Summary: Hero gets a very strange visitor at their home. A child.
CW: Hints of child abuse
When Hero opened the door, he had expected to see many things.
His superiors coming to check on his wellbeing.
A villain coming to taunt them, boasting about how they had managed to track down their personal address.
Or maybe a random individual, who was simply trying to sell them something (it was girl scout cookie season, after all).
Not in a million year had they expected to see a young child, not older than ten, cradling a bundle of blankets at their doorstep.
“H-hello!” The child exclaimed, shuffling their feet. He quickly ducked his gaze, unsure of what he should say next.
“Um, hello.” Hero replied, sounding more than a bit confused.
Then they noted the child's apparel. He wore what appeared to be normal civilian clothes at first sight, but upon quick analysis they noted the torn edges and scratches. Now, this wasn't the peculiar part - normal fabrics were also heavily subjected to tear after good use.
What caught their eye was how the material seemed to cling to the child's skin, meticulously repairing... by itself. Yes, the smaller holes were already completely sealed in just the small window of time that their conversation had been held.
It was a material that they were quite acquainted with. It was the very fabric that made up their own hero suit.
Turning to examine the small visible parts of the child’s face (who was still glancing at their shoes), they made out faint scratches and bruises on their skin.
“Are you alright?” Hero asked, making sure to level their tone. He didn’t want to scare off the child, especially in their current condition.
The child stilled, stiffing as their grip on the blankets in front of them increased ever so slightly.
“Depends.” They replied. Not offering any further clarification, he once again went silent.
Hero glanced back at their home interior, noticing how the child lightly shivered as a small gust of autumn wind passed in between them. “Here, come in.”
The child visibly perked up upon hearing the invitation. “Thank you!”
The odd pair walked inside the significantly warmer home, Hero only pausing to close the door behind them.
Once Hero's gaze returned to their new guest, he saw that they had already taken a seat at their dining room table.
For once in their life, Hero felt grateful for the extra chairs that were usually left vacant around the oversized table.
He grabbed the closest seat to the kid, turning to face them. “Do your parents know where you are?”
The child paused, confusion plainly littering their features until their eyes lit up in realization. “Oh, well, I think one of them knows.”
“You think?” Hero asked. They tried their best to avoid any accusatory tones as they addressed the younger individual, but found it increasingly difficult. Despite years of communication experience, they had to admit they were definitely out of their comfort zone in this scenario. They hardly ever interacted with little kids.
The rare moments that their paths did cross, they merely held small single word conversations (if one could even call it that). They really weren’t much of a ‘kids’ person.
The child in front of them seemed unfazed by the hero’s tone though, as they replied without hesitation, “Yeah. I mean, you know that I’m here, so that means that one of my parents knows, right?” They looked at them with a surprisingly shy gaze, waiting for confirmation.
Sadly, the Hero was far too stunned to offer anything remotely close to a reply.
“W-wait what?” Hero asked, finding it increasingly difficult to keep the question sounding casual.
“Um, you asked if my parents know, right?” The kid asked, as they quickly avoided eye contact again.
“Yes. I-I think you misinterpreted the question though.” Hero replied, trying to calm their racing heart.
Hero was overreacting. Young children said things like that all the time! Throwing words out like there’s no tomorrow, not really thinking too much about the meaning behind them. For all they knew, Hero could simply look a lot like one of the child’s parents, so they naturally just went with their first instinct and labeled Hero as their guardian.
The priority now was to find the legitimate parents of this lost child.
“Oh. So were you referring to my other parent, who isn’t you?”
And there goes their heart beat again.
“Ah about that, sorry little one, but I’m not your parent.” They mentally cringed at the nervous antic hanging on every word.
“Wait, are you not Hero, who also goes by [Hero’s civilian name]?” The small child asked.
Wait.
How did they know that?!
Again, the poor child was left in silence, as Hero desperately tried to refocus their racing thoughts.
“I-uh well, I’m…”
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” The child said, promptly getting out of their seat. “I’ll make my way out. Have a nice evening.”
Were children usually this polite?
“Wait!” Hero said, nearly knocking down their own chair in their haste. “I’m- yes, I’m Hero.”
The child paused, giving them a skeptical look. “You are…?”
“Yes.” Hero was surprised at how resigned their tone sounded within their own ears. “I’m Hero, who also goes by [Hero’s civilian name].”
Immediately, the child’s eyes brightened once more.
Now that they looked at them more attentively, Hero couldn’t shake off the feeling that they’d seen them before.
“Hello Hero!” Their shyness seemed to overpower them again, that is, until they fixed their gaze to meet Hero’s once more.
They looked determined - the gesture also strangely familiar…
“I’ll make this quick. I’m your son, experiment 34sd9! Nice to meet you, dad!”
At this point, Hero was mere centimeters from a total mental breakdown.
Before they had the ability to make any sort of comment. Hero’s son seemingly continued with their speech. “Oh, and guess what? I’m not your only child.” They unwrapped the strange towel they’d been carrying all this time, only to reveal a baby. “He’s also your son!”
Those four simple words were all it took to completely knock out Hero.
Hero’s older son glanced wearily at the fallen figure in front of him. Turning to look at the baby currently sleeping in his arms, he said, “Well, it could have gone worse, I suppose.” Turning to the kitchen (which was behind the fainted Hero), they added, “Do you think that dad has any good food in the fridge?”
Author’s Note
Don't worry people, the villain will appear next chapter, don't think I scammed you guys with misleading tags lol.
This is a story that I originally had for a couple of OCs, but decided to present it to you all through a far more generic lens - to not bore you with the lore.
I don't have much to say about this piece, except that it is also going to be a series. If you're wondering about my other series, don't fret, I have the next parts in the making.
Summary: After a failed mission, Hero is captured by one of the most renowned criminals of their era: Villain. (Hero whumpee and villain caretaker trope lol)
This is written for @epiclamer, due to one of their most recent posts. Hope you like it!
CW: Usual trigger warnings for most whump stuff, mentions of past trauma/implied past torture, self-esteem issues, descriptions of pain & a panic attack.
Hero stood still as they slowly regained consciousness. Unlike most people who wake up from a coma, however, they didn’t immediately open their eyes. Instead, they choose to momentarily bask in the dark void around them.
It gave them a feeling that they rarely felt, serenity. Peace.
Then, like most of the happy things in their sorrowful life, it swiftly unraveled at its seams. A typhoon took its place, as every horrible memory came rushing back. Every. Single. One.
They’d fought till their body literally gave out. Till their sight had shifted into simply seeing red. That didn’t matter, though. It was the outcome that mattered. It was the outcome that decided whether they succeeded. The outcome deemed that all their efforts, no matter how resilient they had been, hadn’t been enough.
They failed.
They were a failure.
Now, they were going to face the consequences of their incompetence.
Subconsciously, they felt their body twitch, a small shiver coursing through them from head to toe. Even a subtle movement like that still managed to cause a tremendous amount of pain. Hero’s mind got to work to try to idealize a plan, someway to rectify their wrong before it was too late. Before they got punished.
They knew that nothing that the villains (who Hero assumed had captured them) could do could compare to what Mentor would do when they found out. If they even lived to see their superiors' reaction. Deep down, they kinda hoped they didn’t.
However, they quickly corrected their thinking.
They should be grateful for the punishment.
It’s what they deserved.
It’s what a worthless monster like them deserved.
With this new mindset, they opened their eyes, the rest of their body still refusing to move.
In the back of their head, they realized just how comical it was that even after all these years of training with Mentor, they still refused to face pain.
Yet another reminder of their useless existence.
After a few more seconds of silence, they sat up, waiting to bask in the retributions for their inadequate performance.
They didn’t bother looking around the room, fully aware that it didn’t matter. Monsters didn’t question, they only took orders. Questioning would be a waste of time. Wasting time meant punishment, and they were already going to have to deal enough with that. It would all turn red, just like in their earlier fight, in a few seconds anyway.
Hero couldn’t stand the silence that was settling in the room. It felt almost like a taunt, their captor letting their anxiety grow within the seemingly peaceful room.
Instead of wasting time exploring the room, they choose to focus their thoughts on something far more productive. Their failed mission.
Mentor had very generously assigned them to the toughest battle they’d ever been expected to fight - which ended up being twenty against one. They had put their trust in Hero, but they failed them. They failed the agency, they failed everything they lived for. Sure, it had been a questionable goal to have met, but they were expected to succeed regardless of what their opinion was about the actual possibilities of their success.
Monsters don’t give their opinions, they just take orders.
They should be more than content with following through with them, since they didn’t simply immediately kill them upon knowing of their existence.
They knew their place. Monsters like them didn’t have a choice in their treatment. They knew to be very thankful to be blessed with a life at all. Yes, they were thankful.
Thankful towards Mentor.
Just then a door opened.
Hero didn’t acknowledge the new arrival, looking at the ground. Hero noted how they no longer were wearing their suit, the spandex replaced by a loose hospital gown.
The individual was now standing in front of them, holding a clipboard. They only spared them a quick glance, though, so any other distinct features were overlooked. “Hello, how are you feeling?”
Their tone was professional… but not threatening. Hero didn’t seem to detect any mocking undertones either. Still, they knew better than to let their guard down.
The nicest ones usually dealt the deadliest blows.
Hero remained silent, merely analyzing the question in their mind. It was quite a ridiculous query.
Monsters don’t talk about ‘feelings’.
That would require them to have feelings.
Everyone knew monsters don’t have any sort of feelings, Mentor had said so. And Mentor was always right. Always.
“Do you have a name?” the other person asked, after noting that their previous question had been simply left hanging in the air.
That was something that they could answer.
Monsters could have names, once they earned them of course.
Unlike many other monsters, Hero had secured a name for themselves. Though they would rather not recall all that it took to acquire it.
“Hero.” They said, the name resounding in the strange room a few times before it once again fell into a state of silence.
“Hero…?” The other individual gave them a look, though they couldn’t really recognize what they were trying to convey.
Probably disgust. Monsters were always disgusting creatures, unable to be loved.
Not that they deserved anything even remotely close to love in the first place.
Their pen hovered idly on the page, less than a centimeter away from making contact with the stark white paper.
“Yes.” They replied. “Hero.”
Without another word, the mysterious person scribbled the name down. Setting the clipboard down, they began to power up some machines that Hero had previously ignored. This only took them a few minutes. Only when all of those procedures were complete, did they begin to walk closer towards Hero.
Hero held their breath, waiting for the torture session to begin.
However, it never came.
They felt as the person lightly pushed them, forcing them to lay on their back. Once safely secured on the surface, they began bandaging Hero’s wounds. A light stinging feeling erupted on their skin once alcohol was put on some of their lighter cuts, but they hardly even bothered to acknowledge the small discomfort.
It was nothing compared to the recent pain they’d endured.
After a few minutes, another pair of people came and carrying some small devices with them. Then, they lightly placed a clear mask over Hero’s face, explaining to them that they were going to be given some light doses of anesthesia. Hero somehow manged a small nodded, already feeling it take effect.
Just as they were about to pass out again, their ears tuned into the small conversation being held among the workers.
“It’s them. It’s Hero.”
“Did you send someone to tell Villain?”
“Yes, a few minutes ago.”
“Will Hero be alright?”
“They're in pretty bad shape, but they’ll live.”
A pause.
“But I’m not sure how well they are, mentally speaking.”
“I hope that-”
Before they could hear the rest of the sentence, Hero’s world went dark.
They woke up once again in an unfamiliar location.
“Oh you’re up!” A voice said to their right.
Hero slowly turned their head, only to come face to face with Villain.
The criminal mastermind sat casually on a chair next to them, swinging their feet mindlessly back and forth.
Against their better judgement, they frantically tried to get to their feet. Their muscles immediately protested, as a sharp pain coursed through their upper body. Still, this didn’t stop their attempt, as Hero knew fully well that whatever Villain was going to do would be far more painful than a simple agitated bruise.
However, all their efforts were quickly proven to have been in vain once Villain forced them to once again lay down in one sudden motion.
It was pathetic, really, how little energy Villain seemed to use to undo their escape attempt.
“Please, try to remain still. Your stitches will reopen if you move like that, especially since they were only made a few hours ago.” Villain said, though their tone was far more gentle than Hero had expected. “The doctors also told me that you have a few broken ribs, so it’s best to not put too much stain on your body right now.”
Hero obeyed, laying still. Hero noted the far softer surface underneath them, which in any other circumstance would have been an amazing place to sleep on. Right now, though, taking a nap was the last thing on their mind.
Fear seemed to skim through their whole body as they desperately focused their whole attention on the plush blanket encompassing them, another strange thing that was given to them while they had been asleep.
Truth be told, they had never experienced any sort of torture where these types of items were used. They really couldn’t think of any way that they could be transformed into weapons of abuse, but Hero suspected that they were about to find out.
They subtly took a glance at Villain, who was currently also staring at them. Hero detected a strange fondness in their gaze, though they knew that they must have imagined it.
Why would anyone be fond of a monster like them?
“It really is you, isn’t it?” Villain asked, tilting their head to the side. A ghost of a smile spread across their lips, only to fully manifest itself after a few more seconds of silence. “After all these years…”
Years?
The implication of the phrase instantly flooded Hero with a lot of questions, but they instantly took a step back. That was crazy. Monsters like them didn’t speak unless addressed. Much less, to a villain.
“I’m guessing that you're hungry?” Villain asked, getting off their chair.
On cue, Hero’s stomach did a treacherous grumbled. The hero mentally cursed their weak body.
Villain on their part, merely chucked. “I brought you something.” Villain said, breaking their chain of thoughts.
Hero went on overdrive. They fought once again to escape, nearly succeeding in their attempt this time. Their heart beat inside their chest, their chapped lips barely able to give off a cry of desperation. Then the tears came, slowly adorning all of their features in a veil of fear and sadness. Mostly fear.
The terror in their eyes was apparent, as their gaze frantically moved left and right, searching for something - anything - that could give them a way out.
Momentarily locking eyes with Hero, they easily saw it. The fearful gaze somehow seeped with their very being, a memory that would come up time and time again, haunting every single one of Villain’s restless nights. At this moment, though, they didn’t know that.
All they knew was that Hero needed help.
Upon breaking eye contact, Villain truly realized the severity of the situation. “Hero, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” They desperately tried to keep their voice leveled, knowing fully well that yelling would only make things worse.
The message still didn’t seem to fully register in Hero’s mind, though, as they continued to kick and punch - a frantic attempt to avoid the pain. Through the panic, they seemingly forgot to breath.
Then, in the midst of all the chaos - darkness so to speak - they saw a light.
One of Villain’s hands was now gently placed on top of Hero’s head, gently ruffling through their hair. They continued running their fingers through their nemesis’ hair, careful to not tug on any of their locks.
“Hero breath, in and out.” Villain said, as Hero’s initial reaction slowly deescalated. Following Villain’s calm voice, Hero slowly began to take a few breaths of air.
Soon, it all came to an end, but Villain didn’t move their hand. “That’s it. Just focus on your breathing for right now. You did wonderfully.” They flashed the hero a smile before slowly retracting their arm, much to Hero’s dismay.
But before they could protest the lack of contact, Hero noted the change in Villain’s expression. The villain’s face appeared to be struck with… regret. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
Hero studied the villain’s eyes and detected sincerity in their gaze.
Still, years of training quickly reminded them who they were talking to. A skilled criminal like them is probably used to using their emotions like a tool, wearing a different mask in order to gain what they wanted.
Even so, they couldn’t help but give them the benefit of the doubt.
“Did that phrase remind you of something?” Villain asked cautiously.
Mentor.
Of course, they didn’t dare say that out loud. Instead, Hero choose to simply shake their head.
Villain gave them a dubious look, but thankfully didn’t press any further.
“Here, eat something.” Villain said, gently passing to them a tray of previously hidden food.
Hero eyed some strange looking items on the platter, not moving their hand. However, due to the short distance between them, Hero detected the aroma right away, the new smells hitting like a freight train. It was unlike anything they had ever smelled in their whole entire life.
Before their body betrayed them once more, they quickly shook their head a second time.
Villain tilted their head at them. “What’s the matter?”
“We can only eat when the clock says it’s 12.” On a good day, that is.
But Hero didn’t bother adding that last part.
They gave a look as if about to protest, only to pause as they saw Hero shrink back against the bed frame.
“Oh okay.” Villain said, thinking for a bit. They got up and left the Hero, who, despite literally being taught to hate villains, couldn’t help but feel a loss at their departure.
They were so easily manipulated, just a bit of kindness and they were practically already on their knees.
So much for loyalty.
Hero involuntarily perked as they saw Villain reappear a few seconds later. “Well, let’s check what time it is, shall we?”
They held up a digital clock, the green neon numbers contrasting perfectly against the dark foreground of the clock’s surface.
As luck would have it, the numbers showed that it was 12 exactly.
“Can you eat now?” Villain asked hesitantly, as they sat the clock carefully on the small bedside table.
Hero nodded slowly, turning once again at the food in front of them.
They inspected the platter with curiosity, carefully taking one of the many items from the plate - thought they still didn’t dare to bring it to their mouth. They flashed a quick glance at Villain, who seemed to understand the unspoken question.
“Oh, do you not recognize it?” Villain asked, leaning towards the Hero with another one of their cute smiles.
Hero gulped and shook their head.
Should they recognize it?
Will they be punished if they didn’t?
They eyed the villain, trying to see if there were any early signs of violence in their stance, but came out with nothing. They did, however, notice the sad look in Villain’s eyes upon seeing Hero’s confusion.
“It’s a donut. A powdered one.” Villain gently plucked it out of Hero’s hands and split it into two equal pieces. “It’s a type of fried pastry that’s typically sweet. This one in particular has raspberry filling in the middle. See?” Hero glanced down and confirmed that there was indeed a strange red substance in the middle of the otherwise plain bread interior.
They still didn’t look too convinced despite the brief explanation, so Villain took one of the two pieces and ate it.
“No poison.” They confirmed, after finishing the small portion of food.
Hero knew that there were far more dangerous substances than poison that could be found within this so called ‘donut’.
But the sincere look on Villain’s face unintentionally coxed them into believing them.
So, they took the leftover portion and nibble the end of it.
Villain had been right, it tasted very sweet. Gaining some courage, they took a far more substantial bite out of the donut, a bit of powder falling on the blanket that was now covering their legs.
They glanced at the clock.
It’s already 12:10.
After finishing the donuts, they picked up a few more sweets that were on the dish, after receiving a reassuring nod from Villain.
However, they stopped short once they spotted a strange liquid.
It looked like something taken straight from a sci-fi movie (not that they had ever seen one, but they were certain that things like that had to appear there).
Instead of being the typical clear water that they held on such a high pedestal (only the best, most well-behaved monsters got the privilege of drinking that), this drink had an undeniable orange tint to it.
Why was it orange?!
It had to be poisoned. Maybe radioactive.
“That’s orange juice.” Villain pointed towards the open door behind them. “Freshly squeezed, might I add.”
“O-orange juice?” Hero asked, forgetting their previous determination to remain reserved.
It was hard to regret the action when they saw the way that Villain’s eyes seemed to light up upon hearing their voice.
“It’s essentially the liquid obtained from an orange, you know, the small round fruit. I’ll admit, I did add a bit of sugar and some water to it, just to counter some of the zest.” They briefly stopped their explanation to check for understanding.
The hero nodded, glancing at the drink with a bit more openness.
“Want me to try it first?” Villain asked, noting that, despite Hero's view shift on the beverage, they still hadn’t brought it to their lips.
Hero shook their head, finally taking a light sip. They felt the cold drink slowly go down their throat, feeling how the coolness traveled quickly down to their stomach. It was… refreshing.
Hero paused for a couple of seconds, waiting for any kind of reaction to start in their system.
No headaches, no nausea, they didn’t even feel light-headed…
In fact, they felt strangely content.
“Was it okay?” Villain asked, mistaking their poison evaluation for taste analysis.
Wait, why were they asking for their opinion?
It’s not like the viewpoint of a monster was something worth considering.
Maybe they had mistaken the question’s meaning. But as they tore their gaze from the drink, they saw the curiosity on Villain’s face.
“Yeah. It was good.” They could hardly recognize their voice now, it was the clearest that they had ever heard it to be - at least in a long while.
They quickly turned back to the platter, picking another unfamiliar dish.
If they were honest with themselves, Hero was getting quite fond of the game they were playing, though they knew that it would most likely be very short-lived. Still, they’d learned to appreciate the small moments - those always helped you endure the harder ones.
The gingerly grabbed the last item on the tray: a strange squarelike item.
Surprisingly enough, the best part of the game wasn’t necessarily the food (though that was a humongous bonus) it was getting to see Villain’s eyes sparkle at every little thing that they did. In fact, they were doing it right now, once they noticed that Hero had decided to take the initiative with this final food item.
“That’s a sandwich.” As soon as the phrase left their mouth, Villain sheepishly ducked their head. “But of course you probably already know that.”
“Sand witch?” They asked hesitantly, mildly horrified at the implication of the dish. It had looked quite innocent a few seconds ago, only appearing to be two slices of bread with some strange colorful ingredients in between.
“Uh, yes, but it’s not made of sand or out of a random magic wielding person.” They clarified, causing Hero to release the tension that was building inside of them with a soft sigh. Villain merely smiled at the gesture. “I actually have no idea why it’s called that, now that I think about it.”
“Oh. Okay.”
They glanced at the clock for the second time during their conversation.
It’s 12:25.
Hero quickly scrambled to finish their dish, stuffing the sandwich into their mouths in obnoxiously large portions.
“What’s wrong?” Villain asked, looking alarmed.
The hero on their part didn’t want to waste another moment - knowing that their designated meal time would come to an end at 12:30. The desperation in the villain’s gaze, however, somehow managed to make them pause.
“Lunch ends at 12:30.” Hero replied, quickly getting back to their meal.
They scrunched their eyebrows, glancing briefly at the clock before realization hit them.
“Oh I see.” Then they pressed a button on the clock and suddenly, the seconds stopped moving - stuck on 12:29. “Eat.”
They gave them an uneasy look, a bit of mayonnaise lingering on the edge of their mouth, courtesy of the messy eating they had done a few seconds ago.
“You follow the clock’s orders, right? Well, I think that it’s decided to be merciful for once. Eat, and don’t rush again, okay?” Villain sat patiently, waiting for the other to respond.
The hero in question was too busy marveling at Villain’s voice, impressed by just how gentle they could make their tone sound. Each word practically sounded like honey to Hero’s ears.
In reality, it was kinda driving Hero crazy, as they were completely unused to this type of gracious treatment.
After a few more silent moments, the question finally registering in Hero’s mind. “O-okay.”
Villain nodded, taking a napkin and gently whipping the mayo off their upper lip. Once it was off, they hummed in contentment. Even with the napkin as a layer in between them, Hero couldn’t help but feel a wave of electricity surge through their body at the foreign contact.
“Enjoy the meal.” Villain’s sweet voice brought them back to reality.
They only managed to nod, trying to calm down their racing heart.
Soon, they were done, only leaving crumbs on the platter as evidence of the food that it once held.
Villain quickly got to work picking up the empty plate. They made sure that the sheets were clean with a quick sweep of their hand, removing any small debris on the bed. They gestured for Hero to lay down, and they proceed to tuck them in.
“Sleep, we can talk more later, if you’d like to talk, of course.” Still holding the empty dish, they gave them another reassuring smile before turning around.
After that, Villain proceeded to walk out the door. They made sure to gently closed it behind them.
Well, at least that’s what they would have done if Hero’s hand hadn’t stopped them midway.
They quickly threw an uncertain glance towards the person behind them.
“W-wait.” Hero said, their voice trembling slightly.
Just like that, all of Villain’s previous resolve dissolved in an instant.
“What is it? Are you cold?” Villain asked, glancing at the blanket. They were already racking their mind, trying to remember if they had any spare blankets in the room next door.
However, they were once again interrupted. “No, nothing- nothing like that.” Villain waited calmly for the hero to collect their own thoughts. “Sorry, I- never mind.”
Villain sat the platter down and cupped the crime-fighter's face in their hands, leaning to look at them. “Look, you’re no longer at the agency. You're free to say whatever you want. Please, tell me what you wanted to say.”
The wave of doubt melted away for a brief instance, as they looked into Villain’s earnest eyes. “Could you- maybe could you stay? A-at least until I go to sleep, please?” Their voice was riddled with uncertainty, but they were proud that it had even come out at all. One glance at Villain and surprisingly enough it looked like they were proud too.
“Of course.” They took their seat once more across from them.
Hero tried to fall asleep, but found their mind plagued with a lot of thoughts - particularly around Mentor.
All of a sudden, they began to hear some strange noise to their left.
Hero turned towards Villain, and saw that they sat in the same idle position on their chair, eyes closed as they hummed a soft melody.
They directed their thoughts to the song, analyzing the various components of the simple piece. Before they even realized it, they were fast asleep.
—-
Villain sat next to Hero, looking intently at their sleeping face. Then they once again looked at the ceiling towering above them - tracing with their eyes the various cracks on it’s pearl white surface. A bittersweet feeling enveloped them, as they realized just how much time had passed between their last encounter.
Now, Hero hardly even seemed to recognize them.
The hero shifted in their sleep, making a light sound of distress. Villain’s gaze flickered back towards the person currently snuggling under the bedsheets. Once again, a small whimper escaped their lips. It didn’t take long to piece the information together.
Hero was having a nightmare.
Villain debated whether to wake them up, but ultimately decided against it.
Instead, they tried something that had seemed to work earlier.
The stood, lightly cringing as they heard the chair creak due to the shift in weight. Then they slowly walked towards the bed, which was only a few inches away from them anyway. They took a seat at the edge of the mattress, watching as it dipped underneath them.
Hero stilled for a moment, but they were soon caught up in their nightmare once more.
Villain hesitated, before they leaned towards Hero. Using their right hand, they weaved their fingers through Hero’s hair, making sure to keep their movements feather-light.
This seemed to do just the trick, the distressed look on Hero’s face melting away after a few seconds, as they leaned into the touch.
Villain continued to play with the hero’s soft hair, searching their face once more - as if it would give them some clues for the mystery currently racing in their mind.
They barely suppressed their laughter as they imagined how strange this scenario would be to an outsider. A villain comforting a hero - a once in a lifetime experience.
However, this wasn’t the way that Villain viewed it.
They were just two broken people trying to survive in an even more broken world.
The hero sighed in contentment, still in deep slumber, causing the criminal to finally smile.
One thing was for sure, the people who did this to hero were going to pay a very high price.
Author’s Note
Epic, if you made it this far I congratulate you lol. It's definitely a bit of a longer piece - over 4k I think - my apologies.
I actually started writing this the same day you made the post on Tumblr, and had been writing/editing this story throughout the days after. Sorry for the wait, hope that the story satisfied at least a bit of your craving, lol.
On another note, through this wonderful piece of art, I realized just how unfamiliar I am with the English language as a whole (even though I've been speaking it since I was a little kid).
Here are some examples (1st one is my version, the second is the correct way):
Curtacy - Courtesy
Ultimetly - Ultimately (funny story actually, this is actually my attempt at spelling it well enough for autocorrect to understand me - yeah I've gotten to the point where I just don't even try to spell things right anymore)
And my favorite...
Egnolig - Acknowledge (not even google could figure out this one - it kept wanting to autocorrect to eggnog)
Hmm, may make this into a series - updating you all whenever I find another 'creative' way to spell something.
Summary: A cat-themed hero paired with a cat-fearing villain. While Villain is scared out of their mind, Hero instantly falls in love with them.
This chapter is written in Villain's heavily exaggerated POV. (I'll be writing Hero's POV hopefully soon)
CW: Discussion of phobias & dehumanizing terminology (essentially, Hero described as a monster).
The Hero was like nothing that the Villain had ever seen. Something that appeared to be taken straight out of a fairy tale.
No, they weren’t like a noble knight or a breathtaking royal monarch.
They were a monster. One of the most despicable things that Villain ever laid eyes on.
Their eyes were crazed, luring an inexperienced observer into it’s depths to then drown them at sea. Their hands wielded long, pointy claws, no doubt tainted with an abhorring amount of blood. They lurked in every unforeseen corner, waiting to ambush their prey with a downright sadistic excitement.
Every move that they made was calculated, to a disgusting extent.
The masses were blinded to Hero’s disgusting antics, enchanted by the mask they wore in front of the public eye - both literally and figuratively.
To this day, the Villain cursed the day that their two paths crossed. The day that they became aware that such a foul creature inhabited the earths surface.
They could recall it as if it had just happened yesterday.
The night had been peaceful. The stars shone above them, as they stood on top of one of the most renowned skyscrapers of their city - a tourist attraction that brought in the crowds.
That was besides the point.
They had successfully managed to pull off one of their greatest heists yet, earning them a top spot on the Villain’s list. The reporters had gone wild with the news, pumping years worth of content out of that seemingly small feat.
News reports, articles, even billboards showcased Villain - the only one who had somehow managed to rise from an amateur to a full-fledged villain in less than a couple of weeks.
The scheme had taken place the day before. Now that they knew that the goods were secure, they were taking a rare break from villainy to bask in their victory.
In any other case, it could almost pass off as an inspirational story - framed in a golden picture frame, neatly placed on the wall for all to see.
However, it was far from inspirational.
Naturally, a jail cell would be far more applicable (at least as far as the authorities are concerned).
Standing on top of that building, taking in the panoramic view of the marvelous night sky, their day of celebration was tainted.
Though that’s putting it lightly. It was completely ruined.
Villain sensed someone behind them. The hairs on their body stood up, a natural reaction they had whenever they were put on edge.
They were an individual that held planning to a high degree. Naturally, they hated surprises. Even the most inconvenient alterations to their plans always left them slightly agitated.
This was no exception.
“Look, I’ll save you the need to regret this decision later. Go and have a wonderful night.” Villain’s voice remained even, softly carried by the warm spring breeze. They didn’t even bother glancing at the individual who had deemed themselves worthy of taking part of such a pivotal memory with Villain.
Villain wasn’t usually this stoic. Actually, they were leaning far more into the flirty spectrum of villainy styles. Though, they figured that taking on such a persona would probably be far more beneficial in the long run.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’d much rather take in the beautiful view.”
They barely held back a scoff, casually turning towards their unwanted companion.
Then they saw it, the most decadent being in the universe.
“Look, I just wanted to say hi to the new-” They paused, their deplorable eyes analyzing the villain in front of them.
Their suit was fully black, blending perfectly within the veil of the night.
Villain’s mouth went dry.
They couldn’t shake off the feeling that it served as a warning, the black matching eerily the shades found within a funeral.
Though with the Hero, it was more likely worn as a form of mockery.
An embarrassing amount of fear washed over them, stiffening their once casual movements.
The hero also remained silent, in what Villain could only assume was caused by an impending amount of pleasure in seeing their confidence slowly disintegrate before their eyes.
The villain noted the way the hero’s tail swayed behind them, desperately analyzing their current options.
“My name is Hero.”
Villain immediately looked up upon hearing the new voice. Rookie mistake.
This small movement somehow gave them a front row view of Hero’s eyes.
Their eyes tied in perfectly with the rest of their get-up. Each eye was a different color, but both had the classic vertical cat pupil. Villain suspected that they helped view things in the dark, but they weren’t certain. However, they were certain of the fact that seeing them only served to fuel the fire of their current state of panic.
It didn’t help that Hero was currently using those strange eyes to trail Villain’s every move.
Villain felt chills upon realizing this, but managed to suppress the feelings by focusing intensely on clenching and unclenching their fist.
“What, cat’s got your tongue?” The hero sneered, taking an ominous step towards Villain.
This was it. This was the end.
Just as Villain was about to accept their fate, they heard a boom resound within their eye drums.
This momentarily distracted both individuals, as they simultaneously looked down at the city.
It was Supervillain.
Villain’s grip on the railing tightened, all traces of fear leaving in an instant. Now all that filled them was rage.
“I have to go.” Hero replied, jumping the railing in one graceful motion, before latching onto the cool surface of the tall building. From there they began to make their swift descend.
Just when the villain was about to breathe a sigh of relief (no longer having to deal with the terrifying hero), Hero popped their head from below them, once again in Villain’s line of sight. “See you later!”
With one threatening grin, they left the Villain once again alone on the skyscraper.
Weeks after, they realized that Hero hadn’t been joking. They constantly were making appearances in front of the Villain, frightening them whenever they could.
In the rare times that Villain wasn’t dealing with them first hand, they were perpetually reminded of them when they scrolled online or watched TV.
This added exposure only served to validate their initial intuitions.
On interviews, they’d always give their most bone-chilling smiles.
When news stations broadcasted their battles, Hero always showed off a ruthless fighting style.
That one instance when Hero’s photo was on trending, it was a picture of them holding up a puppy that they had claimed to have found abandoned on the streets. Villain of course immediately saw through their cheap act and noted the merciless way that Hero was grabbing the poor pup. As far as Villain was concerned, they could only hope that the small puppy made it out alive.
Hero was a manic, a manic who was currently fascinated with torturing them.
At this point, Villain wouldn’t be surprised if they were being personally haunted by Hero. Though that would indicate that Hero was a ghost, which wasn’t true as far as Villain knew-
“VILLAIN!” Right Hand turned to face Villain, crossing their arms in front of their chest. Villain paused their speech, looking at their friend, who was currently tapping their foot on the floor. Bad sign. “As much as I love hearing your extremely bias monologuing - and believe me you’ve had me on the edge of my seat this whole time - if you speak another word I’ll personally staple your mouth shut.”
Villain instinctively closed their mouth.
“Now that we have that out of the way, let’s address the elephant in the room.” The tapping stopped as Right Hand took a deep breath. “Have you been to the eye doctor lately?”
Villain nodded, looking slightly offended. “Of course I have. And like always, I got a perfect score.” They paused, “But I don’t see how that relates to this conversation.”
Right Hand began to rub their temples. “It relates Villain because I think you should get them checked again. If you truly see Hero like that, you’re either blind or stupid.”
“Don’t wonder any longer, I’m neither.” Villain replied, glaring at their best friend.
“Then prove it.” Right Hand replied, getting up from their seat.
When they first sat down to ask about Villain’s recent strange behavior, they hadn’t expected that to be the cause of it.
“I built a whole evil empire, what more do you want from me?” Villain said, looking hopelessly at the ceiling.
Right Hand rolled their eyes. “We build a whole evil empire.” They corrected. Grabbing Villain’s chin, they quickly guided Villain’s gaze back at them. Their features uncharacteristically softened as they continued on their speech, “It’s because they look like a cat, isn’t it?”
It came out more like an accusation than a question.
Villain sputtered, trying to respond. “N-no. Of course not! I don’t care if they have cat powers. I mean, sure, it contributes, but it’s not the main cause-” They quickly began to ramble.
“Yep, keep telling yourself that.” Right Hand said, dropping their hand away from Villain’s face. Walking towards the door, they give their friend an offhand wave. “Come talk to me when you’re ready to face the facts.”
Villain huffed, taking a seat on the now empty chair.
Their annoyance didn’t change the fact that shorty after, Villain found themselves standing outside Right Hand’s room, more than ready to hear the advice their friend had to offer.
Author's Note
Hey hey hey! Here's a cookie for making it this far 🍪.
Fun fact, I was actually writing three stories simultaneously, lol. (this one and two others)
Anyways, this is a story that I've had in my head for a while now - it's based off an idea that I remember hearing. Something along the lines of "write a story where the narrator hates the MC - and have the MC be someone that's super nice." It got me thinking about how it would be fun to get to play around with perspective. It's kinda like viewing things through a different lens (it's how I see it, anyway). It was fun ngl. I can't wait to write Hero's POV.
Spoiler Alert: It's gonna be heavily exaggerated too.
Summary: Hero attends the movie night at Villain's house, after a breif misundersanding is cleared up.
This is a continuation of a prompt written by @just-1-lonely-person. Thank you again for letting me continue your story!
CW: None that I can think of... (well, if you hate animated movies, this might not be up your alley)
Villain drummed their fingers against the armrest of the couch, seemingly lost in thought.
Hero took this as the perfect opportunity to calm their racing thoughts. And their heart.
Actually, assessing their current situation, Hero felt as if their whole being was on edge.
Taking a few subtle breaths, they managed to regain some of their composure.
Well, that might have been a generous statement.
Now that their initial adrenaline rush had passed, Hero was quickly realizing that they had deliberately handed themselves to Villain. Practically on a silver platter. All because their tainted mind had fallen completely victim to Supervillain's lie.
Panic was quickly spreading throughout their body, eradicating their previous flustered demeanor.
Yes, thinking back now on their previous decisions, they could clearly see the numerous red flags littering their every step.
Hero began to nervously tap their foot, the small noise echoing within the large lounge room. Or whatever you'd call this place.
Why had they ever trusted Supervillain in the first place?!
All things considered, at least they no longer felt on the verge of a flustered mental breakdown.
Yep, now they could eliminate the "flustered" part and simply have a traditional mental breakdown.
So much for calming their thoughts...
“Okay, I’ll pick the movie for now...” Villain said, turning their gaze back towards the Hero, bestowing them with their award-winning smile. “...and you can choose the next one, if you'd like.” They added the latter with an uncharacteristic touch of shyness.
In other words, they were acting utterly adorable.
So, just like that, all of Hero’s progress towards serenity was instantly undone.
Hero's brain was barely functioning at this point, granting them just enough stability to reply with a quick nod.
Villain returned the awkward gesture with another breathtaking grin. Turning to the screen (much to the Hero's disappointment), they began clicking a few buttons on their remote. Quickly filtering through the catalog, Hero caught a glimmer of satisfaction flicker through their enemy's eyes as they finally settled on a title. “You can begin thinking about what movie you'd like to watch right now, so that you’re not put on the spot when this one's done.” Their nemesis suggested, before riffling through the bag that Hero had brought.
It was bold of them to assume that Hero had the current capacity to think.
An ad was suddenly blasted through the speakers, Hero quickly turning to see an electronic toilet displayed on screen.
“I really don’t see the point of it being able to speak 50 languages.” The villain muttered as they took out a large box of unpopped popcorn, their expression quickly shifting from annoyed to ecstatic. Hero had always found it alluring how Villain always seemed to wear their emotions on their face. They never cared who was around to see them, they just acted like themselves. It was a small trait, Villain probably didn't even realize that they did it, but that just added to the beauty of it all. “I’ll start making the popcorn, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The hero nodded for a second time, still not trusting their voice.
Forcing their gaze to leave their nemesis, Hero once again turned towards the TV. A strange surge of curiosity suddenly hit them as they noticed that the commercial was coming to an end.
What type of movie had Villain chosen?
Hero racked up their mind, trying to piece together what the cover had looked like.
It was hard to recall. If they were honest with themselves, they had been far more concerned with the way Villain’s hair had momentarily fallen over their eyes in such a cute way when they-
Hero felt themselves blush, once again trying to shut down their racing mind.
It was probably an action movie. Or maybe a detective one. Or some type of true-crime documentary.
Their theories only served to further fuel their surprised reaction once Hero finally laid their eyes upon the movie title.
By that time, Villain had once again reappeared. Now, however, they were proudly holding a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn.
“You put Tangled?” The hero quickly turned to face Villain with a look of disbelief.
“Yeah, why?” Villain said, their tone remaining unwaveringly calm. Their offhand tone was further emphasized when compared to Hero's startled expression.
Hero momentarily paused, not believing what they were hearing. “Tangled. The animated Disney princess movie?”
“Yep!” Villain replied as they took their seat, casually leaning against the armrest. “Have you watched it already?”
“Of course!” Hero replied, a bit too enthusiastically. “I um, I mean yeah, I have.”
“Oh, in that case I’ll put another-” Villain grabbed the remote only to have Hero stop them with their hand.
“No! That’s not what I meant.” They said.
Villain eyed them with curiosity, no doubt expecting some type of clarification.
Naturally, Hero’s mind took this as the best opportunity to register their current hand placement. Subtly glancing down, Hero confirmed what their mind had thought was true. They were touching Villain's hand with their own.
Electricity seemed to shoot through their whole body, all possible responses lost within their blank mind.
“I-um…” Hero's mind raced to form a coherent English sentence, but they quickly found themselves unable to produce anything but a jumble of random words.
So, like any wise individual would, Hero simply slammed their mouth shut all together, avoiding any further embarrassment.
The villain’s curiosity rapidly shifted to blatant confusion.
“Are you okay?” Villain asked, examining Hero’s face with their penetrative eyes.
They were anything but okay at this moment.
“Fine! I’m fine!” Hero replied, moving their hand away, trying to preserve some of their dignity.
Villain nodded, despite the fact that their doubtful expression didn't waver. “So you’re okay with the movie?”
Hero nodded, a bit too vigorously to be considered natural.
Villain thankfully didn’t choose to comment on the matter, sitting once again comfortably on the couch.
Hero tried to do the same, forcing their limbs to mimic Villain's relaxed posture.
They let the movie run as the room drifted into silence, a strangely comforting atmosphere settling between the two.
Halfway through the movie, the hero dared to speak once more (for better or worse).
“This is actually my favorite movie.”
Villain grabbed some popcorn as they addressed their movie partner. “Really?”
They nodded, scooting slightly closer in order to better access the snacks. Villain had just brought in some more from their kitchen, which Hero could only be thankful for. “Yeah, it was one of the last movies I ever watched before I became a Hero.”
“Huh, and here I thought you were more of an action movie fanatic.” Villain replied, a clear teasing undertone laced in the phrase.
Hero still found themselves blushing, thankful for the lack of lighting in the room. “Do you like it so far?”
They thought for a moment before replying. “Yeah, I do.” They smiled as they darted towards the center of the couch, in order to get some chocolate (courtesy of Hero). “Want to know the last movie I saw before becoming a villain?” Villain asked, eyeing the hero through the corner of their eye as they ate.
“Sure…?” Truth be told, Hero was far too ecstatic than they'd like to admit about getting to know a little more about Villain, especially stuff like this. Nevertheless, they couldn't help taking the amused tone in the villain's voice as some sort of warning.
Turning to face Hero, they eyed them with a strange aura of seriousness before replying in a single word.
“Shrek.”
This single word caused both individuals to burst out laughing.
Hero somehow managed to briefly regain their composure long enough to speak, “Shrek? Are you being serious?”
Villain nodded, unable to talk due to their laughter.
For the rest of the movie, they were easily able to sustain a casual flow of conversation. Hero was amazed by how effortlessly they were now able to connect with each other.
Despite this, a small detail seemed to go over both of their heads.
The more they talked to each other, the shorter the distance between them got. When the time came for Hero to pick a movie, both of them were sitting right next to each other…
Author’s Note
This was actually pretty fun to write. I don't usually write movie scenes like this, but it was surprisingly easy to write (since I have a lot of personal experience with "indoor movie nights" thanks to my siblings lol).
I'd also like to thank @those-damn-snippets for helping me edit this story (I am forever thankful)!
Summary: Just as Other Villain is about to be arrested by a group of heroes, an eccentric new villain appears that steals the attention of both the heroes and Other Villain.
CW: Insanity themes & Shakespeare (which might trigger some unwanted High School memories for some individuals)
It had started off like any other normal day… as far as Other Villain was concerned. They were simply minding their own business.
Today, it just so happened that their business involved infiltrating into the Hero Agency.
Sure, it was a pretty bold move on their part - especially for someone who took pride in their rational thinking. Other Villain wasn’t even fully register in the official “villain list” of their city. Taking into account that they also had no outside resources or backup plan in case they got caught, it was now becoming quite apparent to them the red flags in their ideas...
It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Other Villain had simply reasoned that the agency wouldn’t be expecting a move like that from someone in their rank.
Well, long story short, they had managed to get spotted in less than ten minutes.
And now here they were, single-handedly trying to fend off three heroes.
Strangely enough, being beaten to a pulp while trying to escape Superhero, Hero and Sidekick wasn’t the weird part.
Other Villain barely dodged a punch from Hero, nearly tripping themselves in the process. The air currently traveling to their lungs came through ragged breaths, as they quickly adjusted their fighting stance.
It was quite clear that they wouldn’t be lasting much longer. This theory was quickly confirmed as soon as Other Villain caught sight of the smirk on Hero’s face.
Other Villain then glanced wearily at Superhero through the corner of their eye. Their annoyance only grew upon seeing the other's calm posture as they observed the fight from a safe distance. They didn’t even deem them worthy of fighting personally - which was probably for the best. Still, it definitely hurt their already frail ego - probably more than they’d like to admit.
A few moments before they simply surrendered to the team of heroes, a large explosion disintegrated the right wall of the agencies main hallway.
This caused a large cloud of dust to erupt from the blast, momentarily blinding Other Villain.
“My most humble apology for keeping thee waiting.” Said a voice from the midst of the rumble. Squinting, they still couldn’t make out the source of the noise.
The dust slowly cleared up, only to reveal a fairly peculiar looking individual. Contrary to the heroes and villains within the city, this person wore a suit that seemed to be fashioned from some material like silk. They also wore what appeared to be a close-fitting padded jacket, which was adorned with brocade patterns. To top it off, they wore a decorated hat, which had a few embellishments but appeared modest when compared to the other pieces of their outfit. The main highlight was a single feather, nestled neatly on the left side of the headpiece.
It looked like something taken straight from the Renaissance.
Over that they wore a ragged trench coat, the tattered material draping loosely around their frame. It was unbuttoned, probably to accentuate the fancy patterns of the jacket underneath. The staggering contrast was almost comical, especially when you compared the cloth with the more refined pieces making up the rest of the outfit.
The stranger did a quick bow, nearly smashing their face on a piece of concrete in front of them. “Alloweth me to officially bless thee with my presence!”
Well, it seemed that the historical theme also applied to their voice.
At least Other Villain could admire their commitment.
The intruder smiled, appearing surprisingly calm for someone who had just broken into the facility only to instantly stumble upon a group of heroes. The oddly dressed individual even took the time to adjust their hat, tilting it back just enough to unmask their previously hidden eyes.
Other Villain subconsciously took a step back, completely forgetting about the heroes that stood behind them.
From afar, the stranger's eyes appeared to be normal. Due to the dust, Other Villain had only been able to make out a sliver of the other person’s eyes shining below the rim of their hat. Just enough to acknowledge their existence. Now with the closer distance, they couldn’t help but notice the way their eyes moved, far more animated than the average person. They looked unfocused, trying to analyze everything in the room with a flicker of a glance, yet not stopping long enough to truly take in their surroundings. It was an unsettling sight, like nothing they had ever seen.
Surprisingly enough, that was only the beginning of their strange encounter.
“…what did you just say?” Hero asked, a look of uncertainty quickly overpowering their once confident features.
The stranger continued on with their speech, ignoring the question. They took off their hat and did a smaller bow as they said, “Prithee refer to me as Villain.”
Once again, the strange dialogue left them all in a state of confused silence.
“Purée?” Sidekick asked, dropping their fighting stance entirely.
Other Villain gave Sidekick credit for somehow managing to look even more confused than their two superiors.
Upon hearing Sidekicks question, Villain finally paused their theatrics.
They began to display a pensive look, only for their eyes to light up in realization.
At least, that’s what Other Villain hoped that Villain had meant to show. It was hard to distinguish their emotions due to that wild aura seemingly encompassing every move they made.
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” Villain replied, as if that clarified everything.
Wait, was that… Shakespeare?
Before any further discussion could begin, a blaring noise blasted around them.
Other Hero immediately covered their ears, seeing the once normal hallway now tinted with the red glow of the blasting alarms.
They glanced up and saw Villain sigh. With a snap of their fingers, the noise and flashing lights around them stopped. “Alas, it appears that I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.”
“I think I kinda understood that one.” Sidekick said, though their voice was still very plainly laced with doubt.
Other Villain slowly lowered their hands. Half of them was thankful for Villain’s intervention, the other half still slightly annoyed at the fact that the alarms hadn't appeared before - only appearing when Villain entered into the equation.
Though, they supposed that pride could be pushed to the back burner for now.
“Villain or whatever you call yourself, I’d like to let you know that you’re currently trespassing on private property.” Superhero said, bringing Other Villain back into reality. The more experienced hero finally seemed to regain some of their previous composure.
Superhero quickly moved past Hero and Sidekick to face Villain directly. They towered over the smaller individual, their gaze penetrative - almost invasive. “I’m going to be generous with you this time. Clearly, you’re a rookie, so I’ll let you off the hook this time.” They motioned towards the gapping hole in the wall. “You can go. Before you do, I’d suggest that take the time to process your actions, and the possible consequences that you could have faced today. I’d also suggest that you rethink your current career choice. Believe me, next time we meet I won’t be this friendly. However, I hope that you take my words to heart so that there won’t be a next time.”
Other Villain practically rolled their eyes. That was the exact mantra they’d been told on their first heist just a couple of months ago. The Hero Agency had probably spent hours ingraining those words into their poor brains.
However, they had to admit, there were a few merits within the lousy scolding.
Other Villain moved their gaze towards the wreaked wall, carefully making sure that the gesture appeared casual enough to go unnoticed.
In the chaos, this opportunity for freedom had somehow managed to slip their mind.
If they acted quickly enough, they could-
“Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me.” Villain said, each word slowly leaving their mouth in defiance. They were unfazed by the confrontation.
In fact, much to Other Villain’s surprise, Villain looked excited by the challenge.
Now, it’s highly debatable whether this was an act of bravery or stupidity.
Superhero momentarily faltered as they tried analyzing the quote. “Villain, those alarms have already alerted the agency of your presence. A whole group of heroes is coming to the agency as we speak. Even if you were able to deactivate them with your powers, that’s still not going to affect the result.” Superhero’s tone remained even, through their expression suggested that it was hanging dangerously close on the edge of furry.
It kinda reminded them of a parent disciplining their child.
“Yond is the beauty of the challenge.” Villain replied, using the same tone against them.
Superhero clenched their fist.
Villain wordlessly walked past the four of them, calmly strolling down the hallway, effectively stunning everyone once again in the process.
Hmm, Villain is quickly leaning heavily towards the stupidity side.
“Why do they always have to choose the hard way?” Superhero muttered to themselves as they lifted their arm, pointing their open palm directly at Villain’s retreating back.
Other Villain tensed. They had seen Superhero’s powers from a distance. They knew how dangerous they could become with a simple miscalculation. In the best case scenario, they were used to instantly knock out their enemies. In the worst-case scenario…
Well, they really didn’t want to think about that right now…
Superhero shot a beam of bright blue light, the movement so fast Other Villain almost missed it.
The target in question didn’t react, oblivious to the fate awaiting them.
At least that’s what Other Villain had assumed.
Mere seconds before the beam made contact with them, Villain momentarily disappeared. The beam continued its course unhindered, quickly heading towards the nearest wall down the hallway. Before it could do so, however, Villain teleported back. They were now directly facing the beam. Then they did the unthinkable.
They grabbed the beam with their bare hands, holding the energy as if it were a tangible piece of matter. Then they quickly began forming it into a-
“I presenteth to thee Sir Ludwig.” Villain declared, showcasing the balloon dog they’d made with an odd sense of pride.
Well, I guess it wasn’t technically a balloon dog considering it was definitely not made out of a balloon… but you get the idea.
Villain threw it lazily at Hero, who barely manages to dodge the balloon, which lands on the ground with a thud before completely disintegrating on the marble tiles.
“One pain is lessened by another's anguish.” Villain said, glancing where the dog once stood. “My rage is gone, and now I am struck with sorrow.”
Their mourning (or whatever you’d call what they were doing) was short-lived, as they nimbly dodged another attack - this time courtesy of the agencies defense system.
Superhero on their part seemed to have turned into a stone statue. Their face was plastered with a look of horror that refused to leave their features, no matter how many times they frantically ran their hands through their hair.
“Alas, now we wilt depart, for I have matters that I needeth to attend.” Villain said, taking the opportunity to perform one of their signature bows.
“Hero! Sidekick!” Superhero called, effectively snapping themselves out of their shocked daze. The two crime fighters quickly ran after Villain, through it was clear that they’d hardly made a difference.
Of course, Superhero was already ahead of them, disappearing down the hallway within a matter of seconds.
In this strange turn of events, Other Villain found themselves standing alone once again.
At least they weren’t going to be spending the rest of their afternoon inside a prison cell.
The rational thing to do in these types of situations is obvious: be thankful and leave the premises as soon as possible - ensuring you’ll be able to fight another day.
It absolutely wouldn’t be to follow the eccentric newcomer who is currently being targeted by three heavily overpowered heroes.
Other Villain sighed as they looked away from the broken wall… and possibly their only chance at escaping without handcuffs.
–
It took a few minutes, but they were able to locate the groups whereabouts quite easily.
If they were honest, they mostly just followed the trail of destruction - no doubt the remnants of numerous failed arrest attempts.
The room itself was closed, but Other Villain could still peek inside due to the rectangular window that was attached to the door. Through said window, they were able to make out the heroes running around, desperately trying to catch Villain.
It was hardly necessary to look though, the yelling and racket being made inside spoke for itself. Other Villain was impressed at how clearly the noises could be heard despite the fact that the room was built with thick metal walls.
Taking a second glance inside, they realized the irony of the situation.
It was the computer lab.
The very same computer lab that they had planned to infiltrate into.
It was far bigger than they had imagined. The door led to the top floor, which actually resembled more the hallway that they had just passed than any room they had previously seen. It served as a type of indoor balcony, rapping all around the perimeter of the lab - the perfect place for people to get a top-down view of the floor below.
There were also three staircases, all evenly spaced out to ensure everyone could quickly get up or down from any point in the balcony or the main floor.
Actually, big was an understatement. It was huge.
Before they could further analyze the room, they spotted a swarm of heroes that suddenly emerged from above.
Other Villain quickly moved away from the window, hoping they hadn’t been spotted peering through it by one of the heroes. They could feel a fresh wave of fear wash over them as they tried controlling their emotions by taking some deep breaths.
Their eyes flickered back to the door, hearing the volume significantly increase inside.
They have to face the facts. That crazy person might have somehow managed to escaped that small hero team, but there’s no way they’d be able to-
Other Villain could only gawk as they witnessed Villain emerge from the room with two USBs. They even took the time to close them gently behind them. They lingered in front of the door, far longer than a person who is currently being hunted down by a swarm of heroes should.
After a few seconds, they finally began making their exit, leaving the ball of fighting heroes behind them. Even their weird attire was completely intact.
If Other Villain didn’t know better, they’d assumed Villain was heading home after spending their day at some antique festival.
They hummed to themselves, smiling due to their recent achievements.
The soft melody abruptly stopped as they turned their striking gaze towards Other Villain. Their crazed eyes seem to trace meticulously their face, almost as if they were searching for something.
Other Villain felt a small chill at the thought.
After a few seconds, they gave them a quick bow before moving right past them. They tossed the small tech devices in the air, almost as if they hadn’t just risked their entire life in order to acquire them.
Glancing anxiously behind them, Other Villain knew it wouldn’t take long for the heroes to realize that their target had escaped. They were still trying to wrap their mind around how exactly Villain had managed to get away so easily…
They shook their head in hopes of stopping their racing thoughts. This had certainly been a very peculiar day, but they had to get going before it ended with them behind bars.
Other Villain glanced at their left, fully aware that lead to the closest exit.
Nevertheless, their treacherous eyes couldn’t help but trace the ever depleting figure of the fellow thief, who was strolling casually down the hall - conveniently going in the opposite direction.
They couldn’t help but roll their eyes at the sight.
Of course, they were walking. There was no way they’d be caught dead running - even with the threat of at least thirty heroes, a mere few feet from them.
Other Villain finally fully turned their head when they caught Villain make a turn down another hallway, effectively moving outside their range of vision.
It was also at this moment that, despite their best judgements, they made another highly questionable split second decision: they ran after Villain.
“Villain!” Other Villain called out, their footsteps echoing eerily in the otherwise empty hall.
The other individual did not reply, tucking the USB’s into the pocket of their trench coat.
The very same trench coat that Other Villain grabbed and effectively tugged.
This movement certainly caught Villain’s attention. They came to an abrupt stop, Other Villain almost slamming into them in the process. With a dramatic turn, Villain managed to both remove the cloth from Other Villain's hand and force them to meet face to face.
They momentarily locked eyes, Other Villain peering at Villain’s excited eyes before deliberately glancing at the floor.
“You’re acting pretty calm for someone who barely managed to escape getting arrested a few seconds ago. Aren’t you at least going to run?” They asked, frantically searching for something to fill the awkward void of silence.
Villain remained still, to the point that Other Villain began to question whether or not they had even heard their question at all. Then, they replied, “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.”
Shakespeare once again.
“I see. Are you also planning to quote Shakespeare for the rest of your life?” Other Villain asked, daring to look up at Villain once more.
Villain’s gaze remained unwavering, with the exception that it now appeared far more focused. Judging by their tense posture, this was achieved with great difficulty. Still, they couldn’t help but glance away once again, still finding the direct eye contact a bit too much to bear.
“For the time being.” They said simply. Then they turned around again, cutting the conversation short.
Wait.
The villain paused, looking at Other Villain once more.
Had they say that out loud?!
Despite the crazed aura in their eyes, they detected a small amount of curiosity somewhere within the outer layer of chaos. Sure, the edgy crazy look completely overpowered the seemingly small emotion, but seeing this detail somehow gave them the courage to speak.
“Let’s collaborate.”
Villain narrowed their eyes. “Collaborate?”
“Yes.”
Villain paused, a gesture that they hoped meant that their offer was at least being considered. “I’ll warneth thee, you’ll loseth any s'rt of reputation yond thee might has't had.”
“Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit and lost without deserving.” Other Villain automatically replies, a smile forming on Villain’s face as soon as the phrase left their lips.
One can only be thankful they’d taken that poetry class in high school.
They quickly continued their response, “In other words, I couldn’t care less for it.”
So they waited for the other to finally make up their mind, nervously tapping the floor as more time passed.
Without another word, Villain extended their hand towards Other Villain.
A wordless answer, but an answer nonetheless.
Eagerly taking their hand, all of Other Villain’s previous concerns seemed to melt away. It was probably due to the spike of adrenaline still lingering in their system, but at that moment they went out on a limb.
They dared to believe this decision was going to be the first one that they wouldn't later regret taking.
Author’s Note
I'll make today's note brief cause of the size of the story - before you ask yes I did think this was gonna be shorter *SIGH*. Well, at least you get to read more..? Sorry for any major errors, it's 3 am right now and I can't bother doing anything more lol.
P.S. For those curious it was originally supposed to be one thousand words long.
Summary: Office Worker meets some new people on their second day of work.
After a century, here's part 2 lol.
Part 1
Office Worker sat attentively at their desk, looking at the monitor in front of them. They managed to somehow get to work early today, despite the numerous setbacks (a fancy way to describe their lack of directional sense).
They yawned, as fragments of the previous day lingered ominously in the back of their mind - a constant reminder of the bizarre series of events that took place the previous day. Office Worker had hardly gotten any sleep, and the little nap that they had somehow managed to squeeze in at dawn was quickly wearing off.
They still couldn’t believe that…
“Good morning!” They jumped, stumbling quickly out of their daze. Looking to their left, they saw a person they assumed worked in the office, which was waving at them. They hesitantly waved back.
How long had they been there? Office Worker was sure that they had been alone a few seconds ago…
“Bad night?” The stranger asked, spying the frankly obnoxious size of Office Workers personal thermos, filled to the top with coffee. Well, at least it had been completely filled with coffee when they had begun their day. Now, it was holding around two-thirds of its capacity…
But that was beyond the point.
Office worker snapped out of their daze and nodded. “I couldn’t get much sleep.”
Their fellow employee nodded, slowly looking away as they gazed around the empty office. After a few seconds, a wave of confidence crashed over them as they quickly turned to face Office Worker once more. This time however, they extended their hand towards them. “My name is Coworker. You’re new right?”
“Yes, yesterday was my first day.” Office Worker replied, accepting the handshake. “Nice to meet you Coworker!”
Coworker smiled, opening their mouth to give a response.
BAM
“Good morning!”
“How are you?”
“I can’t believe it’s so sunny out!”
”Yeah, wasn’t it raining just yesterday?”
“You know the weather! It always surprises us with something new!”
An array of similar small talk littered the room, as the front door was slammed open and closed in the foreground.
Glancing at their monitor, Office Worker’s suspicions were confirmed. It was eight in the morning. In other words, the start of their workday.
The empty room seemed to spring to life, as people moved around each other to get to their work station. The chatter between colleague was a bit too loud to be considered background noise but somehow soothing (well, except for the occasional swearing).
Hearing some movement in the break room, it was no surprise tha the espresso machine was one of the first things that were immediately put to work.
Once the initial rush of noise had passed, the once bustling voices lowering just above a whisper, Coworker began to restart their previous response.
“If you ever need any help, please feel free to-”
“GOOD MORNING OFFICE!” Boss’s voice boomed within the room, causing the nearby employees to momentarily drop all that they were holding - an array of papers abruptly littering the floor.
“Good morning.” A few people replied, while some merely grumbling under their breath.
Office Worker couldn’t really blame them, the mornings where always the toughest part of their shift. Especially when your boss had the tendency to welcome you with a jump scare on a daily basis.
“As I was saying-” Coworker said, regaining Office Worker’s attention as they noticed the forced tone of their voice.
“Coworker! Office Worker!”
Huh, Boss’s voice seemed strangely closer than it had been a few seconds ago…
Turning around, Office Worker saw that Boss was currently standing right behind them, a polite smile plaster on their face. “How has your morning been?”
“Pretty good.” Coworker replied, a slight irritated tone lingering at the end of the short reply.
Office Worker nodded, “Yeah, just a bit tired.” On cue, another yawn emerged from their throat.
“I've definitely have had those days. Especially when I was barely starting building up this business.” A fond expression crossed Boss’s features as they recalled the memory. Switching to a far more serious tone, they turned to face Office Worker. “Have you read the stories yet?”
Well, Office Worker gave them credit for their courage. It definitely took guts to address such a topic so… blatantly (either that or Boss had somehow lost all sense of pride somewhere during their life journey and feared nothing at this point).
However, Office Worker was determined to keep their own pride intact.
“O-oh the essays? Of course.” Office Worker replied, quickly avoiding any eye contact with Coworker.
Great save! That had been a close call-
“Oh no, I meant the-” Boss’s clarification was interrupted by an obnoxiously large cough, courtesy of Office Worker. Grabbing their coffee, they chugged some for added emphasis, the eyes of both Coworker and Boss now trailing their every move.
Seeing their Boss about to continue a third time, they quickly interjected once again, “Oh that!!! Yes, I did!” Springing up from their chair, they fiddled with the hem of their shirt as they continued their desperate rambling.
Even to their ears their tone sounded as if they were having a sugar rush or a mental breakdown - or both simultaneously.
That sadly wasn’t too far from reality…
“It was great, fantastic work Boss!” Looking at their non-existent wrist watch, they added, “Well, I have to run to the copy machine real quick - I’ll discuss the details about the project with you later.”
Hastily turning to Coworker they extended their hand for another handshake, this time vigorously moving their hand up and down before dramatically letting go. “It was great to meet you!”
Coworker nodded, seemingly too stunned to speak.
“Alright, have a great morning.” Boss replied, unfazed by the situation.
With a quick bow, Office Worker left the semi-bewildered pair behind.
Office Worker sighed, releasing the tension that they had unknowingly been carrying.
Mission successful. The secret was preserved, and their reputation was kept intact (debatable).
As they walked to the copy room (Office Worker thankfully remembered that they did in fact have stuff that they needed to pick up - which meant that the trip hadn’t been a total waste) their mind seemed to boggle them with thought after thought.
That is probably why they somehow managed to completely bypass the copy room and crash head first into a wall.
“Oww.” They said on instinct, closing their eyes as they rub the bridge of their nose. The impact had made them briefly stumble back, but luckily they managed to remain upright (to the benefit of their already fragile self-esteem).
“Bold of you to assume the role of the victim in this situation.” A voice said in front of them.
Wait a second…
Their right hand still on their nose, they quickly opened their eyes.
There stood another individual, who they had presumed was an office wall a few seconds ago.
“H-hello..?” Office Worker greeted, though it came out more like a question. The person merely glared in response.
Glancing down, they noted the fairly large brown stain on the front of their shirt, the same shirt that Office Worker wore as part of their uniform. With another careful look, they saw the individual was holding what appeared to be some type of cup…
Oh.
“S-sorry about that! I-well, I didn’t see you…” Their response seemed to die off just as fast as it had begun. Avoiding eye contact, they glanced at the shiny pearl floor tiles, some of which were sprinkled with small brown drops of the spilled liquid.
Looking at the defeated employee, the stranger sighed. “Eh it’s fine. I hate this shirt anyway.”
“Ah o-okay.”
Awkward silence spread in the hallway, the only alleviating sound coming from the other individual, who was attempting to dry off their shirt with what appeared to be a fast-food napkin.
Office Worker took the opportunity to casually back away, eyeing their original destination a few doors behind them.
Just as they were about to grasp the doorknob, however, another figure from within swinging open the door. Office Worker barely managed to step out of the way, avoiding being slapped on the face with the metal door. “Oh, there you are!” Boss said, stepping into the hallway.
Office Worker furrowed their eyebrows, “Were you looking for me?”
“Yes, I was wanting to tell you an update on your new editorial position.” Boss replied, looking back and forth at the hallway. Almost as if looking for something. “I completely forgot to tell you before you left, it’s nothing major, but I wanted to let you know in advance.” As they talked, they didn’t stop scanning their surroundings. “You’re still wanting to take up the job, right?” For the first time in their conversation, their employer turned to look at them.
“Yes, of course.” Office Worker replied, still slightly confused.
Upon receiving the answer, Boss began once again looking to their left and right. Then, Boss’s eyes lit up, seemingly finding what they had been searching for. “There they are! Almost thought they hadn’t bothered showing up.”
“They?” Office Worker asked, following Boss’s gaze.
They didn’t see anyone, well, except the stranger from before…
“You’re about to find out.” Boss replied, motioning them to follow. “Boss’s Kid, come here!”
The stranger turned around, wearing an emotionless face. Walking toward them, their gaze remained fixed on Boss. “Hey.”
“Is that any way to greet your own parent?!” Boss asked, giving them a pointed look.
Boss’s Kid didn’t seem keen on correcting their greeting, yet they still managed to embrace their parent in a brief side hug.
“Oh wait, where are my manners?!” Boss quickly stepped aside and Office Worked was once again forced to meet face to face with the stranger.
Well, I guess they weren’t really a stranger anymore…
“Office Worker, this is my child Boss’s Kid.” Office Worker rather stiffly extended their hand in an attempt to soften the slightly suffocating atmosphere around them. Thankfully, Boss’s Kid embraced the initiative and shook their hand.
That was a good sign, right?
Turning to the other individual, Boss was about to speak before being interrupted by their kid. “We’ve met.” Gesturing to their shirt (which was now seemed slightly drier than before), they pointed to Office Worker. “A few seconds ago, actually. My shirt is completely ruined.”
Well, at least they didn’t seem too mad. Actually, they even sounded… hopeful?
Boss dismissed the matter with a single wave of their hand. “I’ll bring you a new uniform later. I have at least fifty in my office.”
Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but Office Worker could have sworn that Boss’s Kid expression slightly darkened at the news.
“Well, now that we have the introductions out of the way, I’ll cut to the chase.” Taking a quick glance between both individuals, Boss paused for a bit for a dramatic effect before saying the worse possible sentence in history, “You two will be working together to do my story edits.”
Author's Note
I don't see a lot of people doing notes like this, and I figured that I'd do it - because I apparently want to make my readers suffer by forcing them to read more, lol. For those confused, this is a story series I made for @those-damn-snippets, based on some funny conversations we had. Essentially, this is a gag type of story. Any input/ideas are welcome!
Side note: this was suppose to be 500 words max. I think it ended up being around +1000 words. The moral of the story: never set small word count goals; they only will set you up for failure.
Wanted to make a quick post celebrating @thepenultimateword for reaching a new milestone! (Make sure to follow them if you haven't already, so they can reach 3k!)
I've personally learned a lot through your stories, your account was actually one of the reasons why I decided to join Tumblr in the first place! In the off chance that you receive this message, I want to let you know that I really appreciate the time you've taken to write (and edit) your stories for us to read! Have a fantastic day.
Summary: Hero bids Villain farewell after being forced to hang up their cape (retire).
Based on Short Prompt #109 written by @thepenultimateword. This is a surprise gift for @those-damn-snippets! I saw your comment on the post and thought "well, I think I can do something with this" and here we are!
Note: I slightly edited the prompt, so that it would make more sense in this particular story. All credit still goes to @thepenultimateword, make sure to follow them (they just hit 2k followers so feel free to show your support)!
“I just wanted to say goodbye.”
Villain narrowed their eyes, confusion seeping into their gaze.
“The agency…” Hero’s voice cracked a little as they shuffled their feet. As if a better stance would strengthen their voice. “The agency decided it was about time I retired. There’s…there’s a lot of fresh young talent. They don’t really have a need for me anymore.”
They forced a lighthearted expression, but their eyes remained empty as they met Villain’s increasingly disapproving stare.
“It might be weird, but I didn’t want you to find out from anyone else. So. Goodbye.”
_________
Somewhere in-between their last sentence, Hero's eyes began drifting towards the concrete floor underneath them.
Hero lifted their gaze, the subtle gesture requiring far more effort than usual. Regardless, they took special effort in avoiding the other's eyes - or face in general.
They had faced their nemesis for twenty-four consecutive years - twenty-five in a couple of months. Even at the early age of sixteen (when Hero had first begun fighting crime), Hero had never let anything stop them from facing their foes head on.
During that first mission, Hero had battled fear as they tried to maintain eye contact with their soon-to-be rival. Now, however, they were dealing with a whole new emotion. Sorrow. Not the typical sorrow that arose from a typical villain and hero relationship, which usually involved a betrayal.
They had received special training in order to deal with those scenarios.
It was the sorrow of being forced to gaze at their “enemy” for the final time in their career.
They were definitely not trained to deal with that.
“Thank you...” Hero murmured, breaking the silence along with their racing thoughts with a single whisper. “...for everything.”
Renewing eye contact once more, Hero went silent. Silence had always been a factor in their weekly (lately daily) encounters. This silence, however, carried a much heavier weight than in any of their previous meetings. Instead of settling in a welcoming stillness, Hero couldn’t help but feel as if they were silently drowning at sea.
Before meeting Villain, they might have not noticed this subtle mood shift in the surrounding atmosphere. Before meeting Villain, they’d take the lack of noise as another example of their awkward demeanor. Before meeting Villain, they had no idea of the hidden world that can be found by simply closing your mouth and listening around you.
Throughout the years, Hero began to understand the beauty of silence through the person who was currently in front of them.
How powerful, alluring and enlightening silence could be. A whole language of its own, one which few people truly understood. A language Villain had taught Hero with a lot of time and patience.
They could feel a stone settle within their stomach, a strange bitter feeling slowly extending within their chest. Their jaw locked in place, gaze once again shifting to the ground.
There was just so much Hero wanted to say.
If they were honest with themselves, there hadn’t been a day since their first encounter where Hero hadn’t thought about Villain at least once, always popping into their head at the most random times. They had shared a surprising amount of special moments with one another. It felt unjust to leave without a personal explanation. Without giving them a few words before ending it all.
Yet that brought up the questions that were swarming in Hero's head ever since they had first received the harsh news.
How do they say goodbye to someone who’s been with them for twenty-four years? How can they fit twenty-four years of memories into a single farewell?
Just like before, Hero's mind seemed to hit an invisible wall.
Then they recalled something Villain had written to them a few years ago.
Silence reigns where words fall short.
So, Hero simply basked in the healing arms of the surrounding stillness, watching as the light autumn breeze moved Villains hair softly around their masked face. Their foes' expression was no longer hostile, morphing into something unreadable. It made them feel on edge.
Hero hoped that the bittersweet serenity was able to convey at least a sliver of the gratitude they so desperately were trying to put into words.
Both their futures were now left in uncertainty. Hero was now being left to fend for themselves, while Villain would no doubt be assigned a new nemesis to fight against. Yet each scenario held a whole line of unanswered questions of their own.
Despite that, Hero knew that deep down, if they had the chance to relive their life, they wouldn’t change a thing.
That was thanks to Villain.
They lingered like that for a while, letting the breeze cast a peaceful aura around them as they stood a few feet from one another. Not one of them made a move. Hero knew far too well that doing so would mark the end of their final encounter.
Hero noticed their vision slowly blur. They momentarily furrowed their eyebrows in confusion. Tears.
They bit their lip slightly, trying their best to repress their emotions. Hero hadn’t cried in years.
Hero turned their face, making sure that their nemesis could not view their watery eyes. They didn’t want this moment to be the end, but Hero knew that it had to be. They couldn’t remain on top of this building forever.
Both of them would have to move on. Figuratively and literally.
Hero mentally sighed. If this really was going to be the last time they were going to see one another, they refused to let Villains last memory of them be one of a tear stained face. So, they moved their hand to their eyes, rubbing away their lingering tears.
Hero turned back towards Villain, doing the very thing they had sworn to never do with their oldest foe.
They plastered on an artificial smile, swiftly masking their inner turmoil.
Just like they had done for years in front of their family and fellow heroes.
Just like Villain had taught them not to do.
“Well, see you around! Oh, and don’t be too hard on the new recruits!” The laid back tone was far more painful to produce than they’d remembered it to be. Maybe it was because they were out of practice. They suspected that they’d be utilizing that tone a lot in the near future.
With that, Hero gave a playful bow before beginning to walk off the rooftop. They strengthened their posture, a desperate attempt to give off the illusion of strength - strength that they couldn't authentically find within themselves at this moment.
Before they could fully make their exit, however, they felt something grab their hand. They paused, only to be suddenly spun around.
Then they came face to face with Villain. Their gaze locked, Hero instantly getting entranced by the inky depths of their foes eyes.
Both parties didn’t say a single word, Hero waiting for Villain to catch their uneven breath. All the while, their nemesis didn't let go of their wrist. In fact, all that changed was the fact that Villain slowly shifted their own hand, away from Hero’s elbow and towards their palm.
Suddenly, Hero felt their foes hand encompassing their own. Villain’s grip lightly tighten as their fingers began intertwining almost instinctively.
Then Villain let go, Hero immediately missing the contact.
“Thank you, Hero, for… embracing my silence.” Villain voice held a gruff edge, no doubt due to its years of neglection. Clearing their throat, they gave a shy look before glancing away from the Hero.
Hero looked at Villain with wide eyes. It took them a while to truly grasp what had just taken place.
That was the first time that Hero had ever heard Villain utter a single word towards them - or to anyone. Actually, it was the first time they'd ever even heard Villain say anything at all.
After giving them another uncertain glance, Villain put Hero into a tight embrace. Hero's brain was barely functioning enough to return the hug.
Their nemesis took the opportunity to put their mouth next to Hero’s ears as they continued their speech. “And thank you for being the reason why I’ve decided to use my voice again.”
Now that the initial shock had slightly worn off, Hero’s mind instantly got to work analyzing Villain’s voice. It was beginning to smooth out now, the words rolling off their tongue and flowing gently into Hero’s ear. Their voice lacked the apathetic tone of most villains, their emotions seemingly plastered on each small phrase they spoke. Expressive. That’s the word they’d been searching for. Even so, their voice was still somehow able to maintain a quiet undertone. As if the silence that Villain had stood faithfully by for so many years was somehow able to seep into their vocal cords, perceivable to anyone willing to take the time to seek it out. Almost like a whisper, a slight edge of shyness attached on the end of every word. Hero couldn’t stop the smile threatening to bloom at their lips at this small revelation. All of these tiny characteristics combined to form the symphony that was Villain’s voice.
It was enchanting.
Whether it was due to their newfound proximity or this voice echoing in their ears, the outcome was the same: Hero was rendered speechless.
Then the magical voice spoke once again.
“Sorry.”
Hero’s ears perked up upon hearing the single word, as they detected something new. The quiet voice was now laced with regret.
Then the meaning of the phrase caught up with Hero’s racing thoughts.
“Why are you..?” A single blow of pain exploded in the back of their head, slowly enveloping them in a veil of darkness.
A post inspired by @surplus-of-sarcasm (this post specifically)!
Oh and please ignore any weird spelling - I was kinda too lazy to proof read these ngl. Feel free to sue me for being lazy (my legal team is ready)...
________
"HELLOOOO BOOMERSSSSS!"
"You wouldn't be saying that if you'd actually met her. That sixty-year-old woman could easily send you six feet under, regardless of your 'powers' or lack there of."
"Trauma? That's perfectly fine. Everyone has some, one way or another. But just because I find someone with some trauma, I'm not gonna give them a free pass to live in my house. Plus, we can't ignore the peculiar history between the two of you. THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL YOU!!!"
"I want to die like my great-grandmother, peacefully, sleeping without a care in the world. Definitely not like the passengers in the back of that getaway vehicle."
"So, are we going to ignore the fact that our superior just walked off pantless?"
*Crying hysterically,* "I've never been more emotionally moved by a show in my life." ___ "That was a commercial for toilets." ___ "Did I stutter?! IT'S STILL THE SADDEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN! I'll never look at my toilet the same way ever again."
"Say one more cat pun and I will personally buy every single bottle of that hair gel that exists on the face of this planet! I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU'LL LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN A PERPETUAL STATE OF FEAR, NEVER KNOWING IF THE PRECIOUS HOURS YOU'VE USED TO STYLE YOUR HAIR WERE WASTED!"
"How long did it take you to come to terms with the fact that you liked me?" ___ "A year. I think I went to through the five stages of grief. Essentially, I went from complete denial to semi denial to kinda denial. Slowly, with time, I did come to accept my feelings. Though I still break into a cold sweat if I think about it too much." ___ "YOU'RE MAKING IT SOUND LIKE I'M SOME KIND OF DISEASE!!!" ___ "You aren't..?"
"You can take my honor, you can strip me of my pride, you can trample my name and use it as a stepping stool. But you can NEVER rob me of one of my mom's special cookies and expect to escape with your life intact."
Character who✨️ looks like a cinammon roll, is a cinammon roll, but they can also kill you. ✨️
Some characters I see like this are MCU's Thor and DC's Dick Grayson/Nightwing.
Like absolute sweethearts that seem super nice, but messing w/them is a bad idea.
An honorable mention is one of my ocs: Laila.
She's genuinely nice, like adorable really. Generally helpful and empathetic, and pretty caring. Although, she does have a fiery temper due to being somewhat overly sensitive.
However, she becomes dangerous when needed, especially when angered. Getting taken advantage of has led to some Dark! moments for her. And the thing is, no one suspects her because she's the cinnamon roll. She's also wicked smart, so that plays into her dangerous factor.
She's a hero if you're wondering. My mc's little sister!
@feline17ff @lateuplight @syberianjade if you guys have any fandom characters or even better, ocs that fit this category.
Thank you for the tag! This was super fun to think about (nothing like oddly specific questions to really get the gears turning).
Ok, so I can't think of anything right off the top of my head for fandoms except maybe Gohan from DBZ (haven't watched the new movie yet, but I've heard that he got way more powerful now)... but I DEFINITELY do have OCs that fit that category fairly well!
My most recent OC is part of a snippet that I plan on writing on my alternative account: she's a henchman who works for a villain in my story. Essentially, she has no powers (which is why she isn't a full on villain - in my story, only people with powers are promoted to villain status). However, don't let that fool you, she is absolutely BALLISTIC.
But let me back up for a bit - she absolutely still fits the ✨️ cinnamon roll ✨️ category. She is super nice, just very v e r y shy. She has a bit of anxiety - she won't talk to others at all except on missions where she just uses short phrases and such. However, she will do a bunch of anonymous good deeds around her villainous workplace - sneakily doing extra work so that her colleagues can leave early, going early to work in order to leave everyone a donut/coffee on their desks without anyone realizing, giving people unmarked gifts on their bday, etc. She'll never admit it was her though (not because she is trying to keep up a stoic/tough look, but mostly because she is far too quiet to own up to it). And due to her quiet nature, she is labeled as harmless by most of her first time foes. Deadly mistake.
On missions, she'll knock out everyone in the room - with or without powers. She is skilled in hand-to-hand combat but frequently utilizes weapons (when dealing with people who have powers) and is a specialist in finding out her enemies' weakness.
The quiet terror of the night - or day (depending on if she works overtime - which she usually does, lol).
Summary: A new employee called Office Worker gets caught on their phone while "working". Things only escalate from there.
It's finally here! *drum roll please* I hope that you enjoy it @those-damn-snippets
Oh, and sorry for making it so long lol. I just cannot keep things short no matter how much I try. Please feel free to sue me in the comment section.
Unlike most days, destiny seemed to shine in Office Worker’s favor, bestowing upon them the privilege of a peaceful mind. Everything that could have gone wrong surprisingly didn’t.
Sure, the move from their modest rural home to the big city had definitely been overwhelming at times, but the transition was completed without a hitch.
They still had a few boxes that had yet to be opened, but they had organized enough for their new house to begin feeling like home.
On top of that, there was the fact that they had been hired so quickly, at an office job no less. Considering their lack of computer experience (they hadn’t acquired a computer at their previous home), that had also been quite encouraging.
For once in their life, it appeared that luck had ultimately decided to pay a long overdue visit.
Despite what these recent events might lead an out looker to believe, it’s critical to take into account a fundamentally important characteristic of luck. It’s notorious for being a very indecisive force (as far Office Worker was concerned).
Today, fate appeared to be giving them a break. As expected, they had lowered their guard.
Naturally, fate recognized this as a marvelous opportunity to punch them in the face.
Office Worker sighed. They were very certain they had set a new world record for most regretful sighs done within ten minutes. Leaning against their office chair, Office Worker tried to sulk quietly from the comfort of their work desk. As much as they wanted to shout their anger loud enough for the whole world to hear, they did not want to disrupt any of their co-workers' day. Glancing around, they took note of the sheer amount of movement going around them, people typing mercilessly on their computer while others scrambled to the printer or coffee machine (probably both).
It was a crowded room, which was typical for a Monday, according to their manager. Turning their gaze back towards their computer, they saw their shift was about to end.
They gulped and forced their eyes to instead examine at the open document in front of them.
After what had just taken place a few minutes ago, they wouldn’t be surprised if this also marked the end of their career. Their boss seemed like a kind person, so they would surely give them at least a week to get things settled. They might be able to get a new job by then…
If they were being honest with themselves, Office Worker should have noticed something was off as soon as they’d seen just how remarkable their day had been going.
Initially, they had feared that their luck streak had ended. Why? As they were headed towards their new job, the unfamiliar chaos of the city distracted them (which at this point wasn't surprising).
Soon every building began looking strangely similar, to the point that they suspected they were going in circles.
Just when they began to lose hope of ever finding the building (or their way back home), someone offered to guide them to their destination. It turned out that the stranger was Office Worker’s manager, who was also heading to the main office. By the end of the journey, both were familiar with one another, so their training went without any problems.
When lunchtime came, Office Worker realized that they had forgotten their lunch at home. They had already resigned to the idea of powering through the rest of their shift solely by drinking coffee when a coworker offered them some of their lunch.
It wasn’t just the people there, though. Ever since Office Worker had set a single foot inside the building, they had noticed how welcoming the atmosphere was. They had never felt anything quite like it before.
At that very moment, the punch came.
Office Worker grabbed their coffee cup, picking it up almost instinctively. Taking a generous gulp, they nervously got to work typing on their computer.
Suddenly, loud steps echoed through the office.
Office Worker immediately looked up, unsure who was causing the commotion. The mystery was short-lived.
“Good afternoon Office Worker!”
Office Worker could barely muster the necessary willpower to acknowledge the greeting with a nod. They speculated that the action looked stiff, but at this point, they couldn’t care less.
It's possible they had misheard the voice. A person in their position would probably be far too busy to come all the way to their office sector…
In a matter of seconds, whatever sliver of hope that Office Worker had desperately been clinging to dissipated into thin air.
Well, there was no avoiding it now.
“Hello Boss.” They finally replied, their voice cracking in ways that Office Worker had not known were humanly possible.
They were never known for doing well in high-stress situations.
The short, bald person in question merely nodded.
Office Worker guessed Boss was in their late sixties, but wasn't certain.
And as far as things were going for them, they wouldn’t work there long enough to find out.
“Liking the office so far?” Boss asked, gesturing towards the hectic room.
Were they taunting them?
“Um, yes sir.” They replied hastily, returning their gaze to their monitor.
It was typically easier to sustain a conversation if they weren’t holding eye contact.
Their boss laughed, “This is an office building Office Worker, not a military camp. No need to keep up with this “sir” business. Just call me Boss. It’s easier for both of us.”
They nodded in response, trying to repress their confusion.
Did it really matter? Weren't they getting fired?
“Well, I won’t take up any more of your time.” They turned, as if they were about to leave, and Office Worker internally sighed - this time of relief. However, they paused their exit by adding, “Oh and could you please come to my office before you leave? I just want to discuss a few things. It shouldn’t take too long.”
Office Worker froze, their hands hovering above their keyboard. “Yeah, no problem.”
Their boss nodded again, before finally making his exit.
—
A few minutes later, Office Worker stood in front Boss’ office, hand looming over the door.
They had been like that for several seconds.
In any other circumstance, they might have even laughed at their exaggerated reaction. They suspected they looked no different from a child standing in front of the principal's office.
Before they could mentally prepare themselves to knock, the door swung open automatically. “Oh Office Worker, glad to see you here. I was worried you’d forgotten.” Perceiving the lack of movement from Office Workers, they added, “Please, come in.”
The room itself was rather small, but in a homey sense.
“Here, a gift from our office.” They gestured to their desk (which seemed to be the largest thing in the room) upon which rested a small basket.
Office Worker hesitantly walked toward the gift, gently picking it up once they had gotten close enough to the desk. They appeared to examine the parcel, shaking it lightly before setting it back down. Turning to their boss once more, they asked, “So you’re not firing me?”
Boss raised an eyebrow, “Fire you?” Then they narrowed their eyes, “You couldn’t have managed to do something illegal already could you?”
Office Worker quickly shook their head. “No, nothing like that! I ment due to the incident before…” Their voice trailed off.
“Incident?” Somehow, they looked even more confused than before. After a few seconds, their eyes lit up in realization. “Oh! You mean when I caught you on your phone.”
Their employee reluctantly nodded.
Boss merely waved them off. “You aren't the first nor will you be the last, sadly.” They grumbled the final word with a bit of annoyance. “But that reminds me, were you on some social media platform? The interface seemed familiar.”
Red flags instantly appeared in Office Workers mind. They knew they were trenching through perilous waters. The best tactic in such a situation was obvious: evasion. Right now, all they had to do was casually steer the conversation to safer territory. “Um, you're right! I was just on Instabook.”
Both employer and employee remained silent.
Hmm, leave it to Office Worker to discover some way to mess up such a simple task.
“On what now?”
“Instabook.” They replied. “It’s a new social media platform, super new actually.”
“Oh I see, what’s it about?”
“Well, you go on there and discuss stuff like…” They spot an empty water bottle from the corner of their eye, “Water.”
“Only water?”
“Yes.” They reply, a bit too quickly.
The room drifts into another wave of awkward silence. “Seems… exotic.” Boss replies.
Office Worker nods, “It is.”
“Ah well, Office Worker, thank you for taking the time to come. I hope you’ll enjoy your time working here.” They paused, “And thank you for enlightening me on the new platform, it certainly... piqued my interest.”
Office Worker mentally cringed, but managed to nod. “Thank you for the gift.” They took the basket and walked towards freedom the door. Before they could fully make their exit, they spoke without thinking, “What did you think it was?”
“Pardon?”
Office Worker cleared their throat. “You said you thought it seemed familiar.”
Boss furrowed their eyebrows. “Well, I thought it was a platform that I use. Mostly for writing purposes.”
“Oh.”
Seeing that Office Worker was still not content with their answer, they continued their explanation. “I have been seeking someone to proofread my work, and thought that you were a writer as well.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“But of course that is not the case.” Moving in front of Office Worker, they opened their door. “Enjoy your conversations around water. Just make sure that next time it’s not during work hours.”
They mindlessly nodded, but still did not move. “What if I was a writer?”
“Well, then I would ask if you could revise my work in your free time. Needless to say, I would pay you for the added workload just like any other professional editor.”
Hmm, the added income would definitely not do them any harm…
“I mean, I might not be a writer but I’d love to help out if I can.” They found themselves replying without giving it a second thought.
Boss studied them for a bit before asking, “Are you sure? This isn’t really necessary, you don’t need to take the job just because I’m your boss.”
“It’s no big deal. I like reading so it seems right up my alley.” They assumed that the papers they’d be editing weren’t really in the genres that they typically read (mostly fiction novels). Regardless, they suspected that the memoir or whatever important essay their Boss was working on would still be far more interesting than unpacking (which is how they were currently spending their evenings).
Boss walked to their desk and with a pen began to scribble on a piece of paper. “We can begin discussing the editing stuff tomorrow, but for now you can look over some of my more polished pieces. To get a feel of my standards and style. If at any point you change your mind, just let me know.” With an extended palm, they passed the note.
Office Worker nodded, clutching the paper in their hand. “Sounds great!”
“Now, you are free to go. I have no intention of keeping you longer than you have to.” Boss said, setting the pen back into the small pen stand.
“Have a great day.” Office Worker waved slightly as they closed the door behind them.
They barely heard their boss reply, “Thank you, enjoy the rest of your night.”
Now in the main hallway, Office Worker finally got a chance to relax. They walked a bit farther until they reached the work room. Looking at their desk, they gathered their belongings and began to exit the building.
As they adjusted their jacket, Office Worker stuffed the note into one of their spare pockets.
They were determined to get home before the city got dark. Grabbing the basket, they tried ignoring the growing curiosity that was forming inside of them.
Well, there’s no harm in taking a quick peak…
Taking a brief glance around them, they took out the note. It had managed to get a bit wrinkled in the short time it had inhabited their coat. Office Worker briskly began flattening out the small surface with their fingers.
Once satisfied, they undertook the task of deciphering the chicken scratch written on the paper.
Office Worker narrowed their eyes, rereading the note a second, then a third time.
This could not be happening…
Yet there was no denying it. Their Boss was using Tumblr, the exact platform they had been on a couple of hours ago. The exact platform they had been caught using while on their shift.
Surprisingly enough, that was not the cause of their concern.
No, it was the username that their boss had left them to “get a feel of their standards and style”.
Well, that was proving to be absolutely unnecessary…
They had no need to examine the profile, or any of the stories on it.
They had already read all of them at least twice now.
In fact, the whole reason they had been on the platform was to re-read one of their favorite series by that user. The user who was now revealed to be their boss…
