Chapter Text
Mockingbird was glancing around the corner, making sure none of the pesky heroes were out patrolling. It had been years since Mumbo and Skizz had died, but Zombie used that against him every time they fought, and he was not looking to get tortured by the undead corpses of his friends today.
You see, Zombie, ironically a zombie hybrid, had the power to summon dead spirits into a physical form, and she knew he'd never be able to hurt them, even if they weren't themselves anymore. She liked to use them as meat shields to block Grian from getting close to her.
The other “heroes" were equally cruel, laughing whenever he'd beg his friends to help him.
They would add an extra line of defense in stopping him from snagging Zombies powers, which sucked only because he wasn't even sure if his friends remembered him or not and he really wanted to use her powers to find out.
They were the only two who understood him, Mumbo; a fellow mimic who he'd known for almost two decades (although they had only become close in the two years leading up to his death), and Skizz; a normal avian who despite being powerless was always trying to help out in any way he could.
Both of them had died stupidly. Mumbo when he had tried to kill one of the heroes with an explosive, and instead blew himself, and several civilians, up after setting it off too soon, and Skizz who followed suit nearly a year and a half later, when he was shot off a roof by a vigilante. A wind charge had hit his wings making him unable to catch himself when he fell.
Needless to say, Grian was bitter. Without the other two, there was no way he could foot all the food and housing expenses, not even considering other basic necessities like toiletries.
So naturally, instead of leaving his life of crime to attempt an honest living, he turned further into it. He got bolder and more outlandish with the heinous things he did.
Now the whole country knows his name. He was wanted all across Hermitopia and into their allied empires. His only option now is to steal enough diamonds to last him a few months as long as he rations them and to get the hell out of this kingdom. He'll be safe in the uninhabited wilderness; few people live there, and fewer would go looking for him.
So now here he was: on his way to the bank, in civilian clothes, trying his damned hardest not to act suspicious, or to be seen by anyone.
Seeing that the coast was clear he started speed walking, trying to act natural despite the fact that his nerves were on fire.
Grian ducked into an alleyway across from the Aqua Town Bank. He didn't even need that many diamonds, just a few stacks was enough to buy all the resources he'd need to survive in the wilderness. If everything went right this would be his last heist and he could retire from crime.
A human male in a black suit walks out of the bank. His tie is a golden color and his shoes, sleeve cuffs, and collar are all a royal purple. The golden crown that adorns this man's head has a single amethyst gemstone embedded in the front. This looks like someone he can use.
Grian slips back out onto the street, trying to make it seem like he hadn't been hiding behind a dumpster.
The man's crossing the street now, and Grian takes it as his opportunity. He pretends to look both ways while jogging across the street, and “accidentally” collides head-on with the stranger. Before the man falls over, Grian grabs his arm, steadying him.
“I'm so sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry!” He says to the man, who just laughs it off, telling him it's not a bother.
As the man walks off he feels a tingling sensation in the hand that grabbed the stranger. Perfect.
As soon as the man is out of sight Grian morphs into him; he becomes taller, his shoulder broader, his eyes narrow slightly, and his wings vanish.
Suddenly Grian has dark brown hair and is in a black and purple suit with a gold tie and a crown sat crookedly upon his head.
Upon examining his new body, he realizes that this man has no powers. He'll be stuck in this form for the next six hours, it'll be a death sentence if he gets caught.
His heartbeat spikes a little as he walks into the bank, he feels nervous.
“Breny!” A voice calls. “Did you forget something?”
He curses the fact that the man he morphed into seems to be close to the bank teller. Grian doesn't know how the man talks, so he just takes a wild shot in the dark.
“Yeah, crazy thing, the moment I got down the street I realized I had forgotten I needed three stacks of diamonds for a project I'm working on.” He smiles confidently in hopes no one sees the sweat that drips down the back of his neck.
“Three stacks? That sure is a lot. You haven't told me about any project.” The older man states, unmoving.
The bank teller and this Breny character must be even closer than he thought, fuck.
“Project? Shoot, did I say that? It was supposed to be a secret, you won't tell anyone will you?” Please buy it, he thinks to himself, for the love of god, please buy it.
“Hmm…” The man hums thoughtfully, one hand dropping below the counter, and the other raising to stroke the scraggly gray beard that adorns his face in mock contemplation.“Well, I suppose I can keep it a secret, let me go get those diamonds for you.”
The man leaves the counter to go into the back, and Grian breathes out a sigh of relief.
The waiting is getting on his nerves, and he can't stand it. He glances at the clock on the wall, it reads 3:27.
He's tapping his foot. A bad feeling is coiling its way through his gut, it kind of makes him want to puke. The clock reads 3:32.
He's glancing around now, there's only one other person in the bank, a different teller than the one he had just talked to, they were looking at him nervously.
Something was very wrong, he knew it. 3:35 now. In the same instance he had looked it changed to 3:36.
Finally, he decided this wasn't worth the risk of being caught. He's about to turn around and sprint out of the bank when the teller comes back. A voice that sounds suspiciously like Mumbo is screaming at him to flee.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” The man chirps. “The vault kept telling me I had put in the wrong password.” He laughs.
Grian laughs too, but his sounds strained and uncomfortable even to his own ears.
“You okay, Breny?” The man asks, but even to Grians untrained ear, the concern sounds faux.
He picks up the diamonds, “I'm fine, just anxious to work on my project. You'll be the first to see it when it's done.” He promises.
Behind him, he hears the bank door open. Behind him, he hears a too-familiar clearing of the throat.
“Drop the diamonds and turn around slowly.”
Fuck.