Arrogance

One day, Villain stopped pulling out their knives when they met.

"What, scared to dull your blades?"

No matter what taunts Hero threw, Villain's eyes never wavered from behind the mask. They simply lifted their fists and the ongoing fight would resume. At first, Hero puzzled at this behaviour. What kind of Villain gives up an advantage against their enemy?

Other vigilantes noticed too. "Hey Hero, it sword of sound's like you're losing your edge."

"How's it going at the kiddy table of fighting evil?"

“I hear Villain’s been handling you well. Invite me to the wedding?"

Hero returned with scathing responses, refusing to admit they didn't know why Villain was doing this. It was bringing them an entirely different kind of fame than what they wanted. Their reputation was taking a brutal hit.

The teasing got worse when Villain was caught escaping across rooftops and refused to fight. Hero threw a few half-hearted punches before their conscience piped up. Sweating under the intense gaze of Villain, Hero cocked a hip with a confident grin.

"What, we're upgrading from physical to verbal sparring now?"

Villain smiled in response.