Chapter Text
The night air rushed around Grian as he soared over the city. His eyes were constantly scanning the dim streets below, searching for anything that might’ve been out of place. His visor whirred softly as it artificially brightened the dark details.
There wasn’t much below him. It was too late for anybody to be out, especially with how dangerous the area could get at night. There also weren’t as many mobs as he would expect. For how late it was at night, it seemed almost too silent in the streets.
That could just be his paranoia talking, however, as Grian spotted a zombie beneath him, limping along under the streetlight. He pulled his wings in close, diving down quickly to the streets. He pulled out his dagger as he landed, stabbing it quickly into the zombie’s flesh. As the mob dissolved into dust, he heard a noise from behind him.
He barely had time to dodge as an arrow flew over his shoulder. He spun around, facing the two skeletons that were slowly slinking from a nearby alleyway. Grian cursed under his breath, tucking his knives into their respective holsters. He switched to his heart shaped crossbow, flying up to give the skeletons a disadvantage. He shot one of the skeletons, not waiting as it disintegrated.
The second skeleton tried to get a shot on him while he reloaded the crossbow. He ducked down below the arrow. When he raised the crossbow to aim at the skeleton, he realised that it was gone. Now, a pile of dust and an unfamiliar arrow sat in its place.
Grian glanced around, certain that there had been nobody else in the area. He approached hesitantly, grabbing the new arrow from the dust. Its fletchings were orange and blue, not a pattern that he recognized off of the top of his head. It was probably just a new kid trying out the vigilante gig.
He sighed. He didn’t have the mental energy for this, and he had work in the morning. He slid the arrow into his own quiver, standing up as he did so. Grian shot up into the night sky, heading towards his bed.
The subway car rattled quietly around Grian as he fought the urge to sleep. There was only one other person on the train with him. Even though they seemed to be just a college kid, Grian kept all of his belongings close to himself. Anything could happen on the way out of the lower area of the city.
Music played softly in Grian’s ears as the subway rolled slowly to a stop. The PA system blared far too loud for the early hour of the day.
“Station stop at Boatem, stop at Boatem. Please stand clear of the moving doors.”
Grian pulled himself up slowly to his feet, moving his way towards the exit as the subway slowed to a stop. He stepped out into the station terminal. It was much nicer in comparison to the one he had entered the train on. The Boatem stop lacked the graffiti, grime, and garbage that he was used to.
Instead, it boasted nice shiny tiles and cool fluorescent lights that actually worked more than half the time. He walked carefully up the stairs and ascended into the chilly fall air. Grian pulled his coat around himself tighter, hoping the fraying threads would keep him warm.
It was still dark out, just barely dawn. A few stars were hardly visible against the early morning lights of the city. The roads glistened slightly from the drizzle that had kept the citizens of Hermittopia company throughout the night. Grian exhaled softly, and watched the small cloud of condensation fill the space in front of him.
His feet traced the familiar path to his job. He would be the only one working this morning, Lizzie and Jimmy wouldn’t be coming in until later. Until then, it was all up to him to hold down fort. Grian stopped in front of the cozy coffee shop.
Meri’s Cafe
The name was quite simple, in Grian’s opinion. Supposedly, the shop was named after Lizzie’s dog. His keys rattled in the near silence of the city. It always unnerved him slightly, how somewhere that was usually so loud could be so silent. He ignored the feeling, instead choosing to push the door of the cafe open. He couldn’t be bothered to flip the lights on, allowing his sight to adjust to the darkness.
Grian set off preparing the cafe for the day. He turned on the various machinery that he would need for the morning rush, as well as setting Lizzie’s pastries into the display case. It was nearly 7:00 when Grian switched the sign on the door to ‘open’.
His choice of music played softly over the shop speakers, keeping him company until customers started arriving. He also turned on the small TV to play one of the Upper City news stations. It was very rare that they had news relating to the area that Grian was in, but he always figured that weather and transit information might be important to some of the customers. As an added bonus, it also gave him some visual stimulus for when he got bored during his shift.
It didn’t take that long for the cafe’s earliest patrons to start showing up. There were only two people that came in this early, and Grian knew that he would have ample time to make their coffees. He carefully poured the coffee grounds into the portafilter, tamping it with precision. While the espresso started to pour, he started the process with the milk. He poured it into the pitcher, before frothing it with the steamer.
He pulled the espresso cup from the machine, setting it on the empty countertop space. He masterfully poured the milk into the espresso, creating a cute heart on top with the steamed milk.
Grian repeated this process again for the second customer, setting both lattes onto the counter when he finished. They both accepted their drinks gratefully before heading back to the booth where they were finishing up some classwork before school.
Grian took his time cleaning the countertop and the coffee machine. There really wasn’t a lot to do right at the start of the day, and that fact was kind of soul crushing.
A few more customers trickled in and out of the cafe over the next two hours. None of the interactions really stuck out to Grian, just the same basic statements over and over again. Nothing really happened until 9, when the morning rush started.
Grian started rushing, working on multiple coffees at a time and bagging pastries when espresso was pouring. Their cafe was small, and didn’t attract that many people, but it was still a lot for one person to handle.
He was so caught up in the rush that he hadn’t noticed that the conversation that permeated the cafe had died down. At least, he didn’t notice until he realised the person he was trying to hand a coffee to was looking at the TV in confusion. In fact, almost everybody was looking at the TV. He glanced at it, seeing a photo of one of the Hermit Heroes.
Grian reached for the remote, raising the volume.
”—new information released from the Hermittopia Bureau of Defense reveals that one of our Hermit Heroes has been assigned to patrol the lower Hermittopia area. Hotguy will be assigned to this area for the foreseeable future. Every—“
Grian turned the volume back down. The cafe started to buzz with chatter about the news story they had just seen. He wasn’t really paying attention, his head was filled with his own thoughts.
When was the last time the lower area even had an actual hero assigned to it?
Not for a long time. It's the main reason why vigilantes were prevalent in that area. For how large the lower city was, it was severely lacking in heroic protection.
Grian turned his head to see Lizzie standing in the corner. She must have entered while the news story was still playing.
Lizzie was a 5’3” cat hybrid that owned the cafe. Her eyes were large, with feline-like pupils in the center. She had cat ears (that she dyed to match her hair colour, which was currently pink). She also had a tail that was not typically dyed, instead it stayed its natural calico pattern. Her outfits reminded Grian of something that an anime sailor might wear.
Grian called out to her. “Why would they assign a hero to that area?” He tried his best to mask the anxiety that threatened to penetrate his voice.
She looked over at him, and he was sure she read through his facade.
“I’m not sure. I wouldn’t fret about it too much.”
”But-“
She cut him off with a look. “There isn’t anything that we can do about it. He’s just some hero, we shouldn’t worry about him too much.”
Grian huffed. “Yeah, I know. I just…”
The bell above the door cut off his train of thought. He called out in greeting on reflex.
Lizzie passed him, heading to the kitchen in the back. “We’ll be fine. Stay focused on your work for now.”
It was around 1 PM when Grian’s other coworker finally arrived. The small bell above the shop door chimed as Jimmy entered the building. His blonde hair sat messily, framing his face. He had small yellow feathers around his eyes. From a glance, it wouldn’t be obvious whether he was an actual hybrid or a hybrid descendant. However, Grian was one of few who knew about the small yellow avian wings that Jimmy had hidden under his shirt.
Jimmy walked behind the counter, giving Grian a small wave.
”Hey Grian! How’s it going?”
Grian huffed as he handed away another coffee. “Not bad, I’m just ready to go home.”
Jimmy hummed as he grabbed one of the empty cups. “Yeah, I feel you. I don’t envy that you had to do the morning rush alone.”
”Its not so bad when you get used to it.”
”Whatever you say man.”
They worked in silence together for a few moments, finishing up the last few orders from the lunch stragglers. When they finally finished up, Jimmy clapped Grian on his shoulder.
“There you go G, officially tagged out. It's time for the big man to take over this.”
Grian rolled his eyes slightly, yet he still felt the grin that tugged at his cheeks.
“Whatever you say Timmy,” he ignored the indignant squawk that came from the other man. “Just say that you want me gone.”
Jimmy called after him as he was walking away. “I don’t want you gone! Swear it!”
Grian smiled as he worked his way to the back hall of the cafe. He grabbed his jacket and backpack from the small employee storage area, putting on both of them.
Lizzie looked up from where she was preparing pastries. “Grian! Wait a second.”
He turned to face her, watching as she dusted off her hands.
“I need you to try this new cookie recipe real quick before you leave. I can’t tell if it’s good or if I’m just gaslighting myself into liking it.”
Grian perked up at the promise of cookies.
“What flavour is it?”
“It’s supposed to be pumpkin spice, but I’m not sure it actually tastes like that.”
She handed him a cookie from one of the trays on the counter. It was still warm and gooey, having obviously come out of the oven recently. Grian took a large bite of it, humming contently.
”I mean it doesn’t taste like pumpkin spice, but it’s still really good. If you made it a gooey butter cookie instead, you could probably call it a pumpkin pie cookie.”
Lizzie’s eyes lit up. “Grian have I ever told you how much of a genius you are.”
Grian laughed at her as he slid his headphones over his ears. “Careful, don’t let Joel hear you say that. He might get jealous that someone has more brain cells than him.”
wishing him goodbye as he stepped out the side exit. He paused, setting up his playlist before starting the walk back to the station.
It was more alive outside than it had been that morning. There were some cars dashing around the city streets, but most of the people of the city could be seen walking around. The air was warmer, but the promise of winter was still haunting the air.
The station itself was more alive with people than it had been earlier in the morning. He hugged his bag tight to his chest as he found an empty seat in the subway. It was a little bit of a longer journey into lower Hermittopia.
Eventually, Grian arrived back home to his rundown apartment. It was a small space, a tiny two bedroom that he split with a roommate. The kitchenette was on the right when you walked in, sharing the space with a dingy couch and a tiny TV. On the left there was a small, inset alcove with three doors. The two doors across from each other led to his and Mumbo’s rooms respectively. The middle door was the shared bathroom.
Grian set his stuff down in his room, groaning as his back ached from standing for so long. He pulled off his shirt, snapping his wings open as he did. They made a soft crunch noise as they exited from the twin scars on his back, but no pain accompanied the sound.
He carefully stretched out the wings, staying mindful of the limited space in his room. Grian grabbed a shirt that he had altered to be backless. The opening was big enough to fit his wings through without leaving too much of his skin exposed.
Grian’s cat-- Maui-- sauntered through the doorway as Grian was changing. He hopped onto the bed and curled up almost instantly. The sight left a smile on Grian’s face.
Exhaustion overtook Grian. He was still lacking sleep from when he went patrolling last night. He decided that Maui had the correct idea, and that a nap was in order.
Grian curled up on top of his bed, settling into the piles of blankets that loosely resembled a nest. He felt a small furry weight crawl onto his chest. He unconsciously put a hand on Maui to pet him as they both started falling asleep.
His sleep did not come without dreams. It was the same dream that he had had several times before.
He was in an alleyway that seemed to stretch on forever. There was a light at the end, a promise of safety, if only he could reach it. His feet pounded on the pavement and his breath caught in his lungs. There was something behind him, getting closer and closer. No matter how fast Grian ran, he could not escape this being.
His vision swam slightly as the light continued to elude him. His running slowed in pace no matter how hard he fought against the exhaustion. He tried as hard as he could, but a stray piece of trash found its way under his foot and he fell, prone to the creature behind him. He knew that he had failed
A grab of his shoulder had him awakening with a start. He launched upwards, almost knocking heads with his assailant.
“Jeez dude,” A very familiar mustached face looked down at Grian with shock, before morphing into concern. “You good?”
Grian sighed, shaking off the lurking feeling of unease from his dreams.
“Sorry Mumbo, rough dreams.”
Mumbo hummed in understanding. He looked a bit messier than he usually did. His hair was sticking out in some spots. His suit jacket was already fully off, and the tops two buttons of his undershirt were already undone. The red tie that he had been wearing laid loosely against his chest.
Grian paused, as he processed Mumbo’s current existence. “Wait, what time is it?”
“It’s like, 8:30 mate. I figured you wanted me to wake you.”
Grian groaned, throwing his head back onto the bed. He had missed dinner, and he wouldn’t have time to eat before he had to head out.
“Remind me to never do this many weekly patrols again.”
Grian flew around the rooftops on his final patrol of the week. His body felt exhausted, but he knew that the weekend patrol would be less active than this. He just had to make it through the few hours that he was out here tonight.
He could feel the wind rush around him as his eyes scanned the street. It was eerily quiet, like how it had been the night before. It didn’t feel right. Lower mob rates for one night wasn’t unheard of. Two nights in a row however? Grian had never had a series of days like this. Something about it rubbed him the wrong way.
He thought back to the foreign arrow that sat within his quiver. He wondered if it was actually a new vigilante, or if it had something to do with the new hero that was supposed to be lurking around this area.
A hiss pulled him from his train of thought. He looked down to see a young woman behind her car, attempting to hide from the creeper that was slowly approaching her car. Grian dived down, grabbing his twin daggers as he fell.
He landed directly behind the creeper, slashing its leafy back to grab its attention. Grian retreated as the creeper turned. Its hollow eyes watched him.
He took a deep breath, holding up his dagger as he slowly backed away. He hoped that he might be able to pull the creeper far enough away from the civilian, just in case he accidentally blew it up while trying to dispose of it.
Once he was at a distance that he deemed safe, he threw one of his daggers at the creeper. His aim was for its heart. He watched as the dagger landed a few inches to the left of the target.
The dagger seemed to piss off the creeper. It hissed angrily and started approaching Grian with a new speed. He scrambled backwards to avoid it, holding up his other dagger. Before he had a chance to throw it, an arrow pierced the creeper.
The arrow faced Grian, meaning that the arrow had been fired from behind him. The fletchings matched the intruder arrow that sat in his quiver. Two blue fletchings, with one orange one. He didn’t turn to face who he feared was behind him. Instead he began to rush to the car where the woman was.
“Hey! Wait!”
The cry came from behind him, with hurried footsteps to match. He didn’t really care if he was honest, his highest priority at the moment was making sure that people were ok. He approached the car cautiously.
“Ma’am? Are you ok?” His voice was gentle, like one might use to settle a scared child.
He peeked around the corner as she rose unsteadily. Her face had tried tear tracks running down it.
“I thought that I was going to die,” she took two shaky steps towards him, collapsing into his arms. “I thought that nobody was going to find me until morning.”
He heard footsteps behind him, but he ignored them. “It’s ok. You’re ok. Would you like to call somebody?”
She sniffed, stepping back and wiping her eyes. “No, thank you. I live right here. I was just… I was so scared.”
“Don’t worry, it’s ok to be scared. If I were you, I would try harder to avoid being out at this time if I could. It can get dangerous quickly.”
She nodded, thanking him again before scurrying inside. Grian heard shuffling from behind him and he sighed, mentally preparing himself before he turned around.
It was Hotguy-- the new hero. His outfit was mainly all black, with blue and orange accents that matched his visor. He had messy brown hair, pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. The hero wore a sheepish smile.
”Apologies for yelling after you. I wasn’t uh,” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I wasn’t aware that there was a civilian in the area.”
Grian scoffed. “I assume you wouldn’t know much about this area, considering how little you heroes are down here.”
Hotguy didn’t seem surprised at the hostility, all he did was smile. “Well then I guess it's time for change. A new era, one might say.”
”Sure, whatever,” Grian rolled his eyes, stretching out his wings to get ready to take off. A hand grabbed his arm before he was able to.
“Wait! I have a question for you.”
Grian glared at him. “What.”
The hero paused dramatically. ”Is your name actually Cuteguy?”
The vigilante groaned, wings drooping in exasperation.
When he had first become a vigilante, he had chosen a name himself. However, most civilians chose to give him a nickname. They started calling him Cuteguy, like their own personal version of Hotguy. He found the nickname somewhat endearing, glad that people felt that he was even comparable to an actual hero.
Right now, however, he wished that he could melt into the ground. He had hoped that the hero wouldn’t know about the name that the lower city people had given him.
“No. That’s stupid. It's Xelqua.”
The hero blinked at him. “Zel-quia?” The name sounded foreign off his tongue.
“Xel-qua”
“Zelda?”
“Now you’re just purposely trying to mispronounce it.”
The hero hummed, pondering for a moment. “I think that Cuteguy is funnier. It’s like we match!”
”Absolutely not.”
The hero shrugged. “Whatever you say… Cuteguy.”
He reached into his belt, pulling out something. Grian recognized it almost immediately. They were handcuffs, the power inhibiting kind. His brain worked quickly as Hotguy took two quick steps towards him. Grian shot up into the air, landing on a streetlight that was nearby.
“Look hero. This has been my home and my area to protect since forever, since your precious little Defense Bureau is too busy to care about us,” his wings spread out to appear more intimidating. “Tell your bosses to withdraw you and leave us alone. There is no reason to take the only people protecting this area away from those that need them.”
Hotguy had an easy smile on his face, the handcuffs still dangling from his hands. “Darn, I was hoping that you would be easier to grab than that.”
Grian scoffed, before reaching into his quiver. He withdrew Hotguy’s arrow that he had picked up the other night. He turned it in his hand for a few moments before tossing it down. “You dropped this, by the way.”
He left his perch before Hotguy could respond. Grian watched Hotguy’s figure grow smaller as he rose higher in the air, taking a looping path back home.
He couldn’t wait to go to sleep.