. Though She Had To Admit That It Was Incredibly Satisfying To See Him Almost Begging Her For A Place

     𝐨𝐟  𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞  𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲  𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞  𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞  𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.     though  she  had  to  admit  that  it  was  incredibly  satisfying  to  see  him  almost  begging  her  for  a  place  amongst  her  group.     arms  fold  across  her  chest,  blue  eyes  flicking  over  him  once,  a  smirk  pulling  at  her  lips,     "     seems  to  be  quite  the  pattern  with  you     -     all  your  groups  fall  to  shit.     maybe  you're  the  rebel  and  now  you're  cryin'  out  for  protection  'cause  your  games  being  caught  onto,     "     the  last  thing  she  needed  right  now  was  more  trouble.     he  was  right  about  one  thing,  these  lands  were  dangerous  and  she  had  to  be  careful  with  who  she  chose  to  put  her  trust  in.     a  while  back,  she  would've  never  doubted  if  she  could  trust  john.     but  these  days?     she  would  be  stupid  to  allow  herself  to  get  burnt  again,     "     you're  not  exactly  the  right  type  of  stray,  you're  gonna  stick  out  like  a  sore  thumb  amongst  my  group  of  girls,     "     maggie  admits,  except  she  hates  that  he's  right  about  one  thing,  she  wouldn't  want  his  blood  on  her  hands  especially  if  he  was     𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞,     begging  for  help.     sighing  softly,  hand  running  through  red  hair  as  she  looks  away  for  a  moment  before  looking  back  at  him,     "     fine.     you  can  stick  around  for  now.     i'll  get  my  girls  to  find  a  few  other  guys  that  we  can  trust,  so  you  don't  look  so  obvious,     "     she  relents,  hoping  this  wouldn't  be  a  decision  that  she  came  to  regret.     she  just  hoped  he  wouldn't  bring  more  trouble  to  her  door,  she  had  her  own  stuff  to  deal  with  than  cleaning  up  john's  mess.     stepping  towards  him,  hands  moving  to  rest  on  her  hips,     "     but  you're  not  in  charge  here,  john.     you're  gonna  listen  to  me,  got  it?     "

"no, I don't care" his grin widening shamelessly "but I'm not here for a chit chat about her either, come on.. it all is getting boring" because he still sees that said girlfriend as his rivalry until he sees her lifeless corpse burning in flames, he still has soft spot for Maeve and hearing she's dating again was painful for him.. "ah" he clicks his tongue "no, I wouldn't. but the thing is, my previous gang. we had a rebel between us that killed the leader and I got lucky when I ran away from them, you know how cruel life is in these lands, I need to hook on some group to survive so here's my offer, let me join your team, Maggie. you won't regret it" he lowers his hands slowly, wipes at the sweat beading on his forehead "heard you gave home to few strays, one more wouldn't be such burden, eh? I can pull my weight if that's the case.. if the answer is still a 'no', then maybe let me ride with your team until we reach another group's place, I can't be out here alone.. scavengers are everywhere and you don't want your old friend's blood on your hand, do you?"

THE BOYS 4.05 Beware of the Jabberwock, My Son

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌  ' 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐘 '  𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐒  /  𝟎𝟎𝟏. mutuals  may  interact  /  personals  do  not  interact  or  reblog.

yeah,  he's  got  a  hard  on  for  mass  murder  and  giving  kids  cancer,  and  his  whole  solution  to  the  existential  clusterfuck  that  is  humanity  is  to  nail  his  own  bleeding  son  to  a  plank.     that  is  a  cunt  move,  c'mon  even  you  have  got  to  agree  with  me  on  that  one.     we  should  lob  a  fucking  nuke  at  him  and  get  it  over  and  done  with,  you  know  what  i'm  say'in?

     𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧  𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞  𝐜𝐫𝐲  𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥  𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬,     she  was  always  someone  who  seemed  to  wear  her  heart  on  her  sleeve  and  despite  the  many  times  that  maggie  had  told  her  to  never  let  anyone  see  her  like  this.     but  this  was  different  than  just  being  overwhelmed  with  everything  that  was  happening,  this  was  heartbreak  in  its  purest  form  and  something  told  her  that  this  definitely  didn't  have  anything  to  do  with  that  twink  hughie  campbell.     though  she  couldn't  rule  out  that  john's  twisted  games  were  potentially  becoming  too  much,  she  had  been  in  her  place before,  she  knew  what  being  homelander's     𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞  𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭     really  meant  and  what  it  could  make  someone  feel  like.     though  she  was  sure  that  he  was  signficantly  worse  now  that  he  was  scrambling  to  stay  in  control.     but  when  annie  confirms  her  tears  had  nothing  to  do  with  homelander,  maggie  feels  herself  relax  a  little,  looking  down  at  her  hands  for  a  moment  before  looking  back  up  at  annie,     "     yeah,  well  he's  the  root  of  all  our  problems  right  now,  doesn't  really  explain  why  you're  a  complete  wreck  right  now,     "

     𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧  𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞  𝐨𝐟  𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭  𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐚  𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.     shit.     fucking  butcher.     he  never  mentioned  a  thing  about  annie  the  other  night.     if  she  had  known,  she  never  would've  made  a  move  on  him.     now  she  had  another  reason  to  feel  shitty  about  that  night,  breaking  her  soberity  and  fucking  the  man  who  her  friend  clearly  had  fallen  in  love  with.     good  one,  maggie,  you  fucked  up  everything  again.     shaking  her  head,  running  a  hand  through  red  strands  of  hair  as  she  looked  at  her,  tongue  darting  out  over  her  lips,     "     fucking  hell,  annie,  you  really  do  like  living  on  the  edge,  don't  you?     "     shaking  her  head  as  she  looked  away,  leaning  forward  on  her  knees  as  she  tried  to  figure  out  the  best  thing  to  say.     she  wasn't  shocked  that  butcher  had  been  so     𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥     to  annie,  russia  had  been  a  dead  end  and  clearly  the  frustration  of  that  had  gotten  the  better  of  him,     "     fuck  me,  he's  an  a  right  asshole  when  he  wants  to  be,  isn't  he?     "     

     𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐨𝐮𝐭  𝐭𝐨  𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞  𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞'𝐬  𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐭𝐨  𝐠𝐞𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧,     a  slightly  softer  expression  on  her  face  as  she  looked  at  the  blonde,  a  gentle  shake  of  her  head,     "     doesn't  matter  what  he  says     -     you're  not  homelander's  latest  whore,  you're  the  only  strong  enough  to  not  bow  to  his  will  like  that,     "     having  been  what  butcher  would  probably  consider  one  of  homelander's  whores,  annie  was  nothing  like  that.     if  anything,  she  couldn't  believe  how  strong  annie  was  coping  with  all  his  bullshit  and  stood  up  to  him  in  a  way  that  no  one  else  had  been  able  to,     "     like  most  men,  butcher  is  lashing  out  'cause  he's  hurt,  fucked  off  and  probably  jealous.     they're  all  giant  toddlers  who  have  tantrums  when  they  don't  get  their  way,     "     maggie  pointed  out,  not  that  it  made  any  of  it  any  better  because  annie  absolutely  did  not  deserve  to  be  spoken  to  like  that  at  all.     giving  her  hand  a  gentle  squeeze,  she  sighed  softly,     "     don't  let  that  fucker  break  you  down  like  this.     he's  not  worth  it     -     especially  since  he's  the  fucker  clearly  doesn't  respect  you,     "     she  was  unsure  if  butcher  had  told  her  the  truth,  but  she  was  going  to  because  she  wouldn't  let  annie  think  that  was  something  she  did  to  her  friends,     "     annie,  if  i  had  known  that  the  two  of  you     .     .     .     you  know  i  was  the  one  who  pointed  them  in  the  direction  of  soldier  boy,  i  went  to  see  what  the  fuck  happened     .     .     .     i've  been  known  to  make  shitty  decisions,  especially  when  i've  had  something  to  drink,     "     sighing  again,  running  a  hand  through  her  hair  again  as  she  looked  away  from  her  because  annie  was  one  of  the  few  people  she  didn't  want  to  hurt,     "     we  had  sex.     it  won't  happen  again  and  i  wanna  kick  his  ass  for  not  respecting  you  like  that     .     .     .     i'm  sorry  annie,     "

@vghtsupes / continue from [ xx ]

ANNIE HAS EXPERIENCED HEARTBREAKS MANY TIMES BEFORE, and in many different ways. But this ? This stung deeper than she could have ever imagined. This sorrow, this heartbreak, carved a hole in her chest, dug for her heart, and crushed it, leaving it destroyed and beyond repairable. Why did she have to fall for him ? Why did she even allow herself to go to him ? Why... why was she so stupid ?

She thought she could make it, and kept the urge of wanting to cry in control as long as possible as her footsteps quickened. Still, before Annie could make it to her apartment, he- being Homelander made a show of himself to block her path, going on about something- Annie didn't know; she wasn't paying much attention, too busy managing the STORM that was her emotions. But-- she wasn't like Maeve; she wasn't like any of them here to turn off what she felt, to hold herself together ? That just wasn't her. BURSTING out in tears and clinging on to Homelander for some kind of comfort, she knew she'd come to loathe herself for that later on. But right now, she just needed to feel something ? As she wept on Homelander, her arms clung tightly around him. Soon, she felt another set of hands on her, forcibly pulling the young blonde away from Homelander. As she turned to see who it was, a wave of relief washed over her as she realized it was Maeve. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and foolish. She lowered her head and let Maggie guide her away, hoping to avoid further embarrassment.

SHE SINKS INTO MAGGIE'S SOFT, COMFORTABLE COUCH, GENTLY BLOWING HER NOSE into the tissue, feeling ashamed and miserable. Her eyes are swollen, and her face is red from all the crying. Annie lets out a broken sob, shaking her head in disbelief as she places a trembling hand on her forehead. She can't believe that she just hugged Homelander, of all people. " Fuck- I'm so.... God. I'm such an idiot. " The blonde whimpers under her breath as she. " What did he ? Who ? Home- no, God, no, this... this isn't about him. He's the ROOT of all my problems, yes... but these tears will never be for him. It's-- " Head turning away, using the back of her sleeve to wipe away the tears streaming down her salt-stained cheeks, bottom lip quivering, a laugh- not a real one, but one of annoyance, one that is more towards herself than anyone else. She will never learn, will she ?

" I'm not like you.. you know. I'm not strong, I can't just break away from my feelings... but I wish I could shut that part of me off. I just- I wish I... I've been-- " Eyebrows knitting together, features TWISTING to make sense of what she's about to tell Maeve. " ...I've been seeing Bil- Butcher for the past... year or so ? I.. I don't even know what to call it... It's not like we were dating or anything... But I.. I- I love him... GOD- FUCK... " A loud gasp leaves past twin flesh when the realization hits her. " -- And I... I don't know what happened. We got in a fight-- which isn't new, but this time ? He.. he called me- he told me I was known as Homelander's latest whore. And I just... And many other things... but I don't... "

@thcrealheroes / CONT.

     𝐚  𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭  𝐨𝐟  𝐡𝐢𝐦  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥  𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬,     that  she  was  standing  across  from  here,  willing  to  help  ryan  in  a  way  that  he  couldn't  and  helping  him  keep  his  promise  to  rebecca.     in  making  sure  that  ryan  wouldn't  end  up  like  homelander,  he  needed  her  help  to  help  him  learn  and  control  his  powers.     as  much  as  he  dislikes  supes,  he  would  do  anything  for  ryan  and  he  didn't  have  anyone  else  that  they  could  possibly     𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭     to  do  this.     hughie  had  always  spoke  so  highly  of  starlight,  he  was  the  reason  that  butcher  had  even  considered  this  because  he  trusted  hughie  and  if  he  really  thought  that  starlight  could  be  trusted,  he  had  to  go  with  that.     he  was  completely  aware  of  the  risk  he  was  asking  her  to  take,  especially  considering  how  closely  she  had  to  work  with  homelander.     the  one  person  who  could  absolutely  not  know  what  they  were  doing  here.     it  had  a     𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥     year,  though  he  was  positive  that  homelander  had  spent  most  of  the  year  searching  for  ryan,  but  he  still  hadn't  found  them  and  it  needed  to  stay  that  way.     butcher  would  do  anything  to  make  sure  ryan  could  grow  up  in  a  way  that  rebecca  had  wanted,  she  just  wanted  the  best  for  him  and  he  had  always  been  bad  at  keeping  promsies,  but  this  was  a  promise  he  wanted  to  keep.

     𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞  𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬  𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥  𝐚𝐬  𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬  𝐮𝐩  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭,     knowing  he  definitely  deserved  the  way  she  reacted  to  him  because  she  absolutely  had  every  reason  to  not  like,  not  trust  him  and  honestly,  he  was  shocked  she  was  here.     she  didn't  owe  him  anything  and  it  was  just  further  proof  that  she  was  just  a  good  person.     but  he  was  being  geninue  in  saying  that  he  appreicated  that  she  was  here  and  if  she  was  going  to  keep  showing  up  like  this,  he  could  at  least  agree  to  not  be  consistently  arguing  with  her.     butcher  sighs  softly,  looking  around  the  surrounding  area  as  he  nods,     "     he's  doing  okay  as  he  can  be.     i  know  he  misses  his  mom  more  than  anything.     he  keeps  having  nightmares     .     .     .     about  you  know  who,     "     he  admits  softly  because  it  was  the  one  thing  he  couldn't  keep  him  safe  from,  he  couldn't  keep  ryan  from  his  own  fears  and  his  own  mind.     he  could  do  everything  else,  he  could  keep  moving  him  from  place  to  place,  he  could  fight  to  his  last  breath,  but  he  couldn't  protect  ryan  from  his  own  nightmares.     he  hated  seeing  him  cry  and  shout,  knowing  becca  would've  been  so  much  at  comforting  than  he  was,  but  he  was  really     𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠     his  best  out  here.     he  never  thought  he  would  be  a  good  dad,  but  he  was  trying  to  do  whatever  ryan  needed  from  him  and  he  definitely  wasn't  perfect,  but  the  two  of  them  had  each  other  and  it  had  helped  him  not  be  completely  consumed  by  grief.

     𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐚𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐟𝐨𝐫  𝐚  𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭,     seeing  that  smile  on  her  face  and  just  taken  back  by  how  beautiful  she  is.     nope,  absolutely  not.     he  could  not  afford  to  be  distracted  and  think  like  that.     she  was  here  to  help  ryan  and  that  was  it.     nodding  his  head,  running  his  hand  through  dark  hair,     "     yeah,  he  does.     i  told  him  that  you  were  coming,  he  remembered  you  from  that  day     .     .     .     said  you  seemed  nice,  which  i  guess  he's  not  wrong  about,     "     he  smirked,  an  almost  playful  tone  to  his  voice  as  he  looked  away  from  her  again.     butcher  didn't  like  admitting  when  he  was  wrong  or     𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝     help,  but  it  was  obvious  that  he  didn't  know  what  it  took  to  help  ryan  with  his  powers,     "     he's  inside  with  grace  right  now.     he's  scared  of  his  powers,  he  hates  them  and  fuck,  if  he  chooses  to  never  use  them,  i'm  fine  by  that.     but  he  knows  he  needs  to  learn  to  control  them,     "     butcher  tells  her,  knowing  becca  would  be  happy  that  he  was  doing  this,  she  wanted  ryan  to  not  be  like  homelander  and  he  was  trying  to  make  sure  that  happened,     "     just  be  patient  with  him,  yeah?     kid's  been  through  enough,     "

QUEEN MAEVE IN THE BOYS | 2.07 “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker”