Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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Boom!

A loud explosion echoed through the silent air.

Charles, who had been peacefully sleeping, jolted awake with a start. He looked around in panic, seeing Eric's grinning face and the pieces of balloons scattered over him.

"I'm going to kill you, Eric!"

With a roar, he leapt out of bed, furiously chasing Eric out of the room.

A few seconds later…

Charles entered the room holding his head, crying and whimpering, with Eric grinning maliciously behind him.

Clark sighed, walked out of the room, and into theirs. With one hand, he separated the two and said, "Enough already. Clean up and get ready. I'm going to teach you how to ride a bike."

"Hah, do I need lessons for that?" Eric scoffed.

Charles pouted and muttered, "It's obvious how to do it."

"Hah!" Clark let go of them, saying, "Since you both know so well, let's have a competition. The loser has to wash the winner's socks."

"Hah, I've got this in the bag!"

Eric flashed a sinister grin at Charles.

Charles sighed, "..."

"What are you looking at? You think I'm going to lose?"

Clark shrugged, "Hurry up. I'm waiting for you."

With that, he turned and walked out.

This Sunday was going to be fun.

Clark watched the two of them start to argue, smiling happily.

No more sock-washing for him. That was a win.

As long as he competed with them, Clark never lost. The two boys would always end up slowing each other down, and Clark would always come out on top.

Charles and Eric hurried through their morning routine—washing their faces, brushing their teeth, and eating breakfast.

"Dad, we're heading out!"

"We're going to race bikes!"

The two shouted as they dashed out the door.

Mike watched them go and, as Clark was the last to leave, he said, "Don't let them run wild."

Clark nodded with a grin, "I know. But they're going to be washing my socks now."

Mike paused, then chuckled and gave Clark a nod.

The three of them chattered away as they left, leaving the house in peace.

After pouring himself a cup of tea, Mike sat down to read the newspaper, focusing on articles about agriculture.

As a farm owner, staying informed about the agricultural news and making sure to sell his farm's produce at a good price was very important to him.

At first, he thought the day would pass by in the same calm manner as the morning, but after dinner, when the family gathered to watch television, a news story flashed across the screen. Mike's expression immediately darkened.

A mutant named Mystique had recently murdered the infamous Dr. Bolivar Treslack. The good news was that the criminal had been captured by the guards while attempting to escape and was now imprisoned in a secret facility.

She would face justice.

Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath, unable to stop himself from muttering a curse under his breath.

In that moment, Mike felt like a sword slowly unsheathing, the cold aura radiating from him.

The three children exchanged nervous glances, having rarely seen Mike with such a cold expression. They instinctively felt uneasy.

Clark pursed his lips. He had met Raven before and knew about the relationship between her and Mike, so he could guess why Mike was upset. But Eric and Charles exchanged confused looks, unsure of what had triggered Mike's sudden anger. They even thought they might have done something wrong…

Eric nudged Charles lightly. Charles rolled his eyes, then sulked for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, they were wide and filled with tears.

"Dad…"

Charles looked up at Mike with an innocent, pleading gaze.

Mike snapped out of his thoughts, and seeing the worried expressions on both Charles and Eric, he immediately understood. He smiled apologetically and patted their heads. "Sorry if I scared you. It's nothing to do with you, it's my own issue."

Charles and Eric let out relieved sighs, but they continued to look at Mike with concern.

"Dad…" Clark asked, his voice laced with worry. Charles and Eric, too, eyed Mike with curiosity.

Mike fell silent. Seeing the three of them so concerned, he spoke calmly, "Raven, the mutant who was arrested, is a friend of mine."

Eric and Charles's eyes widened in disbelief. "That criminal?"

Mike tilted his head toward Clark. "You've met Raven. What kind of person do you think she is?"

"Raven Aunt…" Clark pondered for a moment, his face softening with recollection. "She's a really good person."

At these words, Eric and Charles turned their curious eyes toward Clark.

They were wondering why someone Clark referred to as a good person could end up becoming a criminal.

Mike looked at the three of them, his eyes flickering with internal conflict.

He fully understood that, as the father of these three children, his actions and beliefs would inevitably influence their growth, shaping them into individuals different from the ones he remembered from his past.

But… why must they grow up to be like the people from his memories? They were his children now!

If they ended up the same as before, didn't that make him, as their father, useless?

Was he just... pointless?

Mike's eyelids twitched.

"Ugh!"

Mike took a deep breath and said, "Raven is someone who has dedicated her life to saving mutants and has been active across the world."

"She saves mutants, and she also kills those who experiment on and harm them."

"Given this, do you think she's a hero or a criminal?"

Eric answered without hesitation, "She's obviously a hero!"

Charles hesitated, "She's a hero for saving people, but she also kills, so she's a criminal too. I… I don't know."

Clark looked at Mike and asked, "Dad, what do you think?"

Don't ask me what I think! You need to think for yourself! Mike silently thought to himself, pausing for a few moments to gather his words. He then spoke slowly.

"A hero is never everyone's hero."

"Without a doubt, Raven is a hero in the eyes of mutants, but to another group of people, she's a criminal."

"But to Raven, what she does, she does without any regrets."

"Being a person, you need to be at peace with yourself first."

The three of them fell silent, deep in thought.

After a few seconds, Clark looked up and asked, "Dad, what about you? What would you do?"

"I'll go save her."

His voice was soft, but there was a sense of unwavering determination in it.

Mike didn't know how his choice would affect his children, nor did he know what thoughts his words would provoke in them…

Everything was uncertain.

But what Mike was sure of was that he would always stand behind these children, fulfilling his responsibilities as a father.

Hearing Mike's words, the three of them looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Dad, good luck!"

"Be careful, Dad!"

"Dad, once you save Aunt Raven, are you two together then?"

At the first two boys' words, Mike kept smiling, but when he heard Clark's question, he suddenly felt a sharp pang of discomfort.

"What do you mean, 'together'!"

Mike glared at Clark and brought out the ultimate parental weapon.

"Go to bed now!"

(End of Chapter)