Chapter 16

“Eric.”

Oh dear.

“Eric McCoy.”

We’re really in it now, Amaranth said. After The Event at the college, none of them had felt particularly interested in continuing the tour, and since nobody had gotten hurt, they’d been allowed to just go home. While there had absolutely been a lawyer eager to get them to sue the college, most of the attention had been on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a new superhero. 

Everyone wanted to know who the winged woman in the red suit was, where she’d come from. Already people online were connecting them to Penumbra, and to Eric’s horror, he’d seen one person share an image from a phone recording with his face circled and then a picture from last week’s fire. It was just a matter of time before he started getting requests for interviews. Great. He definitely wanted more of those. Of course, the one person who was not in any way curious about the new hero was the Hero’s Mother. 

She had heard about the accident and had immediately mothered all over him and Serena. When they got home and Serena had been picked up by her own parents, Lauren had turned on the news, just for background noise while she wrapped her darling Dodo in a blanket and made him tea. Her deep worry and doting care had slowly made way for a skeptical concern. 

“Yes, Mother?” Eric tried, hoping to keep the atmosphere light and playful. His mother’s expression was impossible to read both to him and Amaranth. I think she might be constipated, she tried. 

Lauren crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “You can fly?”

Eric bit his lip and nodded. “We— well, I only just found out myself,” he said. “I wasn’t going to let Serena hit the ground.”

“Well, yeah…” his mom said. “I just assumed you used some kind of super strength or something.” She frowned. “Serena was barely able to speak, so she didn’t really say anything. I hope she’s okay.” Eric, who had seen Serena’s wistful sigh and flushed face, had the feeling Serena would be just fine. “Is there anything else you’re keeping from me?”

Well, Amaranth piped in. Do you think you’ll be safe if you tell her? She paused. Do you think Max and Penny would be? Eric genuinely didn’t know. His mom had always been accepting of him. She had set him aside when he was fourteen and told him to his face that if he was gay, that that was okay, so he doubted that an alien para— Symbiote! He doubted that an alien symbiote would make her suddenly hate him. On the other hand, Amaranth was a different person entirely, and Lauren was not quick to trust. Tell you what, why don’t you start with telling her you’re bonded to the suit and we’ll see from there?

“I… I think I decided to… stay,” Eric said, carefully. “The moment I decided to save Serena, I don’t think there was a way back. I’m sorry.” His mom looked at him, and then rubbed the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezed shut. 

“Hm. I… Hm. I can’t even be mad at you. What were you supposed to do, let your friend die? But honey.” Her jaws were clenched tight, and then stepped in to wrap him in a hug. “I think we’re going to have to have that talk. About responsibilities and powers and boundaries and stuff.” She grabbed her phone and started typing something. Eric looked on in polite confusion. The odds of his mom reporting him to the authorities or the press were non-existent, but he wasn’t sure who she’d be talking to at a time like this. She caught his eye. “Oh, sorry, just calling off work for tomorrow.”

“Mom,” Eric said quietly. Lauren not working would cause problems in the long run. 

“Oh! I haven’t told you yet! I got a job offer from a research company. It’s a year-long contract, and it’s paying almost double my usual rates,” she said. “I might have to travel a bit, but I should never be gone for longer than a few days, and it means I’d just be able to focus on the translation thing for a bit.”

“Wait, what kind of research?” Eric asked.

“Astrophysics,” his mom said excitedly. 

“Do you know anything about astrophysics?!” 

“Not yet!” Lauren said, excitement in her voice. She pointed to a bunch of papers on the coffee table. There were a lot of words Eric didn’t recognize. “But I’m a fast learner. And I’ve been looking forward to actually using my Icelandic certificate.” She cocked her head. “Anyway, you’re not getting away with it that easily. Sit. I put some tea on.”

This isn’t going the way we thought it would, Amy said. She wasn’t wrong. A part of him had expected her to get angry, yell, or be upset some other way. Her calmly handing him a cup of tea was strange. Good strange or bad strange is the question.

“So,” his mom said as she sat down on the sofa next to him. “You’ve got superpowers now. And you can’t… get rid of them anymore.” It was technically a declarative statement. Eric nodded. 

“I don’t think so, no,” Eric said. “Although I’ll have to ask Maxine to make sure, I’m pretty sure me and the… suit are pretty much a package deal now.”

“Okay,” Lauren said. “Okay. What are you going to do now?”

He pulled his legs up under him and grabbed a blanket. “I hadn’t really considered that…” he said. “I just didn’t want to do nothing and watch Serena get hurt. Or worse.” His mom nodded. 

“Sweetie, I know that, but you have superpowers now. So, what’s next? What do you want to do?” She sipped her mug. “If you’re going to be a superhero, you and I are going to do some studying, because last I checked vigilantism is illegal. Unless you want to do things like Penumbra does and help people during disasters and accidents?” 

“I don’t know,” Eric said. I don’t know if we’re sturdy enough to do the things they do. On the other hand, we can fly! “I think I want to… help people. Like, I have these powers, it feels irresponsible not to use them, you know.”

“That makes sense,” Lauren said. “Okay, I’m going to tell you something.” She got up and went to look out the window. The sign was gone again. Eric had noticed it last night. “You could just… not do anything. For a few years, at least. You can fly now, and you clearly… heal pretty quickly. You can probably use this to live a pretty comfortable and beautiful life after college. Like, I’m sure the world will be able to do something with someone who can fly.”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

“I’m saying you don’t have to be a ‘superhero’. You can just be Eric. You don’t owe the world whatever you’re thinking of sacrificing, sweetie.”

“Mom,” Eric said quietly, “I want to help…” She turned around to face him. The conflict on her face wasn’t exactly hard to read. “Like, I can, you know?”

“I know,” she said. “I know. But you’re my baby. And I know you’re going to get into trouble and you’ll get hurt.” She closed her eyes. Her breath was catching in her throat. “I just don’t want to lose you, sweetie.” Eric was already up and had closed the distance between them before she’d reached the end of her sentence. He held her tight as she cried quietly in his arms.

“You’re not going to lose me, Mom,” he said. “I promise.” Finally, hoping he had judged everything correctly, judged his mom’s fears correctly, he added, “I’m not dad.”

“I know,” Lauren said, her voice muffled. “I know.” She pushed him back and held him by his shoulders. “When did you get so tall? You’re supposed to be my little Dodo.”

“I can’t be a Dodo,” he said with a little smirk. “Dodo’s can’t fly.”

“Hummingbird?” she offered. He shook his head. “Well… do you have a name? Like, for your superhero alter ego, you know?” His mom wiped her eyes, clearly trying to keep a brave face. Eric walked her back to the sofa and forced her to sip her tea. 

“I’ve been thinking about it,” he said. “I think I want to avoid bird words. I don’t know, they’re just not me, you know?” Lauren nodded. “So I’m thinking something simple instead. Like, ‘Redwing’ or something like that, you know?”

“A redwing is a bird, honey,” his mom said with a little chuckle. 

“Oh. Uh. Well, something like that, you know?” He pondered for a second. What about Redshift? Amaranth wondered. Before Eric wondered where she’d got it, she pointed his eyes at the coffee table. It’s on the paper there. “What about Redshift?”

His mom blinked for a second and then looked at the table. “Do you know what it means?” she asked as she picked up the papers. “It’s about increasing wavelengths at relativistic speeds.” She shuffled them around a bit. “I think. Uh. There’s a lot here and I just got started.”

“Well, since I can fly, I think that works, right?” Eric said with a smile. “Like, I’ll be flying overhead a lot, right? And, you know, the suit is very red.”

“That’s true,” Lauren said. “Uh, could I see it?” Amaranth smugly appeared as soon as she asked, covering his face as she did. He felt his form shift into its more feminine form. It was strange how comfortable he already was with that, even though his hips being angled differently was definitely something he would have to get used to. 

“Ta-dah!” Eric said, his voice shifted back into that feminine register. It was hard not to smile at the idea of his mom seeing him like this. Something about the ability to completely transform was incredibly fun. 

“Do you… have to be a girl?” Lauren asked. “Not that I’m complaining!” She quickly raised her hands. “Honestly, I always kind of wanted a daughter. I just don’t want anything happening to you that you’re not comfortable with, you know?”

Yes, Amy immediately answered. Eric nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “The suit can only do so much, I think. Maybe in time I’ll be able to customize things a bit, but for now, girl mode only while I’m wearing it.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind. I think it’s cool to be able to switch back and forth, you know?”

“I… don’t, but I believe you, sweetie,” she said. “So. Redshift. I think that’s a good name. And you want to help people. Okay. So, here’s my offer.” She crossed her legs and took his hands in hers. “Superhero stuff stays in Lockridge City center. Not near home. If people see you, there will be a huge mess and I don’t want you getting in trouble. I also don’t want you getting mixed up in violent crimes. I know you’ll find it hard to stop yourself, but in a worst case scenario you’re better off finding other people to help. A crowd is more effective than a lone hero, okay?”

“Or like, a police officer?”

“Sure. Also, don’t go getting hit by like, subways. Get Penumbra to teach you stuff about the suit but don’t try to be them, you know? You’re your own person and you shouldn’t try to measure up to someone who’s older and has been doing this for longer.”

“Okay,” Eric said. “Is there anything else? Like a curfew?”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, you’re eighteen, and you’re your own person, and you can probably take care of yourself better than most kids your age.”

“Yeah, they can’t fly,” Eric said smugly. She gently bopped him on the head.

“I’m calling you responsible, honey. Don’t make me take it back.” She huffed. “Anyway. No curfew, but if I notice that you’re out so much I’m getting worried, we’re having a talk about this again. And when you’re in college, I’m going to demand that you don’t sacrifice attendance for the Superhero thing.”

“Okay. Thank you, Mom. For, like, understanding. I just, I have to–”

“I know,” she said. “You’re a lot like your dad that way. Just don’t forget about me?”

“Never, Mom.” 

“Are you going to stay like that for the rest of the day?” she asked. “Because if you do, make sure to stay away from the windows.”

“Oh, I didn’t know it was an option. Can I?”

“Sure,” Lauren said. “I’ll make some popcorn. We can watch a movie or something.” She smirked and if it wasn’t for Amaranth making his hearing just that bit sharper, he wouldn’t have heard her mumbling as she left the room. “I’ve never had mother-daughter time before. What do I even say?”

He didn’t know how to feel about that.

Elamimax

I might have forgotten to update this lol. Anyway we're back!