Hero tries to adjust themselves painlessly as the monitors and machines around them beep incessantly. They wince as burning heat shoots up their leg, climbing up their spine and making their stomach lurch. The nurse will have to increase their drip.
The mechanical sounds, the obnoxious overhead lights, and the sterile smell of the hospital were slowly driving Hero to insanity. If they thought they could so much as stand, they'd have already broken out due to boredom alone.
Contemplating their current dreariness, they almost don't hear the door creak open. Hero's eyes flick up, and find the gaze of the person who put them in this hospital bed looking back.
Villain enters the room wearily, closing the door with a quiet click. They don't say a word, approaching Hero slowly, carefully. Like Hero is a dangerous thing, a cornered animal, instead of bedbound and doped up patient.
They stand at the edge of the bed, looking down at their nemesis for a long moment, before Hero finally breaks the silence.
"Come to gloat?" They rasp out.
Villain flinches ever so slightly at the sound of their voice. Their face contorts for a second, gone before Hero can blink.
"Don't be ridiculous." They finally say, carefully sitting themselves down at the foot of the bed, being careful of Hero's leg.
"How'd you manage to sneak in? I'm pretty sure my sidekick has been standing guard day and night." Hero asks, eyes meeting Villain's.
Villain sighs, exasperated. "Your sidekick did catch me. We spoke, actually." They begin to run their fingers over the soft cotton of the hospital blanket as they speak.
Blinking in surprise, Hero watches Villain's movements as they respond. "She didn't kick your ass? What did she say?"
A snort escapes Villain. "She warned me." Their fingers trail closer to Hero. "She said we need to figure out if we're enemies or not, before one of us ends up dead."
"A little dramatic." Hero says, hand catching Villain's. They loop their fingers around each other, as Villain is careful not to disturb their IV. "Though I have to admit, she gave me a similar speech when I woke up."
Leaning closer, Villain meets their eyes, raising a brow. "Do you think she might be right?" Their voice is something contemplative. "How long has this gone on for?"
Hero frowns. They feel their hackles rise in the urge to defend, deflect. "Don't tell me you have an issue with our relationship now. What, is the foreplay too intense for you?"
Their hand is let go, the florescent light above blocked. Arms are suddenly boxing Hero in against the bed, Villain angled over them. Despite moving closer with a quick suddenness, they remain careful of Hero's injuries.
"You almost died." They begin slowly. "Your injuries could have killed you. I could have killed you." Their lips form a thin line, a crease begins between their brows. Hero can feel the warmth of their body, the breath fanning across their cheek. Despite the pain they're in and the drugs in their system making them sluggish, Hero feels a familiar heat in their belly at the proximity.
Grabbing Villain with one uninjuried arm, Hero pulls them down onto of them.
"You loved every second of it." They say quietly. "This stopped being about right or wrong a long time ago." They trail their hand down Villain's neck, their back. "You and I both know, nothing quite gets you going like our fights, and we also both know I'm the same way."
Villain feels a pleasant shudder travel down their back, despite their guilt. They brace themselves above Hero, careful not to jostle them.
"I don't want to lose you. She was right, we need to figure out what exactly we are to each other."
Hero sighs. Their hand tightens in Villain's shirt. "I'm here now. I'm alive." Their fingers begin to dance lower. "We can figure the rest out later." Their flirtatious and light tone informs Villain that they have no plan to revisit this topic later.
Hero angles their head up just enough that their lips brush the side of Villain's mouth.
A sigh escapes them. "You really are trying this now, in the hospital?" Villain says, but they feel their will slowly being plucked away.
"We've been bolder than this." Hero's free hand travels back up, cupping the back of their nemesis' neck. "No cameras, either."
Villain almost wants to roll their eyes to the back of their skull, but they can't deny the want in their chest currently. "You're injured."
"I trust you can be careful." Hero smirks, knowing the effect they're having on them.
"You're ridiculous." Villain huffs, but they're already leaning closer, pressing Hero gently against the pillow. They make sure to keep their weight off of Hero's injured limbs as they press a deep kiss against their lips.
Hero lets out a soft, desperate noise, and Villain knows this won't be the last time either of them are in this hospital, nor will it be the last time in each other's arms.
