39. Butch

CHAPTER 39

BUTCH

The Mouthy One: Has anyone seen Butch?

I knew I was late to my own wedding, but I couldn't seem to move from where I was staring at my corset-clad reflection in the full-length mirror.

It reminded me of when I'd stood in a similar position in my old condo, questioning my entire existence right before a certain Bangers notification rocked my world.

And right before two little words did the same.

Two little words of a different nature were looming over me now, and as much as I wanted to say them—had been dying to say them for so long—I still couldn't move.

What the fudge is the matter with me?

A knock at the bungalow door had me snapping out of my daze, and I glanced at the bedside clock as I hustled to answer, knowing I needed to get my butt in gear, stat .

Because leaving Xan at the altar is the last thing I would ever want to do.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I discovered Sylvano Ricci on the other side of the door.

He was smiling at me in the same fatherly way he always did—in the way my actual father had always seemed incapable of doing. "You know, Butch…" he drawled as his smile turned mischievous. "My position as Deputy Secretary-General of the USN may grant me immunity, but I still wouldn't want to be the one facing Doctor Antihero without his groom in hand."

I grimaced, realizing my selfish actions were negatively affecting everyone else. "I'm sorry, Sylvano. I just lost track of time and?—"

"And are experiencing overwhelming yet completely normal emotions that you insist on dealing with on your own, like the stoic superhero you are?" he concluded with another kind smile.

Sugar.

"This doesn't feel normal," I mumbled, checking my pocket for Xander's ring before joining Sylvano outside.

When I reached for him to fly us to our destination, he waved me off and gestured that we should walk. "They passed out champagne, so no one is angry about the wait," he explained when I hesitated. "And I assure you, experiencing emotions is normal."

"I know that," I huffed, even as some of the tension I'd been carrying lessened.

"Do you, though?" Sylvano mused, almost to himself, as we started walking. "Don't forget that I saw how you were raised, Butch, and now that your mother and I are… close, I know ex actly how much your emotional development was neglected in order to create the perfect war machine."

I briefly closed my eyes, calling upon every therapy session with Dr. Ownit to remind myself I wasn't to blame for the seventy-seven villains I'd killed in ‘defense' of Big City.

It's a work in progress.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Sylvano spoke again. "If you need me to fabricate an emergency back in Big City so you can get out of this wedding?—"

"NO!" I shouted, lowering my voice when he flinched. "No, thank you. I want to marry Xander, more than anything. It's just…"

I just don't want… all this.

Gawd, I really am such a diva.

True to form, Sylvano didn't force me to elaborate, but there was no hiding my sharp inhale when our destination came into view.

"Butch." His hand landed on my arm, stopping me in my tracks while we were still out of supe earshot. "I want to remind you how your mother was pressured into marrying a man she didn't love—the same man who'd murdered her inventus just to get to her and create you. Now, that's an extreme example nowhere near what's going on here, but if you go through with something just because others expect it, I guarantee you won't be happy in the long run. As this is your day, you deserve to be happy."

I deserve to be happy.

I deserve…

My gaze drifted toward the rows of folding chairs filled with guests on either side of an aisle lined with flickering tiki torches.

"You are mine because you deserve to be mine."

I spotted my mother in the first row, her arm slung around Kai's shoulders, and the empty chair for Sylvano beside her. Then, I took in the supes on the low platform at the end of the aisle—none related to me by blood but all of them family.

"You deserve everything I have to give you."

My attention was drawn to the man waiting patiently in front of a trellis decorated with flowers, and any tension that remained immediately evaporated. I remembered how Xander and I had fought to be together despite our supposed differences as ‘hero' and ‘villain,' how hard we'd worked since then to break the generational cycles of our respective families.

"And if you ever feel like you don't, you need to tell me, so I can remind you why you do."

Yes, Daddy.

Knowing what I needed to do, I turned to the normie who'd not only fought for my freedom, but the freedom of all supes on either side of the aisle. "Sylvano… Would you… consider giving me away?"

The original plan had been for me to walk down the aisle alone, but now, I couldn't imagine doing it without the only true father figure I'd ever known by my side.

Sylvano's eyebrows shot up to his hairline before he collected himself. "Of course, Butch. I would be honored. "

I smiled and hooked my arm through his before continuing our path—this time, with purpose.

Because I deserve to be happy.

"There you are, sweetheart," Xander sighed in relief as I took my place on the platform beside him, looking me over with so much love and approval, my knees almost buckled. "I was worried you might stand me up."

"Never," I whispered in return before straightening, determined to tell the love of my life what was bothering me, just like I'd once promised to.

You can do this, Butch.

"Are we ready to begin?" Luca asked from where he stood beneath the trellis as officiator.

Deep breaths.

"No," I quietly replied, tamping down the overwhelming urge to immediately apologize as exclamations of alarm and surprise rang out around us.

Did I fucking stutter?

Buoyed by the knowledge of what I deserved, I stubbornly continued to throw a wrench into every carefully laid plan, since I hadn't been involved in any of it.

And the only people who get a say in this are me and Xander.

"I never wanted a big ceremony like this," I explained, speaking directly to my soon-to-be-husband and him alone. "The idea of saying my vows in front of all these people, even our family, feels… wrong. I just want you, Xan, and while I am thankful for everyone who joined us here today—" I briefly broke eye contact to sweep my gaze over both the wedding party and our guests— "I can't do this. Not like this, anyway. "

Xander looked so stricken, I almost took everything back, but then he grabbed both my hands and squeezed. "Baby, it's you and me, and everyone else can go fuck themselves," he vehemently replied, ignoring the offended gasps that statement inspired. "I want whatever you want—whatever makes you happy. We can fly home right now and go directly to the courthouse if it means you'll still be my husband by sundown."

I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. "I don't know if we're that fast but… you've given me an idea."

A villainous idea.

With one more grateful smile to Sylvano, I turned to Luca. "You can fly, correct?"

"Something like that…" The Stellarian smirked, glancing at the stars above before raising his voice to address the crowd. "Everyone—please continue to the reception and dinner in the grand lodge. The next time you see Butch Holt and Xander Suarez, it will be as lawfully married husbands."

Any remaining dissenters were quickly drowned out by cheers from the majority, but Xander, Luca, and I had already taken to the sky, rocketing upwards until the beach—the entire island—was nothing but an insignificant dot in the ocean far below.

Perfect.

"Fuuuck, this is so much better." Xander sighed before sobering. "Thank you for telling me what you need, baby. I'm sorry I didn't pick up on it on my own?—"

"It's not your fault. We both know how good I am at hiding behind a mask—how I'm still working on using my words to advocate for myself." I smiled, knowing my happiness was now shining out of me, loud and clear. "But thanks to you, I know what I deserve. "

I deserve to be yours.

"Good boy," Xander purred before his eyes widened. "Uhhh… sorry, Sensei. Not trying to make things weird…"

Luca chuckled. "My noise-canceling headphones only cancel so much, unfortunately, but as with all things here on Earth, I've learned to adapt. On that note, I propose we skip the stereotypical ‘I dos'. How about the two of you lead this ceremony in your own words? I'll simply sign off at the end to make it official."

"Thank you, Luca," I replied as the thrill of rebellion coursed through me.

I'm practically a villain!

Xander must have felt my enthusiasm through the bond as he grinned wickedly. "Should I go first, Butch?"

Wherever you go, I will follow.

When I nodded, he blew out a breath and took my hands in his. "Baby, before we met, the thought of being tied down by anyone made my skin crawl. I'd always thought it was because of my deeply-ingrained, entirely healthy fear of commitment, but now, I wonder if maybe I was just waiting for you. For my inventus."

"It means ‘found' in Latin. Something that's been found ? —"

"You found me!" I exclaimed with a joyful laugh. "That's exactly what it felt like when we met—like I'd been found."

I don't ever need to feel lost again.

Xander released my hands so he could cup my face. "That's right, baby. I found you, I made you mine, and I'm going to keep you forever." He smirked. "And anyone who thinks otherwise will die. "

Swoon!

"That easy, huh?" I whispered, loving this trip down memory lane.

"That easy," he replied, without hesitation.

We simply grinned at each other for a moment before Luca gently prompted, "Is there anything you would like to add, Butch?"

I nodded before reaching into my pocket for the ring I'd picked out. It was a yellow gold band— to match a certain other ring we owned— with a thin stripe of pitch-black titanium running along the center.

Since my man is still a little villainous.

Xander released my face so he could hold out his hand, and I did my best to ignore how it shook as I slid the band over his finger.

"I still remember how devastated I was when I discovered you were a villain," I whispered, sniffling as I blinked back tears, determined to see this through. "Part of the infamous Suarez clan, no less. It didn't take long to realize I wasn't upset about your bloodline, but that we might not be allowed to be together because of it. Regardless, I already knew in my heart you were mine. You were the first person to truly care for me—to claim I deserved to be happy, whether or not I'd ‘earned' it—and I refused to believe something that felt so right couldn't survive anything."

"Stealing my thunder, as always," Xander teased, sniffling just as much as he reached into his pocket.

I gasped as he held up a gold band—shockingly understated, coming from him— but perfect, nonetheless. There was something poetic about its simplicity, and I could only hope our journey forward would be as smooth as its gleaming surface .

"Thank you, baby…" he whispered against my lips as he slid the band over my finger, officially claiming me as his. "For being everything I didn't know I needed."

"Well, I was going to say, you may now kiss the groom…" Luca laughed as I threw my arms around Xander's neck and deepened the kiss. "So let's just skip to the end, shall we? By the power invested in me by this and every galaxy, I now pronounce you husband and husband—Mr. and Mr. Suarez-Holt."

"Mine," Xander murmured as he briefly came up for air.

Pure happiness radiated through our inventus bond, lighting me up brighter than the flames I'd wielded since birth. I knew my superpowers weren't what defined me, however, because the man before me—the man I loved— had shown me I was so much more than that.

"Yours," I replied, tightening my hold as we slowly returned to Earth, never intending to let him go. "Because the answer will always be yes."