𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐀 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧?

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"Poor Hughie," Stephanie muttered, handing Milo a cup of coffee while Colby and Phantom shared a few donuts, "Colby and I may be sick sons a bitches, but I feel sorry for Hughie." she frowned, making Colby look at Mel, "Has anyone checked in on him?"

Mel shrugged with a small sigh, "Annie said she'd keep an eye on him, but that bitch doesn't know shit about anything." she shook her head, watching Milo smile, "Easy, don't start anything before we even get there." he nodded, grabbing the car keys.

Phantom leaned down to pet Luna's head before she sighed, "Doesn't matter, we're gonna be late and I just want to relax today." she muttered, rubbing her temple as she began to follow Mel out to the car.

"Be careful, yeah. Don't do anything stupid." Stephanie called while Colby lifted Luna into his arms, nuzzling and kissing the top of her head.

Phantom turned with a small smile, "We'll be back soon." she nodded, getting into the backseat while Mel scoffed, "Fucking gross, you two." she teased with a smile as she got into the car with Milo.

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Mel smiled as she opened the apartment door for everyone, "Cavalry has arrived." she announced, following Phantom and Milo inside.

Phantom walked in, making sure the door was closed before she caught sight of Hughie. It didn't take long before she pulled Hughie into a hug, "How are you? Really." she questioned, her voice low enough that no one else would hear.

Hughie didn't hesitate to return her hug, feeling Phantom rub his back, "I'm here, I'm still here." he answered, his voice lacking his usual brightness and optimism.

"That's all we ask and want." Phantom nodded, slowly pulling away and cupping his cheek with a warm smile. She gently tapped his cheek before pulling away when M.M. called, "All right, enough mushy bullshit. We got shit to do." he said, walking towards the computer.

Mel stared at the screen, seeing a picture of Sage with a man who held a folder, "What's this?" she questioned, looking over M.M.'s shoulder to look at the screen.

M.M. glanced at her, "A lead. At least, that's what A-Train says. I saw we visit him, too." he answered, looking at the doorway when Butcher walked into the apartment.

He looked like a dead man walking.

Everyone stared at him before M.M. stood from his seat, "Where the fuck have you been?" he questioned, making Butcher cough, "Shittin' a kidney. Pleasure to meet you, whoever the fuck you are. All right, listen up. Now, don't get your knickers in a twist, but you remember Neuman's dearly departed virus bloke? Dr. Sameer Shah? Well, funny story. Turns out he ain't that dead. He's been working for me, making some more of that virus." he explained, a crazed look in his eye.

"What the fuck?" Mel and Phantom questioned at the same time while Hughie shook his head, "Wait, all they found was... Did you cut off his leg?" he questioned, slightly horrified that Butcher would go to that length and level of insanity.

Butcher frowned, "All right, all right, keep your hair on." he said, listening as M.M. scoffed, "So, basically, you've been amputation' motherfuckers while working on a secret bioweapon, and we're the ones that are supposed to chill?" he questioned, growing frustrated again.

Without missing a beat, Butcher smiled, "Now, the trouble is we've hit a slight snag," the dying man began, "he can't make it deadly enough to top Homelander without causing a, you know, global pandemic."

Phantom stepped forward, shaking her head, "Genocide, Butcher. You mean genocide. A fucking Supe genocide." she corrected, watching Hughie nod, "Yeah, Butcher, even for you..." he tried to say, stopping when Butcher shook his head, "Which is why I'm fucking telling you, innit? You think I want that much blood on me hands? No, I don't, no, I do not," he said, trying to make it seem like he hadn't just spoken to himself, "so, to keep the bug from burning through you lot like a wildfire, I thought ol' Sameer could do with a bit of a hand."

Phantom shared a look with Mel when they noticed Butcher talking to himself and the corner of the apartment. They didn't say anything, letting Hughie take control of the issue at hand.

"From who?" Hughie questioned, watching as Butcher smirked, "A question both insightful and germane, my son. Ah, here he is. Speak of the devil." he said, turning to the entrance when the door opened and Frenchie stepped back into the apartment, "Bonjour." he greeted, timid and anxious.

Mel stared at him, noticing how Kimiko tensed before averting her eyes, "When did you get out?" she questioned, looking at Butcher for the answer.

Butcher chuckled, "I had Mallory pull a few strings. Little shit was a slippery fucker." he said, looking at Frenchie when he cleared his throat, "Just to be clear, this was against my will. I'd rather fuck a jar of fishing lures than to be free." he said, wanting to get his point across. He didn't deserve to be free.

Phantom didn't pay him much attention, "Thank you for that. Anyways, what now?" she questioned, wanting to get this job done. She wanted to show Stephanie around the city... And Colby, too.

"All right then. Happy reunions. So, Frenchie will help sort the virus. We'll use it on Homelander and the VP and that's it, no one else. M.M. nodded, "Kimiko, Frenchie, you two are on Dr. Shah. The rest of you, on the mystery man." he commanded, making everyone nod and spread out to their jobs.

Milo stood by Frenchie, frowning as they both watched Kimiko walk away, "Just talk to her and tell her the truth. She deserves that." he suggested with a small smile before walking off to find Mel.

Telling the truth was easier said than done. Or whatever they say.

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"Maybe you should wait here," Mel said, looking at Phantom as she and Milo began to get out of the car that was parked beside Butcher's van, "it might be something big and we can't risk you getting hurt." she explained, watching Phantom narrow her eyes.

The Supe shook her head, following them out of the van, "Fuck that," she simply said, standing beside Milo, "things are bad enough right now. M.M's gone and we don't need anyone staying back. We need everyone." she frowned, looking at Butcher when he appeared with Hughie and Annie.

Butcher looked at everyone, suppressing a cough, "All right. I'll have a dekko around the back, you four take the front, yeah? And then we'll pay the shooter a visit." he said through various coughs and groans.

Everyone watched Butcher stalk off before Mel nodded, "Right, I'm gonna follow him, you two good on your own?" she asked, looking at Annie and Hughie.

Hughie nodded, "We'll check the front. You two make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." he sighed, following Annie to the front of the building, leaving the group of three.

As the three followed Butcher, they could hear the man coughing as he talked to someone. But the closer they got, the more they heard Butcher's voice. It wasn't until Phantom realized, "He's talking to himself." she whispered, stopping when Mel grabbed her arm.

"Come on," Mel said, pulling Milo and Phantom back towards the entrance of the building, "something isn't right and I'm not in the mood to hear a dying man have a conversation about shit that isn't important right now."

No one said anything as Butcher slowly opened the apartment door and followed the group inside. Mel and Milo held their guns, watching Annie and Phantom walk through the apartment to check if everything and everyone was gone.

"It's all clear. Except for literal used tampons in the toilet." Annie said, shaking her head with disgust. Phantom looked through the apartment, turning her head when Hughie began to look through a file that was left on the counter, "Guys, Secret Service files. Detail assignments for January 6th."

Annie was quick to grab another file, her eyes widening when she saw the contents inside, "Whoa, it's a map of the D.C. Fairgrounds where Singer's having his rally." she explained, showing Butcher the file.

As the Boys went over information and files, Phantom sensed something in the apartment. Her eyes began to glow while her fingers clenched themselves into fists, "Someone's here." she said, turning her head to the closet at the end of the hall.

Mel didn't hesitate to walk towards the closet with Butcher, standing beside him. It was odd to see. A few weeks earlier, Mel was ready to kill the man, but now? Now she was beginning to warm up towards the man.

They both shared a look as they nodded for Hughie to open the door, but Mel and Milo were quick to lower their weapons when they saw a beaten woman hidden inside.

She was quick to gasp and look up at the group, "Oh, thank God you're here," she panted, trying to get her thoughts straight "he killed my husband. He held me for days. Wait. Are you..." she trailed off, her eyes softening when she saw Annie.

Phantom stood beside Mel as everyone watched Annie attempt to console and comfort the woman, but she quickly turned when the woman shoved Annie to the group and cut Hughie's hand.

Mel didn't hesitate to give chase, jumping over the shelves the woman attempted to use. She only began to slow down when the woman slammed the door shut.

But Mel wasn't going to let a door stop her from catching their suspect.

A wail ripped through Mel's lips as she threw her body through the door, landing on the hallway floor with the broken pieces of the door, "Get her!" she shouted, remaining still as Milo jumped over her body to continue chasing the woman.

"Son of a bitch! Stop!" Milo shouted, rushing and jumping down the stairs. He hated running and felt his lungs burning as he tried to keep up with the woman.

He hadn't ran this far since high school P.E.. It was excruciating.

But the patches of skin began to catch his attention. It made Milo gag as he tried to avoid the patches, not wanting to slip and break his neck.

As Milo struggled to retain his speed, he could hear Mel and the rest of the group grow closer, "Stop her!" she shouted, her eyes widening when she saw the woman managed to change her appearance entirely.

"Oh shit," Mel said, jumping off the last set of stairs and getting hit with a trash can, "shit!" she groaned, holding her side as she watched the woman get away.

Mel kicked the door open with a shout, "Damnit!" she cursed, holding her side as she felt Milo lean against her, "Shit, shit, I'm gonna puke." he groaned, winded from the long and straining chase.

Phantom took Milo, holding him up while she listened to Hughie panic and stress, "Wait, wait, wait. So we're saying that they could be anyone? How the fuck are we supposed to save the president if the killer could be anyone?" he questioned, growing more panicked by the second.

Before anyone could speak, Butcher shook his head, "By not shitting our panties." he said, walking back towards the van without a second word.

Mel watched him go until she looked at Milo, seeing that he needed to lay down for a while, "Ok, ok, come on. Let's go." she sighed, not bothering to say anything else as Phantom helped Milo back to the car.

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The motel door opened with a burst of chaos energy, giving Mel more energy to help Milo, "Ok, ok, you're just gonna lie down and take a nap, ok?" Mel soothed, kissing Milo's cheek as she helped him onto the bed.

All Milo could do was groan and coughed, "Son of a bitch, why did I run? Why did you let me run?" he groaned as Mel helped him onto the bed.

Phantom shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Just make sure he goes to sleep, please." she sighed, trying to suppress a smile as she went to sit beside Stephanie.

Stephanie stared at Milo, "What the hell happened out there?" she questioned, making Mel shake her head, "Nothing important. Listen, Milo and I are gonna be here, ok? Maybe you should take Steph and Colby out on the town. I know you've been wanting to go ice skating." she said, watching Phantom raise an eyebrow.

Before Phantom could do anything, Stephanie nodded, "That sounds fun. It's about time we get out of here and do something fun." she smiled, standing and grabbing hold of Phantom's shoulders.

Phantom gave Mel a glare until she caved, "Ok, ok," she muttered, unable to hide her growing smile of the thought of being a tour guide, "I'll show you the diner Ben used to take me whenever I was sick, and we can go ice skating. Diana used to love to take me." she smiled, growing more excited.

The Supe hadn't even realized that she grabbed Stephanie's hand, opening the door with a curl of her fingers, "Colby, you comin'?" Stephanie called, watching her brother smile as he chased after them.

The couple watched them with small smiles, "They're cute." Mel and Milo said in unison. Mel chuckled as she looked down at her boyfriend, "Rest for me, ok?" she softly said, running her fingers through his hair in a gentle motion.

She watched as Milo slowly drifted off to sleep, making her fall in love all over again. Milo always managed to sleep in the darkest of times. No matter what, Milo always found time for sleep and rest.

Mel only wished the moment could last long enough to become forever.

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It was nightfall by the time Mel's phone pinged with an incoming message from Annie. Something about inviting her out for drinks with M.M. and Butcher.

Mel softly sighed, staring at her phone until she figured one drink wouldn't be bad since everyone was still gone. She needed one after jumping through a door and taking a trash can to the ribs.

Slowly, Mel leaned down to kiss Milo's lips, "Sweetheart, wanna join me for some drinks with Annie and everyone?" she asked, smiling when Milo whined as he tried to wake himself up, "Drinks sound good. I could use a drink." he mumbled, yawning as he began to wake himself up.

"I'll drive." Mel offered, grabbing his keys from off the bedside table. She smiled as Milo leaned down to kiss her, "I love you." he yawned once he pulled away from the kiss, a small chuckle leaving his lips when Mel pulled him into another one.

Mel returned his kiss, reaching her hand up to caress his soft cheek, "I love you, too." she whispered against his lips as they walked out of the room, leaving Luna asleep on her cozy dog bed.

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Mel smiled as she and Milo stepped into the bar, "Hey, everyone." she greeted, nodding as Annie handed her and Milo a beer.

Before either of them could take their seat, they watched M.M. get up from his seat and walk out of the bar with a grumble. Something told them that Butcher seemed to be responsible.

But no one said anything as everyone settled into their seats. Mel sipped on her beer, sharing a few pretzels with Milo while Annie turned to Butcher, "Who's Kessler?" she suddenly asked, making Mel turn her attention to the man.

"Kessler?" he frowned, listening as Annie nodded, "In the Flatiron. You shouted a name, "Kessler," and something that had to do with Ezekiel. What was that?" she asked, wanting an answer from Butcher.

Mel felt her grip tighten on the bottle until she heard Butcher finally answer, "No idea what you're on about there, luv." he answered, watching Mel slowly stand from her seat, "I'll be back. I need to call Phantom." she muttered, stopping when Milo grabbed her wrist.

Milo looked up at her with a small frown, "You ok?" he questioned, trying to understand what Mel was thinking, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." she softly smiled, squeezing his hand as she made her way outside.

Once Mel stood outside, she rubbed her eyes as she grabbed her phone, dialing a familiar number, "Hey, Wally." she soon smiled, leaning against the wall as she listened to Wally.

"Mel, hey. How's everything going? We've seen a lot of stuff go down. Damian told us about Phantom and now Ben's close to losing it." Wally explained, listening as Mel chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, shit's gone down and we're trying to not be fucking killed. But everything's somewhat ok. We're ok," she nodded before she cleared her throat, "listen, Wally, I need a favor and you're the only person I know who's gonna be able to get it done." she explained, looking at the night sky.

Wally listened from his end of the call, frowning when he heard Mel's words, "Everything ok?" he questioned, sitting on the edge of his bed as he listened to Mel's request, "I need you to look up the connection between a William Butcher and a man named Kessler. I need any connections or any ways their paths crossed. Think you can do that for me?" she questioned, forcing Wally to go silent.

He thought it over before grabbing his computer, "I'll get working on it right now. I'll let you know if I find anything tomorrow morning, ok?" he agreed, smiling when Mel sighed in relief, "Thanks, Wally. Talk to you soon." she said as she ended the call.

Mel held her phone in her hands, feeling herself quickly pocket her phone when her hands began to tremble.

She looked at the bar's doors until she sighed, "I swear to fucking God." she whispered to herself, walking back into the bar with the same small smile she left with.