“Give my brother his soul back. Follow through with your end of the deal between you two, and then I never want to see you again,” Hero demanded, wanting to hurry up and put this whole thing behind them.
“Of all the riches and powers in the world, did you have to pick something so boring?” The devil sighed. “I have my limits but wishes are still wishes after all. You could have asked for immortality or world domination.”
“At no additional cost?” Hero doubted.
“I’m sure we could have come to some sort of an arrangement.”
“I think I’m happy with my decision.”
“Honestly now,” Villain sighed again, “you and your brother couldn’t be more dissimilar. He would have jumped at an opportunity like this: to have a devil in his debt. Would have condemned you in a heartbeat if the roles were reversed.”
“You’re wrong,” Hero said, shaking their head.
“My dear, I make it my business to know exactly whom I’m dealing with before making any sort of bargain. Your brother is as pathetic and self-centred as they come. I’m not sure what he told you about our bargain, but I can guarantee it’s not true.”
“And you’d tell me truthfully?”
“I mean, if you wished me to I would.”
Hero didn’t budge. Any doubt was overshadowed with the reminder that Villain was only trying to manipulate them. They'd known Brother their whole life and sure, he wasn’t perfect, but Hero highly doubted he would lie to them about this.
“Doesn’t seem like you hold my brother in very high regard,” Hero pointed out. “Can’t imagine you’d get any enjoyment out of him after he dies.”
“I encounter men like your brother every day. All the same, all so boring. I have thousands more just like him back home, the majority of which have been sent away on some task or have been transformed into some form of paperweight. His soul is not a loss, I’ll admit.”
“Then-“
“You on the other hand, are far more interesting.”
Hero stepped back as Villain reached out to cup their cheek, only to find themselves backed up against a wall.
“Far rarer is it that I encounter a soul such as yours that glares unwaveringly in the face of temptation. Such a sweet, selfless soul…” Villain’s touch was gentle as they brushed Hero’s hair out of their face and wiped away a speck of blood Hero had missed. “Your type tends to bend and break during our encounters. And yet, you followed my orders with such ruthless efficiency.”
Hero flinched at the reminder. It's true they had been surprised with how easy it all was. They had expected some sort of emotion or moral compass to hold them back or encourage them to find another solution. Instead, their head was filled with two simple thoughts as they carried out their mission: Family comes first; and besides, the man was a criminal anyway. It wasn’t until after the body vanquished in a blaze of hellfire that the guilt finally hit.
“I can’t help but find myself fascinated by you,” Villain continued. Hero darted to the side to try and get some distance between them, only for the devil to grab them by the wrist and drag them back, pinning their wrist to the wall as Hero pushed and scratched at them with their free hand.
“Let go!” Hero growled.
“Wish for something else,” the devil implored, shocking Hero out of their fight as they began to lean in. “Ask me for the world and all the riches within it. Ask for the end of those who would cause you harm or get in the way of your happiness. Wish for something beyond my limits and I will give you lies so beautiful reality would pale in comparison.”
Hero hadn’t thought Villain could get any closer, but with every sickly-sweet promise they inched closer and closer, towering over Hero until they were leaning in to whisper in their ear.
“Ask me for impossible things that I will make possible and give me all of yourself in return.”
Hero swallowed against the pounding in their heart, the heat rising to their cheeks, and the lack of strength in their legs. Their mind went blank as the breath against their ear moved down towards their neck, their brain struggling to keep up with the escalation. They bit back a moan as what started as a gentle kiss suddenly rose in intensity as Villain licked and nibbled against their pulse. A hand crept to Hero’s waist and began to slip under their shirt and Hero startled back to reality, grabbing Villain’s wrist to stop their advance.
“Not interested,” they breathed.
Villain pouted back, though their eyes still held amusement.
“What I’m offering is a kindness,” they said. “You would be far happier if you just give in.”
Hero shook their head.
“I’m happy with the terms I’ve set.”
“Very well then,” Villain sighed before tugging on Hero’s wrist and swinging them outwards into the centre of the room. Hero stumbled a little as Villain released them but was too thankful for the distance to care about Villain’s petty dramatics.
“Your brother’s soul,” Villain began, a burst of sparks emanated from their fingertips as they clicked them. A contract appeared in mid air for a brief moment before tearing itself to shreds so small it left no trace but dust in the air.
“My end of the bargain.” They clicked their fingers again though nothing appeared to happen besides the sparks. “I’m sure you and your brother will have a lot to talk about when you next meet.”
Hero frowned, thinking Villain would have given up with that manipulation tactic once they saw it wouldn’t work. Perhaps they hoped to spark Hero’s curiosity one last time to try and get them to bargain. Whatever the case, Hero would know for sure once they met up with Brother after this.
“And for your final wish,” Villain took this opportunity to take a dramatic bow, “may you never see me again.”
A click echoed around the room as everything went pitch black. Hero’s guard instantly rose as their eyes darted around the room, keeping watch for any sign of movement as they adjusted to the darkness.
The darkness was stubborn however as Hero failed to make out a single shape in it. They rubbed one eye as they listened out for the devil, hoping all of this was just Villain messing with them before leaving.
Hero looked round once again before remembering the streetlamps outside. They turned around sharper now as they looked for the window they were sure was behind them. They felt their heart in their throat as they couldn’t for the life of them find any trace of the window.
“Have you figured it out yet?” Villain’s voice came from where Hero presumed they were before the lights went out.
“What did you do?” they gasped as they slowly started to put two and two together.
Fingers brushed against Hero’s hair and they stumbled backwards away from the touch. They felt a breath against their ear and inhaled sharply before twisting away to avoid it. Pulse hammering against the silence of the room, Hero began to back themselves up towards the wall. They didn’t have a chance at outrunning Villain. But maybe if they could find the door and get far enough to call for help-
Hero’s back collided with what was definitely not the wall. Before they could run, Villain’s arms had snaked round their middle, holding them back against their chest. Hero shrieked as they tried to pry themselves from Villain’s grip, kicking and clawing wherever they could find purchase.
“Now, now,” Villain tutted gently, “I did warn you; you would have been much happier with my deal than yours. You really should have been careful with your wording. Surely your brother warned you about that?”
Hero gritted their teeth as they heard the mocking smile behind Villain’s words.
“Let go of me,” they hissed.
“And let you wander around on your lonesome? Darling, you could get hurt. There’s all sorts of people that would take advantage of your situation. Not to mention a flight of stairs to get down. Traffic outside…” Villain shook their head. “It would be too cruel to let you go like this.”
“Damn you,” Hero cursed.
“Darling, I’m already damned,” they smiled, leaning in once again to Hero’s ear. “But if you beg sweetly enough, then maybe I’ll be kind enough to damn you too.”
Le general taglist: @doctorsawyer, @neon-kazoo, @whumplicity, @stupidlypurplemist, @imgoingtobiteyounow
