#hero corrupted

Being a hero is so exhausting right? To hold yourself day after day to an unmanageable standard, constantly fighting, giving your own freedom, time and energy all for a cause that cares so little for you in return?</3

To be held so close for someone who sees that twinkle in their eye, the resentment of their role, the feeling of frustration and anger. Traits they’re taught to deny and to push down. Yet here the supposed villain is comforting her for them, reassuring they are natural and okay. A single gentle hand caressing that tender face~ That they are loved for their emotions and not in spite of them<3

To be granted such warm understanding and love, sympathy a life of ‘heroics’ never once showed them. To finally let loose and embrace her influence, to be themself at last, freed of inhibitions and restrictions~

“If this is where you want it to end so be it I guess,” the Antagonist makes a point of looking disinterested, hero is cradling their sidekick’s broken body, tears trickle down their face unchecked, they don’t even see the Antagonist. 

“It’s okay now,” They whisper almost hopefully to their too far gone sidekick, “It’s okay, you did good, you come home now with me.” 

The Antagonist rolls their eyes, and points their weapon at the hero, “He’s gone, and if we don’t move we’re going to be just as dead, The Villain likes to return to the scene of the crime, remember?” 

Hero doesn’t move, they are brushing dirt and blood off of sidekick’s face, making soft clucking sounds like a mother wiping off a dirty toddler, their mind is broken, they haven’t accepted that sidekick is gone. “Man, leader’s been so worried about you man, we’ve all been worried sick, we didn’t want something to--something to-something to have happened to you,” the end of the sentence hitches, hero freezes his gentle brushing, the tears come unbidden, to hero it feels like he’s breaking in to, he can’t breathe, hero buries his head in sidekick's chest, still for all the world. 

“You’ve got a choice to make here hero,” The antagonist drawls down to the sobbing hero, taking his head in his hands, hero doesn’t stop crying, not even to face his enemy, he doesn’t think that he can stop. 

The antagonist slapped him, hard and stinging across his face, the shock made hero gasp, the heaving sobs abating some due to shock, “Listen to me you fucking wimp!” The antagonist thundered, “You can’t do anything more for this sidekick, he’s fucking dead! But you have a choice to make here and now, one time offer! Let it all end here,” The antagonist makes his voice high and whiny, “The bravery, the heroism,” his voice drops back to a growling sneer, “All that shit you’ve been preaching that got your friend killed, or..” He crouched down closer to hero, his eyes growing rapturous, “Or, you join me, get a little old fashioned revenge and then for good measure I’ll let you in on a secret,” the antagonist smiled, looking a little mad, “Sidekick doesn’t have to die here, none of this has to happen this way, I can bring you right back here and change the way it goes down, sidekick lives!” 

Hero’s eyes were shining, he knew it had to be a trap, but one glance as sidekick’s pale and somehow empty form he knew he had to do it, he was desperate, “I’ll do it, whatever it takes,” he swallowed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, “if he lives I’ll do anything.” 

The antagonist smiled cruelly, “I know you will.” 

This was the place that it ended after all, for a person who’d dedicated his life to saving the world, hero’s decision in this very important moment was was started the end. 

Like grains of sand tumbling through an hourglass. 

You only have what you have what you have and then it’s over. 

Or not.