Chapter One Hundred and Forty

...

"Victor, I'm home! Layla gave us a buttload of celery to put in the freezer for the twins," Craig said, shifting to the kitchen and back to the foyer a second later.

"It's supposed to help with teething," Ryuu added. "I'm so fucking exhausted after all that shit today."

"Ry, language," Victor said sternly.

"Sorry. I'm gonna go to sleep. Can you wake me for dinner?"

"Sure. What happened today?" Victor asked Craig curiously as Ry passed to go to his room.

"So much. Magenta lost her shit in the cafeteria trying to flirt with Lorcan; Will tried to blame us, then he slipped on a banana peel. I'm not making that up, by the way," Craig added quickly.

"I believe you. Go on," Victor said with a nod.

Craig was surprised by the easy acceptance - his parents never would have believed him and Cara would have wanted proof - and smiled as he continued, "So all afternoon, Will was trying to milk it for all it was worth, saying how he'd fallen and hit his head and could he sit at the front of the class? We've got assigned seats so he'll stop staring at Ry," Craig added, his smile slipping.

Victor frowned. "I assume it's not working?"

"Some days are better than others. I get in trouble if I power up, even if it's to put a barrier between them, but I still gotta try. I swear Ry's gonna just snap and punch Will again. Hopefully a little further south than his throat this time."

Victor frowned. "Didn't Ry get a super restraining order?"

"Yeah, but it only works if he's within a metre of Will. So far, he's managed to be at least two metres away. Except during that game of Save the Citizen when I threw Will at the stands. He bounced off the barrier and Ry didn't even flinch. It was great. It was also the only way we could test it without Will harassing Ry."

"Lie."

"Okay, he could've just walked past but this was more fun. For me."

Victor believed that even without seeing the colours.

"Plus, I don't even think Will knows about it. He obviously hasn't checked his mail. Oh, and Ry may or may not be developing PTSD as a result of Will. He won't even let me shift into him to train."

"What?" Victor asked, surprised more than accusatory.

"I know, right? It's difficult to find supers who've got both their parents' powers, and - that's not what you're talking about, is it?"

Victor shook his head. "If Ry really is developing a stress disorder just by being around Will, then that is creating a hostile environment for him. He either needs to leave Sky High or get Will to leave before it develops into something far more serious," he said, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"Who're you calling?"

"Connor. And then maybe Doc. And Eliza. She's better with the evil client thing," Victor muttered.

"Aw, Mr. Medulla has a date with his girlfriends tonight. He was super excited about it in class today. Well, I mean, he didn't give anyone detention, so it's kinda the same thing."

"You have to stop reading people's minds, Craig."

"But I've gotta practice," Craig said.

"Isn't that what your afternoon training sessions are for?" Victor asked.

"Well, yeah. But I already know them. I could guess what they're thinking even without reading their minds."

Victor couldn't really say anything to that. "Try to keep the thought reading of your teachers to a minimum, okay?"

"Fine. I stopped after a few minutes anyway. Seeing Mr. Medulla smile so much can get a little scary."

Victor snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. He was meant to be the adult here. "I'll text Eliza instead; she can help when she's ready."

"So, can I ask you something?" Craig asked hesitantly, nervous colours covering him almost from head to toe.

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Well, kinda. I mean... it's fine, but... Can we sit down first? I might be less tempted to fly out the door if I have to get off a chair first."

Victor tried not to show - or think - his worry and led Craig to the dining room so they could both sit comfortably. "Better?"

Craig nodded, but the nervous colours didn't lessen or fade. "I wanted to ask about sex. And if I could have it. Y'know, earlier than my 18th birthday. Please?"

The words were rushed together, Craig's pink cheeks visible even through the colours Victor could see, and he took a moment to decode what Craig had actually said.

After his weekend and everything he'd done with Connor, Victor knew what it was like to have sex with someone who truly loved him. That had been as much of an eye opener as the fact it was with another man. The memories were enough to warm his body and his ass ached with the reminder of beard burn.

Telling himself to focus on Craig, who was the priority right now, Victor thought about his request for a moment longer. "Are you asking this because you've started dating Beau as well? Is he pressuring you?"

Craig shook his head adamantly. "No, he wouldn't do that. Beau read the rules and agreed to them yesterday. They're the same rules that Jewel and Grant got when we first started dating. They don't even know I'm asking you," he added.

"All right, so why ask now?"

Craig blushed again. "Yuki won the bet on the weekend. Everyone knows you and Connor had sex. I just figured you'd be more amenable to agreeing if you knew what it was like, y'know? I figure it's good; you haven't stopped smiling since Connor left for work this morning. Even after the twins' teething issues last night."

Victor wished he didn't know that everyone knew. "Perhaps Mother will leave us alone now."

Crag snorted. "She's got betting pools on you two from now until death, dude. Haven't you seen the board?"

"The what?"

"You don't know? Oh, geez. Edith's gonna be pissed at me," Craig muttered, even as he took his phone out and navigated to a site, passing it to Victor.

Taking the phone, Victor read the site in growing disbelief. Surrogacy or adoption; married in month; married in season; honeymoon destination.

"Oh, wait. That's Sarah and Jared's. I think that's why they're not re-married yet. The mothers are trying to win their month and season bets," Craig snickered, taking his phone back and tapping a few times before handing it back.

Oh, dear god. His and Connor's was somehow worse.

The same options were there as before, but then more were added including: kindergarten, primary school, high school for Elijah and Elliot; Connor or Victor to propose; holiday with children - month; holiday without children - month; holiday destinations with children; holiday destinations without children; anniversary gifts - traditional or modern; anniversary destinations; Connor and Victor first place to have sex in new house.

Victor dropped the phone and buried his head in his hands. "Super fucking Jesus."

"How far did you get? Oh. It gets worse, dude. I'm pretty sure she has your funeral and cemeteries listed in there, too. Also, how you'll die. The leading bet is an angry client, which is ridiculous 'cause you don't have angry clients. Connor's is morbid as fuck, don't look at it."

Victor just groaned.

"If it's any consolation, they're betting on us, too. Ida's got fifty bucks on me getting pregnant by the end of senior year, which is just rude. We'd plan that shit. Ethan would kill us otherwise."

"You can't always plan these things, Craig."

"Jewel literally can't get pregnant unless she goes powerless for nine months, and I can only get pregnant if I have a womb and uterus. I can shift to a female intersex form and that would mean no pregnancy. I even checked with Ida."

Victor was surprised at Craig's admission. After the very long and very awkward sex talk they'd had with Ida, Victor didn't think anyone would want to ask questions ever again. Hell, he could barely look her in the eye for a week after all that.

"You don't have to answer right now, of course. I get that I kinda just came out of nowhere with it," Craig added, grinning.

Earl Grey earnestness. Honestly? That wasn't even a colour, for fuck's sakes!

"All right."

Craig nodded and went to leave.

"No, Craig. I mean, all right. You can have sex earlier than your eighteenth birthday."

Yellow excitement flooded him almost instantly. "Really? You mean it?!"

"Not right now, Super Jesus, calm down. I want you to wait another three months. I like Beau, he seems like a good kid, but if he can't or won't wait three months after Grant and Jewel just waited eight, then he doesn't deserve you. Or them," Victor added.

Craig hugged him tightly. "I love you."

Victor blinked in surprise, pink love and Earl Grey earnestness combining, and hugged Craig back. "Love you, too. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, 'course. What's not to love?"

"Craig..."

He squeezed once as he pulled away, then smiled, a hint of seriousness (and puce determination) in his gaze. "I know you mean it, Victor. Honest."

Blue truth took over puce - thank any god for that - and Victor nodded. "Good. I don't say it enough, do I?"

"You're still working out your love language, man; I totally get it."

"My what?"

Craig laughed at his expression. "Your love language. Y'know, like Adam shows he loves me by upgrading my tech, and Layla shows she loves us by giving us fruit and veg, no matter where we are. I asked her on the bus once, just to see what she'd do. I had three apples in half a minute."

"Any other examples? You've known them for a while; Adam and Layla might just be nice."

Craig snorted. "He upgrades my tech before his own, that is love. I express love through physical touch, hugs and stuff like that, but that's also 'cause up until I was twelve, I only had one person hug me, and Ida made it clear that an EMT trying to resuscitate me doesn't count as love. Shame, 'cause he was cute.

"Anyway, Warren is a total papa bear and protects us. Also, he doesn't roast us, which is totally him being loving. He could threaten us and literally roast us alive, but he doesn't. Terrence makes tech for us, like he did with those hospital machines, and Robin checks our mineral levels even though they don't actually tell us. But I got a container of magnesium tablets from them the other day, so I know what they're up to. Justina's made sure none of us have been bitten by mosquitoes in, like, months, so she totally loves us. Ethan makes sure we don't burn out and helps with our homework, and Zach has done something with UV rays so I feel awake without feeling burnt. As a redhead, I have a cell-deep knowledge of when I'm being hit by UV rays," Craig said seriously, breaking out into a full grin when Victor snickered. "Ry has been teaching us tai chi and meditation, which he refuses to do for just anyone. Donny helps us by forgetting certain memories; and Wendy makes sure we don't get rained on or smacked out by a gust of wind - remember that day at the park?"

Victor did remember. It had been so windy he hadn't wanted to get out of the car, but Craig has promised it would clear up. Even as he opened the door, the wind had settled to a light breeze, but Victor had assumed it was Craig.

"On the opposite side, Jewel says she likes to receive gifts to show our love, but she really, really likes cuddles, too. Grant likes homemade gifts 'cause it means someone thought about what he'd like. They show it differently, of course, but that's what it's all about.

"I still have to work out Beau's, but we only started dating yesterday, so I'm not expecting that overnight."

Victor blinked. "That's a lot of love."

"Yeah, it is," Craig said with a happy smile.

"I need to find out what Connor's is," Victor mused.

Elijah and Elliot woke up from their nap with wailing cries of pain, Victor running upstairs to get to them as Craig teleported to the kitchen to get celery for them to chew on.

...

"You did what?" Beau asked incredulously.

"I asked Victor if we could have sex earlier than my 18th birthday. He said yes, but we have to wait another three months."

"Holy spandex. I'm marking that whole weekend free; I don't care what anyone says," Jewel said eagerly, flipping through her diary.

"You mean Victor thinks I only want sex with you?!" Beau asked, his face bright red.

"Nah, I told him it was all me. You're good, Beau," Craig promised. "Grant, you okay, babe?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, just... imagination."

"Why do you think I'm telling you two hours later? This ain't spit up. Well, not just spit up. Elliot does not like celery."

"Oh, god. Why am I attracted to that?" Grant groaned.

"'Cause you like the idea of Craig looking after our babies, admit it," Jewel teased, laughing when both Beau and Grant went red. "Good news: I don't have an assignment in three months. How does January 18th work for the rest of you?"

"I've got an assignment due that Sunday," Grant said.

"Law 101," Beau added, wincing. "What about the week after?"

"Art essay," Jewel said.

"Week after?" Grant asked hopefully.

"I've got midterms then," Craig said.

"Oh, I do not envy you that, babe," Jewel said. "Our exams start two weeks after that. I'll either be studying my ass off for those two weeks or procrastinating and cramming. Either way, it's not going to be pretty."

"Week after exams?" Craig asked, hating how it was already closer to five months than three.

"I'm free then," Grant confirmed, Jewel and Beau agreeing.

"Okay, marking off March 1st as our weekend together. If anyone interrupts us, I will kill them."

Beau laughed, but trailed off when neither Grant nor Jewel laughed at Craig's comment. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Craig asked with an evil laugh. "How was that laugh?"

"Take it up a notch; you need to expand your chest," Jewel said helpfully.

"Thanks, babe."

...

Ry woke up groggily when Craig called him for dinner. The twins had screamed earlier but finally settled, and Ry had caught up on his sleep, though he'd missed his homework allocation and yoga session. Too tired to really care, Ry yawned widely and headed downstairs to eat. He stopped short on seeing not only his Papa, Victor, Craig, Edith, and the twins, but also Eliza, Beth, and Mr. Medulla sitting at the dining table. "What's going on?"

"Victor texted me earlier about your problem, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so Max and Beth agreed to postpone our date," Eliza answered with a bright smile.

"What problem?" Ry asked, heat creeping up his neck. He was tempted to curl in on himself or run away, and had a distinct feeling of being ganged up on for something that he didn't know about.

"Hey, it's all good, Ry. We're just having dinner now. Eliza will talk to you about Will and your PTSD later," Connor said.

"My what? I don't have PTSD."

"Yeah, dude, you totally do. You flinch if you see him, if he looks at you, if you hear his name, or his voice. Hell, you flinched at the flag last week 'cause you thought Will was flying over. You've been having nightmares about him, too," Craig added.

Ry opened and closed his mouth. "That doesn't mean it's PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder is something that veterans have, not kids."

"PTSD can be experienced by anyone over the age of six. Hell, probably earlier if there's a cause for it, but that's not the point. The point is that there are seventeen symptoms for post-traumatic stress disorder, and you display at least fifteen of those symptoms. Do not make me list them. I will, if I have to," Craig added.

"The three main ones are easier to identify, dear," Beth said kindly. "Re-experiencing the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares. Emotional numbness or avoidance of the person or trauma. Difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, or easily angered or irritated. These usually occur a month after the event; when did you first meet Will?"

"Before school started; I got ice cream with Craig and Adam. I went over to 100th Street in Westville, and fought a few thugs while Will stared at me," Ry said quietly, shuddering in revulsion at the memory.

"I have that on video if you need evidence," Craig added to Victor and Eliza.

"Max, sweetheart, do you have Will's home address?"

"You can't kill him, Eliza."

"Why not? No one would ever find out."

Medulla and Victor both sighed.

"You realise I can't ever represent you if something does happen, right?" Victor asked, rubbing his temples.

Eliza laughed. "I'll represent myself, thank you very much. Beth, you agree with me, don't you?"

Beth startled as though she'd forgotten where they were, smiling guiltily. "Sorry. I have a few beakers that you might like to borrow, Max dear."

"I can't believe that I'm the one saying this, but no, Beth. We can't poison the child, either."

Beth pouted at Medulla. "Even if I do that thing you like?"

"La la la la la la," Craig said loudly, covering his ears, and bringing out another two pairs of hands to cover the twins ears as well.

Medulla turned bright red from the top of his head to his neck and probably further down but no one could see past his clothes. "Beth, that's cruel of you."

"No, it isn't. Cruel would be never doing that thing ever again," Eliza said, folding her arms over her chest.

Ry decided to slip away while they were all distracted, his hands clammy and his heart pounding. He didn't know if he wanted to throw up or cry. Maybe both.

He didn't have PTSD, did he? He'd know if he did, wouldn't he? It was something that his Papa or Victor had after being tortured, or Andy after one too many tours.

(One tour is one too many, always remember that, kid, Andy had said when he'd come home after that first tour without Connor. Ry had cried for a full day when Andy couldn't hug him after returning, still too tense and emotionally closed off to not react as though threatened. Andy had looked upset but he couldn't hug him and Ry didn't understand why.)

PTSD was a thing for adults, not teenagers, and especially not over something as stupid as Will fucking Stronghold.

"Ry, dear? Can I hug you?" Edith asked, leaving the noisy kitchen to find Ryuu sitting on the foyer stairs and staring at nothing.

Ry he felt so brittle and fragile, but he nodded anyway.

Edith sat beside him, hugging him close. "I've decided to start a new betting pool," she announced after a moment of semi-silence, Craig still making noises in the kitchen.

"Mm?"

"The first one to kill that disgusting excuse of a human. I was going to put your father's name first, but after all this, I think I might put my own at the top. Don't tell Victor, dear. I'd prefer he represented me, when that time comes."

Ry broke into a million pieces and laughed hysterically along the way.

...

"Mami, why are we going to church again?! I thought you said the rumblestrutting thing was my biology?" Magenta said with a groan as she followed her mother into the church reluctantly.

Mrs. Yolanda pursed her lips. "Just because the rumblestrutting is biology, it doesn't mean all of it is," she said firmly. She'd read the Crimson Love Letter in detail before making her daughter delete the whole thing. "Super Jesus will forgive you for your sins."

"What sins? It's just sex, Mami."

"And stalking. Your cousin Alejandro did the same, and where is he now? In prison!"

"You said he was in prison for staying out after bedtime," Magenta said.

"You were ten, it was easier to get you to sleep on time. Now, think about what you did, and confess," Mrs. Yolanda said firmly, guiding Magenta to the confession booth.

Magenta rolled her eyes. The priest was sure to take her side; her mother didn't understand it was true love. True love meant that all would be forgiven, no matter what she did to get it.

...

Will flew up to Sky High after doing several laps of Westville. A villain could be out early, who knew? If he didn't have to go to school, then that was a bonus as far as he was concerned.

Unfortunately there were no shouts for Airborne, no hostages or bank robberies, no citizens being mugged or crying for help. With nothing left to do but go to school, Will realised the time and flew super fast to get up to Sky High in time for homegroup.

Mr. Medulla glared at him when he entered the room, which Will thought was weird because two minutes early was still early!

Annoyingly, Mr. Medulla seemed to have it out for Will because anytime he looked to the window where Ry and the others were sitting, he was immediately told to look forward and pay attention. It was just attendance, so Will didn't get what was up his butt. Mr. Medulla obviously needed to get laid, but who'd date a guy with a head like that?!

Snickering at his own joke internally - he'd probably get detention if he dared to laugh aloud - Will called out to confirm his presence when Mr. Medulla finally called out his name.

"Today we'll see if you can follow a few simple instructions. The left side of the class is to turn around in their chairs. Go on, we don't have all day," Mr. Medulla said, waving for Will's side of the class to do as instructed.

Frowning and wondering what the hell was going on, Will turned around in his chair.

"Now stand up. Put your hands in the air. Wave them."

Confused, but not wanting to piss Mr. Medulla off more, Will did as instructed.

"Wave them around like you just don't care."

Maleah and Najair burst out laughing and Craig smirked as he shifted back from Mr. Medulla's form.

"Mr. Medulla! That wasn't fair!" Larry said, his face as red as his hair.

Several people around him agreed heatedly, the other half of the class snickering or laughing.

"It was a valuable lesson in thinking for yourselves and not following instructions blindly," Mr. Medulla said. "I didn't say you could turn around," he added, glowering.

Some reluctantly turned around while others refused. While Will was still looking at the back of the classroom, Mr. Medulla indicated for the other side to leave homegroup a minute early.

Craig teleported himself and his friends away instantly. The others on the right side of the class gathered their things and left as well, confused but not willing to argue.

Deciding the peace and quiet was beneficial for his mental health at the very least - he had several test tubes filled with brightly coloured vapours in his bag and didn't know if it was a result of Beth, Eliza, or both - Mr. Medulla left the other side of the class seated until the bell rang for their first class two minutes later.

...

Will didn't get what everyone's problem was today. First Mr. Medulla was glaring at him, and then Larry wouldn't even talk to him about how weird the whole thing had been in homegroup. He'd tried to talk to Pad, who just rolled his eyes and refused to answer him, and Will actually had no idea what had happened to Chad and Tad and Brad.

As he sat in Mr. Bowie's class, Will glanced around the class - totally not looking for Ry - and was surprised to notice a lot of kids wearing skirts.

"Hey, why's everyone wearing skirts?" Will asked the girl across the aisle, frowning.

She was wearing a badge with 'everyone is unique' written in a colourful font.

"It's a kilt. It's to support LGBT+ rights and the anti-bullying scheme. Didn't you see the school paper?"

Vaguely remembering shoving the paper into his bag and never taking it out again, Will shook his head. "Too busy. Y'know, patrolling Westville," he added.

"Uh huh."

"All right, settle down, class. We've got a lot to cover with Lionheart's biography. I hope everyone has read chapter twelve and thirteen?" Jared asked, looking around the room.

Most people nodded, a few didn't. Will very proudly nodded when it was his turn. In fact, he'd read the whole book while he was suspended. Mostly because he got to be away from his mother while he was reading.

"All right, great! Those who haven't, stick around after class and we'll discuss what you've missed. Now, anyone notice any themes or inconsistencies? How about the giant spelling error on page sixty-eight?"

Everyone flipped through their book to check, and across the room, Ry raised his hand.

"I think it's interesting how Lionheart continues to refer to courage throughout the book. It's really obvious in chapter twelve that he's trying to either make us or himself believe he's a brave hero who never felt fear a day in his life. If that's true then he wouldn't be human or brave. It's like Franklin D. Roosevelt said: courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear."

"Excellent insight, thank you, Ry. Does anyone else have any contributions?" Jared asked.

Will put up his hand quickly. "The topic of fear comes up again in chapter eighteen, too. Lionheart refers to himself as the Fearless One."

Jared waited for a further analysis but Will didn't seem to have anything else. "Okay. Will, I'm assuming you've read the whole book?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's great. How many times?"

"Uh. Once?"

"Okay. Did you receive the homework packets I sent while you were at home?" Jared asked, frowning.

Will felt his neck burning in embarrassment and nodded, wondering what he'd done wrong.

Jared bit his tongue so he wouldn't ask if Will had read the packets, since it was already obvious he hadn't. "We're trying to read this together as a class, so even if you do read ahead - which isn't a bad thing, honestly," he added quickly, realising that he was calling Will out in front of his peers. "I want you to re-read each chapter twice to correspond with the work's week. So next week, we're looking at chapters fifteen and sixteen, so read those twice before next Monday, okay? You'll get a better understanding of the themes and may even notice something you missed the first time around. The same goes for anyone who's read the book in its entirety," he added, looking at the rest of the class.

Will forced himself not to groan. He'd barely made it through the whole book the first time. It was so boring!

Jared noticed several expressions of disappointment and grinned at them all. "You hate me now, I get it. But for anyone going to University of Maxville, you'll appreciate learning this lesson early. If you want to enjoy a book, read it once. If you want to know the deeper meaning, read it twice. If you want to hate it entirely, write an essay on it." A few people laughed, and Jared grinned. "I'll take it. Now, let's look at the networks Lionheart built to prove - or promote - his own ideals."

...

Magenta sat in silence as she waited for the priest to absolve her of her supposed sins. There had been nothing but silence for almost three straight minutes. "Hello? Are you still there?"

There was a cough from the other side of the panel. "Yes, my child. I... needed to convene with Super God."

"What did She say? She gets it, right? It's true love."

"They. We are mere mortals and cannot assume to perceive Their gender by our own physical limitations," the priest corrected, almost automatically. "May I also suggest the next time you come here, you don't start with, forgive me Father but my mother thinks I've sinned? The ritual must be obeyed."

"Uh huh. Am I forgiven or not?"

"There is quite a lot to forgive. Why don't we look at each part and determine what must be done for you to atone?"

Magenta rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Now, what do you believe your first sin to be?" the priest asked curiously.

She scoffed at the question. "Didn't you hear what I said? It's true love, there isn't any sinning!"

There was another long minute of silence, though Magenta swore she heard the priest say 'dear Super God'.

"Are you convening with Super God again?" she asked.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Did They say I'm forgiven? They get that it's love, right?" Magenta asked, even ensuring to use 'they' to get in the priest's good books.

"I think some community service might be beneficial for you, child," the priest offered.

"Really? Great!"

The priest frowned at Magenta's enthusiastic response, knowing it to be rare for those her age. "We have a soup kitchen - "

"Oh, no. I already serve the community, Father. I'm Shifter," Magenta said. "So, is that all I have to do to be forgiven?"

"No. The service of a super is wonderful, of course, but you are paid for that - "

"Not much," Magenta muttered, not quite under her breath.

" - and volunteering in the soup kitchen will allow you to provide a service to others less fortunate than yourself, and hopefully a better understanding of the world itself."

"Oh. Is there something else I can do instead? I can sign autographs as Shifter."

"No. I believe this is the first step towards your sins being forgiven."

"First step? Just how many steps are there?"

"Ten," the priest said, pulling the number out of nowhere - Ten Commandments, ten fingers and ten toes, ten seasons of Friends, what did it matter?

"Okay. What's step two?"

"You will learn that once you've finished step one, child. I'll retrieve the soup kitchen's schedule for you," the priest said, opening the door and leaving too fast for Magenta to protest or respond.

Magenta huffed a sigh. Fine, she could serve at the soup kitchen for a day or whatever. Then she just had to do nine more things and she'd be forgiven and her mother would stop making her go to church.

...

"Come on, I want to walk already. You all take forever to eat! Why can't you just osmosis it or something?" Justina groaned.

"I've tried that. It doesn't work with human food and the end result is not pretty," Craig said, grinning and draping himself over Ry's shoulders.

"I will stomp on your foot, get off me," Ry groaned, shrugging Craig off.

"I was gonna be your cape! Rude."

"No capes!" Zach said sternly as he stood up, shoving the last of his wrap in his mouth.

"Superman has a cape!" Craig argued.

"Superman wears his underwear on the outside of his suit," Zach retorted.

"I know. It's weird, but I get it 'cause he's wearing a suit, then his citizen clothes, right? So there's less chafing with extra undies."

"That's why they have anti-chafing materials," Ethan said, rolling his eyes.

"Aww, you listened to me about suit evolution," Zach said, kissing Ethan's cheek.

"Of course. I don't always understand what you're saying, but I always listen."

Zach glowed red with his blush.

"Hey, tone it down! You're not meant to power up outside of class," Coach Boomer said, looking at Zach pointedly.

"It was an accident, sir. I don't have full control over my powers yet."

"Don't let it happen again."

"I'll try, sir."

"Don't know how you're meant to control something you have no control over," Warren muttered.

Craig saw Boomer stop and start to turn around to argue, and promptly teleported everyone away. "Ah, shit. Sorry, guys."

"I was still eating!" Robin said in annoyance; they had barely eaten their food!

"Anyone else?" Craig asked, wincing when Lorcan and Maleah both raised their hands, along with Layla and Adam. "I'll go get it and be right back."

"Shift first. You're going to be caught, dude," Adam said sternly, watching the cafeteria camera as Craig shifted his body to Beam before teleporting this time.

Boomer was still there when Craig arrived, not looking at all impressed. "I knew you'd be back."

"Can't leave litter around, sir."

Boomer's mouth twitched with a barely repressed smile and he pointed at Craig fiercely. "I don't know if you're a student or Beam, so go before I change my mind."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Craig said, teleporting away with everyone's food this time.

...

End of the hundred and fortieth chapter.