Supervillain/civilian, joke flirting gets unexpectedly real 😁
(combined this with a prompt I wrote for @corvidprompts a while back!)
“You know, you’re pretty good at this,” the hostage says, unexpectedly, and Starburner almost chokes two-thirds of a way into a villainous monologue that xir heart isn’t in.
“I’m, uh, what,” xe says, intelligently, and the hostage smiles, sunnily.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, please continue, it’s a great speech, you really have a way with words!”
Starburner squints at the hostage. This is either an extraordinarily stupid and obliging hostage, or they’re mocking xir, or possibly they’re trying to suck up to xir. “If you’re mocking me, you’ll regret it. You’re entirely at my mercy here, and there is all of the time in the world before you will be returned - if you ever are.”
The hostage shivers, a little ostentatiously for Starburner’s tastes. They can’t possibly be sincere about this. “Yeah, like that! The menace is just top tier, you’re so eloquent! And you have a good voice for snarling threats.”
Starburner narrows xir eyes. “And what,” xe asks, silkily, “Do you mean by that?”
“Kinda, yknow, low and smooth. Very good villain voice. Ten out of ten.”
Starburner doesn’t know how to respond to that, so xe doesn’t. Instead xe stares the hostage down in repressive silence until the hostage’s eyes slide away, then turns sharply on xir heel in a clear dismissal, white cloak eddying around xir heels.
“The ropes are also good. Couple of really good double-column ties, very comfortable, clearly you’ve put a lot of practice into this. Do you do this, like, recreationally? I feel like you’ve got that kinda energy.”
Starburner continues to say nothing, choosing to instead keep xir back to the hostage, menacing and silent, checking on the security system. The hero will have received notice of the hostage in xir custody by now, and is undoubtedly on hir way over. Keeping xir back turned is definitely an intimidation strategy and not a way to hide the way xir face is heating up. God. Xe hadn’t expected to have xir... proclivities... psychoanalyzed by a hostage today. No matter, it’s a minor wrinkle at worst, and xe and they will shortly have other problems to deal with.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything. In retrospect, mentioning the ropes was kind of weird, I know that you didn’t mean it like that. I just kinda thought, yknow, between the ropes and the dom voice-”
There’s a clear struggle in the hostage’s voice, as though they’re trying not to laugh, and with the last words a giggle slips out. Open disrespect. Well. Time to teach them a bit of a lesson.
Starburner retrieves xir favorite concealed weapon from inside xir cloak, pivots toward them, and flicks on the laser switchblade xe keeps on xir person at all times. The hostage instantly goes silent, eyes fixed on the glowing orange blade, and swallows, breath clearly quickening.
“Shut up,” Starburner says, pleasantly, and holds it just close enough to their cheekbone that they can hear the crackle.
“Yes, ser,” the hostage says, wide-eyed, “Or, uh, do you prefer a different term, or.”
“Sir will do,” Starburner says, and then immediately regrets it when the hostage goes faintly red at the ears. “You’re truly irrepressible, aren’t you.”
“It’s a problem,” the hostage agrees.
