𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐦? | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 (𝐎𝐂)

ELEVEN

Homelander, flashed a smile. "See? I knew you could do it." He said, though there was an edge to his voice, as if he weren't entirely pleased with how things had unfolded.

Queen Maeve sighed, crossing her arms. "Maybe next time, we don't push her so hard."

Madelyn leaned forward, her smile returning, though it was more cautious now. "It's clear you have...considerable potential, Laura. But we'll need to work on control. A lot of control."

Stan Edgar nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Indeed. This is just the beginning."

Laura swallowed hard, nodding, but inside, she was a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and exhaustion. She had no idea how she was going to handle this.

The Deep, who had managed to regain some semblance of composure after the floating incident, broke the silence. He hesitated for a moment, scratching the back of his neck, then asked. "So...what do we do next?"

Queen Maeve, who had been sitting with her arms crossed and an expression of mild frustration, exhaled sharply. "We don't train her right now." She said flatly. "She needs a break."

Ashley, still visibly shaken, nervously adjusted her skirt and opened her mouth to speak. "But we need to-"

"Lunch break." Homelander's voice cut through Ashley's concerns as he stood up abruptly, flashing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "How about we all take a lunch break?" He didn't wait for anyone's response, already making his way to the door. Without another word, he left the room, the door closing softly behind him.

Madelyn Stillwell sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stood up. "We'll continue this meeting tomorrow." She said, her voice sharp but controlled. She gave Laura a final glance-part concern, part calculation-before she turned and left the room, with Stan Edgar following close behind. Ashley, still rattled, hurried after them, her heels clicking anxiously against the floor.

Black Noir stood up silently, as he always did, casting a glance at Laura. His gaze lingered for a moment longer than necessary, but as usual, he said nothing. Then, as quietly as he'd come, he slipped out of the room.

Translucent, who had been leaning back in his chair, visibly annoyed at the entire ordeal, muttered under his breath before pushing himself in and sauntering toward the door. He disappeared from view as soon as he stepped out.

A-Train, ever the showman, seemed to recover his usual cocky attitude almost immediately. With a grin, he flashed a quick goodbye to Laura and the others remaining in the room. "Catch ya later." He said before speeding out of the room, leaving only a gust of air in his wake.

That left Laura with The Deep, who had been unusually quiet. That was until he smiled at their, apparently regaining his confidence back.

"So, uh...Laura." He began, offering her a grin. "Do you want to grab some lunch with me?"

Laura raised a brow at him, entirely unimpressed and more than a little unamused. Unlike the rest of The Seven, she didn't find The Deep particularly intimidating-just...gross. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Queen Maeve, who had remained silent until now, stood up and cut in.

"She's with me." Maeve said, her tone making it clear there was no room for argument. She looked at Laura for a brief second, before turning towards the door. "Let's go."

Laura blinked, dumbfounded but couldn't be that surprised...from what she remembers from the show, Maeve-for the most part-was not one to hold back with her bluntness.

"Uh, okay...cool." The Deep muttered, his confidence shrinking by the second as he watched them leave. He sighed, slumping back into his chair before finally getting up and wandering off on his own.