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#d-d-d-did you catch how the body counts represent the villain having no purpose and gaining new purpose 👉👈
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ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS FT. PINING! WITH A HAPPY ENDING! (because the other one wrecked me. how could you)
“You’ll get a cold.” The villain took off their jacket and put it around the hero’s shoulders and as their fingers brushed against the hero’s bare shoulders, both seemed to hesitate for a moment.
“It’s alright, really,” the hero said, laughing awkwardly. And despite their desire to convince both of them that it wasn’t a big deal, they put their arms into the sleeves and pulled the jacket closer. Its smell reminded the hero of their enemy’s bed, of takeout shared in the living room after a rough session and admittedly of the intimacy they yearned for.
“Although I can’t use my telepathy anymore, I’m pretty sure you were freezing. Your whole body was shaking.” It was quite tragic, wasn’t it? To be stripped of your powers. The hero thought about it often and though it hadn’t left physical scars, the hero knew how tormented the villain actually was.
Being destined for greatness hadn’t made the villain untouchable. And neither was the hero. In fact, maybe this privilege, this destiny made them so vulnerable in the first place. Potential and opportunity — what if someone took these things? What would be left?
“You’re very sweet,” the hero said. It was a long walk to the hero’s apartment and since the hero refused to pay for a taxi, the villain made sure to bring them back. Every time.
“If I want to.”
“No, you can’t really control kindness. You’re very sweet. That’s who you are.” The hero looked along the many houses, stretching into the endlessness of the city. God, they never quite knew how to treat the villain when they were alone like this. Sleeping with each other was easy, but this type of exposure was something else.
Somehow, this was an opportunity, too. Most of the time, they talked about nothing in particular but every now and then one of them dropped their guard. Those moments were precious to the hero.
“I’m not gonna mention my body count.” The hero smiled softly. They were close to the hero’s house now.
“I thought your body count is one.”
“Not that body count,” the villain said and when the hero looked at them, they saw a blush on their stoic enemy’s face. God, what a sight. “Christ, you drive me crazy sometimes.”
The villain stopped and looked at the hero for a moment. They wanted to say something, but didn’t.
“What is it?”
“Do you think I’m ruined?” they asked, rather helplessly. Shifting to serious topics was becoming a natural habit. The hero loved it. “Do you think it ruined me when they…you know, took my powers?”
“No,” the hero answered immediately. “No. I…honestly, I believe you lost your way. You lost purpose and a part of yourself. But I don’t think it ruined you. I think you just needed a new purpose.”
The villain stared at them again. They were good at this, staring and saying nothing. Silently, they agreed on continuing their walk.
“I always told myself that if I still had my powers, I’d be a better person. I always told myself that if it hadn’t been for that one thing, I would be perfect. I managed to convince myself that I couldn’t possibly be better than I am, due to the circumstances. But maybe I was just afraid of trying to be good and failing. That’s why I didn’t try at all.”
“Well, that’s the thing. You’re not a bad person. You’re trying to be one but that’s not what you are.” The hero looked at them and, god, the villain’s eyes sucked them in. “You’re wonderful. You just didn’t get that back then.”
They arrived at the hero’s doorstep.
“You really think that?” The hero searched for their keys, so they were surprised when they looked up and found the villain incredibly close to them.
“Uhhh…I think so yeah. Your powers had potential, yes. But it’s not this one thing, this one goddamn thing that decides over what you could be. I think it’s dedication and it’s desire, it’s love and it’s inspiration. It’s something you decide, it’s something you make. I have the potential to save this world but if I am dedicated to saving just this one person…” Their gaze dropped to the villain’s lips. “…then maybe I don’t need to save the world.”
The villain kissed them hard and the hero could barely ask them if they wanted to come up with them.
Of course, the villain said yes.
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