P2 Darling, I Did It For You
NOT A PROMPT
Hero wished she could say she understood Caretaker's decision. She tried to convince herself that she would do the same thing, but she couldn't. Hero loved them more than she loved herself. She would have sacrificed herself for Caretaker, but they were the opposite. They preferred self-preservation. That was okay; Hero understood it in some aspect, even appreciated that Caretaker found self-care important, but at the same time, it made Hero question if she was doing something wrong.
After all, aren't you supposed to look at your significant other as something greater than the world? Shouldn't they feel loved, and therefore willing to stay if you did? Hero thought so. And so, if Caretaker was willing to leave then it must have meant that she wasn't showing them enough love. But how was she supposed to do that? How could Hero prove that she loved them more than herself?
A phone call might have sufficed, but then Hero's phone had been destroyed in a recent fight with Villain, one that she barely made it out of. 'I'm afraid Villain will kill you, and what will I do then?' Hero felt a pit in her stomach. Caretaker was taking care of themself. There was nothing wrong with that. Maybe I should just let them go. It would be what was best for Caretaker, and Hero wanted what was best for them. But why wasn't I the best? What wasn't I doing that they had to leave?
The number of times that Hero had to remind herself that Caretaker was afraid of Hero dying was uncountable. The reminder meant nothing though. After all, she couldn't just...stop fighting. One, Villain would seek her out, make her fight. And second, even if he didn't, he would destroy the city, killing many. Hero couldn't stand by and let that happen, but not sitting idle meant not having Caretaker. Hero was beginning to contemplate which was worse. A strong part of her argued that losing Caretaker was worse than losing the rest of the world.
The next day was hell. Hero somehow felt sorer than she ever had. It was worse than an overnight reel of physical exertion from a previous day. This was...something else. It was as if Hero slept on rocks. It certainly felt that way when she woke up from a night's worth of devilish dreams involving Caretaker. They would have been lovely if not for the fact that Hero woke up in a cold bed with no arms wrapped around her. The dreams were a taunt, showing the couple giggling, enjoying one another's company. She hated the dreams, almost became furious at them- and losing her temper wasn't common. All in all, Hero had a stressful sleep that she certainly felt in the morning.
Unfortunate for her, though far from unexpected, the t.v. was captioned with "BREAKING NEWS" at the bottom of the screen. Sure enough, Villain took up the left third of the frame, wreaking havoc on a small, nearby town. It looked like Hero was already late as several businesses were caught aflame.
Hero didn't bother putting on special clothing. Special being that the clothes offered a coolant in hot temperatures. Still simple clothing, no 'uniforms' but still susceptible to helping in situations like fighting villains. Right now, though, Hero didn't care. And anyway, it would only prolong the time that she wasn't trying to save what was left of the town.
When the fight was over- if Hero wasn't beaten too badly- she would go to a store and get a new phone. A cheap one, of course, for what hero could afford a brand new iPhone or Android every week? Hero would buy a flip-phone at Walmart or somewhere similar. When she bought her new phone, got service, she would call Caretaker, talk to them, ask what she did- or didn't do- that drove them away.
Until then, Hero took a cab to the small town where Villain was most definitely still terrorizing locals. "It cost twice as much to drive toward danger rather than away from it," the driver said, to which Hero begrudgingly agreed to pay the hiked price.
Upon arrival, Villain twisted in the sky, looking down and- though Hero could not see- smiling down at the cab. It could only be the hero. No one else would willingly step into the madness he wrought. It was perhaps the only aspect of Hero he admired, even if he also thought it entirely stupid. Villain was getting stronger; everyone could see it. Hero wouldn't last much longer against him at all. In fact, Villain was growing the slightest bit bored with her. She was too easy, and there was no bone beneath it all, no...no story or excitement! It was becoming dull.
The door of the taxi clapped shut. Hero hollered, "You wanna destroy something? A little pitiful if the thing you destroy can't even fight back!"
Villain floated down, hovering two feet from the ground, ten feet away from his opponent. "Is that an invitation, Hero?"
"Depends. How do you like dancing?"
"Oh, I love it," Villain smiled the taddest bit, then without another blink, he threw a wave of air at Hero, instantly knocking her back. To his surprise, she grunted as if she weren't expecting it. Even without warning, she was usually always prepared for that move. It's how the fight started everyday. Even more shocking, she was still on the ground, arm crossing her front while her hand massaged the shoulder she was reaching for.
Snidely, the Villain shouted, "Stand up, Hero. Come on! Put up a fight like you said. Otherwise I might take a shot at," he turned, mid-air, scanning the buildings on either side of the street. "That cafe," he purred, "what's it? The Milk Bowl. How about that, Hero?"
Her head dropped and she felt something sting in her eyes. Caretaker loved that cafe, went there every Monday. Thankfully, today was Tuesday. Hero wondered if they'd gone yesterday. The two usually went together. Was it possible Caretaker went by themself, if at all?
A hand latched onto Hero's shoulder, digging in deeply. She breathed in suddenly, shakily and panicked. She swallowed as she met eyes with Villain. Damn me. Damn me! She let herself get distracted. She never allowed herself to do this before...before the breakup. God, she hated that word. Using that word made it real, and it couldn't be real. Caretaker still loved them, right? Right?
"Interesting," the villain hummed. "What's going on in that head of yours? Did I strike a chord with the cafe?" Hero swallowed, eyes darting away from Villain. "Ah, so I did. How lovely. What is it? You're concerned about a friend? Partner?"
Hero jerked her shoulder, trying to escape the hand that held it. "Get off of me!" Her shoulder was becoming numb, the rest of her body beginning to tingle. Hero hated that Villain was capable of so many things. Flying, air manipulation, this- this numbing thing he was able to do. It made him nearly impossible to beat.
Villain chuckled lowly. "They're not in there, if that's what you're worried-"
"You know where they are?!" Hero's heart dropped. Oh God, oh God. What if Villain had Caretaker?
"I do," he said slowly, chewing on the words. "They don't know where they're at, of course, but that's all part of the fun."
"That I have them? Oh yes, I most certainly do." Villain's lips curved into a wicked smile as fearful tears glistened in Hero's eyes. "And I'm willing to let them go if you trade them places. Stop showing up to fight, belong to me, and I'll let your beloved go free. What do you say?"
Hero thought about it with a heart beating against her skull, a claw wrapped around her lungs. The rest of her was completely numb; she was being held in a seated position by Villain's hand. "No strings attached? You'll let them go if I come with you?"
"I'm no puppeteer, my dear. There are no strings, just a negotiation, a deal if you will."
She swallowed, stared into Villain's unwavering eyes as her own began to feel droopy. Finally, and lazily, Hero nodded. "I'll go."
