#idk something about superhero aus acratches that very specific itch in my brain

[acquiredboxes]

glances at my seven followers. okay fine I will throw my hat in the hotguy au ring.

scar grian and mumbo are a friend group that have known each other for quite a while. in classic hotguy au fashion the two are the superheroes and mumbo is the engineer tech guy / guy in the chair, but the difference is, he's both of their guy in the chair. at the same time. he assumes they know who the other is (grian is cuteguy and hotguy is scar) but they in fact do not

(grian suspects but has found no way to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt yet. scar is just a dumbass (affectionate) and also assumes that if grian was all-knowing he would use it way more often for shenanigans and holiday gifts. mumbo thinks it's funny and isn't telling)

hotguy and cuteguy are sort of their own independent figures on the superhero scene (which is another reason they don't associate each other with the roles — they've never properly met in-character) but the community likes to compare them and imagine how eventual team ups might go. when asked at interviews they'll be like "oh yeah that'd be cool" but never actually seek it out because they're both more independent, work alone -type fighters as heroes and also superhero pr has to be abysmal

the main enemy is gigacorp adjacent (ren and cub? is that the right duo?) but they've become very marvel movie capitalism probably-own-a-government-agency type. mumbo actually works for them in their r&d / prototyping department which is where he gets the resources to develop the tech for both heroes. potential plot kick-off is that he's found out? and hotguy + cuteguy have to really team up for the first time to save him (and try not to fall in love in the process 👀)