Butterflies Volume II

Chapter 12

Kimiko kicked open the door with her hands in her pockets, Violet following suit gently closing it. The boys were all sat waiting for them, and as they entered with blood on their faces, on Kimiko's more specifically, they didn't need to ask how it went. It was evident. Violet magicked baby wipes in the car, but Kimiko denied her offer to share. She wasn't sure if she was too tired to face the mess, or unwilling to wipe away what she had done. Maybe she wanted Butcher to see, to see what he sent her to do like it would have an impact on him.

"Well, how'd you get on?" Butcher inquired.

Violet took out her phone to show him, "fine, except I need a new dress."

"I'll get you a new dress-" Butcher looked up from his phone to her, Violet's eyes tired as she nodded, "Nina will love this, good job you two."

Kimiko stormed off with Frenchie following suit, Violet wanting to go too but knowing it would only be him that could help her. She couldn't console her when she too was a weapon. She had no silver lining. The door slammed as Violet slumped on the sofa, flicking on the TV to find nothing she understood. The screen flashed brightly against the tiredness of her eyes, Violet wanting to sleep but also knowing they had no time to. She wondered how the kids were doing, if their parents had relayed the email she sent to them on the plane.

Hughie found his way next to her, sat up straight like there were a million things on his mind. Violet propped her feet up on the small coffee table, not really sure she wanted to talk after the evening she just had. She hoped those girls got out safely. Changing the channel, she squinted at the bulging colours, seeing Annie and Homelander again. Her head lolled to the side to Hughie, who cringed at the screen.

"What's up with that?" She wondered, "what happened?"

"PR move, Homelander's way of threatening us," he replied.

"And that's it? You're letting this happen-"

"-It's not like I can do anything about it."

Violet held her hands up at his sudden verocity. His arm was still wrapped in a thick bandage, and as he placed it in his lap, Violet noticed for the first time Homelander's signature.

"What the fuck?" She pointed to it, "what is going on?"

"Homelander is getting a bit-"

"-Antsy yeah I've heard," Violet spoke over him, "but why is Annie all alone."

"Because I'm here, helping him."

He nodded to Butcher and Violet rolled her head to him next, on the other side of the room likely exchanging messages with Nina. Hughie was avoidant, shameful, dangling his toes off the edge of something unwillingly that Violet didn't understand. She hated Homelander's signature on his arm, but she hated more that Annie was trapped with him, playing boyfriend and girlfriend.

"You should invite Annie to join the team, I mean if she can get out of Vought. I did, so she can."

"It's complicated."

Violet rubbed her eyes, "yeah well if you think it's hard for you, at least you don't have to kiss him."

She got up to see if Kimiko was okay, because if she had to see another angle of Annie kissing Homelander, she might be sick.

✧✧✧

Butcher held the needle tight in his hand. He shouldn't be doing it there, with Violet just the other side of the wall. He shouldn't be doing it at all, but they needed all they could get. They needed strength and they needed power, so he loaded the luminous green liquid in the syringe, holding it under the crackling florescent lights. He let a few drips drop from the end, just to not overdo himself. He wrapped his arm up snugly, cutting off the blood flow for when he pierced the syringe into his skin.