The Rise Of CuteGuy

Mess

Mumbo's POV

Walking into work the next day, I went through the usual security checks at the Heroes Association. The process had become so routine that I barely registered it, my mind more focused on the coffee in my hand and the to-do list waiting for me in my office.

Hot Guy and Cute Guy had gone upstairs, off to do whatever chaotic nonsense they usually got up to. As long as they weren’t actively messing with me, I figured I’d take the win.

But when I finally reached my office and pushed the door open, I froze.

The place was a disaster.

Papers were scattered across the floor, my chair was tipped over, and one of my filing cabinets was slightly ajar. Some of my blueprints—ones I distinctly remembered locking away—were sprawled out across my desk, haphazardly shuffled as if someone had been in a hurry to go through them.

I stood in the doorway, blinking in confusion.

Not again.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last. No matter how many security measures I put in place, something—or someone—always seemed to slip through the cracks.

A chill ran down my spine as I stepped inside, carefully surveying the mess.

"Alright… this is getting ridiculous," I muttered under my breath, setting my coffee down on the least chaotic surface I could find.

I checked the lock on my drawers. Still intact. My computer? No forced entry. Nothing valuable seemed to be missing, but everything was… disturbed.

It was almost like someone had been looking for something.

And that unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

I crouched down, gathering some of the fallen papers, trying to make sense of the mess. Who was doing this? And more importantly—why?

As I reached for one of the blueprints on my desk, I noticed something odd. A single feather.

I picked it up carefully, turning it over between my fingers.

It wasn’t CG’s. His feathers were slightly darker, more textured. This one was different—sleek, unfamiliar, and glowing faintly with a bioluminescent red hue.

I turned it over in my hands, watching how the dim glow pulsed ever so slightly, as if alive. Whoever left this behind was weak… or drained. That alone was unsettling, but what confused me even more was its presence in my office at all.

There was no way in without going through all the security checkpoints. No way out without triggering the alarm—unless it was me. And I definitely wasn’t leaving glowing red feathers behind.

I frowned, holding the feather up to the light. Most bioluminescent things I knew of had a blue or green tinge. Red was rare. Red was… unnatural.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. There were no signs of forced entry. No broken vents, no disabled cameras. The system should have caught anything out of the ordinary. Unless… they weren’t considered unauthorized.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

Someone had been in here. Someone with wings. Someone who shouldn’t have been able to get in, but did anyway.

I exhaled sharply, gripping the feather just a little tighter.

I needed answers.

And I had a feeling CG and HG were about to be very interested in what I just found.