𐦍 𐦍 𐦍

Nobody will ever understand Butcher's angry thirst and obsession over revenge quite like Cassius will. She hates it, and will never admit it, but they are two sides of the same coin when it comes to a common enemy they both share.

His is over a person he loves more than anything or anyone, and hers is over someone she is so unsure of how she truly feels and wants to feel nothing at all, but at the end of the day Cass still lost the person, even if they hurt her.

The person may have been a poison in her life, a stranger even, she'll never be granted with the choice of ending that person's life herself, letting them rot for good, or any other alternative. There's not one.

Because Homelander killed that person. So the decision was made for and taken away from Cassius, all in one.

𐦍 𐦍 𐦍

Frenchie, M.M., and Bellamy sit stuck in concrete cell, staring at the cemented floor. Bellamy feels like he's right back where he was... a jail cell. Except there he had words on aged pages to help him escape the awaiting time ticking by, and his thoughts.

"Well, you know, in, uh, medieval times, they locked prisoners inside a pillory barrel." Frenchie breaks the silence. "Then they'd kneel in their own excrement til they got sepsis and died, so..." He trails off.

"Or hung and executed immediately." Bellamy speaks, staring at his hands hanging between his thighs.

M.M. stares in wild silence at the two for a moment before giving a curt nod. "Thank you, Frenchie, for that disgusting yet fascinating piece of trivia. And thank you, Bellamy, for adding on."

Frenchie shrugs. "I'm just saying it could be worse, huh?"

"Right." M.M. lifts his brows.

Bellamy scoffs out a chuckle. "Our finger nails could be severed from our nail beds." He points out. "It could be worse."

"Very comforting." M.M. sighs.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Frenchie asks M.M. after a beat.

"Tell you what?" M.M. responds.

"That you had a daughter." Frenchie clarifies.

M.M. shrugs. "I don't know. Cassius knew." Bellamy's spine stiffens. "I mean... I guess she's...' M.M. searches for the right words. "The only good thing I ever did, man."

His explanation burns Bellamy alive. He understands. Completely. Cass, Caroline, and Kennedy were that for him, the only good things that he felt like he did right. He wanted to be that for Frenchie. Him and Frenchie have fought and suffered through their sins to feel that way.

"I just wanted just to leave her clean out of it, you know?" M.M. continues. "Cassius knew because she understood that." And M.M. knows she's exactly right. "But I fucked that up to high heaven. Probably never see her again."

"I understand." Frenchie says quietly. "She made you a better person."

Or at least feel like one, Bellamy thinks to himself.

"And she's alive." Bellamy swallows, pain tugging at his chest. It's all his fault. It was all his fault. His. Fucking. Fault. "You didn't fuck up entirely."

M.M. looks over at Bell. "Thank you." He then turns to Frenchie. "Hey, man. Kimiko's gonna be okay."

"So you do know her name." Frenchie cracks.

𐦍 𐦍 𐦍

Hughie clicks his retainer inside his mouth as he steps through the motel parking lot. He couldn't believe Cassius even gave him some form of a clue of where to look, as adamant and dead set on not helping the rest of 'the boys.' But, before she got in the car with Butcher, she paused, hand gripping the door as she leaned against it, battling with herself over to say something or not.

But she did.

So, Cassius Mallory cares more than she leads on... right?

"I wouldn't look far." She advised Hughie. "They're probably not as far as you think."

That's all she gave. She wasn't going to give her skills or her help. But she gave him a start. And for him, especially from her, that was enough.

Suddenly, Hughie is ambushed and knocked to the ground.

"Ow! What the fuck!" He yells.

𐦍

The men in tactical gear and helmets drag Hughie in with a bag over his face, up to the cell M.M. Frenchie, and Bellamy are standing in. They shove Hughie down to the hard, concrete ground, earning a grunt from Hughie.

"Hey, easy with him, man." M.M. shouts. "Fuck wrong with you?" They slip the bag off Hughie's head revealing him to the three men cuffed in front of him, no surprise to Bellamy, at all. He was more surprised Hughie hadn't been thrown in there with them sooner, but he did go with Billy and Cass.

"Shit." M.M. mutters at the reveal. "Bitch ass." He spits out after the men slam the door. Bellamy sighs, leaning against the wall as Frenchie hurries over to Hughie, kneeling in front of him.

"You okay? You break any bones?" Frenchie asks.

"No no. No." Hughie stutters out.

"No?"

"Did they get Butcher and Cassius, too?" M.M. asks him. Bellamy glances up.

"No."

"They got you separated? When? When?" Frenchie stresses frantically.

"Well, um," Hughie hesitates, "They went after Homelander." Bellamy's spine stiffens, irises widening as he snaps his head up completely. Frenchie glances up at Bellamy first, then M.M. Homelander. She's actually going after Homelander. "But I came to save you." Hughie adds hopefully, rising to his feet. "Yay." He chuckles weakly.

Bellamy raises his brows. "Great." He mumbles dryly. Should he celebrate now? Or after they're killed?

"So, you came here? You meant to come here?" M.M. checks slowly, making sure he's following the Campbell boy's wild story. "Without Butcher and Cassius."

"Yeah." Hughie answers, lacklusterly.

"Oh, thank God. For a second, we thought we heard you correctly." Bellamy deadpans.

"Cassius said I probably wouldn't have to look far." Hughie adds, as if that'll help his case.

Right, the same Cassius who isn't here, Bellamy swallows from saying aloud.

"C'est incroyable." Frenchie utters before gripping both sides of Hughie's face and kisses both cheeks. He steps back, shaking his head while Bellamy snorts. "Never has a man thrown his life away so... completely like you've thrown your away today. No... no, what I mean is, you rescuing us is the most useless, futile gesture I can think of." Frenchie rants.

"Yeah, I-I got it." Hughie tells him.

"Unbelievable." Frenchie finishes. Bellamy scoffs, shaking his head. They'd have a better chance falling to their knees to pray than Hughie rescue them.

"All right, so what's the plan?" M.M. asks.

𐦍 𐦍 𐦍

0вυттєявιѕ¢υιт7 ѕρєαкѕ!

Hello, hello... long time no see, huh? Welcome back to Moronic Morosisss...

I believe august was the first month since I published this book last yr in june that I did not update at least once, so I was rlly shocked & proud of that lol. (I swear if y'all only knew how much of a turn my august took... y'all would understand... it's been roughhh, so pls show/send some loveee)

But anywaysss.... we backk!! I've been working on this chap for a couple weeks not but just haven't had the time to properly finish it or needed to think on it lol. And we settled on a cliffhanger bc I was still writing & im ready to go to bed lmao, gotta keep y'all on your toes here ;)

Are we surprised Cass gave some helpful, very vague advice, which helped Hughie?! That part just came to me while writing this & I thought it was lowkey perf (also you're telling me Hughie thought to go back to the motel all by himself w/ no hints/help... s1 Hughie....)

Also, I absolutely fucking LOVEEE the intro to this chap, & Bellamy's thoughts during the convo when it's just him, M.M., & Frenchie!!!

Well, I appreciate & thank y'all for being so patient with me, & hopefully everyone missed this book & Bellamy & Cass as much as I did!! <333 Untilll next timeee, mwauhhh!! <3333