One More Time - Soldier Boy

05

All dressed up in mechanics uniforms, they all look stupid but it was a warm outfit for a cold night so Morgan couldn't complain.

Music playing in her ears because she was feeling antsy about this whole situation — like something awful was going to happen — she looks for Hughie for reassurance.

He didn't look too good either.

Fucker was on something. Same as Butcher — who still refused to tell her what he was on, fuck him too then.

Frenchie hears how loud that Morgan has her music playing. Foo Fighters Everlong. Great song, but it was so loud he was mildly concerned for his friend. "Mon ami, tu veux perdre l'audition?" he speaks in his native tongue out of habit when it came to scolding others, Morgan didn't hear him so he rolled his eyes and tapped on her shoulder aggressively, nearly yanking one of her earbuds out.

"Eh?" Morgan looks dazed and confused, lost in thought. Frenchie doesn't know if that's a good thing.

"Do you want to lose your hearing at such a young age?"

Morgan rolled her eyes and lowered the volume. He mutters under his breath.

***

She had made her way up to Butcher. They found themselves in the testing facility part of a lab, things were going surprisingly smoothly — even though lights were red and there was a light that flashed white every other five seconds, that seemed to irritate Morgan on a level but not too bad.

Butcher looks over his shoulder at the girl who'd he had started to grow close to. Honestly, he never thought he'd care about anyone else other than Becca in a while but it happened and came by fast like a freight train.

"You good?" Butcher asks casually, leaning against the wall as he watched Morgan tap the glass of a caged animal — like a kid at an aquarium, tapping on the tank even though the fish don't like it, whatever animal was in that cage was long gone and Morgan moved onto the next one.

Morgan raised an eyebrow, one earbud out she looks at him. How long have they known each other? One? Two years now? Almost three? Feels like forever. She wouldn't change it for anything though, Hughie might but he's never been the adventurer — up till recently, or at least up til he started dating Starlight.

And more recently though since Homelander announced "Homelight" as a ship for him and Starlight, it was a fucking cruel joke that guy pulled and Morgan couldn't wait to destroy that man — Hughie (and to an extent) and Annie deserved better.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been staring aimlessly since we've gotten here."

"Place gives me the creeps."

HELLO,
I'VE WAITED HERE FOR YOU
EVERLONG...

Butcher snickers, looking through some files that the Russians have stupidly left behind. He sees a photo — a couple and their kid, small girl with blonde hair and green eyes. A lot of information was blocked out. A date on there seemed familiar but he chose to ignore it.

"Then why'd you come along?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Morgan asks with a raised eyebrow as the beat of the song plays in her head.

TONIGHT I THROW MYSELF INTO
AND OUT OF THE RED
OUT OF HER HEAD, SHE SANG...

Butcher shrugged. "Seemed so against the idea of Russia before—"

"—I was more worried about Frenchie and Kimiko."