Work Text:
You sprinted down the street, moving through the crowd with about as much grace as a headless chicken. It was honestly a miracle you hadn’t bumped into anyone yet. The streets were filled with people returning to their normal lives, finally free from the fear of being turned into spider zombies. You were devastated when the city streets weren't filled with the same life that they used to be, but now with the city’s hero right on your tail, you wished they still were empty.
“Hey! Get back here!” He couldn't see you, as evident by how he searched through the crowd completely undirected. How he couldn’t make out the only person running in a black hood was beyond you.
You weren't a villain by any means, not even close, but you did do some unsavory things to get by. After all, despite the monster attacks, rent was stupidly high in this city (it was honestly a sick miracle none of the prices went down). You had to do some weird deals with shady people just to get by, which was the reason you were working for a python demoness. She paid well, albeit probably with money made from money laundering, and had good benefits so you couldn't complain too much.
You managed to hide away in an alleyway, hoping that the crowd of people would cover you well enough. You slipped into the shadows, frantically checking your bag to make sure the merchandise was still in there. You let out a sigh of relief when you saw the small drawstring pouch. It was giving off a small pink glow, which wasn't too strange, but the light moved like the reflection of water on a surface. It also seemed to have something else inside, since you could hear a faint clicking noise. You tried to touch it, only to cringe at the strange warmth it gave off. This wasn't another bag of sleeping powder, this was something different, and you didn't want to figure out what that meant.
You closed your bag, turning back to the opening of the alleyway. The crowd was still there and there was no sign of the brush head. It seemed you were still getting paid today.
“Don't move!”
Or you weren't.
You turned around to see an out-of-breath MK, leaning slightly on his staff to keep his balance. His hair was unkept and messy, and his bandana was so loose that some of it fell onto his face. He seemed much more frustrated than usual. You’d never spoken with him directly, but from what you saw from videos online, (and a lipstick advertisement somehow) he always seemed cheery and optimistic. The man in front of you, however, was beyond pissed. Suddenly the delivery was the least of your worries.
“Please don’t move,” He asked, taking another deep breath. “just drop whatever you have in there and we can both go home.” He didn’t even know what was in the bag, why exactly was he so keen on stopping you then?
“Wait, so you’re not gonna arrest me or something?”
“Why? You wanna go to jail?” He snapped.
Okay, rude.
“No? Geez man, what’s up your ass this morning?” You walked back a little further, preparing yourself to run back into the crowd.
“Listen, I just want to do my job and go home.” He stood upright, looking at you directly. “I have been working non-stop these past couple of days, and I had to fight the most horrifying villain I’ve ever faced on Lunar New Year!” Guess he had arachnophobia. “Please just make this easier for me.”
“I’m just doing my job too. My rent needs to get paid, otherwise I’m left on the streets.” You held the bag in your arms. “I can’t just give it to you.”
He seemed mildly annoyed by this and pointed his staff directly at you. You weren’t gonna be able to talk your way out of this. He teleported in front of you, (or maybe he just ran really fast, you weren’t sure) and grabbed the front of your hoodie. If not for the fact that he was probably about to make you forget what it was like to eat solid food, he did look rather attractive, although very tired. Were you into men that looked half-dead?
“My job is to keep this entire city safe.” Okay, Batman. “And I can’t do that if I’m spending my time running around going after low-class villains.”
In the span of less than a minute, he managed to make you scared, flustered, and now insulted. He really was a man of many talents. You didn’t notice him grabbing the bag from your hand until he smirked at you, the smug bastard.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. As though the universe had decided your pain wasn't enough, he accidentally set off the mechanism in your bag. He was hit with the strange pink powder, which miraculously missed you, which smelled like the inside of a candle store. He had a coughing fit, just violent enough to cause him to let go of you. The powder got stuck to his face, like glitter, before fading into his hair and skin. You wanted to run but were unable to move. You were frozen in shock, fear, and horror when you realized your merchandise was now stuck on the Monkie Kid.
And then he looked at you with anger, contempt, confusion...and love? It was buried deep in there, but something soft was beyond the raging inferno in his eyes. It continues to seep through every passing second, extinguishing those flames. He stares at you with those same striking eyes, but now you can't recognize them, and you’re not even sure if you want to. He dropped the staff in his hand with a large thud.
You weren’t exactly a novice potion-maker by any means, but even you could recognize the symptoms of a love potion. Pink irises, sluggish behavior, a slight blush, basically what a drunk person looks like with pink contacts.
You were in for a rough day.