor placed the briefcase and bag on the end of the bed, the tray joining the wooden frame to hold the food beside him. "Were they okay?" he asked, looking at Elijah and Elliot's bodies and seeing the purpling bruises that Greta had put on them.
Colours swirled in his vision, content blue and innocent purple, softer colours than he'd seen in anyone before. Stroking Elliot's head and patting Elijah's back gently, Victor felt awed at their existence all over again.
"Edith said they settled down when she knew you were okay."
"I'm glad they settled down," Victor said with a brief smile.
No one else had a chance to say or do anything because Honey burst into the room. She barely hesitated before making her way across the room, hugging Victor tightly.
"You ass! You scared the shit out of me! Do you know how many threads ended with you dying?" Honey snapped, pulling away to smack his shoulder, tears in her eyes and her voice thick in her throat. "I had to watch you die three hundred damn times, Vic. Don't make me do that again."
Victor didn't get to promise he wouldn't before she hugged him again, holding on so firmly that his body ached in protest. "Honey, it hurts."
"I know, I'm sorry. I just... I'm glad you're here and alive, and I totally recorded Cara's destruction. I'll give it to you when you're mentally stable again."
"I'm fine, Honey," Victor said, rolling his eyes at her overprotective nature.
She bit her tongue and didn't reply.
"Come on, eat up before I do. Zach made an awesome soup; I'd drink broth if he made it," Craig said, pushing the bowl towards him gently.
"You'd drink it either way," Ry said from the doorway, grinning.
Craig shrugged. "I know. Is there any soup left?"
"Yeah, Grant saved you some; he's still worried about how you might've hurt yourself when you fried your dad."
Victor frowned and looked between them. "You did what now?"
Craig smiled as he backed towards the doorway. "Nothing much. Just fucked up Dad's electrical brain signals while we were on the phone and might've caused brain damage. To him, at least. I'm totally fine now!" he said over his shoulder, pushing Ry out into the hallway before anyone could respond.
"Bye, Victor!" Ry called.
"I'll leave you two to it. Please rest, Vic," Honey said, kissing his temple before leaving after the two teens.
Victor was silent for a long moment, then shook his head. "I honestly have no idea what to say to what Craig did."
"Don't worry; once Jewel and Grant were sure he was okay, they blasted him for a good hour about how he could've hurt himself. No one's worried about his father," Connor said, not blaming them in the slightest.
Victor shook his head and hoped he would never end up like Mr. Forge: alone and unloved. Elijah yawned widely, pressing in closer against Victor's stomach and he stroked his son's head gently, watching as he slept soundly. Beside Elijah, Elliot was sleeping with a bubble escaping his nose with each breath. Cleaning him up carefully so he wouldn't wake him, Victor ate his food quietly without protest. When he was full, he let his head rest back against his pillow, his hands curled around each of his children. He would rest his eyes, just for a minute, and then he would look at the junior's research for his case.
...
Edith followed Craig downstairs, taking in the map at the entrance with various rooms labelled: training arena, entertainment room, hospital, do not make out here!
Not entirely surprised by the latter room, she followed her honorary grandson to Victor's recovery room.
The room was brightly lit, despite the fact they were underground, and she smiled on seeing Elijah and Elliot sleeping against Victor's chest. As she moved closer, she could see their hands curled in Victor's shirt, as though they refused to let go of him again. Victor was snoring gently, his chin resting on his torso, and Edith took the time to inspect the damage that had been done to her son.
Bruises littered his body, black and purple, smaller ones already yellowing. Lightning scars webbed across his skin, more prominent closer to his arms and chest. His arm was in a splint, and above the stark white bandages, Edith could see the shape of an alligator clip embedded in his bicep. The same burnt clip showed on his other arm as well and Edith swallowed hard at the sight.
"He'll be okay, Edith. Ida made sure of it. He didn't break his legs, but he'll be weak for a while and shouldn't be walking too much. We're still trying to convince him not to go to work on Monday," Craig added with a frown.
"I'm not surprised; that job is his life. Connor's a good influence on him, to have taken him outside as much as he has," Edith murmured, remembering both her own and Honey's various attempts over the years.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I'll be happy to take him outside as much as I can," Connor said from the doorway behind them, a glass of water in hand. "Ry's looking for you, Craig. Something about collecting pieces of Cara for Jewel?"
"Ah, yeah. Uh, I'll be right back," Craig said, hurrying out of the room without waiting for Edith to question him.
"Pieces of Cara?" Edith queried Connor, eyebrow raised.
"Jewel turned her into a diamond very slowly; Grant's smashing the jewelled limbs into pieces. I think Jewel plans on creating a new line of jewellery out of them," Connor mused. "Neither Cara nor Greta will hurt anyone ever again."
Edith considered his response for a long moment, her gaze returning to Victor and the twins. "I could do with a new necklace."
...
"Are you sure you'll be all right, Will?" Josie asked, worry clear in her voice and expression.
"I'll be fine, Mum. You and Dad will only be gone for a few days," Will said, smiling brightly. "No parties, I promise. I'll probably just invite Maj over and we'll hang out. And study," he added quickly.
"You know what to do if someone breaks in?" Steve asked.
"Punch them, put them on the roof so they can't escape, then call the police. I know, Dad," Will said.
"We'll text you every day, okay? And text us back. I don't want to be worrying about you when I'm in the middle of a super panel," Josie said, looking ready to drop her suitcase and cancel the whole trip.
"I'll text every morning and night," Will assured her.
"Oh, I'm worrying, I know. We just haven't seen the same number of villains that we usually do in the last few weeks. I don't know what villains will be active in Westville, either. Are you sure you've talked to the Mayor of Westville about scheduling fights?"
"Yes, I have. He doesn't want to be seen as following in Maxville's footsteps, and they don't have the money to install cameras, anyway. I have to keep fighting thugs and purse snatchers to get the crime rate down first," Will said with an annoyed sigh.
"You've got the red phone, don't you? Now, we made sure not to schedule any fights until we get back, but if there is trouble or even if a Westville villain challenges you, text us, and we'll come right away. Don't fight anyone until we arrive," Josie said.
Will bit his tongue so he wouldn't reply verbally and make a promise he didn't intend to keep.
"Remember to be polite to anyone calling on the red phone if there is an emergency. You're representing the Stronghold name, after all."
"If you do have to fight, make sure to get a trophy for me," Steve said.
"No. The trophy room is getting full - "
"Don't you have to go? Your first panel starts soon," Will prompted, hoping to stop his parents' impending argument.
"Come on, dear. Be good, Will. No parties!" Steve said over his shoulder, guiding Josie to the front door.
"I already promised that," Will muttered under his breath. "Bye! Have fun!" he added loudly before they could continue the discussion.
Josie nodded, handed her suitcase to Steve, then picked her husband up and flew into the air towards New York.
Will closed the door behind them and leaned against it with a groan. Going upstairs to get ready for school, Will wished the convention ran over the weekend so he could have more time to himself and didn't have to go to school.
Realising that his parents' delay had delayed his own departure, Will rushed his shower, dressing with damp patches on his clothes. He gulped down mouthfuls of cereal and flew out of the door, reaching Sky High with barely five minutes to spare.
As he sat in home group, trying to focus on Mr. Medulla and attendance, Will realised that the next three days could be the perfect opportunity to get to know Ry better. He could invite him over under the guise of studying together, or needing help with Mad Science, and by the end of the night they'd order pizza and... well, he didn't know what after that. He might get to fly Ry home though, and he'd have to hold him to do that, wrapping his arms around -
"Mr. Stronghold, I can see you sitting there, though whether you're actually present is another matter."
"Sorry, Mr. Medulla. I'm here," Will said quickly.
"I just said that. You're lucky the bell is about to ring in three seconds or I'd give you detention."
"Uh. Thank you?" Will said, uncertain as to how he should respond to that.
An awful part of his mind murmured that Ry surely couldn't ignore him if they were in detention together. Will didn't get a chance to think about the idea or refute it entirely because the bell rang loudly. Will hurried to his first class, narrowly missing stepping on Mr. Medulla's foot in an effort to catch up with Ry, Craig, and Adam since Craig had spatially shifted them to the hallway.
"Stop using your power outside of class, Craig!" Ethan called as he passed by with Zach for their class.
Magenta was behind them, looking awkward and frustrated as she tried to get away from some eager sidekicks who were still questioning her about the fight with Death Row and Getim. Will winced in sympathy as he passed by, trying to smile as Magenta looked to him for rescue. Mouthing 'sorry' he continued past to get to his class.
Will had barely sat down when his phone started ringing. Flushing red at the attention of the class on him, Will hurried to grab his phone, only to see that it wasn't ringing.
The red phone.
Eyes wide, Airborne answered the phone, the Mayor annoyed and frustrated that his morning commute had been interrupted by a giant robot.
"I'll be right there, Mr. Mayor," Airborne said, puffing out his chest when he saw that Ry was watching. "Sorry, Mr. Bowie, there's Trouble in Maxville," Will said once he'd ended the call with the Mayor.
"Don't forget your Hero Support, Airborne," Jared said when Will looked ready to fly straight out the window.
"Right. Thanks, Mr. Bowie."
Will ran out of the classroom and tried to remember what class Magenta had first. Was it Mad Science or English for Hero Support? Hearing Mr. Boy's distinctive voice, Will stopped abruptly in the doorway, seeing that the Hero Support were working on the finer details of the utility belt.
"There's Trouble in Maxville, Mr. Boy."
Mr. Boy's eyes widened. He jumped behind his desk and in a split second, his hands on his hips, All American Boy was ready for action.
"Uh, I'm here for Magenta. Shifter," Will said awkwardly.
"Oh, of course. Off you go, have fun saving - " Mr. Boy trailed off as Magenta disappeared with Will before he could finish his sentence. He sighed and returned to his teacher's outfit.
"Hey, Mr. Boy? Why do all of these things need to be in tiny packages? My fingers aren't tweezers!" Zach muttered, several people laughing while others remembered the inflatable boat incident and edged away from Zach's desk, just in case.
"Well, unless you have super strength like the Commander, it's extremely difficult to carry all of these items around in their expanded forms. Before utility belts, we used bags. It was difficult getting the nets out of those, let me tell you!" Mr. Boy said, concentrating on his class once more.
...
Airborne defeated the giant robot with one fell punch, the machine crashing across a motorway and breaking into pieces.
"Are you okay, Shifter?" he asked.
"Cold. Can we land?" Shifter's squeaking voice asked.
"Yeah, of - " he cut off as the red phone rang again, answering the call quickly.
"A giant octopus is in the harbour. Go and deal with it!"
"Yes, Mr. Mayor."
"A giant what?!" Shifter asked in concern as Airborne ended the call.
"Octopus. I've never seen one before," Airborne mused, flying towards the harbour.
There were no street cameras, but the warehouses along the jetty all had CCTV cameras, so Will knew the fight had to be good for the media. He tried not to think about Tasha as a result. He didn't care if she saw him or his fighting skills. Honest.
"Your heart's beating really fast, Airborne. Are you all right?"
"Fine. Just excited," Airborne lied, slowing to a stop above the harbour where the giant octopus was swimming around two large boats that held precious cargo in shipping containers.
"What are we going to do?" Shifter asked, sounding terrified.
Whether she was terrified due to the ocean or octopus or both, Airborne didn't know. He also didn't know how to deal with a giant octopus.
The red phone rang again and Airborne frowned, answering it again. "Hello?"
"The hospital is under attack; have you finished with the cephalopod yet?"
"Where's the cephalopod? I've only just arrived at the harbour with the octopus," Airborne said.
The Mayor paused for a moment. "You really do take after your father, don't you, Airborne?" he muttered. "Never mind, I'll call another hero to deal with the hospital. What's your parents' emergency number?"
"No! No, I mean... I'll deal with this, Mr. Mayor. You can trust me to handle both. Which hospital?"
"Maxville Super Memorial Hospital," the Mayor said. "If they're not both dealt with in twenty minutes, I'm calling another superhero."
"You can count on me, Mr. Mayor," Airborne promised, ending the call and handing the phone to Magenta, who squirmed under his suit to put it in the internal pocket.
Flying down at the octopus, Airborne tried to think of how he could win against the creature. His parents' fight against the giant octopus in Paris had involved the Eiffel Tower; his father had stabbed the octopus using the tip of the Tower, which had seemed to thoroughly annoy all of France and most of the world.
This octopus was probably strong enough to hold him, but there were plenty of shipping containers around. It wouldn't be strong enough to hold them all, and Airborne was fairly certain that a squished octopus would result in a win for him and the Stronghold name.
Diving down towards the large boats, Airborne wondered if the wind was whistling in his ears or if it was Shifter screaming in fear. He stopped on a boat, grabbing the locked door handle of the top container to heft it up above his head. He threw it at the octopus, seeing several people pointing their phones at him, so he knew that would be on the evening news, too.
Launching shipping container after shipping container at the octopus, Airborne flew into the air to catch the containers that the octopus managed to throw back, much to the fearful screams of the sailors and Shifter. As the containers fell into the water, a large wave was formed, drenching Airborne completely. The water in his eyes obscured his vision, and Airborne almost missed seeing two incoming shipping containers until it was too late. Shaking the water out of his hair and face, Airborne flew forward and caught the two containers, using them like a cymbal to squish the giant octopus between them. It let out a pained roar and left the harbour, too fast and deep underwater for Airborne to follow.
Setting the two containers back on the ship, Airborne checked the time and then flew off for the hospital, hoping the super fast flight would dry him off.
Ten minutes left.
Airborne made it to the hospital after following Shifter's directions, her wet face looking utterly bedraggled in his suit. She refused his offer to dry her off as he flew, stating that she'd probably look like a fluffy pom-pom as a result. The sneeze she made in his suit a few moments later was uncomfortable and wet. Setting Shifter on the warm concrete, Airborne urged her to reform and dry off while he dealt with whatever was happening in the hospital.
Shifter reformed, tugging her wet super suit out of places it shouldn't be, and watched as Airborne strode up to the hospital doors. They were automatic doors and should have slid open, but they remained closed. Peering inside, Airborne tried to look for a villain through the glass doors.
"I challenged Jetstream and the Commander, not Airhorn," a sneering voice came from the side door, the villain hidden from view.
"It's Airborne!" he snapped.
"Uh-huh. Go get your Mummy and Daddy, you ridiculous twelve year old," the sneering voice replied.
Airborne clenched his jaw, pulling back a fist to break the hospital doors down. As he swung forward, the doors opened and his own momentum had him falling forward on his face. Standing abruptly, Airborne adjusted his cape and hoped the cameras weren't in colour so they wouldn't see the embarrassed blush on his face.
A snickering laugh made Airborne square his shoulders, determined to fight and win against this terrorising villain.
Looking around the hospital, Airborne saw that everyone was fast asleep. The staff and patients were completely asleep, some were snoring loudly, and even the children's cartoon mascot on the posters looked drowsy. Making his way through the quiet hospital, Airborne saw that the patients in beds were asleep as well, machines beeping away steadily with their calm heartbeats.
Hearing that irritating snickering laugh again, Airborne flew towards it. The sound led him through the hospital until he was in the Commander and Jetstream Memorial Room. The hospital had dedicated a whole room to the two Heroes as the result of their sizeable donation several years ago, and his parents were seen before any others when they had to come to the hospital on the rare occasion. They'd made several smaller donations since, and his father had even donated one of his prized trophies (no one knew that Josie had threatened to throw the ugly thing away if he didn't get rid of it). His parents' larger than life faces looked down at him from seemingly every angle.
"I told you I wanted to fight your parents, Airhorn. Second best isn't good enough," the sneering voice said.
Airborne turned around abruptly at the sound, the lithe villain standing in the doorway, two bags resting on either side of the utility belt on their hips. The villain grinned, grabbed two handfuls from the bags and blew the grains of sand at Airborne.
Sandsapien! Airborne realised, using his cape to protect him from the sand and villain's power. By the time he lowered his cape, Sandsapien had disappeared. Flying out into the hallway, Airborne heard the stirring of patients and staff again, machines beeping wildly as the patients started to wake up.
The red phone rang again, a woman calling from the Mayor's office this time since the Mayor was busy trying to fix the broken motorway from the robot earlier.
"What now?!" Airborne asked incredulously.
"You watch your tone with me, young man. I'm just the messenger," Nina said sternly.
"Sorry, ma'am. Is there more trouble?"
"Yes. Three at once; I've already called Lady Peregrine and Papillion for the other two. Unless you can be in three places at once?"
Even his parents couldn't handle three villains in three different places, Airborne thought, relieved that someone else had made the decision for him. He couldn't get into trouble if he wasn't the one at fault.
"Thank you, Mrs. - "
"Never mind that. The villain is downtown across from the new skyscraper on Stone Street."
"What happened to the villains booking fights?" Airborne asked, flying out of the hospital and into the air, hoping the woman would answer rather than just hang up on him.
"They're the backlog; these villains are annoyed they haven't fought anyone. One person has been waiting three months."
"Oh."
Hearing a ringing noise from his super suit, Airborne farewelled the woman from the Mayor's office and answered his other phone.
"You left me at the hospital!" Magenta hissed, her cheeks red.
"Shit. I'll be right back!" Will said, even as he turned around.
Airborne landed in front of the hospital, waving for Shifter to shift so he could put her in his suit.
"What's the rush?" she asked, even as she shifted to a guinea pig.
"Another villain. Downtown," Airborne added, carefully slipping her into his super suit.
"What? Where are they all coming from?" Shifter asked.
"They booked fights, but haven't had any. My parents have been run off their feet; they can't fight villains every day," Airborne said defensively.
Shifter knew perfectly well that Jetstream and the Commander fought often enough already; it was just weird that all of these villains would want to fight now that they weren't even in the state! She decided that Airborne was already stressed enough and she didn't need to add to it by arguing her point.
Airborne didn't wait for a response anyway, flying up into the air and towards downtown Maxville.
He had a villain to defeat, and in the back of his mind, Airborne wondered if he could get a trophy of his own to add to the Secret Sanctum.
...
"Good evening, viewers. Today was utter chaos thanks to the combined effort of twenty villains," Brian Anderson said, frowning. "Airborne saved the day, along with the assistance of other Heroes in the area, but the question on everyone's minds is: where were the Jetstream and the Commander?"
Josie watched the Maxville news on her tablet, growing ever more horrified at the fight scenes. Airborne had fought four robots of varying sizes and capabilities; a giant octopus; faced Sandsapien, albeit briefly, and after an embarrassing fall on his face; defeated some villain dressed as a clown; had stopped three bank robberies; and fought two more nondescript villains as Shifter fought their sidekicks with a few suit-assisted punches courtesy of her new outfit.
Josie winced at the sight of her weak wrist and punch, making a mental note to work with Shifter on her hand to hand combat training.
"It seems animal rights activists are upset at the way Airborne handled the giant octopus in the harbour this morning," Brian Anderson added, the screen showing a woman that had been interviewed at the harbour.
"He could have talked to the creature! If he wasn't the best super for the job, then why was he even contacted? Super fast flight and strength doesn't mean he's automatically the best super to handle every situation," the woman said emphatically.
"They could have called Ani; he can talk to animals," a blonde man beside her said, the woman nodding in agreement. "The octopus was just in the harbour, it wasn't actually doing anything or hurting anyone!"
"Airborne destroyed more than the octopus with the way he was throwing those shipping containers around," the woman added.
The screen went back to Brian Anderson, who smiled again before continuing. "Patients at the Super Memorial Hospital would like to publicly thank Sandsapien for giving them the best hour of sleep they've had since arriving at the hospital. While Airborne was... uh, fighting Sandsapien," Brian Anderson said, looking close to laughter as the video of Airborne falling on his face looped in the background, "other more experienced heroes also fought villains today."
Josie's eyes widened at the sight of other heroes fighting villains: Lady Peregrine fighting and pecking at Dampen's head; Robot Warrior fighting yet another giant robot; and Papillion flapping his butterfly wings against a weakening tornado. Gemstone had been called, too, and she'd defeated five villains in short order.
Gemstone had also done it all without falling on her face, Josie noted sourly.
Brian Anderson went on to thank each superhero by name. Josie was ringing Will before she truly realised, hurrying to mute the news.
"Mum? Are you okay?"
"I just saw the news! Why were other villains fighting? Why didn't you call us? We would have been there in twenty minutes!"
"I didn't have the chance to call you! I fought twelve villains today and then had to give interviews all afternoon! I missed out on a whole day of school," Will said, trying not to sound too happy at the fact and continued quickly, "There were three villains at the same time; they were already annoyed about having to wait three months to fight so another twenty minutes would have really pissed them off."
"Will! How dare you use that kind of language!" Josie admonished sternly.
"Sorry, Mum. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. How was your panel today?"
"Fine. We probably could have done a video conference from home; we would have been there to fight those villains then," Josie mused.
"No! You don't need to come home, okay? You and Dad have been saying you need a break, so this is it. I'm totally handling it, Mum."
"The news showed Lady Peregrine, Papillion, Robot Warrior, and Gemstone handling it."
"They fought a villain each! Well, apart from Gemstone, but it's not even my fault! Someone at the Council called the other heroes without even asking me first," Will added petulantly.
"Who was it?"
"I don't know. She didn't tell me her name," Will said.
"Room service will be here - who are you talking to, dear?" Steve asked.
"Is that Dad? Can I say hi? Did he see me fight those giant robots?" Will asked.
"All right, say hello to your father. If anything happens tomorrow then call me," Josie added.
Will didn't reply and simply waited for the phone to be passed between his parents.
"I saw the news, Will. Did you get any trophies for me - uh, the Secret Sanctum?" Steve corrected, glancing to his wife.
"I couldn't get anything, Dad. I beat Mum's pinball score again, though. Oh, Magenta got a robot finger for you," Will said when she pointed to her hand to remind him.
"But I already have a giant robot hand."
"I've gotta go now, my tutor's almost here. Tell Mum I'm studying, okay? Love you, bye," Will said, ending the call and trying not to be too annoyed that neither one had congratulated him on his work.
They hadn't fought twelve villains in a day before! Will thought to himself, a mix of petulance and pride.
The doorbell rang and Magenta must have stood up too quickly because her face was an odd shade of red. She brushed off her clothes and smiled broadly. "I'll get it!" she said, hurrying to open the door.
The blonde man no longer looked surprised at Magenta's answering the door mere seconds after he'd rung the bell. For those that knew him, he simply looked resigned and weary.
"Hi, Malik. How are you? Did you watch the news today? Shifter actually fought villains this time. Did you see?"
"Good evening, Magenta. I saw the news, thank you. Are you both ready to study?" Malik asked, looking to Will, who was standing on the staircase.
Will, as per usual, looked sullen at Malik's very presence. It hadn't taken Malik long to realise that the problem wasn't Magenta's fawning, as the teenager didn't seem to realise what his girlfriend was even doing. Nor was the problem his mother's shrewd-eyed attempts to see if Will was attracted to him, constantly testing her son (as well as Malik's patience). Instead, Will glared at him because he was the opposite of what he wanted. It wasn't difficult to work out, considering Will's near-constant doodling of a person with long black hair and Asian features. Malik, on the other hand, was blonde with stockier Slavic features and represented everything Will didn't want.
The doodle littered his notebook, but every time Will realised what he'd drawn, he'd rip the page out and have to start his work again. In the last two months of Malik's tutoring, Will had gone through three notebooks.
Magenta listened to Malik with all of the intent of someone who liked what they were looking at, rather than what they were hearing. Malik didn't really care what either Will or Magenta did during his tutoring sessions, since he still got paid, but their unwillingness to actually learn would impact his reputation as a tutor. Malik was determined to get at least one topic through to them this week.
"How about we do Mad Science tonight? You liked that last time," Malik said.
Will didn't look as sullen at his suggestion, and Magenta agreed as readily as she always did. Malik just hoped the brief spark of enthusiasm would last for the next two hours.
...
Josie looked at Steve's annoyed expression and guessed that Will hadn't managed to get a trophy for him. "We should go back home. Will can't handle all of this by himself. He needs us there."
"He needs to practice fighting real villains, dear," Steve argued, not wanting to leave the comfort of their hotel yet. "Besides, we've been wanting a holiday for almost three years now; this is as close as we're going to get unless we go inactive and retire," he added. "Just think: no cooking or cleaning or washing dishes for two more days. There's a spa bath, too," Steve cajoled.
Josie did like the sound of that. Besides, Steve was right: Will did need the practice against real villains. She couldn't stage every fight he had, after all. She sighed and conceded with a reluctant nod. "All right, but if Will rings tomorrow, we're leaving straight away."
"Of course, dear," Steve said, smiling broadly when room service knocked and announced their arrival. "I'll get it!" he said eagerly, hurrying to open the door.
...
End of the hundred and eighteenth chapter.
