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fishradiation · 6 months

Note

Could you please write a part 4 of prompt 42 whenever you find the time/inspiration? Thank you in advance. I hope you have a great day! (I was about to ask anonymously, but figured that my first ask should be at least show my profile lol)

Prompt 42 is just bringing out all the first asks xD

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

"No." Villain took the shoes out of the cart and pressed them back into Hero's hands. "Only the essentials. This isn't a charity."

"Oh." Hero looked down at the sneakers' sunset canvas, squeezing them tightly together in their hands. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Supervillain said.

Villain glanced at them and their partner nodded meaningfully in Hero's direction. Villain looked back at the youth. Yes, they looked pathetic. A puppy Villain had just kicked. They stood awkwardly in front of the cart, clutching those shoes like their life depended on it. What, was Villain supposed to feel bad? They'd already picked out one too many shirts and a more expensive pair of sweats than they'd been planning on. Didn't Supervillain see the kid was pushing it?

"Hero, what do you're shoes look like now?" Supervillain pressed.

Hero lifted one of their worn blue boots. "Oh, um... They're fine. They're hero grade after all." Then with a forced laugh, "I could probably last an apocalypse in these."

"See?" Vilain said. "They're fine."

They attempted to roll the cart forward, but Supervillain grabbed the edge and stopped it short.

"What?" Villain said exasperatedly.

Supervillain nodded at Hero again, lowering their voice. "Wasn't the point of this to get them into something other than their hero uniform?"

"Shoes are different. They don't need to be washed every time you wear them."

"And they are a just a kid. A kid who's been through a lot. Don't you understand how that feels?"

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't understand," Villain hissed, but they did give the Hero's feet another glance. The boots, though scuffed, were in good shape, thick-soled, and shiny blue. When it came to practicality there was nothing wrong with them but... But there was something utilitarian about them. Every hero sported the same style, just in a different color. An impersonal piece of clothing leftover from an indifferent agency.

"Put them in."

Hero jolted a little. "Oh, no. I really don't want to cause trouble. You're right, it's not a big deal."

Villain fixed them with a hard, steel stare. "Do you want me to change my mind? Put them in."

Hero quickly and carefully placed the sneakers alongside the thick package of athletic socks.

"Thank you."

"Thank, Supervillain."

Hero stole a look at the taller villain. "Thank you, Supervillain."

"You're welcome," Supervillain grinned. "But don't let Villain's bad attitude fool you. They're a softy at heart."

"Oh really? Let's see how soft I am when you sleep on the floor tonight."

"Not even the couch?" Supervillain gasped, holding their hand to their chest in mock hurt.

"Hero has the couch."

Supervillain gasped again. "Choosing a hero over me?"

Villain rolled the cart toward the checkout. "At least, they're not bugging me right now."

"Oh, come on." Supervillain draped their large body across Villain's back. "You know you love me."

"Get off! You're heavy!"

"Not until you say it."

"Say what?" Villain squirmed and elbowed beneath Supervillain's weight.

"Say you love me."

"I don't have to, you already know I do!"

Supervillain hummed ponderingly, the vibration tickling Villain's skin where their partner leaned their chin into their neck. "I will be generous and accept that answer."

"Stupid." Villain shoved Supervillain again. This time swayed back as easily as if they were made of straw. Villain caught them by the arm before they stepped back too far, sliding their fingers down into their hand.

Hero smiled.

"What?" Villain said, catching the quirked lip out of the corner of their eye.

"N-nothing." Hero clasped their hands nervously together and looked down at the fluorescent reflection of the ceiling lights on the tile. "I've just...never seen stuff like this outside of movies. I-it's nice."

“Aw,” Supervillain said.

“I hope my parents liked each other this much.”

“AW!”

Hero quickly held up their hands. “I’m not trying to compare or anything! It just sort of popped into my mind, and I said it without thinking!”

“It was adorable!”

“It’s not a big deal, kid,” Villain said. “It’s a natural thing to think about.” They hesitated. How much did they actually want to know about this kid? They were leaving in a couple weeks, right? So there was no point getting curious, but well…they were. “Did you know your parents at all?”

“No. I was still a baby when the orphanage got me. Heroes pulled me out when I started showing powers.”

Villain stiffened.

“Did they do anything to you?”

Hero cocked their head. “Like what?”

What a stupid question. Of course not. Hero was still with them. Suspended maybe, but still listed and strong as ever. It was a completely different situation.

“Nothing. I just heard they do tests and things there.”

Supervillain squeezed their shoulder from behind, and Villain slowly released the tension from their muscles.

“Er…” Hero said. “I guess there was a lot of testing to pin down what my powers were. And sometimes I had to take these stabilizing pills. They said maybe I can stop when I turn 21, cause by then my power should be done, um, fluctuating.”

It sounded like someone else’s words. One of those cracked scientists maybe? Or those poster heroes who made their diagnoses more palatable to the public.

Their hands were shuddering. They could feel the finger-weakening tremble as they tried to keep a good grip on the shopping cart’s handle. This was ridiculous. They hadn’t even talked about anything. They’d gone into detail with Supervillain without breaking down, and now they were freaking out over a thought?

“Let’s get something to eat,” Villain said abruptly, shoving their treacherous hands into their pockets. Supervillain smoothly took their place at the head of the cart before Villain could even ask. “What do you guys want? Pizza? Burgers? I’ll buy you a shake, kid.”

“Um…” Hero’s expression twisted apprehensively, as if they expected Villain to spring some sort of trap as soon as they agreed. “Burgers are fine.”

“Burger Shack downstairs then. You guys check out; I’ll go ahead and save some seats.”

Villain didn’t even give a proper goodbye before abandoning the checkout lane and striding out of the store. The busy mall hallway made them more anxious, so they followed the the first bathroom sign they saw and slipped into one of the stalls. Only then did they let their hands free again, watching bitterly as they trembled in the air in front of them.

Stupid. So stupid.

They clasped their fingers together and took a deep breath. Supervillain always said to take deep breaths when they felt bad. It didn’t always work, but…it was better than nothing.

They held the air for a few seconds and then let it out again.

Repeat, Supervillain’s voice echoed comfortingly in their head.

Villain followed the imagined instructions and inhaled again.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

The trembling slowly abated, but the pit of chilling fear in their chest stuck like a glob of cold syrup. They wished they could get over this. Why did they have to be this way? If they didn’t get downstairs soon, Supervillain and Hero would beat them to the restaurant, and they’d know. The kid would sense their weakness, they’d get the upper hand, and…

And what were they thinking? This was a kid. A super kid, but still. How could their presence throw them this much off balance? Were they losing it?

They buried they face in their hands, marinating in their own patheticness for several long minutes.

When they finally arrived for lunch, Supervillain and Hero had already ordered.

Part Five

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii @deflated-bouncingball @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer @blood-enthusiast @randomfixation @alexkolax @pksnowie @blessupblessup @wolfeyedwitch @thedeepvoidinmyheart @cornflower-cowboy @bestblob @a-chaotic-gremlin @espresso-depresso-system

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fishradiation · 6 months

Note

Villain x hero writing prompt: Hero/Villain (you can choose which role) is getting a new classmate. When they see the new student introducing themselves, they see their arch nemesis. And to top it all off, the villain/hero has been instructed to show their new "classmate" around.

Prompt #142

Everything had been going fine, not well, but fine as [Hero] and [Villain] tried to ignore each other while internally cursing their bad luck. Today was supposed to be a good day for [Hero]; they were transferring into one of the city's best high schools. They had gotten all dressed up and presentable and even practiced some lines in the mirror before arriving. But during class introductions, everything had come crashing down.

The teacher instructed them to sit at the back of the class in the one empty seat next to another person. When [Hero] and the other person's eyes met, they both felt it, the mutual hatred that could only be experienced between people whose hobbies were beating the living daylights out of each other. Their seat partner was [Villain].

[Villain]'s face immediately soured, but [Hero] wasn't so lucky and had to keep control of themselves as they were still standing in front of the class, but now that they're sat next to [Villain] they let their face show just how unfortunate they thought their predicament was as well.

"Why are you here?!" [Villain] hissed under their breath.

[Hero] rolled their eyes in response before whispering back, "Trying to get an education."

"Why are you at my school, are you trying to keep an eye on me?"

"Trust me. This is an unpleasant surprise for both of us." [Hero] scowled while continuing to work on their problem.

"You expect me to believe that," [Villain] quietly snarled as they turned to fully face [Hero].

"I don't expect you to do anything except let me do my work!" [Hero] snarled back before both were loudly hushed by the teacher.

They both aggressively did their classwork while silently glaring at each other until the bell finally rang. [Villain] jumped out of their seat and started quickly packing their things away before the teacher called out to them.

"Oh [Hero]! You don't know your way around the school yet, [Villain] would you mind taking the new student on a tour?" the teacher called out to [Villain], who suddenly stopped packing.

[Villain] took a few deep breaths before calling back to the teacher, voice tight and shaking with anger, "Of course I can."

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fishradiation · 6 months

Text

#34

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

The villain can see the hero, just about, crossing the dingy basement car park. The lacklustre lighting throws them into silhouette, only recognisable by the stupid gait they always carry themself with, undeservedly confident.

“[Villain],” they open, their voice raised slightly to echo across the empty space, but the villain doesn’t give them the time of day. They shove their arm into the bag at their side, yanking their trusty pistol from the side pocket.

“Unlike you to wanna meet here. Figured you’d be scared of me keying your car.”

“I am, but my car’s not here.” They’re almost in front of the villain, and the barrel raises slightly to follow them. “I just wanted to talk.”

Keep reading

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fishradiation · 6 months

Text

Prompt 47

Villain watched, dumbfounded, as Hero struggled to even throw the grappling hook properly. They'd been a mess since they'd shown up; Stumbling, unable to form a coherent insult, and then there were the little comments Hero kept muttering. "Stupid sexy rival Villain." "Why can't you just step on me and we call it a night?" "Don't look at me with those eyes, those are bedroom eyes and I'm on the job."

Finally Villain had had enough, grabbing Hero and looking them in the eyes.

"You're high."

"Nuh uh," Hero stuck their nose in the air. "Heroes don't get high. Now back up, I gotta try this again-"

"Where were you before they called you in?"

"My brother's." Hero hummed, untangling the grappling hook. "He gave me brownies."

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fishradiation · 6 months

Note

The power to see emotions! Like auras or however

Power: 🧐

(hey, not all the emoji translations can be winners)

Author's note - I hope you don't mind that I added another power onto the prompt!

Prompt #13 - Reality Manipulation and Aura Reading

Tldr: Villain is walking home when reality goes weird. They're compelled to find the source not expecting to find Superhero dissociating. Can be read as platonic or romantic

CW: Descriptions of a dissociation episode

As Villain walked home from a late day grocery run they felt something strange.

It was an odd feeling that Villain always had a hard time explaining, much like the power that allowed them to experience it.

To put it simply, they could read and sense auras. It made it easy to target nervous marks or read the physical position of law enforcement through walls. Pretty useful for robberies and manipulation but useless in combat.

It was a 6th sense to Villain. Like pressure in your ears when you change elevation or humming a tune before it plays on your favorite radio station.

Needless to say it was strange that Villain was feeling even more odd than usual.

They knew something was definitely amiss when they saw birds flying in reverse. Sparrows specifically, not hummingbirds which can in fact fly backwards.

Villain mentally kicked themselves for getting sidetracked by bird facts before continuing towards home. For all they know it could have been a fluke. Maybe they were wrong about their bird facts. Maybe their birdwatching books were outdated.

They would have continued that train of thought but were snapped back to reality when they noticed what looked like rain. They opened the umbrella they brought (just in case) but was even more weirded out when eggs started falling instead of rain.

From the looks of it they appeared to be chicken eggs which reminded them of a fun fact about chicken gestation... No! Focus! Something weird is happening and bird facts will not help!

Villain made it home, threw their groceries away as fast as possible, and ran back out to try to find the source of the weirdness.

At this point their street looked completely chaotic. Eggs littered the street like rain, cars drove in reverse, everything was some shade of blue and anyone on the street made animal noises instead of actual words.

On top of everything else, time seemed to work weirdly. One moment everything was moving slowly and the next it seemed like everything blurred by. Pure uninterrupted madness.

Villain didn't have time to focus on the mess in front of them. They had to find the source of it.

Luckily their 6th sense acted like many others. In the same way you could hear a sound from another room or smell a fresh baked pie from a bakery down the street, Villain could feel the direction of the anomaly source.

They ran down what was left of the street towards an apartment building that seemed to be more affected than the rest with half of it appearing to be pixelated.

At this point Villain didn't know why they were doing this. This was a hero's job. They weren't responsible for fixing reality. Why charge in headfirst without a second thought?

'Because you can do something about it' a small voice in their head told them. Maybe they could, maybe they couldn't. Maybe dumb thoughts are just dumb thoughts. But Villain couldn't bother to care as they ran up apartment steps.

They turned down a hallway before stopping at a door.

They could feel it. Whatever lied behind this door was responsible for everything going all Alice in Wonderland-y. All the hairs on their arm raised as they put their hand on the doorknob to twist.

Behind the door was a fairly normal apartment. Some of the furniture had funky patterns (maybe due to the source) and the walls had odd textures (probably due to the source).

Sitting on a cow-patterned couch was a person with a TV for a head. Villain was unsurprisingly caught off guard by the sight but they were even more shocked that they could recognize the TV person from the super suit they wore.

"Superhero?"

The figure looked towards them, static playing on their screen. They patted the seat near them before staring straight ahead again.

Villain did the only thing they could and sat next to Superhero.

This was new to Villain. Superhero had a TV instead of their normal head (at least from what they saw on TV, pun not intended), the world seemed to be crumbling around them, and weirdest of all they were in Superhero's apartment.

Superhero that took down legions of villains in a single night. Superhero that featured on magazine covers and talkshows across the city. Superhero that wrote a cookbook and wouldn't look at minor criminals like Villain.

That Superhero... wasn't the same one beside Villain.

"Um... hi. Are you ok? Superhero?" Villain sheepishly asked locking their eyes ahead.

"Yeah. I'm ok." A voice croaked out of the speakers, seeming to come from much farther away than expected. Villain was unconvinced.

"Are you sure about that?" Villain asked. Superhero looked at the hands in their lap.

"No" Superhero replied, "just a mood."

"Do you get moods often?" Villain pressed, earning a small nod from Superhero. "How does it feel when you're in a mood?"

"Pins and needles. Like I'm far away from my body. I'm bad with words but I'll live."

It was clear to Villain that Superhero was dissociating. Maybe it was a bit ironic that someone who could control reality fell out of touch with it. Maybe that just happens when a person is able to control the very fabric of existence.

Point being, what could Villain do? They were sitting next to a person who could easily spagettify them and Villain knew absolutely nothing about how to help someone who's dissociating. But that voice from before came back telling Villain they could at least try.

"I'm sorry. About all of it. I don't really know what I'm doing here or what I'm doing period, but is there anything I can do to help?"

Superhero looked to be lost in thought. Villain started to worry that they said something wrong or needed to repeat the question when Superhero answered.

"Would you mind... Would you mind sitting and chatting to me? I can't respond much but listening helps."

Villain smiled. "I'd be happy to. So, um, do you want to hear some bird facts?"

Superhero nodded in affirmation and Villain began enthusiastically giving bird facts. Villain couldn't tell for sure but they could swear they felt Superhero's aura lighten or see a faint smile occasionally crack through the static on their screen.

It was only a matter of time till Superhero returned to themselves and reality with them. However, Villain took the time to enjoy their company and recounting their numerous factoids. There was no rush.

Who knew you could save a city with a dumb inner voice and some bird facts.

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fishradiation · 6 months

Text

Skin Crawl

CW: Bugs, Bug horror, bullying

Hero scrubbed uselessly at the permanent marker, but even with the rubbing alcohol stinging their nose and their shoulders sore from vigor, an outline of obscenities stubbornly marred the top corner of the desk.

Hero sighed, leaning back on their heels. How did they even get roped into this? They’d only pointed out the spattering of language to their teacher so that they could punish those responsible. They hadn’t been volunteering to clean up the mess themselves. But the teacher had seemed so pleased with their willingness to help…how could they have refused?

They glanced to the back of the classroom where their dark haired classmate leaned way back in their seat, feet kicked up on their desk, book held open directly overhead.

“Are you…going to help?”

“Sure,” they waved without looking away from their page. “You can go if you want. I’ll do the rest.”

Hero straightened their aching back. “Will you?”

It came out a little snarkier than they’d intended, but Villain wasn’t exactly known for their work ethic. They were always coming to school late, staring off, or ignoring assignments. Unlike Hero, they hadn’t volunteered for classroom cleanup.

Villain cocked their head to the side, raising one dark brow. “How many times have you cleaned this classroom?”

“Well, just this once—“

“How many times have I cleaned this classroom?”

“How am I supposed to know? I don’t count all the times you mess around—“

“Oh yes, you do. You have that cute little book with all the tallies.”

Hero’s face burned.

But for some reason, Villain didn’t sound angry, just…making a point.

"Go on, open up to my page. Tell me how much experience I have staying after school."

Hero shouldered their backpack with a huff. "Ok, I get it. Just...make sure you drop the classroom key at the office when you're done. I don't want to lose the staff's trust because of you."

"Yes, master," Villain said and went back to their book.

Hero hesitated. Part of them still didn't trust their classmate to continue where they'd left off. Could this be a ruse to get them in trouble? Or maybe they just wanted Hero out of their hair and didn't care about the consequences.

Or maybe you need more faith in people.

Ugh. That was hard when everyone in this school had proven untrustworthy. Even the friends they'd made from the 'good crowd' hadn't lasted past the first month of the school year. None of them had what it took to stand up against immorality. They'd rather turn a blind eye and cut ties with anyone who might stir up the hornet's nest.

Whatever.

They grabbed their notebook off their desk and whisked out of the room. Now, what misdeeds had they borne witness to today? They flipped open to the middle of the boo; they might as well report these to the office before heading home.

11:45am--Caleb stuck gum on the inside of his desk sticking together the pages of the math textbook

11:50--Kayla texted in class for half an hour straight and did not complete any of her schoolwork.

12:30--An unknown underclassman with red hair shoved a smaller boy at lunch and took his place in line (please identify).

12:45--Taylor C. was making out with her boyfriend in front of the east stairs between classes, blocking off the way for anyone needing to use them. She also used some choice language against a well-meaning student who asked her to refrain until they left the grounds.

12:48--Victor verbally harassed an underclassman girl in the hallway despite her repeated refusals for acquaintanceship; he did not respond well to outside interven--

Hero's notebook hit the floor with a loud smack.

For a moment all they could do was stare at their empty hands in shock, then they lifted their gaze to the sneering, chiseled face in front of them.

"How many times did it make it into Book Golden Rule now?"

"Only once today, Victor," Hero said, bending for the book. Victor snatched it just before their fingers could brush the spine. At about the same moment, someone kicked them behind their right knee. Hard.

Hero gasped, collapsing onto the sneaker-smudged tile.

Victor flicked casually through the pages, stopping at his own tally sheet near the front. "Wow, my infraction rap is growing. You must be obsessed with me or something. Kinda gross but I guess you can't help it."

A chorus of laughter sounded over Hero's shoulder, and suddenly they were surrounded on all sides. They defiantly looked into the perpetrator's faces, memorizing identities: Caleb, Rick, Renna.

"Just give it back," Hero said dryly. "You're only making this worse on yourself."

Victor laughed now. "Really now? Your self-righteous ego is so big you still think you've got the upper hand here?"

"Not physically obviously, but anything you do to me, I'm just going to add it to my report."

Victor stared Hero dead in the eyes and slowly tore the notebook in half.

"I'm going to beat you so soundly, you won't even look at me without peeing yourself. You're going to look away from everything I do because all you'll remember is the pain of this moment.

"I'd never turn a blind eye for my own personal--"

The words scattered as Victor's fist met their mouth. Before they could recover he hit them again. And again. And again. A cleated food hit them from behind, sending a stab of electric agony up their spine. Dangerous. This wasn't just a scuffle. They wanted to seriously hurt them!

The next punch threw Hero on their back. They'd never been one for envy, but suddenly they wished they had one of those combat powers, super strength, invincible skin, knife fingers, anything actually useful for defeating evil!

Army boots smashed over their fingers.

Hero screamed.

"Shut them up!" Victor snarled.

Caleb's shaved head bent over them, and something knit and strongly scented of sweat was forced between their teeth and far enough in to make them gag. They spasmed but movement only made Caleb lean in harder. They couldn't breathe!

Where was the principal? Where were the teachers? Someone had to be hearing this? Someone here had to care?

The boots hit their ribs and tears gathered in their eyes.

"Aww, the wittle baby is cwying," Renna said. She balanced one foot on the center of Hero's chest and slowly leaned in her weight. "How does it feel when someone steps on you?"

Hero wanted to say that exposing someone for cheating wasn't crushing anything deserved, but there was too much sweater down their windpipe.

"Hey."

The group jolted and some of the wight lifted. Hero's vision was blurred, but between Victor and Rick's shoulders, they made out unkempt midnight hair and lanky limbs. Villain.

"If it isn't Psycho," Victor practically purred. "You want to get a few blows in too? Go nuts."

Hero's screaming insides twisted. They cared more about facts than rumors but they'd also never been this helpless in front of their dark classmate, as alone and outcast as they were but for totally different reasons. Villain supposedly had a penchant for macabre experimentation. Students said they had a devil in them. That they ate the raw innards of animals to feed it and placed curses on anyone who messed with them. There was even a rumor that they dissected a kid who made fun of them in class. Hero always found that one ridiculous, the student probably just moved away. But now, pinned and gagged and Villain getting closer they were having doubts.

Villain stopped directly in front of them. "Let the angel go."

Victor gaped for a moment. "Are you kidding? They write you up almost as much as me. You think all those after-school detentions come from thin air?"

Villain only slow blinked. "I'm giving you 5 seconds to get out of here before I do go psycho. Unlike angel, my problem-solving is more physical."

"Get out of here," Victor said waving Villlain away before back toward Hero, though the rest of his crew looked a little more nervous.

Villain shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Their mouth opened wide, cavernous. The inside might have actually been black for all Hero could see. Though something almost seemed...to move.

The first centipede dropped on Renna's boot.

"What the..." She kicked it off, lip curled in disgust. "Did you just throw--" As she turned back, she let out a splitting scream. Everyone whirled. Caleb lost his grip on the sweater gag, and Hero finally managed to roll to the side, coughing and spitting. When they raised their head again a mass of black centipedes scurried across the floor, swarming the group's shoes and wriggling up their legs. The great arthropods dropped in heavy droves from Villain's lips, some crawling down the sides of his face and neck in rapid desperation to get to the floor. Through it all Villain was still and unflinching though their eyes danced with dark amusement.

"You freak!" Victor shrieked slapping off bugs--all four perpetrators were already littered with angry bites. "You're possessed! You're--"

He cut off as a low buzz gathered in the back of Villain's throat, this time the bugs emerged as a cloud, a swarm of wasps, as black and large as the centipedes.

"Forget this!" Rick cried, taking off at top speed Renna and Caleb were close behind. Victor looked like he wanted to curse them out but all he managed was a rude hand gesture before taking off after his posse.

The centipedes followed in a dark wave, cutting a path on either side of Hero. Villain let them go, though a deep inhale sucked the wasp swarm, and a few stragglers on their shirt, back down.

Hero stared. Villain stared back. Hard black eyes evaluating. Hero's breath caught in their chest, which was probably for the best. It hurt to breathe right now.

“You know it’s being an insufferable goody two shoes that keeps getting you in trouble," Villain finally said.

Hero rose achily to their feet, brusquely wiping their face with a stifled sniffle. "Yeah, well...no one asked you." Tears threatened to spill full force over their lashes, so they began quickly gathering up the pages of their shredded notebook. "I'm going to have to add a tally for physical violence in school. I can't be biased."

Villain barked an incredulous laugh. "You're really something else, you know that?"

"And you have centipedes living in your stomach."

"Not sure if they actually live there, more like they materialize there when I want them."

"And how'd you figure that out?"

Villain smiled. "You mean you don't commonly dream of centipedes?"

Not really an answer but Hero snorted, catching themself with a wince on the wall as they did.

Slender fingers gripped their shoulders. "You should sit down."

Hero obeyed without argument. They probably looked completely pathetic right now. Tear stained, bruised, shaking. They'd always sworn it didn't matter how many people disliked them as long as they had their dignity. So much for that.

Hero ducked their head between their knees.

"Why'd you help me? Victor's right. I get you in trouble almost daily."

Villain slid down on the floor next to them. "Yeah. But being a massive pain in the butt doesn't mean you deserve to get beaten up. Besides, some of the things they do need to be exposed. And...it's impressive that you're not scared to do it."

Hero didn't fully know how to respond. That someone needed to care? That obviously when five students screaming at the top of their lungs didn't even crack a door there was a problem? Yes, they'd realized early on that putting things on paper was the best way to get results, but it wasn't like they were completely without ulterior motives either. Did choosing to confront the bad for self-serving motives make them any better than those who turned away? Villain had called them angel. But they were far from it.

"Is it a power?" Hero said, shoving away the thoughts and pointing at their mouth instead.

Villain nodded.

“Cool.” They couldn’t help the note of awe.

“Really?”

Hero looked them head on. “Yeah. I guess it’s unconventional, but you took on four people and won without moving an inch. That’s a real power.”

"You don't think it's disgusting?” For the first time Villain looked something close to vulnerable. Like Hero’s reply had thrown them off so much they’d forgotten their nonchalance. “It doesn’t make your skin crawl?"

"Not really." Hero looked up and down the vacant hallway. They wet their lips, took a deep breath, and shed their skin. They’d done it in the mirror enough times to know it was disturbing. It wasn’t the sort of shapeshifting that happened in glamorized movies. It was messy. Sometimes bloody if they went too fast. They looked at Villain with a mirror of their face. “That make your skin crawl?"

Villain grinned. "Not really."

A beat.

“So that’s how you get the dirt on so many people.”

Hero flushed and shed back into their own skin.“Most of the time yeah. They usually cover things up if they see me.”

Villain’s eyes roved them up down, hard and cutting and dark, like black diamonds. “Amazing.”

Hero shrugged, trying to pretend that gaze was not cutting them to the core. “It’s not a useful power. I connive against evil. I don’t beat it. After graduation I want to try for Allegiance Academy but…well you saw. What hero team would want someone who can’t even fight? Even with combat classes I’d never compare to the big powerhouses.”

Villain didn’t respond.

Great. Hero opened up to much. They’d gotten whiny with a practical stranger. They’d gotten Hero out is tight spot, not asked for their life’s dreams and woes

“Don’t hero teams need reconnaisance?” Villain said

Hero blinked. “I guess so.”

They’d never really thought about it before. That wasn’t the sort of role that showed up on the news. It wasn’t the thing that got peace prizes or admirers. But…maybe that was fine. They’d always craved power for the sake of being accepted into the academy and eventually chosen for a team, not for the sake of attention. Besides they were used to being alone; they were fine with it.

"Well, I better finish that cleaning," Villain said, pushing to their feet. "I wouldn't dare risk another infraction."

"Villain," Hero said before they got too far.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For the help. You're...good."

Villain crooked a smile. "Never been called that before. Probably won't again. But I appreciate it."

With that, they were gone.

Perhaps Hero didn't need to be alone after all.

8 years later…

Hero straightened their silk tie in the rearview mirror, a silvery ribboned thing they normally wouldn't have gone for but couldn't say they disliked. Though maybe that was because it suited this face. Round, prim, pink-lipped, nothing like their own drab, haggard countenance. They swore each time they returned to their true skin it looked worse.

They quickly double-checked their current contours with the photo in their glove box. "So, this is our target's lover?"

"Remy Navarro," their earpiece crackled. "They've been together six months, and they are very involved in this villain's inside plans. We're thinking 24 hours tops before you come across something big."

Hero stepped out of the car and began weaving their way through the menagerie of fine-dressed gala members. "Ok, well you rushed me into this, anything else I should know before I find this criminal overlord?"

Their teammate hesitated at the other end of the line. "Just don't act surprised about the legs."

"Legs?" Hero said. "As in, they look weird?"

"As in. there are extras."

"Excuse me? I'm really beginning to think I didn't get a proper debrief."

"It was an unexpected opening. We had to take it. Anyways you're good at improvising."

Hero dodged around a cocktail tray. "I appreciate your faith in me, but I'm better at improvising when I've had a week to carefully study my subject's personality and mannerisms. I mean what is my personality? Are they an affectionate couple?"

Silence and then finally, "You'll be fine."

"Are you kidding me? Other Hero! Other Hero?"

They'd dropped the line, hadn't they? Hero sighed, stuffing the earpiece into their pocket. Sure, they'd do better without distractions, but this was verging on insanity. Other Hero had better gather more info on their new identity before tomorrow.

They stopped in front of an intricately carved set of double doors at the tops of the stairs. The private quarters of the newest villainous boss their team had begun tracking. The assignment was a rush job so all they had was a blueprint layout and the supposition that tonight's gala was prepared as a cover for something big.

They rapped quietly on the wood before immediately easing the door open. Lovers would be comfortable enough to do that, right?

A tall figure turned as they entered. Long midnight hair fell over dark-clad shoulders. Dark, hard eyes stared out of an even harder face. And yes, there were extra legs, though not the kind Hero had been expecting: they were black, rigid, clawed things sticking out from their sides, almost like those of an insect. Meanwhile, a pair of pitch-colored moth wings folded on their back, the tails gliding on the floor like drapery.

"Took you long enough," the villain said. A black centipede crawled down their cheek and settled like a parrot on the villain's shoulder.

Hero froze on the threshold, desperately trying to connect their dropped jaw back to their brain so they could snap it shut.

It had been years since they'd seen this dark figure; their jaw seemed even sharper, their lankiness had turned to elegant slenderness, and the bug parts were new, but Hero recognized them immediately.

Villain.

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