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"Scar, explain to me what this is."
Grian practically shoved the flyer in his face. Scar had to move a little back to see any part beyond the pinks and hearts. He knew what Grian was referring to and expected a reaction from him, but it was still slightly surprising. He laughed, giving Grian a small shrug in response.
"I think it's pretty obvious what it is."
"No, Scar, you must explain it to me."
"Hey, no using real names when we're all geared up, Cuteguy." Scar gestured between the two of them. Grian rolled his eyes but nodded to show he understood. "Some higher-ups around the city asked me. They thought it'd be good publicity for me and a chance to raise money for charities simultaneously." Scar fixed Grian with a smirk. "Why? Feeling jealous, I agreed to go on a date with a stranger?"
"Of course not!" Grian huffed, crossing his arms. Scar found it adorable, laughing again at his sour expression. "I just don't think it's a smart idea. What if one of your enemies uses this as a chance to get close to you? Or kidnap the winner?"
"If my enemies want my attention that badly, I'm happy to take them on a date. They won, after all? Think of the dedication. Oh, it just makes me swoon," Scar replied, dramatically sighing and leaning into Grian. Grian pushed him away, his face turning several shades of pink. "I am sure it'll be fine. I am not expecting that much out of it. You know I don't date civilians."
"Then why agree to it?"
"Because I love attention," Scar replied easily. Grian rolled his eyes. "Also, it is raising money for charities around the city, like I said. If I can use my fame and charisma to help orphans and people who had their homes destroyed, people who need financial help, and whatever else by selling myself, then I will."
He meant it. Scar might be a little egotistical and not always that serious, but he cared about the people of Hermitopia. He wouldn't be a superhero if he didn't. The perks attention and admiration that came with the job were very nice, but knowing he was helping and saving people was the driving force behind it. He knew that Grian felt the same way, too, so he deflated, rolling up the flyer and tucking it away.
"Don't call it that. You technically offer yourself to the winner, but it rubs me the wrong way."
"It's because you're jealous."
"I am not jealous, Scar! I don't need to win a fancy competition to spend time with you."
"Awww, do you see our patrols and crimefighting as dates?"
Grian scowled, pointing his gun right at Scar. Scar raised his arms in surrender, but he was still laughing. Grian didn't say another word before moving to head out. Scar smirked, feeling like he had won that fight, and followed. There was a job to be done.
Twang. Thwack.
Grian loudly shouted as the arrow flew through the air and landed on the target's outer edge.
Twang. Thwack.
Again, the arrow flew and missed the mark. At least by now, he was hitting the target and not missing completely.
Twang. Thwack.
Twang. Thwack.
Grian uttered an anguished cry of defeat, nearly tossing the bow onto the ground. Sure, hitting the target was progress, but he was nowhere near the center after two hours of attempts. It felt ridiculous! Grian was an excellent marksman with his guns. No one would ever deny that. Grian had no problems hitting his targets even ungeared and with normal guns. He had to stop going to the shooting range because he was too good at it. If people connected the talented and skilled gunner there with Cuteguy, who had never missed his mark in combat, that would not end well.
And yet, with a bow, Grian was failing completely. He knew that shooting a gun and a bow weren't exactly the same. He thought that having excellent aim with a gun would translate enough that he'd at least be moderately skilled at this, but missing the first several times he tried? It felt unfair.
Grian nearly threw the bow down before feeling someone touch his shoulders from behind and a quiet, "Hey." Grian moved to strike the person with his elbow, but whoever it was caught him instead.
"Whoa! You attack anyone?"
Grian spun around to see the person he wanted to see the least right now. Scar. His friend was standing there, looking amused as he often did but a little startled as well.
"Of course not. I attack people who touch me without permission, though."
"Fine, fine. I didn't mean to take you by surprise. I didn't realize how focused you were on.... archery?" Grian grimaced at the eyebrow cock and a smug look on Scar's face. No, this was not what he wanted. It would ruin everything if he caught on too soon. "Learning some archery in the middle of the night, are we?"
"It's only like ten right now."
"No one practices at ten at night."
"No. Most people don't. I'm not most people."
"Is it because you're so ashamed of your skills," Scar commented, glancing at the arrows around the outer rim of the target and several still in the ground. Then that smug look came back, and Grian felt himself sweating. "Or are you learning in secret? I wonder what's happening soon that involves archery?"
"I'm... ashamed. You're right. I don't want anyone to see how bad I am at this. I shouldn't be bad. I can shoot a gun easily, but this?!" Grian lets out a sigh, trying not to feel grumpy still. "I just wanted to learn to expand my repertoire. What if you get knocked down, and I lose my gun, and I have to use your bow and arrows or something else." A good lie. Because honestly, it could be true, too. "I'm moving on to throwing knives next."
"Uh-huh. Don't worry. I'm not going to judge you." Grian raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I won't judge you too badly. I admire the initiative. Good to be proactive about your fighting skills."
"I just can't do it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
Scar approached him, waiting for Grian to nod before touching him. Scar helped him get into position again, but different than how he had been doing it. Grian had attempted to copy what he had seen Scar do in the past, but this didn't feel quite right. He also tried incredibly hard not to focus on how Scar touched him, holding him and pressing against his back. He was so much taller, and Grian could feel his muscles, the strength of someone who had used a bow for years and years—the soft roughness of his hands. It was distracting.
"You're not doing it right. Shooting a bow requires a different form than a gun. It uses up more of your body. Stand like this. Now, pull the bow back and-" Grian let Scar guide him, feeling his fingers curl around his own. He felt like Scar could tell how hard his heart was racing, how he was getting a little nervous and sweaty, breathing harder than he needed to.
It was true. He was learning archery for the competition. Because he had a crush on Hotguy, he had a crush on Scars for years, even before they had teamed up. He never interfered with Scar while pursuing a romance, but this was different. He was offering himself to the winner of this competition. Which meant it could be any random stranger. Which meant it could be him. It was stupid and cliche, and Grian knew this could go wrong. He could put himself out there and lose. Scar could realize that he liked him, actually liked him, and then... Grian didn't want to think too hard about how Scar could break his heart. He already had been over them.
"Grian, are you paying attention? Now's not the time to be spacing out."
Grian started, nearly jumping out of Scar's grasp. He forced himself to focus and then, with help, let go and watch the arrow fly. And this time, well. It wasn't a bullseye, but it did land closer to the center.
"Oh! Look! I got closer!" Grian turned to face Scar as if he was going to hug him in celebration. Then he realized what he was about to do and stepped back, clearing his throat. Scar was smiling at him, looking only a tad disappointed. Grian pretended not to notice. "Thank you. That did help."
"I'm happy to stay for as long as you need. So that you can get better."
Grian weighed the pros and cons. Was getting personal lessons from Scar cheating? Would it reveal his plan? He worked with Scar, and if getting archery lessons was cheating, then everything else was, too. So why not?
"Alright. I'll take your help. For now. Just don't get too bossy."
"Scout's honor."
"You've never been a boys scout, Scar."
"Whatever. Just draw another arrow."
Grian slowly got better. He spent most of his time practicing in secret, making sure that Scar wouldn't suddenly appear to offer some help. His assistance had been a great boost to developing the required skills.
And now, today was the competition. One week before Valentine's Day. He had signed up for the competition as late as possible to ensure Scar had no idea. Grian had gotten dangerously close to the deadline, but here he was. He is ready to give it his all. For his love. Ugh. This was embarrassing, but it felt too late to change his plans.
He scanned his opponents to gauge who would give him the hardest time in winning. There was a wide variety of people in the waiting area. A lot of people wanted to win this date. While there was a minimum age requirement, there was no upper age limit. Grian looked at elderly people in the room, wondering if some could no longer handle a bow. But he was also nervous by a few of them. And they were just some of the long list of participants. Grian was sure he recognized a good number of them, too. Which meant they probably recognized him as well. Grian groaned.
But no, it was worth it. As long as he won, this would all be worth it. He could handle any teasing, especially from Scar. Once he found out Grian was here, he'd never hear the end of it. It would be easier to tolerate if he could kiss Scar to shut him up.
Dodging several of his friends, he made his way to the main arena. He was far down on the list, so he had time to mill about, which meant hiding from everyone. There was also a practice room around here, but Grian saw people he knew there. So he just had to trust all of the practice and training he got. Thoughts of spiking his competitors with laxatives had been on his mind earlier, but he didn't want to play dirty. If Grian were going to win this, it would be fair. Or, at least, he'd be fair about it.
Time passed, and the excitement of the competition became clear throughout the day as people did their best to win a date with the city's premiere superhero, Hotguy. Scar was standing up by the mayor, watching the competitors. Grian was certain that his presence made many of them nervous or unfocused, which was great. This meant fewer people were doing their best. He could tell Scar was flirting with the competitors, winking and calling out to them. Was he purposefully flustering people? It was difficult to say. Grian knew Scar well. He was naturally a flirty person, but he was also a conniving person, and intentionally flustering people he didn't want to win wouldn't be beneath him. It felt unfair, but honestly, Grian had considered cheating, so who was he to judge? The money went to charity anyway, and everyone paid upfront. So if Scar wanted to be picky, well, Grian wasn't going to stop him. No one, it seemed, was going to stop him. Not even those losing. Being flirted with by Hotguy was its victory.
And then it was his turn. He heard the announcer call out his name and number. He watched the expressions of his friends and acquaintances as he moved. He did not look at Scar or give him the time of day.
"Grian," he heard him call, his tone thrilled. Grian internally groaned, almost regretting this. Almost. He looked quickly up to the stands and caught Scar's eyes. He was beaming at him. It made his heart skip a beat, and his face heat up. Scar looked so happy to see him here. If he weren't careful, he would end up like all the others who got too worked up to perform well.
Grian drew back his bow, and then the arrow flew. The crowd watched as it landed. Bullseye. Alright. One down. Grian shot again four more times. He managed to hit a bullseye each time. And now it was down to the final shot. Grian drew his bow like before, and then -
"All that's practice has paid off, hasn't it?"
Grian fumbled, the arrow flying. He knew before it landed that it would not make it. Grian, and probably everyone else, watched as it struck just a little to the left. Grian's eyes went wide as the announcer spoke aloud his points. He wasn't going to win. He wasn't going to win. Had Scar done that intentionally? Was he wrong about the look Scar had been giving him and how he smiled at him? Was Grian not good enough to win the date? Grian's mind spun, tossing the bow onto the ground and running out. If he cried, he refused to tell anyone about it.
He messed up.
Scar knew how he felt, and this was his rejection.
"I think you've killed that guy enough."
Grian did not turn to face the voice as he continued to shoot his gun at one of the targets. A flyer had been placed where the head would be, destroyed by the numerous bullets that riddled it. Grian gripped his gun tighter.
"Go away. Don't you have a date to get to?"
"Oh, I already did. Can you believe that -"
"I don't want to hear how it went. Go away, Scar."
"Cuteguy."
"Ugh. Go away, Hotguy."
Grian heard footsteps drawing closer. He could see Scar stepping into his vision, looking fantastic as always. His made his blood boil. Did his date fawn over him? Did they compliment him about how flawless he looked? It was all a sham. Scar put effort into looking good. If Grian didn't devote the same amount of time to his appearance, he might judge Scar for wasting time on something that didn't technically matter. But appearance was important in the public eye as a hero, especially when your names were Hotguy and Cuteguy.
"Go away, or I'll shoot you too."
"Sure you won't miss."
Grian turned and nearly clocked him with the gun. But Scar grabbed him by the wrist, stopping it. He was close, so close. Grian hated it. Hated how he blushed at the sight of his face so close to his now, the smile on his face.
"It was fine. But I much prefer to spend my night with someone better."
"Well, you better go find them then."
"Cuteguy. I mean you, of course."
Grian scowled, wrenching his wrist out of Scar's grasp. "I have no time for your games. You made me lose out there!"
"You're right." Grian felt like his heart was breaking. He had assumed Scar had intentionally messed him up, but he never thought it would be true. Let alone that Scar would easily confess to it. Grian stepped back a few steps to escape Scar, not wanting him to see him so distressed, but Scar was not letting him go. He kept his eyes trained on like. "I didn't want our date to be the public's business. So I made sure that Grian Xelqua lost the competition."
"What?"
"I said I didn't want our date-"
"Are you stupid?!"
Grian tried to hit Scar again, his emotions flickering. He had no idea how he felt, but he knew one thing. Scar was a fucking asshole.
"You made me think you didn't want me, and now you're trying to." Grian stopped short, Scar's hand on his face now. His breath hitched. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair at all. Before either one of them could talk or think, Grian just grabbed Scar and pulled him into him, kissing him hard. It felt just as wonderful as he imagined it would. Then he shoved Scar away, who looked far too pleased with him.
"You owe me the best date. I swear to god, Scar."
"Whatever you want, Grian. I'm all yours." Scar pulled him back to kiss him again. Grian didn't push him away this time, greedily kissing him back. "I knew you wanted me. Glad to see you'd go through so much effort to win a date with me. You could have just asked, you know. I would have said yes."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
And so he did. Maybe he didn't win the competition but in the end. His arrow struck its target.
How wonderfully cliche.