Something wrong with Homelander

I walked in the 7 meeting room to Maeve watching the replay of my and Cameron's interview.

"You think it really was Edgar and the mayor? Maybe Jake Tapper."

"Trying to fսck with me? Make me look ridiculous?" I asked her.

She turned to me and turned off the TV.

"Or maybe you're just a paranoid, malignant narcissist who thinks everything is about you." She responded with a fake smile. I could sense the slight disgust in her tone.

"Mm, it's not paranoia if they're really out to get you, though."

"And you, Maeve. You're out to get me, aren't you?" Her smile gently extinguished.

She stood from her chair and walked to me her body automatically denying the accusation with her posture.

"What are you talking about?"

"William Butcher." I responded tensely. "I can smell him all over you."

"You really will do anything to hurt me, won't you?" I continued. She just gave me the 'I can't believe you're asking me that' look.

"So, what are you and William cooking up? Maybe you two brought that 'supervillain' to town?"

She automatically fake chuckled like I was crazy.

"Oh, John." She started, her frame getting closer to mine.

"John, come one. You're talking crazy."

"I'm not cooking anything up with Butcher" She chuckled softly. I could smell her strongly now, aside from Butcher's faint residue, a tiny amount of adrenaline released, an inkling of sweat readying in the pores, fear.

"Let's talk about this." She finished softly.

'LIAR!'

The scream almost made me twitch.

I felt the betrayal physically. Homelander still had conflicting feelings for Maeve.

The urge to punish her…to make her mine again…physically…was almost overwhelming.

'She's ours. Take her!'

I know Echo; I know but calm your shit down. I'm the one in charge so fuck off.

Saner heads prevailed.

I let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry. You're right." That took her by surprise.

I walked away from her proximity lest the urges come again.

"You're sorry and I'm right?" she asked incredulously. "First you want to clean house on the heroes, giving Starlight go ahead on recruiting and training not to mention this new mysterious direction you want to take the company on, what is going on, now you think everyone's out to get you?" she asked with exasperation in her tone.

"Then you're acting like yourself with Cameron. It's like you're a different person form one moment to the next."

"Like, what, what is going on with you? Talk to me!"

I strongly resisted the urge to smile.

She almost sounded concerned but that was more likely due to me being more unpredictable in the last few days. Homelander was scary but fairly predictable. He wanted to be loved and hated being questioned. But his plans and schemes for the most part were fairly simple, effective but simple.

One track type of thinking.

He wanted Vought to be his to take the shackles of Edgar off and to make it back into a superhero company so he could be loved for being the greatest hero ever.

Simple to follow, simple to understand.

"I don't know. I guess this whole taking over Vought thing isn't what I thought it would be." I say solemnly.

"Everyone's looking at me for everything. Things I hadn't even considered, the auditors want to talk to me something about the Voughtland revenue recognition and setting up a new internal control committee." I said incredulously and shook my head.

I started pacing around a bit faster.

"Meeting after meeting, email after email, it's just non fucking stop. Can't everyone just do their fucking jobs!" I practically shouted.

"And now this, this, supervillain, the fucking media won't let up on it." I stopped and turned back to her.

"Look I'm sorry. I think I'm just feeling cooped up."

"All I've done the past two days is just be in meetings." I said exasperatedly. I raise my hands over my head and subtly started stretching as if I'd been a desk monkey for the last twenty years.

"Yea, well not sure what you were expecting? What did you think Stan and Ashley did all day? It's all the boring paperwork we never wanted to do."

I just gave her the patented Homlander look.

"I thought the lackeys would take care of most of it…besides Vought is almost 100% paperless…it's all about digital signing. Got it boomer?" I said jokingly.

"Funny." Her response is sharp but snarky toned.

"Can you do me a favour?" I ask changing tones and make my way towards her.

She looks at me expectantly.

"I have about an hour and 15. Do you want to get a quick spar in?" I ask hopefully.

She looks at me like I got hit in the head with a nuke.

"A spar? Me and you?" she pauses.

"Yea a spar." I repeat.

"We haven't sparred in like a decade…and a half? You don't spar!" she affirmed strongly.

I roll my eyes at her.

"Yes, yes, I know. But look, unless that 'supervillain'" I said using air quotes "comes out and blows another taco place or something I'm not going to get out of the office until" I fake looked at my hand for a nonexistent watch " next Tuesday."

She scowls at me.

I know she's trying to think what my plan is so I push forward.

"Maeve, I'm losing my mind here. I need to get some movement in or else I might just laser in half the next person that asks me if I've read their email."

"Come, one. Noir is busy so you're the only one that can reasonably take a punch. Unless you want me to go break a bunch of interns in half, them and fucking IT." I said only half-jokingly.

She stared at me intently.

"Fine."

I let a wide smile reach my ears.

"Excellent, meet me in the training room in 15!" I said and quickly shuffled out the door.

'A spar? A fucking spar?' She couldn't help but think. 'He's up to something. But what?'

Something was wrong with Homelander.