As The Deep In The Boys

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….

No one sues exceptionally tall basketball players for their height or boxers with superior physical durability for their powerful bodies.

Having lost his career again, but now a major celebrity, Barry finally stopped. He had earned enough during his esports career to last several lifetimes. 

So, the speedster just decided to live it up and, five years ago, released an autobiography that caused a huge stir in the press. 

Although he didn't name the corrupt individuals, anyone who was even slightly in the know and could connect the dots immediately understood who had helped Barry in his careers and hadn't cared about his supe identity.

Kevin remembered being caught reading the book by Homelander, who disapproved of the speedster's decision to abandon his superpowers and pretend to be an ordinary person. 

That was the first time in ten years he'd had a "training" spar with the team captain.

Hiding his displeasure behind "concern" for a team member's combat skills, Homelander had beaten 

The Deep quite badly. 

Over his time in The Seven, Kevin had been subjected to these special training sessions six times. 

The last time, he was literally pulled out of a wall and then spent a week on a "special mission" because fans couldn't see one of The Seven looking weak. 

After that, Madlyn had asked Homelander to stop these "training sessions," and The Deep started flinching whenever the captain appeared.

Looking back at the situation, he admitted that some of the blame lay with Kevin, who, along with A-Train, had decided to laugh at fanfiction in Vought Tower that shipped him and Homelander (with Homelander as the bottom) or Homelander and Maeve (with a strap-on). 

The internet, as always, was showcasing the... unique interests of the masses. 

The two friends had the misfortune of being within earshot of the world's most powerful superhero. 

But while A-Train, being a speedster, immediately fled, The Deep was not so lucky and caught the full force of Homelander's rage. 

During that final "training session," he had cursed his bad luck and his big mouth dozens of times. 

Surveying the apartment, Kevin decided that any more crystals would be impossible to hide from his local handler. 

He stopped his training, grabbed a black trash bag, and began cleaning up his creations.

If the scientists at Princeton knew that tens of millions of dollars' worth of solid light samples were being sent to a Sandusky landfill from a mediocre apartment, the world might have gotten its first supervillains with PhDs. 

But fortunately, or unfortunately, no one would ever know how a fortune was buried under a pile of fast-food wrappers, empty plastic bottles, and a couple of unlucky, punctured condoms.

After taking out the trash, Kevin went to catch a few more hours of sleep before the courier arrived and he had to make another trip to the beach to see Peter.

Waking up almost perfectly rested, The Deep got up from the couch. Passing the full-length mirror, he stopped automatically and suddenly asked a logical question.

"Why the hell am I always wearing this suit?"

Thinking about it, Kevin realized it was a habit ingrained in the previous Moskowitz's subconscious, and apparently, it had been passed on to him through the memories. 

Vought required supes to be ready to prevent crimes at all times, as long as it didn't pose a risk to their image. 

And most superhero costumes weren't the most practical, so it was just easier to wear them constantly than to change at the most inconvenient moment. 

Besides, the big three of The Seven, Homelander, Black Noir, and Queen Maeve, never took off their outfits, 24/7.

Well, except for when Homelander and Maeve locked themselves in their quarters for "secret meetings," and the vibrations and mini-earthquakes just announced to everyone how... dynamic their sessions were.

Of course, there were other reasons for the habit. The Deep didn't want to be Kevin Moskowitz. 

Moskowitz had no friends, was made fun of, and was sent to psychiatrists, while after The Deep emerged, everyone flocked to the future king of the seven seas.

Even having a handsome face from birth didn't lessen his insecurity, which magically disappeared when he put on The Deep's suit. 

Moskowitz wasn't good with the opposite sex and often rambled or froze up when he realized he'd made a mistake in conversation, while the beloved superhero The Deep was a heartthrob with no shortage of girlfriends for nightly flings.

All this led to Kevin having no semblance of a normal life. He only existed as The Deep. 

Opening the closet, the current Kevin confirmed this one hundred percent when he found only one men's suit from Brioni, worth a tenth of his entire bank account, left over from a promotional event where the superheroes, to the shock of most fans, had appeared as ordinary people for the first time. 

The current Kevin probably wouldn't have even found that suit if The Deep hadn't had a home run with a director's assistant who was a huge fan of the king of the seven seas. 

The previous Moskowitz remembered that moment perfectly, because he hadn't been wearing his suit but was still desired, and it had been a great boost to his self-esteem. 

It was a shame, of course, that he'd run into another "training session" with Homelander right after and lost the budding seeds of self-respect all over again.

Deciding that ruining a four-and-a-half-thousand-dollar suit while carrying a crate of fish would be a bit much, Kevin regretfully closed the closet and promised himself that after meeting Peter and training, he would definitely go shopping.

Stepping outside, he repeated yesterday's routine and once again got a ride to the beach without any issues.

After feeding the dolphin and his three friends, Kevin decided to start developing the non-combat aspects of his superpower. 

After dozens of articles on mirages and his increased control over his Devil Fruit from training, Moskowitz had every reason to believe that the hardest part was behind him.

….

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