Hero X Villain

 Nic blinked and there was a bowl of broth in front of him.  He hoped it didn’t have more medicine because he didn’t think he needed any more.  I can be quiet on my own, really, he thought.  Maybe someone at the dinner table would read his thoughts and vouch for him or some other Cinderella bullshit.
I need a fairy godmother.  I need help.  Nic drank the soup politely.  He still had a grip on himself, he was just quieter and more focused.  Crane seemed pleased with him.  Nic finished the soup.  All he’d eaten before dinner was a sandwich.  He sat half in a stupor as the next dish was brought out.  The plates were cleared away and Nic was faced with a lovely salad.  He ate that too, quietly and slowly and then it was time for oysters.
“Here you are,” accompanied another refill of water.  Nic stared at the lemons and raspberries and the two mint leaves.  The ice cubes were perfect.  He touched the glass and it was a crisp sort of cold.  It’s totally drugged and I’m already fucked up.
Is Crane torturing me?  Punishing me?  Or does he not realize how much there’s in the water?  Nic knew he couldn’t say anything.  He didn’t have the energy for a confrontation, and if he did anything here, he’d get his ass beaten for it.
He needed to drink.  Nic lifted the glass and drank slowly so he was neat.  He didn’t get any weird smirks, so this didn’t seem to be a prank.  Maybe I got it all in that first glass.  There’s probably not anything in this one.
Nic was wrong.  He ate all of his pasta and a piece of bread, and he ate the little cheese boat with an egg and gravy with mash potatoes and ham.  Then he felt it.  The food weighed him down but he struggled to stay awake.  His glass was refilled and he drank, knowing what would happen.  When coffee was offered with dessert he accepted.  The apple cake was perfect and Nic said some polite words about the meal to Crane, who smiled at him.  It was probably the nicest exchange they’d ever had.
Somehow Nic made it back to his bed.  Baron left him alone and his coat was in the closet and his shoes were on the rack, and Nic was on the bed, head spinning.  He clutched his forehead as he sat there, the drugs pulling him down.  He felt like a melting crayon.  The air seemed to crackle and his ears felt like they were being stuffed with dry cotton.  His skin felt hot.  His head swam as he tried to sit up but he fell back against the pillows, his strength fading.
Nic lay on the bed, fingers twitching as he tried to pull himself out of unconsciousness.  He was failing miserably at this task, and it seemed almost impossible.  His head bobbed as he blinked to try and wake himself.
He dreamt of something.  He couldn’t remember.  Crane was in his face then, cradling him, a finger stroking his cheek.  “I’m here, little one.  You’re safe, Baron is getting the doctor.”  Ah.  I was right.  There was a mistake with the water after all.  Nic saw double and the world became neon and brown clashing.  He seized up and Sebastian Crane held him.
Nic woke up again with Mr. Business tucked under his arm.  He had an IV and a cannula in his nose.  A hand brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face and he blinked.  “I’m sorry,” Nic murmured.  Crane shook his head.
“This is my fault, ultimately.  While I wanted to keep you calm at dinner, it seems someone miscalculated the dose for the pitcher.”  Nic hated that Crane so blatantly poisoned him.  He had no shame, and Nic felt a little sour hearing him admit to it.  He exhaled slowly and stopped the sourness from creeping into his voice.
“I understand,” Nic said.  He kept quiet and blinked.  His head continued to spin and he slowly exhaled.  I’m okay.  I’m going to be okay.  
“I’m sorry,” Crane said.  “You weren’t supposed to get hurt.  I should have protected you.”  Nic saw something in his eyes change, and for one small second he thought he saw the Emperor fade away and leave the man behind.
“You’re going to be staying here for quite some time.  Is there anything I can bring you to pass the time?  Any hobby you want, anything, I’ll get it for you.”  Nic blinked at the offer.  Ah, to make up for the fact that he poisoned me.  Right.
The hero made his demands, and the villain listened.
-
Nicholas looked so pale compared to when he’d first been captured.  Once a ball of fire and spit, he was now docile and quiet as he spent his days alone in his room in the compound.  Sebastian watched him through the monitors as he got to work sending emails and notes to the others in the Order.  He liked to direct and control the network, and it was a role that suited him well.  Nicholas was a fun distraction when he needed a break.
Right now the former hero was needle felting some kind of dinosaur toy.  He stabbed the material with the needle to shape it while Baron looked on to make sure he didn’t try anything funny.  Sebastian smirked at the tablet screen in his hands as he continued to watch Nic.  Seeing Nicholas so concentrated on this one thing was a rare gift.  Most of the time he looked so listless and forlorn, but now he seemed to have a sort of energy that he’d been missing for months.
Nicholas liked the weights too, and he would deadlift and swing the kettlebells and do dumbbell presses until Baron told him to stop.  On some days Baron wouldn’t let Nicholas work out at all save for stretching and some yoga.  It