Time Warp: Not Qualified (Gryphon)

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Fall 2024

Okay... Okay, Kodi could do this.  They were just looking, after all.  It wasn't like they were committing to anything, they could totally back out and forget this ever happened, ahaha... Yeahhhh...

Still, the dentokinetic gulped as he stared at the house before them, tempted to flee before they even got inside.  Nope nope nope, he was not fit to be around little children, no way, he was going to break one or step on one or or or...

"I don't know if I can do this, Gryphy," he told his husband.  Kodi could hardly remember being so scared before in his life.  How was he supposed to possibly take care of a little life?  At twenty-eight years old, he still didn't think he had all his shit straightened out.  He was a helluva lot better than he used to be, thanks mostly to the man whose hand he was gripping with a deathly grasp, but did he really deserve to be responsible for bringing up a child.

".... What if one pees on me?"  He looked up at the taller man with seriousness.  Or what if he lost his temper and snapped?  Or what if the kids didn't behave and turned out to be little demon children?  There were so many things to worry about!!!  Kodi stood with his feet planted, nearly cringing into Gryphon's arm.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It wasn't like Gryphon was unaware of Kodi's anxieties about doing this. He, himself, was a little nervous, but not to the extent that his lover was. However, unlike Kodi, he knew that it would be fine. Nothing was permanent until they made it so, and if there was one annoying kid, that didn't mean that they'd all be the same.

He turned and looked at the other man with a comforting look on his face, "It's gonna be fine, honestly." That was more of a hopeful comment than an honest one, but what was the worst that could happen?

Well, he could lose the use of his hand due to lack of circulation. More concerns rose to the surface and Gryph tried not to laugh at the blunt seriousness. It was obvious, though, that Kodi was not going anywhere any time soon. Gryphon took a few steps so he was in front of his husband and took up his other hand, looking him in the eye, "It's gonna be fine." He repeated. "They're children, not monkeys." He pecked him on the forehead. He would wait for Kodi to be ready... unless that took too long. And then he would force him to move. Nicely.

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Kodi had never planned to adopt in his future. Seriously, why would he have? He was a danger to himself and to those around him... At least he had been. Kodi was convinced he still was to some extent, but at least he rarely exploded like he used to. Gryph usually managed to talk him down before that happened.

"You think?" he replied nervously. "I don't doubt you can raise a kid well, but... But I dunno, babe. I might make a little monster like I was as a kid." No way could Kodi deal with someone like he'd been. He'd snap for sure.

The dentokinetic looked up as Gryph stepped in front of him, meeting the man's eyes with his kohl-less ones. "I dunno, some kids I've seen sure act like monkeys," he grumbled. Still, Kodi took a deep breath and managed a step forward. And then another. Soon enough, he was slowly walking towards the front door. When they reached it, he let Gryphon knock, practically hiding behind his older husband's arm.

He'd let Gryph do the talking. Once they were inside, Kodi peeked around at the numerous kids in the area, practically scared mute. Something about their bright little faces and tiny bodies just terrified him. "They're lookin' at us," he whispered to Gryph.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph... wasn't sure what he had planned for the future. He didn't think forward all the much, which was probably something that he needed to work on. The only thing which he clung to with no doubts was that he wanted to be happy, and he wanted to give happiness to others. And there could be a kid who really needed some parents right now. He was pretty certain that he and Kodi could give that to one of them.

He had faith that they could do this. He nodded at the question, but frowned at Kodi's uncertainty, especially at what he was scared would happen. "We're not your parents." Was that the right thing to say? Well, it was true. Both of them didn't really do well on the family front... maybe that would help them, so they would know what to avoid doing.

"Doesn't mean they all are." He said quietly. He waited patiently as Kodi began walking, all the while squeezing his hand comfortingly. It was only because he cared, Gryph was certain of that. Kodi was only so scared of doing this because he cared about what he could be doing. And that was a good thing.

He smiled at the woman who opened the door and greeted her warmly, looking back at Kodi as they entered the building. He squeezed his hand again, "Don't worry about them, alright?" He said softly, struggling to work out how to comfort his husband. His attention turned back to the woman, who told them to sit down for a moment. Gryph pulled Kodi down slowly and rubbed his thigh reassuringly. It was gonna be fine.

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Kodi honestly didn't feel that he deserved to try to raise a kid. It was only Gryph's reassurances that they would be fine that he was willing to look into this at all. If they tried and the kid ended up being a little demon sharptooth, well.... Kodi was only partially going to blame himself.

"I know we ain't," he sighed. But the apple never fell far from the tree, right? What if he ended up being just as awful as his own parents had been? Would Kodi grow to despise a child if it didn't grow up the way he wanted? He hoped not, but there was only one way to find out... And there would be no turning back. "Just seems like it'd be hard t'be a parent if y'didn't have good role models..." But what did he know?

Was he nervous because he didn't know he could do it right? Or nervous he'd just end up like his dad if he even tried to be a parent at all? "Maybe we should just get a puppy instead," he pleaded just as the door opened and then they were ushered inside.

Kodi followed along quietly as they were led in, giving a silent nod as they were motioned to sit. He vaguely felt Gryph's hand on his leg, but he was too busy staring down a mischievous little runt to notice much. You look like trouble, he thought. Maybe the kid read his thoughts, because he ran off soon after that. "See? Look, they're scared of me already," he joked weakly.

It was only a few moments later that a shy little thing poked her head around a nearby corner, catching Kodi's attention again. When he looked, she ducked away. Kodi frowned. "So... What're we supposed t'do, play with them?" he asked, scuffing his foot. "I dunno 'bout that..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph knew that whoever they ended up raising, he would love them and care for them no matter what. However they turned out, even if it was against expectations, Gryphon would never hate them. If anything, they deserved that - any child did. To have at least some support continuously - they would have know and interact with lots of people throughout their life, but they would always have him and Kodi, no matter what. As long as that was what Kodi thought as well, but Gryph didn't doubt it.

The winged man tilted his head, "I can get that." He himself had more of an actual role model growing up, even when his parental situation was bad. Kodi didn't have that. "Neither of us can be expected to know exactly what to do, or how to act.
The request for a dog instead was replied to with a smile and a raise of the eyebrows. They weren't turning around now.

Gryphon followed his husband's eyeline and just caught the little kid as he left the room. He bumped his head against Kodi's gently, "There's being scared, and then there's being shy. Give them a chance." He said quietly, smiling softly. "Yeah, just... talk to them and stuff. It'll be fine." The woman came back and checked their details and then told them that they could go and interact with the kids. Gryph looked at Kodi and waited, to make sure he was okay and everything.

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Kodi wondered how he'd deal with a straight kid. That would be weird.... But he wouldn't despise them for it. Because that was how his father had been with him. No... Kodi made a silent vow to do his best not to be like that. To remember how hard his childhood had been and how messed up he'd grown up to be (even now, he still had problems because of it, and he'd probably never completely grow out of them), and use it as motivation to be better for their... Child.

Gryphon was set on this, so Kodi tried to push aside his doubts. They were still there, though. "You're gonna be such a good dad," he mumbled, squeezing Gryph's hand. Kodi had no doubt about that. ".... We gotta choose one that at least likes t'read." That was something he and his child could... Bond over.

"I'm a scary person," he grunted, poking one of his canines to make sure they hadn't extended on accident. ".... But I'll try." Shy, he could relate with shy, that's how he'd been when he was a kid. "Talk to them... Whadaya talk t'kids about?" When the woman was done conversing with them, he stood hesitantly and headed towards a sweet-looking little girl that had a teddy bear clutched in her hand. "Uh, hey, there, honey," he greeted her, the pet name feeling strange on his tongue. "Wh.... What's your name?"

"Ariel," she said softly, clutching the bear to her chest as she stared wide-eyed up at the dentokinetic. Her blonde hair was tied into two pigtails. Kodi glanced over at Gryph with a panicked look, like, Now what??

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

...yeah, it still felt weird to think about. The idea that they could or would have a kid to look after in the future... it wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't exactly a simple thing to happen. It would be a big change, a huge responsibility... Gryph forced himself not to worry over those kinds of things, just trying to focus on... this.

"I hope so." He replied, smiling. "You will too." Even knowing how nervous Kodi was about this, Gryphon knew he would care about whoever they ended up with. It was like the more he worried, the more confident Gryphon was that he wouldn't be a bad parent. Sounds like some pretty twisted logic, but that was just how his head worked. He chuckled lightly, and nodded a bit, "You can hide by a bookshelf until someone comes to get a book so you can pounce on them, sure." He teased, but he did keep it in mind.

Gryph didn't think Kodi was scary - right now in fact, he was acting quite the opposite. But he didn't press on that; he was just happy that Kodi was willing to give this a chance. "...whatever comes to mind." It was hard to describe. "Whatever they seem to like?" He suggested. Gryphon was generally okay when it came to talking to new people in general, so trying to explain the thought process was odd. And these were children, not people of the same age range. Maybe this would be a little more difficult.

He followed slowly behind Kodi, watching as he approached the blonde girl. He had to bite his lip before he started smiling too wide at how cute this was. And he wasn't talking about the girl, even if she was adorable too. He came closer when Kodi caught his eye and dropped down to the girl's level. "Hi." He said, with a smile, "I'm Gryphon, and that's Kodi." He couldn't really tell if Kodi was confident with speaking as of right now. "It's nice to meet you, Ariel."

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No, really, enjoying reading was going to be mandatory for Kodi! No ifs ands or buts! Gryphon thought he was just joking, no, reading was serious business! "I just might do that," he mused, thinking about how weird he'd look just lurking around a bookshelf. "Or lure them with classical novels and see which ones look interested." Yes, it was a foolproof plan!

Kodi hadn't been all that social when he was a teenager. True, he partied a lot, and got drunk and met people that way, but that was about the only social situations that he felt comfortable enough in. Otherwise, he was sort of a loner. "Okay..." he mumbled, unsure of how that advice was supposed to help.

Like now, after the girl said her name, Kodi blanked. Fortunately, Gryph stepped in and took over a bit, introducing both of them for him. He bit his lip and decided he might as well ask,"Do you like to read?" When the girl shook her head, Kodi frowned, glancing at Gryph before he stood and sauntered on without another word.

See? He wasn't good at this stuff. "Where're the books..." he mumbled, searching around until he located a couple picture books scattered onto the floor. A few kids were flipping through them, so Kodi squatted down next to them, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Hey there," he greeted them. "Whatcha readin'?" One of the kids, a young, dark-haired boy, looked up at the dentokinetic uncertainly. Once again, Kodi looked awkwardly at Gryph.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon raised an eyebrow. He could understand that Kodi might want to be able to have some common ground between himself and any potential kid, but... Gryph couldn't tell how much he was kidding about this. "Because all kids love classical novels." He muttered, smiling slightly. It was possible, obviously, but it wasn't really something that they should be focusing on - a specific hobby.

It became blindingly clear how serious Kodi was when he just up and deserted the poor girl as soon as she showed distaste for books. Gryphon blinked and furrowed his brow, watching as Kodi wandered off. Shaking his head, he looked at Ariel again, "Sorry, love. He's not that great at making friends." He explained, tilting his head in apology and smiling a little before getting up with a sigh and going after the dentokinetic.

By the time he had caught up with Kodi, he was talking to a group of kids with books. No surprise there, then. Gryph rolled his eyes a little before joining him. He wasn't sure how pleased the children would be, being interrupted from their reading or whatever, but if it was a problem, they could always move on. He knelt down next to one boy and tilted his head, "That seems like a cool book. What's it about?" He asked, glancing at Kodi for a second. Books were more his department in general, but still. It was better than staring at the poor guy and waiting for him to spill out his life story.

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"Hey, I enjoyed them as a kid," Kodi shot back, entirely serious. "I can't have been the only one!" He liked to think that these kids, without parents, would be especially prone to letting themselves get sucked away into imaginary worlds where they could pretend they didn't have the problems they did. That had been what Kodi had done, anyway.

The little girl Ariel was cute and all, but that was good anyway - it meant some other pair of parents would likely want to adopt her. She'd be fine. Kodi just wanted to find someone who was into something he could relate with.

He should have known a little introvert like he'd been wouldn't have appreciated being interrupted from their reading. That was a dumb move on Kodi's part. He watched in silence as Gryph attempted to get the kid to open up. When the boy still just looked bewildered at both of them, Kodi cleared his throat and offered,"Uh... How about... Would you like it if I read t'you?" he finally asked, blushing slightly. For all he knew, the kid had just been looking at the pictures anyway. When the boy seemed to like this idea and nodded silently, Kodi smiled over at Gryph and settled down on the floor next to him, gently taking the book in his hands and reading the title. "Where the Wild Things Are," he murmured. "Heh... I remember readin' this as a kid. It's an oldie but goodie." As he flipped to the first page and started reading, he could feel the young boy's eyes on him, and surprisingly, he didn't feel particularly self-conscious like he'd thought he would. This was... Kind of nice.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph quirked a smile, "Sorry, you're probably right." He admitted, after thinking about it. There were a lot of kids around, and they were all bound to be different. And that was also another thing - it was bad that it had to happen in the first place, but Kodi could kind of relate to these kids. Gryph himself a little too. The empathy was a good thing - the reasons why it was there, were not.

Gryphon was good with words, usually, but he wasn't a mind reader and he wasn't a personality expert. He was just going with his gut, which wasn't bound to be right all the time (that had already been proven). Kodi's idea seemed to be valid, though, and the winged man smiled back at his husband as he settled into his comfort zone. Reading was always something which Kodi could work well with - Gryph knew that. His smile grew a little as Kodi began reading. It was endearing to watch - the little boy wasn't the only one looking at him.

Kodi was more capable of this than he gave himself credit for. Gryphon could see that, clearly. He watched the interaction with an immense amount of affection bubbling inside him for Kodi. He looked like a father already.

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Kodi let himself be swept away into the story, a smile on his face as he uses different voices for the different characters and allowed himself to really get into the storytelling. The kid watched him with wide, starry eyes, following along with the pictures and giggling at particularly silly parts. He was a cute kid – part Hispanic, if Kodi was right, with dark hair and big eyes with the long, thick eyelashes and a few freckles sprinkled over his nose.

When Kodi finished the story, he closed the book and handed it back, a soft smile still on his face as he ruffled the kid’s hair. “So… What’s your name?” he asked. The kid was quiet for a few moments before softly answering,”Gabriel.” Kodi smiled and looked up at Gryphon with a tentative spark in his eye. What do you think? he mouthed silently to his partner, motioning to the kid. Assuming Gryph gave a positive response, Kodi looked back down to the young boy. “…. Maybe I can read you a few more books,” he suggested. He wanted to get to know the kid better first, maybe get him to open up a little more, but…. Kodi had a good feeling about this one.

“Or…. Maybe my husband can read t’you,” he determined after a moment, grinning over at Gryphon. “Would you like that?” Gabriel nodded and looked up at the winged man curiously. “You don’t want t’let him down, do ya, babe?” Kodi grinned.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gabriel was a cute kid. Seemed pretty shy, but that didn’t make him any less interesting. It was nice to see him open up, after being intruded by them both. Two random men just casually walking up to him and expecting him to talk – what else had they expected at first? It was also nice to see the changes in his husband; Kodi definitely seemed more confident with being around kids, even if it was only one so far. But even though it was one of the first, he had a good feeling about Gabriel.

At Kodi’s questioning glance, Gryph smiled a little wider and looked at the boy, before nodding. Even if he was supposed more extraverted than Kodi, he was fine with just letting him do what he thought was necessary. Besides, Gabriel seemed to be intrigued by books and that was right up Kodi’s street. But not Gryphon’s.

So when the younger man suggested that he read, he wanted to decline it straight off. Despite the fact that he had been reading a lot more than he used to these days, he still wasn’t good at reading out loud or anything. But Gabriel wanted him to, and he wouldn’t flat out deny the request of a kid. He scowled at Kodi cheekily and smiled at the boy, “Of course not.” He looked at Kodi with a face that said I have no idea what I’m doing. Because that was the case. He didn’t even know what to read.