BOOM.
The entire front entrance of the Rusty Pelican shook as two figures crashed down onto the pavement outside, scattering loose gravel and sending terrified valet workers stumbling backward.
Homelander straightened first, cape snapping gently behind him in the ocean wind. Beside him, Stormfront casually brushed dust off her sleeves, eyes already scanning the restaurant.
Fear was a difficult thing for Homelander to admit, even to himself. But the possibility that the monster who ambushed him before might target his son next had hollowed his stomach out for the entire flight here. The memory of that ambush was a fresh, stinging wound. If the "Leviathan" could catch him off-guard, what could it do to his boy? Stormfront was technically his backup. Not that he needed it, of course. He was Homelander. He didn't need anyone.
The restaurant staff instantly erupted into ecstatic whispers the moment the two premier Supes stepped inside. Diners turned in their seats. Phones came out immediately, flashes reflecting off the mahogany walls.
Homelander ignored all of them. His eyes locked onto his son, who was sitting calmly at the private table near the massive glass windows overlooking the water. And then he noticed Cate. More specifically, the expression on her face.
Homelander internally winced. Oh God. The date went horribly. His son clearly inherited his social skills from absolutely nobody.
"Hey there, you lovebirds!" Homelander announced loudly, his signature, blinding smile plastered on his face as he approached. "How was the big date?"
"The food was good, though the company made the meat taste bitter," Erasmus said smoothly, causing his father's eyes to briefly widen in surprise.
"Wooooow, okay! Easy there, killer. It couldn't have been that bad," Stormfront chimed in, sliding into the booth right next to Cate. "I mean, look at her. She looks like the one who's been trapped in a falling elevator with you, not the other way around."
Not to be outdone, Homelander claimed his spot, sliding into the booth next to his son.
"Come on, you guys. You're a match made in heaven. Look at this," Stormfront said. She reached over, casually grabbing a handful of Cate's golden hair, tilting her head back slightly. "Golden hair, blue eyes, pristine skin. You two are a marketing dream. Vought probably started foaming at the mouth the moment Edgar put you in the same room.
"He threatened to eat me," Cate blurted out as she stared across the table at Erasmus, desperate for someone to understand the literal horror of her words.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Stormfront let out a loud, barking laugh, clapping her hands together in sheer amusement.
"So hasty, you little rascal! On the very first date?!" Homelander joined in, shaking his head with a booming laughter.
"Erasmus, you can't just go around asking to eat girls on the very first date," Stormfront wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Maybe like the ninth date, and after a lot of foreplay. You can't just jump the gun like that, kiddo."
"Yes, buddy, that is a major no-no," Homelander agreed, leaning over to give his son a playful but heavy nudge. "Oh, man. We are definitely going to have a talk about boundaries later."
While the two were laughing at the misinterpreted words, Erasmus didn't break eye contact with Cate. The mental wave tore violently between them, firmly letting her know what would happen if she stayed on her current path.
"Why is she here, Dad?" Erasmus asked, pointing a finger at the completely out-of-place Stormfront.
"Ouch. So hostile," Stormfront chuckled, leaning back.
"Well, I came here to pick you two up. It's not safe out here right now," Homelander said, a genuine smirk tugging at his lips. He was secretly thrilled by his son's blatant hostility toward the woman Vought forced into his own team.
"Not safe?" Erasmus tilted his head. "for us?"
"The Leviathan just attacked some crackhead convention like fifty kilometers from here," Stormfront added. "Apparently he turned the place into strawberry jam."
"Really?" Erasmus asked, his face a mask of genuine surprise. "Then shouldn't we go kill him now? The three of us together?"
Homelander paused, the thought turning over in his mind. What was he actually afraid of? Last time was a blind ambush in the dark. Now, he had his own blood on his side, plus Stormfront. Together, they were a goddamned army.
"Sure," Homelander smiled, the heavy weight in his chest vanishing, replaced by a surge of confidence. "Let's go hunt that coward."
"What about Cate?" Erasmus asked, his eyes drifting back to the angry girl. "It would be a terrible tragedy if we left, and the Leviathan came here to finish off every single person in this room."