To The Sky [Phennie]

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon had made the deduction that he needed to talk to Phen more, and that would be increasingly difficult now that he had graduated from Hammel and moved, whereas the other boy still needed training and lived in the dorms. He probably would've ended up in an apartment with him if not for that - but Tak was... interesting to live with. He liked having her as a room-mate, even if her living habits did tend to be a little unique. Anyway.

He had remembered that meeting with Maud, the girl who spoke to the bird he had sent over, and then led him to this cavern. He was glad that his memory served him well, so he could remember the route there, which he had now taken with Phoenix. Actually, as they had walked past that tree from before, the Western Phoebe had flown out to meet him and now flew around nearby. 

They got to the entrance and Gryph held out his hands presentationally, "Ta-da~!" The bird with them flew up into the wide open, but concealed area, swooping around through the beams of light that came down from the ceiling. The structure of the cavern did worry him occasionally, but it seemed safe. He looked at Phen and smiled wide, "I know it's weird or whatever, but... yeah." It was cool in here. He'd flown around a bit by himself and stuff, but he liked being with other people more than he liked being alone. 

[Deleted]

If Phoenix had left Hammel this year, he would have liked to move in with Gryphon - after all, besides Oriel, Phen was more comfortable around him than anyone else. He wasn't sure how Oriel himself would have felt about it, though... So maybe it was best that he was staying at Hammel another year and maybe Oriel would graduate on time and they could move in together and maybe live next to Gryph and Tak and it would be awesome!

Anyway, he was super excited to finally spend some more time with his best friend. Phen wasn't exactly sure where they were going or what to expect, but he trusted Gryphon to take him somewhere awesome. "Hee.... That's a cute bird," he giggled, pointing out the one that seemed to be following them. He was dressed in jeans and a sweater that looked two sizes too big for him (and likely belonged to Oriel), which made him look like a kid beside his taller, more built friend.

His eyes widened as they reached their destination. "Ooooh~!" he exclaimed, clambering closer to the entrance and peering inside. "This is cool, Gryphy! I love it!" Without another word, Phen giggled and crawled further inside, eager to see further inside. "What'd you do, bring Kodi here t'make out without anyone t'bother you?" he teased. Phoenix had gradually gotten a little more used to his best friend dating that jerk... Sort of. He still didn't like it, but there wasn't anything he could or would do unless Kodi hurt Gryph. Then there'd be hell to pay.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

The mention of the bird following them brought a smile to Gryph's face, "Yeah, she is pretty cute." He had a kinda urge to name the winged creature, but he wasn't sure it wanted to be named. It seemed to like to stick around him, though... maybe, in the future.

Gryphon smiled happily at Phen's appreciation for the place, "I'm glad you like it so much." He followed close behind his friend, and at the mention of Kodi, he felt his cheeks heat up and his face fall a little, though it still held a smile, "A-Actually, I haven't shown this place t'anyone else." The idea of bringing Kodi here had crossed his mind multiple times, but... he never did. He wasn't sure why, but... yeah. "Someone showed me this a while back and I kinda just kept it t'myself." He liked going there alone, somedays. It was cool, having somewhere to escape to that no-one else knew about. It was awesome.

When they reached the main part of the cavern, Gryph looked at Phen and his... oddly baggy clothing. It was adorable, definitely, but those clothes were practically hanging off of him. "Any reason for you wearing giant's clothes today?" He asked, jokingly. You could make a tent out of those things.

[Deleted]

"How do you know it's a sh- oooh right," Phoenix hit his own head lightly with a laugh. "You can talk to her. Derp." He sighed a bit and looked over at his friend. "You know, I've never tried talking to dragonflies," he mused. "I wonder if I could?" After all, that's what his wings most resembled, right? It made sense! Maybe... But he also had hallucinogenic dust, so there was that.

He looked back, surprised at Gryphon's admittance. "Wait, really?" he asked, eyes wide. "I'm the first person you brought here?" Phoenix beamed. "Awww, Dimples!" He felt flattered and special and took a moment to reach back and hug his friend, even giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I... I won't bring Oriel here, or anythin'. It's super special." He wasn't sure how he'd manage not to tell his boyfriend about it, but... Oh well he'd figure out something.

Phoenix found a rock to sit on and promptly sat down, staring up at the ceiling with his mouth hung open. "Mmm?" he blinked, looking back down at his friend. "Oh, uh..." He giggled. "I've gotten into the habit of stealin' Oriel's stuff. It's comfy, and smells good." He held up the end of a too-long sleeve to his nose and breathed in the musty, familiar scent. "Don't you and, um, Kodi do that too?" he asked. Phen didn't like to think about it, but he tried to help himself accept the fact that Gryphon and Kodi might not be breaking up anytime soon. He bit his lip and added curiously,"Um, have you guys.... Y'know... Done it?" Phen knew his friend had been a virgin before Kodi, but... Knowing the dentokinetic...

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon chuckled as Phen came to his realization, thinking about how weird it was - a human with bird noises coming out of their mouth. Pretty strange. Then again, half of the things that went on down at Hammel and in Pilot Ridge were pretty insane too.

Gryph tilted his head. The possibility of Phen being able to talk to dragonflies was... very low, in all honesty. "It's worth a try."

The avian boy nodded sheepishly and smiled a little and felt awkward but happy to have made someone else so happy and gah. His smile grew a bit at the cheek kiss, though. And the comment about keeping Oriel away was cool - Gryphon nodded, "Thanks." He would prefer it if only a few people knew about it. It was cool here, it would be a shame if it got wrecked, or something.

Gryph gave a half smile. Yay, Oriel's clothing... ehh, it was still cute. Phen twisting it back around to him and Kodi made him feel awkward, though. He took a few twisty steps, "Not... really..." He wasn't sure he could even fit in Kodi's clothing. He was fine with his own tops, though, thank you very much.

That question was probably the most awkward for Gryphon of them all. He avoided eyes contact and slowly got his wings out as he spoke, "Uh... yeah, we... we have." He said, nodding a few times quickly for emphasis or something. God, he hated feeling awkward.

[Deleted]

Phoenix would probably try it. And then feel like an idiot when it inevitably didn't work.

"Yep!" he chirped, clambering deeper into the cavern. Phen didn't like to hide stuff from Oriel, especially because the boy would likely explode at him if he ever happened to find out, but... This really was special. And it wasn't like he and Gryph were doing anything bad like coming out to cheat on their boyfriends together. That was just silly.

Yes, if he had to admit it, he still had the occasional fantasy about having sex with his best friend. Gryph was gorgeous, and they had had chemistry in the past. It likely wouldn't ever go away, but Phen had enough self-control not to push those urges.

"Y'don't?" he replied with a tilt of his head. "Then again... You guys don't have as much size difference," he chuckled, looking down at himself. No way would Oriel fit into any of his clothes, but the other way around, definitely. He giggled and poked his friend's chest. "S'not fair, how'd you end up so much bigger than me?" he joked. At barely five-foot-nine and weighing probably barely more than a hundred pounds, Gryph practically towered over him. "I guess I didn't drink enough milk as a kid or somethin'," he giggled.

He went quiet pretty quickly as Gryph confirmed what he and Kodi had done. Phoenix stared at the ground for a few moments, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Kodi, Kodi, had taken his best friend's virginity. He couldn't help but feel a pang of... Jealousy. ".... He doesn't hurt you, does he?" Phen finally asked. ".... He and I... Hooked up.... A long time ago," he admitted. "I think he got bored of me pretty quick. I just... Wanna make sure you're happy." He reached over and took Gryph's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You'd tell me if he didn't treat you okay, right?" Phen's eyes were worried.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

If Kodi found out... Gryphon wasn't sure what his reaction would be. He couldn't predict half of what he did, sometimes. Maybe he would be jealous... that was likely. But it wasn't like Gryph was gonna do anything sketchy. Why would he? There was no reason. He didn't even really think about Phen in that way any more... he saw him more like a brother, or something.

Though, if he was given the option... it wasn't exactly unknown that they at least used to have something. But he wasn't gonna do anything now.

Gryph shrugged his shoulders, and then smiled upon considering again how ridiculously huge that top was on Phen. He looked like an kid in his dad's clothing or something, it was cute. He looked down at his best friend and rested his arm on his shoulder, just pointing out the height difference even more. "Or maybe I drank too much." He reversed the comment. Gryph tried not to put too much of his weight onto Phen, simply because they would both probably fall over, and that could only end well.

Gryphon's wings pulsed gently behind him, still mostly tucked up, but with enough of his feathers out so they could flap slowly. It was like how someone would fidget when they were nervous or anxious, he was just trying to calm himself. He felt awkward, for the many reasons clear, and didn't like it. Phen's question just made him feel worse - he didn't want his friend to be worried about him, especially when nothing was wrong. "No, no, course not." Kodi wouldn't hurt him, he was pretty certain of that. At least, not intentionally.

The idea of Phen and Kodi being intimate was... extremely foreign. Seeing how they acting towards each other, and then trying to comprehend that felt wrong. The question Phen asked hovered in his head for a moment, before he nodded, looking confidently back at, "Of course I would."

The only problem was... that wasn't the right answer. Maybe Gryphon didn't realize that he was lying, but he was. The real answer was that it depended. If Kodi mistreated him without purpose, he would know to get away, and he would ask for help, despite the difficulty of doing so. But if... if it was a part of helping him, then he wouldn't say a thing. Which was bad, very bad. But since Kodi wouldn't hurt him, it wasn't an issue. Not at all.

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Phoenix pouted as Gryph's arm came to rest on his shoulder, and he shrugged it off after a moment, feigning hurt. "Yeah, maybe," he humphed, sticking his tongue out. "You should give me some of your muscles too. Oriel's always complainin' about how skinny I am." He pinched the skin on his arms for effect.

He could tell Gryph was uncomfortable, but Phoenix just had to ask this stuff. He'd already threatened Kodi if he hurt Gryphon at all, but he needed to know he was treating the boy like he should be. He just hoped his friend wouldn't lie to him just because he was infatuated (that totally wasn't hypocritical of Phoenix, nope...) "... Okay. If you say so. I just... Well, you know how I feel about him." Phen sat down on a rock and kicked his legs. "I try t'be okay with him. I do. It's just... Hard... After he attacked me and got in that fight with Oriel..." Not to mention Oriel had practically begged to hook up with the guy even after that. Talk about jealousy and hurt. And Phoenix had let him.

"Did I ever show you these?" he asked after a moment, pulling down the side of his collar to show off the two faded puncture marks that were still on the slope of his shoulder to his neck. "That's where he did it." It was a distant memory now, but still no fun to think about. Phoenix wasn't trying to make Gryph feel bad, but... He wanted him to know that his feelings were for a reason. "Anyway... Yeah. Make sure you tell me, 'cause I already told him I'm givin' him hell if he hurts you." Phoenix picked up a small rock and tossed it further back into the cave.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

“I can’t give up any of this!” Gryph complained, flexing his muscles in a moment of vanity, “Even for you, Phennie.” But he was kinda with Oriel on this one – Phen was probably a bit thinner than he should be. He wasn’t… dangerously unhealthy, though, so it was okay, for now.

It was good that Phoenix cared – Gryphon was happy that his friend cared so much, and he did care the same amount in return (which was why he still didn’t know what to think of Oriel – yes, Gryphon had heard about the incident involving the leash, and he was thinking of bringing it up - not right now), but anyway – Gryph wouldn’t ever lie to Phen unless the situation desperately called for it. He nodded in understanding and rubbed his neck, trying to think of what to say as his eyes fell to the floor. His sight came back to Phen and he frowned, especially so because of his dejection in relation to the fact that Kodi had attacked Phen. The fact that this was going on – the problems between his best friend and his boyfriend… he almost felt like he was going to have to choose sides, which he wasn’t prepared to do. He sat in silence, contemplating this.

And then looked up and took in the sight of the scars. He didn’t want to imagine when they’d been made. This was killing him enough already. He looked a deep breath and let it out, before looking away again, “Right.” He was struggling for words, anything remotely useful or comforting or anything. He looked up again when Phen spoke again, and remembered Kodi coming back from talking with Phoenix, “I think you scared him enough, scratchin’ him in the face like you did.” He attempted at humour, but it didn’t really come out right. “But seriously, it’ll be fine.” How true that would turn out to be in the future was unknown to Gryphon right now.

“Thanks.” Gryph did seem to have a bit of an impulse to thank people, and he wasn’t sure how appropriate it was right now, or how thankful he was really, but he appreciated how much Phoenix cared about his wellbeing. “Same goes for you.” He said. “If Oriel does anythin’ t’hurt you, he’s gonna be hearin’ from me.” Gryphon didn’t want to muck up when it came to caring about Phen again.

[Deleted]

Phoenix didn't want to make Gryphon feel like he had to choose sides... Partially for selfish reasons, because if he was honest with himself, he was afraid he'd choose Kodi. After all, Phoenix would choose Oriel over anyone or anything if he had to - that was just a fact. He couldn't live without him now, his dependency ran so deep. And... And Kodi had been more decent recently, as far as Phoenix could tell. Maybe it would all be alright.

It was hard to forget the memories when you still bore scars from the incidents, though. Still, he wanted Gryph to see them, even if it hurt his friend to do so. He had to know what Kodi had done. Still, he smiled faintly as the winged meta recalled his own wound he'd given the dentokinetic. "I really landed one on him," he mumbled. Served him right. "He still has the scratch on his cheek too, doesn't he? I guess we're even now." Maybe that could give Gryph some peace of mind. Maybe. It helped Phoenix know, at least, that he could fight back if he needed to. "I... I'm sorry if that upset you, but I don't regret doin' it," he finished.

He shrugged at the thanks with a faint smile. His offer should have just been expected, given their friendship. But for some reason, Gryph's offer back sort of... Unsettled him. Because Phoenix already knew that there were some (potentiallydefinitely unhealthy) aspects of their relationship that he just couldn't tell Gryph about. Still,"I appreciate it. But... We're stuck together for life, me and him," he said firmly with a small smile as he raised his wrist with the tattoo of the infinity sign and Oriel's name written within the design. Phoenix was totally convinced he and Oriel were soulmates and meant to be together no matter what (and no matter how cheesy that sounded).

"Anyway... Enough angsty stuff. I wanna check this place out." How far back did it go? Phoenix stood and started stumbling further into the darkness, although he quickly stopped upon remembering he was scared of dark, small places. Or dark places in general. ".... On second thought, I wanna fly," he decided, scrambling back.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

It would be near impossible for Gryphon to actually choose. To the point of him not being able to - Phen and Kodi both mattered to him immensely. He wouldn't. He didn't have to anyway, so it was fine.

Violence was never something Gryph wanted to resort to, and had done so less times than he had fingers on his two hands. It wasn't something he could hide from, violence was a part of the world, but it wasn't something he liked to be involved with. Even talking about it like this, in the aftermath, caused him discomfort. The idea of causing someone else pain... hurt him. He avoided looking at the puncture marks and nodded - yes, you could still see where Phen had attacked Kodi. He sighed and looked at the ground, his words failing him. He wasn't agreeing with the idea of them being even though - neither of them should've caused pain to the other in the first place.

He tilted his head to the side at the apology, "I guess... it's good that you can fight back." In other words, Phoenix wasn't completely defenceless and that was better than nothing. Gryphon was hesitant to say much more on that matter.

I appreciate it. But-

There was always a conflict. A 'but', or a 'however', or whatever. Gryph eyed the tattoo presented proudly to him by his best friend. He wanted to smile and tell him how... cool(?) it was that he had something like that, but he felt concern instead. He tried to brush it over with a stiff smile, flicking his eyes back up to Phen's face. "That's... great, Phoenix. But my offer still stands." No matter how much they were supposed to be 'together for life', Gryphon knew danger when he saw it. He had his eye on them.

The winged boy shook his head, as if waking up from his dazed, muted state, and a small smile edged its way onto his lips as he watched Phen venture forward... and then back-pedal rapidly. Gryph couldn't help laughing a little, "Whatever you want, Braveheart." He teased, dimple poking in. "You definitely gonna be alright with flying?" He had only seen Phen fly once... and that clearly ended well.

Don't do drugs, kids.

[Deleted]

"Yeah. I got these big guns, no one's gonna get me!" Phoenix declared, baring his wimpy skinny noodle arms. After a moment, he sighed. No wonder he had a thing for muscular men, he thought. The men he'd been attracted to in his life - Rue, Oriel, even Kodi in the past, and Gryph - they were all defined and nummy and muscley. There was just something comforting to him about being wrapped up in someone's thick, protective arms.

And Phoenix was oblivious to the possible danger that his Squishy's large, comforting arms could pose to him. Oriel would never hurt him, not like that, not unless it was consensual stuff they did in the bedroom. He was certain. "Okay, okay," he replied with a slightly exasperated laugh. "Thanks, Dimple-face. I know I can count on you." He pecked his friend's cheek and gave his hand a squeeze.

He was quickly distracted by his almost badly-planned adventure into the darkness, and giggled at his own dumb behavior as he smiled back at Gryphon. "Braveheart, I like that. Imma keep it." Phoenix puffed out his chest and stood straight, but a sudden sound of a falling rock deeper in the cabin made him jump and squeak. ".... Even if it's not accurate," he mumbled sheepishly. He nodded eagerly at his friend's question. "Yep yep! I'm getting better with my trainin'. Still... Not great, but better."

Phoenix shifted his shirt around until he could let out his wings, which he did so with only a slight wince. His back muscles were starting to develop more from the regimen Mr. Batista was putting him through; he actually had some definition around his shoulder blades. "Watch!" Phen began fluttering his wings and slowly, slowly lifted into the air, making sure his balance was straight so he didn't end up toppling over or anything. And so he hovered, several feet above Gryph's head, with a broad grin in place.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph raised an eyebrow at Phen's physique, and chuckled a little, crossing his own, "I'm shakin' in my boots." He teased. He didn't mean to sound rude or anything, it was just... Phoenix was about as intimidating as a kitten. It was cute. He wasn't so confident that Oriel wasn't a danger, though. It wasn't like he knew the guy down to a T, but he knew him well enough to know that he was trouble. He just didn't want Phen getting hurt. Gryphon brightened a little, "Anytime." He replied.

"Totally suits you." Gryph said, smirking. The falling rock made him jump as well, and he chuckled at both of their jumpiness.

As long as he wasn't gonna drop mid-flight, Gryphon was happy. He had no idea how he would get help if that happened. He watched his friend as he slowly floated upwards, interested with how his wings worked, seeing as they held such huge differences in comparison to his own (Gryph preferred his own wings, definitely, but Phoenix's were still pretty awesome). "Awesome!" He said up to him, smiling as well, "If you fall on me, I swear, I'll..." Not be able to come up with anything intimidating. Whilst his body could seem pretty scary (he could throw a mean punch, even if he hardly ever did), Gryph himself was about as intimidating as an ant. With two legs broken. His wings fluttered behind him, urging him to join his friend, but he stayed where he was for the moment.

"How long d'you think you can stay up?" He asked, tilting his head a little. Stamina when flying was rough, sometimes, so he was curious.