Villain X Civilian - Blog Posts

Obsessed with the new dynamic that I'll call 'youre fired if you die'

A is boss/king of b. A is gruff and mean and socially awkward. B is sassy and sunshine and also mean. They do NOT like each other.

What follows is an idiots to lovers office romance filled with lots of bickering, ordering around (by grumpy) and mediaeval fantasy equivalent of unionization attempts ( by sunshine)

Highlights include-

"You're late." "It's literally just half a minute." "It'll be cut from your pay."

*sneezes in front of expensive object* *from the other room* "That'll be cut from you're pay"

*working slowly cause they cut they're hand or something* "Work faster." "I'm literally bleeding, can't you ask how I'm doing like a normal human." *Unable to in fact express concern like a normal human* "Well, stop bleeding."

And off course, *Actually dying* *in tears* "I'll fire you if you die"

Pls follow to help grow

Everyone knows the movie Megamind, right?

I liked the trope of goofy villain who was not, in fact, good at being bad. Then he falls in love with someone and chooses to stop trying to be bad.

I also say "trying" because what the movie showed us that Megamind wasn't, in fact, bad. He was "given" that role and when he realised he couldn't escape it, he embraced it.

But what if that trope was done more seriously?

I'm not talking about Megamind specifically. It could be used for any original story or ff, but it could work.

One where a villain, and I'm talking about a real villain, one that has done some serious shit, meets someone new.

Or maybe a new group of people. This could work as a romantic trope, found family or both.

And this person or people they meet is/are... a bit strange maybe. They are not evil, not even bad, but they have an odd moral standing. They are good with some people, with those they care about, maybe they are even involved in some charities, not even to commit fraud, but because they genuinely want to help.

But they also understand that sometimes, people do awful shit, sometimes a person is forced to act and do horrible things. Sometimes people choose to step over some heads in order to reach some goal. And it is... It's not "ok", but they get it and keep on living.

And sometimes, when they feel cornered and/or with no option, they are also willing to crush some skulls themselves.

And when this villain starts hanging out with them, they start finding things they have in common and start enjoing their time togheter. Inadvertently, villain starts remembering what it was like before, how he felt, how he acted, the things that mattered before, his main, true goal and the actual reason villain is doing all he's doing, the reason they've done everything they've done.

They also find out that this new person (or people) get it too. Maybe they won't help, or maybe they will, but that's not what's important.

And without realising, villain starts relaxing around who they've met. They start talking more, they start laughing and smiling and acting more goofy.

They don't change. They still are who they are and still act the way they've always have. But, when they are with that someone, they are happier, and when they are asked to stay for lunch they do so knowing that it's ok, they are welcome, there's no ulterior motive, they are safe. When they are taken to a party or a birthday they have fun. And everyone there knows who they are and what they do. Half of them think it's justified, the other half doesn't care. And when they are asked to help with some cause, they don't mind. It's always fun when that person is around (besides, who wouldn't want to play with the pups on the animal shelter).

They are still a villain, though some people have started labeling them as a "renegade", a "rogue" or his least favorite "anti-hero". They are not. They're still a villain, they just have little... moments, reserved for a select few.

Those few keep them centered, they help villain to remember their goal and prevent them from falling pray to a futile seek for power or control. They are a villain, they just have their priorities clear.

And on the day to day, what if they started smiling more? What if they remember to thank the cashier or the waitress in a cafe? They know what it's like to work serving people who treat you like another piece of furniture in the restaurant. What if they, sometimes, give some spare change to a homless person on the street, or if they donate some old clothes from time to time? They've got no use for them.

They are a villain. Some even would say THE villain. They are not good. They just... know how it feels when you are tired or feel a bit... helpless.

They forgot, for a long time. But they remember now. They were reminded.

It's not sympathy and definitely not empathy, obviously. What are you even saying?

They are bad, ruthless, cruel...

But sometimes they remember how it was before for them and just for a moment they simply... forget that they are bad. It's nothing important.

And if it makes them just a little warm, a little content and maybe... proud, when they do it; when they see the other smile at them for being able to share whatever this is; when they make a small difference for someone they don't even know, well... That's noone business.

Secrets - part 3

part 1 here

part 2 here

Ash tried their best not to show their disinterest that threatened to seep beyond their poker face. They really didn't want to be here, but supervillain had decided to gather their team because apparently the hero had been captured successfully, at long last.

In the few run ins that Ash had had with the hero, if there's one thing that they knew, it was that the hero was a really competent fighter and was almost unbeatable in battle. Ash would go as far as saying that they even respected the hero's dedication to their work. So that's why it was really weird to them that that hero could be captured so easily. They even felt bad for them, because they had nothing against them really. If life was kinder to them, then they wouldn't even be here, they might have even stood at the opposite side of all of this mess, and maybe could have even been an ally to justice.

They shake their head, ridding it of thoughts about a past that was now impossible to change. Right now, all Ash wanted to do was go home, back to that apartment where Adrian and Alex were waiting for them. Alex did say that they were going to go all out preparing dinner and Ash would be lying if they said that they weren't looking forward to it.

Just then the door to the hide out banged open, and two figures were thrown haphazardly onto the floor. Ash felt their stomach twist and turn when they got a good look at their faces- they began wiping their eyes multiple times, pinched themselves, did about anything that people generally did to check if this was some twisted dream. They wanted someone to tell them that this wasn't real- that this was all just a bad dream, a nightmare caused by over stress. Ash tried pinching a little harder but they still felt pain. Maybe if I pinch a bit more, I won't feel anything?

They wanted to scream their lungs out, because why did the two people that they cared about the most end up here, in the supervillain's hideout. Why?!

This made no sense. Nothing made any sense.

"Well well, looks like you've knocked the hero out cold." Supervillain's the first one to speak, eyes glistening with such mirth it made Ash want to recoil into themselves.

But hero? One of them was the hero all along? But who?

Their question was answered when supervillain stepped forward, bending down and grabbing Adrian's chin roughly with one hand. Ash had to hold themselves back before they ended up twisting that hand in a moment of fury.

Don't touch them! Ash wanted to scream.

Alex was the first one who regained consciousness, squirming around uncomfortably with the binds on their wrists. Ash wanted to rush forward and immediately shield them from supervillain's piercing gaze, but they held themselves back. Neither Ash nor their friends would make it out of there alive if they made a move now.

"Oh, good morning to you civilian. How unfortunate that you happened to tag along with hero when we had planned to kidnap them."

Ash watched as Alex stared at the unconscious form of Adrian in utter shock, clearly struggling to take in that piece of information. Alex's eyes darted, flustered, from the supervillain, back to Adrian, and Ash could literally see the cogs turning in their brain, Alex grappling with the piece of information thrown at them, not knowing what to do with it. So Alex didn't know either, Ash thought. They understood though, after getting to know the both of them better, Ash could confidently say now that Adrian didn't tell Alex because they wanted to keep them away from this world, and who could blame them? Ash definitely wouldn't. They looked at Alex's stunned figure sadly- watching Adrian's effort break down in front of them was heartbreaking.

Plus, the identity of a hero when compared to a villain was especially that of top priority. They've heard that the supervillain had spent years trying to uncover hero's identity- and that was finally revealed today.

Without any warning, supervillain wedged their foot right into Adrian's stomach, making them flinch awake with pain, only to scream. Alex tried to lunge forward but was held back by the henchmen. Ash almost lurched forward, again as Alex started struggling, screaming to get the henchmen to let them go, and Adrian was still out of it, clearly in pain. The entire situation screamed despair at Ash and tore their heart into tiny, pathetic pieces.

"Oh Villain, what's wrong?" Supervillain's attention turned for a meager second away from Adrian and Alex, and that made Ash more happy than they were willing to admit, " you just froze all of a sudden."

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit unsteady on my legs. I'm alright now."

Don't lose your cool. If you play this out nicely enough, you can still get them out. They don't know who you are, this is the perfect opportunity.

Having made up their mind, Ash wobbled forward, stopping right in between Adrian and Alex.

"What's wrong Villain? Do you want to go back home today after all?"

Ash wanted to puke at the fake concern in their voice. "No supervillain, that won't be necessary. I just wanted to make a suggestion, if you would let me."

Supervillain nods their head, signaling Ash to continue.

"We only need the hero right? If a civilian was to go missing, it would cause unnecessary issues and the police will begin to investigate-

The sound of skin against skin could be heard reverberating throughout the entire room. Supervillain had just slapped Ash so hard, that the force caused their head to fall sideways. From the corner of their eyes, Ash could see worry swimming in Adrian's eyes and they heard Alex gasp. Even in such a situation, even without knowing their true identity, these two still cared. That simple fact made Ash's heart warm.

"A-are you okay?"

Ash looked over to Alex and simply smiled, hoping that was enough of a response to the question. It hurt a little too much to talk right now. That slap had messed up Ash's disguise, their mask out of place, just enough to show their hair and eyes.

" Now now villain, you know better than to question my plans hmm?" Supervillain spoke with a voice that could cut.

Ash took a shaky step back, visibly flinching at the tone. This was the first time they'd seen the supervillain face to face and they were as cruel and heartless as the rumors said that they were.

"Your answer Villain?"

"Y-yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Adrian's breath hitched in their throat as they took in the Villain's appearance- raven tresses that stood on the thin line between wavy and curly, those honey orbs, and that silky voice- there's no mistake. Even though the villain was only showing their back to them, Adrian knew. But Alex beat them to it.

"Ash, is that you?"

Shit. Ash visibly tensed, realizing that their voice changer was knocked out of position by that cursed slap.

"Ash, it's you isn't it?"

Alex called out again, sounding surer this time and Ash just stood there, like a deer caught in headlights, unable to decide whether to lie or tell the truth. If they said the truth, they would be killed by supervillain, and if they lied, they would have to fight but in the end still be killed by supervillain. It really didn't matter either way.

Ash looked back at Adrian for a small second and the recognition in their eyes was the final straw.

If they've already figured it out, then there's no point in keeping secrets anymore.

Ash stepped forward, taking off their mask completely. Alex gasped, the same shock crossing their facial features once again, looking like a fish out of water, completely lost and desperate. Adrian just looked at them and sighed. Ash couldn't decide if they sounded relieved or disappointed- they desperately hoped that it wasn't the latter.

Supervillain cackled, clapping their hands together almost maniacally, their rough voice echoing inside the tiny room. They looked like someone who was having the time of their life, enjoying an unexpected plot twist to their favorite TV drama.

While supervillain was distracted, Adrian struggled to get back up on their feet, only to be kicked harder this time, right where they'd been kicked earlier. They fell to their side, coughing sharply, a copper like taste springing to life in their mouth. Everything ached and there was just so much pain-

And then a gentle touch, slowly pushing away sweat slicked blond locks, and then a strong arm holding them close. Another arm clutched onto their shoulder, spreading warmth everywhere. Adrian opened their eyes to see Alex and Ash by their side, both of them looking like it was the end of the world.

And for the first time in a long time Adrian didn't feel scared. They had the two people that they trusted their life with by their side. And that wasn't going to change now, knowing that Ash is a villain. All of that didn't matter. At the end of the day, Adrian is Adrian and Ash is Ash, they're just two college students struggling to complete their degree in peace, forced into hero and villain costumes.

"This is all just so touching, isn't it?" Supervillain drawled, a hand coming up to wipe fake tears as the other villains and henchmen all nodded their heads, like petty little puppets. "A villain, hero and a civilian, all trying to have their happy ending."

Supervillain sneered and Villain felt a chill run down their spine.

"But I'll be damned if I let you have it that easily!"

A blast shot out from Supervillain's hand and Adrian had just enough time to push Alex away to the opposite side, clutching Ash in their arms and rolling over to the other side, missing the blast by a hair's breadth.

Ash felt Adrian groan against them and their blood froze. Adrian is hurt, and I have to get them out of here.

"Take Alex and leave Adrian, I'll take care of this." Ash said in the most menacing voice that they could muster.

But Adrian wasn't backing down, giving them a death stare and Ash thinks that they have never seen them this angry before.

"You're dreaming if you think that I would abandon you and save just myself and Alex." Their voice threatened, like pines and needles.

"But I'm a villain, I don't deserve any of this!" Ash wailed, their voice a mix of anger, sadness and desperation and it hurt Adrian's ears to hear Ash's sweet voice sound like that.

"Adrian, Ash, look out!"

This time it was Ash who saw the blast coming first, pulling Adrian flush to their chest and rolling away to shield them from the blast. It scraped away a little bit of their costume on the back and they flinched at the sharp, burning feeling on their spine.

Adrian tensed in their arms, eyes darting up to scan Ash's body for any more injuries. Upon finding no new ones, they sighed in relief, pulling themselves up and then Ash. They hid behind a wall for a moment of rest and looked into Ash's eyes softly.

"I'm a hero and I protect people, so let me do my job okay?"

"You'll protect me, even though I'm a villain?" Ash sounded so unsure of themselves and it made Adrian's heart tug painfully. They slowly brought their hand up to Ash's cheek, fingers gently circling the bruise that was forming there. Ash sighed unconsciously, feeling safe and content, all in one moment. They didn't know it was even possible to feel that way.

"I don't know what you're talking about, you are only Ash to me. Besides, I'm sure you had your reasons, just like I have mine." Adrian smirked.

And suddenly, Ash could breathe more easily. They at least had enough fight in them to roll their eyes at Adrian's antics, "Way to ruin the moment, idiot."

They moved together, movements in perfect sync as they made it across the room to reach Alex, while dodging the supervillain's attacks. Alex looked like they were just about done with everything. Ash couldn't really blame them. Adrian chuckled playfully at the sight.

"So it takes a hero, a villain and a supervillain to finally shut you up huh Alex?"

But Alex wasn't an idiot, they knew that while Ash showed their emotions more freely, Adrian would hide them and begin to joke away their worries. So Alex stared back at Adrian resolutely, with a determined gaze.

Adrian let out a knowing sigh and ruffled their hair a little, glad that Alex was safe more than anything. Being a normal civilian in a room filled with humans who possessed superpowers was dangerous as it is. Adrian never wanted to feel so helpless again, just thinking about how they couldn't do anything when Alex was threatened with a knife to their throat made their skin scrawl.

Ash bent down, gently bopping their nose with Alex. They definitely preferred the noisy version, seeing them quiet was just unsettling. Alex smiled up at them.

"I'm going to protect you two, no matter what." Adrian said suddenly, putting an arm around each of them, giving them a slight squeeze. They were met back with the brightest smiles they'd ever seen. Adrian felt like they could win this battle with just that encouragement. Being a hero was a lonely job and you always had to look tough on the surface, no matter what you were feeling on the inside.

And that's why Adrian treasured Ash and Alex so much, because they knew that they would stand by their side, no matter what.

"Ahem" Supervillain coughed obnoxiously, "It would be nice if you three didn't forget that I exist."

-

It was a tough battle, and by the end of it Adrian and Ash sported many bruises and many more scars, a few of them bleeding more than the rest. But supervillain was defeated, and Alex felt like crying out tears of relief at that fact alone. Because that meant that Adrian and Ash won't be in harm's way anymore.

They ran up to a staggering Adrian, being supported by Ash, holding them both as gently as they could. The other two chuckled softly, returning the hug. The three just stood like that for who knows how long, just basking in the fact that they were all safe, alive and warm, and their hearts were still beating, just like they're supposed to and didn't just give up halfway. Alex was the first one to break the embrace, looking up and down at Adrian and Alex as if they were deciding on what wedding attire to pick.

"I'm definitely going to need a lot of first aid kits tonight."

Adrian and Ash laughed together as Alex pulled them both forward, one hand in each of theirs.

All of them stepped inside their apartment with warm smiles on their faces, knowing that they belonged with each other and they weren't going anywhere.

Okay this is the final part / this snippet is finally over / and this became long as usual / hope you all enjoyed this!! / I think it's fun to think that supervillain secretly shipped all of them so I'll leave this here

Secrets - part 2

part 1 here 

The morning light peeks in through the slightly ajar curtains, the rays making Adrian's blond hair look almost golden. Ash just woke up, then trudged half asleep to the kitchen for a glass of water when the sight made them stop in their tracks.

"Good morning!" , Alex announces, coming out of their room sporting a big yawn and the moment just breaks. Ash is just... standing there, in the middle of the hallway, doing practically nothing, staring at Adrian's sleeping figure which only just now twitches a little because of the sound. How were they supposed to explain this?

Ash decides to start with a "Good morning", taking quicker steps to the kitchen and hoping that Alex did not notice the tiny stutter in their voice.

"So, did Adrian finally complete their work?" Alex asks, aggressively poking the sleeping figure on the chair. Ash winces at the sight- that's definitely not the way to wake someone up.

Ash clears their throat with a low hum, "Not really, but they only have one more page left to complete. I was thinking about waking them up in another fifteen minutes-

"WHAT?! THEY STILL HAVE A PAGE LEFT!" Alex screeches, successfully waking up Adrian who jolts awake in their chair, staring at nowhere in particular, a hand coming up to rub their eyes. Ash just sips their water, staring at the scene taking place in the living room from the kitchen. Alex sure was lively in the morning, a little too lively for their personal taste. Adrian didn't seem to mind though, as they patiently answered to any of the questions that Alex had regarding their work. I guess this is a way of caring too, Ash thinks. I wouldn't know, since no one cared for me like that.

Adrian's eyes flicker to theirs for a moment during the conversation, and their face breaks into this bright grin and Ash feels like they're seeing the morning sun all over again. They're too bright, but I can't look away. No... I don’t want to.

"Hey Ash, good morning!"

Ash chokes on their water a little but somehow manages to utter a coherent  "Good morning" in return. They make a mental note that Adrian’s morning voice has super high destructive powers - those husky undertones to that already attractive voice didn’t help calm their erratic heartbeats at all. 

"What, since when did you both become such good friends?!" Alex asks, sounding almost jealous.

Alex’s voice is nice too, a little high, but calming all the same, Ash notices.

"Since last night. " Adrian replies, winking suggestively, earning a punch to their shoulder.

"Ow!"

Ash swears that they tried, tried to keep in the laughter that threatened to tear out of their throat, but they knew that they failed miserably when the first syllable of a chuckle tumbled out of their lips. That chuckle multiplied and soon they're full blown laughing, hand clutching at their stomach.

Adrian and Alex stop their playful banter, all attention trained on their new friend who seemed to be having a good time.

Laughter is a contagious thing, and soon enough, the three of them start cackling, and it's a start to a pleasant morning.

Well, at least until Adrian remembers that they still had their essay to complete.

"Oh shit-

-

Adrian put each of their arm around Ash and Alex, in an attempt to give them a group hug. Alex seemed like they didn't mind for a whole minute, and then they pull away, spouting something along the lines of, "Don't think you can pay me back with just a hug Adrian, this is not going to happen every time-

But Adrian and even Ash, who had just properly met the two of them yesterday can literally see the same situation happening again, like deja vu, but in reverse.

"Well, do you also expect anything else other than a hug from me?" Adrian asks Ash with a cheeky smile, who has been silent for the most part. They could understand that Ash was a person of few words, unlike their noisy roommate.

Ash chuckles, "It would be great if I could hang out with you both more often, if that's okay with you both of course."

A chorus "Of course you can!" is the next thing that Ash hears, making their spine tingle pleasantly.

"You both are so loud, you know that?" Ash says, faking annoyance.

"Well, that's kind of our specialty." Alex grins.

"More like your specialty Alex." Adrian teases.

"Okay, you're going to pay for that Adrian!"

Ash just snorts, watching their first friends ever bicker happily.

Maybe if I'm with you both, I can forget that I'm a villain. Just for a little while.

-

It's been a jolly few months after that, both hero and villain not having much on their plate. But that instead only succeeded in causing immense worry for both the sides (from the villains side, probably only Ash was worried), because not having much to do could only mean one thing-

The villains were planning something big.

Adrian wished that this was like the other jobs, where getting less work was actually a good thing. They find themselves growing restless, looking down at their sweaty palms, even though the night breeze is pretty chilly.

"Adrian, thanks for waiting! Let's go home."

Adrian had come to the grocery store to accompany Alex on a small errand. They said that they were going to buy ingredients for dinner and Adrian thought that it was only right for them to come along, since Alex was cooking for them and Ash. Ash had said that they would drop by later.

It was pretty late in the night, but they weren't worried for themselves, they were the hero, they could manage if anything were to happen. They were however, concerned for Alex's safety. They were a normal civilian and thus had no idea of their other hero persona, about the world of violence and bloodshed that hero was a part of. And they wanted it to stay that way.

Heroes and villains always wore a mask to protect their identities, so there was close to no way for their enemies to find out about their real identity.

At least, that was what Adrian had believed, up until then.

But before Adrian can understand what’s happening, they feel something hard connect to the back of their head, making their vision swim.

No... no... stay awake!

Alex screams their name out, and Adrian suddenly feels so helpless.

Why is all this happening?! Why are they hurting Alex? They have nothing to do with this!

Adrian's ears ring painfully and they just want all of this to stop. They want to stop hurting.

"Stop it... please!"

The last thing they see before everything goes black is a knife pressed to Alex's neck.

Here's the second part / *slides some drama in here* / a little more drama in the next part / ash is still waiting for dinner and they have no clue, the poor thing / adrian knew that grocery store trips were tiring for a reason, but boy were they not expecting this / alex is in for a ride

Secrets - part 1

Note : Adrian, Ash and Alex are all unisex names, so you're free to imagine your preferred gender in your head ^^

Adrian groans, staring at the blank notebook in front of them. They were supposed to write an essay which is to be submitted tomorrow but they can't seem to find the thing called motivation for the life of them. They've just been feeling so lazy and they can't figure out why.

Even though they may just look like any normal college student who's struggling with their classes, they had another, quite major role to play in society- they were the Hero, and as the title suggests, their job description consists of fighting off villains, rescuing normal civilians, smiling, and more smiling. Adrian wouldn't admit it, but it did get tiring at times. And recently, they've been having to go to these night escapades a lot, since their nemesis, Villain, true to their job description has been causing mischief the entire past week, making Adrian bite off more than they can chew. Thankfully they weren't any serious crimes and most of the time, Adrian felt like they were dealing with a child seeking attention.

And thus here they are, tired of being productive and procrastinating like tomorrow doesn't exist. Oh how they wished that being a hero gave them some leverages in college, but their superiors would bite their head off if word got out. Being a hero was sworn to secrecy, kind of like a secret agent, except in this case, Adrian has to play an entirely different persona.

They groan again, just in time as their friend /roommate walks into the room. "Hey, what's up? Did you get that homework done?"

Adrian gives them a look like they're staring into the void, "You think I'll look like this if I did?"

Their roommate Alex sighed, clearly to them it didn't look like Adrian was going to be done anytime soon and it was already 12 am. They just wanted to sleep, without having to listen to Adrian's groans of agony throughout the night.

"Okay, you clearly need a change of pace so I'll call up this other friend of mine who's great at studying. I met them during a group project and they're like so good!"

Adrian scoffs, but allows Alex to do whatever they want to. It's not like they were bad at studying, they just didn't feel like doing it right now.

Adrian almost dozes off when they hear a loud knock. Alex literally skips over to the door, opening it and eagerly welcoming their new friend into the room. Adrian manages to sit up, still groggy and shakes their head, trying to get themselves to wake up. Once their eyelids cooperate enough, they look up to find two pairs of worried expressions thrown towards them. They immediately whirl around, facing the opposite way, embarrassment eating up their cheeks.

"Uhm, are they okay?" A voice that Adrian has never heard before speaks up. They guess that they're the friend who studies oh so well.

"Well, they're generally better than this, just on lower spirits today." Alex tries to speak up for their roommate.

After explaining the situation to the newcomer, Alex disappears into the quarters of their room with a friendly, "just call out if you need anything!"

Adrian sighs, wanting nothing more then to curl up in their blankets and fall asleep while watching something on their laptop. They were so inside their head, that they failed to notice soft footsteps approaching them and nearly jumped out of their skin when they felt a gentle touch on their shoulders. The said person immediately took a few steps back, clearly flustered by Adrian's reaction.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." They speak out, voice sincere.

Adrian immediately felt guilty. They were here for their sake, to help them finish their assignment and here they were, being most possibly the rudest person on the planet. "No no, it's my fault, I wasn't really paying attention."

The newcomer smiles at that and Adrian feels their chest tighten in a way that it has never done before. What the hell?

"I'm Adrian, by the way," they say, desperate to keep the conversation going, "and you are?"

"Ash. I guess Alex didn't tell you much about me?"

"Not much except for the fact that you study really well and that's why you would be the perfect inspiration for me to finish this essay."

Ash laughs at that, "I do handle my studies okay, but I don't know how good of an inspiration I can be, but I'll try my best."

Adrian looks at them, face soft, "You're really a nice person you know?"

Ash almost chokes on air, "Huh?"

Adrian realises that that was probably a really random thing to say, voice spluttering as they try to figure out a way to make this conversation less awkward than it already is.

"N-no, I just meant that you really have no reason to be here, you don't even know me and here you are, willing to help me with my essay and everything. "

Ash chuckles shyly and Adrian has to mentally punch themselves to remind them not to stare at how fine they look, standing under the yellowish lighting of their dorm, the shadows painting their face just right. And not to mention that silky voice... oh God.

" -ping people."

"Huh?" Adrian has to ask, as they just returned to reality from inside their head.

Ash just smiles, repeating again, "I guess it doesn't feel so bad helping people sometimes, and that's why I'm here."

Now it's Adrian's turn to smile, and they tell Ash to sit down and get comfortable, while they pop into the kitchen to make two cups of hot chocolate, Adrian and Ash falling into easy tunes of conversation soon after.

-

It's almost half past two and Ash is staring at Adrian, who is peacefully dozing off on their desk. They sigh, eyes fluttering close for a brief moment, just enjoying this tiny moment of peace. Life is anything but peaceful for Ash because of their other secret identity- they were a villain, and its been days since Ash has felt so at peace. It was getting harder to just stay alive every day, and it didn't help that the other villains around town just keep getting greedier, making them take part in reckless missions. A distressed sigh leaves their lips, as they force all the depressing thoughts back down. They didn't want to think about that right now. Right now, they were safe. For some reason, staying like this besides Adrian made them feel some sort of a familiar warmth settle in the pits of their stomach, though this is the first time that they've met them. It made Ash feel good.

I'm just overthinking this whole thing, as usual, they sigh, giving their head a little shake. They stand up from the couch and tiptoe over to the table where Adrian's sleeping to check on how much they've completed. They still have a page left, their eyes flicker to the clock that reads 4:45 am, so it'll be fine if I let them sleep in a bit more right? Ash did walk over to Adrian's desk with the intention of waking them up but after seeing that peaceful smile, and the way they're sleeping comfortably even on an arm chair, Ash guessed that maybe they really did need their sleep.

Okay, I'll wake them up a little later, and with one last glance, Ash walks back over to the couch, deciding to get some sleep of their own.

This is going to have two more parts I think / so stay tuned! / I was procrastinating so decided to let hero procrastinate too lol / well at least they have villain helping them out / I'm soft / also I played around with tenses for this snippet (you'll see in the upcoming parts) / I hope you all like it anyways:)