(The Boys) The Morning After: Chapter 3 – Everything comes to light (Patreon)

Chapter 3 – Everything comes to light

Hughie considered Annie for a moment, debating with himself if telling her would be worth it in the end. But the look in her eyes - oh, that look - he knew he was screwed, and he would give her anything she wanted if she just asked for it.

After another moment he began talking “Well from there shit kind of hit the fan. Before he exploded Translucent told us about a drug A-train takes to make himself faster and talked about his girlfriend Popclaw. Butcher brought in another friend of his called MM in this point, and together we found Popclaw’s place and tricked her so we could get in and I could hack her camera to give us remote access.” He noticing Annie arching her eyebrow, unimpressed by that accomplishment. Hughie blushed and quickly added “It wasn’t anything like that… well not at first at least. We just wanted to hear her conversations with A-train. And we got it, found out he was using that blue drug to enhance his speed and that he will have to that in the race he had against Shockwave. The plan than was simple, we go to the race and get into A-train’s stash before he injects himself for the race.”

Annie eyes widen, realizing that Hughie was getting to their second meeting. And with the context she had now, she felt slightly guilty of accusing Hughie so fast. She gave him a sheepish look before apologizing “Sorry Hughie, but without all this info it did look like you followed me there to use me.”

Hughie rubbed the back of his neck, as he felt uncomfortable with her apology. After all he wasn’t entirely innocent in that day. With a sheepish look he said “Yhea, well, don’t apologize yet. We didn’t expect you to be there too, and when you went to the dressing room Frenchie was just about to go in through the vents. I happened to recognize you a moment before you went in to catch him. I will be honest with you, I was completely dumfounded you remembered me, but really happy.” He finished with a small grin.

But Annie's eyes narrowed at him, and her voice became tight again. “So you did use me that day. I suppose I should thank Butcher for you hanging out with me, and I guess all your buddies listened to our talk.”

Hughie was quick to respond “No Annie. Yes, I was surprised to see you there, but once I recognized you, I had every intention to ask you for a drink. Did I had alternat motive that day, honestly yes. But I still enjoyed the opportunity to talk to you very much, and the fact you gave me your number by the end was far beyond anything I hoped will happened once I processed the Annie I knew and Starlight are one and the same. And as you last statement, no they didn’t. I turned my coms off during our talk.” 

Annie didn’t react to that beyond a simple ‘hmm’, but Hughie noticed her entire body relaxes after his determined explanation.

Hughie thought about stopping and making sure stuff between them are Ok or at least going in the right direction, but instead he chose to keep his story “After you went back to the tower, I checked up with Butcher I found out that A-train managed to get the drug before we found it. So, we were back to following Popclaw’s place using her cameras, that when we saw her killing her landlord by mistake during sex.”

Hughie almost broke in laughter when he saw Annie’s incredulous look “During sex?! How the hell did that happen?”

Hughie winced at the memory of brains spilling all over the floor before replying “That’s a detail you don’t want to know trust me. Fun fact, Butcher tried to convince me you will do the same if we were dating.”

His joke wasn’t received well if her new, scandalized expression was anything to go by. Her voice had the same scandalized tone when she asked “What?!”

Hughie tried another joke “hey it isn’t like it worked or last night wouldn’t have happened.” The glare he received from the super-heroine make him reconsider quickly and continue the story “Butcher and Frenchie went in to cut a deal with her. They got rid of the body in exchange of info about the blue drug. She gave them the location A-train usually picks up the drug. Me, MM, and Frenchie set a stake out there, and after a while we saw someone dropping a bag with the drug. We followed him to their… lair, I think will be the right word, feels a bit cartoony, but sure a lair, let’s go with that. Somehow, they had not only armed guards and the drug there, but another supe.”

Annie went pale, but before she could choke a word out Hughie spoke again “We didn’t know who she was, and what they were doing with her, but by her locked cell and sharp tools around it wasn’t any good. Frenchie and I agreed we can’t leave her there and opened her cell.” Annie nodded approvingly. That was the Hughie she knew, it’s good to see he was still there. “Of course, then all went to hell, she burst out and attacked everybody in her way out, including us.” Hughie added.

  Hughie gave her a soft smile “You asked me out to the bowling date exactly when Butcher joined us. MM and Frenchie began collecting as much of the drug they could, while Butcher told me to go to the date with you and install the bug on your phone the three of them went hunting after the female supe.”

To her credit this time Annie didn’t seem angry, but simply sad when she asked, “So our first date happened just because Butcher ordered you to plant the bug?”

Hughie gently shook his head before responding “Of course not. I wanted to go out with you any way, and when Butcher gave me the device, I wasn’t sure I will be able to go through with it. As the date kept going, I was more and more sure I won’t do it. Until…” But then he trailed off, not finishing the explanation.

Annie wanted to be angry at him that despite all his words he still did it. But something in Hughie’s tone was off in a familiar and painful way, the same way he seemed during bowling when she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. She still wasn’t sure, but now she could see it was something very painful to him. She gave him a soft look and encouraged gently “Until what Hughie?”

A tear went down his cheek, he looked away and asked, “You know how sometimes I space out and look at a spot that empty?” She nodded, knowing he can’t see her, but apparently, he didn’t need to “I was seeing Robin.” He paused at the gasp that left her lips “It was like seeing a ghost each time. My ears began to ring, and she would appear out of nowhere, always looking at me with look full of accusation. Demanding to know why I don’t do enough, why wasn’t she avenged yet, why I am hesitating, blaming me that I didn’t love her enough… Before vanishing to nowhere again. When you went to the bathroom I saw her again, giving me the same look. I-I’m sorry. But I felt like I had to. Like I had no other choice…” Hughie needed to take a shaky deep breath.

Annie didn’t even notice herself drifting closer to Hughie, while whispering sadly “Oh Hughie.” When she noticed she was halfway to Hughie’s side, she stopped herself, still not ready for that. But it didn’t mean her heart didn’t break for the pain Hughie carried with himself all this time. Something Hughie said focused her attention, she looked at him and asked “You said you were seeing her? You don’t anymore?”  

And despite the tears still flowing down his cheeks he gave her a warm smile “Last night at the bar. Just before we kissed, I saw her. But this time when she vanished, it felt… Final. The rings in my ear were completely gone, and it felt more like leaving than vanishing this time. I finally accepted Robin will want me to live a happy life and not one consumed by revenge.” Hughie’s blue eyes shined as they stared straight into hers when he said, “You made me realize that.”

Annie couldn’t help herself anymore, she slides the rest of the way to Hughie and hugs him tightly, tears flooding her own eyes. She felt that if Hughie can let go to all that pain for her, she can move past Hughie’s mistakes for him. And it becomes easier with each new piece of information Hughie reveals, as his decisions turned from something sinister to best judgment under the circumstances, or peer pressure by Butcher.

Annie looked up from his chest to his face and requested gently “Keep going Hughie, I want to hear the rest.”

Hughie nodded as he continued “Well next come the expo, I guess. I really came because you asked me to, Butcher tagged along because he said he wanted a chat with Ezikiel. I liked hanging out with you, and meeting you mom, I sorry I bailed so suddenly. I was afraid that lady with the red hair will recognize me from the tower. Anyway, while you were in the teen thing, we discovered that getting to talk with Ezikiel will cost a lot of money, and that was when Butcher told me to ask you for the VIP pass. You have no idea how much I tried to push against it, but Butcher convinced me eventually. He gave me his phone with the video from the club in our first meeting where Ezekiel was in the foursome and told me to make sure I have a moment in private with him so I could blackmail him.”

Annie let out a frustrated breath, another crime Hughie committed under the pressure of Billy Butcher. She let a small grin stretched on her lips before teasing him “Well at least now I know why you were so insisted on meeting Ezikiel. But throwing your dad under the bus is kinda low Hughie.”

Hughie gasped in mock shock before replying with a smile of his own “I will let you know I told the truth. My dad is a fan of Ezikiel, but I might exaggerated with the biggest part. You will think blackmailing Ezikiel and being stretch choked by him would have been the scariest of that VIP experience. But meeting Homelander and being almost drowned by him took that cake.” Annie just blinked blankly at him, so he explained “So apparently this VIP experience was getting rebaptism by Homelander himself. He recognized me, said I was your friend, made some menacing comments, and kept me in the water for a lot longer than probably allowed. The man is a complete psycho, watch out for him.”

Annie didn’t know how to react to that, because she began noticing that as well, but tried to ignore it. Not wanting to believe the seven corrupted all the way to the top. What Hughie saying is a bitter pill to swallow, but one she rather do now then when it’s too late.

There was something else she wanted to know “Did you get something from Ezikiel?”

Hughie nodded slowly “He and Vought used his charity as a cover to move that drug A-train was using to hospitals all across the country. Butcher and MM found later what they did with all of this, but that is another story.” He shook his head out of that line of thoughts before saying “Then MM brought in this TV supe Mesmer, so he will tell us Kimiko’s history… That’s the female supe’s name by the way. Figure out she was kidnapped from her group and Vought had the drug tested on her.”

Hughie let out a long breath before finishing “And then I met you in the bar, and I pretty sure we all caught up from there.” He locked his blue eyes with hers, looking for her reaction to the entire story and hoping that just maybe it was enough to save this new relationship they were developing.