We Need To Talk (Gryphon)

[Deleted]

Phoenix took a deep breath as he took the stairs slowly to the boy's floor of the dormitories. He'd needed to do this for a while - really, really needed to. He had just never been good at talking to people, and his best friend was no exception, which was sad, but true. Phen felt awful about what had last happened between them - he was certain Gryph was angry at him, or at least fed up with him, and... Phoenix was tired of staying away. He wanted to fix their relationship again, because Gryph meant a hell of a lot to him, and he wasn't going to let one thing get in between them if he could manage.

He wrapped his arms around his chest and approached the room, anxiety raising in his stomach and twisting uncomfortably, threatening to make him sick. Before he could lose his nerve, he lifted his fist and knocked against the door, wondering if it would be Gryphon that answered, or one of his roommates.

Assuming it was the former, Phoenix would flush upon seeing his face and look to the floor, knees trembling. ".... Hey..." he said softly, hugging himself once again. ".... It's... Been a while..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Phoenix came to Gryphon's mind on a daily basis, almost as often as Kodi did.

Almost.

He knew he needed to talk to the boy, and he... hadn't even attempted it yet. It'd been soooo long, he didn't even know if Phen wanted to talk to him, especially after what happened. Phoenix had come to tell him his job interview went really well, and he interrogated him about his wrist bruises, before Oriel came along and everything seemed to spiral down from there. Best friends, right there.

He was just lounging about in the common room, avoiding homework and all things useful when there was a knock at the door. Seeing as everyone else either wasn't there, or was tucked away in their dorms, Gryph got up and opened it.

To say he was... surprised was a minor understatement. Seeing Phoenix was... he looked so sad, he needed a hug. Gryphon stepped forward and put his arms around the boy he hadn't spoken to in... too long. "It has." He replied, sighing to himself. He pulled away from the hug and looked at Phen, "I'm sorry about... what happened before. It was... difficult." To say the least. "I... I really should've come and talked t'you or... somethin'." Gryphon felt like the crappiest friend ever.

[Deleted]

Phoenix's bruises had long since healed after then, but the emotional damage from what had happened weren't going to get better until this finally happened. He could finally see if Gryph could forgive him... Or if their friendship was going to be over. He desperately hoped it wouldn't be the latter, but in the end, it was up to Gryphon; Phoenix would try to accept whatever happened.

He didn't expect the hug right away, but it wasn't unwelcome by any means. Phoenix still let out an involuntary squeak, managing to pry his arms out from between them so he could wrap his friend in a return hug. ".... I missed you..." he mumbled, relief flooding through him as he buried his face against Gryph's broad chest. He pulled away when his friend did, his grasp lingering around the boy's forearms before slipping away. "It wasn't your fault," he insisted, staring worriedly up at the boy. "I... Should've come sooner too. But I... Was scared. I thought... Maybe you didn't like me anymore..." He averted his eyes as he trailed off, his brow creasing with sorrow.

"C-can I, um, come inside?" he asked, tugging uncertainly on one of the too-long sleeves of his sweatshirt.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It would take something ridiculously horrifying and devastating for Gryphon to ever want to stop being friends with Phoenix. And even then, he'd probably still try to stick by him... the only way they would stop being friends was if Phoenix stopped being a friend towards him. Which he highly doubted would happen anytime soon at all.

"I... missed you too." The winged boy replied, ashamed at his inability to change that sooner than now. One of the main reasons he hadn't spoken to Phen was that he was afraid to start saying the wrong thing, or have Oriel turn up. He didn't know what kind of terms he was on with that boy anymore - he didn't know whether to hate him and just not dislike him.

It was totally his fault, but he wasn't about to argue about it. "Phen, I would never stop liking you." I can't abandon you again. That wasn't the main reason why he wouldn't stop liking Phoenix, but it was a biggie.

He stepped out of the way to let Phen in, "Of course." Assuming he did so, Gryphon closed the door behind him. He looked at the pixie boy again. And noticed that something was... different. Where was all his hair, that bob of his he sometimes hid behind? It was all short and stubbly now. "So," he pointed casually at Phen's head, "What happened t'your hair?"

[Deleted]

Phoenix smiled sadly, feeling bittersweet already about this interaction. At least it was going better than it could have - at least they had both missed each other, as sad and frustrating as that was, instead of one despising the other. Phoenix, though, was still also blissfully unaware of what was going on between Gryphon and Kodi; had he known.... Well, he might have been acting a little different.

He let out a small, nervous giggle at his friend's words, mussing a hand through his hair. "I'm... Glad t'hear that, 'cause I'd never stop likin' you either," he replied, using his other hand to tap Gryph's hip. "I was so happy t'see you here, an' then that all happened, and just.... I wanna forget about it." It would be hard, but he just wanted to look forward now. And... Hopefully figure out a way to make him and Oriel not hate each other.

Phoenix wobbled inside as Gryph stepped back, still toying with the sleeves of his shirt. He stood awkwardly for a moment before heading towards the couch and flopping down with a sigh. When Gryph pointed towards the top of his head, Phen glanced up, and let out a surprised, amused laugh. "Oh, uh.... I got it all chopped off," he mumbled, toying with one of the short strands. "I thought it'd make me look, um, more professional, now that I'm workin' an' all, and... Well, Oriel likes it." A lot. Which, of course, meant a great deal to Phoenix. "Wh, uh, what about you?" he asked, sinking down into the cushions. "What've you been... Up to?"

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph knew he was gonna have to avoid the topic of his new... companion when talking to Phoenix. He... he probably wasn't ready to know about him and Kodi yet, and Gryphon definitely wasn't prepared to tell him about it. He would find out... in due time... hopefully when he didn't completely hate the blonde boy.

Argh, this was difficult.

Gryph smiled minutely at the sound of the slightly awkward laugh, "Good." So they were even - neither would stop liking the other. Brilliant. He nodded in agreement, "Me too." The quicker the crap stuff was out of his memory, the better.

Him and Oriel were... improving. Possibly. Even Gryphon himself didn't know at all. They'd talked before dance practise that one time... that conversation was burned into his skull, and for all the wrong reasons.

It did look a lot neater, Gryph could tell that much. He wasn't some hair expert though, he wasn't to know about these things. He slid his casted arm into it's sling, it having come out of the cloth cradle when he had huggles Phen before, and him now not needing it for anything. He avoided the topic of Oriel, "How is your work goin' then? S'it fun?" He inquired; he probably needed to get a job at some point...

Him? "Me?" Fuck, half of the shit he'd done recently involved Kodi in some way, shape or form. He tried to seem nonchalant and sat next to Phen on the couch, "Nothing huge, really." he said, casually, "I mean, I broke my wrist," he lifted his injured arm a little before replacing it to 'prove his point', "But its alright." Gryphon ran his free hand through his own hair, strands darker than the last time he saw Phen, if he recalled correctly. "Can't do much 'cause've it, but y'know, makin' the most." That was all he could do. Some days it sucked, and some days he built a blanket fort and invited... people over. Those days were good days.

[Deleted]

Phoenix didn't hate Kodi... Really... Exactly... He just had very strong feelings of dislike towards him. Most of that was from the fact that the dentokinetic had fucking bit him (and he still had scars to prove it), but also because Oriel had ended up getting hurt in the process.... And also the fact that Kodi obviously wanted to hook up with Oriel on a regular basis....

Ugh.

He was also unaware of the conversation that had happened between his boyfriend and best friend at dance practice... Which was also probably for the better.

He nodded enthusiastically to the question about his work, brightening up visibly. "Yeah, I love it," he gushed. "It's not really... Glamorous or anythin', you know, cleanin' animal cages and stuff, but I enjoy workin' there." Phoenix let out a small giggle. "And I get t'play with the kittens too." Definitely a bonus. It made up for the human interaction he had to do, although even that he was getting better at, slowly.

Phen did notice the sling, though, and frowned, about to ask what happened, but Gryph answered before he could. "Oh, no," he murmured, pouting. "That's awful! I noticed it looked hurt at that truth or dare thing, but I didn't get the chance to ask or anythin'..." He trailed off. That had been an interesting night. ".... Sorry about what happened then, by the way," he mumbled. "That you had t'say... And Oriel acted so..." Well, Oriel-like. "I really... Appreciated your honesty, though," he continued, cheeks turning slightly pink.

In order to hide it, he laughed as he recalled a memory. "I mean, you stole my first kiss an' all, so it wasn't exactly a big surprise," he went on, trying to tease. They both knew it had been Phen that had laid one on Gryph, but it was still funny to think about after all this time. He let out a long breath and leaned against his friend's arm, letting his eyes drift halfway shut. "I'm really, really glad you're not mad," he mumbled.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon knew that Kodi had attacked Phen because of something about Oriel, from what he remembered. He knew that Kodi had hurt Phoenix somehow, although he didn't know how exactly, and he still stuck by both of them. Was that a good idea? He guessed that only time would tell.

Ah, there we go. Gryph was glad to see Phen visually light up at the mention of his work. It didn't sound like the best thing in the world, in Gryphon's opinion, but... kittens were adorable, that part of the job must've been fun. "Sounds awesome." He said, nodding approvingly. He didn't really know what else to say on the matter. There had been a time when he had talked to Phen about possibly getting the same job as him. He didn't know what happened about that.

The truth or dare. That had been... interesting. He didn't remember all of that night, but he remembered the first part. "S'fine. I was kinda askin' for it after all, since I, y'know... went to it." He hadn't really known what to expect exactly but he knew he had been expected to expect something, so something happened. And that was alright, really.

"No problem." Gryph said, smiling a little to himself. That had been awkward... but good to say. Even if Oriel was a condescending assh- "Oi!" He joked, shoving Phen gently, "You stole my first kiss, not the other way around!" He chuckled lightly, "Cheeky bastard."

Gryphon smiled and glanced down at Phoenix, who was now rested against his shoulder, "I never was mad at you. Besides, even if I was, I couldn't ever stay that way for long." Gryph drew circles on his own thigh with his finger, sighing contendedly.

[Deleted]

It often didn't take much to make Phoenix light up like a lightbulb. The fact that he had a job alone was amazing to him - that it was one that he liked was even better. "Yeah, I mean... I'm hopefully gonna graduate this year, so I'll need t'pay for rent somehow," he mused. Ugh, he didn't like to think about it, though. Especially not when it came to Oriel and being separated from his boyfriend in that way... Sigh.

He gave a crooked smile at what Gryph said, shrugging a shoulder after. "Yeah, I know, but... Oriel didn't have to be such a... A grumpy grouch about it," he mumbled. Phoenix knew there were other choice words that Oriel himself would have used, but he didn't like to call his Squish by anything more than silly insults, so that was the worst he could get.

Phoenix laughed as Gryph nudged him, his cheeks dimpling from giddy giggles at the retort. "Oh, right," he snickered, bonking his own head lightly as though he'd 'forgot'. "How silly of me. Mmm... Those were the days, huh?" Back before he'd gotten into the gang scene, and drugs, and his manifestation... Then again, Phoenix wouldn't change coming here, not for anything. Look where he was now - if he hadn't, he could have very well ended up dead in some alley somewhere, from ODing or violence.

"I was never mad at you either," Phen promised, smiling up at his dimple-face. "So let's not do that ever again." No more avoiding, ever. He didn't want to deal with that again. He reached up and ruffled Gryph's hair, giggling lightly once more. "So uh... Anythin' else new?" he asked. "The broken wrist can't be the only thing. What about somethin' good?"

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

...crap. Gryphon hadn't even thought about what he would do after Hammel... that was something to add to his list of things to work on. Because if he left this place with no clue of what he was doing... he was going to be screwing himself over. Money wasn't exactly a problem; his dad would send him the money he needed through Fi. All he had to do was say the word. Not that he wanted to use it... it was just a back-up option. If everything went to shit. He was glad that Phen had an idea of what he was doing though.

Ha, grumpy grouch. Oriel was so much worse than a grumpy grouch. But he wasn't about to insult Phoenix's boyfriend. Not to his face anyway. "Oriel will forever be a... grumpy grouch, as you put it. He can't help it, poor soul." Gryphon faked sympathy and clutched onto his shirt above his heart, biting his lip and looking up, "holding back tears". Man, he was too much of a comedian.

Gryph felt his own infamous dimple poke through. He poked the other boy on the head and chuckled, Phen was so silly. "Yeah, they were." he agreed, sighing contentedly. They had been good times, until everything had gone to shit. He couldn't even remember half of it now - he mainly recalled... hanging out with Phen and some other kid... he name began with a T or something... and then Phennie not being around anymore. He remembered the last time they talked as kids clear as day, though. That would never leave his memory.

The winged boy was glad to know that Phen hadn't been angry either... man, they were just a pair of morons, weren't they? "Agreed." He said, with a short nod. He'd mucked up a million times too many already. Gryph sent the boy a joking glare when he mussed up his hair - ugh. He fixed it as Phoenix spoke again.

No, nothing else. he joked to himself, in his head, just datin' someone who beat you up once. Yup. Because Gryphon was totally about to say that.

In all seriousness though, he had no idea how to respond. He did not want to let that slip quite yet. "... nope. My life is totally a train wreck right now." he joked, keeping his voice quite light. He had to stall, he had to think of something good... uuuuuggggghhhh.

[Deleted]

Phoenix pouted, shaking his head, though he snorted at his friend's little 'act'. "I think he's getting... Better," he mumbled, thinking about how Oriel used to be when they first met. Hell, Phen had been a different person back then, too. It was amazing how much had changed since then. "You shoulda seen him when we first met," he chuckled. "You... Probably would've disliked him even more." He didn't want to think that the two boys felt any stronger than 'dislike' towards each other, because Phoenix wanted to mend them... Somehow. "I really wish you guys could be friends," he said a little more softly.

If there was anything Phen was happy to remember about back then, it was that he hadn't managed to talk Gryph into joining the scene that he got himself into. That Gryphon managed to stay clean, and not see and do the shit that Phoenix had. There were still traumatic events from those days that he hadn't been able to tell anyone, not even Oriel; they were tucked into the back of his head, unwilling to come forward.

But they were here now. Happy. Phen was happier than he'd been in ages. Partially due to just the people he was with, and partially ignorance. Because if he knew about certain things...

"A total train wreck?" he repeated, frowning. "Nooo... That's not good! We gotta get you out and about or somethin', then. Like, uh... I dunno, go on a hike so you can take some nice pictures or somethin'." Not of Phoenix, because Phen wasn't worth taking pictures of, but the weather was getting nicer and that mean good opportunities for nice photoshoots of nature, right? Suure.... Phoenix didn't know much about photography; he only painted and sketched sometimes.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Better. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. But he did almost kinda possibly maybe want to almost possibly be friends with Oriel too. In some weird way. Gryph didn't want to hate Oriel, honestly, he didn't. In a perfect world, he and the other boy would be best mates and everything would be cool beans. But that wasn't how they rolled apparently. "I'm tryiiin', Phennie! I talked t'him... a while ago." Although the content of that conversation was not about to be released either. "And I don't... completely hate him..." Gryphon really wasn't helping himself.

Gryph didn't like thinking about when he had... abandoned Phen. What mattered was that they were friends again and Phoenix was happy. And Gryphon definitely wasn't about to desert him again.

The winged boy laughed - it wasn't the idea of a hike or anything, but, "Have you ever tried takin' pictures with one hand?" He inquired, smirking. This broken wrist was always gonna be the death of him. Actually getting outside seemed plausible, though. "I wouldn't mind a hike, might even go flyin'." He contemplated. At least the conversation had deterred away from he-who-shall-not-be-named, and to the great outdoors instead. Mmm... nature. He would hate every second of not being able to snap the blooming organisms... life sucked.

[Deleted]

"I know, I know you are," Phoenix replied quietly, resting a hand on Gryphon's leg. "And I know he doesn't make it easy. I... I wish he wouldn't be such a... Wouldn't act like he does sometimes." As much as Phen loved him, Oriel could definitely be... Difficult. And as much as Phoenix tried to make him behave, he could only do so much. "You did?" he asked, surprise coloring his voice. "And... You guys didn't beat each other up?" Oriel hadn't told him about it, as far as he could remember, so it must not have been too bad, or particularly noteworthy. "That's... That's good, Gryphy. It's a step." Phoenix smiled a little. Maybe it wasn't hopeless after all.

He blushed as Gryph laughed and spoke again. "Oh, er... I guess not..." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Phen wouldn't be able to draw with only one hand, so he should have taken that into consideration. "You can still dance an' stuff, right?" Not all of that required hands, he didn't think. "But... Yeah! I haven't seen you fly yet... An' I should practice that more, too..." He still didn't enjoy flying, but his trainer was helping a lot. Phoenix got to his feet slowly, fidgeting with his sleeves again. "Um, anyway, I should probably... Get back... Oriel might start wonderin' what's goin' on and..." Well, last time that happened, Oriel had stormed in to see Phoenix kissing Gryph's cheek and pronouncing his love, which had led to this whole mess. They didn't need that again.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph scoffed, yeah, Gryphon wanted that too. Why did Phen even like Oriel in the first place? The winged boy was past being jealous and all that, but honestly, Oriel was... there was just something about him he didn't like. It sent a rush of worry through him everytime they met. Maybe he'd work out what it was at some point.

Gryphon had come close to wanting to punch Oriel's face in once or twice during that conversation, but - "No, we didn't. It was... ok." Again, he avoided any specific details. But he agreed with Phen, it was a step. But that was just one single step on, what felt like, a 5 mile hike up a crumbling mountain. It was possible, but time was going to be an important factor.

"Yeah, yeah... well kinda." He could move his legs, still, and technically, he wasn't supposed to do too much jumping around or anything... but whatever, he was fine. "And I still haven't seen your wings - maybe... we could fly together?" If Phen could get off the ground. Gryph assumed that he probably could.

Gryph sighed and looked down a little... Oriel really had a hold over Phoenix. When Phen trailed off... Gryphon's thought also jumped back to that day. He stood as well, remembering what he wanted to say before, "Phen," he paused and kept an eye on the door, "Y'know, before, when you said..." He wasn't sure if he wanted to repeat it, or something... "I love you too. And I'm not gonna leave you behind again, I promise." He looked Phoenix in the eye. It wasn't a romantic love he was expressing, it was almost... brotherly, or something. But he knew he cared about Phen a lot... it was just how he felt. His eyes flicked back to the door, and then he smiled a little, "Tell your boyfriend that I say hi." He said, half-joking. This was an attempt at lightening the mood... he wasn't sure if it would work, but it was something.

[Deleted]

This was good. Yes, Phoenix hoped this would lead to better interactions between the two. "That makes me really happy, Gryph," he smiled, reaching down to squeeze the boy's hand. "He'll warm up t'you, just wait. It just takes time with him." Hell, he and Oriel had gotten off to a less-than-kind start themselves when they had first met; Oriel wasn't easy to get along with by any means, Phen was just fortunate to have somehow wormed himself into the boy's heart.

He frowned sympathetically. "I know how much it sucks t'break somethin', I only just got my cast off for my leg and wings a couple weeks ago," he replied, rubbing his now-healed leg. "An' it seems t'take forever t'heal." Phoenix did brighten at the suggestion, though. "I... I could try," he replied quietly. "I still can't go for very long, though. An'... I look dumb," he pouted. "I wish I could have gorgeous feathered wings like you." Phen reached out and stroked along one of the feathers. Mmm...

Phoenix paused as Gryph started to talk again, looking between him and the floor. When he said... What he was trying to say... Phoenix smiled broadly and closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms tightly around the winged boy (and being careful not to bump his hurt arm in the process). "I know you won't," he murmured into Gryphon's chest. "You're my best friend." And that was that. "Thank you, Dimples." He grinned and cupped his hand against Gryph's cheek affectionately before pulling away, chuckling. "I will," he promised. "And... You two keep tryin' t'be friends!" With a wave and a turn of the doorknob, Phen exited the room.