#hero villain marriage

[letters-unsending]

No. 50

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Hero and Villain, fake relationship

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“How are you feeling, dear?”

“My ears keep ringing,” Hero sighed, tucking his icepack further into his neck, “and don’t call me dear. There’s not a soul who needs to hear that anymore. It’s just us.”

“Oh, it’s just us, isn’t it?” Villain smiled and leaned back their head, as if in bliss. The movement exposed a dark cleft of red. A cut ran like spilled wine down from their lips and to the gully of their clavicle, and it gleamed with a satin sheen, obscenely fresh. Hero averted his eyes.

“Yes, just us,” Hero agreed, indulging in Villain’s cryptic mood, “unless we’ve got ourselves a visitor you’re not telling me about.”

“I would tell you. I’ll always tell you,” Villain turned their head back down, leveling Hero with a stare, “this is our home after all.”

Hero stared back and wondered if his ears were ringing Villain’s words into nonsense. Beneath his gaze, Villain sprawled, languid and liquid as a cat, in their armchair.

They’d bought the chair–a chaise so high-backed it looked like it’d grown wings–the first week of their contract and displaced the original furniture that had come with the pre-furnished house. Quickly thereafter, they’d taken to redecorating the rest of their temporary rooms with utmost fervor. Decor spilled out, the chair its center point: fur rugs, velvet throws, glass-shaded lamps.

“You can keep the house,” Hero blurted, “it's not ours anymore. Contract’s over.”

“My, how generous,” Villain smiled wider, snake-like, and Hero feared they would bleed from the strain, “would you really leave this all to me?”

“Sure, you seem comfortable here,” Hero shrugged, “you put a lot of time into the place. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You’ve decorated over the past year as well. Don’t give me all the credit, darling.” Villain waved their hand, nails flashing in the light. Following their fingers, Hero recognized his coat tossed over the back of Villain’s chair. Pens and papers, which he’d sworn to clean up, lay sprawled over the oil-dark coffee table.

“I only left a mess. That’s hardly decor.”

“It could never be a mess.” Villain reached a hand back and rested their palm over Hero’s coat. “I enjoy your additions. They make the place feel lived in.”

“Lived in,” Hero echoed, “guess it helped with our cover. Probably made this whole sham marriage look real enough.”

Villain’s face turned flat. The curl of their smile snapped like elastic, pinching into a terse line, and a bead of blood rounded their chin as they spoke.

“Why are you still wearing the ring?”

Hero let go of the icepack and it tumbled into a heap in his lap. “If it bothers you, I’ll just go on and take it off.”

“It does not.” Villain drawled, sweeping out their hand. “I am far from bothered.”

Their ring and its exquisite gem fluoresced upon their finger, a beacon casting its gleam over the mountain of their knuckles.

“It just, you know, feels wrong to take it off after so long.” Hero muttered, squeezing at his wrist. “I even have tanline from it.”

Villain smiled again, soft, but their skin still broke. Blood slipped along the underside of their jaw and Hero swallowed; he could almost feel it roll down his own throat.

“You shouldn’t have taken the bandage off.”

Hero glanced once more at his ring, before pushing himself off his chair. Pain shot like a bolt through his wrist. Staggering, he snagged a tissue from a box on the coffee table and then shuffled toward Villain, who met his approach with gleam in their eye.

“I don’t like being restricted.” Villain explained as Hero propped his hip into the chair arm and leaned over. “I couldn’t speak or move my head with that infernal contraption on.”

“Must’ve been hard for you to be so quiet.” Hero grabbed Villain’s chin and tilted their head back. “You had a long time for reflection in that hospital, didn’t you? Might be why you’re being so odd.”

“I didn’t need time to reflect,” Villain murmured, suddenly quiet, “I have considered this for a long time.”

“And what have you considered?” Hero set the tissue upon Villain’s skin, feigning focus, avoiding Villain’s gaze crawling shamelessly over his face.

“You.”

“Me?” Hero dabbed their throat, careful of the scab. He moved his steadying hand to the side of Villain’s neck.

“The both of us, [Hero].” Villain grabbed Hero’s wrist, draping their fingers and the gleaming ring over his arm, trapping Hero’s touch to his throat. Their carotid pulse drummed against his fingertips. “You see, my dear, I want to keep living in this house. I want to keep my ring. You must understand what I mean when I say this.”

“[Villain], you couldn’t possibly–”

“Will you stay?”

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

I Do

TW: Blood, bruises, and some angst

Ya girl has some off-days from college, and she's decided to use em. Missed y'all < 3

The villain's gloved fingers drummed impatiently on the table, his dark shadow looming over the hero with a promise of danger.

"What's it going to be, Hero? I sell those codes to Supervillain? Or you comply with our little agreement?" His tone was perfectly calm, eerily so, his eyes impossible to read behind the domino mask, but he still emanated danger, his lips drawn together in a tight line.

It was cruel calling it 'their' agreement because the hero had no hand in this. The suggestion had left her more shocked than angry, still reeling from the villain's words.

"Marry me," he'd said in a commanding tone. Like any other choice would've been the wrong answer, tilting her chin upwards ever so subtly.

And the hero held his gaze, transfixed, gasping and laughing and hoping this was nothing but a fever dream.

"Wha-" the hero choked out incoherently.

The villain had let go of her face, his hands resting on the top of her chair. "I can repeat it as many times as you want me to," he stage-whispered against the shell of her ear, his tone gentle and dangerous all at once.

"But, I don't understand. What could you possibly gain from this of all things? You despise me, Villain." She truly couldn't process any of what she was told, the mere idea of being tethered so bindingly to her worst enemy leaving her mind an ineffective, nervous wreck.

The villain huffed out a rough laugh, very genuine and horribly cruel. "Oh, but I do despise you. Very much. I despise how defeated and humiliated you left me in front of half the city . Despised the fact that you got me locked up. Despised how for the very first time, I actually felt like I lost the game, and I'm a rather sore loser, you know." The villain's demeanour was eerily calm, his shoulders straight, his resting face showing nothing but a placid neutrality as he turned to stand in front of the hero, but it was arguably more terrifying, more unpredictable.

"I just want to see you as defeated as I've been, Hero. Bound so intimately to your worst enemy, your greatest nightmare. If you do this, it means admitting to me, and more importantly, to yourself, that the only option you have is bending to my whims," he crooned, his lips curling into a wicked smirk.

The hero wanted to scream, to kick the villain in the teeth and watch the blood trickle down his lips and the bruising dye his skin a grotesque purple. She wanted to think of a clever solution that left the man's face contorted with a strange mix of hatred and respect, to blow his plan up in his face. Anything that would spare her this hell.

"Did I mention you have exactly five minutes to decide?" he piped up casually, examining his nails.

The hero swore and the villain let out a half-snicker. This was madness. A death sentence that would last for the rest of her life. And it didn't matter if she said no, if she undid whatever she could of the havoc those codes would wreak in Supervillain's hands. The conviction so heavily saturated in the villain's tone, the way his jaw clenched and his fists tightened was more than enough proof that he would spread more chaos, spark more fights, destroy an endless array of things and lives until she gave in to him.

The villain loved control like he loved the air he breathed, even more so, like a drug that left him intoxicated and lusting for more.

If she didn't listen, she was sending everyone she cared about, sending the city, the whole world if the villain had it his way, to hell.

The hero sucked in a measured breath, reading the contract word for word, from the title to the fine print, scouring it for a loophole she could use, for any more tricks up the villain's sleeve, just to find nothing. She tried to relax her tensed shoulders, her grip merciless on the pen in her erratically shaking hands, every curve and line of the letters of her name feeling like a blade was slicing through her heartstrings like how one would rip a stalk; slowly, unevenly, time seeming to slow down and the world seeming to freeze for a moment that felt like a thousand years and then some.

The villain didn't smile or laugh or let any display of emotion etch itself onto the harsh lines of his features. He nodded curtly instead, snatching the paper and folding it into a square and tucking it in a well-concealed pocket of his suit. "The cruelty only ends here," he attested, his voice tight and no longer playful, the way it was whenever he promised something.

The hero nodded, swallowing the humiliation at the back of her throat, even though she wasn't inclined to believe him.

"There's a ceremony. Nothing very insane, just you, me and an officiator. This is just a contract, not a marriage certificate, even if we both know which one of those is more binding. You'll show up today, if you know what's good for you, heroine."

The hero wasn't sure when she was up on her feet and slapping the villain harshly across the face, blood spurting from his mouth and staining his perfectly straight teeth, as he only grit them into a manic grin, shaking with a hoarse cackle as he wiped the blood of his face "Is that how you treat your husband, my dear? Do they forget to teach you manners at the hero agency?"

The hero was too dazed with rage to speak, trying to mar the villain's visage with another rough blow to it, until he caught her hand with an iron fist. "I said I'd never hurt you for nothing, but not that I'd let you do to me what you please without consequence. So play nice, darling." The villain let go of her arm slowly, the bruises he left in his wake more than enough of a warning.

The second he left, the hero didn't cry as she thought she would, she didn't scream, she didn't destroy everything around her or rip through her hair. Instead, she slid down against the wall, expressionless but breathing hard, her lungs hungry for air that seemed so unfairly little, her heart playing songs of anxiety and fury and sorrow every horrible emotion she'd ever known.

She was marrying the villain. Marrying the villain, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Marrying him and no one would come to save her.

Sometimes being a hero means saving the whole world except yourself.

✨️Timeskip✨️

Sure enough, the villain was there in a tailored suit, in front of his house her new prison, where he'd told her to show up, the officiator standing with a solemn expression on his face.

The villain wasn't supposed to be handsome, the dark brown hair she was normally used to seeing messy and caked with blood slightly damp with gel and mostly hanging in loose, luscious waves, his eyes a dazzling green-blue, long, dark lashes framing them in a way that put the best kinds of kohl to shame and his cheekbones sharp and high-set, the split on his lip hardly distracting from the rest of his appearance. It was so unbelievably stupid, so inconsequential, and yet the hero hated him even more for his tantalisingly beautiful features, for the way his grin would've fooled her into thinking he truly was in love, if she didn't notice how it didn't reach up to his eyes.

The hero hadn't paid any mind to whatever the officiator had said until it was her turn to say 'I do', flashing the villain a terribly fake smile that wasn't half as charming as his, but it would have to do as she slid a simple platinum ring on his finger, and he slid a diamond ring onto hers.

"Let's go," the villain said when they were finally done, gently taking the hero's gloved hand in his and leading her up the stairs and into the mansion.

The heroine was not one to admit defeat and snap in half in the fashion that a twig would. Many a battle would need to be lost for a victory in the war, many a sacrifice would have to be made for a greater reward. She would take the pain like stone would take a blunt pickaxe, just to twist a knife in the villain's chest when he least expected. Because history forgets everyone but those who laugh the last.

Tagging for this: @hufflepuffwritingstuff2

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[king-of-mortar]

Hero regrets it now, that self-sacrificing idiocy.

Don’t blame them, they expected Villain to kill them. Grab them by the collar, put the gun to their head, and pull the trigger. They weren’t to know their arch-nemesis would hold them by their hair like a trophy and drag them home with them.

They hadn’t expected Villain to lean them against a wall, still too dazed and surprised to move, and get on their knee with a ring pulled off their own hand. They hadn’t expected Villain to say, without a hint of irony, “Will you marry me?”

And Hero had, of course, replied, “This is the shittest proposal ever.” Because it was. Villain’s foyer was dark and they’d not switched on the lights yet, and the night outside was ominous and eerily quiet. “The atmosphere’s off.”

Villain laughed at them, and then said, their voice assured, “Say it.”

“What?”

“Say it! You have to. You insisted on martyring yourself, so see it through.” Villain smiled, all teeth.

“Yeah, I’ll marry you,” Hero had said, like Villain was asking to borrow their phone charger.

And so now they have to marry them, and for once in their life, Hero has no idea what to do. This is ridiculous, they’re confused, and worse, they’re afraid. But maybe Hero will get lucky. Maybe this is all a ploy, some creepy short-lived fantasy Villain is only orchestrating to plan Hero’s murder. Maybe they’ll be lucky, maybe they won't have to.

But Hero’s going to have to come up with something soon, because Villain seems like the kind of person to do things sooner rather than later.

[heroes-villains-side-blog]

Prompt #33

Rich Villain: I'll give up crime and even give you half of everything

Hero: Everything, everything?

Villain: Everything, everything. Just sign this to make it official

Hero: *looks over the form* Everything seems in order — wait... this is a marriage contract...

Inspired by Lego Movie 2

[pendarling]

█▓▒▒░░░I Got Into An Arranged Marriage With My Enemy/Rival░░░▒▒▓█

Both Character A and B come from wealthy rival families and they decide to end the dispute with their marriage

Character A’s family member gets them with Character B unknowing that they hate each other

“Honey, what happened to that sweet person we brought you, hm?” “I’m not going to marry them!”

Going on a date together because their parents forced them. Then actually enjoying it.

One of the characters is secretly excited and the other one is not

Character A who keeps reiterating how much they hate Character B

^^^ Seeing Character B visibly become dejected and then feeling bad about it afterwards

Denying that they like each other and then both of them getting protective of their future spouse

“At least you’re not marrying a stranger.”

Character B jokingly bringing gifts, calling them babe, trying to hold their hand etc… Character A getting mad at how flustered they’ve become

Their friends finding out they’re getting married and getting a good laugh at it too. Some of them even made bets on it

“Stop acting like we’re a couple. We’re not!” “you literally set us up for this date tonight”

Getting mistaken as a couple in public, but the stranger isn’t too far away from the truth

All of their arguments being labelled as “Lover’s Quarrel”

Defeat from Character A as they finally come to terms with the reality of it happening. Character B who wasn’t prepared for the change of attitude and finds it unexpected.

“Fine… I’ll hold your hand. So annoying” (secretly excited)

Both sides faking it to impress their families and some time later actually falling in love with them.

^^^ Fake smiles and kisses that seem too real at times and even doing it when no one is looking!!! AAAAHHHH

~~~

MASTERLIST

[kawahidaya]

the i have to follow the plot squad:

the i have to change the plot so i won't die squad:

the i just wanna live my life squad:

[thepenultimateword]

...Arranged Marriage for (Civilian Identities of) Villain and (heroic) Sidekick?

Disclaimer: I definitely know that arranged marriages are often happy and healthy and completely normal for many people. When Sidekick refers to their arranged marriage with Villain as not a "regular" marriage, it has to do with their own outlook of their situation, and not my personal views on the subject.

Sidekick noticed the bruise right away. A perfect shoeprint on their new spouse's cheek, suspiciously alike to the one Hero struck under Villain's left eye earlier that night.

Everything Sidekick had suspected and ignored over the last month came crashing down like a tidal wave, pressing down heavily on their shoulders, crushing the breath right out of them.

"What happened?" they managed through constricting lungs.

"Nothing." Spouse tugged their chin-length hair in front of their face as they slid off their shoes and workbag. "Is there dinner?"

"You have a shoe print on your face," Sidekick said, unsure why they were pressing for an answer they really didn't want. "That's not nothing!"

Spouse shot them a mildly annoyed glance before swiping past them and poking around the contents of their fridge themself. "If you want the truth, I'm being bullied at work."

Bullcrap.

But what was Sidekick supposed to say? Prove it? I know you're lying? I know who are you?

Anything they said could immediately be turned against them, and the last thing they needed in this already tense arrangement was for Spouse--Villain--to uncover their secret identity.

"Are you ok?" they said instead, surprised that it slipped out so easily. Even with a small semblance of worry. It was worry for themself of course, for a future where they shared living quarters with a villain who recognized them as an enemy. Needing to watch their back every second of the day, keeping one eye open while they slept.

It shocked them when Villain's face softened.

"Hurts a little." They closed the fridge door, hunger forgotten, and ambled a little closer.

Sidekick fumbled internally for the correct response. What would they do if this was a regular marriage? One where they hadn't each weighed the benefits to their families against their personal feelings. One where Spouse wasn't Villain, and Sidekick didn't know.

Sidekick ghosted the edges of the bruise with the back of one knuckle. "It's a nasty one. Do you need me to beat anyone up?"

Villain's eyes sparked amusement. "I'd like that. But I wouldn't like you getting into trouble for me."

"Since when do you care about that?" Sidekick said, a little harsher than intended.

Villain cocked their head.

Shut up, Sidekick!

"Is this about me exposing your late-night comings and goings to your parents during our engagement?"

Actually, in the wake of other problems, Sidekick had forgotten all about that incident, for as infuriating and stifling as it had been at the time. They had been unable to help Hero on their patrols for over a month. But Villain had given them an out, so they shouldn't squander it.

"I wasn't allowed outside past 10 until the day we were married. What did it even benefit you?"

Villain stepped a fraction closer. "At the time I was upset with our situation. My family's money for your's reputation seemed an unbalanced, unworthy trade for my life. I took it out on you. And that was wrong." Their fingers crept along Sidekick's wrists, holding them light and gentle in front of them. "Forgive me?"

Sidekick slid out of their grip and took a cautionary step out of the range of soft, green-eyed charm.

"You haven't given me many opportunities for forgiveness. We barely even see each other."

"Not all my fault is it?"

Sidekick's stomach lurched. They thought they'd been sneaky about their absences from home; if they weren't waiting for times when Villain was out of the house or asleep, they at least always had a genuine errand to complete with it to excuse them.

"I have... Zumba," Sidekick said and immediately cringed. Zumba? All the time? Even at midnight?

"Whatever it is you have...or I have, I think we should make some changes."

Sidekick raised a brow. "Changes?"

"Dinner, every night, and at least one date a week."

Sidekick stared, mouth agape. They hadn’t been married long, but this was the first indication they’d given Sidekick of wanting to try for any sort of amicableness.

“Why?” They knew it sounded strange, it was stranger continuing as they were, but they couldn’t shake the suspicion growing in their gut.

“Because like it or not, we are married. And I want to love my spouse. And…from what I know of you…that doesn’t seem an impossible feat.”

Sidekick had to resist the urge to counter. This was the best thing. Hiding their identity in a comfortable relationship was probably easier than in a tense one. That was how Sidekick discovered Villain after all, the constant questioning, distrust, and watching giving way to another all to familiar persona.

“That seems…reasonable,” they said.

Villain smiled. “Why don’t we pick a day for date nights? A day where we don’t make other plans.” They’re smile grew. “I’ll try to schedule around your Zumba.”

They definitely didn’t believe that lie.

Wait. This was an opportunity. If Villain was out with them, they weren’t causing arm to the city. Sidekick was still helping Hero, just…less conventionally.

“Fridays?”

Villain pondered that moment, probably thinking about how much they enjoyed ruining Fridays for everyone else with their chaotic schemes.

“Works for me.”

Sidekick nodded brusquely. “I'll get the first aid kit."

“You’re patching me up?” Villain said, sounding amused and thrilled for some reason.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“No reason. Thank you.”

The genuineness in their voice caught Sidekick off guard. They had to shake themself back into motion. “You’re welcome. Um…there’s some left over spaghetti in a bag on the bottom shelf if you want to warm it up. If you’re still hungry that is.”

With that, Sidekick retreated, trying hard not to think about how they were sharing food with a criminal, and how they didn’t completely mind it.

[moodyvoid]

Spinner, hyping himself up in the mirror: “C’mon, Spinner— you’ve been dying to ask them— just do it. Just walk right up to them and ask.”

Spinner walks up to you.

You: “Hey, Spinner.”

Spinner: “Hey. Will you… uh—“

You: “Hm?”

Spinner: “Will you trade Pokémon with me?”

You: “Sure!”

Spinner walks away confidently.

You: “Weird… I totally thought he was going to ask me out.”

Spinner in the mirror: “YOU BLEW IT!!!!!”

[arealphrooblem]

The Promise

Synopsis: An officer of the Empire makes an offer of marriage to his former friend, now a rebel and his enemy, to honor an old promise they had when they were street orphans.

The rebels he put in separate cells, spread across the detention block. He knew a daring rescue would be fronted by their friends — they were always making reckless stupid decisions,  risking the many for the sake of the few. But at least this way they would have to break into each cell separately. 

And they wouldn’t know who would be interrogated in what order. 

To be truthful, the antagonist did not care much for information. He captured this cell for one purpose only. The rest could rot or scatter or break free for all he cared. So long as he kept one rebel in particular. 

Seeing their face through the small grate in the door twisted something in his gut. It had changed so much in the intervening years — baby fat melted and hardened into sharp gaunt lines. Body grown into sinewy strength. Scars. 

But their eyes were still the same, wide and dark and kind. Expressive eyes that betrayed their every emotion. And their body still small and scrappy and dirty. 

So many things had changed since their days at orphaned street urchins, their paths diverged into wildly opposite directions. What used to be his only ally in the world had turned into his enemy and vice versa. 

Well that would change by the end of the day. Folding his emotions up carefully, tucking them away and smoothing his face into an apathetic mask, the antagonist took one silent breath and then stepped through the door into the interrogation room. 

The rebel sat at one side of the table, hands changed to a rung  in the middle, legs chained to the chair. He fought the slice of guilt at the sight of it. 

The shock of seeing him lit up the rebel’s eyes. He knew he looked much different than the last time they saw each other, wild hair combed back and tamed, skin spotless of dirt, body tall and strong in his uniform. Sometimes he didn’t even recognize his own self in the mirror. 

“Hello, old friend,” he said. 

“We haven’t been friends in a long time,” the rebel said, the accent he tried hard to banish singing through their voice. 

“True,” he acknowledged, though he never stopped considering them as such even as they blew up his ships, cut supply runs, drew more rebels to their cause. 

They stared at each other, drinking the other in. He could see the rebel struggling to hide the pain and yearning at the sight of him, but their eyes gave it away, as always. 

“I’m not going to tell you anything,” his friend said finally. They swallowed. “You will have to kill me.”

“I’m not interested in information,” he said. “And I’m not going to kill you.”

Wariness cross their face. “Then what do you want?”

“You,” he said simply. 

Then he pulled out the crisp folded paper from his pocket and slid it across the table. His friend gave him one more searching look before dipping their gaze to the paper. He watched in breathless anticipation as they took in the information. Then their gaze jerked abruptly back up, eyes sharp and glaring.  

“I don’t understand,” they said slowly. 

“It’s a marriage contract,” he replied. 

“I understand that. It’s the rest I don’t get. What do you want me to do with this?”

They were being deliberately obtuse but the antagonist was happy to spell it out for them. 

“I want you to marry me.”

The rebel had no answer to that. Only speechless, suspicious shock. 

“I know you don’t agree with my choices,” he said, “but I chose them to give us both a better life. I promised you that.   I went to look for you after basic training and you were gone. When I finally found you again . . .you were with them.”

They glared at him. “The Empire is the reason why we grew up starving on the streets with no parents. Of course I joined the people trying to eradicate it.”

“Eradicating the Empire is not going to eradicate tragedy. We could have been orphans either way. At least now I have no worries about where I will sleep next and when my next meal is coming.” He nodded at their ragged clothes. “Can you say the same?”

“I’d rather starve than get fat off of other people’s suffering.”

“Doesn’t that get old, starving?” he asked softly.  “Doesn’t it get old, never sleeping in the same place for long, never feeling safe, never knowing if you would survive the next day? Aren’t you tired of it?”

The rebel had no answer to that, biting  their lip against the sudden wetness in their eyes. Because he knew the answer. It’s what drove him into the Empire’s arms, knowing what they did to his people. And in basic training he slept all the way through the night without fear for the first time in his life. He felt full after dinner for the first time in his life. He could predict each day for the first time in his life. All things he would happily give his friend and they wouldn’t even have to work for it.

“Marry me and I will release you rebel friends in my cells. No muss, no fuss, no hair harmed on their heads.”

They were too noble to take the easy way out for themselves, but perhaps they would do it to save someone else. Make them feel like a martyr. Already he could see the wheels turning in their naked gaze. 

“Sleep on it,” he said, standing up. “I will expect your answer in the morning.”

The answer the next morning was yes. 

[ladyathenawisdom]

Gangster's Wife / Pt. 3

Warnings: Mature Themes, Violence, Language, Spicy, Horny.

Part 4

.....................

"Oh, dear."

Hero scrambled all around her apartment, her eyes narrowed as she went into a frenzy.

Her beautiful black dress clung to her curves, with short sleeves, an off shoulder design and showing her collarbone and shoulders. A slit was near her right leg, for more access to kick and fight if needed. Her hair was open and curled, since she looked better when it was free. Hee makeup was neat, nude and neutral.

Nothing over the top. It was just classical and elegant.

Hero scrambled around as she put on her heels, glancing at the clock. She might be late by a few minutes, but then again, it's not like anyone else would be. She quickly put on the Black platform heels, a series frown on her face.

She sighs, patting her skirt as she let out a deep breath. Shaking her head, she quickly grabs her clutch, her invite and her keys, quickly walking out of her apartment and locking the door.

.......

The gala seemed so boring and peaceful, with every hero and villain talking rather calmly.

Hero sighs, walking around with a flute of champagne as the hard-drive felt heavy in her clutch. She looked all around, looking for any familiar face.

The walls and colors were gold and shallow, showing the power and wealth the hero industry had. Along with the many. The chandeliers were all lit with candles.

Many tables were set around the sides, with different appetizers that were sweet, sour, spicy and exotic. A few mini bars were also around the room, with barmen shaking their drinks and laughing heroes and villains alike.

The gala was a way to keep the villains tame, to keep the heroes good. It was supposed to show the true nature of how the two sides worked together. They may have been fighting each other, against each other, but they could also maintain peace and be good to one another.

Currently, the music was playing as many people danced to the classical song. Heroes and villains all talked with another, some civil, some kind and some not nice. A few hard glares, a few arguments had happened but it was nothing new. Especially with the rivalries and hated villains and stupid heroes against each other.

Hero pursues her lips, shaking her head as she took a sip of her drink. It was all stupid to her, heroes and villains would never understand each other.

"My, my, my, don't you look ready to fight."

Hero turns around, glaring as she spots Villain in front of her, smirking. She scowls. "What do you want?"

Villain grins. "I want a lot of things. Including a bit of info on all your precious heroes. But alas, that is only a dream." He sighs. "As your team only keeps stopping me."

Hero smiles fakely. "Well, whenever we do catch you, you somehow escape." She eyes him warily. "Your not going to do anything, right? This gala is supposed to show peace and tranquility." She crosses her arms, gripping her clutch tightly and pulling it closer.

She can't have anyone finding out that most of the information on many top heroes was in her hands, it would be too easy for the villains to steal it and gain info on them. And then how would they fight them if they knew their weaknesses?

"Peace and tranquility," Villain snorts, taking a sip of his drink. "Please, Hero. You and I both know that's bullshit. We hate each other, we all do. We're just forced to show we can be tame together so the public can be affirmed or some shit."

Hero frowns, her eyes going all around the large and luxurious ballroom. She looks back at him, playing with her feet as she swished the bottom of her dress with her heels.

Villain smirks. "And even if I did try, it would lead to a very big, very chaotic fight." He starts walking away. "And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Hero watched him go with narrowed her eyes, clutching her clutch tightly, she looked around warily.

She bites her lower lip, spotting Leader and Superhero taking to the hero council. Mentor seemed to be relaxed and poised, along with everyone else. It seemed that Superhero and Leader hadn't told them yet. They hadn't told them of the lead or clue. Or for the fact what had happened and what Superhero had ordered them to do.

Hero frowns, tilting her head in her usual cute way as she watched them.

This was bad and stupid at the same time. If the council found out, they wouldn't be happy. But then again, they would be happy if he was ever caught.

Hero snorts at that, shaking her head humorously. No way would that happen. He was like a shadow, lurking around but never getting caught. No one knew who he was, no one.

Even the villains feared him, especially the most powerful villains. They wouldn't even say his name for fear of provoking him, she scoffs at that. It was stupid but very nice as it showed just how strong his reputation was, even if he had never showed his face.

People thought he was myth, many civilians did. Many of the lower villains and heroes did. But they knew the truth, he was no myth. He was true as could be. He was the King of the Criminal World. He ruled it, even if he was never officially elected. He ruled it. Everyone knew this.

Hero looks back at Leader who was looking around warily, his gaze series. He was stupid, he really was. Along with Superhero. They really should tell the council of what had happened and what Superhero himself had ordered. They would be delighted but also exhausted as the attempts would be futile.

No one could ever catch the bastard.

Hero hummed, glancing down at her flute of champagne. She sighs before downing it in one go, swallowing the fizzy drink. She puts it on a empty tray before walking away, her hips swaying.

All of a sudden, a fire alarm blares out loudly, causing everyone to panic and scream. Many heroes look around in anger and annoyance, getting into positions as they looked around for any sign of danger. Many villains also run along and get into position, looking around wildly.

A few were running along and scrambling away, towards the exit and trying to leave the ballroom in a frenzy.

Hero's eyes widen in horror. "Villain," she hissed in irritation as she noticed the familiar armed goons running towards where Superhero's office was, located in the east hallway on the third floor.

"Hero has the hard-drive!"

Hero froze when she heard the yell, noticing it to be one of Villain's men, who was pointing at her. She swallows hard when she notices many of the villains turn to look in her direction, along with a few heroes.

"In her clutch!"

"Fuck," Hero mumbles before she quickly turns and runs out of the room, she hears a few yells and battle cries. She glances back to see a fight ensue between the heroes and villains. Along with an annoyed Superhero and Mastermind, who tried to control the situation which was now getting out of hand.

Hero panics as she hears the yells and footsteps of many villains running after her, she runs faster, gripping her clutch tightly. She nearly trips but rights herself, hurrying down a long corridor in panic.

She turns many corridors and corners, trying to confuse the crowd of villlains after her.

Hero huffs, turning a corner and leaning against the wall, panting as she breathed for air. She takes deep breathes, her lungs burning. Atleast she still knew she could still run in heels. She sighs, hearing the voices of Villains.

"Where did she go?!"

"Where's Hero!"

"Where the fuck did she go?!"

"Get off of me!"

"Leave! That hard drive is mine!"

"Make me!"

Hero let's out a sigh of relief as she hears a few footsteps run down the opposite hallway, with many arguments between the villains.

Biting her lower lip, she opens her clutch and hesitatinly pulls the hard drive out. She stares at it, debating what to do and where to hide it.

She makes a face. She looks around before stuffing the hard drive in her bra. She sighs in relief before she turns and heads down the corridor.

Her smile falls off when she sees who's in front of her. She gulps, seeing Villain stand before her with his men behind him. Her heart starts to race in fear and anticipation, she eyes him.

"I knew I should have cuffed you," Hero scowls.

Villain smirks, his hands in his pockets. "Kinky." His eyes narrow as he snaps his fingers. "Grab her and bring me the hard drive." He pauses. "Unless, you'll hand it over."

"Never." Hero glares hard at him.

"Fine by me," Villain shrugs.

All at once the men charge at her, Hero throws the clutch at them and they fight over it to grab it. She watches in amusement, smirking as she slowly backs away.

"It's empty, boss." One of the men spoke up.

Villain's eyes snap towards the young but also old hero. "You hid it. Where? Give it to me."

Hero chuckles. "Sure, come and get it if your bold enough." She then gets into a fighting position, her eyes smug and not at all looking like a hero.

Villain clenches his jaw in anger. "You bitch! Get her you idiots!"

Hero jumps back before punching the man in the face, causing him to groan. She then kicks his chest, causing him to be pushed back on a another man.

She then cartwheels, before wrapping her legs around one of the men's neck and twisting it, causing him to cry out at the pain.

She gets off and runs to another, punching and kicking. She flips in the air before grabbing his wrist and twisting it. The man groans, whimpering.

Hero then kicks him in between the legs before turning towards the last two, smirking and beckoning them forward.

They charge at her and she immediately dives down, punching one of their face and kicking the other. She grabs both their heads and hits them against each other, smirking as they fell down and in pain.

Hero's eyes snap up towards Villain, who was now glaring at her with hatred, looking annoyed. He clenched his jaw. "Give me the hard drive. Give it to me," he states, stepping forward threateningly.

Hero hums. "Let me think," she giggles, shaking her head. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Did I mention no?" She raises an eyebrow. She quickly turns to dart down the opposite hallway.

Villain growls, running after her. "Hero! Come back here! Give me the hard drive!" He yells out, grunting as he turns left down a corridor.

Hero grunts, turning a sharp corner. As she runs, she debates what to do and what not to do. Fuck it, why should she be scared of Villain? It's not like he'll grab it off her, no one has the guts to grab it from her from where she put it on her. She pauses and turns around, as he comes to stop a few feet away, glaring at her.

"Give it to me," Villain glares hard at her. "Come on, Hero. Don't be a pathetic little hero, give it to me."

Hero gulps, looking around as the hallway only consisted of Villain. She looks at him, her heart racing. Her eyes widen when she turns to see more men run behind her.

"Shite,"

Villain's lips quirk up. "Whoever gets the hard drive from Hero, I'll reward them." He spoke up, his eyes full of malice.

Hero gulps as she turns to see all the villains, minor assistants and henchmen behind her, eyeing her like she was some sort of weak pray.

Other Villain smirks. "Fine by me, come here Hero...." He purred, stepping forward with a creepy grin.

Hero takes a deep breath, shaking her head as she loosened herself. "Alright. Bring it," she says, before they charge at her.

She dodges most of them, ducking down and punching them in the throat or kicking them back. Her heels were good for that, that shit actually hurt.

She yelps, jumping back as a henchmen continues to throw punches at her. She narrows her eyes before ducking behind him and kicking the back of his knees, she then punches his face, knocking him out.

"Can't one of you get her!" Villain groans, leaning against the wall as he watched with growing irritation. He watched as she defeated almost ever villain easily, afterall, her skills were unparalleled.

Hero dodges another hit and instead kicks him with her heel, hearing him groan in pain. She smirks and punches him back. She looks down at her now brushed knuckles, she shakes them off and instead continues fighting the others.

"Come here," Other Villain grins.

Hero only rolls her eyes, punching his face easily. She watches him whimper before he falls down on the floor, she put a hand on her hip and tutted. "He really should train more,"

"Couldn't agree," Villain mutters.

Hero lunges at the last man, kicking him in the nose, his vision blurred and he grunted, falling to the floor. She sighs, rubbing her sore knuckles with a frown.

Villain scowls, getting off from where he was leaning against the wall. "Hero. Give me the hard drive. You know me. I wouldn't release the information,"

Hero narrows her eyes. "No, but you'd sell it."

Villain pauses, clicking his tongue. "Yes, well. I need a way to get rich and important." He shrugs before turning his dark stare on her. "Give it to me."

Hero starts to back away, shaking her head. "No..." she holds her hands up. "Do you really think I have it?"

Villain scoffs. "You may have hidden it. If you hadn't, then why did you run?"

Hero pauses. "I'm not giving it to you," she shakes her head before saying.

Villain clenched his jaw. "When I get my hands on you-"

"Touch her, and you die."

Hero froze, her whole figure stiffening up as she heard the cold and powerful voice. Her heart leaped, racing faster in her chest. She dug her nails in her palms, feeling the pain and welcoming it. She let's out a breath.

No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. She had hoped, begged and pleaded that she was wrong, that the clue was wrong. She didn't want him here. Fear grew in her as her eyes snapped up.

Villain blinks, slowly turning around to see two men stood behind him, a few feet away. Both of them had had a powerful but dangerous aura, especially the man who stood in front of the other man.

Hero felt her heart lurch. She discreetly patted her chest, checking if the hard drive had fell out. It hadn't, it was still stuffed in her bra.

Villain narrows his eyes, but stayed silent, not making any move. Even if he didn't know who these men were, the aura they gave off was quite dangerous. "Who are you?" He finally spoke up, his voice hesitant.

The other man spoke up. "Forgive the interruption, Villain." He didn't seem sorry, only in disdain as he looked at the criminal. "But I'm-"

"Right Hand," Hero breathes out.

Villain's eyes glance towards her.

The man looks at her, smiling. "Yes. Right Hand."

"Right Hand, that means...." Villain slowly looks over at the other men with pure fear. He gulps, trying to stay strong. "I, I, I, forgive me." He looks down, stepping back slightly.

Right Hand smirks.

Hero felt her heart race as the familar man began to walk towards her.

Villain watched with fear, anger and confusion. He needed that hard drive from that puny human. How could, how could he know about it?

Right Hand breathes out, watching his boss.

Hero looks at the tall man stood in front of her, staring at her intently. "Supervillain," she whispers quietly, his name a sweet essence on her tongue.

Villain narrows his eyes, willing his hands to stop shaking with fear. Why should he be scared? He really shouldn't. He was villain afterall. He looks between the two, perplexed.

Supervillain's lips quirk up in a small smirk, his eyes dark. He steps closer so his breath hit her face, she clenches her fists together.

He hums. "The hard drive," he spoke quietly.

Hero only stared at him in a daze. "I don't have it," she half heartily lied. His voice was rich and smooth, causing her skin to tingle.

Supervillain raised his eyebrows. "No?" His hands grabbed her hips, causing her to jolt and let out a soft gasp.

Right Hand averts his eyes, looking away from his boss and the hero.

Villain's eyes watched them, interested and confused. He narrowed his eyes, frowning and shifting in his spot, feeling uncomfortable slightly.

Hero takes a sharp intake of breath as his hands ghosted over her hips to her waist, she watches as his eyes raked over her form with appreciation. She felt her breath hitch when he paused, meeting her eyes.

Her heart drops when he smirks. He knew. But he wouldn't, would he? He didn't seem to be bold, no, that's wrong. He was bold. But he wouldn't do it in front of Villain and Right Hand, would he?

Hero only raised her eyebrow, staring at him.

Supervillain chuckles. "I see, smart and clever." He hums, his hands ghosted over her chest. "No one would dare to grab it, yet...." His fingers dipped in her bra, grabbing the hard drive and gently pulling it out.

Hero ignored the flush of her cheeks, feeling his fingers linger on her collarbone as he pulled his hand away. She could feel tingles on her skin, her eyes staring at him intensely, she gulps as her eyes glance towards the hardrive. Maybe he was bold, really bold.

Villain chokes, looking away as his face turned red in humiliation and embarrassment. His eyes grew with shock and partly disgust, what was happening?

Right Hand only sighs, looking back at them.

Supervillain hummed as he stared at the small black thing. "Very clever." He meets her gaze.

Hero only stares at him, before she blinks and her eyes go to the hard drive with a panic. She meets his gaze again with a frown.

Supervillain takes out another hard drive, similar to the first before gripping her hand and putting it in her palm.

Hero could feel her stomach churn and her heart leap as she felt his cold skin on her hand, his fingers brushing against hers. She let's out a breath, meeting his gaze.

Supervillain finally eyes her up and down, a small smirk on his face. "You look ravishing, Mi Amor." He chuckles before turning and throwing the hard drive at Villain, who catches it. He looks up in surprise, swallowing hard.

Right Hand sighs.

Hero's lips part, frowning as she looked back at the copy of the hard drive.

Supervillain leans in towards her, his breath hot on her ear. "Stay near the left of the entrance, wait there." He whispers before pulling away and addressing the criminal.

"Ye-yes?"

"You won't bother Hero anymore," Supervillain hums, fixing his cuff links casually. "You'll instead only bother and annoy and attack her team. Not her." His gaze is dark. "Got it?"

Villain gulps fearfully, nodding eagerly.

Supervillain smiles, but it held no humor. "Good." He nods, before sparing one last glance towards Hero before walking away with Right Hand following him with a serious expression.

Villain grins happily, looking at the hero smugly but it falls when he sees the shock and star struck expression on her face, along with....longing? He frowns. However, he quickly hides the hard drive and stands up straight when the hero council run over.

"Hero!" Leader calls out, the team behind him. Superhero and Mentor, along with the council walk behind them. "Is the hard drive safe?" He asks with a frown.

Hero silently holds it up, not looking at him. She just held it out, not opening her mouth.

Leader sighs in relief, grabbing it. "It's safe,"

"Oh thank goodness," Hero 2 sighs. "It's safe."

"Yeah, the villains attacking us really wanted those documents." Sidekick nods.

Teammate frowns but also nods.

Teammate 2 glances at Villain. "What happened, Hero?" She asks suspiciously.

Hero only shakes her head. "Nothing. Absolutely, nothing." She looks down.

................

Later that hour, Hero stood outside. As soon as all the heroes and most of the villains and sidekicks were gone, and she was alone, she let out a yell.

She immediately begins to pace, muttering curses. "I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid." She paced back and forth. "Why am I so stupid, this wasn't supposed to happen!" She yells. She smacks her forehead.

Hero could feel a headache coming on, she groans and rubs her head. "Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't I have stayed at home and ate ice cream?" She frowns and hugs herself, glancing at her black coat.

"I really don't understand what happened."

Hero's eyes snap up to see Villain, she sighs and stands up straight. "What do you want?" She crosses her arms.

Villain pursues his lips, staring hard at her. He doesn't say anything, only shaking his head and letting out a breath.

Hero frowns. She goes to say something but a limo pulls up in front of them on the street, she looks towards it and swallows hard.

Villain blinks.

Right Hand steps out from the front seat, giving a small smile as he turned to them. "My boss already gave orders, Villain. You should leave," he spoke coldly.

Villain nods, slowly walking away. He hesitates though, keeping an ear out to listen in on the conversation.

Right Hand turns to the young but also old hero, he smiles kindly and opens the door for her.

Hero stays put, only hugging herself as she stared at the door with furrowed eyebrows. Once she sat down, she would have to talk to him. She wasn't gonna take that chance. "I have my car, I can drive home." She spoke quietly.

Right Hand frowns. "He insists." He gives her a look.

Hero bites her lower lip.

Right Hand sighs. "You may have aged but your still as stubborn as a mule."

Hero smiles. "I thought I was stubborn as a brat according to you,"

Right Hand only chuckles. "Please. Get in," he nods to the open door he held. "It's cold. We wouldn't want you to get sick."

Hero pursues her lips before slowly nodding. She ducks down and takes a seat, watching as the door closed. She sighs as the warm heat of the limo engulfed her, warming her up from the cold. She looks down at her lap, not bothering to look at the person who sat across from her.

She closes her eyes, vaguely feeling the limo start to move. She let's out a breath, playing with her fingers.

"You've changed,"

Hero's eyes snap up to meet his when he speaks up. He leant back against the italian black leather of the limo, one of his arms spread on the seat while the other was in his lap. He was staring at her.

"People change," Is the only thing she says before turning her gaze out the window. She watched as the city lights went by, the buildings tall and regal. People laughed all around, the civilians all free and happy.

"Why did you give that hard drive to Villain?" She finally spoke up, turning to him seriously.

Supervillain only cocked an eyebrow. "Why did you hide that hard drive in your bra?"

Hero felt her cheeks flush. "I asked the question first,"

Supervillain shrugs. "It's not like he'll do anything, pesky roach." He mutters, shaking his head.

Hero frowns, shaking her head. "You don't know him like I do. He'll use it for his own benefit, he won't care about the consequences. He'll sell the information and then many heroes will fall under danger."

Supervillain stares at her. "Are you and Villain close?" He asks, patting his lap casually.

Hero shakes her head. "What does that have to do with anything? He's mainly Hero 2's nemesis," she answered his question regardless.

Supervillain only hummed, turning his gaze to the window.

Hero scowls. "Are you even fucking listening to me?" She sits up, her eyes narrowing.

Supervillain chuckles. "There she is. The Hero I know," he smirks, turning to her. "You've been so...docile."

"Call me docile again, I dare you."

"Your docile."

Hero glares at him.

Supervillain shrugs. "Am I wrong? Your so...obedient. Not that it's a bad thing," He shakes his head. "But listening to others obediently is so stupid."

Hero scoffs. "I have a job."

"Yeah. A faulty one,"

Hero glares at him.

Supervillain hums. "Although Villain is powerful, he's not that strong. He won't do anything stupid."

Hero sighs, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands.

"Speaking of stupid... "

Hero looks up at him.

"Since when do you smoke?" Supervillain was frowning at her.

Hero scowls. "Since 2-3 months ago,"

Supervillain stares at her.

Hero huffs. "What? Are you-what are you doing?" She asks in a panic when he moves, sitting down next to her. She squirms, moving closer to the window, eyeing him.

Supervillain stares at her. "Sitting down. Why? Do you have a problem? It's my limo."

Hero glares at him, squirming away from him. "That doesn't make you entitled to come in someone's personal space." She eyes him.

Supervillain leans closer. "Everything in this limo, belongs to me." He whispered.

Hero swallows hard, gripping the fur of her coat tightly as she stared into his eyes.

Supervillain stares at her for a few moments before smirking and pulling away.

Hero looks away, a scowl on her pretty face.

"Still so alluring...." Supervillain hums. "But just as fiery and passionate."

Hero's eyes snap towards his hand which was no on her lap, gentle tracing patterns on her hand. She slaps its away, snapping. "Don't touch me."

Supervillain chuckles, raising his hands in surrender.

Hero sighs as the limo comes to a stop outside her apartment building. She quickly gets out even before Right Hand has a chance to open the door. She pauses, giving him a polite smile.

She spares one last glance towards Supervillain before turning and walking inside.

.................

[certainmaybe]

Family Dinner

“I hate this dress.” Villains Sidekick had made the same comment about a million times.

“And the moment we are out of here you can dress like the devil's long lost daughter again.”

“You said that when I work with you I can do whatever I want.”

“I’m sorry about that. Let me correct myself. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t get you killed.”

“Would Supervillain really kill me for not dressing the way they like?” Sidekick didn’t show it of course, but Villain had spent enough time with her to know when they were afraid. And why wouldn’t they? They were basically a child and the one grown up they even half trusted had told them they were going to die. Villain really needed to read up on how to parent, because they were fucking this up.

“It’s going to be fine, Sidekick. I just don’t want to take any chances with Supervillain. They are…”

“And you remember the code word, right?” The sound of Heroes voice made Villain freeze. They hadn’t really been talking, recently. And before that they had been talking a lot. At least Villains Sidekick seemed to have forgotten about their fear and instead looked at Villain expectantly.

“Yes, I remember,” answered Heros Sidekick, a shy kid that shouldn’t be fighting crime in Villains opinion, but Hero had argued that sending them away would only do more damage. “Why do they want to see us?”

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. Just remember, give me the sign and I will get us out of there as fast as I can. I won’t leave you hanging, I promise. You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to.”

While Vilain and their Sidekick had dressed for the occasion, which was being politely invited to dinner by a very powerful psychopath, Hero seemed to have dressed down almost on purpose. They had an agitated edge to them, shoulders tense and on hand on their sidekicks arm, as if they were afraid somebody would take them away.

“Oh,” was what they said when they saw Villain.

“Looks like a party.” Villain tried to sound nonchalant, but they were scared shitless of Supervillain and on top of that they were kind of afraid of Hero, if for a very different reason.

“They invited you?” Villain could see Hero timing their breaths to stay calm. In. Wait. Out. In. Wait. Out.

“Most formal invitation I ever received. With a fruit basket and flower bouquet.”

“What kind of flowers?”

“White ones? I don’t know.”

“You know they made me learn the symbolism behind every flower? Back then, when…” Hero stopped when there was a sound behind the unassuming door they had both been waiting in front of. “Don’t let her sit next to Supervillain,” Hero whispered, nodding in the direction of Villains Sidekick.  “Supervillain sits on the left end, Right Hand on the right. Have her sit next to Right Hand.”

And then the door was open, and Supervillain looked at them, smiling like only they could smile.

“Villain, I’m so glad you could make it. And Sidekick, it’s so nice to meet you. But what kind of host am I? Come in, give me your jackets, make yourself right at home.”

The house they entered was normal to a horrifying level. No, not normal. Normal would have been okay. This was domestic. There was a coat rack overflowing with different coats and jackets, shoes piling up below it. Framed pictures of grinning children, pimply teens and young adults were lining the hallway, most of whom looked uncomfortably familiar. A picture of Hero, years younger, reading a book, obviously unaware of the camera. Villain took care not to look at it too obviously, if not only because Supervillain was watching every move, but because Villain knew that Hero wouldn’t want them to see. It smelled like onions in a frying pan. In the living room waited a table, set for six people.

“Medic isn’t joining us?” Hero asked, still tense, still one hand on their sidekicks arm.

“Not today, honey. I told them that RightHand and I needed to have a talk with you, so they offered to go out.”

“So they are allowed to go out on their own.”

“Let’s not get into that fight, Hero. Now, what can I get you to drink? RightHand bought red wine, and some soda for the children, but if you want something else, please ask.”

“Water, please.” 

Villain, who had never been known to shrink away from social situations, felt frozen in place. They were in Supervillains home. They were in Heros childhood home. Those two things were one and the same. And they were standing in the middle of it. Fuck.

“And what can I get you, dear?”

“Water,” Villain said numbly, hoping that their sidekick wouldn’t say something to get themself in trouble.

“I’m fine,” they said and Supervillain disappeared into what was most likely the kitchen.

What the fuck villain mouthed into Heros direction.

Just play along Hero mouthed back, which wasn’t helpful at all.

“Now, please, sit down, dinner is just about ready.” With a tray of glasses, Supervillain reappeared and gestured to the set table. Hero, with the expression of somebody going to their execution, took their place to Supervillains right, and since Villain didn’t want their sidekick to be in any unnecessary danger they followed suit, taking the place to Supervillains left. Soon after RightHand appeared, serving all of them with what seemed to be some roast, mashed potatoes and green beans. They also brought out a salad, all the while filling the silence with disturbingly comfortable smalltalk. 

During dinner they asked about Heroes Sidekicks schoolwork and commented about how they needed to eat more, with Hero mostly answering for them. Villains sidekick got the same treatment, though Villain was confident in their ability to handle passive aggressive remarks themselves. Villain was questioned too, in the most polite way they had ever been questioned. 

Did they like their work? 

How much free time did they have? 

Were they financially stable? How was their living situation? 

Had they ever thought about retiring? 

Villain answered as politely as possible, all the while being acutely aware that they were playing some game nobody had bothered to explain to them. Hero was only getting tenser by the minute.

It was during dessert that Supervillain called Hero away for a talk. At this point Villains first impulse was to jump between them and get Hero, but this was Supervillain. Realistically the only thing Villain could do was dirty their suit with villains own blood. So they let it happen, tense to the core, while RightHand fussed over the sidekicks.

When they returned Supervillain looked pleased and Hero sick. Hero had something in their hand. Hero was walking towards Villain. They knelt in front of them.

Villain wasn’t stupid. They knew what a proposal was. They just didn’t understand how this could be a proposal, and how they could be the person being proposed to. So it had to be a prank. Or something else. It just didn’t make sense.

“Villain,” said Hero, as if the name alone held the weight of the world. “We have known each other for a long time, and while we were never on the same side, we were never really enemies either. We were friends. Then more than friends. And now I ask you to marry me, to take my side, and your side and turn it into our side.”

For a moment Villain thought they had to be dreaming. Because they had dreamed of this, in the months where Hero and Villain had been talking, and more than talking and everything had felt like a dream. But then Hero had stopped talking to them and Villain had given up and now they were here, looking down at Hero who looked so, so scared.

Just say yes, Hero mouthed. And when Villain didn’t react, please.

“Yes,” said Villain, though the word didn’t feel like their own. A loud pop made them flinch, only to realize that a bottle of champagne had been opened.

“Congratulations,” Supervillain called while RightHand drew Villain into a tight hug.

“We are so glad that you are part of our family now.” Villain felt Heros hands shake as they slid the ring on their finger. It was a beautiful ring, but it felt cold.

##

The celebrations had passend in a blur, and before Villain knew what was happening they were standing outside again, in a now cold night, twisting the ring on their finger.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing Hero said. “And thank you, for saying yes. I promise I will get you out of this, somehow, I just need time. Once Supervillain has decided that things should be a certain way they just… well, you saw it. But I know them, or at least I know how they work, and if you just give me time, I will get you out of this.” Hero was looking at Villain, eyes shiny from uncried tears. “And then you will never have to see me again.”

“Hero I- is that why you stopped talking to me?” Hero didn’t need to respond, Villain had been reading them for almost a decade now.

“It’s just better to stay away from me. I am not… good.”

“Hero…” Villain didn’t know what to say. Or better, they had a million things they wanted to say, had wanted to tell Hero for weeks now, but Hero just refused to hear. And then they knew exactly what to say. “Hero, do you want to marry me?”

“What?” Hero looked at Villain as if they had lost their mind, and Villain sure felt like it, but if there was a time to do it it had to be now.

“Hero,” they repeated, getting down on one knee. “Do you want to marry me?”

“I… you don’t have to do this, Villain. You don’t need to… this is my problem, not yours. It would only mess up your life.”

“That’s not an answer, Hero. I am asking if you want to marry me. I don’t care if it’s complicated or if your family is… so much more messed up than I expected. If you want me, I’ll be there. If you don’t…” Well, then Villain would spent a lot of time crying their eyes out.

“You are really serious about it? This isn’t… some joke? Because if you do this and then back out, I don’t know how Supervillain would take it. I don’t think they would take it, to be honest. And we are still on different sides. I won’t give up my work.”

“I don’t want you to change for me, Hero. I just…” Villain made a vague gesture, hoping to get around saying what they truly wanted. Because Hero, the gosh darn people pleaser they were, would say yes. And Villain couldn’t live with the idea that Hero might regret saying yes to them.

“Yes,” Hero said, in a choked out way that could hardly be heard. They offered Villain a hand, pulled them up and looked at them like they were something sacred they were giving an oath to. “Yes,” they repeated, now clearer. Villain decided to cut the dramatics short and finally kiss Hero.

“Gross,” commented their Sidekick from behind.

[letters-unsending]

No. 30

////

“I told Superhero we were married so he would help fight against Supervillain.”

////

Villain takes Hero’s hand into his lap and worries his thumb over the ring—their fake wedding ring—like he knows each arc of metal, each facet by heart, like he’s known the ring for years. Even as a participant in this charade, Hero thinks he could be convinced that Villain cares. He thinks, as Villain’s fingers wander and trace the scars across his knuckles, that this could all easily be real.

“Darling,” Villain calls, shaking him out of his reverie, “why don’t you tell him? About how it began.”

Darling. Villain has jeered that name throughout many of their fights, but the word has never been soft, never been breathed over the shell of his ear. Hero twitches. He hides the flinch with a smile and turn of his hand. Taking his cue, Villain slides his palm over his own, and Hero sighs, leaning into Villain’s side, looking lovesick as he ought to be.

////

“Finally!” Sidekick teases when Hero shows them the ring.

“No,” Hero sighs and takes the ring off, setting it on the table, “it’s not like that. It can never be like that.”

“Oh,” Sidekick whispers as Hero slumps into his chair, “you’re actually really torn up about this. I knew you liked that white-picket, married life shit, but you look like the dry cleaner ruined another one of your capes.” Sidekick sits in the chair opposite of Hero and pauses. The silence is long, condemning. “Oh, you poor thing. You actually like him, don’t you?”

Hero lifts his head from the cradle of his arms. “I can’t do this. I can’t have him acting like he actually cares for me.”

“…like he actually cares for you,” Sidekick repeats slowly.

“Yes?”

“It’s a good thing you’re pretty, you know.” Sidekick pats the ring and smiles when Hero’s hand flinches toward it. “Because I really thought you were smarter than this.”

////

Villain’s had a hand on Hero’s back all night. Hero almost tripped forward the first time his palm pushed against his spine, leading him further into the finery of the gala hall, but it soon became a comforting weight. When Villain spoke to another attendee for too long, Hero leaned back into the touch. Villain would thrum his fingers and murmur ‘patience darling’ before leading Hero off to the next businessperson or reporter.

After coming back from the bar, Hero decides to return the favor. Smiling, he sidles up beside Villain and slings an arm behind him, resting his fingers over the edge of his waist coat. He settles a thumb on the curve of Villain’s hip as her proffers a flute of something fizzy and pink forward.

He doesn’t register Villain has stopped mid sentence in his conversation till both Villain and his conversation partner—holy shit that’s Superhero—turn toward him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Hero flusters, about to withdraw his hand.

“It’s fine, darling.” Villain reaches down and flattens his hand over Hero’s, holding it still against his hip, “I just wasn’t expecting you so soon.” Sending a reassuring grin to the both of them, Villain takes the drink and continues the conversation, “now, where were we?”

////

“You’re not wearing your ring.” Villain observes, sagging against the wall beside Hero.

“We’re in battle. Of course I’m not going to wear it.” Hero retorts and fingers around his collar until he hooks something—a necklace—and drags it out. “Anyways, I do have it.” The ring hangs from the chain, glittering like firelight in the dark, and Hero squeezes it in his hand. “I keep it like this so I don’t break it.”

Villain stares at the ring, at the ash and blood on Hero’s fingers. He laughs and pulls out a necklace from beneath his own collar. His ring hangs just the same. Sighing, he folds it into his hand and rests his forehead on the tense line of his knuckles.

“I wish we had more time to pick these out. We picked the first pair they showed us in the store because we were in such a rush.”

“I like them.” Hero holds his ring tighter. The gem cuts into his palm. “They’re a good memory—they’ll be a good memory, after this is all over, but you’re right, I would’ve gotten you something different. Something sleeker and dark, like your suit.”

“You would’ve gotten me-”

“Say, how bout once this is over and Supervillain is dealt with, we get new ones? I mean, not that soon. There’s no rush, but-”

Before Villain could string out a response, a crash sounds from behind them. Dust plumes over the wall they’ve sheltered behind and Villain lunges at Hero, yanking him up by the collar. His smile is feral and he grabs Hero’s hand, the one with the ring.

“Darling, your timing is terrible.”

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

Foreign Perception

TW: Bruises, scratches and fights mentioned

Words: 1.2k

He was sprawled out on the couch, dressed in a black, satin robe, the edges of it lined with a wine red trim. The sunlight illuminated half of his form, seeming to highlight his features; the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones and his sleek figure as well as the curves of the softer features of his face, of his raven hair, all drawn in golden ink.

"Ah, you've woken up," he remarked softly, the usual scratchiness of his morning voice missing, sounding silkier instead. He'd been awake for a while, it seemed, which was strange because he wasn't really a morning person.

Outwardly, he seemed immaculate, tousled hair slightly damp from a shower, his skin looking healthy and well cared for. The luxuriant garment fell slightly as he shifted himself, exposing his collarbones and the tips of his shoulders.

A closer look at him revealed details of a different nature, the ones the sunlight refused to cast its golden glow on. The bruise on his left cheek, an ugly shade of purple and swollen, the dark bags under his eyes, the partially split lip, and a long, fading scratch partially exposed where the fabric of his robe wasn't hiding skin.

"Lie down with me," he suggested, in the same gentle and yet commanding tone, "you look tired." He gestured to the empty space next to him, an almost expectant look in his eyes.

So she obliged, not so much lying down as sitting next to him, her movements a little slow. He smelled like strong, expensive cologne; some sort of smoky wood and an elegant mix of spices.

"Relax, I won't bite," he supplied, a very slight hint of amusement in his tone that one could only pick up by spending a considerable amount of time around him.

Tentatively, she leaned back until her head rested against his chest, letting her arms fall limp at her sides. When the villain showed no indications of discomfort or annoyance, she slackened her posture a bit more.

"That's more like it," the villain praised, no hint of his usual biting sarcasm present. Most of their previous exchanges had involved snide remarks falling off of his sharp tongue and her snapping back at him. Not now, it seemed.

He slowly moved his arm so that it was around one of her shoulders, letting out a soft sigh, a perfect mix of exhausted and utterly relaxed.

The villain was usually unapproachable, even in more casual clothing, with a cryptic resting face that loosely resembled a dark scowl and an unreadable expression in his eyes. He seemed to emant danger, like he carried a warning sign everywhere. Right now, however, he looked impossibly soft, no mask to hide behind.

This time, he layed down completely on the couch, tapping her shoulder lightly so that she would follow his example. The hero found herself being pulled into strong arms, the villain's embrace being surprisingly warm.

"Why are we doing this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Despite that, she half-wished to stroke a hand through the criminal's hair, settling only for pushing the loose strands out of his eyes.

"I'm not very sure, maybe it's just calmer, you know. Than what we do every day." He gently guided her fingers through his locks. "It's okay. I think I actually like it when you touch my hair," he said softly.

So she ran her fingers through the villain's hair, noticing how his breathing slowed, how he closed his eyes and involuntarily leaned into the touch.

He opened his eyes and started tracing patterns into her arm absentmindedly with the fingers of one hand, the other still holding her close to him. "You're extremely quiet, which is very unlike you, any reason why?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, Villain, I just don't have much to say. Maybe I talk too much, but I don't mind the quiet," she remarked, continuing to card her fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp.

"I don't think you talk too much," he stage-whispered, smoothing down a wrinkle in her silken dress, his fingers toying with the embroidery on the skirt. It had been a birthday gift, another trademark of their weird, nonsensical to-hate-or-not-to-hate relationship.

"You? Of all people. I thought you hated it." She let a dry laugh make its way into her tone, disbelieving.

"I didn't appreciate being insulted," he replied, only slightly irritable, a glint of mirth visible in the emerald green eyes, "but it was pretty much a mutual thing, and I know people who talk too much, incessantly, but you're not one. It's not noise to me, maybe you talk more than I do, but you listen, so that's a good thing." His hand skirted down the side of her face, and he started tracing her cheekbones down to her jaw. There were small bruises scattered across her cheeks, a few old scars across her figure, and some newer scrapes from more recent fights, some of which, he came to realise, were his fault.

But again, it's not like she hadn't managed to leave any marks on him.

"You're pretty," he remarked before he could catch himself, "for someone who has to get into all these fights, a bit of a shame, really."

"Fighting crime's not a good enough reason to taint my beauty?" she asked, ironically drawing the shape of a scar on his chest with her fingers, blissfully cool against his skin.

"Not what I meant," he attested.

She simply laughed. "Easy. I'm messing with you. Want to know something a little crazy?" she questioned, now playing with the curls of his hair.

"Mhm."

"First time I saw you without a mask, as much as I despised you then, the first, unfiltered thought in my head was that you looked like someone from a perfume ad."

A rare, genuine smile graced the villain's lips. "This is the most oddly specific compliment I've ever received but I'll take it." He toyed with the strands of her hair, weaving his fingers down the length of it. "I don't think we're friends," he decided.

"No," she agreed, tugging a little at the roots of his hair.

"I don't think friends keep doing. . .whatever it is this is unannounced," the villain concluded.

"Being physically affectionate, yes."

"But you know we aren't lovers, either. Is this a side-effect of the whole marriage thing?"

"No, I don't think so," she answered, smoothing the criminal's stray hairs down, "I think we're something in between enemies and lovers. I also think we're both touch-starved, and this. . .this calms us both." She started rubbing a stiff knot in his neck, earning a few contented sighs and shivers from him.

His hand flitted to somewhere near her shoulder, delicately tracing patterns into the skin, increasing pressure sometimes when it seemed fit. Involuntarily, she nuzzled her head into the crook of the villain's neck, and soon his own head slumped forward.

They'd both fallen asleep, mortal enemies in each other's arms, feeling safer than they ever had before.

Few things can rival something as simple and primitive as a gentle touch. More powerful than what one would expect, a frivolous, sentimental luxury only to those who chose to be blind, to run away and hide behind walls of indifference covered in cracks and close to collapsing. Even those who consider it a foreign perception in their world come to realise its priceless value sooner than they would dare to expect.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @usernotfound000 @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @muffinrebel44 @sunnynwanda @annablogsposts @cardboardarsonist @itsmyworld23 @onlywhump @shr3ya @crotchgoblin69 @wtfevenisausername @pendarling

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

[raineandsky]

#13

tw: kidnapping

(Inspired by this tweet!)

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Back when they were kids they’d made a promise – if neither of them were married by twenty-five, they’d marry each other. It was a stupid number to choose, looking back on it, but kids wouldn’t know any better, would they?

The villain’s twenty-fifth birthday is approaching, not that it matters. Seventeen years changes a lot, and the two of them have more than gone their separate ways. The hero was promptly taken in by the agency, but the villain hadn’t been so blind to the company’s innocent facade, instead turning to their own prowess to make their way in life. The promise the two had so idly made on the playground that day couldn’t be further from reality anymore.

Besides, the villain won’t need it anyway. They’d met the civilian under… less than perfect circumstances, but she’d been more than accepting of their somewhat criminal identity. It seems it was something she was looking for, if her eagerness to get involved with their schemes is anything to go by. They hope they can find a ring as bright as her as soon as they get round to robbing that bank next week.

They’ve mentioned her to the hero offhandedly, sure, but they always assumed that their little lair in the basement of the abandoned hospital was enough to keep her away from the agency’s poor imitation of ‘good’. They know they’re wrong immediately when their favourite henchman meets them at the door, their expression somehow getting more downtrodden as they catch the villain’s gaze.

“Uh,” they say when the villain starts to breeze past them, and they pause to look back at them. “S-something happened whilst you were gone, I’m so sorry, we–”

“Spit it out,” the villain says flatly, and the henchman flinches slightly at their tone.

“You girlfriend.” The words that struggled so hard to be heard just a moment ago spill out like the henchman can’t control them. “It’s [Hero]. I’m so sorry, we tried to stop him but–”

They continue into the lair, leaving the henchman in an anxious mess by the door. They have all the information they need. They’re going to deal with it.

-

The hero has lived in the same shitty little house since the day they went their separate ways. A window cracked to let the breeze in, the light blinds drifting against the draft, gives the villain the perfect entrance as they clamber through and into the hero’s space.

They’re in the kitchen. The hero is sitting across from the window, bent over a bowl of cereal in the gloom of the lowered lights. There’s no way he doesn’t notice the villain standing in front of him, but his eyes don’t raise from the newspaper in front of him. 

He finally graces them with his attention when their dagger buries into the paper and half the table beneath it next to his hand. The action doesn’t even make him flinch, and he meets their gaze with lazy expectancy. 

“Where is she?” The words come out as a rough hiss, and the hero’s brows raise slightly at the question.

“Where’s who?” he asks innocently, and the villain has to take a deep breath to rein in their rage at his insolence. 

“You know who.” They tear the blade from the wood to jab it in his face, though he looks like he couldn’t care less. “My men told me exactly what you did.”

“Oh, yeah, that.” The hero gets to his feet with a groan, stretching slightly as he does. The villain’s impatience is wearing dangerously thin, but he doesn’t seem to care as he slowly ambles out of the kitchen and down the corridor outside.

He pauses outside a door, fishing a key from out of his pocket. “You’re not the only one with a basement,” is all he says before he swings the door open and descends into the darkness beyond. The villain follows him aimlessly, thankful when he flicks a light on at the bottom of the steps.

The doubt they had about why the hero is trying to lure them into his basement of all places dissipates when they lay their eyes on their civilian, tightly bound to an uncomfortable looking chair, dry tear tracks streaking her face. She heaves a deep breath when she sees them, but she doesn’t say anything. The villain doesn’t feel the same.

“Holy shit, [Civilian], thank god,” they say as they start towards her, but they pause in their tracks when the glint of metal behind her catches their attention. They were never one to find guns particularly graceful, but they’ve never wanted one more as the hero levels the barrel with her head.

“Break up with her,” he demands simply.

“What?” The single word is laced with confusion and worry.

The hero shrugs. “Break up with her.”

“Who the hell do you think I am?” The villain takes another step towards her, but the hero’s stare hardening into a warning stops them in their tracks. “I thought you were a hero. The agency can’t allow you to do this.”

“They don’t control my life outside of work. I do my job. That’s all they need to know.” He unlatches the safety with a metallic click, and she lets out a whimper at the sound. “You know what I want. Break up with her before I do it for you.”

“If this is your way of getting back at me for setting fire to that empty building the other day you’re really fucked in the head,” they snap coldly. Their hand brushes against the dagger tucked back inside their coat, but they know they can’t do much with it from here.

“Are you stupid? This isn’t about work,” he spits. “It’s not even about her. It’s about us.”

The villain didn’t think their confusion could get any deeper. “We haven’t been friends for a long time, [Hero].”

“I– I know. I don’t want to be friends.” His hand lowers, glancing at the gun in his grip for a moment. “We made a promise a long time ago. Do you remember?”

Of course they do. It was the peak of their friendship – they’d laughed and hooked pinky fingers, presenting each other with makeshift bouquets of daisies and dandelions before the bell rang for class. I want nothing more than to be as carefree as that again, they think distantly. “Yeah,” is what comes out instead.

“I want to make good on that promise,” the hero states bluntly, a newfound confidence in him as he levelly meets their gaze, the gun raised to the civilian again. “I haven’t seen anyone for a while now, especially for this. For you.”

“I have a girlfriend that you’re currently pointing a gun at,” the villain points out irritably.

“Not if you break up with her, you don’t.”

The villain drops their gaze to the girl in front of him. The skin on her wrists is raw from ropes tied too tight with inexperience, her usual perfectly done makeup running tracks down her face. Leaving her would mean marrying the hero.

They take a deep breath, meeting their girlfriend’s eye with a look they know she’ll recognise. “I’m sorry, [Civilian]. I have to break up with you.” Their voice is flat, and she dips her gaze with a short nod.

“Tell her you can’t see her again.”

The villain stares at the hero incredulously, only met with that same expectancy. “Are you serious?”

The hero bumps the barrel against the civilian for emphasis. “We’re going to get married, [Villain]. I don’t want you seeing your exes.”

They sigh deeply, trying to weave a way out of this as the hero adds more stitches. “I can’t see you again.”

The hero nods approvingly, finally dropping the gun back into his belt. “Good.”

-

A taxi rumbles up outside, and the villain carefully helps the civilian inside whilst the hero watches from the gate. He steps up behind them the moment the door shuts, putting a hand on their shoulder. They tense at the contact, fearing the worst.

“We should probably be comfortable living together if we’re going to get married,” he says lightly. His grip on them tightening threateningly as they stare longingly at the taxi. “I don’t think the glass on a taxi is bulletproof,” he adds when he feels their reluctance. He makes sure to shift his position so that the gun on his belt catches the light.

“Okay, fine, jesus.” They lean down to the taxi driver’s window to give him the civilian’s address.

“Aren’t you… coming home?” she asks uncertainly, and the villain averts their gaze to avoid having to see how worried she is.

“I’m sorry,” is all they can find to say, and they lean back from the car, letting it pull away from the curb and down the road. The civilian watches them from the back window, giving them an unsure wave before disappearing around the corner. 

“I’m so excited,” the hero continues, uncaring to the villain’s turmoil as they stare at the empty street. “We should start planning, hm?”

The hero guides them back into his house, and the villain is already devising a plan against him. If they can play up to his expectations they can catch him offguard. If their blade gets them out of the hero’s house and back to the civilian, they’ll use it. They’re going to leave this god forsaken place if it means the hero has to die for it.

(Part 2)

[writing-on-the-wahl]

An Undesirable Wedding

So @thepenultimateword started making prompt lists and now I have WAY too many ideas. There's more coming, but here is the sneak peek/teaser trailer for my first idea inspired by this lovely prompt by @thepenultimateword (original can be found on this prompt list):

9. Hero was supposed to marry Villain. But now Hero is dead. Apparently, Sidekick is next best, so they've been put in their ex-colleague's place.

“Absolutely not.”

Sidekick crossed her arms, mentally throwing daggers across the table.

Superhero lounged back in his chair, completely unaffected by her mental blades.

“The wedding is in three days. This is not up for debate.”

Sidekick slid the papers in front of her back across the table in disgust, then leaned back in her chair, mimicking Superhero. “You’re right, it’s not. I refuse.”

Superhero straightened, his swivel chair sliding back a few inches with the abrupt motion.

“Stop being so difficult about this, Sidekick.” He gave her a condescending frown. “Think about what will happen to the city if—”

Sidekick slammed her hand on the table.

The unflappable Superhero jumped a little.

“I don't care if this city crashes and burns.” She rose to her feet, waving at the papers littering the table. “I will never walk down the aisle wearing that dress.”

Supervillain gaped up at her. “Sidekick—”

She stormed across the room, ignoring the leader of the heroes calling out behind her. She paused at the door to throw one last parting remark over her shoulder. “And I loathe roses, so the flowers are out too.”

General Taglist:

@im-a-wonderling @shieldmaiden-of-gondor @watercolorfreckles @distance-does-not-matter @onestopheroxvillain @lolafaiy @chaoticgoodandi @1becky1 @tobeornottobeateacher @himynameisorla @superherosweet @brekker-by-brekkerr @crazytwentythrees @great-day-today @sunflower1000@selectivegeekwithstandards @chibicelloking @trantolette @sapphiques @jinpanman @genesissane @wish1bone1 @amongtheonedaisy @distractedlydistracted @kitsunesakii @glitterythief @jinx1365 @cherrychewingbrat @in-patient-princess @thepenultimateword @sorrow-and-bliss @technikerin23 @deflated-bouncingball @talesofurbania1 @rivalriotrenegade @valiantlytransparentwhispers

[quirkwizard]

What would a combination of Sludge Body and Copy create?

New Quirk Name: Symbiotic

This Transformation type Quirk allows the user to break down their body into a semi-amorphous state, making them more flexible. When touching another Quirk user, the user can envelop and then remove themselves from their target's body, using this process to copy their Quirk. This grants the user all the information about the Quirk in the process, able to use it as their own. The user can either apply this off the target or while they are still on another person, able to extend the range and capabilities of the Quirk while on the original user. If the user and the target have a different Quirk, they can use their abilities in tandem with each other. The user can stick to people without copying their Quirk. This gives the user a lot of versatility, capable of strengthening themselves and their allies with the power of their enemies. If nothing else, the amorphous state can work to mitigate damage and undermine an enemy's ability to move, making it good for insurance. The user can only copy one Quirk at a time and they will lose it in five minutes. The Quirk is heavily dependent on whatever other Quirks may be around them. The user can still be damaged and knocked off of a target.