Gladly! Coming right up, pal. Sorry it took a while, I may or may not have bumped the writing machine and that miiiiight have broken it for a few days. ~Dmitri
(tw: violence, mention of fractured bones, everything mentioned in the prompt. it’s fairly mild, but just want to make sure everyone’s comfortable.)
“I’ll kill him,” she said, and [Hero] knew she meant it. Fists clenched and teeth gritted, [Teammate] charged out of the headquarters before anyone could stop her. Once outside, she leapt into the air and disappeared, leaving a sinking feeling in [Hero]’s stomach. “She’ll be back,” [Leader] assured, but that wasn’t what [Hero] was worried about. They turned to face [Leader], stunned.
“What about [Villain]? I know he’s our enemy, but… we don’t even know it was him that attacked [Teammate]’s sister,” [Hero] protested. “We have to stop her from killing him, it wouldn’t be right.” They hoped their own bias on the matter wasn’t obvious - [Villain] was their nemesis, the handsome thief with nimble fingers and a dashing smile. [Hero] was almost certain he wasn’t the type to attack a civilian just to get back at [Teammate] for stopping his last heist.
“Fine,” [Leader] sighed, looking like he’d rather do literally anything else. “Let’s go, you can attempt to talk her down. But seriously, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.” [Hero] wanted to contradict him, always one to choose diplomacy rather than charging ahead, but [Villain]’s life was at stake. They simply sighed and watched as [Leader] effortlessly opened a shimmering portal in front of them. “Come on,” he said, stepping through.
Travelling through [Leader]’s portals involved being hurled through a glowing tunnel of stars, buffeted by shimmering black waves that pulsed and undulated with strange energy. Normally, it was a beautiful sight that the entire team would take their time to appreciate. This time, [Hero] couldn’t care less about [Leader]’s stupid space tunnel. The journey must’ve only been thirty seconds, maybe a minute, but to them it seemed an eternity had passed by the time their feet found solid ground.
Immediately afterwards, though, [Hero] was almost knocked off their feet by someone they recognised as [Other Hero], an acquaintance of theirs who sometimes helped with missions. Her chest heaved with panicked breaths as she righted herself.
“[Hero], shit, the Haven got attacked,” [Other Hero] gasped, clinging to [Hero]’s shoulders. [Hero] finally got a sense of their surroundings – a crowd of people consisting of criminals, crime-fighters and civilians alike were either fleeing the nearby building or gathered around with bated breath. [Teammate] hadn’t just flown off the handle this time – she was breaching the rules of the only neutral zone in the entire city.
The Haven, for as long as most people remembered, was the one place anyone would be safe. It was a small shopping centre that had been repurposed into a clinic and café, where individuals on any side of any conflict would be welcome to grab a meal or receive treatment. Breaking its strict rules of no violence or harassment was almost unheard of, aside from a few assholes getting kicked out for verbally abusing the other patrons.
All of this was thanks to Mamma Cosima, a sweet older woman who had suffered the misfortune of having a crime-fighting daughter and a crime-committing son. She’d created the Haven so they could have a middle ground to partake in non-violent, albeit fairly awkward, family dinners. News had spread, and soon enough it became known as the place to go for safety during its opening hours.
Now, jagged shards of glass covered the once peaceful environment. [Teammate] had seemingly charged straight through the window, which had sent everyone running. (Not because they were necessarily afraid of her, [Hero] thought, but likely because they didn’t want to risk getting kicked out for being in a fight.) In the middle of the mess was [Teammate], holding [Villain] up against the back wall of the Haven café and shouting something at him, slamming him against the drywall as her voice rose in fury. [Hero] shoved past the rest of the crowd, because consequences be damned, they needed to stop her before she crossed any more lines.
“[Teammate], you can’t do this,” [Hero] said as they tentatively crossed the threshold, and they could feel the onlookers’ gazes on them. [Teammate] whipped around violently, letting [Villain] slump to the floor. [Hero] only allowed themselves to glance at him, but it was enough to see the blood pouring from his busted lip and a quickly forming bruise on his left cheek. His breathing was laboured, and he visibly winced each time his chest rose and fell. His eyes were trained on [Hero].
“This bastard could’ve killed my sister!” [Teammate] growled, rounding on [Hero]. “An innocent civilian! Are you really going to take his side?!”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side, [Teammate], I promise,” [Hero] reasoned, raising their hands as if trying to soothe a wild beast. “But look at what you’ve done. You’ve broken into the Haven, of all places, and started a fight based on a hunch that [Villain] was the one who hurt her.” As they spoke, [Hero] felt warm energy spread under their skin. It was a familiar feeling by now – the fire in their veins had a habit of flaring up when they were agitated.
“This city would be better off without this lowly criminal anyway,” [Teammate] snarled, then turned around and grabbed [Villain]’s arm with a bruising grip, lifting him to his feet. Drops of blood from his lip and a now visible wound on his leg dripped onto the ground and [Teammate]’s boots.
“This city would be better off without the corrupt politicians that line your pockets, fucker, but I don’t see you beating them half to death,” [Villain] hissed at her, some of his signature confidence returning. [Hero] noticed him glance at them, a glint of mischief behind the fear in his eyes.
“You snide piece of shit!” [Teammate] roared, raising her fist to strike him again. Before she could, [Hero]’s instincts spurred them into action and they crossed the glass-covered floor in an instant, focusing the heat coursing through them into their palms. Now standing behind [Teammate], [Hero] pressed their burning hands to her back. She jolted and let out a cry of rage, letting go of [Villain] again and whirling to face them. They didn’t have time to react as she grabbed their throat roughly, and for a moment they weren’t sure if she was going to choke them out or just snap their neck.
As suddenly as it had arrived, the pressure of [Teammate]’s hand disappeared and she seemed to blink out of existence – no, she’d fallen into a dark, shimmering hole beneath her feet. [Hero] staggered back, drawing in a deep breath as [Leader]’s firm hand landed on their shoulder.
“I warned you,” he sighed, “It’s best to just let her break things until she feels better.”
Normally, [Hero] would’ve agreed for the sake of diplomacy. They would return home and hide in their room until [Teammate] had calmed down, then return to business as usual. But [Villain] was still looking at them with some kind of pained fondness, and [Hero] couldn’t bring themselves to pretend they’d regretted saving him.
“She wasn’t breaking things, [Leader],” [Hero] said firmly, pulling out of his grip and stepping away from the still swirling portal. “She broke the rules, and violated the sanctity of the one place where we can all act like normal fucking humans. She hurt an innocent per-“
“He’s not innocent, [Hero],” [Leader] interrupted, frustration clear in his tone.
“Today, he is,” [Hero] countered. “Go back to the base, I’m going to help clean up the mess your rabid subordinate made.”
Without another word, [Leader] stepped into his portal and vanished from sight. It closed soon after. As soon as he was gone, a few onlookers hesitantly approached the ruined café. Mamma Cosima was among them, shoving them out of the way as she cursed under her breath.
“Cagna pazza, who does she think she is?” She hurried over to [Hero], who had just knelt by [Villain]’s side. “Grazie, my dear, she might’ve destroyed the whole building if you hadn’t stopped her. Come, help me get your friend upstairs to the clinic.”
-
[Villain] had passed out practically the second [Hero] and Mamma Cosima had gotten him to a bed, badly bruised and still bleeding from his cut lip. Cosima had called a few of her doctors from the crowd outside – noticing as she did so that a few superpowered individuals with conveniently helpful powers had started putting the café wall back together – and [Hero] was soon informed that despite [Villain]’s cracked ribs and blood loss, he’d be alright. That’s how [Hero] ended up sitting by his bedside hours later, thankful that the Haven’s rules allowed them to do so. They had been pointedly ignoring [Teammate]’s angry texts as they scrolled on their phone when they were startled a feather-light touch on their arm.
“Was trying to take your bracelet,” [Villain] teased, voice weary and strained.
“How about we leave the petty theft until your bones heal, hm?” [Hero] replied with a small sigh, fighting back a smile. “You’ve only just woken up, come on.”
“Mm… shouldn’t you be back at your fancy base with boss man and the rage monster?” [Villain] asked. Apparently, his snark was the first thing to return after his consciousness.
“I think [Teammate] would try to murder me if I went back now. I might, uh… lay low for a while. Just wanted to make sure you survived.” Truthfully, they weren’t looking forward to going back at all. Sure, [Teammate] would eventually move on and find something new to be angry about, but how long until she crossed a line again?
“You’re lying,” [Villain] cut across their thoughts with a faint smirk. “I think you were worried about me, you softie. Don’t worry – I’ll be laying low too. If she comes for me again, I’ll be ready.”
“Not in this state you won’t,” [Hero] sighed. “We can’t trust [Teammate] to follow the Haven’s rules anymore. I… I guess I’ll be hanging around for a while.”
“Hm… fair enough. You can keep the bracelet; I’ll settle for the fact that I’ve obviously stolen your big soft heart.” If not for the state he was in, [Hero] would’ve hit him with a pillow. Instead, they sighed and put their phone down.
“Don’t forget I’m still your arch nemesis,” they said. [Villain]’s face fell for just a moment before his mischievous smile returned.
“You sure acted like it today,” he said sarcastically, “Saving my life and fighting your crazy colleague for me. Very nemesissy things to do.”
He was right. Criminals weren’t supposed to be right. Yet here he was, with his piercing eyes and his ridiculous charm, making a frustratingly good point.
“I’m going to tell the doctors you’re awake,” [Hero] said simply, standing up. They didn’t miss [Villain]’s disappointed expression, or the pang of guilt that struck them. As a peace offering, they slipped off their bracelet and dropped it in [Villain]’s hands. “Look after this for me, I wouldn’t want anyone stealing it while I’m gone.”
“Of course,” [Villain] said, pressing it to his chest with a sharp grin. [Hero] doubted they were getting that back, but it didn’t bother them all that much.
Hope this was alright! Come again soon. :)
hellsite-hall-of-fame
