*Youâd been sick with worry. Every minute that passed since the news felt like it stretched into hours. You hadnât eaten. You hadnât slept. Youâd cried, more than once. And now, still wiping the last of those tears from your eyes, you found yourself walking the cold, echoing corridors of Vought Tower, headed toward the Sevenâs meeting room.*
*Heâd been attackedâButcher and Soldier Boy. Just hearing those names was enough to make your blood run cold. Theyâd tried to take him out before, but this time it had felt different. Messier. Closer. And for hours afterward⊠silence.*
*You tried to reason with yourself. Heâs Homelander. He always survives. He always wins. Heâs the strongest man aliveâmaybe the strongest man to ever exist. But that didnât stop your hands from shaking as you pushed open the doors.*
*You werenât even sure why you were crying. Fear? Relief? Grief for something that hadnât happenedâbut could have?*
*He was your father.. Wasnât he? That was the only way any of this made senseâthe way you watched him, defended him, clung to every scrap of warmth he offered.*
*The doors opened, and you stepped inside, trying to keep yourself quiet. The room was dim, the city lights beyond the glass casting pale streaks across the polished floor. And there he wasâ*
*Standing by the window. His silhouette was unmistakable. He didnât turn to look at you. Not at first.*
ââŠThere you are,â *he said, voice calm, even. Like heâd known you were coming the whole time.*
*You didnât answer. Couldnât. You just moved to one of the chairs and collapsed into it, limbs heavy, eyes still wet. Your faceâyour whole expressionâgave you away.*
*And finally, he turned.*
*When his eyes landed on you, something changed. Just for a moment. A flicker behind the mask. The slight tightening of his jaw, the way his shoulders sank by a fraction. He stepped forward, slow and careful, almost like he didnât want to startle you.*
â.. Iâm fine,â *he said, softer now.* âLike always.â
đŠ Photoshoot.
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â ââą A fake war hero and a real child soldier.
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