𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗥 | the boys 2

𝘹𝘪𝘷) 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

"No, fuck!" Butcher exclaimed remorsefully, doubling over as the child softly fell through his arms. Only then he caught sight of the sizeable sheet of steel lodged in her side and the massive dark patch soaking through her black t-shirt. "You gonna' stay put for me, kiddo?"

"Billy, I hurt... bad..." She coughed, clinging to his arm. Usually, when injured, she was still able to string a coherent sentence together, but clearly that had changed.

"Can you cauterize it?" Butcher turned to the supe while Hughie limped towards them, eyes wide in horror as the blood seeped from below her ribs. 

Annie tried her luck at hovering her hands over the wound, only for their solution to go fruitless. "Oh, fuck. The kid must have fried everything, I need power!"

"WELL, YOU GOT A PRETTY SHITE SUPERPOWER THEN, DON'T YA'?!" He roared, jaw tightening as fingers helplessly clawed at his wrists. "We need a fucking doctor."

"C...where? How?" Hughie panted over mismatched groans and pained screams, which he attempted to console by glancing back down every so often and swiping a few stray hairs out of her face. 

"I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M NOT GONNA' JUST SIT HERE AND WATCH MY KID FUCKING WELL BLEED OUT, ALRIGHT?!-"

"OKAY, OKAY!"

The adults immediately set to grabbing her arms and hoisting her onto her feet, prompting another disgruntled moan as Rowan pulled away from Starlight in favour of her Da...

In favour of Billy Butcher.

"Ugh... what about... what ab-about the others..." She murmured weakly, clinging to him like there was no tomorrow because... maybe there could be no tomorrow. 

"They're on their own." Butcher confirmed with his grip tightening rapidly, eyebrows furrowing when she let out a sigh filled with disappointment. "What?"

Rowan pursed her lips - her weak smile was nothing short of inspirational as Hughie dove beneath her other arm. "How the fuck are you laughing?" He flipped out, giving a chuckle at her comment,

"Another shirt ruined." Her toneless giggles were interrupted by an awful yelp as her legs turned numb beneath her. Rowan despised not being able to move, to walk, to escape whenever she wanted. Butcher could hear her pulse purely from her head cradled to his neck as the four of them stumbled away. Those problematic knees of hers gave way again, resulting in an abrupt slump to the ground, through both pairs of arms holding her up. Her jaw ached from grinding her teeth together with such intensity, the metallic traces returned to her mouth, and ringing prickled at her eardrums. Perhaps, if the voices had been screaming, she would have taken this seriously a little earlier; but they were nowhere to be heard. 

"Uhm..." Her voice shook violently as she nervously reached for the top of her head - it felt like so long ago, memories of a kiss there only lingered like a dream. 

"Come on, kid, back on ya' feet." Butcher groaned as he crouched to her level a second time.

"No, no, I think I'm good." Rowan shook her head nonchalantly, grimacing at the agonising searing,"S-so you can go... and I-I'll... I'll..." 

Annie and Hughie sent glances around the group, eventually finishing their journey when they found Butcher looking up at them with his eyebrows slightly puckered - the face he always made when she came out with something insane, the expression was in a place between confusion, intrigue and fatherly pride. With the same look frozen on his face, only slightly more paralysed by fear, Butcher took one look at her before scooping up the child and holding her tight to his chest, marching towards the trees as Rowan hid her face in her arms and bit down on her own skin through the stained infantry coat to console her screams of agony.