James watched the hurt wash across Ryan's face, watched the anger collapse into something far more vulnerable and for a moment, the argument no longer seemed to matter. The war. Soldier Boy. Containment. All of it faded into the background beside the realization that Ryan genuinely seemed shocked they could ever doubt whether he cared.
His expression softened immediately. Looking back at Homelander with a pleading expression before turning back to the boy.
The name came quietly, absent of reprimand or correction. Just understanding. Those bright green eyes remained fixed on him, seeing far more than the words Ryan was managing to get out.
"You don't make this easy, you know."
There was no cruelty in the observation. If anything, it was almost fond.
"How could either of us possibly know the depth of your affection when you spend so much of your time convincing us otherwise?"
James let the question hang for a moment before continuing.
"You disappear for extended periods. You isolate yourself. You carry burdens alone. When something troubles you, you retreat into your own thoughts or uplift butcher or your grandfather rather than allowing us to care about you, to help shoulder the weight. From our perspective, all we see is distance."
He shook his head slightly.
"Love cannot remain locked away where no one can see it and then be expected to speak for itself."
His voice remained gentle throughout, free of accusation.
"Had you simply told us, had you shown us even a fraction of what you have been carrying all this time, you might have spared all three of us a great deal of unnecessary heartache." He extends his arms for Ryan, for a hug. Sshh it's ok, Step dad is here
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