a villain saving a hero from being mind controlled
Villain stepped cautiously into the old boxing gym. Hero was in the ring, fists flying against an instructor that was more clear and distinct than even Hero themselves. And he wasn’t going easy on Hero.
Hero, a younger version of them, was covered in a thick sheen of sweat like oil clinging to their skin. Villain could tell they’d been here for hours, maybe doing the same drills, maybe others. He watched, hands in trouser pockets as Hero’s right hook hit the pad weaker than it should’ve.
Instructor moved lightning fast and suddenly Hero was on the floor. Villain jerked forward, prepared to step in before Hero grunted with effort and he paused. Villain knew that sound all too well and it froze him in his movements. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he saw Hero throw their weight backwards, tumbling feet over head in one fluid motion and stood gracefully again, ready to fight.
Villain had seen that move too many times, heard that infuriating heroic grunt that conceded a little exertion but it didn’t mean Hero was finished. They were just conceding a point to their opponent and the next round was about to begin, a reset button.
When Instructor spoke it was murky as the scene swirled around them and Villain made sure not to hit off any of the furniture or items in the new setting which looked like a… museum, or a library.
Hero was tucked away in a corner, hunched over a desk, a little older now, hair falling over their face as they read from one of the many books scattered around them. Villain smiled at Hero’s reading glasses that were wide as saucers. They looked like such a little nerd. Nobody would think they were looking at a hero, nevermind the Hero themself. Their lean physique was hidden under layers of clothes, a turtleneck and a chunky cardigan that made them look softer, their edges more round.
Their eyes a little more hollow.
“Hero.”
Hero’s head snapped up, violet eyes meeting Villain’s. Hero swallowed, their gaze darting around the room before they settled on Villain again.
“You… you can’t be here,” Hero whispered, fear lacing every word.
Villain walked in further and took the seat opposite Hero, sliding into it and resting a hand on the table. “And yet, here I am,” Villain said at a conversational volume.
“If Superhero finds out—”
“What can he do? Hmm?” Villain asked, tilting his head. This close Hero looked worse than Villain feared. Fuck. Even for Superhero this was fucked up. To keep Hero locked in a trance like this, scared of disrupting any memory they were forced to relive over and over.
The dark circles around Hero’s eyes glowed a dim purple like a bruise, but Villain recognised it as Nokio’s ability, shutting down the mind, trapping the consciousness within so Hero’s body could be puppeted without resistance; forced to obey commands they weren’t even aware of.
“Some of us need to study, Villain,” Hero snapped, the purple veins flashing a bright— bright purple colour. “I can’t fail this exam—”
“You don’t need to study, Hero.”
“Just because you’re a genius—”
“You’ve already sat your exam, Hero.”
Hero froze. Blinked. Stuttered. They tilted their head at Villain. “Are you— is this some kind of psyching me out kind of trick? Because it won’t work.”
“We have already sat these exams, Hero. You know it. Deep down, somewhere inside you knows I’m right.”
“Villain—”
“We both passed and got our Hero licence. You were obviously second best,” Villain said with a grin like a knife. “But we can’t all be geniuses, as you say.”
“This is a weird joke,” Hero said eventually with a scoff and looked down at their book again. Villain glanced down too. He couldn’t see any words on the pages. Just lines of black writing.
“Fine,” Villain shrugged leaning in. “What exam are you studying for?”
“The Hero licence fin—”
“I know. Which exam?” Villain asked, cutting Hero off. He pulled his chair in until his torso was flush with the wood, clasping his fingers together in front of him and tilted his head to the side.
“The—” Hero said, trailing off. Their eyes wandered and a troubled look crossed their features. Their eyes burned purple. “The…” then they shook their head and let out a breath of a laugh. “God, I can’t remember. I must have been studying too long.”
“Okay,” Villain shrugged. “Just read what’s on the page you’re reading then.”
Hero’s eyes narrowed at the challenge. “Fine!” They said with a scoff as they looked down again. “The… uh— the…”
Villain watched with an eagerness as Hero’s features pinched on their face, a crease forming between their brilliant brows and a furrow forming over their forehead. Hero’s grip tightened on the book, their hands began to shake.
“Villain…” they said after a moment, looking up with wide petrified eyes. “Why am I calling you Villain? That’s not your name. Your hero name was other hero. I remember. We picked it out together. And when you changed it to Villain, god I—”
Villain smiled and sat back. Hero’s physique morphed again, older again, but at least now they looked like the Hero Villain knew from the present. Comfortable clothes, a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants with a white tee, that made it easy for fighting and going for groceries.
The library changed around them again, bleeding away to a black, voided emptiness.
“Villain, what’s going on?”
Villain sighed. “Finally. That took longer than it should have, Hero.”
“Why are you— what’s—”
“Superhero hired Nokio to subdue you and make you work for him, hide you away in your mind so you would be an obedient little—” before Villain could finish he gasped, cutting himself off. His air felt breathy, unreal as a spike of purple coiled rope erupted from his chest.
“VILLAIN!”
Villain fell to his knees. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you Villain?” Nokio’s voice boomed around them, echoing off nothing. High pitched and grating, so the same as Villain remembered. Villain reached out to grab the spike.
It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not—
Twin coils of rope wound around Villain’s wrists, thorns like the ones you’d find on a rosebush stuck into Villain’s skin, knotting itself like barbed wire around him.
“Villain!” Hero gasped, dropping to their knees in front of Villain. Villain smiled, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. “What do I do? WhatdoIdo? How do I help? Villain?!”
The tears in Hero’s eyes pulled at Villain’s heartstrings. God. He forgot he still had those. “Fight, Hero,” Villain gasped. “I can’t help you. But fight, Nokio is nothing compared to—”
A shrill scream and Villain was torn from Hero’s mind and back into their body. The force of the expulsion shot them back across the room and Villain gasped, spluttering, grabbing at the phantom spike in his chest.
He grinned. All he had to do was wait. Hero would free themself, and then Superhero would have something to really worry about.
