#golly sometimes I really dislike whump writing especially about manipulation or breaking trust

[chorusofcrows]

TWO.

Villain’s eyes glowed dangerously. Glinting a warning. Literally.

They sauntered forward, their black domino mask charred and torn down the center. Blood trailing down their face unnaturally, carving through a red-soaked eyeball, breaking their smiling lips in two and cutting down their neck. Their hand rested over a wound on their torso gingerly, their face mask lay broken, shattered, and forgotten on the pavement.

“This… isn’t… this isn’t what I-”

"Wanted?" Villain’s smile broke open to reveal their blood stained teeth, letting out a breathless laugh, “‘Course not, sunshine.”

‘It still happened’ didn’t need to be said.

Villain, with their free hand, grabbed one of their daggers from their thigh holster. They coughed, before shaking their head like a dog out of water, as if they were shaking off a dizzy spell.

Hero had never seen them this hurt. This broken.

“‘Course not.” Villain repeated again, the remaining intact, glowing white eye of their domino narrowing. It was as if they were trying to convince themselves, “I shouldn’t have given you that information. I shouldn’t have trusted it with you.” they spat a clod of blood from their mouth, raking their tongue over their teeth.

“You can.” Hero protested, “You can.”

Villain actually let out a laugh then, clenching their wound tighter, “What’d you think what would’ve happened when you told the Agency about this place.” The villain, knife still in hand, gestures to the burning palace behind them, their voice turned to mockery, “‘Oh really, Hero? That’s such useless information! We won’t do anything with that! Not like Villain is one of our biggest priorities right now!’”

“I-”

“‘It’s not like they have people there! People with lives! Employees and friends and family.’” The villain was choking, taking a deep breath in, letting out a long, ragged sigh. Their voice was cracking up, “I shouldn’t be wasting my time with you. I need to check for survivors.” They holstered their knife, turning around.

A villain. That certainly wasn’t a word to describe them.

They stopped their back to Hero, and their voice shaking, "I don't want to see them-" a sound resembling a fragment of a sob tore itself from their throat, "-broken."

This wasn't fair.

They cleared their throat, “My father is- was tending to the mess he made in the kitchen.” Villain mentioned as they walked away, “My step-sister and brother-in-law were visiting for the weekend, my mother was entertaining them. My sister should be on her way back from bringing take-out.” They turned their head around, with their good eye, “I didn’t think you’d be cruel enough to attack me in my own home. We trusted you. Mother even wanted to invite you over for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“I didn't-”

“Family.”

“Villain, I-”

Villain was already gone, wobbling and teetering through the rubble.

But Hero never told the Agency Villain’s location.