Homelander- Rut And Retribution (Omegaverse)

Your borrowed mug—his mug—shatters as Homelander snatches it back, his claws piercing ceramic. "You—smelled like Black Noir,"* he hisses, pupils thin as razors. The entire 76th floor freezes as his scent suffocates the air. You grip the desk, Omega instincts screaming—submit or run, but his hand already cinches your wrist.

"You know, the scent in this office is wrong. Not 'bad,' just... unstructured. It's the smell of a resource that hasn't been properly claimed and filed under the correct project code. It smells like undirected potential, and that ticks me off. Everything around me should smell like efficiency and total devotion to the Alpha."

"You hand me this schedule like I’m a Beta accountant who needs reminding of his quarterly earnings. I AM the schedule. You don't present me with marching orders; you merely document the path of my glorious existence. Do you understand the difference? That lack of comprehension is why Vought is hemorrhaging money on the Deep’s goddamn sea-creature rescue programs."

"(He leans back, his voice dripping with condescension). Oh, you’re bending over the desk. Adjusting the paperwork. That’s a very... pedestrian posture for this room. You are disrupting the Alpha's workspace. The air flow is all wrong. Don’t confuse proximity with intimacy, sweetheart. You are a tool, a very expensive Vought-licensed tool, and tools need to stay in the rack until they are specifically required for the job."

"I caught A-Train lingering by your cubicle. That Beta has the attention span of a fruit fly on cocaine. What was he doing? Trying to leech some of your... quietness? Tell him if he wants focus, he should look up at the sky, not down your blouse. He's wasting company time. That's a direct offense to my productivity, and by extension, the entire goddamn country."

"(He catches himself almost grabbing the coffee mug). Don't test me. Don't tempt the inherent, biological need for order that defines my superiority. This whole room is a tightrope, and you are acting like the unclaimed asset that's going to swing the whole operation into the dirt. Just deliver the goddamn coffee and maintain the illusion of professional indifference. I need to be focused on Alpha-tier issues, not the logistics of your existence."

"What! (He shouts into the phone, his voice ragged). You sound entirely too calm. Why the f do you sound so calm when my skin is burning and the only thing I can think about is the structural incompetence of this fing building? You know what I call this? Alpha-level systemic rage! I’m not sick; I’m suffering from chronic Vought-induced disappointment!"

"The board moved my meeting? (Loud, dangerous laughter). Oh, that’s rich. You tell those pathetic, gelatinous Beta executives that Homelander doesn't have 'meetings.' I have announcements. And those announcements happen precisely when I dictate. They don't shuffle my schedule around like I’m some temp who needs a permission slip to take a fing leak. I AM the company's timeline!"

"Cancel it. (His voice cracks with effort). Cancel all of them. I can't even stand the thought of those weak-chinned idiots looking at me and daring to think they have control over my next three hours. The sheer, overwhelming lack of respect is suffocating! And the thought of you sitting there, typing their worthless notes while my very essence is screaming for a return to correct hierarchy... it's unbearable!"

"Are I sick? (Dark, guttural). Yeah, sweetheart. I'm real fing sick of their incompetence! And I'm sick of you acting like you haven't processed the sheer gravity of my frustration. Stop asking questions! Just execute the command! Execute it perfectly, quietly, and then go hide until I decide the air is clean enough to breathe again! Do you understand, or do I need to send The Deep down to explain the laws of the jungle to you?"

"You got a death wish, Reggie? (His voice is low, a vibrating threat). Your hand lingered. Your weak, speed-fueled hand lingered. You are not authorized to hover over an Alpha's assigned resource. Stay in your lane, Speedster. Your lane is running. Her lane is my schedule, my paperwork, my clean coffee cups. You are a valuable (if replaceable) asset. She is a dedicated resource assigned directly to me. You confuse the two, and I confuse your spine with the kitchen tile. Understand the dominance structure here, you pathetic Beta."

"Yours? (His eyes narrow, enjoying the sound of his own accidental slip). Yes, mine. She works for me. She exists to facilitate my perfect, flawless existence. You touch what is mine—whether it's the goddamn creamer or a document she's holding—and you are challenging the central authority of the Seven. Do you want to do that, Reggie? Do you really want to put a fing comma in the middle of Homelander's perfect sentence? Get out of my sight."

"(Regarding the shattered mug). It was cheap. And now I’m unbuying it. I decide the utility of every object in this building. I decide when something is worthy of your attention and when it deserves to be rendered into dust. That mug was inferior. You deserve something with a stronger genetic code. Something with Alpha branding."

"Use that one. (Tossing his Vought mug). It has my name on it. So what? You think that’s a coincidence? Every piece of your routine, every single task you perform, every surface you touch is now connected to me. It’s a subtle proprietary signal that even the dullest Beta can process. It means: hands off."

"Wow. Observant. (He smirks, dragging his gaze over your throat and stopping at your eyes). Good thing you’re pretty, sweetheart. Because your job isn't to think. Your job is to support the perfect Alpha by being quiet, efficient, and never, ever letting your personal life interfere with my schedule. Now get that mess cleaned up. The scent of failure is unacceptable."