Transmigrated into The Boys, Starting as Soldier Boy

Butcher turned his head and glanced at him, then looked back at the vending machine’s glass panel.

"I don’t really handle him," he said flatly. "Becca does."

Homelander shrugged.

He said nothing else and started walking, ready to go around Butcher and head for the visiting room at the end of the hall.

He had finally carved out a rare two-hour gap today, and he had no interest in wasting it on forced, awkward small talk with Butcher.

"I want to know why."

Butcher’s voice came from behind him.

Homelander stopped.

He turned his head slightly, brow furrowing. "Why what?"

Butcher turned away from the vending machine.

The fluorescent lights in the hallway cut sharp shadows across his face. He stared at Homelander, stayed silent for about three seconds, then spoke.

"You don’t smoke. You don’t drink. You don’t pay for whores. You don’t go near women. Like some bloody saint..."

"You’re the strongest Supe on the planet. What kind of woman couldn’t you have? But you’ve never touched any of them. You’re like some sexless fucking monster..."

When the word "monster" hit Homelander’s ears, his brow tightened.

If anyone else had said that word to his face, a beam of Heat Vision would have punched straight through their skull the very next second.

But Butcher was not "anyone else."

Butcher was the only man who dared to stand in front of him with nothing but a mortal body, talk to him like that, and still be alive.

It was a strange feeling.

Homelander had wondered more than once whether that was why he had put up with Butcher for so long.

Maybe that was even why, somewhere deep down, he had a faint appreciation for this English asshole.

In a world where every mortal cowered before him and treated him with trembling respect, Butcher was the only one who never wore a mask when he looked at him.

"So," Butcher said, shoving both hands into his coat pockets and tilting his head slightly. Then he asked the question that had been circling in his head for far too many years, the one that had almost turned into an obsession. "How the hell did you end up with Becca?"

"William Butcher, you need to understand something. Everyone pays for what they say."

Homelander stared at Butcher as he said it.

That was the reason.

Homelander had not forgotten how, after that bastard greeted him all those years ago, he had gone behind his back and talked shit about his Supersuit.

Butcher frowned, his mind racing.

What he said?

What the fuck had he said?

After all these years, he knew Homelander held grudges over the smallest slights. He knew the man could not stomach any kind of insult.

So was it because of something he had said back then?

When had he first met Homelander? Probably at some Vought event...

Had they even talked?

Butcher could not remember. Maybe there really had been something. Or maybe it had been some tiny thing he himself had long forgotten, while Homelander had held on to it for all these years.

Homelander watched Butcher frowning, desperately trying to remember, and shook his head.

Then he turned and started walking toward the end of the hallway again.

Butcher stood where he was, watching that figure fade into the distance.

Maybe that bastard moron would never give him the full answer.

...

"Sir, you want me to become president?"

In Neuman’s bedroom, Neuman was naked, sitting in Benjamin’s lap. She had been enjoying herself just moments ago, but Benjamin’s request left her stunned.

She stared hard at Benjamin, trying to find even the slightest hint of a joke on that handsome face.

She found none.

"What, you never thought about it?" Benjamin asked. "In your whole political career, you never once thought about that position?"

Neuman opened her mouth, and for a moment, she had no idea what to say.

This was insane.

Of course she had thought about it.

How could she not?

From the very first day she stepped into politics, she had thought about it...

She had never gone into public office only for Edgar’s sake. Only she knew that. Edgar had given her a platform, resources, and a starting point other people would not even dare dream of, but she had never gotten this far on Edgar’s cultivation alone.

Neuman had ambitions of her own.

But she had never fully told anyone about those ambitions. Not even Edgar.

And now, Benjamin had just laid that dream on the table as if it were nothing.

Soon, Neuman’s breathing quickened slightly. In those beautiful eyes of hers, the shock and hesitation from a moment ago were fading, replaced by desire.

If she really became president, she would become the third most powerful person in all of America.

First was Soldier Boy. Second was Homelander. Only then came her.

She understood that perfectly. She had no unrealistic fantasies about it.

Neuman knew exactly where she stood. She knew that, in this power pyramid ruled by Supes, the highest place she could ever climb to was that third chair, right behind them.

But that was enough.

She had no complaints about it. In fact, she was willing.

Because Soldier Boy had chosen her.

"Sir," Neuman said, her voice returning to its usual composure, though beneath it was still a faint tremor born from overwhelming excitement. "I’ll do my best."

Benjamin nodded and said, "Use proper channels as much as possible. Run for vice president first, then aim for the presidency."

Neuman nodded solemnly.

In the days that followed, Neuman’s presidential campaign machine began running at full power like never before.

She already possessed every bit of political capital a member of Congress could build up.

A solid legislative record, national recognition accumulated through multiple hearings, and a centrist image calibrated perfectly across the political spectrum.

And once Vought, the most powerful public relations and resource machine in the world, began paving the road for her with everything it had, her campaign momentum took off like it had rocket boosters strapped to it.

Vought’s media empire spared no effort in building her up. Prime-time slots across the major news networks were completely taken over by her campaign ads, and social media was flooded with promotional photos of her holding Ryan, wearing the gentle smile of a "mother and politician."

Her poll numbers shot upward like a rocket, jumping from one victory to the next.

Her opponents’ campaign managers could only sit in front of their data screens late at night, grinding their teeth and doing absolutely nothing about it.

Not only that, but all kinds of Supes were throwing their weight behind Neuman, either appearing in ads or publicly endorsing her.

And since plenty of Supes had fans who loved them, another huge wave of support rolled in for Neuman.

At the same time, Neuman did not rely completely on those polished publicity pushes.

Her political skill was on full display throughout this campaign.

In public debates, she was neither too aggressive nor too conservative. Neuman had always been capable, both now and in the original series.

In the original series, she had been able to become vice president, so naturally, she could become vice president now too, or even reach something higher.

Before long, Neuman pulled the superdelegates from the swing states into her camp one by one.

However, just as Neuman was only one step away from becoming vice president, something unexpected happened.

...