Archive of Our Own ^beta

PEW PEW

Hotguy swung his head around and pulled his bow from its quiver in an instant, on guard immediately. Where did that sound come from? Was he in danger? No, the answer was no, no he wasn't.

He huffed and showed a dead, unimpressed expression when his brain finally managed to process the fact that the two dots of light that had bolted past him had been tinted pink... and then of course there was the man dressed in pink doubled over cackling in front of him.

Cuteguy.

"I-im sorry, i got you so good." Cuteguy continued to cackle, so hard that he could feel his cheeks going warm and tears starting to form in his eyes.

"You are not sorry." Hotguy countered, not really upset by the situation, if anything it made his heart flutter seeing Cuteguy so... so him.

"Y-you're right- i'm not." Cuteguy spoke through stuttered breaths as he finally made an attempt at pulling himself together. Realistically he could have put in a bit more effort, but the reaction he'd gotten from Hotguy had been so much better than he'd expected, who could blame him for letting his composure slip for just a moment.

Hotguy rolled his eyes before chuckling a little himself. "I should really be used to your childish antics by now."

Cuteguy forced himself to stand up straight and brush himself off. He brought a hand up to his face and with his glove wiped his eyes, ridding himself of any tears. "I'm hardly childish."

"I'd argue the opposite."

"Yeah yeah, whatever... so, what are you doing?"

"Patrolling?" He questioned, the answer had been obvious, really. They had a schedule which they stuck to for patrolling, they showed up at the same time every day it were due and patrolled for a few hours or so.

"On a rooftop? That's hardly patrolling Hotguy."

He scoffed. "Again, i'd argue the opposite, we have a good view from up here."

"But they can't see us." They, referring to the civilians of Hermacia. Hermacia being the city they lived in and protected on a day-to-day basis.

"We don't need to be seen."

"What if they want our help?"

"Help? or an autograph?"

Cuteguy let out an un-amused huff and side-eyed Hotguy as he stepped forwards to stand next to him and peer over the edge.

"You just love the attention." He took a step closer so that he and Cuteguy were shoulder to shoulder.

That shouldn't have made his heart flutter as much as it did. It was such a simple statement.. and maybe semi-true, so why, just why did it make his heart flutter? It wasn't until Hotguy spoke up that he realised he'd gone silent and not spoken for a solid ten seconds.

"Cuteguy?" He asked, mildly concerned but more confused as he turned to face him.

"Yeah?" He returned, looking up to properly meet Hotguy's eyes. He spoke as if there had been no awkward pause, no fluttering of his heart. He tried to play it as if he wasn't easily picking up on the confusion radiating off of Hotguy.

"You- nevermind. We should move on."

Move on? Move on...? what on earth did he-

"Come on." He tapped Cuteguy's arm before walking over to the other edge of the building, to the staircase he'd followed to get up here.

It wasn't until Hotguy's head dipped below where he could see that it registered. Ah. The patrol. They needed to move around the area to get a good look at things. He quickly rushed after Hotguy, tucking his wings closely behind his back. The fact he could simply just glide down seemed to have slipped his mind in this moment.

⎯⎯ ୨┊ ➶ ｡˚♡° ⪩𓆩♡𓆪⪨°♡˚｡ ➶ ┊୧ ⎯⎯

Together they decided to take the patrol to one of the big parks nearby, the sounds of children yelling and dogs barking filled their ears until the sound of a small mew caught Cuteguy's attention. "Did you hear that?" 

"Hear what?" Hotguy questioned, looking down at Cuteguy as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

"I swear I heard a cat."

Hotguy stood silently and still for a moment, seeing if he could hear any cat-like sounds. He couldn't. "I think your imagining things."

"No, no I heard it." He looked around, also trying to see if he could hear the cat again, he couldn-

Mreow!

"I definitely heard that." They both swung around in the direction of the sound and their eyes landed on a tree close-by.

Cuteguy rushed over and once he got closer he caught sight of the most beautiful (and rather tiny) grey tabby cat perched on one of the branches. She looked young, 1 at most. "Oh my god, it's a kitty!" He sounded half in awe and half concerned.

"Is it stuck?" Hotguy questioned as he followed behind Cuteguy to get a look at the cat himself.

"I think she is- hold on!" He called up to the cat. "Hey Hotguy-" He turned to the man "Some help?" 

Now Hotguy would never admit it but all Cuteguy had to do was snap his fingers and he would be at his side.

Hotguy had always seen himself as more of a 'leader', but that had changed the second Cuteguy dropped into his life.. (quite literally, that's a long story we'll save for another day). Right now it was no different, as soon as he was asked he stepped forth, placing himself next to Cuteguy, ready and willing. "What do you need me to do?"

"I'm gonna fly up, I should be able to reach her- could you just hold my feet? I can fly but i'm not the best at hovering, and it might take some time to grab her if she doesn't want to co-operate."

Hold him? Hotguy's expression went blank for a moment before he nodded. "Uh yeah- yeah of course."

"Thank you- just- once i'm up hold me there, i'll still use my wings so I won't be that heavy,"

Heavy? Pshh, that was the least of Hotguy's worries, he was the Hotguy after all, big, strong, brave-

"Hotguy?"

Oh right, helping Cuteguy.

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Cuteguy stood under the branch the cat was on and gave his wings a few gentle flaps, trying to get a good look at the situation and figure out the best way to do this. After a moment he gave a particularly big flap and lifted himself off the ground, once he was at eye level he kicked his feet a little waiting for Hotguy to steady him, he wouldn't be able to hover for long.

Hotguy, seeing that Cuteguy was ready for his help, took the final step forward and reached up to take hold of Cuteguy's boots. Like Cuteguy had said he wasn't that heavy, but that wasn't to say holding boot heels like this was particularly comfy, it wasn't. He watched with squinting eyes as Cuteguy tried to coax the cat out of the tree, she was scared, that much was obvious and who could blame her? Based on her scraggly appearance she was likely a stray and the streets of Hermacia weren't exactly kind.

"Come on pretty i'm trying to help you." "You've got this." "I believe in you." Words of encouragement rolled off of Cuteguy's tongue as he desperately tried to convince the cat that she was safe, that he wouldn't hurt her- or him.

Hotguy's arms were starting to ache with the strain of holding up Cuteguy, so much so that they were shaking. "Cuteguy you're gonna need to hurry, i'm struggling to hold you."

"Pshht, I thought you were supposed to be big and strong?" He teased him with a hidden smirk as he looked back up at the cat and reached his arms out to try and pick her up.

"I-" He let out a gasp of mock offence, going to bring his hands to his chest and cross his arms... failing to remember he was holding Cuteguy for a solid few seconds, almost making him lose his balance.

"Hotguy!" He hissed, glaring back down at him. "Watch it! I've almost got her."

"Errr, right- sorry." His face flushed in embarrassment as he steadied Cuteguy.

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A few moments passed and Cuteguy eventually managed to sneak his hands under the cats front legs. With a huff he managed to lift her up and over and finally into his arms. He let out a breath he hadn't even realised he'd been holding as he simply stepped out of Hotguy's hands and used his wings to soften his fall.

Hotguy huffed as the tension in his body was released with Cuteguy stepping down. He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to lessen some of the soreness on his palms, there were some very prominent red marks on them from the heels of Cuteguy's boots.

"Ohh poor baby, look at you! You need a bath~ and a good meal, oh goodness you're so skinny.. oh sweetie." 

Hotguy's attention immediately snapped to Cuteguy, he didn't think his voice even had the ability to go as high as it just did- and the baby talk?! This was new... and he liked it. He smirked as he watched Cuteguy handle the young cat with nothing but kindness and affection. There were many reasons this sudden change in demeanour caught him off guard.. one being obvious, he was usually very sassy, straight to the point and well.. blank. This? was a complete flip of that. Two Hotguy had no idea Cuteguy was a cat person, clearly he was and oh you can bet Hotguy wasn't going to shut up about it. Does Cuteguy have a cat? Surely he does if he's this fond of them... maybe he has multiple? Maybe his cat and Jellie could be friends! Okay, wishful thinking, Jellie has Maui anyway, Grian's cat. "What are you going to do with her? I think there's a cat shelter in the town over if you wanna take her there... assuming it's a her?"

Cuteguy's nose scrunched up and he sent Hotguy a glare. "If you think i'm taking her anywhere other than my home you are sorely mistaken." He then lifted her just above his head to check that she was in fact a her. "Definitely a girlie."

Hotguy's eyes widened and raised. "You're.. taking her home?"

He deadpanned Hotguy, giving a look of 'are you kidding me?'.

"Right- got it, you're taking her home." His lips pursed as he took a few cautious steps back towards him. "So... Cuteguy's a cat person?" It took him a moment to process Cuteguy's scoff and very obvious look of taking offence. "Wha- hey! You refuse to tell me literally anything about your personal life, how was i supposed to know!"

He squinted at HotGuy for a few seconds, hard and long before giving in. "Fine.. you have a point.. I guess."

"Wow, never thought i'd see the day Cuteguy would finally submit."

He wretched, faking a look of disgust at Hotguy's choice of words. "This is not me submitting, this is simply me admitting that... maybe, for once, you have a point." He took a step closer to Hotguy. "I for obvious reasons do refuse to tell you anything about my personal life, so you not knowing I'm a cat person... makes sense."

He crossed his arms across his chest as they made strong eye contact, he was searching Cuteguy, looking for any sign of anything. "You could perhaps spill a fact every once in awhile, it's not like i'm going to deep dive into who you are."

"Someone else could." He stated immediately, he wasn't wrong, there was a massive list of risks associated with sharing personal information as a hero, all risks Cuteguy wasn't willing to take.

He sighed, Cuteguy was right in a way and he knew that, but it still hurt. They'd known each other for just over three years now and he hardly knew anything about the man, sure he'd picked up the odd tid bit along the way... but he wanted to know more, get to know the man who he totally didn't have a secret crush on which he may or may not have been trying to suppress for the majority of their relationship. Ha... never. "I... I know."

He gave a half smile of sympathy before releasing one hand from the cat to pat Hotguy's shoulder. "I'll see you around." He took a few steps back, eyes glued to Hotguy as he held the cat closer in his arms. He spread his wings... beautiful, soft and fluffy and with one big WOOSH he lifted himself off of the ground and flew off into the sky. He was gone.

Hotguy didn't try to stop him, didn't even turn to watch him as he faded into the beautiful blue sky, instead he stood there trying to control his heart which was longing and wanting... longing and wanting for the man he could never have.

⎯⎯ ୨┊ ➶ ｡˚♡° ⪩𓆩♡𓆪⪨°♡˚｡ ➶ ┊୧ ⎯⎯

A few days later...

Knock knock

"Coming!" Grian shouted as he heard the knock at his door. It was 4:30pm on a Thursday afternoon and he and Scar had planned to spend the rest of the evening together, probably watching their favourite show and eating the cookies which Scar always insisted on baking. Grian had told him countless times not to worry but Scar wasn't having any of it, he knew just how much Grian loved them.

Scar looked up as soon as he heard the click and saw the door opening, he smiled brightly as his eyes landed on a very gorgeous Grian. "G!"

"Scar hey!" He looked down and noticed the box of cookies he was holding and let out a huff of laughter as he shook his head. "I told you you didn't need to bring them!" 

"And I knew that was a load of crap, you love my cookies." He held a smug look on his face as he took a step into Grian's apartment. Grian was wearing his usual oversized red jumper but had grey jeans on today rather than his usual blue ones, which of course Scar noticed. "New jeans?"

Grian's eyes widened just a little as he closed and locked the door behind Scar. "Yeah- yeah, new jeans." 

Scar hummed and nodded but swiftly turned around almost losing balance with his cane when he felt Grian tap his shoulder.

"Here- let me take them, you get comfy." He smiled warmly as his and Scar's eyes met, 'god he's gorgeous...' he thought but was quickly ripped from said thoughts when Scar spoke.

"Oh- yeah thanks." He smiled back as he handed the box of his handmade cookies to Grian, still warm.

Grian took the cookies, his smile still plastered stupidly on his face. As he took a step back towards the kitchen he remembered, drinks! He'd forgotten to offer Scar a drink. "Coffee?" He quickly asked as he turned his head back in Scar's direction.

Scar chuckled. "Yeah, coffee, thanks." Grian knew him too well... well- they had been hanging out like this for what? four years now?

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Scar had taken a seat on Grian's sofa and like he'd said, started to make himself at home. He'd taken his shoes and jacket off, placed his cane to the side and was starting to turn on the TV. A few moments later Grian's cat, Maui, pushed his way through the small gap in Grian's bedroom door (which just happened to be on the same wall as the TV, just to the side, so Scar noticed him immediately). He made his way over to Scar to greet him and steal a few scratches... nothing unusual, that was until a small (most likely female), grey tabby cat came trotting out after him. Now Grian hadn't said anything about getting a new cat, surely that's something he would have mentioned? Maybe he was pet sitting for a friend? a relative? God the cat looked awfully familiar- but why? Scar couldn't quite place it. "Hey G-"

It hit him and all the color drained from his face. Cuteguy, the patrol with Cuteguy, they'd saved a cat identical to the one currently rolling around on Grian's hardwood floor. Grian wasn't- no.. surely not, he couldn't be- that was impossible! Grian wasn't an avian... or was he? No, no they'd known each other for five years now, he would have told Scar, he would trust him enough... but- but what if he didn't, what if he was an avian, what if... he was Cuteguy. This was all way too much to process and/or think about right now- or ever, but he had to calm down fast, there was no way.

"Scar are you.. alright, buddy?" Grian asked through a slightly awkward and concerned laugh. All he could see from the kitchen was a very still and potentially pale Scar.

"Uh- yeah, you um.." He gulped. All throughout answering Grian's question his eyes stayed glued to the cat. He coughed to clear his throat and hopefully some of the hesitation in his voice. "You... never told me you got a new cat?" 

Grian paused for a short moment before turning back to make his own tea alongside Scar's coffee. Think fast, he had to think fast. There was no way he'd get a new cat and not tell Scar, he was always boasting about Maui so why would this be any different? Well that answer was very obvious, he'd rescued her as Cuteguy. Which of course, came with risks, if anyone saw Cuteguy with the cat and then saw that Grian had her? Boosh! His secret identity would become an identity, nothing secret about it. "I thought I did?" Gaslight, he was going to gaslight Scar.

"I think i'd remember if you got a new cat..." He answered back, voice filled with scepticism.

"No... thinking about it now I definitely told you about her." He was mentally facepalming himself with every word that fell from his lips, this was nothing but a blatant lie, and anyway! What were the chances Scar knew Cuteguy? Zero, he'd know never having spoken to Scar as Cuteguy. So what were the chances of him having seen or heard about him with the cat? Still- near to none. God he should've just told him, he'd made things way more complicated and awkward than they'd needed to be.

"No, you didn't." Scar spoke through gritted teeth and after a few moments, swallowed hard, willing himself to stand up and walk over to Grian.

This was it, Grian thought. Scar had caught him red handed, Scar knew he was lying, maybe even knew he was Cuteguy. No, no that wasn't possible, from what he'd picked up on over the years Scar didn't care much for Hotguy nor Cuteguy, why would he know about a silly little cat?

Scar is cat obsessed, his feed is probably full of cat stories. Deep breaths, he needed to take deep breaths, the more worked up he got the less chance he had of sliding himself out of this silly little situation. 

Scar came face to face with him and his breathing stopped, was he going insane or was Scar reaching for his hands? Maybe he was going a little insane but Scar was definitely reaching for his hands. Fuck.

"Grian..." Scar started, meeting Grian's eyes. Here it goes. Worst case scenario Grian isn't Cuteguy, or would that be the best case scenario? Does he want Grian to be Cuteguy? Oh for god sakes, just get it over with. Maybe all of this worrying is for nothing. "..are you..." a sharp intake of breath. "..Cuteguy?"

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Grian froze, pupils growing wide. Was he sweating? he was definitely sweating. Possibly dreaming? He bit the inside of his cheek, ouch. Nope, definitely not dreaming. "W-what?" He managed to choke out, so much for sliding himself out of this 'silly little situation'. He thought he'd been overthinking when the idea of Scar knowing he was Cuteguy had popped into his head, turns out that actually? A very valid thing to worry about, Scar knew. 

A cold shiver passed through Scar's body. He'd expected Grian to brush it off, laugh even, this was not that. "You- you are.. ohmygod." He felt faint, Grian was Cuteguy. For three years Grian had been the man fighting by his side, the man who'd stuck with him through thick and thin as gruesome as being a hero could get, Grian was the man who much to his dismay, had Scar falling head over heels. As ignorant and unknowing as he acted, Scar knew Cuteguy knew. On the other hand, both as exciting and scary, Cuteguy was Grian. Cuteguy was the man who Scar had worked with for over five years, Cuteguy was the man Scar called his best friend, CuteGuy was the man who'd stayed by his side, brought him ice-cream and coffee all them years ago when he'd gone through that horrible break-up. Cuteguy was the man he loved. Grian was the man he loved. Talk about a full circle.. or square?

"S-scar?" Grian croaked, voice wobbly and throat tight.

That pulled Scar from his frightening spiral immediately. Had he zoned out? He'd zoned out. Subconsciously, the hold he had on Grian's hands tightend as he met his eyes again.

"Scar..." He breathed out, how on earth was he going to fix this? He could see the clear panic in Scar's face, maybe even disgust? That's it, Scar hated him. "I-i can explain.. please, talk to me." His voice was raw and full of emotion, he was practically begging Scar to listen to him, to hear him out instead of shut him out. He was scared, terrified even, of what Scar was going to say or do.

"Just-" He sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't, no, you don't need to explain anything to me." There were many emotions running through his head all at once, but there was two that were gradually becoming clearer and clearer to Grian, both by the under-tones of his voice and the look in his eyes, vulnerability and compassion.

Maybe it was his vulnerability which pushed him to confess what he did next, wanting to be open with Grian, or maybe it was his compassion which did it, his need to make Grian feel comforted and not alone. "Grian I..." a moment of silence from them both, and a moment of hope from Grian. "I'm Hotguy."

For the second time in less than a minute Grian's heart stopped beating and he froze. What. The. Fuck. "W-what?" He stuttered out just like he had before, except this time he was less full of shock and panic and was more... dumbfounded. If his mind had been running this whole time then right now it had hit a brick wall, tripped over a curb, something. He didn't know what to think. "Scar I swear to god if you're playing with me right now-"

He made a split second decision to place his finger to Grian's lips, shushing him.

Insanely hot.

"I- i'm not, Grian I promise you.. i mean, how else would I know about the cat? I was there with you when you- {Scar cut himself off to correct himself} when we saved her." Scar removed his finger from Grian's lips and slid his hand down his arm to hold his wrist. He was equally as scared of Grian making a run for it, as Grian was of himself making a run for it.

"I need to sit down." Was all Grian could muster up, and so they did.

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"S-scar please..." He begged, eyes locked deep with Scar's. "Tell me you're not joking- how do i trust you? I-i can't- what are you doing?" He instinctively flinched back when Scar reached for him.

Scar reached forwards, despite all the evidence laying flat in front of him he needed to prove it. His hand danced around behind Grian's back and one touch confirmed it all. Grian had wings beneath his jumper. "I-it really is you..." He pulled back and locked eyes with Grian again, his own full of raw emotion.

A small sob-like noise escaped him. "B-but how do I know your you?" His hands were shaking and as much as he wanted to look away, to flee, he just couldn't, he was frozen in place.

Scar's mind ran wild. How could he prove it to Grian? There were a few ways.. he could share stories, jokes only he and Cuteguy would know, but there was one thing he knew he could do that would be much simpler than the rest. No long explanations or wobbly words, just movement, he could do that... He ran his fingers under the ribbing of his creamy white jumper and slowly slid it off over his head, nerves absolutely filling his mind and body, now left in a half tight-half baggy black shirt, and just like they had with his jumper, his fingers now ran under the hem of his shirt as he lifted it up, not quite off, but enough to reveal his bare.. but heavily scarred stomach. Every single scar, down to the tiniest one just below his ribs matched those of Hotguy, those of Hotguy which showed through the see-through fabric of his mesh shirt.

Is it possible for a heart to stop as many times as Grian's had without leaving damage? He wasn't sure. Usually being able to admire a mans' bare stomach would bring Grian great happiness... and maybe this would have in any other circumstance, but every single scar matched Hotguy's, every single one. There was absolutely no way that Scar wasn't him, it just wasn't possible! Ohmygod- the leg braces! It.. all made so much sense. "S-s.. Hotguy?" His eyes slowly lifted from Scar's stomach to meet his eyes again. This whole time, everything he'd done and said to Scar had been to Hotguy, and anything he'd done or said to HotGuy had been to Scar. He'd made a countless number of jokes to Hotguy he'd never dare say in front of Scar, fuck he'd flirted with Hotguy! Which of course, meant he'd flirted with Scar. Grian liked Scar, Grian liked Hotguy.

"It's..." he swallowed hard. "It's me.. Cuteguy, it's really me." A small smile was starting to form on his face, Grian wasn't fleeing, running or trying to get away, he was just processing and trying to wrap his head around things, Scar could see that. In all honesty he was too, but he was also overcome with an overwhelming amount of happiness, joy and excitement. Both the men he loved were sat in front of him, as the same person.

"It is...it's you." He repeated with an unsure nod, and although he had met Scar's eyes that wasn't to say he was entirely there. He was.. sort of, he was also half zoned out, half in another world as he tried to process even just a minuscule drop of what was happening. He was struggling.

Scar swallowed hard again, not exactly the response he expected. Was it selfish of him to want a hug? He'd give Grian a moment, he was going to give Grian a moment.

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The few moments had passed and Grian shook himself out of his semi-conscious state, he'd collected a few of his thoughts and knew what he wanted to say.. at least sort of. "This.. this means a lot of things, Scar."

Scar nodded rapidly in agreement. "I know, I know it does- many wonderful thi-!"

Grian cut him off. "Bad things." His voice was as equally stern as the new look on his face. Not at all what Scar wanted, this was far from a hug.

"But- no... Grian." He almost whined, a saddened look in his eyes. 

"But..." Grian continued, not wanting to let Scar's mind stray too far away from things. "You're right, it's also.. incredible, I- I can't believe it's you." His stern voice and expression lightened up and his words trailed off into a chuckle as he leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around Scar, pulling him in for a very close hug. He even pushed past a barrier he'd never even thought to cross before and laid his head down on Scar's shoulder.

Scar's breath caught in his throat as Grian wrapped his arms around him. He'd never been hugged by Grian before, not like this. They'd shared the odd (and slightly awkward) side hug but never more.. though now that all made sense, Grian had been trying to hide his wings from Scar, the wings which he could very easily make out now as he wrapped his arms around Grian, accepting the hug and returning it. 

Grian found himself breathing Scar in, relishing in the feeling of finally, after five whole years being able to properly hug his best friend. He felt relief... warmth... contentment, essentially every emotion you could imagine all at once. A small sob from Scar caught Grian off guard and with much reluctance he pulled back so that he could see him properly, wanting to make sure that everything was okay. "Scar..?" He questioned in a voice full of nothing but tenderness and care. 

"Sorry- sorry." He found himself wiping a few small tears from his eyes. "Just.. emotional." He brushed it off with a huff-like chuckle.

Grian scoffed. "I can see that." another huff-like chuckle left Scar. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, nothing's wrong-" He brushed it off, shaking his head and waving his hands in dismissal. "I'm happy." He clarified, having to wipe his eyes once more before properly being able to look at Grian. "Honestly.. this- this couldn't have turned out any better." He smiled, voice soft and raw. 

A smile cracked its way onto Grian's face and he brought a hand up to gently caress Scar's upper arm. 

"You... I mean it's really you." His voice was filled with joy, he'd been crying tears of joy. 

"You mean Grian.. or Cuteguy?" He chuckled very softly.

"It's you.. Grian, you, Cuteguy- you're Grian." He let out a huff of laughter and then sniffled. Scar's mind was running wild with all the possibilities considering the fact he was in love with both of them, he'd been hit with many highs and lows in a matter of seconds.

Oh but what if Cuteguy doesn't like Scar- what if Grian doesn't like Hotguy? Grian's not going to like Hotguy! He's stra-! Cuteguy's gay... oh god, wait- "Grian..." His voice took on a very different tone to the one it had been portraying seconds prior. It was a serious one.. tight, almost as if he were nervous.

Grian had to take a moment to collect himself and process Scar's very sudden change in demeanour, he was struggling to process his own emotions and thoughts, let alone someone else's. "Yes...?" He asked, voice filled with caution.

"You're.. you're gay?" Scar asked with an ever so slightly raised eye. Now probably wasn't the best time to bring it up, nor was this probably the right way to, but Scar was never one for thinking twice.. or once for that matter.

Grian let out a cough, choking on his own air as he heard the words that had left Scar's lips. 'HUH?' he wanted to yell in confusion, shock, maybe disbelief, what kind of question was THAT?! out of all the things he could be asking, thinking, remembering, it was that?! "S-scar-" He choked out, bringing a hand to his chest to pat it down. "O-oh my god." It would be almost humorous to Grian if he wasn't firmly locked away in the back of the closet, but unfortunately he was, and Scar was the first to find him. 

Scar's eyes widened and he jumped back in shock. Not at all the reaction he'd been expecting... but then again, if he didn't think before he acted or spoke, he hardly had time to think about the possible reactions to said actions or words. Scar himself was very much out of the closet, in fact the closet wasn't even in view anymore, it was a distant memory- could you even consider it a memory if you were never even there? Maybe a distant... dream, imaginary vision. "Sorry sorry, my bad I- wasn't thinking." He shook his head, realising his stupid mistake. "You.. don't have to answer that." He gulped, he already knew the answer but Grian deserved to be able to tell him.. in his own time. 

He let out a shaky breath before nodding, but he didn't say anything, didn't confirm nor deny anything. They were both silently agreeing to not bring it up until Grian wanted to, until Grian was ready. They both knew that they both knew the truth, Grian was in fact gay, just not ready to discuss it. He let out an awkward cough to clear both his throat and the now awkward tension in the air. He may also be hoping to clear away some of the flush that had made its way to his cheeks at the same time.

"Cookies?" Scar piped up. What better than a cookie to clear the air! 

"Coo-Okies." Grian's voice cracked up as he answered in agreement with Scar. He looked down at his lap as Scar got up from the sofa with the help of his cane and made his way over to the kitchen to fetch the cookies. He was embarrassed, ashamed, panicked, excited, scared, happy, relieved, surprised, shocked, dumbfounded... just like he had been earlier. He could feel near to every emotion running through his veins all at once.

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Grian bit into the warm cookie, it was as delicious as always and admittedly did help to soothe some of his nerves. The way the chocolate chips melted against the roof of his mouth as he pushed it up with his tongue was delightful. And yes that was how Grian ate cookies. 

"So..." Scar started, half way through his cookie and waving his hands about as he spoke, clearly he had no manners. "If you're Cuteguy... the beautiful mastermind sidekick of mine, we're going to need to set some things straight- I can't have you calling my real name in the middle of a world-saving mission." He lifted his chin, trying to look all proper and responsible.. failing miserably.

Grian scoffed, a little cookie still in his mouth which he put in the effort to swallow before responding. "World-saving is a bit of an exaggeration there buddy. Anyway- like what?" 

"Well.. no calling each other by our real names in hero attire and vice versa, we need to maintain a clear boundary, we wouldn't want you slipping up!" He chuckled. 

Grian deadpanned Scar. "Scar, you're the clutz, not me." He corrected, voice stern yet lighthearted.

An awkward pause. "Errr- I-i  have no idea what y-you're talking about G!" He found himself nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"And whose fault is it that my students know my name?" He raised an eye.

"Ahahaha... aha...ha..." Grian had a point. "Right.. right um- point taken." 

Grian scoffed and tried to hide his smile behind the last bite of his cookie. During this, in his mind he was repeating every word of their conversation every 0.2 seconds, and that's when it hit him, and his eyes widened. "You called me beautiful-" 

Scar was perplexed, waving his hands about in dismissal and letting out huffs and grunts of confusion. "Wha- wai- no! No i didn't!" 

"Uh- yes you totally just did! If you're complimenting Cuteguy then you're automatically complimenting me!" He scoffed, though amused. He couldn't really do much to hide the slight flush coming to his face.

"Didn't we just talk about name boundaries?! Grian!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes. He was all bark and no bite, he had no real annoyance behind his words.

"DiDn'T wE jUsT tAlK aBoUt NaMe BoUnDaRiEs!" Grian mocked with a cackling laugh, near snorting. Usually he was the uptight and professional one, but with everything that had been dumped on him he was struggling to find it in him to care.

Scar had to admit he was somewhat surprised by Grian's reaction to this whole thing, considering how protective he was usually about his identity as Cuteguy, but he had a lot to process, they both did. He sighed before shoving his leg into Grian and half-rolling his eyes. "Grian seriously, we need to be careful!" 

That didn't entirely bring Grian from his state of laughter, but it did just enough so that he could respond. "Okay, okay- but admit that you called me beautiful." His voice came out a little high pitched.

"Fine! Fine maybe I called you beautiful, but unintentionally... and objectively." He raised his chin a little again, just as he'd done moments before. 

Grian deadpanned Scar again, though it was short-lived. "Whatever you say.. pretty boy," Grian uttered 'pretty boy' with a knowing smirk on his face, something he'd quoted to HotGuy on a mission awhile back.

Now Cuteguy calling him, Hotguy, pretty boy, had been a lot, but for Grian to be calling him, Scar?! that? that was a whole new level of 'a lot'. He choked a little on his own air, completely taken aback by Grian. "O-oh mygod! You can't just say that!" His cheeks were flushed and he felt hot.

Not exactly the reaction he'd been expecting, but that wasn't a negative thing by any means. 'Oh but i just did.' is what he wanted to say, but instead he opted for the safer option of "Say what? I was just agreeing with you." To hide his smirk this time, he got up from the sofa and made his way into his kitchen, still well within talking and listening distance.

"You b-"

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The afternoon passed and they both consciously made the decision to not talk much about the whole... Hotguy/Cuteguy situation, it was a lot to take in, a lot to process and a lot to try and put into words.. and they had time. Instead they spent their time munching on the rest of Scar's cookies and teasing each other, making jokes and watching TV. Two hours or so later it was time for Scar to head home, they had work tomorrow and Scar had to get the bus. Usually Grian would offer him a ride, but it seemed as though they'd both silently decided that wasn't a great idea, the whole 'not talking about the Hotguy/Cuteguy situation' situation was getting a little tiring and causing much unwanted tension, as much as they tried to ignore it they both knew they needed time alone to think, to process and to accept.

"Night, Scar." He near-whispered as he stood by his door, waving goodbye to Scar. He could feel the cold breeze of the night approaching and he was getting tired, it was.. chilling, but also comforting.

"Night, Grian." Scar smiled back with his own wave before turning his back and making his way down the path away from Grian's apartment, cane in one hand and empty box in the other.

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The next day at work passed like normal, Scar and Grian exchanging their usual smiles, waves and hello's when crossing in the halls. Unfortunately their lunch breaks hadn't collided, leaving them unable to have a proper chat. Later in the day though Scar spotted Grian in the college's car park, about to get into his car and leave for the day. He called out to him to grab his attention and quite honestly Grian couldn't recall a time, other than yesterday evening, to which he'd felt more panicked than he did in that moment. He wasn't entirely sure why, though it probably had something to do with them revealing their identities yesterday. Grian had been thinking about it all last night and all of today. Fortunately, somehow, Scar was smarter than to bring it up in the middle of a car park with people around, instead he opted to invite Grian around to his tomorrow with the extra special offer of Grian bringing Maui to play with Jellie, and his new cat which Scar now knew as Pearl. Just as Scar had expected, Grian couldn't possibly pass up this offer, he was a huge cat person, just like Scar, probably one of the reasons as to why they got along so well. 4pm the next day Grian was stood at Scar's doorstep with a cat carrier in each hand.

Knock knock

"Coming! Grian heard Scar call from the other side of the door, followed by some rustling and chuckling, from what he could hear? that was Scar trying to coax Jellie out of the way with treats. A few short moments later the door was cracked open and there stood Scar, smile wide and gleaming. Scar's smile was beautiful, Grian had always thought so. One thing that had always stuck out to him was how just pointy Scar's canine teeth were, almost like a vampire~ a hot vampire. Not that Grian admired Scar's teeth often- like I said, Scar's smile was wide, it wasn't like they were hard to notice.

"Grian, hey!" Scar greeted him with the same wide smile Grian had just been thinking about. He was happy, no wonder, he was getting to spend the rest of the afternoon and the evening with his best friend, and his cats! Could he really ask for more? Behind the wide smile, yes maybe he was a little nervous, he did want to talk about yesterday, but only when- and if the time was right.

His gaze was directed down towards the two cat carriers which Grian held at each side, his smile turned warm. He took a step back and then outstretched his arm, inviting Grian inside. "Bring them in." He spoke, voice clear and inviting.

"Hey Scar." He smiled back and then chuckled softly as he gave a small nod and followed Scar's lead into the house. Scar's house was decently sized but also cosy, he, like Grian, had an open kitchen/living area, but what made it different from Grian's home was the old-timey touches which Scar had added. Everything around them just felt so Scar. From the chinoiserie plates (supposedly passed down from his Grams) to the grandfather clock down the hall, to the cosy authentic fireplace and the rug placed a safe distance just in front of it. Grian had to suppress a chuckle at the memory of having to convince Scar to move it all them years ago, as it had been too close, dangerously close to the fireplace, that was back when the fireplace had no guard in front of it either, Grian had to convince Scar to change that as well, with Jellie and all. Scar wasn't the cleverest cookie.

Grian walked into the living portion of Scar's house, Jellie already prancing around his feet as she could sense Maui was there. He placed both the cat carriers down onto the floor and waited for Scar to lock the door before unclasping Maui's. Immediately Maui dashed out and came face to face with Jellie. They jumped at each other before beginning to bounce and run around, running under the sofas, round and round the coffee table and then coming dangerously close to Scar's vase in the corner of the room. Grian and Scar both chuckled as they watched them.

A short moment later Grian undid the clasp of Pearl's, she was nervous, apprehensive, unsure, which was all very understandable, she was in a new place with new smells and a new cat, who Maui seemed to absolutely adore. "I'll give her some time." Grian said, standing up and brushing his knees, straightening his clothes out.

"Sounds good." Scar replied, he himself heading into the kitchen to make himself a coffee and Grian a tea. "You can put the TV on! I'll grab the snacks."

Grian wore a fond smile on his face. "Of course."

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About ten or so minutes later they were settled on Scar's sofa in front of the TV, the lights dimmed and the fireplace lit which was giving off a lovely, calming, crackling sound. It wasn't very cold out, but Scar preferred it over using the thermostat. Between them was a generous variety of snacks, some sweet and some salty. Salty for Scar, sweet for Grian. Jellie had taken a seat besides Scar on the arm of the sofa, she wasn't the youngest kitty anymore and therefore tired out a lot quicker than Maui, who was now attempting to coax Pearl from her current hiding situation under the sofa.

A yawn escaped Grian, he had to cover mouth as he tried his absolute best (and failed) to hide it. He shook it off with a shake of the head and re-directed his eyes to the show they were watching.

Scar watched Grian yawn out of the corner of his eye, it could just be a random yawn, but maybe he was actually tired. It wouldn't hurt to ask. "Tired?" He asked lightheartedly through a chuckle.

Grian grumbled out his response. "Didn't sleep too well." 

He sighed softly... "Neither did I." He turned his body a little as well as his head so his gaze was now solely on Grian.

Grian's eyes raised a little as he turned his head to meet Scar's gaze. "You didn't?"

"No." He scoffed, giving his eyes a half-roll. How could he have slept well? Grian was Cuteguy.

"R-right-" He coughed awkwardly, shuffling about a little in his seat. There was an awkward silence between them before Grian spoke up again. "W-we should talk, about everything.. we tried yesterday and i'm sorry but we failed miserably." He let out a bemused huff before clearing his throat.

Scar nodded a few times, small and understanding. "We should.." He agreed, wholeheartedly, but how? where did they start? 

Another moment of awkward silence was shared between them before yet again, Grian was the one to break it. "Okay so... I.. thought of a few boundaries, rules." 

Scar nodded again but this time stayed quiet.

"First.. our friendship, our friendship will always come first, no matter what happens as heroes.. you and I, as Scar and Grian, that's my first priority." Grian's voice was stern and serious, but also laced with genuineness and affection. "Second... if we ever fight or get into an argument, we forget about it the second we're on the battlefield, I don't care or how bad it is or how much it hurts, saving the city isn't about us, it's about them, the people of Hermacia." Grian's gaze was deep within Scar's wanting to make sure he was agreeing with all that he was laying down. Every part of it was reasonable and of course Scar agreed.

"Yes- yeah, of course... yes to all of that, that makes sense, I can do that." He went to grab Grian's hand but hesitated... for only a moment before he gave in and reached over, resting his hand over Grian's in a comforting caress. 

Grian's heart skipped a beat. He'd never been so thankful for the dark winter evenings, it was already dull out and that mixed with the little lighting in Scar's house helped to hide the hot flush which had begun to turn his cheeks pink. He swallowed hard before uttering back. "G-good- good." He shook his head, god he was such an idiot, even the tiniest bit of physical contact had him melting. "Y-you?" He noticed Scar's confused expression. "Do you have any rules.. boundaries?" 

Scar thought, he really did, but he couldn't think of anything and moved his head to display a firm 'no'. "I'll let you know if i come up with any." 

Grian gulped before letting out a shaky breath and nodding. He very carefully, and with small movements wriggled his hand out from under Scar's

Scar raised an eye, a tad disappointed as well as confused, but didn't bother questioning it.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

The pair went back to chilling like they had been, they were like that for about an hour before Grian had to get up to use the bathroom, when he got back he noticed Pearl had finally come out from under the sofa, she was in front of the coffee table on the rug in front of the fireplace, with Jellie! Yes! Grian felt like doing a little celebration dance, he was incredibly happy to see Pearl warming up to Scar's place so quickly, as a result he decided to join them.

He headed back into the living room and took a seat on the rug with the cats, smiling warmly as Jellie came over to him and started to rub her chin on his knee. Speaking of warm, it was more than that sitting by the fire. Grian glanced up at Scar who was smiling fondly down at him. Should he? Scar knew he was an avian, sure they hadn't actually spoken about it but it was a given, if CuteGuy was an avian then Grian had to be. The only time Scar had really acknowledged that was when he'd touched Grian's back to check if he was really Cuteguy or not. Fuck it. Grian's hands wandered down to the rim of his red sweater and with a few shuffles and tugs he managed to pull it up and over his head and POOF!! his wings sprung free. 

Scar's eyes widened and he found himself leaning forward in awe. He'd expected Grian's wings to be black, pink and a tad purple like they were when he was Cuteguy, but boy he had been so wrong. The lower feathers, which took up the majority of his wings, were a lovely, rich, royal blue. Just above these were some extraordinarily beautiful yellow feathers, and whilst they didn't cover anywhere near as much space on his wings as the blue ones did, they were still stunning. The yellow was so incredibly vibrant... and holy shit did the flames from the fire cast a beautiful light upon them. Scar, of course, didn't fail to miss the blood red feathers perched even higher up at the top centre of his wings, despite everything he found himself letting out a huff of laughter at how perfectly they matched the red shade of Grian's jumper. He was absolutely, undeniably, breathtaking. "They're beautiful G.." He stammered through his words, absolutely mesmerised by Grian's wings.

Scar's words struck Grian in a way he didn't expect them to. An avian's wings were their most treasured feature, their pride and joy. They'd spend hours preening them day after day, even if at the end of said day they had to throw on a jumper to cover them up. To have Scar compliment his wings so softly meant everything to him, it made his stomach flutter and his cheeks flush. It felt good. A sort of approval that he didn't know he'd needed. "You.. you think?" He asked, eyes sparkling with adoration as he sat up in Scar's direction.

He was a little surprised to see how strongly Grian had reacted to the compliment, but he wanted nothing if not to see Grian happy, so he was quick to nod, confirm that he'd meant what he'd said. "Truly G, they're..." He was at a loss for words. "...incredible.." It was getting to be a little later in the evening and Scar's leg aches were catching up to him, but he wanted- no, needed, to be down there with Grian on the floor. He reached for his cane and pushed himself up, it took some effort but he managed. He made his way over to the carpet and slowly lowered himself back down.

Grian watched in anticipation as Scar lowered himself, though he was on guard as he could see the slight struggle in his eyes. "Hey." He chuckled with a smile.

"Hey to you too." He smiled fondly back. This felt.. cosy, but it also felt right. Like they were both where they needed to be, and that was together.

Grian shuffled closer to Scar so that they were face to face. "You know.. it's weird, knowing that this whole time you were Hotguy." He began, seemingly trying to make a point.

Scar's eyebrow quirked up in interest. "Go on..." He could sense that this was heading somewhere more, though he couldn't be sure.

"It's weird... knowing that every time Hotguy flirted with me- that was you." His eyes searched Scar's.

Suddenly Grian's gaze felt very intense." I- uh-" He coughed awkwardly to clear his throat. "I guess it was."

Grian chuckled softly to hide just how flustered he was himself. "I know you like Cuteguy, Scar." 

Scar sucked in a sharp breath, and there it was, the truth. Scar adverted eye-contact, what was he supposed to say? do? "I-i mean i..." Was there even any point in denying it? Not only were there countless news articles speculating about the relationship between Hotguy and Cuteguy because of the way Scar acted around him, but Grian also seemed very set on the idea- idea.. or well, fact.

Grian gave Scar some time to continue, but when he didn't he made the split-second decision to place his hand on the side of Scar's face, cupping his cheek and re-directing his gaze, wanting to make eye contact again. "Scar, look at me."

Scar gave in, crumbling from the inside to the out at the (unexpected) touch to his cheek. He met Grian's gaze again and their eyes locked.

"Be honest with me.." Grian started, the words coming out a blur from Scar's perspective. "Do you just like Cuteguy... or do you like me too?"

"I-i..." Scar stuttered, he wanted to look away, he wanted to break all forms of contact desperately, but he couldn't. 

It wasn't exactly an answer but the possibility, now a high possibility, had Grian's head spinning. He was trying so hard to hold himself together, to keep himself upright and calm, but his composure was slipping and he felt like he was going to melt right then and there. Maybe it was an impulsive decision, and maybe later it would prove to have been the wrong one, but in that moment it was all he could bring himself to do.

So he did it, the one thing that would be able to stop him from falling apart. He connected his and Scar's lips.

Scar let out a surprised grunt and it took him a solid three seconds to catch up to speed with what was happening, but eventually processed it and melted into the kiss, into Grian's arms, his touch. He kissed Grian back hungrily, full of passion and affection.

Grian couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of relief and joy he felt when Scar's lips began to move with his, it was incredible. He slid his hand down from Scar's cheek to hold the back of his neck, using that to tug him closer. His other free hand was resting on his lap and he smiled against Scar's lips when he felt a furry creature brush against it. 

Scar opened his eyes softly, his pupils blown large and hazy with lust. He broke the kiss and blinked slowly a few times, eyes landing on Pearl between them, he gave a fond chuckle before looking back up to meet Grian's eyes again. It took him another few moments to process the situation between them, but when he did he felt nothing but complete, they'd just kissed, he had just kissed Grian, he'd just kissed Cuteguy.

Grian gulped, the nerves now beginning to fill him.. but if the growing dopey smile on Scar's face was anything to go by, then his actions had been well received and he had nothing to worry about, but being the man he was, he asked anyway. "Was that... okay?" 

"You're kidding me." With a bemused huff he shook his head. "More than- come here." He got up onto his knees and leaned in, placing one hand on Grian's jaw and the other on his waist. "You're perfect, you're so..." he paused to place a small peck to the corner of his lips "..perfect.." He spoke, voice filled with adoration and love. Pure love.

His breath shuddered as Scar began to lay him back, if he'd expected anything to come from this evening it wouldn't have ever been this, not in a million years, but now? he couldn't have thought of anything better. If Scar thought he was perfect, then Scar was clearly yet to see himself. "Flatterer..." He hummed softly as his back came into contact with the carpet. He made sure to spread his wings out beneath him, it seemed like they'd be here for a little while, he may as well get comfy.

Scar chuckled in amusement before connecting their lips again, the kiss was soft.. gentle, loving, everything either of them could have wanted. 

⎯⎯ ୨┊ ➶ ｡˚♡° ⪩𓆩♡𓆪⪨°♡˚｡ ➶ ┊୧ ⎯⎯

The End