Hughie had just finished wrapping the teddy bear and came over, sensing the tense atmosphere.
Homelander turned to him, pulling out a credit card. "Thanks."
Overwhelmed, Hughie took the card, quickly completed the transaction, and handed the wrapped bear in the bag back to Homelander.
Homelander said, "Hold onto it for now. I'll pick it up later. I need to have a chat with the agent."
He smiled as he walked past Butcher, opened the door, and stepped into the alley behind the video store.
He stood there, facing away from the alley.
After a while, he heard footsteps approaching.
Homelander turned around to see Butcher walking in, his expression dark and brooding.
Billy Butcher, the protagonist of The Boys, a man whose entire existence revolved around tearing down the supes and bringing down Homelander.
His motivation? Homelander had given him a "green hat"—slept with his wife.
Now, Butcher flashed his signature smirk, though there was a tension beneath it. "Looks like you know who I am. So, are you going to kill me here?"
"You recording this?" Homelander asked nonchalantly. "Or is it live-streamed?"
"Where's the camera? Should I smile for it? I'm pretty good at that."
Butcher paused, caught off guard.
Homelander was right—he had started a livestream, hoping to broadcast Homelander's misdeeds to the world.
But what he hadn't expected was Homelander's indifference.
Now that there was no turning back, Butcher leaned into it, his voice low and steady, "You mentioned 'Becca,' didn't you? So, tell me, who's Becca?"
Inside Butcher's livestream, a few words floated up: Who is Becca?
No one answered. There were barely ten viewers.
But soon, one viewer typed: Holy crap, that's Homelander!
This stream actually got Homelander on camera.
Can I share this in other streams?
Butcher didn't have time to respond.
He stared at the man draped in the American flag standing before him.
Homelander smiled, "Becca, isn't she your wife?"
Butcher gave a short laugh. "And how exactly do you know my wife's name?"
Homelander pointed at him. "Isn't the answer obvious?"
"I want to hear you say it. What's the matter, even the great Homelander can't face the truth?" Butcher's eyes gleamed like a hunter about to land his prey.
Homelander grinned, "I'll just pretend your little challenge went over my head."
"As for why I know your wife's name? Well, maybe she told me when we were in bed together."
"Is that the answer you wanted?"
A network of red veins spread across Butcher's eyes.
Meanwhile, the viewership of the livestream had climbed to over a thousand and was still growing.
Comments flooded the screen, no longer quiet like before:
Did I hear that right? Homelander slept with this guy's wife?
This is huge! Massive scandal! Everyone, spread the word! Homelander 666!
No! Not like this! The Homelander in my heart wouldn't do this. Please, don't ruin the image I have of you!
Shut up, idiot. Homelander's still human. What's wrong with sleeping with a woman?
Uh, he slept with a married woman, though. That's messed up!
How do you know? Were you there? Are you Butcher? Do you know if they were even still married?
The livestream turned into chaos, viewers arguing with each other.
Butcher, however, took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Was it just sex?"
"No. You forced yourself on her. Against her will."
"You're a coward, Homelander. A filthy, lying, spineless coward who can't even admit the truth!"
Honestly, I kind of agree with Butcher.
But how does it matter to me if Homelander slept with your wife?
Homelander shook off the scattered thoughts.
With a smile still on his face, he replied, "Things are more complicated than that. But I'm not here to argue or justify myself tonight, Butcher."
"Believe it or not, I'm not the same man you think I am."
"But that's irrelevant now."
"I don't need your approval."
"I just want to settle things."
"Butcher, I'm offering you a deal. I'll give you ten million dollars."
"And I'll help you find Becca. I'll get you both out of this country."
"I'll send you somewhere no one knows about, where you won't be bothered."
"You can start over, rebuild your life. What do you say to that?"
Butcher was stunned.
He had expected Homelander to get angry, maybe even deny everything.
But he hadn't anticipated Homelander making such an offer.
And what's more—Becca wasn't dead?
No. That couldn't be.
This was just another trick. This bastard knew about the livestream and was saying it on purpose!
Butcher's momentary hesitation gave way to renewed determination.
In the livestream, the comments were flying across the screen like raindrops:
Homelander's got guts! He's owning up to everything—what a man!
Trash! He actually slept with someone's wife? I'm done with him!
Come on, ten million dollars? Just take the money and get a new girl!
You idiot! You think you can put a price on love?
Homelander's officially fallen off his pedestal tonight!
But the fact that Homelander can admit this on a live stream… I bet 90% of the guys in this chat wouldn't have the guts to do that.
Back in the alley.
Butcher smiled, shaking his head. "Money."
"It's always about the money with you lot."
"Every time, you think you can buy us off."
"But do you think it works every time?"
"No!"
"Homelander, I'm going to keep watching you."
"I'm going to strip away that shiny veneer of yours, layer by layer."
"I'll make sure the world sees just how ugly you really are!"
"This isn't over between us."
Homelander chuckled, his feet lifting slightly off the ground as he hovered above Butcher, looking down at him. "You know…"
"This is the worst-case scenario."
His intent to kill was clear.
He wasn't going to play a game of cat and mouse with Butcher.
If Butcher didn't want to settle this, then one of them had to die.
Homelander certainly didn't plan on being the one.
Nor did he want to wait for Butcher to come after him with Soldier Boy later.
But just then.
Homelander's ears twitched, his eyes darting to the left.
In the window of a nearby building, a red glint appeared, followed by the shattering of glass.
A sniper round, traveling at high speed, zoomed straight for Homelander's forehead.
He didn't move.
The bullet struck his forehead, crumpling upon impact, and shattered into tiny pieces that rained to the ground.
At the same time, Homelander faintly heard a gunshot from afar.
When he glanced back toward the alley, Butcher had already slipped into the crowd.
Bang!
Another bullet collided with Homelander's face, only to explode into fragments.
His expression darkened.
Being interrupted twice during serious business was aggravating.
In an instant, his figure blurred, leaving behind a streak of blue light as he shot towards the sniper's location.