Partners in Crime

(NOT A PR0MPT)

******

"You know," Supervillain whispered, hands not-so-gently brushing the new wound on Villain’s abdomen, "when I tell you that you need me on missions, it's because I know I could never do it on my own. Meaning"- a rip sounded as Supervillain began pulling the edge of the self-adhesive bandages away from its roll- " you shouldn't be doing it on your own either. We're supposed to be a team, Villain."

"I know," Villain replied through gritted teeth. "I just...no, I don't know."

Supervillain tugged at a desired length in the bandage before sticking her nail into the fabric and ripping it through until she had a piece isolated from the whole roll. "You say that every time- that you don't know. I know what you're not saying, love."

A grunt sounded deep in Villain's throat, one used as if to ask, Yeah? And what do you think of what I don't even know myself? Villain wasn't angry, but she and Supervillain had had this conversation so many times; Villain was sick of it.

"You feel like you have to prove something- your strength, most likely."

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone," Villain grumbled lowly, and rather irritably. She didn't like to be read, least of all by her partner in crime. "Hey, hey, hey. That's tight!" Villain screeched, attempting to peel away from her lover as she pulled either end of the bandage crossways.

"What that little team of heroes could do to you is worse than anything I can do. And they want to hurt you. Don't you get that?" Supervillain let the bandage loosen slightly before knotting it in place. Stupid wound. Stupid Villain.

Villain winced, this time not around the bandage. "You're mad at me." She watched as Supervillain's shoulders rose in stiffness. "Not mad," she corrected, "stressed."

Supervillain drew in a long, heavy breath, one which could have cleaned a pool of every ounce of water. She let go of that breath, slowly, like a breeze at the beginning of autumn. She imagined autumn whilst she did so too. It helped calm her. Did she necessarily want to be calm though? She was upset, and she had every right to be.

"You keep putting yourself in these situations, keep coming back with busted lips, or a new gash on your arm, a fractured wrist, bruised tailbone." Supervillain grabbed a tube of ointment off the counter beside her and squeezed a dot onto her finger before bringing it to Villain's cheek where a fresh line of blood was still on display. She dabbed it with a cloth, and smeared the ointment after. "One of these times, I'm just afraid you won't come back."

“I haven’t died yet,” Villain said, perhaps stupidly.

“Even you said ‘yet.’ Do you expect yourself to die as much as I do? Must not if you persist on leaving me behind like an idiot.” She peeled a band-aid from the inside of the box which it was kept in- with others, of course. Putting the cotton part on Villain’s scratch, Supervillain pressed the sticky edges on her cheek. “There. All done. No more smearing, poking, or prodding.”

A silence enveloped the two. Supervillain tucked all her medical equipment away as Villain sulked in her own self disappointment. The latter didn't enjoy the amount of concern she had caused, and figured she really ought to say nothing else to keep her lover happy- or no more displeased than she already was, at least.

Standing and walking slowly, Villain hobbled to a drawer in the bathroom, pulled it out, and grabbed a brush- a big one with the best round-tipped bristles. It was Supervillain's favourite brush. She walked into the living room, finding her lover on the couch.

"You're not supposed to be walking around while you're injured," Supervillain commented.

"What if it's to take care of you?"

Supervillain glared and rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one in need of caretaking."

"Maybe not, but I want to make it up to you." Villain hobbled on over to the couch where her lover sat with puffy eyes. "You were crying," Villain whispered as she lowered herself onto the cushion, brush still in hand. "I don't mean to upset you when I go. I do it because- because I know their strength and I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to you while I was there, unable to stop it."

As Villain spoke, Supervillain slid to the floor and flipped her hair out from between her back and the cushion of the couch.

Supervillain's hair remained flayed on Villain's lap until she eventually gathered it in a hand and pressed a brush between the strands. "I love you," Villain said. "That's why I'm running off. Because I know I wouldn't survive if something happened to you."

"You know that feeling is likewise, right?" Supervillain turned her head just far enough that she could see her lover in her peripherals. "I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen while I wasn't there." She turned fully, placing a hand on Villain's. "We're partners in crime, alright?"

Villain's straightened, wincing as she did so. "Partners in crime?" How cheesy, but then again-

"You're the one that thought it earlier."

She was right. Still, Villain was almost disappointed in herself for such a pitiful cliché.

"You're cute when you pout," Supervillain sighed, facing away from her lover once again. She closed her eyes. "Go on. Make it up to me," she said.

So, Villain began stroking her hair with the brush once more. "I'll take you with next time."

A soft 'Thank you,' and 'I love you,' was returned.

Spill P3

Part 2 here

******

The cold water now touched Hero’s shoulders and she could almost cry at the feeling, the panic, and the desperateness she felt to get out. As before, she couldn’t budge, and Villain wasn’t even trying. The two of them were quiet beyond Hero’s quickened breathing. Villain refused to speak any further than he already had- wouldn’t even ask Hero for her one life goal again.

“Villain, I know- know you’re not talking right now, b-but-” Goodness, she was cold. Hero could feel the goosebumps on her arms even as they were beneath the water. Her fingers were numb, but she was otherwise noticeably freezing. How surprising would it be if her lips were blue? Not at all. “I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You do bad things, try to get yourself thrown into jail, but…something tells me…I don’t know. You’re good, Villain, and I know that…even if no one else does.”

Tempted to respond, Villain took a deep breath. He shuffled a bit, not caring about the continuously rising water. He would die, or he wouldn’t. If he did die, he’d only wake up in the confines of Supervillain’s…whatever it was. A basement, lab, whatever…it didn’t matter where or what it was- just that it was Supervillain who captured him time and time again for something that didn’t matter.

“I’m not your bad guy,” Villain said, “but I wish I were. I wish you would think I were.”

“Why? Why do you want to be the bad guy? I don’t- I don’t understand you. Help me understand.” Hero rushed out suddenly, “That’s my goal. That is my one and only life goal; to understand you.”

Villain scoffed with a false laugh, chest bouncing as he did so. “You don’t mean that.”

At least he’s talking now, Hero thought. It didn’t mean much, though, did it? He probably wouldn’t talk for long, and even if he did, the water was still coming closer and closer to their necks, their chins, their noses. How nice would it be to spontaneously grow a set of gills in place of lungs? If only. “Why don’t you think so?”

“There was a time you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“I didn’t know you up until a few months ago.” Hero was confused. What did Villain mean ‘there was a time’? There was never a time she didn’t want to help Villain, to help him see there was a brighter side to life.

This time Villain sighed. Why’d he ever say anything again? He was supposed to let himself drown before he said another word- not say things that would only make more questions blossom in Hero’s mind. He didn’t feel like discussing this for yet another time. It’d already been talked about so many times before, for- for hundreds of years. It didn’t need to be voiced again.

Maybe that was it. Maybe this kept happening because Villain kept vocalizing, kept giving fate the power to repeat it. Maybe he should finally get his senses about him and shut up- once and for all. Maybe doing that would mean he could finally die, too. This could all be over with.

“Villain, please.”

He hated the way Hero’s voice broke, as if wanting to know him truly was all she ever wanted in this lifetime, and the one before that, and the one before that. Villain could hardly keep track of how many lives they’d been through at this point. Four? Five? Dare he consider six? How much the times had changed since then.

If he focused hard enough, Villain could hear seagulls on the coastline, and he could almost imagine them swooping down to pluck sweet flowers out of cold girls’ hair. He could almost imagine one of them swooping down onto Hero as she squealed and swatted. She was so beautiful, then- and she was now, still, but she was different. Different in a way Villain couldn’t describe but could simply feel. He still loved her, still cherished her with all his being, but he didn’t want to…not anymore. Not when doing so with her came with so many consequences, ones that affected her most of all.

A sniffle sounded. “I told you my goal, Villain. Please, please give it to me before I die.”

“Not this time, Hero. I won’t allow us to suffer any longer. I’m sorry.”