Ethan walks down the stairs and sits at the kitchen table.
"Morning, Mom."
"Good morning, Ethan. Did you sleep well?"
"I did."
"Would you mind getting your brother for me? He'll be late for school at this rate."
"Sure."
Ethan makes his way to the bathroom and knocks on the door.
"Dude, Mom asked me to come and get you. Are you done masturbating, or what?"
"Fuck, Ethan! I'm just reading a comic book, not masturbating."
"Sooo..."
"I'll be out in a minute."
"Heh, that's what I thought."
"ETHAN!!"
Ethan walks back down and starts eating his breakfast.
"So?"
"He'll be done touching hi-"
"Ethan Grayson, I told you not to talk like that in my house!"
"Ahhh, well, he'll be down in a minute. Is what he said."
"So, what are you doing today? Training again?"
"Most likely. After the last tournament, I can't say that joining another U18 one will satisfy me."
"I never liked that you do martial arts. I have nothing against weight training, despite you being young for that as well, but martial arts is always so brutal. I can still remember how you looked after those."
"I haven't bled during a fight in a very long time. And it does earn us quite a bit of money."
Ethan was special, and he knew it. He knew that he was different, but he didn't know why he was so different from Mark. Their father was a Viltrumite from the planet Viltrum, and they were a humanoid species of far stronger constitution. However, Mark hadn't unlocked his Viltrumite powers yet, while Ethan was always stronger than the other humans. Their father thought that it might be his viltrumite powers developing slowly. But Ethan knew better. He was not just a Viltrumite; he was also a Hanma. Ethan didn't know what a Hanma was or where they came from, but he knew that it was this 'bloodline' that allowed him to do what he did. And yet, there was still something holding him back, some kind of barrier, which he could feel was about to crumble for good.
"See, what'd I tell you?" Mark says as he comes down the stairs.
"Ready, with ten minutes to spare. I should never have doubted you, son."
"Ethan, are you going to the gym today?"
"Yes, why?"
"I thought we could hang out after school. There's this new comic coming out, I wanted to see."
"Don't you have to go to Burger Mart after school?"
"Ah, shit. You're right. Explain to me again why I need to work at Burger Mart while you can do that at a large gym earning three to four times as much as I?"
"Cause I got the thick muscles to make it believable for me to work there and don't blush when talking to the fairer sex."
"I DON'T BLUSH! Do I blush?"
"It's no secret that you're a bit of a snowflake, Mark. It's one of your best qualities."
"Ethan, stop teasing your brother. And you should start eating, or you will still miss school."
"Where's Dad at? Did he come home last night?" Mark asks.
"No, he's had a lot of trouble at work lately. I just wish I knew where he was."
"Shouldn't be that hard. Just turn on the news, that'll most likely tell us all we need to know." Ethan says and stuffs more cereal into his mouth.
[...As you can see, the scene is absolute chaos as the Mauler twins...]
"Looks like Dad's saving the White House," Mark says.
"Alone?" Debbie asks.
"Guardians are there too."
"Pfft, the Maulter Twins are ridiculous. I find it hard to believe that no one has liquidated them at this point. They aren't cruel per se, but each of their schemes kills thousands of people, and they don't mind the collateral damage at all."
"Ethan! You know what we think about killing in this house. But I agree that they need a more permanent solution for them." Debbie says.
"I don't see how that's such a big deal. The state can execute people as well, and if the crime is severe enough, why not? Their body count is rising over time, so they are serial killers at this point. No need to keep them around."
"Huh, it looks like your father will be late for breakfast then. Bummer."
"It's the White House, Mom. Kind of important." Mark says.
"Oh, they rebuild that thing twice a year at this point. If it's not Doc Seismic, it's the Lizard League or someone else. I doubt the President still lives there."
Nolan lands in the garden and opens the door.
"I'm not too late. I'm gonna shower."
"Not so fast. Come here first." Debbie says, and the two start to kiss intimately.
"Urgh...Don't make me get the spray bottle." Mark says.
"Now, let's get you out of that costume," Debbie says and takes Nolan's hand, leading him towards the stairs.
"Boundaries, people. Bathroom doors are closed for a reason, and parents should never ever talk about sex in front of their kids." Mark says.
"I think little Mark didn't get enough attention this morning. Did I disturb your concentration?"
"Shut it Ethan!"
"Come on, Mark, did you have trouble performing after I talked to you? I thought you were used to-"
"Ragh!"
Mark jumps on his brother, and they begin to roll on the floor.
"Hahahaha."
"Ugh, why did we have to have twins?" Debbie groans, and Nolan smiles. He walks forward and picks both of his sons up. Mark by the collar and Ethan by the leg.
"Alright, you two, that's enough for the morning."
"You two should be overjoyed to see your parents passionately express their love for each other."
"I mean, I wouldn't say overjoyed, but it's not like it's a problem. At least it wasn't until I started to understand what the squeaking meant at night. Curse these senses of mine." Ethan says.
"Very funny, not go get ready for school."
Mark and Ethan make their way to school.
"Ugh, do you think my powers will appear soon? I'm getting restless to see you already strong and me not even having anything to show for it."
"You feel left out? Well, part of my strength comes from training, and you could do that as well. Don't try to force this, Mark. I feel like it will happen soon for some reason. Can't tell you why."
"Oh, yeah? Well, that's reassuring."
"So what about training? You want to come to the gym with me? We could at least give you the body so the powers don't feel so lonely when they inevitably arrive."
"Very funny. I'm not a steroid monster and I'm proud of it."
"I don't use steroids. What do you think I am? All natty."
"Sure, sure."
The two open up their lockers and take out what they need as Mark's friend, William, appears behind them. Willian was always Mark's friend. However, since Ethan doesn't have a single one and usually hangs out with Mark at school, he also knew William.
"Mauler Twins attack the White House? Nuts, right?"
"We saw."
"I can't believe the Guardians of the Globe let them get that close to killing the President."
"They didn't even get into the building, and Omni-Man was there, too."
"You're such an Omni-Maniac. Way to root for the underdog. Big fan of the Yankees are you? Sure, he's hot and all, and that mustache..."
"Sigh, Ethan, help me out here."
"I don't know what you want me to say. That mustache is a dad's mustache. It's the ultimate form of manliness. Nothing can compare to it. Combine that with the skin-tight suit and his physique, and you have all the moms needing to fan themselves... and teenage boys, apparently."
"Ugh, you're even worse than William."
"Okay, straight stuff. Are you two up for some Clash Crash tonight? I'm hoping for a level 43 chest armour."
*Sigh*
"Oh, don't bring up that stupid job, man. Don't be that person."
"When's the last time you bought a comic book? Those things are expensive, and they're doing Seance Dog twice a month this Summer."
"You're into the stupidest stuff. Well, what about you, Mr. I-don't-take-steroids?"
"I couldn't care less for Seance Dog. But I do enjoy a good comic every once in a while. But I can't either. Gym waits for no one."
"Ehm, yes it does. Goodness, you two are boring."
"Knock it off, Todd," a girl shouts at the end of the hall.
"Come on ... Quit playing games. I know you're crazy about me. Marcy told me."
Amber stops walking and turns around to look at Todd.
"Well, you are big and strong, aren't you?"
"You know it."
"And you think that makes it okay for you to harrass me?" she asks and turns around again. But Todd grabs her arm and turns her around again.
"Hey, don't walk away from me. What, are you a lesbian or something?"
"Oh, my god, I wish! Would you leave me alone then?"
Mark walks forward, but William stops him.
"Don't. The guy's twice your size."
"Maybe you can sit back and watch this, but I can't," Mark says.
"I can because I'm not Omni-Man, and neither are you."
Mark walks forward.
"Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Why should I? Mark's a grown man; he has made his decision, and that demands respect, not pity."
*Cough*
"I think Amber's been pretty clear about how she feels, Todd," Mark says.
"Are you serious, Grayson?"
*BANG*
Todd doesn't hesitate and just punches Mark in the face. But he doesn't stop there and follows it up with an uppercut to the stomach. Mark bends over and falls to the ground. Todd is about to follow that up with a kick when someone else intervenes.
"Oi oi, Todd. I think that's more than enough, don't you?"
Ethan walks forward with his hands in his pockets and looks at Todd with his head tilted to the side and a dangerous glint in his eyes. His movements are slow and seem to be in slow motion, but he suddenly stands in front of Todd.
"Fu-"
*BANG BANG*
Two lightning-fast punches hit Todd in the chest and stomach. Tremendous amounts of pain assault him, and he bends over as spit runs out of his open mouth. He falls to the ground, and Ethan helps his brother back to his feet. It wasn't Ethan's style to interfere with his brother's fight, as his brother didn't need his help. But he also wouldn't allow someone to just get away with harming his family. He made sure not to use too much strength, just a light tap.
"Good?"
"Yeah, thanks."
"That was impressive, Mark. I'll see you later."
"See you later," Mark says and watches his brother's retreating back.
Ethan makes his way to his class and sits down. He doesn't have much to pay attention to since it is far too easy for him. He can learn any skill or ability within a week of dedicated practice. Once he learns something, it will never leave him again; his mind is like a steel trap. He sits in the class and enters a form of meditation to avoid experiencing the slowly passing time. After the bell finally rings, Ethan gets up and is about to walk out of the class when someone calls him.
"Mr. Grayson, I would like a word with you."
Ethan turns around and sees the principal standing there. For some reason, he doesn't look all that happy.
"Of course, Mr. Winslow. What can I do for you?"
"I believe you would rather we talked in my office than here in the halls so we can have some privacy."
"Sure."
They make their way to the principal's office, and Mr. Winslow looks at Ethan for a moment. Ethan doesn't say anything and waits for the man to start talking.
"Are you not going to ask why you're here, Mr. Grayson?"
"No."
"You don't care? You don't care about your future?"
"Is my future in danger then?"
"It depends."
"Are you thinking of throwing me off the school, sir?"
"... Not really, but now that you mention it, there may be consequences."
"With all due respect, Mr. Winslow, I don't like these games. Would you mind telling me what this is about?"
"I met Todd Sanders today. He was not looking good. Do you know anything about that?"
*Sigh*