(Ye ask for little and I have delivered an essay. I was going for the triple bonus points!)
“Then you’ll watch your city burn.”
Hero swallowed, staring back at Villian who grinned easily, holding the button that would detonate bombs all over the city they’d sworn to protect.
“You really put this much effort into what, revenge? Why do you even want to hurt Sidekick?” Hero snapped back, eyeing the remote warily. “For what, switching sides? I know how you treated them, what did you expect?!”
Villain chuckled, shaking their head. “Revenge? That’s your problem, Hero, you always think so small. I want them back, and you, are going to deliver them.“
They hadn’t seen Hero since they had both been captured. Sidekick sat chained to the floor, sleep eluding them for what they figured had been at least two days. Villain hadn’t even looked at them, or come to visit, taunt, or torment them. They just let a henchman drag them to a cell and left them to anticipate their fate. It wasn’t an unfamiliar tactic, but it wasn’t ineffective either. What fleeting sleep they had managed was haunted by nightmares of this place, the things that Villain had done to them, made them do, before Hero had taken them in.
The door opened. Sidekick’s head snapped up, knees coming to their chest and arms wrapping around them, expecting the worst. Instead it was Hero who walked in, avoiding their eyes as the glanced around the cell.
“Hero! Oh my God-” They almost cried with relief. Hero must have escaped and come to rescue them. They started to get up, chains clanking as they held them out. “Can you get us out?”
Hero didn’t speak however. They glanced over their shoulder before shutting the door behind them and then crossing towards Sidekick. Their expression was something sidekick had never seen before. Blank, cold, absent of their usual warm and crooked smile. “Hero?” They asked hesitatingly, lowering back down as a uneasy feeling rose in their stomach.
Hero was silent, only the crackling of their power filling the space between them. Sidekick’s face fell, glancing down at the electricity sparking between Hero’s fingers. “What are you- what’s going on?” They backed away, pressing their back to the wall. “Whatever Villain told you, no- it wasn’t true! They’re lying I swear-please!” It was the only explanation. Villain told Hero something about them, lied about the things Sidekick did when they worked for them. Made them out to be something horrible. Hero was angry with them, wanted to punish them… No, no, that wasn’t Hero, that was Villian not, not-
Their racing mind was cut off as Hero touched them and agony exploded across their body. They convulsed, body collapsing to the ground. Stars exploded behind their eyes, a high pitched whining filling their ears. Then they touched them again and Sidekick couldn’t hold back scream. It echoed through the cell, stilted and strangled by their body bucking under the electricity. There was a brief pause, they panted, reaching up to try and push them away. “Please, I’m sorry-” Hero touched them again, cutting off their pleas. Sidekick rolled, back arching off the ground, jaw clamping tight as they bit back another scream. “I didn’t- Hero- don’t.” They couldn’t form the words. Whatever Villain told you, it wasn’t true. They had to believe them.
Another shock ripped through them, making their vision go white and they smelled burning flesh before they felt the sting of electrical burns on their flesh. “G-give me…another c-chance.” They reached to Hero, grabbing their hand to stop them. Their eyes were hard, impassive, whatever trust Sidekick had garnered with them was gone. Their hands jerked back from another shock that jolted over the metal cuffs on their wrists. “I c-can do better! Hero, p-please!”
Hero pushed their hands to their chest and the shock rocked their body, making them curl inward. Sidekick swore they felt their heart stutter before it picked up pace again. They fell back hard, silent pleas dying on quivering lips. They had been a fool to think Hero would accept them, not after what they’d done for Villian. They deserved this. A punishment, for trying to more than what they were. Nothing. Villain’s pet.
They knew they would find them. It had been foolish to imagine they could have escaped. Could have stopped them even. This was where they belonged, in their cell, Hero hating them, Villain owning them.
They fell silent as the next shock convulsed their body, smoke rising off the point that Hero touched. They shut their eyes, focusing on their breathing, they knew how to get through punishments. Hero continued, until their screams were hoarse, until their body was too weak to even convulse and only twitched weakly at the shocks. Then they heard a voice, breaking through the fog.
They whined weakly, the only noise they could make. “H-have you, you learned y-your lesson?” They were Villain’s words, coming brokenly from Hero’s lips. Sidekick nodded weakly, forcing themselves on shaking limbs to their knees. They sat on their heels, hands in their lap, head down, like they were supposed to. “Y-yes s-sir. I-I’m sorry, I failed.”
They could feel Hero’s eyes on them but they didn’t look up. Their body was trembling, swaying as it threatened to tip over. They heard footsteps retreating, the door open and shut. They then let themselves flop back to the floor, body shaking as sobs racked their body.
“Sidekick?” They woke to the right voice this time. They struggled to get upright as Villain approached, the clack of their shoes on the floor a sound that plagued their waking and sleeping hours. “Did Hero punish you?” They nodded weakly, the floor swaying below them as they struggled to maintain their equilibrium. A steadying hand found their shoulder. Villain crouched in front of them, drawing them against their chest. Sidekick curled against them, fingers clutching the all familiar fabric, breathing in a scent they didn’t even realised they had started to miss.
“D-don’t let them… hurt me more. I-I sorry, sir, please.”
A hand stoked down their back, making them whimper weakly as it skimmed over burn marks and twitching muscles. “Don’t worry, pet, that’s all over now. You are back where you belong. No more of Hero, they are gone now. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Sidekick nodded automatically. They wanted whatever Villain wanted of course. “Yes, sir, please, please take me back.”
They didn’t know that Hero stood in the doorway behind them. Their city safe again, for now. But the price had been more than they were willing to pay.
