7

Even if I could not dive deeply into V's biology, I know from a surface level that with how much increase in everything he has, V shouldn't be able to function normally. Let alone even be able to move a single muscle with how his already super scenes should have given him an overload of information, which should have left him in a vegetative state. For God's sake, my hand should have been atomized from V's gentle grip alone, and still, V is holding my hand as if it were normal.

'How are you able to act so casually?' I tightened my hand around V's, who then smiled at me. 'I shouldn't have acted distant and have made you feel like shit after what happened back at the hospital rooftop and leaving you alone. I promise I'll make it up to you.'

Throughout our moment together, V suddenly had to return to the city. I didn't need to wonder how long it would take for his return when V showed up a few seconds later, now with a look of confusion and apprehension.

When I asked him what he found at Madison, V told me he would let me know later. I would have asked him up front why the sudden dodgy behavior, yet I controlled myself, for I didn't want to start a fight and repeat my previous fuck up. Whatever he found, I have faith that V will let me know. For now, I should be thankful that I have him back, right here next to me, just the two of us, basking in comfortable silence as we enjoy one of the reasons V fought in the first place.

After what happened at Madison, New Wave was informed that the governor of Wisconsin was throwing us a massive banquet in our honor. Not just New Wave either, as I spotted familiar Capes such as Armsmaster, who was talking to someone who I vaguely remember was a person who also worked in the PRT alongside another Cape that looked like a Tinker discussion about the Simurgh.

Director Piggot and Miss Militia were off to some corner near the buffet, talking amongst people who, judging by their fancy clothing and expensive accessories, were possibly people who helped fund this overly pricy party. The same happened with Mom and Dad talking to wealthy tycoons about New Wave and how they wished to know more about our group dynamic.

Uncle Niel and Aunt Sarah were speaking to the independent Capes from Wisconsin, doing their usual shpeal about why they decided to form New Wave and how it affected them and their family. Vicky was with our cousins, talking with some teens brought by their parents to this shindig, gossiping, and asking questions about what it was like being an open Cape.

Crystal and Eric had the most attention compared to Vicky, as unlike those two, Vicky brought Dean as her date, which seemed to be a good call, as the only thing he could do right was to show the other guys that Vicky already had a boyfriend. Almost all my family members were out and about, wearing suits and dresses rather than our Cape attire and mingling with Capes and the high social elites.

However, I already had enough time in the spotlight at the beginning of the party when the governor made a speech thanking us for our courage and valor. So now I resigned myself to our table, picking at what was left of the dinner on my plate. Unfortunately, just because I was sitting alone didn't mean I would have my personal space, as the seat next to me was being used by someone I had no idea who he was.

"I love the dress you are wearing, Amy. It complements your hair and eyes. Red really is your color." Said the... I don't know the fifth guy that was attempting to compliment me. He wasn't as bad as guy number four, who tried to act way too suave for my taste, especially when he thought I gave him some silent agreement to start rubbing his hand across my arm. "You know, I wanted to ask if you already know which branch of medicine piques your interest when you go to college?"

'Got to give credit to guy number five. He at least sounds interested in what I want to do with my life outside of being a Cape.'

I sighed and chose to be direct, seeing how he was staring at me and waiting for me to answer. 'Fuck it, might as well just give let him know now rather than stringing him along.'

"I haven't decided which college I want to attend after I graduate High school because I'm not even a senior yet. Thanks for saying nice things about what I wear, but I'm waiting for someone across the room." To show him what I meant, I pointed at V, who was talking to the mayor of Madison and the governor of Wisconsin, thanking him for helping the Protectorate fight the Simurgh and saving the city. "He should be done soon, and I wanted to talk to him, so...."

Guy number five thanked me for giving him the time to talk and walked away, leaving me alone at the family table, poking at the remnants of what I ate. Sounds of someone sitting in the chair made me look to see V finally done conversing with those politicians and returned to his seat right next to me.

"How'd the conversation go?" I asked him.

"Nothing much but letting me know that they are in New Wave's dept and will help us in any way they can after saving so many lives and stopping the Simurgh. They even considered giving me a fancy sports car as a birthday gift."

"Didn't know it would take forever just to tell you all that. I think it's also redundant to give you a sports car when you can practically outrun anything."

"They also wanted to make me meet their relatives at this party. But luckily, I was able to tell them that I needed to talk to you about something important. That important topic concerns checking up on you to see if you are okay."

"Not much, just making small talk with some guys." I stopped playing with my fork that I was using to prod at my scraps. "None of them were really that genuine about their intentions. Still, I'm happy it was so few and not over a dozen like our family is dealing with."

"That's for sure," A waiter came by and refilled mine and V's glass with water and ice. V then raised his glass and looked at me. "Cheers to the socially awkward?"

I couldn't help but smile before following V's actions by raising my cup to his, making a soft 'clink' sound.

"To the socially awkward."

The school was overbearing, but not in the sense of academics, but with students, as everyone in Arcadia would always gravitate towards Vicky and me. They ask us what it was like being so close to the Simurgh and, above all, about our Brother, or what some people are now referring to him on PHO: The Endsmasher.

'Fucking stupid name.' Then again, other than Scion, no one ever expected another Cape to be able to fight an Endbringer, and knowing that it was V made everyone in our school start to pepper us with more questions about him with more fervor.

"Will he be in the next Endbringer fight?"

"Did you think he killed the Simurgh?"

"How come he's been hiding how strong he is?"

"Does V have a PHO account?"

"What's his favorite kind of food?"

"Is he going to join the Triumvirate?"

"Do you know what type he's in too?"

"If he is so powerful, do you think he can take on the Triumvirate?"

"With how much power he has, why hasn't he already cleaned up Brockton?"

So many questions were thrown our way, so I responded by giving vague answers or outright ignoring them, with specific questions too stupid to answer. It was lunchtime, and Vicky, Dean, and I were at our usual table in the cafeteria. Other teens who were friends with my sister and Dean were hovering around them. At the same time, I sat quietly next to Vicky, where I paid more attention to my phone, scrolling through PHO and reading the thread about New Wave, specifically about V.

'As if V's popularity wasn't already high enough,' Each post I read was about V, ranging from compliments about V being so brave to face the Simurgh to some nitpicks here and there regarding how V handled the fight. 'Hm? This one is new.'

The most recent post was from someone so inspired by V saving Madison that they made an art piece dedicated to my Brother's actions and added a link to their post for all to see. When going to the link, I was moved to a different window where I saw the artist's finished product of a beautiful artwork. They depicted Vincent as some larger-than-life hero taking the lead and driving away the Simurgh. Looking at the bottom of the art, I see the artist named his work.

'MANIFEST VICTORY'

"Not bad," I muttered, my eyes going over the most significant eye-catcher being, V, in his hero uniform, as the artist made him stand out the most by adding some white around V to make him look like he was some guiding light. Vincent had a more mighty yet at the same time serene look to him compared to the Simurgh, who had off-color white and was running away like a scared chicken. "Not bad at all."

"Amy, you listening?" I felt Vicky's hand on my shoulder, shaking me from my concentration as I drank in the full detail of the art piece. "The lunch is over. We should get ready to go soon. Vincent and I need to be at a photoshoot today."

"Got it." Throwing away what was left of our lunch in the trash can, Vicky kissed Dean before following me out to the front of the school, where she carried me in her arms and started to fly. "Mom could have picked us up, you know."

"As if this isn't the fastest alternative. Now, hold on tight."

Rolling my eyes, I did as Vicky said and could feel the rush of wind blowing through my hair.

'This isn't fast. V would have done this much better than you.' Looking back now, the younger me would have liked this, but I already had someone else who I wished was here instead of Victoria. 'Might as well just act like this is fun. Don't want to hurt Vicky's feelings.'

"Have everyone lined up! No point in asking!" My request was shouted by the head medical doctor, who ordered his nurses to line up each Parahuman who was dying of either burns or broken bones that were caught in the Behemoth's path of destruction.

Dropping the bedside manners, I passed each person one after the other, healing all their wounds, stopping them from dying, and making them ready to step back out to die again to buy more time for the rest of the Protectorate to help evacuate the city. Not even waiting for them to say their thanks, I went to the following medical tent where more Capes and military were in medical beds, some barely clinging to life and others already dead by the time I entered. Taking a breath to calm my nerves, I went to work, healing as many people as possible, trying to ignore the stink of burnt flesh and the sounds of people begging me to fix them quickly.

When I entered what I hoped was the last tent that needed my immediate services, I was told by one of the nurses pushing a wheeled medical cot that there was another batch of civilians at the LZ. Following behind her as I felt it was easier to heal them on the spot, I saw the latest collection of civilians getting checked by the medical staff for any injuries. While I looked around for those who needed my help, I spotted someone I wasn't expecting to see here by herself.

"You're going to say anything or just keep looking at me?" Shadow Stalker asked me. The Cape was also holding a young boy in her arms, and before I could answer, a man and a woman ran past me, took their son away from the young Cape, thanked Shadow Stalker, and then left us to our own devices.

"Why are you here?" My voice held a bit of heat to it. I tried to make myself look taller despite Shadow Stalker having the height advantage against me. "You were supposed to follow Lady Photon's orders and stay with Fleur's group, not go alone with another."

"Did you not see me help that kid return to his parents? And now I'm back, so no harm, no foul."

"Your Mom only allowed you to be part of this if you're under New Wave supervision. Do you have any idea what trouble we could be in?" I spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to let my temper get the better of me.

"The parents were worried, and there wasn't enough time to pass the info on. I'll take the blame. How about you just go back to kissing boo-boos? I'll get back to doing the more challenging part of being a Cape."

'Bitch.' The thought of turning her mouth into an asshole was strong, and when I was going to throw a retort, a loud thunderous bang left everyone in the LZ screaming in panic. Looking at where the noise came from, I saw a bright light flashing in the sky, as if a new star was born. The brief flash of the star faded, and silence descended upon everyone as if waiting for an answer.

Our answer came in the form of a fast-moving projectile entering the Earth's atmosphere and crash-landing somewhere far off in the distance.

A week had passed since V killed Behemoth, and many people worldwide were happy and celebrating that an Endbringer had finally been killed after years of death looming over us all. There is also an equal amount of people praying for V to finally wake up, as he has been asleep with no signs of waking up after landing back on Earth when he used his whole body to shield the planet from Behemoth's suicide bomb.

Currently, V is sleeping soundly in a hospital bed on a secured floor of a hospital where outside his room stood heavily armed military and on-the-clock Capes making sure no one other than high-ranking staff and New Wave members were allowed to be there. Mom and Dad were getting food, and our sister was outside calling Dean to let him know how things were, leaving me by V's bedside, watching him as his chest rose and fell.

"Wake up," I said to V, but like the other times, he remained asleep and unresponsive. I picked up his right hand and placed it on my wet cheek. "Please, just wake up."

With V's hand caressing the side of my face and comforting me, I angled my face to have his finger brushed against my lips before setting the arm down when I heard the sound of the door knob jiggling. Expecting to see Vicky enter, I was caught off guard when I saw Shadow Stalker enter. Kid Miracle and Banshee were following her, carrying a basket filled with flowers, fancy snacks, and a get-well-soon card.

"No luck?" She asked me. Making herself comfortable by moving a chair on the opposite side of V. The Cape stared at V with concern, and my frown deepened when she placed her gloved hand on V's arm. "Fuck, Vincent, how long are you going to make us wait?"

"I thought you guys were going to be at Brockton with the rest of New Wave?"

"KM's Mom made the gift basket, and I wanted to see V." She shrugged. "I told Vicky we would be here, and she said the more, the merrier."

'Goddammit Victoria.'

"Well, as you can see, V is still asleep, and you can drop off the basket with the rest of them." I motioned my head at the corner of the room where a massive stack of other gifts was sent to us from people close to New Wave. There were other gifts, of course, but they were set back home as this room didn't have the space to hold it all. "We can't have too many people in this room, so if you just wanted to see him, you got what you wanted."

"Funny, Vicky told me the limit was four, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, there is, seeing as how you just barged in here without knocking, acting like you know him."

"I'm his best friend. I'm pretty sure you know that, and I'm positive V would be happy to know I was here when he finally wakes up."

"He would be happy seeing me and the rest of the family when he wakes up." During our escalating argument, we both got up from where we were sitting and stared at each other dead in the eyes. Not even paying attention to the sound of the bed sheets moving. "I think you're getting too comfortable throwing around your non-existent importance of being V's friend. Do you know how many people try to be his 'friend'? You were lucky enough to get his attention because he was there to help you when you were stupid enough to try and pick a fight with E88 on your own."

"I don't see how acting like your Brother's keeper is your business on how he picks his friends. Maybe you're acting too comfortable being around V, seeing as he always has to be the one who needs to be the shoulder for you to cry on. He probably could have had more friends by now if he wasn't busy enabling you and having him be your only companion."

Only having a small space between us, I was tempted to reach out and slap her and use my powers to knock her out when both Shadow Stalker and I saw Vincent's eyes starting to open. His face morphed into confusion when he looked at us, followed by him trying to speak as he got used to talking again after being asleep for several days.

"What did I miss?"

Happy New Year to all of you!

I wanted to push this out as soon as possible as a way to send off the last day of 2023. Hope you guys enjoy a bit of Amy's POV involving V and the effects of the Worm storyline.

Now, I'm sure I said this in a previous post, but I am not that confident that I captured Amy's personality. Then again, due to V changing everything, her canon personality might no longer be canon. I mean, we all know how she is a workaholic due to her powers and also how she is treated in the story, but I didn't want to make a long exposition and just decided to show the results of Amy now being a bit more selfish by showing that she is willing not to heal people 24/7 thanks to V's intervention.

Speaking about V, due to Amy's power allowing her to know the inner workings of all living beings, we see in her experience V's biology being above regular humans. I didn't want to make smart medical names, as I don't want to bore people, and instead had Amy compare V's ever-expanding development to a never-ending journey. This shows that V is not like everyone else, and the Endbrginer fights have solidified it more with how V just beat the Simurgh and now survived being exploded by the Behemoth.

The next one will likely return to V's POV, and he will experience even more attention as he killed Behemoth and survived to tell the tale. Thank you for all reading, and I hope you all enjoy 2024!