Chapter Three: Kind?
As Billy changed the tire, he muttered under his breath as the lug nuts proved difficult. "What's the best fucking move?" he asked himself as he turned the tire iron counterclockwise. "Should I just kill the cunt, get it over with, easy?"
His frown deepened as he replaced the last lug nut. "What's the other cunt move?" he asked himself as he turned the tire iron in a smooth circle.
As Billy finished up with changing the tire, inside the van curled up on the passenger seat, Olivia's mind raced as she shivered with the bone deep cold that had crawled inside her. "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," she murmured as she adjusted the heater vents and pulled the shirt tighter around her shivering form.
Billy slid behind the wheel and looked over as she avoided his eyes and tried to suppress her shuddering. He shrugged out of his heavy trench coat and held it towards her.
Olivia mumbled a sound that sounded like a thank you as she pulled the thick coat around herself. Her senses were water boarded by the woodsy, masculine scent that clung to the woven cotton inside the well-stitched coat. She was suffocated by a deeper smell that spoke to the center of her brain and knew what she wanted and needed. Olivia pulled the coat tighter around herself, thankful her shivering began to subside, she could let herself sit up a little straighter in the seat.
She pulled her hair free of its elastic band as he maneuvered the van back onto a side street that would eventually merge onto the freeway.
"Where are we going?" Olivia asked as she raked her fingers through her hair and tried to smooth it into place before she twisted it up into a loose bun.
"I'm not entirely sure," he said and smirked at her expression.
"Where, who, what is going to happen to me?" she finally managed as she slid her arms through the jacket, the fabric worn smooth against the movements of his body, now kissed her bare skin.
Billy was quiet for nearly two miles, any longer and Olivia might have had an aneurysm.
He stopped in the line of cars for the metering lights and looked over at her. Olivia couldn't blink when he captured her eyes and spoke. "Are you a Supe fucker?"
Olivia frowned and pressed her lips together as she shook her head. "I most certainly am not."
"No? No drawing some blood and fucking one or ten? Is that why you're working there, a fucking Supe groupie?"
"Why do you keep saying such awful things to me, you sound so much like those disgusting fucking pigs I work with. Just stop, what the fuck do you want from me?" she shouted.
Butcher looked back towards the road as he rolled up a few car lengths in the bumper-to-bumper traffic.
"I want to know everything about Vought. I want to know what you cunt Supe makers have in your vending machines," he growled.
"I don't make Supes," she snapped and crossed her arms as he flicked on the blinker and merged after a big rig carrying steel pipes.
They both stayed quiet as traffic was stop and go for a few miles before it eventually smoothed out and everyone was eventually traveling a comfortable twenty miles more than the posted speed limit.
"I don't suppose I can offer you money, we can go to an ATM and I'll get you a big, fat deposit. My family is good for the rest, leave me on the side of the road. Please?" Olivia added when he remained silent.
Butcher stared ahead and tightened his hands on the steering wheel as his mind slapped him with the heady memory of his hands moving roughly on her body, his ragged cuticles snagging on the lace edge of her otherwise plain bra.
"Sorry love, you're not going to be far from my side for a while."
"But what use am I now? What kind of value do I have anymore?" she stumbled over before fat tears rolled down her flushed cheeks as she continued to tearfully stammer. "I'm a junior fucking scientist, I'm not even through with all the new hire paperwork."
Butcher could feel the weight of her eyes and knew she expected an answer. "You know the inner workings of Vought," he deflected.
Olivia scoffed, "inner workings? I work in the off-site lab; I've never even been in the main Vought labs."
Butcher remained silent as she rubbed at her face and sniffed hard, murmuring to herself.
He didn't catch what she had snapped before she turned her head and stared out the side window.
"What was that there?"
"I've never had a choice in any direction of my life. My education plan was outlined by the time I was born, my career chosen and employment. I was told who I could and couldn't date."
"Who didn't make your mum and dad's list?"
"The family name or rather how much money is attached to the name," she started. "Education and lack of education," she continued as Butcher found himself called back to his recent memories of feeling her buttery soft skin trembling under his touch.
Butcher smirked at how he perfectly checked all of the bad boxes, wondering what her daddy would say seeing his little girl sharing the same air space as him.
Butcher cleared his throat and came back to the moment as she finished listing all the prerequisites her parents had for even sharing a conversation with her. He shifted on the seat as his cock very much remembered how close it was to plunging into her intimate center.
"Do you know what it feels like to only have value because of who your family is? I don't have value or worth on my own, I'm not even looked at like a real person. I'm a prop, told to smile and read off the script, no one hears me or sees me," Olivia continued as she sniffed hard.
"I see you," slipped from between Butcher's lips without his permission.
She shook her head. "You only see some perceived ransom value or whatever it is you think I can tell you. You're only seeing me now; you hate everything about who I am and where I work."
Butcher knew she wouldn't believe anything he said in that moment and most likely didn't want to hear him speak at all.
"What do you want?" Olivia asked as she turned in her seat to face him as much as the seatbelt would allow.
Butcher glanced over at her; his eyes lingered a moment at the peek of her bare shoulder as his jacket shifted. His mouth went dry as he could still feel the taut elastic band of her panties under the pads of his fingertips. He cleared his throat as he passed a slow-moving logging truck.
"We've got a drive ahead of us, why don't you try to get some sleep?" he finally suggested.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep unless I know what to expect," Olivia quickly countered.
Butcher blew out a sharp breath at her stubbornness. "I'm going to find a place to stop after I cover a few more hours," he finally offered.
"What happens once we arrive to that place?"
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and shot her a quick glance before answering.
"I haven't thought past that," he said honestly before adding. "At this point, I'm guessing we'll stay there for the night and keep traveling a little further each day."
Olivia nodded and shifted in the seat until she was once again facing forward and watching the mile markers pass at their brisk traveling pace.
The shrill ring of Butcher's phone on the automatically connected Bluetooth startled her and she blinked her eyes rapidly as the dashboard screen lit up with the caller ID, "Mum."
Butcher glanced over to meet her eyes. "I need to take this; you need to keep your mouth closed. Do you know what I'm saying?"
She nodded quickly, fear tightening her chest in varying bands of pressure.
"Mum, hello?"
Olivia kept her breath deep and even as his mother's broken voice came across the speakers.
"Billy, it's your father, he's in surgery."
Butcher tightened his fingers around the wheel as he felt Olivia's eyes on his profile, hearing the same words.
He cleared his throat and met Olivia's eyes briefly as his mother continued. "Will you come see us son? I could use your support and company."
Butcher remained silent, wanting to tell Connie to tell the surgeon to cut out his father's heart and feed it to a stray dog. He was aware of Olivia paying attention to everything he did. He knew more aggression would only push her further into fear until it hobbled her or caused her to act recklessly.
"Please Billy?" Connie asked again.
"Of course, mum," he finally said and gave a loud string of curses when a car two lanes over had a rear tire blowout and slid across the road. The cars in front of them all came to a sudden stop and Butcher navigated the car through the snarl of traffic that was able to keep flowing.
Olivia's face drained of color; she had cried out as they nearly missed being in a multi-car pileup. "Who's that with you?" his mom asked and added quickly. "Is that the fiancé you've been talking about for years? Are we finally going to get to meet her?"
Butcher met Olivia's eyes; he couldn't believe his ears when she began to speak. "Yes, I'll be coming along. I feel like I should call you mom with how many times we've missed being able to meet," Olivia said in a sing-song tone.
"Yes, you should, what's your name dear?"
"Olivia," she said cheerily and smoothed her hair back as Butcher spared her quick glances as he moved to the slow lane and exited the freeway in the direction of a strip mall. He pulled the car to a stop at a brightly lit burger drive thru parking lot.
"What a lovely name, please call me Connie."
"I'm so sorry about your husband Connie," Olivia said and swallowed hard under Butcher's intense stare.
"Thank you dear, Billy are you still there?"
"Yes," he said and moved his eyes away from Olivia's face as he addressed the screen. "When should we expect you?"
He glanced at the clock before speaking. "We're heading….home," he started and met Olivia's eyes as he continued. "We'll pack and could be there in about nine hours."
"Thank you, son, your father will be happy to hear it also. Drive safe you two."
"Thanks Connie, I'm looking forward to meeting you."
"You too dear."
After the call ended, Butcher and Olivia remained in silence until he spoke first. "Why did you do that?" he finally asked as he turned in his seat to look at her.
"I don't want you to kill me, I don't want to die," she said breathlessly and dropped her head to stare at her hands.
Butcher knew he was responsible for the birth, nurturing and upbringing of that fear.
"I never planned on actually killing you, it was just some fucking bantering love," he finally said.
Olivia scoffed, "that's completely believable."
Butcher found himself growing unnaturally irritated that she was avoiding his eyes, he wanted to unclip his seatbelt and force her to meet his gaze.
"Vought hasn't disavowed you," he said, switching topics in the hope he could knock her off-balance.
Olivia quickly raised her head and met his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"There was some slick doctor bloke making a public plea for your safe return."
"Do you know which doctor?"
Butcher shook his head, "he was wearing a bowtie, cute hair."
Olivia rolled her eyes, "I think I know who you mean."
"He a co-worker?"
Olivia shook her head and pointed at the glowing logo of the fast-food burger chain. "Can I get something to drink?"
Butcher nodded and started the van and headed towards the drive-thru lane as Olivia continued.
"He's the supervisor for our department, I have to check in with him a lot."
"Does he bother you?" Butcher asked after he put in their order. They both realized the extent of their hunger when the smell of fries, onion rings and bacon double cheeseburgers reached their noses.
Olivia shrugged wordlessly and pretended to pick at an imaginary hangnail.
Butcher noted her non-answer for later, he searched his pockets for cash as he tried to recall the news report and the doctor pleading with the camera. "I get what he sees in you, you're quite tasty up close and personal," he thought as he pulled the van up to the first set of drive-thru windows.
He paid with a bunch of ones and handful of loose change before returning to the same parking spot and cutting the engine. They each slipped off their seatbelts and for the next ten minutes were both completely focused on eating, eating, and eating and washing it all down with soda.
Butcher flipped down the visor and looked at his forehead that she had barely kissed with the tire iron as she wiped her hands down with a wet nap the burger chain provided with their notoriously messy food.
"I'm sorry," Olivia said as she watched him press his fingertips to the bruised skin.
Butcher chuckled. "No need to apologize love, you did whatever anyone would do when a cunt lays their unwanted hands on you."
They stuffed their napkins and wadded up burger wrappers back in the paper bag before getting back onto the freeway.
Olivia adjusted the heater vents to blow on her lower legs and bare feet.
Butcher glanced over. "There's a strip mall outside where my mum lives. I'll stop there and somewhere for you to cleanup first."
Olivia nodded her thanks as she settled deeper in the well-stitched layers of his jacket, breathing in the warm aroma of his masculinity as she tugged the fabric tighter around herself.
"What's going to happen when your mom meets your real fiancé and we're obviously not the same person?"
"There isn't a fiancé, it makes the talks with the mum easier."
Olivia nodded. "What does your mom think your fiancé does? Who is your fiancé?"
Butcher flicked on his signal and moved to the second lane before he answered. "I've never been too specific," he admitted with a shrug.
Olivia opened her mouth to speak and only managed something incoherent.
He glanced over, clear he wanted her to repeat herself.
"Can I ask for something?"
"What?" he said quickly, curious to hear what she wanted.
"Will you please be as kind to me as I imagine you'll be when your mother is around?"
Butcher cocked an eyebrow. "Kind?" he scoffed.
Olivia nodded, immediately flushed with anger, and filled with defensiveness at his back-handed reply.
"Yes, I want you to act like you don't hate me even when your mother isn't in the same room."
"You think you've got some kind of fucking voice when it comes to that? I didn't ask you to be my fucking bird," he reminded her.
"Is it so difficult to just be a little kind?"
"Was Homelander kind when he unleashed fire?"
"No," she said flatly.
As Butcher stared ahead at an upcoming interchange, hours back at what was once the mechanic shop turned safehouse, flames licked high into the air.
Above the carnage, after a quick mid-air celebratory fuck, Homelander and Storm Front flew back to Vought to report a total mission success. Their individual egos alone prevented them from even considering searching for survivors, collectively they were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding on the radioactive blast of ten Chernobyl's.
No one witnessed the smallest movement among the rubble. As activity at the still burning safehouse increased, hours away, Butcher continued putting more distance between them and Vought.
Olivia had fallen silent and stared out the window as the miles passed.
