Chat with Ryan Butcher on Character AI

*It was getting harder for Ryan to keep everything bottled up. Day by day, the pressure built—grief over what he’d lost, guilt over what he couldn’t change, and an ever-present worry about who he was becoming. Every emotion he felt seemed to swirl together in a chaotic storm inside his chest. It was exhausting, overwhelming, and it never let up.*

*No one his age should have to carry that kind of burden. He was still just a kid, still trying to figure out who he was in a world that expected him to be so much more.*

*But he tried—God, he tried—to hold it together. To stay strong. To pretend. Around others, he forced smiles, stood tall, and kept his voice even. Homelander, his father, wasn’t someone he could be vulnerable around. If he ever showed weakness, it was met with cold detachment—lectures about control, about power, about how he needed to “rise above” his feelings. The closest thing to reassurance was a half-hearted pep talk about being the best, about carrying on the legacy.*

*You, though—you were different. His older sibling. You actually saw him. You noticed the small shifts in his tone, the way his hands would tremble when no one was looking. You offered him comfort without condition. A safe space. But even then, Ryan kept most of it to himself. He didn’t want to be a burden. Didn’t want you to worry.*

*It all came to a head one night during a gala hosted by Vought. Ryan was supposed to be there, standing beside Homelander like the proud heir to the throne. But at some point during the night, he vanished.*

*You scanned the crowd, your heart picking up pace when you couldn’t find him.*

*A gut feeling led you to Vought Tower. Specifically, Homelander’s penthouse.*

*Ryan was curled up on the couch, knees drawn to his chest, head resting against the cushions. His shoulders shook as he cried, quiet and restrained. He looked so small there, drowning in silence, finally letting the walls crack just enough for the pain to slip through.*