the feathers in our veins (scarian superhero au)

007. Venting with Serendipity

"You're a lifesaver! I didn't realize how much stuff I had until now," Scar chuckled, shaking his head in amused disbelief as he struggled to shove colorful posters and various decorations into a box.

Scar's classroom, usually a riot of color and creativity, looked somewhat bare now as the decorations came down. Grian had offered some assistance in helping take down decorations in Scars classroom since some were out of his reach deeming the wheelchair.

And it was the least he could offer after ignoring his and Mumbo's messages.

Grian, standing on a chair a few feet away to reach the higher decorations, carefully removed a string of paper stars. "It's no problem, Scar," he replied with a smile. "Happy to help."

The brunette was known for redecorating his room every month, tailoring it to the current holiday or season. He believed that a more colorful environment created a better atmosphere in general.

Scar maneuvered his wheelchair to another corner of the room, gathering posters and small trinkets. "I honestly didn't realize how much I had," he adds, his tone a mix of amusement and exhaustion.

Grian only smiled softly, stepping down from the chair with a handful of decorations. "I guess it's easy to lose track. Your room is always the most colorful one in the school." his voice was gentle and calm, yet not a lot of energy was shown.

And of course Scar noticed the faint emptiness in his tone, but just as everyone else had, he chose not to comment. Grian had a valid reason for it, I mean hell his brother was missing. The only thing Scar and everybody else hated was that Grian consistently rejected or denied any concern when asked if he was alright.

"Thanks," Scar said, "No offense toward you or anybody else but I think a more colorful setting is better than just white walls."

"Yeah you're right, I just don't have the time or motivation to decorate." Grian agreed, packing the decorations into a box. "The students love it though, I've heard them talking about it."

Scar's face lit up at that comment, but he quickly turned away, attempting to hide his beaming expression. However, Grian still noticed the small smile and the brief moment Scar took to savor that. "Thanks." Scar eventually mumbles.

They continued working in comfortable silence for a few minutes after that, the only sounds being the rustling of paper and the occasional tear of tape. Grian found himself glancing at Scar now and then, appreciating his dedication and the warmth in his eyes amongst his circumstances.

As they finished packing up the last boxes, Scar pointed to a pile. "Can you take these one to the car? I'll grab what I can and follow you out."

Grian nods, and lifts a couple of boxes at once heading toward the door. They loaded the boxes into Scar's car once outside, the trunk filling up quickly. "Thanks again, Grian. You really saved me a lot of time."

"No problem," Grian replied, feeling a bit awkward as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He glanced at Scar, who was looking at him with a furrowed expression. Like he had something to say but couldn't quite find the correct words.

"I hate to ask, but has there been any progress with Jimmy? You haven't really responded to my messages..." Scar finally inquires, his voice heavy with unease. His eyes search Grian's face, hoping for some hint of good news.

Grian breathes before responding, the weight of the situation evident in his expression. "Not really, no," he confesses. "As far as anybody is aware Jimmy didn't have any enemies. They went through his arrest records to make sure nobody he had ever arrested would want revenge or anything like that, but that was all cleared. It's just so unlike him to just vanish. I really think someone took him or he's already.. yeah.."