SORRY FOR THE BAD WRITING GUYS.
_
The evening arrived, and Villain turned up to Hero's apartment with a bottle of cheap white wine in hand. The apartment was cozy, furnished with mismatched furniture that Hero had collected over the years. A low murmuring tune played from an old record player in the corner, providing a soft soundtrack as Hero welcomed her friend into their home for board game night. "Glad you could make it." Hero shot Villain a teasing smile; she was sat at the table nursing a glass of red wine, now dressed comfortably in jeans and t-shirt rather than her usual suit. Villain rolled their eyes, "I don't always break my promises you know." They placed the bottle of wine on the table before plopping down across from her. They exchanged gazes for a moment before breaking into chuckles. Just then, the door knocked again and another figure joined them - Rebecca, one of Hero's fellow heroes who was none the wiser about this newfound camaraderie between them both. "Hey guys!" Rebecca exclaimed cheerfully as she entered and noticed Villain sitting at the table. Her face contorted into confusion momentarily but resumed its brightness soon after "Oh! You must be Hero's mystery man!" "That would be me," Villain replied nonchalantly while accepting Rebecca's outstretched hand for a friendly handshake. As they all settled around the table loaded with chips and dip besides Monopoly, there was an undeniable shift in ambiance from what normally continued between hero-villain meetings; featuring no explosions nor threatened lawsuits. Instead, laughter echoed through every corner as they occasionally slipped into bickering over rules or playful accusations of cheating. Rebecca turned out to be competitive just like hero and villain but lacked their previously discovered sexual tension which hung heavily throughout their game causing occasional sidelong glances and secretive smiles between our two protagonists much to Rebecca's knowledge though she chose to ignore it. Cohabitating within the confines of Hero's living room, they all lost track of time, and what was intended to be a brief game night turned into an hours-long marathon of endless jokes and discussions. Through such shared fragments of their normal life, both hero and villain were able to have a glimpse into each other's everyday reality; from Villain's passion for painting despite his clumsy hands which he revealed after smudging dip over Rebecca's monopoly money or Hero's hidden talent in singing which she confessed after being drunk enough on villain's brought wine making her hum along the now forgotten record player. With every anecdote exchanged, confession revealed or laugh shared, it became glaringly evident that the lines between 'Hero' and 'Villain' blurred just a little further. There wasn't a fight over world domination nor rescuing civilians but instead, small squabbles over hotel rents and bank frauds shrouded under friendly teasing. As Rebecca packed up to leave post drunken confessions about her love life ringing through her own superheroine realm, Villain looked at Hero; with relief flooding over him like waves ebbing away at shore realizing this was no longer about winning or losing. As long as this newfound camaraderie existed in any form; whether as two people sharing quiet nights at home or heroes standing against each other at battlegrounds, adhering to unwritten rules of their fights post shared intimate moments–it didn't matter. What mattered is how they saw each other beyond their personas – simply as two individuals navigating through their complex existence amidst concealed chaos- choosing simplicity with each other time and again. But as Rebecca was leaving Hero caught her in the hall and whispered something in her ear as they both smirked.
