"Oh, good," the villain purred. "You received the clothes I sent you."
The hero's skin prickled under the villain's admiring gaze, heat rushing to their face.
The villain smirked, even though the blush was hardly flustered pleasure, so much as some flushed combination of helpless, frightened fury and humiliation. The villain made a twirling gesture with their finger.
The hero turned in a slow circle, however much they hated putting their back to the villain for even a second. Not that it mattered. The villain was just as dangerous standing in front of them as behind them. The hero still jumped when they turned to find the villain right in front of them, movements perfectly silent. Or maybe the hero's heart was simply pounding too loud to hear.
"You are even more stunning than usual," the villain said. "Now say hello." They tapped their cheek.
The hero leaned in, dizzy, and pressed a quick chaste kiss where the villain indicated.
The villain curled an arm around them, pulling them flush in one easy movement.
Any thought that this could even vaguely be like a normal date, with the same expected courtesies, social niceties and distance, vanished. They really hoped they weren't expected to put out on the first date too. They weren't sure what they do would do if that was the price that the villain demanded in return to their aid.
The hero tried to focus on the main goal, but their every instinct twitched to have the villain so close. It made it difficult to think straight.
The villain inhaled, lips brushing the hero's cheek in turn.
"Fear," they said. "Is such an exquisite perfume on you, my dear."
Then the two of them teleported.
The villain's ability was such that they could transport themselves across both great distances, and also great time periods. The only thing they needed to do it was some small thread, an item or even a memory, to connect them to where they wanted to go.
It made them almost virtually impossible to imprison or out-trick.
It also made them the only person the hero knew who could rescue the trapped civilians before it was too late.
Unfortunately for the hero, 'too late' for the villain, given their abilities, was rather less of a ticking time bomb than it was for the hero's stress levels. How long would they draw it out? There were still limits, there had to be. Bringing back the dead on one's own timeline was a rather different skill, after all.
The two of them appeared upon an empty beach, the sky lit the same fading gold as the sand. The air was warm and sweet. There was a picnic blanket awaiting beneath a small marquee like-covering, its hangings entwined with glimmering lights. There was a picnic basket, too.
"I'm told," the villain said, "that you enjoy picnics."
The hero was never going to enjoy a picnic ever again.
Their stomach squeezed, unsure how they were even going to manage to eat anything without hurling. Except, well, they could imagine how well throwing up in the middle of the date would go. They resisted the urge to start running, or at least recoil. They let the villain lead them to sit down instead.
The villain retrieved delicate glasses, too fine for any normal picnic, and poured them - it was the hero's favourite wine, too. Their favourite food. How could the villain know? How intently did they watch?
The hero shoved away another wave of dizziness.
"So," they said. "You said you'd consider helping, if I came to this date with you. I'm here, so-"
The villain clicked their tongue and held up their glass in toast.
"Don't be so eager to skip the foreplay, love. You'll need it."
The hero nearly dropped the glass in panic.
The villain smiled, head tilted in that admiring way once more.
"I said I'd go on a date." The hero tried to keep their voice light, careless, suitably at an advantage. "That was it. I said nothing about how long that date would be, or how good it would be. I've shown you what it can be like if I behave, but-"
"But if I don't help you, you'll be a naughty little hero?" The villain bit down on their lip, as if delighting in the idea.
The hero stopped short, feeling like they'd put their foot in a minefield. An active one.
The villain laughed, softly. "Whatever would I do with you, if you did that?"
"You could save them now," the hero tried again, mouth dry. "Come back, after - I'm not going anywhere." There was nothing light or careless in their voice now. "Where would I go? I have no idea where we even are."
And thinking about that, about being somewhere completely alone with the villain...
"And miss that adorable desperation on your face? Sweetheart."
The villain sounded chiding, and the hero shivered.
They gulped down a mouthful of wine but couldn't taste it over the acrid panic burning in their throat.
The villain settled back, perfectly at ease, and set their glass their down. They arranged food on...there was only one plate. One plate, two forks. The villain loaded up a bite, holding the morsel out the hero's mouth, eyes agleam with dark amusement, with a hunger that had nothing to do with the horrifyingly delicious scents surrounding them.
"I'm curious," the villain said, "how far you'd go save them. And the night is still so young! Shall we find out?"
In the end, everyone was saved from the caves and the oncoming tide. In the end, the hero lay upon a picnic basket, cool evening air stroking bare skin and...
And the villain stopped. Arms braced on either side of the hero's head, studying them.
"I said I wanted to see how far you'd go to save them," the villain said. "I didn't say I'd make you do it. When you pick me you'll do it of your own volition."
The hero stared at them, brain un-computing.
The villain smiled, and pressed their fingers to the hero's lips instead, parting them a fraction.
"They're saved, my dear. Have been for a while. Now." They sat up, and pulled back. "Shall we do this again and see what you do next time? I still can't quite predict you...you're incredible."
And time looped back to the beginning of the evening again.
