Safe And Sound [Kodiak] [TW]

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"Okay... Thanks babe..." Kodi murmured, reaching over and giving Gryph's hand a squeeze. "I promise I won't eat all your ice cream. Maybe just most of it." He gave a weak smile. Humor, he hoped, would help him recover from all of this faster, even if it was a bit weak.

.... Ice cream did sound pretty good though.

His face flushed deeper, and Kodi looked away, swiping his hand through his mussed-up hair self-consciously. "Dunno 'bout that..." he mumbled, but his lips were threatening to break into a smile. Damn, did Gryph ever say anything that didn't make him feel like the luckiest man in the world? "Maybe you're the one that needs glasses, moron." He reached up and lightly tapped Gryph's nose, the smile finally breaking through. "You're the beautiful one." And that was an argument he was never going to give up on.

Kodi appreciated the support on his back, and gave his lover a grateful look to show he was glad for it. "I think lyin' down would be best," he nodded, flicking on the light as he went into the bathroom. He squinted at the brightness, then flicked it off again, deciding the dim light through the window would be enough. "Um... If y'wouldn't mind... I'd really appreciate some help," he said softly. Kodi turned on the water and slowly peeled off his jeans, grimacing both in relief and self-consciousness as the fabric was taken off of his skin; unsurprisingly, there were some dark splotches underneath there as well, namely around his backside. "... Sorry you gotta see all this..." he mumbled, carefully lowering himself into the warm water. Once Kodi was settled down, he let out a relieved sigh. "... This feels really good," he murmured, enjoying the warmth soaking into his skin. His hand lifted out of the water and searched for Gryph's own. ".... D'you got any bubble bath stuff?" he asked, smiling a bit. "If there was more room, I'd say you should get in here with me..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"You can have as much as you want." Gryph said, nonchalantly, "I can just buy more." That... was definitely saying something about the situation. As dorky as it sounded, his (unwritten) policy was that you finish the tub, you buy a new one. Also, no one touches his ice cream without permission. But... of course he was gonna let all that slide - Kodi deserved comfort food and cuddles.

"Oh, shush," he said, smiling wider, "You can't say I'm the beautiful one and be smiling that gorgeously." It was true - when he smiled like that, he practically glowed.

Kodi really was in the rough, and walking like that? Expecting him to stand on one spot for a while, even if it was short, seemed unreasonable. As he made himself comfortable and starting setting things up, Gryph kept giving him small, loving touches and kisses. "No, of course." He wanted to help, it was just a case of if Kodi wanted it. Since he did, that was that.

He watched Kodi get undressed (for the sake of making sure he was okay) and he couldn't help his expression falling. He sighed, "Don't apologise, I'll live." He could still barely believe that someone would do this to Kodi... "I'm glad." He said - if this was making Kodi feel better, then it was a very good thing. He held his hand for a moment, rubbing small circles on it, before chuckling, "Sadly, that can't be done. Hold on." He got up and pulled a bottle out of a cupboard, bringing it over, "Bubbles galore~" He squidged the bottle around the water and then put it on the side, stirring it about. Soon, there were suds all around, and Gryph picked some up and blew them in Kodi's face. "Bubble-butt."

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Kodi's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Really? You'd let me?" he asked, putting more shock in his voice than really necessary. "Wow... Who are you and what have you done with my boyfr-" He fumbled off into silence when he realized they hadn't yet... Confirmed... What they were again. As much as he wanted that again, so badly... He was almost afraid to ask.

The dentokinetic snorted a little, trying to force his smile away, but it was apparently stuck. "Moron..." he mumbled, unable to think of something more clever to retort with.

Every touch that Gryph laid upon the troubled boy helped calm Kodi down. Initially, he was almost flinching away from contact (thanks to Damon for making him jumpy and paranoid), but eventually he relaxed, his skin tingling with each soft touch. "Thanks..." he murmured, nuzzling his face into the crook of Gryph's neck briefly before getting into the tub.

He normally would have made some snide remark about Gryphon watching him, but Kodi just... Was't in the mood. "Still, I know it ain't so pretty..." he sighed, resting his head back against the end of the bathtub. His heavy-lidded eyes followed Gryph's movements as he got the soapy stuff, smiling faintly. "If you got a bigger bathtub, we could share," he teased weakly. Maybe someday they'd have to go rent a place with a big hot tub and do it there... Yeah. Once the stuff was in the water, Kodi helped swirl it around until there was a nice foam going. "Heyyy,' he complained with a small laugh as Gryph blew some in his face. "You're the bubble-butt." Kodi scooped up some of the foam in his hand and promptly tapped it (lightly) on the boy's behind. "Dork." He grabbed a washcloth and began carefully wiping his face, although he couldn't tell where all he needed to wash. "... Would y'mind helpin'?" he asked hesitantly, holding out the cloth and motioning to his still-smudged face. "Can't tell where it's all at..."

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon chuckled lightly at Kodi's seemingly teasing attitude. Yes, he was being generous, whatever... but then he seemed to get stuck on that word and... if they both wanted it back... he took hold of Kodi's hand and looked into his eyes, "...boyfriend." He clarified, "I'm your boyfriend... okay?" He wanted to definitely make sure that it wasn't a bad slip of the tongue.

The nickname made him grin a little more. He almost missed it.

Reversing the damage that Damon had done... if that was possible to do completely, Gryph wanted to do it. He wanted to make Kodi as happy as possible, keep him smiling genuinely. He pecked the boy's head, "It's nothing."

Gryphon sighed, "You're in a bad way." He bargained, "But you're still pretty." He said, brushing some of Kodi's scraggly hair back. At the idea of a larger bathtub, he glanced around and then shrugged, "Not enough room." Simply. It was annoying, kind of, but it was fine like this. Besides, they could cuddle later or something.

The winged man gave a melodramatic gasp, "My butt!" He stuck out his tongue and pouted a little, his entertainment sparkling in his eyes, and he chuckled a little. As it was offered, Gryph nodded and took the cloth, "Alright." He cupped Kodi's head with his other hand and began cleaning his face as gently as possible, "Tell me if it hurts."

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Kodi visibly jolted a little at the word, somewhat surprised that Gryph would use the word so confidently after... All that had happened. "Y... Yeah," he replied, swallowing hard. "My boyfriend." The dentokinetic gave a tentative smile. "My only boyfriend. Ever." Damon was all but forgotten, apart from the lasting marks he'd made on Kodi's skin. He was nothing, nothing at all.

He knew he was being a downer about his appearance, so Kodi mustered up a smile and fluttered his lashes. "Well, gosh, I'm glad I'm still beautiful," he said with forced brightness. "You know how much I wanna be pretty." He gave Gryph a good-natured nuzzle to show he was just messing around. He really did appreciate every kind word he was being given. He sighed at their 'predicament' with the bathtub. "Guess you're gonna have to get a house with a giant hot tub so I can come over and we can do it in the..." Kodi trailed off, frowning a bit. Trying to talk about sex just felt... Wrong at the moment. ".... Sorry. I... My head's in a weird place right now." Probably not a surprise, but Kodi not talking about sex was practically like Gryph not eating ice cream.

He laughed again at the older man's "complaint". "Prettiest butt in the world," he declared somewhat softly. Kodi let Gryph take the washcloth and obediently lifted his head, closing his eyes as the washcloth wiped over his face. He winced a couple times when the winged meta touched one of his bruises, but didn't complain. When Gryph was done, Kodi wiped his hands over his face and gave a tired sigh. "Thanks, babe," he murmured, reaching his hand out in an attempt to pull Gryph into a sweet kiss. "Think you could just... Help do that all over... And then I can get out so we can go lay in your bed an' do nothin'?" he asked hopefully.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon had things he needed to forgive and get over again involving Kodi - for example, crushing him like he had. If he was in a worse mind set, they wouldn't even be in this position. He wouldn't allow it. But... he didn't want to push Kodi away when all he needed was support, and he couldn't walk away without any regrets when he still so strongly for the dentokinetic. He smiled back, gently, "Good," he leaned forward and pecked his forehead, "I'll always be yours." It was a big promise to make, but to go through everything they had, and be back together again... his doubt was lessening.

The winged man scoffed, and he almost flicked Kodi for being such a twit, but... he refrained. For obvious reasons. Instead, he shook his head and laughed quietly, "Oh, shush, I'm being nice." He could tell he was only joking around, but.... nyehh. And then Kodi lost confidence again, and he smiled sympathetically, "I understand, love." Seeing as he was out of sorts in a very similar way.

Every time Kodi winced, Gryph came to a halt for a short moment, before continuing. He really, really didn't like giving him pain, even if it was accidental, and couldn't be helped. Once he finished, he let the kiss happen, gently cupping Kodi's cheek for the few moments that it went on for. The idea seemed like a good one, so he nodded and got on with it, spotting multiple bruises and just biting his tongue about it. They would fade - and hopefully, the internal damage would too. Maybe.

All throughout washing Kodi up, which he did slowly and carefully, he gave him the occasional kiss or touch. After a good while, he put the cloth down, sighing, "...all done." Gryph locked their lips for probably the hundredth time, pulling away again after... a decent amount of time. "I hope you're feeling refreshed." He was kind looking forward to cuddling and doing nothing.

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Kodi's mind was starting to feel a little more at ease, with these confirmations and promises they were giving each other. It showed in his body - his shoulders were more relaxed, his expression not so tight. For a while, he almost forgot about the various throbs from his bruises. "I'm gonna hold you t'that promise," he murmured. Kodi wasn't going to go anywhere ever again.

He laughed quietly, but didn't complain any more, instead just smiling adoringly at his moron. "You are nice," he murmured, brushing his fingers lightly over the man's cheek. Kodi looked down and nodded a little at Gryph's understanding, but... He still didn't feel right. "I'll get over it, I'm sure," he replied, hoping it was true.

Kodi was okay. Well, he would be okay. But he didn't mind the small pains, when it felt like Gryph was literally washing the abuse from his skin. He tried to help at first, but eventually he realized it would probably just be easiest if he laid back and let Gryph lovingly clean him up. It almost felt like Heaven. "Mmm... Thank you so much, babe..." he murmured, eyes closed. "I owe you one..." Kodi was sure cleaning wasn't all that fun, but Gryph wasn't even complaining.

He was so lucky...

Honestly, Kodi could have laid in there for ages longer, just enjoying the soft caresses and the warmth of the water. When Gryph announced that he was done, Kodi cracked his eyes open and blinked; he'd almost fallen asleep, he felt so comfortable and relaxed. "Mmmm...." he hummed, slowly sitting up (and holding back a wince). "I feel loads better, but... Also really tired," he murmured. He let the water drain out and got to his still slightly unsteady feet, but Kodi really did feel a lot better. "You're the best...." Kodi gratefully curled himself briefly against the older man before he got a towel and dried off. "... Can I borrow some clothes again?" he asked meekly. For once, he wanted to wear loose, baggy stuff. Kodi wrapped the towel around his waist and shuffled to his lover's room with his hand against the wall for support. If it was warmer, he might've just said fuck it and crawled into the bed naked.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"I'll hold myself to it." Gryph said. Even if things got worse in the future and it didn't ever resolve between them... as fucking cheesy as this sounded, a part of him would always be Kodi's. Even if he moved on, or whatever, he would never forget him. Hopefully, he wouldn't need to remember him, because they would stick together, for better, for worse.

He smiled warmly and looked down at the gentle touch, "I try." He looked up again and saw the... kind of uncertainty in Kodi's manner. He tilted his head, "Give it time." He hoped that would be the case with his ice cream... consumption. It wasn't an addiction, he could clearly live without it. Not by choice, but... yeah, ice cream really wasn't important at a time like this.

Gryphon wished he could just soak up all of the damage, physical and internal, and wash it down the drain, instead of leaving it inside Kodi to stew and torment him. Cleaning someone else... no, it wasn't exactly the simplest thing in the world, but he was perfectly alright with doing it for Kodi. "You owe me nothing." He muttered, still working at it slowly, "This isn't a favour or anything. I'm your boyfriend, I'm entitled to look after you." Like you are to me. That was, at least, what he believed. Kodi could think anything else he wanted, but yeah.

Oh yeah, and he wanted to make it very clear that they were boyfriends again. Affirm it to Kodi and himself.

Speaking of looking after and all that jazz, Gryph was very glad to see that Kodi was a lot calmer and relaxed now. The negative twitches and jolts and tense posture had all but melted away, it seemed, and that made a soft smile settle subtly on the avian man's lips. "Happy to hear that." Being tired and fatigued was better than not wanting to sleep, not that Gryphon had any experience with that... he held his arms out to support Kodi as he moved about, and nuzzled their heads together when he said all that nice stuff, "I'm just glad that I'm helping." Rather than hindering. Hindering would be painful. For the both of them, but Kodi more so.

The younger boy began to hobble(?) along, and Gryph followed after, keeping a gentle arm around his waist to keep him upright, "Sure." He replied. Definitely had no problem with that. He reached his bedroom and made sure Kodi was comfortable doing whatever he was doing before he wandered over to the wardrobe, pulling out anything comfortable seeming, going back and handing it over. Again, if Kodi wanted help he would probably need to ask for it.

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Gryph was doing enough. Seriously. No, more than enough - Kodi had half-expected him to hold some sort of grudge, and make Kodi deal with his wounds until this whole thing was done and forgotten, but he wasn't even close. Of course he should have known he would be so kind and giving... That's just who Gryphon was. Unlike Kodi... "Mm... I still wanna do somethin' for you too, though," he said softly, catching Gryph's wrist in his hand for a brief moment. "You... You're hurt too." Even if it wasn't physical, Kodi knew. "Let me... Help you... Too, Gryphy." Just... After he was more recovered and actually able to help, probably.

It was sort of weird, but nice, that Kodi just felt so... Comfortable and normal being undressed around his boyfriend without thinking about doing anything sexual. That would probably change in time, but now he just... Didn't want to think about it, especially given what Damon had just put him through. "Of course you're helpin'," he assured the older man. "I... I never would'a expected you to... T'take me back so easily, and t'be so damn nice about it..." Nope, he wasn't going to cry again. "You're just... You're such an angel..." No matter how many times Gryph denied it, Kodi would never say he wasn't.

His throat stung. Such a crybaby....

He appreciated the help walking, and actually leaned somewhat heavily on Gryphon for support as they reached the bedroom. "Thanks," he mumbled for what seemed like the millionth time. Kodi settled on the edge of the bed until Gryph got out the clothes, and gingerly put the stuff on when it was offered to him; he managed to get the pants by himself, but the shirt proved more difficult to do with reaching his arms over his head, so he gave Gryph an embarrassed look and requested help again. Once he was dressed and comfortable, Kodi snagged Gryph's pinkie and gently tugged him onto the bed, crawling over to the place nearest to the corner himself and curling up amongst the blankets and pillows. "... I love you," he murmured into the quiet air. His eyes were slowly drifting shut.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

This wasn't completely resolved. There had been apologies, and Gryphon felt a damn sight better now that he felt that Kodi was safe again, but once he had recovered more, he wanted to talk this over. Get details fixed, and understandings. He didn't know how much the other boy would like that, but... he wanted to do it. For his own conscience, and for the stability of their relationship, so problems like the ones they had run into didn't relapse. He stopped at the physical contact and looked at Kodi as he spoke. Then he lowered his head. In the past, he would have outright refused that 1) there was a problem, 2) he needed help with it, and 3) that Kodi needed to worry about it. But look where that got them. He nodded gently, "...okay. You can..." He kind of trailed off, "...I need the help." He admitted, finally. He did. He looked up and continued cleaning him, "But not right now. Later." Kodi was important right now - and he wasn't exactly in a state to help Gryph while he was like this.

Gryphon had no drive for anything sexual. In this kind of situation, who would? "I'm not an angel." He mumbled, smiling and blushing slightly, "I do bad shit all the time." Well... not all the time, but he wasn't exactly a model citizen either. To distract himself from thinking about it, he loosely joined his hand with Kodi's and fiddled with his fingers, still smiling gently.

The older man was stable on his feet, so, thankfully, he made sure that Kodi didn't falter. "It's nothing." It mattered, and he wanted to help, but the dentokinetic didn't need to keep thanking him. Gryph watched him get changed, and aided him when it was necessary, pecking his forehead once he was fully dressed. He tried to ignore those disgusting bruises, and found that Kodi looked adorable as hell in his clothing. He followed after the damaged boy and shuffled up close to him, smiling softly at the sentiment, "I love you too, Kodi." He did. He really did. The winged man saw his tiredness and made sure that Kodi would be warm, pulling over sheets and all that, before just looking at his delicate expression, and then lowering his eyes, nuzzling their foreheads together. "I love you." He repeated. He couldn't say it enough.