Butcher/Hughie
Billy Butcher/Hughie Campbell
Butcher recruited Hughie with a lie and spent four seasons alternately weaponizing and protecting him — the closest thing the worst man on television has to a conscience. The Boys frames them as corrupter and innocent; fandom reads the obsession both directions.
What is Butcher/Hughie?
Butcher/Hughie is the fan-given name for the romantic pairing of Billy Butcher and Hughie Campbell from The Boys. With over 1,800 works on Archive of Our Own, it's one of the most popular ships in the fandom.
Why fans love Butcher/Hughie
'The canary' says it all: fans are drawn to the gravity between a dying cynic and the kid he can't let go of.
Most Popular Butcher/Hughie Fanfics
The highest-rated Butcher/Hughie stories on AO3, ranked by kudos.
You smiled at me first
Completeby thefirecrest
John escapes from the laboratory for an afternoon and makes a friend. Years later, Homelander has an unexpected meeting at Believe Expo.Or the one in which Homelander and Hughie are childhood friends and Homelander is his, typical, possessive bastard self.[Chinese Translation now up: https://archive
Distraction
Completeby aishahiwatari
Hughie’s on a sort of elated, desperate high after he leaves the tower, after he escapes with his life without being noticed by the superhero squad he’s supposed to be spying on. It manifests in high speed chatter and fidgeting, two things that make Butcher glare at him, sidelong.“If I let you suck
Revenge
by SumOfAllThings
Hughie opened his eyes, instinctively grabbing the hand around his throat as it tightened threateningly. “There he is,” homelander purred mockingly, pulling him closer. “So tell me Starlight, what is it about the kid that you like so much?”“I don’t-“ Annie began nervously.“Oh fine, liked then.” He l
Earth or Diabolical Creature
Completeby aishahiwatari
Professor Butcher is gorgeous, but he's closed-off, distant, unattainable.Annie knows that.Robin, meanwhile, has feelings about Professor "just call me Hughie".With the quarantine in place, an online lecture allows a little insight into both their personal lives.
Diversion
Completeby aishahiwatari
“Why are you hard?” Hughie has to know.“Why are you?”Hughie checks. He isn’t hard, actually. But he checks. And that’s enough. When he looks up, it’s to meet Butcher’s triumphant grin.Hughie sighs. “So I guess we’re doing this again.”
Happy Together
Completeby punk_rock_yuppie
Hughie agrees to help Butcher raise Ryan, all while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in his life. Of course, things are never that simple. Not when Butcher's involved.
Black Coffee
Completeby aishahiwatari
Hughie really needs this job.And, okay, he wants his boss to need him too.
Dysfunction
Completeby aishahiwatari
“Did he touch you?” Butcher’s repeated snarl breaks through it all. He’s livid, vibrating with tension. Hughie should be more scared than he is. Mostly he’s confused.“No, he- what? Ezekiel?”“No, not fucking Ezekiel, what’s he gonna do, bore you to death? Homelander.”
Demarcation
Completeby aishahiwatari
“Holy fuck, you’re hot.” Hughie realises anew when he sees what’s underneath today’s ridiculous shirt, no artificially bulked muscle but a glorious, broad chest tapering down into a slim waist, a flat stomach, and he’d never realised he could have a thing for shoulders, but- “I’m gunna need you to r
Present
Completeby aishahiwatari
Wow, Hughie thinks when he sees the flowers, a bright and colourful bouquet shoved into the garbage can at the end of the street. Someone’s relationship is going well.They’re nice flowers, too. Not that he exactly knows a lot about that sort of thing. Butcher is- not the gift-giving type.
Five Times Hughie was a Beta
Completeby CookieMonstersRUs
“You are not an omega," Kimiko signed. "You are a beta. Our beta.”“Yes, that’s true, I’m the beta here.”“Our beta,” she repeated. “Pack.” And then she gestured to his wrist and mimed biting it, like she wished for all of them to be a real family.“Oh.” Hughie shouldn’t have been stunned by that, but
Obligation
Completeby aishahiwatari
"I cannot make it," Frenchie tells Hughie, like the traitorous traitor he is. "But I have a friend. Perfect for your purposes. He is much more of an asshole than I am.”“You want me to fake date someone I’ve never met?”“You want me to spend all of Thanksgiving with your insane, American family for a
A candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night
Completeby SatsumaSegments
‘Has anybody else noticed that Hughie and Butcher are in love with each other?’‘D’you think they’re planning on telling us? Or were we just meant to work it out?’‘Oh, fuck. Guys. What if they haven’t worked it out?’
Of Bonds Old and New
Completeby holyfudgemonkeys (erraticallyinspired)
Although he can’t say he believes in any higher being, Butcher can say that if one does exist, they’re probably having a good fucking chuckle about him right now.Or, Butcher's rut is fast approaching, and there's one person he finds himself gravitating towards.---Kinktober Day 14: Omegaverse
Home
Completeby aishahiwatari
“Daddy’s home,” Butcher says, and Hughie grits his teeth and rages and fumes and seethes because this is not fair, he does not get to just waltz back in after fucking everything, and act like nothing’s happened. MM accepts it, and Frenchie’s come to expect it, and Kimiko- well, who fucking knows, bu
Disruption
Completeby aishahiwatari
Hughie looks Butcher in the eye, Butcher who alternately regards him with a vague sort of affection and swears at him in laboured metaphors, who has warm hands that have taken lives and moved corpses but have never touched Hughie in any way he doesn’t want. He probably wouldn’t go so far as calling
(Bad)? Neighbours
Completeby MotherFuckingSorcery
Hughie knows nothing about the new neighbour, apart from the fact that he’s aggressively good looking. He’s all dark crisp lines and danger emanates from him like a cloud. “Billy Butcher,” he says, with some kind of cockney accent, shaking his hand with an overly firm handshake.Hughie arches an eyeb
The Ghost of You
Completeby holyfudgemonkeys (erraticallyinspired)
When it seems like both of them are content to ignore their one night together, Hughie resigns himself to the idea that nothing will ever come of it. He goes to work at the FBSA. Butcher joins Mallory again. They see each other a handful of times before the alpha is sent on a mission.Which is, of co
Canary
Completeby JustSomeoneWhoLikesToWrite
Mother’s Milk had called Hughie his canary. Or a.k.a Butcher thinks about Hughie’s reactions to him being back.
Devotion
Completeby aishahiwatari
Butcher really fucking hates supes.There’s not a good or decent one among them.Translucent, for all he’s stuck naked in a cage being regularly threatened with death, proves him correct all over again, the first time he and Butcher are alone.
Best Butcher/Hughie Fanfic Rec Lists
Butcher/Hughie Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Characters
Common Butcher/Hughie Tropes
Browse curated Butcher/Hughie fic recs by trope:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Butcher/Hughie mean?
Butcher/Hughie is the ship name (portmanteau or nickname) for the pairing of Billy Butcher and Hughie Campbell. It's used by fans to tag and search for fanfiction featuring this relationship.
How many Butcher/Hughie fics are on AO3?
There are over 1,800 Butcher/Hughie fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own.
How can I read Butcher/Hughie fanfiction on my phone?
Download Fanfict Reader for iOS to browse and read Butcher/Hughie fanfiction with a beautiful mobile interface, offline reading, and custom themes.
Read Butcher/Hughie on the go
Fanfict Reader is the best way to browse, search, and read AO3 fanfiction on your iPhone. Download for free and start reading your favorite Butcher/Hughie fics today.