Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

"H-Homelander."

As the villain's enormous leg tried to crush the hero's back, the crowd watched in stunned silence as the hero stood up effortlessly while holding the small girl in his arms. 

The villain, not expecting anything or anyone to be able to out-power him, staggered back and fell on his ass causing the concrete road to crack. 

Homelander paid the monster no mind as he walked towards the girl's mother, whose face was a mess of tears, and handed her daughter back. 

Still being restrained by the individuals who prevented her from rushing towards her daughter, the woman's hands ripped free of their grip to take hold of her daughter and tightly hugged her into her chest. More and more tears began to fall down her eyes as she thanked Homelander hysterically over and over again for saving her precious daughter.

Maeve watched with disbelief as he turned around after making sure the girl was safe with her mother and started walking towards the villain without a single hesitation in his steps. 

As the hero approached the villain who was slowly getting up from the ground, he tried to reason with him, "Stand down! I don't want to hurt you any more than I have to." 

However, the villain was too far gone in his rage to listen. With a loud roar, the giant behemoth charged at Homelander with full force, more than capable of destroying almost everyone in his path.

Going at a speed that should be impossible for a man his size, the villain was now a foot away from Homelander after a split second.

 "Oh come on!!!" 

The Homelander seeing this, acted fast to protect the innocent bystanders behind him. Homelander's fist clenched with a furious intensity, his knuckles turning white as he drew it back with a sharp inhalation. All the muscles in his arm tightened and bulged, like cords of steel ready to unleash a devastating blow upon his enemy.

 "I didn't want to do this! But you brought this on yourself!" 

With a deafening roar, Homelander launched his fist forward with incredible speed, his strength and focus propelling it like a missile toward the villain's gut. The impact was like a thunderbolt, the force of the punch sending shockwaves through the air that reverberated in every direction.

The sound of bones cracking echoed through the streets as the villain was lifted off his feet and thrown backward like a ragdoll. His body collided with the pavement with a sickening thud, sending debris flying in all directions as the ground beneath him cracked and split apart under the sheer force of the blow, completely and utterly knocked out.

Homelander's arm trembled with the effort of the punch, his muscles still taut with the immense strength he had summoned. 

He stood there for a moment, catching his breath and surveying the aftermath of his attack, before turning to check on the safety of the bystanders. 

Homelander's eyes scanned the crowd of people, searching for any signs of danger or distress. His gaze swept over the faces of the bystanders, taking in their expressions of shock and awe as they gazed upon him with a mixture of fear and adoration.

However, his attention was quickly drawn back to the small girl and her mother, who stood frozen in fear on the edge of the crowd. Homelander's eyes locked onto theirs, his expression softening as he took in their terror.

With a few quick strides, he closed the distance between them, his massive frame imposing yet somehow comforting. He knelt down in front of the little girl, his voice gentle as he spoke to her. 

Homelander knelt down on one knee, as his towering figure was now at the same level as the little girl and her mother. His eyes, a piercing blue, scanned their faces with a mix of concern and relief upon seeing that they were unharmed. The deafening cheers and applause of the crowd that surrounded them seemed to fade away as he focused his attention solely on the two of them.

He spoke in a soft and gentle voice, laced with sincerity, "Are you two okay?" His tone was soothing, as if he was trying to calm them down from the traumatic experience they just went through. His eyes remained fixed on theirs, trying to gauge their emotional state.

The little girl, her face stained with tears, opened her mouth to speak, but her voice came out as a mere whisper "I-I was s-so scared."

Homelander, sensing her fear, hesitated for a moment before he slowly reached out and placed his large hand on her head, patting it gently with a reassuring smile. His action seemed to instantly calm her down, as she leaned into his touch, her tears slowly drying up.

The moment seemed frozen in time, as the superhero, the little girl remained in their own little bubble. Eventually, Homelander stood up, his attention back to the rest of the crowd, but not before giving the little girl and her mother one last look, his eyes filled with kindness and compassion.

"It's okay, you're safe now," he said, reassuringly. "You and your mom are going to be just fine."

The mother, still visibly shaken, spoke up, her voice trembling. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for saving her."

Homelander smiled at her, his eyes warm and kind. "You don't have to thank me, It's my job to protect people."

The little girl tugged on Homelander's cape, her eyes filled with wonder. "Are you a real superhero?" she asked, her voice filled with awe.

Homelander laughed softly, finding her to be too cute for words to describe. "Yes, I am," he said. "And I promise that I'll always be here to protect you."

The little girl beamed up at him, her fear replaced with a sense of wonder and admiration, making him bashfully rub the back of his head with his hand. 

As the man conversed with the young girl and her mother, the heroine, who had been closely observing the situation, descended from the top of the building.

Upon landing on the ground, the heroine felt uncertain about what to do next. She realized that she had done next to nothing to save the child who had narrowly avoided a tragic accident and instead had only observed from afar as the events unfolded. The weight of her inaction weighed heavily on her conscience.

She watched as the mother and daughter embraced each other, and a pang of guilt and regret tightened in her chest as she realized that she had failed to take action to prevent the accident. The sound of her own breaths seemed to amplify in her ears, as she struggled to find the words to express her remorse.

The heroine's gaze was fixed on the hero, who had heroically intervened and saved the young girl from a traumatic fate. He was currently engrossed in comforting the girl, making her laugh and easing her fears, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding crowd of people who had gathered to witness the incident. 

Despite the hero's admirable efforts, the heroine couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment in herself for not having taken action when she had the chance.

As Maeve grappled with her inner conflicts and moral dilemmas, she was suddenly approached by frenzied news reporters from Vought. Leading them was the woman who visited Maeve earlier that day.

Maeve noticed their arrival and was about to ask the reason for their rush towards her, but before she could speak, the woman addressed her first.

"Queen Maeve, there's been a change of plans."

Maeve looked at the woman with confusion, "What do you mean? What change of plans?"

The woman took a deep breath before she started explaining her plan to the heroine.

"Homelander has saved the day again and has been getting all the credit for it. The public is going crazy over him and from the numbers he's racking up his popularity is not going to die out any time soon. And with him around it's going to be next to impossible to get you into the spotlight. We need to do something to get the spotlight on you, Maeve."

The blonde-haired woman's eyebrow raised, "And how do you propose we do that?"

The woman smiled deceptively, "We take credit for Homelander's work. We make it look like you were the one who saved the day."

Maeve's eyes widened in disbelief and shock, unable to believe what she just heard, "That sounds like a terrible idea! How could I possibly take credit for Homelander's work?! Everyone knows he's the one who is really saving people!"

The woman leaned in closer, her voice low and persuasive, "It's simple. We just need to spin the narrative in our favor. We make something up and say you helped, and all that shit and the public will eat it up! They'll love the idea of a strong, capable woman taking charge and saving the day."

Maeve considered the woman's words. She knew that fame and popularity were important in her line of work, but she wasn't comfortable with taking credit for something she didn't do.

"I-I d-don't know about this…" Maeve said with her head tilted down towards the ground.

Observing Maeve's hesitation, the woman stepped forward and gently placed her hand under Maeve's chin, tilting her head upwards. Maeve's eyes met the woman's.

"You signed the contract I gave you, and if you don't want to lose this opportunity that every single pathetic worm on this planet can only dream of getting, then you will do as I say. Got it?" The woman's tone turned harsh and cold.

Maeve's heart pounded against her chest as she forced out a nod, her eyes darting away from the woman's intense gaze. She felt like a pawn in someone else's game, and the realization made her sick to her stomach.

"Good, now go over there and act like a good little hero that did something besides sitting on her ass! I took a risk choosing you and I refuse to be fucked over because a small-time heroine bitch decided she's too much of a fucking goody two shoes!" 

Maeve flinched at the woman's harsh words, feeling a wave of anger mixed with shame wash over her. She knew she wasn't a "small-time heroine bitch", but the woman's words stung nonetheless.

She could hear the sound of cameras clicking and reporters shouting questions, signaling the news media had finally arrived. Maeve took a deep breath and forced a smile, trying to push aside her doubts and insecurities.

But as she looked out at the cheering crowd surrounding Homelander, she couldn't help but feel like a fraud. Maeve knew she didn't deserve the credit for Homelander's work, and the thought of taking part in something she had no part in made her feel sick to her stomach.

But for the sake of her career, she pushed those thoughts aside and played the role she had been assigned. 

As she walked away, her mind raced with conflicting thoughts. On one hand, she knew that her fame and success were crucial to her career. But on the other hand, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that she had compromised her principles.

Every step felt heavy as she made her way down the hallway, her thoughts consumed by doubts and fears. Her reputation had always been important to her, but at what cost? 

Maeve approached Homelander with a hesitant gait, her eyes flickering nervously between him and the unconscious villain lying on the ground. She swallowed hard and placed a hand on his shoulder.

As a hand landed on his shoulder, the man with blonde hair swiveled around to face the person behind him. At first, he appeared surprised by the identity of the person, but his expression quickly shifted upon realizing that a Vought camera was pointed directly at him.

The sudden appearance of the camera made his heart skip a beat, and he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. He knew all too well the power of Vought and the lengths they would go to get what they wanted. 

Despite his apprehension, the man tried to maintain a calm exterior, hiding any sign of discomfort.

Homelander's expression changed in an instant, his eyes hardening as he caught sight of the camera. His previously warm and friendly demeanor vanished, replaced by a sickeningly fake smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hello fellow hero!" he exclaimed, his voice overly bright and cheerful. "I'm afraid you're late to the party! For I have already taken the villain down!"

 "It hurts acting like this, it makes me want to gag!" 

Maeve's voice shook slightly as she improvised her response, her mind racing to come up with a plausible explanation. Despite her nerves, she managed to muster up a confident tone as she addressed Homelander.

"But it seems you misunderstand," she began, meeting his gaze head-on. "I was already in pursuit of this villainous bastard when he managed to slip away from me. You just happened to take him down after I had exhausted him, that's all."

Maeve could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she spoke, but she refused to let her nerves show. She knew that her reputation was on the line, and she would do whatever it took to protect it.

"If he hadn't managed to escape from my sights, that villain would have been beaten to a pulp before he could even lay a hand on this beautiful city," she added, hoping that her words would be enough to convince Homelander and the public of her heroism.

For a moment, he looked taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded in agreement with her version of events.

"I see! No wonder he went down with only one punch! You must've done quite a number on him for me to take him down so easily!" He said with a happy demeanor while dying from the inside from how fake he was acting.

The energy of the crowd was electric, their cheers and applause filling the air with a deafening roar. Homelander and Maeve stood side by side, their arms raised in triumph, basking in the adoration of their fans.

As the Vought news reporter captured every moment of the heroes' interaction, their camera zoomed in on the subtlest of expressions and movements. Every twitch of a muscle, every flicker of an eye was captured in minute detail, ensuring that no nuance was lost.

The cheers of the crowd formed a deafening backdrop as Homelander and Maeve played their roles to perfection. Their words were carefully chosen, each gesture calculated to maintain their public image. 

Despite their outward show of unity, both Homelander and Maeve were struggling with their own demons. Homelander felt trapped by his need to maintain his fake persona, while Maeve was consumed by guilt at taking credit for another hero's work. 

Maeve's unease was apparent, however, and she kept glancing nervously toward the Vought reporter filming them. Homelander, seeing her discomfort, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice calm. "Just stand with me and we'll get through this."

Maeve nodded, still feeling uneasy but willing to play along for the sake of their image as heroes. Homelander's hand remained on her shoulder, a silent show of support that helped to ease her nerves.

As the crowd continued to cheer and applaud, Maeve couldn't help but wonder just how far they would have to go to maintain their image as heroes. The pressure to be perfect, to be infallible, was immense, and the thought of constantly living up to those expectations left her feeling exhausted.

But for now, she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. Standing there, side by side with Homelander, she felt a sense of solidarity and strength that helped to ease her worries.