Chapter Text
True to his warnings, Cuteguy had rather enjoyed punishing Howl. The villain’s usual facade as a tough werewolf had shrivelled down to a pathetic puppy within 5 seconds. He didn’t do as much as he could, just a few punches and maybe he dropped him out the sky, but it wasn’t even that far of a fall.
But whilst Cuteguy was harsh, he wouldn’t beat the poor villain to death. He’d much rather leave him in the center of the villain hub, to be ridiculed by the others.
The hub was a ginormous, secret, underground base, where villains, no matter the power level, could hang out and plot without having to worry about being caught. The place was protected by several enchantments, some cast by Cuteguy himself, although none of them knew that. It was done to make the many entrances look like abandoned mineshafts to any heroes, vigilantes and civilians alike who may wander there, whether purposefully or not.
In the decades the hub had existed, not once had anyone got in that wasn’t meant to. Of course, plenty of heroes knew of the existence of it, and some even knew roughly where it was, but it was almost impossible to get in without the knowledge of how to. The mineshaft illusion was like a maze, and multiple of the ‘tunnels’ just led back to the exit. All the villains had to memorise the way through the illusion, in order to get in. They also had to memorise where they put all the explosives. They took no chances.
Cuteguy thought, as more and more villains came to inspect the hybrid, about something earlier. He told himself he’d make a social media account. It was kind of a fleeting thought (he had a lot of those). But something about the idea stuck with him. The only problem was, he never carried his phone around on missions.
It was a safety protocol, and he liked his phone. If it broke during a mission, it’d be a lot of hassle to get a new one. Due to being a solo villain, he never had the need to contact anyone during fights or patrols, so there was honestly no point bringing it anyway.
“Does anyone have a phone I could borrow real quick?” He said to the growing crowd. Many shook their heads, looking mildly confused, however, one came forward. Cuteguy recognized him instantly. With flaming (quite literally) red hair, red tinted sunglasses, steampunk-esque mask and the wardrobe of a biker, it was Flame, the villain who had left him to die all those years ago.
“I- I’ve got one.” He said, holding it up. The two hadn’t spoken much once Cuteguy had risen further in the hierarchy. Cuteguy shrugged. He didn’t care much for the villain, so it wouldn’t do any harm to take the phone.
“Perfect. I wanna set something up real quick, to embarrass this fellow here even more. You’re fine with that, yeah?” Flame nodded, slightly hesitant. He knew that the other was friends with Howl, and it was probably morally wrong for him to give Cuteguy the phone, but they were villains, for god’s sake. And it was all just banter.
“Amazing.” He took the now unlocked phone and went straight to instagram. He knew that's what's popular at the moment, and it's where Hotguy has the largest following, so that's where he would make his account. In the future, when he has more time, he might make more on other platforms, but this will do for now.
Signing up was easy, giving himself the uncreative name of cuteguy_official, and a random picture of his gun for the profile pic. The description was better, going along the lines of ‘The official account for the cutest, bestest, most powerful villain in the city. I’m here to have fun, threaten people (basically the same thing), and spread hatred throughout society <3 Enjoy my account!’ It was simple, but obviously Cuteguy.
Finally, he was ready to post something. Putting the phone down briefly, he turned to look down at Howl with a maniacal look in his eye.
“Hope you’re photogenic, cause you’re ‘bout to be seen by the entire world.”
-
Grian was currently curled up on the sofa, uno cards in his hand and a look of concentration on his face. Mumbo and Jimmy sat around him, sporting similar expressions.
The trio had decided to hang out for a few hours, as none of them had anything else planned. They were now on their third game on uno, and each round had gotten more and more intense.
Grian smirked, and placed down a plus two. Jimmy cursed under his breath, but picked up two more cards. Mumbo put down a blue seven, and Grian frowned.
Sighing, he took another card from the pile. He only had three left, and if he won this round, he’d never shut up about it.
A few minutes later, he groaned as Jimmy put down his final card with a celebratory cheer.
“Look at that boys! Champion reigns supreme!” He said, crossing his arms and looking at the other two. Grian looked pissed, and Mumbo looked mildly impressed.
“Yeah, well you only won once.” Grian said, sticking his tongue out. Jimmy’s face immediately soured, and he attempted to hit Grian with one wing, but missed. He snickered at the other avian.
“And remind me who won those other two rounds, Grian?” Mumbo piped up, sounding smug.
“Oh shut it, you.” Grian flopped back into the sofa. Mumbo simply sighed, and started cleaning away the cards that had scattered all over the floor. Jimmy sprung up, and went to sit next to Grian, who shuffled over to make room for him.
“Hey Gri, have you seen that Cuteguy post yet?” Grian tensed, not expecting that at all. He didn’t really think the post would get much recognition at all, at most he thought he’d just be banned.
“No. Why? What’s he done now?” He lied through his teeth, but Jimmy didn’t seem to notice the sudden change. He simply smiled wider than before, yellow wings flapping in excitement.
“Oh, you’re in for a treat. Have a look at this!” He got out his phone, and pulled up the image that Grian had definitely seen before. He tried to make a face of shock, but it probably looked more like a grimace.
“Isn’t it great? Look at Howl, he looks so stupid!” Jimmy laughed, but Grian simply rolled his eyes. He knew Howl looked stupid, he was there. But, of course, he couldn’t tell Jimmy this, so he opted for supposedly shocked silence.
He wasn’t really sure where Jimmy stood with the idea of villains. Most civilians hated them for inconveniencing their ‘perfect’ heroes, but there were still a few who didn’t mind them. Grian could only assume it’s because they didn’t like the association. That’s one of the main reasons Grian became a villain in the first place.
Of course, he could’ve always been a vigilante, but where the fun in that. He’d much rather blow stuff up than save people. Plus, it wasn’t entirely uncommon for heroes and vigilantes to work together when needed, and he could never imagine working with heroes. They suck.
Moving to the present, Mumbo had now finished packing up the set of cards, and sat on Grian’s other side. He peered over him to get a better look at Jimmy’s screen.
Grian knew for a fact Mumbo was terrified of the villains, but not exactly against them.
He remembered asking a question a few years back, vaguely along the lines of ‘what do you think about the villains?’ It was mainly for validation, because around that time he was in his first year as one, and was questioning his choice. If anything, he wanted to see what his best friend thought, even if he wasn’t going to admit to being one.
Mumbo had thought for a while, before coming up with one of the most insightful things Grian had ever heard, maybe even to this day.
‘People have phobias, and some people don’t. In this sense, some people are scared of villains, and some people aren’t. But you can be scared of something without hating it. Take, for example, arachnophobia. People can be scared of spiders, but they can be useful. In the same way, people can be scared of villains, but they can be useful. And in the end, we’re all humans. Well…nevermind. We all speak engli- Forget it. You get what I mean.’
Mumbo was one of the reasons Grian kept on being a villain. That simple speech had really affected him, and it helped him a lot.
Grian was snapped out (again) from his thoughts when Mumbo spoke.
“I dunno if that’s funny…he looks like he’s in pain.” He said, voice concerned as he frowned at Jimmy, who was still giggling to himself. However, at Mumbo’s words, he cut himself off, turning to look at him, incredulous.
“Mumbo, you do know this guy was fighting Hotguy only an hour before this was taken, right!?”
“So? What’s your point?”
“He hurt him, Mumbo. He hurt Hotguy. I think he deserves the punishment.”
Grian groaned, flicking his head wings irritably at Jimmy.
“Please don’t tell me you’re fangirling over that guy as well?! I’ve already got to deal with Mumbo crushing on him, I don’t need you to as well!”
Mumbo’s face went red, and he punched Grian’s shoulder.
“Griaannnn! Shush!” Grian did not shush. He let out an annoyed chirp, and sank even further into the sofa.
“No, because all it is with you is Hotguy this, Hotguy that! And yet you ignore the parts where he knocked over Cuteguy and quite literally stabbed Howl.”
He wasn't truly mad at either of them. He didn't have the heart to, after all, how could they know. They didn't know his real reason for resenting Hotguy. They didn't know who really took the photo they were discussing.
Grian knew they wouldn't take his arguing seriously as well. They were well aware of his feelings on the hero, even if they didn't know why. So it was fine to argue like this, because in the end, it was just banter between friends.
“Yeah, but they're like…evil, and stuff!” Jimmy butted in. “It was self defense!”
“Self defense my butt. He agreed to the fight, it's his fault.” Jimmy rolled his eyes, and began scrolling through comments under the post. Mumbo, on the other hand, looked over to Grian with mild curiosity.
“G, for someone who supposedly hates Hotguy, you know an awful lot about the fight. And a bunch of others, actually. Wasn't it just before this fight you told me you saw one last night?”
“Yeah, wrong place, wrong time, I guess. And I just got swept back by the crowd when we split up the other day. Figured it might at least be entertaining to watch.”
Mumbo scoffed, muttering something about being weird. Grian ignored him. It was petty, he knew, but they’d make up in about two seconds anyway.
All of a sudden, Jimmy burst out laughing, startling both Grian and Mumbo. They looked at him, but he didn’t elaborate, simply shoving the phone in their faces.
Mumbo swiped it away, and held it tilted so Grian could see. After squinting a bit to try to see what caused Jimmy’s sudden raucous, he found it. A comment, near the top. Made by Hotguy. As in, the Hotguy. Not an impersonator. Hotguy actually had the nerve to comment on his post.
In all honesty, it was a funny comment. Grian knew he was joking, but it added to the humour. He smiled to himself, thinking of how much trouble he’d be in with the association for saying that on his official account.
Mumbo snickered beside him, and handed the phone back to Jimmy, who had recovered from his hysterics.
“Nice. That’s good, that is.” He said, still giggling to himself. Grian nodded.
“Yeah, imagine how much trouble he’s probably in right now!” He laughed, but Jimmy and Mumbo just looked at him, both sporting slightly confused looks.
“Mate, what do you mean?” Jimmy said, although he was only half paying attention, taking a screenshot of the message, most likely to share with all their friends.
“Like, the association…? They’ll want to punish him for posting that on his official account. And under a Cuteguy post too? You know how twitchy they are around him.”
Mumbo frowned, and threw Grian a suspicious side glance.
“G, I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again. You know an awful lot about a guy you’re meant to hate.”
Grian sighed. He really tried to make sure nothing he said sounded suspicious. But given how long he’s been a villain, he sometimes loses touch with how much a civilian should know.
But surely this should be common sense, right? But, he guesses, most people chose to ignore that the association were control freaks and not actually very nice on the whole. Because, of course, people thought that villains were the only bad people out there.
In reality, villains had been fighting the association for a while now. Much longer than heroes had been around. Well before villains were actually called villains. Back when they were the vigilantes of the city.
That was, until the association came along, accusing them of all sorts of things they had never done. Both sides had fought each other in the background for a while, until the first heroes were brought into the picture. That was when the whole rivalry became more aware to the public. And, the public chose the association’s side. Vigilantes forcibly became villains, and the rest is history.
Grian remembers hearing stories about the fights in his childhood. He didn’t have many memories from his childhood, though. All he can think of is his mum, sister, and of course, Mumbo. Not many details, though.
Grian does remember a few specifics, though. Grian’s mum was a great storyteller. But that's a thought for another day. His mum and sister weren’t here, and, truth be told, he didn’t know where they could be, if they’re still alive at all.
But enough of the traumatic family backstory. Right now, he had to answer Mumbo’s accusations before the man became even more suspicious.
“I’m allowed to hate someone whilst still knowing a lot about them, am I not? Plus, although I’m not technically supposed to say this, knowing about the heroes does tie in to my job.”
Grian hadn’t told any of his friends much about what he did for work, or, what lie he came up with. All he said was that he worked with a large company, and was sworn to secrecy for privacy reasons. It made his life easier, and also sounded quite believable. He hoped.
Recognition dawned on Mumbo’s face as he let out a long ‘Ohhhhh’. Grian nodded, smug.
“Wait, so Grian, you know all Hotguy’s secrets? Do you know him personally? Like, his civilian name?” Jimmy butted in, face shining with curiosity.
Classic Jimmy. Not the smartest man, but he couldn’t help it. Grian smiled fondly.
“Tim, you know I can’t tell you that.” He said, smiling at the way Jimmy pouted. The nickname was an inside joke they had made when they first met.
It wasn’t a particularly exciting event, to be honest. Grian had gone to an avian meet up on a whim, in hopes of finding someone to be friends with. This was around the time he first moved into the city, and was finding it hard to cope. Of course, Mumbo had been there for him, but he just needed someone who understood him, avian to avian.
There were, and still are, lots of hybrid meet ups in the city, for people like Grian, who need new friends. It was part of the city’s programme to improve hybrid inclusion, as there had been difficulties in the past. In the present, hybrids were more accepted than ever before.
At said meet up, he met Jimmy. However, when the two were introducing themselves, Grian misheard ‘Jimmy’ for ‘Timmy’, and the rest explains itself.
“Come onnnnn, Griaaaannnn. You know you want to tell us!”
“I have nothing to tell you that would particularly interest you. And I don’t really have much desire to tell you what I know, even if I was allowed to.”
This was mainly to cover up the fact the only thing he knew about Hotguy was that he was a stuck up snob with bad flirting skills. The two have had plenty of one on one conversations, but Grian’s memory wasn’t the best, and embarrassingly, the only one revealing anything was himself. He blamed it on his bird brain, but he wasn’t entirely confident in that.
“Uuggghhh, spoilsport! Are you hearing this, Mumbo?!” Jimmy gestured violently towards Grian whilst staring at Mumbo, who simply blinked back.
“Yep, I’m seeing…it. Listen, how about we go for a walk? Blow off some steam.” Grian exclaimed, shooting up excitedly.
“Can we go down to that nice bar? We can still walk, but…I never got to go after that fight the other day, and I’m really craving something strong right now.”
He flapped his wings, and bounced on his heels, looking between Jimmy and Mumbo expectantly. Mumbo sighed.
“Fine, we can go. It’s a good walk to get there as well, I think we need the fresh air. Jim, you up for it?”
Jimmy nodded eagerly, jumping off the sofa quickly and rushing to the door. Grian turned to Mumbo, smirking, and whispered in his ear.
“Tim’s got a crush on one of the bartenders there. From what I can see, they both like each other, but they’re too scared to say anything.”
Mumbo smiled, a mischievous glint forming in his eyes.
“I think we can help with that, don’t you? You know how much of a lightweight he is, I reckon two drinks in and he’ll confess.”
“Only two? He can probably go to three.”
“Oh, you’re so on. But, if I win, you have to tell me one thing about Hotguy.”
“Really? That’s what you want? Fine. But if I win, you have to shave your mustache.”
Mumbo let out a gasp in shock.
“No! Not my mustache! You do not understand how long it took me to get this!”
“Oh I do, but these are extreme conditions. Tim’s been single since the day I met him, I’m not letting this go to waste.”
“Fine. Shake on it.” Mumbo held out his hand, and Grian clasped it firmly.
He grinned, before letting go and walking over to Jimmy, who was hopping from foot to foot impatiently.
“You guys need to be quicker!” The man said, practically buzzing with excitement.
“Jeeze, alright, Tim. We wouldn’t want to keep you from your knight in shining armour any longer.” He said, snickering as he dodged a blow aimed for his head.
“You are not keeping me from anyone. What we have going on is nothing but platonic friendship.”
“Strange how you immediately thought of him though, isn’t it?” Mumbo cut in, and Jimmy’s face grew even more flustered.
“Lets just leave, guys!” He said, voice far higher than usual. Grian held back a laugh, but unlocked the door, and the group started to walk down the street, setting an idle pace, although Jimmy was walking slightly faster than the other two, and stopping every few seconds to wait for them to catch up.
They didn’t talk much as they walked through the busy streets, content to just admire the evening skies.
However, eventually, they stopped outside the lively bar. Inside, they could hear loud music and voices cutting over each other. It was busy tonight.
The trio walked in, and were immediately greeted with the strong smell of alcohol. Jimmy made a beeline straight for the drinks bar, and Grian could see who exactly he was going for.
His crush, the mysterious bartender. He was an odd sort of hybrid, with flames for hair and a tail to match. Grian was reminded of the villain, Flame. He wasn’t sure how many of this hybrid were around, maybe these two were related.
Grian and Mumbo followed behind him, intending to eavedrop on whatever they might say to each other whilst also wanting to order drinks.
There were only two other people at the bar, a man and a woman, sitting on the stools, and both nursing glasses of some fancy cocktail. They seemed pretty nondescript, although, Grian noticed with flushed cheeks, the man was extremely good looking. But, he assumed, they were a couple, so he had no chance. Still, it was a shame.
He was snapped back to the present by Mumbo tapping his shoulder and looking at him amusedly. He gestured to the man with his head.
“Someone caught your eye? I thought we were here to set Jim up, not you.” He snickered, and Grian's face flushed even more.
“Sh- Shut up! It’s not like I have any chance, they look like a couple.” He finished forlornly. However, Mumbo’s face brightened.
“Quite the opposite, actually! Those two are regulars, I talk to them sometimes when I come here after work! I know for a fact that they’re just friends. Scar and Gem. You should go say hi, they’re really nice!”
Grian’s mood brightened, but he still shook his head.
“Maybe in a bit. After all, I don’t know them, it’d just be awkward. Plus, we’ve got Jimmy to spy on, remember?”
Mumbo shrugged, and the two walked up to another bartender who was currently shaking his head as his coworker was actively flirting with someone.
“Hello, you two! What can I get you?” He said. Grian glanced down at the menu in front of him, and chose something at random.
“I’ll have a paloma.” He replied, and the bartender nodded, before turning to Mumbo. Mumbo rattled off something from the menu, and the bartender started making them.
Grian looked across the bar, to see Jimmy chatting with his crush. He noticed, with relief, that Jimmy was holding some form of alcohol in his hand, and was sipping at it every so often. Only two more and Grian would win the bet.
The bartender snapped him back by putting down their drinks on the table.
“Here you are! Would you like to start a tab for them?”
“Yeah, put it under Xelqua.” Grian answered. Although the bartender seemed nice enough, he wasn’t keen on giving him his first name. It was a habit of his, probably because of his villain life.
He grabbed the drink, and sipped it. It wasn’t that strong, but he knew as the night went on he’d have stronger. It tasted nice, actually.
He glanced over to the pair he had seen earlier. They were still there, and didn’t look like they were going to go anywhere any time soon. Maybe he should go talk to them.
Mumbo saw him looking, and smirked at him.
“Look mate, if you want, I can go introduce you. You can chat up scar, and I’ll spy on Jimmy for us.”
Grian sighed, weighing up his options. He wanted to see what happened with Jimmy, but he also didn’t want to miss the chance to hang out with the new guy.
“You know what, sure. But if you lie to me about how many drinks it took him, I’ll know.”
Mumbo put his hands up, in mock surrender.
“Alright, alright! Let’s go now, then.”
Grian hesitated, but only for a second, before following Mumbo.
“Hey, Scar and Gem!” Mumbo said, waving at them as they walked over. The pair looked up, and faces brightened respectively as they saw who was talking.
“Hi Mumbo, good to see you!” Gem said, waving back. As he got closer, Grian noticed she was a deer hybrid. They are quite rare nowadays, a shame, really, but it can’t be helped.
He didn’t look at her for long, though, eyes almost instantly locking on Scar. The man really was handsome, with beautiful green eyes and a face littered with scars. Quite fitting for his name, really. He was also extremely well built, but, Grian noticed, was holding what looked like a cane in his left hand. Whilst not entirely unusual, it was still a bit odd to be so muscly if he struggled with walking. But that was just an assumption.
“Helloo Mumbo, always glad to see you here! And who's this with you?” Grian’s heart stuttered at being called out by Scar. He smiled awkwardly, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious.
“This is my friend, Grian! I thought I’d introduce you to him, given the timing.” Grian nodded, and cleared his throat.
“Hello.” He said, the word coming out far too high pitched. He felt his face flush in embarrassment. Come on Grian, get a grip, he thought desperately.
“Pleasure to meet you, Grian! And I must say, those wings of yours are quite impressive! Parrot, I take it?” Grian nodded, face flushing even further than before.Something about that phrase gave him a vague sense of deja-vu, but he couldn't place why. Weird.
“Th- thanks. Got them from my dad.” He finished lamely. He in fact, didn’t get them from anyone, let alone his dad, because, obviously, they weren’t his real wings.
Only a few people knew his true wings, along with his true identity. Everyone knew Cuteguy, so everyone knew his wings. But no one knew Grian with his natural wings apart from a few select people he had met before he started disguising them.
“Well, they’re really cool. Do you come here often? Cause I think I’d remember someone as pretty as you.”
Grian’s brain shortcircuited. Mumbo chuckled beside him. Gem sighed.
“Scar, stop flirting with people you’ve just met. You’ll have to excuse him, Grian, he’s about 4 drinks in and does not handle them well.” She emphasized ‘not’, shaking her head at Scar, who looked slightly disappointed.
“I can’t have any fun around here. Can't a guy appreciate someone without flirting with them?”
“Not when you’re 4 beers in and the last person you ‘appreciated’ ended in a situationship that lasted a year.”
“Damn. Fine then.” Scar said, sighing, before turning back to Grian and giving him a sheepish grin. Grian jumped, feathers poofing up in surprise, and smiled back.
Mumbo elbowed him, eyebrows raised.
“Well, if you two don’t mind, I’ll be on my way. I’ve got a friend to spy on. Grian, I’ll see you once it happens, yeah?” Grian’s eyes widened at the prospect of being alone with the duo, but nodded anyway. Mumbo waved to them, said one last farewell, and walked off into the crowd, where Grian assumed he would hide whilst eavesdropping.
Grian turned back to the other two, and sat down on the stool next to Scar. He looked at Grian with curious eyes.
“Who’s he spying on? And when what happens? How long will it take?” He said, staring at Grian intently. Grian laughed nervously.
“Oh, just our friend. He’s got a huge crush on that bartender, and we bet on him asking him out today.”
Scar’s eyes lit up in recognition.
“Tango? He’s always talking about some guy who comes down here every so often. I kinda assumed they were already dating, the way that man talks about him.” He said, chuckling before taking a sip of his drink.
“Apparently not. But if I win, Mumbo’s gotta shave his ‘stache, so the stakes are high.”
“Damn, that's impressive. How’d you manage to get him to agree to that! That man loves his mustache more than I love my cat!”
“Oh, just a little bribery. Also, you have a cat?”
“Yeah, her names Jellie! She’s so adorable, you should meet her sometime!” Before Grian could respond, Gem cleared her throat loudly. She gave Scar a look, and after a few moments of confused silence, his face fell slightly.
“Oh yeah.” He muttered under his breath. Sensing some slight tension, Grian spoke up.
“I have two cats, actually! Pearl and Maui. They’re little rascals, but I love them anyway.”
Scar’s face lit up with excitement.
“Oh, that’s so awesome! We have to let them meet sometime, it’ll be like a little kitty date!”
“Kitty threesome. Also, I’m not really sure that would work. Mine don’t exactly like new people, and it’s probably the same with other animals.” He saw Scar’s face fall. “Not that they can’t, obviously!”
They fell into an uncomfortable silence, that luckily only lasted a minute, before Gem cleared her throat again, this time impatiently.
“Alright, I’m leaving. This is unbearable to watch. You two continue whatever…this is. I’m gonna head home. Scar, call me once you’re done, I’ll get someone to pick you up.” Scar scoffed indignantly.
“I can walk home fine!”
“Don’t argue. You’re meant to be on a break, I’m not sure anyone would appreciate you much if they found you collapsed a street away from home.”
“...Fine. I’ll see you later!” He said resignedly.
“Bye, Scar.” She said fondly, rolling her eyes before turning to Grian. “Oh, and Grian?”
“Yeah?” He said nervously.
“Look after him, will you? Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” And with that she walked away, leaving both men alone. Scar muttered something irritably, before turning to Grian, face brightening slightly.
“How about I buy you a drink?” He said.
—
An hour later, both men were slumped over the bar. One drink had led to another, and soon enough, they were both drunk out of their minds. Which was quite impressive for Grian, as it took a lot to get him just tipsy.
In the present, Scar was trying to explain the plot of some movie he had watched, but his words were slurring together too much to understand. Grian just sat listening, content to stare at Scar’s face as he tried to remember something.
He sighed softly, and muttered something softly.
“Sorry, what was that?” Scar said, turning his head to look at him.
“You look pretty.” Grian said, the alcohol making him maybe too confident. Scar’s face flushed red, and he grinned stupidly.
“Aww, thanksss, Grian! You’re very cute, you know that?” He said, and now it was Grian’s turn to blush.
“Can I get your number?” He blurted suddenly, causing Scar to jump slightly, before he melted into a grin.
“Why of course! You know, I was going to ask you soon anyway. Here, let me write it down.” He pulled out a pen and some scrap paper from one of his pockets, and started scrawling his number down. Finishing, he nodded, satisfied, and handed it to Grian.
“Thanks so much, Scar.” He said, pocketing the note. At that moment, perfect timing really, Mumbo came rushing back to them.
“Grian!!! It happened!” He said, bouncing from foot to foot. Grian jumped up from his slumped position, staring at Mumbo in slight disbelief.
“Actually?!”
“Yeah, actually! And guess what?” He said, looking smug. Grian’s face fell. He knew that look.
“Don’t tell me…”
“It was two drinks!”
“What?! How, they’ve been there for over an hour! No way he only had two!”
“That’s what I was thinking, but he kept on getting…distracted. I think they’ve gone somewhere more…secluded now, if you get what I mean.” He raised his eyebrows, and Grian’s face dawned with recognition. He nodded.
“You know what, good on them. I guess I owe you something now…” He said hesitantly.
“Seems you do. I think I’ll wait, though.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Grian, you’re a sip away from being blackout drunk.”
“What? No I’m not…”
“Sure. I think it’s about time we go home anyway. You wanna walk, or should I call a taxi?”
Grian shook his head, looking back to Scar, who looked crestfallen.
“No, can’t I stay longer?”
“Yeah!” Scar piped up. “I was just getting to the good part of my story.” Mumbo sighed, looking between the two, and shook his head.
“No, I’m sorry, Scar, but we really can’t stay. Grian’s already gonna have a bad hangover tomorrow, if he stays it’ll only be worse.”
Scar sighed resignedly. Grian grumbled, but still stumbled off his seat.
“I’ll see you later Scar. Text me when you get home, yeah?”
“Of course.” Scar said, grinning. Grian shot him one last look, before leaving the bar, leaning heavily on Mumbo for support.
“So, you got his number?” Mumbo said, voice full of mirth.
“Yeahhh.” Grian slurred. “Mumbo, he’s like, sooo perfect. Did you know he has a cat?”
“Yes, I did. Now let’s get you home, before you throw up on me.”
“I’m not gonna do that…”
Mumbo simply rolled his eyes. Grian stuck out his tongue, but didn’t say anything.
As they walked through now practically empty streets, Grian thought as hard as he could with his jumbled brain.
Nights like these were nice, where he didn’t have to worry about getting arrested. Where he could simply act like a human, rather than something feared by the whole city.
He enjoyed it. Going out with friends, flirting with strangers- although that didn’t happen with all strangers, only hot ones. It felt almost relaxing, in a strange way.