Curate, connect, and discover
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.
(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.
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.
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)
“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.
(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.
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.
“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❌
"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 ❌
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 ❌
“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❌