Prompted

Prompt: Old Scars

(This one more inspired a simple lovely relationship in my brain and has been giving me brain rot for a while so... ignore the very loose prompt

Characters, only two and they're self-explanatory: Hero and Villain

This one gets like, slightly spicy but not explicit and the clothes stay on so calm down children. Just two lovers who beat each other up in the day and kiss it better and night - LET ME WRITE MY DYSFUNCTIONAL LOVERS!!)

Hero winced as they wrapped their ribs tighter. A small whine escaped them as the bruises under all that white wrap ached. They clenched their countertop and breathed heavily as their other hand shook with the bandage's not yet secured.

They stood there for a moment, their body shaking and their vision flickering until a cold hand gently pulled the bandage from their own. 

"You can ask for help, darling," Villain's soft voice settled on their neck as the criminal gently finished wrapping Hero's rips, every little brush against their skin made pain bloom in their side and fireworks go off in their mind. Villain's hands quickly finished up the wrapping and then continued to hold Hero as Villain's head rested into the crook of their neck.

"Why didn't you tell me it hurt so much?" Villain asked softly. They subconsciously began to rock against each other to some song that the outside world couldn't hear.

"It didn't... when you asked," Hero managed as they grabbed Villain's hands around their waist and gripped them until their knuckles were white.

Villain mumbled something incoherent before sighing; "Come over, rest. You probably shouldn't even be standing."

Hero allowed themselves to be passively led into the bedroom where they discovered laying down was going to be a challenge. They winced and gasped all the way until they were sinking into the soft sheets and sighing in relief. The bed dipped for a moment as Villain took their normal spot beside them.

Hero closed their eyes and focused on their breathing, light breaths so that their entire side didn't explode in agony. 

They were disturbed a few moments later by cold fingers sorting through their hair. They groaned and slowly opened their eyes to see Villain at their side, delicate fingers tracing across their scalp with a strange sort of look in their eyes.

"What are you doing?" Hero demanded with a smile curling on their face.

"Just looking," Villain smiled warmly. "You've got a little crown of freckles up here, did you know?"

Hero scoffed and closed their eyes. They were hyperaware of every movement Villain made. How their fingers drifted down from their scale to their neck, trailing down their muscles and... stopping. The sudden jolt of the stop made Hero open their eyes and gently flitter over to Villain's face. They knew that expression; Villain was thinking.

"What?" Hero asked.

Villain was gentle as their fingers began to caress a certain spot on their neck. Hero pulled away as their sensitive neck almost instinctively made them laugh - which would've been torture to their ribs.

"What?" they laughed.

"I gave you this one," Villain murmured gently as they continued to caress a certain spot.

"What? What is it?" Hero asked.

"A scar," Villain breathed.

Hero tried to remember which injury would've scarred them, but they couldn't really recall. So many fights, so many wounds - even if it was near the neck, Hero didn't remember where it had come from.

"Probably," they shrugged. They slowly reached up and brushed their finger over Villain's cheek and down to where a thin scar went up from their neck to jawline. "But I gave you this one, so we're even."

Villain leaned into the touch and chuckled, their hand coming up to hold Hero's and press their hand into Villain's skin. Then, Villain's other hand drifted down and pulled at the collar of Hero's shirt, exposing a larger burn scar near their collarbone.

"But I gave you that one too," they murmured apologetically.

Hero did recall that one - the burning building. They remembered lunging back into the inferno with Villain's hands trying to pull them back, begging them not to go and just let those trapped inside die. They remembered grabbing Villain and kissing the before they rushed into the fire and how Villain had cursed all the way to the hospital after they'd come back out.

"No, you didn't," Hero denied warmly.

"I did," Villain breathed. "I couldn't keep you out of that building."

"No one could've," Hero smiled.

"Hmm, you are stubborn at times, darling," Villain snickered as they both pulled their hands away... Villain's fingers left Hero's skin tingling even after they left.

"You're one to talk," Hero scoffed.

"I don't go plunging into danger first chance I get," Villain jeered as they leaned in closer.

And Hero knew right where they could place their argument. They smiled and gently reached over and slipped their hand under Villain's shirt.

"Oh no, we're not being like that tonight, darling, you're broken," Villain laughed.

Hero gently pressed their fingers into that spot they'd memorized between Villain's ribs, the spot where they knew a deep scar lay, all discolored and terrible. It was so much better now than how it had been when it was still large and open, bleeding all over the place like a gyser.

"Don't go plunging into danger?" Hero jeered as they looked up and saw Villain's eyes flickering with all sorts of different emotions. "I remember breaking down a door and finding you with this - because you couldn't keep yourself out of trouble."

"Hmm," Villain hummed. "I suppose that was one of my more foolish moments - you must be rubbing off on me."

"Ha! You don't see me getting cut up by supervillains!" Hero taunted.

"Really?" Villain challenged playfully as they crawled over and atop Hero with a coy smile on their face. Hero smiled right back up at them, energy sizzling under their skin and warming up everything in their chest. Villain's fingers were sparklers to their skin as they traced down their neck and pressed into their shoulder.

Oh... damn... they'd forgotten about that one.

"Maybe you don't get cut up," Villain breathed. "But you did get your shoulder nearly blown off, darling."

They looked Hero in the eyes and smirked proudly as if they'd just won.

Hero sputtered for a moment before Villain gently pressed their lips against theirs and successfully shut them up.

"Just admit defeat," Villain laughed as they pulled away.

"Never," Hero chuckled and they grabbed Villain and pulled them back - ignoring the way their ribs screamed in agony. It was worth every moment of pain to have Villain's lips on theirs and their warmth seeping into every part of Hero's cold (and somewhat broken) body.

When they broke away to breathe again Villain was laughing. They collapsed off to the side of Hero pressing up against them and running their fingers through their hair.

"You're always like this when you're broken," Villain's laugh was light and warm as their fingers sorted through Hero's messy hair.

"Oh, you're one to talk," Hero laughed as they closed their eyes and went back to focusing on their breathing.

"I'm allowed to be needy when I'm broken - I'm nearly never broken," Villain bragged.

"Liar," Hero snapped playfully.

Villain only hummed in response and continued to sort through Hero's hair and slowly, the two fell asleep beside each other.

(Meant for this to be longer but oh well. Sue me.)