*Go to description for warnings, please* 

He sat, head bowed over, arms slumped against the chains that bound him to the wall. His shoulder blades jutted out and his legs were sprawled awkwardly as he sat on his knees.

The villain stood there, glee evident on their face. Their eyes freely roamed the scene in front of them. This is what they had been waiting for, this is what they had wanted, all these years.

"What do you want?" The hero's words were coarse, and every breath seemed labored.

"Why, what do you mean? I'm quite content currently." The villain's words only added more fear to the hero's mind. He couldn't escape if he didn't know what the villain wanted. He couldn't bribe or talk his way out if he didn't know the objective. What was uncertain was dangerous.

"Come on. You've finally got me. So what are you going to do?" The hero's head jolted up, his teeth bared in a snarl. "Kill me? Torture me? Destroy everything and everyone I love?"

"Of course not. Don't be dramatic." The villain strolled over to where the hero kneeled and bent down. A gentle hand reached and wiped away a tear that had begun to fall down the hero's face. The hero flinched away, and pushed back, only to meet the wall that prevented him from going any further.

The villain's voice was reproachful. "Don't look at me like that. When have I ever hurt you?" The hero's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to snap back a retort but paused.

When had the villain ever hurt them? He scored his mind, remembering hundreds of encounters over the years. And it dawned on him that in every battle, every fight, never once had the villain laid hands on him. They only dodged and evaded blows until they could get away. The hero's mouth gaped open as he desperately tried to think of something, anything.

"See? I've never hurt you, and I have no intention of doing such a thing." The villain's words brought the hero out of his thoughts, and the villain slowly moved their hand closer to the hero's face, and carefully brushed a strand of hair out of their eyes.

"But why am I here then? What do you want with m-me?" Despite the tough facade, the hero was starting to break, and the villain knew it.

"You're smart. Surely you know the answer to that question." The villain's hand moved over and cupped the hero's face.

The hero started to shake and tried to scramble away, but there was nowhere to go. "N-no. I don't-, you can't-, I haven't- no." Tears started to freely fall from the hero's eyes.

"Ssshhh. I know, I know. Don't worry. I promise I can go at your pace. I just don't want you to run away is all." The villain cupped both sides of the hero's face and used their thumbs to wipe away the tears.

The hero's eyes were wide, and the villain couldn't help but think they looked like a frightened rabbit.

The villain's words were gentle. "I'll make you know what it's like to be loved."