Writing Snippet - Blog Posts

Snippet #6(part 2)

part 1

By @writingpromptsworld

The hero's heartbeat sped up, their eyes widening. Their child tapped on their shoulder from behind. "Who is it?"

The villain was looking around, taking a knife out of the knife holder and examining it closely. The hero gulped, they couldn't let their younger one see this. They turned around, and tried to muster up a smile.

"Stay here, okay? Don't make a noise, I've got this. You'll be fine, I promise." The hero said, but the teenager shook their head, not convinced at all. The hero put their hands on the other's one shoulders, and squeezed lightly. "Do you trust me?" They asked. The fourteen-year old nodded their head quickly.

"Of course, I do. But-."

"I'll be cautious, I promise. Just stay here, alright?" The hero questioned, and then threw a glance behind them. The other one nodded hesitantly and hero planted a kiss on their forehead before motioning for their child to go upstairs. The other one followed the hero's instructions and made it upstairs without a noise. The hero turned around.

The villain stood in front of them, inches away. "Oh. Hi, old friend." They murmured, voice low, their mouth stretched into a wide smile. The hero's stomach churned, their heart clenching and unclenching.

The hero stayed silent. The villain took a step forward. "Long time no see, huh?" They asked, their eyes glinting with the same excitement as they did back in their college days, but now, it was different. Everything was different.

The hero scoffed, glancing away, even though not wanting to. "Long time no see, indeed." They replied.

The villain raised their eyebrows. "How have you been?"

The hero frowned, the question making them visibly cringe. How had they been? Really? They were acting so normal, like two old friends meeting each other after a long time. But they weren't friends (or anything more for that matter) anymore, they were enemies. The villain looked at them expectantly for an answer.

"How have I been? Funny you ask that. Because I've been very well, unlike someone else." The hero tilted their head, lips pressed tightly. A challenge in their eyes.

The villain nodded solemnly, their head suddenly bowing down. "Of course not, I've been very well too."

"Is that so?" The hero questioned, taking a step closer. The pang in their chest tightening by every minute passing.

"Yes." The villain sighed. They lifted their head up, and the hero could make out the watery glint that shone from their eyes.

"Well, if you've had enough greeting me, then I advice you leave."

"Not yet. I want to talk to you-" Before the villain could even finish, sirens ran outside the hero's house. The hero's eyes widened. The villain looked at them as if they had betrayed them. The hero stood their confused. Who had called the police? The realization struck them when their child came running down the stairs.

The villain's eyes moved to the fourteen year-old and then back to meet the hero's eyes. It would be another few days before they could finally talk, like the villain wanted to.

The villain took their flee before the alarmed police could catch them.

Prompt #57

(Tw: suicide)

It was silly, really. The villain thought. These cat and mouse games, chasing each other down with hunger in their eyes, and a mutual desire in their body craving for each other but never once spoken of. They hoped one day that they could have the hero to all themself, never sharing it to the world.

The hero laughed bitterly in their dimly lit office, hearing the other one’s thoughts in their mind, before slitting their wrists.

Snippet #12

The hero blinked, trying to clear their vision. And, when they did, they saw the villain. Sitting tall, their arms mindlessly playing with a steel chain. The villain looked up.

“Oh, you’re awake.” The villain said, cocking their head to the right, measuring up the hero. “I thought you’d never wake up again, silly me.” They chuckled.

“Where am I?” The hero asked, perplexed. They attempted to move their head around but it hurt. Everything hurt. Moving hurt even more. They coughed a little.

“You’re…well, I can’t exactly tell you, you see. What I can tell you is that you’re safe here. With me.” The villain murmured, standing up from the chair they were sitting in and walking to the hero, who slowly awakened more and more. The villain strolled to them and sat down on the bed besides the hero.

“And, how do I know I’m safe? With you of all people?” The hero’s pained voice cut through the cold air, and the villain subtly shivered.

“I haven’t hurt you anywhere, have I?” The villain said, raising their eyebrows. The hero sat up and checked their face and body for any signs of harm. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. How?

“Why am I here, then? Did you kidnap me?” The hero squinted, their mouth turned into a frown.

“No, no.” The villain loudly laughed as if this was all a joke to them. “We were fighting and when I was about to strike you, you fainted on me. Literally in my arms.” They said, with a little smile.

The hero’s face went red, embarrassment coursing though their entire face. They nervously scoffed. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Unfortunately. I really wanted to win with that strike, but then you just went off on me.” The villain pouted, and the hero, god forbid, thought it was cute. They shook their head, this wasn’t the time. They needed to get back to their agency as soon as possible.

“Look, thank you for “saving” me. But like, I really need to go now.” The hero muttered, moving their legs to stand up. The villain protested, but they didn’t listen, and just as they stood up, they fell on the floor on their knees.

The hero frowned and then groaned, unknown weakness making them dizzy. "Did you...drug me?" They asked.

The villain came behind them and helped to get them on their feet. "No, I gave you some meds. But you're still dizzy, which means you need food and water in your system." They guided the hero to the bed again, and sat them down. "I'll be back with some food, and some water for you. Stay here. Don't move, okay?"

The hero nodded, hesitantly. They felt confused, why was the villain being so nice? Why were they helping them? All kinds of questions formed in their head but before they could ask them the villain disappeared out of the room.

Snippet #9

The hero screamed in agony as the blood oozed out of his body, and into the pool of liquid beside him. His voice echoed in the empty vast sky, and then nothing. An anguished silence. And then, a thud. He fell on his back, the villain going out of his vision for a second.

As if on cue, or maybe it was just mocking him, it started raining. Heavy droplets made his eyes so heavy, he fought to open them. The villain stayed where he was, a knife dripping blood mixed with the rain, onto the wet ground. The hero's breathing slowed.

"Why." He choked, his body nearly tearing itself apart by the force it took to say that. He shivered, the coldness of the raindrops getting to him. He tried inhaling. His lungs hurt, and his heart more. The villain dropped to his knees, his eyes filling with tears. He bawled. The hero's ears rang with the noise.

"I love you, but...but I couldn't. I couldn't be better for you. Loving me comes with a price." The villain rasped, he dropped the knife and walked to the lying figure. His gaze crossed with the hero's as he continued, "This is the price." The hero's heart clenched. He had failed. Failed to change the villain. Failed to save him. Failed to save himself. Failed himself. He breathed out last time, before his body gave up.

(Not me listening to "Stalker's Tango" by Autoheart while writing this. The song goes perfectly with it though)

Snippet #7

(Part-1)

“Soooooo…you need my help?” The villain questioned, smugness plastered on their face. The hero had come banging on their doors at 5 in the morning, disheveled. A number of thoughts had begun to form in their mind, at the sight of the hero but they had pressed them down, and let the hero in any way. Oh, how they had fallen for the other.

“Yes, you could say so, I guess.” The hero replied, glancing around from where they were sitting on the couch opposite the villain.

"Oh, and why would I help you? What's in it for me?" The villain asked, their eyes glinting with mischief one could almost miss, but the hero saw it more clearly than ever.

Originally, the hero hadn't intended to come to the villain and beg for help. But, when the superhero told them that 'there was nothing they could do except, go to the villain for help if they wanted to take down the supervillain',they were forced to show up at the other's doorstep. They sighed and then inhaled the coffee smell that was getting stronger with every passing second. They gazed at the villain's cup, brown liquid omitting hot air into the room.

"Well, there is less competition for you when -if- we defeat the supervillain. What else would you want?" The hero explained, steadily. They suppressed the urge to yawn, as the villain sipped their coffee calmly. Cursing internally to the superhero, they waited for the villain's answer.

"While you're quite right, that there would be less competition for me. There would, however, inevitably be more enemies as well. So, my point is, I want something that would promise me a satisfactory future." The villain grinned, finishing. They put down their cup and watched the hero with anticipating eyes. For a minute, the hero stayed silent. The silence felt immense while the birds sang outside in the trees.

"And, what is that?" The hero pronounced, hesitantly, an annoyed edge lacing through their words. The villain was testing their patience on this awful morning, and they were not up for it. They should have just told the superhero to meet the villain themself, they thought. But, then again, the superhero gave them the orders, not the other way around.

"I want you to make a deal with me, that in the future, you will protect me from my dear enemies, as well as share your little secretive missions that are beneficial to me." The villain declared, confident with what they just proposed. The hero deflated. This was not what they expected, they expected something like a million dollars or entry to the city's security system. But this, this was very unpredicted.

"I get the mission part, but why would you want my protection? I mean, come on, you're the biggest criminal in the city, no one would dare to take you in a fight." The hero wondered, a bit confused. The room was quite dark, with little to no light. They could barely make out the villain's silhouette.

"Well, speak for yourself, sweetheart. You're one of the biggest and the most famous heroes of the city, of course, you'd be able to protect me if you wanted to. Every villain knows how honored you are for your missions. Some would go as far as to say they admire you, but that's beside the p-,"

"Do you admire me?" The hero interrupted, sudden curiosity making its way to them.

"I-, what?" The villain frowned, dumbfounded.

"I said, do you admire me?" The hero repeated, tilting their head. Honestly, what was going on with them? Why did they want to know? They should be finishing this ASAP and getting to their fucking bed to get a wink of sleep, they haven't slept in the last 48 hours for god's sake. But, here they were, asking the villain ridiculous questions.

"I mean, sure. Yeah." The villain said, shrugging. They picked up their coffee and started taking little sips of it. For some reason, they had begun to feel hot. This was so unexpectant of the hero, for they were always so professional. This was anything but professional, from what they could tell. And, perhaps, it was true. They always did admire the hero, just like they admired their dad, who was the superhero.

Snippet #6

(Part 1…?)

“We used to be best friends,” The hero murmured, gazing out the window of their room. The moon shining so bright, they tore their eyes from it. The light shining through the glass, illuminating the whole place up. They sighed. “Perhaps, something more intimate that I refused to put a name on. We both refused to.”

“Dad, were you guys more than friends?” The hero’s child, a fourteen-year-old, asked them. Their eyes animated with wonder, their lips curved up a little. The hero chuckled, as they patted the teenager’s head.

“You should go to sleep now, hmm? It’s getting late.” The hero murmured, moving from the place they were standing and striding to where the other was sitting on the bed.

“Buttttttt, I have to know.” The fourteen-year-old whined, shaking their head as their parent picked them from the bed by their arm, in one sweep. “Where are they now? Do you know?” They asked again.

“No, I don’t know where he is right now, and nor do I wish to.” The hero said, eyes filling with suppressed sadness, their voice cracking. They tried to stay calm as memories of their college days came crushing in all at once, fogging their whole mind. Suddenly, they felt dizzy as they let go of the confused teenager’s arm, and sat down on the bed.

It was now or never. Every time they had this conversation, it would end with the hero staying silent the end, not wanting to bring up any reminders of the villain. They could not tell the younger one, that their best friend was none other than the most wanted criminal in the entire city. It would be too much, for both of them. Every time the assignment of finding the villain was assigned to him, they would always decline it. They couldn’t afford to meet the villain let alone, catch them. It would break them, unwillingly.

Yet, they couldn’t bury it all down again. Not when the kid was getting nothing but smarter every day, wiser. Mature. It felt wrong to hide their history any longer than they had been. So, they took a deep breath and let it all out. They told the fourteen-year-old everything that he had been wanting to, everything they didn’t tell anyone else, not even their ex-partner. Perhaps, that’s why when their partner felt that they weren't the one the hero was looking for, they decided to set them both free.

The teenager listened intently, asking their parent questions here and there. Frowning at various times, and laughing at others. It was a roller coaster of emotions, if you asked them.

“So…you still love them then?” They questioned, eyes brows raised.

The hero glanced away, wiping away the tears that unknowingly left out of their eyes, “I wish I could say no, but yes. Yes, I do love-," Before the hero could finish his sentence, there was a big thud from the kitchen. The teenager glanced at their dad, their eyes filled with surprise.

They both quickly but quietly made their way to the kitchen, the hero in the front, while their child trailed behind.

When they peeked out behind the wall of the kitchen, the hero's heart stopped. The villain stood there, appearing smug.

Prompt #39

Cw: Drug use

The villain's head throbbed with pain, as they willed themself to sit up. The room was dark, with barely any light. A tiny ray of shine was coming from the window on the right, and they exhaled. Before they could figure out where they were, footsteps echoed in the room, nearing them in the passing seconds.

"Finally awake, are we?" The person spoke, the all-too-familiar voice. The villain recognized it almost immediately but still had difficulty making out what the other was saying. They blinked a few times to make his eyes focus, and brain, work. However, to their veil, it didn't work. Not really.

"Where am I?" The villain whispered into the dark, their throat so dry, it felt like he had just swallowed a handful of sand. A scared feeling crawled up their spine, raising goosebumps in its wake. The hero's voice frightening them, making them feel so small.

"You're in my office. I'm supposed to hold you hostage, until the morning." The hero uttered lazily. Unaware of how the villain's body was shaking, crawling itself in. They forced themself to say something.

"I-...I don't understand." The villain said, gulping.

"I drugged you and then brought you here. Now, do you understand?" The hero asked, an irritated edge accompanying their words. The villain closed in on themself even more and nodded in the pitch black. They blamed themself for ever believing the hero and they had anything going on between them. Clearly not.

Prompt #37

“I have nyctophilia.” The villain stated, strolling away into his huge apartment. The hero raised an eyebrow, staying where he was. He couldn’t see a damn thing, aside from the outlines of the couches and the villain standing in front of him.

“What does that mean?” The hero wondered, his eyes roaming around, trying to adjust to the midnight glow.

“It means that I find comfort in the darkness. A kind of peace.” The villain explained, his back turned to the hero.

“Oh, well. Can you turn on the lights for now? I can barely see anything.” The hero mumbled, quietly. It felt so intimate to be standing here with the villain, lights turned off, in the avid blackness. Exquisitely, almost.

“Why? You don’t like it?” The villain retorted, half-chuckling. He turned around and faltered to where the hero was.

The hero scoffed, “No. I’m not you, after all.” The villain came to a halt about an inch away from him, and his breathing quickened.

“You don’t have to be me to enjoy the dark, we all have it inside us. We just refuse to accept it, darling.” The villain whispered, his voice deep. Honey-like, the hero thought. Soothing, yet shriveling. He shuddered.

“Don’t call me that. I have a girlfriend.” The hero hissed. That was a lie, he knew. But, he refused to give in to the other man’s flirting. He was on a mission, for god’s sake. Why couldn’t the villain be serious for once?

The villain snorted, “Sure, you do.” He went away to turn on the switch, but stumbled on one of the couches that was placed on the left, lost his balance and fell down facing the floor.

❌Credit me if use this❌

Snippet #5

"Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. All you are is, pathetic." The villain hushed, the words getting carried into the darkness of nothing but a singular light coming from the window on his left. Silence.

The hero scoffed and then half-laughed, "At least, I'm not a loser who the world is behind." His hands itched against the ropes that held him together. They weren't too tight, if he wished, he could untie himself and run away. But, he wanted to spend some more time with the villain, something he shouldn't be doing on his mission. Inappropriate. Who could blame him though? The villain's tactics to gain his attention were too cute.

"Oh come on, darling. We both know you're jealous of me because I'm more famous than you." The villain said, with an almost childish smile on his face. The hero sighed.

"Hmm, what can I say? Of course, I'd be jealous of such a pretty face." The hero let on, grinning. The blush that crept on the villain's face, was worth everything. Widened eyes stared back at him in amusement. He wasn't normally the one to flirt, but today somehow felt different. A gained confidence, a crush to make blush. The villain smirked, after regaining his composure.

"You're not so bad yourself, Gorgeous." The villain said back, eyes gleaming with excitement. And, now it was time for the hero to blush as his body ran with adrenaline, warmness flooding through. His heart raced. He felt himself untying the ropes, and standing up. The villain raised his eyebrows, not moving. The hero walked towards the villain and handed him the rope.

"Try harder next time, sweetheart." The hero whispered in the villain's ear, who was standing there, stunned. And, before he could even react, the hero took off running. The villain cursed under his breath and ran after him.

❌ Not a prompt ❌

Snippet #3

The villain came forward, slow and unwavering. A mask was plastered on his face, but it failed to disguise his face completely. The hero recognized him immediately.

The ballroom echoed with music all around. People laughed and danced with joy spilling out of them. Each one of them was dressed in fancy gowns and suits. Everyone was having fun, except the hero.

Damn this mission, the hero thought.

The villain let on an almost sweet smile as he reached close to the hero. "May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, handsome?" The hero's heartbeat rose. Suffocating him, the room was.

The hero glanced around, begging for someone to come for him and stop this from happening. No one came. He hesitated, before giving his hand to the villain and letting him guide him.

The villain led him to the dance floor, and let his hands fall to the hero's waist. The hero felt himself doing the same.

"You know, the mask doesn't help in hiding your pretty face." The villain whispered in the hero's ears. His hands tightening around the hero's waist.

"I never meant to." The hero returned, suddenly confidence. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right, he thought, as he squeezed the villain's waist back.

❌Not a prompt ❌

Snippet #1

“Oops, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spill your coffee Mist-…” the hero trailed off, his eyes locking with a familiar face. There stood the villain, frozen in place. “What are you doing here?” The hero asked, bringing back his voice that was abruptly cut off midway.

“I could ask the same. This is my area, so what are you doing here?” The villain threw back. The barista behind the counter looked between them. The hero sensed it, and was glad that the villain wore a mask all the time so no one would be able to recognize him.

The hero quickly apologized to the barista, ignoring the villain’s eyes on him. He picked up some tissues and cleaning the floor. The drink had only spilled a little, so it didn’t take long to wipe it. He then grabbed the villain by his arm, and took him outside the cafe. The villain followed him with both of his eyebrows shot up.

“Since when was this your area? And, anyway it doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be roaming around in a place like a cafe, you can get caught. You don’t want that, do you?” The hero questioned, looking around. His lips pressed together in a firm line.

“Now, why would you care if I get caught, hmm?” The villain shot back, suddenly appearing smug. He carefully pushed the hero backwards to the wall. “Unless, of course, you fear that you’ll miss me if they take me away.” He murmured, inching his face slowly near the hero’s.

The hero gave a grin, “Exactly, I’d miss you too much if they take you away from me. I would miss your face, your lips, your…” His eyes tracked down, making the villain widen his eyes and face, flush.

❌Not a prompt❌

✂️Snippet #1

This is an unedited old draft for chapter one I had, but I’m not using it anymore so I might as well post it here :)

Magnus drew the string back, arrow pointed at the back of the beast’s neck. It lurked around, scanning the forest for any sign of life. It didn’t look up though, where Magnus was perched in the branches, waiting for the right moment to strike. It has to be a killing shot, the lessons of his grandmother rushed back. Many late evenings spent training in the yard behind their house, drilling lesson after lesson into him. It was lucky for him that she was so strict.

He released the arrow, the silver tip glinting in the sunlight through the leaves. It pierced the monster’s flesh, lodging itself deep enough in its neck to hit a pressure point. There was no scream or howl from the thing, only the whistle as the arrow whizzed toward its prey, and a low whine as the beast realized it was going to die.

Magnus jumped down from the tree. The killing always happened so fast, one slash of a sword or the whir of an arrow racing through the air. He watched as his prey flopped over, the grass underneath it wilting and turning a dull brown color. It was as if the life was sucked out of the earth where the monster stood.

“Be lucky you can’t be used for food.” He muttered. It made a low growl, like a threat, but the sound was more pathetic than threatening. He gripped the arrow, ripping it from the beast’s neck. Unlike an animal, the monster died fast, its body crumbling to ash.

Magnus quickly bent down, gathering a pinch of the ash before the wind blew it away. He put it into a small vile and stored it away in his pocket before leaving

Leaving my world at your care

prompt: “I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but whatever happens, please… take care of my cat.”

She had an hour.

And she used to go to him.

Heroine stepped through the boy’s dorms as quietly and as quickly as she could. None of the guys were out, probably scared of the punishments for dismissing bed-time.

It didn’t matter to her.

In less than an hour, she would be too far away from the academy. Which was terrifying, but meant that she could forget about certain rules.

Just as she started to enjoy her little rebellious freedom, she found his dorm. The headboy’s dorm. Her sole rival.

The stakes were too high to care about whether or not she obeys bedtime.

She took out the key bunch she had in her pocket, which she was given by her homeroom teacher to help him ensure no troubles were made inside the dorms.

“The teacher’s bunch? hm, you know, acting like a complete nerd won’t help you become smarter than me.”

“Maybe. But it will help me sneak mice into your room.”

Now Rival will learn his lesson.

She searched for the right key and unlocked the door, a bit at unease from the audible sounds the lock made.

Surprisingly, the room was not entirely dark. Rival’s windows were open and the full moon shed some light inside.

He was not in his bed.

Instead, he was sprawled over his table, his neck placed on his bookand his back crooked onward. This did not seem comfortable. And it would hurt when he wakes up.

“How come no one invented a way to not be stiff after sitting…?”

“You mean like, stretching?”

“...”

“Nerd.”

She knew that this astronomy exam stressed everyone, but she didn’t imagine him like… He looked so tired. Perhaps she teased his last score too much. 

and she had no time to help now.

I’m scared, too.

Heroine got closer to him, and raised her hand to his shoulder, but then froze.

He had enough to worry about, and she doesn’t know how he would react to her request- Nor what he will imagine is the reason for such a strange plea…

Right now, at least one of them got to rest.

But it wasn’t just her on the line anymore. She cannot just keep these problems to herself. And maybe, somehow, she had a feeling that he would rather know.

“Hey, Rival,”

She touched his shoulder lightly. It took a moment before there was any reaction. He groaned a bit, still resting his face above his arm. He turned to her side, opening his eyelids in a rusty way.

Heroine couldn’t help but smile at his widened, chestnut eyes.

“Heroine…?”

His voice was barely audible. 

“Yes, it’s me. I came to… well…”

She took a moment to collect the right words. The stakes were high, but she couldn’t stress him more than needed.

He brought his head up and straightened himself. Looking right at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Nothing, yet. But not for long.

“I need a favor from you.”

He nodded slightly and waited. Looking more serious than she ever saw him.

She didn’t want this. She wanted to comment on his messy bed hair and banter and see his smirk and just go back to her normal life.

“I will leave the school for a while and… and I cannot take my…”

She took a big breath.

“My cat. She’ll have to stay here and she doesn’t trust anyone besides… Will you please…”

“I will take care of Nova.”

Rival tried to smile reassuringly, still looking a bit tense. But the promise meant the world to her. 

Heroine smiled for a bit, too.

“Thank you, I don’t know what I… How would I leave without knowing she’s safe.”

But both of their smiles died down quickly.

“...where are you going?”

She inhaled, hoping to keep herself calm. And him, too.

“I do not know, but I have to. And… and I want to.”

He stared at her for a moment. He still looked tired, but also tense, and… and something else.

“Is it dangerous?”

Yes. I’m scared, Rival.

“I cannot tell you, Rival. This is my own problem.”

“Hero-”

“I never wanted to get you involved. But it’s… Nova, she doesn’t trust anyone besides me, and well…”

and you.

“You can get me involved in everything,”

He said, standing up and holding her gaze.

“Whatever this is, I can help. Please, I never saw you this anxious.”

He extended his hand towards hers, not quite touching, but closer than ever.

She closed the gap, holding his hand.

I’ll miss you, Rival.

Heroine then came forward, hugging him.

He was surprised, but accepting. Wrapping his arms around her himself. It felt nice and warm, and Heroine held him like she’d hold the last piece of normalcy she had.

Her clock buzzed. It was midnight.

“I need to go.”

Heroine said, not moving yet. She felt him sighning and nodding. 

They slowly let go of each other, and Heroine took out the key bunch and gave it to him. For one last moment, he held her hands.

“I won't let you down. I’ll take care of her for as long as needed.”

“Thank you, Rival.”

Heroine started walking away, she opened the door, and looked back once more. Rival’s deep brown eyes were still on her. Still too fearful for her liking.

“I will come back, as soon as possible. Enjoy being the top student while you can.”

She meant it. She will return, maybe sooner than expected. She will come back and hug him again and banter and hold Nova and stress about their exams and everything will be normal.

He smiled at her, hope and playfulness in his eyes. That was how she wanted to remember him.

“Enjoy being a dork in the outside world, nerd.”

“Oh, I will.”

Heroine closed the door and went her way, walking with ease. Knowing that she will return She will come back to hug him again and banter and hold Nova and stress about their exams and everything will be normal.

knowing all of that, Heroine walked into the night with confident steps.

I was grateful for the warmth of my horse's neck. I held on to her as she galloped through the city, skillfully going around people who ran everywhere. Searching for shelter in the night, but Only worsening the chaos.

Another lighting struck a building me, causing another yell of screams.

"EVERYONE HOME NOW!"

I shouted, praying that my voice is heard to all through the thunderstorm.

"DIRECT ORDER FROM THE KING!"

"HOME NOW!"

My horse, steadfast as she was, ran through every street. Inspired by her persistence, I kept yelling to the crowd. Ignoring the thunders, the pouring rain and my rattling sword.

We kept going until the crowds dissapeared. I whispered to my horse to slow down, caressing her neck. I allowed myself to lead her to a small market stall, where we could rest from the rain.

Maybe, just maybe, we finished our part. Maybe our night now ends.

"HELP!"

Of course.

I jumped down and ran towards the voice.

"My sister!

She is stuck under the fallen tree!"

I turned and searched for a tree in my eyes, but there is no... NO

The sound of an unleashed sword stood out against the rain.

I sprut towards my horse, but my sheeth was already empty.

Of course. Someone will try to use this disaster.

This will be a long night.

I saw the blade's shine from above me, and recognized a person climbing the nearby stone building.

She balanced herself on a window, then swiftly brought herself to the next.

"Halt!"

Whether she heard me or not, she made no sign to care. So be it.

I got on my horse and stood up on her saddle. My legs shook, but I managed to hold on to grab at the side of the closet window. I tried to move legs up to it, thankful for the empty street. There was no crowd who saw me wobbling in my armor. I looked up to the stranger, she watched me from afar. I couldn't see her face well, but her head was tilted to the side in an amused way.

I let go of the window's side and started taking off my armor, leaving only a dirty shirt to fend me from the cold. Slowly but surely, I climbed up.

I was cold, clumsy and sluggish, but had a small smirk as I managed to make my progress. This troublemaker picked the wrong knight.

The roof was just above me.

I raised my hand to climb there, and a lighting struck above it. It was the closet one I saw. I would want to believe that it's power made me tremble, but nothing but my own terror caused me to lose my grip.

I fell and- No.

A hand caught my arm, and I grabbed the roof tightly. I felt myself being pulled up signed in relief as rested on concrete matter.

The woman crouched down next to me. Her hood's shadow covered her eyes, but I could see her cocky grin clearly.

"You screamed a little, sir craven."

This could go unmentioned.

I inhaled and looked right into her.

"Thank you,"

The cold was taking it's tall at my exposed skin as I tried to keep my voice confident.

"But I cannot let you steal a weapon of the king's knights.

Tell me where the sword is and we both can go home safely."

Just let us go home.

"I have no evil motive,"

She said assuredly.

"It is right there."

She turned around and I could see my sword.

It was a few meters behind her, emedded in the center of the roof.

"And it needs to stay here. This is the only way to keep the lightings at bay."

She did not sound like she was lying.

And if she had any intent to harm me, she would have already done so.

But danger wears many faces.

I started getting up.

"I am sorry, it is my role t-"

A radiant white light crossed from the sky to the roof.

By incstinct, I tackled onto the hooded woman and placed myself between her and the light. I stayed above her, careful not to let us touch and make us both defensless.

Shaking, I waited for a strike.

"We are safe, craven."

Her voice was so sweet, I could barely tell it was the same person.

"Look."

I slowly opened my eyes.

Her hood fell, and revealed a freckled face and a beaming, knowing smile. Her sparkling, green eyes gestured to the sword.

I unwillingly turned back to it.

It was magic.

The very next lighting struck it as well.

"How?"

Her smile grew brighter.

"A witch never tells."

The white lights only highlighted her eyes. She was far more mirthful than I ever thought a witch would be. Far bolder and kinder, too.

I realized that I was smiling as well.

"Also, you have an awful method to protect someone from a lighting."

She said, deciding I was too happy.

"But, thank you, you are..."

Her smile turned softer.

"Yes?"

I urged her to continue. It was my turn to smirk.

"You are not as much as a craven as you seem."

I tilted my head, still smirking.

"Try not to drool too much, my lady."

She merely rolled her eyes and I laughed. Feeling safe for the first time since the night came.

My smile died down when she started getting up.

"Thank you for your chivalry,"

The witch said, pushing dirt of her cloth.

"and the amusement, of course."

I moved aside to let her stand, yet my eyes were unable to let go of her. I did not even know her name.

"But it seems like your duty is done and mi-"

"Wait, just..."

She did.

The cold barely mattered anymore. I searched for a reason, an excuse, for her not to leave. The way her eyes stared into me made it seem like she was looking for an excuse, too.

"Tell me what is needed to protect the city,"

I said then. Praying that the glint in her eyes was not just my imagination.

"I can get more weapons, and people who will embed them wherever is required."

The witch merely stared at me. Looking for any sign of dishonesty. Then her childish grin came right back.

"If you manage to climb down without fainting, I might just cooperate, sir craven."

Her taunt only made me smile.

"Your challenge is accepted, my lady."

I gestures to the roof's end, bowing a bit. She bowed dramatically, holding her hood with both hands as a dress. Her movements were swift and gallant as she jumped to the window, and soon I started following her.

There was a long night ahead of us.I did not mind that at all.

Chess Partner

Rival had that glint in his eyes, she noticed, the one he recently has when they play.

"Things don't look too well for you, don't they?"

The perfect, still, poker-face Heroine mastered kept away any information he tried to get.

"That is what you have said last time."

He frowned a bit, but his eyes kept their shine.

"So you do have a plan..."

"Hopefully."

"Then I shouldn't eat your knight..."

"If you doing this is in my plan."

Rival leaned in and squinted at her. Sometimes, just sometimes, he was too dangerously cute. Heroine hated to admit that to herself, but the way her lips urged to smile at his sight left no doubt.

"So you DO want me to do this...!"

"You can try to interogate me all day, or actually think for yourself."

Hero almost let out a chuckle as she answered. He pouted again, adding a frown and a crooked nose. She finally let out a laugh, dropping her straight face.

"You're a pleasure to play with..."

Rival was quite for a moment, his smile was... It has never been that soft. God her heart beat so fast.

"I can say the same for you."

He blushed a little and looked away. Scratching his scalp, Heroine used the distraction to take mental notes.

He brushed his hair, which she doesn't remember him doing in any other day they met. A warmth grew in her as she hoped that she read the signs right. His clothes were nicer, too. He replaced the usual seeatshirt and sweatpants with a polo shirt and jeans. The shirt's sleeves were shorter, which was nice and...

He has a scar. Right at the back of his forearm, barely noticeable.

"That's it. I'm not eating that. It reeks with a scheme."

Hero knows that scar. And she knows that man. Villain grinned at her.

"Knew this was your plan. Scared now?"

She immediately returned her poker face.

"Plans change."

She played her move quickly and quietly. Villain took some time but made finished his turn.

"I'm gonna win this time, I can feel it."

Hero didn't respond or banter back. She didn't say anything for the next few turns, no matter what he tried to do to tease or make her laugh. He grew more worried each turn.

"Hey ummm..."

She needs to finish this and think of the next step. This was her chance to catch him once and for all.

"You good?"

Looking up, she noticed his worried expression. It was completely geniune when she smiled and reassured him.

"Yes, just got lost in thoughts for a bit."

He smiled back.

"I actually had something weighing on me too, mind if...?"

"Go ahead."

He took a big breath. That moment, she knew what was about to happen. What she wished one of them will be brave enough for. She wished for this ever since they first played her. Ever since he truly challenged her. Ever since he took his loss with a laugh and adoring eyes.

"I know we only ever meet here to play, and that I have annoying jokes and... And an annoying self..."

Even the dread she felt didn't stop her from chuckling.

"But I like... I don't know... This. Playing wit- Even when you win. So you I thought..."

The fact that she knew of his identity didn't stop the butterflies she felt. Making her wish he was who she sees now. Just a softhearted, clever guy she met at an urban chess.

"We could go get ice cream aft-, or something less childis- I mean... Well you-"

This is her chance. Even if not for love. She showed him the best smile she could master.

"How about coffee tomorrow? I know a perfect place."

A coffee shop 50 meters away from a police station. It will be easy.

He smiled shyly and let out of all the air he held in his lungs.

"Sounds perfect..."

His blushed and relieved face turned her stomach. Imagining how he'd look at her tomorrow, when he'll realize who she really is.

But now Heroine must forget about it. She'll smile and laugh and be happy, genuinely happy, that they like each other.

They were chess partners, and she can't allow him to guess her next move.

"You'll be left alone here."

Hero didn't even look back. Seemingly not hearing him as she looked for arrows on the ground.

Villain stood at the other side of the room, gripping the rusty dorknob.

"This is hopeless."

She made no indication that she heard him. Only threw a chair that stood between her and a single, glinting arrow.

She then moved next to the arrowslit, trying her bow with it. Not sparing him a glance.

"Do you have death wish? Hero, they have spears and axes and torches- This whole town will turn to ashes."

She kept watching the window. Her posture tense and her breaths shallow.

"Her-"

"Then go,"

Her voice came out as a whisper.

"I am not stopping you."

To that, he found himself to be at loss for words. Because somehow, she did. His nerves urged him to run away, but he could only stand there watching her.

He knew that running away is what he needs to do now.He knew that these bastards marching here will take no prisoners. He knew Hero will not move from where she stands, prepairing to delay the mob for as long as she breaths. Ready to give her life for a chance that the townspeople will manage to get away.

Curse her tenacious soul.

She slightly tilted her face towards him. But in moment they locked eyes she seemed almost... surprised. As if she didn't expect him to still be there.

"You do not have to stay."

She said softly, fully looking at him now. She was battle-ready, but her rich walnut eyes shone with something softer. Will this be the last time he sees them?

"No."

She frowned, studying him carefully.

"Hero, please, this is crazy. How many do you think you'll take? And for WHAT?"

He gestured outside, where panicked families ran away as fast as they could.

"For som- some FOOLS who brought hell upon themeselve?"

"What did they ever do for you? What could possibly ever make you face an army for them!? Th-"

"But you are still here, too."

Hero's voice turned almost hopeful.

Villain looked aside. He should not be here. Maybe he was the crazy one.

"Some things in life are worth protecting. Even from an army."

He didn't even look at her, but could tell that she said it with a smile.

"I know you had it rough, we both had, but can you not imagine this?"

He dared looking back at her. Her eyes stayed steady on him.

"Having something you will fight for until your last breath?"

The way she said it was filled with purpose and hope and... and maybe even...

Before he thought of it, he took out his sword and stepped closer to her. She turned to face him, a relived smile on her features. Her shoulders relaxed when he gently touched her cheek.

A first wave of rushing warriors could be seen from the arrowslit.

"I can, actually."

hot vs cold

Hero groaned, pulling on that black tie with curled, tense fingers. They've never been a big fan of formal wear, but this particular assignment had called for such a situation. They looked up at the gloomy sky, mind wandering about to how many side jobs heroes actually had to do. People would think being a hero would consist of mostly fighting off villains- and that's true, but villain was the least of their problems right then; in fact, it had almost been a week since they had a face off with villain. When they weren't paying attention, their thoughts would sometimes betray them, making hero think that they almost missed villain. Almost.

Sweat pooled on their brow as they waited under the hot sun, dearly missing the comfort and familiarity of their hero costume. This particular job requirement was that they act as a bodyguard and protect a high profile individual while they attend some sort of a party that hero couldn't be less concerned about. They preferred being the hero and not a bodyguard for someone who they didn't even know.

Just then, a black limousine rolled out and stopped right in front of the hotel they were staying in; a huge man with sunshades got out from the back, waved their hands at hero, signaling them to get in. That must be my ride.

They got into the car without any fight, and took one look at the rear most seat to check if this was in fact their employer or just a fancy way of kidnapping.

"No staring."

"Wha-

Hero didn't have a chance to speak out before they were crushed by the huge man sitting to their left. They couldn't believe it, why did they have to be squished, with no concept of personal space in a limousine?! This was just absurd.

Hero felt another lithe body press to them on their right, that person in turn being squished by another big man to their left. Hero groaned internally, they were just really bad with close contact with people in general, they could never understand why, but it just felt foreign to them. It's like they never knew how to act, and their mind would settle on the default "freak out" option.

Hero was dragged out of their head when they felt themselves being pushed further to the lithe person on their right, because the big guy decided to squirm in his seat. The sweat pooling on their brow slowly slid down their cheekbone, and hero was feeling hot... everywhere. There were too many sensations ramming into them all at once- their tight suit, which felt like it was glued to their body now thanks to their nerves; being pressed to another person; feeling their body heat. Hero had always had a high body temperature so all of this contact was making their head spin.

They just sat there silently, wishing for this agony to just end.

-

Villain was in high spirits, this was a job that paid well, so they enthusiastically got dressed up in a suit that was the dress code for a bodyguard and got into the assigned limousine. They had a mask plus voice changer on for good measure, and nobody questioned that which was good. They were thinking how ironic it was that they accepted this job request, because this was what the heroes did- protecting people, not villains.

So it was an understatement to say that their jaw almost dropped to the floor when they saw hero getting into that same limousine. Villain found themselves gaping at them, their mind betraying them and caring for their nemesis who they met almost every day, in a fight of course.

I can't believe that hero is actually here, so now we have to work together? Do they even know that I'm villain? And they're not even wearing a mask to hide their identity, how irresponsible. Oh, they look good in a suit-

Villain had to stop their mind right there, willing themselves to focus on anything else other than the hero sitting next to them. But these two gorillas on either side of them made that almost impossible as they kept pushing each other closer in this seat that was too small for all of them.

Villain couldn't help but glance over at hero every few minutes, they were being too quiet. The hero they knew was noisy, always running into a fight before thinking, a person that kept jumping around all the time. So seeing them this calm was just... weird.

By now villain was pretty sure that hero didn't recognise them, so they were mentally prepping themselves to talk to them when the gorilla to hero’s left pushed them further into their body. Villain immediately froze. Too close. Hero might as well be practically sitting on them now, villain could feel everything- their breathing, heartbeat, and their body heat, they were practically burning... wait, burning?!

Villain whipped their head towards hero and took in their slumped figure. Their head was downcast so they couldn't really see their face. Hero was practically leaning on them, making no effort to even hold themselves upright and villain was a little worried... okay, a lot more worried than they let on. Hero’s breathing was ragged and villain felt like they had to do something, anything. But hero beat them to it.

"H-hot". Hero breathed out, weakly, pathetically.

Their voice was so low, villain almost didn't hear them.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Hero propped their head up on their shoulder, lips parted as they gasped in some air, bangs stuck to their sweaty forehead and villain shamelessly drank in those visuals, despite their thoughts clashing with one another. Hero’s eyes were shut tight, while villain’s eyes were wide open, staring at them.

"S' so hot, I can't-" they croaked.

That's when villain painfully realised that hero was having some sort of a panic attack and they needed space. Villain haphazardly pushed at the big man to hero’s left, glaring at him so that he doesn't attempt to move any closer. Then they draped a protective arm around hero, activating their powers and felt weirdly proud when hero almost moaned out at the cold sensation.

Villain brought up their other hand to hero’s face comfortably nestled on their shoulder and gently touched their forehead, cheek and neck.

Hero blinked up at them in slight surprise, eyes opening and then closing as they went limp in their arms, all of their tense muscles relaxing and villain just felt so powerful.

Hero finally looked up at them after regaining a bit of their energy, their face a palette of red, when the car screeched to a stop.

The two of them were ushered out of the car and hero wobbled after the 'mysterious masked person who had saved them' . They were pulled upright by the same person when their balance toppled and they almost ended up kissing the floor, with a "be more careful" from them. Hero felt their face heating up, just how many times did they have to be helped today? A behavior totally unbefitting of a hero.

"Um!" Hero called out and the 'masked person' stopped to turn around and look at them.

Hero was already bowing, words sounding like apologies and gratitude steadily spilling out of their lips in a messed up heap, as they bombarded villain’s ears. Villain wanted to understand, they really did, but all they could pick up were hurried sorries, shy thank you's and the word stranger that kept popping up here and there and how hero was so embarrassed by their own behaviour.

Villain simply scoffed, they had seen far more embarrassing sides of the hero and secretly enjoyed them, their nose scrunching up every time hero called them a stranger and villain couldn't stand it anymore.

As fun as this was, it was time to reveal their masked identity-

"But I'm no stranger to you darling." Villain mocked and the 'goldfish expression' on hero’s face was oh so worth it.

Villain turned around with a smug smile as hero caught up with all of that information and was by their side in a second, screeching into their ears.

"Villain?!"

"Yes, that's me."

Hero groaned, Villain's voice dripped with so much amusement that made hero’s heart flare with embarrassment at that moment.

"I'll punch you after this job." Hero hissed.

Villain smiled, "Is that how you thank people? But lucky for you, I'll accept it and punch you back."

Hero rolled their eyes. "Just shut up. Please."

Villain chuckled and hero couldn't get that voice out of their head. While they were distracted, villain took the opportunity to close in next to their ear and spoke in a sinful tone which should be illegal-

"I-im hot~"

Hero simply tripped on air, falling face first to the ground this time. There was no getting that voice out of their head now. They looked up and glared at villain, who made a funny face and walked away.

Hero hid their face in their hands. "Shit. That's unfair, you shitty villain."

Hero felt another large hand tapping their shoulder and looked up to see one of the gorilla men looking down at them, sympathy written all over his face. Hero took the man's outstretched hand and let themselves be pulled up.

"That was cute, didn't know you both knew each other. But my partner and I," he pointed to the other huge man standing next to the limo and grinning at them, "are totally on your side. That was one underhanded move."

Oh, if hero wasn't embarrassed enough a few seconds ago, they definitely were now.

"Wait, what, how did you-

"I have superhearing." , the man simply said as hero gawked at him, and then started wishing for the ground to swallow them up whole.

BONUS: Every time hero overheated during a fight and felt faint, villain would use their powers to cool them down, and hero would lean into that touch like they could never get enough of it. It attacked villain’s heart every time.

So yeah, my brain decided to give you hero x villain squished together in a limo instead of a bed? New trope? xD

Thank you so much for 260 followers, you all are so precious 🥺❤

There's love in the shadows

I want to hug you and hold you close, card my fingers through your hair and listen to the sounds that only you can make- your heartbeat, your breathing. I just want to lie down with you and forget about the world for a while, and let you hold me close so you can too.

Villain almost dropped their phone after reading that little snippet from hero's Tumblr account because they knew that it was written for them. They're hero's partner after all. Their hand grips their phone tight as their body trembles and they become all flustered, thoughts about hero racing inside their head.

Hero... you're not being fair. Villain thinks, fondly. You're being sneaky... you know that I can't mess this operation up and you go and do... something like this.

Hero just smiles from the shadows- seeing villain get all flustered over their post would never get old for them.

Don't worry my villain, I'm here to take full responsibility.

Hey there everyone! I'm just posting something short, until I can figure out the continuation for helpless - I'm sorry it's taking so long:/ so please enjoy this in the mean time!! And thank you all for your continuous support, as always ^^

Thief

Hero reluctantly blinked their eyes open. Still half asleep, they frowned against what had to be the first light of dawn creeping in through a small gap between the curtains.

Why would they be awake at-

A glimpse at the alarm clock on their bedside table informed them that it was 6:18 am. Still so early.

Way too early to even consider getting up.

They tried and almost succeeded to drift off to sleep again, until the rustling of fabric and a kick to their leg made falling back asleep impossible.

Ugh, waking someone up this early on a Sunday should be against the law…

With a soft groan, Hero threw a look over their shoulder at Villain who kept thrashing around like a little kid on their side of the bed.

By the time Hero had fully turned around to check if their partner was having a nightmare, all the annoyance had melted away already, leaving only concern and worry.

But luckily, it didn’t seem like Villain was having a really bad dream. Their face did show a tiny little frown, yet not a thoroughly troubled expression.

“Hero… hero…”

“Huh?”

Villain’s lips moved, mumbling something incomprehensible under their breath. Hero stared at them, mesmerised. Any prospect of sleep was now gone from Hero’s mind, evaporated at the sight of their partner’s lovely mouth.

Villain shifted, pulling at the blanket.

"They're stealing my fries, dosomethingaboutit"

It took a moment for Hero to process what Villain had just said. When everything clicked in their head, they almost burst out laughing and quickly had to hide their face in their pillow to stifle the sound of their giggling. Hero didn't want to make too much noise and accidently wake Villain up.

Seeing their partner dream about stolen food was somehow so damn adorable, the urge to tease them was nearly irresistible.

"Who's stealing your fries baby? I'll make sure to keep an eye out for them during my patrols."

Of course Villain didn't answer, caught up as they were in that dream of theirs and squirming further underneath the blanket.

A gentle touch from Hero onto their shoulder instantly soothed them and tracing small circles seemed to help Villain sleep more calmly.

Hero smiled at them fondly.

"If you keep thrashing around like that, you'll be exhausted when you wake up, and... we'll never be able to catch that fries thief.", they whispered, voice low and breathy.

That seemed to have satisfied Villain's subconscious, as they slowly moved towards them, curling up against Hero’s chest.

A pleasant warmth spread through their entire body as Hero kissed the top of Villain’s head, inhaled the scent of their partner’s favourite shampoo, and listened to the sound of their breathing.

Hero sighed contentedly.

Their smile at that moment could have rivalled the stars, as they put an arm around their lover and fell peacefully back asleep.

I had the loveliest time collaborating with @kaiwewi to write this and give you guys some fluff for a change xD Their writing style is amazing and it's such an honour <3 Please do check out their page for some great writing you all:)

Helpless

"V-villain, I'm feeling c-cold."

Villain held civilian's hand tight, as they laid on the ground, world burning around them, a metal rod sticking out of their stomach. Villain almost barfed when they first saw the sight, rushing in to save them, only then realising that it was too late.

They wouldn't even need to be here if Hero had done their job properly.

Anger boiled from the bottom of their gut. But they decided to quell it for now, for civilian's sake.

"Shhhh, it's okay. I'm feeling cold too, it's just... cold outside."

Civilain attempts to laugh but it comes out as a painful groan, "You're... saying that when buildings are burning around us? I'm not... *cough* deaf you know..."

Villain sighs, looking at civilian fondly. Their eyes are closed, so they won't see them but villain would look anyway. Flashes of them having a friendly debate about some random topic in their tiny apartment flashed through villain's head, making their whole body hurt and scream.

Why did it have to be you? You're so brilliant, and you definitely had a bright future ahead but now... that future's disappearing and I can't do anything about it. No matter how much I may want to.

Villain kept turning around, scanning the scene, looking for an ambulance or any health personnel but no people were in sight. Except for the dead ones. They were itching to go and drag a health worker here if they had to, but they couldn't just leave civilian in this condition. What were the heroes doing?!

Villain felt helpless and they hated it.

"V-villain, are y-you here?"

Villain immediately focuses all of their attention back on civilian. "Of course I'm here, where else would I go?" They held civilian's hand tighter for emphasis but they didn't get any response. Their heart sank.

"Oh, okay. I just can't... feel a-nything anymore."

Villain tried their best not to cry. Not now.

"Look up at the sky, it looks so beautiful today." Villain tried to sound calm and happy, but they think it came out as something strained and croaky.

Civilian strains to open their eyes. Villain's heart falls further into whatever abyss that was now swallowing them whole.

"I- can't... I can't see."

Tears run down Civilian's face and that was the final straw. Villain's hands gently wipe away those tears, while fresh tears steadily glided down their own cheek.

"I'll describe it to you then- it looks just like your eyes when you wake up. You know that your eyes change colour when they're exposed to sunlight right? That's beautiful too of course-

Civilian puts the last of their strength squeezing Villain's hand. Tight. Villain looks down at them now, their eyes barely open, but still open.

"You're beautiful too *wheeze* Villain."

Their hand goes limp in villain's hand.

No no no no no-

"Civilian, hey... hey! Wake up, come on. I'll go look for an ambulance right now, I'll drag the hero here if I have to-

Civilian didn't open their eyes again.

Villain finally let themselves sob. It sounded pained. Dreadful. Hopeless. They didn't think they could even make such a sound.

It seems like their sounds of agony had attracted someone else to the scene.

"Villain, what are you-

Hero shuts up immediately after seeing Civilian's lifeless body behind Villain.

Oh God no-

Villain was standing in front of them in a flash, Civilian's body held in their arms. Villain didn't have to say anything. Hero understood- their eyes were screaming at them.

Where the hell were you? Why weren't you here?

Hero could answer, but they didn't think any reason could justify them not being there. For civilian. For failing to protect them. For failing to complete their duty. And for breaking villain's trust. So they just stood there.

Villain seethed, and the next words that came out of their mouth made them feel like everything else that they had ever said before was a lie-

"I'm going to kill you."

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted. I just keep second guessing myself so I never end up posting, does that make sense? And yeah, this was meant to be a prompt but well, as always, I ended up making this long again haha. Hope you all like this <3

(Thanks so much for the support even when I'm not posting actively, you all are amazing💕 )

Falling for stairs

Hero let out a startled squeal, fairly loud as they felt their body swaying and legs losing every possible understanding they had of the ground . They felt like they were in math class all over again, where their head alone had an affair with gravity and that was fine because the desk was always there to catch them. Now, Hero wasn't so sure if they liked their connection with gravity at all.

They shut their eyes close tight, so tight that it kind of hurt as they waited for the painful impact.

They felt a touch on their arm not even a second later- soft at first and then firm afterwards, grabbing onto them and yanking them towards whatever it was. They then crashed into something solid and warm?! That was enough of an overload of sensory nerves that made Hero blink their eyes open almost immediately.

They were met with a tantalizing smirk, the same one that would follow them around in their dreams every night.

"You'd never have enough lives if you keep tripping over stairs Hero ."

Hero scoffed, trying to pull away and steady themselves from the warmth that was Villain.

"You're there to catch me anyways, so I know I'll be fine."

Now it was Villain's turn to scoff. "If you think that this is going to happen everytime then you're gravely mistaken. God knows how many times you fall for stairs everyday, if they were a person, you would at least have a lover by now."

Hero finally found it in themselves to whisk their wrist out of Villain's hand, walking back towards whatever class that they had next, a pout playing on their face. "Suit yourself."

After Hero's figure disappeared around the corridor, shy chuckles escaped Villain's lips. Oh how fun it was to rile up Hero and watch them dance.

-

Villain was making their way towards their Geography class when they heard that infuriating squeal all over again. They sighed, body moving before their mind could even think- how many times did this happen already today?! For the first time in their life, Villain found themselves regretting ever having super hearing because they couldn't ignore Hero, even if they wanted to- it's like their brain was subconsciously looking out for that stupid squeal no matter what Villain did, and the moment they heard that squeal, they dropped everything and rushed towards it. Pathetic.

But they couldn't stop. The horrifying image of Hero's head bleeding after it hit the sharp edges of the stairs would make them go everytime and they just couldn't understand why.

Judging from the proximity of the sound, Hero was somewhere right below them. Villain peeked to the side of the stairs just in time to see Hero already toppling over, their body so close to connecting with the jagged edges. Shit!! I won't make it if I run down the stairs. I have to jump.

Villain did just that, landing right in front of Hero, somehow managing to catch them and not topple down themselves. It was a miracle.

Hero was wedged into their chest again, chucking this time. Huh, now that's new.

"I thought you wouldn't come because you somehow knew."

Villain stared at them, head cocked to the side, a quizzical expression on their face, "knew what?"

"Knew that I fell on purpose this time."

Villain almost pushed Hero down the stairs themselves after that.

Almost.

Secrets - part 1

Note : Adrian, Ash and Alex are all unisex names, so you're free to imagine your preferred gender in your head ^^

Adrian groans, staring at the blank notebook in front of them. They were supposed to write an essay which is to be submitted tomorrow but they can't seem to find the thing called motivation for the life of them. They've just been feeling so lazy and they can't figure out why.

Even though they may just look like any normal college student who's struggling with their classes, they had another, quite major role to play in society- they were the Hero, and as the title suggests, their job description consists of fighting off villains, rescuing normal civilians, smiling, and more smiling. Adrian wouldn't admit it, but it did get tiring at times. And recently, they've been having to go to these night escapades a lot, since their nemesis, Villain, true to their job description has been causing mischief the entire past week, making Adrian bite off more than they can chew. Thankfully they weren't any serious crimes and most of the time, Adrian felt like they were dealing with a child seeking attention.

And thus here they are, tired of being productive and procrastinating like tomorrow doesn't exist. Oh how they wished that being a hero gave them some leverages in college, but their superiors would bite their head off if word got out. Being a hero was sworn to secrecy, kind of like a secret agent, except in this case, Adrian has to play an entirely different persona.

They groan again, just in time as their friend /roommate walks into the room. "Hey, what's up? Did you get that homework done?"

Adrian gives them a look like they're staring into the void, "You think I'll look like this if I did?"

Their roommate Alex sighed, clearly to them it didn't look like Adrian was going to be done anytime soon and it was already 12 am. They just wanted to sleep, without having to listen to Adrian's groans of agony throughout the night.

"Okay, you clearly need a change of pace so I'll call up this other friend of mine who's great at studying. I met them during a group project and they're like so good!"

Adrian scoffs, but allows Alex to do whatever they want to. It's not like they were bad at studying, they just didn't feel like doing it right now.

Adrian almost dozes off when they hear a loud knock. Alex literally skips over to the door, opening it and eagerly welcoming their new friend into the room. Adrian manages to sit up, still groggy and shakes their head, trying to get themselves to wake up. Once their eyelids cooperate enough, they look up to find two pairs of worried expressions thrown towards them. They immediately whirl around, facing the opposite way, embarrassment eating up their cheeks.

"Uhm, are they okay?" A voice that Adrian has never heard before speaks up. They guess that they're the friend who studies oh so well.

"Well, they're generally better than this, just on lower spirits today." Alex tries to speak up for their roommate.

After explaining the situation to the newcomer, Alex disappears into the quarters of their room with a friendly, "just call out if you need anything!"

Adrian sighs, wanting nothing more then to curl up in their blankets and fall asleep while watching something on their laptop. They were so inside their head, that they failed to notice soft footsteps approaching them and nearly jumped out of their skin when they felt a gentle touch on their shoulders. The said person immediately took a few steps back, clearly flustered by Adrian's reaction.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." They speak out, voice sincere.

Adrian immediately felt guilty. They were here for their sake, to help them finish their assignment and here they were, being most possibly the rudest person on the planet. "No no, it's my fault, I wasn't really paying attention."

The newcomer smiles at that and Adrian feels their chest tighten in a way that it has never done before. What the hell?

"I'm Adrian, by the way," they say, desperate to keep the conversation going, "and you are?"

"Ash. I guess Alex didn't tell you much about me?"

"Not much except for the fact that you study really well and that's why you would be the perfect inspiration for me to finish this essay."

Ash laughs at that, "I do handle my studies okay, but I don't know how good of an inspiration I can be, but I'll try my best."

Adrian looks at them, face soft, "You're really a nice person you know?"

Ash almost chokes on air, "Huh?"

Adrian realises that that was probably a really random thing to say, voice spluttering as they try to figure out a way to make this conversation less awkward than it already is.

"N-no, I just meant that you really have no reason to be here, you don't even know me and here you are, willing to help me with my essay and everything. "

Ash chuckles shyly and Adrian has to mentally punch themselves to remind them not to stare at how fine they look, standing under the yellowish lighting of their dorm, the shadows painting their face just right. And not to mention that silky voice... oh God.

" -ping people."

"Huh?" Adrian has to ask, as they just returned to reality from inside their head.

Ash just smiles, repeating again, "I guess it doesn't feel so bad helping people sometimes, and that's why I'm here."

Now it's Adrian's turn to smile, and they tell Ash to sit down and get comfortable, while they pop into the kitchen to make two cups of hot chocolate, Adrian and Ash falling into easy tunes of conversation soon after.

-

It's almost half past two and Ash is staring at Adrian, who is peacefully dozing off on their desk. They sigh, eyes fluttering close for a brief moment, just enjoying this tiny moment of peace. Life is anything but peaceful for Ash because of their other secret identity- they were a villain, and its been days since Ash has felt so at peace. It was getting harder to just stay alive every day, and it didn't help that the other villains around town just keep getting greedier, making them take part in reckless missions. A distressed sigh leaves their lips, as they force all the depressing thoughts back down. They didn't want to think about that right now. Right now, they were safe. For some reason, staying like this besides Adrian made them feel some sort of a familiar warmth settle in the pits of their stomach, though this is the first time that they've met them. It made Ash feel good.

I'm just overthinking this whole thing, as usual, they sigh, giving their head a little shake. They stand up from the couch and tiptoe over to the table where Adrian's sleeping to check on how much they've completed. They still have a page left, their eyes flicker to the clock that reads 4:45 am, so it'll be fine if I let them sleep in a bit more right? Ash did walk over to Adrian's desk with the intention of waking them up but after seeing that peaceful smile, and the way they're sleeping comfortably even on an arm chair, Ash guessed that maybe they really did need their sleep.

Okay, I'll wake them up a little later, and with one last glance, Ash walks back over to the couch, deciding to get some sleep of their own.

This is going to have two more parts I think / so stay tuned! / I was procrastinating so decided to let hero procrastinate too lol / well at least they have villain helping them out / I'm soft / also I played around with tenses for this snippet (you'll see in the upcoming parts) / I hope you all like it anyways:)

Stupid but feels so right

Villain is just having a nice time, leaning on a railing and staring up at the stars when he sees a silhouette blur past him and land on a rooftop about three buildings away from him. Instinct kicks in and he immediately hides behind the wall, because getting into some scuffle with another Villain would do him no good.

He hears no noises that sounds like a brawl, so he peeks out slowly from his spot behind the wall and catches sight of a blue costume that looks pale in the moonlight. He squints his eyes, trying to discern the figure further. The silhouette moves a little bit into the moonlight and Villain's eyes widen like baseballs.

Hero?! What the hell is he doing here, at this time of the night? Villain whisks his head back to hide away behind the wall, his brain running a mile per minute. Did he perhaps somehow figure out that I'm here? Am I being tracked? But wait, I'm not doing anything today so there's no reason to track me- Villain spends a good fifteen minutes racking his brain up but no matter what, he can't seem to arrive at an answer for the Hero's appearance. He peeks out again- and he’s still here, great. Furthermore, Hero had settled down nicely on that roof , pulling his blue cape further on himself.

Villain lets out a distressed sigh. He doesn't look like he's here to fight. Villain spends a few more minutes looking at Hero, and for some reason the longer he looks at Hero, the more he realises that Hero just looks incredibly lonely, sitting there all alone, curled up on himself, the pale moonlight making him look paler than usual. And Villain immediately makes a decision- he decides to go and give Hero some company, ignoring the warning bells going off in his head.

-

Hero jumps at the sound of footsteps behind him and looks just about ready to bolt after recognizing Villain's form behind him. Villain can literally see Hero's brain working, and so he stops, raising his hands up in a peaceful motion, hoping that the stubborn Hero understands that he’s not here to fight.

Hero's tense muscles calm down at the sight of Villain's hands raised up, and he sits back down, abandoning his instinct to flee. Villain plops down next to him, not making any other movement. Hero gives him a sideways glance, only to look back at the sky after.

"What are you doing here? Did you track me down?"

Villain tries to answer the question with a level voice, his internal self currently in chaos because that was exactly what he had thought around twenty minutes ago.

We're just so stupid aren't we?

"Don't flatter yourself Hero, I have other things to do."

"Like?"

Villain thinks for a moment and then answers, "like stargazing."

Hero whisks his head sideways so fast, Villain momentarily worries if his neck is okay.

"What?"

"You heard me, stargazing. And rooftops are the best spots for that."

Hero wants to laugh but something in Villain's voice tells him that he's not joking.

"Yeah, the stars look beautiful tonight."

It's silent again for a few minutes before Villain decides to speak up.

"So what is the Hero of justice doing here? Don't you guys have like a strict schedule to stick to? Wake up at 6 am and sleep by 9 pm-

He's cut off by Hero's chuckling. Villain just shrugs his shoulders, waiting for him to finish and give him an answer.

"We do have schedules, the waking up part at least. The sleeping part, not so much."

Villain turns to look at Hero and notices dark bags under his eyes. He turns back and stares at the sky.

" Are you on night duty or something?"

Hero chuckles again and Villain finds himself becoming slightly self conscious. What the hell's so funny?! , he screams internally.

"No, it's just that I can't sleep."

"Insomnia?"

"That too, but mostly nightmares."

Villain's heart tugs with a feeling of familiarity. Nightmares was definitely something that he could relate to. But he never imagined that Hero, the person who was the reason for peace existing in this town would get nightmares, and even more so, stay awake at night because of them. He had just assumed that the very fact that the Hero was fighting for all the good things would let him sleep easily at night. So he was wrong.

"And you're not able to sleep because you're scared of them?"

Hero turns to face Villain, giving him a look as if saying "duh."

Villain stammers, throat clammy and heart thundering in his chest. It had been a while since he had a normal conversation with anyone so he really wasn't sure if he was doing a good job. And for some weird reason, he cared.

But Hero understands and qualms his fears with just a few words, " It's fine, I'm not really offended, just confused." He says, and Villain stares at him, jaw dropping in amazement.

And Hero just smiles, and Villain is reminded of the honey words and sunny smiles that Hero showcases on his patrols every day. He suddenly feels sad? He wants Hero to smile only for him, if that even makes sense- and the words leave Villain's mouth before he can stop them,

"Don't smile like that. I'm not one of your precious civilians."

Hero stares back at him, horror and shock written plainly on his face.

(Oh, jealousy was such a dangerous thing. And if Villain was actually jealous, he's screwed, because Hero has thousands of people who love him. And whom does Villain have? None.)

Hero then chuckles once again, but this time it sounds lifeless and dry and Villain hates it.

"Sorry, I got lost in the moment. It has been a while since I smiled for real, I didn't even realize I was doing it."

Now it's Villain's turn to stare at Hero, all shocked and tongue tied.

It seems like Hero understood again, because he answered to the question that Villain wanted to scream out. " Well, it's kinda an embarrassing thing really," Hero mutters, " I smile at citizens because I have to, it's part of my job, not really because I want to."

Villain still seems to be in shock, so Hero just continues, " I- I mean, not all of my smiles are fake you know, I'm not heartless," Hero counters, " it's just that I have to smile even if I don't feel like smiling sometimes and I hate that, because who would want to see a Hero who's just about done with this society right?"

Hero turns to look at Villain and for the second time that night Villain wants to run, not because he's scared but because he's feeling so many emotions that he's never felt before and he doesn't know what to do with them- he feels like he’s going to be swallowed whole.

And more importantly, he can't hide away from Hero's gaze and it looks so heartbreaking. Villain would have cried, if he didn't have a reputation to maintain.

"So, what about the honey words?"

Hero looks at him like he's pleasantly surprised that that's the impression Villain has of him.

"Oh, those are just formalities again, you know, to gain public favour."

Just the thought makes Villain cringe. He definitely can't see himself telling people things that he doesn't mean.

"Then what about fear?" Villain begins, hesitant, " you do get scared right?"

"Of course I do!" Hero laughs, so tender and Villain is left to figure out whether it's real or fake.

Hero understands again, "it's real this time."

Villain is just baffled by this point, " are you psychic or something?!"

And Hero has the time of his life, alternating between chuckling and full blown laughing, clutching his stomach because he's been laughing too much and Villain just wants to disappear into the ground.

"Like I said, it's all a part of the profession. When you're on rescue missions, you have to judge people's mindsets so that you know what to say to them. Otherwise there'll be full blown panic everytime. "

Villain listens intently, finding every word that falls out of Hero's lips incredibly interesting and thought provoking. He had never imagined that being a Hero was such an intricate and delicate job.

"It's just that I've never seen you look scared before," Villain begins, "and all these things that you're telling me, it's all so new..."

Hero smiles and after listening to him, Villain can see the tiny difference. The 'sunny smiles' are usually stiff, where the Hero's lips just form a thin line. This one is more free and natural, making his cheeks pull just right and what the hell am I thinking-

"Well I've never really shared this with anyone." Hero says. " I guess it's more exact if I say that no one has really bothered to ask me about all this, so I never told anyone."

Villain feels his chest constrict because the more he listens to Hero, he feels like his own life is being told back to him, in another voice, and it's not just him talking in his own head, for once.

"You can share anything you want to, if you're okay with me."

A villain trying to offer a hero some solace, how ironic- Villain's mind sings to him.

But the grateful look that crosses Hero's face clears Villain's mind of any previous doubt, if only just for a moment.

"You know, heroes are never allowed to show fear on their faces. It's one of the things that I find hardest to do."

Villain tips his head sideways, as if pondering, "But why? Every human feels fear right? It's a pretty common emotion. Why hide that?"

Hero laughs but it sounds more like a wheeze, "Because according to my superiors, heroes are the symbol of peace. And a symbol of peace is not supposed to show raw despair on his face."

At that moment, Villain desperately wanted to whack Hero's superior hard on their head- whoever they were.

" The other day I was fighting downtown, there was this Villain who could control fire, and it was right in the middle of a pedestrian street."

Villain noticed that Hero's hands began to twitch slightly. It's not because it's cold right?

"I tried my best but I couldn't stop the Villain in time before the fires reached an elementary school right across the street, and there were children still inside the building...

Villain stares at Hero, his heart twisting and clenching in weird places as he sees him breaking down in front of him, his 'hero' mask crumbling.

He looked so much like a normal civilian now, crying for the lives that he couldn't save- except that no normal civilian would have to bear such a heavy burden.

"Even now, i- I can hear-

Hero doesn't speak after that, the sobs that wreck his frame don't let him speak. Villain inches closer to him- slowly, patiently, putting his hands on Hero's trembling ones and looks into his tear stained eyes, as if asking for permission-

"Can I hold you?"

Hero nods and it takes barely an instant for Villain's arms to engulf Hero's trembling figure, picking him up and cradling him close to his chest.

Hero chants, "I'm sorry, please forgive me, I'm so sorry," hands tightly clutching Villain's inky black shirt. Villain rocks back and forth gently, remembering that that's what his mother used to do for him when he was still a child.

Looking at Hero, Villain finally understands how vulnerable a human can be, it doesn't matter what they are, a hero or a villain. At the end of the day, they feel the same things. Loss. Pain. Guilt.

It's okay Hero, you've done enough.

Let me protect you from now on.

And throughout the whole conversation, Villain's mind was berating him, telling him that this was such a stupid decision.

And Villain knows that this may be stupid, that his intervention alone cannot protect the Hero from all the despair and fear that he has to face.

But it doesn't change the fact that it feels right.

And for once, Villain wants to do the right thing.

Lol I really can't write short stuff / I tried to make this more conversational /hope it makes sense/ villain definitely doesn't keep track of the hero's schedule nope / who am I kidding / he probably knows the best spot to watch hero's patrols from/ heroes have to handle so much mental baggage it's sad/ villain finally realizes that they're not so different at the core after all / this villain is not evil btw, doesn't kill people or anything /my writing tends to get so introspective xD

Taunts

" What are you waiting for?" Hero chuckled and it sounded dry and lifeless- it almost hurt Villain to listen.

"You have me in a chokehold and I clearly have nowhere to run." , they continued, as if taunting.

Villain opened their mouth, prepared to spit out a sarcastic retort but the next thing Hero said shut them up, the words dying in their throat.

"Go on, stab me." Hero said, their eyes daring them to.

And Villain would have believed them if not for the way their shoulders slumped against the cold wall, as if they were tired of standing and just wanted to fall down, tired of carrying the heavy weight on their shoulders and just wanted to let go.

And that's when Villain realized that these words were Hero's attempts at provoking them- like a devil whispering in your ear, Hero wanted Villain to listen to them, wanted Villain to stab them, to take their life, to relieve them of whatever it was that they wanted to get away from.

And there was no way Villain was having any of that. If the world didn't want Hero anymore, if Hero themselves didn't want them anymore then Villain would give them something to live for, because losing Hero wasn't worth anything.

So Villain stared back, gaze hard and firm, refusing to break eye contact, daring them as if saying "make me."

sorry this is short / just wanted to give you all something to read hehe / planning a series which I'll get to work on asap / poor Hero is just tired and Villain wants to help / hope you enjoyed:) / feel free to use as a prompt, but please tag or credit me

Red

The night breeze whisked past Villain, caressing their cheeks and making them feel colder than they were a minute ago.

"Ugh..." they groaned, pulling their red scarf further up so that it covered a better part of their chin. The fabric felt soft and warm against their cold fingertips, and it reminded Villain of Hero's cape. They had never thought that they would admit to liking how warm the cape felt, when Hero had covered them with it during one particularly cold night, quite like this one, and they were sitting on a high roof, facing the skyscrapers- Villain hadn't expected it to be that cold, so they hadn't worn any clothing that were designed to keep them warm. They were extremely grateful for that warm cape, much like it's owner and ended up buying a scarf that had the same shade to remind themselves about it (they would never tell Hero that though).

They smiled, the memory making them feel a little warm as two shadows zipped past them in a speed that didn't belong to a normal human. From the corner of their eyes, they caught sight of something red before it disappeared around the street corner. And who else other than Hero would wear bright red like that in the middle of the night , moving at a superhuman speed? It was definitely Hero, and they were chasing someone who wasn't them? That fact alone didn't sit well with Villain so they decided to follow them.

There have been new villains popping up here and there around town, not to mention the Supervillain as well... Villain mused, I'll just go take a quick look and then leave, it's not like I'm worried or anything... (Villain was dead set on denying it).

They turned a street corner there, and one more, leading to an alleyway with a dead end. It was pitch dark and the only source of light was a dilapidated lamp barely hanging onto the wall. Villain looked up to find some moonlight but nope, it just had to be a new moon night. They sighed, straining their eyes to spot even a glimpse of the two blurry figures that they had seen earlier and heard a loud crash to their left. They turned towards another lonely alleyway and followed it, heart hammering in their chest.

They hid themselves at the corner and peeped in, definitely not interested in getting involved in some unnecessary scuffle. They could see a figure slumped against a toppled trash can, trash littered eveywhere- so that's where the crashing sound came from. There was another figure looming over them, and even from there, Villain could feel bloodlust washing over their senses, making them freeze on spot. They pitied the person on the ground, unable to imagine the terror that must be coursing through their veins.

This alleyway had better lighting so Villain was able to see their faces a little better- the looming figure was definitely the Supervillain, that bloodlust was a dead giveaway. The slumped figure looked up and glared at the supervillain, eyes defiant and fierce, a symbol that they weren't going to give up that easily and Villain could feel their throat closing up, anxiety flaring up and burning their insides.

Hero... they knew, from the glimpse of red they knew from the start, a tiny inkling that it could've been Hero rushing through the streets in the dead of the night, chasing some terrible foe. Villain knew... but right now they wished that they were wrong, so wrong, because never did they really expect their foe to be the Supervillain. Villain had seen their powers firsthand and it had made them shiver, tremble to their bones. Never had they felt anxiety slap them in their face like that before. And now Hero was there, facing that devil with defiant eyes and a brave heart and Villain's chest almost felt full with something alien to them... was it pride?

Villain was jolted out of their thoughts by a scream that shattered their soul- it sounded so painful, wrecked, and hopeless and with every passing second, Villain thought that it sounded like Hero. They stared at the scene in front of them, immediately wishing that they didn't.

Red... why is there so much red?

To the Villain, red had become something that they associated with Hero- red cape, crimson cheeks, fiery passion, a warm heart, kind touches, sunny smile, and finally, the way they loved -it would put even Aphrodite to shame. Villain knew that too well, after all, they were the only recipient of that love. Hero was their lover and always will be.

Which only made their heart twist and turn with increasing agony because Hero's costume looked redder than usual and Villain refused to accept that it was blood- Hero's blood, their lover's blood.

You shouldn't do this.

Don't lose your cool.

If supervillain finds out that you've betrayed them, and worse, that you're in a relationship with their mortal nemesis, you're done for.

Don't worry, Hero will be fine.

They will be fine.

They-

Villain looked at Hero once again- bruised cheeks, a huge gash in their gut, bleeding out, shallow breaths, their head now leaning completely against the wall for support and Villain waited a couple more seconds, but Hero made no move to get up. And now there's more red, red... red... red... everywhere.

Before Villain could even think about reasoning with themselves again, their limbs moved and in a flash they stood in between their lover and Supervillain, whose face switched from surprise to amusement, as if they couldn't decide on which emotion to portray.

"Well well, Villain. What a pleasant surprise." Supervillain drawled and dread settled into Villain's veins- cold, gripping, merciless. They heard slight movement from behind them and glanced back coyly. Hero was looking at them, surprise written all over their face. Then they smiled (or at least tried to), to Villain, it looked more like a grimace. But they looked more alive than they did just a moment ago, and that single fact was enough to wash away the pooling dread and replace it with something else- courage.

Now, Villain was never a person who would do something so reckless, they were always the brains of their duo while Hero was the power, brains and power. That's how they had always worked together- and thanks to that, Villain got to know that Hero did not possess a single shred of self preservation whatsoever. It made their stomach crawl to think about how many times they had saved Hero from imminent death and Hero would just smile, all sweet and sunny, like they hadn't just almost died a second ago- and that's what they were doing now.

Ugh, the things I do for love, Villan mused, rolling their eyes at Hero.

"Ahem Villain, you alright there? You've been staring intensely at our nemesis for quite a few seconds now."

Villain heard a wheeze from Hero, which was probably meant to be a chuckle.

"Oh sorry, I was just distracted thinking about the numerous ways in which I could kill him."

Careful me. Supervillain cannot know about us- that would be like digging a grave and burying ourselves six feet deep in the ground. Careful.

Supervillain laughed out loud, acting like Villain had just told them the joke of the century and Villain had to hold themselves back from rolling their eyes at them.

" That's my Villain, always thinking about the best possible ways to kill someone."

Hero coughed abnoxiously and Villain wanted to smack them in their face- now is not the time to be getting jealous, idiot.

Supervillain glared at Hero and Villain subtly moved so that they were now blocking Hero completely from Supervillain's view. "I don't see why you have to think that much though, Hero looks like they're going to kick the bucket any minute."

The colour red flooded Villain's vision, making them stagger on their feet. How many more times did they have to see their lover dyed in red before the world would be satisfied?

"V-villain?" Hero croaked weakly and Villain flinched, feeling physical pain as if somebody had stabbed them. They stood back up straight, hoping that Hero got the message. They were okay. Now was no time to be getting distracted, they had to get Hero away from here, away to a safer place.

Supervillain crooked his head at Hero lying behind Villain, suddenly curious. Villain tensed, mind racing to bring back all of Supervillain's attention back on them. Look at me, don't look at them. Look at me, only me.

" Supervillain, I don't appreciate you giving that lowly Hero more attention than to me, you act as if I don't exist." Villain sneered, making their voice sound as deadly as they can. They desperately hoped that their voice didn't tremble.

"Oh, forgive me, I didn't mean to do that." Supervillain said but there was not a single ounce of sincerity in that. Villain simply glared, gaze sharp and cruel.

"Ouch, if only gazes could kill, I would certainly be dead right now Villain, I'm hurt." Supervillain mocked and Villain's brain was working overtime, trying to comprehend the change in Supervillain's attitude- why are they acting like they know something that I don't, they seem cockier than usual.

Villain decided to take a chance, "Why are you acting like this Supervillain, are you perhaps, hiding something from me? Some part of a plan that you don't want me to know about?"

Supervillain chuckled dryly, and Villain felt the temperature drop a few degrees at once, bloodlust making itself known once again. Hero whimpered from behind them and Villain's heart cried out.

"You tell me who's the one hiding things, Villain."

Villain barely had any time to react, their mind knew what was happening, but their body was too slow to comprehend.

A huge blast of power left the Supervillain's palm- right towards Hero.

Move... move... MOVE!!!

Villain was never in their life more thankful for their superspeed as they turned around, grabbed Hero in their arms and zipped past the blast, just as it connected with the concrete behind them, blasting it into pieces. Villain ran as fast as their legs could carry them, trying not to jostle the hurt Hero in their arms too much. They were going to turn around the next corner when they felt something digging into their side. They refused to acknowledge it, continuing to speed away, the only thing on their mind being getting Hero to safety.

Supervillain's coarse laughter echoed from far behind them, as they sped away.

"Llain... Villain... VILLAIN!!!"

Villain was forced to stop, crashing into a concrete wall. They made sure to turn around in the last second, so that their back came into contact with the wall and not Hero who they held in their arms.

Villain gasped out loud, any air residing in their lungs evicted, suddenly feeling more tired than they have felt in ages. They heard shuffling and peeked an eye open to see Hero crawling up to them- all bloody and bruised. Just stay put, idiot, you're hurt, they wanted to say but their voice refused to work.

"You're bleeding!" Hero wailed as loud as they could in their current state, but it sounded more like a whisper to Villain- am I becoming deaf?

Hero finally made it to them, hands clutching onto their leg and slowly pulling themselves up, touching everywhere and spreading warmth with their fingertips. Villain looked up at them from their bed of concrete, "You're so warm, Hero."

And Hero cried and cried and cried, fat tears rolling down their cheeks, just like the way they would cry after waking up from a nightmare (and oh how badly they wished that this was just another bad dream). Villain smiled at them and they cried more. Villain didn't want them to cry.

"S-stop crying, s-silly", Villain somehow managed to wheeze out, their body aching everywhere. Hero bent down, warm fingers touching their eyelids, cheeks and then lips. The next thing Villain could feel was a pair of lips on theirs, Hero's lips, warm just the way they remembered, kissing them like it was the last time they would ever get to do it. Hero pulled away, looking into Villain's eyes and began muttering strings of "sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" and Villain wanted to keep staring at them but they just felt so tired.

They wanted to bring up their hand and wipe away those tears that had no business on their lover's face but their hand wouldn't move. They couldn't do anything.

"G-go and get yourself checked *cough cough* at a h-hospital okay?" Villain wheezed out, struck by another coughing fit.

And Hero just smiled, looking like the happiest person in the world which Villain scrunched their nose at because they were bleeding and this was no time to be happy.

" I will *wheeze*, I love you Villain, so so much." They burst into tears again.

"I l-love-

Villain closed their eyes.

Hero finally let themselves fall on their lover's bloody body- cold, lifeless, unmoving. They couldn't hear the heartbeats that they fell asleep to every night anymore. They knew that they themselves were beyond saving, and so they cried and wailed, wanting to spend the last moments of their life grieving- grieving for the only person who loved them and saw them for who they really were, not just as a hero.

"You kept worrying about me till your last breath huh? You were always too good for me Villain, you loved me too well, too much."

"Maybe if you didn't love me, you would still be alive."

Tears mingled with blood as Hero's warm hands found Villain's cold ones, interlacing their fingers together.

"So this is what they mean by being together until your last breath huh? I never really thought that it would happen to me because love just seemed like too good of a dream to be true."

Hero smiled, heart feeling full because they knew that they had the best lover that they could have ever asked for. And everything that had happened between them was true in every way.

"At least now, we don't have to see each other bleeding out and fighting to stay alive."

T-T

hero and villain really just wanna live life / but no, I had to go and make it angsty / I swear though, this was not how it played out in my head/ why do I do this to myself- /me playing with the word lover because it sounds so good / also let me know if you guys want an alternative HAPPY end for these two in the comments/ if you're okay with this, that's cool too.

Word: Trunk

I was just about to turn around the corner when the car started spluttering and after a few hesitant inches forward, it stopped. I sighed, getting out and began inspecting the engine, wanting to fix this up and continue my journey as soon as possible- it's been a couple of months since I last met you after all, and I miss you. (I wouldn't tell you that though, I don't have the courage).

My chest heaves as I manage to push the car to a repair shop nearby, and the guy tells me that it'll take an hour. Luckily, I know just the thing that would keep me company. I run up to my trunk, open it and pull out my brown suitcase. I enter the numbers for the lock (It's your birthday) and the suitcase opens with a 'pop'. The first thing in there is a letter- the same one that you gave me before we parted all those months ago; it's the first thing I read when I open my eyes every morning and the last thing I read before I go to bed every night.

Normal people would have actually have this letter by hearted if they read it so many times, but unfortunately for me, I'm anything but that. The doctor has always told me, (the kind man he is), that my memory is a fickle thing, it can disappear and reappear whenever it wants to. I remember he also had a fancy name for it- memory distortion? Anyways, none of that matters to me, as long as I don't forget one person in my life (you)- that's all I ask for. So I read the letter again, tracing my index finger over that that messy handwriting of yours, it's one thing that hasn't changed ever since I've known you and I take pride in deciphering it like it's my own.

The repair guy calls out to me and it's finally time to go, I mean come back- come back to you. I hope I'll get to see you, (before it's too late), before my memory fails me and I end up forgetting who you are. I'm not stupid, as distorted as my memory may be, I've always known that that day would come (but I hope it doesn't have to be today).

It's been two more hours since the repair shop, and I'm almost there brother, I just have to turn one more corner and I'll end up right in front of our house. But wait, is it really just one more corner? Don't I have to turn two more? No, I shouldn't turn any corners, I should just take a right here. No, no, no, this can't be happening. I'm confused. I don't know the way home-

Where am I even trying to go?

I don't exactly remember so I turn right, I just feel like seeing the beach all of a sudden. I think I would have spent a lot of time there as a child because my clothes often smell like the sea. I drive for a few more minutes and can hear the waves crashing on the shore. I park the car on the sand and simply stare out into the ocean, deep and mysterious. "Our minds are like the ocean" , doctor used to say, "no one can really understand them to the fullest."

Poor man, he was such a nice man. I wonder if he's having a good time in heaven?

-

About an hour later, a man walks up to me. And for some weird reason I don't feel alarmed at all, and just stare at him as he comes closer. When he's finally close enough, he looks at me as if I'm acting really weird and calls out my name with so much familiarity, asking me why I came to the beach instead of coming home, and I take a step back- not because I'm scared but because I'm just not used to familiarity, nothing in my life has stayed familiar for me anyways.

"Um, who are you?"

That one statement seems to knock all the air out of his lungs, and he staggers for a moment, before regaining his balance and the next time he looks up at me, he's crying, sobbing and something in me breaks but I have a feeling it wasn't intact in the first place.

After gulping in a few strained breaths of air, he finally speaks again, "I'm your brother."

And I don't know why it hurt in my chest, but it did and it wouldn't go away no matter how much I denied it. Looking at the apparent distress on my face, my 'brother' put a hesitant arm around my back, pulling me into a hug. I put my arms around him without any hint of hesitation, the warmth making me feel a little better.

And then there were wet stripes on my cheeks and I didn't know why, so since I didn't know the reason, I couldn't stop them. I cried and he cried looking at me, and we just both cried, holding each other in our arms, tasting the salty air.

And for a brief moment, I could see someone who looked like a younger version of the same man who was holding me in my head, and everything fell into place, like putting puzzle pieces together.

The doctor did say that memories were fickle things- that they would go and come as they pleased.

My hands tightened on his shirt and I smiled into his chest, "I'm home, brother." I felt the pair of arms tighten around me.

Anywhere feels like home when you're with me.

Thank you @creweemmaeec11 for this wonderful game, I had fun writing this!!! (The medical stuff may not be factual, I didn't really research much because the prompt was just "trunk" and I ended up making a story out of it XD)

Calling all tumblr writers! We’re playing a word game!

Let’s try to get that creative brain going. 

Here’s how it works:

The game is simple. I’ll start by saying a word, then someone will reblog with their own word that’s related to mine. Then you reblog with a word related to thiers, and so on! If you see this post, Reblog the most recent word with your own related one! (You can reblog older ones too if those are what you see,)

The writing part, is that before you can reblog your word, you have to write something with it! It can be a poem a shorty story, anything you want as long as it includes your word!

I’ll start!

The First Word Is: Tree

My writing: 

Things would never be the same. It was more then a plant to her. There was a playhouse up in it’s canopy, and a tire swing on a branch. Carved in the trunk remained the scars of her first teenage crush. Memories of picnics below in the shade, or the crafts made with the colourful fall leaves. This was more then a tree, it was her childhood. And now it was burning.

Now go! Reblog with a word related to tree, along with your own writing snippet! Lets get all of Tumblr writing :3

3am(s)

"You know," Villain mused, "You're definitely the kind of person I want to spend my 3am(s) with."

Hero plopped down comfortably next to them and turned to face them, a smirk dancing on their lips, " is that your idea of a confession?"

Villain was now a blushing mess, trying to hide their rapidly reddening cheeks with a scarred hand. Hero was quick though, and grabbed the same hand, slowly bringing it towards their lips and the whole time, Villain's heart threatened to jump out of their chest.

Hero waited for a chaste moment, staring into Villain's eyes as they kissed along the scars on their palm- gentle, dedicated, firm. Villain felt like fainting under their touch.

"If you didn't already notice my dear Villain," Hero mocked playfully, "we've been doing that almost every night now- staying awake at ungodly hours that is." Their eyes gestured down to their wristwatch for a tiny moment to further emphasize their point.

Villain rolled their eyes, already used to Hero's smart mouth and they can't seem to decide for the life of them, whether to shut that mouth up or let them ramble, because they loved both and -

"Woah woah, I can literally see you running inside your head. Calm down." Hero tried, terribly amused by Villain's reactions.

Villain decided on the first option as they pulled Hero flush to their chest, taking all the breath out of them as their lips finally met. Hero didn't miss a beat, deepening the kiss the next instant.

And when they broke apart, eyes glazed, hand in hand and chest heaving, Villain was the personification of a tomato and for once, Hero faltered for words, tracing their lips with their index finger as if reliving the kiss.

Hero looked at Villain with a passion that made them weak.

"Wanna try that again?"

Villain met Hero halfway- they had always found it difficult to deny Hero and they didn't think that was ever going to change.

Just hero and villain having a good time/ this ended up being sweet and kind sexy somehow? /still very much adorable.

Another Snippet from The Farm at Wardenwood Hollow

“Hey,” Taryn called as the door groaned open. The woman looked over her shoulder, her expression back to the familiar one of worry it always wore. Taryn walked up while she climbed into the truck, leaning an arm against the top of the door. She used her chin to gesture at the back seat. “You the only one we got here that buys that powder.”

In the seat, the woman tensed. She didn’t speak right away, and the gaze she fixed on Taryn made her believe she’d just asked something very, very wrong.

“You best be glad ‘bout that,” she told Taryn finally. The way her voice had gone low left her uneasy. “In fact,” she added, face more serious than Taryn had ever seen it, “if you notice anyone else start buyin’ it–you let me know. Y’hear?”

Taryn looked at her strangely and chuckled.

“I ain’t the sort to go ‘round discussin’ people’s purchases with others, Miss,” she said.

“I said you let me know.”

The grin faded from Taryn’s face, and she pushed back off the door frame.

“You’re serious, ain’t you?” she asked, eyeing her.

The woman stared for a couple seconds, then pulled the door shut with a clank. The truck roared to life and she leaned toward the passenger side, rummaging through the glove box for a moment. The window rolled down, and before Taryn realized what was happening, she’d thrust a business card into her hand.

“That’s my phone number,” she explained, eyes flicking to the card and back to Taryn’s. She nodded at it. “It’s a landline. Only way you gon’ reach me. Leave a message if I don’t answer. Keep callin’ and leavin’ ‘em ‘til I call back.”

Taryn’s mouth opened and closed a few times, confused and troubled by the odd exchange. She blinked down at the card. She recognized the name of the farm.

When she looked back up, the woman was still watching her.

“You tol’ me last week you don’t gotta drive far,” she said, narrowing her eyes. She held up the card. “But this is the ol’ Sterling place. That’s thirty miles from here.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout that,” the woman warned, shaking her head and dropping the truck into gear.

“‘Bout your lyin’, you mean?” Taryn asked with a frown.

“Ain’t important.”

“You lyin’ ‘bout something small like that sure make it seem important.”

“You just worry ‘bout that powder, an’ tellin’ me if it ain’t me buyin’ it.”

Taryn held her gaze, then shrugged and shoved the card into her jacket pocket.

“Fine,” she said, tugging her beanie lower on her head. “I don’t know what you on about, but if I see anyone else buyin’ it, I’ll give you a call.” She pulled a face, wondering if she’d misinterpreted the woman’s nature and questioning if she just might, in fact, be crazy.

“You promise?”

The way she asked it–quieter again, and very worried–gave Taryn pause. Her own face softened at the edges, and she nodded.

“Sure, Miss,” she told her, smiling again. “Yeah. I promise.”

“You keep your promises?”

“Sure do,” Taryn said with a stern nod, almost offended by the implication she wouldn't.

“Good.”

Taryn chuckled again, stepping back.

“You drive safe, now,” she said.

“I will,” the woman replied. Then, with a smirk of her own, “That’s a promise.”

-----

Synopsis:

Taryn Monroe prefers simplicity–her place in the mountains, the predictable rhythm of her job at the mill, and the peace that comes with keeping to herself.

Every Tuesday, a woman shows up at precisely fifteen minutes to close. Taryn doesn’t know much about her–just the rumble of her truck, the way she never wastes words, and the peculiar gallon of sulfur she buys each week.

Then one Tuesday, she doesn’t show up.

Taryn tells herself to leave it alone, that it’s not her business and the woman can handle herself. But when she overhears an argument and starts asking questions, she can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong–and her life becomes anything but simple.

Something wild is living in the barn at Wardenwood Hollow. Something keeping the woman bound to the old Sterling farm.

And Taryn may be her only chance to break free.

Snippet from The Ithaca Mandate

“How long?” Judith asked, hugging her arms against her ribs. She shivered slightly, the chill of the open space seeping into her. “How long until…?” The question ground to a halt, and no amount of will could force it into the air. How long until we’re gone? She could hear it in her mind. She could see it in the gaunt lines of her reflection. The bones of her cheeks and shoulders pushed out against her skin and the thin fabric of her undershirt, her brown eyes framed in dark crescents–fault lines and shadows where there should have been rolling hills and light. Judith scrubbed a hand across her face, like she could wipe that terrible, broken reflection away. Beneath them, Ithaca creaked and trembled as if even the leviathan herself was afraid of what it meant to die. Rage boiled to the surface, at the great, suffering beast still clinging to her perverse, miserable excuse of a life and her demands she not die alone. How long until you finally let us go?

i have a little snippet for a thing with giyuu mwehehe