I don't like how this one turned out. Feel like the beginning and end don't really match. I might remake it with a completely different plot if I feel like it :(

Summary - After being defeated by Hero, Villain quickly fell unconscious. They found themselves in a random home, and slowly feel safe near the host.

TW - Swearing, injuries, neglection, going missing, assumed dead

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I-.. I won." Hero panted, barely standing up while they stared at Villain's body on the floor. "I bested you. I won." If Hero didn't pay attention, it would look like Villain was dead. But Hero could see the faint movement of fingers and their ragged breathing. "The deal was if I won, you'd leave."

"I fuckin' heard you," they said, their voice barely over a whisper. "I'm not dead yet, no need to scream."

"I'm not screaming," Hero pointed out, "And you're practically dead. You can barely stand up."

"Whatever," Villain mumbled, trying to stand up. A pain shot through their back and they fell once again, their tears and blood mixing. The area around them was once a city full of light and life. Now it was just rubble and dust. "I'll... leave when I can stand up–"

"No. Get up." Hero limped over and grabbed them by their hair, yanking them up. Villain let out a blood-curdling scream as they screamed. Their pleas and begs went over deaf ears. "You said you'd leave. Now leave!" Hero screamed, their throat feeling sore. When Hero let go, Villain couldn't do much but fall back to the ground. Loud noises were all around them, clouding their mind. Their vision started fading as it grew blurry, but indistinct chatter was barely heard. They made our frantic questions, probably a news reporter, sounds of a vehicle and moving parts, and the yells of victory and worry. Villain didn't need to see to realize it was others from the Hero Agency.

Their blurry figures rushed towards Hero's weak state, but no one came for Villain and their broken body.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Gasping for air, Villain shot up, breathing heavily. They instantly regretted it, as their entire body felt like collapsing on the spot. They groaned with pain and fell back on the soft, comfortable surface.

Wait.

They shot back up again, disregarding the pain and observing their surroundings. The ash-gray walls and gloomy bed were unfamiliar. Their breathing grew more frantic as their eyes darted around, looking for something they could rely on. Questions flooded their brain. Where were they? Who took them here? Did Hero–

"Not the best idea to be moving, the bandages might come loose."

Villain perked up and looked around, spotting a figure leaning on the doorframe. Villain tried to get up, but the figure rushed towards them. Out of reflex, Villain flinched and tried to back away and go to the opposite end of the bed. The person realized and calmed themselves.

"I... I know you don't-... know me, exactly, but I don't have any ill intentions, okay?" They spoke slowly, letting Villain digest all of it. "Uhm..." They seemed awkward. "Oh! I, uh, I bandaged you!" They spoke, suddenly energetic. "Your arms, your back, basically everything was wounded. Bad, actually. Wounded bad." They seemed odd to Villain. The way they talked and spoke seemed nervous and broken. Villain found it cute.

Still, being awed at something was no reason to let your guard down.

"Uhm... wait, you bandaged me?" Villain spoke cautiously. "Did... did you do anything–"

"NONONONONO!" The stranger quickly spoke, a blush coating their cheeks. "I did nothing weird! I am so sorry it seemed like that!" They ranted, their arms moving around as they talked. Of course, it startled Villain, but they were getting used to it.

"So," they started, "You can call me!-..." They trailed off, lost in thought. The silence was awkward as Villain anticipated their response. Frowning, the stranger just shrugged it off while trying to change the subject. "Well, that doesn't really matter right now–"

"You kidnapped me."

"Either that or you'd bleed out."

"Doesn't make a difference." Villain's eyes narrowed as they looked at the strange, nervous mess in front of them up and down. "Who are you?" The stranger's face turned slightly red.

"Just-.. Call me Civilian?" They chuckled nervously. Villain sighed. It was obvious that wasn't their real name, but that would have to do. They weren't in a position to fight, anyway. "Well, you don't look too hot."

"I'm fine," Villain shot, "I've had worse."

"Doesn't mean it's not bad." Civilian started to reach out to touch Villain's back, but Villain tensed up. Noticing, Civilian backed down. "I–I'm sorry, but I'll need to–"

"I can bandage myself," Villain snapped, seemingly distressed at the attempted contact.

Civilian seemed a bit disappointed but nodded. "Right, uhm... I'll get some fresh bandages. A–Are you hungry? I can go get something, or-..." They gave a nervous smile, attempting conversation. When Villain didn't reply, their face fell. They murmured sorry and strode out.

The moment the door clicked and closed, Villain let out a sigh. They felt crowded, weak, pathetic. They felt humiliated. What kind of idiot gets kidnapped by a person so easily?! They were lost in thought, negative thoughts swarming their head.

God, they felt useless.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After Civilian gave the bandages, nothing too much happened. They barely made small talk, but Civilian acted more like a caretaker than a kidnapper. Which, of course, was good in Villain's scenario. Civilian was sitting near Villain on the bed, reading a book and tending to any of Villain's needs and requests. The silence was deafening, and Villain felt weird sitting on the bed while eating the chocolate chip cookie Civilian baked. They wanted to say something, like a thank you for helping, or an apology for being a bother.

...

UGH! Villains weren't supposed to feel soft. Emotion is weakness. Emotion is vulnerability. It's everything they were taught not to do, not to have.

So why did being near Civilian make them feel safe?

"Uh, Villain?"

Villain snapped out of their trance and turned to Civilian. "Yeah?"

"You're just staring at a wall."

Oh.

"Sorry," Villain mumbled. "Just lost in thought."

Civilian giggled at them, and Villain froze. It wasn't a mocking laughter like most would do. It was more teasing than anything. "No need to apologize. I was just concerned." Civilian let out another small laugh. "Do you need anything else? Maybe another cookie? Or, you'd want something more–"

"Can you turn on the TV?" Villain asked. They stared at Civilian.

"Well... this room doesn't have a TV–"

"Can you watch TV and tell me about it? Or do you have a phone instead?" Villain was curious about what was going on outside. Sure, there were windows, but they didn't see much other than birds and buildings. Civilian seemed reluctant to let Villain hear about what was going on, making Villain feel anxious. "What... What's wrong? Is there something I shouldn't–"

"I'll go get my phone." Civilian quickly shut the book and set it on the nightstand. They shot up and walked out again, leaving Villain in the dark.

When Civilian arrived again, they sat down and held their phone out to Villain. They took it cautiously and looked. A video was pulled up, and they pressed play. It was a woman holding a microphone in front of a camera. And next to her?

Hero.

"This just in! After the recent disappearance, and supposed death, of Villain, the [ Hero Agency ]'s been grateful a giant threat was removed from the premises of the city. They were kind enough to let Hero, who defeated Villain, speak with us." She spoke enthusiastically, holding the microphone towards Hero's mouth.

"Hi!" Hero said, sounding nervous. "Uhm..." They trailed off, not knowing what to say. The interviewer chuckled and spoke again.

"Mind telling us about your experience with Villain?" She started. Despite being uncomfortable, Hero still responded.

"Well, they were a damn good Villain. Always got up, fought with 'passion' and ferociousness, and..." They thought for a moment. "They were really creative."

"Could you elaborate on that?"

"They always had different ideas than the rest," Hero started, feeling awkward while discussing the person they thought was dead. "And a different personality than most. Usually, villains would be either cold and stoic or flirty and teasing. Villain was cautious of others. They'd try to think outside the box, figuring out traps and plans. But the day when-... when we were fighting, I think I caught them off guard." Villain might've hallucinated, but if they knew any better, it seemed like Hero felt sorry.

"Now, what an incredible story to share! Mind telling us how you defeated Villain? Any specific tactics you used?"

"Sorry, m'lady, but that's classified. You can understand, right?"

If she was disappointed, she hid it well under her plastic smile. "It's aye-okay! Anything else you'd like to say to your new fans?" Smiling, Hero looked at the camera and waved.

"Bye! See you all later!" The camera closed and the video ended, leaving Villain confused, angry, and annoyed.

"What... they all think I'm dead?"

"Missing at least." Civilian tried to speak calmly. "I didn't know whether to tell you or not. I thought you might've tried to leave, and with your injuries still healing... I didn't know what to do."

Villain didn't know how to feel. They were angry and annoyed Hero tried to act sympathetic and seem upset about their death. Hero would pull by their hair, and leave scars, yet now they're pretending to be disappointed for some love and attention? They were upset Civilian didn't show them this earlier. It would've cleared up so many thoughts stuck in their head, questions they thought would've been unanswered.

"I know you must be confused. I'll give you a minute if you want–"

"Stay." Villain quickly clasped their hand around Civilian's. "Don't leave me."

Civilian was shocked at the sudden contact but gave a gentle smile. They held Villain's hand as they sat in the chair again, a peaceful silence embracing them.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You guys have no idea how much I hate this rn. Again, might recreate it with a different plot. I was originally gonna make Civilian a supervillain in disguise, but it didn't feel right after writing it. I hate this :(