For a minute, Butcher's steeling himself for whatever's coming next as those chains pull tight, shoving down whatever noises threaten to come up. He's not gonna die screaming after all. He's not giving these bastards the pleasure of it.

But then Homelander is moving back in and that knife is back. He can't even tell which is more infuriating, the hooks or the fact this is fucking Homelander. His breath catches as the tip of the knife digs in, but he still manages to roll his eyes.

"Depends on what you're hoping to accomplish," he grits out. "C'mon, don't we have a bit of a sadism streak in there somewhere?"