All I Want for Valentine's Day... Is Some Peace and Quiet!

[Deleted]

A pretty boy was a pretty boy and Kodi was definitely a fucking pretty boy, especially considering all the makeup he wore. Really, that boy should just try the lipstick for once. Oriel was sure he’d look stupendous in it!

Hmmm….maybe Oriel should do that? Nah, didn’t have any anyway, and no money to buy it. Shit, make-up was expensive!

Against Kodi, Oriel gave no shit about how rough or cude he was. Kodi knew how to take a hit and an insult. Oriel’s mouth was composed of 85% bullshit, which apparently some people didn’t appreciate. So….yeah, fine. Oriel could learn to use the other 15% for when he was addressing Gryphon, even though it was hard as balls to do. Habits did not die easily, and Oriel’s mouth was the dirtiest, most stubborn one he had. He was glad, though, that things with Gryph had gone smoothly. Oriel had lost nearly all of that nervousness he’d had when he first came to their door to make his request. Part of that was thanks to Kodi wrestling it out of him, but the other half was because of how positively Gryphon reacted to Oriel’s….sincerity? Is that what he should call it? Oriel took pride in his honesty, brutal as it may be sometimes, but…sincerity was a completely different thing. Oriel needed more practice, definitely. Though he was proud of himself for managing what he did tonight.

He was still feeling good about it when he returned to the room, and still on an adrenaline high from his fight with Kodi, so his appearance was probably the last thing on his mind. No, the first thing was wrapping his arms around his shorter, excitable lover, and holding him as tight as he possibly could(without breaking anything, of course). Oriel snickered when he pulled away and Phoenix demanded an explanation. “Nothing much, just a little scuffle,” he said lightly. That’s all it really was, but Phoenix didn’t look none too happy about Oriel’s disheveled appearance. Actually, it might’ve been the blood on his neck that did it, Oriel had completely forgotten about that part too. “Phoenix, it’s nothing, get back here,” he called to his departing fiancee, totally not taking him seriously. “What do you think you’re going to do, anyway? Hit him?” Oriel snorted, mocking the boy. Lovingly, of course. “Probably just break your hand if you do.” If Phoenix continued on after that, Oriel would follow him out into the hallway. “Oy, no, Phoenix, stooop….” he said dryly.

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Kodi scoffed and rolled his eyes as Gryph copied the nickname Oriel had just given him. “Don’t you start,” he warned, but his voice was lighter than when he’d talked to Oriel (and breathier, considering he was still working on catching his breath again). “Heh… Don’t tell me that, I’ll be in here for hours,” he chuckled, fixing some stray strands of hair that were against his forehead. They were both going to get hungry, and then cranky, if they waited much longer.

He smirked as Gryph’s finger slid under the choker around his neck, not resisting the tug. “Mmm… Thought I’d keep it a surprise,” he purred, pining for a proper kiss. “Come on, you can do better than that~” This band was plain enough that he doubted anyone (except Oriel) would notice or care, but then again, Kodi was shameless enough that he would have put on the other, thicker, more obvious collar he’d brought along if he’d have thought Gryph would be okay with it. He slid his fingers into Gryphon’s and smiled, tickles trailing up his arm to his chest and staying there. “Alright,” he murmured, trailing after the taller boy into the hall. “Mmm… Me too.” Kodi pondered what he would get. Meat, something rare, probably. Steak? Was that too typical? Nahh… Anyway, he followed Gryph out and down to the restaurant, and immediately Kodi was glad he’d thought to wear something at least kinda nice – this place was swanky as fuck. “… Damn, I’m gettin’ nervous just waitin’ here,” he muttered as they waited to be seated. “All these people look rich as shit.” He was trying not to make eye contact with any of them, lest they see right through him to his less-than-stellar core. When they were finally led to a table, Kodi breathed a sigh of relief and hid in it as much as he could. “Alright, what’re you thinkin’ ‘bout gettin’?” he asked, scanning a menu. “Ai-ya, can’t order any alcohol….” Obviously.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was no longer in a good mood. “A little scuffle??” he asked, unbelieving. “Over what? What did you do? What did he do?” Because it obviously hadn’t been Gryph. He squirmed in Oriel’s tight embrace, feeling smothered rather than comforted at the moment. How could his fiancé be so light-hearted about this? Grrr…. “It’s not nothing!” he snapped back, still heading for the door. “You’re fucking bleeding! He hurt you!” Those puncture wounds reminded him all too much of his own on his neck, where Kodi had bitten him a while ago; the scars were still there, faded but not gone.

His hands clenched into little fists as Oriel mocked him, and he shot and angry, disbelieving look back at his lover. “Why are you bein’ like this?” he demanded, even more upset. “I’m not that weak!” Quivering even more, he continued on into the hallway, fully intent on going over to the other boys’ room and doing… Something. He could give Kodi a face full of dust if he needed to. But he was going to make that asshole pay! “Stop following me!” he snapped back at Oriel. “I’m doing this!”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"I'll start all I want, mister," Gryph giggled, teasing, "You can't tell me what to do~" Kodi wouldn't get anywhere near violence if Gryph did start calling him Princess. Probably just whine until Gryph stopped or he got used to it. "Well..." Gryphon tried to think of some kind of comeback, or maybe even any coherent words, "...narcissist." He said with a cough, the most unsubtle way of insulting someone. He was still smiling though, "Saranghae~"

"It's a good surprise," Gryph said, nuzzling his cheek a little, "Me likey~" The comment caused the older one to roll his eyes, "Whiney," He complained, but still, he leant in and met their lips together softly, smoothing a hand down his lover's front. He pulled away with a grin, tilting his head a little, "Happy now, sweetie?"

As they waited and Kodi mused over the appearance of the restaurant and its customers, Gryph squeezed his hand, although his manners were on high alert, as it was. He'd been to a number of important meeting things with his dad when he was younger, it was automatic by this point to act a certain way. He kept his voice down as well, "I'm rich as at least half a shit and you're my trophy bride. You'll be okay." He pecked Kodi's cheek and looked around, "Besides, we all want the same thing here. Food." People probably wouldn't care as long as they didn't draw attention to themselves.

Gryph was pretty sympathetic of the stress Kodi was feeling, he could feel how the atmosphere was a little suppressive and fancy. And Kodi wasn't a fancy guy. Simple as. He looked through the menu, "Something edible." He joked quietly. Poultry, poultry, poultry.... poultry... there was a lot of poultry on this menu. Gryphon made a bit of a face, stuck. The alcohol comment made him smirk, "Get fizzy fruit juice, it'll feel like champagne." Because nope, no underage drinking here. His eyes kept looking for food, and he pouted, "Halp," He said quietly, looking at his boyfriend, "It's like everything on this menu quacks or bawks." Despite his choosing problems, he was still trying to keep the mood light. This was for their enjoyment, after all.

[Deleted]

Whoops. Maybe Oriel should’ve ended that ‘little scuffle’ a lot sooner than he did. But it’d been since forever since he and Kodi had wrestled like that, so nostalgia had taken over completely. Hell, Oriel almost forgot that he wasn’t supposed to strip the boy in the midst of it. But he hadn’t considered how Phoenix would react to seeing him all roughed up, especially with the bite on his neck which Oriel had also forgotten about. Oriel shrugged and scratched the back of his head. “Nothing…it was just a scuffle. The guy jumped me, so I taught him a lesson.” Oriel didn’t have to explain who ‘the guy’ was. Though Oriel still hadn’t told Phoenix about the time Gryph beat his face in. He didn’t think he ever would.

When Phoenix pointed out the blood, Oriel touched his neck. “Oh, yeah…he did bite me, didn’t he?” Yes, Oriel was taking this lightly…because he didn’t think it was a big deal. He felt like he was being scolded for playing with his friend and getting hurt on accident…which was essentially what happened…only it was hardly an accident.

Okay, now he was just getting confused. “W…why am I being like this!? Why are you being like this? You’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be.” And he didn’t want Phoenix to get hurt. Yes, he did think of his fiancee as that weak…because he was. If Phoenix tried to fight Kodi, he was just going to…well, either get himself hurt, or be laughed at. Oriel didn’t want to see either happen. Oriel sighed. “Phoenix….” he breathed, rolling his eyes. “Relax already. Weren’t we going to go eat? You’d really rather go make a fool of yourself in front of Gryph and Kodi instead of having a fucking nice dinner with me?” Glad to know where his priorities were. Oriel really should’ve been more sympathetic, though. If anyone had done the same thing to Phoenix, they’d have their head through a wall by now. But this was just not something he expected from Phoenix. It bothered him that he’d concentrate on that more than Oriel himself, the man who was his fiancee, who just wanted to go fucking eat already.

[Deleted]

“Glad ya like it,” Kodi grinned at Gryph’s reaction. He practically purred as the older boy humored him by giving him the kiss he pined for. “Mmmm… Mhmm~” he hummed. “Very happy.” And he’d be even happier once they ate and came back here for more romping around… Hehehe.

The dentokinetic was too uneasy himself to really realize that his lover was nervous too. He wouldn’t expect him to be; Gryph was fancy and wealthy, he probably felt like he fit in more here than he did at the quaint, run-down little places they usually ate out at, right? Like, Kodi’s favorite Chinese place was legit, but it looked like a shack on the outside (as most of the best, most legit Chinese food places were). “Trophy bride?” he repeated with a scoff. “I doubt any of these rich fucks will see it that way, but…” Whatever, now Kodi was busy thinking about marriage anyway, and he nodded dumbly at Gryph’s statement. “Uh… Yeah, sure.” Washington was supposed to be pretty gay-friendly anyway, right…?

He definitely wasn’t a fancy guy. Give him a hunk of meat and some bread, and he’d be happy. Kodi rubbed his squishy stomach self-consciously as he eyed the menu. “Edible is good,” he snickered. Hmmm…. Maybe just a hamburger… Holy shit, those prices though! “Uh, Gryph…. You sure you can afford this…?” he asked meekly. Kodi knew he could, but… He felt bad for it. The request for help brought out a small chuckle, and he looked over the menu again and pointed out something he showed to Gryph. “What about this… Salmon thing?” he asked. “They’re s’posed to have really good fish up here, I heard, ‘cause it’s so fresh… Or somethin’….” He might have done some research before he came. “Or you could get a burger, that’s what I’m lookin’ at…” Kodi’s foot subtly began to play with Gryph’s under the table, but he didn’t look up, just smiled slyly to himself.

Phoenix didn’t hear the part about it being just a “little scuffle”, he just picked up on “the guy jumped me”, which did nothing to get rid of his anger. “He did what??” he squeaked angrily, still on his mission. Even if Oriel had “taught him his lesson”, Phen still had a thing or two to say (or do) to that… That…. Straggle-toothed jerk!

“He…? Of course he bit you, how could you forget something like that??” he mewled loudly. “Oriel, he did that t’me too, remember?? It m-messed me up for… For… For a while!” Why was Oriel acting like this was nothing? Maybe he was… Stronger-minded that Phoenix, or whatever, but…. That didn’t make this right! “People aren’t supposed t’bite other people!” At least without consent!

He fumed even more as Oriel began arguing back more. “What would you do if it was me he’d bitten again?” he demanded. Okay, so it was a little different since Kodi and Phoenix weren’t friends, but still. He kept walking, determined to see this through. He hesitated only briefly as Oriel mentioned eating. “… We will. After I teach that punk a lesson,” he humphed. It wasn’t like they couldn’t after… Whatever! He ignored Oriel after that, rapping on the door that he didn’t realize had no one behind it. “Kodi, come out here!” he demanded. His breath was already ragged; this had really upset him. When no one answered for some time, Phen growled. “….. Coward….” he growled. Why wasn’t Gryph at least opening the door? “….. Maybe… I can get him after we eat….” Phen finally turned his eyes up towards Oriel, a mixture of anger, frustration, worry, and uncertainty in his expression. “Right?”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

Gryphon would be more comfortable if he had never manifested, because from that point onwards, he hadn't been surrounded by that suppressive atmosphere of expectations anymore. From then on, he had been at Hammel, with a whole host of people. And just because he was rich, he didn't act a snob - that much was obvious. He could act that way if he really felt like it, but it wasn't in his nature. He preferred the simple places. Good food, no flashy jazz. You knew it was good quality then - they obviously weren't overcompensating for something. "I don't care how they see it." Gryph said softly, "I see you." Nothing like a good slab of cheese to distract a boy.

"Hm?" Gryph peeked up innocently at the question, eyes falling onto some of the prices. He had glanced at the menu online, seen the prices already. He knew what he was getting himself in for. He nodded, "It's fine." He tilted his head though, feeling like it might be something more than that, "...y'know, if you're uncomfortable, we... we can always bail. It's not too late." There was probably some decent, less fancy restaurant nearby, if necessary. The point of this was luxury for a couple days, but it wouldn't be so if one of them was nervous the whole time.

He listened as Kodi explained his reasonings, looking at the food, smiling a little to himself. The dentokinetic's own possible decision made Gryph smirk even wider, not looking up, "We come all the way out to Seattle, to some fancy place with a hoity-toity restaurant," He was trying his best not to speak to loudly, "And you want to order a hamburger?" Gryphon giggled, finding this very ironic, "How... suave." He teased. The winged man looked down, as if through the table, when he felt a foot against his, rolling his eyes, and reciprocating at first, before putting his foot on top of his companion's, "Restless, are we?" He said quietly, raising an eyebrow at Kodi as he put his menu to the side, for now. His tone echoed a small, gentle dominance that said 'Not now.' ...what? His manners in these situations were kind of inbuilt. Make subtle, quiet comments if needs be, and act as if you are perfect. Simple as.

[Deleted]

Maybe Oriel shouldn’t have said that? Though he still didn’t think that this was….

Well, maybe Phoenix had a point there. When Kodi had bitten Phoenix, Oriel had pummeled the dentokinetic half to death without mercy. If Kodi ever did that again to Phoenix, Oriel too would do it again without a second thought. He supposed….actually, that Phoenix got this upset over Oriel being hurt made Oriel ridiculously happy. He thought Phoenix was crazy, trying to jump into a fight that Oriel was certain he’d lose…well, no…Phoenix wouldn’t lose necessarily. “Kodi wouldn’t do that, he knows I’d kill him if he touched you.” Oriel would be pissed if Kodi took a fight with his fiancee seriously. And if Phoenix did manage to injure Kodi….well, Oriel wouldn’t be happy about that either.

Oriel would keep an eye on Phoenix, but he’d given up trying to stop him. The way he was over-reacting reminded Oriel of….well, himself. And that alone was upsetting to the ink-manipulator. Besides, he was hungry.

He kept silent as Phoenix continued his rampage. Well….let him do what he wants, Oriel decided. If it got too messy, Oriel would step in and cart the pixie back to their own room. And tie him to a chair until he calmed down. Or something.

Man, he was hungry. All that rough and tumbling with Kodi sure worked up an appetite, and not the figurative one he usually had either. What made it worse was that they were wasting time with this shit. They weren’t even in there! Even if Kodi was hiding in the bathroom, Gryph would have at least opened the door for Phoenix, wouldn’t he have? And probably would have tried to discourage Phoenix from that confrontation as much as Oriel had. Didn’t Gryph(or was it Kodi?) say they were going to go eat too? No need to tell Phoenix that, he might go on another rampage. “Mmhmmm,” Oriel hummed unenthusiastically. The only other response Oriel gave was from his stomach, a very loud, rolling growl and gurgle.

Following that, Oriel turned to go back into the room and clean himself up. Maybe if he came out looking nice(or hawt as fuck) Phoenix would forget all about his ‘revenge’ against the toothy China-man.

[Deleted]

Cheese was Kodi’s biggest weakness now, apparently. His lips curved into a small, amused (and stupidly happy) smile as Gryph spoke. “You’re just tryin’ t’make me feel better,” he accused, but his tone was light and playful. “Y’told me you don’t like it when I wear eyeliner anyway, so I’m surprised you’re still lookin’.” The makeup was sort of a shield for Kodi – he was only comfortable taking it down in front of Gryph. He hid behind the dark sneer with anyone else. It sort of… Protected him. It was a psychological thing.

“… Okay… If y’say so…” Kodi said quietly and a bit uncomfortably. He knew how much Gryph was already paying to even stay at this place, so he really felt like he shouldn’t make the older boy pay more, but… He had to eat! The offer was a little tempting, though, and Kodi pondered it for a short while before slowly shaking his head. “Nah… I don’t want t’make you leave just ‘cause I feel outta my league,” he eventually said. “Maybe tomorrow for lunch we can got t’downtown Seattle and find some nice, cheaper diner there,” he suggested with a smile. “I hear Pike’s Market’s got a ton of awesome stuff… But I’m sure you already know that.” Yep, Kodi did research.

He listened to Gryph’s short shpeal, a tiny smirk quirking at the corner of his lips. “Hey! Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a good burger. ‘Sides, I’m sure the stuff they make is super high-quality an’ fancy an’ shit.” However, Kodi sort of took this as a suggestion from Gryph to get something less common since he was paying such high prices for the meal, so the dentokinetic looked back at the menu as he drummed his finger against his lip. “Ahh… Fuck… I dunno, maybe this pork loin?” he mused. “Heh… Loin.” Kodi licked his lips and waggled his eyebrows. “Yep, sounds good to me.” Just… Holy shit, expensive. However, Kodi’s attention was diverted when his foot was pinned to the floor, and he pouted up at the older boy. “Maybe a little,” he replied coyly. Still, he sensed the dominance in Gryph’s posture and dropped his gaze. “… Fiiine,” he sighed. “I guess I can wait for a little longer.” Not like they’d just fucked or anything, nope. “Decided what you’re gonna get?”

Meanwhile…

Yeah, exactly! Oriel had gotten to beat up Kodi when he’d bitten Phoenix (and that was waaay back when they weren’t even all that serious), so why couldn’t Phen do the same? So what if he was scrawny and weak, he had tricks up his sleeve from his gang days that he could use! It was probably good he never carried a pocket knife anymore… “Hmph,” was all he said. “He still has that scratch on his face that I gave him…” It was faded, but still there. A lasting reminder from Phoenix to make sure Kodi never hurt Gryph. “I could give him another.”

The frustrating thing was, Phoenix knew Oriel could simply pick him up and carry him away if he wanted to. The younger boy was a lot bigger and stronger than Phen, and he wouldn’t use any dirty tricks to get away from him that he might use on Kodi. He hoped it didn’t get to that point.

But… Apparently they weren’t home. Urghhhh…. “Fine, I’ll get him later,” he repeated after Oriel’s less-than-enthusiastic hum, sulking by the door for a moment longer before shuffling after his fiancé back to their room. His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment now. “… Guess I didn’t do a good job of fillin’ you up, huh?” he said meekly when Oriel’s stomach growled. “Whoops…”

Phen lingered by the door, already figuring he was clean and preened enough. He just slid on a pair of shoes and waited for Oriel, wondering how long he would take. “I bet your hair’s quicker t’brush out now…” he mumbled, not sure what else to say. “… Whadaya gonna get at the restaurant?” Was he trying to make up for his earlier fit now? Maybe.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"Maybe," Gryph admitted quietly, "But you're still all I see." Compliments came so easily to the winged man, it was almost like he couldn't help it. Of course... he could help it, but he wasn't about to stop himself, not when his words were making Kodi so happy. No, it would practically be a crime to go quiet now. "I never said that." At least, he didn't think he had, "I just prefer it when I can see your beautiful face as it's supposed to be seen - au naturale." Gryphon gave a soft smile at this, fiddling with Kodi's fingers. Maybe the amount that he doted on his lover was a bit over the top... maybe, but Gryph thought it necessary. And it was true, after all.

"I don't usually spend my money loads and loads," Gryph went on, "You know that." Well, he did, sometimes, but usually that was for others. This was kind of for himself this time, and... well, it was nice to do. "I know what I'm getting myself into." He assured. Hopefully Kodi would leave it at that, and not worry too much longer about Gryphon's expenditure. It made Gryph wonder... how did Phen and Oriel afford this? Like... saving money was possibly a reason, but this... definitely wasn't cheap. Ah well, that wasn't his business anyway. Besides, it wasn't really important.

Gryph chuckled softly, "Yeah, I do, and so do you, apparently." The avian meta was pretty amused by the fact Kodi seemed to have looked into this, but he knew he shouldn't have expected much less. Kodi had an inquisitive mind, of course he wouldn't have walked into this place blindly, especially not somewhere so unfamiliar. "I think that sounds like a plan, my lovely man." It would be nice to just get out there again. Currently, he had the odd feeling of being at home, but also incredibly uncomfortable. As long as they didn't get too close to where he lived, he would probably be okay.

Gryphon rolled his eyes teasingly as he continued to consider the menu, "Excuses, excuses," Gryph's point wasn't to do with the money more specifically, but the fact that Kodi had the chance to try something different. It was probably better not to waste it, right? He made a noise of agreement at Kodi's decision, before shaking his head, "So immature." He commented quietly, jokingly. He took a last glance at his menu before focusing on his boyfriend, smirking as he gave in. "It hasn't even been an hour since we last got intimate. How can you already be perky again?" He asked, taking one of Kodi's hands in his own, just as a waiter appeared, so he answered Kodi's question that way, "The snapper. And a jug of water please." He couldn't work out what non-alcoholic drinks they had, so he just went with the simplest option, before looking at Kodi so he could order his own.

[Deleted]

Meanwhile….

Oriel sighed to himself. Again. How long was Phoenix going to pay attention to what Kodi did instead of looking at and loving Oriel, his fiancee? Oriel was just a little jealous.

Only a little.

“Fine,” he relented tiredly. “You’ll get him later. Let’s eat, and next we see them, I’ll hold Kodi down, and you punch, sound good?” Ganging up on people wasn’t really Oriel’s style though. He preferred fights to be mano-a-mano, with fists, but….well, forgive him if he didn’t believe his bony-butt fiancee when he said he could take the dentokinetic, even leaving a scratch on him.

Oooo, a scraaatch….

Yes, Oriel was patronizing a bit(or a lot) but he had good reason to, that being….he was huuuuuuungry!! He smiled weakly at Phoenix’s innuendo. “I’ll be back for more later,” he promised with a wink. For now, though, he needed a giant slab of meat in front of him. Real meat, like meat. Oriel wandered off to the bathroom where he could get himself cleaned up. As he looked in the mirror for the first time since his little rumble with Kodi, he smirked. Okay, so he could see now why Phoenix was worried, he did look pretty awful. Didn’t mean he was happy about Phoenix making such a fuss over it. It honestly put Oriel in a bit of a sour mood, so now he was just trying to navigate it into something less….grumpy. More smiley. Yes, smile… he ordered himself in the mirror. Because you’re with Phoenix for a whole Valentine’s weekend, he loves you, and you’re totally going to make his mom think you’re not just a piece of scum off the street. Oriel stared at himself, finger pointed at ‘himself’. He didn’t know whether to laugh in amusement or break the mirror from embarrassment. Whatever….Oriel took a breath and fixed his hair. “Yeah….don’t knot up as much,” he called out to Phoenix. And the shorter hair was easier to take care of, overall. Oriel wiped the blood from his neck and washed his face, then put on the shirt Gryph had loaned him. He smiled. It looked pretty good on him.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Oriel rolled his head back, thinking of an answer to Phoenix’s other question. “I don’t even know what they got, but I bet it’s pricy as fuck.” And totally on the old man’s(Phoenix’s dad) tab. Oriel didn’t know whether to go all out or actually get something modest, out of respect for the old guy’s supposed ‘kindness’. Oriel curled an arm around his lover’s shoulders and led him out of the room. “Shall we, my love?” He kissed Phoenix’s temple and continued on.

When they finally reached the restaurant and were wandering for a table….Oriel blinked as he spotted the nefarious man Phoenix had been searching for. He wondered if Phoenix had noticed them? “Leeet’s….sit over here,” he suggested, guiding his partner rather forcefully and suspiciously in the other direction.

[Deleted]

“Mnyehhhh….” The disbelieving sound rolled off of Kodi’s tongue as he shook his head. “Whatever you say.” He still didn’t know what was so great about his face, especially since Gryph got to see his own beautiful mug in the mirror every day, but he’d take it. “Weirdo.” Yup, that was how he’d respond to all compliments. Gryphon was a fucking weirdo. And he loved it.

“Yeah, I know…” Hell, Gryph really only seemed to spend his money on bills, food, and Kodi. Did he ever treat himself? “Selfless moron…” It was like Kodi was trying to balance all of his boyfriend’s sweetness with loving snark. “If y’say so.” He still felt just a bit guilty though.

He nodded when Gryph agreed to his plans, somewhat relieved. The only bad thing was he would likely get completely lost in the big city, since he’d never been in one like it before. Gryphon would have to lead him by the hand. “Ain’t there a gay part of town too?” he asked with a smirk. “We’ll fit right in there. I wonder if they have any underage clubs…” Heh, that would be fun, even if he couldn’t dance to save his life.

“Immature? Me? Never,” Kodi huffed, faking offense. “I’m the image of maturity, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I just have a hankering for a nice big loin.” Hehehe. He rose an eyebrow over the menu at his lover. “I’m always ready for bonin’,” he announced, and not all that subtly. A couple from a table over might have glanced over at him. Kodi chuckled and smiled down at their hands, before looking up and making an uncomfortable expression as a waiter appeared. Why did even he have to look all… All… Dapper and fancy and rich? “U-uh, the pork… Loins… For me, please. An’ some water is fine too,” he stumbled over his words. Dammit. His cheeks flushed and Kodi looked back down at the table. “Hmph… I’d eat his loins,” he scoffed once the waiter left, in an attempt to lighten his embarrassment. Yep, Kodi had the best taste in humor for a rich-ass place like this. It would be a wonder if he didn’t get them kicked out.

Phoenix nodded and thrust a fist into the air at Oriel’s suggestion. “Let’s do it!” he agreed, ignoring the lack of enthusiasm in his fiance’s voice. Yup, he’d pummel that face up so much that Gryph wouldn’t want to date Kodi anymore! And everything would be good. Yup.

Honestly, Kodi was probably the only single person that fired Phen up this much. Well, other people from Oriel’s past, like Madison, might do the same, but he hadn’t met them, so nyeh. “Okaaay~” he hummed at the younger boy’s promise, seeming a lot happier now than he had been five minutes ago. It was useful that he had the attention span of a five-year-old on a sugar high. He rolled on the balls of his feet as he waited for Oriel to be done in the bathroom. “Are you almost doooone?” he called out after only a minute or two. Not that he was starving or anything (he almost never was), but he didn’t want to be away from his Squishy for another moment more. “I’m sure you look fiiine~” Apart from the fresh battle wounds. Grrrr. “Everyone’s gonna think you’re a vampire… Or you’ve got a biting fetish… Or somethin’…” he sighed.

Phoenix looked up as Oriel emerged, and his eyes lit up as he skipped over to glomp onto the taller boy. “Don’t worry, daddy’s paying for everything~” he chirped. All irritation from earlier had apparently vanished, as might be expected, with Phen’s typically meek and quiet nature. “Yesss let’s go!” he agreed, shuffling alongside his lover and nuzzling his shoulder as they headed out.

Fortunately, Phen was typically oblivious of anything besides Oriel when they were together, so he didn’t notice the other pair as they walked into the restaurant. “Hm? Oh, okay,” he blinked and stumbled slightly as Oriel suddenly tugged him along. Phoenix frowned slightly, but didn’t know what was wrong. “…. You okay?” he asked as they sat. He fiddled with his menu and started looking over it, squinting at the options… and then at the prices, which made him yelp. “Omigod, this stuff is so expensive,” he breathed. “… Maybe I should just get a small appetizer…” It’d probably be enough to fill him up anyway.

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"Trust me," Gryphon assured with a warm smile, "I'm not the blind one in this relationship." Yes, that was a tiny jab at the fact that Kodi still didn't wear his glasses. They didn't look bad! Then again, Gryph couldn't remember if he'd seen Kodi put in his contacts at all, not really connecting the dots that the menu would be completely lost on the younger boy if he had no reading aids. His memory wasn't that good.

The winged man blushed slightly, smiling to himself and looking at the tablecloth in a moment of timidness, "I'm not selfless..." He muttered. But he was a moron. That was well established over the last... wow, the last year. It still freaked him out a little that it had been a year that he'd been doing things with Kodi. It would probably feel weird for a while, at least.

Gryphon didn't mind the idea of basically looking after Kodi while they were in Seattle. Obviously, the city was nothing like what he was used to, and Gryph understood that. Besides, he would want the same if he ever went to Louisiana with Kodi. But that was definitely an 'if'. The stigma surrounding being gay in the south was a bit... iffy. If they ever went, they would probably have to be careful. Or maybe just wait a while. Maybe Gryph was being paranoid, but he wasn't certain. "Mhmm." Gryphon smiled, "I don't they do, but we can always check." Despite Gryph living there as a kid, he wasn't exactly an expert. It would be cool if there was an underage club though, could be fun.

The avian man raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, jokingly showing exasperation at Kodi's behaviour. He could be as silly as he wanted, as long as he wasn't too loud about it. And then he was. As attention was caught, Gryph's eyes went slightly wide and he looked at the table across, mouthing an apology at the couple sat there. That was what Fiona had done when he was a kid. He gave Kodi a questioning look, but said nothing else on it. He hadn't become completely serious, but it was clear that he wasn't entirely impressed with Kodi's... wording. But it was like karma kicked him in the butt when he had to order, he got properly shy. Now that was cute. He thanked the waiter as he walked away, and then gave Kodi another face, squeezing his hand, "Sure." He didn't mean to act coldly, he just couldn't really help it.

His own more... mature behaviour gave him a small spritz of confidence, though, and he shifted in his seat only a little uncomfortably, "You know... I could show you where I lived before I went to Hammel." He mumbled, peeking at Kodi. "My... my dad probably won't be there, even though I... I know he still lives there with Cruella de Vil..." That was his nickname for his stepmother. As a kid, once he'd learnt the song, he would hum it a lot when she was nearby. He sang it once, and that got him into plenty trouble by itself. He sighed, "Do you...?" Gryphon couldn't quite decide himself, but it would be interesting, maybe...?

[Deleted]

If it were that easy to break people up - by just making Kodi(or someone) bruised and ugly - then logic would state that Phoenix should’ve broken up with Oriel a long time ago. How many times has it been already that he’d come back to the pixie with his face swollen and bruised black and blue from some fight, or some other part of him broken or messed up from him doing something utterly stupid(like punching the floor)? Ah, well. With any luck, and considering Phoenix’s short attention span, he was liable to forget all about it by the time they finished their dinner and returned to their room for a little ‘late night’ service. Oriel still wanted to try out that mega-bath-jacuzzi. He’d…never used one before(aside from the one at the school)…was that too much to ask?

Oriel looked longingly at that giant tub. Oh how much better it would look with Phoenix in it. With a rubber ducky. And flower petals. And Oriel had every intention of using every single bath salt they comp’ed to this room. They didn’t have to care about the pair next door even the slightest bit, nope!

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he said, not the slightest bit annoyed. He snorted, though, at Phoenix’s comment. “This is news to you? With the kind of shit we do, you think biting is beneath me?” Oriel primped himself one last time then poked his head out. “I’ll bite you, rawr!” He snapped his teeth. Didn’t he say once that biting was all about who was doing it that made it erotic? Yes, Oriel was certain he said that at one point…

“I know….I just got this feeling that if I get too much he’s going to, like, make me give up my kidney or something as payback.” Wasn’t he a doctor or something? He did something with medicine, though Oriel didn’t know what exactly.

Once downstairs and wandering through the dining hall, Oriel…well, he was just hoping that they could keep themselves away enough from the other pair that Kodi didn’t notice and decide to bother them or something. Gryph probably wouldn’t. So long as Oriel left them alone, he presumed the turkey would leave him and Phoenix be as well. On his end, it was just Phoenix he had to worry about. This was why he strategically sat them so that Phoenix was faced away from the other pair. “Nah, get something better’n that, we’ll stick it in the fridge for later,” he suggested to his lover. But fuck, Oriel didn’t even know what half this stuff was. He rubbed his eyes as he looked over the words. “The fuck is a “soup of the moment”? Why not just “soup of the day”?” And yikes, those numbers. Oriel was scared to order a drink, much less a meal. “….is there anything with meat on here that won’t cost me my soul?” he asked nervously. Whatever happened, Oriel did not want to see the final bill. Ever.

[Deleted]

“Oy!” Kodi protested, giving his boyfriend a grumpy squint. “I ain’t blind. Just… Challenged.” Yes, he’d started wearing contacts, big deal. It was better than wearing his nerdy glasses in public. No matter how much Gryph liked them, he still thought he looked ridiculous. “And yeah, you are,” he mumbled at Gryphon’s protest to being selfless. “So selfless you don’t even realize you are. Moron.” A smile twitched at his lips as he glanced up briefly before looking back to the menu.

Kodi had only so far seen pictures of how big the city was, and had viewed it from the interstate; since they hadn’t gone through Seattle on their way to the lodge, he still anticipated actually going into the city itself. “We’ll have t’spend all our time in the gay district, then,” he announced. “We’ll fit right in.” Even if they didn’t have a club, it would be great to see other couples like themselves in the real, big world. Sometimes it was easy to feel like they were alone. “Heh… I bet gay couple number two will be hangin’ out there too,” he mumbled, meaning Phoenix and Oriel. With their luck, they’d run into each other again.

Whoops, okay, Kodi was being loud and obnoxious. When wasn’t he? See, this was why he’d been uncomfortable coming in here, he just couldn’t control himself sometimes, especially when he was nervous. He felt his cheeks heat up as Gryph apologized to a table nearby, and he dipped his head, feeling guilty. “Whoops,” he mumbled, slumping in his seat. “…. Sorry….” Way to make Gryph look bad, Kodi. Was he really still an immature, horny kid with no control? (Yes)

His lower lip was still pouting out dejectedly when Gryphon spoke again, and Kodi looked up, curiosity sparked. “… You wanna do that?” he replied carefully. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind, s’long as you… Y’know… Are comfortable with it…” Kodi knew Gryph didn’t want his dad to know he was here, for good reason. He fiddled with his boyfriend’s fingers. “Maybe it’ll be good for you,” he offered. “Help get some… Closure…. Or somethin’.” Maybe. Kodi didn’t really know. “… Did you wanna meet with Fiona at some point?” he added. “You could do that without your dad knowin’, right?” That was someone, at least, that Kodi would like to meet, if only to thank her for making Gryph’s hellish childhood a little bit more bearable.

In Oriel’s case, Phoenix pretty much became more attached every time that the younger boy got beaten up, because he freaked out and worried his head off and clung by Oriel’s side until he got better. Phen was so dependent on his fiancé, the mere thought of losing him sent him into a panic. Nope, Phen was completely and utterly stuck to Oriel whether he wanted it or not.

He would look forward to that bath later too. When they could get away from everyone (especially the pair next door) and just enjoy each other’s presence. And Phen could see what sort of things Oriel had surely brought with him… Heh… Along with what the hotel had given them to use, considering Phoenix had chosen the ‘romantic’ suite option.

Phen blushed when Oriel retorted at him, and wrinkled his nose at his lover when he poked his head out. “Yeah, well, all the fancy-shmancy people stayin’ here don’t know that,” he replied stubbornly. Hopefully they wouldn’t get kicked out or something because of shenanigans. Still, Phoenix giggled when Oriel snapped at him. “Oh noo, don’t eat me, I’m just skin and bones~” he whined with a dramatic swoon. Heh, silly.

He snickered quietly at Oriel’s worry. “Oh, come on, he’s not that mean. Probably.” Phoenix was getting to know his dad a little better every day, and he was starting to come to the conclusion that a lot of his grumpiness was just an act. He was really a bit squishy teddy bear, yup.

Phen was oblivious, still, to the presence of the other two; all he cared about now was feeding his Squishy. He beamed at his lover; Phoenix had no reason to look behind him, so they would probably be fine. “Mehh…. Okaaay…” he sighed, looking back down at the menu and the ridiculous prices. He looked at the “light bodied” part of the menu. “Maybe just… This ‘ahi’ stuff…” he decided. Phen didn’t really know what that was, but for that price, it had to be good, right? And it came with rice cakes, he liked rice cakes. He giggled when Oriel spoke. “I don’t know,” he replied. “This place is weird…” And by weird, he meant absurdly fancy. Phen had never been in a place like this before, ever. A waiter appeared after a while, and Phoenix nervously glanced at the menu one more time before ordering the ‘ahi’ thing. He glanced at Oriel, waiting for him to place his order and for the waiter to leave before he reached across and took one of the boy’s hands in his own. “Sooo….” he hummed. “That bathtub was pretty nice, right?” A small smile crept up the side of his face. “I didn’t take a shower before we left this morning, I might need to use it later…”

[Gryphon Matsuoka]

"I don't think it would make much sense if we didn't." Gryphon had a feeling that they would quite possibly feel right at home in that gay district. For obvious reasons. Gryph definitely wasn't against checking it out, at least. Sometimes, seeing another gay couple was something strange. It was an interesting thought, the idea of walking around and seeing multiple others that were just the same as you. Gryph found himself smiling at the thought - that was, until, Kodi mentioned their 'friends', and the winged meta couldn't help rolling his eyes and grumping a little. "The less I see of them, the happier I'll be." Gryphon loved Phen - platonically, of course - but he wanted to be left alone with Kodi. How hard was that?

Gryphon could understand Kodi's nerves, but he couldn't help old habits. He felt bad for making Kodi feel bad though, and pouted a little before poking Kodi's foot with his own, "It's okay," He said quietly, "I know this is all new to you and stuff..." He muttered. He hoped Kodi would get at least a little more used to it before the end of this weekend though.

The avian man listened as Kodi spoke, and listened to the reasonings he gave, before nodding a little, "Yeah, I... I dunno, I just... haven't been there in a while." Maybe he would get closure. That would be... helpful. He looked at the dentokinetic as he asked about Gryph's carer, and Gryphon... nodded again, gently taking one of Kodi's fingers in his hand, "...yeah, I mean... probably." He swallowed, "I'd like to." He looked up, before making eye contact with Kodi again, "I've wanted you to meet her for a while." He smiled to himself as the water they had ordered made its way over to their table, "I think she'll like you a lot."

------------------

A good while later, after a very well made meal, Gryph was content, happily full of delicious food. They had just finished eating this really nice sorbet (they had ice cream here, but sorbet was (probably) healthier - and it still tasted amaazing~) and Gryphon was smiling softly as the waiter went to go get the cheque. He glanced towards the exit, and then back at Kodi as the bill came, "You're not seeing this." He announced, taking the bill and looking at the price on there, holding back a grimace. Well... he'd seen worse. Possibly. This was pretty bad. Eighty dollars, for two people... it wasn't exactly going to break Gryph's bank, but it was pretty bad. But worth it, he supposed.

Gryphon got out his wallet and slid out a credit card, placing it on top of the bill, over the price. "Almost done," He hummed, awaiting the waiter's return.