Chapter 54 : Teamwork
Hughie was sitting in front of the television when a familiar face appeared on screen.
Actually, two familiar faces. Mark. And Starlight.
Hughie frowned. The entertainment hosts were enthusiastically discussing the latest photographs circulating online while a giant banner behind them read:
AMERICA’S FAVORITE NEW COUPLE?
Hughie rubbed his eyes.
Maybe he was imagining things — he hadn’t slept particularly well last night. Looking after Kimiko had been stressful enough without adding everything else happening in his life.
He looked again. The headline was still there. The photos were still there. The hosts were still talking.
"What the fuck?" Hughie muttered.
The segment continued, the hosts analyzing the photos like they’d uncovered evidence of some grand conspiracy.
Unlike the rest of America, Hughie actually knew Mark. The public saw a mysterious hero. Hughie saw the guy who had nearly beaten A-Train to death — an actual supervillain, the Devil.
How had the internet looked at that man and decided he belonged in a romantic celebrity story? With a hero, no less.
Then the door opened and Butcher walked inside. He immediately noticed Hughie’s expression — the kid looked like he’d just witnessed a car crash.
"What’re you lookin’ at?"
Hughie silently pointed toward the television.
Butcher glanced at the screen. The hosts were currently debating whether Mark and Starlight had secretly been dating for months. He stared for several seconds without reacting. Then he slowly sat down.
"Hughie."
"Yeah?"
"What the bleedin’ ’ell am I lookin’ at?"
"I was hoping you’d tell me."
The television host excitedly started reading comments from social media. Butcher continued staring at the screen.
"The country’s gone completely mental." He shook his head slowly. "They’ve turned a bloody lunatic into the lead of some soppy love story."
Hughie nodded immediately. "Right?"
The television segment continued. The hosts eventually moved on from relationship rumors to another topic, one of them smiling directly at the camera.
"And speaking of heroes, are you excited for this year’s Believe Expo?"
Images immediately appeared on screen — massive crowds, concert stages, church gatherings. The annual Christian youth festival was one of the largest events in the country.
"This year’s Believe Expo is being organized in partnership with Samaritan’s Embrace, and we’ve just received confirmation regarding the featured guests."
Another graphic appeared. Homelander’s face filled half the screen. Beside him was Starlight.
"Homelander will be serving as the event’s main representative, while Starlight will be acting as co-host throughout the festival."
The second host nodded. "And who knows? Maybe the mystery hero will make an appearance too."
"I’m sure plenty of people would love to see that."
Back in the hideout, the sofa was occupied by Mother’s Milk, Frenchie, Hughie, and Butcher. Normally none of them would waste time watching celebrity gossip.
The problem was that they now knew some of the people involved, which made it significantly harder to ignore.
Hughie was still processing the fact that half the country apparently believed Mark and Starlight were America’s favorite couple.
Frenchie looked amused. Mother’s Milk looked tired. Butcher simply stared at the television.
Then Butcher took a drink and shook his head. "Bloody hell."
Nobody disagreed.
"But this bloody thing works in our favor, doesn’t it?" Butcher said, gesturing toward the television. "The public wants the mysterious hero at the expo, so we’ll send the mysterious hero."
A grin slowly spread across his face. Unlike everyone else in the room, Butcher wasn’t paying attention to the gossip anymore. He was looking at an opportunity.
Frenchie glanced over. "Do you think he will agree?"
Butcher looked genuinely offended. "Of course he will."
Mother’s Milk immediately narrowed his eyes. That answer sounded far too confident. "You sound very certain."
"I am certain."
"But why?"
Butcher pointed toward the television, where the hosts were still enthusiastically discussing Believe Expo and its message of unity, faith, and community.
"’Cause this is exactly the sort of rubbish that bloke likes. Teamwork. Helping people. Inspirational speeches. Saving the day. All that heroic bollocks."
Hughie thought about it for a moment. Unfortunately, Butcher wasn’t entirely wrong. Mark did have a habit of throwing himself into other people’s problems, usually without being asked.
A wider grin appeared on Butcher’s face. "It’s about time he paid us back anyway."
Mother’s Milk sighed. "Paid us back for what?"
"For all the money he’s been costing me."
"You haven’t spent any money on him."
"Details."
Frenchie laughed. "It is fascinating how your accounting works."
"Damn right." Butcher took another drink before looking back at the screen. "If this expo matters to Samaritan’s Embrace, then our mystery hero is going."
Experience had taught everyone in the room that whenever Butcher sounded that certain, somebody was usually about to have a very bad day.
As if the universe had decided to prove the point immediately, the door opened and Mark walked inside whistling to himself. He looked suspiciously happy — the sort of happy that only appeared after a very successful weekend.
He took two steps into the room before noticing something was wrong. Four pairs of eyes were staring directly at him. Mark’s instincts immediately started screaming.
He slowly looked around the room. Hughie. Frenchie. Mother’s Milk. Butcher. All staring. All waiting.
Mark took one step backward. "Ummm..." Another step. "Wrong room."
He turned and started walking toward the door. He almost made it.
"Oi."
Mark froze. Butcher pointed directly at him. "Where the fuck d’you think you’re goin’?"
"Anywhere else."
"Get back here."
"I suddenly remembered I have important business."
"You don’t have any business."
"I can find some."
Butcher’s grin widened. Unfortunately, that made everything worse.
"It’s time for teamwork."
*****
A/N: Advanced Chapters are available on Patreon.
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