The Car Was Going Too Fast, So I Had to Kick a Pebble

Anxious and uneasy, yet utterly powerless to change the situation.

When it came to Homelander, even a behemoth like Vought International had chosen to back down. What could she possibly do?

The immense pressure had kept her awake for over a month.

Becca would always wait until Ryan was fast asleep, then numb her mind with alcohol and cigarettes, barely managing to calm her turbulent emotions.

She had secretly counted how often she'd crossed paths with Homelander lately. It was even more often than when she'd been in charge of his public image eight years ago.

If she only had to face Homelander, she could still endure the hatred in her heart. But...

"Ryan—"

In a daze, Becca seemed to see her adorable son completely out of her protection, facing that inhuman, cold-blooded brute all alone.

There was no doubt.

She had raised Ryan well. He was exactly the way she'd hoped he would be.

Kind, sensible, obedient, considerate...

No matter how many lovely words Becca used to describe Ryan, she didn't think any of them were too much.

But...

"He's been influenced by Homelander, but his kind nature is completely at odds with Homelander's."

"Sooner or later, they're bound to argue and fall out."

"My Ryan will be in danger!"

Just as Becca was lost in thought, about to light a cigarette, she suddenly noticed that the car parked by the roadside had its door open.

Had she been so stressed lately that she'd forgotten to close it while distracted?

Becca didn't think much of it. She grabbed her car keys and went outside to lock the door.

After rejoining The Boys, Billy Butcher once again left the team on his own. His teammates had long since gotten used to it. At most, they'd ask what he was going to do.

But with Butcher's personality, he'd surely reply, "Can't Daddy's little babies figure out what to do without him?"

Then he hurried off to the secret location where Vought was hiding his wife, Becca.

The information about her hiding place had come from his former CIA superior, Grace Mallory. In exchange, he'd agreed to help her investigate the second-rate hero Liberty. As for Mallory's real motives, she hadn't revealed a thing.

Right now, Billy had no interest in digging into the details. He simply dumped all the complicated business on his teammates.

His heart held only one burning, aching longing. All he wanted was to see Becca as soon as possible.

Sneaking in would have been easy, but cameras covered the entire house and even the neighborhood. Billy didn't dare make a move. All he could do was open the door of a car parked by the roadside, climb inside, and wait for his wife to notice something was wrong.

Every passing minute was agony.

But for his wife's safety, he had to hold back. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before he heard a noise by the front door.

Footsteps. It had to be Becca!

The sudden rush of hope seized Billy, and excitement made his limbs tingle.

With a faint creak, the car door slowly opened.

"Phew... It's me, Becca."

Their eyes met. Billy's eyes grew hot, tears welling up in them.

Becca's face first filled with astonishment. Then, in an instant, overwhelming joy swept it away.

"No, don't get up."

Becca quickly came to her senses. "Homelander said the surveillance was being taken down, but knowing him, he probably has the cameras here under his personal control."

"I know a place..."

As she spoke, Becca got into the car.

The car jolted along in silence. After eight years apart, the couple had so much to say to each other, but neither knew where to begin.

After a long while, just as they were about to reach a blind spot in the surveillance, Billy said guiltily, "I'm sorry. I... I didn't know you were still alive. I should've kept looking for you."

Tears streamed down Becca's face as she drove. She shook her head and choked out, "It wasn't your fault. They cut off every way I had to contact the outside world. I couldn't fight back, not with Ryan's safety at stake."

The car stopped on a dimly lit bridge.

As soon as she got out, Becca could hold back no longer. She threw herself into Billy's arms. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I can't imagine how much you suffered."

"I... I've been fine."

Billy shook his head too. He didn't want to tell her how wretched and broken his life had been these past years, so he asked instead, "How have you been? Did he—did Homelander hurt you?"

"All he cares about is Ryan."

"Ryan..."

Billy hesitated. "He's Homelander's son."

"I'm sorry!"

"It has nothing to do with you. Mallory showed me the footage from outside the office. I only wish I could kill that bastard!"

Becca wept as she held her husband tight.

The murderous glint in Billy's eyes slowly gave way to heartache. "I'll get you out of here."

"Okay!"

Becca agreed without a second thought.

The crushing pressure was driving her mad. She had thought about escaping Homelander countless times.

But once she'd agreed, she suddenly thought of her son. "What about Ryan? I can't leave him with Homelander."

"Then we'll leave together."

Billy calmly accepted the fact that his wife had given birth to a superhuman child.

It was just... what exactly was his relationship with Ryan supposed to be? Stepfather and stepson?

But he and Becca were the ones who'd been married first!

Just as Billy's thoughts were running wild, he suddenly felt a scorching gaze burning into him.

He lowered his head. Becca was looking at him with burning eyes.

He knew that look all too well. It was a vivid memory he'd dreamed about countless nights, tossing and turning.

All Billy's stray thoughts vanished in an instant. Only one thought remained.

Pull my lovely wife into my arms and hold her tight!

This was eight years' worth of longing, and he wanted Becca to know just how much he'd missed her.

"Clack!!"

Suddenly, just as the two of them could no longer hold back and were hurriedly tugging at each other's clothes, they heard a pebble being kicked.

Billy snapped out of his hormonal haze.

He yanked Becca toward him, leaving her with only a thin camisole on her upper body.

Shielding her behind him, he drew his gun and shouted, "Who's there!"

The moment Ryan had been waiting for soon arrived.

That day, he went to bed early as usual, but once his mother Becca left the room, he got up with practiced ease.

He waved at the camera, then deftly opened his laptop and started working.

The screen of his phone, set to silent, quickly lit up. The caller ID read "Father."

"Hello, Dad. I was just about to call you."

Ryan whistled as he spoke. "I'm almost done watching Homelander: Rise of a Hero. I promise I'll go to sleep as soon as I finish."

"Sorry, Dad. I just have to know how it ends. I know you'll definitely win, but I... Oh, no, don't spoil it!"

On the other end of the call was Homelander's private office in Vought Tower.

Homelander wore a grin from ear to ear.

Ashley had seen it often enough by now that she didn't bat an eye.

The first time she'd seen Homelander smiling like that, she'd felt a chill crawl up from the soles of her feet.

She'd been terrified he was losing it again.

Besides Homelander and Ashley Barrett, now the senior vice president of Hero Management, there was also a special task force in the office.

Ashley also served as its manager, but the task force operated independently of Vought International and took orders from no one.

Its sole purpose was to provide comprehensive planning, intervention, damage control, and coaching on what to say to help Homelander and Ryan build a parent-child relationship, shaping him into a gentle, powerful, one-of-a-kind perfect father.

Every day, it also had to submit a concise report to Homelander, summarizing the day's father-son interactions, offering an improved plan for the next day, warning of potential risks, and preparing emergency responses in advance.