Chapter One Hundred and Twenty
...
Magenta straightened her hair carefully, putting more effort into her appearance than she had in... well, ever. She wanted to look nice and since everyone knew Shifter by her buns, she couldn't wear her hair like that anymore. Pleased with the soft wavy curls in her hair, she started on her mascara.
You also want to look nice for Malik, some awful part of Magenta's mind whispered. Even though she was already dating Will and if she broke up with him he'd probably get a new sidekick.
Smearing her mascara, Magenta set the wand down and shook out her trembling hands. Looking at herself in the mirror, she said, "You're fine. Will loves you, you love him - "
Do you, really?
"And everything is fine," Magenta finished, forcing herself to pick up a wipe and clean the smeared makeup before continuing to apply it to her eyelashes.
The makeup artist Josie had taken her to had told her that less was more, and Magenta agreed. Until she got a contract with a makeup company, at least. Josie had complained the companies were trying to send her anti-ageing creams. Magenta grinned at the thought, trying not to ruin her makeup further by giggling and hurting herself with the mascara wand.
...
Will was spending more time on choosing an outfit than he had since he was a child and his mother finally let him choose his own outfit for the day. He had the classic red, blue, and white shirts, but nothing seemed good enough. Not for today when he was finally going to see Ry outside of school. He had to look good if he wanted to get Ry's attention. Deciding on a shirt that was tight around his torso and biceps, Will pulled his jeans on and looked at his reflection, flexing his muscles.
A snap of string had him wincing mid-flex and he looked at the shirt quickly to make sure it hadn't broken. A long piece of string was hanging from his sleeve so Will pulled on it until it went taut, breaking the string with a snap. The sleeve fell off completely and Will stared at the sleeve hanging off his wrist dumbly.
Swearing, he used his super strength to tear the shirt off completely - it was no better than rags now, anyway - and tried to find another shirt. The shirt he'd worn on the first day at Sky High brought back memories, but it was also a shade too tight and he could flex in it without destroying the shirt entirely, so it was good enough for him.
He did his hair in the bathroom, attempting different styles until he settled on one that made him look older and more mature. Satisfied with how he looked, Will went downstairs to have breakfast, ready for the barbecue a full three hours ahead of when he needed to leave.
"You look very handsome, Will," Josie said with a smile, setting a plate of toast, eggs, and bacon in front of him.
"Thanks."
"Your hair looks lovely; just remember to use hairspray to keep it in place if you're flying anywhere. I'm sure Magenta will love what you've done with it, too."
Magenta. His girlfriend. Right.
"Yeah, I wanted to look nice for her."
"That's nice, dear. Since when have you dressed up for me, Steve?" Josie asked, raising an eyebrow at her husband.
Steve looked over to Will and frowned. "He's just wearing a shirt and jeans, dear."
"And you're either in trousers for work or spandex for Work," Josie said.
Steve frowned again. "You don't like my shorts, though."
Will winced at the mental image of his father in shorts - he'd almost forgotten that - and ate his breakfast as fast as possible. He didn't wait to be excused, stating he needed to study before he had to leave for the day, and flew up to his room without looking back.
If he used half a can of his mother's hairspray, no one else would know.
...
"People will be arriving soon, Pa. They'll love the deck, so calm down, okay?"
"I'm calm," Curtis lied, glancing out to the deck where Ida and Adam had helped him set up tables of food. "Do you think it's going to rain?"
Ida looked out at the clear blue sky, then back to her husband. "I think you're safe, Curt. C'mere," she said, holding her arms out to hug Curtis as Adam went to answer the front door. "You've designed an amazing house and deck; everyone will love it," she said. "And if they don't, I do. Whose opinion matters more?"
"Mine and yours," Curtis said genuinely. "I know, but... I'm still worried."
Ida kissed him firmly. "I'll show you how much I love it. Later," she added when Curt's eyes darkened in desire.
"The dress?" he asked breathlessly.
"Later," Ida promised with a kiss.
"Ah, my eyes!" Adam cried, walking in on his parents kissing.
Craig snickered behind him, Victor and Edith carrying each of the twins. "You've just gotta accept that kitchens do things to people, man. Speaking of, your house is freaking awesome, Mr. and Mrs. S."
"You've had a tour already?
"Nah, Mr. S; we just saw the outside. Still looks awesome," Craig said with a shrug. Behind him, Elliot babbled, and Craig nodded in agreement. "The façade makes it look like a castle."
"He didn't actually say that, did he?" Ida asked, raising an eyebrow.
"When they're not watching Tangled, they watch daytime TV. There's a lot of house renovation shows."
"Dada!" Elijah said, obviously agreeing.
"It's not my fault those shows are addictive," Victor muttered, rubbing at one of his burnt biceps, a new habit forming.
"I think he was alerting you to the fact he needs a diaper change, dear," Edith said.
Victor winced as the smell hit him. "Right. That's a colour I don't want to know," he muttered, taking the diaper bag from Craig.
"I'll show you where the bathroom is. Don't start the tour without me," Curtis said over his shoulder, leading Victor away.
"Well, why don't you show Craig your room? The others won't be here for another hour, at least."
"Yeah, I was excited to see the place all ready and unpacked! The Commander couldn't keep me away!" Craig said, grinning.
"Ace!" Elliot said impatiently, wriggling in Edith's grasp and making grabby hands for Adam.
"I ain't carrying you, lil dude. That's how I lost a dread," Adam said.
"You can't even notice the patch, dude. It'll grow back soon," Craig said, taking Elliot from Edith and following Adam through the house to his room.
"Sorry we're so early, dearie. I couldn't keep Craig away and I was excited myself. I'm happy to help, if you need anything done?" Edith offered.
"Don't worry about that, Curtis is more excited than Craig. He's had everything prepped and ready since six this morning," Ida admitted, her tone fond. "You can help me get this wine started, if you'd like?"
"Now that is a task I'm more than willing to take on," Edith said with a grin, taking an offered wine glass.
...
"We can't be late; we need to arrive before Will and Magenta so I can document the whole thing," Ethan said.
"I know; I read Honey's message, too," Zach called over his shoulder, returning his attention to the wardrobe and trying to find a shirt in the mix of his and Ethan's clothes. "We need to organise our clothes better. I was thinking colour coding and arranging by season within those colours: singlets to long sleeve. What do you think?"
"I love you," Ethan said, kissing Zach's shoulder blade. "Here, wear this; you'll look good in it," he said, taking out a shirt from the wardrobe, his voice taking on a tone he usually reserved when they had their ropes out.
Zach shivered pleasantly at the sound and nodded, his throat thick. "Okay."
"You're so good," Eth murmured, hugging Zach before slipping out of the room. "Five minutes before we have to go!"
Zach pulled his shirt on - blue, rather than his usual pale colours - and decided that Ethan was right: he did look good.
...
"Hi, welcome to casa Spattle! Who're you?" Adam asked, frowning at the two blonde men at the front door.
"I'm Malik, this is my cousin Geir. Magenta invited us to the barbecue."
"I had to be bribed to come," Geir said cheerfully, ignoring his cousin's glare.
"What're you being bribed with?" Adam asked curiously.
"Ethiopian cuisine. Or did you go with the PlayStation?" Honey asked behind them, grinning.
"You were going to ask for a PlayStation? I don't make enough for that, and you know it, jerk," Malik muttered.
"That's why I went with Ethiopian food. If we have to stay longer than the required hour, I might change the bribe to a PlayStation after all," Geir snickered.
"No changing bribes. Honey, tell him he's being a jerk," Malik muttered at her.
"Hey, strange guys standing in front of my house: are you coming in or not? Your inviters are arriving," Adam prompted, seeing Will and Magenta flying towards the house.
Malik cursed under his breath and hurried inside before Magenta could see him. "I will buy you two nights of Ethiopian takeout if you keep her away from me for two hours."
"Two's pushing it," Geir said, shaking his head.
"You suck, Geir," Malik hissed, hurrying through the house and towards the noise he could hear outside.
"I take it he doesn't like Magenta?" Adam asked, amused.
"Hates her with the fire of a thousand suns. She apparently doesn't care," Geir said. "Hey, Honey. Would I get a PlayStation if I kept her occupied for three hours?"
Honey shook her head. "You're not going to last an hour, Geir."
"Challenge accepted," Geir said, grinning. "She's a teenager; how hard can she be to distract?"
"You're nineteen, Geir."
"I turn twenty next week, shut up."
"What do I get if I keep you occupied for an hour?" Adam asked Malik, holding out a gloved hand to shake and introduce himself.
"Depends on what you want and what I can afford," Malik said with a grin. "And if you achieve it or not," he added, wincing when he heard Magenta asking for him at the front door.
"Huh, noise doesn't usually travel that far; she must be going high-pitched. All right, dude. Topics of interest?" Adam asked when Malik looked ready to leave over the back fence.
"Animals, geography, travel, science."
"How about acidic properties of random items?" Adam suggested.
"Like what?" Malik asked, already curious.
Adam grinned and started to talk.
"Would you move? You're blocking the doorway," Justina snapped, glaring at Will and Magenta, who were each staring at different people.
"Oh, uh, sorry. Who are you?" Magenta asked, frowning as she stepped aside.
Will moved as well but ended up going to the other side of the doorway and further away from both Magenta and Ry. He cursed inwardly at the realisation, but supposed it would be more natural to go around the barbecue and end up closer to Ry. They could bump into each other and start talking and he'd get Ry a drink and -
Donny was looking at him, his face a disgusted shade of green, and Will hurried to introduce himself to the person he'd moved towards.
Connor looked from his son to the smaller version of the Commander in front of him, who was talking at him without waiting for a response or caring if he had anything to say. So this was Will Stronghold, son of the Commander and Jetstream; the same boy who'd stared at his son instead of helping him fight off those thugs in Westville. The same boy who Donny was glaring at while Craig was practically shielding Ry from Will's gaze.
Connor had seen Will walk outside and look at the crowd, obviously seeking someone out, and his skin had crawled at the expression on Will's face when he'd seen Ry.
A cough behind Will drew Connor's attention, but Will was so busy trying to make himself sound good that he didn't hear anything.
"Will Stronghold?" Connor said, hoping his full name would get the young man's attention and stop the guilt-induced rant he was spouting.
Will stopped abruptly, and actually looked at the man in front of him: tall and strong and covered in tattoos. He was the epitome of a man, and even his father would admit that. "Yes... sir?"
"You're in my boyfriend's way," Connor said, nodding to Victor behind him.
"Boyfriend?" Will spluttered, wondering why he couldn't just walk around him.
He turned around to see a tall lithe man with a walking cane and a baby in a sling against his chest standing behind him, no room to move on either side.
Victor walked past Will and took Connor's hand with a grateful smile, his legs weaker than he'd like. He'd spent most of the week overexerting himself by standing and walking at work, and he'd arrived to the barbecue to find Honey at the front door with a walking cane for him. The fact that Victor had taken it without protest worried Connor more than he'd care to admit. Ida had taken one look at Victor and led him away to check him over, muttering about workaholics the whole time.
"I'm all right, Con," Victor promised, though he didn't protest when Connor tucked him against his chest.
"Good, you can stay that way, then. Darling, this is Will Stronghold. He's a classmate of Ryuu's, and was just regaling me with a story about his gym circuit and reps. Please, continue."
Will looked torn between his desire to question the man over how he knew Ry and his not so subtle order to continue his story. "Uh... how do you know Ry?"
Victor's eyebrows shot up at both Will's familiar use of Ryuu's name and the fact that he didn't even know Connor was his father. Connor squeezed his hand gently and Victor figured he didn't want the kid to know he was related to Ryuu. "How do you know what machines to use at the gym? I always see these muscled guys using them and never know what to do."
"I, uh, just use them. There's usually instructions on the ones at the gym I go to. It's in Westville," he added, a point of pride that he could afford a membership in the rich town. (Will conveniently refused to mention that Airborne received the membership for free.) "So, how did you get those scars?" he asked, seeing the lightning webs on his neck and forearms.
Victor paled at the sudden onslaught of memories, leaning heavily on both the cane and Connor, and used all his strength to stay upright and not dislodge Elliot from the sling. Elliot started to cry, tearful cries that had more than a few people looking over to them in a mix of concern and worry. Swirls of brown met his eyes, but right in front of him, coral curiosity had Will looking over to Ry to see if he was watching. No hint of remorse or concern for others.
"Come on, darling. Let's get you inside to rest for a while," Connor murmured, practically lifting Victor off his feet to help him inside.
By the time Will stopped looking at Ry, he was alone. Those two guys were so rude to leave in the middle of their conversation! It was probably because of the baby. He didn't know how they had a baby, since gay people couldn't have kids anyway. Dismissing them entirely, Will moved to the next small group, wondering how long it would take before he made it over to Ry.
"How long 'til he notices we're moving away from him at the same pace?" Craig asked, snickering as he and Ry moved over to Malik and Adam.
"Any time will be sooner than I'd like," Ry muttered, sipping at his drink.
The doorbell rang loudly again, Honey calling that she'd get it.
"There you are, Terrence. Been waiting on you, man," Adam said as Terrence approached.
"You have? Why?" Terrence asked curiously and hopefully.
"Malik has some vintage typewriter... the, uh, what's it called?" Adam asked, looking at him.
"Blickensderfer Electric. The 1901 model."
"Holy shit. Where'd you get one of those? I've been trying to get one for years!"
"Family heirloom. It technically belongs to Geir, my cousin, but he doesn't even like typing on a computer or phone, so it's completely wasted on him," Malik said with a laugh.
Magenta looked over, distracted from Justina's conversation by Malik's laugh and wondering what they were talking about. She'd never been able to make him laugh before, she thought with jealousy.
"There we are, Lexie. I'll bring a seat over so you can rest," Honey said, leading her out onto the deck.
"Thank you, dearie. Gertie is such a sweetheart, letting me visit your special barbecue," Lexie murmured, patting Honey's arm.
"She'd let you out more often if you didn't fall over randomly, Lexie," Lex said, rolling his eyes at his sister.
"Ignore him; you know how Lex gets when he's hungry," Alex said, pointedly nodding over to the table with finger food set up.
"Ooh, are those pigs in a blanket?" Lex asked, already heading to the table without waiting for a response.
"Would you mind if I stole a chair?" Honey asked Will.
"I just sat down," Will said with a frown.
"Yes, and you're sitting on two chairs. They're stacked," Honey pointed out.
"There are other chairs, I don't see why you couldn't get one of those," Will muttered as he stood up reluctantly.
"These are the only chairs that have backs on them," Honey said, starting to get annoyed fast.
If she didn't get the chair to Lexie before Lex spilled sauce on his shirt -
"There, your chair. Do you want me to take it somewhere for you?" Will asked, trying to sound gallant when he realised that Ry could see him.
"No, I'm good," Honey said, grabbing the chair and turning before Will could try to snatch it back.
Will sat down again and turned his attention back to Ry, who was waving at a kid with a mohawk.
He wondered how Ry knew the kid. He didn't recognise him from Sky High. That probably meant he was a citizen, Will reasoned. He had no idea what Ry liked to do outside of school. What if he was really social? What if he'd met this mohawk kid doing something fun or cool or dangerous? What if Ry liked him? What if they were dating?
Fear and jealousy warred within him and Will hated the mohawk kid. He had no right to Ry. Will had seen him first.
Looking around to try to determine who the kid had arrived with, Will saw an older man at the food table, muttering and rubbing at a drop of sauce that had spilled onto his shirt. He looked older than Will's late Grandfather! He didn't know what the guy was doing by having a kid so late in life.
Seeing Ry and the mohawk kid heading to the food table with Craig, Will decided that he needed some food himself. Standing and brushing off his tight pants, Will reached the table just as the other three did.
"Sandsapien could do a lot of good in the medical field," mohawk kid said.
Will wanted to proudly announce that he'd fought Sandsapien, but he knew that the news stations had shown him falling on his face instead of using his cape in the cunning strategy he'd thought to outwit Sandsapien's sand attack. Larry had told him he'd become a meme, but Will refused to see it.
He grabbed a plate and filled it with foods that looked appetising - and grabbed a few things that Ry had picked, too - and hoped for a break or change in the conversation.
A bright flash of colour caught his attention and Will looked over to see an old woman wearing a bright red wig, the colour completely unnatural and the wig itself askew on her head.
"Oh, my god. Ry, did you see the old lady with the wig? It looks awful," Will snickered.
The conversation died faster than his grandfather. In fact, in his excitement, Will's voice had projected louder than he intended, and all of the conversations around them died.
The old man - mohawk kid's father - looked so angry that Will definitely would have died if looks could kill.
Will stammered something apologetic, hoping it would be enough to make the glares and stares stop. They continued and the whispers and mutterings started.
"Can't believe he'd say that."
"How rude."
"How did his parents raise him?"
"No one can really think it's okay to say that, can they?"
"His parents must be so ashamed with a kid that damn disrespectful."
"My name is Ryuu," he said, glaring, "I don't want to talk to you. Now, please leave me alone," Ry added, walking away.
Will wished a hole would open up at his feet and swallow him whole. He hadn't meant for everyone to hear his comment; he just wanted to make Ry laugh. The woman's wig was crooked so she did look kinda funny. It wasn't his fault no one else was saying anything about it. She might not even know and he was being nice by telling her!
Besides, no one had a right to talk about his parents like that! They were the ones being rude and disrespectful, not him. Will returned to his seat, sulking about how mean these people were being. Didn't they know he was Airborne? Didn't they know his parents were Jetstream and the Commander? They wouldn't be so rude and disrespectful if they knew who his parents were and what he'd done to save Westville - and Maxville, more recently!
"All right, let's go on that tour of the house!" Curtis said, clapping his hands together.
"I'd be honoured to escort you through the house, Lexie," Ry said with a warm smile. "Ignore him, you look lovely. Red really suits you!"
"Do you think so?" Lexie asked, touching her wig and skewing it further. "It was either this or a blonde bob."
"You'd look lovely in either, I'm sure. Now, watch your step here, there we go," Ry said with a warm smile, Lexie holding onto his arm tightly as they walked in after the others slowly.
Will stayed on the deck, watching them go. Even Magenta was in the group, talking animatedly with Malik, and soon Will was the last one on the deck. He tried to eat, barely able to stomach half the food he'd put on his plate. His stomach hurt and a lot of the things Ry had chosen didn't sit well.
"Stupid gross food," he muttered, throwing the plate in the provided bin.
"Oh, did I miss the barbecue entirely?" a woman asked, her expression crestfallen as she saw Will alone on the deck.
"Uh, no. Everyone's having a tour," he replied, vaguely recognising the blonde woman and not sure where from.
"Hmm, I might wander around. I should find them sooner or later," the woman said, turning and leaving without waiting for a response.
Will tried to remember where he'd seen the woman before, absentmindedly eating a few pigs in a blanket, his taste buds grateful for something normal, and his stomach settled. As he swallowed his fifth one, everyone returned with Curtis leading them and the blonde woman beside him, writing notes in a notebook.
" - and the kitchen leads out to the deck, which is built into the frame itself, and really opens the house, bringing the outside in. The kitchen bench is the same wood, so it makes the whole space feel continuous, too."
Will perked up and looked in the crowd for Ry.
"Where did you get cherry hardwood floors from? Did you import them from overseas?"
"All right, Trixie; you're hogging the tour and you missed half of it," Honey said, rolling her eyes, Trixie grinning without an ounce of shame.
"I just want to know all the details. It's the first Super House and Home article I've written before," she said.
"How was the tour, Ry?" Will asked.
"Ryuu."
"Huh?"
"My name is Ryuu. Only friends and family call me Ry; you're neither," Ry replied. "I've asked you to leave me alone already. I am not interested," he added firmly, looking at Will in the eyes.
He has really pretty eyes, Will thought to himself, stunned.
"Ryyy! Get your butt over here! We've saved you a pig in a blanket."
"Be right there," Ry called back to Justina, waving at her as he walked over.
Will wished he'd eaten all of the pigs in a blanket to keep Ry with him just that bit longer.
Ry was kept away from Will for another twenty minutes but he still felt Will watching and waiting. He shuddered at the thought and forced his attention back to Justina and Geir's argument over animal intelligence. Ry was fairly sure they were both arguing that animals were intelligent and they just didn't realise it yet.
"I'm gonna tell 'em," Craig snickered beside him.
"Nah, leave 'em to it. They'll get there eventually," Ry said, grinning. A slimy feeling overcame him and he grimaced at the sensation. "He's still watching, isn't he?" Ry asked Craig quietly.
Craig nodded. "I haven't practiced with Zach's power for ages; I can try to blind him if you want?"
"He'd probably use it as an excuse to touch me so he can see," Ry said, feeling nauseous.
"Eww. How 'bout I stab him with a spork?"
"Depends where you stab him," Ry said with an almost hysterical giggle.
"Oh, don't worry, I'd make it hurt. I wonder if super strength means super strong skin? Like, if I tried to skewer him with a sword, would his skin stop it or bend it or something?"
"I believe the sword would be bent. It happened with the Commander in the late 70s," Ethan informed him from where he was standing behind Ry. "No, don't turn around. I'm blocking his view for you. Human walls can be effective in some ways and utterly ridiculous in others."
"Thanks, Eth."
"I'm here, too. Do you think we'll get cooties from his staring? I feel like I need a bucket of disinfectant already," Zach said, wrinkling his nose.
"Bacteria has to be small enough to hurt, right? Do you think he can get sick?"
"I volunteer as sneezing tribute."
"You need to be sick to transfer a cold by sneezing," Ethan said, rolling his eyes at Craig, even as he recorded the fight between Justina and Geir.
"I'll just sneeze on him anyway. It might get him to leave."
Will had no idea how to get closer to Ry. More people seemed to be grouped around the two people arguing about the same thing, but he couldn't see Ry in the small crowd with Zach in the way. Tempted to call out to his former friend, even just for a glimpse, Will wondered what he could do to get Ry's attention.
Malik made his way over to Will, Magenta following without noticing their destination. "Oh, look. It's your boyfriend. Will, Magenta has a fascinating insight into increasing hero support roles with their heroes. Magenta, why don't you tell Will what you were just saying?"
Magenta's face turned a shade of crimson. Did she dare say it in front of Will? But Malik had said it was fascinating, that obviously meant he supported her, right?
"I was just thinking that, y'know, hero support don't have to be downgraded to support when they could actually do things that heroes can do."
"But then they wouldn't be hero support," Will said, frowning at her.
"That's the point!" Magenta said excitedly. "Villains never win against Jetstream and the Commander because they're up against two heroes. If hero support were just heroes then they could fight, too. It would add an element of surprise to the fights, at least."
"Only at first, though. Besides, hero support can't fight villains the way heroes do. Heroes are stronger than hero support," he said, subconsciously putting his hands on his hips as he struck an Authoritative Figure.
Seeing that their discussion had brought several people over - even Ry was finally looking in his direction! - Will realised how he could get Ry's attention, after all.
"I've been hero support, so I know what you need to do to support heroes. Why, since I'm a hero now, I could do the job of both hero and hero support!"
Magenta stared at him in shock.
"Which hero are you?" a kid asked, obviously fooled by Will's clever disguise and changed hair.
"I'm Airborne."
Silence reigned for so long that Will's Important and Mature pose began to ache.
"You shouldn't say that in public, kid," Malik muttered.
"I'm not a kid!" Will snapped. Seeing that Ry was talking to others and he wasn't going to get the attention he wanted, Will stalked over to the door. The two men he'd met earlier were in front of the door, the baby no longer in the lithe man's sling.
"Are you okay?" Victor asked, stunned by the ferocity of the colours swirling around Will's head and heart, and reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Will snapped, Victor withdrawing his hand like a shot before he touched Will.
"Of course. I should have asked first, my apologies."
Frustrated that the man was so calm - and happy in his relationship with a man when Will couldn't even get Ry to look at him - and didn't argue back, Will glared. "You're gay and you touch kids? Isn't that just fitting the stereotype?" he sneered.
"I - what?" Victor said, thoroughly confused now.
"Are you sure you want to imply that? I've got no qualms beating an experienced hero like you," Connor said, practically shaking with anger.
"You can't beat me! I'm Airborne, son of Jetstream and the Commander," he said confidently.
Connor looked willing to try anyway, but let out a long exhale and turned his attention to Victor, whose hands were clutching his cane and Connor's shirt. "Come on, darling. Let's get your food; I heard your stomach rumbling, don't protest," he added in a light tone, guiding Victor past Will without looking at him. If he did, he was going to plant his fist in the smug little asshole's face.
Ry hurried over as soon as they were at the table. "Are you all right, Papa?" he asked, his hand resting on Connor's forearm.
Will, who had stepped back onto the dock on seeing Ry, heard him and looked between Connor and Ry in confusion. "I didn't know they let gays adopt."
"Ry, hold me back."
Ry nodded and wrapped his arms around Connor. It would have looked like a hug to nearly anyone else, but Ry had locked his wrists behind his father's back, had his leg between Connor's with his foot angled to keep him off balance and relying on Ry's weight to hold him upright, and was whispering in low urgent tones to calm his father and regulate his breathing.
Connor closed his eyes and focused on his son, his embrace, his words, and his own breathing so he wouldn't beat the everloving shit out of a child.
"I didn't know you were adopted, Ry. We're friends, you could have told me! I wouldn't have cared," Will said. "I can help you find your real parents; your real mum and dad, just like you're supposed to have," he added eagerly.
Connor strained against Ry's hold.
"It's okay, Papa. He's just saying stupid shit to get my attention." Ry looked at Will fiercely, his eyes bright with anger. "I've told you before that I am not interested; we are not friends; and my name is Ryuu!"
The video panned to Will's face where he was glaring at Ry and his father. He yelled something unintelligible and punched the deck. The video paused and rewound to Airborne announcing himself in public.
"Can you believe he actually said that? His parents are going to lose their shit," one person snickered.
"Didn't you see Airborne's interview? They aren't exactly around a lot, so they probably don't even care," their colleague said, playing the video again.
"Still, I can't believe how disrespectful he is! I mean, who just says shit without thinking like that? I thought it was just the Commander."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree with him, does it?" they asked, pausing on Airborne's face in an awkward pose, both of them laughing at the image.
Tasha opened the door and looked in at her staff who were giggling instead of working. Forcing herself to smile as she walked over to them, she looked at the paused video of Airborne's face. "You're sure it's him?"
"He said it himself," one of her staff said, pressing play.
"I'm Airborne, son of Jetstream and the Commander - "
"You've seen the whole thing, right?"
Tasha nodded. "I saw it on YouTube, along with the other forty million viewers. I thought we'd have to cut and edit it to make it newsworthy for the headlines, but he really did it all himself, didn't he?"
"We could get pay rises with this sort of story," one of her staff said, grinning.
"Only if we report on it first. I'll take the lead on it if you two have something workable and news worthy to air by 4pm."
"It's three o'clock now!"
"Then you'd best work fast if you want those pay rises," Tasha said, turning her back on Airborne's image and leaving the room.
...
End of the hundred and twentieth chapter.
Thanks for reading; hope you liked the extra chapters!
