Somehow, by some amazing miracle, Billy Butcher and I did not implode and take out the building we used as headquarters during the two months we'd coexisted. Did he still bristle anytime I tried to offer a less extreme tact for one of his plans? Yes. Did he look like he was considering tossing my short ass out the fucking window as often? No.
I was on the phone with the still acting deputy director when he walked into my office's open door. I hated having to jump up every fucking time someone came to speak to me, so I kept it propped open with a door jam most of the day. He looked like thunder, but I was in the middle of learning another fucking assignment that the higher ups felt fell under my new position's heading.
"Are you sending the files over digitally or am I going to have to-" she told me that she was sending them via courier and I told her I'd be waiting. I hung up and looked up at the storm that was waiting to be unleashed. "Yes, Mr. Butcher?"
He started to pace and rant, and the jist of it was his irritation that he was running into walls when it came to dealing with one of the administrative shills that we were stuck with for reports or updates to reports. "How am I supposed to plan any fucking thing if Kevin in-" and on he went. I let him vent, waiting the rush of words out, until he finally seemed to hit the end of his stride. "What are you gonna do to fix it?" His eyes locked on mine where he was hovering in front of my desk.
"Me?" Sitting back, I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm confused about why you came into my office thundering instead of thundering to Kevin?" His lips quirked into a smirk, and he raised an eyebrow. "Is this THE Billy Butcher showing maturity in how he deals with an irritating situation?" My tone coupled with the mock surprise did it. He laughed and it changed his entire bearing.
"Aren't you the one who told me to calm my tits?" I snorted at the imagery of his uptight tits. "Here I am, calming my-"
"Tits, yes, I got the picture firmly in my head." I shook my head. "Of course I want you to not fly off the handle and blow up anyone who is causing you frustration, but I assure you, unless you planned to throw Kevin off the roof of the building for his lack of skills, I'm fine with you giving him hell. Just hold back on the urge to light him on actual fire, ok?" I could swear the twinkle in his eyes was back. I'd seen it flash here and there over the course of two months, but it made me grin almost every single time. I say almost, because I tended to get heartburn when it came after me forcing a promise from him to NOT go to extreme measures.
"Toss him off the roof?" He shook his head and the smirk turned to a grin. "Thought you knew me better than that, Doc." And then he was gone again. Shit. I REALLY hoped I wouldn't have to write an incident report on Kevin, wait, did we even have a Kevin on staff here?
We didn't have a Kevin on staff. His name was Joseph, and he was in my doorway not an hour later looking like he'd seen a ghost. Smiling in what I hoped was a reassuring way, I invited him into my office. He looked like a scared mouse, his eyes glancing at my open door.
"You can close it, if that would make you feel more comfortable?" I offered, and he nodded and nudged the door jam out from under the door and let it click shut. "Now, Joseph, what has you in such a flutter?"
He haltingly told me about his run in with Billy Butcher, swallowing often and eyes darting around my office like he expected the man to hop out from behind a bookshelf and throttle him. I sighed as he painted a picture of the man, the myth, the pain in my ass scaring this poor report jockey shitless. Once he was finished, eyes still flickering around the room, Adam's apple bobbing with every hard swallow, I sat back in my chair.
"Did he put his hands on you?" He shook his head, but looked confused by the question. "I need to know when I reprimand him, you see, if he was physical with you that would have to be addressed, Joseph." A nod to show he understood. "He verbally threatened you?"
"He said," a gulp and more eye darting, "that he'd 'toss my sorry ass off the roof' if I didn't make things simpler during his requests, but-"
I had to swallow my laughter. The asshole had used my words against me. Fucker. "But?" I managed to choke out.
"There are procedures that we have to go through, you know that Dr. Taylor." He was pleading, begging almost for me to understand his hands were tied. And I had a flash that if we didn't fix the situation, his hands WOULD be tied, and his ass might end up in the ocean.
I sighed again. "I'm well aware of the procedures, Joseph." Rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck, I considered how to make everyone happy and safe. Or at least happier and not dealing with a chance of ending up fish food. "I suppose that Mr. Butcher can start running his needs and requirements past me, and then I can run them up the flagpole." Joseph looked relieved and I felt a burning in my chest starting to grow. I was going to end up with a fucking medical condition from all the extra fucking stress and shit I was putting my ass through. Damn it. "Go, Joseph. I'll let Mr. Butcher know that I'll be his-" another sigh. "I'll take care of it." Dismissed, he started for the door. "Don't replace the jam, please." I needed quiet and fuck it if I had to get up and answer the damn knocks for awhile.
I called Billy in for another meeting later that day. I swore I could hear his fucking grin over the phone and nearly growled when he told me he'd see me soon. Fucker. I was up to my elbows in boxes and boxes of files that the couriers had delivered soon after Joseph had left when a knock sounded on my still closed door.
Groaning, I made my way barefoot to the door and opened it. There he stood, the smug bastard, and as I turned to go back to the desk, ignoring the dozen boxes that I'd been sitting with on the floor.
"Cute toes," he mentioned, and I rolled my eyes. "Didn't take you for a red polish kind of-"
"Cut the shit, Billy." I gestured to the empty chairs in front of my desk and he took one. "You'll be happy, I'm sure, to know that I will be handling ALL of your op requests personally now." His smile grew and I had to fight picking up a stapler and tossing it at his head. "Thought you weren't thinking about tossing his ass off the roof," I raised an eyebrow and he had the fucking nerve to laugh.
"I wasn't, that was YOUR idea, Doc." His smile held. "Worked, didn't it?" Shaking my head I watched as he took in my new additions. "What's all this?"
Giving a truly forced smile of my own, I let out another sigh. "This," I offered, standing and walking back to the spot I'd been sitting in when he knocked, "is the rest of my new assignment." Leaning down, I pulled a file from the first box I came to. "Matthew Alexander Rogers, born May 3, 1998. Given his first dose of Compound V days after his premature birth, after Vought convinced his parents that it would not only aid in his health issues, but make him stronger. Died July 6, 1998 when his heart gave out from the strain of his newfound strength." I put it carefully back in the box it came from and pulled a file from the box next to it. "Joann Sylvia Constantine. Born September 3, 1978. Codename Angel. Current whereabouts unknown. Powers of flight, strength, and-" I tossed the file back into the box I pulled it from. "Seems that I'll be dealing with the supes that AREN'T part of the Seven and ones that didn't survive the dosage."
"There are at least a-"
"Dozen," I nodded and moved back to my desk. Ignoring my chair, I perched on the surface closest to Billy. "There are a round dozen boxes, I had to sign for them." I knew my shoulders were slumped, but it was overwhelming how many babies and children had died from Vought's bullshit. "They aren't sorted by any discernible means. Birth, death, names. None of those are used to put them in order. I could have just as easily pulled three files from three different boxes that all told of dying children or babies. They fucking experiemented on babies, Billy, with no proof that the outcome would be successful." I shook my head and felt the weight of it all.
"And I just added to your fucking load with-" I rolled my eyes. Now he considers my load. "Doc, if I have to, I'll go back to dealing with Kevin."
"Joseph." I corrected him and he looked confused. "His name isn't Kevin, it's Joseph." Hopping off the desk, I went back to my chair. "It's fine, Billy, I can handle it, I just hate reading those fucking files and seeing people die so Vought could create a new fucking species."
"Makes you wanna burn the entire fucking operation down, don't it?" I shook my head. "Come on, Doc, you know the more you read them files, the more likely you're gonna come down on my side of the fucking debate." Shit, I knew he was right, but I couldn't go rogue. Not my fucking job.
"Acting on wants isn't necessarily the best course of action, Billy." I pulled a legal pad from one of my drawers and uncapped my pen. "Now, tell me what you were willing to threaten Joseph over so I can work magic to make some of it happen."
Once I finished the list, handing it to him so he could confirm it, I stood to walk him to the door. Still barefoot, and he took notice. "Your toes are still pretty damn adorable, Doc," looking up at him, I caught him licking his lips. Ew, don't be a weird foot fetish guy, I thought, but shot it down. What did it matter what William Butcher's kinks might be? His eyes met mine and for once I didn't feel irritation, I felt an entirely new twist in my gut and nearly groaned. Nope, not happening, Veronica. Not him. Any fucking one but him. "Gonna have to visit more often to see what else you toss off to get comfy in here." Shit.
"Just the shoes, Mr. Butcher," I opened the door and nearly sighed in relief as he started to leave. I could feel the heat from him as he walked past me, but then his hand touched my arm and my eyes shot back to his face.
"You only call me 'Mr. Butcher' when you're trying to knock back your irritation with me, Doc." his fingers were still on my arm, and I was trying to focus past the feel of it to listen to what he was saying. "It's Billy, just Billy." I swallowed and nodded with what I hoped was a smile on my lips.
"Veronica, then," I offered back. "'Doc' reminds me of Bugs Bunny." He smiled, but his fingers didn't leave my skin. I felt like his touch was burning me. "I have a lot of work to do," leave, please, so I can freak out in private.
"So do I, Ronnie." And then his hand and he was gone. I closed the door behind him, and leaned against it to try to make sense of what the fuck just happened.
No flirting with him, Ronnie, I thought. Then growled when I realized that I just used the nickname he'd given me to address myself and then really growled when I noticed that I was having an entire internal debate with myself. Fuck. I was going to end up committed by the end of this assignment.