For the first time in weeks, Homelander found himself at peace. His mind wasn't splitting into countless different directions, each one of them begging for him to do something different from the other one.
Kill them all
Save them all
Abandon them
You should be ruling over all of them
There was a strange feeling when everything was silent, like he was missing part of the puzzle to his own being, but he preferred it over the cost screaming that made his ears ring. Was it because for the first time in years that he had an actual goal to focus on? Perhaps. But it could also be that for the first time, he actually had someone other than Black Noir that he could trust in Naruto.
Blinking, he looked at A-Train who was explaining some kind of new stunt he was going to do in his new movie that used fast stutter cameras to a group of younger heroes. It was a bunch of bullshit to him, the movies were just another way for them to get paid because the only thing better than having superpowers, was being filthy fucking rich and having superpowers. The young brats didn't know it yet, but he was sure that they would get the harsh awakening sooner rather than later.
His ears twitched as he heard a soft muffled moan and he looked down with his x-ray vision, taking in the sight of Naruto and Maeve in a storage closet on the 60th floor. Naruto had his hand over her mouth as he took her from behind. Homelander rolled his shoulders as he felt his own member grown and the warmth of it pushed down against his thigh.
It was … interesting … arousing? Overall delightful to see your coworkers fucking, right under the nose of everyone else.
His nose twitched as smelt a hint of something that seemed out of place … was that fucking baby oil?
"Hey guys, is Diddy or something?" asked Homelander as he walked over to A-Train, who looked around as if he didn't want to see the musical artist in the tower either.
"I fucking hope not, that guys is weird as fuck" replied A-Train
"You guys don't mind if I steal A-Train from you do you?" asked Homelander to the group of heroes, were they the 'Next Gen Payback' or was marketing still working on that.
The teens nodded and Homelander threw a quick, "Seriously though, get rid of the baby oil and whoever brought it, this is a classy party. No freak offs allowed"
The group of teen heroes took his words seriously and he almost laughed as he saw them puff up their chests and spread out through the party.
He led A-Train to the large window, looking out over the City, the bright lights of the city twinkling about as he used normal vision to take it all in.
"I don't know about you, A-Train, But I happen to love that we are based in New York City" stated Homelander as he stood beside his teammate, peering out the window as they stood shoulder by shoulder.
"I think it's great" added A-Train
"Oh, come on A-Train, it's you and me, Naruto isn't here to get on you. You can tell me the truth, do you like being here in New York City?" asked Homelander
A-Train took a moment to answer, "No, not really. I am not a fan of the traffic. For everything that is a convenience, there is something that is a downside. Plus, there is way too many people here, they tend to get in the way of us doing our jobs"
Homelander nodded in understanding, it was good for him to understand what his team thought if he was going to make this next move, slowly convince each one of the 7 one by one to stand by him.
"Well, where would you like to be stationed?" asked Homelander
"For the winter or something?" asked A-Train
"For the winter or a year or the rest of your life?" questioned Homelander, trying to get a gauge on A-Train's actual desire.
"I guess I wouldn't mind a place like Texas or the Midwest, somewhere with a lot more open space for me to run around and fewer people to … you known" replied A-Train, trailing off with a hint of embarrassment in his voice, his latest fuck up of running through a girl and costing the company money was not going to be brought but also not gonna be forgotten anytime soon.
"You should be somewhere where you can metaphorically stretch your legs and run about as you please" said Homelander with a shrug, "I want for you to get what you want"
"Really" questioned A-Train
"I know I can be a rather strict hard ass at time" admitted Homelander, "But the team is my responsibility. Imagine if you had a baby and there were 6 other people who also could influence it at will? Sometimes you get tunnel vision and need to take a step back to get a better perspective of the situation"
"Yeah, I know what you mean" admitted A-Train, "So, you want to help me and in exchange you want me to support your appeal thingy"
"Well, I scratch your back, you scratch my back. That is always how it has been" confirmed Homelander
A-Train bit the inside of his lip, "I don't know"
"Tell A-Train … Reggie, why do we have to do everything for them with nothing ever being done for us? Naruto and I lifted a plane and our reward was nothing that he or I wanted, but rather what Vought wanted. At what point do we matter? What is the point of being a Supe if everything we do, everything we say, everything we think is handed to us on a fucking que card, prewritten by some pathetic marketing major who couldn't do .0001 percent of what we do? Are we gonna keep waiting for the polls to come in or are we gonna create our own change?" challenged Homelander
A-Train looked taken back for a moment, before he nodded in agreement, "You're right, we have things we want too. Why shouldn't we get what we want?"
Homelander gave him a puffy smile, "Exactly, glad to have you aboard A-Train. Let's make a real change happen"
He patted A-Train on the back and turned around, his eyes scanning the party for the other members of the party. He already had Black Noir and the Deep on his side. Black Noir was a guy who tended to just go with whatever Homelander asked or said they were going to do. The Deep, well … he was a pathetic little bitch that Homelander could simply bully.
Starlight was a wild card, she seemed like a bit too preachy and not just for the cameras like the rest of them. She actually believed in God and all that stuff, so he would need to pick a careful angle when he approached her.
Another bigger, more powerful wild card was Naruto. The blond man was unpredictable, he could very easily support Homelander or be on the opposite side of him. The man with seemingly an endless supply of abilities, he was the tipping point of the group.
Lastly, Maeve, she would follow Naruto. Perhaps Naruto would follow her lead if Homelander could convince her first. But he doubted it, both Maeve and Naruto were uniquely stubborn in their own ways.
Seeing Anne standing by the Young Americans group, the religious founded group of teen heroes. Another agenda pushing group to shove shit to the media and the public, these little fuckers were as corrupt as the rest of them. Hell, Tigress (A young woman capable of morphing into a humanoid tiger hybrid form) had been at the last Herogasm from what he had heard and seen and partook in. She was quite the 'team player' if you caught his drift.
Walking over, he plastered the biggest fakest smile on his face that he could, "Hey guys, how you liking the Vought Hero Honor party?"
The genetic ass answers flowed from them with practiced ease, they were all so fucking full of it, it was a mixture of unbelievably pathetic and impressive that none of them had their own personality, just pure Vought marketing spewing from their mouth with every rehearsed word.
"What about you Starlight?" asked Homelander
Starlight took a sip of her drink, cherry coke from the smell of it. She was completely somber, something rather rare for anyone in their line of business.
"Oh, the party has been great, just catching up with the old group" she replied
"Of course, I mean why wouldn't you give some time to your former team?" said Homelander with a puffy smile, "But do you mind if I steal you for a brief moment, just wanna ask you a couple questions about something. As for you, Young Americans, I heard there was some guy with baby oil trying to start something called a 'freak off' somewhere around here. His name was Diddy or something, whoever can steal the baby oil from him, I will donate 100,000 dollars to your charity"
Annie shook her head as her former team scrambled off to stop the Diddler, but she also wore a small fond smile on her face.
"Sorry to get rid of them like that, I really did smell baby oil earlier" admitted Homelander, "Also you looked bored out of your mind, thought you could use a bit of a save from them and the party"
Starlight nodded, "Yeah, I guess I am not all that used to coming to these parties and actually having people ask me questions or trying to get my attention"
Homelander nodded, "Of course, getting used to the public and the attention takes getting used to for all of us. Me? The first time I saved someone in public, the flashes from the camera and the hounding of the media had me so out of it, I couldn't even fly away and ended up just jumping really far. I had to walk along the highway for hours before I was mentally right enough to fly back to the base"
Starlight looked at him with a hint of pity, maybe that was appreciation in her eyes, it was hard for him to tell.
"They never mentioned that about you" she said, "They should tell that story to all young heroes trying to get out there into the field. It would do to demystify you a bit and also teach us that nobody is perfect"
Fucking bitch, that was not the point of that story. I just want you to let me in, do not fucking ruin this moment for me
Homelander nodded as if he agreed with her, "We all make mistakes after all, walk with me"
He led her to the windows overlooking the city, not the same set where he had convinced A-Train, no that would be lazy and wouldn't have the same impact twice. From this side, they could see Central Park, taking in the lush trees, the small pond in the middle of the park. The busy city that wrapped around it, a perfect example of nature and human development working in harmony.
"I love that our tower is in the city, mostly for the views like this one" said Homelander, "What do you think of the city Annie?"
"Oh, um … it is different from what I'm used to" she admitted, "But I like it a lot so far, it has been good to me"
Homelander could hear her heartbeat reveal that she was telling the truth, A-Train's heart was always beating super-fast, thus the speedster had the ability to lie to him unlike everyone else in the team. But sweet little Annie? She was as pure as freshly fallen snow, her heartbeat could never be under control enough to lie to him.
"You know, you don't have to stay here" said Homelander
"I don't?" questioned Annie, "I thought that being in the 7 meant that I was stationed here at the Tower"
"Initially that was the case, but how can we save the people who really need it if we are all here in New York. Doesn't it just make a bit more sense if we were capable of being spread out?" replied Homelander
"Yeah, I guess that would make a bit more sense" admitted Annie
"Plus, between you and me, if we can get away from the cameras and marketing dorks here, we might be able to get some actual saves in" joked Homelander, a charming smile falling onto his face with practiced ease
"That would be nice" said Annie, "That is why I wanted to be part of the 7, to save people"
"That is all I've ever wanted my entire life" added Homelander, "I grew up thinking of being a great hero like Soldier Boy. But then you get to the big leagues, and you find out all about the marketing, the optics, the analytics, the demographics. Suddenly, you're filming movies, worried about points, answering to shareholders. Doing everything but the reason we became superheroes in the first place, saving people"
Annie smiled at him and Homelander knew he had her in the palm of his hand, he just needed to land the plane metaphorically.
"You know, Vought didn't send me to save that plane with Maeve and Naruto. I heard about the hijacking and raced out there, it felt amazing to simply get back to doing what I love the most, saving people" finished Homelander
"Really, you did that on your own?" asked Annie and Homelander could hear how impressed she was, "I always took you as a Vought man through and through"
"I can be a bit of a company man, I have a lot of respect for the people who have helped build the team and me up, but at the end of the day, I want to help people" said Homelander
"That is the way things should be" said Annie
"And they will be sooner than later, with us getting the Department of Defense position, Supes will be able to have a greater impact" said Homelander, "We just need to get our foot in the door so to speak"
Annie nodded, "Well, you have my full support for the DoD position, you saved those people on the plane. You've been the hero the longest of all of us, except like Black Noir, but he doesn't even speak"
"Thank you, I appreciate your support in this moment" said Homelander with that classic big puffy smile, "We should get you back to the rest of the party, most of the people here are only here to see you, the best young hero in the business"
Annie giggled as she walked away and Homelander turned to look out the window so that he could roll his eyes in peace, because Annie like most of the team was a fucking joke compared to him. The position in the DoD was merely going to be a stepping stone to getting what he really wanted, control of the rest of the country. Because who better to be in the charge the biggest, strongest, smartest hero in the entire country. Annie made 5 of the 7 of the 7 to agree with him, that just left the two people who were fucking on the team.
Homelander took a deep breath as he prepared himself to go find Maeve and/or Naruto and sell them on him and the position.
"You don't have to go looking for me" said Naruto from behind him
Homelander glanced at him, his suit was missing his tie now, the buttons under the button half of his closed suit coat were fraying as if they had been roughly pulled opened previous. Which given what he had seen with his x-ray vision in that supply closet, might not have been far from the truth. He knew all too well that Maeve liked it rough at time, especially if she was the one to get things started in those moments of passion.
"You think I was going to go looking for you?" asked Homelander
"I think you were, you already got A-Train and Annie alone at one point or another during this party. It was going to be either me or Maeve or both of us" replied Naruto as he stepped closer to Homelander, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Both of them being 6 feet tall, they were quite literally standing side by side. (A/N: I googled their heights, could be wrong)
"So, let's get to it, what are you trying to get us to agree to? If it's a team up movie, I'll do it, but can we make the villain someone other than a generic white guy" said Naruto
"If we do a team up movie, definitely will take that note. Maybe we can get Josh Brolin to play the villain, CGI him up into an alien or something" replied Homelander, "But I was actually trying to get the support of the Team to allow me to take the Department of Defense Supe Liaison position"
Naruto snorted, "Are you kidding me?"
"You don't think I'm right for the job?" challenged Homelander before his tone grew a bit sharper, "Do you want that job?"
"Fuck no" laughed Naruto
"Huh?" asked Homelander
"You didn't need to get us to agree to give you the position buddy" said Naruto, "None of us want that job. Do you really want to listen to a bunch of old guys who would shit themselves if they were ever placed in a real combat situation tell you how to handle a real combat situation? Most of us are literally bullet proof, they shouldn't be telling us shit other than where to go and who to take out, just an expensive version of our crime analytics department honestly"
Homelander felt a burst of warmth fill his chest, a feeling of euphoria in the moment as he got exactly what he wanted with the least amount of resistance as possible.
"Is that all you needed?" asked Naruto
"I guess I don't have to ask you what you want?" countered Homelander
"Nah, I have pretty much everything I want at the moment" dismissed Naruto as he turned around, "Maybe when you become President or something you can let me have the plane or something since you can fly"
Naruto left as he laughed at his own joke, but it didn't create any laughter from Homelander.
President of the United States; John Homelander
That was a new thought. This entire time he had been thinking about simply killing everyone in the Pentagon, committing a hostile takeover. But perhaps he had been thinking too rashly, he was literally being put in the chain of command with an election in 3 years. Why do things the bloody way, why do things the hard way, when he could simply be a good boy and have them hand everything right over to him. It would be like taking candy from a baby, except the baby would be handing it to him.
A genuine smile appeared on his face, they didn't know that he was about to own all of them.
A/N: Look at that, an entire chapter inside the mind of Homelander, hope you enjoyed watching him code switch for the benefit of his own desires.
I don't have much more to say as this chapter should pretty much stand on its own for the simple fact that there wasn't anything hidden about it. Also, I did start a rewrite of my Marvel x Naruto story Marvel at this Shinobi's Tale called the Sly Fox Edition, everything about it is better than the original version, you should check it out.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop a review or send a PM.
As always, please think about joining my discord, lots of conversations and just overall good vibes in there. Join using invite code: xQmXkbtn
Until Next Time