Distressed Hero - Tumblr Posts
Bad News
Villain knew Hero could see them through the wall, so when they grabbed the trash can from the street and threw it in their direction, they expected the hero to duck. When they peeked around the corner, they looked up just in time to see the metal container miss the hero by a concerningly-small margin. Hero just stood still, like they hadn’t even noticed how close they had just come to decapitation by dumpster.
Villain was dumbfounded by the hero’s careless behavior right in the middle of a fight.
“I could’ve seriously taken your head off!” Villain yelled, but their anger subsided when they saw the look on their enemies face.
Eyebrows pinched, mouth downturned, and eyes distant.
Distress, plain and simple was written all over their features.
Their suspicions were confirmed when they were able to successfully rush and grab hold of the hero, crossing their arms across their chest and preventing their escape. The hero squirmed, but they could do nothing caged tightly in the villain’s arms.
“What’s on your mind?” The villain inquired to their new, confusingly-distracted hostage.
“It’s nothing,” Hero deflected.
“It’s not,” Villain challenged, loosening their grip so that it wasn’t so harsh. When the hero flinched, Villain shifted to a gentler tone.
“It doesn’t take x-ray vision to see your heart isn’t in this right now.”
Reluctantly, Hero admitted, “I got some news, okay?”
“What kind of news?”
“Not good.”
The hero with enhanced vision turned their head and huffed.
Carefully, Villain asked, “How bad?”
“Not sure yet,” Hero sighed, going quiet for a moment before snapping, “Its always one thing after another. It never fucking stops, it’s just shit on top of an already heaping pile of shit-“
They cut off with a choke. When Villain looked down, they saw tears welled in their eyes.
“I just don’t know how to deal with it all. It’s just…too much.”
Hero sagged, and Villain’s restraining hold turned into something more reminiscent of a hug.
“Hey, I may seem like the strong one here, but if we measure in anything other than bone-crushing-abilities I think you’d have me beat.”
A moment passed in silence. Around them, the city buzzed. Cars passing, drivers honking, lights changing, life continuing. To Hero, the world shrunk. It was only the gentle breeze of their own breath passing through their lips, the rise and fall of their chest beneath the Villain’s arms.
“I don’t want to be strong,” they finally whispered.
“I know,” Villain hushed, “I’m sorry you have to be.”
Hero laughed weakly in an attempt to lighten the mood, “Since when does my nemesis apologize?”
Villain allowed the abrupt shift, responding easily, “Since you started getting all sad I guess.”
Hero chuckled lightly in their arms, then sniffed.
“It’s okay to take a break, you know.”
Hero used their freshly released arm to wipe their sleeve across their nose.
“Nah, I’m right where I want to be. Plus, who else is gonna beat your ass if I’m gone?”
“Sad and delusional I’m afraid,” the super-strong criminal replied.
Villain stepped back, and the hero turned to face them.
“Thanks,” Hero offered awkwardly. They shifted on their feet, unsure of where to go from here.
Villain simply nodded, walking backwards across the concrete until the hero broke eye contact.
“Don’t mention it,” they called as they turned and left. The hero didn’t stop them as they cleared the crosswalk and disappeared.
Bad News
Villain knew Hero could see them through the wall, so when they grabbed the trash can from the street and threw it in their direction, they expected the hero to duck. When they peeked around the corner, they looked up just in time to see the metal container miss the hero by a concerningly-small margin. Hero just stood still, like they hadn’t even noticed how close they had just come to decapitation by dumpster.
Villain was dumbfounded by the hero’s careless behavior right in the middle of a fight.
“I could’ve seriously taken your head off!” Villain yelled, but their anger subsided when they saw the look on their enemies face.
Eyebrows pinched, mouth downturned, and eyes distant.
Distress, plain and simple was written all over their features.
Their suspicions were confirmed when they were able to successfully rush and grab hold of the hero, crossing their arms across their chest and preventing their escape. The hero squirmed, but they could do nothing caged tightly in the villain’s arms.
“What’s on your mind?” The villain inquired to their new, confusingly-distracted hostage.
“It’s nothing,” Hero deflected.
“It’s not,” Villain challenged, loosening their grip so that it wasn’t so harsh. When the hero flinched, Villain shifted to a gentler tone.
“It doesn’t take x-ray vision to see your heart isn’t in this right now.”
Reluctantly, Hero admitted, “I got some news, okay?”
“What kind of news?”
“Not good.”
The hero with enhanced vision turned their head and huffed.
Carefully, Villain asked, “How bad?”
“Not sure yet,” Hero sighed, going quiet for a moment before snapping, “Its always one thing after another. It never fucking stops, it’s just shit on top of an already heaping pile of shit-“
They cut off with a choke. When Villain looked down, they saw tears welled in their eyes.
“I just don’t know how to deal with it all. It’s just…too much.”
Hero sagged, and Villain’s restraining hold turned into something more reminiscent of a hug.
“Hey, I may seem like the strong one here, but if we measure in anything other than bone-crushing-abilities I think you’d have me beat.”
A moment passed in silence. Around them, the city buzzed. Cars passing, drivers honking, lights changing, life continuing. To Hero, the world shrunk. It was only the gentle breeze of their own breath passing through their lips, the rise and fall of their chest beneath the Villain’s arms.
“I don’t want to be strong,” they finally whispered.
“I know,” Villain hushed, “I’m sorry you have to be.”
Hero laughed weakly in an attempt to lighten the mood, “Since when does my nemesis apologize?”
Villain allowed the abrupt shift, responding easily, “Since you started getting all sad I guess.”
Hero chuckled lightly in their arms, then sniffed.
“It’s okay to take a break, you know.”
Hero used their freshly released arm to wipe their sleeve across their nose.
“Nah, I’m right where I want to be. Plus, who else is gonna beat your ass if I’m gone?”
“Sad and delusional I’m afraid,” the super-strong criminal replied.
Villain stepped back, and the hero turned to face them.
“Thanks,” Hero offered awkwardly. They shifted on their feet, unsure of where to go from here.
Villain simply nodded, walking backwards across the concrete until the hero broke eye contact.
“Don’t mention it,” they called as they turned and left. The hero didn’t stop them as they cleared the crosswalk and disappeared.
Alone
“Does it ever get lonely?”
Villain’s nemesis turned their head slowly, caught off guard by the question that broke the careful silence between them.
“What?” The hero questioned dumbly, trying to process the sudden inquiry.
They weren’t by themselves. Their enemy was sat at their side, now giving them a look that Hero couldn’t quite decipher.
“Like, people treating you differently, I guess,” Villain stumbled before continuing, “Don’t you ever just want to feel normal?”
Hero froze, furrowing their brow in confusion.
What wasn’t normal about their life? They ate, slept, went to class, did their work. Saving the world was just…a hobby.
Everybody had those, right?
Hero shook their head automatically.
“Thats just what happens when you lose the mask,” they dismissed, “People treat you differently. It is what it is.”
They weren’t sure what to make of their enemy’s abrupt curiosity. Their face reveal was nothing more than a practical decision. One they had never doubted.
“So you don’t miss before?” Villain queried.
What was there to miss about anonymity?
Now, they didn’t have to worry about struggling with secrets, goggle malfunctions, or their identity being used against them. It made everything easier. The decision had helped them do their hero work more efficiently and live their daily life without constant mistruths.
“Of course not.”
So why did it feel like they were still lying?
They didn’t regret it, they knew they didn’t. It’s just that, somewhere in the process of making life easier, it had somehow simultaneously gotten harder.
Without the mask, there was no hiding. Now, there was only staring at every turn, high expectations in every area. Now, their friends could only share sympathy, not empathy. Without the mask, at the end of the day, it was just them.
“Yes,” they breathed.
“Yes, what?”
The response was too far removed from any question to be sure what the hero was referring to.
“Yes, I miss it. Yes, I want to feel normal. Yes, I feel so alone.”
Their words crescendoed, then fell back down to a whisper at the final confession.
The silence greeted them again like a familiar friend as a few seconds passed.
“You’re not, you know,” Villain spoke into the air.
It was Hero’s turn to ask, again, “What?”
“Alone. You’re not.”
Villain looked up from their fiddling hands, attempting to share their sincerity through their gaze.
Hero’s throat tightened.
Weren’t they?
Sometimes they wished they could just glue the damned thing back on their face. It wasn’t what was best for them, but it was less scary, being ignored. No one knowing them. No one seeing them.
The lies had been destroying them, but the truth was just so much harder to live.
The disbelief showed through on the hero’s face as they picked absentmindedly at their nails.
“Just because you’re my archenemy, doesn’t mean you’re my only enemy.”
Their eyes met, and Hero realized Villain was serious.
“You…fight other people?”
“Of course I fight other people,” the villain laughed lightly, “Did you really think you’re the only hero in the world?”
They didn’t, but…they didn’t think it was the same. It was so easy to get caught up in their own coverage, their own issues. Plus, the superheroes operated on a different level. They couldn’t possibly struggle with something as trivial as an identity reveal.
Hero opened their mouth, but no sound came out.
“I’m gonna give you some numbers,” Villain pulled a pen out from their pocket, grabbing the Hero’s hand from where it rested and writing ink down across it, “Call them. It’ll help, I promise.”
Hero blinked down at the symbols now written in blue on dorsal side of their hand.
It was a strange day to be taking advice from their nemesis, but they’d be lying if they said they didn’t want to try.
Maybe, they really weren’t as alone as they thought.
Alone
“Does it ever get lonely?”
Villain’s nemesis turned their head slowly, caught off guard by the question that broke the careful silence between them.
“What?” The hero questioned dumbly, trying to process the sudden inquiry.
They weren’t by themselves. Their enemy was sat at their side, now giving them a look that Hero couldn’t quite decipher.
“Like, people treating you differently, I guess,” Villain stumbled before continuing, “Don’t you ever just want to feel normal?”
Hero froze, furrowing their brow in confusion.
What wasn’t normal about their life? They ate, slept, went to class, did their work. Saving the world was just…a hobby.
Everybody had those, right?
Hero shook their head automatically.
“Thats just what happens when you lose the mask,” they dismissed, “People treat you differently. It is what it is.”
They weren’t sure what to make of their enemy’s abrupt curiosity. Their face reveal was nothing more than a practical decision. One they had never doubted.
“So you don’t miss before?” Villain queried.
What was there to miss about anonymity?
Now, they didn’t have to worry about struggling with secrets, goggle malfunctions, or their identity being used against them. It made everything easier. The decision had helped them do their hero work more efficiently and live their daily life without constant mistruths.
“Of course not.”
So why did it feel like they were still lying?
They didn’t regret it, they knew they didn’t. It’s just that, somewhere in the process of making life easier, it had somehow simultaneously gotten harder.
Without the mask, there was no hiding. Now, there was only staring at every turn, high expectations in every area. Now, their friends could only share sympathy, not empathy. Without the mask, at the end of the day, it was just them.
“Yes,” they breathed.
“Yes, what?”
The response was too far removed from any question to be sure what the hero was referring to.
“Yes, I miss it. Yes, I want to feel normal. Yes, I feel so alone.”
Their words crescendoed, then fell back down to a whisper at the final confession.
The silence greeted them again like a familiar friend as a few seconds passed.
“You’re not, you know,” Villain spoke into the air.
It was Hero’s turn to ask, again, “What?”
“Alone. You’re not.”
Villain looked up from their fiddling hands, attempting to share their sincerity through their gaze.
Hero’s throat tightened.
Weren’t they?
Sometimes they wished they could just glue the damned thing back on their face. It wasn’t what was best for them, but it was less scary, being ignored. No one knowing them. No one seeing them.
The lies had been destroying them, but the truth was just so much harder to live.
The disbelief showed through on the hero’s face as they picked absentmindedly at their nails.
“Just because you’re my archenemy, doesn’t mean you’re my only enemy.”
Their eyes met, and Hero realized Villain was serious.
“You…fight other people?”
“Of course I fight other people,” the villain laughed lightly, “Did you really think you’re the only hero in the world?”
They didn’t, but…they didn’t think it was the same. It was so easy to get caught up in their own coverage, their own issues. Plus, the superheroes operated on a different level. They couldn’t possibly struggle with something as trivial as an identity reveal.
Hero opened their mouth, but no sound came out.
“I’m gonna give you some numbers,” Villain pulled a pen out from their pocket, grabbing the Hero’s hand from where it rested and writing ink down across it, “Call them. It’ll help, I promise.”
Hero blinked down at the symbols now written in blue on dorsal side of their hand.
It was a strange day to be taking advice from their nemesis, but they’d be lying if they said they didn’t want to try.
Maybe, they really weren’t as alone as they thought.