Chapter 23: Pain and suffering, the brotherhood that comes out of it

Kevin thought that if he just ate his food, paid for dinner and left, his mother wouldn't accuse him of not giving the date an honest chance, so that was his plan. To simply eat his food, pay and leave.

But it turned out that his uncle Mario was the better strategist of the two, as he only brought out one small dish at a time. Making them sit there way longer than needed.

"Are you really not him?" Laura asked, intending on finding out whether he was superman or not.

Kevin understood what she meant. But didn't answer, which was an answer in itself, and enough for Laura to figure things out.

Had he not been superman, he would be confused about who she meant, but he just let the question fly past.

"I didn't think you'd take my advice." he said in the end, confirming what she believed.

"I wasn't going to... But my instincts told me that I should at least visit this place, and my instincts are very good. And then the rest is history." She said. "..But I'm glad I came." she added.

"I'm also glad you came." Kevin said with a bright smile. And he meant it. From the beginning he only told her to come here, because he felt sorry for her, at least he gave her some advice. But she seemed like the type to go in the opposite direction that she was told.

Kevin only knew a little bit about her in his past. She was cloned in an attempt to recreate a wolverine soldier. But she escaped and lived her life on the edge, always being betrayed and having no place to call home.

Seeing him smile made her halt for a second.

It was the first time someone was genuinely happy for her presence. She was born for others as a weapon. But here she is, as a person, and someone smiled because of it.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you. I have some understanding of who you really are." He said.

And she winced for a second, while her fist clenched, as if her claws would come out at any second.

"But don't worry, I don't care, you know my secret and I know yours, and as long as you're here, I won't let anyone take you away, you're part of Branchville now." He said with a smile.

She found her breath again and relaxed again.

They continued eating, barely speaking. But occasionally, Laura would spill a genuinely happy smile from her lips before hiding it again.

All of this didn't go unnoticed by Uncle Mario, even though he couldn't hear them from the kitchen, he could oversee the seating area from it, so he spied every now and then.

Uncle Mario took up his walkie talkie and spoke. "Italian sparrow stalking. Fanlien, Green mommy do you copy." he said seriously.

"Fanlien here, I copy." another voice said.

"Green Moms here, I copy"

"Reporting, they've beena silent for the most apart, but then and again they smile at each other. I think they've been hit by Amore, mamma Mia.."

"Copied"

"Copied".

Both Kevin and Laura heard this with their super senses and had a deadpan face.

"Your parents, they're... nice." She said not knowing what to say...

"Yes, too nice, be careful or they'll force us together and become your parents as well.." Kevin said with a warning tone.

Laura chuckled not believing him, but at the same she couldn't help but to think about having parents, and a happy family...

After they were done, kevin paid for the food.

"So where do you live? I'll drive you." Kevin said.

"I got the apartment above Aunt Samantha's Clothing store."

Kevin drove her home. They didn't speak much on the way, just listening to the radio.

As he stopped his car outside of Samantha's Clothing Store.

"Thank you, I wouldn't mind... doing it again." She said as she closed the car door and hurried to her apartment.

Kevin just sat there shocked. He had thought that she didn't enjoy it and was just doing it because she was not trying to be rude.

'Did she enjoy our time?... well it wasn't bad.' Kevin thought as he drove home to his parents.

As he walked inside the house, he saw his parents looking excited.

"Hahaha so the childbirth went well!" His dad lied to his mother in a robotic voice.

"Yes, Yes papa bear. The child is healthy and well." His mother lied back, both pretending in front of Kevin.

"So Your friend Jonathan was pregnant?" Kevin asked.

"Kevin! We live in the modern times, you can't judge people like that! Jonathan was born as a little girl, Joanna, a woman! But because of.. ehem, thanks to modern surgery she became a man!" His mother said angrily.

"Yes, son! You can't think like the old days. you have to have forward thinking!" Papa bear added righteously.

"How did dinner go?" His mom became serious, wanting to know how his blind date went.

"It went fine, and you should know, Uncle Mario reported everything..." He said deadpan.

"hahah Son there comes a time in your life, when even your parents make mistakes" papa bear said with a blush as he put one arm around Kevin's neck hugging him closer.

"That's when you remember how your parents took care of you when you were a baby and destroyed our house, our cars, our phones, tractors and then kept us awake with your super scream for three years straight at that! taking care of an alien baby with super strength is no small feat."

"Do you know how much alien baby poo smells?" His mum qipped in.

Both of them turned around and walked to their room in disappointment.

"What... just... happened???" Kevin stood there totally confused. Isn't it him that should be angry? They set him up and backstabbed him with a beautiful woman!!!

"You got schmucked" Tyler told him with wisdom.

Turning around Kevin saw that Tyler had mysteriously arrived sometime, he didn't even notice because of his parents disorienting banter.

Tyler stood there leaning against the wall, looking at Kevin as if he was an old, wise man that had experienced it all.

"I'm not looking down on you." Tyler explained as he saw the expression on Kevin's poor face.

Tyler genuinely felt for his elder brother.

Tyler, turned around and prepared to go to bed, but just before he left the room he halted. "You're not alone in this, how do you think I got my girlfriend." Tyler said in pain and left to his own room.

Kevin's face lit up in understanding.

'My good brother, we aren't only brothers in family name, but also in experience.' Kevin thought with new found respect for his younger sibling.