Chapter Text
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A sudden sinkhole had opened up in the centre of a busy road after a freak creeper attack earlier that day.
Hotguy and Cuteguy arrived on scene behind the wall of caution tape, and a few worried civilians and news crews stood beyond that, watching diligently.
Before any emergency responders could even begin their rescue plans, Scar and Grian were down in the surprisingly deep hole to help the few unfortunate civilians who found themselves trapped.
Scar made his way to the next car after he had handed another person off to Grian to fly them out of the hole, when he gasped in alarm.
This car had landed on its front hood, and it stood vertically, with its back wheels propped up on the upper wall of the sinkhole.
Inside the car, two children could be seen vaguely in the dark; huddled together and shaking.
From the other side of the hole, Scar could hear Grian softly land back down after he had dropped the latest rescue off. The avian glanced around for a moment, before he spotted Scar and jogged over.
Scar meanwhile, had already moved into action. "Two kids." Scar explained simply, but urgently to Grian as he approached closer.
This caused Grian to likewise jump into action. "Oh dang." He exclaimed seriously.
Grian examined the vertical car carefully, and he stepped around to the other side as Scar checked the windows on his side.
They needed to get the kids out, but they also needed to be careful enough to not tip the precariously balanced car that they were trapped in.
"Window on this side!" Grian called from over the car. Scar jogged around to examine their possible entrance.
The front passenger's side window had indeed smashed slightly at some point during the fall into the sinkhole. It wasn't a big opening, but it was the best they could get.
Scar ducked down to align his head with the cracked window. "Um, kids, Hello? My name is Hotguy." Scar spoke through the broken glass.
A tiny gasp rang out from the confines of the car, which prompted Scar to continue.
"Don't worry, we're going to save you, there's no need to be scared." The hero attempted to reassure the children. "I just need to open up the glass a little bit more. So if you can, I'd like you to cover your head and put your hands over your eyes, okay?" Scar projected his voice into the car.
There was no response, but both heroes could hear a couple of whimpers and some shuffling. It seemed that this was the best they were going to get.
Scar glanced at Grian for a moment, and the two heroes shared a nod.
"Okay, ready?" Scar spoke into the car again. "This might be loud for a second, don't worry!"
With that, Scar grabbed hold of the sharply cracked glass of the passenger side window with two gloved hands. He pulled outwards, and the glass was quick to splinter further, before it gave way with a crash.
Scar stepped back when the glass gave way. The broken shards crunched under Grian's boots as he quickly moved forwards to reach in and unlatch the car's doors.
With a click, the car doors were unlocked, and Grian side stepped to allow Scar to open the door where the children were huddled.
The taller hero reached up, and he carefully swung the car's back door open.
Two small heads fearfully looked up at the noise. In the dark of the sinkhole, both heroes could vaguely see a little girl, huddled with a little boy only slightly older looking. The two siblings had their arms wrapped around each other protectively.
Scar's mind briefly washed over with relief at seeing the children at least somewhat alright. They could properly assess them for injuries later, anyways.
Their priority now, was to get these children back onto stable ground.
"Hey," Scar began gently, "hello there." He greeted the children gently with a wave from the high up, vertical car door.
"My name is Hotguy," Scar continued, "and this is Cuteguy." He gestured politely to Grian, a step behind him. “We’re superheroes.”
The children didn't respond, but they were watching them curiously.
Scar took a step closer to the open door. "We're going to help you get out of here now, is that okay?" The hero offered gently.
The younger girl looked towards her brother for a moment.
"It's okay. You go first, Linnie." The older child whispered to his sibling, just barely audible to the two heroes below them.
The younger sibling, Linnie, slowly moved towards the edge of her seat. As she did, she got a glance of the dark ground below the car, and the height that she was at.
With a fearful whimper, the young girl shrank back into the car quickly, breathing heavily.
The motion caused the car to lean and shake slightly in its precarious position. The muddy ground below the car's back wheels crumbled a little bit, threatening to extend the sinkhole quite violently.
"No, no!" Scar exclaimed out in a half-whisper. He held his hands out as if to steady the movement around them.
The children in the car stilled, and nobody moved for a moment.
Scar took in a steadying breath. He again stepped towards the open door of the car with a quick glance to Grian behind him.
"Okay." Scar breathed. "I know it's scary. I promise, I won't let you fall. We'll be out of the dark real soon." The taller hero attempted to reassure the children.
Out of the corner of his eye, Scar spotted more of the wall of the sinkhole crumbling away. A few small pieces of concrete debris fell into the sinkhole surrounding them.
The younger child's eyes once again peeked out of her brother's hold. In the dim lighting, Scar's smile never wavered up towards her.
"Look." Scar spoke to the child gently.
He reached up towards his Hotguy glasses, and removed them.
"Your name is Linnie, right?" Scar asked, his eyes now exposed and smiling gently.
Linnie nodded fearfully with a steadying breath. Scar smiled as he reached forwards, and handed his Hotguy glasses to the girl.
"Put them on." Scar coaxed the child softly.
Slowly, Linnie put the opaque orange and teal glasses on her face. They were much too big and a bit lopsided as a result, but they stayed on decently.
"Now you get to be a superhero like me." Scar said with a wink.
This earned a small smile from Linnie, and she once again moved carefully towards the edge of the car seat.
Scar held his arms out to catch the girl.
"And it's okay to be scared." The taller hero continued quietly, reassuring the child. "But the secret is, all heroes get scared. That's where being brave comes from."
With one more fearful glance back towards her brother, Linnie jumped out of the car and safely into Scar's arms.
"Got you!" Scar exclaimed, and he moved himself and the girl away from the vertical car.
As she jumped, the car once again wobbled dangerously on its hood. The older brother, still somewhat huddled farther back in the car, let out a small scream. The ground beneath the back wheels once again crumbled, but the car settled after a moment.
Grian immediately stepped forward with his Cuteguy mask already off and in hand. He held it out to the boy with his own wink.
"Can't forget the sidekick." Grian commented lightly. This earned a small giggle from the little girl, still wearing the glasses in Scar's arms.
Wordlessly, the boy relaxed his posture a little, and he reached to grab Grian's mask. He put it on slowly, and then carefully shuffled towards the open door.
As he too saw the height that he was at combined with the darkness of the sinkhole, the little boy's breathing picked up.
Grian stepped forwards with an arm out, ready to catch the boy. "Hey, you're okay." The winged hero attempted to reassure the child. "What's your name?"
"Um-" The boy began with a huff, and his gaze slowly moved from the ground far below, to Grian's unmasked face smiling gently. "Ki-Kieran." He responded finally.
Grian nodded reassuringly. "My name's Grian. That's Scar, he's got your sister safe and sound." He pointed with a thumb behind himself to the taller hero, still carrying the girl.
Scar waved with an enthusiastic smile, and Linnie made a small wave from his arms as well.
Grian never took his eyes off of the boy above him, arm held up ready to catch the child.
"Kieran," Grian began again, "you've been so brave, and you're almost safe now. I'll catch you." The avian spoke as reassuringly as possible.
With one more breath, Kieran pushed off of the car seat, and Grian caught him with a few steps back from the new weight.
Both heroes hastily moved back with the children safely in their arms, as the car teetered dangerously, and finally fell to the side with a violent crash.
In Scar's arms, Linnie let out a small scream as she hid her face in the hero's shoulder.
Kieran held on tight to Grian as he looked on in horror, breathing quickly.
Scar and Grian shared a glance, and they smiled at each other for a breath. Another close call.
"You're okay, we've got you!" Scar looked down to the child in his arms with a gentle smile.
Grian let out a relieved sigh. "We've got some pretty brave superheroes here, don't we, Hotguy?" He stepped closer to Scar as he asked, teasingly.
Scar smiled fondly down at his sidekick. "Oh, we do, we do!" Scar nodded.
Kieran and Linnie had both slowly lifted their heads as Grian and Scar spoke, and the children began to smile playfully back at the heroes.
"Alright." Grian signed as he looked upwards towards the entrance of the sinkhole. "One short flight, and then we're free. How's that sound?" The hero asked the boy in his arms.
Kieran shrank back a little again, but he nodded quickly.
Grian responded by opening his wings with a light smile.
"Don't worry," Scar pretended to whisper over to Kieran, "Gri has flown with me several times. He's never dropped me yet."
Grian snickered. "I'd drop you on purpose if you keep calling me your sidekick in public." He commented teasingly.
Scar gasped mockingly. "You would not!"
Grian laughed a little more. "I wouldn't." He confirmed with a shake of his head.
Scar let out a laugh as well, and he was delighted to see Linnie giggling lightly in his arms too.
Grian looked down to Kieran. "You ready, buddy?" He asked the child lightly.
Kieran nodded stiffly, and Grian adjusted his grip on the boy to make sure he was secure.
With one more glance up, Grian took off gently, and began to fly up and out of the sinkhole with Kieran.
Scar and Linnie watched for a moment, before Scar began to take an arrow out of his quiver. He grabbed a grappling rope from his belt, and attached it to the arrow.
"We can't fly like them," Scar began to explain to the girl in his arms, "but we can still get out of here in style."
Linnie looked more interested than fearful, and Scar smiled confidently at her. With his free arm, he took his bow from its attachment on his back, and he nocked the arrow with the rope attached.
Scar expertly hung the front end of his bow on his shoulder, and he pulled the string back with his free hand.
He shot nearly straight up; at just enough of an angle for the arrow to land and imbed itself firmly in the cement above the sinkhole.
The rope flew down directly in front of him, and Scar stowed his bow on his back again before he tested the grappling rope with a firm tug.
"Perfect shot, as always." Scar smiled down at the little girl in his arms. Linnie smiled back up to him, opaque orange and teal glasses obscuring her eyes. Scar had to let out a fond snicker.
Scar firmly grasped the rope with his free hand, and with a hard tug, he activated the grappling function. The rope began to ascend, Scar and Linnie gently going up with it.
At the top of the sinkhole, Scar had to squint as his eyes adjusted to the light. He climbed over the top of the crumbling cement, careful to keep Linnie safe as he moved to stand.
Just in front of him, Grian landed gently with Kieran in his arms.
Both heroes swiftly turned around to look at the ground to hide their faces.
The crowd of concerned civilians and reporters remained present from beyond the caution tape.
"Mom!" Came Kieran's voice from Grian's arms. The child squirmed a bit, excitedly.
Without moving his head, the avian shifted his eyes to see two civilians and an emergency worker in his peripheral vision, on a sectioned off sidewalk a few meters away.
Wordlessly, Grian set Kieran down gently, and the child took off in the direction that he called towards.
"Mama!" Linnie likewise called out, and Scar set her down only a moment after to join her brother.
Scar tensed a little, when he realized the situation he and Grian were now in.
Both heroes stood frozen with their heads down and their backs to the public.
Only caution tape prevented the world from seeing their unmasked faces.
Scar knew their hero identities were a precarious thing. Both he and Grian only really obscured the top half of their faces most of the time while in costume.
And, Scar thought, if this was how their identities got revealed - by saving two kids, it would be worth it.
Still, the two heroes stood with their backs to the world.
The sun was beginning to set in front of them, and little beams of light reflected off the windows of the tall buildings surrounding them.
Scar shifted his eyes to glance at Grian without moving his head. Grian was glancing back at him, the avian's posture as tense as he was.
"Hotguy, Cuteguy." Came a sudden voice from off to the side.
The person moved to stand directly in front of the two heroes.
Scar immediately breathed out a sign of relief when he recognized the voice. "Cub!" The taller hero exclaimed, and he looked up from the ground to their manager with a smile.
Grian's posture relaxed next to him, and Scar glanced down to Cub's hands to see him calmly holding two replacements of their respective hero masks.
"Oh, thank goodness." Grian muttered as he reached to grab his new Cuteguy mask from Cub.
Cub handed Scar his Hotguy glasses, and both heroes took a moment to don their new masks.
Scar's posture regained much of his Hotguy charisma as he began to properly look around now that his face was partially concealed again.
"Good work, you two." Cub stated simply, and he saluted both heroes with a fond smile. The manager swiftly walked off to supposedly check over more details of the disaster area.
"Thanks, Cub!" Scar called back with a fond wave.
Grian and Scar shared a glance as they wound down from their near identity reveal, as well as the whole sinkhole rescue.
Off to the side of the street, Scar spotted Kieran and Linnie with two women, fondly hugging and talking amongst themselves.
Scar caught Grian's attention, and the two heroes approached from the other side of the caution tape.
One of the sibling's mothers noticed the heroes' approach, and she gasped and pointed to get Linnie's attention.
"Them!" Linnie exclaimed happily. "They saved us!"
Next to her, Kieran gasped. "Yeah! Mama, those are the superheroes!"
"Hi!" Scar called to the family as they approached. Grian waved politely, and he briefly leaned down to offer Linnie a high five.
One of the moms straightened up to address the heroes with a relieved smile. "I-we-I can't thank you both enough." She stammered a little.
Beside her, the other mom shook her head. "We went into the store for five minutes, the kids wanted to wait in the car. We-ah. We should have known it was a bad idea." The mother seemed to scold herself slightly.
"Not to worry at all." Scar deflected effortlessly with a wave of his hand.
"Besides," Grian continued next to Scar, "Kieran and Linnie were very brave. Practically little superheroes themselves!" He smiled down to the siblings.
"Are we all okay, nothing hurts at all?" Scar checked again, as he looked between the children, to the mothers.
"Just a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing more." One of the moms nodded.
"Thanks to you." The other mom added bashfully.
Just then, Kieran shook his head, and his expression fell. "I was s'possed to keep Linnie safe." He stated sadly, as if the sinkhole was his fault.
"Oh, sweetheart," One of his moms crouched down to reassure the boy, "none of this was your fault." She stated firmly. "You did nothing wrong."
Scar shook his head fondly. "You should have seen how much Kieran was protecting Linnie." He added on to the reassurance.
"We're so proud of you." The other mom stated down to her son. "Both of you." She nodded to Linnie happily as well.
There was a moment of silence as the family re-situated themselves, and both children stared up at the heroes in silent fascination for a minute.
"Now, we should probably be returning those cool glasses and the mask." One of the mothers spoke up again.
Linnie began to take off her Hotguy glasses, before Scar spoke.
"No, no." The taller hero waved charismatically again. "Please, Cuteguy, wouldn't you agree that these brave kids *more* than deserve our masks?"
"Oh, a hundred percent." Grian confirmed from beside Scar. "Please keep them!"
Linnie let out an excited cheer from where her mom held her hand at her side. "Thank you, thank you!" The little girl exclaimed.
"Thank you." Kieran repeated, much more subdued, but still smiling gleefully. He took off his Cuteguy mask for a moment to examine it with wonder.
"A-again." One of the sibling's mothers spoke up, "we can't say how much we appreciate this. Thank you so much, Hotguy, Cuteguy." She nodded to each hero.
"All in a day's work." Scar stated grandly.
The two heroes sent the family some fond salutes and waves as they began to walk off, and Grian and Scar smiled at each other.
It was always incredibly rewarding to save anyone. Saving children in such an adorable family like this?
Seeing them safe and sound, happy as can be, was the reason many heroes started in the first place.
After assessing the rest of the scene and deeming it safe for cleanup and re-construction, the two heroes set out for the evening; another mission well done.
__
Weeks after the sinkhole incident, Scar and Grian were out with a few other heroes and staff members from the hero tower on a much needed day off.
The group had chosen to go to a local theme park that had opened up seasonally. It was a beautiful summer day, and all of the heroes couldn't have been more excited.
Scar and Grian, amongst the rest of the heroes, were all fully dressed and blending in as civilians.
Grian had his wings tucked as comfortably as possible under his signature large red sweater, and Scar chose to go with his cane, opting to go without his mech bracers or wheelchair for the day.
The two heroes were currently crushing any previous high score of a carnival game where they had to aim some beanbags to knock down a set of pins.
In the neighbouring stall of the game, a group of teenagers watched on in awe at Scar's accuracy. Another teen stepped up to challenge him, but they only managed to make one pin wobble slightly with their throw.
Scar chuckled, and Grian held his stomach as he laughed behind him.
Another win against an unsuspecting group of teenagers.
Grian sighed mirthfully as the duo finally turned away from the game. They began to wander again in an attempt to catch up with the rest of the hero group.
As they walked together, they came up on a more densely crowded area. The two heroes maneuvered through the people, and Grian spotted the rest of their hero friends in the distance.
Because of this, neither Scar nor Grian noticed the wide, staring eyes of Linnie, the girl that they had saved from the sinkhole a few weeks back.
The girl had paused in her steps when she spotted the heroes in disguise. She realized with a shock of amazement, that she and Kieran were probably the only ones who knew who they were here.
The girl stared at the heroes for a moment as they passed by, before she regained her focus and ran to catch up with her brother and moms.
The kids had, of course, told their moms that they had learned *a few things* about the heroes. This had prompted a discussion about keeping secrets, when they were good and important ones like this.
Linnie knew that she couldn't just yell out to everyone at the carnival that the awesome, famous superheroes were here.
That didn't mean that she couldn't still get excited about it herself.
__
A few more games and rides later, and Scar, Grian, Gem, and Pearl had decided to get in line for the massive ferris wheel.
It just so happened that Kieran, Linnie, and their family were directly behind the heroes in that line.
This time, neither group noticed.
The group of heroes chattered happily amongst themselves in line, and Linnie and Kieran stood gawking at the sheer size of the ferris wheel as they moved ever closer to the front of the line.
Once the heroes finally reached the front, they were directed by a carnival worker onto a large, shared car of the ferris wheel.
Kieran, Linnie, and their two moms were directed onto the same car, and the family sat directly across from the heroes.
Still, neither child took notice of the heroes in front of them; recognizable only to the siblings.
Scar and Grian sat distracted by the window of the ferris wheel car as the ride began to move.
Gem and Pearl chatted and remarked at the height as their car moved higher, and Scar looked over as Grian teased them subtly.
"This is high for you?" Grian chuckled towards the two other heroes.
As the group laughed lightly together, Scar leaned forwards and glanced around the rest of their car.
That was when he finally spotted the familiar family sitting across from them.
Scar breathed in a quiet gasp, and he elbowed Grian to get his attention. Grian looked over to complain, but before he could, Scar motioned towards the family subtly.
Grian's eyes widened as well, and he rapidly turned his face back towards the window in an effort to not be noticed.
Scar likewise turned his face away, but a moment too late.
Feeling their stares, Linnie had turned back around from where she had been encapsulated by the views from the window.
Scar and Grian pretended to be extremely interested in the view themselves, but they knew that they had been spotted.
Linnie sat staring at the two heroes for a moment, and the girl began to smile lightly.
She got one of her mother's attention, and she leaned to whisper in her ear.
"That's the superheroes!" Scar thought he heard from the whispering pair. He, nor Grian, didn't dare to take their eyes away from the window; despite knowing that their cover was likely blown already.
The two heroes felt an additional pair of eyes studying them for a moment.
Meanwhile, Linnie had reached over to tap her brother on the shoulder. As subtly as a child could, she pointed over towards Grian and Scar across from them.
Kieran's eyes widened as he too, studied the heroes' partially turned away faces.
Gem and Pearl didn't seem to notice as Grian and Scar looked anywhere except for directly at the now staring family in front of them.
"We saw their faces, mama." Scar heard Kieran whisper to his other mom.
"Okay, okay." The mother whispered back. Both moms rapidly shushed their kids, and there was a moment of quieter whispering that Scar couldn't make out.
But after a moment, Kieran and Linnie turned back towards the window as if they hadn't just noticed the two superheroes in front of them.
Clearly, their moms had seen that the heroes seemed a bit uncomfortable at having their cover blown. Luckily, Kieran and Linnie were good kids. They could understand when to let a topic go.
For the next few minutes of the ride, things calmed significantly.
The car was quiet as both heroes and family took in the view of the carnival and the landscape beyond it.
It was still mid-summer, and everything was beautifully, vibrantly green.
That, along with the sun hitting the grass and the leaves to create several warming, lovely shades.
The crowds walking in the aisles of the carnival looked like they were ants moving on a tiny conveyor belt, and the vibrant colours of every attraction made the view look busy and exciting in the best way.
Amongst the quiet, Grian and Scar let themselves relax.
This truly was a nice day off. This carnival was a limited event every summer, and it had certainly been a while since any of them had gotten the chance to go.
That, along with the fun and mischief that came with absolutely crushing every carnival game. The perks of being a superhero.
In the last minute of the ride, one of the sibling's moms finally spoke.
"Thank you again." The mother stated simply.
Scar and Grian both turned to look fully at her this time, and they found that all other eyes in the ferris wheel car had also followed.
Beside her, the woman's wife seemed to lightheartedly scold her quietly.
Linnie smiled wider than ever, taking this as her cue. "Thank you, Grian and Scar!" She waved enthusiastically at the pair.
Gem and Pearl just looked between the girl and the hero duo with wide eyes.
The moms eyes had both widened as well, and they looked both embarrassed and horrified.
Before either parent could speak to Linnie, Scar chuckled.
"I hope you like your glasses, Linnie!" Scar addressed the girl with a cheeky wink.
Grian scoffed fondly from beside Scar, and he seemed to give in after a moment too. "And your mask, Kieran." He stated fondly.
"Hey, hey." One of the moms began to get her children's attention. "What did we say about keeping the superheroes a secret?"
The children seemed to mutter amongst themselves for a moment. Scar and Grian watched on with amusement, and Gem sent Grian a shocked, questioning look. Grian just responded with a shrug.
"Okay, yes." The other mom continued. "So we're not going to tell anybody about the heroes' names or faces, just like we talked about, right?" She asked firmly, and the kids nodded enthusiastically.
Scar snickered a little more under his breath. "We appreciate that." He confirmed with a thankful nod.
One of the moms signed in slight exasperation. "Now that's that," She began towards Scar and Grian, "seriously, thank you both."
"They have not stopped playing superheroes since they got those masks." Commented the other mom.
This got a laugh out of the entire group.
"Awww!" Scar exclaimed gleefully.
Just as their conversation winded down once again, the ride came to a stop on the ground. A carnival employee opened their door, and both groups filed out of the ferris wheel car happily.
They once again bid the family some fond farewells, and the group of heroes continued about their day at the carnival.
A few more games to end off the evening couldn't hurt, after all.
__
Far too many cheap carnival prizes later, Scar and Grian found themselves at yet another racing game.
Realistically, the entire group of heroes had won too many prizes on their day out to ever store or keep in a neat way.
It just so happened that after outings like this, many shelters across the city also received rather large donations of brand new carnival toys from the hero tower.
Just as Scar stationed his cane to sit at the game's booth next to Grian, two children ran up to the two remaining booths.
Scar and Grian both watched as the kids climbed up onto the stools to play, and the heroes shared a brief smirk.
The game's lights began to flash and countdown music played.
"Hi Kieran, hi Linnie!" Grian spoke excitedly.
Both children’s heads snapped over to the side to stare at the heroes. They gasped; starstruck at yet another encounter with the two heroes in disguise next to them.
Neither sibling had noticed their competition, apparently.
Linnie began to smile wildly, and Kieran giggled, still a bit shy.
Finally, a *ding* rang out from the game's speakers.
"You're on!" Scar challenged the siblings with a wink.
And the game began.
The two children focused intensely on the game, both with gleeful smiles; determined to beat the superheroes.
Grian and Scar however, glanced towards each other to share another smirk.
It was one thing to accurately hit the targets on rigged carnival games like these. It was quite another, to intentionally miss the targets completely.
Kieran's counter was indicating a clear lead, and Linnie was only a few points behind him.
Scar was acting like he was missing by accident, and he would let out a dramatic groan with every missed shot.
Grian, meanwhile, was calmly and quite obviously aiming his gun anywhere but the targets; all while sporting a mischievous smile.
During the game, the children's moms had caught up and were watching behind the competing group with amused, knowing smiles.
A final ring sounded out, and the game was over. Kieran had come in first, with Linnie in second.
Scar had come in third with only a few points, and somehow, Grian had scored a whopping zero. He turned to stand from his stool with a playful glint in his eye.
Scar grabbed his cane and moved to stand as well, and the two heroes watched as Kieran and Linnie chose their prizes.
The two children stepped back with their prizes in hand, and Scar and Grian walked up to join them with the moms.
"Good game, you two!" Scar cheered as they approached the family.
"I told you! Practically superheroes, the both of you. We never stood a chance." Grian added with an amused shake of his head.
"Look what I got!" Linnie held up her prize, a small dolphin plushie with iridescent fins.
Scar leaned down on his cane a little to take a look. "Wow!" He commented fondly. "Congratulations!"
Behind his sister, Kieran stood quietly, seemingly deep in thought.
Linnie stepped back to rejoin her family, and the heroes prepared to say goodbye once again.
But before anyone could speak, Kieran looked up to Grian with a determined expression. The boy stepped towards him.
Wordlessly, Kieran held out his prize to Grian. A small snail plushie with a curly shell and a cute smirk.
Grian leaned down to take a look as well. "Very cute, buddy!" The avian commented. "Good choice!"
Kieran nodded, and held the snail up closer to Grian. Confused, Grian held out his hand to support it.
Kieran placed the snail in Grian's hand. "For you." He mumbled, and the boy stepped back with a bashful smile.
Grian let out a small gasp and stared at the plushie in his hand with a gape.
Kieran moved back to join his moms before Grian could say anything. One mother patted the boy's head fondly, and the other had a hand over her mouth with a wistful expression.
Linnie stared at her brother for a moment, and then she glanced back down towards the dolphin plushie in her hands.
Only a moment after Kirean had returned, Linnie bounded towards Scar and held her dolphin out towards him.
Scar, who had been watching Grian and Kieran with a tender smile, finally snapped his gaze down to the girl in front of him with wide eyes.
Linnie smiled widely up to him. "Dolphin for you!" She exclaimed as she held the plushie out to him over the top of her head.
Tentatively, Scar held a hand out, and she gave him the small plushie. He furrowed his brows as his shocked expression mirrored Grian's.
"Th-thank you!" Grian finally exclaimed with a shocked smile as Linnie skipped back to her parents.
The avian held the snail plushie close, and he looked down at it with a chuckle.
Scar held his new dolphin plushie to chest with his elbow. He reached up to wipe his eyes while he used his other hand to lean on his cane.
The taller hero glanced down at the little toy held against him, and he chuckled silently. "Oh gosh." Scar sighed with misty eyes, although he smiled wider than ever. "Thank you so much, Linnie." He muttered sincerely.
Grian kneeled down a few steps away from both children, and Scar stepped closer after a moment as well.
Now on the sibling's level, Grian held his snail plushie close to himself. "Seriously, thank you both. That was very sweet." The winged hero said, as he glanced back down to the snail.
Scar nodded from above Grian. "We'll both take very good care of them." He added lowly, with his own soft smile.
Grian stood back up and glanced at the dolphin held in Scar's hand. "Every time we see these guys, we'll definitely think of how cool you two are."
Scar collected himself a bit more as he nodded in agreement.
"Yes!" Linnie cheered. "We think of how cool we are too, when we play superheroes with the masks." The girl commented, matter-of-factly.
This earned a full laugh from both mothers, as well as Scar and Grian.
"That's perfect, Linnie!" Scar responded, still chuckling. He offered the girl a quick high five.
One of the moms sighed happily. "We better start heading out soon." She spoke as she glanced at the darkening sky.
The kids voiced their disappointment for a moment, and Scar and Grian had to hold back another laugh.
"Hey," Scar began, "good superheroes need their rest, now, don't we?" He asked with a cheeky wink.
"Yeah..." Kieran responded quietly, with his head hung low.
"C'mon, you two. Let's say goodbye to our friends." The other mom beckoned her children.
Linnie began to wave first. "Bye Scar, bye Grian!" She exclaimed happily.
Kieran smiled slightly as well. "Bye." He waved simply.
Both moms waved as well as they took their children's hands and began to walk towards the exit of the carnival.
"Bye guys!" Grian waved back warmly.
"Thank you again!" Scar waved with his dolphin plushie in the air as well.
As the family moved out of vision, the two heroes turned to each other, both glancing at their new plushies.
"Dude, that was the sweetest thing ever." Scar commented with another amazed expression.
"I know!" Grian confirmed enthusiastically, with a hand to his face.
Scar hugged his dolphin plushie close as they once again met up with the rest of the hero group. Soon, they too, began to head home for the night.
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Following the heroes' outing to the carnival, many shelters did indeed get large donations of carnival prizes from the hero tower, as well as some extra supplies and treats added on.
But two particular plushies remained in the rooms of Hotguy and Cuteguy, respectively.
On Grian's desk in his apartment in the hero tower, sat the snail plushie given to him by Kieran.
And on a shelf in Scar's apartment, sat the dolphin plushie from Linnie.
Each plushie provided a heartwarming reminder of a rescue gone well, and of two children who were as brave as heroes.
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Meanwhile, in a suburban backyard across the city, two siblings ran around and played.
Linnie hung upside down from a slightly tattered swing set, with her Hotguy glasses sitting upside down on her face.
Kieran, with his Cuteguy mask on, giggled as he jumped up to try and reach her. The boy pretended to fly with his elbows, but he would free up a hand to try and bat at his sister whenever he jumped.
Although hidden behind her glasses, Linnie smirked with a mischievous glint.
The girl suddenly jumped down from her spot on the swing set, and she began to run away from her brother across the backyard.
Kieran exclaimed out gleefully as he moved to chase, and the two children continued to play into the afternoon.
As they grew older, perhaps those Hotguy and Cuteguy masks would become fond memorabilia, rather than toys.
But for now, there were two safe children who would continue to play and learn to be brave, because of their new favorite heroes.
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