"Come on, little man! You got this!" A ravenette cheered on the teenager with a big smile as they leaned towards a computer illuminated by a blue color. They sat shoulder to shoulder on a leather couch, the laptop in the teenager's lap as his thin fingers danced across the keys. Lines of code were created on the screen, and soon, a website popped up. The ravenette raised his hand to high five the teenager. "You did it!"
"Hey! What are you two doing?" A voice chimed in from the doorway. The man was holding two grocery bags that he left sitting on the counter. He strode over to the couch, peering over the edge to see the screen. He straightened back up once he knew what was on the screen. "Why are you teaching him to hack?"
"Life skills, duh. He'll need to know this sort of thing some day," The ravenette defended himself with a smug smile.
The man sighed in mild annoyance. "That is the same excuse you used when you taught him to drive behind my back. And when you taught him to hot-wire a car. And when you taught him to pick a lock. And when you taught him how to wash blood out of a tuxedo. And when-"
"Jeez, I get it. But he's your sidekick. He genuinely needs to know all these skills. They may not seem heroic, but they can be used for good in the right circumstances. I'm sure he would never do something like steal a car or pick a lock because he wanted to rebel," The ravenette cut off the man with what he believed were valid points.
"Maybe. I just don't think a kid should know all of this," The man replied with a grim frown. He seemed apprehensive and like he was walking on eggshells. It was weird because normally, the man was collected and cunning. He was the kind of person that inspired courage because of his confidence. Seeing him like this was unnerving.
"I'm not a kid," The teenager spoke up. "I'm your sidekick. You need to have faith in me. These pointless skills may come in handy someday. You never know."
"I wish..." The man whispered as he looked to the roof for some divine answer. The man didn't finish his statement. He turned to the counter, putting away the groceries. The teenager watched him while the ravenette took the laptop from his lap. A look passed between the man and the teenager that told the latter what the former had been trying to say.
I wish you could have had a childhood. I wish you didn't need these skills. I wish that we knew each other in very different circumstances.
The teen responded with his own eyes exclaiming something less worded. A desire, burning and rising, to stand by the other's side, to fight crime and banish evil, to inspire hope and cause justice, together. The man looked away.