A Trade {Oneshot(?)}
Generic names bc so far this is just a oneshot. If anyone's interested, I'll continue it tho! --- Medic sighed as he followed the rest of his team. Being a healer meant that he was included on every mission, and while he knew that it was necessary, the numerous missions crammed into a single week were slowly wearing on him. Leader was intent on trying to find and stop Supervillain. All of them were, of course, but Leader refused to stop or rest for even a day. Leader had made good on her promise, though. The reason they were continuing instead of resting was that they'd finally gotten some good intel, good enough to swipe the Operator, a cubical gizmo that was supposed to be key to Supervillain's plan.
Looking around as he walked, Medic realized they were almost at the exit of Supervillain's lair, though pausing to do so allowed him to almost lose sight of Hero2 and Hero3. Their fast pace was probably straining them more than it was him. Hero2 would probably need their ankle rebandaged, and Hero3...
Before he could continue that thought, Supervillain appeared. This time, he was smiling. Forced, of course, and internally he must have been furious, but for the moment he faked a delighted tone as he greeted the group of heroes. "Let's make a deal!" he challenged, a dangerous glint in his eye. Medic glared at him, as did the rest of the heroes. There is no way he was getting that cube! Hero3 told him so, quite loudly. "Tch. Telling me what you think. Come now, you can't pass this deal up..." That confident, condescending tone sent a prickle of dread up his spine. Supervillain reveled in the tension for a moment before taking a step backward through the doorway, reaching out to grab something. Medic couldn't help but let out a gasp when he registered what the something was. Villain, bruised and bloodied beyond belief, hung limp, held up only by a crushing grip on one horrifyingly thin arm. His head lolled slightly, the only indication that he was conscious. At a cruel jerk from Supervillain, a small groan left his lips, barely reaching the heroes only feet away from him. "Please, by all means. Just leave with that nice little cube. He'll enjoy his extended stay with me, now won't he..." The grip on Villain's arm tightened. Medic shuddered. He knew his face was ashen, but he couldn't help but keep his eyes trained on Villain. Villain hung motionless, and automatically, his brain began categorizing injuries. It was bad, it was... Awful. Every part of his body was noticeably, horribly broken. Before he could say anything, Leader spoke up. Her tone was dead, shock making her voice numb. "Fine. Just put him down." She held out the cube, hand shaking noticeably. Supervillain's eyes sparked, though only once. Obviously, he had thought the heroes would abandon Villain and prioritize their mission. Still, he accepted the cube with a victorious flourish, carelessly tossing Villain to the ground at the heroes' feet. "Lovely doing business with you," he sneered, ducking out through the doorway behind him. Although one part of Medic longed to chase after Supervillain, to make him pay, he knew that for now he had to stay, to help Villain. The impact on the ground had woken him up slightly more, and after a moment, he groggily tried to lift his head. The moment his eyes met those of the group he gasped. Medic could see him piecing together what happened in an instant, despite his probably-concussed state. He half-expected him to jump up and glare, maybe try and fight like he always did when the heroes encountered him. Instead, though, he did the last thing any of them expected. He dragged his battered body to Leader, the closest one to him, and feebly wrapped his arms around her leg. "Thank you," he cried hoarsely, "Thank you, oh g-god, thank you," he sobbed, over and over. Leader stood frozen, shock invading her system just as it did all of them. Medic collected himself first and knelt next to the half-hysterical villain. Gently, he coaxed his hands from Leader's legs. "Villain," he spoke softly, "you're okay, you're okay..." Villain was half-delirious, but Medic could tell he knew that Leader had sacrificed the cube to save him. He was half whimpering, half sobbing, thanking them over and over for saving him. "Th-Thank you, THANK you, I- P-Please, punish me however you want, just th-thank you..." Leader finally gave Medic a nod, giving him permission to carefully pull Villain into his arms, mindful of his injuries. He cradled the trembling form close, despite the blood and dirt smeared over his skin. "You're okay, you're- you're welcome, Villain," he assured. "You're safe now, we're not going to hurt you. Rest now, just rest. Okay?" Villain's head dropped, landing on Medic's shoulder despite his best efforts. The exhaustion was clearly overwhelming the adrenaline rush that his rescue had awarded him. He nodded weakly, nestling into the soft touch, as his consciousness began to fade. Medic made sure to give him all of his attention, stroking his hair from his face and giving him a small smile. "You're safe. I promise," he repeated. Villain let out a soft sigh. "Mmngh..." he groaned in response. Before Medic could say anything else, he whispers one last "thank you" before his eyes drifted closed. Medic looked up and realized Leader was still frozen. Face ashen, all she could do was stare at Villain's unconscious form. He grabbed her hand, getting her attention. "Leader. Sit down. Come on, sit. You're in shock." Leader all but collapsed to the ground, Hero2 and Hero3 following suit, shaken almost as much as Leader. Medic took a breath, trying to calm the situation down. "I can help him. He's... He'll survive. It just looks bad with all the blood and bruises." That was a stretch, but they didn't need to know that. Hearing the comforting words, though, helped Leader ground herself, nodding slowly as she began to process again. He reminded all of them to breathe. As the adrenaline slowly faded, they were able to function again. "Okay. Okay, I trust you. I just... He's so..." Leader stuttered, still unsure how to verbalize it. He understood. "I know. It is a huge shock, trust me I feel it. But we have to get out of here. Staying won't do much, right? And I need to give more than first aid, quickly, if he's to survive." Leader stared at the doorway, as if she could see through it and into the future, for a long moment. Finally, she nodded. "Alright. We're getting out of here." "Good. Now, what's the plan, boss?" He managed a smile as Leader began to lead once again. Seeing Villain so broken had shaken her to her core, but Leader was strong, and knew just as well as he did that her guidance was crucial in this moment. Leader directed them out of the lair, safely getting them back to base, to Medic’s home medbay. And all the while, the unconscious Villain whimpered softly, fingers twitching in an aborted attempt to clutch onto Medic’s shirt for dear life.