#flustered villain

[0vinosparv]

You know what would be hilarious and awesome? A villain made completely out of fire, inside and out (with some human features of course). Why you ask?

I can just imagine the hero going “Damn why are you so hot?” and the villain is either extremely confused or extremely flustered, or both.

[wh3nturtlesfly]

“I never knew someone like you could look so-” Villain paused, enraptured with the form before them. Beneath the high arches of the study Hero emerged, expensive fabrics perfectly draped around their form. The perfect cover for the perfect heist, though despite their preparations Villain had never thought Hero would play the part so well.

A smirk played across Hero’s lips, “Look so…what? You do know it’s proper to finish your sentences.” They strolled forward, easily towering over the Villain who couldn’t help but blush. Hero knew what they were doing. Mission or not this was a game to them, and Villain was losing horribly.

They nearly lost their resolve when Hero’s hand rose to cup their cheek, gloved fingers tracing the sharp line of their jaw. Villain’s breath hitched despite themselves. “Come on Villain,” Hero grinned, “If we’re going to be partners I’ve got to know what you’re thinking.” They leaned closer, warm breath fanning across Villain’s neck, “Can’t have you going rogue.”

The words sent a shiver up Villain’s spine. One glance up and they knew they had been defeated. Hero’s eyes flickered as they smirked down on them.

Villain sighed, “Beautiful. I was going to say beautiful.”

“That’s right,” Hero backed off with a grin, waving a hand behind them as they passed through the doorway, “Hurry up now. We can’t be late when there’s a party to crash.”

Villain was quick to follow.

[questioningwriter]

(Morally grey pt 3 wasn't ready, so you have this.)

(I've like 3 unfinished works. Why do I do this to myself)

Trapped

"Let me out!" Villain shook the bars of the cell. "I'm serious, let me out of here!"

From the cell across from them, Hero glared. "Shut up." They snapped. "Do you really think that Supervillain will release us just because you asked them too?"

"Well, it's worth a shot." Villain defended themselves. "Unless you have a better plan?"

Before Hero could respond, the hatch above them opened, and Supervillain dropped down. "Aww, are you two bonding?" They teased. "How adorable."

"Ah, if it isn't the motherfucker themselves." Villain taunted. "Why don't you go do something productive for once in your life and go get some-"

Supervillain wrapped a hand around their throat before they could finish, slamming Villain against the bars. "You want to repeat that?" They growled in Villain's ear.

"Leave them alone!" Hero shouts. Supervillain turned to face the crime fighter, but kept their grip on Villain's throat.

"Really?" Supervillain dropped Villain, who fell to the ground, gasping for breath, to walk over to Hero. "And what will you do if I decide to break them?"

"You won't get that far." Hero snarled. "Because I'll stop you."

And Hero ripped the cell door off it's hinges and smacked Supervillain with it, sending them into the wall. Villain gaped as the hero stepped out of their sell and rifled through the unconscious criminals pockets.

"Uh, Hero?" The crime stopper turned to face their nemesis. "Can I ask you something - what the actual fuck?"

Hero cocked their head. "I don't see a problem?" They said.

"I do!" Villain gestured to the door. "Why the hell didn't you do that earlier?"

"...Because I can only do it when I feel strong emotions like anger." Hero said, shrugging as they dragged Supervillain into another empty cell, closing the door after they left.

Villain could only gape. "So how did you do it this time?" They asked.

In response, Hero's gaze darkened. and they strode over. "Because of this." They traced the spot where Supervillain's fingers had left bruises on Villain's neck. "They hurt you. And the only one who can hurt you is me."

"I..." Villain's jaw was slack. "I... uh..."

Hero chucked, before walking away, heading for the trapdoor.

"Wha- wait!" Villain called. "Where are you going? Let me out!"

Hero turned. "I don't think it'll kill you to wait a little longer, will it?"

They left, leaving Villain with their thoughts and an unconscious supervillain.

[reginalusus]

Some doodles I did for r/Spamton a while ago! Ya'll seem to like flustered Spamton...

I know the hype for Chapter 2 is kind of mellow now, wish I was there for the initial hype, but this bastard is still my comfort character, so... yeah.

[womanofwords]

Spoiling The Hero

Sidekick dangled from the ceiling in an upside-down cage as Villain forced their face to be close to his. "What's Hero's biggest weakness?" Villain snarled. "I can do this all day, but I'm not sure if I can say the same for you, little sidekick."

Sidekick was a lot better off than Villain thought they were, but they weren't going to tell him that. "Spoiling," they said.

Villain did a double-take. "What?"

"Hero's biggest weakness is being spoiled," Sidekick elaborated. "All kinds of spoiling work, but massages and makeovers are the most effective. Give her the spa day of a lifetime."

Villain grinned sadistically. "There's a good sidekick." He spun the upside-down cage, making Sidekick want to throw up. "You're going to get a front seat to Hero's downfall." They dumped Sidekick on the floor as they strode away to get supplies.

Spoiling a superhero is not an easy task.

(PAUSE)

Hero was on patrol once again when Villain scooped her up and hauled her into an unmarked windowless van. "Hello, Hero," he cooed.

"What do you want?" Hero snapped.

"To exploit your weakness, of course, to sap you of your strength." Villain grinned. "To bleed you dry."

Hero trembled. "And how are you planning to do that?"

"I'm going to spoil you rotten!" Villain said, letting out his best evil laugh. "You're going to eat all your favourite foods, get a luxurious spa day after your meal, and we will be watching any movie you want all day! I made your pathetic little sidekick tell me all I need to know. Your biggest weakness is being spoiled completely rotten, who would have thought?"

"No, it isn't," Hero said. Villain stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?"

"Being spoiled isn't my biggest weakness," Hero said, removing her handcuffs. "My real biggest weakness is something else entirely."

Villain trembled. "And what would that be?"

"Cute male villains that are adorable when they're bad." Hero scooped up Villain and kept him in her lap. "Is the day of spoiling off now that you know it's not my biggest weakness?"

Villain smiled a wobbly smile. "No."

[the-sidekick-club]

Just some cute "Shadow Punch" fluff made a while ago✨

[queenverabella]

Hello fellow freaks! First post (on this account) that I’m making! Whoooo. (Cough cough, please read my webtoon, Verabella, I’m down on my knees begging cough cough) oh wow! Freak coughing fit, sorry about that.

Ive finally succumbed to the torture that all gay teen webcomic creators must endure, and I’m made an art tumblr. First post (on this account) that I’m making!

Woohoo.

This is an artist account that posts things from my super awesome webtoon that everyone should totally go read, anything about the fandoms I’m currently into (BFDI at the moment), and general cringe.

[seasonscourt]

“I just… I just thought it looked beautiful, I couldn’t help it.” Villain lied anxiously, words breathy as they exited their mouth. “Please don’t fire me, I really need this job”

Notably, nothing Villain had said thus far was technically untrue: they did really need to keep their job, the one working for Supervillain of course; and if Superhero set them on fire they’d be far too dead to do any work; and Superhero’s heart was the most stunning thing Villain had ever laid eyes on (not that they would have ever wanted to say that aloud, but needs must).

So yes, all true,

…hopefully.

Thankfully, the words seemed to ring as a Truth in Superhero’s mind and the heat of Superhero’s glare at Villain abated slightly. Not that the piercing gaze had settled into anything even remotely resembling warm, but the blazing killing intent that’d been previously present was gone. Although their eyes still seemed to be gazing through them into Villain’s very soul. Villain prayed that they weren’t seeing anything that’d give them away, that’d get them killed.

“Mmm.” Superhero took a cursory glance at Villain’s trembling form before, before reaching out to return the heart to its plinth. A slight grin started to form on their face.

“So you think I’m beautiful?”

Despite the phrase technically being a question, the teasing tone betrayed the amusement at Villain’s predicament and Superhero’s certainty in what the answer was.

A red hot blush crawled across Villain’s face as they jerked their gaze away from Superhero’s face: valiantly trying to salvage the last dregs of composure they had. Internally they cursed their horrific luck. Dealing with getting caught, and now being flirted with, by the most dangerous person in the city? Villains heart might give out from the stress of it all.

Superhero’s smirk grew slightly wider.

“It’s probably best we get you out of here for now, wouldn’t want those wandering hands of yours to get you into any more trouble.”

Villain let out a rather undignified squeak as Superhero’s arm reached out, wrapped around their waist and begun leading them towards the door, and Superhero let out a short laugh, their eyes still trailing Villain’s face as they pushed it open with one hand. Villain’s gaze had ducked down to the floor to avoid their eyes. Of course, this meant that when Superhero opened a cupboard with supplies, instead of the room they originally came in, they didn’t notice until after Superhero had already jabbed the syringe into their arm.

Villain let out a hiss of pain as they rapidly lost control of their limbs - falling further into Superhero’s arms. The last thing they could comprehend being Superhero speaking, breath warm against their ear.

“You make quite the cute little actor Villain, that might’ve even worked if I hadn’t already known who you were. I’ll give you credit though, playing with you was rather fun,” Superhero carefully stroked a hair out of the limp Villain’s face, “I’ll make sure we can again,

Promise.”

Prompt #252

Villain stared up into Superhero’s red gaze, the blaring heat in their eyes threatening to melt them into an insignificant puddle at any given time.

Supervillain’s voice echoed in their head: Don’t do anything stupid. This is a reconnaissance mission and nothing more. If Superhero catches you, you’re dead.

Villain had been stupid. So stupid. They’d known not to touch anything, but Superhero’s heart had been right there. They’d been certain they could slip it into a pocket and walk out without notice, but Superhero had to choose the very moment they laid hands on it to come through the door.

“That’s not yours,” Superhero said, plucking the crystal orb and its luminescent, slow-beating contents out of Villain’s hands. Villain shrank even smaller beneath the hero's scrutiny. “And you're not a janitor. Are you?"

[disgracefulthings]

I like the idea of Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua celebrating popular holidays and having the people around them celebrate with them

For Christmas, Shen Qingqiu loves giving gifts to his disciples and martial siblings (maybe a few of them believed they were getting courting gifts until it is revealed that he gave gifts to everyone). Shang Qinghua probably tries to get Mobei-Jun to dress like santa

Luo Binghe loves Valentine's Day the most, for he can get his husband to spend the entire day with him and only him (and maybe they read a Valentine's Day edition of Regret of Chunshan)

On Father's day Tianlang-Jun expects a gift from his son, but Luo Binghe gives a gift to Shang Qinghua instead to spite him

[himexyandere]

I can't stop thinking about the typical hero vs villain trope, but this time, the villain gets infatuated with you, the heroine, and it starts to show.

You're informed of the villain's whereabouts as he wreaks havoc throughout the city you protect. You confront him as normal, only to find out that the reason he started blowing up empty buildings was to purposefully draw your attention.

"This was the only way I could get in contact with you, little hero. It's not as if I have your personal number... We could change that now, actually~. Will you give me your number?"

You're beyond confused, assuming at first that he was just messing around and trying to throw you off your game. You engage in battle and exchange blows before your sidekick shows up. The villain clicks his tongue and complains about how your "date has been ruined" before taking off, promising that you'll continue at a later date. Your sidekick is just as confused as you are once they spot the villain flying away, asking you what happened. You have no idea either.

He wastes no time getting back in contact with you, this time, through a private number. You thought it could've been a call from another hero, but no, it's that damned villain again... You, of course, question why in the world he would be calling you, to which he replies with a light chuckle and: "I just wanted to hear your voice. It's been a while since our last rendezvous, sweetheart."

You better believe he won't allow another villain to take up your attention either. He'll get rid of them and then leave a love note for you, bragging about how he's helping make your job a tad bit easier so that the both of you can finally go on a long overdue honeymoon, uninterrupted.

...This man is absolutely insane.

[wh3nturtlesfly]

Villain raced up to the rooftop, chest heaving. They could hear the sirens in the distance, ones meant for them. Only they hadn’t done it. Not this time.

The steel door was cold on their palm as they slammed it shut. It made much too loud a sound, though Villain couldn’t find the energy to care. No one should hear from here. The stars were Villain’s only witness, gazing upon them through thousands of speckled faces. At least, that’s what Villain had thought.

“It’s awfully late for you to be out here,” The voice spooked Villain, who shrieked in surprise. They whirled around to face none other than Hero, a sly smile on their face, “the wind is quite brisk this time of night, you could catch a cold.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Those sirens are on for a reason sweetheart.” Hero said the name with such ease, it left Villain flushing a bright red. They hated it. Hero took a step forward to which Villain inched back. The wind indeed flowed cooly, tousling Villain’s already battle-mussed hair and leaving them looking even more of a mess.

Villain tried to string their words together calmly, though the stress of it all left them spitting out sentences as if their life depended on it. By the sounds of the distant sirens, it did. “You don’t understand- I- it wasn’t me this time, I didn’t do it.”

“Is that so?” Hero raised an eyebrow. They were awfully unfazed over the whole endeavor. It left Villain unsettled.

“You have to trust me, please.” Cold concrete cells and iron bars. Villain could already imagine the icy grip of handcuffs around their wrists and the barked orders screamed in their ear. They couldn’t go back, not when this time it hadn’t been their fault.

And yet, the Hero stepped closer. Villain’s hands balled into fists. They couldn’t crumble now, not when they had no reason to be taken and definitely not beneath that stupid grin.

Hero seemed amused with the whole scene. “Tell me now, why should I trust a criminal?” They narrowed their eyes in question and the Villain wished to wipe that wretched smirk off their face.

“Would I really lie to you in a time such as this?” Villain backed up another step and made the mistake to glance over the edge. Their gloved hands brushed against the railing, but beyond that-

Down, down, down. Cornered, and Hero was well aware.

“You tell me. You’ve lied to me before, and seem to express no shame in doing so, so how could I ever find reason to trust the one who had committed so many wrongs?”

“Because I’m telling the truth this time,” Villain grit out. They gripped the railing like a lifeline, they had forgotten how much they hated heights in their attempt to escape the authorities.

Hero tsked with a shake of their head, “Not good enough. I need more.”

Villain nearly lost it at that. Here they were, dangling on the edge of life or imprisonment only to play Hero’s little game. Fury boiled in their veins. “More? What more could I possibly give you when my fate is on the line!”

“If you were truly desperate, I think you’d say anything.”

“Then ask me your bloody questions, and let me show you I’m not lying!”

“Actually, I think it's less of a question and more of… an admission.” The stars were reflected in Hero’s eyes, a gaze full of something utterly cunning. Villain hated it.

“What kind of admission?” they dared to shrink back another inch. Hands braced on the railing, the wind tousled their hair. Villain’s cheeks flushed red from the bite of the cold; that, or maybe it was the way they could feel Hero’s breath fan across their skin. They would never know for sure.

Hero’s lips split into a grin. “Tell me you love me.”

“I- what?!” Villain sputtered. The space between them grew twice as tense, Hero leaning dangerously close. Villain had forgotten about the sirens, forgotten of the sight of a cold dark cell. All they saw were Hero’s eyes, yearning for the one thing Villain had tried so hard to hide.

“Come on, just three simple words,” they pressed forward and Villain stumbled back with a shriek. Hero looped an arm around their waist before they could plummet backwards. Their fingers trailed along the back of Villain’s suit like fire, “It’s so easy, just a silly little sentence for me.”

Villain tried to squirm away, though Hero’s grip was much too strong. They had no choice but to gaze into the eyes that glimmered like stars. Hero was right, it was nothing but three insignificant words, but to Villain, it was everything. For too long they had tried to conceal it. Pushing down their deepest feelings, Villain could never admit it, never concede such secrets. It would have been easy if such a sentence were a lie, but to the Villain it was anything but.

And the Hero knew.

��Might want to make up your mind soon,” Hero whispered with a hot breath that tickled Villain’s ear. There was the sound of pounding footsteps. The police, they were coming.

“You’re horrible,” Villain hissed.

“You’re quite endearing when you're stressed,” A finger ran down Villain’s cheek, tipping up their chin, “Now, what will it be?”

The echo of footsteps only grew closer. Louder and louder, it was like a thunderclap in Villain’s ears. They couldn’t take it, forced to gaze into those beautiful eyes they had tried so hard to escape, or face an imprisonment like no other. It was impossible-

The door to the roof slammed open and through it filed a chorus of dark uniforms. Villain tensed. Pick your poison.

Villain thrust forward, gripping Hero’s suit tightly and dragging them both over the edge of the railing.

Down, down, down they plummeted. Speeding towards the ground, Villain grasped at the open air and resisted the urge to scream. Fifty feet, twenty, ten. They were snatched away just before they could hit the ground.

Villain observed the rush of shadows and shapes. A hand placed along their back gripped them tightly as they soared through the air. It was quite fortunate that the Hero could fly.

Then, in a sudden stop, the Villain felt the ground hard under their feet. Their knees buckled from the pressure and when they finally managed to gain their bearings, Hero was there to meet them.

“What was that?” They huffed, chest heaving.

“Figured you wouldn’t want an audience,” It was Villain’s turn to smirk as they stalked forward and leaned inches from the Hero. Eyes half lidded, they looked once to Hero’s lips then back up before closing the gap. It was nothing more than a press of lips, though when they broke apart Hero’s eyes were wide with wonder.

Villain spoke in a bare whisper, “I love you. Don’t make a thing of it.” They traced the curve of Hero’s jaw with a grin before slipping away without another word. Villain would never come to admit that such a display of affection nearly left their heart exploding out of their chest. Hero would find out soon enough after all.

[traailmix]

Literally what the hell

THANK YOU SO MUCH???? FOR ALL THE LOVE ON THIS ONE HOLY CRAP???

The villain had never seen their frenemy like this before. At least not since highschool.

Mid fight, Villain had gotten bored and decided that they should go to the bar together. After much convincing, and suspicion, Hero agreed.

Now it felt like Villain was seeing their..true self.

Usually, when around them, the Hero was stoic, quick-thinking and serious, frequently growing annoyed by Villain's constant sarcasm and whit.

Now, they're..different.

"You don't drink often, do you." It came out more as a statement then a question as Hero put down their glass,

"Hey..Hey remember those times we'd sneak into the school to get test answers cause we never actually did any of the work?" They slurred, "That..That was—*hic*—funny."

"..And you'd always have to make a scene, wouldn't you..Even as we were walking down the hallway to the classroom, you'd be whispering about how it's 'unjust' and 'reckless'. And you say I'm the annoying one."

"That was years ago..and you ARE annoying."

Villain scoffed and took a sip of their own drink,

"..Half the reason I did it is because I found you cute when you're mad.."

They choked, "Excuseme?"

"Pff, you heard me!" They laughed drunkily at their friend's reaction, "I always loved seeing that cute little concentration face, too."

"Mm..hm." Villain wasn't sure how to respond, but they were sure that their face must've been very red by now. "Well I sure as hell didn't come here to get flirted with by a drunk hero—im taking you home." They got up and grabbed their hand,

"HEY-Hey—Let me go!" They weakly yelled, "You're not my mom!"

"Yeah, you're real lucky I'm not." Villain ended up throwing them over their shoulder, causing them to thrash, though sloppily.

"..Hmph." They eventually gave up as they walked home, looking down at the ground beneath them.

At least they had a nice view.

[questioningwriter]

(Hey! I've missed a lot of post deadlines. But I'm going to post something as soon as possible. Hopefully I can get on a schedule that I can keep.)

I've been reading hero/villain stuff recently, and am obsessed with possesive hero, and flustered villain. This is the result.

Discovery

TW: contemplation/acceptance of imminent death(NOT SUICIDAL)l,

"What the hell is taking them so long?" Villain paced in front of their doomsday weapon, cape flowing dramatically out behind them. "I could have used the machine ten times already in this wait! What could possibly be taking them this long?"

"You're being dramatic." Henchman called from behind the machine, from where they stood with the rest of the crew. "They'll be here soon."

There were crashes, then five familiar faces landed in front of Villain. The hero team. They were finally here.

"Took you long enough." Villain drawled, pulling out their tablet. "Hero Team, I'd like to introduce you to your doom." Villain gestured to their machine. "This is a machine that is designed to seek out everyone you love and care about and obliterate them, and then destroy you." Villain types something into their tablet. "Why don't we start with you, Hero?"

With a press of a button on their gauntlet, Villain triggered the robots to keep the heroes busy while they imputed Hero's name into the tablet. The machine began to hum as it's power-up sequence began. "It's working." Villain gloated as the barrel of the machine began to move. "Hero, say goodbye to all those you love-"

The barrel of the gun swung around and smacked Villain in the face, cutting them off and knocking them to the ground. The tablet skidded out of reach as Villain landed on their ass on the ground. Then the barrel of the weapon swung around to point at them.

Villain couldn't do anything but stare down the barrel of their own machine in shock and confusion. They could see the inner barrel starting to glow as the machine prepared to fire. I'm going to die, they thought.

A hand grabbed the back of their cape and dragged them out of the way just as the machine fired, the bolt of energy missing them by centimeters. Villain screamed, covering their face as fragments of rock plummeted them from the explosion.

"Are you okay?" Hero's voice rang in their ear. Villain turned to stare at the other in confusion.

"You." They pointed at Hero. "Love me." They point to themselves. "Me. Your enemy."

"Shut up." Hero muttered. "Just shut up."

"You know what, no." Villain snapped, growing angry. "I'm not going to shut up. I want to know if you really love me, of if my machine is broken."

"You're machine is broken." Hero picked up the tablet and began pressing random buttons on it. "How exactly does this thing work?"

"My machine is not broken." Villain grabbed for the tablet. "Give me the tablet."

"No, fuck you." Hero slapped their hands away, then pressed a button. The machine powered down.

"Dammit," Villain muttered. "I really should not have made that one so obvious."

"Thank you for doing so." Hero dropped the tablet, then grabbed Villain. "And now, you've been caught."

The rest of the hero team approached warily as Hero locked the cuffs around Villain's wrists. "Hero?" Superhero asked. "Is there anything you want to tell us?"

"Do you need help?" Other Hero reached out to grab Villain. "We could take them, and you-"

"No, it's alright." Hero shifted Villain away from the others. "I've got it."

"Are you sure?" Superhero asked. "Because what just happened would shake anybody up-"

"I said I got it!" Hero snapped as they dragged Villain towards the door to the warehouse. Out to where the press were waiting to pounce, leaving behind a group of concerned heroes.

(Not as long as my first post, but y'know, maybe that's a good thing.

if anyone's interested in a part 2, I may have it drafted. Partially.)

[autocrats-in-love]

Prompt (437)

The hero stared at the villain, confused. The villain was undoing the chains holding them down.

“Why are you letting me go?” the hero asked.

The villain didn’t look at up at them. “The city needs you. Don’t make me regret this.”

The hero blushed as the villain’s hand brushed their ankle. “Uh, yeah, okay.”

[skipblebee]

Been thinking about them a lot lately

[the-sidekick-club]

Flowers for the Shadow Man

Part 1 : Part 2

Written by: @heroes-villains-side-blog★​​@tratieisdabest★@just-a-space-rabbit​​  

TW: breaking and entering

❘〣❘〣❘ ★ ❘〣❘〣❘

Shadows simply nodded in response, once again amused with her, and once again pinker, though really redder, than before. 

Alexandria slowly regained her composure. "Well… what do we do now? I'd like to get to know you better before a date, which is… sort of the point of those, but I just know Mender will find out somehow, and we'll be spied on by their little club thing. Well, that is, if they keep meeting."

Shadows cocked his head in thought, a motion that Alexandria found adorable, before answering, "Well, we could just talk? Like you have my phone number, which, by the way, would've been a smart recourse to use, so you wouldn’t have had to break in —" 

Alexandria's glow returned, flustered to hear yet another flaw in her plan. Gosh, this was embarrassing; normally she was pretty level-headed, but Shadows just messed that up. 

"--- and we could figure out times when we can meet up, like on a rooftop, or here or something."

Alexandria nodded, and then there was silence. Neither of them knew what to talk about. So, after about… 5 seconds of that awkward silence, Alexandria blurted out, "Let's play 20 questions! You can go first!"

Shadows looked over at her in slight surprise; the sudden words had startled him, but he actually liked the idea quite a lot! And so, he began to think of the perfect first question, leading to another few seconds of awkward silence. Finally, he said,"I suppose we should start small. What's your favorite dessert?"

The hero thought for a moment before answering, "Anything chocolate, though especially when Mender bakes it for me!" Shadows happily took in the new information; Alexandria was very, very supportive of her sidekick, loved her baking, and also loved chocolate! Perhaps one day, Shadows would get a chance to work with Mender to make something for the hero, but there wasn't too much time to think about the simple answer because it was Alexandria's turn!

Before asking, she scanned the room, clad in red and black, similar to much of his base and his costume. "What's your favorite color?" she asked with slight sarcasm. 

But Shadows just smiled and answered, "I've always loved the color yellow! That's why I have lots of sticky notes in that color." At that, he pointed to his desk, which had a rainbow of sticky notes, but contained 3 shades of yellow. It wasn't immediately noticeable, though, since the yellow ones were used so often that the stacks had gotten progressively thin, all combing to about the size of one. Alexandria looked surprised at the answer, but he really wasn't sure why. Why would she ask if she thought she already knew the answer? 

"Huh. I… wasn't expecting that." Alexandria said, gazing around the room to try and find more hints of yellow. When he noticed that, he realized the reason for surprise; everything was always red! But who was going to take a villain seriously if they were clad in yellow, unless maybe their power was, like, bee related. 

"Well what's your favorite color?" Shadows asked, voice full of challenge. If the answer was anything but orange, it basically proved his point of favorite colors not always being the best color to use (no it wouldn't). Which would make Alexandria look a bit silly, and if he was lucky she'd flustsd again!

But she just looked at him in confusion before saying, "Orange? Though yellow is definitely nice too." Okay, so maybe his plan didn't totally work, and now he's the embarrassed blushing one, but it's fine, it’s not like he's not grumpy that his amazing plan failed. 

Questions like these continued on for a while. 

"Your favorite crime you ever committed?" Alexandria asked.

"Well, once I stole a whole merry-go-round for Kim and Hirra to play on. They loved it, and Hirra still hangs out on it sometimes! But any one that means I get to see you is lovely." Shadows replied. And the hero flusters (success!). 

"What was your favorite agency mission?" Shadows asked. 

"Hmm, I really liked solving the mystery of the stolen Corinthian vase. It was one of Mender and I's first missions together, and and she taught me a lot about ancient Greek and Roman pottery that week. It was annoying that the thief escaped though. But to echo your words, any crime you commit is lovely." And the villain blushes (success!). "Dogs or cats?" She asked.

"Well, I like them both, but I think cats. They sort of remind me of Hirra if that makes sense." Shadows replied. No blush, but a cute parent moment, so… success! "Cats or dogs?" He echoed. 

"Dogs. I've always wanted one, and they wouldn't mess with my things as much, so dogs. Cats are… scary." Alexandria replied. No fluster, but this one was just for information, so… success!

But the two did have deeper questions as well, and Shadows was the first one to ask. 

"When did you decide to be a hero? Like, at what moment did you really want to be one?" Shadows asked, a bit nervous since it was a bit more deep than the previous questions. But Alexandria seemed perfectly fine with it, much to his relief. 

"Well, when I was little, I just wanted to help people, you know? I got a few nosebleeds trying to save the other kids from bullies, stuff like that. Then I started developing powers so the agency came and explained my parentage — grew up at an orphanage, my parents died when I was really young, you know?" she said the words so casually like they didn't really mean much to her, but he could tell from her face there was a deeper story. "So I decided to go to the academy at the time. It seemed like a good idea; I got to learn how to control my strength and just help people." 

Shadows’ face did not change, but internally, he knew from personal experience that that wasn't all there was to it. 

"And then I became a sidekick at 15, something I later fought against. But at the time it just seemed like the natural thing to do." That wasn't fully true, but it was a lot to explain, so she left it at that. 

Shadows had a lot of questions and thoughts whirling around in his head after all that, but he could tell this was a complicated subject and didn't press for more explanation. 

Alexandria did want the answer to the opposite question, why did he become a villain. She definitely planned to ask that later in the game, because she was only ready for one deep question at a time. Instead, she asked, "Why do you call me 'my lady'?" 

Shadows’ reply was not immediate, but the reaction was; his eyes widened and his skin colored as he tried to find a plausible reason to give her, before just giving up and telling the truth. 

"Well, it's two main things, I suppose. First, I wanted to flirt a bit, and it was more original than the stereotypical flirty villain calling the hero 'darling,'" he said the last word in a slight flirty tone, making Alexandria immediately fluster. "The bonus of this is that it makes you get all flustered, which is very cute and pretty." She glowed a bit more. "And, secondly," he looked the hero directly in her eyes, "I suppose I wished you were 'my lady'. I mean, we've established I have a 'crush' on you, and those often come with wanting to date the person in question." He finished his second point with a small smile in her direction, which of course made her get even more flustered (success!) and smile back.

It was normally a bit hard to tell when the hero was "blushing" due to her skin tone. Instead, she had a light glow, and it had become glaringly obvious (pun intended) this close when she was flustered. But it was his turn to ask a question, and as soon as he thought of it, his eyes had a noticeably devious glint. "Did it work?" he asked innocently. 

She looked up at him, her flustered state breaking due to confusion, "Did what work?"

"The pet name? Did my flirting work well? Would you be willing to someday go on a date with me, after a few more of these talks?" He said with a slight smirk, already having a guess as to her response. 

The flustered state immediately returned (success!) and she sputtered out an answer, "Um, well… yes, I guess. Well, not guess. I would like to go on a date with you! And you're very good at flirting — shoot, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I… you. I brought you flowers! What do you think Mr. 'Would you like to date me?’" She said the last part in a mocking voice, trying to recover, but it didn't work. 

"Ah, my apologies, my lady. It was quite foolish of me not to realize," He said with amusement. 

"Hey! No!" She wagged her finger at him like he was a naughty cat. "You don't get to do that anymore! It's run its course, you're done." 

Shadows was not done, "Oh no, my lady —" fluster, "I think I'll be keeping it now that I can see how well it works! In fact, I believe I'll be using it whenever I can, no matter how inappropriate the timing is." 

She glared at him, which would've been scary if not for the fact she'd become so flustered that her ears had slightly reddened. Whatever could've caused that? When he simply raised an amused and unimpressed eyebrow at her, she changed course. 

"Alright, well, did you like the flowers?!" She asked, hoping to throw him off. But all he did was gently put his hand over hers before reaching over to grab the vase. 

"They're beautiful. I love them," he said with a soft smile. "No one has ever given me flowers before."

Alexandria gasped in outrage at the statement. "That is ridiculous! Everyone deserves flowers, even stupid cute flirty villains." At that, he grinned up at her cutely. 

"You think I'm cute?" He asked with amusement and also delight. 

She pinched her nose, annoyed the villain was clearly winning at… whatever this was. "Well,, like… objectively." 

Shadows looked at her, already knowing exactly what to say. "Really? That's odd, since no one had called me cute since I was a child." 

The hero fell into the trap. "Well, that's also ridiculous! I mean, you have a sweet little nose, and freckles, and your hair is so pretty and — hey! Stop doing that!" she said, realizing what he'd done as he listened intently with a smile. 

"Alright, I'm sorry. But it was very sweet, my lady!" He replied, unable to resist one last quip. She looked at him disgruntled, though of course flustered (success!). "Now, I do believe it's my turn. What's your favorite season?" 

"Either winter, since I get to go sledding, or summer, because I get to swim. Oh, and also hot cocoa and lemonade are great!" She said shortly, still a bit flustered from all the earlier flirting. Shadows simply nodded in approval. 

"What about you? What's your favorite season?" She asked. 

"Well, they all have pros and cons, you know? Summer and winter are great for the reasons you said, but also are way too hot or cold. Spring and fall are nice, since I get to wear sweaters in fall and see the leaves, but everything is dying. In spring, everything is blooming and on some days you can still wear sweaters, but the ambiance is sort of interrupted by all the poor souls with allergies sneezing up a storm." Alexandria nodded in sympathy at that. While she wasn't allergic to pollen, she had friends who were, and they always seemed miserable in the spring. As one had put it whilst rubbing at their eyes, "Flowers pretty but itchy." 

Shadows continued his little speech. "So I guess they're all alright. I do agree that winter is quite nice, since no one can really commit crime then. It becomes a break of sorts." Alexandria knew exactly what he meant. Winter was also nice because everyone got a bit of a break; the cold forced a ceasefire, and even on the relatively warmer days villains chose not to commit crimes out of courtesy. 

It was now Shadows’ turn, and he had a question that'd been eating at him since he first saw Alexandria was breaking into his room. "What kind of flowers are these?"

Alexandria brightened at that. Her friend, who was a florist, had some extras and gave them to her. And they always went on long rants about flowers and their meanings, so she knew all there was to know about these. "They're white, camillas and carnations. They mean-" she cut herself off at that, realizing that neither of them were ready for a love confession (she wasn't even sure if she was there yet), so she needed to leave some of the meanings out. "They mean that I think you're adorable, and also that I have pure intentions." Shadows blushed at the confession, and gave her a light smile. 

Alexandria had that deep question sitting in her mind for a while, and she just couldn't contain it any longer. Hopefully it wouldn't ruin everything.  "Why did you become a villain? If you don't mind me asking, that is." 

Shadows blinked, surprised by the question. Clearly it'd been sitting in her mind since he first asked her the opposite. "Well… I didn’t grow up wanting to be a villain. In fact, it was the opposite. But…" He paused, unsure how to best explain. "I had this 'friend' in uni, he… ruined everything for me,” Shadow said before pausing. Just the memories alone were painful, but talking about it felt both better and worse at the same time.

“In our last semester of uni,” he continued, “I finally felt that my life was going the right way, and then he took that away from me. He destroyed all of the chances and opportunities I had for a good life. And the worst part was that he succeeded in every way. I ended up with no mentor, lost my bachelor’s degree, got expelled, and even though the person that had given me the job still wanted me, the Aura commission would not allow it.” 

He took a deep breath before continuing, looking at Alexandria for a second, who had wide and equally outraged eyes. "My parents never liked my powers, thinking they meant I was evil, which is stupid! So when they were 'proven right' by this, they cut me off."

“So I felt cornered, and alone, and sad, and didn’t know what to do. I left Nizorro and became a villain, the very same thing my parents had said I’d end up as. It was just for survival at first, but is now something that I do because I can help people through it. But anyway, originally I um… well… we, that being Kim and me, just came back to Nizorro so that they could go to university here. Then we took in Hirra, and I'd also reunited with some old friends, so we just stayed…”

He noticed Alexnadira’s expression, so hastily added, “But, don't feel too sorry for me! If I had the chance, I’d do the same thing again” he said with a light smile.

Alexandria was shocked to say the least, “What? After everything that happened to you? After your parents and fake friend? Why?”

“Kim and Hirra,” he said softly. Alexandria’s mind stopped for a moment but Shadows continued,  “I don’t even want to think what would have happened to those two, especially Hirra, if I wasn’t there as a villain at the right time and place.”

She smiled at the last bit, but still pulled him into a tight hug. "I’m so happy you found Kim and Hirra, but I wish you hadn't had to go through all that for that. It just sounds so terrible, and nobody deserves that, especially not someone as sweet and kind as you."  Shadows clung to her before pulling away in slight embarrassment. 

"Gosh, I'm clinging to you like a toddler when I don't even know your real name," he said, annoyed with himself. 

Alexandria looked at him for a moment and then said one word. "Alexa." 

He looked up at her in confusion. "What?"

"My name is Alexa. You don't have to give me yours, but I would like to have it some day." 

He thought for a moment, wondering if he trusted her before realizing: He had let her babysit his children. He had given her one of his biggest secrets freely; very few people knew about his past. And she trusted him enough to give him part of her civilian name. So he obviously trusted her. "Lukas. My name is Lukas."

Alexa smiled at him before her phone suddenly pinged. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Lukas. Very lovely name, by the way. But I'm afraid I have to go or my sidekick will come looking for me." She moved to the window, which he unlocked with a button on his watch, before waving. "Bye! Also, don't read all the notes I wrote, they're stupid and embarrassing."

Lukas was absolutely going to read those notes, but all he did was nod and reply, "I’m absolutely going to read those notes.” The crime-fighter groaned. “Have a nice night, Alexa." As soon as she was out the window and sight, he rushed to the nightstand the flowers were on and collected all the crumpled notes on it.  

"Dear Shadow Wraith, I think you're really cute and it seems like you maybe feel the same? You don't have to or anything but my sidekick is very smart so it seems likely. But anyways —" the note cut off. 

He read every single one, and determined 3 main things. 

One: Alexa feels her sidekick is one of the smartest people in the world (how sweet!). 

Two: Alexa also thinks that about Lukas (that made him blush). 

Three: Lukas is very sweet/cute/adorable/kind/amazing/etc (which also madke him blush, though he smiled a bit since he knew the confession made her blush as well). 

Thank goodness he had such a good security system, otherwise they may have never had this talk and he would have had to wait even longer to get her name (not that he would've minded). 

—

Alexa was met with an interrogation when she got back to her and her sidekick's shared room. 

"Where were you?" Sadie asked as soon as she entered. 

"I was on patrol, like I said." Alexa calmly replied, taking off her mask and grabbing some sweatpants and a shirt to change into (she had come in through the window, which Sadie had apparently been expecting). 

Sadie immediately raised her eyebrows. "You sure about that?" Alexa simply nodded in response, closing the door to the bathroom so she could change and quickly use the toilet. When she came back out, Sadie was on her bed, staring her down. 

"Well, I called the agency to double-check since when you do late patrols you typically only do small ones for just an hour or two. It’s 12:15. You left around when the text was sent, so 8:57. It had been over 2 hours, so I was worried, so I called the agency at 11:47. They said you hadn't done a patrol since earlier today.” Sadie stared her down. “Where were you?" 

Alexa was caught, but had a plan to get out of it. "Isn't that my business?" she rhetorically asked. 

Sadie hummed before answering. "Yes, but you don't have to lie. All you had to say was 'I'm going out for a while', but you felt the need to cover your tracks. Now the question is, what tracks are you covering?" she asked, brown eyes drilling into the other hero's soul. 

"Well, why don't you tell me, Detective Sadie?" Alexa asked, dodging the question. 

"Well, your flowers are missing.” She nodded in the direction of the empty vase. “Were you giving them to someone? A date, perhaps?"  

Alexa had 3 moves here. Tell the truth, say she had a date, or come up with a different lie. 

"I didn't have a date. I was bringing them back to my friend, Firefly, you know, the florist, since they were from a new supplier and she wanted to check for quality." Lie, it was from the same usual supplier and had been extras from a wedding. "I forgot to bring them back, but they'll probably want to do a few experiments on them anyway, so it's fine." 

Sadie blinked at her, an impassive poker face put on. "Fine. I'm not sure if I believe you, but it's your business. Just don't do anything dangerous… though I'm not really sure how flowers could be dangerous. Maybe you could fasten them into an arrow, like in that one Norse myth." Oh, Alexa had an opening. 

"Could you tell me that one again? I can't fully remember it…"

Sadie leapt up and grabbed a rolling whiteboard from the other room. "Okay, so listen." She began drawing a few images on the board. They'd probably be up a bit late, but tomorrow they were planning to take a day off anyway, so it wasn't too bad.

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