Life with superheroes

Hank Pym listened as his daughter recounted yesterday's events, his expression unreadable. Her story brought some hazy memories back into focus.

Although he was inwardly mortified enough to wish he could vanish, he maintained his composure and told Hope, "Alright, you should head to school. I'll have the driver take you today."

As head of Pym Technologies, he had a driver, but today he'd stay behind for an important task.

Hope gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you usually come with me?"

Since their home was a bit far from the company, Hank typically rode with her when he went to work.

"Not today. I've got something else to do."

He bent down, reaching out to pat her head. But Hope quickly dodged, muttering, "Fine. Got it."

Disappointed, Hank withdrew his hand. "Alright, go on."

Hope huffed, then left. Hank watched her go, smiling briefly before his face turned grim.

"Ow!" he groaned, clutching his side in pain as he staggered to a nearby sofa. Sitting gingerly, he yelped again, immediately standing up and eventually lying on the couch instead.

With shaky hands, he dialed for an ambulance. The sound of sirens outside minutes later brought a sense of relief as he was carefully loaded onto a stretcher and transported to the hospital.

In the hospital bed, Hank lay with a pained expression. The doctor examining him looked bemused and commented, "Quite a wild night, wasn't it?"

Recalling his evening of spicy food and a bit too much wine, Hank's face tightened. He nodded reluctantly, wincing, "Yes… very."

The doctor paused, surprised. "Well, you'll want to be careful for a while, avoid any stress."

"Understood." Hank inwardly vowed never to indulge in spicy food like that again.

Seeing Hank's condition, the doctor couldn't resist asking, "How many people were involved?"

"There were five of us… including me."

The doctor's eyes widened, and he took a slow breath, glancing at Hank with a mix of astonishment and respect. Regaining his composure, he began the treatment.

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Meanwhile, Hope had arrived at school.

As the car stopped, the driver opened her door, and Hope, with her long hair and elegant presence, stepped out, immediately drawing the attention of her classmates. Reactions ranged from admiration to jealousy, even a hint of affection.

But as Hope exited the car, her gaze fell on Clark standing near the school entrance.

Is he… waiting for me? she thought, her heart lifting despite the cool expression on her face. Passing him, she gave a slight scoff.

Clark hurried after her, grinning as he caught up. Hope rolled her eyes, but Clark quickly apologized, "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't realize what was going on between you and your dad, and I spoke out of turn. It was my mistake."

Surprised, Hope paused, then gave a slight nod. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, either."

Clark scratched his head, smiling. "No worries. Let's head to class; the bell's about to ring."

"Oh, by the way—this is for you." Clark handed her a lunchbox. "Thanks for the gift, by the way. I really liked it."

Hope's face softened, a smile tugging at her lips. "Of course, I picked it out myself!"

As they entered the classroom chatting, a certain warmth had grown between them.

At a distance, Eric watched them go with a scowl.

Charles, noticing, held out his hand to Eric with a laugh. "I won. Pay up!"

"Seriously? How did they make up that fast?"

Eric grudgingly reached into his pocket, pulled out some cash, and handed it to Charles—only to snatch it back with a grin. "Actually, thanks for lending this to me!"

"Idiot! You already owe me so much!" Charles huffed as Eric bolted, leaving him muttering in frustration as he headed to his own class.

To keep the peace, their father, Mike, had purposely enrolled Eric and Charles in separate classes.

…

That evening, after dinner with the Kent family, Clark received a call from Hope. They spoke briefly before he hung up.

"What's up? Is that your girlfriend calling?" Mike teased.

Eric and Charles looked on eagerly.

Clark flushed. "Hope's not my girlfriend."

"Oh, sure," they chorused, drawing out the word.

Clark scowled, playfully shaking his fist at them. He then turned to Mike, "Dad, Uncle Hank's in the hospital. Apparently, he had a run-in with the doctor."

Mike's expression shifted to mild concern. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine, just a little shaken up. Hope's going to take care of him tomorrow."

Mike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That old guy might just end up thanking me for this. It's the perfect chance to patch things up with Hope."

He chuckled, watching as the kids turned back to the TV. Suddenly, the laughter of a cartoon duck on the screen filled the room. Mike reached over to pat his sons on the head, saying, "Alright, bedtime."

"Just a bit longer?" Charles pleaded, trying to look adorable.

"No room for negotiation."

Charles pouted, "Heartless. You're completely heartless."

Mike rolled his eyes, unfazed.

"Oh, come on, you know Dad doesn't fall for that," Eric said with a smirk, hopping off the sofa.

With a glare, Charles whispered as he followed, "You still owe me money, so hurry up and pay it back!"

Eric ignored him, feigning deafness, until Charles snapped, "That's it, I'm going to make you pay!" Eric bolted with Charles in pursuit.

Watching his sons playfully squabble, Mike shook his head with a smile, turned off the TV, and headed upstairs. Settling at his desk, he focused on his usual task.

With a slight flick of his wrist, he summoned his Eternal Cigarette Case. Its restorative powers applied to his collection of cards, which filled him with pride. Over the years, he'd dedicated himself to building up his stash, filling the cigarette case to its fifty-four-card capacity, switching them out as needed.

Gripping the cigarette case in his palm, he removed a card and replaced it with a new one, carefully putting the case back in its spot.

Years of nightly effort had brought him a modest stockpile of cards, a source of reassurance.

[Profile

Host: Mike Kent.

Novice gift: Assassin's time.

Ability: Memory fantasy materialization.

Permanently materialized item: Eternal Cigarette Case.

Current ability level: LV2.

Upgrade progress: 24%.

Son: Clark Kent (Kryptonian).

Son: Eric Kent (mutant, unawakened).

Son: Charles Kent (mutant, unawakened).]

After glancing at his status, Mike materialized a blank card and began crafting a new one.

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