The air inside the Boys’ hideout smelled like gun oil, cheap bourbon, and exhaustion. You sat perched on the armrest of a busted-up couch, arms crossed, jaw tight. Hughie paced like he always did when things got tense. Butcher stood against the wall, eyes scanning you like he was trying to solve a puzzle he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to.
“You sure about this?” Hughie asked, voice uncertain.
You shot him a look. “Would I be here if I wasn’t?”
Before he could respond, the thick metal door creaked open.
And there he was.
Soldier Boy—Ben—swaggered in like he owned the goddamn world. In that battle-worn supersuit, still devastatingly good-looking, like time had frozen him in the prime of his life. Beard trimmed, hair tousled just enough to look unbothered. His smirk hit before his words did.
“Well, well… if it isn’t my favorite little rebound,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm and something crueler underneath. “What’s the matter? Miss the best sex of your life?”
Butcher let out a quiet snort. Hughie looked like he wanted to crawl into the floor.
You stood, jaw clenching. “I didn’t come here for you.”
Ben scoffed, tossing a casual look toward Butcher and Hughie. “Lemme guess. You finally fell in love? Sorry, sweetheart. That’s not in my contract.”
“You arrogant piece of sh—”
“I get it,” he interrupted, waving you off. “You want more. But that was never the deal.”
That’s when you snapped.
“I’m pregnant, Ben.”
Silence fell like a dead body.
Butcher raised both brows, glancing at Hughie who looked like his soul left his body. Soldier Boy’s cocky expression twisted into disbelief, then anger.
“You’re what?”
“You heard me,” you said, voice sharp. “And no, I didn’t come here to trap you or beg for anything. I just thought maybe, maybe, you deserved to know before I disappear and handle it myself.”
Ben’s face tightened. His fists clenched. Then he turned to Butcher and Hughie.
“Get out.”
Butcher hesitated. “You sure?”
“Out.”
They left, closing the door behind them.
Now it was just the two of you. The room buzzing with silence, and everything unsaid suddenly too loud.