ᵒᵖᵖᵒˢⁱᵗᵉˢ ᵃᵗᵗʳᵃᶜᵗ

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❝ late bloomer. ❞
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𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐠. It meant that you had about an hour to talk over what you were going to do with Will during his training, since Coach Boomer had ominously promised that he would continue Power Placement with your little brother as the starter.

Will and his friends walked into the cafeteria, the former glancing around in every direction, obviously searching for something. Layla had to take it upon herself to fill up his tray with food as they moved through the line.

"Who are you looking for?" Layla asked.

"Y/N," he answered mindlessly, frowning when he couldn't find you.

"Since when do you willingly seek your sister out?" the girl chuckled, shaking her in amusement as she placed her tray onto the table.

"Since always."

"Yeah, right."

"The cafeteria staff requests sidekicks stop ordering hero sandwiches."

Will, Layla, Zach, Magenta and Ethan proceeded to sit down at the table. As your brother sat, he accidentally made eye contact with an older boy sitting at the table behind them. He offered a smile, but when the boy simply glared, he frowned to himself. 

"Okay, am I crazy, or is that guy really looking at me?" he wondered with a nervous lilt to his voice.

All of his friends glanced over to said guy, their eyes widening upon seeing who it was. "Dude," Zach gasped quietly.

"What?"

"That's Warren Peace."

"That's Warren Peace?" Layla repeated in a question, the boy nodding in response. "I've heard about him. His mum's a hero, and his dad's a supervillain; Barron Battle."

"So, where do I come in?" Will questioned.

"Your dad busted his dad," Ethan answered. "Quadruple life sentence."

"No chance of parole until after his third life," Magenta added.

"... That's great," Will exhaled with a bemused smile. "It's my first day at Sky High, and I already have an archenemy."

"Archenemy?" Your brother snapped his head to the side upon hearing your voice, finding you walking towards his table with your own tray. "I don't even have one yet. Guess you are beating me at something."

"Thank God," he sighed, moving slightly to allow you to sit down. "Okay, I need to figure out this powe-."

"Will," you hissed.

"What?" he snapped.

Your eyes were wide as you discreetly nodded towards the people at the table, the freshmen all staring at you in astonishment. Firstly, they were shocked that a senior, let alone the Y/N Stronghold decided to grace their table, until their eyes caught up.

"Powe..?" Layla continued in a questioning tone.

"... Power Preservation," you answered quickly, offering a smile to them. "Will's powers are growing by the day, so he's gonna to need a stabilising unit for them. The Power Preservation class should do the trick."

Will nodded slowly, a look of realisation passing his face before he schooled it with a shrug. "It's tough being this strong."

You watched with squinted eyes as he tried flexing his arm, the muscles barely contracting to fit the supposed shape of his muscles. It was silent as he sighed, retracting his arm as everyone merely glanced away to save his embarrassment. 

"Is he still looking?" he then spoke after a moment.

You frowned in confusion, watching as Layla barely glanced over her shoulder before continuing to drink her orange juice. "No."

"No?"

"No."

You watched as Will slowly began to look behind himself before spinning back in his seat, an annoyed look overcoming his features. "I thought you said he wasn't looking."

"What are you talking about?" you questioned.

"Tall, brooding guy who wants to murder me," Will merely said. "Apparently dad put his dad in prison. For the rest of his supposed lives."

"Who-? Oh."

Will noticed the way you turned around, deadpan painting your face a moment later. He risked a glance, noticing the way Warren glared at you just as darkly as he did to him, except... there was something else in his eyes that he couldn't quite place.

"I wouldn't worry about him," you continued, lightly punching his shoulder as you began cleaning up your tray and standing up. "He's just an asshole with an immaturity complex. You guys should get along great."

Will scowled, watching as you walked away from the table, his friends snickering into their food.

About an hour later, you snuck out of your superhero history class, slinking towards the gym. Sneaking in would be a breeze, and you would just have to find a place to hide before using your powers to help Will pretend he had his own.

At the door, you reached down and pulled on the handle, only to feel a sudden jolt of electricity burst through you. You pulled back with a yell, holding your wrist in pain at the abrupt pain. Looking down, you found your hand, burnt and red from the volts.

Washing your other hand over it, water appeared within a second, the liquid smoothing over your skin. In moments, the skin of your palm began healing. 

"Damn it," you cursed softly to yourself. No one could enter the gym during Power Placement, it seemed, all the entrances guarded by electric volts for anyone wishing to run away or... cheat.

You turned around, rushing down the hallway towards the side doors. Two medium-sized windows were on the doors, and you peaked through them, finding the freshmen just a couple steps away. Coach Boomer was nowhere to be found, clearly still eating his lunch and keeping them waiting.

You found Will near the back, and you began rapidly waving your hands, hoping to catch his attention. After a couple of seconds, he finally glanced over when he was about to speak to Layla, instead catching your eye.

Relief overcame him when he saw you, but it quickly faded when he saw the worried look on your face. Rushing over, he went to reach for the door handle but your rapid head-shaking stopped him.

"It'll zap you!" you exclaimed. 

You hoped he could hear you, and when he frowned, soon speaking, you knew he could. "What are you talking about?"

The communication was muffled through the door, but it was better than nothing. "I can't get into the gym. I won't be able to help you fake your powers, Will."

His eyes widened, blinking rapidly. You heard him curse, and you could only frown, shaking your head softly.

"It's... It's okay," he finally said, pursing his lips. "I'm sick of lying to mum and dad. To everyone. They've already got a perfect daughter, so who cares if their son doesn't have any powers?"

"Will...-"

"Miss Stronghold!" 

You spun around with a panicked jump in your step as waves of sound hit your body. Your shoulder hit the door from the blast, your ears ringing. "Coach Boomer!" you yelled.

"Why are you shouting?" he questioned, walking towards you. 

"I didn't realise!"

The coach flinched slightly at your tone before shaking his head. "What are you doing here? Hoping to give your brother some pointers?"

"Just offering some words of encouragement, sir," you answered.

"How sweet," he deadpanned. "Now, shouldn't you be in class?"

"Uh..." You glanced over your shoulder, watching as Will just shook his head at you. With a sigh, you turned back to Coach Boomer with a nod. "Yeah."

You were pulled out of class about half an hour later, your teacher alerting you that Will had been in an accident. You made your way towards the infirmary, shoving the doors open, alerting anyone inside of your arrival.

"Oh, Miss Stronghold!" Nurse Spex greeted, waving sweetly at you. "You're just in time for your brother's debrief."

"Perfect," you sighed. "So, what's the damage?"

"Well, nothing seems to be broken."

"Except for me not having my powers," Will muttered dejectedly. 

"You willingly confessed?" you questioned.

"More like was forced to after a car was thrown at me and I got tossed in the air, but yeah. Pretty willing," he agreed sarcastically. 

"Well, maybe you're just a late bloomer," Nurse Spex shrugged, holding out a jar of lollipops out to the young boy. "Could get one of them, or both. Your mother's flying, or your father's super-strength. Or maybe a random power from the family tree, like your sister."

"But when?" Will wondered.

"The kids who get bit by radioactive insects, or fall into a vat of toxic waste, their powers usually show up the next day. Or, they die," Spex started darkly, your brother sharing an uneasy glance with you. "But kids who inherit their powers... well, impossible to say."

"... But, I will get them, right?" your brother asked.

"Many sidekicks are the offspring of one super-parent and one ordinary parent. But there are cases, rare, yet not unheard of, where the child of two super-powered parents... never acquires any... powers whatsoever."

"There are? Who?"

"Irregardless," you intervened, distracting your brother for just a moment as he turned to look at you. You offered a slight smile, one he didn't return. "That's not going to happen to you."

"How do you know that?" he frowned.

"Because... I just do," you shrugged.

A few days later, you found yourself in the kitchen preparing a meal for dinner when your father walked in. You had heard him introducing himself to Will's new friends who were studying in the living room before making his way to make his a sandwich for himself.

You watched as your dad glanced behind his shoulder, eyebrows fulled into a confused and concerned frown. His eyes latched onto you, and they widened as wide as saucers.

"Y/N!" he whisper-shouted.

"What?" you said at a normal volume, confused as to why he was so quiet.

He repeatedly looked down the hallway for any sign of someone before tiptoeing to you. You eyed him suspiciously as you grabbed a soft drink from the fridge. 

"Who are these kids Will has brought home?"

"His friends?" you chuckled whilst answering. 

"They can't be."

"Well, why not?"

"There... There-..."

"Let me guess," you sighed, placing the can of soda onto the kitchen island as you wheeled around to face your father, hands landing on your hips. "They're not 'cool' enough to be friends with the son of the great Commander."

"... Nooooo," he mumbled. 

"Dad!" you guffawed. 

"It's just, you're able to surround yourself with people..." he trailed off, sucking in a sharp breath. "That are on your level?"

"Wow, that's a really nice way to put it, dad," you frowned, rolling your eyes at the pure prejudice in his tone. 

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do, and it's pissing me off," you countered. "Will doesn't care about this supposed level he's on, and he's certainly not basing his friendships off of it. Yes, my friends are high achievers and good superheroes in training, but Will's friends are just as incredible."

Probably even more than my 'amazing' friends.

Your father watched you for a moment, sighing softly, and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Will suddenly walked in. He smiled at the both of you, opening the fridge to stock up on the drinks for his friends in the living room. 

You shared a pointed look with your dad, the man ignoring it in fear you would become even angrier

"They're a good bunch of kids, Will," he started. "Could I ask you something though? Does that one kid really, you know, glow?"

"Sometimes," Will shrugged.

"They have really lowered the bar some for superheroes since I went there."

"Well, actually, he's a sidekick," your brother corrected, sharing a glance with you.

"Oh! Well, that makes sense."

"Yeah... Actually, they're all sidekicks."

Your father paused in buttering the bread, slowly turning to look at Will. Your eyes widened, coming to a realisation that Will might actually confess to being a sidekick and not having any powers.

"...Good for you, son," your father nodded proudly, pointing at him with the butter knife. "A kid of your stature hanging out with a bunch of sidekicks as a freshman? I didn't have the guts. And I can only imagine what your grandfather would have said if I'd brought some of them home."

He chuckled to himself whilst Will wrung out his fingers before speaking, "You know, there's nothing wrong with being a sidekick."

"Oh, no, of course not. I used to have one, Will. Saved my life once too. Oh... what's his name?"

"So, then, you'd be fine with... If I was a sidekick."

Will glanced at you, eyes wide as nausea overtook his features, awaiting the man's response. 

"Well, yeah sure, I guess," your father shrugged. "Hey, hand me that mayonnaise there."

"Well, that's good then, because I am."

"Am what?"

"Oh, God," you whispered to yourself.

"A sidekick."

"Who is?"

"Me! Dad?... Dad, I'm a sidekick, okay?" Your brother sighed deeply, shaking his head as if shocked by himself that he was confessing. "I washed out of Power Placement?"

Your father slowly turned, his smile fading into a frown before a fire you'd rarely seen lit in his blue eyes. "WASHED OUT!?" he shouted loudly, and you were sure if Layla and the others couldn't hear them before, they definitely heard them now. "...Boomer. Couldn't make the big time so now he thinks he can pass judgement on some real heroes' kids, huh? Didn't he pull this stunt with you?"

Your eyes widened when he spun around to point at you, and you quickly shook your head, "My powers flunked but he still passed me with flying colours-."

"Oh, it's a power trip, Will! That's all it is," he continued, interrupting you as he faced your younger brother again. "Sonic Boom? Try 'Gym Teacher Man'. "

Making his way towards the counter, he yanked the phone out of its sitting battery, angrily pressing the numbers. "No, no, dad! What are you doing?" Will questioned worriedly.

"I'm calling the school! The tuition we pay them!" your father exclaimed as if it were obvious. Suddenly, due to his super strength, the phone caved to his touch, short-circuiting and breaking in his palm. He angrily sighed, wrenching open the highest drawer at the counter where half a dozen more similar phones were sat.

"Dad, don't. Dad!" your brother pleaded. "Look, it's not Coach Boomer! It's me, okay? I don't have any powers."

Your father slowed his movements with the device, turning to look at him with wide eyes. He mindlessly placed the phone back on the counter, taking a step forward.

"But you never said... I mean, you made it seem like..."

"Like I had super-strength like you?" Will questioned, waiting for the man to nod. "But I don't."

"But you will, Will!" He stepped towards his son, placing his strong hands on his shoulders. "You're just... You're just a late bloomer! That's what it is!"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Will shrugged softly. "But I don't care. Because, really, the fact of the matter is, I'm proud to be a sidekick." Turning, Will began leaving the room, before suddenly stopping. "Actually, I'm proud to be hero support," he corrected confidently.

Later that night, after your parents disappeared into their secret little super cave where your father usually went to let off some steam, you approached Will's room from across the hall.

Delicately knocking on the door, you heard him allow whoever was behind the door to come in. Entering the room, you found him laying against the headboard of his bed, writing down notes in one of his books. Sprawled across his bed were studying materials.

He looked up at the newcomer, smiling when he saw you, "Hey."

You returned the smile, coming to lean against the side of his bed. You watched as he quickly jotted down another sentence before placing the book beside to focus his attention on you. 

"What's up?" he murmured with a slight frown since you hadn't spoken.

"I'm really proud of you."

Will's eyes widened as the words left your mouth, and the earnest expression painting your features told him you were being completely honest.

"For what?"

"For standing up to dad," you clarified, sitting down on the comforter and pulling your legs into a crossed position. "He's an intimidating guy, even when he's dressed like a Firecracker." Your brother let out a soft laugh at the joke, and you tilted your head at him. "It takes guts, Will, to confess something like that. I could... I could never imagine doing it myself."

"So, you're saying I beat you at something?" he smiled.

"Don't push your luck," you threatened mockingly. "But still. You did pretty good." You didn't wait for a reply, instead standing up and making your way to the door.

"Does that-"

"You're not getting a ride to school."

"Damn it!"