#13 fucks in a snippet and yet none given aha

[raineandsky]

#56

tw: implied torture, implied violence

The villain makes a run for it.

They would, anyway, if they weren’t limping. A nasty gash in their leg is slowing them down, and with the way this evening is going it won’t even get time to stop bleeding before it doesn’t matter anymore.

Things are changing. Villainy used to pay well, had long prison sentences at worst. Now, fuck, now—

The villain’s coat catches on the decorative metal swirl of a nearby bench. A string of ugly curses fall out of their mouth as they turn back to pull at it, praying that the fabric will just untangle itself. They don’t have time, fuck, not now, please not now—

“[Villain],” a voice calls from the end of the road, like someone spotting an old friend. A figure casually meanders towards them, receiving another series of equally undignified and justified expletives. The figure steps closer, closer, closer.

The villain yanks at the hem in one final desperate attempt to free themself. The fabric chooses then to rip loudly, throwing them to the cold pavement mercilessly. They scramble to right themself. The fall has wasted precious seconds. The figure has closed the space uncomfortably between them, even though they know it means nothing.

Fuck, they’re so tired. They got into a fight they realised too late they couldn’t win. They fled the scene in the hopes that they could return to their base and recover. Their enemy didn’t give them the time of day. They’ve been tailing the villain for almost ten minutes. Not getting too close, not chasing them. Just following.

“I feel like a tiger or something,” the other says casually, though the villain can barely hear them over their own panicked, erratic breathing, “and I’m just waiting for my prey to get tired and lay down.”

They laugh—they fucking laugh. Heroes are fucking sadistic now. They don’t have long anymore. They’re exhausted, hurt, fuck, they’re scared. Terrified. They’ve heard about the fates of some of the more recently disappeared villains. They don’t want to go the same way as them. They can’t.

“[Villain], come on,” the hero calls again, and the villain tries desperately to block them out. They’re horrifyingly close now, just close enough to send a chill down their spine. “You’re making this a big thing that could’ve been over ten minutes ago.”

Panic is flooding everything, forcing the villain to keep moving despite the fact they can’t, they can’t. Every part of them is trembling, forcing them to hone in on the echoing click of the hero’s shoes against the concrete behind them. They’re still keeping their distance, waiting for the villain to make a wrong move before truly closing in. It– it’s fucked up. The hero’s like those killer whales that toy with seals for hours before they inevitably eat them.

The adrenaline can’t keep them going forever. They take a step and their knees buckle, sending them tumbling onto the jagged concrete again. Gravel digs into their palms. They know the moment they hit the ground that they won’t be able to get back up.

That doesn’t stop them trying. They let their hands feel the sharp edges of the pavement below them as they desperately try to pull themself up. They move tediously to get their legs under them, but they can’t. Fuck, they can’t, they’re trapped here.

The footsteps stop a little way away, like the hero wants to respect their space. What a load of horseshit that is. “[Villain],” they try again, and the gentleness of their tone is almost believable. “[Villain], please, stop making this difficult.”

The villain laughs, a sort of pained, choking sound. Tears are threatening to spill, blurring their vision. “Oh, it’s difficult for you?” they demand, their voice scratching in their throat. “It’s hard to kill someone who doesn’t want to die, huh? How tragic that you had to look someone in the eye and see their last emotion be– be fear.”

Those footsteps start clicking again, and every survival instinct kicks in at once. “N–No, fuck, no, I’m sorry—”

A hand digs through their hair, harshly wrenching their head back and earning a raspy cry. They don’t have the strength to stop it anymore. They can’t stop it. Fuck, it’s scary. They want to go home.

“Look, [Villain], it’s nothing personal, a’ight?” the hero says, pointedly ignoring the wet streaks already painting the villain’s cheeks. “It’s business. You know how it is.”

“I’m– I’m sorry, please, I– I’ll never do it again, I swear I—”

The hero shushes them like they’re calming a thrashing animal and not a human they’re about to execute in the street. The scrape of an unfolding metallic blade cuts the air, the sound soft like it was meant to be a secret. The villain makes one last vain attempt to free themself. Their lack of energy only lets them grasp desperately at the hero’s hand in their hair.

Something cold rests against their neck. A despondent sob escapes them. They don’t want to die. They can’t die. Fuck, there’s no way out. They’re going to die.

“Hey, hey, [Villain], it’s okay.” The hero’s voice is hushed. “I’m not gonna kill you, a’ight? This is all just part of the song and dance. You made it difficult, so I have to act like I at least tried to catch you.”

The villain chokes back another sob rising in their throat. “Y–You tried?”

The hero hums absently. “Yeah, agency’s always gonna wanna see a seasoned villain on their knees, right? If I can take you in, we both look how the agency wants.”

What? No, this isn’t right. Heroes always kill villains. They think back as much as the terrified fog in their mind will let them. The disappearing villains. The heroes. No, no, they can’t be—

“You and I are gonna head back to the agency now, a’ight?” the hero continues. They finally let go of the villain, letting them collapse to the ground again. “I have some friends that’d really like to see you. You’ll have a little interrogation, tell us what you know. Easy.”

The villains before, they– they always disappeared into the agency first. For weeks. They were always found bloody and broken afterwards. Fuck, god, no—

The hero bends down to them, their hand latching onto the back of their coat. The villain makes another futile attempt to free themself, but they don’t have the energy to try anymore. They’d cry if they had the strength to.

“[Hero], please…” Their voice comes out in uneven stammers. “Please, I– I swear I’ll never, ever do this– any of this again, please, I– I can’t—”

“Of course you won’t,” the hero says casually. “Agency’s a good place. You’ll come out a changed person.”

Fuck, as if the villain doesn't know that. They wish the hero had just run that fucking blade across their throat. It would’ve been better than wherever they’re about to go.