Marvel : Homelander

In chapter 72 i added a reaction from Emma Frost i wanted to see if someone will notice it but no one did 😔.

I'm sad.

Also is the bonus chapter not desired ?

If so i shall remove the offer after this one cause i don't see people taking it and giving this stones at the required rate.

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Continuation after The central park Chapter

Laura remembers the facility—how cold and dark it was.

The people there hurt her, made her fight, and the food tasted like nothing, just some gray stuff.

She tried to run away once but failed. She wasn't strong enough back then.

Then Homelander came.

He saved her. She remembers how he lifted her out of that place.

His smile, his red cape... everything about him seemed larger than life.

He brought her to Vought, where things were different.

There was real food, the kind she never had before.

Ashley, the nice lady who worked for him, gave her food with real taste.

Laura liked that.

Ashley was kind.

Living at Vought with Homelander was the best life Laura had ever known.

He trained her, made her stronger, and taught her to fight better.

He pushed her hard in the training hall, sometimes to the point of frustration.

He would tease her, annoy her, but she knew it was to make her better.

He was always so serious when it came to training, but outside of it, he pampered her.

He bought her ice cream—blueberry was her favorite—and treated her softly.

He looked after her like no one else ever had.

But there were times Laura felt something strange when she saw Ashley with him.

Ashley did things with him behind closed doors, and Homelander never let Laura watch.

She didn't understand what it was, but she wanted to be the one doing those things, even though she had no idea what they were.

It made her jealous.

Once, Ashley made Homelander angry.

She had dressed up in an outfit that looked just like one of Ashley's, and Homelander didn't like that at all.

Laura didn't understand why, but seeing him mad at Ashley made her feel sad in a way she couldn't explain.

The next day, though, he gave her blueberry ice cream, and it was like nothing had happened.

He always knew how to make her happy when they weren't training.

Even though he treated her like a kid sometimes, calling her "kiddo" and ruffling her hair, Laura couldn't stay mad at him for long.

She liked the way he looked after her, even if she didn't always understand why he kept some things secret.

---

Some days later

Laura sat in her room, staring out the window. Homelander—Niklaus—was gone again. He was always gone. She didn't understand why. After some time, she found Ashley and asked her.

"Why is Homelander always gone?" Laura asked, looking up at Ashley curiously.

Ashley smiled, adjusting her glasses before answering. "Well, Niklaus is a very busy man. He's a hero, you know, saving people. And he's also the CEO of Vought. That keeps him busy too."

Laura frowned. She didn't understand. "What's a CEO?"

Ashley chuckled softly. "It means Chief Executive Officer. He runs the whole company, makes all the important decisions. Like, he's the boss of everyone here."

Laura thought about that. It still didn't make much sense, but she nodded anyway. She didn't like it when Niklaus was gone for too long. But at least Ashley was here. Ashley was always nice to her, giving her food and talking to her when she had questions.

Apart from Ashley and Niklaus, Laura had one other person she could spend time with. Noir. He didn't talk, but that didn't bother her. He would play hide and seek with her whenever she wanted, and she liked that. It was fun, even if he always found the best hiding spots.

"He's always so busy," Laura mumbled, more to herself.

"Yeah, but he cares about you," Ashley said, smiling again. "That's why he's doing all this—to protect you, to make the world safer for you."

Laura didn't fully get it, but she nodded again.

She just wished he didn't have to be gone so much.

But when he came back, she would ask him to play hide and seek with her.

Maybe that would make him stay longer.

---

The next day

Laura had never seen Bobby before.

How could she not know about him if he lived in Vought Tower too? She had been exploring the lower floors when she ran into him, a boy around her age with messy brown hair and a calm look in his eyes.

He didn't say much at first, but Laura liked a challenge, and when they started playing, she challenged him to a fight.

She had been sure she'd win.

After all, Homelander had trained her to be strong.

But Bobby was different.

He didn't have to move, not really.

He just held out his hand, and suddenly, ice was forming all around her. It crawled up her arms, freezing her in place before she could react.

"No fair!" she shouted, struggling to break free.

Bobby just stood there, watching her with a bored expression.

"Fair enough," he replied, shrugging. "You wanted to fight."

Laura finally broke out of the ice, but the fight was over.

She had lost.

She felt a surge of frustration, storming off in anger.

She didn't like losing, especially to someone like Bobby, who barely had to try.

As she stomped back through the halls, her mind raced. How could he beat her so easily? She had trained with Niklaus.

She was supposed to be stronger than this.

And why had she never seen Bobby before? How could someone like him be living in the tower without her knowing?

Eventually, she found herself back in her room.

Ashley was there, sitting on the couch with her phone.

Laura, still fuming, decided to ask her.

"I met Bobby," Laura blurted out. "He lives here, right?"

Ashley looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, Bobby's been living here for a while. He's… well, one of our young assets."

Laura didn't fully understand what that meant, but she had another question. "How come I never saw him before?"

Ashley hesitated for a second, then smiled. "You and Bobby don't really cross paths much. Plus, he's mostly in the lower levels."

Laura folded her arms, still annoyed. "He beat me. He froze me. That's not fair."

Ashley chuckled. "He's got his own powers, Laura. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get stronger. Niklaus believes in you."

That's when it clicked.

Something Bobby had said during their fight echoed in her mind.

He had mentioned something strange, something Laura hadn't thought about before.

"So… you and Niklaus," she started slowly, "you're… a couple?"

Ashley's face turned a little red, and she awkwardly looked away. "Uh… yeah. We're a couple."

Laura blinked, suddenly understanding. Ashley and Niklaus were together.

It made sense now—the way they acted around each other, how Ashley was always close to him.

But for some reason, it felt strange.

Almost like a pinch in her chest.

She didn't like it.

She wasn't sure why.

Maybe it was because she thought she was the only one close to Niklaus, the only one he truly cared about.

But Ashley… Ashley was different.

Laura turned away, feeling a mix of emotions she didn't quite understand.

She thought back to how Niklaus always treated Ashley kindly, how he spent time with her that Laura didn't always get.

It made her feel… jealous, even though she didn't know what Ashley did with him.

Maybe that's why she felt so frustrated when she lost to Bobby.

---

Laura sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind kept circling back to Ashley and Niklaus.

If Ashley and Niklaus were a couple, then Laura could be a couple with Niklaus too, right?

That would make her the same as Ashley, maybe even more special.

Surely that would work.

She mumbled to herself, "Laura and Niklaus... we can be a couple too."

For some reason, though, when she thought about it, her cheeks felt warm, like they were on fire.

She frowned, not really understanding why. It was just a thought, wasn't it? Deciding to ignore that weird feeling, she made up her mind. She'd follow Niklaus the next time he went down the elevator. He always went places she wasn't allowed, and she wanted to be with him, no matter where it was.

Later that day, she spotted him stepping into the elevator, the one that went deep underground. Without thinking twice, she rushed in just as the doors were closing, sneaking behind him. He didn't seem to notice her, too focused on his thoughts. As the elevator descended, Laura's heart began to race. She had never been this far down before. The walls seemed to close in, and the air felt colder.

The doors slid open, revealing a place that looked… too familiar. The long, sterile hallways. The harsh lights. The cold steel walls. It reminded her of the facility she had escaped from. The memories hit her like a wave, her breathing quickening. Panic clawed at her chest, and she found herself hyperventilating, her thoughts spiraling out of control.

No, not again. Not this place.

Just when she thought she might scream, strong arms wrapped around her. Niklaus's arms. He hugged her tightly, pulling her close, his voice soft and soothing.

"Shhh, it's okay, Laura. I've got you. You're safe."

His voice was like a lullaby, calming the storm inside her.

Slowly, her breathing steadied, and the terror that had gripped her heart started to fade.

Niklaus held her like she was a baby, comforting her.

She clung to him, her face buried in his chest, feeling safe again.

It didn't matter where they were, as long as he was with her.

She could feel the warmth in her cheeks again, but this time, she didn't mind it.

All that mattered was that Niklaus was there, protecting her.

Just like he always would.

---

One day before the Ultimatum

Laura sat on her bed, the tablet Bobby had lent her balanced on her lap.

He'd told her that if she wanted to understand how to be a "couple", she needed to read romance stories.

She didn't really get what he meant, but she wanted to try.

Maybe it would explain why her cheeks got warm when she thought about being a couple with Niklaus.

Her fingers tapped on a story called "Love Beneath the Stars."

She started reading, and it wasn't long before her eyes grew wide.

The hero of the story was strong, just like Niklaus, and the heroine was saved by him over and over, just like how Niklaus saved her.

But then… there were parts that made her cheeks turn red—no, practically burn.

The hero kissed the heroine, pulled her close, held her hand, whispered sweet things into her ear.

Laura's heart raced as she imagined Niklaus doing those things to her.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air as she read through the paragraphs.

Why was her heart pounding like this?

She shifted uncomfortably, clutching the tablet tighter as the story described them holding each other under the stars, the way the hero would stroke the heroine's hair.

Laura could almost see it—Niklaus in the hero's place, and her in the role of the girl.

Her breath hitched as she scrolled faster, feeling like she shouldn't be reading this, but unable to stop.

It was weird, but at the same time… exciting?

The idea of Niklaus holding her like that, treating her like the girl in the story—it made her stomach do flips.

Laura blushed up a storm, her face practically glowing red as she reached the part where the couple confessed their love to each other, the hero kissing the heroine under the moonlight.

Her heart fluttered, and she quickly shut off the tablet, pressing it to her chest.

"Does… does that really happen?" she whispered to herself, trying to calm down.

"Is that what it means to be a couple?"

The thought of Niklaus kissing her like that, holding her close—it was almost too much to handle.

Her whole body felt hot, and she buried her face in her hands, giggling nervously.

Bobby was right.

This was what she needed to do to be like Ashley and Niklaus.

---

One hour after reading the romance story, Laura gathered all her courage and made her way to Niklaus' room.

Her heart was pounding, and her cheeks were still flushed from the story. She had decided—it was time to tell him.

Time to become his girlfriend, just like in the story.

She blushed harder just thinking about it.

When she pushed open the door, she found Niklaus and Ashley sitting inside.

They both looked a little off—sitting awkwardly in different positions, their clothes uneven, like they'd been fixing them just moments before.

Laura didn't care.

Her mind was focused on one thing only.

She marched right up to Niklaus, her face burning with embarrassment.

Her mouth opened, but the words wouldn't come out.

She stood there, trembling, and then stuttered out, "I-I… I w-want to be... your g-girlfriend."

Niklaus raised an eyebrow, looking more amused than surprised.

Ashley's eyes widened in shock, and she looked between Laura and Niklaus.

Laura was trembling, her face so red she thought she might pass out.

"I-I w-want to b-be like… like her… in the story…" she added, thinking back to the romance she had just read.

Niklaus leaned back in his chair, smiling softly.

He reached out, ruffling her hair like he always did.

"Laura," he said, his voice calm, though there was something in his tone she couldn't quite understand. "You don't need to worry about things like that."

Laura bit her lip, her blush intensifying. She wanted to be his girlfriend so badly, just like the girl in the story.

But she didn't know why it was so hard to say the words, or why Niklaus seemed so… amused.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, he was supposed to accept it and then take her and kiss her under the moon.

Laura's anger flared when she saw the look on Niklaus' face—he was treating her like a kid again.

She wasn't a child anymore; she was serious about this.

Her eyes welled up with tears as frustration built up inside her.

"I'm serious!" she blurted, her voice shaking.

"I-I want you to… to kiss me! Hug me! A-And…"

She struggled to say the next part, her words getting caught in her throat as her face burned with embarrassment.

Niklaus' expression softened.

He sighed and pulled her into a hug, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.

The simple gesture made her heart flutter, though it wasn't quite what she wanted.

"Come here," he whispered, lifting her onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Laura's anger started to fade, but she could still feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, "Not now, Laura. But… no one's going anywhere. Maybe… in the future, when you understand a lot more"

Laura's heart pounded in her chest, her head spinning as she tried to process his words.

Her cheeks were still red, but she found herself calming down, comforted by his embrace.

She didn't truly understand what he meant by "the future," and when she'd understand more.

But his acknowledgment enough caused her heart to melt.

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