#villain x civilian
Summary: Starla moves in with her sister. Things get better. Then she notices her new neighbor and not in a good way.
Based off thisprompt/idea by @caffeinewitchcraft
This one has been reworked a bit. Still the same story though, just fixed how Starla notices Duke, basically. That’s the biggest change.
*****
“That would be a literal blessing,” her sister says, sighing into the phone with hope that pierces through the static of low reception.
“Well,” Starla sighs, hand on her hip, looking at the stacked boxes in her apartment, artfully ignoring the eviction notice laying on the kitchen counter. “I kind of don’t have a place to live past Thursday, so I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Well, you’re always welcome to come take the guest room.”
Starla rubs the bridge of her nose. “I can’t afford any rent, though.”
“You don’t need to pay rent, ” Melissa insists, words garbled by the piercing sound of a crying baby. There’s some rustling, sound muffled as she deals with the crying newborn. “You’re my sister,” she continues, voice softer as she soothes the baby, practically cooing. “It’s no problem and you’d be doing me a huge favor anyways, with the kids.”
“Okay,” Starla says, nodding to herself, like she has options and a choice. “Let’s do it.”
So she moves in.
Prompt 350
“Darling, I knew you were lying. I’m the most powerful person in the city.“ The villain said matter-of-factly. “No one dates me without trying for a taste of it.”
“Why- why would you….” Their lover stumbled over their words before adding quietly, “Why didn’t you break up with me?
The villain gave a sad smile and glanced down. “I hoped that your love for me trumped your lust for power.”
“Lust for power? I don’t- I don’t want to be powerful. That’s your job- thing. Your thing.” He shifted nervously, foot to foot. “It looks good on you. I wouldn’t suit it.”
“A lust for my power, then. Much the same, if only not requiring my disposal.”
“Disposal?! No, I- that’s not what I-”
“Wouldn’t suit your plans?” The villain’s gaze drifted down, swept back up again. Searching. No. Dissecting. “So I am alive for a reason. Nice to know.”
Their lover spluttered. “I don’t killpeople-”
“I do.” Their gaze sharpened, their words a whetstone. “Ah. So that’s it. You wanted a killer on a leash. A pet rottweiler.”
“I hardly thought you’d let me leash you. You much prefer to be on the other end.”
“So you hoped I would leash you. A favoured lapdog.” They stepped forward, cape swirling around their ankles. “Defended, protected. Which means you must have other enemies?”
Prompt 364
“Hello!” The civilian said with a jaunty wave. “I’m here to flirt with you.”
The villain shovelled more money into the bag with a frown. Was this another crime-control tactic? The bank’s hostages looked as confused as they felt. “This is a robbery. Get out of my way.”
“A robbery!” The civilian exclaimed in delight. They pulled out an index card with multiple lines of text. “I have just the pickup line.” They read off the card. “Are you a thief? Cause you just stole my heart.”
The villain could see a large stack of index cards in the idiot’s back pocket.
Prompt 363
“Stay back,” The villain growled with a swipe of their dagger. The prone figure at their feet didn’t stir. “No one touches them.”
some-messed-up-writing-for-you:
Short Prompt #368
“Aww, is this for me?” - the villain asked, pointing to the rose in Civilian’s hand.
The civilian raised their eyebrows, unimpressed. “No.”
And then they shoved the flower into their mouth and took a bite.
some-messed-up-writing-for-you:
Short Prompt #556
“Well, aren’t you pretty~?” - the villain purred, crowding the terrified civilian into a corner, cutting off any means of escape.
Other Villain, who stood beside them, chuckled lightly in agreement as they hungrily eyed Civilian’s shaking body. “The universe must love us for sending such a gorgeous gift into our territory~.”
A terrific prompt! Thanks@some-messed-up-writing-for-you!
“Wait, wait! Please!” The civilian wedged themselves back against the dirty brick, hands out and up. “I… I came here to find you. To ask for your help!”
The villains exchanged a look and burst out laughing. The first one, taller by a fraction of an inch, snaked a hand out to pin one of the civilian’s wrists up against the alley wall. “Sure, cutie,” they said with a sneer. “What can little old us do for [Hero’s] latest squeeze toy?”
“Oh, good, you do know me,” the civilian breathed, eyes glued to the villain’s hand around their wrist. “This’ll sound slightly less - ahaha! - slightly less crazy. Yeah, um. I….”
“Spit it out, doll,” cooed the second villain, faster by a second or so as they caught the civilian’s chin, turned their face to the yellow street light. “My partner asked you a question.”
The civilian closed their eyes. “I need you to kidnap me for real,” they blurted out in a panicked rush.
The villains exchanged another look. This time they did not laugh. “Darling,” the second villain said with decidedly less purr. “Not sure you noticed but we were very much already in the process of kidnapping you.”
“Well you’re going to have to do a lot better than… than stupid flirting,” the civilian snapped, even as their breath came quick and unsteady. “I thought you two were supposed to be good. Or bad. Or whatever!”
“What is happening?” said the first villain very calmly.
“I believe we are still waiting for the looker here to get to the point,” the second villain said. “[Hero] sure doesn’t pick them for their brains.”
“Hero’s planning to have me murdered!” the civilian cried. “And he’s going to pin it on the two of you!”
There was silence in the alley. Somewhere nearby a cat yowled, a car engine roared. The villains did not exchange a look. Their eyes stayed locked on civilian.
“And why should we believe that?” said the first villain, tightening their grip.
The civilian winced. “You know what happened to [Hero’s] last partner.”
“Killed by [Supervillain],” the second villain said through their teeth. “And then [Hero] killed Supervillain on camera. And walked.”
“Well, congrats!” the civilian said with a hysterical wheeze. “Looks like you two are his next big threat.”
“Is [Hero] aware that you know this?” the first villain said sharply.
The civilian tried to pull loose. Both villains hung on. They sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat. “Yes.”
One final time, the villains shared a look. And then the second let go, leaving the first to pull civilian from their corner out to the open. “I think you’re coming with us, gorgeous.”
The civilian gave them a queasy smile. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me all day.”
“I just don’t get it, why would you leave?” the villain asked. “And what would evergive you the idea that you were allowed to do that?”
“I left,” the civilian said, “to prove that I could.”
“What?”
“I wanted to show my friends that you could handle a separation. That I wasn’t crazy for dating you.”
The villain’s eyes widened in understanding, as they took in the sight of their lover trembling in their restraints.
“This was a test,” they realized.
PLEASE WRITE MORE OF THIS AND IF YOU CAN’T, LET SOMEONE ELSE, I NEED MORE, PLEASE
[Civilian] watched as [Hero] and [Villain] fought desperately in the setting sun. They watched as they tore at each other with tooth and nail for a trifling prize, something that never really mattered in the first place.
[Civilian] thought back to how the three of them got into this situation in the first place. How [Hero] and [Villain]’s hatred was fueled by a love for [Civilian].
They didn’t love either of them, and it wasn’t a fact they had ever hid from the pair.
Yet they fought. A hero that would save the day and get the object of their affection as a reward. And a villain that would conquer all, including their beloved’s heart.
[Civilian] had tried everything they could to dissuade the pair, and as [Civilian] turned and walked into the swiftly falling night, they hoped their disappearance would finally end the madness.
