Hey guys! It is I, together-slapper of words. Taking requests, so ask away 👀 Please be aware that I always assign genders as a matter of preference, so - no 'nb' from me. No f/f, m/m or NSFW either. Mild spice is negotiable in moderation. If you want to be tagged in general or for a specific story, feel free to tell me 😎
hi! if you're still taking requests, can I request a mad scientist catching the heroine in his lab? I love your writing, I've been following you for years! Thank you! :)
"What do you think?"
She forced herself not to whirl around the question; so casually asked, as if she had every right to be in the scientist's lab, as if he wasn't horror and ambition made flesh.
"I think this amount of blood can't possibly be hygienic."
"Oh, it doesn't impact the work."
When she'd ever imagined a lab, she'd imagined a cold and pristine space. Hospital-like. Flourescent and tinted with the sharp smell of disinfectant. His lab was a wilderness. A cathedral of whirring machines and pulsing power, bones and pain captured.
Shouldn't she have remembered that? Known that? She remembered nothing of him, no matter how desperately she searched the blank void of her memories.
She turned, then. Couldn't not. Even if seeing him was the double-edged blade of letting him see her. He was as much of a mess as the space in person. It would have been easy to discount him, his madness, to the ditzy brand of genius most often found in esoteric academics. His eyes were sharp. She wasn't that foolish.
"You need to stop what you're doing here," she said.
"Mm, so people keep telling me. It didn't work out well for them."
"I'm not them."
He smiled at that, almost gently. "I know exactly what you are, X."
Her stomach bottomed out.
"Did you think I wouldn't recognise you?" he asked. "Know you? Despite this-" He waggled his fingers at her dyed hair, at all of her efforts to remake herself new and clean. "Or was that why you came snooping around here when you thought you wouldn't have to face me?"
She hated that the words got to her. She hated that it was suddenly difficult to breathe. She turned away, gaze raking over the experiments in the progress. Cruel.
"You're younger," she said. "Then I thought you'd be. I thought you'd be old."
"Parental." His gaze was not especially that. Too fascinated. Too hungry. There was a mocking glint to his eye, or something like it. "Is this where I tell you to call me daddy?"
"I will rip out your windpipe."
"That wouldn't be very good of you."
"Maybe you bring out the worst of me."
"I certainly didn't grant you your preoccupation with moralising." He wandered closer, to his lab table, and before she'd thought better of it she'd stepped back. Terrible instinct. He smiled again. Boyish. Disarming. "You were one of the few interesting projects I worked on though, for the company, for what it's worth. Superheroes." He clicked his tongue. Did jazz hands. Eyes wide. "Are you going to try and kill me?"
"I was planning to succeeding."
He laughed at that, a little delighted, and her stomach churned.
"You think I won't?" she asked.
"I think a therapist would have a field day at how desperate you are for my opinion on the matter. But I suppose creations are inclined to crave the approval of their creator. You lot always do."
"There are more of us?"
"You're the specialist little cookie, gorgeous. The one and only and chosen one."
Her jaw clenched. "You're the one whose first impulse was to ask me what I thought of your work. Why would you even care what I thought?"
"I'm a generally curious creature."
"Maybe I am too!"
"Ah, perhaps we are not so different then, you and I."
She glared at him. The words felt like mockery again, though his tone was light. His hands and gaze were busy with his assorted instruments and beeping mechanisms. A minute passed in silence, then another, and he was probably definitely ignoring her on purpose. She'd make him choke on his arrogance. She'd make him-
"-What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Kill me, then. Stop me and all my wretched work."
"I don't take orders from you."
"Just reverse psychology?"
"That wasn't - that was - " She stared at him, because she'd spent years imagining what he was like, what it would be like for them to meet, but she'd never imagined this. Was he being serious? Did he want to die? Or was he truly so certain that she wouldn't manage it?
He turned away from the table after a moment, leaning against it. He peeled off his gloves, tossing them carelessly to the side, as he watched her.
"I'd leave so you can finish snooping and preparing in peace," he said. "But I do actually need to keep an eye on all this. Are you free at eight?"
"You're setting a time to die?"
"No," he said, with a pout. "I'm setting a time for dinner. My doctor's been yelling at me for existing on caffeine and crackers. You would merely make taking a break an interesting enough thing to pursue for me to consider it. So?"
"I'm not having dinner with you."
"And yet I still don't see an actual murder attempt."
"I have questions."
"Yes, I figured. I have dinner. Keep up."
Her jaw worked, fingers flexing because while a murder attempt didn't seem to be making its way past her fist, a punch seemed eminently reasonable. Yet. Her hand didn't move. Why wasn't her hand moving?
He pushed off the table, stepping towards her and, that time, when she stepped back he simply followed. He back hit a cabinet, sending glass vials toppling to the floor with a crash. He stopped in front of her, too close, too intent.
"Stop looking at me like you're going to dissect me," she said. "From what I gathered, you've been there, done that."
"Only while you were unconscious."
Her stomach lurched anew.
"Dinner," he said, and traced a propriety finger down along her chest, like he'd memorised the exact places she'd once been cut open. "Eight. Leave. You're much too tempting a specimen to be standing around in my lab otherwise, love. It's very distracting."
She should come up with a witty comeback, the perfect discerning thing to say. She should hit him. Threaten him. Screw being a superhero, screw not hurting people, it would be using her powers for good to fling him across the room like the carnage he created. The power inside her hummed, writhed, and his eyes lit up with a matching glow. Like a wink. A secret between the two of them.
Superpowers.
He had superpowers too.
"Three seconds and I'm reaching for a scalpel," he whispered, leaning in. "I wasn't kidding about temptation. You're the most perfect I've ever seen."
God it's been forever since I've done one of these. Teres and I. He's not a character I've written about on this blog, but know he's up among the many fave ocs I have. Also shows how I love my floofy hair. I project it on everyone somehow.
Tags: @defire @whumpninja @vibrato-the-third @sorrowful-hyacinth and anyone else!
I feel like I’m collecting picrews like Pokémon lol. I love these, thank you! <3
I don’t use this character on this blog (yet perhaps). But this is Eleos. He has wings and is typically a fae. He’s very sweet and kind, I love him to bits. If there was any character of mine that had a lot of me in them, it would be him.
Taglist: @loreleiloon, @melpomenelamusa, @3-2-whump, @oddsconvert and open tag!
Ooooo, this is so fun! Thanks for the tag @sorrowful-hyacinth <3
Couldn't figure out which of my dudes to do so Imma do my newest girl character <333
Here's lil ol' me and my Hero protag, Lainey Xi aka Starflower
tag!! @laurenpiplupfluff2, @auroragehenna, @it-is-whumptastic and open tag! Enjoy y'all!
Well then, left is lil' old me, right is Garcia. And yeah, I couldn't find anything better in the clothing section to match what he's actually wearing ^^'
currently reading: uhhhh Circe idk the author and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg and A Stitch in Time by Andrew Robinson (I was only reading two and then. my teacher shoved a book at me yesterday)
currently watching: house md, ds9 rewatch
currently craving: toast and a chocolate bar and some sleep
Currently reading: I’m rereading the hunger games at the moment - I think I’m on the third book
Currently watching: I’m not actively watching anything at the moment, but the last thing I watched was Leverage, I believe
Currently craving: a turkey sandwich. I don’t have any turkey, and the moment I leave my room I will be made to help with things instead of eating (things are happening tonight), but I really want a sandwich
Coffee or tea: depends on my mood, but the coffee must have more sugar than coffee if I’m going to drink it
No pressure tags: @jadegr8, @averyintrovertedfangirl, @thatrandomnerdyouknow, @agentwaffle, @fishthefrog
last song: some mashup, it doesn't really have a title :')
currently reading: same as a year ago - empire of the damned, I barely have time for it and that motherfucker has like a thousand pages >•-•>
currently watching: actively? nothing but I've been enjoying some ghibli movies lately with my boyfriend :]
currently craving: mochis, I love them and there is a slight chance I might get one today :3 (also I would really like to make prev a turkey sandwich, you deserve one @themongosianhorse TuT)
coffee or tea: I stopped drinking coffee a while ago because I noticed it was messing with my whole body but I don't really like tea either, can I go with hot chocolate 0~0
favourite colour: probably either a dark blue or dark green of some kind
last song: touchy feely fool by ajr
currently reading: technically the answer is welcome to night vale the first novel but. i have not picked it up in a While so a more realistic answer is ao3
currently watching: buddy daddies (anime), i keep up with 9-1-1, doctor odyssey and the rookie, and i'm long-term watching house and andor (bc house is long and andor is complicated)
currently craving: nothing specific just hungry
coffee or tea: uh just water is fine thanks
as you can tell i watch a lot of tv huh i shall tag my usual crew plus two bonus friends now @nycbirdenby @tadpolebobatea @coraldonkey1102 @burnt-sunshine @s0upycat @rjnonymous but fr anyone interact with this validate me
Last song: I can be your angle, or yuor devil - istasha (yes it’s actually spelt like that)
Currently reading: Advanced cardiology textbooks, Undoctored - Adam Kay, uni notes exams soon
Currently watching: lectures (advanced cardiology and also mental health legal and ethical treatment principles)
Currently craving: energy drink
Coffee or tea: coffee cause caffeine = alive but I actually prefer tea. I have a nice mint one and a honey bush, orange, mandarin one rn it’s so tastyyy
Currently reading: Oh well. I don't remeber. Been a long time since i had time. Either Tess Gerritsen - The apprentice or Dune: Machine Crusade.
Currently watching: Whatever is open on the TV when I drop dead to home.
Currently craving: Will to study for two more months.
Coffee or tea: None at the moment. Trying to get rid of every drink but water until I can trust myself not to overconsume said the pitch black coffee addict
Okay, I know I'm breaking my rule of almost never reblogging anything yet AGAIN but this piqued my curiosity and I kind of want to participate. Thanks for the tag @mj-iza-writer
Favorite color: Red (specifically the bright color red that fresh blood is) (I have no idea why I find that particular shade of red so beautiful maybe it's because I'm a whump writer idk) (and I generally prefer the bright blood red shades, not so much the darker red that comes from blood from deeper injuries) (I'm very specific about my favorite color Lol)
Last song: "Kids in the Dark" by All Time Low
Currently reading (or I guess I should say "last read" because I'm not actively reading anything at the momemt): A Court of Thorns and Roses
Currently watching: nothing but ocassinally random youtube videos about crazy ways people have died or very suspicious things for my writing that will likely get me put on the FBI watch list one day
Currently craving: the magical solution to writer's block 😭
Coffee or tea: oof I actually don't drink either of those, but if I HAD to chose I'd probably go with tea??? Probably because there's so many varieties out there that can help with all sorts of physical and mental ailments and i have a LOT of those haha (for the record, I'm one of those crazy wackos who drinks nothing but straight-up water every day of her life. No sodas, smoothies, nothing.)
Favourite colour: Shades of blue and turquoise (yes, that's two colours, but I've never been one for rules anyway), like colours of the sea are just gorgeous. But I tell most ppl my favourite folour is blue.
Last song: the last thing I played on spotify today was Doctor You by DNCE.
Currently reading: Due to engineering actively destroying me, I am not reading anything 😭😭. My most recent read that I haven't finished yet was "Batman: Nightwalker" by Marie Lu. That's not counting all the wonderful stuff heroxvillain and whump writers put out on tumblr 💜
Currently watching: Person of Interest. Really nice show that you should check out. Action, a little bit of sci-fi (really advanced AI n tech n stuff). I think its first season was 2010? Some whump in there too! And some dumb instagram n YouTube reels.
Currently craving: Ice cream and my assignments doing themselves.
Coffee or tea: You CANNOT make me choose. I love anything caffeinated. It's literally in my blood! I drink more tea bec it's a bit lower in caffeine, so it usually is a better choice as a stimulant when I'm nervous and my mum doesn't like me drinking too much coffee, but I love the taste of both!
1. Favorite Color : Green, but that rich, dark forest kind of green, ya?
2. Last Song: Sleeping At Last - Saturn
3. Currently Reading: Book 5 of "The Severed Realms" by T.A. Lawrence (never cried so much while reading T~T)
4. Currently Watching: The Apothekary's Diaries Season 2 (it's getting juicy >:3)
5. Currently Craving: That chicken kebap I'm waiting on while writing this - I arrived before they had opened up, but they said they'd still make it right away xD
6. Coffee or Tea: I'm with Surplus in this one : YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOOSE, I LOVE BOTH OKAY?!
"You poisoned me." Hero's hand goes to their throat, already feeling the burn, the effect of the toxin. They realized the moment they took a drink from pretty red wine Villain suggested they share.
"Not poison. Not exactly." Villain tuts. "Truth serum. It's considered a minor toxin but by no means dangerous to the average person."
Hero's eyes widen. They feel the sting of betrayal, harsher than the burn in their throat.
"Why?" They croak. "Was this the only reason you suggested dinner together?" Their eyes burn.
Villain eyes them for a moment. "You're privy to a lot of useful information about the other heroes. Information I could find useful. As for your other question," They drawl, "Why? Would you be upset by that?" Villain almost smirks.
Already feeling the effects, Hero is unable to lie. "Yes." They answer quietly. They try to avoid Villain's gaze, waiting for the interrogation to begin, meal abandoned. "I was happy when you asked me." Their words spill out of them unbidden.
They miss the surprised look on Villain's face at this admission. Quiet settles over them for a long moment.
"Looking forward to trying to mend my villainous ways?" Villain eventually huffs. "Did you hope that a nice dinner together would have been enough to change me?" Their tone borders on defensive.
Tears threaten to spill over Hero's lashes. They try to get control of their emotions, but the serum is doing something to their control, their inhibition.
"No." They confess. "No. I just wanted to spend time with you." They still can't meet Villain's gaze, the table below beginning to blur.
"Why?" Villain asks, sounding incredulous, sounding almost spooked. "We're enemies. I've nearly killed you countless times."
Hero gulps, trying to stop the words from coming out, mentally clawing at themselves to stop speaking. They tumble out anyway.
"I like spending time with you." Their hand goes to grip the table, to steady themselves as they lose control of their own voice. "I like spending time with you especially when we're not fighting."
"Stop it." Villain demands. Now it's their turn for their voice to wobble.
"I really like you." Tears brim over Hero's cheeks now, and they hear Villain suck in a harsh breath. They can't stop the words now that they're flowing out. The dam has been broken.
"Stop talking. Stop it." Villain sounds more desperate now.
"I was hoping you'd kiss me tonight."
The table shakes loudly as Villain stands, dining ware nearly falling over. Hero finally looks up at them, trying to blink away their tears. They see Villain's hollowed expression. They let out a rattling breath.
"This was a mistake." Villain finally says. Hero sees the way they dig their nails into the table cloth, before their vision is blurred by more tears. "I shouldn't have done this."
"Dinner..? Or tricking me?" Hero's voice is rough, raspy.
Villain is silent for a long moment. "It doesn't matter. What's done is done." Now it's their turn to not meet Hero's eyes.
"I'd let you take me to dinner again." Hero gulps, the truth still spilling out of them with ease. "I wish you'd take me to dinner again. Even if you trick me another time." Shame swirls in Hero's gut as they admit to this pathetic truth. It doesn't matter how many times they get burned, it won't change how much they imagine Villain's lips on theirs, their hands on them.
"I need to go." Villain's throat bobs. They shove themselves away from the table harshly, the wine spilling over. Hero watches them leave as their tears drip below.
"We can't keep meeting like this." Villain tsks, thoughtfully as they eyed Hero. It's was just their luck that Hero had not once, but twice, been in a building taken hostage by Villain while in their civilian getup.
Last time was in one of the larger banks downtown two weeks ago. Hero had made the choice to not reveal their heroic persona, wanting to protect their personal identity, and the civilians in case a fought broke out.
Villain didn't look at them twice and did not recognize their nemesis. No casualties occurred, thankfully. Hero was able to walk away with their secret intact, and with Villain likely forgetting their face entirely.
Or so they thought. Villain eyed them now with light amusement. Did they know who Hero was? Or did Villain simply remember their face from the crowd of quivering hostages.
Hero gulped as they kneeled on the cool floor of the vital records office. They tried their best to blend in with the other civilians currently cowering low, but they couldn't ignore when Villain's attention was so directly on them. Curse their life. They only came here for a copy of their birth certificate.
"Um." They swallowed, licked their lips, and tried again to speak. Hopefully Villain wouldn't recognize their voice. "Yes I was -"
"At the bank." Villain finishes. "Do you have a habit of finding yourself in hostage situations?" They smirk wide, obviously enjoying toying with whom they believe to be an innocent bystander while waiting for the clerk to get the records they demanded.
"I...have had a string of bad luck lately." Hero chokes out. Villain laughs, voice echoing through the atrium. The other hostages flinch at the sound.
Villain rakes their eyes over Hero as they kneel. A bit of humor can be found in their expression.
"A bad luck streak, huh?" They look over to where the clerk is still scrambling to gather the documents and printing out more information. Undoubtedly, information that'll be used against Villain's enemies somehow. "Well, if we're all not too unlucky, I'll have what I want soon, and you won't be here too long."
Unable to stop the quip from falling from their lips, Hero responds in a tone unbefitting their nervous civilian persona. "Knowing the work efficency of this place, I'll still be here to nightfall even after you leave."
Villain laughs yet again. Not the same usual villainous laugh they have when tormenting someone, but a real laugh. Hero mentally chastises themselves, knowing they need to stop drawing attention themselves. Villain takes another look at the clerk before turning back to Hero and crouching down low, their eyes level now.
"What's your name?" Villain asks with an amused tilt of their lips. Their gaze holds Hero still, burning them in place. Hero's heart hammers in their chest.
They hesitate before finding a way out of answering. "Why do you need to know? Do you think my luck is so bad that I'll end up in a third hostage situation?" They retort, expecting many different reactions to this refusal. Irritation, anger, dismissal.
Hero has no way to predict what Villain actually says next.
"Maybe your luck isn't that bad, but maybe my luck is that good." Their smile widens. "Maybe I just want to put a name to a pretty face."
Oh God. Villain is flirting with them. Hero feels themselves blink in rapid succession as they try and process what is going on right now. Villain, their nemesis, is flirting with them. While holding them hostage. While not realizing who Hero is, to top it off. This is going to make their next fight very awkward on Hero's end.
Hero can feel the incredulous stares of the other civilians as their own face heats up.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?" Hero attempts. They try to ignore the heat in their gut at the way Villain's eyes hold them in place, their gaze almost hungry.
With a snort, Villain shakes their head. "Nice try. Maybe after a few dinners, I'll tell you my real name. Cute try, though." They say in a voice that doesn't sound sarcastic enough. Hero can't believe what their life is right now.
As if sensing Hero's continued hesitancy, Villain stands back to their full height. "Maybe our paths will cross again, and I can get you to agree later. To dinner or to giving me your name." They all but purr, before turning back to where the clerk is waiting fearfully with a thick looking folder. All the while, Hero's mind is reeling as they try and steady their heart.
The other civilians continue to look at them as if they've grown a second head.
Villain strides to the desk, taking the documents and giving them a once over. Whatever it is, they find it satisfactory, apparently, snapping the folder shut with a wicked grin after a moment.
"Your participation made this as bloodless as possible. Thanks for the cooperation." Villain's tone is full of mirth as they speak to the clerk one last time. Hero can only be thankful that, again, no casualties occurred. Small victories, they suppose.
Villain makes to walk towards the exit, but before they do, they kneel down in front of Hero, closer than before. Hero can smell the rich smokey smell of their cologne, as Villain grabs their chin gingerly.
They lean in close, speaking quietly enough that only Hero's ears can pick up the soft, almost affectionate words as their breath fans across their neck.
"It was nice to see you outside of costume again, Hero."
Antihero looked back and forth between their friends begrudgingly. Hero waving a fry in the air, chattering away endlessly about heroing politics and the newest law on artificial power enhancements, and Villain on the other side of the table, leaned eagerly forward on their elbows, hanging on every word. No one on the outside would have imagined they had only met a mere thirty minutes ago.
“You two weren’t supposed to hit it off!” Antihero blurted. “You wanted to hang out with me today, Villain! And Hero, you’re here because we already had plans! You both graciously agreed to put aside your differences for an afternoon.”
“And so we have,” Villain said, not taking their eyes off Hero, “differences waaaay set aside.” They motioned vaguely to the other side of the room as if to give a visual of just how far their differences had been placed.”
“You’re my friends!”
“If it helps,” Hero said, “my interest in Villajn goes a bit beyond friends. Excuse me if that’s inappropriately bold.”
“No, no,” Villain grinned. “I like bold.”
“I’m going to be sick,” Antihero complained. “I feel like I’m third wheeling a first date right now.”
“Apologies,” Hero said, tipping their head with sudden understanding. “Villain and I will dedicate our attentions to each other at a more scheduled time. We can continue our current scheduled ‘hang out.’”
“I’m free tomorrow at 7,” Villain said.
Antihero rolled their eyes. “Oh for heavens sake.”
Could you write a snippet about a sunshine civilian x terrifying villain?? The civilian doesn’t like “change” the villain but the villain does have a soft spot for them
"Would you like me to get involved?" the villain asked.
The civilian paused, halfway in the middle of doing the dishes. They started again smoothly enough - mind racing through their options.
Involved in what? Oh so innocent. An insult to them both.
How did you find out? Obvious. The villain made it their business to be aware of everything going in their general sphere.
Of course I don't want that. Of course I do.
"You're asking?" the civilian said, finally. "I didn't think your possessive streak would allow you to sit out on my battles."
"You enjoy your independence. I prefer not to upset you further."
The villain stalked across the room, taking a dish from the civilian's hand and beginning the work of drying it. It still caught the civilian off guard; to see them do such mundane things. A dark conqueror did not exchange his throne for a pair of sunny yellow marigolds.
Except, with them.
The civilian exhaled a slow breath.
"There's a limit, of course." The villain's voice was too casual. "If they'd laid hands on you..."
"I don't think any of your followers would be that stupid."
The villain didn't say anything to that, simply taking the next plate. The civilian didn't say anything either for the next few dishes, because dishes were annoying but easy and the villain's world was fascinating but hard.
"I can fight my own battles," the civilian said. "It's not a big deal."
"I know you can. And that's not the point."
The civilian huffed, finally daring a glance at their lover. The villain's gaze was an inferno. Dangerous. Teeming with violence. A carefully controlled fury. The civilian couldn't possibly look away from it.
The villain reached to turn off the hot water tap without breaking eye contact, head tilting a fraction. They raised an eyebrow.
"If you got involved," the civilian said. "They'd never dare so much as insinuate shit about me again. They'd be so polite."
"They'd get on their knees whenever you walked into a room." The villain's voice dropped instantly away from casual to velvet. "They'd ask permission before so much as looking at you. Would you like that?"
"No." Yes. Sometimes.
There was no judgment on the villain's face.
"It's not an impulse I want to indulge," the civilian amended.
"Mm, pity. I'd like seeing everyone on their knees for you. They'd grovel. Beg me for mercy and then beg you, when they realised I was not the one in a position to grant them forgiveness for their sins."
The civilian shivered.
The villain smiled. Their eyes lit up.
"Don't tempt me." The civilian elbowed them, gently, splashing soap suds everywhere. Then they pressed a kiss to the villain's shoulder. Their mouth only felt a little dry. "It would be terrible for my ego. I'd be insufferable. The power would go straight to my head."
The villain laughed and the civilian could finally look away, grinning ruefully to themselves as they shook their head. They turned the water back on and then did some more of the dishes, chest feeling a little lighter than before despite themselves.
"Thank you," the civilian said. "For asking."
"Do you know how you want to deal with the situation?"
"Honestly, I was just going to ignore it. I can handle people making snide comments."
"Boundary setting and discipline is important."
"This is why everyone is scared of you."
"This is also why no one would dare try and bait me in a conversation."
The civilian scrunched up their nose in acknowledgement of the point, glancing at the villain again. "Well, I don't want to sic you on them. As funny as their expressions would be, I'd feel really bad about it in the morning. And I don't want -" The civilian stopped.
"You don't want them to think you'll coming running to my coattails whenever the other kids on the playground are mean to you?"
"...not how I would have said it, but yeah," the civilian muttered, cheeks flushed.
The villain immediately leaned down to press a kiss to the warmed skin, seeming utterly unable to help themselves. The civilian could feel the villain's grin against their skin.
The villain would be delighted if the civilian did that, at least in part. It was the closest they could get to playing the protector, the anti hero.
"For what it's worth," the villain said, against their ear. "I don't care what they think about you."
"Lions rarely care about the inner workings of ants, it's true."
It was the villain's turn to huff. They switched the water off again, wrapping an arm around the civilian and bodily moving them away from the sink. Their lips dipped to kiss the civilian's neck. "Not an ant."
"Obviously, I'm the cutest ant around. No one's disputing that."
"You're my favourite thing," the villain said. They found the civilian's mouth and kissed that too, before straightening. When they looked down the inferno was still there (always there) but back down to its normal level of simmering. "My absolute darling."
"Yeah, yeah."
"So if you change your mind about your enemies screaming, sobbing for your absolution..."
The civilian rolled their eyes, and felt a smile tugging their lips even if they probably should have been horrified. They leaned in to kiss the villain in turn.
can I request: a villain who betrayed the hero and a hero who still loves them and can’t stop themselves from helping/saving them even after finding out about the betrayal?
"You know," the villain managed. "I never thought you were stupid before."
"Mm, just an easy mark I suppose." The hero kept their back turned, busying themselves with washing the villain's blood off their hands. "You're supposed to be in bed. Go back to bed."
"This is stupid. Saving me is stupid."
"So is standing up in your current state, but you don't see me being a whiny little bitch about it."
The villain was still leaning heavily against the bathroom door when the hero finally turned, any attempts they were perhaps making at being intimidating utterly ruined by the bloodless waxy tinge to their face and the dark circles under their eyes.
The hero raised their eyebrows, shoving down the urge to go to them. "If you pass out, I'm laughing at you and leaving you on the floor."
"But you wouldn't leave me in that place."
"I'm not a monster."
"You're not me."
"Oh please. You're not a monster, you're not that mythic. You're just a run-of-the-mill dick."
The villain huffed something like a laugh, only to grimace, clutching a hand to the freshly placed bandages at their abdomen.
The hero was at their side in a heartbeat. They were glad the villain had squeezed their eyes shut against the pain - it gave the hero time to compose themselves, to keep their flailing hands from steadying the villain.
The villain got the pain under control. They slumped against the wall, sweat beading their forehead, jaw clenched.
"Bed," the hero said, again, voice a little quieter and rougher than before.
"You could have taken me to a hospital. You didn't have to take me to your home."
"The first place they'd look for you is in a hospital. But by all means, you know where the door is. I'm not forcing you to stay. You'll do great on your own. You're used to it."
The villain shot them a look at that, but wobbled back to the bed the hero had initially set them up on. They eased themselves down gingerly and had to take another moment where they were clearly fighting unconsciousness.
It was the hero's turn to lean in the doorway, awkward and orbital, arms folded across their chest.
"You weren't tempted to leave me there?" the villain asked. "After what I did to you?"
The hero's chest ached. They kept their voice light.
"Tempted? Sure."
"But you didn't."
"You know, I never thought you were stupid either," the hero said. "But you're repeating the obvious an awful lot today, so maybe I stand corrected."
"Yeah, alright sunshine," the villain snapped. "It's been a bit of week."
They both lapsed into the silence. The villain seemed to realise what they'd said, breath hitching. They always used to call the hero that, after all. Sunshine. The hero used to be that too.
The villain swallowed. They eyed the hero with a wariness that should have been gratifying but really just hurt.
Wariness. Confusion, too. Something else that the hero didn't want to poke at.
The villain, after all, wasn't repeating themselves because they'd somehow missed the whole rescue situation. They wanted to know why, they wanted to understand, even if they weren't willing to actually come out and say it. To ask outright.
They wanted...
Well. The hero supposed it didn't much matter what the villain wanted anymore.
The villain looked away first. Folded first. They cleared their throat.
"They'll come for me, if I stay here," the villain said. "Come for you, if they think you're harboring me."
"And why would anyone think I would ever do that for you?"
The hero could practically feel the villain tracking them in their periphery vision, studying them with every sense except looking at them directly.
Sunshine, turned to a sun. Dangerous to get close to.
"You are..." The villain stopped. They closed their mouth.
You are doing that for me though, aren't you?
The hero's eyes narrowed.
"Well, thank you, anyway," the villain mumbled instead. "For the rescue. Very heroic of you, as ever."
"It's just what I do. I'd do it for anyone."
"Yeah."
"You're not special."
"Of course not."
"Get some sleep." The hero forced themselves to turn away, even when all they really wanted to do was move closer, check again that the villain was truly okay, keep vigil by their side. "The sooner you're feeling better, the sooner you can get the hell out of my life again."
They all but slammed the bedroom door shut behind them.
They wished it was anywhere near as easy to shut off their heart.
Villain entered the house with the grace of a ghost, feet light as feathers as they glided down the hall to where a soft glow crept out from a doorframe on the left. The hero was, as expected, inside, and seemed to be hard at work.
They sat hunched at a desk, flattened capri sun packet discarded to the side, papers strewn across the rest of the surface with a laptop planted square on top of it all.
From the looks of it, Hero had at least fifteen tabs open, and the poor little laptop fan was working overtime trying not to set fire to the physical notes below it.
A pair of oversized glasses sat slid down on their nose, lenses slightly yellowed. Their hair was a scraggly mess, clip lopsided and hair falling as if they had forgotten they had put in a clip at all.
Last time Villain had seen Hero, they had threatened to not-so-carefully deposit them into the air from a great height with no safety net. Villain hadn’t thought they would take the threat serious enough to hunker down like this, though.
Entranced in a stress-induced panic, Hero spoke to themselves like Villain had already lifted a gun to their head.
“The piriformis thinks it’s so special with its silly little spinal nerves…”
Villain took the opportunity to creep a little closer, as the hero was in no state to notice any disturbance around them.
“Femoral,” they recited, slightly feverishly, “Sartorius, cause females love Jacob. They also love pecs, pectineus. And wrecking things, rectus femoris. And…vast things. The vastuses.”
They shook their head, as if that might cause the information to solidify in their mind.
“Tibial. That’s Tibialis posterior, gastrocnemius, soleus, iliopsoas, and the flexors.”
Their eyes had closed as they attempted to reach deep into their brain for the information.
“Actually, the iliopsoas is innervated by the femoral nerve.”
Hero yelped, spinning around in their chair to come face to face with none other than Villain, their previously-closed eyes blown wide.
“You also forgot the plantaris,” Villain noted.
“I said that!”
“No, you really didn’t.” Villain tilted their head, eyes drawn to the crumpled chip bags that had fallen short of the trash can against the wall.
Hero scoffed, “Next, you’re gonna tell me the linea aspera is on the posterior side of the tibia.”
From the look on Villain’s face, Hero guessed they weren’t doing so hot in the bone department either.
A dull thud accompanied the smacking of Hero’s head against the desk. The villain took the opportunity to circle the table, now standing directly in front of the hero’s bent over form.
“I don’t suppose you’d like to help me study?” Hero mumbled through lips they had slightly lifted from the desk.
“How about I stab you, and you tell me which muscle I hit?” Villain offered, with all the sincerity of a well-armed home invader.
Hero let their head fall back down again, unimpressed by the blade-twirling going on between the villain’s fingers.
“I’m going to failllllll,” they groaned against the paper and wood.
Villain sheathed their daggers and sighed.
“Look at it this way,” the villain comforted mocked with an exaggerated eye roll, “you still have your future as a hero.”
Hero slowly raised their head, fire in their gaze as they threatened, “I am going to hit your extended knee laterally, causing an unhappy triad injury, tearing your medial collateral ligament, and with it damaging your medial meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament so your knee will never feel stable again.”
“That’s the spirit,” Villain chuckled, planting themselves on the desk and turning to face the face the hero with one knee resting on the edge of the wood. They showed a smile that was sure to drive them mad, if they weren’t already there.
“If you ever want to extend your knee again, you and your rectus femoris should get out of my house.”
“But I’m having so much fun,” Villain pouted.
Hero hung their head before assembling their signature law-enforcing hero face.
“Breaking and entering is a crime,” they reminded, “just like it’s a crime that the biceps femoris is in the leg and not the arm.”
Villain, as amused as ever, didn’t move a muscle. At least, none of the muscles Hero could name.
“So are you leaving or not?” They asked impatiently. “I have a practical to study for.”
“Does the gluteus medius insert on the greater trochanter of the femur?”
Hero stared in silence for a moment.
“Does the offer to throw me off a cliff still stand?”
“Only if you can tell me the muscles I would need to use to perform that movement.”
Hero screamed, knowing full well they had only gotten as far as reviewing the legs.
"This might be a new low for you." Hero's voice is firm, unwavering. Villain looks up from their delicate work, crossing of wires and fuses. They were hoping to get this explosive planted quickly and efficiently, though Hero's presence may delay their goal.
"I didn't know you previously held such a high opinion of me. I'm flattered." Villain's speaks in a deadpan tone.
Hero crosses the room, standing before Villain, arms folded in irritation. "A government building? Really? I thought my opinion of you couldn't get lower, but you dropped the bar into hell." Villain looks up, meeting their stern glower. Their fingers drum across the wooden desk the explosives sit on, holding Hero's gaze.
"Is this supposed to have any effect on me? I'm used to your scorn." They stand up, rising to Hero's height. "Either try to stop me or get lost. If you try to fight me, though, know I won't go easy on you this time."
This was too important. They didn't have time to play their usual games with Hero, or worry about their disappointment.
"I can tell." Hero speaks, sitting down on the desk, as if uncaring about the literal ticking bomb inches away. "You have that look on your face. Like you're thinking hard about something." They sigh as if exhausted. "Trying to fight you when you get like this never goes well."
"So leave-"
"Nope." Hero crosses their legs, uncrosses them, and leans back, meeting Villain's stare again. They're forcing a show of relaxation, but Villain doesn’t miss the way their limbs shake, or the way fingers won't stay still. "I have a better idea." They continue.
"Do go on."
"You go ahead and finished setting up these explosives and high tail it out of here like a coward, and I'll stay here." Hero's tone is like that of someone discussing the weather, or the latest sports game.
Villain blinks, opens their mouth, and closes their mouth before finally finding their words.
"What? You do know what a bomb is, right? I know your skull is a bit thick, but you do realize what would happen in that case?"
Hero makes a show of a fake explosion with their hand, complete with an auditory Woosh.
"I'd be turned into paste. Probably. If your weapons skills are even that good." They try to keep their voice in that same casual tone, but yet again, Villain doesn't miss the slight tremble. They're frightened. None of this makes sense.
Villain pauses for a moment. "Are you suicidal? Is this a cry for help because I'm sure this Hero gig of yours pays well enough for some therapy-"
"Nothing like that." Hero interrupts with a shake of their head and a laugh devoid of humor. "I appreciate the concern, but no, that's not what's going on here."
Staying quiet for a moment, Villain waits for them to elaborate.
"I'm calling your bluff." They say simply. Like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "It's easier than trying to fight you and getting my ass kicked."
Frowning, Villain speaks a bit firmer, still confused though. "You're what?"
"I am calling your bluff. You can go ahead and blow up this building, but I'll be right here when it detonates." Hero smirks, like they've figured villain out.
Standing up taller, they lean over the wooden table and grab one of Hero's shoulders harshly. Their face becomes something wild.
"Are you really so self-centered, so arrogant, that you somehow- somehow in that stupid mind of yours think-" They exhale harshly through their nose and let go. "You think that your stupid threat of self destruction is enough to make me change my mind? You think your life matters to me, at all?" Their voice gets harsher as they speak, volume raising slightly. Why would Hero even try this?
"Okay then. So prove how worthless my life is to you." Hero shrugs. "You go ahead and set the bomb off, and I'll stay here." Hero tries to hide their smug smile. Despite their fear, they know they've caught Villain off guard.
Pinching their own face so hard they worry their nails may cut skin, Villain breathes loudly.
"You realize I could turn this back around on you, right? I could call your bluff. You wish to risk your life like this?"
"Call my bluff then." They challenge. "Unless you defuse this bomb, I'm not leave." Hero raises their chin defiantly, eyes dagger sharp.
Villain rounds the table, grabbing Hero roughly, jostling them with a grip hard enough to ache. Hero's face doesn't change. "You think I can't drag you out of here? That I couldn't possibly knock you out and take you with me?" And then give them lecture filled with ire boarding on something violent later.
"You can certainly try," They keep that rebellious smile on their face, "but I'd fight you tooth and nail the whole way, and is that how you want to spend your precious escape time?"
Sneering, Villain can't decide if they want to shove them away or grip them tighter. "I hate you. I hate you so much." They all but snarl at them. If the imminent threat of explosion didn't kill Hero, they're sure the look on their enemy's face would.
Still, Hero pushes. "No, you don't. If you did, you'd already be out the door. You'd be killing two birds with one stone." Hero's hand reaches for the beeping package of wires, hand trembling, but they grab it nonetheless. They shove it to Villain roughly.
"Prove you hate me. Or defuse the bomb." They keep on the act of confidence, but that underlying dread is still in their eyes, the deep seated fear of what will happen.
Idiotic as always, Villain decides. Like there was any chance Villain would do anything else but spare them. Their stupid, infuriating Hero.
"I can't stand you." They growl, ripping one wire from the fuse.
Pretty pretty please continue "Breakfast in Bed? A request from one writer to another????????? 🥺🥺
(No pressure though if you're not interested -- I'm just super invested in the story and I love the detail)
Breakfast In Bed #6
Thank you so much @jumpywhumpywriter for requesting a next part! :D I'm so happy you liked it this much and hope the final part is to your liking as well!
The original post will hereby officially become Part 7, since the prequel has reached the starting point of this story. I really didn‘t think it‘d grow by this much o.O Guess I should learn to expect works to develop a life of their own by now...
Thank you all for sticking around! Sorry it turned out kinda long, but splitting this into two parts would have felt wrong somehow.
I‘d be delighted to read some gibberish in the comments XD
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (Orig.)
CW: Let‘s call it consensually relocating the protagonist to a desination of unknown location, yes? Also, tiny hint of spice.
The black SUV rolled up quietly, the mirrored windows giving nothing about the interior away. Sidekick swallowed thickly when a man in a black jacket stepped out of the passenger‘s side. Probably one of his henchmen. He opened the backdoor with a soft click, dim light dousing the expensive looking leather interior in caramel colors.
Sidekick glanced back up at Supervillain, who observed her quietly. He didn‘t nudge her towards the car, nor did he lead the way. He just...waited. She swallowed thickly. This would really be on her and her only, wouldn‘t it? She should know this was a bad idea. Years of academy training screamed at her to get the hell out of there, but she found she didn‘t want to. She wanted to cling to whatever it was that made her feel at ease for the first time in years, whenever Supervillain was with her. Even if he probably was the last person that should evoke this type of feeling withing someone of her profession.
She felt her feet start moving towards the SUV. When she arrived at the door, the man raised his hand, halting her, before he held it out expectantly. „Phone“, he grumbled, voice devoid of any emotion that might help interpret whether it was a polite request or a threat.
Sidekick felt her heart falter for a moment, before she realized trust only got you this far. She reluctantly produced her phone from her suit‘s pocket, handing it over. Much to her surprise, the man simply shoved it into a case thet looked suspiciously like a mobile jamming device, before giving it back to her. She quickly shoved it back into her suit, before Supervillain stepped up next to her.
He looked her up and down, seeming awfully pleased for some reason. „After you, dear“, he murmured, his bright eyes mustering her curiously, as if he was surprised she hadn‘t bolted yet.
Sidekick held his gaze for a moment, before she willed her wobbly legs to get moving and climbed into the car. He was quieter than usual. Whether it was because of their conversation earlier or because of the fact she was basically handing herself over on a silver platter, she didn‘t know. She shook her head, as if that would scatter these morbid thoughts. For someone with her powers, one would think she‘d be less paranoid.
Supervillain got in next to her, the driver taking off without needing to be told to. The engine roared to life, the acceleration pressing them into the softly cushioned seats with gentle force.
Her hands were trembling faintly when she put on the seat belt, eyes nervously glancing out the windshield once she noticed the windows on both sides didn‘t let her look outside either. She was torn between trying to calm herself the hell down and giving in to the growing voice in the back of her head that pointed out how she willingly got into the car with Supervillain and two of his henchmen. Without telling anyone where she was going. With her phone untrackable.
All alone.
„I want to show you something by the way“, Supervillain murmured after a moment, voice barely audible under the humming of the engine, his breath tickling the shell of her ear.
She shivered faintly, before turning towards him. He was holding what seemed to be a glass screen with a thin, barely visible frame. With a tap of his fingers, the surface came to life, glowing softly with what seemed to be an interface and a video playing. She leaned in curiously, drawn in by the odd coloring.
It took her a moment to recognize Hero, strolling through what she realized was downtown. There was a blueish sheen around the edges of his frame, warping, swaying in time with his movements. The surrounding pedestrians too had colorful sheens to them, albeit much weaker and not as vibrantly colored.
Sidekick needed a moment to realize that what she was looking at was most likely the field Supervillain had told her about back when they met up during christmas. „Is...is that how...you see people?“, she asked, blinking up at him in surprise.
Supervillain chuckled faintly. „More or less, yes“, he said. „Modern technology comes allot closer to what I perceive than it did back when Superhero and I were still young“, he explained, his expression giving away a hint of amusement. „Back when you were still giving your teachers in elementary school trouble.“
Sidekick huffed in a mix of fluster and exasperation. „Middle school at max“, she grumbled, but the twinkle in his eyes was hard to resist, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She glanced back down at the screen. It looked-
“...beautiful“, she whispered.
Supervillain sighed, his eyes resting on her intently enough she could feel it without even having to look.
„Indeed.“
She let out a small yelp when the car swiveled slightly as the driver changed lanes, making her bump into Supervillain. She looked back up and out of the windshield, startled to find they had already left the citiy. They seemed to be on a highway, few cars travelling towards the direction they were headed. Sidekick gulped reflexively, not recognizing the exit they just took.
„...where are we going by the way?“, she asked, noticing her own voice sounding thinner than she‘d have liked. She flinched when Supervillain‘s hand cupped the side of her face, turning it back towards him, away from the road. Her hand reflexively grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat, her eyes wide as they searched his face. It took her mildly panicked brain a moment to register the look on his face as a mix between apologetic and reassuring. His palm was warm against her cheek, the sentiment she was receiving through the contact betraying no ill intent.
„Somewhere I‘d rather not have any uninvited guests barge into“, he said vaguely, his thumb soothing across her cheekbone. His tone didn‘t leave room for objections, even if there was an undertone of apprehension to his words. Like he took was risking something by taking her along. „Eyes on me, short stuff.“
Sidekick let out a small, frustrated sound, but she held his gaze, her heart hammering away to the sound of the turn signal going off again. She clung to his wrist still, as if dreading he‘d pull away his hand and leave her guessing for the rest of the drive.
Supervillain smirked faintly, an air of his usual playfulness returning. „Where did all your usual bravado go, hm? Normally I‘d have gotten a snarky remark or two by now.“
Sidekick scowled at him, finding it in herself to at least try to pretend she wasn‘t second-guessing her decision with every mile the SUV covered. „I‘m not really in a position to be snarky, am I now?“, she muttered.
Supervillain‘s brows furrowed at that, his fingers moving to pinch her cheek. „You‘re not my hostage, Sidekick“, he scolded her, his voice a low rumble. „This isn‘t a kidnapping.“
„Ow, h-hey“, Sidekick protested, but his words reassured her more than she‘d like to admit. Because she felt he meant it. She carefully pried his fingers off her cheek. „I...I know“, she mumbled. She did. Technically. She just wasn‘t used to people...just being honest.
Supervillain let out a low breath, holding out his hand. „Do you want to hold it?“, he suggested.
Sidekick‘s eyes widened ever so slightly, before she looked up at him. His expression really had no business looking this soft right now! „N-no“, she declined hastily. „I...that‘s not healthy. I can‘t just...check for you lying all the time. It‘s not fair. I said I trust you.“
Supervillain raised a brow at that, before he reached for her hand, gently lacing his slender fingers through hers. „You cannot fix a lifetime of being proven wrong by people you ‚trusted‘ over the span of a few encounters“, he said, the faint zaps of electricity nicking at her skin resembling the feeling one got when a limb went numb after the bloodflow had been cut off for too long.
It tickled.
Sidekick glanced down at her hand dwarfed by his, the size difference making it look almost comically small. She felt small, for some reason. Or did she feel their age difference in that moment? She let out a sigh, before she leaned against him a bit more, trying to get comfortable.
Supervillain hummed approvingly, some more electricity crackling between them until small branches of light darted across the fabric of his coat and her suit. It was mesmerizing to watch.
„Sir“, the driver spoke up. „It‘s messing with the board computer“, he pouinted out, sounding a bit nervous as he glanced at the heap the two of them formed on the backseat through the rear mirror. Probably wouldn‘t have been the first time Supervillain had grilled a car‘s electronics.
„Is it now?“, Supervillain chuckled. „Alright. I‘ll bridle myself. Eyes back on the road.“
Sidekick buried her face against his shoulder with a small, embarrassed sound, as she felt his men‘s eyes on them. She didn‘t get to be embarrassed much longer though, as the SUV slowed down a few minutes after. The vehicle dipped, the shift of gravity telling Sidekick they were entering an undergroung car park of some kind, the exhaust‘s purring echoing off the walls. Once they‘d stopped moving, the henchmen‘s shoes squeaked on the smooth surface of the garage as they came to open the door for them.
Supervillain squeezed her hand, coaxing her to get out of the car with him. He strode towards a nearby elevator, guards straightening as he passed by.
Sidekick felt their eyes on her, mustering her with a mix of curiosity and wariness. She held onto Supervillain‘s hand a little tighter, sticking close to him as he led her inside the modern looking cabin. There was a swindling number of buttons to press, out of which he picked one labeled ‚PRIVATE‘. Sidekick felt the familiar tingling of moving upwards, watching the display blink away dutifully until they reached their designated floor. To her surprise, the doors gave way to a rather old fashioned hallway. Large and luscious, yes. But not as modern as the elevator would have suggested.
Supervillain‘s thumb brushed across the back of her hand reassuringly, as he gently tugged her along, past another array of guards and around several corners down the hall. Security was tight. Not only in terms of personnel. Sidekick did spot some modern safety measures after all - well hidden and blended almost perfectly with the rustique interior.
„You‘re filthy rich, aren‘t you?“, she blurted, eliciting a hearty laugh from Supervillain.
„What gave me away?“, he chuckled, throwing her a fond look that made her stomach feel weird.
„Well, the agency and the governent aside, only the Morales cartel can get it‘s hand‘s on AI-operated enhanced field supressors“, she tried to distract him from her fluster. „And they only trade with about six or seven families from the city‘s underworld, of which...well, let‘s say, none of them have to hide their balance.“
Supervillain‘s face took on an expression of surprise, quickly replaced by something sly. „My, you have good eyes as always, my dear“, he praised with a toothy grin. „Maybe you did pick the wrong profession after all.“
Sidekick, snorted quietly, but she couldn‘t help but feel a little flattered. When he said it, it was devoid of the contempt and pity she was used to. There was recognizion in his tone and in the feelings she picked up on. As if she was his equal, even if she knew she couldn‘t stand up to him in the slightest, if push came to shove. It didn‘t make sense.
She let him lead her further into the building, wondering if the hallway would ever end. She could only guess how big the estate in it‘s entirety must be, making her wonder just how wealthy Supervillain really was. Who he really was. When he stopped in front of an unassuming door, she looked up at him, tilting her head questioningly.
„You can take a shower in there and slip into something less...“, he paused, eyeing her suit with a smirk, „...intimidating. I‘ll make sure dinner is ready by then, alright dove?“
Sidekick squinted her eyes at him, unable to ignore he meant that sarcastically. She hadn‘t been aiming for intimidatin when picking her suit. She simply wasn‘t one for bright, childish colors. Or even worse, some hellish tint like pink. Black and grey were colorful enough. „I‘ll show you intimidating“, she huffed, trying to mask her reluctance to parting with him.
The room he‘d led her to was spacious, not luxurious but accommodating, with an own bathroom. She curiously roamed the perimeter for a moment, before the icky feeling of having been stuck in her suit all day grew impossible to ignore for even a second longer. The shower was heavenly, loosening up her tigh muscles and giving her the much needed peace and quiet to think everything over for a moment.
She felt bad for just disappearing without a word. Superhero would be worried sick. She did feel bad about that part. A little bit at least. The agency would give her hell too. But she couldn‘t care less about them fretting the loss of one of their precious little poster children.
On the other hand, she felt strangely giddy. Excited even. Maybe that was just the adrenaline speaking. It‘s not every day a villain of this caliber invited you into his lair. If this was his lair, that was. Maybe it was just one of his many hideouts. Though she couldn‘t quite bring herself to believe he‘d have more than one that was this fancy.
She couldn‘t help but wonder why Supervillain allowed her in here. Why he allowed her to verify everything he said and did. It was as reassuring as it was unsettling. Normally, people avoided her touch like the plague. One would think, someone with as many secrets as Supervillain would too. But no. He was holding her hand like he was breathing air and it was both flattering and frightening. It was frightening her to realize she was feeling giddy because he didn‘t seem to mind having her around. Having her close.
They might need to talk about this. No, they had to talk about shis. By now they needed to.
When she stepped out of the shower, shriveled like an overstocked potato, she found a pile of fresh clothes back in the main room. The size was on point. Surprisingly enough, it didn‘t shock her as much as it probably should. Just like she‘d grown used to Supervillain popping up out of nowhere all the time. Once she was representable again, she checked whether the door was locked or not.
It was open.
She stepped out into the hallway, the guards still patrolling dutifully, but not paying her much mind. When she asked one of them for Supervillain‘s whereabouts, she received directions that led her to what appeared to be a salon with it‘s own little kitchen. The delicious smell wafting out into the hallway made her stomach growl viciously.
Supervillain glanced up from the counter, putting aside a measuring cup with some stock in it. „Ah, there you are“, he chimed. „I hope you like risotto.“
Sidekick eyed him with mild surprise. She would have thought Supervillain had staff to take care of the cooking. „Only if there‘s parmesan involved“, she hummed, sniffing curiously. It smelled delicious.
Supervillain raised both brows at that, before reaching into a cabinet above his head. „Would some Parmesan Trentingrana do for you, Miss?“, he asked with a fake italian accent, wiggling the chunk mockingly.
Sidekick couldn‘t help the small smile that spread on her face at the sight of his antics. „I have no idea what that is, but it sounds expensive“, she snickered, inching closer and sliding into one of the stools at the counter.
„Trentingrana it is then“, Supervillain nodded, preparing two plates and grating generous ammounts of cheese onto them. He handed her a plate and a fork, before sitting down opposite from her. „Bon appetit.“
Sidekick was starving. It took all her willpower to not literally inhale the food. Especially since it was easily the best risotto of her life so far.
„At least someone appreciates my cooking“, Supervillain remarked with an amused twitch of his lips.
„Don‘t sound so smug about it“, Sidekick quipped, but there was no bite to it. If anything, she was a bit embarrassed for digging in like a woman starved.
„Just appreciating a good appetite, is all“, he snickered.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the atmosphere oddly homey as the clinking of cutlery filled the room. It didn‘t feel like she was sitting across from one of their city‘s most dangerous criminals.
„Thank you“, she spoke up after a while. „For letting me come over.“ She still didn‘t fully understand what this was. Between them. Part of her was afraid she was reading something into it. The other part, the more rational one, told her she better was getting something wrong because if not, this wasn‘t going to end well. For either of them. She didn‘t want to be rational right now though.
Supervillain regarded her with a long, thoughtful look. He looked as if he was mulling his words over, deciding on something else than what originally came to his mind. „Of course, sweetheart“, he said, cleaning the last crumbs off his plate before getting up and depositing it in the dishwasher.
Sidekick let out a breath she didn‘t know she‘s been holding, before she hurriedly finished as well, handing him her plate. She got up from her stool, gingerly nestling with the sleeves of the shirt that wasn‘t hers.
Once Supervillain was done clearing the counter, he returned his attention to her, coming over until he stood directly in front of her. „How about we both get some rest and...tomorrow we‘ll think about how to deal with our conjoined investigation concerning Hero, yes?“, he suggested, nudging her chin up with his knuckles.
His expression was as serious as it was gentle, the combination of guilt and affection that rolled of his skin and into her system made Sidekick‘s heart melt.
„We‘ll figure something out with Superhero too, I‘m sure. Can‘t have your mentor be mad at you because of me.“
Sidekick was about to nod, when she realized - it wasn‘t fair. None of this was. Supervillain being wrongly accused, not being believed by his friend...Yes. She could have Superhero be mad at her and she would. If it was for justice‘s sake. Her mentor had no right to think this badly of him. Not when he was treating her with this much-
„I‘m more concerned about what you think to be honest...“ Sidekick felt her stomach drop at the realization she just said that out loud, her body going rigid as she braced herself for his reaction. What the hell was it about him that made her spurt all sorts of nonsense?!
Normally, she‘d think twice or even thrice before saying something. But it seemed that with him, she couldn‘t help herself but to blurt everything and anything that came to her mind. She suddenly felt so utterly stupid! Like a school girl crushing on her older brother‘s best friend. „I...I-I mean...it‘s none of Superhero‘s business who I team up with to stop Hero. And I know you‘re not...what they all make you out to be. You‘re...To me you are-“
She interrupted herself, biting her lip as her face started burning up so she could not make it even worse. But apparently, it already was.
Supervillain‘s eyes widened, his grip on her chin tightening a notch. His eyes darted across her face, tracing the outline of her frame.
Sidekick wondered whether the mix of anticipation and panic made her electro-magnetic field run haywire or not. Could he see it? How he made her feel?
Then, his expression darkened, taking on something that bordered between chiding and predatory. The feeling he was giving off where their skin touched morphed from something soft to something more intense. Something hot and heady. It made Sidekick‘s face flush and her head spin. „I‘ve been trying very hard to be a gentleman, dove“, he rumbled lowly, cradling her face with both hands and taking another step closer to her. „But if you keep being this sweet, I‘m afraid I won‘t be responsible for anything anymore.“
Sidekick‘s lips parted to say something, but she couldn‘t think of anything that would even remotely convey what was going on inside her head right now. Her ears were burning and her eyes couldn‘t withstand his stare anymore.
„Ah, ah“, Supervillain chided softly, tilting her face back up.
Sidekick could have sworn she saw electricity crackle along the ridges of his iris. The sight made her knees feel wobbly and her chest feel tight.
The moment his lips pressed against hers, Sidekick wasn‘t sure whether his powers had gone haywire and fried her brain, or if it the feeling itself was electrifying enough to make her lose any feeling of time and their surroundings.
They parted briefly, Sidekick panting softly, as he whispered against her trembling lips.
„Eyes on me.“
@dracobellatorregina I @talesofurbania1 I @surplus-of-sarcasm I @kurai-hono-blog I @hufflepuffwritingstuff2 I @arealphrooblem I @neon-kazoo I hopefullywritingahit I @indarius I @jumpywhumpywriter I
So...are there other writers out there on Tumblr who have very few readers, so basically every time someone reads a story of yours with several parts and likes one part after the other, you're quietly watching them progress and are cheering for them to finish reading...or are you guys normal?
Pretty pretty please continue "Breakfast in Bed? A request from one writer to another????????? 🥺🥺
(No pressure though if you're not interested -- I'm just super invested in the story and I love the detail)
Breakfast In Bed #6
Thank you so much @jumpywhumpywriter for requesting a next part! :D I'm so happy you liked it this much and hope the final part is to your liking as well!
The original post will hereby officially become Part 7, since the prequel has reached the starting point of this story. I really didn‘t think it‘d grow by this much o.O Guess I should learn to expect works to develop a life of their own by now...
Thank you all for sticking around! Sorry it turned out kinda long, but splitting this into two parts would have felt wrong somehow.
I‘d be delighted to read some gibberish in the comments XD
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (Orig.)
CW: Let‘s call it consensually relocating the protagonist to a desination of unknown location, yes? Also, tiny hint of spice.
The black SUV rolled up quietly, the mirrored windows giving nothing about the interior away. Sidekick swallowed thickly when a man in a black jacket stepped out of the passenger‘s side. Probably one of his henchmen. He opened the backdoor with a soft click, dim light dousing the expensive looking leather interior in caramel colors.
Sidekick glanced back up at Supervillain, who observed her quietly. He didn‘t nudge her towards the car, nor did he lead the way. He just...waited. She swallowed thickly. This would really be on her and her only, wouldn‘t it? She should know this was a bad idea. Years of academy training screamed at her to get the hell out of there, but she found she didn‘t want to. She wanted to cling to whatever it was that made her feel at ease for the first time in years, whenever Supervillain was with her. Even if he probably was the last person that should evoke this type of feeling withing someone of her profession.
She felt her feet start moving towards the SUV. When she arrived at the door, the man raised his hand, halting her, before he held it out expectantly. „Phone“, he grumbled, voice devoid of any emotion that might help interpret whether it was a polite request or a threat.
Sidekick felt her heart falter for a moment, before she realized trust only got you this far. She reluctantly produced her phone from her suit‘s pocket, handing it over. Much to her surprise, the man simply shoved it into a case thet looked suspiciously like a mobile jamming device, before giving it back to her. She quickly shoved it back into her suit, before Supervillain stepped up next to her.
He looked her up and down, seeming awfully pleased for some reason. „After you, dear“, he murmured, his bright eyes mustering her curiously, as if he was surprised she hadn‘t bolted yet.
Sidekick held his gaze for a moment, before she willed her wobbly legs to get moving and climbed into the car. He was quieter than usual. Whether it was because of their conversation earlier or because of the fact she was basically handing herself over on a silver platter, she didn‘t know. She shook her head, as if that would scatter these morbid thoughts. For someone with her powers, one would think she‘d be less paranoid.
Supervillain got in next to her, the driver taking off without needing to be told to. The engine roared to life, the acceleration pressing them into the softly cushioned seats with gentle force.
Her hands were trembling faintly when she put on the seat belt, eyes nervously glancing out the windshield once she noticed the windows on both sides didn‘t let her look outside either. She was torn between trying to calm herself the hell down and giving in to the growing voice in the back of her head that pointed out how she willingly got into the car with Supervillain and two of his henchmen. Without telling anyone where she was going. With her phone untrackable.
All alone.
„I want to show you something by the way“, Supervillain murmured after a moment, voice barely audible under the humming of the engine, his breath tickling the shell of her ear.
She shivered faintly, before turning towards him. He was holding what seemed to be a glass screen with a thin, barely visible frame. With a tap of his fingers, the surface came to life, glowing softly with what seemed to be an interface and a video playing. She leaned in curiously, drawn in by the odd coloring.
It took her a moment to recognize Hero, strolling through what she realized was downtown. There was a blueish sheen around the edges of his frame, warping, swaying in time with his movements. The surrounding pedestrians too had colorful sheens to them, albeit much weaker and not as vibrantly colored.
Sidekick needed a moment to realize that what she was looking at was most likely the field Supervillain had told her about back when they met up during christmas. „Is...is that how...you see people?“, she asked, blinking up at him in surprise.
Supervillain chuckled faintly. „More or less, yes“, he said. „Modern technology comes allot closer to what I perceive than it did back when Superhero and I were still young“, he explained, his expression giving away a hint of amusement. „Back when you were still giving your teachers in elementary school trouble.“
Sidekick huffed in a mix of fluster and exasperation. „Middle school at max“, she grumbled, but the twinkle in his eyes was hard to resist, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She glanced back down at the screen. It looked-
“...beautiful“, she whispered.
Supervillain sighed, his eyes resting on her intently enough she could feel it without even having to look.
„Indeed.“
She let out a small yelp when the car swiveled slightly as the driver changed lanes, making her bump into Supervillain. She looked back up and out of the windshield, startled to find they had already left the citiy. They seemed to be on a highway, few cars travelling towards the direction they were headed. Sidekick gulped reflexively, not recognizing the exit they just took.
„...where are we going by the way?“, she asked, noticing her own voice sounding thinner than she‘d have liked. She flinched when Supervillain‘s hand cupped the side of her face, turning it back towards him, away from the road. Her hand reflexively grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat, her eyes wide as they searched his face. It took her mildly panicked brain a moment to register the look on his face as a mix between apologetic and reassuring. His palm was warm against her cheek, the sentiment she was receiving through the contact betraying no ill intent.
„Somewhere I‘d rather not have any uninvited guests barge into“, he said vaguely, his thumb soothing across her cheekbone. His tone didn‘t leave room for objections, even if there was an undertone of apprehension to his words. Like he too was risking something by taking her along. „Eyes on me, short stuff.“
Sidekick let out a small, frustrated sound, but she held his gaze, her heart hammering away to the sound of the turn signal going off again. She clung to his wrist still, as if dreading he‘d pull away his hand and leave her guessing for the rest of the drive.
Supervillain smirked faintly, an air of his usual playfulness returning. „Where did all your usual bravado go, hm? Normally I‘d have gotten a snarky remark or two by now.“
Sidekick scowled at him, finding it in herself to at least try to pretend she wasn‘t second-guessing her decision with every mile the SUV covered. „I‘m not really in a position to be snarky, am I now?“, she muttered.
Supervillain‘s brows furrowed at that, his fingers moving to pinch her cheek. „You‘re not my hostage, Sidekick“, he scolded her, his voice a low rumble. „This isn‘t a kidnapping.“
„Ow, h-hey“, Sidekick protested, but his words reassured her more than she‘d like to admit. Because she felt he meant it. She carefully pried his fingers off her cheek. „I...I know“, she mumbled. She did. Technically. She just wasn‘t used to people...just being honest.
Supervillain let out a low breath, holding out his hand. „Do you want to hold it?“, he suggested.
Sidekick‘s eyes widened ever so slightly, before she looked up at him. His expression really had no business looking this soft right now! „N-no“, she declined hastily. „I...that‘s not healthy. I can‘t just...check for you lying all the time. It‘s not fair. I said I trust you.“
Supervillain raised a brow at that, before he reached for her hand, gently lacing his slender fingers through hers. „You cannot fix a lifetime of being proven wrong by people you ‚trusted‘ over the span of a few encounters“, he said, the faint zaps of electricity nicking at her skin resembling the feeling one got when a limb went numb after the bloodflow had been cut off for too long.
It tickled.
Sidekick glanced down at her hand dwarfed by his, the size difference making it look almost comically small. She felt small, for some reason. Or did she feel their age difference in that moment? She let out a sigh, before she leaned against him a bit more, trying to get comfortable.
Supervillain hummed approvingly, some more electricity crackling between them until small branches of light darted across the fabric of his coat and her suit. It was mesmerizing to watch.
„Sir“, the driver spoke up. „It‘s messing with the board computer“, he pointed out, sounding a bit nervous as he glanced at the heap the two of them formed on the backseat through the rear mirror. Probably wouldn‘t have been the first time Supervillain had grilled a car‘s electronics.
„Is it now?“, Supervillain chuckled. „Alright. I‘ll bridle myself. Eyes back on the road.“
Sidekick buried her face against his shoulder with a small, embarrassed sound, as she felt his men‘s eyes on them. She didn‘t get to be embarrassed much longer though, as the SUV slowed down a few minutes after. The vehicle dipped, the shift of gravity telling Sidekick they were entering an undergroung car park of some kind, the exhaust‘s purring echoing off the walls. Once they‘d stopped moving, the henchmen‘s shoes squeaked on the smooth surface of the garage as they came to open the door for them.
Supervillain squeezed her hand, coaxing her to get out of the car with him. He strode towards a nearby elevator, guards straightening as he passed by.
Sidekick felt their eyes on her, mustering her with a mix of curiosity and wariness. She held onto Supervillain‘s hand a little tighter, sticking close to him as he led her inside the modern looking cabin. There was a swindling number of buttons to press, out of which he picked one labeled ‚PRIVATE‘. Sidekick felt the familiar tingling of moving upwards, watching the display blink away dutifully until they reached their designated floor. To her surprise, the doors gave way to a rather old fashioned hallway. Large and luscious, yes. But not as modern as the elevator would have suggested.
Supervillain‘s thumb brushed across the back of her hand reassuringly, as he gently tugged her along, past another array of guards and around several corners down the hall. Security was tight. Not only in terms of personnel. Sidekick did spot some modern safety measures after all - well hidden and blended almost perfectly with the rustique interior.
„You‘re filthy rich, aren‘t you?“, she blurted, eliciting a hearty laugh from Supervillain.
„What gave me away?“, he chuckled, throwing her a fond look that made her stomach feel weird.
„Well, the agency and the governent aside, only the Morales cartel can get it‘s hand‘s on AI-operated enhanced field supressors“, she tried to distract him from her fluster. „And they only trade with about six or seven families from the city‘s underworld, of which...well, let‘s say, none of them have to hide their balance.“
Supervillain‘s face took on an expression of surprise, quickly replaced by something sly. „My, you have good eyes as always, my dear“, he praised with a toothy grin. „Maybe you did pick the wrong profession after all.“
Sidekick, snorted quietly, but she couldn‘t help but feel a little flattered. When he said it, it was devoid of the contempt and pity she was used to. There was recognizion in his tone and in the feelings she picked up on. As if she was his equal, even if she knew she couldn‘t stand up to him in the slightest, if push came to shove. It didn‘t make sense.
She let him lead her further into the building, wondering if the hallway would ever end. She could only guess how big the estate in it‘s entirety must be, making her wonder just how wealthy Supervillain really was. Who he really was. When he stopped in front of an unassuming door, she looked up at him, tilting her head questioningly.
„You can take a shower in there and slip into something less...“, he paused, eyeing her suit with a smirk, „...intimidating. I‘ll make sure dinner is ready by then, alright dove?“
Sidekick squinted her eyes at him, unable to ignore he meant that sarcastically. She hadn‘t been aiming for intimidatin when picking her suit. She simply wasn‘t one for bright, childish colors. Or even worse, some hellish tint like pink. Black and grey were colorful enough. „I‘ll show you intimidating“, she huffed, trying to mask her reluctance to parting with him.
The room he‘d led her to was spacious, not luxurious but accommodating, with an own bathroom. She curiously roamed the perimeter for a moment, before the icky feeling of having been stuck in her suit all day grew impossible to ignore for even a second longer. The shower was heavenly, loosening up her tigh muscles and giving her the much needed peace and quiet to think everything over for a moment.
She felt bad for just disappearing without a word. Superhero would be worried sick. She did feel bad about that part. A little bit at least. The agency would give her hell too. But she couldn‘t care less about them fretting the loss of one of their precious little poster children.
On the other hand, she felt strangely giddy. Excited even. Maybe that was just the adrenaline speaking. It‘s not every day a villain of this caliber invited you into his lair. If this was his lair, that was. Maybe it was just one of his many hideouts. Though she couldn‘t quite bring herself to believe he‘d have more than one that was this fancy.
She couldn‘t help but wonder why Supervillain allowed her in here. Why he allowed her to verify everything he said and did. It was as reassuring as it was unsettling. Normally, people avoided her touch like the plague. One would think, someone with as many secrets as Supervillain would too. But no. He was holding her hand like he was breathing air and it was both flattering and frightening. It was frightening her to realize she was feeling giddy because he didn‘t seem to mind having her around. Having her close.
They might need to talk about this. No, they had to talk about shis. By now they needed to.
When she stepped out of the shower, shriveled like an overstocked potato, she found a pile of fresh clothes back in the main room. The size was on point. Surprisingly enough, it didn‘t shock her as much as it probably should. Just like she‘d grown used to Supervillain popping up out of nowhere all the time. Once she was representable again, she checked whether the door was locked or not.
It was open.
She stepped out into the hallway, the guards still patrolling dutifully, but not paying her much mind. When she asked one of them for Supervillain‘s whereabouts, she received directions that led her to what appeared to be a salon with it‘s own little kitchen. The delicious smell wafting out into the hallway made her stomach growl viciously.
Supervillain glanced up from the counter, putting aside a measuring cup with some stock in it. „Ah, there you are“, he chimed. „I hope you like risotto.“
Sidekick eyed him with mild surprise. She would have thought Supervillain had staff to take care of the cooking. „Only if there‘s parmesan involved“, she hummed, sniffing curiously. It smelled delicious.
Supervillain raised both brows at that, before reaching into a cabinet above his head. „Would some Parmesan Trentingrana do for you, Miss?“, he asked with a fake italian accent, wiggling the chunk mockingly.
Sidekick couldn‘t help the small smile that spread on her face at the sight of his antics. „I have no idea what that is, but it sounds expensive“, she snickered, inching closer and sliding into one of the stools at the counter.
„Trentingrana it is then“, Supervillain nodded, preparing two plates and grating generous ammounts of cheese onto them. He handed her a plate and a fork, before sitting down opposite from her. „Bon appetit.“
Sidekick was starving. It took all her willpower to not literally inhale the food. Especially since it was easily the best risotto of her life so far.
„At least someone appreciates my cooking“, Supervillain remarked with an amused twitch of his lips.
„Don‘t sound so smug about it“, Sidekick quipped, but there was no bite to it. If anything, she was a bit embarrassed for digging in like a woman starved.
„Just appreciating a good appetite, is all“, he snickered.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the atmosphere oddly homey as the clinking of cutlery filled the room. It didn‘t feel like she was sitting across from one of their city‘s most dangerous criminals.
„Thank you“, she spoke up after a while. „For letting me come over.“ She still didn‘t fully understand what this was. Between them. Part of her was afraid she was reading something into it. The other part, the more rational one, told her she better was getting something wrong because if not, this wasn‘t going to end well. For either of them. She didn‘t want to be rational right now though.
Supervillain regarded her with a long, thoughtful look. He looked as if he was mulling his words over, deciding on something else than what originally came to his mind. „Of course, sweetheart“, he said, cleaning the last crumbs off his plate before getting up and depositing it in the dishwasher.
Sidekick let out a breath she didn‘t know she‘s been holding, before she hurriedly finished as well, handing him her plate. She got up from her stool, gingerly nestling with the sleeves of the shirt that wasn‘t hers.
Once Supervillain was done clearing the counter, he returned his attention to her, coming over until he stood directly in front of her. „How about we both get some rest and...tomorrow we‘ll think about how to deal with our conjoined investigation concerning Hero, yes?“, he suggested, nudging her chin up with his knuckles.
His expression was as serious as it was gentle, the combination of guilt and affection that rolled of his skin and into her system made Sidekick‘s heart melt.
„We‘ll figure something out with Superhero too, I‘m sure. Can‘t have your mentor be mad at you because of me.“
Sidekick was about to nod, when she realized - it wasn‘t fair. None of this was. Supervillain being wrongly accused, not being believed by his friend...Yes. She could have Superhero be mad at her and she would. If it was for justice‘s sake. Her mentor had no right to think this badly of him. Not when he was treating her with this much-
„I‘m more concerned about what you think to be honest...“ Sidekick felt her stomach drop at the realization she just said that out loud, her body going rigid as she braced herself for his reaction. What the hell was it about him that made her spurt all sorts of nonsense?!
Normally, she‘d think twice or even thrice before saying something. But it seemed that with him, she couldn‘t help herself but to blurt everything and anything that came to her mind. She suddenly felt so utterly stupid! Like a school girl crushing on her older brother‘s best friend. „I...I-I mean...it‘s none of Superhero‘s business who I team up with to stop Hero. And I know you‘re not...what they all make you out to be. You‘re...To me you are-“
She interrupted herself, biting her lip as her face started burning up so she could not make it even worse. But apparently, it already was.
Supervillain‘s eyes widened, his grip on her chin tightening a notch. His eyes darted across her face, tracing the outline of her frame.
Sidekick wondered whether the mix of anticipation and panic made her electro-magnetic field run haywire or not. Could he see it? How he made her feel?
Then, his expression darkened, taking on something that bordered between chiding and predatory. The feeling he was giving off where their skin touched morphed from something soft to something more intense. Something hot and heady. It made Sidekick‘s face flush and her head spin. „I‘ve been trying very hard to be a gentleman, dove“, he rumbled lowly, cradling her face with both hands and taking another step closer to her. „But if you keep being this sweet, I‘m afraid I won‘t be responsible for anything anymore.“
Sidekick‘s lips parted to say something, but she couldn‘t think of anything that would even remotely convey what was going on inside her head right now. Her ears were burning and her eyes couldn‘t withstand his stare anymore.
„Ah, ah“, Supervillain chided softly, tilting her face back up.
Sidekick could have sworn she saw electricity crackle along the ridges of his iris. The sight made her knees feel wobbly and her chest feel tight.
The moment his lips pressed against hers, Sidekick wasn‘t sure whether his powers had gone haywire and fried her brain, or if it the feeling itself was electrifying enough to make her lose any feeling of time and their surroundings.
They parted briefly, Sidekick panting softly, as he whispered against her trembling lips.
„Eyes on me.“
Next
@dracobellatorregina I @talesofurbania1 I @surplus-of-sarcasm I @kurai-hono-blog I @hufflepuffwritingstuff2 I @arealphrooblem I @neon-kazoo I hopefullywritingahit I @indarius I @jumpywhumpywriter I
