To Rescue a Villain

Chapter 15

Today was going to be a good day. I could feel it.

As Ace and I walked down the halls toward my "husband's" office, I felt the tips of my fingers tingle and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Once I got Derek out of his office I'd be able to see what was on that phone and review everything I needed to know about Dark and Manica. It felt like years since I'd last had a look at the comics or show.

"So, are you still working at Odette's?" Ace asked, dressed in the black and white Hikarius uniform and carrying some files under his arm. We'd become good friends over the last few weeks and, now that we lived in the same building, it was even easier to run into him.

"Yes but she gave me the week off to 'adjust'." I added quotation marks to the word because she had no idea how much adjustment I'd done when I first came here from another world. Moving into a new house was child's play compared to that.

"Have you told him?" Ace nodded at Derek's office. "I'd assume so since you're married now."

I shot the blond a look of friendly disbelief. "You really don't think we're married, do you?" I asked, laughing. I mean, how ridiculous would that be? Marrying the villain of Manica!

Ace didn't seem to share my amusement. "I think you should tell him," he said, continuing down the hall without me. "He likes you a lot."

"Eventually," I called back as quietly as I could.

Ace was a nice guy, I'd give him that, but he was really reading too much into Derek's actions. Yes, he was his best friend but I'd been watching Dark for years and knew how to read him. Derek didn't like me. He just wanted to take advantage of me like any villain would.

...I just really didn't want it to be true and was making up excuses. I didn't want to become the wife who died and barely got mentioned in the backstory.

I was about to enter Derek's office and say hi when I heard raised voices inside and pressed my ear against the cold door to listen in. What was going on in there?

"You're not getting paid to think, Hacket, you're here to do what I tell you! Now if that's not clear then you and your little wife can pack your bags and go back to whatever dump you crawled out of. Is that understood?"

Oh no. Derek's boss.

"Yes sir."

"Good."

I'd barely managed to back up and stand at attention with my hands behind my back before the scary man, Mr. John Philips, stepped out and bored holes into me with his eyes.

I looked him over meekly. His greying hair and long, grey coat only served to make him look like more of a snobby jerk and the tiny glasses balanced on his nose were so small that I doubt they served any purpose other than to give the appearance of "intelligence".

"Mrs. Hacket." He nodded curtly in my direction before stomping away, unaware that I'd overheard his conversation.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I slipped into the office and locked the door behind me just in case he decided to come back. "What a creep," I muttered, turning to see how Derek was doing. He was leaning against the desk, his hands balled into fists and teeth grinding.

As I watched him stare at nothing, doing his best to hold in his anger, I felt that same sense of pity I'd always had when reading his origin story. Hearing him get yelled at for no reason was just a taste of the cruelties he'd had to tolerate before snapping. The authors had thrown every horrid character they'd ever created into his path just to ensure he became the villain.

As I stood there watching him fight himself I decided that, just for now, I should act as his wife.

Stepping forward, I wrapped both of my arms around his tense shoulders and wracked my brain for encouraging words to say. Of course, nothing came to mind but even touching him seemed to calm him down a bit. I felt his tightened muscles loosen and he leaned forward a little more, his breathing slowing down over time.

"Thanks," he whispered, grasping one of my hands gingerly and continuing to stare at the wall. "...He really is a creep." He chuckled, then sucked in a large gulp of air to keep himself from crying. "Wish Ace and I could have gotten the same boss."

"Yeah." I agreed. Ace's boss was the most chill out of the three Hikarius managers. Derek just happened to get the worst one. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He took one more breath, this time doing it overdramatically to get a laugh out of me, then pulled away. "Have you met Di? She's my new AI and..." He pulled me closer so he could whisper in my ear. "...I think she's self-aware."

I nodded. "I think so too."

"I'll keep an eye on her," he added jokingly before turning the computer on and allowing her violet face to appear.

"Hello again, Mary," Di began in her calm, monotone voice. "It is good to see you. I have prepared the—"

"That's awesome!" I yelled suddenly, grabbing Derek's hand and pulling him away from the computer while shooting daggers at her coded face. I thought she'd promised not to say anything in front of Derek!

"—The clothes that you ordered yesterday," Di finished without skipping a beat, intentionally staring into my eyes as though saying I could trust her. "They will be waiting in your apartment."

"Oh. Thank you, Di." I bowed politely and released the confused Derek's arm before smiling and pulling a strand of hair behind my ear nervously. Did he suspect something?

He was peering at me with squinted eyes. Yup. He saw right through me.

"Hey, Mary," he started quietly, waving Di away so she'd turn off and give us some privacy. "I want to ask you something. I've been holding back but...this seems as good a time as ever."

My hands turned clammy. Oh no. I wasn't ready to reveal anything yet.

"I want to talk about the day we first met."

"What about it?"

He clicked his tongue. "... I know what you are, Mary."