The Aegis of Noah Hart

14-Are You Really My Son?

David Hart hugs the individual standing before him then steps back. He watches as the person claiming to be his only son smiles back at him then hugs Phil and his father. A numbness comes over David's body, his mind begins to feel fuzzy as if he just noticed he were in a dream. He needed to wake up. Wake up and accept that his son as well as his wife had left him all within a blink of an eye. This bizarre game his mind was playing on him on would soon end, and David would wake back up.

But the smiling man in black armor doesn't fade away. Instead he turns back to David and takes his hand. A much more stern look in his eyes now.

"Dad...I'm going to try and explain this all to you, OK? Just know I am back. This isn't a dream."

David gasps.

"Oh...sorry, too much at once? I-"

David snatches his hand away from the stranger and pokes a finger to his chest accusingly.

"Did you-you just read my mind?"

Noah or the boy claiming to be Noah at least gives a nervous smile and shrugs.

"WHAAAAAT? NOAH, FOR REAL?"

"Phil calm down, Son!"

The stranger nods with a big smirk on his face.

David looks to the Godwins in disbelief. The blond haired boy clasping his hands together and practically bouncing in place while his father scolds him for raising his voice.

Are they crazy? They can't possibly believe what this-this guy is saying.  Who-whatever this is-he's not our Noah. I mean just look at him.

David startles when the boy starts to laugh. 

"Yeah, I uh-have changed a little but, huh?"

"A little bit," Phil laughs, "Bro, you're like a fracking action hero. What are you wearing?"

They all look over the boy's strange attire. The all black combat suit with swords stowed on each side of his body makes it impossible for David to take him seriously. 

"OK, hold on everybody. I can fix one thing for you."

The boy opens a pouch on his belt and pulls out what looks like a piece of iron welded into the shape of a feather. Roughly the size of a fountain pen, he places the the object on a small grey spot on his suit just above the heart. David scrunches up his face at the gesture until he notices the area under his hand begin to glow.

Then suddenly a flash of light makes him look away. When he looks back, David finds the strange outfit has vanished entirely and been replaced by a familiar ensemble of grey shorts and orange t-shirt. 

"WOOOOOOOOO, Cold!"

The boy startles and wraps his arms around his chest as he fidgets his bare toes on the kitchen floor. Clutching his hands to his shoulders, the back of the boy's massive arms flex as the loose shirt drapes over his body.

"Hmm, this stuff doesn't fit you anymore."

David says the comment then covers his mouth. 

Did I just say that? Am I going to let him believe I think it's him? Is it him?

Noah smiles at his father and shakes his head.

"Nope, I actually gained some weight if you can  believe it, but I loss some size in the-" Noah pauses as he smoothes both of his hands down his chest and over his sides showing the leaner, firmer figure practically buried beneath the shirt. "-fat department, ha ha."

"But-but Noah, how?"

David starts to ask Noah but the boy appears to be suddenly aware of the foods delivered to the family lined around the kitchen and doesn't pay attention to him.