𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥

6 | A Disclosure Of Hidden Trauma

"Hey! It's just me," Ashton called out as she entered her old apartment, gently kicking the door behind her closed as she dropped the multiple shopping bags from her arms onto a nearby table.

She had woken up early and left the tower to quickly buy Soldier Boy some basic necessities whilst she kept the fugitive hidden. Nothing much to start with, just a few t-shirts, sweatpants and underwear to change into instead of the dirty ones she had found him in the day prior.

"In here!" Homelander's voice called out in return, walking slowly out of her bedroom with a smirk on his face.

"H-Homelander..." Ashton said nervously.

He looked down at the bags she had carried inside and inspected the contents with his vision; mens clothing and a greasy fast-food breakfast meal for two from Vought-A-Burger. "Were you expecting company? At 10 o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday?"

Desperate for a lie that seemed somewhat plausible, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Okay fine, you caught me... I snuck out of the tower last night to meet with a Vaya match." Ashton lied. "I thought I'd surprise him with breakfast before he woke up but I guess he snuck out."

Ashton knew that Soldier Boy had stayed the night since she checked her doorbell security camera on her phone this morning. But where was he now? Had Homelander found him here or had he left by then? She silently prayed for the latter as Homelander stared at her, analysing her before cracking a smile.

"You sneaky little minx!" Homelander taunted, almost looking excited to hear this new piece of gossip. He sat down on her lounge and made himself comfortable, as if it were his own personal space which unsettled Ashton entirely but she was just relieved he believed the lie at all. "Well... Was the prick a good fuck at least?"

Ashton refused to dignify that question with an answer, causing Homelander to jut out his bottom lip and pout. "Aw come on Cerebella... You're no fun... Anyway, I found some interesting files about you in Edgar's office and thought I'd swing by." Homelander said casually, kicking his legs up and resting his feet on her coffee table.

"Oh yeah? Did they help paint the picture of my boring, mundane life? A real masterpiece, I bet." She joked lightly, though Homelander remained silent.

Homelander's expression soured, his once jovial look now switching. "I thought I made myself perfectly clear when you joined The Seven, that there would be no secrets in my team."

"You were, yes. Very clear." She responded, though she had no idea what he was talking about. Perhaps he was referring to another member of The Seven that had double crossed him. Or he was trying to test her. As far as she knew, she had always told him the truth whenever he asked. Even if their handful of conversations were brief and mostly work related.

"So I'd be correct in assuming that I was equally clear about loyalty then." He followed, "And unless you're brain-dead like Noir or a fucking idiot like Deep, you must also remember what I said would happen if you stepped out of line, yes?"

Before she could even register what was happening, Homelander had sprung off the couch and was gripping her jaw tightly in his hand. "That's not rhetorical, I want you to answer me. What did I say?"

Ashton answered him politely, though she wished she didn't have to. "You said you'd tear me apart."

"Limb, by fucking limb..." He snarled through gritted teeth. "So why Cerebella, do you insist on continually lying to me day after day?"

"I'm not lying about anything," she said calmly back, preparing herself for Homelander to be all bark and no bite. Her insolence angered him and not just because she had talked back to him. No, no. It was her entire being that infuriated him. Her blood pressure was perfectly normal, as was her heart rate. Her pupils weren't dilated out of fear and he couldn't smell any additional adrenaline coursing through her veins.