“Stay…stay away! Don’t come near me, I…I could hurt you!”
“I know you could, kid, which is why you gotta stay calm, for me. Can you do that?”
“Stay back! I’m not safe to be around-I’m dangerous!”
“Kid,” the Villain sighed with a slow, kind smile, “there isn’t anything more dangerous on this planet than me. Trust me on that. So why don’t you calm down a little, and we can have a little chat about all of this.”
The kid’s trembling figure looked pitiful underneath the Villain’s gaze, though now they seemed to accept their presence. “How…how can I trust you?”
The Villain outstretched a thin hand, “Well, I can get you out of here and teach you how to use your abilities.” He took in the kid’s disheveled appearance, “Give you a bed to sleep in and a hot meal.”
“You’re…you,” the kid’s eyes darted, “I don’t understand. You’re the bad guy. Why would you help me?”
“Because I see myself in you,” he tried to smile, honestly, he did. “I would hate to see such potential go to waste.”
“And…and what if…what if I come out like…like-“
“Like me? Like a villain?” His low chuckle resonated through the messy room, “Unlikely, but even so, I don’t believe that’s all so bad. Rebelling isn’t the worst thing. Everyone has their days. Even Hero rebels against some things.” The Villain sighed, “It would be up to you to decide your morals. I can’t force you to do anything, now can I?”
The Villain’s change in demeanor was nothing like what the news showed. Though he tried to hide it, the kid could tell he meant well. Meanwhile, their own eyes drifted to their hands and the mess around them. They had caused this.
“Oh, I know how you must feel, and I pity you. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d say the two of us were brought up the same. If you come with me, you can meet the others. They’ll be excited to see a new face.” He turned, starting away.
“Others? Who…who else?” Their steps echoed behind the man.
“The ones the Heroes left behind, of course.” The absurdity tracing the kid’s features gave them away. “You don’t believe me?” Their gaze was saddened at the thought, “That the Heroes aren’t always as thorough as they make themselves sound?” The Villain knelt down, looking up at the child. “They left you behind, didn’t they?”
“No, they’d never leave me!” The kid stumbled backward, “They wouldn’t.”
He mused, “Well, I’ll be one shout away if you change your mind.”
The man’s footsteps faded as they started out of the dilapidated building. With each step, the kid’s anxiety clawed more and more at their chest. It wasn’t long until they found themself on the floor, quietly cradling their nervous form. “Wait!” Their voice felt distant, unrecognizable. What if the Heroes never came back for them? No one would find them here. “Pl…please!” The Villain didn’t return. “I don’t want…don’t leave me alone!”
“I never did,” his voice arose from behind them.
Though it didn’t feel appropriate, the kid spun around and held onto the Villain. Their clammy hands shook as they gripped the fabric of his coat. “I don’t want to be alone again.”
The Villain sighed, squatting down to lift the kid up. He pulled them close, shushing them as he started away again. “You’ll never be alone again if you’d rather it.” He stroked their hair, “The others are going to love you.” The kid sniffled, holding on. Their words let them down, leaving them quiet.
The silence that fell around the two was one that the Villain knew all too well. He carefully climbed around the old building, listening to it creak and groan as effortlessly landed and began to leave. When approaching the gaping hole in the wall, he heard voices ascending.
“So what if we’re the ones patrolling tonight? Doesn’t mean we have to keep dragging civilians out of here. We did enough and got the important ones out already.” The Sidekick’s agitated tone spooked the kid.
The Villain didn’t move, watching the Hero and the Sidekick clamber into the building. It wasn’t until the Hero noticed the Villain’s hot glare that he spoke. “Villain.”
The Villain refused to acknowledge the two heroes. He slipped past, hiding the kid on his back. “Hey, what were you…who is that?” The Hero grabbed the man’s coat, stopping him. “Who is that?”
“A civilian.” The Villain hissed coldly, “One you were going to leave, by the sounds of it.”
“Oh, but you got all of the important civilians out, didn’t you?” He whipped around, snapping his coat away from the Hero’s grip. “Have you ever wondered how many innocent people, children at that, that you and your friends have left behind?” Despite the heat in the Villain’s tone, nothing could compare to the scowl aimed at Sidekick.
“I’ve saved every single one you all have neglected to find. And this one?” The Villain squeezed the kid’s hand, “This one, you meant to leave because of their abilities, admit it.”
Sidekick looked away mostly shamefully, while Hero avoided his look entirely.
“ADMIT IT,” The Villain’s voice burst out of him, making everyone in the room flinch. He quickly whispered comforting lines to the child, rubbing his temples. “Hero, you used to be better than this. I’m not the bad guy at this point.” He slipped away, grabbing onto the zip line that he had set up before getting here, “I wish I could say I was still the bad guy, the villain, even, but now? Now, I’ve become a foster home.”
The Hero looked away, unable to meet the kid’s dull eyes. The zip line hissed at the left, and the Hero’s head hung low.
The Sidekick gently set her hand on his arm, “Hey, we couldn’t have done anything. We didn’t know.”
“No.” He shook his head, “Villain’s right. We’ve gotten careless, Sidekick.”
“That was a child!” He raised his voice, “Who else have we left behind because of this?” His gaze followed after the zip line and soon, so did his steps.
“Hero, where are you going?” The Sidekick’s padded steps followed after him, “This isn’t a good idea.”
“No, but I have to know.” He couldn’t meet her eye, “Recheck the perimeter, I have to talk with him.” He clipped himself onto the zip line, riding after the Villain. His chest was tight and he could’ve been sick at how guilty he felt. The Hero quickly caught up, looking around for the Villain. He saw he and the child turn a corner, racing after them.
The Hero had never felt nervous around the Villain. Why was now any different?
He skidded to a halt in front of a cafe and orphanage. Things began to click in his head. Was this why the Villain was so careful when he went out? He had children to come back to? Believing that the Villain wasn’t as bad as everyone made him out to be, it felt wrong. Had the Hero really abandoned that many people? The Hero hid his suit, slowly shuffling up and rattling his knuckles against the door.
When the door opened, the Hero was met with a cleaned-up Villain. It only took a second for the man to scowl and attempt to shut the door.
The Hero caught the door, “Wait, please.”
“Oh, if only you had heard the children saying that when you left them before.” His glare was sharp, “I was already late because of your stupid stunt. You’re not going to ruin their night by taking me in. They’ve no one else to turn to.”
“I just want to talk. Privately.” His eyes pleaded for a moment of his time, “I just need to know.”
When the Hero failed to answer him, the Villain sighed and shook his head, “Go sit down. I’ll be out in a moment.” He gestured to one of the tea tables nearby, slipping back inside.
The Hero shuffled toward the nearest table, sitting down as the Villain reappeared with two warm mugs in his hands. He set one down, taking a seat across from the Hero. “The children believe you’re an old colleague of mine. Now, speak.”
It was the Hero’s turn to talk, yet words failed him.
The Villain’s typically thin patience should’ve worn out, but all he could think of was how the Hero’s expression hung low. He bit back a low-blow insult, holding his hand out, “I want you to have this.” He opened his hand, revealing a colorful, beaded bracelet with something written on it. It matched the Hero’s super suit colors, baring his name across the front.
“What…what is this for?” The Hero took it in with gentle hands, careful as his eyes traced the small gift. “Don’t tell me you made this?” A meek smile made its way onto his lips.
The Villain chuckled, “No, I can’t say I made such a wonderful thing.” He could feel the children watching the two of them front the windows. “There’s a child inside who looks up to you. He made that recently and asked if I could give it to you.”
Though guilt still gnawed at his gut, the Hero slowly glanced back at the children’s home. An assortment of children ducked under windows, some peeking up too soon and being seen while others made half-efforts to run from sight.
“It’s movie night, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you coming by another day,” his nails tapped against the metal, tea table, “maybe with a good explanation on why you couldn’t save them.” He came to a stand, more than aware of the tension surrounding the Hero. “You should come by. The bakery downstairs here opens at 6.”
The Hero returned his gaze to the Villain, his slender figure noticeable now that the wind had picked up and pushed his clothes against him. “Are you sure?”
“It wasn’t a request, I’m afraid.” He met the Hero’s low gaze, “You owe them.” With each second there, the Villain had begun to look more and more like an exhausted father. “All of them.”
All he could manage was a nod. Much like before, he had nothing to say. If this was the beginning to fixing the half-assed job he’d done in the past, he would do it. He had to know. He had to know how many people he and Sidekick had left behind.
The door to the children’s home opened, catching the Hero’s attention.
An audience of children waited on the other side, ranging from toddlers to teenagers. They all had something to ask or tell the Villain, who happily greeted them all with a smile. His lips moved, speaking words the Hero couldn’t catch; however, the cheer for different movie titles explained it pretty well. It wasn’t until an older teenager-one who he felt he should recognized-stepped into view and glared out the door that the group fell quiet.
When the Hero had come to a stand, he wasn’t sure. The attention was on him though, and most gazes weren’t happy. He raised a slow hand, waving toward them. He wasn’t sure it helped. His award-winning smiles and waved were usually reserved for large crowds happy to see him.
The Villain held an arm out, ushering the kids away from the door. He pushed the door shut, eyeing the Hero before finally leaving him alone.
After a few minutes, his legs started ahead of him. He could still feel the kids’ eyes on him, the disapproval and anger behind their looks. It was something he wasn’t sure that he would grow used to. Being the hero felt good, but this…it felt wrong. What good did he do outside of his uniform? Villain was taking care of children-children Hero had discarded because he was didn’t do his job. He shook his head, recalling every mission he’d been called on for.
He wasn’t sure how long he wandered around the empty streets of his city, but he hadn’t felt like that in a very long time. Not even Sidekick could drag him out of his head when she found him. All that was for certain was that it was going to be a very long walk back to Villain and his kids.
this is a censored chunk from the story. it is a story of a doctor framed for being a villain trying to save the current ‘hero mascot’ from suffering in the same fate as he did. it’s an mlm enemies to lovers slow burn.
