part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5
âDo you think Iâm a bad person?â The villain sucked another hickey into the heroâs neck with a precision and calculation the hero didnât know from lovers. Apparently, the villain was more than attentive: they were not only considerate of the heroâs wounds but also of their reactions.
Whatever they did to make the hero moan, they kept doing it until the hero was too overwhelmed with pleasure. Hungrily, the hero had watched them stitch the reopened wound again. A slow burning had overtaken their brain and heart, making it impossible to think well.
The villain had more self control, though. They calmed down the hero, made them go slower, urged them to relax more. Even though they let the hero sit on their lower stomach, they were fully leading the those situation with their hands in the heroâs hair and on their waist.
Every now and then, one of them hissed out of pain, especially the villain when the hero got a little too excited.
Both were far from being healed.
âYouâre not a bad person,â the hero said.
âI can be very rude,â the villain whispered against the heroâs lips which made the hero smile.
âYes, butâŚyou came back. You couldâve gone anywhere but you chose to be with me.â
The villain wasnât so eager now and the hero thought they had something wrong. Had turned a switch, had scared the villain and now they were quiet again.
âI didnât tell you everything,â they confessed.
âI know. But I know what I need to know.â The hero kissed their cheek gently, staring at the band aid on the villainâs face.
âI never told anyone before but I think you might understand what it feels like.â The heroâs attention switched to the villainâs serious eyes. It was true, their adrenaline was spiking from pleasure and they wanted the villain so bad but this was more important than their desires.
Whatever the villain was gonna say, it was going to be horrible, the hero knew that.
âI come from a family of means andâŚwhen I was younger a criminal organisation decided to use that. They kidnapped me and my brother. My reluctance bothered them obviously, so they did a lot of fucked up stuff. Beat me up. Put me in cells with worse people, forced me to kill others for their entertainment. My parents kept giving them money to reassure our safety but once I got more violent, they started to give me weapons.â
The hero bit the inside of their cheek again. Hard enough that it hurt. They couldnât imagine what it mustâve felt like. Being separated from their family like this, fighting to survive, being forced to kill peopleâŚEventually their mind wandered to the plane crash to find something they could compare this with.
Thankfully, they hadnât known anyone on the plane. But waking up in the jungle with their leg shattered, being experimented on afterâŚsuffering was suffering, no matter what. Suffering ate and didnât leave. Even if the worst was over, it stayed and infected the brain. It stuck around to punch them in the face every now and then.
Subconsciously, they took the villainâs hand.
âAnd they sent me on missions. Made an assassin out of me. All backed up by the promise they wouldnât hurt my little brother in return. Heâs nine now, doesnât even remember our family anymore. Iâ I donât know what to do. Iâm still coming back to them for my brother. My parents seem to be still alive. At least, the money keeps coming in. Iâm just so tired of this. Iâm so tired of fighting and running around like a dog.â
The villain swallowed and the hero could see the little tears gathering in their eyes.
âHey,â the hero said gently. They cupped the villainâs face and wiped the tears away with their thumbs. âWe can work together, okay?â
They kissed the villain slowly, lovely.
âWe can do this together. We can make a plan, gather resources. I can steal tech from the agency. They wonât notice if weâre quick. We can free your brother and you can return home. Change our names and move to another city.â
The villain nodded slowly, red eyes trying not to look at the hero as a few other tears rolled down their face.
âThank you,â they whispered. It was their turn to kiss the hero and they did. Not as passionately as before but tenderly, lovingly. It was a scary thought for the hero. Loving someone was messy and complicated and difficult. But they were certain if there was one person in the entire world who could understand them and their pain, it was the villain. The villain was the only one who was able to protect them, who was on their side.
So, they allowed themselves to get lost in the moment. To enjoy the warmth the villain gave them, to mumble reassurances and little compliments until the villainâs ears go red. Everything was perfect and for a moment the hero felt like they were healed. Until the villain got the text message.
They let their phone beep once, then twice. With a sigh and an uttered sorry, they sat up and took their phone out, scrolling on the display until they found the right message. Apparently, the villain didnât check them.
The hero didnât see the message. But they saw the villainâs pale face.
âWhere did you put my suit?â The villainâs voice was scarily cold and the heroâs throat burnt. Was this some sort of protection? Turning into a cold wall to keep themselves form feeling anyway.
âIâŚI think itâs in my bathroom somewhere. Itâs totally ripped apart, though, I donât think you canââ Not answering, the villain stood up and disappeared in the bathroom.
âHey, what is going on?â The hero followed them just as quickly. All the progress, all the secrets they had revealed to each other seemed to be falling apart.
âWhatever it is, we can work through it,â they promised. The villain looked around the bathroom, their movements almost mechanical. They found their suit in the bathtub where the hero had tried to clean it.
âNo, we canâtâ the villain answered bluntly.
âWe can. We decide what we do with our life. How we act. Those are decisions only we can make for ourselves.â
The villain turned around, looking at the person they had wanted to devour a few minutes ago.
âIt doesnât work like that,â they said. âPeople like us arenât allowed to decide.â
âNo, thatâs not the trueââ They took a step forward to touch the villainâs arm but the villain moved away, as if the hero would burn themselves if they touched them. âPlease, whatever happened, we can do this together.â
The villain turned around, heading for the door but the hero didnât give them up that easily.
âPlease,â they begged. âWe canât run away from our problems anymore. We both deserve to be happy. We both deserve a life.â
The villain breathed in and turned around. Once again, tears ran down their face, worse this time. Surprisingly, they walked up the hero and kissed them. It was quick but the hero knew it now. This was love. It was all of it. The good stuff, the bad stuff. The hurt and the comfort.
But it ended too soon and with that, the villain took all the warmth the hero had discovered these past few days with them.
âLeave the city,â the villain said. âGet away from the agency. You deserve a good life. You deserve to be happy.â
âBut I want to be happy with you.â The hero felt tears rising as well. Confusion and grief together made them want to make drastic decisions. They grabbed the villainâs forearm.
âThere will be someone else who can take care of you.â
âI donât want someone else.â
âNo. Youâre in danger when youâre with me,â the villain argued. They were crying, their nose was running. âThis is what they do.â
They showed the hero the message. Theyâd sent a picture of a severed finger, blood all over the concrete where it lay. In the background, a crying boy. Told you to remember my puppy.
Looking away, the hero whispered a simple âno,â unable to believe the horror they had seen, unable to believe that worse might happen to the villain too.
âThey sent me your address,â the villain said. They could barely breathe. âLeave. God, please leave the city, I am begging you.â
The hero shook their head over and over again.
âBut I love you,â they whispered.
âI told you. We arenât allowed to make those decisions. We donât get what we want.â
With one last longing gaze, they looked at the hero, not ready for the goodbye. Not ready for the pain. And yet both knew this was it. There was no turning back from this.
Both knew what suffering was. But they had never felt anything like this before.