Archive of Our Own

He stared at his body in the mirror, so neat and flawless that not a single mark disrupted the perfection of his skin. It was so carefully maintained and soft that he wondered if anyone would still want him if they saw him naked—if they would accept that his body wasn’t the sculpted, muscular one he wore like armor every day. Though that was complicated, because it meant imagining a situation where someone could actually take his clothes off.

He turned slightly, admiring his figure and the way his stomach was a little soft and rounded—nothing like the fake abs he wished he had.

He wondered if this body would ever be desired by an Alpha, if someone would kiss it with adoration until every invisible word carved into his skin over the years was erased.

A defective product.

He wondered if he would ever feel enough, or if his mind would ever stop being a torturous prison. If one day the unanswered questions would stop following him—or rather, the questions that did have answers, but none of them were enough to calm his anxiety.

Will there ever be an alpha who could love me?

Will someone finally stop lying to me?

Will I ever be an omega worthy of being loved?

Homelander didn’t know, and he shouldn’t even want it. He wasn’t like the rest of the omegas who could let themselves be carried away by their instincts. He suppressed his omega nature with so many suppressants that he couldn’t even remember when his last heat had been. That was exactly why he was better.

・・・・・

It had been a little over six months since the life of America’s number one hero had changed. One of the most important and significant changes was that he had a father, and that he now lived in the Tower with The Seven alongside him. For a man who had grown up in a laboratory, treated more like a product than a person, learning he had a family had left him stunned. It was as if his childhood wishes had finally come true.

At first, when he didn’t yet know that Soldier Boy was his father, he had felt genuine concern. His first impression was that the man had returned from the dead to end the lives of several supes. He remembered being worried when he saw him through the cameras the day Soldier Boy showed up at Vought Tower looking for Homelander. Whatever the man wanted from him, the blond hero knew he couldn’t let his guard down. He refused to be intimidated—because he was Homelander, the strongest man on Earth.

But the man didn’t want to fight. He only wanted to talk, and that was when Homelander learned the truth.

“Back in the eighties, I was taking Vogelbaum’s new experimental drug because…” He hesitated for a moment, then continued in the same serious tone, “my suppressants stopped working.”

Homelander made a small face of confusion. He was sure that back then suppressants were exclusive to omegas, since controlling alphas in rut was far more complicated. He didn’t understand where this conversation was going.

“That night I drank and drank until I ran out of every drop of alcohol I had. It was insane,” the man said, smiling as he remembered the past. “It was a really wild night. I ended up getting into a fight with my old teammate. Neither of us knew why the other was there, but we ended up smashing the whole fucking place.”

The older hero had always thought he had kids scattered somewhere out there, but Homelander was definitely his. Benjamin, also known as Soldier Boy, had been born an omega and enlisted for Dr. Vought’s tests, where his body was altered by Compound V1 to turn him into an alpha. That was how he had ended up with a son.

He had always told himself he wouldn’t be like his own father—that he would be better. He wouldn’t reject his son, even if he turned out to be an omega. God, he would have even handed over his position if they had let him stay. But things were different now, and everything changed the moment he met him.

He had come to curse that night in the eighties when his stupid omega nature had surfaced and he ended up fathering that damn blond monster.

His son had turned out to be a smiling, tasteless product that Vought had taken and molded to their interests, creating a ridiculously powerful hero. However, he ended up being far too weak, because his arrogance was merely a consequence of his powers. It was easy to see through Homelander; it was like looking through a magnifying glass that revealed an unstable omega—fragile in the face of criticism and desperately seeking the public’s validation because it was the only way he could accept himself.

It was a complete disappointment for the Soldier, so much so that he couldn’t keep the words to himself and said them straight to his face.

“You’re a fucking disappointment.”

"Look at you… just the softest, wettest boy. You’re pathetic. You’re nothing at all."

John seemed to understand what he meant. Those sad eyes belonged to someone who experienced sadness on a regular basis—especially rejection. He could tell it was common for the omega to feel insufficient. But Benjamin didn’t want any of what Homelander desperately kept offering him. He didn’t want chefs or staged crimes. He just wanted to get high and not have the blond following him around everywhere.

The hero didn’t know what else to do to please his father. He wanted to give everything so that he would be comfortable, but Ben was happy with —according to Homelander— trivialities.

The lonely and pathetic omega followed his father like a newly hatched duckling. He was too naive —or simply too stupid— to understand that Benjamin didn’t want him around. The most disconcerting thing was that the hurtful words he had received at the beginning seemed to have had no effect on him at all. John remained there, clinging to the hope of getting even a little of his attention while he searched for answers about his other father.

It was like having an annoying reporter glued to his heels, chasing him with questions about his origins. Ben didn’t know how to get rid of him. With journalists it was simple: it was enough to ignore them or refuse to answer. But with John he couldn’t do the same. The man always ended up following him everywhere or coinciding with him during missions.

What Ben didn’t know was that Homelander had been the one who had arranged the entire situation. He had made sure they were both assigned to the same missions, justifying it as a strategy to reinforce the image of a united family that they were trying to sell to the public.

In the end, there was no choice but to accept his presence.

Things became much more chaotic during one of their joint missions. That day’s mission was to investigate an abandoned facility where Vought had previously operated with Compound V, after receiving reports of strange activity. It was then that they received the unexpected visit from the former supe known as Bombsight. The alpha burst into the place, leaving destruction in his wake. His expression dripped with fury, and the dominant alpha pheromones radiating from him saturated the air with an intense scent of leather and burnt gunpowder. It was a heavy, almost suffocating smell that made John instinctively take a step back.

The alpha looked desperate, glancing between Homelander and Soldier Boy as if they were hiding something. He was clearly distrustful of them, yet he still demanded an answer.

“Is it true what they said? Homelander is your son?” His authoritative voice rang out firmly. Soldier Boy only gave a crooked smile at the stupidity the man had just displayed.

John took a step forward, ready to respond—whether because of the authority with which Bombsight had spoken to him or simply out of pride at being able to say he had a father. However, Ben extended an arm in front of him to stop him. He would deal with Bombsight himself.

“I don’t like your tone,” his voice heavy with annoyance and challenge. He had always hated when people used that alpha voice on him, and Robbie knew it better than anyone. If that alpha with the dazzling smile was looking for a fight, Ben had no problem smashing his face in.

Without taking his eyes off Bombsight, he addressed his son with one final instruction.

“Don’t get involved in this,” he said seriously. This wasn’t John’s business.

“I’ve wanted to punch that pretty face for so long.”

“I thought you liked this face.”

The man lunged at Soldier Boy. Both were hurled against the concrete wall. Neither came out injured, but now they were outside, ready to continue their fight.

John stared at the hole they had left in the wall. The place was a disaster, full of debris and broken objects that had been useless for a long time.

He heard footsteps approaching his location. He was ready to confront whoever it was, but as soon as he caught the strong pheromones of wood and tobacco, he knew exactly who was coming. It was impossible to suppress the tingling in his omega at the presence of the alpha who had been chasing him for two years. That man whose dream was to end all supes—especially Homelander.

This wasn’t the first time they had come face to face, and it wouldn’t be the last. Billy Butcher was a persistent man, incapable of giving up once he had clear objectives. He always found a way to insert himself where he didn’t belong if it meant taking down supes.

For Homelander, William Butcher was a man worthy of admiration. He had an unbreakable determination and an almost impressive ability to get what he wanted.

He was also an alpha who awakened something unsettling in John’s omega.

He had cataloged it as a twisted game of predator and prey; a savage hunt in which one chased the other until there was no escape left. Butcher was just a fragile human compared to any supe, yet he had still managed to put Homelander against the ropes on more than one occasion. He had investigated Compound V, uncovered its role in the creation of super terrorists, and had even been directly involved in the release of Soldier Boy from his prison in Russia.

And now he had discovered another of his secrets.

William Butcher knew that Homelander was an omega.

The greatest of his weaknesses. The secret he hated most about himself.

It had all happened due to a slip-up during their last confrontation, when his suppressants began to fail. The medication had turned him almost into a beta, suppressing his natural scent and making his nose immune to everyone else’s aroma. For years, they had worked to trick his biology. However, since he turned thirty, everything had become unstable. They no longer worked as they should.

His scent grew stronger every time his emotions slipped out of control and his omega began to demand something John refused even to consider: an alpha.

That was why he couldn’t stay with Maeve. She had never been what his instincts desired. What he had with Madelyn wasn’t love either; she was a liar who played with his need for approval, a desperate attempt to fill a void that never went away. His omega felt rejected, despised, condemned to live alone because no alpha could ever want someone like him.

That frustration was the real reason behind his irritable and unstable personality.

Then William Butcher appeared.

An alpha who wouldn’t stop pursuing him, challenging him, and getting in his way.

And, to John’s misfortune, his omega was fascinated by it.

He enjoyed feeling cornered by an alpha who didn’t back down, by someone who seemed willing to face him again and again, no matter the consequences.

There was something about William that he found impossible to ignore: he wasn’t afraid of him. He was the first person who looked at him without adoration, without reverence, and without terror.

John was unable to put a name to what he felt. All he knew was that if he accepted the truth, he would have to acknowledge that William Butcher had become someone important to him.

“William,” the man said upon seeing the Brit standing in front of him. A foolish smile spread across his face. It had been a few weeks since he had heard anything about the man, and he couldn’t help but feel excited at this reunion. “What a surprise to see you here.”

“Hey, darling,” he said, walking toward him. That crooked smile was just as charming as the nickname he liked to use. “Happy to see me?”

He would have liked to admit that yes, his heart was beating a little faster and that his omega felt happy for the first time in a long while after feeling miserable for so long.

“I didn’t think I’d find you here…” he replied. He felt guilty for not being honest with his emotions; he always scolded himself because he had to remember to keep his distance. He needed to set boundaries. “But I have to go, I need to help…”

“They told you not to get involved in adult matters,” he said with amusement as he walked closer. “Didn’t they teach you that you shouldn’t get in the middle of a couple’s fight?”

“Couple?” That was the only thing that caught his attention. He lifted his gaze and looked him straight in the eyes, waiting for an answer. It was obvious that the man knew something he didn’t; all it took was seeing the victorious expression on his face.

“The hero Bombsight is your father, you slut,” William replied. With that, he turned on his heel and began walking away down the hallway of the abandoned building, leaving John confused and with far too many questions to know where to start. “Congratulations. Now you have what you always lacked.”

John hurried after him.

“What the hell are you talking about…? How do you know that…?”

“So what’s next on your list? A partner? A child? Or maybe you’d prefer an alpha to mark you first so you can stop acting like a desperate cunt.”

John grimaced. That mockery was especially cruel because William was using something against him that he had confessed during their last encounter. It had been a moment of absolute weakness, when he had opened his heart and admitted that he wanted a normal life.

Remembering that day still embarrassed him because of how pathetic he had been. It was the day of his thirty-second birthday and he had felt miserable.

“But you could have at least one of those things,” Butcher said, stopping to look at John. Those pleading blue eyes only drove him crazy because, for some reason, they always managed to disarm him. Especially when his eyebrows drew together and he looked so beautifully vulnerable.

A fleeting smile appeared on Homelander’s face, almost like an involuntary tic. He didn’t need such a humiliating taunt from Billy right now.

“Oi, you could be an omega with a mate. Belong to an Alpha.” He moved closer and closer, invading his personal space, and Homelander backed up until his back touched the wall. He allowed him to do this because that was what he wanted from William — to stir up all his senses, especially those of his caste.

John’s omega howled at feeling him so close to his neck. It was ecstatic and didn’t want him to pull away. All of this made it much harder for him to think clearly.

“Is that what’s got you acting out and being unbearable?” Butcher’s deep voice sounded too hoarse. His hot breath brushed against the exposed part of his neck, making his legs go weak.

If he weren’t so strong and didn’t have such self-control, he would have shown it and let William lick his scent gland — an act so intimate that he wished to experience it at least once in his life. But he simply remained still, unable to pull away from that closeness, and Homelander felt like he could cry from need.

He shook off the absurd ideas forming in his head, clenched his teeth, and pulled away immediately.

“I-I don’t need an alpha! I’m Homelander! The most powerful being in…!”

“But you still want one, don’t you?” Butcher said seriously, looking him straight in the eyes and confronting his desires head-on — something Homelander wasn’t ready for. “You must feel very lonely. I’d bet you feel it every damn day of your miserable life.” Those words struck his heart like daggers, wanting only to tear him apart and make him suffer.

He didn’t understand why William was like this with him. Homelander had done terrible things — killing without remorse was something he did regularly — and he had caused problems for the government by wanting to be part of the military. But did he deserve this from William? He had never taken anything from Butcher. They barely knew each other, and yet that human seemed willing to dedicate his entire life to destroying him just for being a supe.

“I could make you mine.” he whispered in his ear. John stopped breathing.

“W-What are you saying?!” His demeanor shifted from submissive to angry. His heart clenched at those words spoken with such sincerity. He hated Butcher for toying with his feelings like that.

He wasn’t going to allow him to treat him this way, but when he tried to push him away with a shove that should have sent him flying into the wall, William simply stayed in place. He tried again, with much more force, but the man held firm. He grabbed John’s hands and felt an enormous strength compared to his own, then proceeded to pin them against the wall so he couldn’t do anything.

John was confused.

“You haven’t answered my offer,” he smiled crookedly.

“William, you…” He tried to focus on what was happening. For a moment he thought it was a dream because of how unreal everything felt. He wasn’t paying attention to what he had said; he wanted answers. “What did you do to yourself, William?”

The man let out a humorless laugh. He knew John wouldn’t leave him alone if he didn’t tell him.

“Compound V,” he answered honestly. On his face and in his voice, it was clear how much he was enjoying the power of being a supe. The alpha had hated supes so much — and still did — but he knew it was impossible to fight them as a mere human.

“What the fuck… William!” he said worriedly, struggling until he broke free from the grip. “Why did you do this to yourself?”

“It’s the only way I can get this close to you without getting hurt.” Both men remained silent in that abandoned place, but Butcher was the one who pulled away first. "I’d take you as mine, John"

And the supe could only take a deep breath at the confession. He had fantasized about that moment many times — not necessarily with William, but with several alphas. He had never imagined that such an opportunity would come from his enemy, the one he desired.

So he didn’t know what to do, because if it wasn’t William, what else did he have left?

・・・・・

The hero Homelander walked through The Seven’s tower, his cape with the American flag pattern fluttering slightly. He didn’t know what to do; his schedule was surprisingly free of any interviews, filming, or tasks that required his presence. 

He was alone, and that would lead him to think — which was the last thing he wanted to do, because the only thing that came to his mind was William’s proposal.

He thought about the alpha constantly, but even more so now after their conversation the other day. He hadn’t told anyone what had happened. His father hadn’t asked any questions when he smelled the alpha pheromones on him; he had simply wrinkled his nose. He felt crazy for seriously considering the proposal, because alpha Butcher was one that his omega accepted.

He wasn’t like the others who simply caused him disgust, like Deep or A-Train — he was often misunderstood by his teammates, who thought it was Homelander’s alpha instinct fighting for territory and authority. They were idiots and immature, and they were always afraid of him. It was the same with the rest of the betas, alphas, and omegas in his close circle. No one had managed to catch his attention. They were all so insignificant, but William was the exception.

I could make you mine.

He shouldn’t be thinking about considering it. It wasn’t something he was allowed to do. Vought had been giving him suppressants for years so he could fulfill what the company wanted — practically a beta in his private life and an alpha in front of the cameras, but never an omega free to experience his own nature.

But he wanted to feel good. He wanted his omega to howl, to feel loved and desired — especially if it came from the alpha of someone he had wanted for a long time.

He didn’t understand why he was thinking so much about his nature lately, or why everything suddenly felt so decisive and difficult.

Since he was a child, he had always thought he would never have a problem like this. He had imagined he would never need to look for a mate and that he would be fine with whatever little he received. It should have been enough to fulfill his role as the world’s greatest hero. It should have been enough to have Madelyn’s comforting words. It should have been enough to share a bed with Maeve.

That was what he kept telling himself, over and over.

But none of it had been enough.

Madelyn had never loved him. Neither had Maeve.

Neither of them had ever seen the omega hidden beneath that flawless alpha image — not even Madelyn, who knew everything. They only saw Homelander: the symbol, the character. None of it was enough, and he had never been enough for them because they had never truly accepted him.

But now everything was different. He was desperate to be wanted in return, and he thought this might be his only option.

He let out a heavy sigh in the middle of the hallway. Everything felt so difficult.

He was overthinking the situation, and part of it was Soldier Boy and Bombsight’s fault. Ever since the violent reunion during their last mission, he kept seeing Bombsight — also known as Robbie — around Vought Tower. John could barely spend any time with his father anymore, because Robbie was always there, talking to Ben or stealing the father-son moments he should have been creating.

Though if he was completely honest with himself, he felt displaced.

What bothered him even more was that Robbie —who was apparently his other father— radiated a serene kind of happiness every time he was with Ben. John found the alpha’s behavior strange: he kept showing up at Vought Tower just to see his father, bringing him bottles of liquor or flowers. He had always thought that kind of affection only happened when two people were alone, or at least that was how he had done it. Always in secret.

He had thought his father would eventually yell at the alpha and they would fight again, but Homelander quickly realized that would never happen. Not with the natural, warm smile Ben gave Robbie — a smile John had never been able to draw from his father. He tried to convince himself it meant nothing.

The omega told himself that the old comrades were simply catching up after so many years out of contact, a close friendship between former teammates who had shared several important missions. Nothing more.

Or at least that’s what he wanted to believe whenever he saw them together around the tower while he was left alone. In those moments, he found himself thinking more and more that it would be nice to have someone to spend time with like those two did. However, he eventually realized the truth. They weren’t just friends.

Everything happened one Friday night while he was walking through the hallways after returning from the premiere of a movie. He was so exhausted and tense that he only wanted to take a bath, but first he wanted to go see his father to check if he was okay, since he was the only member of The Seven who had stayed at the tower. He was going to invite him to eat if he hadn’t already, but his super hearing picked up something before he could get close to the door.

He was sure they were moans and heavy breathing. The most unpleasant part was realizing the voices belonged to his parents. The obscene words reached his ears before he could walk away, making him grimace in disgust. He turned around to leave before the pheromones could reach his nose. How disgusting it all was.

・・・・・

“Hello.” A terribly familiar voice sounded behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts as he stared at the city through the large conference room window. He turned slowly, forced a smile, and greeted Bombsight with a slight nod.

“Ben isn’t here,” he said almost immediately, anticipating the reason he assumed had brought the other man there. “He hardly ever comes here unless it’s necessary.”

The silence that followed was awkward. John felt the atmosphere grow tense because he didn’t know how to act around Robbie. He was his other father, yet neither of them had confronted the other. There were too many things left unsaid between them and too many questions neither dared to ask.

“I… have to go,” he blurted out suddenly, moving toward the exit, but the brunet stopped him.

“Wait,” he said, and John obeyed.

He thought he would say something, but the brunet simply studied his face, searching for any trait that would make him consider him his own. Robbie thought it was hard to see Benjamin in that blond man, but strangely, he could see himself in Homelander. He felt stupid for even thinking that.

The omega endured that gaze, as vulnerable as if he were waiting for some kind of answer at the end of it.

I always wanted a pup, Robbie thought, biting his tongue before he could say it out loud. It was pointless. That man wasn’t someone he could take care of or teach things to. They had stolen the chance for him to be a father… and a partner as well. Ben had always been someone difficult to forget despite the years, but he had never imagined they had kept him captive.

John cleared his throat nervously.

“You… you could help me with something I’ve been thinking about,” the hero said, taking a few steps back and starting to pace around the room. “My father told me you’re a romantic… so I guess you must know about these things.”

A soft laugh escaped Robbie. Something told him Ben had said that with a few insults thrown in.

“Yeah, sure. I’m listening,” he said, walking over to the desk and sitting down in Maeve’s chair, showing he had John’s full attention. John took a deep breath, wanting to back out for a second from what he was about to do.

“Let’s say that… there’s someone. A person who wants to bite an omega, and this omega wants it… a lot. But he also thinks he’s not enough and that they’re going to play with his feelings…” He waved his hand dismissively, even though that was the story of his life. He continued with his story.

“But this other alpha has shown that he would do anything to mark him. He even set aside some of his own beliefs about supes— about certain things he used to consider non-negotiable. Never mind, that’s not the point.”

Robbie nodded.

“Do you think that…” his voice grew quieter, “do you think that omega should accept him?” he asked, somewhat afraid of the answer.

Bombsight remained silent for a few seconds, but he thought about Benjamin. He thought about all the times he had wanted to show him how he felt and all the opportunities they had let slip away because of their rivalry.

“I’ve always believed that an alpha should give everything for his partner. If he truly loves him, he has to prove it. And if that alpha is willing to go that far to change… I think the omega can start to believe he’s in good hands.”

Robbie smiled, though there was no gentleness in it.

“Of course… as long as he wants the same thing and wants you as his partner,” he said in a more serious tone. “It doesn’t matter how much you love someone or how badly you want to mark them. If the other person isn’t ready or doesn’t want it, then the conversation ends there.” He looked directly at Homelander as he spoke.

In previous decades, that kind of thing was often overlooked. Robbie hated people who didn’t care about omegas’ lives and only looked out for their own interests. If he could help his alpha son with romantic dilemmas, he was more than willing to talk to him — even about how to properly court an omega.

“You think it wouldn’t be wrong…?” John asked with distrust. “I mean, there’s consent from both sides and…”

“A bond like that changes a lot of things, and there’s always the fear of getting hurt. But if both of you are sure about what you feel and what you want, then don’t let fear make the decision for you,” he said with certainty, in an almost paternal tone. He felt like he was doing something right.

John lowered his gaze. A small smile formed after a torturous week of overthinking William’s proposal. He felt ready for whatever the future might bring.

Without realizing it, he had just received approval from one of his fathers to accept the bite from the man he loved.

・・・・・

When he arrived at that house, he had in mind finding the twins from his father’s old team, but instead he found an orgy of supes. His face twisted in disgust. There were multiple pheromones in the air, and the smell of sweat and bodily fluids was revolting. It was like being in hell — everything was so depraved.

As soon as he arrived, several people brazenly propositioned him. Homelander recoiled with clear repulsion on his face. He wasn’t interested in any of this. He hated the way the entire place smelled, so he had to get out of there immediately or he was going to throw up. Once again his suppressants weren’t working properly; if they were, he was sure he wouldn’t be dry-heaving behind a tree. But it didn’t matter right now whether they worked or not — he had a job to do.

He approached the house, this time flying up to the second floor and breaking through the roof to enter. This way he could avoid unwanted eyes and the rest of the people. His gaze met that of some supes who were fucking on the bed. He looked at them with disgust and his laser eyes killed them instantly. He didn’t want to deal with anything right now.

Suddenly, he heard screams coming from the floor below and the house filling with panic. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t the kind of chaos he would expect from a place like this. He continued walking through the upper floor, searching for the brothers.

When Homelander entered the room, he saw William standing in the middle of it. He looked surprised to see him there, and a foolish smile formed on the omega’s face. However, when he saw the other person in the room, everything went to hell. It was that pathetic, weak omega with the stupid name — “Hughie.” He looked terrified, but what truly enraged him was that he was naked.

That infuriated him. He growled on instinct, staring at him with pure hatred as his eyes turned red in an instant. There was nothing he wanted more than to tear the man in half. His body shot forward toward the other omega and slammed him against the wall. The wall cracked and debris fell to the floor. He didn’t give him a chance to recover — he wanted to make him suffer.

Just like his heart was pounding with pain and his omega felt betrayed. He felt like he had lost his chance, and that was what hurt the most: that William could choose someone else.

“Why… Why would he choose you?” he growled, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him brutally against the concrete. He held the skinny man with one hand and punched that stupid, terrified face. It was satisfying, and he was going to keep going until he killed him.

But he felt something wrap around his waist and yank him away, sending him flying before he crashed hard onto the floor.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he was starting to feel dizzy. When he got up, dust covering his face, he saw William with tentacles emerging from his chest.

“What the fuck… William?!” He looked at him with fury. Even though he was furious, he didn’t care about what he was seeing. “What the fuck is he doing here and why is he… like that!” He pointed at him completely, as if it weren’t disgusting to see. John’s face was desperate for an answer.

“Oi It’s not what you think, princess,” Butcher said casually. John only grew more enraged and kicked the couch in the room with brutal force, nearly hitting the other omega with it. When he was about to attack again, tentacles grabbed him tightly, stopping him from advancing and throwing him back to the floor. “Get a hold of yourself, love.”

“Go on, kid. I’ll take care of this cunt,” Butcher told Hughie, touching his bare shoulder. Homelander stood up again, filled with rage. He moved fast, intending to hit the boy, but something strange happened. The omega simply vanished from his sight and his fist went straight toward the Brit. Well, he deserved it too.

“I’m going after that…” he said furiously, his voice deeper than usual. “I’m going to kill him in front of you, I swear!” He was ready to search the entire house — no, he was capable of flying across the whole city to kill him. Before he could fly out of there, Butcher grabbed him tightly with his tentacles.

“What a jealous scene you’re making here,” he smiled as if it were all a game and he wasn’t being serious. John wanted him to take it seriously. He felt too hurt to have his feelings mocked like that.

“You’re an idiot, a lying alpha…” he spoke with pain, letting out a small sob. He hated him. “You said… you said you were going to claim me.””

“And I intend to,” he whispered close to his face. John didn’t want to fall for his empty words again. He wouldn’t be able to recover from that.

“No, no… you’re an idiot. You can only bite someone if you love them,” he said angrily, demanding the feelings he wanted from William. “You can’t have someone else if you’re bonded. You can’t live without that person and…” He felt sad and miserable. He wanted all of those things.

Homelander growled, using his heat vision to destroy some of the tentacles, causing Butcher to stagger back in pain. Nothing mattered now. He had to kill him to end these stupid feelings that held him back. He had left the man alive so many times only because he didn’t want to feel alone, and Butcher was the only one he could talk to without them being afraid of him.

He had been the only one.

He launched himself at the Englishman and slammed him against the wall, intending to burn his face, but the man hit him and prevented it. Still, he didn’t give up. He was so furious that it was easy to pin him down again exactly where he wanted him — cornered so he could kill him.

He could feel his mind racing, his thoughts fleeting as they fought for dominance. This time Homelander wasn’t going to hold back, even though his omega was crying in pain and his heart ached at having to do this. He didn’t want to end his life, and that was dangerous.

“I think you’re not understanding, John,” Butcher said breathlessly, dodging several blows and trying to restrain the hysterical blond.

“Understanding what? That you only want to play with me?” he said with pure resentment. “Is it because you know I’m an omega now that you want to give me false hope? I’d rather you despise me — everyone already does. I’d rather you hate me than lie to me like this!” His heat vision scorched the man’s chest superficially. He stopped immediately.

He preferred to beat him to death. He didn’t want it to be quick.

Before he could do anything else, a tentacle grabbed his hand and stopped the blow. That was starting to really piss him off.

“Why do you think I have these, eh?” Butcher said, referring to the tentacles holding him. John looked at him in confusion, trying to understand what he was saying. “I can’t do it to you if I’m at risk of you killing me in the middle of your heat.”

“You’re still… don’t fuck with me!” John shouted, clearly enraged, and broke free from the tentacle.

“But I want to,” Butcher said, stepping closer with interest. John kept telling himself he needed to focus on killing him. The blond tried to hit him again, but his fist was stopped.

That only enraged the omega even more. He began attacking with everything he had. His feelings were a bomb that had exploded, and he wanted to destroy everything. Both men plunged into an intense fight where the winner would be the one who was right in this whole conflict. They threw punches, screamed at each other with hatred, and showed no care for the other. It was brutal. They hadn’t noticed that both were starting to release pheromones until William was thrown and crashed through the wall, shattering it into pieces.

Everything happened so fast that John didn’t know what had occurred.

“Ugh,” the caped hero groaned as Billy Butcher slammed him against the wall until he was left breathless. “Ah… fuck….” His head was spinning, and it wasn’t just from the blow he had received. He sensed that something wasn’t right. “Mmmh—ngh!”

A second ago, he had the Brit by the neck and was keeping him dominated, but his strength betrayed him. His grip weakened in an instant as dizziness hit him. When he realized what was happening, he was the one pinned against the wall, staring at Billy’s bloody smile. He couldn’t look away.

He had hit him very hard, but he hadn’t wanted to. It was all that stupid, pathetic omega Hughie’s fault — always looking for pity.

In that instant, he realized he was no longer burning with anger, but actually burning with heat. The air felt suffocating, and his suit seemed to be the cause. Homelander began to grow irritated with his suit at an alarming rate. It felt like it was wrapping around him, trying to asphyxiate him with the fabric that clung to every inch of his body.

He gasped several times, desperate for air. He wanted William off him. He wanted to free his arms. He wanted to take off his pants because his body felt burning hot underneath all that patriotic supe symbol. His legs also seemed to stop supporting him, and the only reason he remained standing was Butcher’s grip.

A moan escaped Homelander’s lips, and Butcher smiled, knowing he had the supe right where he wanted him.

But then something distracted him. It was something so concrete and powerful that it managed to cut through the smell of sex and the overwhelming mix of alpha and omega pheromones that filled the house during Herogasm. There were too many scents assaulting anyone’s nose, all of them soaked into that supe party. If he focused, he could also smell the dust from the house that was on the verge of collapsing into rubble. Yet, even with all that, there was something else.

It was a particularly sweet scent that bloomed like a beautiful flower opening under the sunlight — ready to be seen and appreciated by whoever crossed its path. That was what was happening: the manifestation of a sweetness that craved attention.

It was delicious and hypnotic. Billy had trouble identifying the exact aroma because it was complex, until his nose finally recognized it as a delicacy. It was the scent of fresh milk and honey. As sweet as honey could be, and at the same time as warm and comforting as the longing for love.

It was the scent of a needy omega — an omega in heat, searching for the warmth of someone to hold him.

William felt his cock harden. It was pure instinct reacting to the power of a needy omega. The man growled as he realized the source of that damn, delicious scent was the man in his hands.

Oh, sweet omega.

“William…” he said the name with pain, savoring every letter as he looked at him with blue eyes full of longing. Something was definitely wrong with the supe. “William,” he said again. His gloved hands went to the man’s, trying uselessly to free himself from his grip, but there was no strength left in them.

“Homelander…” Butcher breathed, quickly realizing how deeply the situation had affected him. His voice was a guttural whisper that could almost be confused with the authoritarian voice of alphas. He heard the blond throw his head back, hitting it against the wall, only to moan loudly. His eyes squeezed shut, making it clear he was enjoying the little he was being given. “You smell delicious.”

He knew Billy could tell. It was impossible to deny the omega pheromones in the air, and the one releasing them was the blond. That pleading look wasn’t for nothing. His moans were proof enough that he was entering heat.

“I don’t think I can hold back…” he said at last. The alpha claimed his mouth voraciously, catching the omega off guard. John was more than willing to give him everything.

John gasped for air, but it felt so good to have William kissing him so desperately. He was a bit inexperienced and wanted to match him, but along the way he ended up biting those lips and feeling the scratch of that thick beard.

He was grabbed firmly and guided toward the bed in the room. It was somewhat messy and surely someone else had used it in the last half hour, but he didn’t care. It was the perfect place for them right now.

In a quick and unexpected move, the patriotic hero grabbed William’s hideous shirt and pulled him toward his body. Both men fell onto the bed, with Butcher on top of the omega, who wrapped his legs around his hips, trapping him. The air felt scorching, overwhelmingly hot for both men as they growled desperately, craving more contact.

Butcher wasn’t strong enough to resist Homelander’s heat. He wanted this too.

“Give it to me, please,” the man said, clutching his trench coat. “I want— I want you to fuck me” he begged, feeling his body burning as he clumsily unfastened the pants of his blue suit. William helped him, grabbing the pants and pulling them out of the way.

“Don’t worry, lad. Daddy’s gonna give it to you.”

The room was filled with the pheromones of both men, saturating every corner with the scents of milk and honey mixed with wood and tobacco. John felt ecstatic. There were no other words to describe how liberating it was to finally give in to his instincts. His nose tingled at the pleasant smell of wood; the scent of nature felt fresh and hypnotic. He wanted more. He wanted to be marked with William’s essence so everyone would know what he had done.

“William, quick!” said the hero as if his life were about to end because he didn’t have it inside him, but now he felt everything much more intensely. It was his first time in a long while with his heat; the last time he had experienced it was when he was twenty-seven. But this was different. He wasn’t in the comfort of his room and he had the Alpha he had desired for so long.

The man freed the hardness that was starting to bother him in his pants. He was about to enter and do his job as an Alpha. John looked with hunger to have him inside, though he felt fear.

What if he couldn’t take it? It was much bigger than the toys he had used. He shifted restlessly and the alpha immediately knew something was wrong.

“You’re my omega, aren’t you?” he said breathlessly. He aligned himself with the omega’s wet entrance; he was so aroused that everything down there was a complete mess. He was careful not to hurt him as he began to enter. John looked at him expectantly, his blue eyes full of tears from fear. “You can do it, boy. That’s why I chose you as my omega.”

The blond’s heart beat hard. He had always wanted this. He breathed deeply, filling his lungs as he calmed his nerves, trying to think of something other than what was happening. He had heard that an omega’s first time could be difficult; now he understood why.

The kisses the alpha placed on his neck helped ease his anxiety. They were the perfect distraction.

“Mine, mine, mine,” he said through gritted teeth. His kisses stopped being just kisses and turned into rubbing his face against the omega’s face, releasing territorial pheromones so they would stay impregnated in the skin of what was his. John couldn’t be happier about it; he could only imagine returning to the tower with William Butcher’s scent all over his body to let everyone know he had been claimed.

He wanted to cry with emotion.

But he wanted more, he wanted the true proof of their union. Homelander exposed his neck to the alpha, surrendering submissively to the man who was his enemy, waiting for him to take him completely.

Neither of the two lovers noticed when the door was struck by a fist, breaking the wood and leaving enough space to see what was happening in that room. Soldier Boy was horrified, though it couldn’t be distinguished on his serious face, but he was completely furious.

He could feel how the animal primacy of their wolves dominated the place. It was pure instinct, something you could feel in the heavy atmosphere, filled with pheromones that only screamed one thing: sex. It was a scene he didn’t expect to see: Homelander, his son, writhing on the bed, had been stripped of his pants and was completely exposed. On the other hand, William was on top of his son.

Soldier Boy had always considered himself indifferent to other people’s lives. Other people’s lives meant nothing to him, his own was full of excesses because he enjoyed sex, drugs, alcohol, among many other incredible things. He would never tell someone how to live their life because he wouldn’t care at all. However, seeing that scene was like receiving a blow. Seeing that man who was his omega son defenseless was very hard to watch; especially with the malicious smile Butcher had… that made his blood boil.

He didn’t understand how all of this had happened. He had told his son that he was going to kill the twins and, stupidly, his son had said he wanted to help him, so he flew off from the tower. It took him longer to arrive, and there were some weird naked people who wanted to fight until he finished them off and left them beaten to shit on the living room floor. He doesn’t know how all of that led to what he was seeing now.

“AH!” A scream was heard. Butcher penetrated the omega with a single thrust, making him scream in pain. The brunette growled; his son was screaming in pain because of what that idiot was doing.

His body reacted faster than his brain. He began hitting the door again and again in complete desperation to get into the room and separate the two men on the dirty bed. The door was destroyed by his shield.

He felt fury and indignation flowing through his body.

“What the fuck!” said the man as he entered the room and hit Billy hard in the face. The man growled in annoyance but didn’t get off him. He looked at the man defiantly and moved his hips, drawing a scream from the patriotic hero. “That’s my fucking son.”

The older man didn’t care about anything. He didn’t care how dangerously territorial Alphas were when influenced by omega pheromones or when they were in their rut. It was fucking bullshit. He didn’t back down when he saw Butcher’s angry eyes, but he knew it would be easy to separate them.

The Alpha challenged him, moving once more, going all the way to the bottom. John moaned desperately, feeling the knot at the base of the penis. He didn’t think he could take it.

The soldier hit him again, this time using his shield, which generated much more force impossible to withstand. He wouldn’t hold back; this time he threw a series of blows that made him let out a furious roar that showed how persistent the guy was. It wasn’t until he delivered a second blow with his shield that Butcher fell to the side, pulling out of the panting omega.

“I told you he was my son,” he said angrily, emphasizing the words roughly. Ben knew who William Butcher was because he had made his intentions to kill Homelander clear ever since they met, but he never imagined this.

“And I said I planned to stop him,” replied the alpha with the same anger, adjusting his clothes knowing he wouldn’t be able to keep fucking the omega. “All it takes is for him to be bitten so he can control his impulses. Having an alpha would calm him down,” he spat with disdain that banal solution that would be heard on 1960s television.

The brunette man approached his son. He had his pants around his ankles, so he dropped his shield to the side and proceeded to fix the panting man’s clothes as best as he could. John let out insults, grumbles, and annoyed growls. Even so, he didn’t care; it was his instinct acting on him.

Soon he noticed that the upper part was torn; there was a large opening as if an animal had forced that section. There were also blood stains on his chest, almost imperceptible against the dark blue of the superhero suit. An unexpected cold shiver ran through Ben’s stomach as he thought the worst. He pulled the fabric aside, hoping to see the neck intact, but he found a large bite on the omega gland. It was a deep bonding mark that was still bleeding.

Soldier Boy had always thought that omega and alpha paternal instincts were bullshit because his father had never cared about him. When they expelled him from the omega boarding school, he thought he would receive his hatred; he was prepared for that, but there was nothing. He didn’t even look at him. It was the indifference toward his existence that he hated the most. He hated being an omega.

But now, seeing the blond whimpering from feeling the remnants of his heat and that horrible mark adorning his neck, he knew he had failed. The feeling of failure was so devastating that guilt came immediately. But there was no time; he had to protect him no matter what.

“No…” said Homelander, gripping his father’s suit tightly. “He is my alpha… my alpha, let me go!” He tried to push him away, but he didn’t have enough strength. “I’ve been waiting for this… for a long time!”

“Fucking brat,” he said to his son, whom he had never been able to take care of and with whom he didn’t even have a single good memory, but still, he was there. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you so blind that you don’t see that he…?” He pulled away from Homelander when his eyes turned bright red.

“Let me go!” Homelander said in a roar and moved closer to his alpha on the floor. “William, are you okay?” he asked with anguish upon seeing his bruised face. The man gave him a smile to calm him down, letting him know he was still conscious and wasn’t angry with him. “We’ll do it again… right?”

William let out a laugh when he heard him; it seemed that was the only thing he was thinking about. He didn’t say anything about it.

“No,” said Soldier Boy’s furious voice, interrupting the moment between them. He approached his son to grab him by the neck, pressing on the open wound. John complained. “We’re going back to the tower and you’re going to take the damn suppressants until you don’t have any more heat,” he ordered angrily. For the first time, John felt truly scolded by his father.

“Shit,” he complained, unable to break free because he still felt somewhat weak and Ben’s scent was too suffocating to even think about disobeying him. It smelled like burnt mint and something else he didn’t want to find out. He looked for help from his alpha. “William…”

Homelander’s voice came out broken, barely a desperate whisper. The pressure on the wound drew a pained expression from him, though that was insignificant compared to the anguish he felt at being separated from his alpha.

The man in question lifted his gaze to meet the blue eyes that searched for him desperately. He could see the blood that had splattered when he bit him, and the thought that that omega was his comforted him and made the pain from the blows worth it.

“Easy, princess, I’ll come for you soon,” he assured him. Homelander felt relieved at his words; the promise of seeing him again was enough to calm him.

Homelander let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. People always promised him things that turned out to be lies, but William was never like that. He always kept his word. Calmer now, he made an effort — it seemed the adrenaline of the situation had mitigated the heat symptoms from a moment ago — and got up from the floor. To the side was Soldier Boy, who didn’t look calm at all.

The hero didn’t notice the murderous look Butcher gave to the father of his omega. He couldn’t believe he had to deal with this at this point in the game. Soldier Boy felt rage coursing through his body because of everything that was happening.

“‘Princess’?” he said furiously. That idiot had not only marked his son but also had the audacity to speak to him in such a degrading way.

“I’m going to take him to the tower, I’ll give him suppressants and make sure he doesn’t go out alone again. So engrave this very well…” every word was full of threat and boiling with rage toward Billy Butcher. “If I see you near my son again… I’ll kill you.”

William held his gaze without looking away, not even showing fear at the death threat, and Homelander could hear the man’s calm, steady heartbeat. He remained serene even while being threatened.

“I remind you that he’s already mine,” he said, spitting out a bit of blood, but he never lowered his gaze or showed weakness. The omega’s heart only fluttered with love at that sincere display of affection toward him.

However, those words were enough for a vein to pop out on Soldier Boy’s temple as he took a step with the intention of ending the man’s life.

Before he could do anything, he felt Homelander’s weak tug trying to stop him. His son was silently begging him not to do it, looking at him with pleading eyes to spare the life of that man — the man who had bitten him. Ben clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He had to get his son out before the heat returned. He had to take him to the tower as soon as possible. He reluctantly moved away from the man and guided Homelander toward the destroyed door of the room. He ignored the last glances the two lovers managed to exchange before they left.