(AN so we're going to move fast so we're going to skip a lot of unnecessary details so we can reach the comics early)
(I have a Patreon if you want to read the next 10 chapters of this fanfiction then go to patreon.com/7_Night )
The next day, Luke was riding in a car on his way to the company, which was already an unusual sight. Normally, he'd just fly over the city, enjoying the breeze as he zoomed between skyscrapers. But today was a special day—his first time stepping into the public eye as both Luke Wilson, the owner of Night Studios, and Windwalker, the newly unmasked superhero.
As the car approached the building, Luke's eyebrows raised at the massive crowd gathered outside. People held up signs, some with scribbled messages of admiration, others featuring quick sketches of his superhero persona—though some were questionably off-model, making him look either ridiculously buff or strangely noodle-armed.
Unlike the usual protests that often took place in front of large companies, this crowd wasn't full of anger and accusations. Instead, the air buzzed with excitement.
"Windwalker, I love you!" one woman screamed like she was at a concert.
"Please, just one picture!" a man waved his phone desperately.
"Can we at least see him?!" another voice added, as if they were pleading with some mythical being.
Luke chuckled to himself. So, this was what superhero celebrity status felt like? It was both flattering and kind of terrifying. The second someone finally spotted him through the car window, their shock spread like wildfire.
"THAT'S HIM! WINDWALKER!"
Luke barely had a moment to react before the wave of people surged toward the vehicle like an avalanche of pure enthusiasm. Cameras flashed, microphones were shoved forward, and hands reached out, all clamoring to get close to him.
"Nnnope!" he said, laughing as he immediately shot up into the sky, a gust of wind knocking over a few hats and sending some posters flapping. He could hear disappointed groans and awed gasps behind him, but he didn't look back. because his smirk gives away that he did it on purpose.
Within seconds, he reached the upper floors of the Night Studios building, hovering outside his office window. Inside, Henry was sitting at his desk, calmly sipping a coffee while watching the chaos unfold below.
Luke knocked on the window.
Henry glanced up, sighed, and shook his head, setting his mug down before walking over. With practiced ease, he unlatched the window and let Luke climb in.
"You know," Henry started, arms crossed as he leaned against the desk, "when you said you wanted your identity reveal to happen in a 'perfect moment,' I honestly didn't expect it to involve Nazis."
Luke flopped into his chair, grinning. "Hey, man, I didn't know either until I got there. But look at the bright side! Now the whole world knows about Hydra, and they can't pull their dirty tricks from the shadows anymore."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I mean, good for humanity and all… but also, you now have an entire fan mob camping outside our building."
Luke smirked, reclining in his chair. "Eh, I'll take an overenthusiastic fan mob over a Nazi death squad any day."
Henry rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Yeah, fair enough. But let's not talk about world-ending conspiracies first thing in the morning, alright?"
Luke stretched, feeling more relaxed. "Deal. Now, let's get back to business."
Henry sighed again, muttering, "Yeah, 'business'—as if dealing with superhero nonsense isn't your full-time job already."
"Anyways, things have been going great ever since your identity was revealed," Henry said, leaning back in his chair. "When people found out that Windwalker was actually the owner of Night Studios, our company name became the number one search result. All our projects have been flying off the shelves. We're making so much money it's starting to feel illegal."
Luke smirked. "Well, we kind of expected that, didn't we? How did the employees react to the news?"
Henry sighed, rubbing his temples. "What do you think? Everyone freaked out. Half of them wanted to rush up here just to see you in person. Security had to hold them back, but even the security guys were sneaking glances at the elevator like they wanted to join in."
Luke chuckled at the mental image. "Wait… don't tell me—Vanessa, your assistant, was one of them?"
Henry's eye twitched. "Shut up."
Luke burst out laughing. "Oh man, I knew it! You're Lucky. You know she's going to be all over you now, right? She's probably thinking, 'If my boss is besties with a superhero, maybe I can get closer to him!'"
Henry groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "God, I hope not."
Luke was still grinning when Henry cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem, anyways, a lot of the employees have been bragging about working here. Like, full-on showing off. They keep posting about that time they had coffee with you, or the time you high-fived them in the hallway. The funniest part? They're calling it 'the Wind flex.'"
Luke shook his head, amused. "Wow, people really are weird."
"Yeah, well, at least your underage drinking isn't trending," Henry muttered.
Luke blinked. "Wait, what?"
Henry waved him off. "Relax. That one time you drank with the employees is buried under all the other news. No one cares about that when they're too busy freaking out over a 17-year-old superhero-slash-millionaire."
"True," Luke said, stretching. "I mean, it's not every day you hear about a teenager saving the world and running a gaming empire. No wonder the media is going crazy."
"Crazy is an understatement," Henry grumbled. "The number of interview requests you got is insane. It's even more than when Stark revealed his identity."
Luke smirked. "Well, to be fair, Tony Stark had scandals. I don't. My record is squeaky clean."
Henry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Must be nice being a perfect superhero. But honestly, I really hope things calm down soon. It's only the first day, and I already feel exhausted."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Wait… is it really that much work?"
Henry hesitated before shaking his head. "Nah, the employees who already knew from the background team helped me with most of the heavy lifting. It's just… there are so many people who want to meet you right now."
Luke narrowed his eyes. "Okay… and? You sound kinda pissed. What's going on?"
Henry shifted uncomfortably. He opened his mouth, closed it, and finally sighed. "…My family wants to see you."
Silence.
Luke's smirk widened into a full-on grin. "Oh really? I think that'd be great! I mean, I've spoken to your mom and dad on the phone a few times, but I haven't seen them in person in a long time. And your sisters—oh, man. I have to see their reactions."
Henry tensed. "Luke—"
Luke ignored him. "Speaking of which, did your older sister finally give up trying to seduce me, or is she still holding out hope?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Oh, and didn't your mom mention that Ellie has a huge crush on Windwalker? Can't wait to see how that plays out."
Henry's eye twitched violently. "LUKE."
Luke grinned like a demon. "Just imagine her face when she realizes she's been fangirling over me this whole time."
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Henry screamed, lunging at him.
Luke, laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair, barely had time to react before Henry tackled him. He didn't even use his powers to stop him—he was too busy enjoying the moment. Henry wrapped his arms around Luke's neck in a weak attempt at a headlock while Luke grabbed his wrists, shaking with laughter.
"AHHAHAHAHAHAHA—"
"STOP LAUGHING—"
"AAAHHHHHHHHHH—"
Henry tried to wrestle Luke into submission, but Luke was too strong, even without his powers. Instead, Luke just kept laughing while Henry kept cursing at him, the two of them rolling around in a ridiculous struggle that was anything but professional.
And that's how the CEO and co-founder of Night Studios spent their morning—one trying to murder the other while the entire city was still losing its mind over Windwalker's identity.