neongalaxiie

[neongalaxiie]

TW: Blood, Description of Injury (not in detail)

"This is the last straw."

The villain stood over the hero's battered form, all bloodied and bruised. The hero raised their head, not without difficulty, and saw the scowl plastered on the villain's face. The hero shuddered. "W-what do you mea—" Their sentence ended in a violent coughing fit, hacking up more blood in their palm. The villain crouched down in front of them as they settled, grabbing both the hero's wrists.

"I'm not letting you do this, going out there and risking your life. This little charade we had going on was fun, but it's gone too far." The villain's gaze dropped to the hero's hands, then down their arms, their suit. Where their body wasn't decorated by a series of cuts, a blossoming bruise lay just beneath the unbroken skin. The villain's face betrayed their concern and, the hero noticed, a hint of pity.

The villain locked eyes with the hero, and their expression hardened again. The hero gave them a sad smile, straining their split lip. "It's fine, Villain. This is my job. I chose this life, so I guess I have to deal with the bad stuff, too."

"It's not fine!" The villain almost roared, throwing their hands up to their head. They were up in the hero's face the next moment. "You could've died! And I'm the one who has to suffer for it! You... you..." The villain stared into the hero's eyes, pained. Their eyebrows drew close, first in sympathy, then with a resolve.

The villain sighed and dropped their head, standing up. They turned their back on the hero. The hero said nothing, only cocking their head in response. The villain turned their head back to the hero, and their voice took a low and dangerous quality. "You could've died. I'm not taking that chance anymore. From this day onward, your career as a hero is over."

[neongalaxiie]

"You couldn't sleep, could you?"

Hero sighed over the phone. "No, I just— I just miss them."

Superhero pinched the bridge of their nose, blinking their eyes hard. "It's 3 AM, Hero. What random hobby have you taken up this time?"

"Baking," Hero replied, looking around at the array of baking trays on the messy counters. "I've made 247 cookies so far."

"You need to go to bed," Superhero stated, leaving no room for argument. "I'll talk to you in the morning."

Superhero hung up, leaving Hero with a dirty kitchen, tired eyes, and a heap of cookies they'll probably never eat.

Hero sighed, holding their head in their hands. They couldn't take this anymore. Tomorrow, they decided, they would go find Villain.

[neongalaxiie]

"Which movie did you have in mind?"

The villain clutched their messenger bag, fixing it back on their shoulder. Hero's eyes trailed down to the bulging shape that dropped down with such force. Villain cradled a hand underneath it to alleviate the weight on their shoulder.

"It... wasn't a movie, exactly." Villain's gaze wandered down to the bag, and up to Hero.

Hero's brow shot upward. "I thought you wanted to sneak snacks in there."

"I did. I am."

"Snacks aren't that heavy." Hero moved toward the bag, and Villain took an instinctive step backward. "Let me see what's in there."

Villain swallowed, and reluctantly agreed. They dropped the bag to the ground, whincing at the sound it made. Hero unzipped it, rooting through the bags of chips and crackers until they found what Villain had attempted to conceal at the bottom.

Hero pulled out a gaming console, gaping at Villain. "You brought a Nintendo Switch?"

Villain didn't respond, but their beading forehead said everything. Hero kept rummaging through the bag and soon stood up, holding a game case. Their face reddened, seething.

"You brought Mario Party?!"

[neongalaxiie]

One glance in the mirror was all it took.

Hero flinched and let out a scream at the villain's reflection staring back at them. Their enemy reacted in exactly the same way, stepping backward. Out of instinct, the Hero unleashed a fireball toward the mirror, scorching the reflective surface.

Hero spun around. Villain wasn't there. Or anyway near here. And... fire wasn't Hero's power.

Slowly, cautiously, Hero crept up to the mirror, peeking up past the blackened mark directly in the center. Villain in the mirror did exactly the same, looking up at Hero with wide eyes.

Hero took a step back in shock, mouth falling open. They took off to find another mirror.

***

Bursting into the public bathroom, Hero rushed to the sink and looked on in horror. Villain's face was still there, staring back to them, matching each one of Hero's expressions, every gesture, every word.

"Villain?" Hero's voice wavered, except it wasn't Hero's voice that reached their ears.

It was Villain's.

And what a perfect time for their phone to start ringing. Hero fumbled around the folds of Villain's suit before they finally found the source of the sound in a hidden pocket. At least it was still their phone.

Hero's brows furrowed at the screen. An unknown number. They accepted the call, bringing the phone up to their ear. "Hello?"

"Hero?" Their voice-- Hero's voice-- came out the other end, seeming a little more high-pitched. Hero jolted at the sound. "You there? You won't believe what happened."

They sounded so giddy, so... excited. It irritated Hero even more. "Now's a bad time, Villain," Hero replied, frowning at their reflection and the voice that came out of their mouth. They glared at themselves, baring their teeth, ruffling their hair. Villain remained silent while Hero inspected themselves. "Wait--" Hero's brows furrowed and they stopped, planting a hand on their hip. "How did you even get this number?"

Villain just laughed. "Look up."

And Hero did look up, at the mirror. Hero-- no, Villain-- was lounging on the wall that separated two of the cubicles. Hero screamed for the second time, and almost unleashed another fireball.

Villain rolled their eyes. "So dramatic," they said with a smile. "You're not that scary, I can assure you. I've had this body for an entire half-hour already."

"What did you do?" Hero spun around to meet their own eyes peering down at them. Villain's mouth curled up in their signature smirk, still recognizable. "How-- why...?"

Villain shrugged. "Was a spell," they explained. "Easy to cast, difficult to reverse. You can see where I'm going with this, right?"

Hero's gaped at them. "This-- no. I'm stuck as you?"

"And I'm stuck as you!" Villain beamed proudly. "Ts'alright, Hero. We'll have fun, I promise."

Villain's smirk never gave Hero much assurance.

[neongalaxiie]

"We can't leave them behind!~"

Superhero turned to Hero. The latter's already red eyes sprung up a well of fresh tears. Superhero's forehead creased.

"We don't have any other choice, Hero. This plan needs to work. If Other Hero makes it, good for them. If not..."

Good for us.

Bonus: Other Hero barely survives and comes crawling back, seeking revenge against the heroes that betrayed them.

[neongalaxiie]

only realized at the sliver, smh

Love this tho

Imagine this whole post in the TikTok text to speech voice.

[neongalaxiie]

Hey do you have any book recommendations?

Yes! I really love my villains, so most of the recommendations are books where the villain is the main character. Here goes:

H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden - A YA series about some prodigious kids that get taken to a school for villains.

Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - A classic novella about a man who attempts to separate his evil nature from his good nature, but ends up becoming two people.

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter - A retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the villain. I actually haven't finished this one, but it's pretty good so far!

Starter Villain by Jon Scalzi - A man unexpectedly gets thrust into unknown territory when he agrees to take over his uncle's business.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - A lady applies to become the assistant to a villain and ends up falling for him. A book I haven't read, but is currently on my reading list.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer - Told from the perspective of the hero and the villain, but the villain is the protagonist. Classic heroes vs villains and slow burn love tropes.

Hope this helps!

[neongalaxiie]

I originally meant this to mean that Hero was "done being a hero and is becoming a villain", but it can go however y'all like

Villain slumped against their bean bag, dropping their gaming controller onto their lap and reaching for their soda. A long slurp of the drink and readjustment of the mic, and another match has begun. Villain leaned forward as they earned kill after kill, shouting to their team for some sense of coordination. Some people just didn't know how to play, did they?

Villain practically carried their team, but was eliminated by the end. They left the match, having enough of ranked games, and settled for a more relaxed mode.

Suddenly, the door slammed inward, hitting the wall hard enough to leave a dent. Villain sat up, sliding their headset off and saw Hero standing in the doorway, head down, with a shadow over their eyes. Their body was tense, their expression grim, and their fists balled at their sides.

Villain's eyes widened. "H-hero? What are you doing here?"

Hero raised their head just enough to peer up at Villain from the top of their glowing eyes. Their demeanor didn't change apart from a scowl. Villain swallowed.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds.

Then Hero broke the oppressive silence with a low growl. "Don't call me that."

"I'm done being a hero."

[neongalaxiie]

"I know 200 ways to kill a man."

"Good thing I'm not a man, then."

"I also know 500 different ways to cook a potato."

[neongalaxiie]

Caught In 4K - Part 6

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4/5

Hero's big eyes blinked up at Villain as they rubbed their head, whincing. At Hero's question, they scoffed. "Oh, y'know, just taking a nap," Villain replied, gesturing wildly with their hands.

Hero examined the space Villain had crawled beneath. "Under the seat? That's not very comfortable." They gave Villain a small smile, raising a brow.

Villain scoffed again. "You can't possibly be this naive." They rolled from under the row of seats and glanced up at the only other person in their train car, an older man who was scrolling through his phone, half asleep. Good. They probably didn't notice Villain.

Villain strained themselves upward to a standing position even as all their joints screamed, and they leaned backward to crack their back, planting their hands on their hips. Hero just watched them as they stretched their arms over their head, all the bones popping. Then Villain started with their neck and Hero flinched away in disgust.

"Okay, then what are you doing here?" Hero asked as Villain finished, taking the seat across from Hero and spreading their legs out. Villain didn't answer right away, opting to scratch the plague off their teeth. "Wait—" Hero's face shifted in contemplation before they pointed an accusing finger at Villain. "Were you following me?"

Villain inspected their finger and rubbed it. Their eyes flicked over to Hero as they raised a brow. "No. Why would I do that?"

Hero frowned, but didn't say anything. The train began to slow down and Hero stood up without offering Villain so much as a glance.

Villain made a move to get up and realized they hadn't figured out a plan this far. The doors rumbled open, and Hero stepped out, peeking backward to see Villain rushing out of their seat.

"Ah ha!" Hero exclaimed once they were both on the platform. "So you were following me."

"Woah." Sarcasm layered Villains tone. They rolled their eyes and held their palms up. "Amazing deduction, Sherlock. Really, what did you think I was doing?"

Hero hummed, turned, and walked away with bothering to give a response. Villain slouched over, gaping, before hurrying after Hero.

"So, why were you following me?" Hero asked as soon as Villain stood beside them. Villain side-eyed Hero, who was looking directly at them.

Villain turned their head away. "I was told... to keep an eye on you... after what happened." They met Hero's eyes. "To... make sure nothing... uncalled for happened."

It was Hero's turn to look away. They rubbed at their eyes and sniffed, but wouldn't let Villain see. Villain's forehead creased. Was Hero crying?

The duo climbed up the steps and emerged into the dark city, lit up by streetlights. They walked in silence for a while, Villain not daring to be the first to speak.

Then Hero's broken voice came. "I— I'm being executed."

Nothing could have prepared Villain for that. Their eyes went wide and they clutched their chest, breaths coming ragged. They felt like they were having a heart attack. Hero gave them an irritated look.

"Stop being so dramatic."

"Sorry," Villain said, dropping the act. "When is it happening?"

More tears, but Hero forced it out. "Tomorrow... is my last day. At 5 pm they'll..."

Hero broke down, unable to finish their sentence. Villain offered them a comforting pat on the back.

"Hey, Hero, it's okay. We'll figure it out, okay? Let's just get home and we'll come up with a plan."

"How?" Hero wailed. "It's not like—"

"We will, trust me." Villain patted their shoulder. "Hey, look at me."

Villain turned Hero toward them by their shoulders, and they stopped walking. Villain stared into Hero's eyes. "Listen," Villain continued, "You will not die. Under no circumstances will I let you, especially not for this ridiculous reason. This system the Hero Organization has is messed up and we're gonna fight against it, okay?"

Hero nodded, not trusting their voice, and wiped the tears off their cheeks. "Good," Villain finished, leading them down the path. "Now, let's get home. We'll settle down and then we'll make a plan."

[neongalaxiie]

Cool how this can be used as a little worldbuilding history, or to explain some crazy weird thing in the fantasy world. Just a thought.

A dyslexic young mage reads a spell wrong with such boldness and such confidence, not only does a much more dangerous spell result instead, but it erupts with a power the kingdom has never seen before.

[neongalaxiie]

reblog and put in the tags the real reason you joined tumblr no matter how horrible or embarrassing it is

[neongalaxiie]

A dyslexic young mage reads a spell wrong with such boldness and such confidence, not only does a much more dangerous spell result instead, but it erupts with a power the kingdom has never seen before.

[neongalaxiie]

Caught In 4K - Part 4/5

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 6

Regrettably, Hero did not spend their last moments wisely.

They lay in bed for a full half hour, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how they were going to die — before they realized they should probably go out and do something.

They hoisted themselves up and blinked at the setting sun outside their apartment window. They still had about an hour until Superhero called them back to the office; they might as well make the most of it.

Hero grabbed their keys and pulled on a jacket, exiting their apartment. They didn't notice Villain, who had been watching them ever since they got home...

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Villain peeked into the apartment, balancing on the windowsill. Hero was going out. Villain had explicit instructions from Supervillain to not let Hero out of their sight.

Well, Hero was out of their sight for now, but they'd no doubt emerge from the front door of the apartment building.

Hero stepped out about a minute later with their hands tucked into their jacket pockets, headed toward the center of the city. Villain peered down below, almost losing balance on the narrow windowsill.

They glanced up to the next platform. Too far to jump, but they jumped anyway. Their fingers caught on the edge, and they swung into the shadow below.

Villain resurfaced into an alleyway just ahead of Hero. They paused, waiting for Hero's footsteps to pass, before detaching from the silhouetted wall, remnants of darkness clinging to them as they reformed.

The sun dipped below the skyline, blackening the surroundings and making Villain's job easier. They took advantage of the multitude of hiding places, teleporting between shadows, and transforming into a shadow themself to avoid being spotted.

If Hero knew someone was following them, they didn't show it. But then again, Villain was confident in their abilities. They tailed Hero all the way to the subway, ducking into the dark spot beneath a chair. Hero remained standing, and from this vantage point, all Villain could see was their shoes.

Villain took this opportunity to look around, keeping themselves busy. They'd glance back at Hero's shoes whenever the train stopped to ensure they don't lose sight of their objective. Three stops later, Hero's shoes moved toward the exit, and Villain snuck out, an indistinct spot on the ground.

Villain darted to the nearest shadow to avoid gaining attention and watched as Hero ascended the stairs to the outside world. The dark spot started moving again, slinking up the steps and blending in with the shade cast by other people.

Villain momentarily lost track of Hero once they got to the top. They reformed, squinting in the gloom, until they made out a silhouette that suspiciously looked like Hero. Villain melted back into the dark as they gained on their target, always staying about six feet behind. With night fast approaching, they no longer had to stick to hard shade.

Villain internally frowned, wondering where Hero was going. The city was dangerous at night, not that Hero didn't know that. Hero might not even need protection if they got ambushed, and Villain hoped to hell they didn't get ambushed, lest they reveal themselves.

Eventually, Hero stopped, glancing at their watch before entering a diner. Food, then. Fair enough. Despite not having a stomach in shadow mode, Villain still felt hungry. Dinner would have to wait; their mission was much more important.

Villain waited around for fifteen whole minutes — the absurdity — before Hero finally emerged with a takeaway box and soda. They slurped the drink loudly as they headed straight for Villain.

Villain freaked out a bit, pressing deeper into the wall. Hero didn't even look at them.

Villain muttered under their breath as they trailed behind Hero again, who seemed to be in no hurry at all... until they glanced at their watch again. Their pace sped up and Villain was glad that they actually had to exert some effort to keep up.

They got back on the subway, heading even farther into the city. This time, Hero took a seat, digging into their meal. Villain parked themself under the seat across from Hero, watching them take big mouthfuls of their burger. If Villain had a stomach in this form, it would've growled loud enough to give them away.

The train arrived at Hero's stop, and they hurriedly packed up the rest of their dinner. Hero practically flew onto the platform, leaving Villain to scramble underneath the multitude of shoes.

Hero took the stairs two at a time, reaching the top and glancing again at their watch. They visibly relaxed, walking toward the Hero Organization at a little more than a leisurely pace.

Villain dragged themselves up to the top of the stairs, exhausted. Keeping this form for so long had taken its toll, but it was much better than being accidentally spotted. Villain saw the skyscraper of the Organization loom up ahead and could've swallowed.

What was Hero doing here? They weren't even on duty. Villain narrowed their eyes as they wound down the sidewalk.

Hero stepped inside the building, easy, but Villain stopped short. The inside was well-lit, and two security guards flanked the door. They would be seen for sure.

Villain rounded the building, taking cover in an umbra to reform and catch their breath. They couldn't follow Hero inside, but maybe they could spy on them from the outside?

Villain crept along the side of the building to the back, just to see the glass elevator shoot upwards and stop at one of the higher levels. Villain squinted, but couldn't make out who was inside. They scowled, becoming darkness once again and slithered up the shady building, steering clear of windows. By the time they got close enough to the elevator, its passengers had left.

The elevator descended, and came back up carrying Hero, who leaned against the wall, texting. Villain kept still as the elevator slowed, Hero picked up their food and drink, and exited. Villain stuck out halfway through the wall, a void-like profile, and peered through the glass, catching Hero turning left just before the doors closed.

Villain sunk back into the wall, focusing, and found themselves on the other side of the elevator. A jolt of pain hit them, followed by a crumbling fatigue. Villain pressed on, but they found their passage blocked by a large window that took up the entire floor in height. They leaned forward to peek in, and retracted immediately when they saw Hero enter the room.

An office. And upon a second, more careful glance, Superhero's office.

Villain couldn't hear what was happening, just see Hero's distressed expression facing them. Superhero's back was turned to Villain. They had to get inside.

Villain examined the room, getting a good feel for all the darkest shadows and best hiding spots. The obviously best and worst place was under Superhero's desk, or underneath one of the chairs. But Villain was becoming more drained with every moment of staying like this, and a larger shadow would be easier to teleport into without being seen.

So Villain, took a deep breath, concentrated, aimed, and dissolved...

...They blinked and glanced around, disoriented. They could feel themself slipping a bit, which was weird. All they could see was darkness, and then— oh. The window, Superhero, and Hero.

It hadn't worked. They must've been too exhausted.

Hero was crying now, their face flushed. Villain kind of felt bad for them, which made them wonder even more what they were talking about.

That information would be useful to Supervillain, that was for sure.

With no way in, Villain had no choice but to remain outside, keeping an eye on Hero. There were no ledges out here, and Villain was relieved when the meeting inside was finishing up.

Hero wiped their eyes, rising from their seat and taking some papers with them. Superhero got up, speaking with them a little bit longer. All Hero did was nod.

Villain was getting impatient. They needed to make sure Hero was getting back down to floor level, and when. They felt their hold over this form failing. If they didn't get to the ground soon...

Villain held on for as long as they could, regardless, feeling the burn. It was like holding on to a metal bar for too long, lactic acid replacing the oxygen in the muscles.

As soon as Hero turned out of the room, Villain slithered down the wall, reforming and popping out of the wall before they reached the ground. They gasped, taking in air as they collapsed on the concrete foundation.

A whir sounded beside them, and Villain glanced over to the elevator, settling and dinging. Hero stepped out.

Villain forced themselves up. They had to get to the front door and follow Hero. They stumbled several times, their legs like lead, and they held onto the wall for support.

Thankfully, Hero wasn't in much of a hurry to get home, but their mood never improved. Villain so badly wanted to know what was up without outright confronting them about it.

Villain became distantly aware that Hero no longer had their food or drink. Whatever. Maybe they threw it out. Their stomach rumbled again at the thought of food.

Villain couldn't take their shadow form anymore, so they stayed farther away from Hero than they felt comfortable. Dressed in their villain uniform, they would gather a lot of suspicion if they tracked Hero too closely. Villain kept an eye out, sticking to the darkness wherever possible, and giving streetlights a wide berth.

Yeah, they definitely looked suspicious.

Regardless, there weren't as many people out now, and the streets were mostly empty. Conscious of this, Villain's steps slowed and became as quiet as possible. Their stomach growled loudly, echoing in the silent night.

Villain stopped, eyes going wide as Hero glanced to the side. Villain wondered if Hero saw them in their peripheral vision and was ignoring them to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not that they didn't have any doubt. Swallowing, Villain crept along, sticking closer to the wall.

They almost jumped back when Hero took a sharp left turn, disappearing around a bend. Right, the subway. In this uniform and a bunch of citizens, there would be no hiding unless Villain took the risk and transformed again.

That was their only option, wasn't it?

Villain shifted just before turning the corner, hurrying down the stairs. Bright light hit them with alarm, and they prayed to whatever force was out there to not let them get caught.

Even in their blind panic, they noticed Hero was nowhere to be seen. Villain rounded the next corner to duck under the bench they knew would be there when they saw Hero already sitting on it, engrossed in their phone.

The briefest of hesitations, then a furious scramble. Hero's gaze shifted upwards, having seen a mysterious dark spot disappear under their seat. They leaned underneath, peering into the dark, and stared right at Villain.

Villain was practically hyperventilating. Hero was staring right at them, causing Villain to shrink in on themselves, making their form as unnoticeable as possible. They waited an agonizingly long time as Hero stayed there, their gaze flicking off to the side before they frowned, sitting up again.

Villain allowed themselves to relax.

The train arrived with a screech and a puff. Hero arose as the doors opened, allowing a few people to exit before stepping inside. Villain followed close behind, squeezing through just as the doors shut.

Most of the seats were empty at this time. Hero took one close to the door and pulled out their phone, crossing their legs. Villain snuck under their chair, already becoming quite worn-out. The brief respite they had from using their powers hadn't recharged them much.

Seven stops to home. Villain could make it.

The train ride was uneventful and silent, leaving Villain alone with their thoughts. They felt the train slow and stop, the doors rumbling open.

Six stops.

Villain's breathing became more labored. Their thoughts scattered as fatigue set in, forcing them to concentrate on holding their form. It seemed like an eternity until the train slowed down again.

Five stops.

They could make it, they could make it, they could make it. Villain shut their shadowy eyes and focused, their grip strengthening for a brief moment.

Four stops.

Their grip loosened for a brief moment, forcing Villain up and out of the ground. It took all their willpower to strangle down the exhaustion and regain control.

Villain had to make it. They had no choice. Just keep it down, hold on just a bit longer.

Three stops.

They had to make it.

Two stops.

They would make it.

One stop.

They... couldn't.

Villain burst out of the ground, hitting their head on the chair, and cursed. Hero's alarmed expression peered down at a scowling Villain, who was rubbing their head and whincing in pain.

"V-villain?" Hero's eyes widened. "What are you doing there?"

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Okay, so I've got a couple things to say about this, so sit tight:

I know it's long. I didnt know how, when, or where to stop, so I just kept going. I am sorry.

➥ On that note, if you liked the long story... good.

This part makes all the previous parts look trashy, so I'll definitely be expanding those.

I'm a lot better at writing description over dialogue.

I never intended this to be a series, which is why all the above things exist.

I'll definitely be continuing this story, but I wanna write other stuff too. Also I wanna do more frequent updates, rather than super long ones.

Once again, sorry for the wait, and thanks for your patience :)

[neongalaxiie]

Centre For Useless Splendour

[neongalaxiie]

And then imagine realizing the handle is your own from when you were into writing at like 12 years old

Imagine you're opening AO3 and search for a fic. Imagine you're finding one that fits all your criterias. Imagine it has the perfect length. Imagine getting lost in the story and feeling almost high when it's over. Imagine looking up the author and they have written. so. many. more. fics. exactly. like. that. Imagine.

[neongalaxiie]

Request

Hero suddenly has a tail and is trying not to knock things over with it

Villain sat on the couch, cross-legged, and sipped their tea. They flipped to the next page of the book they were reading and set the steaming mug on the coffee table. Outside, the sounds of the city played out, sirens and screams and, tonight, a thundering rain.

Villain was glad they'd stayed in tonight.

There were entirely enraptured in their book as it came to the climax, the big reveal the whole plot had been building up to. Villain bit their bottom lip, unable to suppress their grin.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Villain glanced up from their book, looking out the spotted window of their apartment, and listened. Waiting.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Villain went back to their book.

The knocking came again, more aggressively this time. Villain sighed, setting the book upside-down on the couch and getting to their feet. They set their sight on the door as they rounded the couch, running a hand through their hair to fix it up a bit. Their hand landed on the doorknob, and Villain stole a quick peek into the peephole. Their eyes widened as they threw open the door.

"Hero?"

Hero gave them a charming smile. "Hey, Villain."

Villain's brows furrowed slightly. The hero was dripping wet, no doubt out fighting crime. The disgustingly vibrant uniform gave it away as well.

But what really caught Villain's attention was the big, sopping tail flicking behind Hero. Catching Villain's gaze and gaping expression, Hero cleared their throat, shaking it out to dry it.

"It's... not so bad. Inconvenient at best. I kinda need your help."

Villain's gaze moved from the spiky tail to the Hero's face, still gaping. "How — who — did this to you?"

Hero shuffled uncomfortably before answering. "You know that inventor guy? Always showing up with some crazy new gadget?"

"Yeah? He did that to you?"

"I got—" Hero turned to clear their throat, despite not needing to. "—nicked. So I didn't turn into a full animal like I'm sure he intended."

Villain took another look at the tail. It started out narrow, but got progressively wider and larger at the end. And it seemed to be in proportion with Hero's height, rising up above their head before curling down. Interesting.

Villain's eyes shifted back to Hero's. "What animal is it supposed to be from anyway?"

"I dunno. A squirrel, I think?"

"Okay...?" Villain narrowed their eyes. "And I'm supposed to help you how?"

"Well," Hero began. "I've just come back from fighting crime with this thing—" Hero gestured to their tail. "—and came to your doorstep of all places, so..." Hero shrugged. "I was hoping you'd have an idea to reverse it."

"Oh, uh." Villain turned to look inside their apartment, remembered their book and cooling tea, and sighed. They turned back to the hero, stepping aside. "Well, I guess you can come in, and we'll talk."

"Really?" Hero's eyes brightened up as they stepped inside. "Oh, bless you, Villain!"

"Pretty sure I'm already damned, but okay," Villain muttered as they shut the door.

Hero's tail took up the whole narrow foyer beyond the door. Villain frowned as Hero flicked their tail and shed hair fur all over the floor.

Flicking the tail also sent a spray splattering onto the walls, floor, and Villain.

It was unfortunate that Villain's apartment was kinda cramped. They were the only one living there, after all, but Hero wasn't being any more careful either. Their attention caught on one of the dressers, and they picked up some of the photographs, admiring them.

The other end of the tail licked the bottom of a hanging painting, and Villain's anxiety spiked as it rocked back and forth.

"Uh, Hero, is it okay if you watch your tail, though? You're gonna break something."

"Hm?" Hero turned, still carrying one of the photos, and their tail swept along with them. It flicked again, unexpectedly, hitting the rest of the photos and sending one of them crashing to the floor. They jumped at the sudden noise and stared at the mess, covering their mouth woth both hands.

Villain sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose. "Just... put down the photos," they ordered, frustrated. "And sit down on the couch. Or don't! You'll get it wet. Just wait over there where there's more room and I'll get some towels."

Hero spun around, facing the couch. Their tail knocked on the dresser again, making them jump away, but nothing else fell. They took some breaths to calm themselves down and headed to the couch, wary of their surroundings.

A book lay upside-down on the couch and Hero stooped down to inspect the cover, then the blurb on the back. Their tail relaxed, settling down on the coffee table, streaking the surface. Another flick sent the mug of tea flying onto the floor with a clatter.

Hero yelped, falling onto the couch. They arose immediately, feeling the wet spot they just created as Villain shouted "What was that?!"

Their tail bristled from the stress. Villain appeared in a doorway, carrying a bunch of towels and surveying the room, noticing the spill. Hero blurted out, "Sorry! I'm sorry, I— I didn't see that on the table." The covered their face in shame, cheeks reddening.

Villain sighed, as if disappointed with a small child. "It's fine. Here, take these. I'll clean up the mess, and then we can talk."

Hero wrapped their tail up in the towels as Villain made quick work of the spill, wiping down the table and floor with a few paper towels. Hero bit their lip as they watched Villain work.

Not before long, Villain settled beside Hero, moving the book away from the damp hero and onto the coffee table. "Alright," they began, steepling their fingers. "Let's get down to business..."