Hero & Villain

Lance | 1555w

   Red. Red is all I can see as I land in front of a quaint little house in the suburbs. Ironic how all I see through my eyes is red, when others see me eyes as blue.

   It took me two hours of frustration and threatening to get the records that would show me their names. After that I just had to find them, which I did quickly. Half my line of work is finding people.

   The other half comes when I'm standing in front of them, just like I am now. They both cower into a corner, shaking and pleading. They know who I am, and what I do. They know there is only one reason I would be here.

   I got lucky today. Their current foster child is at a school event for the whole evening. After tonight, the child will never again have to be afraid to come home. I'll make sure of it.

   I smile mockingly as I saunter forward, stopping only a few feet from them. "Why are y-you here?" The man, Mr. Davis, asks.

   I tilt my head and sneer at him, grabbing his arm and yanking him out of the corner. In an instant I'm holding a knife against his throat, while his wife sinks to the floor and watches, horrified.

   "Why am I here?" I purr, my eyes flaring brightly. "Well, I heard you're not very good at taking care of people."

   I slide my knife gently off his neck, slicing it just deep enough to bleed. He inhales deeply, obviously having been holding his breath.

   "Who...?" Mrs. Davis manages, her hands unconsciously holding her own throat.

   I chuckle darkly, causing her to flinch. Apparently they're not very tough when the children they abuse are replaced by the most ruthless Villain in the city. I shove Mr. Davis toward his wife, and as he stumbles into her she helps hold him up.

   "Who told me?" I snarl, flicking my knife at the wall, where it sticks in blade first. I slowly fist my hands at my sides, my eyes so pale they're almost white. Flames start flickering across my skin, casting an eerie glow over the fading daylight as I answer.

   "My Kitten, of course."

***

   I can't help the satisfied smirk that overtakes my face as I walk away from the blazing house.

   I shrug off my bloody cloak and gloves, tossing them carelessly onto the lawn as I hear fire trucks in the distance. They're much too late to save the Davis', and the fire wont reach beyond their fence. Their neighbors start spilling out onto the street, gazing worriedly at the flaming house. I hear a couple of women talking as I stride last them toward my car.

   "Why would anybody do this?" One of them asks, aghast.

   The other, who actually spares a fleeting glance at me as I pass, answers her without an ounce or remorse in her voice. "Because it needed to be done."

   Instead of driving back to Amelia's apartment, I simply get my extra coat out of the backseat, then press my hand onto the cushion and let it smolder. It will flare up in a couple minutes, scorch the inside of the car and any evidence, then it will be put out by the fire fighters.

   I don't put on the new black coat until I'm chilled to the bone. It helps me calm down, as I'm unable to transition yet. I imagine Calen is sleeping whether he's in his Kitten form or not.

  According to the market I just passed, it's almost two in the morning.

   I breathe a sigh of relief when the apartment comes into view. I'm ready to lay down and hopefully be myself again when I wake. All is silent in the house as I approach, which is why I'm surprised when I suddenly hear a thud from inside. I pause, a mere five steps from the door as I watch the doorknob rattle.

   I flip my dark hood up and feel my hands beat up as I prepare myself for an attack. Neither Calen nor Amelia should have any reason to be running out of the house at three in the morning.

   However, that's exactly what happens. The door is thrown open and Calen stumbles out. In the faint glow of the streetlight I see his normal fluffy head of hair, which shows no sign of matching fluffy ears.

   That's all I see before he stumbles straight into me. It pushes me back a step as I automatically reach my arms around him, only for him to jerk away from me so violently he falls to the ground. He scrambles to his feet again, eyes wide and fearful as he looks at me.

   "Stay back!" He snaps, then sobs and quickly covers his mouth.

   I take a step forward with my hands showing in the least threatening manner I can manage, immediately stopping when he flinches back and holds his hand out in a stop motion.

   "Why?" I ask softly, despite knowing exactly why. I knew as soon as I saw him, and even if I hadn't already known I knew for sure when he looked me in the eye and didn't show surprise.

   "Because," he says, his breaths sounding very labored. "I-I... I trusted..." He rubs his chest and clutches at his hoodie, then stumbles back another step and leans against the wall.

   I see Amelia come out the front door, but my focus stays on Calen as he slides down the wall and gasps for air. I start toward him, ignoring his slight attempts to get away from me. I lower myself into a crouch right in front of him and when he tries to shove me away I grab his wrists and hold them tightly against my chest.

   "No, don't..." he gasps, flailing and, when that fails, pulling his knees to his chest and whimpering breathlessly. "Don't hurt... please..."

   I hold his hands with one of mine so I can use the other to run my fingers through his hair. I shift closer, hooking my free arm around his shoulders before continuing to pet his hair.

   "Sh... I would never hurt you, Lovely. I need you to breathe for me, okay?" I plead, pressing my forehead to his. He shakily nods, and though his eyes stay shut I know he must have realized I really am trying to help. "Breathe with me okay? In for one, two, three, four, that's perfect Darling. Now release in one, two, three, four, five, six, seven."

   His warm breath fans my neck as I count to eight for him, then repeat it all, then again, then once more.

   Somewhere along the way I realize I've shifted, because for a few counts I can't remember how I got here. Even in those seconds of confusion it's obvious Calen knows what I am, and if his crying and shaky breaths are any indication, it's obvious how much the idea upsets him.

   I stop counting because he seems to have calmed down, but when I do his eyes fly open and he grabs my shirt frantically. I just rub the back of his head comfortingly and start counting again. I don't mind, really.

   The longer he needs me like this, the longer I have with him. It doesn't seem like there's any possibility of him staying after he's calm. Even if he wasn't afraid of me, I go against everything he believes in as a Hero. I've stated before that I'm unwilling to quit being a Villain, and if there's one thing I know about him for sure it's that he won't quit being a Hero.

   Of course, there's also no way in hell I could ever hurt him in a fight now. Not only have I, in my normal mindset, learned to care for him but my hatred filled mindset also somehow registers that care for him. So what can I do? I could always move to a different city. A different city means different Heroes that I don't give a crap about. It also means I would be leaving behind what I have here, and while it isn't much it is literally everything I have.

   I stop counting again only when I hear Calen's whisper, muffled because he's resting his forehead on my shoulder and his cheek on his knees. "I'm okay now," he whispers, but when I try to release him he only tightens his hold on me. "Don't," he continues whispering. "Don't go yet."

   My heart hurts at the last word, but I ignore it as best I can as I wrap my arm around him again. I take a deep breath and let my lips rest on his head. I don't want to say something and risk scaring him away.

   After a full ten minutes of silence I'm forced to speak up, and it hurts. Because yes, my legs hurt and I need to move, but I know that as soon as I do Calen will leave. And if he leaves, everything will go back to how is was a week ago. At this point, I doubt anything could hurt worse than that.

   But still, I speak up because it needs to be said.

   "We can't stay like this forever."