Time Warp: When the Husband's Away (Gryphon)

[Deleted]

Set in 2020

Oriel was at work, leaving Phoenix alone in the evening with baby Devi. They'd had the little girl for about a week now, and Phen was tired from all the work and few sleeping hours, but it was all worth it. He was absolutely in love with the adorable little thing, and he knew Oriel was, too.

He was still nervous to be alone with her, though - he didn't trust himself to always know what was wrong if she started crying or acting upset. He'd thought about having Tak come over to keep him company, but decided that tonight, he'd invite someone else. And so he'd called up Gryphon, his old friend, and asked if he wanted to hang out and meet Devi. Phoenix still loved spending time with his dimple-face; even though they didn't get to see each other as often as they used to, what with being an adult with adult lives, he still made a point to see Gryph as much as he could manage.

Phoenix was feeding Devi on the couch when the knock came at the door, and he hefted himself and the baby up with him as he went to answer it. He smiled as he opened the door to Gryph's presence, ushering him inside while carefully cradling his daughter against his chest. "Come on in, Gryphy," he chirped. "Are you hungry? We have some pizza if you'd like..." Out of habit, he leaned in and pecked Gryphon on the cheek, right above his adorable dimple. "Oriel's at work, so we have the place to ourselves!" He looked down at his arms, smiling softly. "And little Devi, of course."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon was doing well, himself. Sure, he hadn't begun a family, or anything life changing like that, but he was most definitely happy. He had a pretty flexible job in town doing local deliveries, so he could keep up on his rent and living costs, at the same time as not stressing out. He would worry about any problems if they came his way.

He could've gone back to his old house in Seattle... but he felt happier being seperated from that snobbish way of living, and he felt independent and free.

When Phen had invited him to come over and meet his daughter, he could hardly refuse. In fact, he looked forward to it immensely. He never got to hang out with Phoenix as much as he wanted to, because he was busy at the most unfortunate times, or there was something else holding him back. Now that he had a chance, he couldn't wait.

He arrived at the allocated time and rapped on the door, almost bouncing in his shoes. Yes, he was 24, that didn't mean he couldn't get excited every once in a while! The door opened and Gryph greeted his good friend with a smile, almost laughing with happiness. "Hey, Phennie!" His smile widened and he looked at his feet shyly for a moment when the boy kissed him on the cheek. He'd done it before and Gryphon still wasn't used to it.

"Nah, I'll be alright, thanks." He answered politely. He wasn't hungry, he'd eaten before he came. Once he caught sight of the little baby in Phen's arms, his eyes latched on; it felt like he'd never be able to look away. She was so adorable! He heard a coo slip out of his mouth, that was a habit he'd never been able to crack. He was always tweeting when he became absent-minded, apparently, his conscience preferred bird lingo over the spoken word.

He smiled and his cheeks tinted as he looked at the small child, "She's so cute." She was only small, but she was still gorgeous. He snapped out of it and looked at Phen, winking cheekily, "Just like you!" What? He wasn't allowed to joke around now that Phen had a husband? Poppycock.

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Phoenix felt a little.... Guilty almost, for settling down at his age with someone even younger, and Gryphon was still single and on his own. Granted, he seemed happy, but Phen still felt like... He should have someone. Oriel still went and slept with different partners on occasion - it was something they had agreed upon when they got married, and it worked just fine for the two of them. Phen did, however, want to discuss about himself doing that every once in a while with different people, and Gryph was definitely near the top of that list...

But, in the end, he and Oriel were together and happy, and even though their marriage wasn't necessarily traditional in that sense, Phoenix didn't mind. He just wanted Oriel happy; it made him happy, too. And now, with their family complete (until if/when they decided to adopt another kid), Phen was practically bursting with pride and content.

"Alright," he replied with a smile, waving Gryph into the living room. "Then come in and sit, you know you're welcome t'make yourself at home." He giggled at the coo that came out of his friend's mouth, and Devi's gaze trailed up to Gryphon's face, obviously curious about the noise. "I think she likes you," he chuckled as a little baby hand reached up towards the other man. "Devi, say hello t'your uncle Dimples." Phoenix shot Gryph a smile as he closed the door behind them and went back to the living room, walking close to his friend.

"Isn't she beautiful?" he gushed. Devi was obviously Korean in descent, with the prettiest dark eyes and fine, black hair. It was one of the things that had drawn Phen to her - she could almost be his biological daughter. At the compliment to himself, Phoenix blushed deeply and laughed. "Speak for yourself," he teased, easing down onto the couch with room beside him for his friend. She had finished eating when Phen had gone to open the door, so now she was staring up at them sleepily, giving a big yawn. "Do you want t'hold her?" he asked Gryphon, carefully offering over his pride and joy. "She's probably gonna fall asleep pretty soon, now that her tummy's full."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Serious relationships weren't on the agenda yet for Gryphon. He'd had two partners since leaving Hammel, but they both ended pretty terribly. He never really wanted to think on the details, but one of them rejected him as soon as they found out he was Meta, and the other had an affair with a woman whilst he was dating them. Granted, it had knocked his self esteem a little, but he just picked himself back up and carried on. He was still the same Gryph.

He was happy for Phen, definitely. He wasn't exactly certain how his relationship stood with his friend's husband though, but that man was as unpredictable as a hurricane sometimes. However, Oriel was also good-natured, and had the capability of friendliness when he felt like it, and that was probably the most important thing to the winged boy.

Gryph nodded at Phen, "Great," he said gratefully. He likes the sound of his friend's laughter. Well, he liked the sound of laughter in general, but Phen's had a certain childlike twinkle to it that warmed his heart everytime. His smile widened as Phen spoke, a chuckle breaking through when he called him 'Uncle Dimples'. He continued to stare at Devi, all the same, "Hey~" he said, his voice raising slightly as he did. He gently sang out a little birdsong for the child as they walked. He tried not to sound too shrill or too loud, Devi seemed content and he didn't want to upset her.

Gryph agreed with Phen whole heartedly, "She really is." His favourite part of the girl was her amazing eyes. They glittered in the light and they were so entrancing. He laughed when the compliment was thrown back at him, he didn't consider himself to be cute. Good-looking, yes; handsome, perhaps, but not cute. That was most definitely Phen's title.

He didn't stop smiling, but his grin grew as the child yawn. It was adorable beyond belief. When Gryph realised what Phen was saying, he nodded a little shakily, carefully taking the girl from her father. He looked down at her, smiling softly. "She a big eater?" He asked quietly. He didn't have experience around babies and children really, so his tactic was to be slow, gentle and as quiet as possible.

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Phen... Well, chances were he and Gryph would have ended up together had circumstances been different when they were young, so there was still a bond between them that Phoenix felt (and thought Gryph probably did, too) that was above just a normal friendship. Gryph was his confidant, someone he could go to without fear of being judged and talk about anything and everything. Of course, he could do that with Oriel too, but it was nice to have someone else as well, someone who he had known for so long and had seen how he'd grown up. That was something they'd always have.

Phoenix did know that Gryph and Oriel would probably forever have some sort of silent... Rivalry?... Going on between them, but at least it had faded with time. He was fairly certain Oriel knew the relationship between him and Gryph; he'd done all he could to make the two get along.

And as far as Phen was concerned, Gryphon was Devi's uncle in all but blood. If anything happened to him and Oriel, he would want Gryph (and Tak, because she was deeply involved in their family) to take care of her. He didn't know how Oriel would feel about that, but it was what he thought. "Ahhh, so pretty," he breathed, looking affectionately up at his friend as he sang his little birdsong. "I should have you come over and sing t'her when she's bein' difficult," he laughed. Devi definitely seemed to enjoy it - her cheeks dimpled up and she gave a little baby giggle, kicking gently in Phen's arms.

Honestly, Phen could gush about his daughter and how perfect she was all day, but he hadn't invited Gryph over just to talk his ear off about that. Not unless Gryph kept asking questions, at least. Phoenix retracted his arms and smiled at the two, folding his legs up underneath him. "Well, I mean, she eats a lot, and often," he chuckled. "I don't... Have anyone to compare her to, though." Phen reached out and smoothed a palm over Devi's forehead, beaming. "D... Do you want t'have kids someday, Gryphy?" he asked. "I mean, I never thought I would, but..." He smiled again. "Well, here we are." He just hoped he and Oriel could raise her well. Out of habit, he leaned in against his friend's shoulder, gazing down at his little girl in his arms.