This one is different. Was trying a different style, while also trying to practice writing tense scenes/tougher, less fluffy characters. Still a happy ending though. Anyway, let me know how I did in the comments!
"Why are you avoiding me?"
The sudden unexpected voice nearly gave the villain a heart attack. It was late at night, and they were alone in their office, most of their henchmen had even gone home for the night, so who-?
Then their brain finally registered the voice. Their heart plummeted into their stomach.
The villain whirled around, eyes wide.
Hero.
The other was just standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking at the villain steadily. Waiting.
"Excuse me?" The villain asked, putting forth their normal cadence.
"Why-" the hero repeated, taking a step forward, "are you avoiding me,"
The villain furrowed their brow in a display of confusion, "well the day "getting arrested" appears on my bucket list-"
They were cut off by the hero simply raising their eyebrows, unimpressed.
"...I'm just saying, I think a villain avoiding law enforcement should be pretty normal..." they tried, but the hero's eyebrows only raised, even more, a look of "really?"
The villain swallowed, muscles tensing.
Slowly, the hero started to walk forward. The criminal tried to steal themselves, but their legs felt shaky. The hero walked with such power. Still, they wouldn't shy away- at least not yet. But the sensation of feeling like a cornered animal was slowly creeping up their spine.
"Are you done insulting my intelligence by playing dumb or do you need a few more tries first?" The hero asked flatly, tilting their head.
The villain took a deep breath before straightening their posture, tipping their chin up and crossing their arms, levelling with the hero's gaze.
"Wonderful," the hero said, before pointedly resting their hands against the villain's desk, leaning their weight onto it and- when had they even gotten that close?!
"So, why," they asked again- commanded, really, "are you avoiding me?"
The villain shifted on their feet, looking down at the ground, but stayed quiet.
"Seriously?" The hero asked incredulously.
"I don't know what you want from me,"
"Yes. You do," the hero replied, an almost obnoxious level of confidence and certainty in their voice. "But, I'd rather not just do this back and forth all night, so, why don't I just answer for you?"
"Excellent idea," the villain replied sarcastically, turning to start walking away, "when you're done with that, please show yourself out so-"
"You're scared,"
The criminal froze, an icy mix of dread and anxiety washing over their back.
The hero began rounding the table. Slowly, an intention behind every step. "But not of me, not really, not exactly,"
The villain turned, watching the hero come closer. The uneasy feeling in their gut grew.
"No, you're scared- not of me, but what I do. To you,"
The villain's heart began hammering in their chest and their mouth felt dry. The hero knew. The hero *knew*. Every nerve ending suddenly felt like a live wire.
How did the hero even know!?
Suddenly the hero was right in front of them. "You're not avoiding me, not truthfully. No, what your really avoiding is what happens in here," they tapped their own temple, "and more importantly, what happens in there-," they reached forward, poking the villain's chest, right above their heart, "-when I'm around,"
"Your delusional," the villain strained. It didn't sound convincing, not even to themselves.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me I'm wrong," the hero challenged.
The villain looked up, locking eyes with the hero, but the second they did, it felt like their voice suddenly didn't work. Air left their lungs. The other's eyes bore into them, through them even. They seemed to choke on the words in their throat.
The hero smirked, ever so slightly at the other's silence, but continued the staredown until the villain finally huffed and glanced away.
"Yeah, that's what I thought,"
"Now my question," the villain said sharply, catching the other off guard, "why are you here, hero?"
"Yet another question we both know the answer to," the hero replied without the slightest of hesitation.
The villain swallowed, feeling more and more untethered by the second, like the hero was unravelling them piece by piece, picking them apart at the seams.
Like the walls they'd spent years building around themselves had been getting slowly picked away at by the hero, and by the time the criminal noticed, it was already too late. Stone walls had turned to straw, and it seemed awfully windy tonight.
Worse, the role of "big bad wolf" had flipped.
"Then what," the villain asked carefully, examining the others face, searching for answers, "if not why,"
The hero suddenly stepped even closer, "try who,"
"That one seems obvious,"
The hero smirked at that, "then maybe, we should skip the questions?"
"Why are you here, hero?" The villain asked again.
The other furrowed their eyebrows in confusion, "but you-"
"Say it." The villain commanded, "because I'm not sure if we're on the same page,"
For the first time that night, the hero's expression softened slightly, "in other words, you just want to hear me say out loud I'm here to change your mind."
The villain blushed, looking caught off guard. Hearing it out loud, so blatantly said, was almost disorienting. Like vertigo.
The hero chuckled at whatever look crossed the other's face, "same page after all?"
"Different chapter, same book,"
"Which one of us needs to do the catch-up reading?" The hero asked, smirking. Suddenly they leaned forward, resting their hands on the wall to either side of the villain. The criminal hadn't even realized they'd been backed up against it. Trapped animal was feeling more and more truthful by the second.
The criminal hesitated for a moment, "I was always the type to skip to the ending,"
"That's the first smart thing you've said all night," the hero replied.
Walls crumbled, and the kiss that followed was rough, hard, claiming; and everything the villain dreamed it was and more.
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