The giant baby revealed his true nature.
Ian did not lift his foot.
"Give up?"
He laughed softly.
Homelander's tears welled from his eyes, running down his cheeks, over the bridge of his nose, past the corners of his mouth, and dripping onto the ground.
His lips trembled violently, his teeth chattering with a clacking sound.
"Don't do this. Please." His voice squeezed out of his throat, hoarse and broken, like something crushed apart and pieced back together.
"I give up—I give up—" Homelander lowered his head until his forehead almost touched the ground. "I'll give you anything you want—do you want money? I have money. A lot of money. Shares in Vought International, my personal accounts, overseas assets—
How much do you want? I'll give it to you. All of it. I don't want it anymore. That money, those shares, those assets—all yours.
I can sign a contract, get it notarized, hire lawyers. Anything. However you want it done, I'll do it. I'm begging you, just let me go."
His voice came faster and faster, more and more fragmented, like an out-of-control tape recorder playing at high speed.
"Do you want women? Any kind you want. Celebrities, models, superhumans, ordinary people. Whoever you want, I can get them for you. No, I don't even need to get them. They'll come on their own. They all want to see me, know me, get close to me. What type do you want? Gentle? Wild? Smart? Dumb? I have them all. I'll give them all to you. Don't kill me."
He had to admit it.
Homelander was really going all out to stay alive.
Ian said nothing. His foot was still planted on Homelander's shattered thigh, not pressing harder, but not letting up either. Homelander felt the weight of that foot. It