Scroll Past The Trolls [Kodi]

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

A lot had happened recently, but thankfully, Christmas had been able to take both Gryph's and Kodi's minds off of the past events. He hoped. Gryphon himself was still reminded of what happened from time to time, but he knew it was worse for Kodi. The blank moments, the occasional nightmares... especially when he couldn't be there for him, it was definitely difficult, but the severity had clearly dipped more recently, and for that, Gryph was glad. One of the clear contributors to this was the YouTube channel the pair of them had started. It was just a random idea, a month or so back. After they got back together, it just... seemed like an attractive idea. Something they were both interested in doing, having seen other couples doing the same and seemingly having a very good time with doing so. 

The hardest part so far was probably just thinking up a name for their channel. At least that was over with.

The second hardest was the small amount of negative feedback from the internet trolls. It was to be expected, but it was still a bit bruising.

Despite this, Gryphon liked reading the comments from the small number of viewers they had so far, the couple thousand. The majority of feedback was positive and generally quite sweet and adorable too, so it made him smile to read them and sometimes reply. Right now, he was doing just that. And partially comfortably. The smaller boyfriend of his lying on his back as he did so was clearly aiding that. "....when did you start lying on me?" He asked, looking back at the probably-smirking boy, "You're a very heavy blanket." Still, he didn't make him move, just went back to scrolling. He stopped on one comment, just below a bit of a hateful one. He had barely glanced at it, but saw meta-slur and homophobia. He wouldn't point it out. What he did point out made him feel warm inside, "Kodi, look - 'You two are so adorable, you helped me come out and I'm so happy now! Love you both!'" He glanced back again, "That's so awesome!" He was practically squealing as he started replying.

[Deleted]

Even though the whole Damon thing had happened a couple months back, Kodi still dealt with the after-effects from time to time. He tried to brush it off when Gryph was around so the older boy wouldn’t worry about him too much, but… Sometimes he couldn’t hide it. Sometimes he’d stare off into space thinking about things, reliving the torments that Damon had put him through, and then startle back into the present when Gryph would ask him what was wrong. Other times he would wake up in the middle of the night, panting and sweating, jolted awake by some nightmare. When he was at Gryphon’s apartment, he’d curl into his lover until he calmed down; when he was alone at Hammel, he often called the boy in the dead of night whimpering and panicking until Gryph’s voice soothed him back into sleep. He hated being such a bother, but…. He didn’t know what else to do.

This whole video stuff was helping, kind of. Kodi wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he enjoyed it a lot more than he let on. He acted his grumpy and grumbly self on screen in order to keep his reputation (sort of), but occasionally Gryph would sneak in some cute clip of Kodi that the dentokinesis didn’t even realize he’d filmed, and apparently their ‘fans’ liked it.

Their fans… That was weird to think about. He could understand why they liked Gryph (he was perfect in every way, no Kodi was not biased), but he still didn’t understand why they enjoyed watching him.

More than once, he’d fallen trap to the cruelty of trolls, though. That’s what he let Gryphon do the replying these days. “I’ve been here for ages,” he lied with a small chuckle, kissing the back of his lover’s neck. In honesty, he’d just gotten there a few minutes ago after stealing a couple spoonfuls of ice cream. Gryph was gonna get him addicted, too… “Yeah, it’s ‘cause I’m gettin’ fat from all of your stash,” he grunted, looping his arms around the boy’s shoulders. He tilted his head curiously at the screen, squinting at the blurry words since he didn’t have his glasses on. “.. Someone really said that?” he replied, blinking in surprise. “No way.” A tiny smile crossed his lips as he nuzzled into his boyfriend’s hair. “Tell them… I’m really happy t’hear that.” Sure, he wasn’t the mushy and gushy type, but coming out was something he could be happy about. “What else’re they saying?”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Of course Gryphon worried. Even if Kodi tried to avoid it, tried to hide the problems from him, the winged boy wasn't oblivious, and he cared about his boyfriend. He'd even caught him once or twice when he was by himself just looking so upset. He did generally go and try to comfort him in those moments, but a few times, he would just leave him be. Even if it was heartwrenching. This would decrease even more soon, right? It wouldn't always be like this, he hoped.

Kodi liked the videos. He was the one to point out the idea, he wouldn't have done so if he wasn't thinking he would enjoy it. And Gryph like catching his adorable nature on camera, it was nice to show people that the dentokinetic wasn't all he seemed, and it did get a lot of positive feedback.

Gryph giggled, "Sure you have." He liked being close to Kodi again. He'd missed it for the short time they'd been broken up, and some of the time after, when he seemed so detached and out of himself that it didn't feel like Kodi anymore. He was definitely here now, even if still a little muted, still a little damaged. They would work through it, he knew it. He butted his head back, "Chubby bunny~" He was more okay with Kodi stealing his ice cream now (yes, it was still stealing), he needed it. "Maybe if you stopped being such a teddy bear you wouldn't feel fat~" Gryph poked Kodi's side and sent him a smile.

Gryphon nodded, just as surprised and pleased as his lover, "It's amazing, isn't it?" The older boy's smile softened at what Kodi asked, and he typed up their reply, including Kodi's little message, and hit enter. After that, he went a little silent. Apparently, there were quite a few negative comments in a row. It was times like these that Gryph was glad Kodi was half-blind, and didn't wear his glasses. Then he didn't see things like this - targeted at the pair of them, or only at one; Gryphon could deal with it, but his boyfriend's explosive anger didn't cope well. He kept scrolling, "Oh, the usual." Which was hinting that he was looking at negativity, but he was still looking. He just... got caught on one. Sometimes you couldn't just look away. He just lay there and read the whole chunk of text, quietly. And it wasn't pleasant reading.

[Deleted]

“I have~” Kodi cooed, nuzzling Gryph again. He’d never realized how nice it was to just be able to hold someone like this until he’d met the featherbutt. How comforting it was… How much it chased away his demons. They were still there, lurking, but they seemed to stay away for the most part when Gryph was around. And that was what made him so precious. “That’ll be me,” he snorted, puffing out his cheeks. “I’ll be huge and then I’ll really squish you.” Like he would really let that happen. He’d just do more working out in the gym (which probably meant less time studying, but… Whatever, it wasn’t like he needed to do that). “Rawr,” he growled, playfully baring his teeth and nipping at Gryphon’s finger. “I’ll be a grizzly bear instead. Gimme your honey~” And then he latched his teeth onto the boy’s neck and suckled.

“Mmm… Yeah, it really is,” he murmured, letting up on his hickey-making and squinting back at the screen. He should probably get his glasses, but…. Lazy. Then again, Gryph was right – if Kodi could see what the older boy was reading now, he’d be fuming. “… The usual homophobic assholes that have nothin’ better t’do than make other people miserable?” he guessed, his light expression darkening into a scowl. He held in a growl, seeing Gryph pause on one of whatever the comments were saying, and reached forward to close the window. “We ain’t doin’ this shit for them,” he mumbled. “They can fuckin’ stay in their sad little lonely bedrooms and fap t’whatever cheap porn they got on their computers.” The only reason he was managing to stay mildly calm was because he hadn’t actually read the comments. Otherwise he might be mashing out a reply on Gryph’s keyboard now.

He cleared out his throat and slowly calmed back down. “…. I was, uh, thinkin’ ‘bout doin’ an eyeliner tutorial or somethin’,” he mumbled off-handedly. “You know, like… Like the shit those beauty guru bitches do. I ain’t seen any for guys.” While he didn’t wear the stuff nearly as often now for Gryph’s sake (his eyes were clean at the moment), he still liked putting it on from time to time. “…. Think that’d be a stupid idea? Would people hate it?” He did wear it for videos, so it wasn’t like their followers didn’t know…

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon knew he had an effect on Kodi. It was as obvious as the sun was in the sky on a clear day - the amount that the dentokinetic had evolved more recently. A year ago, Gryph could bet Kodi would never have even dreamed of being this cute and affectionate, but here he was, leeching warmth from Gryphon's back. Good times. "Oh, okay. Not like I need to breathe, anyway." He giggled as he said this, grinning. And then pouted, "Heyy, that was my finger~" Gryph whined, before going quiet and smiling to himself.

Gryphon sighed. So he understood. The avian boy nodded, and watched Kodi's hand, putting his own over it to stop him from closing the page, "I know, love." He replied softly, rubbing his thumb over Kodi's skin, "I'm not taking the offense from it, it just..." He shook his head, "It confuses me... how can someone be so..." He sighed and his head lowered, "I feel naïve." He scrolled up and began typing, regardless of anything Kodi might have been saying or doing. It was just a general comment. He was just confused. He wanted other people to understand what he was thinking, even if it wouldn't change anything.

Eyeliner tutorial? ...interesting. Gryph looked back at his boy friend, "I don't think anyone decent would hate it, if that's what you mean." He looked back at the screen and then pushed the laptop away a little, rolling over underneath Kodi and holding his sides, "It's our channel. We post what we want. And I like the idea of you doing stuff by yourself." Gryphon did. Just occasional little things, vlogs, or just random bits about whatever he wanted. He wanted to see Kodi doing so as well... but he wasn't about to push him for it. If he had this idea, Gryph was glad. "Go for it. I bet people will love it." He pecked Kodi's cheek and smiled, "You're so gorgeous, love." He couldn't say it enough.

[Deleted]

He was not cute and affectionate all the time! Nope! …. When he wasn’t, though, it was usually when he was horny and needy, which was about half the time. Feh, whatever, who could judge him in the privacy of Gryph’s apartment? His hippie-chick roommate barely paid attention anyway. “Nah, I’ll just give you oxygen with kisses,” he agreed, wiggling forward and tilting Gryph’s head so he could do just that with a light smack. Kodi pouted out his lips and smiled. “Mmm… Yup, I like this plan.” So he did it again. And then gave him a peck on the dimple, just because.

He frowned as Gryph weighed his hand down, and glanced up at the older boy. “You shouldn’t have t’read that shit…” he complained. Kodi was fairly certain that, despite what Gryphon said, he was hurt from the words to some degree. He’d have to be heartless not to, and his boyfriend was one of the biggest-hearted people he knew. He buried his face into Gryph’s neck as he typed something out, nuzzling his shoulder softly. “… I used t’be like that,” he mumbled. “… Still am sometimes. Hell, I used t’call gay people faggots even after I knew I was one.” His parents’ teachings had burrowed in deep. He still loathed his sexuality on a regular basis, despite everything. “… People are shit.”

He chuckled half-heartedly at Gryph’s response. “Yeah, well… Lotta people on the Internet ain’t all that decent,” he retorted. “So… I dunno… I’m still thinkin’ about it…” The idea of being alone talking at the camera was intimidating. Gryph was a natural talker; it seemed to come to him easily. Kodi? Not so much. He shifted as his lover rolled under him, gazing down at the beautiful boy with soft eyes. “You do?” he mumbled, fidgeting with the fabric of Gryph’s shirt. “… Maybe I’ll try it. Once.” And if he got hate for it, he’d never do anything again nope. His cheeks flushed at the unexpected compliment, and he ducked his head, feeling self-conscious (especially without his eyeliner, which he still felt naked and unattractive without). “…. Oh, stoppit, you,” he finally mumbled, rolling off of the older boy and onto his back. “…. We should get a bunny.”

Sudden topic change? Maybe…

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon chuckled, interrupted the moment he began speaking by the silly kiss, which continued to shut him up for a while, but didn't cease making him smile. He butted their heads together lightly, "And you say I'm the romantic one, silly."

Another sigh, "No-one should. It's..." He didn't want to go into too much detail and possibly upset Kodi further. Which was one of the reasons why he was lying - he had been making an effort to be more honest with Kodi, to avoid incidents like their break up happening again, but sometimes, he just couldn't help it. And this was one of those times; of course he was upset by this. It dulled his mood and it was just... unpleasant. Like he said, he couldn't understand it. His chest tickled lightly at Kodi's actions as he wrote his message, reading it over once before posting it.

Gryph didn't know how to respond to the dentokinetic's next words, and so.... remained silent. He wasn't stupid, he knew how Kodi had been. He just... struggled to picture it now. The only time he saw his boyfriend go overboard at all was if someone targeted... himself. Kodi was more protective over Gryphon than he was of himself, it seemed. It was strange. "...sometimes." Was all he said.

"Ah, but the majority are nice. Believe me, they are." It was a shame that the attention generally went to the cruel people, when there were many, many kind and friendly people online as well. "Well... no one's rushing you. If you're not sure." He pressed their foreheads together as Kodi spoke, and smiled at his decision, "Always worth a try." His arms wrapped around Kodi's body, grinning even wider at his adorable reaction. "I will never stop complimenting you because you'll always be beautiful. And you can't make me be quiet." He pecked Kodi's lips as he fell by his side.

Gryph blinked, turning his head to look at Kodi again, amused, "A bunny?" He giggled, "Are you trying to distract me or is this a real idea?" Because if it was a real idea, he was really interested. "I wouldn't mind a bunny." He smiled to himself, before his brow furrowed, "How's your spider doing? Aragog, wasn't it?"

[Deleted]

Kodi did know that, out of the two of them, it was probably better for Gryph to take the brunt of the negativity, no matter how much the dentokinetic hated it. Who knew what he would do if he read too much of that stuff at one time; he’d probably either have a meltdown or go on a crazed violent spree, or both. He was still pretty unpredictable, even if he was generally more somber after Damon. “You’re such a good person,” Kodi mumbled into the crook of Gryph’s neck. “I love you….”

What Gryph was thinking was true, though. Kodi would do anything to protect his one and only, emotionally or physically or whatever came up. Which was why he wanted to have him stop reading those things and think about something else. Like him. Maybe he was a little selfish too.

“Mm… If you say so…” Kodi wasn’t sure if he believed him, but he wouldn’t argue. He smiled faintly. “I’ll… I’ll just think about it some more.” He was already thinking about how he would talk and try not to look too awkward on camera by himself. Maybe he’d ask Gryph to be in the room for support. He felt all warm and fuzzy as his lover wrapped around him, and he blushed even deeper, having a hard time taking the compliments even now. “… I’m startin’ t’think you just like makin’ me blush…” he mumbled, hiding his face.

… Why had he said that? Now he was just embarrassed over the random blurting. “…. No…. Just… Been thinkin’ ‘bout gettin’ a pet for both of us, and it was the first thing I thought of.” Because Kodi doubted Gryph would want another tarantula or other creepy-crawly in his room. At the mention of his pet, Kodi smiled faintly at first. “Her name’s Shelob, but I like the Harry Potter reference,” he mumbled. After that, his smile faded and he glanced away. “…. I’m worried ‘bout her,” he said softly. “She hasn’t been eatin’ lately… And it’s not like I can take her to a vet or anythin’…” Kodi knew she was pretty old for a tarantula. He’d had her for a while; she’d been his only friend sometimes when he’d felt alone at Hammel.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon rested their heads together, feeling that familiar buzz. He pecked his boyfriend's temple, "I love you too, Kodi." And because of that love, Gryph would do almost anything for Kodi too, even extremes. He had thought about such things. He just... didn't show it as clearly, he thought. But if and when the time came for Gryph to protect Kodi as well, he would. Which would probably be pretty destructive - both of them trying to take care of the other instead of themselves.

Oh well.

"Okay, sweetie." Gryphon didn't want Kodi to run straight into something that might make him increasingly uncomfortable. And the winged boy had also been thinking about the possibility of being there as Kodi filmed, but again, that was something he would want Kodi to decide. And maybe right now wasn't a good time to be thinking about Kodi's insecurities towards being in a video on his own, after reading prejudiced comments. No, complimenting him was a better use of Gryph's time.

He giggled, "I love making you blush, it's better than seeing you frown. It's adorable~" Gryphon nuzzled their noses like the dork he was. The avian man was definitely considering this pet idea though. It might be a bit difficult, considering college and school, but possible. "I like the idea of a bunny." He tilted his head, facing the ceiling, "Dogs need attention, and... a-and fish are boring." No mentions of cats here. No chance. Gryph facepalmed at the mixup, "Sorry, I'm useless." And then the concern piled on. The older boy rolled on his side and wrapped his arms around Kodi again, "Oh, babe..." He wasn't sure how close Kodi was towards the spider, but she clearly meant something to the dentokinetic. Gryphon nuzzled his shoulder, "I'm sorry, love." Even being the optimistic person he was, Gryph couldn't bring himself to say 'She'll be alright.' or anything like that, because it would be such a blatant lie. So he kept holding his lover close, "I'm sorry." He repeated, as if mentioning the spider was, in turn, killing it.

[Deleted]

A sudden idea came to Kodi’s mind, and he grinned, showing off slightly sharp teeth (it happened sometimes when he felt mischievous). “Unless~” he hummed. “I could do a tutorial with you as my canvas.” Kodi snickered, taking Gryph’s face in his hands and turning it left and right. Of course, doing it on someone else would defeat the purpose of a tutorial for someone to do one one’s self, but he was being playful now. “Yup, you’d look great with a nice sharp cat-eye liner,” he snickered, patting his boyfriend’s cheek. One day, he decided silently, he would give Gryph a makeover on camera; the fans would love that, he was sure.

Kodi rolled his eyes and let go of the boy’s face, sticking out his tongue like ‘blech’ at Gryph’s cheesiness. He loved it, obviously, but he pretended not to. “Oh, stoppit,” he pouted, batting Gryph lightly; he was still blushing. Especially since he’d brought up this silly idea; thankfully, his boyfriend seemed eager. “We could name it Fang,” he suggested, because that was totally an appropriate name for a fluffy bunny. Yup. “Yeah… And I doubt you’d want a scorpion or somethin’ in your apartment,” he added, which was totally something he would get for himself. When the topic was on his current creepy-crawly, though, he went pretty quiet, picking at the blanket as he thought of his reclusive little pet. “It’s fine,” he replied roughly, his voice tight. His throat was tense, and his eyes stung. “She might be fine. M-maybe she’s just not hungry since th-the weather’s colder or somethin’.” He knew he was kidding himself; there were other cues that she was on her last few days that he wasn’t admitting to himself.

Kodi cleared his throat and sat up on the edge of the bed, sort of turning away from Gryph’s sympathy. He didn’t want it; didn’t want to admit he needed it. “I’m… Gonna get some fresh air,” he mumbled, getting up and shuffling out of the bedroom, to the back door and out onto the deck. Kodi leaned against the railing and buried his face in his arms, wishing he hadn’t brought up the situation in the first place. He felt pathetic, being so upset over a little spider. He didn’t want Gryphon to see him like this. He’d seen Kodi break down enough over Damon already.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph saw the fangs and raised an eyebrow. This was going to be good, obviously. His brows furrowed at the idea, "What-?" Oh, okay, his face was being moved. He giggled and rolled his eyes, letting his lover derp about all he wanted. He flinched a little at the patting, "I don't need to wear anything to do with cats, thank you." Also he wasn't interested in getting made up, but he could tell that Kodi was joking. Most probably. He was about 75% sure.

"It's still working~" Gryph teased, poking Kodi's cheek, "You are the definition of cute right now." He giggled happily, which was contrasted by the snort that came in reaction to Kodi's name suggestion. "Fang? We don't need a demon bunny, love." He joked, before actually considering it, "Then again, I can't help falling in love with the irony." He blinked, who would want a pet scorpion? "I don't want to be poisoned in my sleep, thanks."

This wasn't fine and, sadly, Kodi's spider wasn't fine either. Gryphon still couldn't bring himself to state the obvious, or state anything, so he gently held Kodi's hand and said nothing, even if it felt like no words about it was worse than some. He continued to physically comfort Kodi until he moved, at which point he got out of his way. "Alright, sweetie. Don't freeze." With that, he tried to leave Kodi to his own devices, and went to make a hot drink for himself, and prepare one for Kodi, but not finish it. He could do that once the dentokinetic was back inside. He eyed the back door tentatively and grabbed his laptop off the coffee table, opting to stay in the living room. Occasionally sipping from his hot chocolate, he started looking for bunny adoption centers.

He was just worried, but he knew Kodi needed his space right now. He'd come back in when he was ready.

[Deleted]

“Oh, right, you’re a cat-aphobe,” Kodi chuckled, teasing. He nipped Gryph’s lip before letting him go. “I’ll see if I can find any bird-themed makeup to try on you.” But now he was thinking of feathered eyelashes and he burst into snickers, imagining his manly, macho man (hah) wearing such girly things. Ick.

“No. Nope.” Kodi still refused to admit he was ever cute, and he was sure he would continue to refuse it forever. “Whaaat? There’s nothing wrong with that name!” he protested. It was a genius name! “Exactly,” he said smugly. If they were going to get something soft and fluffy, it had to have a ‘scary’ name. “Psh, wimp,” he joked, ‘stinging’ Gryph with his teeth. “It’d hurt less than what I do t’you on a regular basis.”

His sense of humor had quickly faded, though, as it was wont to do. He shook his head when Gryph spoke. “I won’t,” he mumbled as he headed out. It was cold out there, though, and Kodi had never been one to tolerate it well. Still, he stood out there as long as he could, head buried in his arms, taking deep, shaky breaths until they eventually evened out enough for him to feel…. Not normal, but a little better, at least for the moment. He knew it wasn’t the last episode he would have, though. Slowly, he shuffled back inside, shivering now from letting himself get chilled in the cold air.

He walked over to Gryph and buried himself against the older boy, trying to steal his heat. “M’cold,” he mumbled, stating the obvious. At least he was complaining instead of saying nothing now, so he was more like the normal Kodi. He peeked at the computer screen. “What’re you doin’?” he said quietly. “Lookin’ at porn without me?” It was a joke he used often, since he would actually be stunned if he was right someday. “…. Don’t tell me you’re into that Furry shit,” he added, seeing a bunny or two. He was teasing, though, and a small smile was starting to form. “… Those’re cute.”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryph pouted, "The correct term is ailurophobic, and I can't help it." Stupid bird instincts, mumble grumble. Of course, Gryphon could probably work on his fear, maybe even obliterate it with time and patience and effort, but.... nope. Wanted that less than the make-up. When Kodi started giggling, or whatever that was, Gryph made a funny face, "I have no idea what kinky thought just came into your mind, but I won't ask." Probably wouldn't want to know.

"Oh yeah, okay, so you can take it to the vet's then, and be there when the vet has to call out the poor bunny's name." He joked, "People will understand then, 'cause you're all dark and mysterious or whatever." Yeah, that was logical. Sometimes, Gryph was practically a marshmallow in comparison to Kodi.

The winged man remained worried every second Kodi stayed outside, but when he returned, he attempted to be light hearted to some degree, "I specifically told you not to freeze, silly." He said softly, rubbing Kodi's side. The 'porn assumption' felt like it was becoming an inside joke by this point, the amount Kodi asked. "I'm not, lucky for you." He found that stuff strange, but... then again, other people would find what he did with Kodi strange too. At the comment, Gryph smiled as well, pushing the laptop onto his boyfriend's lap, and taking off his sweater, handing it over, "Put this on." To warm him up. "Keep looking through. I don't know what you're looking for, but I'll go with whichever one you like, even if it's missing an eye or looks like a war hero, with scars everywhere." He began walking to the kitchen, "I'll be right back." He scooted off and made up Kodi's hot chocolate, complete with all the toppings - whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate dust. It was fancy. He quickly went and grabbed another sweatshirt and put it on, before bringing the hot drink through. He smiled and slid to sit next to him again, holding it for Kodi to take, "See anything?"

[Deleted]

“…. I knew that,” Kodi shot back, and it was actually true; the giant dictionary that he was, of course he knew the right phobia for cats. He’d just been making a joke. Yeah. His smile softened slightly, and he nuzzled Gryph lovingly. “Coo~” he hummed, wondering if his boyfriend would really run in fear if the saw a stray cat or something. Hmm… “… Nothing,” Kodi said, honestly, but of course Gryph wouldn’t believe him. When was he not thinking kinky things?

“And all of the animals in the vet’s office will fear the wrath of the terrible Fang!” he cried dramatically with a cackle. “No one will be spared of his cruel power~!” Someone had been reading a few too many good vs. evil novels lately. Whoops.

Kodi tried to smile, but all that he managed was slight upward flick of the corners of his mouth. “Guess I didn’t listen very well, huh?” he said softly, curling tighter into him. He should’ve known better, but he was in a mood, and lack of self-preservation was to be expected. “Lucky for me?” he mumbled, attempting humor. “Aw… I could’ve joined you.” Kodi blinked and took the laptop when it was offered to him, and snuggled into the sweater, breathing in the scent of his lover. “Thank you,” he whispered. Kodi turned to the screen then, and started flipping through pictures, starting to feel better as he looked at all the cute bunnies. Aww… Why did they have to be so fluffy and innocent-looking? He was too distracted to realize what Gryph was doing until he returned, by which point Kodi had been looking at a white and tawny-colored bunny for some time. “Mm?” he asked, blinking up at Gryph, then the mug. “Oh… Wow. Thanks, love,” he murmured, taking the drink carefully. He handed the laptop back over to Gryphon with the bunny he’d chosen up on the screen. “… Whadayou think of him?” he asked. “He’s got a brown spot on his side that looks like a dick.”

…. Of course that would be why Kodi choose a pet. Who would think any differently? “Can we get him pleeeease?” he pleaded like a 10-year-old, then took a sip of his drink with a content sigh. “Ahh…. You’re the best boyfriend ever, Gryphy.” Kodi was feeling a lot better already.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Not exactly run in fear, but Gryph wouldn't be happy, and it would be obvious. He would probably attempt to use his boyfriend as a shield, if he was there, and would slowly hide behind him, telling the younger boy to try and get the feline away. It would make him extremely nervous, but he wouldn't start screaming or sprinting away or anything. He snorted, "Oh, really. Yeah, I believe you." Saarcaaaasm~!

"....have you been hanging around Oriel too much recently?" Any time over fifteen minutes was too much for Gryphon, but that melodramatic spiel felt very familiar. "And I'm sure Fang's twitching nose will terror to all who see him." Pft.

He sighed softly - the atmosphere had definitely changed since Kodi went outside, "...no, no you didn't, really." He felt frozen. Gryph knew he was feeling off now, but he didn't want the younger boy accidentally (or purposefully) hurting himself because of that. "It's alright, love." He said to the gratitude. Gryphon liked helping Kodi; he liked making him smile again. That's why he was trying to do as much as possible to see those pearly whites. He nodded and nuzzled Kodi a little on his return, "It's nothing. It's cold enough in here as it is... hopefully it'll help you warm up a little more." Didn't want him getting hypothermia or something.

He eyed the bunny on the screen, tilting his head, "Hmmm..." He was cute. The childish voice that came from Kodi made Gryph giggle and roll his eyes a little, but as he thought about the possibility of actually getting this bunny... he formulated an idea. "I know." He quipped - he definitely wasn't the boastful type, but he was thinking. "...y'know, my dad's been sending me less money, because..." Because of the prejudiced reasons Kodi already knew about, "And... and I spent a lot of money over Christmas, so... probably not right now." He glanced at Kodi, "Sorry."

The majority of this was true. Gryph's father had dropped back on the amount of money he was giving the avian boy, and Gryphon had spent a lot over the holiday season. However, he was a frugal person, really. He still had enough for this, with some to spare for the rent and food. It would be better as a surprise. "We... could go meet him? And we can look for rabbit things to buy later?" Or buy sooner. Nyeheh.