Creation Of Cremations - Mumscarian Superhero AU

Chapter 13 - GRIAN!

Grian has never murdered anyone. But this isn't about Grian yet, despite what the title suggests...

Scar has never loved someone who truly loved him back. Even within his family, his relationship with his parents was one-sided. He yearned for them to recognise him or even treat him as human. If the constant hospital visits weren't enough to prove how little he meant to them. Those visits weren't even from his neuro-muscular condition, in which he had expectedly regular visits.

It truly felt like everyone was leaving Scar all at once. Grian. Mumbo. CuteGuy. Even Scott. That was the downside of a double life. Everything could be fine as one person but brewing tension with the other can be confusing.

At least Scar knew he could count on one person to even notice a stiffness in his posture.

"Hey, Scar!" Bdubs sat beside his brother. "Are you feeling okay?"

For a moment, Scar contemplated confiding in Bdubs, revealing the tangled web of emotions that coiled within his heart. But old habits and fear held him back, compelling him to don the mask of false happiness he had worn for so long.

"Oh, I am feeling wonderful, Bdubs." Scar smiled cheerfully. But you couldn't fool your family.

"Really?" Bdubs raised an eyebrow. "You went to the cupboard, didn't even go inside, then returned looking different. What's really going on?"

As silence lingered between them, Scar found himself caught in a battle between the fear of rejection and the hope of acceptance. The words hung on the tip of his tongue, his heart pounding with the weight of the truth.

"I...I don't know where to begin, Bdubs." Scar finally whispered with a quivering voice.

Scar couldn't tell Bdubs everything, of course. HotGuy had to remain a secret. By association, his feelings for CuteGuy did too. In the end, Scar told his brother very little...

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Scar's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the clock in his apartment nervously. The weight of anticipation hung heavy in the air, causing his anxiety to surge. It had been a while since Xisuma had last requested a meeting with the superheroes, and Scar had allowed himself to hope that perhaps the government was finally off their tail. Realistically, that hope seemed like nothing more than a fleeting fantasy.

Xisuma's cryptic message had arrived earlier that day, his tone as serious and sublimely threatening as always. He emphasised the importance of this gathering, revealing that the police chief himself would be in attendance. Scar's mind raced with a myriad of possibilities, none of them offering any solace. Especially the presence of the police chief. These meetings were exclusively between the mayor and the heroes, with no third parties.

As he glanced at the darkened cityscape through his window, Scar couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenarios. The council's obsession with controlling superheroes had led to unwanted compromises and threats towards them. If the threats and humiliation weren't so effective, Scar was sure CuteGuy would have bitten Xisuma's head off by now. Scar couldn't shake the fear that this meeting might mark the beginning of a renewed wave of persecution and suppression.

Scar's 'HotGuy' phone - a discreet and untraceable device reserved exclusively for superhero business - suddenly came to life with a jarring ring. Startled, he halted his restless thoughts and stared at the device in his hand. The screen displayed an unfamiliar number. With a resigned sigh, Scar reluctantly reached into his pocket and cautiously pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" He greeted tentatively, his voice laced with a mixture of weariness and apprehension.

"Hey, HotGuy. It's Zedaph." came the familiar voice of the energy CEO, cutting through the tension in the room.