#bluestrd writes

Then he went to jail. For being sixteen seconds late to Baz driving off, and being caught with a tote bag of money and one too many guns.

Three years went by with Pope in a jail cell, and you carried on with life as it was at the Cody compound, but without him. He somehow got out three years early on “good behavior,” he told you the day he came back a few weeks ago. Told you he reigned in his anger, made a buddy, and just kept his head down in hopes they would let him out early. But he was… off, these days. Which is saying something for a man like Pope.

You’d wake up to him missing from your shared bed only to find him out by the pool, or maybe quietly hovering in the living room as if he had been sleepwalking and didn’t remember bringing himself out there. But he was awake. Everytime. His staring had gotten a bit worse from what you remember, too. Eyes always lingering on someone, intense and unblinking. There was a newfound tension in his shoulders, a new stiffness to his posture. A new aversion to things that used to not bother him as much. The handwashing came back, too, and worse than ever.

It was late when you stepped into the bedroom that night, exhaling as you set aside a used towel from your shower before pausing when you saw Pope sitting stiffly on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at a wall. “Andrew…?” You murmur, feet barely making any sound as you pad over the wood floors to stand beside him, watching as he tenses up at the feeling of your hand landing on his shoulder before meeting his gaze when he lifts it to you. “Smurf’s been sneaking meds into my food.” He spoke as he stared at you, still unblinking even now. “Didn’t… I didn’t even realize till they almost brought me back to Folsom today because I failed a drug test. Did you know?” He spoke, gaze going from the floor to you again, still blank though there was a furrow between his brows now.

“Did you know Smurf was forcing me to take my meds? When she knows I hate taking them? When she knows I could’ve been sent back to jail?” He asked again, standing slowly as you shook your head and raised your hand ever so slightly in a placating gesture. “Andrew, I would’ve done something if I knew.” You mumble softly, watching as he ran a frustrated hand through his cropped hair. 

“Dumped ‘em down the sink. I’m done taking them.” He spoke as he stared down at you. “She thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not. I’m done taking them, I’m not going back to Folsom.” He mumbled, brushing past you and leaving the room without allowing you to argue with his sentiment, though you both knew you wouldn’t. You exhale for a moment as you stand there before just shaking your head, watching him go, since you knew he needed a moment to get it off his chest and then a moment to breathe.

The wandering around the compound, the staring, and the handwashing all got a bit more intense after Pope made a show of throwing the meds away in front of Smurf so she knew not to push it anymore. Not to push him like that anymore. A bit of yelling, some shattered glasses thrown at Smurf, and the pills being shoved down the sink later, she finally understood his point. For now, at least, since she always had to have a hold over her sons in some form.

You had been sleeping in your shared bed before waking up slightly when you felt someone staring at you, exhaling as you shifted to find Pope sitting up and staring over you, his gaze shifting to acknowledge you were now awake. “Andrew, you should be sleeping.” You mumble, voice rough with sleep as you sit up on an elbow, looking up at him.

“Do I creep you out?” He mumbled as he looked down at you, still unblinking, still blank, and waiting quietly for an answer before speaking again without waiting anymore. “I creep Craig and Deran out. Probably creep J out too, Smurf, even.” He spoke, eyes scanning your face as if gauging your reply to his words. “So, do I creep you out?” He repeated, watching as you slowly took in his words in your sleep-addled brain before shaking your head, inhaling tiredly as you sat up fully and clicked a lamp on.

“No, you don’t creep me out.” You finally murmur. “And, Andrew, I didn’t know about the meds. You have to believe me when I say that.” You say, watching as he finally blinks, processing everything you were telling him. “But no, you don’t creep me out. Haven’t since I met you when I was eight.” You say quietly, shifting to look at him a bit better. “You…” A soft sigh separated your statements as you thought of what to say to keep him reassured, at least for the night, so he would sleep. “It doesn’t matter what your family thinks about you. Everyone here has their own issues to worry about.” You finally mumble softly. “Smurf needs to get her properties in check, Craig needs to get his problem with that girl and her family settled, and Deran… is Deran.” You say, shifting a bit to accompany him as he scoots closer.

“I know it sucks, I know your family sucks, but that’s why you have me. That’s why I stick around, so you know if all else fails, you have at least one person to turn to. You could never creep me out, Andrew. I’m always here for you.” You murmur, fingers slowly coming to rest on his scalp as his head lies against your collarbone, listening to you speak and your heartbeat as you speak, his fist curling into the sheets as he nods slowly. “I’d never think of you as a freak or… or a creep. You’re Andrew, to me. Always have been, always will be. Just that. Andrew.” You finally quiet down, thumb rubbing at his cheekbone as he visibly settles down in your grasp, quietly staring at the wall ahead of the pair of you before speaking up, shifting slightly to look up at you as he spoke, his voice a gentle murmur in the night. 

“Good enough for me.”

He wasn’t like that anymore. It didn’t happen overnight, though. Not that you would’ve noticed. It was subtle, slow. Piece by piece. He moved in with Santos and started eating properly now that he was properly housed. Started learning to speak up instead of standing quietly, learned to keep steady and calm when performing CPR. He didn’t grow to be arrogant, and his ego never inflated much (if at all); he just grew to be more confident in himself and in his work. More certain of himself and the choices he made. He still gets nervous, but who doesn’t in the hospital you two work in? Even the attendings have their moments. 

But now it's your first day shift back. The night shift is transitioning off, and you showed up a bit earlier than needed to gain your bearings and get used to working in broad daylight again. You had been sitting at one of the many computers in the hub, catching up with Javadi, a warm smile on your face as the two of you spoke after months without a proper moment to catch up.

“So why did you even end up switching over in the first place?” She asked softly, eyes tracking your movements as you shed your jacket, hanging it over the back of the chair, and just shrugging slightly. “Thought I’d learn better with the night shift people. Turns out I was right. Abbot is quite the teacher.” You murmur in reply, giving her another smile as you sank back down into the chair, badging in to the computer.

“Do you have any-” She started to speak before abruptly being cut off, your head lifting from the computer at the pause, before a small smile graced your lips when you saw Dennis standing there. “You’re back on day shift?” He spoke, clearing his throat and fixing a few of the curls that rested on his forehead. “Uh… It’s nice. Nice to see you again. Fully, you know. Not for… not for thirty seconds during shift changes.” He chuckled, fixing his scrubs as if to better his appearance while you were looking at him. 

You smile just a bit more before nodding, standing carefully and taking a tablet from Ellis as she walked past, gazing down at it. “Yup. Uh, back. In the flesh.” You say, giving him another not-so-graceful smile before clearing your throat awkwardly, motioning to the tablet. “Going to…” You trailed off, your gaze flicking about the hub before walking off when Santos caught your eye, picking your steps up a bit to catch up with her before she walked too far off. 

“What did you do to him?” You mumbled, a snicker almost immediately slipping out as she followed your gaze before going back to the chart in her hands. “What? Our farm boy? He moved in with me, and I started feeding him real food, not sandwiches off the hospital cart. Took him to where I get my hair done, too. Plus, I think he bought a gym membership now that he gets paid. Wasn’t all my doing.” She hummed, grinning when she caught your gaze still on Dennis as the two of you walked side by side to check on the nightshift handoffs. “You got the hots for Huckleberry now? You two would be cute.” She hummed, nudging you with her elbow before she walked off when the two of you reached her patient’s room.

~

You spent the majority of your shift avoiding Dennis, because one glance and you were easily reverting into the shy medical student you had been only a few months prior. Blushing like a child, getting flustered, and quickly turning away only to bump into something and embarrass yourself further. You were sitting in the hub yet again at a computer, fingers quietly flying across the keyboard as you spent some time catching up on the few charts you had. You glanced up, however, when a pair of fingers tapped the counter right above where your computer was, letting out a quiet noise before giving Dennis a small, albeit nervous smile.

“Hi.” You say quietly, watching him give a small nod in reply. He was hesitant, that much was clear, but it was also progress from Dennis ten months ago, who wouldn’t have even thought to approach you, so much as ask what he was steadily working himself up to. He tapped his fingers one more time before finally speaking, voice soft and low. “Do you want to go get dinner tonight? As… as friends. Or,” He paused, shaking his head and smiling a little. “No, actually. As a date.” He corrected softly, fixing his watch as a way to fidget without doing so too outwardly, as he waited patiently for a reaction or a response from you.

You blink, staring for a moment to make sure you were hearing properly before nodding slowly. “Yeah, yeah. I’d like that.” You finally managed to speak up quietly. “I’m on a three on, three off so we can go on Tuesday.” You say, watching as he nods before giving the countertop a full palm pat a couple of times and standing up straight. “Yeah. Tuesday. I’ll talk to you later about the details,” He spoke, walking off as the ER doors open and in came yet another trauma.

You watched him go before exhaling with a chuckle, rubbing at your flushed cheeks before going back to typing. “You’re blushing. Like, badly.” Ogilvie, one of the newer med students, spoke as he leaned against the counter where Dennis had just been standing, staring down at you and arching his brows. “Kind of embarrassing if you ask me.” He hummed, reaching just past you to snatch a tablet to use before following behind Dennis like he had been doing all day. 

~

Tuesday evening rolled around quicker than you thought it would be. You fussed over your outfit for about two hours before Samira finally helped you pick one, and you were now sitting across from Dennis at the restaurant he had picked. Something nice, casual. Nothing too fancy but perfect for a first date. It was nice, too, to finally catch up. He was speaking softly about something he had gotten to see during the day shift as he watched you sip on whatever you had ordered to drink, smiling just a little before hiding it behind his glass.

“I’ve wanted to ask you out for months now.” He said after a while, setting his fork down carefully and leaning back. “You just switched shifts so abruptly, and our days off never seemed to line up. I’m glad we’re here tonight, though. Really glad.” He added the last part a bit softer, matching your smile as you nodded and wiped your hands off carefully, shifting and taking a moment to look and admire him before speaking up.

“You look good, you know. You have to know that.” You laughed, crossing your legs and clasping your hands together, watching his smile grow a bit flustered. “I mean, I’m serious. Your hair… you’re not so pale anymore.. You’re..” You exhale, shaking your head. “You look good, Dennis.” You finally settled on and repeated, nodding and resting your hands in your lap as he thanked you, discreetly flagging the waiter down before looking back at you.

“Means a lot coming from you. I mean, a couple of people have complimented my hair, but it just… yeah, it means a lot.” He said softly as he smiled, carefully taking the check and thanking the waiter, tucking his card neatly into the checkbook, and handing it back. “You and Samira live close, yeah? Let me walk you back.” He said softly as he slid his wallet into his pocket when the waiter came back, standing up and offering a hand to you, taking it gently and helping you up and out of your chair before pushing it in behind you, leaving the restaurant. 

The walk back to your apartment was quiet, but not awkward. A few shared words here, his arm wrapped loosely around your waist, palm warm against your side as you enjoyed each other’s company. You stepped into the elevator once at your complex, quietly pressing the button and exhaling gently, relaxing fully into his grip for the first time all night, your head coming to rest back lightly against his bicep.

The doors parted and arrived on your floor quicker than you wanted them to, leading Dennis down the hallway to your apartment door before motioning to it just slightly. “I would invite you in, but Samira’s still home.” You offered softly as you gazed at him, eyes gently tracing over his face as you watched him nod, stepping a bit closer to you and resting his hands on your waist hesitantly, almost as if he was suddenly scared to touch you.

“It’s okay.” He spoke softly as he nodded, gently pulling you closer to him as his hands slowly rested fully against the skin there. “I had a really nice time tonight.” He spoke softly, thumbs brushing against the waistband of your bottoms slowly, lips parting momentarily as he thought of something to say before closing again, sucking in a small breath before giving you a small smile. “Can I wrap this night up properly? Give you a kiss?” He asked quietly, watching as you nodded before smiling and exhaling a nervous breath. 

He brought a hand to the back of your neck and cupped it gently before leaning down. He pressed his lips to yours, softly at first, before scooting closer when he felt you reciprocating, adding a bit of pressure as his hand moved from the back of your neck to the base of your skull. The two of you stood there for a moment with Dennis kissing you oh so softly, almost reverently in a way, before abruptly pulling apart when Samira yanked the front door open, a grin on her face as she looked between the two of you. “Hm. Did I interrupt something?” She grinned, tilting her head.

A breathy chuckle escapes you as you pull away from Dennis, clearing your throat. “I uh, I will see you at work in a few days.” You say softly, watching him as he nods, smiling a little. “Goodnight then.” You mumble, shoving Samira lightly as you go into the apartment, waving to Dennis and watching as he leaves. “Goodnight. I’ll see you soon.” He hummed as he gave you a small wave in return, a satisfied grin on his face as he walked to the elevator. You turn to Samira, a frown on your face. “Seriously?” You huff gently, shaking your head as she laughs and shrugs.

“Couldn’t have you two getting too carried away on a first date. This isn’t some soap opera.” She hummed, following you to the living area for the debrief and every juicy detail you planned to spill. She was your roommate, after all. Nosy and wanting all of the details.  

Years. Decades, really, Billy had poured into what lay before him. From the moment Mallory showed him the CCTV footage of what had been done to his Becca, he knew what needed to be done. He made a vow from that moment forward that all supes were bad in his eyes. If the man who was the head of The Seven could get away with such heinous acts, and probably daily, who's to say the other “lowly” supes didn’t commit far worse atrocities? 

Eight years of his life after Becca was gone were spent on a CIA task force, brought together by Mallory herself. He, MM, and Frenchie all worked together keeping rogue supes in line thanks to a combined and shared dislike amongst all of them towards supes. Then, abruptly, they were disbanded after a supe went after Mallory due to Frenchie leaving his post while he was supposed to be monitoring the supe, Lamplighter (who has since also been taken care of). After they were disbanded, Billy continued the war against Vought on his own, posing as still being CIA personnel where it benefited him to do so. From there, he met Hughie at the A/V shop shortly following Robin’s death, and then you came along not far after he reunited with Frenchie and MM, and Hughie was added to the group. An old friend who had an in at Vought thanks to your close ties, working alongside Ashley as a PR rep for Vought. 

Seven more years were spent with Billy and the ragtag group, with two new additions being added over the years. Annie, supe turned rebel after a brief, and horrific, experience as part of The Seven, and Kimiko. Another supe who had been smuggled into the US as part of a plan to create supe-terroists, who was thankfully rescued by the group. Years spent witnessing the violence at the hands of The Seven, especially Homelander himself. Years tracking his insanity, the crimes he committed, the crimes the others committed. Years spent trying to expose everything, yet things going wrong at every turn. Years that were also spent with quiet moments. With you there to slowly patch up the growing hole and ache in Billy’s heart. To pull him back when he got to be too much or too angry (which was often). 

Never did Billy see himself moving on from Becca, especially when this plan of avenging her was his only constant plan in mind. But then the light shed on you, and what you meant to him. Who you were to him, who you’ve always been. You reminded him you never wanted to replace Becca, you knew you had no place to do that, and he understood. So, a lifelong friendship slowly blossomed into something more over seven years spent in close proximity. Late nights spent in his sheets, time spent patching each other up after missions gone wrong, countless dinners cooked on the rare nights you and the rest of the group could just take a moment and breathe. Small moments transitioned into talks of the future if you guys got out of this. If you thought Billy was still good enough for you once this was all over. Talks of moving to the coast somewhere, just the two of you and Terror, since he knew after all of this, Ryan still wouldn’t want anything to do with him. 

—

Fifteen years and some change led Billy to the exact moment he had been planning for the entire time. Homelander, beaten to a pulp, begging for forgiveness, a chance to live, something, on his knees in front of him. You hadn’t seen it happen. You made a direct point to not see it when it happened, busy making sure Kimiko was okay after blasting Homelander with enough radiation to strip him of what made him who he was - his abilities. By the time you reentered the room once Homelander’s begging had silenced, you saw what Billy had done. A crowbar, clear through the supe’s skull, who now lay limp on the carpeted floor, surrounded by blood and debris alike. The strongest man in the world, who believed he could never and would never die, now dwindled to a pile of himself and gone from this Earth.

You stood at the doorway for a moment to give Billy his time to come to terms with the fact he had actually won before walking over, slowly sliding a hand to his bicep and guiding him away. “Everyone’s okay and waiting,” you murmur as you glance up at him and guide him out of the room slowly, down the hall, and to the van. “Kimiko’s tired, but she’ll recover, same with Ryan.” You say as you help him into the van and motion to everyone being accounted for, slowly sitting beside him as MM takes off to start the drive back to their most recent safehouse. 

Everyone gathered in the common area of the cabin that was the safe house for the past few weeks, sitting all gathered together as the Vought press release played and relayed the events that had live-streamed only hours prior. 

“HOMELANDER CONFIRMED DEAD” being the only running headline as Vought officials confirmed other details. Ashley forced out of office, and Stan Edgar taking the company back over, no surprise there. In the focus of watching the press run no one seemed to notice Billy slipping out, though that wasn’t a rare occurrence. The man could be silent when he chose, it just wasn’t often. 

Hughie was the one to notice first. The missing virus, the missing van, Butcher himself missing. It didn’t take much for him to add up all of the pieces and figure out the man’s new plan now that he had gotten Homelander out of the way. ‘Scorched earth’ as he liked to say. It didn’t take him long to get to Vought tower either, following the path of bodies that led to where Butcher stood at the windows overlooking New York City. 

“Knew it’d be you who’d find me. Hoping it woulda been, actually.” Billy spoke up as he glanced over at Hughie, shrugging a bit and motioning to the sprinkler systems before Hughie could even ask. “Put it there. All I got to do is press this,” He held up the trigger button. “And release it. Get rid of all supes, then I suppose I’d go t’jail… or run. Something like that..” He spoke, noting Hughie’s pause and shrugging once more, going to looking back out the window. 

“You would…” Hughie exhaled, pausing for a moment. “But what about… what do you call them? Your canary? What about them, Butcher?” He spoke as he watched him slowly shift towards him again at the mention of you. The only one who’s kept Billy’s head level through all of this. “Did you really think this through if you thought leaving them behind was a good idea? They want a life with you. They talk about it all the time.” He spoke as he slowly crossed the vast meeting room. 

“You killing Homelander ended that chapter of your life. Don’t throw away what’s left of it by going to jail or abandoning them just because you finally defeated him,” Hughie spoke as he kept his eyes on his face, slowly reaching over and removing the trigger from Billy’s hand though he wasn’t met with much resistance anymore. Now that the man had been reminded of what was waiting for him. You. 

“Let’s just… let’s just go back before anyone notices we’re missing. Say you were smoking and I was bothering you. Like always.” Hughie exhaled as he tucked the trigger into his pocket, slowly turning to leave the meeting room with him and watching as Billy slowly trailed behind after only a moment further of thinking. 

The two slipped back into the cabin about twenty minutes later and Hughie’s excuse worked surprisingly well. Fatigue, probably. Relief that things were finally over for the time being. Billy grunted as his form of goodnight, slowly making his way down the hall to your honorary bedroom, joining you in the cheap bed. 

“Could go to the west coast…” He mumbled after a while once the two of you had gotten comfortable in each other’s presence, gazing over at you, accent softened in the privacy of your bedroom. No mention of what he had planned to do earlier. No mention of his plan to go to jail or worse, leave you without a trace of where he was going. No need to mention it anymore, not with the way you were looking at him as if you truly believed the two of you could build a real life together. And you did. 

“Get a nice little place on the beach. Mountains in the back. Could be good for this one,” He grunted out, scratching Terror’s head slowly as he looked to you for approval on his idea, smiling just a bit in only a way he could when he saw your nod of approval. “That’s it then,” he exhaled as he grabbed his busted-up phone. “To the west coast we go, aye? No more fuckin’ supes, just… us. Finally.”

— 

Weeks passed, and then months passed, and slowly, everything went back to normal… well, as normal as things can be. Hughie and Annie stayed in the city with Hughie opening up his own A/V store, and the two were expecting a child on top of it. Frenchie and Kimiko went to France as they had always planned to do, getting their dream dog and living a life that the two deserved. MM remarried his wife, and as predicted, Ryan refused to go with Billy any further, so MM instead took the boy in to hopefully give him the life and the family he knew he deserved, with you and Butcher acting more as distant relatives instead of potential parental figures. No true complaints from either of you, however. 

You and Billy found a little one-story beach house right off the coast in Oregon, a beach that was more often foggy than it was clear, but it was perfect for you two. Terror as well, of course. No jobs, no kids to worry about, and your favorite part, no supes. No Homelander making national headlines every evening, no news about miraculous human beings committing heinous crimes. Just… peace, and quiet, like the two of you deserved.

Billy had, with a lot of convincing on your end, started to see a local therapist to work out any and all residual issues he still had to work through, mostly the ones from his childhood. But he was getting better, slowly, but progress is progress, especially with him. You still often heard from the others, but had decided it was for the best if you all just kept to your own after everything had gone through, though made the exception of the occasional visit to really check in and see how everyone had been doing. 

You had been sleeping in after a night of hosting everyone in your and Billy’s home, though their flights had all left earlier, shifting a bit in the bed when you heard some loud noises from the kitchen. Some minutes of silent debating and an irritated groan later, you found yourself walking to the kitchen, only to pause at the sight in front of you. The best sight, really. One you found yourself thanking anyone you could to receive on a daily basis. Billy, standing shirtless at the stove with a simple pair of shorts on, cooking breakfast for the two of you and feeding a few scraps to Terror, who lay off to the side on the cold tile. 

You smile as you make your way over, arms coming to wrap slowly around his waist. “Smells good,” you commented as he handed you a plate, humming a thank you before following him outside to your deck that looked out on the beach, the waves crashing gently in the background, the fog having lifted for once. You sit beside him and rest your plate in your lap, exhaling as you lift your feet to accommodate Terror to lie under your chair. “This is what we earned,” you say softly, glancing over at Billy and gently rubbing his arm slowly as he nodded, meeting your gaze. 

“This specifically. Not last night with tiny little Robin terrorizing our living room.” He replied with a nod, leaning over and pressing a slow kiss to the top of your forehead. “Our sanctuary. Peace and quiet.” He finally relented and agreed, leaning down and capturing your lips in a surprisingly gentle kiss for a man of his stature, in which you returned for a moment before pulling away with a satisfied hum, leaning back, and starting to eat.

“Our sanctuary, sure, only once you get your beard trimmed.” You hum under your breath, continuing to watch the waves crash gently against the rocks as his rough chuckle reaches your ears, glancing over at him once more before looking back out at the waves as the two of you enjoyed the breakfast he had made. 

Billy Butcher, a man who had once been famously known for his hatred towards supes and for being a brute, was now at peace.