Safe And Sound [Kodiak] [TW]

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Trigger: Abuse (mentioned/implied)

Gryphon couldn't even sit down, he was being so impatient. He just paced around, trying to distract himself, but it was so difficult. He wished he could have just removed that... 'Damon' guy from existence, it was so painful to have to wait and wait and hope to the possible Gods that Kodi wouldn't come back worse. The baddest part was he knew he was being idealistic. No abuser of that nature would just leave their victim to do whatever they wanted. He was practically shaking in fear for Kodi. Not for himself, the possibility of being discovered and tracked down by Damon was something he didn't even care about. He was just terrified for his... lover.

He hugged himself and took some deep breaths. He knew it was gonna be bad, when Kodi got here. He had told him, be safe, but no one could stop someone from throwing a fist and abusing. Tak was... somewhere. Not here, that was for certain. Either she was out or she was in her room. Didn't matter. Kodi mattered, right now, and that was it.

There was a knock at the door and Gryph froze. He was only assuming, but he knew who it was. He had the smallest hint of relief that the dentokinetic managed to get away, but he was still incredibly worried. Semi-rapidly, he approached the door and took a deep breath and unlatched it carefully, opening it up.

[Deleted]

That... Had been... A hassle.

And that was putting it... Very lightly. Even though Kodi hadn't gotten to Damon's place late, he had, of course, come up with another excuse to be mad. And well... This time it was because he thought he smelled someone else's cologne on Kodi's clothes. Which, of course... He did. The dentokinetic hadn't even thought about it when Gryph's arms were around him.

So of course, that meant Damon put him through a really bad time. Kodi, honestly, was afraid to fight back - the guy was a lot taller than him, and stronger, too, so he would have just made it worse for himself if he had. He just kept reminding himself through the entire ordeal that this would be the last time, that... He was going to disappear after this...

By the time he finally (and somewhat painfully) made it to Gryph's place, Kodi was pretty much drooping. His eyeliner was smudged over his cheek, his hair was a mess, and his clothes were ruffled and a little torn. But he didn't care how he looked, he needed his Moron, now. When he eventually made it up the stairs to Gryph's apartment, he knocked weakly on the door and waited impatiently for the two seconds for it to open.

He realized belatedly how horrified Gryph would be, and instantly felt guilty for... The things he'd just been doing. Kodi's gaze immediately fell to the ground, and he shrunk in slightly on himself. ".... It's over," he whispered. "I-I'm done with him."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon hadn't concentrated on what he had been doing entirely when he was comforting Kodi before. He still didn't realise that what he'd done may or may not have contributed towards Damon's attitude, what he would do. He was just clinging to every hope that Kodi would be alright.

The moment he saw the younger boy, he felt like crying. He almost did, just from looking at him. He heard the quiet words and nodded rapidly, quickly and extremely carefully wrapping his arms around Kodi, holding him close. He could... tell what might have happened, but he didn't even want to think about it. He tilted his head down to speak into the dentokinetic's ear, "You're so brave." He said softly, "I'm so proud of you."

Because surely, it had been difficult. That was painfully obvious. He nuzzled the side of Kodi's head, "I love you," He muttered, meaning every syllable, "I love you so much." He kind of blanked that they were stood in his doorway. He only cared about Kodi, and he never wanted to let go of him again.

[Deleted]

Even though Kodi wasn't looking directly at Gryph, he could sense how distraught he was just from... Being near him. His guilt grew, and he quickly uttered,"It ain't as bad as it looks..." Well... It was still pretty bad, but he would live. A few extra bruises, a small cut here and there from that stupid ring Damon always wore... Nothing to be too worried about. He just felt... Tired. When Gryph's arms came around him, Kodi sunk gratefully into them, breathing in the scent of his lover as he weakly looped his arms around the man's waist. His words made Kodi tremble a little. "G-Gryph, I'm sorry, he..." He didn't even want to say what had happened. "I'm sorry..."

He let his eyes drift shut, and Kodi finally started to relax a little. This felt like... Home. Like this was where he belonged. "I love you too," he murmured, gripping his fingers loosely into Gryph's shirt. "C... Can I sit down? I-I'm just a bit..." He let out a shaky breath but managed to stand up with just a little support from Gryphon. "And... If y'have some ice... That might help a bit..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"I know what you're doing." Gryph said quietly, "Don't try to brush this off, please." The last he wanted was for Kodi to think he was overreacting or something. He hadn't looked properly yet, but from the state Kodi was in, he didn't even have to look to know that more damage had most likely been done. He shook his head slightly, "Don't apologise for anything he's done. I know it wasn't your fault." He didn't want to pull back and actually look at him to seem sincere, he didn't want to cry when Kodi needed attention.

At the question, he nodded and finally pulled away, biting his lip as he looked at Kodi, and then turning away and slowly leading him to the couch so he could sit. He didn't know if he could speak without breaking into tears. This was so horrible. He went away and got some ice out of the freezer, wrapping it in a cloth and bringing it through. He swallowed and looked down, linking his hand with Kodi's, "Where... where does it h-hurt?"

[Deleted]

Kodi was about to argue that no, really, he was okay, especially since he was with Gryph now, but the words died on his tongue at the man's pleading. "O... Okay..." he murmured, rubbing his arm wearily. "Don't worry too much though, I'm... I'm pretty tough..." His bones didn't break so easily as Gryph's (at least not yet, and he hoped they stayed that way for as long as possible). "It's my fault for leavin' you in the first place..." he said softly, still full of guilt. "And... My fault for even tryin' t'find someone to distract myself with..." Seriously, what had he been thinking? For as book-smart as he was, Kodi could sure be dumb sometimes.

He followed his lover over to the couch and carefully sat down, trying not to move too fast or too sharply so as not to bump anything too hard. Kodi looked up at the taller boy with hardly concealed adoration, keeping their fingers laced until Gryph went to get the ice. Kodi (somewhat painfully) peeled off his shirt and looked down at himself, grimacing at the various splotches around his abdomen and his ribs. When Gryphon came back with what he'd asked for and inquired as to where the pain was, Kodi snorted a little. "Where does it hurt the worst?" he mumbled, shifting to lay a bit diagonally on the couch as he motioned to the right side of his ribs. "... S'pretty bad right there," he admitted, stretching out his hand enough so he could loop his pinkie finger around Gryph's free one. "... Sorry, I should've gone and washed up an' shit first so you wouldn't have t'look at this..." he mumbled, using the other hand to try to wipe off some of the smudged liner (he just smudged it more).

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph's face was sombre, "I know you are, but this kind of stuff... it's not easy." That was a terrible way of putting it. No, this kind of 'stuff' was damaging, and more than just physically. A person didn't need easily broken bones to get hurt badly. Gryphon wasn't fully certain what was suitable for him to tell Kodi. Yeah, you kinda fucked up really didn't seem appropriate. "...it was a mistake." He tried to assure, "You were trying to help me." Even if it... definitely didn't work. "Don't blame yourself." He could ramble on about his own experiences to try and encourage the other boy, but he needed to keep his attention on Kodi - this wasn't about Gryph.

Even so, he had no idea how to stay calm. He could feel that lump in his throat, and the small stinging in his eyes. The avian man was fighting it so hard. He nodded as Kodi rephrased his question, seeing as... it was a bit of a stupid one. It probably hurt everywhere. When he showed him, he nodded again and knelt down, carefully holding the ice over the area. Kodi spoke again and he glanced up, almost certain that his eyes were glazed. "It-" He cleared his throat, "It's fine." He usually would have tagged a compliment on the end, but his throat was getting sore from holding it all in. Despite this, he looked Kodi in the eye for a moment, biting the inside of his lip before pecking his cheek and pulling away again, looking at the ice.

[Deleted]

Kodi shrugged, still keeping his eyes mostly on the floor. "Yeah, well... I'll deal, and I'll be back t'normal before you know it," he said, trying to sound optimistic, but the truth was that there was emotional damage underneath the bruises. He was less certain of himself, and loud noises were starting to startle him, to name a couple things. "It was definitely a mistake," he agreed whole-heartedly; his slightly split lip quivered. "One I won't ever make again. I promise." Gryph was going to have to be the one to split them apart if that ever needed to happen now; Kodi wasn't going anywhere unless forced. He needed Gryph like air.

He winced initially as the frozen object touched his skin, but gradually relaxed, sighing as it began to take effect and numb the swollen, sore area. "Thanks," he murmured, resting his hand over Gryph's. Kodi could see so clearly how upset the older man was, and he just... Just wanted to make everything better. "B-babe, you don't have t'hold it all in for my sake," he said softly, giving his hand a weak squeeze. "I don't wanna see you upset, but... I don't want you t'hide it either." He let his eyes drift shut wearily as Gryph pecked his cheek. "I'll be fine. Just... Need t'rest for a while. And..." He swallowed and peeked one eye open again. "I need... You... And... I w-want t'be only yours again, if you'll l-let me."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"Give yourself a chance." Or he would take a lot longer to feel better and be back to normal. "...but okay." If Kodi was going to be brave enough to believe he could get through this quickly, then Gryphon would help him as much as he could. He nodded slowly and acknowledged Kodi's promise. It was definitely sincere... but Gryph's mind echoed doubts, and he was left a little unsure, but he told himself - not again. It wasn't going to happen now. He smiled softly.

The wince made Gryphon jolt - he was so worried about hurting Kodi any more than he already had been. But he knew... it was for the best. So he kept it on. And kept on trying to force the tears back into his eyes. "I know." He sniffed, "...I know." Well, no, he didn't. And besides, he still wouldn't let himself get it over with.

I need... You... The dancer looked at Kodi, not with astonishment, or anything like that. His mind whirred for a moment. Asked if he could be trusted. He opened his mouth and closed it, not sure of what to say, before giving up on words and kissing him softly instead, which would be enough of an answer, he believed. "I wouldn't want... a-anyone else." He managed to say, before a few tears finally came through. He looked down, "...sorry. Not fair." He mumbled, wiping at his face. Once those first tears were gone, he kept looking down, trying to get them to stop.

[Deleted]

Kodi hesitated, then eventually nodded slowly. He knew this was going to take a while to get over... And even if it was his own fault for getting into the mess, he deserved some time to get over it, right? "I'll... I'll do what I can," he said softly. "... Kisses help," he added, almost meekly, with a shy glance up at the taller man. "Makes the... Pain hurt less." Yeah, because... Science.

He hummed soothingly at Gryph, letting him know he was alright. Kodi was more alright now than he'd been for... As long as he could remember since this whole thing started. "Mmm... My Gryphy..." he murmured, weakly bringing his hand up to cup the man's cheek. "It's... It's gonna be okay..."

Kodi waited worriedly for a response, but... Then Gryph kissed him again, and everything just seemed... Better. Not perfect, but it distracted him from the various pains his body was telling him about. He licked his lips after they parted, realizing how dry they were. But Gryph was speaking again, and he was crying, and Kodi's heart ached so much to know that this never would have happened if he'd just been smarter in the first place and not done what he had. "Don't apologize," he said quietly, wiping the pad of his thumb against one of the tears. "Just.... Love me as much as I love you..." He cleared his throat and shifted a little, moving his hand so that he was holding the ice pack himself. He gradually moved it to one of his other bruises. "Would... Would you mind gettin' me some water or somethin'?" he asked softly. "Sorry for... Needin' so much attention..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Of course he deserved time to recover. Anyone expecting Kodi to get right back up again after something like this would be being unfair. This was going to be difficult to combat, so, like Gryph had already said - he needed to give himself a chance. Or he really hurt himself in the long run. Gryphon smiled faintly, "Well..." He leaned down and pecked his lips a couple times, "I'll keep that in mind." The winged man wasn't all that good at science, so he wasn't sure if it would affect the pain at all, but he didn't mind. He was planning on giving Kodi the tons of affection he deserved anyway.

Gryphon nuzzled slightly into Kodi's hand, feeling his chest flutter at the name, "I hope so." He really did. He wanted things to pick up, for Kodi and for himself. He was fairly certain it was time for him and Kodi to be happier again now. They had both been through a whole lot of shit. Time to balance the scales, surely?

Kodi needed care and attention. That much was definitely obvious by this point, and Gryph was completely willing to help him out as much as possible. Especially seeing as... if he had actually fought for him, at the overlook, this horrible... thing might never have come to pass. Gryphon did blame himself for this, even if just a little. The gentle touch made the avian man look at Kodi again. And what he said made his heart beam, "I love you with all my heart." He said, sniffing again. At the request for a drink, he got up quickly, hovering at the apology. "....you need attention." He said, "And I'm more than happy to give it." After that, he disappeared and reappeared moments later with some water, which he placed near to Kodi, "There." He said, quietly, before kneeling down and resting his arms on the edge of the couch, with his head on top of them, looking up at Kodi.

[Deleted]

Kodi allowed himself to smile the smallest of smiles as Gryph bent down and kissed him a couple times. Fuck, he was never going to stop feeling so strongly for this man, was he? And this was helping, more than any medicine would, Kodi was sure. "Good..." he murmured, nuzzling his forehead against Gryph's cheek. "And I'll just... Keep bein' demandin' and ask for more things," he mumbled dishearteningly. Damon had made Kodi far less loud, aggressive, and assertive - and the dentokinetic wasn't sure how long those psychological effects would last.

He just... Felt guilty asking for so much, after just crawling back to his lover's arms like the pathetic, needy person he was. Gryph needed affection too, especially after... Everything. Kodi just didn't feel very well and wasn't sure how much he could manage to do. He knew sex was out of the question for a while, but... He was alright with that. He just... Wanted Gryph. Wanted him near. Intimacy could wait... Indefinitely. Because when Gryph said stupid shit like what he was now... "I-I know that now," he whispered, still holding the man's cheek in his hand. "I'm so... So lucky I found you... I'm never making you go ever again." Honestly, Kodi just wanted to crash in this apartment for a while until he was feeling better, because... He really was in bad shape, and it'd been a struggle just to get here. He smiled again as Gryph went and got the water, gladly taking it and swallowing several mouthfuls once he returned. Kodi realized Gryph was sort of... Staring at him, and he looked down at the winged man, raising an eyebrow. "What're you starin' at?" he asked, bewildered. "Do I got somethin' on my face?" Besides all the bruises and smudged makeup and shit, of course. He eased back a little and moved the ice again, this time near his belt, where a splotchy patch of skin disappeared down his thigh and under his pants. "... I should prob'ly take a shower...." he sighed. If he could manage to stand for that long.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon hoped his own affections for Kodi wouldn't weaken, or lessen. Even after everything that had happened, and feeling so crushed and dejected, he felt a whole lot better having Kodi in his presence, even like this. This meant, anyway, that he could keep him away from that son-on-a-bitch who thought it was a good idea, and he could hopefully replace all the negativity with love. Sounds cheesy as fuck, but it was necessary, because Kodi definitely didn't seem himself, which was completely understandable. It just worried him.

As if that wasn't obvious by now. The dentokinetic's condition in general worried him.

For now, this was comfort enough. Knowing that Kodi was safe was all he needed. He could wallow in his own muddled emotions at another time. He was glad that those tears from before had melted away; he smiled softly, "And I'm not going anywhere." Like how he didn't want Kodi to anywhere, in every sense of that. He definitely didn't seem to be in a good enough state to be going back to Hammel, at least not yet... and even if he did start feeling better, Gryphon really didn't want him to go. He wanted to look after him, and hold him close and never have to let him go.

He kept looking up at the other boy, even as he questioned him, and tilted his head, "No, it's not that..." He mused, "I just can't take my eyes off you." Even with the bruising and the smudged makeup and the not-so-happy expression, Kodi was still beautiful, in Gryph's eyes. He nodded at the next comment, though, "Yeah, it might... help." Relax him or something. And then the older boy straightened up and kissed him again, staying for a little longer this time. He didn't care about the slightly rougher texture of Kodi's lips, he just wanted to show his affections, and try to help him as much as he could.

[Deleted]

They both worried about each other a lot; that seemed to be a sort of prerequisite for this relationship. Kodi was worried that he was stressing Gryph out even more again because of all this but.... He just wasn't going to let himself do anything stupid again.

"Mmm... Good," Kodi murmured, wincing a bit as he scooted over closer to the side of the couch so he could be as close to Gryph as possible. "... Is it okay if I stay here for a while?" he asked quietly, purposefully not mentioning exactly how long. He wasn't sure if Gryph would agree if it was for several days. But Kodi just... He didn't want to have to face people at school, especially looking like this. Who knew what sort of rumors would start to circle around? "I just... People are gonna ask questions, an' for once I ain't too proud of the answers..." He'd gotten bruises before from regular fights, but... Not like this.

He felt his cheeks grow hot as Gryph continued to look at him, and Kodi cleared his throat and looked down at the ice pack on his hip. "Prob'ly 'cause I look like I just got the worst end of a nasty fist fight," he snorted. He still had a hard time accepting compliments, but he was definitely blushing. "Nnn... Yeah. I think I'm gonna try..." He started to try and sit up, but then Gryph kissed him again, and Kodi relaxed, slowly bringing his hand to rest on the back of the man's neck as he accepted the affection with gratitude. "... Might need help reaching everything..." he mumbled once they broke apart and he struggled to stand up again. There was a slight limp in his step that he tried to hide as he slowly trudged his way to the bathroom. "... Maybe a bath would be better." At least that way he could lay down and... Maybe Gryph could help.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It was better that they worried, even if it was quite a bit, over not at all, right? And it was... perfectly rational. And... well, of course this was adding to Gryph's stress, but what could be done? This wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence, and he had every right to be upset, concerned and practically scared for Kodi - especially since he could personally relate. He knew how hard this shit was.

"...I know how people can be." Gryphon determined, "It's perfectly alright." the avian man assured. He didn't feel like he would be forcing Kodi to return to Hammel tonight. That would be plain cruel. He didn't realise the time scale that Kodi was referring to, however. As far as he was concerned, he thought the dentokinetic meant that he wanted to stay for the night. If he asked for longer... it depended. Gryph didn't want to make him leave at all - he wanted to keep him close until he was certain he was feeling better, however long that would be, but... he didn't know.

Gryphon shook his head slightly, "No, it's the fact that... you're still beautiful." Despite the damage. This notion was very true, but as well as that, the older man felt like Kodi would need a lot of affection - more than before. And he was more than happy to give it. He just hoped it would remain seeming sincere, which it was. All of his actions were. He wouldn't do them, or say the things he did, if they weren't true. Not like the past, where he seemed to slip into lying about things; that definitely didn't end well.

He watched Kodi as he stood and began moving, curious concern on his features. He followed after, a gentle hand on the quiet boy's back... he never expected to ever describe him as such. It felt odd. "Mhmm." He could see that his... he was going to need to ask about that... that Kodi was struggling. "Whatever's easiest." He said, silently agreeing. He didn't know what the dentokinetic wanted, but at the moment, he would do almost anything he asked, he felt. Gryph opened the bathroom door for the younger boy and looked at him for a moment, "Do... do you want any help?" He wasn't sure how to ask.