"this is no place of honor" parental!platonic yandere!supervillian & gn!neglected!hero sidekick!reader [oneshot] ! !
intro | masterlist
description; There has always been something wrong with you, with your powers-- nearly everyone who knows you has said so, one way or another. You wouldn't blame them-- if you overuse your powers even the teensiest bit, you quite literally become a passive threat to national security. When you break down to your new friend, Erin, about a recent incident-- you never expected for them to disagree with everyone else. To disagree with you on the matter.
additional notes; a short lil thing for malpractice, because he is... lowkey my favorite. PLEASE send in asks about this man i love him and would love to spill my ideas everywhere like spaghetti out my pocket. if you want to learn anything about worldbuilding, the agency, the hero reader works with, readers powers as well, PLEAAAASE let me know because i will infodump so hard. a torrential downpour of information. pleek.
warnings; implied child abuse, neglect, and generally immoral conduct involving reader (done by the agency), hurt/comfort, manipulation, possessive behavior, overprotectiveness, corpses, dehumanization (agency to reader D:), Malpractice and his goshdang puppets again!!, unsettling behavior, & if there's anything major I missed, please let me know, and i'll add it!!
w/c; 1.8k
You don't know why this is happening, what broke the dam and let all your emotions come flowing free. You're happy, you should be happy-- you love hanging out with your friend, so why are you crying so much? It's not fair, you thought you'd cried all you had back in your room.
Maybe it was the crushing kind of guilt about your situation right now. You aren't even supposed to be out of your room right now, much less the facility as a whole. It's not-- you should be safe to be around right now, so you didn't see much of a reason to skip out on your regular hangouts with your new friend.
Even if you had to sneak out for it. It's not like you're dangerous to be around anymore, the radioactive affect you emit should be long neutralized; the staff just wanted to keep you locked up to think about what you'd done.
And you'd thought plenty. That might be why your letting it all lose now, finally having someone to talk to that won't judge or shame you for your feelings for actions.
You've only known each other for about a month, you and Erin-- it's a terrifying thought, that this might cause them to pull away. To see how unstable you are, and decide to not want any part in your life.
If they did, then you wouldn't blame them. It's a terrible, awful feeling, being unable to control yourself. Curled up on the stone bench, settled in a quiet little grotto you'd taken to visiting a lot as of late-- your legs pulled to your chest, face pressed against your knees.
"I only wanted to help..." Despite how muffled your voice was, how crackly and warbled from how hard you were crying, you could still tell that Erin understood what you'd said.
Erin set a firm hand on your back, taking to rubbing calming little circles with their thumb. Your breath hitched, as a shuddering sob wracked your entire frame.
Deep down, you feel like you don't deserve this kind of comfort. Not after what you did, even if it was an accident. You didn't think that'd count as 'overusing your powers', enough to make you a biohazard--
"Shhh..." Erin soothed, their other hand gently holding your upper arm as you hiccupped and sniffled. "I know, I know. It's not your fault," And something about that set you off-- you'd feel better if they were blaming you, because they should be doing that.
With a monumental amount of effort (the kind that should get you an award), you pulled your face from where you'd been crushing it against the top of your knees, and looked Erin in the eyes. For just a second, before deciding it was too difficult right now, and casting your gaze to the ground as you spoke.
"No-- but, but it is! They, I-- I hurt someone, they're in the hospital fo-for radiation poisoning, and it's because of me--!" Erin's grip on your arm tightened just a fraction, but it was enough to cut your stumbling tirade short. On instinct, you looked back at their face--
You meant to only glance, before looking back to the ground. But there was something... off, in their gaze, that made you hold it. Out of fear, maybe-- something was wrong, something that wasn't wrong about 15 minutes ago when you'd entered the grotto to find them already there.
"You couldn't have known," They said with a firm kind of finality, the kind that you wouldn't dare try to argue. "And it's not like they're going to die, that level of radiation poisoning, from what you've told me of their symptoms; is hardly anything to sneeze at. Things are being blown out of proportion."
A few beats of silence passed, before your face wrenched up-- tears started anew, as you pitched forward into Erin's chest. They wrapped their arms around you in an embrace readily, like they'd been waiting their whole life to do so. Your arms wrapped around their waist in response, and they pulled you closer.
They were wearing a pretty sort of blouse-- your afraid it might be silk, with how it feels against your skin. As you cry and cry into their shoulder, you remember hearing that silk is so delicate that even water can stain it indefinitely.
But when you try to pull back, afraid that may be the case-- you find Erin's hand had settled on the back of your head, and gently guided your face back against their shoulder.
It broke you, that gesture. It might not be silk, you aren't very well-versed in these kinds of things first-hand; but if it was, which you think it may be, they're letting you stain it. The idea of it is enough to make all your walls come down, as sputtered out all your worries that's been building for months-- no, years-- before.
"I-- I jus' wanna help, that's all I wanna do! But I'm... i'm always treated like-- like a ticking timebomb or something! I don't wanna hurt people, I'm supposed to heal them-- but I can't-- I can't if I accidentally push myself too far and end up becoming a danger to everyone!" It all came tumbling out before you could even think to stop it,
But Erin took it in stride regardless. They shushed and soothed you in a way no one ever dared before-- not since the agency got it's hands on you when you were young, when your powers first presented.
It's a strange idea, that you've only known Erin for a month, if even that. They know things you don't think you've told them before, like that time you accidentally stole a sucker from a gas station a few months ago, or what your favorite school subject was.
They were simple things, though. Things you've told other friends before, so maybe it just slipped your mind that you told them after all. It feels like Erin has known you longer than you have, though.
It's an unsettling kind of thought, one that was a little difficult to shake off. But right now, you didn't have any wiggle-room to think about it. Right now, you were a little too focused on (metaphorically) spilling your guts all over the stone bench underneath you two.
By the time you'd gotten everything off your chest, your whole body felt heavy from exhaustion. Distantly, you could hear police canvasing the area-- could hear on of the facility directors speaking with them, no doubt looking for you.
Even if you had been given the go-ahead for this outing, you'd stayed out way too long. The sun was starting to set, and you never knew you could cry for that long.
Erin had held you through the whole thing, and had a hard time letting you go. When you tried to pull back, their hold kept steadfast. Their strength wasn't something you could've predicted-- but you were so out of it that you didn't question it much.
"I don' want them finding out about you." You mumbled against their shoulder, but they still didn't let up. You realized that their hearing probably wasn't as good as yours-- or they hadn't put two and two together yet,
"The agency's looking for me." Voice almost a whisper, you still knew they heard you. Because they immediately said "I know." And your brows furrowed, and Erin let you pull your head back just enough so you could look up at them.
They were looking down at you in turn, their eyes looked... well, maybe it was the dim lighting, but it looked like they had bloodshot eyes-- except the veins weren't red,
They were pitch black.
it has to be the lighting, you tell yourself as you swallowed past the lump in your throat. "I have to go." Voice wavering, you hoped Erin could pick up on how much you didn't want to leave. That this was outside of your control.
Erin just stared at you, unblinking. For a terrible, agonizingly long moment, they didn't look much like Erin at all. You don't know who they looked like, but it definitely wasn't the person you've become accustomed to in recent weeks.
"I know." They parroted back, continuing to stare at you. It was like they were mulling over something very important, but you couldn't put your finger on what exactly that something was,
Not until they suddenly said "I'm just debating whether or not I should let them have you." And you hope that they didn't mean for it to come off the way it did, like they were about to steal you away like a fairytale witch in the dead of night.
Despite your better judgement, you settled on the idea that they meant for it to be comforting. That's okay, sometimes the way you say things makes it come out a little off. You won't fault them for that.
"I promise I'll see you soon-- but probably a few more weeks. I'm sure I'll get in big trouble for this." Their arms tightened "That's exactly why I don't want to let them have you. You shouldn't get punished for wanting some fresh air."
Heart beating a bit faster now, you started to squirm. Voice a litle pitchy, as you begged Erin to "Please let me go-- they might hurt you if you don't. They don't want me forming any outside connections."
Still, they didn't let go.
"I can't lose you, please--" It might've been because of the way your voice cracked so pathetically, or how your eyes started to shine with tears again, that finally had Erin releasing you.
Quickly, you hopped off the stone bench; only to stumble and almost fall face-first to the ground, before Erin gently grabbed ahold of you and kept you steady, as your body adjusted to standing after sitting for so long.
You mumbled a quick thank you, before turning and giving Erin a quick goodbye hug. it's all you could afford right now, since you heard the voices coming closer. They can't see you two together, you know that much--
"Goodbye, Erin." You quietly said, giving a short wave and you sped-walked towards the entrance/exit of the grotto. Erin gave a little wave back, the movement jerky in a way that felt a little unnatural-- but who are you to judge?
"Goodbye, dear. I'll see you soon."
The facility had kept you locked up tight for longer than you'd expected-- but the time you got out of your 1 and 1/2 month long grounding, Erin was nowhere to be found.
In their place, however, was a younger boy-- closer to your age than Erin had been-- that claims to be Erin's little brother. Saying that Erin fell ill, but didn't want you to be alone. So they sent him, who was hilariously so, also named Aaron-- different spelling, though.
They don't look much alike, you don't think; but they might be adopted. It'd be rude to ask, so you keep quiet on it. They have a very similar smile, though-- same odd way of speaking at times.
