Hot Damn, What a Cuteguy
“Mumby? Can you help me with the zipper?”
“Erm yes, I’m coming” he responds, before placing a kiss on Scar’s temple and standing up. He looks down in time to see Scar’s smile grow into something too innocent, too knowing. Squinting his eyes suspiciously, he drops his voice to a whisper. “What did you do, you silly man?”
or: Mumbo gets to be very gay about his partner in a superhero outfit
(read on AO3)
—————
It is a calm afternoon in their shared home. Mumbo is lounging on the couch, feet propped up on the nearby table as he glances down at Grian. His head rests on Mumbo’s legs, eyes shining behind round glasses as he excitedly talks about plans for a new project. To Mumbo, Grian’s voice always sounds like music. Today was no exception.
Grian’s melodic monologue fills the air and is conducted, as always, by his strong and gentle hands moving in time to his words. Mumbo basks in the tenor tones floating over him, as he looks out the window across Scarland and lets his mind wander.
This truly was the perfect spot for them to build a home. A cozy place nestled comfortably in one of the castle towers for the three of them to relax and just be together. A home that was theirs.
Mumbo looks down when Grian laughs. Their eyes meet and Mumbo smiles, moving to gently brush his hand through Grian’s hair. Everyday he is thankful that the beautiful man in his lap agreed to be theirs.
He is pulled back to the present as the tone of Grian’s voice shifts to something quiet and teasing. “Mumbo Jumbolio, are you even listening to me?”
“Erm… uh, not really?” He stammers weakly, face heating up in embarrassment.
Grian smiles up at him, hand moving to softly caress Mumbo’s cheek. “What’s on your mind?”
He leans into Grian’s hand, cherishing the gentle touch. “I was just thinking about how lucky I am that you’re mine.”
“Oh, you sap.” Grian laughs, leaning up and using the hand on Mumbo’s cheek to guide him down into a sweet kiss. As they part, Mumbo hears the front door open in the other room.
“Oh Grian!” Scar sings as he comes in. “Where are you my sweet songbird?”
Mumbo watches as Grian rolls his eyes fondly, before calling back. “We’re in here, Scar!” He returns to resting on his head on Mumbo’s lap as they listen to their partner take off his shoes in the chair by the door.
After a minute, there is a quiet grunt followed by the soft click of a cane coming down the hall.
Scar beams when he enters the room. His long hair is pulled back into a pair of loose braids that rest behind his shoulders and the sleeves of his navy blue work shirt are rolled up to his elbows. A bright pink shulker rests under the arm not holding his cane.
He smiles at Mumbo before focusing his gaze on Grian. “You know you are the cutest man in the world, right?” Scar asks, tucking his cane under his arm and holding out the shulker.
Grian’s face lights up in excitement as he quickly sits up. “Is it what I think it is?”
“Go try it on my beloved songbird.”
Grian beams, jumping up off the couch to wrap his arms around Scars neck and giving him a quick kiss. “Thank you, thank you!” They watch as he grabs the box and takes off down the hall towards the bathroom.
Mumbo looks up at Scar, amused, as they hear the door close. “What was that all about?”
“Oh, it’s something he’s been wanting for a while,” Scar says with a grin.
Mumbo chuckles at the statement as he watches Scar walk around the table to rest his cane against the arm of the couch before plopping down next to him, immediately melting into his side. “That doesn’t tell me anything, love.”
Scar tilts his head up to look at Mumbo with a smile. “The surprise will be worth it, my dear. I think it is something you’ll enjoy as much as me and Grian.”
“I still don’t know what that means, but I’ll take your word for it.”
Mumbo leans in to rest his cheek on Scar’s hair, loosely lacing their fingers together and using his thumb to slowly trace small circles into his tanned skin. They fall into a comfortable silence, basking in the warm embrace before they hear Grian call out to them from the bathroom.
“Mumby? Can you help me with the zipper?”
“Erm yes, I’m coming” he responds, before placing a kiss on Scar’s temple and standing up. He looks down in time to see Scar’s smile grow into something too innocent, too knowing. Squinting his eyes suspiciously, he drops his voice to a whisper. “What did you do, you silly man?”
“Oh nothing, nothing.” He whispers back with a wave of a hand and a wink. “Just try not to enjoy it too much, I want to see the outfit too.”
Mumbo feels his face heat up. “What does that even mean?”
Scar only smiles and gestures towards the bathroom.
Baffled, Mumbo stands from the couch and walks down the hall. He takes a breath before lightly knocking on the bathroom door.
“Yes Mumbo you can come in,” Grian responds fondly.
He opens the door, briefly catching a glimpse of a smirk reflected in the mirror in front of him before—
Pink.
Pink from head to toe.
Grian wearing a bright pink, skin tight, long-sleeved leotard.
He is distantly aware of his jaw dropping open as his eyes trail up and down Grian’s body to take in the sight before him.
The leotard is beautifully made and leaves all of Grian’s perfectly toned muscles on full display. It hugs softly along the length of his arms, emphasizes the slight curve of his waist, and stretches gently around his strong thighs before wrapping comfortably around his ankles.
But the thing Mumbo’s eyes are drawn to more than anything else is the open zipper along the full length of Grian’s spine and the smooth pale skin visible beyond it. Goodness he wants to touch. To feel the soft material under his hands and the shift of strong muscles underneath. His fingers twitch with indecision, before he settles for fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves.
“Enjoying the view?” Grian asks, playfully shaking his hips. Mumbo attempts to stammer his way through any sort of response, deliberately ignoring the reflection of his own very red face.
Grian laughs lightly and reaches back towards Mumbo with one of his hands. “Come here, love.”
Cautiously, Mumbo steps forward taking his hand, allowing his own to be placed on the small of Grian’s back. The material is soft and shifts slightly as he runs his hand down towards the bottom of the zipper.
His hands shake as he hesitantly takes the zip, carefully avoiding touching the top of Grian’s underwear right behind it. Slowly, he zips upward, the sound almost as loud as his beating heart. His other hand trails behind, following the path upward holding down the fabric until they meet at the top. Task complete.
He doesn’t want to let go.
They make eye contact through the mirror when Mumbo finally finds his words. They slip through his lips, the sound no louder than a whispered breath. “You look incredible.”
There is an intensity to Grian’s gaze as Mumbo rests his hands on the pink fabric of his shoulders. Before he can think too much into the expression, Grian is turning to grab his collar, pulling him down into a deep kiss.
Mumbo makes a small noise of surprise before melting into him. The soft lips pressed firmly against his own are warm and familiar and yet he knows this is something that will never get old. His hands, dislodged during the sudden movement, find new purchase on Grian’s shoulder blades before trailing down the soft fabric on his back. Grian’s hands move up, tangling into his hair and pulling him even closer.
It’s over too soon. They break apart, breathing heavily into the small space between them. Grian smiles up at him. “Thanks for the help, Mumby.”
“Anytime,” he rasps between unsteady breaths.
“Ok, I have to put the rest of this outfit on now,” Grian says, nudging him to turn around before pushing him out the door. “The rest is still a surprise.”
He blinks as the door closes behind him. “Oh, right.”
His feet carry him back towards the living room on auto pilot as questions begin to bounce around in his mind.
Grian had called him into the room to help him with the zipper, but why not Scar, who had given him the box? Was it because Scar already knew what it was? But then Grian had kicked him out after he zipped up the outfit anyway, so it wasn’t just for that. And, oh gosh, of course it is only now that he remembers Grian is fairly flexible and can usually zip up his own outfits. Was the whole plan just to fluster him? Grian had been smirking, so that was probably his intention. Well, that was normal for Grian, he supposed. And, then, perhaps the most confusing question of all—
Scar barks out a laugh, startling him out of his thoughts. “Well don’t you look dashing!”
“Huh?” His eyes move to focus on Scar instead of the wall in front of him.
Scar’s face lights up with a grin and Mumbo watches as his eyes scan him up and down before landing on his ruffled hair. “I see you enjoyed yourself in there, hmm?”
Mumbo furrows his eyebrows, not fully processing Scars words as he tries to piece everything together. When he speaks, his words come out quiet and slightly strangled. “Scar, why is Grian in pink?”
“It’s his Cuteguy uniform!” Scar exclaims, opening his arms towards Mumbo and beckoning for him to come closer. “I made it for him so he can fight crime as Hotguy’s second in command.”
“Hotguy?” Mumbo steps forward and sinks onto the couch next to him, slouching to rest his head on Scar’s shoulder as he accepts the embrace. “Oh, is that the hero thing you were telling me about?”
He feels Scar nod and gently move to brush a hand through his disheveled hair.
They hear the bathroom door open. Scar perks up, looking enthusiastically towards the hall. When Grian comes into view, Mumbo forgets how to breathe.
Grian is still wearing the pink leotard. Only now does Mumbo notice the simple blue and orange Hotguy symbol embroidered onto Grian’s chest. The stitches are a bit uneven and wobbly, but it is clear the amount of care went into making sure each one would lay flat along the fabric.
Along with the leotard, he sports a pair of black high top sneakers painted with thin blue and orange stripes along each of the sides. His lips are pinker than usual, a combination of their earlier kiss and some newly applied lip gloss.
Grian grins at them and strikes a pose. “Well, how do I look?”
“Even more stunning than I imagined, my dear.” Scar replies easily, softly dislodging Mumbo from his shoulder as he leans forward on the couch. “Come here? I want to make sure everything fits perfectly.”
Grian shifts the coffee table out of the way so he can stand in front of Scar. Their knees touch as Scar reaches out to lightly hold Grian’s wrists as he checks the length of the sleeves. Mumbo assumes whatever he’s checking is to his liking when Scar hums in satisfaction.
Scar’s fingers trail up to Grian’s chest, almost reverent when he brushes them across the Hotguy logo.
“Turn so I can check out your back?”
Mumbo coughs in surprise at the same time Grian exclaims, “Scar! Wording!”
“What?” Scar looks up with feigned innocence, “I want to make sure it fits!”
Rolling his eyes in fond exasperation, Grian turns so Scar can see the back of the outfit. Mumbo watches as Scar traces along the collar and then down the seam of the zipper. When he reaches the bottom of the zipper he smirks and squeezes Grian’s butt, startling a yelp from him.
“Scar!” Grian scolds as he turns to face his two partners who are now howling with laughter. “Do you really want to start this?”
“Start what?” He asks through the giggles.
With a smirk, Grian pushes Scar back on the couch and climbs forward to straddle his lap, giving Mumbo a wink as he does.
Scar looks him up and down. “Oh-ho-ho is that what you meant, pretty bird? I can’t say I’m disappointed.”
“Oh shush, you” he replies before wrapping his arms around Scar’s shoulders and kissing him deeply. It’s a sight Mumbo knows he will always love.
When they part, Grian stays close to place a small kiss on Scar’s cheek. “I love it, thank you.”
Scar beams triumphantly. “Anything for you, my beautiful songbird.”
With that, Grian smiles and flops sideways into Mumbo’s lap, shimmying his way into the small gap between them and tucking his face into Scar’s neck. “Then cuddle me.”
Mumbo chuckles and angles himself to wrap one arm loosely around Grian’s waist and the soft fabric of his costume. He uses the other arm, which is still laying along Scar’s shoulders to give him a small squeeze as Scar leans into them from Grian’s other side.
Mumbo closes his eyes as the three of them settle. Scar begins to talk about his ideas for Cuteguy’s first velocitae lessons as Grian shakes with laughter. As Mumbo drifts off to their playful banter he thinks, maybe it could be worth it to learn more about this superhero thing.
