Beginning of ...

An apartment building was a raging inferno, smoke billowing and screams piercing the air.

Amid the chaos, a figure appeared—clad in a blue suit and a black cape with a star on it.

With effortless grace, he cut through the smoke and flames, rescuing those trapped inside and carrying them to safety.

As he landed with the last of the rescued, the crowd below erupted in cheers. "Thank you, Homelander!" they shouted, their voices full of awe and admiration.

He grinned and waved off their praise. "Thank you," he said, his tone casual, "but let's not forget the real heroes." He pointed to the fire department, still working hard to douse the flames. "Those guys are the ones doing the real heavy lifting."

The crowd erupted once more at Homelander's humble response, but he was already in motion, zooming off to the next person in need of help.

His next stop was a middle-aged man perched precariously on the edge of a rooftop, contemplating suicide.

Homelander landed softly beside the middle-aged man on the rooftop, his blue suit and black cape casting a shadow against the dim sky.

"I wouldn't recommend standing so close to the edge"

The man, teetering on the edge, looked at him with eyes full of despair.

"What do you care ?" the man asked, his voice choked with emotion. "You don't know what it's like."

Homelander's gaze softened with genuine empathy. "You're right. I Don't care . I haven't lived your life, and I don't fully understand your pain"

"I don't know what it'll feel loke to stand in your shoes"

"But I want to help. And to do that, I need to hear you out."

The man hesitated, struggling with his anguish. "I thought my life was solid. My family seemed perfect."

He pauses a bit taking in air.

"But then I found out my wife was cheating on me before we even got married. It crushed me. I tried to hold everything together, but…"

His voice broke further. "Now my kids have turned their backs on me. It feels like everything I've built is falling apart. I don't see any way forward."

Homelander listened intently, then spoke with a somber tone. "I know betrayal feels like the worst pain. It cuts deep and makes you question everything. "

"But life isn't defined solely by the people who've turned their backs on you. "

"You still have potential, and you still matter.Those who have betrayed you were never truly your people to begin with."

He placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "Even though it feels like you've lost everything, you haven't. You still have your mind, your strength, and your two arms."

" There are countless people out there whose lives you could change, whose worlds could be better because of your presence."

The man looked at him, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "Overcoming betrayal and adversity can forge the strongest people," Homelander continued.

"You have the power to turn this around, to make a difference in the world. You may feel alone right now, but there's still hope."

"And I'm here to help you find it."

The man's tears continued to flow, but Homelander's words began to pierce through the darkness surrounding him, offering a sliver of hope and a chance to reconsider his path.

----

Hello, my imaginary friend.

I'm Niklaus Vought, though most people call me Homelander.

I'm the guy in the cape, swooping in when the world's on fire—literally. Blue suit, black cape with a star .

I've saved people from burning buildings, stopped disasters, the whole hero shtick.

They cheer, call me a hero, and I give them a smile.

But deep down? I'm not doing this for the praise.

Truth is, I wasn't always this way.

I used to be John Timberland, a Wall Street broker with a knack for shady deals on the side.

Life was a dull grind, and love? Didn't have time for that after high school.

It was all money and work until some idiots decided to shoot up a political rally.

I got caught in the crossfire—just a side casualty, nothing special.

Then I woke up in this kid's body—Niklaus Vought—right in the middle of a nightmare.

My pedo "uncle", a real piece of work, was about to do something sick.

I panicked, powers I didn't even know I had flared up, and I incinerated his neck with heat vision.

No hesitation, just pure survival.

I guess that was my welcome to this new world.

Now, here I am—super strength, flight, heat vision, you name it.

And on top of that, I've got this extra power, something like Stars and Stripes' New Order.

I can rewrite reality with rules, twist it to my will, no fancy words required though.

It's risky though, so I try not to push it too far.

But with all this power at my fingertips, there's one question that must come to your mind, why a hero?

I mean, if I've been given this strength, why not use it for something good?

Maybe I'm not the perfect hero they want me to be, but I figure the least I can do is try to make the world a better place.

I've got this second chance, and wasting it just doesn't sit right with me.

So, here I am, playing the part, saving lives, and pushing forward.

Not because I want to be some shining beacon of hope, but because—well, why the hell not?

Maybe along the way, I'll figure out what I'm really supposed to do with all of this.

Until then, the cape's mine to wear.

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Stones and Reviews please