Time Warp: The Perfect Family.... Not (Gryphon)

[Fleur Seomoon]

Set in Summer of 2019

The alarm clock went off early that morning, stirring Fleur from her sleep.  She buried her face into the soft, downy pillow she slept on for a few extra moments before rolling over and turning the noise off.  Today was a big day, and she knew that she needed to get up, but she wanted to relish this feeling for as long as she could, because it would be a week before she got to sleep in her own bed again.

She yawned and scooted over to her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and nuzzling into his wing feathers.  "Good morning, baby," she mumbled to Gryphon with a sleepy smile.  Fleur wished it could be like this all the time... Calm, and quiet, and like things were perfect in their family... But the truth was, moments like these were not as common as she wanted them to be.

Fleur stretched up and kissed his cheek tenderly before sitting up and stretching as she yawned again.  "Mm... I'm going to miss this bed," she sighed, finally flipping the blanket over so she could swing her legs over the side of the bed and get up.  She was dressed lightly in a short, lacy top and matching panties; it was so hot in these mid-summer nights, Fleur didn't want to wear more.  She took a couple moments to study herself in their standing mirror, fidgeting with and poking the slightly saggy skin on her stomach with a frown.  No matter how hard she tried, she had never been able to get her body back to the way it had been before Robin had been born.  Fleur was still thin, yes, but her skin just hadn't sprung back like she'd wished it would.  She was about a week away from just getting plastic surgery to be rid of it.  She was too vain to deal with it any longer, especially being in the business that she was.  Imperfections weren't acceptable.

"What are you and Robin going to do today after I'm gone?" she asked after a while, looking back at the winged man.  Mm, why did he have to be so handsome, but so.... bah....

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon didn't sleep as well as Fleur, but that was because he had a natural alarm clock by the name of Robin. He'd just about managed to keep him from crying too much, and it sounded like the little guy was still asleep (thankfully) when Fleur's alarm clock went off. Yes, it woke him up, but he continued to lay there, waking up slowly by himself.

He felt Fleur move behind him and gave a small smile as she spoke, rubbing her arms a little, "Morning." This... wasn't the most desirable of situations Gryph could have found himself in, but he hadn't a choice. Even if he didn't want to be Fleur's husband, he had to stick to the vows he made somewhat, at least enough to support her like a good friend would. She had a pretty stressful job, he had to hand that to her. Gryphon... didn't. He had no job. His job was taking care of Robin, and he was very happy with it. If he could make sure his little prince felt loved and wanted and cared for, then that was better than any career Gryph could think of.

He chuckled softly as Fleur spoke and got up, "I would too." He said quietly, though in honesty, he wasn't in this bed as much as he should be, if he was a loyal husband. Fleur was well aware of what he did, though, he wasn't the best at lying. Her opinion, he wasn't so sure about. He knew her opinion on her mum body, though. Hated it. Wished it could be back to normal, but that wasn't how reality was. Saggy stomachs were a side effect of being a mother - Gryphon thought she should be proud of it but considering the industry she worked in, maybe it was for the best to fix it.

"Hm?" The avian man slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes, "I have lots of things planned." One of the main things was visiting 'uncle' Kodi. Despite all this. Gryph was still gay. Duh. And he still loved him. He just wished things weren't as they were. "Might go to the park, not sure. I'll take it as it comes." He stood up and stretched, going to find some decent clothes to put on, "You all packed and ready, hm?" He asked, just as he heard crying in the other room. He looked at Fleur, before walking out of the room, "I've got it~" He went into Robin's room and scooped up the little guy, "Looks like someone's gonna miss his mummy." Not like she did much. Hmph.

[Fleur Seomoon]

Fleur had carried Robin in her body for nine months – it had felt like an eternity! She figured that was more than enough effort on her part and that taking care of the child wasn’t solely her priority. Having an heir was her parents’ wishes, after all; they hadn’t said anything about how she would raise it. She would have hired a nanny, if Gryphon didn’t insist on taking care of the child himself. Stupid selfless man… It made her love him more, even if she knew he didn’t love her back. She smiled a little when Gryphon rubbed her arms, glad, at least, for that small bit of intimacy. But Fleur still longed for more…

“Mm….” She nuzzled the back of his neck sleepily. Why did she torture herself like this? At least soon she would be out of the country for this business venture, and… Well, it was entirely possible that she might find herself someone to keep her bed there warm at night. Her parents had never said anything about being faithful either, and she was fully aware that Gryphon still saw Kodi whenever he could. After she got up and finished criticizing herself, Fleur went to the closet to put on some of her more comfortable but still trendy clothes for the long airplane ride over to France.

“I’m sure you do,” she replied back with a smile. “You’re a natural at this whole fathering business…” Unlike her. Fleur had always wanted kids, but now that she had one, she realized she really wasn’t all that maternal at all. She blamed society (and, secretly, her parents) for making her feel like she had to have a child. “It should be a nice day for the park, I heard it’s not supposed to be as hot today,” she mentioned as she finished dressing. “Yup, I’ve got everything packed and ready to go, I’ll just get a quick bite and be on my way. How do I look?” Fleur tossed back her hair and posed; she was comfortable around Gryph without her hair perfect and without makeup on by now, especially considering she knew he wouldn’t find her attractive either way. She would put her face on after breakfast. Speaking of… “Alright, hun,” she replied dismissively as Gryphon went to take care of the crying kid. Fleur rubbed her temples and went to the dining room to see what their chef had made that morning. God, she couldn’t stand the crying… She sat down and began eating while looking over her itinerary on her phone of what she had to prepare for after she arrived in France. “Hun, the food will get cold if you don’t eat soon,” she called out after a few minutes.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It would be better for Robin if Fleur was more present but apparently that couldn't be helped. Sometimes he really did wish for a little more support. Maybe she would enjoy mothering more if she actually attempted at helping, but apparently that was too above her. Or maybe it was all too above her. Whatever, Gryphon would put in the extra effort in place of her.

Fleur thought she was tortured? She didn't know the half of it. She didn't know any of Gryph's problems or insecurities (not that he would be comfortable sharing them anyway), and she probably wouldn't care enough anyway. Too wrapped up in herself.

Damn right he was a good dad. He knew how important it was to show he cared. "I just know what matters for a kid." Like a stable family and two loving parents. Seriously, Kodi took better care of Robin than Fleur did, he wouldn't be surprised if the little guy got confused. Personally, he tried his best not to spoil him, but.... oh, sometimes he just couldn't help it! Gryph nodded, "Yeah, that's good." Not that he didn't know already. He took a moment before checking on Robin to look at Fleur, giving her a thumbs up, "Beautiful, as per usual." He was being honest. Despite his dislike for her.... most things, it was hard to call her ugly.

Gryphon was still playing lots of attention to Robin, despite his own hunger, and when Fleur called out, he rolled his eyes, "It'll be fine." Even if he didn't like having a chef-housekeeper-person, he did make really good food. Gryph could probably just heat it up anyway. He came to the dining room, Robin toddling behind, and helped him up into a chair with a booster seat so he could eat too. Robin started happily munching of his own accord as Gryphon slid into his own chair and began eating slowly, "He's fine now, see? Just hungry." Hunger was a bitch. At least Robin was cheerful now. Maybe one day Fleur would care a little more. That was all Gryph could hope for. He pulled out his phone and sent Kodi a text, saying he'd probably be over some point soon. Kodi loved Robin almost as much as he did, he was certain he'd be happy to see the little guy.

[Fleur Seomoon]

Fleur wondered if there was a bit of spite in Gryphon’s voice as he responded. He always did a good job of hiding it, but she had gotten to know her husband well enough that she knew he wished she did more with Robin. It wasn’t her fault that it didn’t come naturally to her, or that she would rather put her job first. She was only twenty-six, after all! “I know you do,” she replied, holding in a sigh. Fleur wondered how long it would be before Kodi was here after she left. She hated knowing that as long as she was gone, the two of them would likely spend their nights in the same bed if they could help it. Still, Fleur smiled at his compliment, wrapping her arms around Gryphon’s neck and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. “You’re sweet,” she murmured. “One of these days, you should come to a show with me.” Fleur was certain she could get him a modeling gig easily, considering his looks, but she was also certain he would refuse so he didn’t have to leave Robin to be looked after by someone else.

She continued eating and scrolling through various feeds on her phone, only looking up to thank their chef as he refilled her mug with tea. Fleur waited impatiently for Gryphon to appear, and noticed her son wobbling in behind him. She swallowed hard and smiled at Robin. “Good morning, sweetie,” she cooed, reaching over to pinch the baby’s cheek when he was sat in the booster seat. He was a beautiful toddler, but Fleur’s affection was just… Mostly forced. “He is hungry, isn’t he? Such a big, growing boy…” He was big. Given that both of his parents were tall, Fleur was certain he would be too. And with both of their looks, well, she thought he would likely be model material when he was older too. She looked over at Gryphon when she noticed him texting, and bit her lip, almost certain of who it was. “Going to see Kodi this morning, hm?” she guessed with a thin smile. She hated that man, but she never said as much. “Just make sure he’s not drunk or high around Robin, okay?” Fleur knew Gryph knew better than that, but she liked pointing out the dentokinetic’s flaws anyway. She continued eating.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon was someone who would be great at customer service. He was almost sad to say that by this point, yes, he was good at shielding the emotion in his voice, and he could act as pleasant as the happiest man in the world. The fake reality behind that was something rather depressing, but by this point, he was about 75% certain that the only genuine person in this family was the little boy he adored so much. And despite his own age, the fact he gave up a career for this, Gryph was happy nurturing Robin to make sure he was as bright and optimistic as Gryph himself had once been. Fleur could blame herself for the extra time spent with Kodi. Sometimes seeing that man was the only thing that could truly get him through the day. He knew Gryphon almost inside out, and Gryph was the same with him. If Fleur didn't like it, she could divorce him. Maybe then he could live the life he wanted (taking Robin with him, of course - he would never leave his baby in her uncaring hands). He was put off by the affection, as usual, but didn't pull away straight away, just smiled warmly, "Maybe," He possibly would, just to make their relationship a little better. He could trust Kodi with Robin.

The little boy gurgled happily at the attention from his mum, and Gryph just held in a sigh. At least she was trying somewhat. Better than not at all. "Isn't he just?" He thanked the chef warmly and asked how he was the next time he returned. Sometimes it was hard to remember to do simple things like that when you were so busy. He glanced up when Fleur spoke again and slowly finished his message and sent it, putting his phone down on the table, "Mhm." He continued eating. Robin somewhat recognised the name, and bounced happily in his seat. It made Gryph smile, even as Fleur spoke. He spoke pleasantly, despite what he was saying, "Sure. And I'll make sure he's not planning a murder or a robbery too, thanks for reminding me." Yeah, he was not happy with her statement, her... assumptions. Because it hit a chord; Gryphon knew Kodi could be doing better than he was, and he knew how to fix things but... but that couldn't be done. He could just do everything else he could in his position, and try to keep his spirits up. At least Robin seemed to have a liking for books. Or maybe it was just the silly voices they used. Either way, it was good.

He looked at the time and then at Fleur, "You should get going." No, he wasn't subtle. He wanted her gone, and wanted Kodi in her place. If she thought marriage would change that, those three years back, she was sadly mistaken. He sipped his tea and stroked Robin's hair.

[Fleur Seomoon]

Fleur was probably happier than Gryphon was. Well… Definitely happier. Even if he didn’t love her back, she did have a lot of affection for her husband, and she was content with the fact that he was hers in that sense. His discontent with the situation made her sad, but… What else could she do but just try to be the best wife she could? (Hint: she could be a better mother) The only reason she was alright with Gryphon’s ‘cheating’ was because she knew it made him at least a little less miserable. Fleur just wished it was with someone less….. Kodi. But at least it wasn’t another woman, right? “Maybe,” she repeated with a small smile. “Next time there’s a show, I’m going to talk to someone about getting you suited up. With your looks, and your wings….” Fleur sighed dreamily. “You would look incredible on runways, baby.” She wouldn’t trust Robin with Kodi, though (ironically). If nothing else, she would ask her parents to come and watch the baby if they went on an extended trip.

Fleur did smile when Robin reacted to her attention, and she felt the slightest bit of guilt that she had to leave the baby behind for a week. But only barely. Gryphon would take good care of him, she knew. “I bet he’s going to be taller than me,” she chuckled to herself. Her husband was really damn tall, and her own family had tall genes. Fleur glanced at the chef when Gryph spoke to him but said nothing; she had a bad habit of not really talking to their house workers, unintentionally. But then the older man was responding to her about Kodi, and she scowled slightly, a little irked by his obvious sass. “Thank you,” she replied somewhat curtly. “I wouldn’t want little Robin to think criminal behavior is acceptable, after all.” Fleur smiled over at Robin like she had just said something very sweet as she finished her meal and pushed her plate aside for the chef to put away. “Isn’t that right, baby?” She reached out and stroked Robin’s hair; it was so thick and dark already, like hers, although she thought he looked a lot more like Gryphon than he looked like her. Of course he did…

She blinked and looked back at the winged man as he spoke. Her lips twitched unhappily, but she nodded and stood. “You’re right. I wouldn’t want to miss my plane.” Fleur disappeared into the bathroom to do her hair and put on makeup; about a half-hour later, she came back out, looking much more awake and glowing (she hoped). “Alright, I’m having Pierre take my luggage out to the car, so I’m going to take off. Don’t miss me too much, okay?” There may have been a tiny bit of sarcasm in her voice. Fleur bent down and kissed Robin on the forehead, then gave Gryph a peck on the lips. “… Love you,” she mumbled, before turning and heading out. Stupid man….

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon laughed weakly at Fleur's daydreaming, "Well, like I said, maybe. We'll see, I suppose." Maybe it would be fun? He knew for a fact Kodi would want pictures... actually, he wasn't sure. Maybe it would make him think of Fleur too much and he wouldn't like them... eh, who was he kidding - knowing Kodi, he'd drool all over them.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he reached my height." Or taller. Chances were Robin was going to be a giant too. Right now though, Gryph didn't want to think about him growing up. He was happy with the guy being a little toddling mess who wanted love and attention and didn't have too much of an attitude. If he grew up to be a sassy little monkey, Gryph would blame himself. He rolled his eyes at Fleur's annoyance, "Of course not." Robin wiggled happily and nodded, "Yes, mommy!" Gryphon wasn't really sure if he had any idea what the pair of them had been talking about, but it was probably for the best that he was naive for now. The little boy squirmed a little under her touch and Gryph had to suppress a smirk. He nodded matter-of-factly, "No, you wouldn't."

While she was gone, Gryph and Robin finished eating and when she returned, Robin was just leaving his room with Gryphon behind him, having made sure the little boy was okay when getting changed. Gryph had to admit, the makeup did help Fleur a little, even if he was an advocate for clean faces. She could do what she wanted, he didn't really care too much. At the announcement, he gave an amused expression, "I'll try my hardest." The kissing always made him feel awkward, but if she wanted to do it, he didn't really want to stop her. His baby voice quickly appeared as she began to leave, and he held his son's hand, "Say bye-bye to mommy, Robby." Robin waved as she left, "Bye-bye." He said (adorably).

Once Gryphon was sure Fleur was gone, he checked that everything he had packed for today was ready and made sure Robin was happy and ready too before piling into the other car with him and driving out to a very familiar location. Robby was fairly excited, which Gryph was definitely happy to see. When they reached the right house, Gryphon helped Robin out of the car and picked him up, letting the little guy ring the bell too. When there was an answer, Gryph beamed, "Hi," He said brightly. "Could you bear to take a poor man and his weary little traveller in?" Now he was being a dork. Kodi brought that out in him.

[Fleur Seomoon]

Kodi would most definitely want pictures of that. Holy fuck. He didn’t care what Gryph was wearing (or wasn’t wearing, honestly), he would always gladly accept any and all pictures of the gorgeous love of his life. Being on a runway would probably look natural for the tall, handsome man.

Mmm… Yep, Fleur was already thinking about how great it would be if their little baby went into the modeling business. Hell, he was a beautiful enough kid already, she wouldn’t be surprised if he got accepted for some pictures for baby clothing catalogues and the like. Maybe she would have to look into it. Fleur giggled a little as her son agreed with her, amused despite the slight tension in the room. “Good boy,” she purred. “You make mommy very proud.” Probably for all the wrong reasons, but still. Fleur figured she was probably feeling a little more affectionate towards the kid now because she would be gone from him for a while.

He was an awfully cute little stinker when he was saying goodbye like that, too. Fleur had to chuckle as she waved back to the little thing. “Bye-bye, love. Mommy will be back soon, okay?” She blew him a kiss before she went outside, but as soon as she was in the car, she relaxed with a little bit of relief. Honestly… She liked getting out of the house on these trips, if only to be away from the tension. And she hated that that’s how it was….

But moving on to bigger and better things. Kodi lived a fair distance away in a much, much more rundown neighborhood. He lived alone except for his two rabbits – Fang and Freda – and spent most of his waking hours working at the library, drinking, or reading (or a mixture of the two). It was earlier than he usually got up on his days off, but Gryph’s text had woke him up, so he made sure to be presentable (and sober) for the man and his little twerp’s (affectionately called) arrival. When he heard the sound of a car in his driveway, he stood up from his reading chair and pushed his glasses up his nose as he went to open the door. His weary expression lifted into one of happiness to see the two on his ratty doorstep. “I guess I might have room for a couple of scallywags,” he chuckled, stepping aside to let them in. The dentokinetic grinned at Robin. “Especially ones as cute as you!” he exclaimed, tweaking the baby’s nose. “Hey, I have a surprise for you today, kiddo. Your daddy and I will go get it for you.” Kodi waited until Gryph hopefully sat the baby down somewhere before he meekly pulled the older man aside and gave him a small kiss, out of Robin’s sight. “She’s gone for a week now, right?” he murmured hopefully.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It was somewhat of a shame that Gryphon actually felt happier about Fleur leaving than her being home, but it meant good things for him, so it made sense. And maybe better things for Robin too, though he wasn't sure if his son minded how little his mother was about. He was definitely upset about it sometimes, Gryph noticed. He just wished he could do more, and... well, more usually came in the form of Kodi. He still loved him so much, and he knew Robin liked him too. Maybe it was good for him. Hopefully it was.

Gryphon didn't mind where Kodi lived, or his lack of money in comparison to Gryph himself - it had never changed anything before, why would it now? It didn't change who Kodi was, and why Gryph found himself wishing every night he would fall asleep and wake up with a husband next to him, and not a wife. Oh, and with his bunny. He missed Fang too. He missed a lot of things. One being the rush of warmth and comfort he felt when Kodi was around, the same one he felt when be saw the younger man's face just then. The tension on his brow alleviated, even if the slight sadness lingered in his eyes. He grinned as Kodi played along, stepping inside. He still had a couple of things in the car, but they could wait for now. He was still in love with how Kodi interacted with the now giggling Robin, who became very excited at the idea of a surprise.

Gryphon was rather interested as well, and left Robin with Fang (who he greeted happily as well) before being taken aside. He smiled at his lover (yes, his lover, he was the one Gryph actually loved after all). He gave Kodi another kiss in return, smiling warmly, "Yep, one whole week." He paused for a moment before wrapping his arms tightly around Kodi, letting out a heavy sigh. "You don't know how much I miss you sometimes, beautiful." After a couple longer moments, he gave the dentokinetic a peck on the cheek and pulled away reluctantly. Being the affectionate person he was, Gryph obviously wanted to stay with Kodi and show his love, but they didn't have time right now. "So, what's this surprise, hm?" He asked warmly, "He's gonna think you're Santa Claus." Gryphon said with a smile, brushing Kodi's cheek with his thumb, and spotting his wedding ring in the process. God, this was so hard... without a second thought, he twisted the ring off his finger and slipped it in his pocket. He didn't want to be reminded of that false arrangement in this house.

[Deleted]

Kodi was too proud to accept any sort of charity that Gryphon might send his way. Maybe if he knew it was just Gryph’s money, he might accept it, but knowing that a large part of the Matsuokas’ income came from his bitch of a wife’s work made him refuse to take any. He didn’t need a big, fancy house or expensive things. What he really needed was… well, it was out of his reach too, in the marital sense. Obviously. He was just glad they were able to get away with meeting like this, even if he did feel a little guilty for making Robin a part of the mess too. When he looked at Gryphon, he saw his own sadness reflected in his lover’s eyes, although he felt the best whenever the older man was around. Robin, too, although there was just the tiniest bit of hate in Kodi’s chest for the boy that he would never ever admit, because part of the reason he was alive was because of that… that… grrr….

But there was far more love in his heart for the child, because it was Gryphon’s too, and anything that was Gryph’s was completely precious. If he was unhappy with everything else life had thrown their way, he was at least happy that his love got to feel the joy of raising his own child, something Kodi never could have provided him with. Still, he smiled when the winged man kissed him back, and trailed his fingers lovingly down Gryph’s front as he smiled up at him. “I miss you too, babe,” he croaked back, his throat a little raspy. “At least I get you and Robin for a while all to myself.” Kodi nuzzled into his embrace and clung to him like a drowning man until they reluctantly pulled apart. “Oh, right, the surprise,” he remembered with a smile. “It’s right over here.” Kodi went over to his dining room table and pulled out a chair to pick up the stuffed shark he’d been keeping hidden underneath for the next time the two stopped by. “It’s, um, I know it’s not a lot, but I thought he might like it…” It was a rather large plushie, and he’d spent a good portion of his income on the thing, but he thought it would be worth it if Robin liked it.

He’d noticed Gryph removing his ring and bit his lip as he glanced at his now-empty hand. “… Um….” With a tiny smile, Kodi went to snag a small gummy ring from the kitchen and slid it onto Gryph’s ring finger. “I do,” he chirped, just like he did every time, and gave Gryph another kiss before smiling and lacing their fingers together to pull him into the room where Robin was. “Robin! What do you think of sharks?” he asked, flourishing the toy before him.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon knew how this situation played with his emotions and Kodi's. He really felt like it was unfair to keep clinging onto the other man tirelessly, but... but he couldn't help it. And he was selfish. If he told Kodi to move on, he would be even more alone, and even more sad. He would have Robin, and he adored Robin with his whole heart, but Kodi was his rock and he needed the support. They both felt the strain, but Gryph thought it was worth it.

One day, things would be how they should be, and everything would be good and balanced again. Just... not yet.

He was very glad to have his own child, even if Robin want ever necessarily planned, but sometimes he wished he wasn't so alone in raising the boy. If he had Kodi.... if. It always came down to that, didn't it? Sigh... Robin was worth it. The pain of being apart was worth the relief of being together. The desperation between the pair was obvious - the way the words were spoken, the grips and holds that didn't quite want to let go, the strong pull of affection. It was more than enough to drive someone mad, but Gryphon almost cherished the power of his emotions, despite how painful they were sometimes. He smiled sadly, "We still have each other, we do..." He didn't want to let go, really he didn't, but Robin was too curious for his own good sometimes. He followed Kodi along, glancing behind himself for a moment before grabbing Kodi's hand and holding it tight. He looked at the plushie he produced with a wide smile, nodding, "No, love, my beautiful love, it's perfect, he'll adore it." He kissed Kodi's forehead and nuzzled him a little. He really appreciated it.

Gryph watched Kodi scamper off, knowing exactly what he was about to do. At the presentation of the gummy ring, he couldn't help giggling - he usually couldn't every time they did this - as he was 'wed'. "I do." He replied, kissing his lover again, and hovering for a moment, "....one day." He said softly. He said that a lot too. It was a promise he really intended to keep. He smiled brightly as Kodi pulled him along, only overtaking him as they reached Robin, who was very very happy at this big fluffy thing and making grabby hands at it already. Once it was handed over, he cuddled it tight. Gryphon was in love with how adorable it was. He sat next to his baby boy, "You know what that is, Robby?" He asked, voice gaining an octave. In response, the little boy bared his teeth and Gryph giggled, "That's right, sweetie, he does have big teeth, that's cos he likes to nom things. Omnomnomnom~" He said, making a silly face and poking Robin's stomach, making him squirm and giggle. Gryphon stroked his hair a little, "What d'you want to call him, Robby?"

"Nam-Nam."

Gryph smiled, "I know, he nam-nams."

Robin shook his head rather dramatically, "No, Nam-Nam."

Gryphon nodded slowly, looking up at Kodi, grinning, "Nam-Nam." He said, knowingly. His attitude in this household was much different to his one at home, but Gryph knew he prefer this cozy little place over his mansion of a house. More friendly and warm and homey. And this house had Kodi in.

[Deleted]

Like hell Kodi could move on. Even if Gryph ‘allowed’ him to, the dentokinetic wouldn’t. He would just be sad and miserable and more alone than he was now. No, given the entire situation… This was the best possible scenario to make of it. Kodi hoped that Gryphon felt the same. He was pretty certain it was, given how their reunions went…

Kodi could have stayed in that room, holding Gryphon, for as long as he was able to. When was the last time they had even been able to see each other like this, without Fleur always a looming threat around the corner? Kodi was going to take as much out of this as he possibly could. But that also meant taking Robin along for the ride, which was alright too; the two men could have more alone time when it was past bedtime for the little rug-rat. “I know we do,” he murmured, mustering up a small smile. “You’re way too gay for me to forget that.” Kodi was managing to be a little playful only because he was giddy to have Gryph for a week. How sad was it that that was a privilege? He squeezed Gryph’s hand as he pulled out the plushie, and chuckled a little at the older man’s reaction; his cheeks blushed faintly. “I hope he does,” he murmured, closing his eyes contentedly at the nuzzles. Hopefully Robin wasn’t scared of sharks.

His eyes went a little sadder again as Gryph took his ‘ring’ and spoke softly. “Yeah… One day,” he agreed in a murmur. “Once you both get tired enough of that shitty marriage and she stops being too damn proud to break it off….” Kodi took a deep breath to calm himself. He had a lot of angry feelings towards Fleur. But, there were more important things now, like giving this giant plush to the tiny man. Kodi grinned as Robin grabbed for it and gladly handed it over; it was easily bigger than the baby himself. He watched the interaction between the two fondly, baring his own teeth playfully when Gryph spoke about the plushie’s. “I like to nom things too!” he joked, also reaching down to tickle the little one with a giggle. “I thought he kinda looked like me. What do you think, am I a big fat sharptooth?” He puffed out his stomach as far as it would go and went ‘rawr!’. He hoped the kid would at least think of him whenever he saw it, even if Kodi wasn’t around.

He waited to hear the name that Robin chose, and grinned when he heard it. “Nam-Nam is an incredibly accurate name,” Kodi replied with a nod. “I approve.” He took the shark by the fin and nuzzled its face against the kid’s belly. “But don’t worry, he won’t nam-nam you, he has better manners than that. I made sure to train him before you got here.” The dentokinetic glanced over at Gryph, his mock serious face cracking a little with a smile. “So what do you and daddy have planned today?” he asked them. “Do you mind if I come too?”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon loved Kodi wholeheartedly - of course the feelings were reciprocated and if Kodi wanted to stay with Gryph (as much as he could), Gryph was glad. Maybe that would make him feel a little less guilty.

Fleur lurked a lot whenever Kodi came over to the Matsuoka household, so it was hard to get an intimate moment in edgeways. That was probably the point of her lurking, even if she was fully aware about this. Gryphon laughed softly at Kodi's teasing, "If it really upsets you, I can attempt to tone my gay down, but I can't promise anything." No, he loved the younger man too much. Every moment of affection mattered, and everything they did for one another was important, like... like this. "He will." Gryph was curious though, "....this wasn't too expensive, was it? You know how much I appreciate it, it's just..." Looping back to finances. Kodi was never willing to have any money, not 'from' Fleur, and Gryph couldn't get money any other way at the moment, but... but they had more than enough...! Kodi was too stubborn for his own good.

Gryphon sighed at Kodi's frustrations, because he felt the same, "You know I would try harder for a divorce if it weren't for Robin. I can't scar him like that right now." Kodi was well aware. Both of them just wished that wasn't how things were. How hard was it to just admit you were being selfish and get out? Maybe one day Fleur would gain the empathy to be fair.

Anyway, not as important as Robin himself. Gryph's mind went right to the gutter when Kodi spoke up again, which he could only blame the dentokinetic for, but he just kept quiet. That wasn't what he meant... not this time. Robin giggled gleefully when Kodi tickled him as well, and at the silly behaviour, pointing at his face. Gryphon had to join in with the laughter, and he pulled Robin into his lap, "I think he's a big fat sharptooth." Robin nodded along happily and cuddled the shark tighter. Gryph wished he could do the same with his own cuddly shark.

Robin squirmed and squealed as Nam-Nam 'attacked' his stomach, and Gryphon just watched everything happily. He was so so glad to have Kodi... a couple years ago, he definitely didn't seem fit to look after any children, but now? He was perfect. Gryph's biased opinion but he didn't care, everyone else who thought otherwise was wrong. He smiled back at Kodi when they caught eyes, and Gryphon wrapped his arms around the toddler's waist, "We were thinking of going to the park, weren't we?" He said, snuggling Robin closer as if they'd truly discussed it. They kind of had - Gryph had mentioned it and Robin had seemed happy, so that was that. "Considering the weather and all..." Gryphon smiled, "I don't think there's any reason why you shouldn't come with." He mouthed 'I need you' and sent a silent kiss and a wink after he spoke. Robin seemed happy enough, though he wanted Nam-Nam back.

Gryph bounced the boy on his knee a little as he spoke to Kodi, "Did you have anything planned?" Knowing Kodi, probably reading and drinking (sadly) and maybe smoking (even more sadly). Gryphon knew those things wouldn't be happening if he was there 24/7 but that couldn't happen right now, clearly. Besides, Gryph loved hearing Kodi read books to Robin. He just loved Kodi. He was so glad to be able to spend a huge chunk of time with him and Robin together and oh, it was all worth it.

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Kodi didn’t like going over to Gryph’s place unless he knew the bitch wouldn’t be there. He could always feel her eyes following him, watching his every move, as though she expected Kodi to pounce on Gryph the second she looked away. Psh, he wasn’t dumb enough to do that in their house… usually… He snorted at the older man’s response. “I don’t think you could do that if you tried,” he teased playfully back. “You’ve got gay written all over you.” Like Kodi didn’t. At least he didn’t dye his hair anymore, and his old, rebellious attire had eventually been replaced by glasses and librarian clothes (still dark-colored, mind you). He didn’t feel the need to be flashy anymore, he’d even gotten rid of a couple of his piercings (lip and tongue). When Gryphon started prodding him for price, Kodi glanced away guiltily and shrugged. “Nothin’ I can’t afford,” he replied vaguely. “Kid deserves it, and I want him t’have somethin’ t’remember me by, in case…” In case anything happened to any of them. “Don’t worry about it,” he concluded, squeezing Gryph’s arm with a faint smile.

He shook his head when the winged man explained his position. “No, don’t feel like you need t’try harder, I get it,” Kodi replied earnestly. “I want your kid t’grow up in… A stable family, at least.” Even if his mom was a fucking nutcase workaholic. It was better than nothing. Not that Kodi was nothing, but…

Kodi, for once, was oblivious to the connotations behind what he’d said; his brain was actually being fairly clean right now with baby Robin. He could probably thank Belle for teaching him that. When Gryph pulled the kid into his lap and declared his opinion, Kodi laughed, letting his stomach un-balloon. “Yeah, I just need some fins and gills and I’ll look identical, huh?” Cuties. Both of them. As Kodi glanced between them both, he couldn’t help but notice how similar they looked. “Wow… Does anyone ever tell you how much you look like your daddy, Robin?” Maybe he would even have a dimple.

He sat back on his bum and curled his knees up slightly as Gryphon told him their plans. “Ooh, the park, huh? That sounds like loads of fun,” Kodi replied with a smile. “Mm… And if it gets too warm, I bet dad’s gonna go get some ice cream with you too.” Obviously. Some things never changed. “Could I really?” he asked brightly. “As long as it’s okay with Robby-roo.” Kodi noticed Gryph’s mouthed words and smiled knowingly. He tickled the baby’s stomach again with the shark before handing it back.

“Who, me? Nah, I’m too boring t’make plans ahead of time,” Kodi replied with a wave of his hand. Most days did consist of the things that Gryph was thinking, but the dentokinetic would stay clean today, and maybe for the entire week, depending on how much Gryph was around. “Do you guys wanna get goin’, then?” he asked, starting to stand. “Don’t let me hold you back. I’ll pack a snack or two if y’want... Unless daddy already packed somethin'."  Probably had, knowing him.