Chapter Text
This was it. This was his moment. The culmination of months of plotting had all come down to this.
Grian looked at the name again with a satisfied smile. Scar Timerman. That was the secret identity of Grian’s arch nemesis, his greatest enemy, the superhero known as “Do-Gooder”. He wouldn’t be doing good for much longer, though, after today.
Do-Gooder had shown up just after Grian’s first big crime, and he’d been a thorn in Grian’s side ever since. These days, it felt like every plan he made, every trap he set, Do-Gooder was always there to thwart it. But enough was enough. That was about to change.
After finding out Do-Gooder’s real name, it had been easy finding out where he worked. That was where Grian had decided he was going to confront him. Out in public, where Grian had all the power, because Scar couldn’t make a move against him without revealing who he was.
For this plan, Grian wasn’t wearing a mask. It was a risk, he knew, but it was a necessary one. It was important to his plan that he looked just like any other citizen when he went to stop his arch nemesis once and for all. For that same reason, Grian’s wings were tucked away inside of a loose sweater, and he wore a pair of tinted red sunglasses.
“Scar Timerman” worked at a small flower shop in the heart of the city, squished between a hair salon and a little cafe. The flower shop’s windows burst with green and life, and the sign above the door read in bubbled letters “Magnolia Mountain”. Grian begrudgingly admitted to himself, in his own head, that it was a cute building. It also seemed like exactly the type of place where a superhero like Do-Gooder would work.
Grian took a deep breath, going over the facts of the plan in his head. He was going to go in there, play it normally until he had a good scope of the situation, find Scar, and then, then the fun began. As soon as Do-Gooder realized who Grian was and what he knew, that was when Grian could tell him exactly how awful it would be if every villain in the city found out the great Do-Gooder’s secret identity.
Grian grinned, stepping forward to open the shop’s front door. Nothing like the promise of blackmail to strengthen a man’s resolve.
As soon as he stepped into the shop, he was greeted by the strong scent of flowers all around. Roses, lilies, orchids, daffodils, tulips, and geraniums enveloped him in a world of bright colors and mist, causing Grian to take a moment to reorient himself before continuing. He looked to either side to check for any sign of Do-Gooder, but found none. How did one tiny shop manage to fit so many plants?
Aha! Grian finally spotted a desk in the corner of the room and navigated closer, peaking through a bouquet to get a better look, when a voice spoke up behind him.
“I see you’re interested in our tiger lilies! Good choice, good choice.“
Grian let out a startled yelp, whirling around to face a man in a wheelchair with brown hair, tan skin, and a decidedly charming smile. Criss-crossing pink lines across his nose indicated an old wound, and his eyes were warm and brown. Grian looked to the name tag on the man’s button-up shirt (which was buttoned just a few buttons lower than Grian would’ve liked) and, sure enough, read the name “Scar”.
“It’s you.” Grian said, a little breathless.
“Hello there!” Scar said, oblivious to Grian’s expression. “Welcome to Magnolia Mountain! Sorry about the scare.” He let out a carefree laugh that Grian instantly recognized as Do-Gooder’s.
Grian cleared his throat, “Oh, no worries! I was just looking to maybe buy some flowers?” He said in his best Innocent Civilian impression.
Scar beamed, “Well, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got just about every kind of flower you can think of here. What exactly are you looking for on this fine day?”
“Well, um… nothing in particular, really, I guess, just sort of… browsing, I suppose.” Grian offered a smile.
He needed to figure out if there were any other people in the shop before he revealed who he was. For now, he’d keep up the act.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” Scar said. “Well, I can give you some recommendations, if you like?”
“Um, sure.” Grian responded, barely paying attention.
Scar wheeled ahead, Grian following him, as Scar pointed at several different flowers around them.
“These over here are marigolds, these are white orchids, very good for a more formal flower, we’ve got some wonderful red poppies over in this section, hey, those match your sweater! And over here…”
Grian let Scar’s voice fade into the background as he searched the room for any witnesses, occasionally nodding in feigned interest as Scar spoke. From what he’d seen so far, the shop looked to be clear. Just one more corner to check.
“…Are you buying these for yourself or for someone else?” Scar asked. He gave him a meaningful look, “A partner, perhaps?”
“Um, myself.” Grian said, looking around the last corner.
No one was there. Grian tried to hold back his excitement. It was time to make his next move.
“So, does that mean that you don’t have a partner at the moment, or..?” Scar asked.
Grian’s brain did a double-take, “Uh…what?”
“Oh, I was just, you know, wondering if you had anyone special at the moment.” Scar said. “Out of professional curiosity, of course.”
This was far off script, and Grian felt himself scrambling to get back on. There was no way, no way this could really be happening. Had his arch nemesis really just asked if he was single? Surely he’d misheard, right?
Scar laughed, “I’ll take your silence as a sign that I should tone down the nosiness. I can’t help it, though! I’m a curious guy!” He pointed at a bouquet to his left, “If you’re looking for something classic, you can never really go wrong with some roses. I’ll tell you what- if you buy one large bouquet of roses, I’ll throw in a second small bouquet for free, how about that?”
Grian, feeling that he had thoroughly lost his hold on the conversation, decided to cut to the chase.
“That won’t be necessary.” He said. “I’m afraid, Do-Gooder, that I’m not actually here to buy flowers at-“
“Oh, but it is necessary!” Scar interrupted. “Trust me, this is a deal you’re going to want to take. I don’t offer this sort of thing to just anyone!”
Grian let out a groan of frustration, “Are you even listening to me?”
Scar looked offended, “Well, of course I’m listening to you! Here at Magnolia Mountain, we value all our customers!”
“If you would listen, then you’d know that I’m not a customer-“
“Sure you are! You’re here, aren’t you? Might as well buy something.” Scar said.
“The reason that I’m here is to tell you that I know who you are!” Grian shouted.
Scar tilted his head, “Oh, really? Who’s that?”
“You’re-“
“Ooh, wait, don’t tell me! Am I the best flower salesman in the city?” Scar interjected, resting his chin in his hands.
“NO!” Grian shrieked. “You’re the superhero Do-Gooder and I’m your arch nemesis, The Watcher!”
Scar blinked at him, momentarily stunned, and Grian breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.
“Oh!” Scar said. “20% off discount, then?”
Grian felt a surge of frustration and rage so extreme that he couldn’t think for several seconds, as he let out a yell of pure anger. Then, like a switch had suddenly been flipped, his shoulders sagged.
“You know what, fine.” He said. “Fine, I’ll buy the stupid flowers. You win.”
“Wonderful!” Grian’s greatest enemy said with a smile. “What colors would you like, Watcher?”
Several minutes later, Grian exited Magnolia Mountain with an armful of roses. He blinked in the sunlight, then looked down at the flowers with a confused expression, like he wasn’t quite sure where they came from, before resigning himself to his fate and heading back to his lair.
Whatever. He’d try again tomorrow.