Work Text:
To his defense, Grian never meant to discover who was behind the mask of the ever too happy hero that was his supposed nemesis. He was very happy to be left clueless about who he really was, it was just plain professionalism ! He had a policy to never bring work home, and knowing the civilian behind the hero "Good fellow" would be exactly that. But he just had to learn the hero was not only a close friend of his, but also one of his best friends.
He didn't mean to discover Scar, the adorable himbo he is, was the hero he was fighting for years now. It just… happened ! And only because Scar didn't notice that the "Sparrow" was following him. It was to make sure he wasn't too hurt after a fight - Grian didn't want to loose his nemesis, you see ? - but he ended up seeing him take off his mask revealing the pretty face of Scar to Grian. This was less than ideal, having your best friend be your nemesis !
But in the end, Grian ended up reassured that Scar was totally oblivious to who the Sparrow was, sweet himbo that he was. And that was fine for Grian, he didn't wish to have his friendship destroyed by something so… simple. The Sparrow and Good Fellow had a very different relationship from Grian and Scar, and he wanted to keep both of those, as selfish as it was. Teasing Good Fellow during a fight, staying on the couch at Scar's watching a movie, those were the things he loved the most about his life.
And he wasn't about to let his job take it from him.
Or so he thought.
It was a mistake, at first. Going in a place that was obviously too guarded to be innocent. And he did find a pretty great collection of jewels, in here. But that wasn't without being chased by the best chaser in the hero scene, the Red King. Surprisingly, his acolyte wasn't with him that night, but that ended up working out for the Sparrow, a good flight and he was escaping the hero and policemen.
What didn't work out is the massive claw mark on his chest.
It wasn't a good sign, he was too far from his own house to patch himself up, and with the way the blood was flowing ? He didn't have much time.
He crashed on a roof, an "oof" sound escaping his lips. He pressed his hand on the wound, not doing much. He needed a place to hide, a place to get better a place to-
He knew where to know.
Taking a deep breath, he started to hover over the street, recognizing little by little the place. The mexican restaurant at a corner, the bus stop, the toy store, the massive buildings slowly giving place to small houses.
Grian felt like he was about to pass out when he finally knocked on a door. And he did pass out when Scar opened.
~
Being a hero wasn't really a normal life, what was even more not normal was having your nemesis knock at your door and pass out in front of you, covered in blood and a huge bag of probably-stolen-stuff in his hands. And right now, Scar was very happy this was a good day and he could walk and bring someone to his couch. Even if the someone was surprisingly light for someone as muscular as the Sparrow.
Well, not the time to stay focused on that now. He had to go and look for stuff to heal the villain with, and thankfully he had more than enough ! With the front door locked and the villain on his couch, wings carefully placed in a way that should not hurt them, Scar rushed to get a first aid kit, and a new one if possible. He had more than enough, thanks to his own work, and right now someone obviously needed some help.
He should probably call the hero association, after all he technically caught a villain in his own house ! But… was it selfish to want to keep the Sparrow out ? Scar enjoyed their little fights, and the man probably knocked on the first door he saw to ask for help, and Scar was here to help ! And now, he had to carefully take apart the Sparrow's costume to be able to treat his wound… he hoped the bird villain wouldn't be too angry at him, once he wakes up, but that was that or letting him bleed out so…
A good thing, was that the villain didn't move much while getting treated. The bad thing about that was that Scar had to check for his heartbeat or breath to be sure the man didn't just die on him. Another bad thing was that he was learning a lot about his nemesis without his consent. Once the blood was partially cleaned up, the scars on the villain's body were difficult to miss. He didn't know what caused most of them, but… but something in his mind told him he'd seen that chest before.
Those scars, especially the crescent ones on the torso of the villain looked a lot like what his friend had. But as much as Grian was a prankster, there's no way he was a villain, right…? No, no, that would be absurd. Sure, avians weren't a very well known mutation, but Scar had seen more than a dozen just by walking around in the town ! That his best friend and his nemesis were the same person was simply… impossible.
Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Scar worked on bandaging the wound, easily recognizing Ren's work. Probably a mistake, he knew Ren wasn't one to try and kill a villain, but he'll have to talk about it with him, one of those days. He always knew those mechanical claws would badly hurt someone, one of those days.
Once the wound was all clear, Scar sat down on his chair, not far from the passed out villain. Even with the mask covering all of his face, Scar couldn't help but be intrigued by how relaxed he looked. His muscles were lax, his breath slow and even, and if his heart was beating pretty fast, Scar knew it was because of the fact he was an avian.
But now, Scar had to do something about the bloody costume on his table. He can't let the poor man go out without something on him, once he wakes up. Grian wouldn't be so against him giving a poor soul one of his shirts, right ?
At worst, he would buy Grian a new one, no big deal !
~
Everything hurts. But especially his chest. And arms. And legs. Fuck that, everything hurts and that's all.
Grian tries to stand up only to be immediately struck by the pain, forcing him back down. Well, that sucked. The memories of the night before started to go back to him and - oh no.
He resisted the urge to hit himself in the face, realizing his pain ridden brain decided to go to his nemesis house. Who does that, really ?! Yes, Scar was his friend, but he was the Sparrow, not Grian right now ! He was a villain, hurt, in a hero's house ! He was even surprised Scar didn't immediatly rat him out as soon as he was patched up.
…. No he wasn't, this was a very Scar thing to do.
He groaned and tried to stand once again, only to be stopped by the voice of the hero pocking his head out of the kitchen.
"Oh, you're awake ! Great, great." Scar smiled to him, before brigging a plate of pancakes to the small table. "You scared me there, you know ? I really though you were going to die on me ! That would have been an awful look, my god. How are you feeling ?"
How was he supposed to awnser ? Scar seemed way too cool with having his nemesis on his couch. But now, the pancakes were only making him hungry, and he knew how amazing they tasted.
"I'm… better. Sorry for that."
"Oh no worries, it's a good thing you found me, to be honest. I though of calling the hero association, but… I though it wouldn't be fair to."
"Fair ?"
"Yea, i mean, it wouldn't be fair for you to trust a random stranger only for them to sell you out, right ?"
… God was Scar an idiot. Grian had to stop himself from laughing, what kind of hero does that, really ? But he couldn't ignore how his heart warmed up a little.
"Thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…?" It was best to make it look like he didn't know the man he was currently with. For the both of them.
"Ah yes, of course ! Call me Scar, and I assume you wont tell me yours ?"
"Nope." He popped the 'p', laughing a little. "Villain's secret."
"Aww too bad." Scar laughed too, passing a hand in his hair. "I have a shirt for you, on here. It should accomodate your wings, since your costume is… a bit too bloody to be saved."
Scar pointed to one of the shirts Grian had probably left at Scar's house, one day. How ironic that Scar was giving it back to him that way. He thanked the man before putting on the shirt and tried to stand, only to be stopped by Scar.
"Oh no no no mister. You're still recovering. You need to take it easy for a few more hours."
"Or what ?" He couldn't help the way his feathers ruffled when Scar tried to make him sit. And Scar very quickly put his hands away, not wishing to anger the avian. "I can walk fine."
"I dont doubt that, but I have a friend who's an avian too, and I'm too aware of how hard it is to fly after getting a huge chest injury." Damn Scar and his knowledge of avians thanks to Grian. "And I really doubt you're the kind to just walk back to wherever you wish to go when you still have a mask and half of a villain's costume on."
Touché. But Grian couldn't just abuse of Scar's hospitality, especially since every minute would make it harder for Scar to not discover who the Sparrow was. So, sitting down, he just waited until Scar was gone long enough to flee. He would say sorry another time.
He didn't think of looking for the jewels.
~
Grian was really regretting not sitting down longer, now that his wound felt like it was on fire after just a ten minutes flight. He would usually do the Travel from Scar's to his in less than five, but he chose to manage himself. What he would do for a cold shower, but he knew better than to take off fresh bandages on his chest.
He groaned as he took his phone in hand, not even looking up who was calling when he heard the familiar tune.
"Grian !" of course it would be Scar. "Are you free, today ? I would love to talk with you about something that happened !"
"Hi Scar, I'm… no, sorry I'm… sick. Very sick." He faked a cough, just to add a bit to the idea. He wasn't the best actor, but thankfully he was able to pull it off.
"Oh man, really ? Do you need me to bring you something, then ?"
"No, thank you tho. I'm just going to sleep a bit, 'kay ?"
"Sure G-man ! Tell me when you're free to talk !"
"Promise."
Scar was the one to hang up, leaving Grian in the silence of his little appartement, groaning.
He was so fucked.
~
Two weeks had passed by now. If Grian though he was finally in the clear, unknown to him Scar was getting more and more suspicious.
He wasn't interested in discovering who the Sparrow was before. Yes, he liked their little jokes and playful banters, and yes, he would love to be friends with the villain if not for their work. But now… now he was getting curious.
When Grian faked being sick, he didn't think much of it. He probably had a good enough excuse for it. When he came to Scar's house wearing the very same shirt Scar gave the Sparrow, that was weird. But maybe it was like his red sweaters and he had more than one of those.
But what really ticked out Scar, was the fresh scars on Grian's chest, when the avian came to spend the night at his place. Three scars he was sure weren't there before - not that Scar was the kind of person to look at Grian's chest ! He couldn't help it if his friend clamed that sleeping shirtless was easier for his feathers and so left Scar with a lot of opportunities to look at the subtles muscles that Grian usually hides behind a red sweater - and were close enough to what the Sparrow had before he left in a hury. And now, Scar was almost sure his best friend was also his nemesis. Great.
How are you supposed to deal with that, exactly ?
~
"I heard the Red King got you pretty bad, a few weeks ago." They were sitting on a roof, pure coincidence they met each other here. The Sparrow had not yet caused any troubles, and Good Fellow was just looking around for his patrol. "How are you feeling ?"
"Aw, how nice of you to care about me." Sparrow laughed, the sound reminding too much of Grian's for Scar to assume it was a coincidence. "I'm doing amazing. Even if he tried, that dog could not make any real damage."
"Uh, that's good…" he looked at Sparrow - Grian - looking for something. Not sure what exactly, but something. "So, I'm guessing what my friend told me was wrong then."
"Uh ? What friend ?" The feathers of the Sparrow's wings ruffled, how easy it was to read him when those amazing, beautiful things were telling Scar everything he needed to know.
"Well… a friend of mine mentionned a little pesky bird crashing at his place in the middle of the night, and leaving before he was done resting. I sure hope you aren't the one to scare my friends like that, mmh ?"
It was so easy to read Grian, now that he knew what to look for. How his hands were closing and opening when stressed, how his leg started to bounce around. The way his wings tried to make him look taller, wider, more intimidating. Gosh he had been a real idiot.
"... You'll tell them I'm sorry, then. Wasn't my intention. But knowing they were your friend, i was right to not stay long."
"Ah, I guess you are right." So did Grian not know ? That was good, probably. At least their semblant of normalcy would stay a little bit longer. "Well, I'll tell him that. Now, I should go, before someone sees me talking with a villain like you !"
They laughed, and Scar left, already knowing he would have to be on the look out for the Sparrow's actions.
~
Grian really thought he would die if one more discussion like that arised. This was close enough, and if Scar ended up guessing who he was… well, Scar was Scar, he would probably not tell anything to anyone even if his life depended on it. But their relationship was too precious to Grian to risk it like that. Whatever kind of relationship they had.
God, did he need to send Scar an apology letter for leaving that night ? He was feeling bad now, but wasn't it too late for that ? Wouldn't it be weird for a villain to send a "sorry for making you scared for my health" card ? God why did Scar had to be so… himself. Grian felt like he couldn't help but want to make the other man happy, in a totally non-romantic way, thank you. He wouldn't even dare to dream of a relationship with Scar while they're, well, enemies.
Groaning, he went to his desk. Better late than never, right ? At least he could make his friend a little happier that way. He started to write, being careful to change his writing just enough so that it wasn't obvious who wrote that letter. It wasn't perfect but he knew Scar enough to be sure the attention was enough to make him happy for days on end.
Now, it was time to send.
Well, it seemed like he was going to put the costume on once more, if only to not be too suspicious if Scar saw him. He would never thank Mumbo enough for making his costume easy to put on and remove, it was a life saver. What was annoying is that he was only in his underwear under here, and that also meant a long time ago no binder during work, which meant dysphoria at all high. Well, not a problem anymore, at least.
He stretched a bit, getting his wings ready before flying out his window, going in the direction of Scar's house. He was lucky the moon was still high and his friend was probably patrolling another district with more heroes. Grian had been on the low, lately, mostly because of his injury. But a few more days and the Sparrow was back in town !
~
Scar didn't expect to receive a letter. But in a weird way, his heart warmed up the same way it did every time Grian did something for him.
~
'Back in town', if he could, Grian would beat up his past self for that.
Seriously, how did he end up stuck on the ground, a huge net stopping one of his wings from spreading and flying around. Dammed King and his Hand, they always seemed to be on his ass lately !
So now, he had no choice but to run around trying to lose two people way more used to the ground than him, and one having a super strong sense of smell.
In short ?
He was doomed.
He kept going in smaller and smaller alleys, hoping the stink would shake the king's nose enough he would finally get some peace, but he was starting to suspect the net to have a tracking device so as to not lose him. Why did heroes always get to have cool gadgets ? Where did they get the budget for it !
He kept running and running, and we would've kept going until he passed out or got out if it wasn't for the hands grabbing him and pulling him toward a small gap between two buildings, one hand on where his mouth was supposed to be, the other keeping him still, as all he could hear was a low voice he knew all too well against his ear.
"Keep still."
It was easier said than done. The net was starting to hurt and was too heavy for his poor wing, the body heat right behind him was intoxicating, his breathing and heart were going too fast for him to keep track and his instinct yelled at him to run from the hero that was currently keeping him against his body.
But that's the thing. He trusted said hero too much for his own good.
And so he waited, his back and wings pressed against Scar's chest, as he saw the King and his Hand pass past them in a hurry, talking about how he couldn't escape them and they had to keep running.
They waited in silence for what felt like an eternity to Grian. But it must have been barely a dozen of seconds until Scar let out a breath of his own, his hands leaving Grian's body. And Grian had to remind himself he was currently a villain to jump away from Scar, his heart once again picking up speed against his will.
"I think we're clear, they should be far enough now."
"What… are you doing ?"
"Huh ? Helping you, of course ! I can't let my nemesis be caught by another hero, now, can I ?" And there it was, Scar's ability to make even the weirdest things sound logical. Grian had mentioned in the past how Scar had to have some siren genes for it to work so easily. Scar had insisted it was just his incredible charm. "And you looked like you needed help."
"I didn't, I didn't need anything, thank you very much !" Judging by how he was currently struggling to get rid of the net, he didn't really blame Scar for not looking too convinced. But that was true ! He didn't need to be saved by a hero, even less by Scar ! This was just embarrassing.
"Suuure mister. Do you need a hand ? I have a knife, if the net is too much trouble."
While Grian did not like the idea of a knife so close to his precious wings, he couldn't really do anything else but accept. And he trusted Scar, he knew the man would never purposefully hurt someone without a very good reason. Even less someone who had wings, after all the time he spent telling the man how important they are to him and other winged people.
He kept his eyes trained on the knife, looking so hard he was a little surprised Scar's hands didn't start to burn from his staring. He was fast but cautious, looking at where it would be faster to cut while not touching a single feather, immediately apologizing when he had to move around Grian's wing to better access the last cutting point. But then, finally, Grian was free from the net and he could flap around his wing, letting the blood flow slowly back in it.
He looked back at Scar, who seemed very happy with his work as he looked at Grian, something in his eyes the villain couldn't quite put his finger on.
"Don't think this means I owe you anything."
Grian flew as fast as he could as soon as he said it.
~
Of course it meant he owed Scar. Technically, he owed him twice even ! God how did he get in this situation…
But now, it left him following Scar from a safe distance, looking for any excuse to say he owed up to Good Fellow and was now free from any sort of "I owe you" he could ever try to use. And honestly, for someone like Scar, so skilled in many different areas, he was more focused on helping out simple people, getting cats out of trees or even helping a fellow hero get back to the base.
Grian couldn't help but think his abilities were wasted.
But well, at least now he knew Scar's patrol by heart. How he always started from the town hall and finished near the library. How he would always be extra careful when in highly populated areas. How his stupid smile never left his face.
Honestly, if it hadn't been for that smile, he would've probably left thirty times already. At least.
He stifled a yawn, routine slowly making its way in that weird dynamic. He was almost sure Scar was expecting him to move soon, as it was unlikely for him to go around so long without any sort of activity as small as it was. It was pretty funny to see Scar so on edge. And Grian refused to think about the part of him that was getting way too much satisfaction out of the attention he was getting. Stupid bird brain.
He just had the time to jump behind a small wall when three people appeared around Scar, seemingly hidden by an illusion power. Three, but what was telling Grian more weren't hiding in plain sight ? He needed to wait.
"Well, hello there !" It was subtle, how Scar moved his legs to gain more stability. How he flexed his arms and started to activate his super strength. How his smile didn't reach all the way to his green eyes. "What can I do to help you, gentlemen ?"
"Well, you can certainly follow us. We need a little… help you can give us." The first person spoke, light on their feet and ready to bounce on Scar at any given occasion. A predator.
"Ah, I'm afraid that would be impossible. But you can always go to the Hero association, if you really need to."
It happened fast. Someone jumped. Scar hit. The person flew. Another striked. Grian had troubles understanding what exactly happened, but soon enough it became obvious. Even with his super strength, Scar was struggling. More people appeared, and even for someone like the hero, it was difficult to take care of.
It happened faster, when Grian jumped at his friend's help. When he punched someone in the face. When his cheek started to burn. When he ended up back to back with Scar. When he punched, and kicked and bit. When the villains finally disappeared. When Scar laughed.
When Scar passed out.
~
Well fuck.
Whatever Grian did, he was losing. He currently had a hero on his bed - his nemesis nonetheless - passed out and injuries patched up. And Scar wasn't an idiot and was going to understand as soon as he woke up where he was and who Grian was, no matter what he did.
His normalcy was gone.
Weirdly enough, as much as it scared him it made him feel… calm. Being able to be honest with Scar… wasn't that a good thing ? Even, if that meant losing their friendship, wasn't honesty more important ?
He wishes he wasn't the one having to patch up Scar. That he wasn't the one seeing how peaceful he looked, simply sleeping on his couch, his arms and chest full of bandages. Those guys… weren't planning on letting Scar go. Even if that meant badly injuring him.
Grian put his hand on Scar's. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do. What he's supposed to say. What's gonna happen. He just hopes that Scar will not hâte him.
He awakens to someone moving on his right. The warmth under his hand disappeared, and he can hear someone try to stifle a whimper. He open his eyes.
His house is the same. Except for the man looking like a deer caught in the headlights on his side, green eyes so big he's almost sure they're going to pop out of their socket any time.
"Hey." He groans, expecting the worse.
"... Hello." Scar knows. He knows, it's so obvious in the slight panic only betrayed by eyes. "Citizen ! Did you, erm, ahah wow, I am so sorry for-"
"Scar." It shuts him up, the panic never fading. "You can drop the act."
Scar waits. One second. Two. And then the mask is off. Then it's just two men facing each other.
"I'm sorry you learned this way."
"I'm sorry you learned this way. I… dont think you're dumb enough not to get it now."
"That you're…?" He doesn't need to end his sentence. "Sorry. I, I should've talked to you about it."
"No, no, it's fine." It's not like Grian didn't know why. Why Scar would keep his identity as a hero secret. Why he wouldn't tell his friend. "I get it. I should've told you sooner too. Not when you're… You know."
"Well, erm, i guess that makes us even then !"
"How are you so calm about learning I'm, like, your nemesis ?" Scar was an enigma, no doubts about this. But even for him, it's was weird.
And what was even weirder was complete silence.
"Scar."
"Okay so, I didn't learn it right now, more like a few months ago when you crashed at my place ? I wasn't sure so I waited a bit but then I was sure and how was I supposed to tell you that ?! I, I just decided to ignore it because I really value our friendship but also our rivalry and-"
"Okay, okay, stop the word vomit please. What do you mean 'when I crashed at your place' !? This long ?"
"Well, erm, i noticed the scars and…"
"... Oh my god." Grian really was an idiot, wasn't he ? He put his face in his hands, desperately trying to hide the growing blush on his face, only leaving Scar confused on his couch. "Wait so, that whole 'my friend is worried' thing ?!"
"I mean, I was worried…" Well, he at least had the decency to look a little ashamed. "But why my place, exactly ?"
"Because I know you and I trust you. And you were the closest to where I was and… erm, I kinda knew you were, y'know…"
"You knew ?!"
"Listen, not my fault you took off your mask without looking if anyone was near !"
They stayed in silence a bit, before finally laughter exploded from Scar's chest. What idiots they were, really. All this time only for both to know who the other was…
"Oh my god." He let himself fall back down on the couch, giggles filling the air "We, we really did that uh."
"We did." Grian laughed, sitting next to Scar. "To think I thought I could lose your friendship…"
"Grian, I would never stop being your Friend over work ! And, erm, I do like having a nemesis…"
The blush Scar sported made it sound like it was something else. More than a simple nemesis. Grian didn't push, though. He had the time for relationship talk another day, right ?
Now, what was important was to take care of his friend a little more.