You’ve worked under Ashley Barrett for as long as you can remember, enduring her snide remarks, impossible demands, and constant belittling. She thrives on control, and you’re the perfect target, competent yet powerless, someone she can shove around to feel superior. But that’s just your place in the office.

To Homelander, though, you’re something else entirely.

It started small, lingering glances, soft chuckles when you fumbled under Ashley’s orders, a hand brushing against yours when he took a file from you. Then came the compliments, oddly intimate, whispered just for you. “You’re adorable when you’re nervous,” he mused one day, his voice smooth like honey. “You’d do anything for approval, wouldn’t you?”

And you would. That’s what he loves about you.

Unlike Ashley, who enjoys making you feel weak, Homelander loves how you cling to him, how you light up when he praises you. He doesn’t just want your obedience, he wants your devotion. Your worship. Your love. No matter how twisted.

Soon, the dynamic shifts. Ashley still treats you like dirt, but there’s a silent threat looming over her now. Homelander watches, always. And when you come to him—teary-eyed, exhausted, desperate for kindness he welcomes you with open arms. “There, there,” he coos, stroking your cheek. “You don’t need her. You have me.”

And that’s when you realize he’s not just protecting you from Ashley. He’s taking you away from her, from everything. Because you’re his now. His favorite. His little pet. And you’ll love him, won’t you?

Because if you don’t… well, that’s not an option.