As he spoke, Homelander slowly advanced toward Butcher, a measure of admiration in his voice.
"You're pretty impressive. Most people in your position would be pissing and shitting themselves, scared out of their minds, but you're not afraid at all, even if little Teddy not being home did rattle you a little. So, can you tell me what you know?"
Faced with Homelander's questioning and probing, Butcher kept his mouth shut, his expression hard as iron. He merely fixed his hate-filled eyes on the supervillain before him.
He had indeed guessed that someone had taken Teddy away, but why should he tell Homelander?
The man before him was the enemy he hated most in his entire life, the one who had destroyed his family and crushed his life!
He wanted nothing more than for Homelander to sink into confusion, suspicion, and pain. Why would he clear things up for him?
Seeing that Butcher refused to budge and maintained his silent defiance, Homelander stopped advancing and slowly paced the living room, a hint of provocation in his voice as he tried to break through Butcher's psychological defenses.
"I know you're doing all this because of Becca. But, brother, none of this was ever my fault."
Homelander spread his hands, his tone flippant and shameless.
"She seduced me first. These adult affairs of love and lust are hard to control. You know how it is. I'm powerful and famous, and countless women have unrealistic fantasies about me. There's nothing I can do about that. But let me tell you, she and I were very compatible in bed! She came three times, you know? Three times!"
He deliberately provoked him with the utmost cruelty, staring hard at Butcher, desperate to catch a crack of collapse or fury in that cold, rigid face.
But