Vile/Mevolent for the last ship ask? 😘
At the start of their relationship, it's Vile like a solid 70% of the time - he's got a hair-trigger temper and it's practically impossible to tell what will set him off. That's one of the things Mevolent initially finds exciting - Vile is unpredictable, and the sporadic explosions of temper keep things interesting.
After a few hundred years, though, he's more than used to Vile's tells, and at that point it's more likely to be Mevolent noticing the prickly atmosphere and the general spikiness and the agitated shadows and being like, "Good gods, what, I can feel you sulking from here."
Who surrenders at the end of most fights?
If it's a physical fight, it varies. One of the first things Mevolent liked about Vile, one of the first things they bonded over, is that he's strong enough to take Mev in single combat. It's incredibly refreshing to have a sparring partner who's a) a challenge and b) not afraid to try and fucking end you. A lot of their fights get worked out physically, so it's really a toss of the dice as to who comes out on top - who's having a bad day, who's got a healing injury, who's more upset or distracted.
Who is more likely to cry during a fight?
Neither of them are really upset/frustrated criers. They don't? Really cry at all, tbh, unless they're injured and like, can't help it.
Who is more likely to storm out during a fight?
Mevolent, when he's not in the mood to physically fight it out. Usually accompanied by an air-assisted door slam and an "I can't stand you sometimes," or an "I can't deal with you when you're like this."
Mevolent. Vile's stutter comes back under stress, so if anything he shuts down during arguments and mostly expresses anger through his magic - sharp shadows, power surges, throwing furniture, that kind of thing.
Who is more likely to throw things in fights?
Vile. Both of them will throw things in a fight, but Vile is also more likely to just. Demolish rooms to get the anger out.
Who is more likely to bring up past mistakes?
Vile, to devastating effect, but it's rare. Ultimately, this is his trump card when Mevolent gets frustrated over how unreasonable he's being or how the latest explosion came out of nowhere. You signed my death warrant, you let him torture me, you're the reason I'm like this. It's a sore subject for both of them, and even Vile - who's notoriously temperamental - only really uses this as a last resort, when he feels cornered.
Who is more likely to give the silent treatment?
God, lbh, if both of them were into giving the silent treatment they'd fight once and never speak again. Vile is practically a selective mute. Mevolent can Silent Treatment so effectively he can tune out Skulduggery infodumping for eight hours straight. But they're not really the couple who drags fights out - they build up, they explode, and very quickly they go back to normal.
Who is more likely to blame the other?
Both of them, outwardly. They're both traumatized wrecks with bad childhoods who never really mastered healthy communication, and when they're confronted with conflict, they lash out at whoever they're fighting with. They'll both be furious at the other one for starting shit until they've calmed down.
Who is more likely to blame themselves?
Both of them, inwardly. Mevolent has some weird not-quite-guilt going on around being the one who ordered Skulduggery's death - he doesn't regret it, because it was the smart move for his ultimate goal and he has no attachment to Skulduggery Pleasant. He's even happy he did it, because if he hadn't, Vile wouldn't exist. But he does care for Vile, and he doesn't enjoy seeing him hurt, and this does hurt him. He still has nightmares about the torture, still vividly remembers being burned alive, and there's nothing Mevolent can do to change it, and that bugs him.
On Vile's side, he doesn't really understand why he is the way he is and he 100% blames himself for being like that. He doesn't understand why his temper is so explosive and unpredictable, he doesn't understand why sometimes he just has to fight someone, anyone, no matter who it is, because he feels like he'll burn up from the inside if he doesn't. He knows he used to be better at hiding how angry he is all the time, he knows he used to be able to compartmentalise better, he knows that a lot of the time he's not really angry at Mevolent specifically, he's just lashing out at whoever's closest. He's a breathing, walking ball of trauma - a psychiatrist would have a field day with him - but he doesn't know what's going on, only that there's something wrong with him that he doesn't know how to fix.
Who gets jealous more easily?
At the beginning, it's Mevolent for sure - he's a man who always wants the shiny new toy, and someone as powerful and vicious as Vile is a toy he doesn't want anyone else to get to play with. He knows Vile isn't interested in the religious aspect of his cause, he knows he's a heathen - so he puts a lot of effort at first into like, almost courting him to make sure he's invested enough not to defect to someone else's army - the Sanctuary could win the war with him, the Necromancers could re-enter the fray and become a real threat with him at the helm. It's in Mev's best interests to make sure Vile doesn't want to leave, and he hates the idea of someone taking his new toy away.
After they catch Feelings, though, it's Vile. He's clawed back a tiny little bit of happiness and nobody is gonna touch it this time. He's incredibly territorial, and he's the type to kill first and ask questions later.
Who is angered more easily?
Vile. Mevolent is, for an insane genocidal warlord who worships eldritch evil gods, actually pretty chilled out and reasonable. It's one of the reasons he's so good with Vile in the first place - Vile picks up on the negative emotions of people around him, like all Necromancers, and because he's so powerful, he's very sensitive to little shifts in the level of emotions that appeal to his magic - fear, anger, etc - and they fuck with his mood. Mevolent isn't afraid of him, and he doesn't get angry easily, so Vile himself is actually a lot calmer around him.
Who is more likely to break off the relationship?
They both think it's the other. As far as Mevolent is concerned, he needs Vile more than Vile needs him. Vile is his not-so-secret weapon, the living, breathing nuclear bomb who's winning him the war. He was losing before Vile came to his side, and he's smart enough to know that if Vile ever got it in his head to walk away and go back to being Skulduggery Pleasant, he'd probably start losing again.
From Vile's side, he hates himself. He doesn't see himself as loveable or worth fighting for. He goes after the competition mercilessly because he's terrified of someone better coming along - someone less scarred and less difficult or more powerful - and Mev losing interest to go after the New Thing. He doesn't really understand why Mev is fond of him in the first place, only that he wants to keep it that way.
Who is more likely to threaten to leave?
It's less Vile threatening to leave and more Mevolent calling his bluff. Like, oh, well, if you hate being around me so much, I could recall Vengeous and send you to fight the insurgents in Tanzania for a few years, how about that? Or you could go home? Go ahead, go back to whatever's left of your friends.
Vile hasn't left yet. And Mev never really wants him to.
Who is more likely to actually leave?
Vile. The palace is Mevolent's, the city is Mevolent's, Vile even moved into Mevolent's quarters rather than the other way around. Mev isn't going to be the one moving out if they have a row. He lived here first, damn it.
Who is more likely to forget the other first?
Probably Vile by virtue of being capable of a whole new level of repression. It's how he deals with a lot of his trauma. He doesn't, for example, remember much about Skulduggery's family. He remembers they existed, he remembers that at some point he was that person who cared about them, maybe as much as he cares about Mevolent. But if you asked him to describe them, or what Skulduggery loved about them, or the last thing they said to him, he wouldn't be able to remember. Likewise, he's blotted out a lot of the details of the three days he spent with Serpine because they're just? Too much. He can't handle that and also be with Mevolent. It's a mess. So if a breakup was traumatic enough, he'd probably protect himself the same way.