chan fidgeted as he stood in front of the class. he clapped his hands together awkwardly, rocking back and forth on his feet as he thought about what to do. he didn't have powers. what exactly was he supposed to demonstrate to the class?

the firm stare the coach was burning into his skull definitely wasn't helping either.

chan had enough of the scrutinizing gazes of his fellow peers– and coach boomer – so he finally gave up. he leaned over to whisper into the coach's ear about his, well, lack of abilities.

chan isn't sure why he thought the coach would keep this information between themselves, but as he watched coach boomer take a step back and shout, "what do you mean you don't know what your power is?" he felt the color drain from his face.

chan chuckled nervously as he faced the class, watching the class murmur to themselves in surprise. before he could even let the thought of them judging him sink in, he heard the coach chuckle. he watched as the coach took a step to the side, shaking his head at the young boy.

 "i got it. you're messing with the coach, just like your old man," coach boomer said, pulling out the button from his shorts again. "car." he said indifferently, chan looking up in fright as he saw the busted car falling from the ceiling.

the boy thanked his fast reflexes as he felt himself collapse to the floor, narrowly avoiding the heavy automobile from crushing him. it was then he realized the car was attached to an extension cable so it wouldn't have actually fallen on him, but this recent revelation did not soothe him in any way.

"are you insane?!" chan shouted, hearing the worried murmurs of his peers. the young boy slid out from under the car, panting heavily as he continued, "i don't have super strength!"

coach boomer furrowed his eyebrows, clear confusion on his face as he shrugged to himself. he pressed the button again, slowly lifting the car up from the young boy. he smiled knowingly as he watched the boy struggle to stand up.

"oh, i get it! you're a flyer, just like your ma. why didn't you say so?" the older man said, pressing another switch on his remote control.

before chan could process what was fully happening, he looked down and saw the particular spot of the platform he was standing on lift up, tossing him into the air. chan wasn't able to brace himself in time when he collided into one of the stone beams and then onto the stone bleachers. a lot of stone.

as his classmates scurried over to chan to make sure he was alright, coach boomer was in the background saying, "kid, come on. quit messing around. i haven't got all day."

chan was thoroughly annoyed at this point. he knew no one would believe him when he said he didn't have powers, it was expected. the son of the great commander and jet stream was powerless, at this age? when most of his peers got their powers as children, he didn't worry then. ten years later, and here he was, body aching and his mean coach staring him down in annoyance.

"what's your power?"

chan let out a disappointed sigh as he breathed out, "i don't have one."

coach boomer looked disappointed as well. though, chan could see that there was a hint of amusement on his face as he said a simple, "stronghold."

"sidekick!" coach boomer yelled at such an intensity that it shook throughout the entire school. students across campus could hear it, bathroom mirrors were shattered, even the principal heard it, though she was unaffected. it was a near daily occurrence at this point.

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a few minutes later, chan was in the school clinic, holding a bag of ice to his head to alleviate the pain from earlier. whether that was from the physical pain of being tossed around or the emotional pain of being embarrassed in front of, he assumed, the entire school, chan wasn't sure what the true answer was.

the elderly nurse checked his reflexes, smiling to herself as she looked up at the young boy. "i remember doing this to your father when he was your age. kicked me right through that wall." she chuckled, looking back at the memory fondly.

chan smiled back, sighing as he asked, "you, uh, haven't called him yet, have you?"

"like i want to be the one to tell the commander his son has no powers?"

chan nodded solemnly, watching as the elderly woman stood in front of him and said she'd take a look at him. he watched as a red beam shot from her eyes, scanning the boy for any internal injuries or bleeding. she nodded, putting her glasses back on as she informed chan that nothing was broken.

chan just smiled awkwardly as he said, "except for me not having my powers."

"well," the nurse began, walking over to grab her cup of candy and offering one to the young boy with a warm smile. chan smiled back as he grabbed one. "maybe you're just a late bloomer."

"you could get one of them, or both." she placed the cup back where it was, turning back to the young boy as she continued, "your mother's flying or your father's super strength."

"but when?"

"the kid's who get bit by radioactive insects or fall into a vat of toxic waste, their powers usually show up the next day."

"... or they die." she mumbled, tossing a balled up napkin into the garbage bin as if she hadn't just said that.

"but, kids who inherit their powers..." she sighed, moving away to take her coat off. "well... impossible to say."

chan was concerned, but he tried to pass it off as indifference as he called after the elderly woman, "but i will get them, right?"

"many sidekicks are the offspring of one super-parent and one regular parent. but there are cases – rare, though not unheard of – where the child of two super-powered parents..." her smile fell as she saw the glimmer of hope in the young boy's eyes. she didn't want to be the one to break the news to him, but she knew someone had to.

the nurse frowned softly as she continued, "they never... acquire powers whatsoever." her voice dropping to a whisper as she trailed off.

"there are?" chan asked, his voice quivering slightly as he rolled his eyes, "like who?"

"well, i know of only one. kim dohyun, bus driver." chan blinked in surprise, following the nurse's finger as she pointed to the man from outside the window.

mr. kim was practicing combat moves with a long broomstick, the pair inside the clinic wincing as they watched the bus driver accidentally shatter one of the windows of the bus with the broomstick.

this didn't make chan feel better.

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chan opened the back door, not batting an eye when he saw his father playing with the giant robot eye they extracted earlier that day. his parents were having a lighthearted argument about not having it at the dinner table.

chan felt his shoulders slump as his parents turned and greeted him, clear excitement in their voices. he knew why they were excited to see him, and he felt conflicted as he walked closer to them.

chan set his bag to the side as he stood in front of them, ignoring their questions and bright smiles as he said, "uh... dad, we need to talk."

his dad smirked as he said, "you mean a little hero-to-hero talk?" he exchanged a knowing smile with his wife as he said, "i think i know just the place. come on." he nodded to the hallway, chan rolling his eyes as he trailed behind him.

"hon." his mother said, tossing the robot eye to his father. he caught it with ease, smiling as he walked away.

chan followed his dad into their study, closing the door and turning around. "okay, so dad–" he started, abruptly cut off by his father.

"oh, this isn't the place, chan." his dad said, pressing a button next to a picture frame that had an ominous painting of the sea. chan's eyes widened as he watched the painting disappear and transform into a panel with a hand print on it.

"this is the place."

chan's eyes widened, letting out a quiet gasp as he said, "no way! the secret sanctum?" he grinned as he walked closer to the panel.

his father chuckled knowingly as he said, "you know, i'll never forget my first day at sky high. your grandfather finally trusted me enough to give me the key to his secret sanctum." he paused, chuckling as he continued, "'course, in those days, we still used keys."

the two looked at the panel, his father smiling proudly as he said, "go ahead, son. i already added your biometrics this morning."

chan looked nervous as he stood up to the panel, raising his hand to unlock the sanctum with his hand print. he paused as his father said, "oh, chan. one thing."

chan turned around nervously, slowly lowering his hand as his dad said, "of course, you must never ever bring anyone into the secret sanctum. that's... why it's called a secret sanctum." he said, smiling at his own joke.

chan gulped nervously as he said, "i would never."

the look of pride on mr. lee's face was prominent as he said, "go for it."

chan turned back to the panel and raised his hand up to the scanner, watching as it scanned his hand print. it beeped softly, signaling that his print was approved. from next to the panel, the walls slid open, revealing a secret passage. the brick wall was lit with an ominous purple light, with two large steel poles leading all the way to the bottom.

chan stared at the new entrance in amazement, his father coming up next to him looking thoroughly amused at the young boy's reaction. the man gestured to the poles, making sure that chan used his mother's pole instead of his.

the two landed safely, chan looking even more amazed as he stepped into the stone basement. he looked around, catching glimpses of other trinkets their parents had collected from previous battles.

chan laughed in disbelief as he said, "you got a pool table?"

"how about the pinball machine?" his father asked with a cheeky grin, pointing to the machine that was settled into the corner next to the pool table.

the two laughed as they looked around. chan trailed behind his father as he rambled on about what each trinket did and which battle it was from, the young boy not paying much attention as his eyes traveled around the large room. his eyes eventually landed on a broken device on a small podium, a single spotlight shining on it.

"and this, uh–"

"royal pain's pacifier." his father said as he came up behind him, giving him a pat on the back. "now, that was a great day, chan. the first time your mom and i ever teamed up to fight evildoers."

chan smiled as he looked at the broken object, trying to inspect it more. it was split in half, a large coil on the inside leading to what chan could only assume was a large pacifier, the kind babies use. hence the name he supposed.

"– royal pain got what was coming to him, and i got the pacifier." chan was able to make out the end of his father's long-winded speech. he'd heard it before, the story of how his parents fought back to back and defeated royal pain.

chan tentatively reached out to touch the pacifier, stopping as his father grabbed his hand. he turned to look at his father as the man said, "and this is my proudest possession." he gave his son a pat on the shoulder as he lowered his hand.

"it's amazing. what's it do?"

"no idea."

chan's father led him to another podium, this one empty, as he said, "this is our story. your mom and me, kicking ass and taking names." he moved to stand next to the podium, clicking a button that revealed a placard that said lee chan on it.

"but now, it's time for a new story. the three of us, fighting crime together, side by side... by side."

chan's father led the two of them away from the hall of trinkets, keeping an arm around his son's shoulders as he asked, "now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

chan was conflicted. he didn't want to lie to his father, but he remembered how excited his parents were to see him earlier. and his father showing him the secret sanctum was a huge deal. he didn't want to upset his parents. he didn't want to disappoint them.

so, chan decided to lie. again.

"oh, um..." he laughed awkwardly, gesturing towards the pool table as he smiled, "that i'm going to kick your butt in pool."

"oh, we'll see about that!"

from across the room, the robot eye that was assumed to be nonfunctional turned on, glowing a bright red as it activated. a room with a large monitor showed the live feed coming from the robot eye, two mysterious cloaked figures watching as chan and his father played pool.

"you were right. he took it home." one of the cloaked figures said, chortling obnoxiously as they joked, "hey, he's got the ego the size of a giant robot."

the other cloaked figure sitting on the chair reached out and choked the first one, the shorter one in the ridiculous costume crying out in a humorous way.

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chan climbed out of his window, holding the exterior wall as he sat down on the roof. he hugged his knees to his chest, heaving out a heavy sigh as he thought about the day he had. he looked up at the sky, frowning at the lack of stars that night.

chan heard rustling coming from behind him, looking over and sighing as he saw seungkwan appear before him, hanging onto a tree branch that the boy materialized out of thin air.

"hey, seungkwan." chan said, turning back around and sighing to himself.

"hi." seungkwan said quietly, a sad smile on his face as he sat down next to chan.

"so, where were you after school? i was worried." seungkwan asked as he looked at chan.

chan smiled shyly, nodding in embarrassment as he said, "i got stuck in the nurse's office." he chuckled sarcastically as he continued, "and the news just keeps getting better and better. turns out i may never get my powers."

seungkwan frowned softly as he asked, "how did your dad take it?"

chan looked at seungkwan in disbelief, more angry at himself, as he said, "what was i supposed to do? he showed me the secret sanctum."

"you have to tell them."

chan chuckled humorlessly again as he said, "my parents are the greatest superheroes on the planet. everybody expects greatness from me."

seungkwan smiled reassuringly, though even he didn't believe it, as he said, "well, you are great."

"thanks." chan mumbled, looking back up at the sky.

seungkwan smiled again as he said, "okay, so you're a sidekick. it's not the end of the world." seungkwan reached out a hand, one of the nearby trees extending a branch out and dropping an apple into his hands.

"... when life gives you lemons..." seungkwan trailed off, holding out the apple to chan in hopes of cheering him up.

chan looked down, chuckling as he looked at the apple in seungkwan's hands. "make apple juice?" he joked, an amused smile on his face as he looked at seungkwan.

seungkwan sighed, an annoyed smile on his face as he said, "i can't make lemons. i don't know what it is."

chan just shook his head, gesturing to the apple as he said, "yeah, but see. you have an awesome power. and you could have made 'hero' so easily."

"i'm not into labels." seungkwan said indifferently, shrugging softly to show that he truly didn't care about his placement.

chan shook his head in disbelief as he said, "but why would you choose to be a sidekick?"

"because, i think the whole thing is stupid. dividing people into groups like that. i mean, what is this?"

"high school?"

seungkwan just nudged chan's shoulder, smiling bashfully as he felt chan nudge him back. the two stayed up there for a bit, seungkwan offering chan the apple he mistook for a lemon.