The Jersey Shore | Friday Afternoon

[defenderofdesmoines]

Hey, who didn't love a field trip?

In the midst of all this Compound V buzz that had been lighting up every news channel since this morning, Stan Edgar -- who Starlight guessed they were answering to now that Ms. Stillwell was gone? Ashley kind of still just acted like Ashley, so.... -- had ordered them to go to deal with the new super terrorist ("Super villain," Homelander had corrected, just before referring to The Seven as his family) (side note: what the fuck?)

And so here they were, and for some reason, there was a...dead whale that looked like it had been rammed by some kind of boat or something. Was that part of this? Based on the briefing they'd gotten, the super...villain had telekinetic powers. Had he killed this whale?

Oh, but Starlight didn't have long to ponder that, because leaning up against that whale and firmly not in Sandusky, Ohio where he should be, was that asshole.

Homelander	"Deep," Homelander called, leading the group over beside the whale and doing his best to ignore the smell.
The Deep	"Homelander." The Deep was -- not to put too fine a point on it -- kind of a wreck. "They killed her. They fucking killed her, man." And now he was hugging Homelander, just needing to be held for a moment. "You know, I got some intel on the boat," he babbled, "and we tried to cut them off and they just ran into her. I'm so sorry, I was just, like, gonna try to stop them, I tried to cut them off -- "
Starlight	Well. This was pathetic. Starlight noticed the way A-Train and Black Noir were exchanging looks (at least, she figured they were -- Noir was really hard to read), and she could feel Stormfront trying to catch her eye, but she was just sort of...watching The Deep, right now. Was it wrong she was enjoying this, a teeny-tiny bit?
Homelander	"Look at me." Homelander pulled away from the hug, holding a hand up in Deep's face. "You're saying they're not alone? There's people with the terrorist? Did you get a good look at them?"
The Deep	"Not really," The Deep mumbled. "I was worried about Lucy." He gestured to the clearly incredibly dead whale, in case anyone was unsure who 'Lucy' might be. "But I think they went off in the storm drains," he added. "Can't be too far." And now that he had the information he needed, Homelander was just going to walk the fuck away from Deep here before he could get snot on his uniform or something
Starlight	"Uh, who invited you, exactly?" Starlight asked, pushing forward to get up in The Deep's face now that Homelander had stopped embracing that pathetic excuse of a human. In her new boots, she was about as tall as him.
The Deep	"Starlight." The Deep wasn't exactly ready to face her -- particularly after he had met her friends last week -- but he still knew what to say. "Listen, what I did was unforgivable. I deserve everything that's come to me. I'm going to do everything in my power to renew my light." Did it sound, maybe, like he'd joined a cult? Because he sort of had. Or at least a church that, like, catered to celebrities and believed in thetans or whatever. "Not just for you," he added, when Starlight did not look suitably impressed by this, "but for all the female people that I've offended."
Stormfront	"'Renew your light'?" Stormfront echoed, coming up behind Starlight. "Did you just fucking join the Church of the Collective?"
The Deep	"Maybe." He didn't like her tone, or how she'd said that.
Stormfront	He was going to like this less. "You're an idiot," Stormfront assured him.
The Deep	"Hey, watch it on the religious persecution, okay, new girl?" The Deep said, shooting her a glare before turning his attention back to Starlight. "Starlight, maybe one day you can welcome me back into The Seven, but I know my road is long and hard. I understand that. I deserve everything that's come to me. Tell your friends, too." Her scary, scary friends.
Starlight	All Starlight could do for a second was blink at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?" she asked softly, and when he just gave her an earnest look, she continued, "There is no fucking way you're coming back." Ever. Ever, ever, ever. Though hang on a second -- she wasn't so angry that she didn't catch all of that, and as Starlight turned away from The Deep, she paused and rounded back. "What friends?"
The Deep	He looked wounded, though Carol and Alastair had warned him that renewing a light as dim as his might take some time, so he was trying to at least look like he understood. "The angry guys," he clarified. "One said he was your boyfriend? And then there was a child and a guy with some sweet tats." Even as Steve had been punching him in the face, The Deep had been sort of envious of his whole vibe.
Starlight	"Okay," Starlight said, holding up a hand immediately because she did not need Homelander to put anything more together about her boyfriend or any children or guys with tattoos who might have been there, shit. She would need some time to process this later, but apparently there had been some sort of unsanctioned excursion, and she wasn't really sure how she felt about that, yet. (Positive? Maybe?)
Homelander	"We don't have time for this," Homelander proclaimed, walking back over and all but rolling his eyes at Starlight.
Stormfront	Stormfront stepped closer, looking up at Homelander in a way that...Starlight sort of recognized, vaguely. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on there, but -- hm. "Look," Stormfront said, turning to her, "I am with you, sister, but first we have to get the terrorist, okay?" And then she turned back to Homelander, that same strange glance passing between them again.
Homelander	"Everyone in the tunnels," Homelander called, turning away from Stormfront. "Anyone gets eyeballs on the target, he's mine, clear?" And as the other members of The Seven filed past, he added to Deep, in an undertone, "You...hang back here. Okay? Still got some work to do with the ladies, but I'm sure you'll be back in no time."
Starlight	And as Starlight filed after Black Noir into the tunnels, she realized why that look between Stormfront and Homelander looked so familiar. Because looks like that passed between her and Diego all the time. And between Steve and Danny. And between Rey and John, and -- They were a thing. Or, like, if they weren't, they would be soon. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with this information, but that sure was...interesting. And it was helping her keep her mind off how awful it felt to see The Deep again.

Hughie	Deep in the tunnels, Hughie was having a pretty shitty day. The group had split up, and Kimiko and her brother -- he'd be that terrorist everyone was looking for -- had gone one way, Frenchie and MM another, and Butcher and Hughie had been together until Butcher had just fucked off to wherever. And maybe it had been stupid, but when they'd crashed into the whale -- yes, of course they were responsible for the whale -- Hughie had sent a text to Annie. Maybe she could help. Maybe she could get Kimiko's brother somewhere safe? Or at least hold off The Seven, lead them in the wrong direction? There were footsteps. He ducked around a corner, trying to quiet his breathing, because that didn't sound like one of his people. There were -- heels?
Starlight	These shoes were so fucking awful. Annie tottered along unsteadily, because storm drain pipes were not exactly built for goddamn stilettos, her hands out in front of her as dual flashlights. There was someone here. She could kind of hear them, she thought.
Hughie	It was Annie. Oh, god, it was Annie, and those shoes were so dumb but it was Annie and she came. "Annie," he called, stepping around the corner with a smile. While covered in whale gore, yes. It hadn't been clean, what they'd done to the whale. "You got my message."
Starlight	Hughie Campbell, you were the biggest fucking idiot in the world, and now they were both going to die. Because it wasn't Hughie that she'd thought she'd heard. Starlight acted fast, and as soon as the words had left Hughie's mouth -- Hughie you goddamn irredeemable fucking idiot -- she fired a blast straight at his chest, sending him flying a solid ten feet from her. She hoped he was okay. If he was, she was going to strangle him with her bare hands, Hughie you idiot.
Homelander	Homelander stepped out of the shadows, coming to stand beside the prone, coughing figure on the ground so he could look at him rather than just smell and hear him. "Oh, come on, you've got to be fucking kidding me," he said, looking to Starlight in disgust. "This guy? Again?" He still hadn't figured out how the guy in all-black factored into any of this. Maybe Starlight was cheating on him with Campbell here?
Starlight	Okay, maybe he hadn't heard the part about the message. (Starlight wasn't even sure what message, since her outfit did not have any fucking pockets so her burner phone was back in her apartment.) "I did not know -- " she started to say.
Homelander	"Shut it." He was not in the mood for excuses today. They had a Super Villain to catch. "What, you got rocks in your fucking head?" Starlight, you could do better. Look at this...weasel man on the ground. Girl. Please. "Come here," he commanded, pressing his hand into the small of her back and steering her over to Hughie. "I want you to do something for me." He looked over at Starlight with a playful smile. "Kill him."
Starlight	...no. As much as Hughie was a fucking idiot, and as mad as she was at him now -- and still was, for all the things he'd done before -- she...no. "N--" Okay but she also couldn't refuse a direct order from Homelander, and he could see her hesitation. "He-- he's wanted," she stammered, trying to buy some time. "Shouldn't we turn him into the police?"
Homelander	"Yes, he is, and yes, we should," Homelander said amiably. "Kill him. Right now." He smiled down at Hughie. "Chicks, right, Hughie?" And she was still hesitating, which was just so annoying. "Oh, for God's sakes. Come on, it's easy." He stepped closer to Starlight, lifting her little arms up. "Hands in the air. Like you just don't care." That was pretty funny. "Kill. Do it."
Starlight	Just when Starlight didn't think her life could get any worse, Homelander found a new way to make it worse. If she killed Hughie, here and now, Starlight would never stop seeing his face. She would live in this storm drain forever, murdering the first friend she'd made in New York. Sure, he'd betrayed her, but -- but he was a good person. And he didn't deserve to die.
Homelander	"More incentive?" Homelander asked, when she continued to just fucking stand there. "Okay. You kill him, or I'll fucking kill you both." He wasn't laughing now.
Starlight	Starlight met Hughie's eye, her lower lip trembling in a way that she hoped Homelander couldn't see. Her eyes illuminated. And Hughie, without saying anything, closed his own.
Butcher	Butcher -- and MM, and Frenchie, and Kimiko, and Kenji -- had been watching from the shadows. Lots of shadows, down here in the storm drains. "Oi," Butcher called, as Starlight's glow started to wash over Hughie's face. He couldn't put it off any longer. "Cunt."
Homelander	"William?" Homelander had been so distracted by Hughie and Starlight and this little drama that he hadn't even been listening for anyone else! "What a surprise!" He turned to face Butcher with a smile, clocking his associates as well. "You know, I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with your wife this morning. Pancakes. Delicious."
Butcher (and Kenji)	If the comment bothered Butcher at all, he didn't let it show. "Yeah, well, enjoy this," he replied, as Kenji came running out from behind him and with a sweep of his hand, split the tunnel they were standing in into two. And while Homelander started to levitate up off the splitting ground, he was no match for the several tons of concrete that Kenji -- you know, the super-terrorist they were looking for -- telekinetically brought down onto him.
Starlight	Starlight hadn't even thought about it before throwing her body over Hughie's as soon as the concrete started falling. Nothing hit her. But more importantly, Hughie was going to stay alive through today, and it was the least she could do to keep ensuring that.
Hughie	Hughie couldn't believe he wasn't dead yet. Like, somehow he just kept defeating the odds on that score. So when Annie had moved to lean back against the wall, and Butcher offered his hand, Hughie only hesitated a second before taking it.
Butcher	Kenji and Kimiko had climbed out through the hole in the ceiling, but Butcher pointed down a different tunnel. "Out that way. 'Fore that cunt gets out from under there." Because, of course, they all knew Homelander wasn't dead. Just a little buried at the moment. And thus, they took off down the tunnel, with barely a backward glance at Starlight.
Starlight	She was fine with that, really. She kind of needed a minute. But that minute would have to come...somewhere else. Not here, with Homelander under a pile of rubble. Starlight staggered out of the tunnel as quickly as she could, looking around for the others. Okay, The Deep was still over by the whale (fuck that guy), but none of the others were out yet, and -- good. Good. That meant no one was there to see when she called for transport back to the Tower, and no one was at the Tower to see her stagger up to her apartment and collapse onto the bed, still in her outfit. It meant that she could just lay there and cry in peace for a little while, before she had to go deal with whatever the fallout from this was. She shifted to look around for her remote, tugging off a glove so she could swipe at her eyes, and turned on the television. She muted it, just needing it on so she could see what she'd be dealing with tonight, and curled back up on the bed. There was no point in changing, since she'd probably have to go back out, but she tugged her boots off before pulling the comforter up around her, at least. She checked her burner phone -- Hughie, you were such a fucking idiot, still -- but then found her real one, and the comfort of looking through texts from and pictures of people she loved was...kind of a lot, right now. She was just going to sit here and scroll through her pictures, wishing she was back in Fandom.

[warning for language (and, like, Butcher's here now), taken from The Boys 2.03 'Over the Hills with the Swords of a Thousand Men,' and totally open for calls and texts though Annie's pretty upset so proceed accordingly!]