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 Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:11 pm
Emilio Cadenas was a small, agitated man who spoke as much with his hands and expression as he did with words, with lots of abrupt hand gestures and aggressive snarls. He couldn’t have been much beyond his early forties, but he looked quite a bit closer to fifty, aged, thin, lots of lines around his face from all the frowning he did. Gryphon likened him to something like a raccoon, small enough to scurry off in a particularly unpleasant situation, but dumb enough to act fearless in front of something it wanted. It could try to be intimidating with sharp teeth and claws and sheer unpredictableness, but it was still just a garbage bandit.
“Pay,” Fingers snapped twice in Gryphon’s face, and he blinked. “Attention. You’re looking at me like you don’t understand. Do you not understand?” He talked fast too, a quick little chitter-chatterer as he waved a weapon haphazardly (threateningly? Gryphon wasn’t sure) in front of Gryph’s face. “You ******** up worse than anyone I know. I swear it’s because you’re too stupid to remember when I tell you to do something. Are you absolutely ******** stupid, Padre?”
Gryphon leaned back against his kitchen countertop, crossing his arms and shooting his boss a lopsided grin. “Not ‘absolutely…’”
Emilio and his little entourage crowded into Gryphon’s admittedly small apartment, only there to drop of Gryph’s next round of work and try- just try- to coerce a little more work ethic out of him. No one missed appointments like Gryphon did. No one got away with it like Gryphon did. For all his yapping and vague threats, Gryph was still pretty sure Emilio had the tiniest soft spot for the big, stupid guy he’d picked up when he was twenty-three, and hadn’t let go of for the whole decade since, even if it was just for the novelty of having a 6’7” giant on ‘his side.’
And to be fair, Gryphon could hardly be frightened of a man who couldn’t have weighed more than a third of his own weight, no matter what kind of gun Emilio was carrying. Emilio had given him a job and a place to live, and really Gryph didn’t think he was all that bad off.
Though he was pretty sure the smaller man was about to pop a whole slew of blood vessels just looking at him.
He snatched a backpack from one of the younger- much younger, Gryphon couldn’t help but note. The boys with him were practically teenagers- lads at his side and swung it at Gryph’s chest. “You have drops tonight. So help me if you don’t get out and get on it right now-”
Ignoring that he was told to ‘get out’ of his own apartment, Gryph made a displeased ‘tsk’ and tipped his head, “Like right now-?”
“Go, or I swear to God, I’ll kill-”
“Ah’right, ah’right. Jeeze, if it’ll keep you from having a stroke, boss.” No matter how familiar Emilio was with Gryphon’s antics, he still seemed absolutely dumbfounded that any subordinate of his would talk to him in such a way. But Gryphon snatched up the bag and headed out before the other man could gather himself enough to form words once more.
It was a bit of a pain, though. Gryphon did not prefer to make deliveries. It always seemed easier and safer for people to come to his place to get their drugs, and sometimes they did! But… They’d learned pretty early on in Gryph’s drug-dealing career that he wasn’t reliable enough to be at home when he said he’d be. There was too much to do outside of his shady apartment in a just as shady neighborhood, lots to do in the city and outside of it, so if he was heading out anyway, might as well make a job of it?
He supposed that was fine, but sometimes, like this time, in fact, his drops were kind of… out of the way of anything he wanted to do. And as he drove through the neighborhood, squinting between the street and his map app, Gryphon couldn’t help but think he’d stick out way too much in the ‘nice’ part of town to make this a reasonable plan. He hadn’t ever been down this way before… Lots of tall buildings, particularly well-paved streets, pretty girls in fancy summer dresses strolling along with posh dogs along the sidewalk.
And here Gryphon was in his old truck not even sure where he was allowed to park.
It was times like these he wished he was trusted with a little more information than just an address and a first name. But that’s how it went sometimes. If he thought about it, he guessed it made sense that no one living someplace like this would want someone like him knowing much of anything about them.
After hesitantly traversing the front end (Gryphon expected he looked shady enough to simply be kicked out if someone looked at him too hard) and making it to the elevator, he had to wonder what the heck someone with enough money to live in this ritzy place even needed weed for. Frankly, he wasn’t sure what anyone needed weed for, but that was irrelevant. It was the only job he’d ever had, and Gryph had no idea how to even go about getting a better one. Plus the better ones tended to make you have to plan. Gryphon wasn’t big on planning.
Once out of the elevator, down the hallway, and at the door with the designated number from the address, he knocked. And waited.
Finally. After what felt like hours upon hours of just non-stop noise, the Croix household was silent.
Whatever chaotic storm that Lori had gone through died down and with the slam of the front door, she was gone, and Landry was finally, truly free to roam about the cabin, so to speak. Of course, he was always free to go about their apartment, but there were those days where he simply didn’t want to see anyone, not even his beloved twin sister. Especially when she was singing her music obnoxiously, dancing around the apartment in a tell-tale sign that she must have gotten a good lay the night before. All of it simply wasn’t any of Landry’s business, but it was hard to ignore when she was so damned *loud*. From early in the morning when she burnt her toast for breakfast, til well after noon she hum and sang to herself, leaving her twin with one hell of a headache.
That sweet, sweet silence was golden… And with one little peek, he stuck his head out of the bedroom. Good… Good, she really was gone.
And with her being gone, it was time to clean.
Sure, they had their maid come by once a week for the deep cleaning, but it seemed rude to simply leave things thrown everywhere. Rude, and encouraging this stranger to come in and just touch anything she wanted.
Landry would not tolerate some random person touching his belongings, or Lori’s. They could put them back in some strange location, or ruin his delicate organization of his kitchen! So now that his hurricane of a sister, organization was paramount. First his bedroom and bathroom (already completed by the time that chaotic girl left), then their living room, kitchen, and guest bathroom... And then Lori’s godforsaken mess of a room. What other kind brother would clean such horrid places? Remnants of the night’s escapades were everywhere, panties thrown at the foot of a perfectly good Landry hamper, bra half dangling from a lamp shade...
Gods, she was simply a *monster*. But what would bring more shame than some random stranger picking up her delicates and assume he simply let this happen.
Not on his watch.
By the time the pre-cleaning was completed, it was well into the evening, sun beginning to set in the sky.
And sunset meant *time to eat*. Alas, he was in no state to leave his home (and needed to keep an eye out for Lori to yell at her to not make another mess until AFTER the maid came tomorrow), so take out was a good option. A few clicks, here, there, and he flopped down on the couch, content to browse whatever garbage was on until his delectable arrived.
... The doorbell sounded within minutes. That wasn’t quiet right. Eliza’s Eatery never delivered that fast... Thinking that perhaps it was just a slow night, Landry pushed himself off the couch and headed to the door, straightening out the clothes he has changed into, for appearances of course, and then opened it, expecting to see Anita, his usual delivery girl.
... Either Anita grew 2 feet and put on some weight, or this wasn’t her.
He’d wager on the later.
“... Can I help you?” There was something incredibly unsettling about someone *that* big suddenly showing up on his doorstep. And it didn’t look like he had some containers of food either. How’d he get past security otherwise, though?
These places had such brightly lit hallways, with a huge bay window all the way down at the end. Granted, Gryphon loved sunshine, and didn’t have anything against windows, but besides the one way on down there, he almost imagined this was something like hospital lighting. Bright, clean, colors that weren’t too chaotic or muddy. Admittedly, there was a little more space between the doors than there would be at a hospital, but Gryphon still had the distinct impression that he oughtn’t be here.
And not just because he was carrying illegal drugs.
The door clicked, and Gryph let his attention wander from the sconce lighting back to the matter at hand: a faintly familiar girl- er, no, wait, a guy who happened to look like a faintly familiar girl answered his knock. Gryphon blinked.
You know, if he thought about it, he might have had some vague recollections of a ‘Lori,’ same name as on his order, attending one or two of his bosses parties. And said Lori may have had freckled, pale skin, wavy blond locks, and a pair of glasses too. He might have even spoken to her because gryphon spoke to everyone, especially those he thought were about to make particularly poor and life threatening choices. He distinctly didn’t remember her being a dude, though.
A dude who clearly did not seem to be expecting him, at that.
“Ah, yeah…” Gryphon peered over the smaller man’s head and into the room beyond, wondering if she was around and available. It could be possible this guy didn’t know exactly what Lori was up to, and if she wanted to keep it secret, it wasn’t really Gryphon’s business to keep him informed. Though it did feel like that wasn’t the case. He didn’t remember Lori having much shame. Still, he ought to keep it as brief and uniformative as possible. “Looking for a girl, Lori? Looks kinda a lot like you: blond, cute, wee. Y’know. I’m sure you’ve looked in a mirror.”
His gaze flicked from blondie’s room back to his face. “Is she here, or what?”
Landry immediately stiffened as the man looked over his head and into the room behind him. Not addressing him directly, inspecting his home, failing to introduce himself. All of it sent off alarms in his mind.
How the hell *did* he manage to get past security? And where were they now?
None of those questions this massive man asked deserved an answer, though the ‘wee’ part caused him to raise an eyebrow. He wasn’t exactly ‘small’ in any sense of the word, given that he was only a few inches shorter than this man… Certainly less *wide* though.
“… Lacking of manners, aren’t you?” This certainly wasn’t the first time one of Lori’s partners stopped by looking for her. ‘Captivated’ by her beauty or ‘hoping to be more than just a hit and quit’. Though from the looks of this one, he was rather unique. He wasn’t stuttering or awkwardly holding some flowers in an attempt to seduce his twin. Then again, it was hard to know Lori’s type from day to day.
“Are you one of her many escapades?” he asked, leaning against the door frame just a little bit. “Well, you’ve come too late, she’s off and gone to go find her next sexual conquest and likely won’t be back.”
Whether or not that was to be true… He’d find out soon enough. She could be right back on her way now with an armful of snacks for all he knew. The sooner this man was off his doorstep, the better.
‘… Lacking of manners, aren’t you?’ Gryphon blinked and canted his head to the side. Had he been particularly rude? He knew he could be and wouldn’t lie about that, but he thought he’d done a good job of acting standardly bland and unassuming. He hadn’t demanded anything or asked anything weird or been too presumptuous, only asked about a girl. A girl this guy must’ve been pretty closely related to, if looks were anything to go by. There was no way he was entirely clueless…
“Yeah, I guess?” He answered with a shrug. “Just wasn’t expecting what I found when I got here, is all.” It was true enough. Gryphon wouldn’t assume anyone he saw at his bosses parties would live in a place like this, no matter how pretty they were. This guy seemed much more like what he’d expect to find in this building. Stuck up, pompous… ‘Lacking of manners,’ indeed.
Gryphon was willing to forgive it, though, if blondie really wasn’t expecting him and didn’t know why he was here.
“One a’ her- wha?” Oh. Ooooh. Okay, it made sense a bit why the boy seemed so grouchy. His relative (Gryph would bargain for sister) was off attending parties, getting laid, and okay, she was also doing drugs, but she was enjoying herself, and here he was at home. An amused sound bubbled it’s way up from his throat. “Ha! No,” Gryphon snorted. “I don’t care about her sexual adventures. Dunno if you should either, mate, when you could be off finding your own. You’re pretty enough, y’know.”
“Anyway, I’ll wait for her, if that’s alright.” He pushed his way past the blonde boy and into the condo. If it was already expected of him to not have manners, he might as well just plain not have any, right? And what was a kid a third of his size going to do to stop him? “She was supposed to meet up with me, and I’m not really in a position to take ‘no’ for an answer, kay?”
“Most people would introduce themselves before demanding to see someone, especially when you’re asking someone who you don’t know.” The more this large man spoke, the further irritated Landry got. He wanted him to leave, to simply just let him finish enjoying his evening.
Apparently, that would not be the case.
He only frowned further now that the man taunted him. “Who do you think you are, speaking to someone like that? Who’d you even want to see her then?” He had more questions to ask more fussing to do, but that huge a** man just pushed right past him like he was *nothing*, asking to a warm knife going through butter.
“What the *hell* are you doing?! Get out!” Landry had no patience for this, grabbing the stranger by the back of his shirt and trying to keep him from going any further. With the size difference between them, there was no way he could simply physically stop him, but maybe yank at the back of the throat and having his collar half choke him would discourage him from moving further. That, and the louder he raised his voice with the front door still wide open, the more likely someone would come to investigate. “Get the hell out of my home!”
Okay, so yes, Gryphon understood that the situation wasn’t ideal and that if he’d been in blondie’s position- Well, strangers came into his house carrying full-blown weaponry on a relatively regular basis, so maybe not if Gryph personally was in the boy’s position, but if someone normal had random dudes barging in on them, it might be somewhat alarming, at the very least, and he did seem to genuinely not be expecting anything of this nature.
Plus he was clearly a posh, rich, white kid, which Gryphon didn’t know that much about, but he assumed they got finicky over big, black men invading their homes.
Gryphon didn’t know Lori that well, and he didn’t know this boy at all, but he’d assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that just given how similar they looked and how they seemed to be living in the same space, that they’d at least be pretty familiar with each others antics? The thought that blondie should know what was going on seemed reasonable to Gryphon. He should know, if he knew her very well at all, that was all that mattered.
He blinked as the back of his shirt was caught and glanced over his shoulder to see this skinny boy tugging on him and screeching- God, why’d he have to make it into this much a scene? What a pain…
“Hey, heyheyhey,” Gryphon turned, catching the boy’s arm that had been wrapped in his shirt and tugging him near enough to plaster his other hand over his mouth. The door was open. This kid probably had neighbors that could hear his bitching even now. And if someone was doing this much screaming and someone heard, there’d be trouble.“You gotta quit that screamin’, mate, alright?” He leaned back to kick the door closed. “I’m not gonna do nothin’ to you, and I don’t wanna make this as big a deal as you clearly do. I just gotta make this delivery, and I’ll leave, okay? If you wanna call your sister, great. If you wanna pay me, you can do that too. Otherwise, I’m just gonna wait for her.” He grinned. “Pick your poison.”
It all happened so fast. The grabbing of his arm to be pulled more flush against this huge man, the hand covering his mouth, the door slamming shut behind him. It was in one surprisingly smooth movement that by the time he gained his barings again, The man was talking to him closely.
While the words didn’t calm him down, the idea of his sister did. She would know what’s going on... And hell, even he knew that if something was going down violently in this building, no one would stick their nose out to help him. Even if he screamed his head off, everyone was too self-absorbed in their own business to care... It was sad but true, especially with the amount of domestic violence that spread throughout the people who lived here. This would just be another case unreported until his body was found by Lori.
... He didn’t want that to be the case. As much as Landry hated it, he stilled for a moment, then reached up to pull that hand away from his mouth with a surprising amount of strength. Even if he was tall and thin, he did still work up and had an actual bit of physical strength behind him.
“Get... Off of me. I’ll call her, fine, just let me go, you beast...” By feigning he would call her, he knew he could call the police, or the security downstairs, or *someone* who was paid to help him.
It was not Gryphon’s intent to barge up into anyone’s home and immediately start being disruptive. To be fair, it hadn’t really been his intent to barge into anyone’s home. He hadn’t wanted this to take more than a handful of minutes so that he’d be free to resume his own business and could continue ignoring his boss’ dramatic threats and warnings. He wasn’t trying to cause a scene or ruin anyone’s day. He just needed to do the job he’d been told to do.
That was it.
It was hardly his fault blondie wasn’t prepared. When the smaller man moved to tug his hand away, Gryphon allowed it, seeing as he wasn’t in the habit of smothering kids, either.
“C’mon, mate, ‘beast?’ I’m not all that bad,” he huffed with a little grin. Despite still being vaguely hesitant about letting the boy go (didn’t know if he’d run off or start shrieking again), Gryphon released his arm and stepped away from him. “I’m just as surprised as you, y’know? Didn’t really think I’d find myself in this part a town face to face with something so pretty. You could stand to relax a little, though. Said I wasn’t gonna hurt ya.”
After just a second to ascertain that there wouldn’t immediately be any more screaming, Gryphon let his gaze wander the condo once more, taking in the ceiling beams and marble counters and again thinking this didn’t seem right to him, either. “What’s you sister- guess that’s what she is, huh? You look too alike to not be- What’s she doing asking for anything from sources like me? Not happy enough already?”
Spoiled kids. He wouldn’t have known it from looking at her, though he’d never really looked too hard. “Anyway, I’m Gryphon. Sorry for the trouble, mate.”
As he was let go, Landry made sure not to move too fast. This man, to him, was just like some wild animal, ready to pounce and tear him apart the moment things looked unfavorable to him. Each movement was deliberate as he made his way back to the couch where he phone was likely squished between the cushions.
"Surprised? My sister, as you already assessed, has the same face as me. You expected as much, since you came looking for her." After all, they shared the same face. The same eyes, freckles, even glasses... The only true difference was the sounds of their voice, and how soft Lori was compared to him. Such shallow words meant nothing, especially not when he had already been assaulted.
The phone was grabbed, he was so close to dialing the police... But hesitated still. What if this man truly was a friend of Lori's? How pissed would his twin be if he got one of her friends locked up... *Again*. He could hear her screeching now, and the headache he found forming was only getting worse.
"If you're sorry, why are you still here? Why do you have her address but not her phone number? To me, that seems like something a stalker would do... Wait sources? Sources of what?" Lori dabbed in recreational drugs, forcing his hand into at least eating a weed brownie here and there, but... He didn't assume she did anything worse than that... A source for sex? That made more sense... Lori had all sorts of secrets, and he simply wasn't interested in most of them.
“More surprised by the situation,” Gryph answered with a shrug as he leaned back against the door he’d shut only moments prior. “Didn’t know she lived out here. I was expecting something… Mm… dirtier? And I figured she’d be here, obviously. Not you. Not anyone around to throw a fit as you have, either.”
It wasn’t like he knew Lori well enough to have all the details on her family and living situation. Heck, he hardly knew her at all, beyond the handful of times they’d spoken, and she’d often been… too otherwise mentally engaged- drugged or wasted- to delve into anything of that nature. To be fair, he hadn’t thought on her enough to build many expectations at all. She was just another crazy girl at his boss’ parties, and to Gryphon, not one crazy girl was particularly notable from any other crazy girl.
And they weren’t worth his consideration once they were out of his sight. Something to chatter with at parties and clients to sell to, but not much else.
Gryphon’s gaze roamed from the kitchen countertops and over toward where blondie had parked himself near the couch. He wasn’t the type to expect people not to do what they said they were going to do, but at the same time, he wasn’t so dense that he wasn’t aware of how agitated the younger man still was, and agitated people sometimes did unexpected things.
“Someone gave it to me so I could bring something to her, is, all. ...It’s not really something I can leave unattended with the clerk downstairs, and she still owes for it anyway, so-” He shrugged. “Just happens it got put on me to collect.” If blondie was familiar with his sister at all, Gryphon was sure he would probably understand well enough from there.
...But he didn’t seem the type to have much tolerance for any of that mumbo-jumbo, did he?
Landry continued to scroll through his phone, dialing 911, then deleting it again as he played with the idea of actually calling the police while Gryphon tried to reason his way into seeming innocent.
Every word sounded like bullshit.
Part of Landry wished he had his henshin pen closer, that it wouldn't put his location at risk by simply powering up now and squashing this monster's starseed to dust. But then he'd have a body to deal with, and then Lori to think about, and of course that all meant that someone knew that this man came to his house before he disappeared, then where would that leave him and his sister? Targets for more malicious activity?
"So drugs then." He said simply, dialing 911 once more and hovering his finger over the number. "Not hard to believe... But what the hell were you thinking, bringing something like that into a place like *this*? It's as you said, the clerks couldn't keep it. Hell, they'd think anything you dropped off here was a bomb or a threat. You'd best be on your way, and that's my final warning, or I'll call the cops. Then you can explain to that someone who wanted you to deliver something that this is *not* a household to be messed with."
Having this disgusting man dragged out of his home was far more reasonable than killing him.
Gryphon watched the other boy. He’d said he would call his sister. That was at least half the reason Gryph had let him go, at all. So that he could call the girl, she could make her way home, Gryphon could do his sale, and be on his way. Blondie was taking his time with it, though. Gryphon could see him fiddling with the phone. Texting her, maybe? He didn’t know. A peculiar and unwanted sense of mistrust flicked across his mind.
He sighed at the other’s conclusion, ‘drugs then,’ and gave a shrug. “Oi, that’s pretty much what it comes down to.” He wasn’t oblivious, then, and at least realized Lori was going out for more than just the apparent piles of sex blondie had told Gryph she’d been out doing.
Which, maybe she was, but that wasn’t really Gryphon’s business to care. He stood by the thought that it wasn’t her brother’s business, either, but far be it from him to say as much again.
“Well, I didn’t know I’d be bringin’ it into a place like this, did I?” Gryphon retorted. “Not til I was already here, anyway, and I’m not gonna have used all that time to drive out here only to turn around with nothing. There wasn’t much to lose by just seeing if she was here, and since you look just like her, figured you might know what was going on.”
He grinned almost mischievously. “Guess not, though. You’re hella grouchy.”
He pushed off from the door and moved nearer to where the blonde boy had settled. “Call whoever you want. I told you I’m not gonna do nothing to you, but I dunno how smart it’d be to get the cops involved, when you dunno what else she has in her room, do you?”
Gryphon watched the other boy. He’d said he would call his sister. That was at least half the reason Gryph had let him go, at all. So that he could call the girl, she could make her way home, Gryphon could do his sale, and be on his way. Blondie was taking his time with it, though. Gryphon could see him fiddling with the phone. Texting her, maybe? He didn’t know. A peculiar and unwanted sense of mistrust flicked across his mind.
He sighed at the other’s conclusion, ‘drugs then,’ and gave a shrug. “Oi, that’s pretty much what it comes down to.” He wasn’t oblivious, then, and at least realized Lori was going out for more than just the apparent piles of sex blondie had told Gryph she’d been out doing.
Which, maybe she was, but that wasn’t really Gryphon’s business to care. He stood by the thought that it wasn’t her brother’s business, either, but far be it from him to say as much again.
“Well, I didn’t know I’d be bringin’ it into a place like this, did I?” Gryphon retorted. “Not til I was already here, anyway, and I’m not gonna have used all that time to drive out here only to turn around with nothing. There wasn’t much to lose by just seeing if she was here, and since you look just like her, figured you might know what was going on.”
He grinned almost mischievously. “Guess not, though. You’re hella grouchy.”
He pushed off from the door and moved nearer to where the blonde boy had settled. “Call whoever you want. I told you I’m not gonna do nothing to you, but I dunno how smart it’d be to get the cops involved, when you dunno what else she has in her room, do you?”
"You should have known 'something' when you walked up to a *sky rise*. What, are you too daft to realize 'oh, this place is cultured and full or rich people who don't want me here, best to leave and call Lori someother time'? I'd assume that's the only reason you had the gall to come up into a place like this." The longer this damned man lingered, the more agitated Landry became, niceties dropped sometime between opening the door and Gryphon opening his mouth.
And that damned grin... Landry wanted nothing more than to grab something and hurl it at the man, but he *did* just clean and blood didn't wash out of carpet well at all..
... ******** Lori. Damn her, and damn those drugs that he realized he simply tossed into a dresser after all. That made far more sense than him finding a bag of Flintstone vitamins randomly hanging out in a coat pocket. She'd be arrested as soon as they found her again, and would ruin her life. All over something as stupid as this huge, horrifying man standing before him.
... <******** Lor*.
"You want money? Fine? I'll give you the, what, ten dollars in gas you couldn't have *possibly* spent to get here, or metro fare that it seems much more likely you'd take, and you can leave and come back some other time. I'm not paying for drugs, nor allowing anything more to come into this home, so just get out." The rage was building up more and more and he simply whipped out his wallet and crumbled up an otherwise crisp bill and threw it right at the man's face.
"Just ******** leave already, alright? Go.
Gryphon rolled his eyes. ‘Grouchy’ had been one thing, but downright mean was another entirely, though he wasn’t exactly surprised by it, despite being what he thought was beyond reasonable, as far as ‘normal’ drug dealers went. He could have come in here armed, aggressive, and threatening. Instead, he’d just asked about a girl. Sure it was a little rude to invite himself in to said girl’s home, but otherwise, he’d been decent. “Pretty daft,” Gryph agreed with a scoff. “Not gonna argue with that.”
Rich kids were the most entitled, snobby, judgemental, bossy things to exist on this earth. Why this was the case, Gryphon would never understand, considering how little Gryph expected this boy actually had to complain about.
“A’right, a’right, quit throwing things, ya little brat. For someone so cultured and refined, you act like you’re six. I’ll leave,” he waved a hand dismissively. “And someone else can come bother you or Lori or whoever.” He turned and headed back to the door. It didn’t matter how much patience he had if he was simply going to be incapable of doing what he came her to do.
Blondie was too loud and too angry for Gryphon to want to deal with.
His hand settled on the doorknob, and he glanced over his shoulder. “If you’re really that upset, you better talk to your sister. She’s gonna get the both of you in trouble.” Not that it was his business, but if the younger man couldn’t stomach him, Gryph doubted he’d much like a least a handful of her other friends. With that said, he decided it to be his best option to leave, and he headed out the door.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:16 pm
"I'll be sure next time I'll-- " While he was going to say something threatening, he was cut off by the sudden ringing of his phone. Who the...
*Lori*. This girl was simply ruining his life this evening. A call back, a warning, that someone might come see her, a confirmation, that the person was this a*****e who was coming, thanks to another call placed some time prior. A promise that she'd be back home soon to take care of everything.
"... Fine." With that, he hung up the phone and glared hatefully at the man still lingering at the doorway. ".... Lori says she'll be back soon. I'd still much rather you leave, but... I suppose you do have a reason to stay."
Resigned to this fate, Landry only sighed, then pointed to the barstools around one of the kitchen counters. "... If you are going to stay, sit there and keep quiet."
“Whatever, whatever,” Gryphon retorted at whatever comment or threat blondie hissed at his back as he made to leave. He was going already, so anything more just didn’t suit his fancy to listen to. There wasn’t reason to be scared of some snooty kid, and it wasn’t like he’d come here with the intent to piss anyone off, or even see anyone besides just the girl, so-
Gryphon opened the door and blinked down into moderately alarmed warm brown eyes, a woman in the doorway, holding a large, crisp paper bag by the handle. She jumped a bit when she saw Gryph, clearly surprised, but it didn’t stop her from saying the customary, “Order for Landry?” Her gaze flicked past Gryph to where blondie had started talking on the phone before darting back to him. “Um…” She hesitantly passed a clipboard and receipt to him. “So, how’s your evening going…?”
He looked over his shoulder as the woman did, and couldn’t suppress another roll of his eyes. By the time her focus was back on him, his was on her. “Juuuust wonderfully, thanks.” He figured all he had to do was scribble the guy’s name, Landry, on the receipt, and she’d probably be on her way. Blondie looked occupied for the moment, so Gryphon didn’t figure it’d hurt anything. He did. The woman passed him the bag, and scuttled off down the hallway.
Gryphon didn’t bother shutting the door as he turned to set the food on the counter. He was still leaving, and all, just happened to have been briefly sidetracked.
Especially if Landry was going to still be glaring at him about it. Jesus Christ.
“You can quit glaring. Lady at the door left-” He blinked, and tipped his head. “That your sister you were on the phone with? I told ya you shoulda called her ‘stead of throwing yourself a tantrum. Kids today. Think it’s easier to get mad and pitch a fit than to actually solve the problem.”
He sat, as so politely requested, and leaned his elbows back on the countertop. “Sooo… Landry, huh?”
Landry didn’t hear the door open and the following conversation, not when his rage was focused on the phone and his twin on the other side. He honestly didn’t know any change until Gryph took his seat and placed the bag on the counter as if he owned the house.
... Atleast he proved he could listen.
“Kids these days? You broke into my house,” For a moment he had calmed, but that was quickly snuffed out at the man’s taunts and the call of his name. Instead he chose to storm over and snatch his bag of food away.
“That’s right, Landry. Keep that name out of your mouth.”
“Oi, your sister practically invited me, mate. She even must’ve said as much herself, or I don’t figure you’d have let me stay.” But since he had been told he could, Gryphon decided he ought to make the most of it. He swung his backpack off his back, and dropped it to the floor next to the barstool before fiddling with his phone. He did have a complaint to lodge about how messy and uncoordinated everything had gone, which wasn’t that bad, and he did get why no one would want him having much personal information of them.
But it would have been nice to have her phone number, or a less… Gryphon’s gaze flicked about the condo again. A less conspicuous meeting place might have been nice. Even if Landry hadn’t been here and Lori had, there were still enough obstacles with security and neighbors that Gryph didn’t feel it was particularly safe for either of them.
Maybe Lori was as stupid as he was.
Gryphon rolled his eyes at his phone screen as blondie stormed over and snatched the bag, and- jeeze, guy really was something of a p***k, wasn’t he? “A’right, a’right, quit your grousing, Your Highness. What should I call, you then?”
"Your Majesty works." Landry unceremoniously dumped everything in that bag right onto the counter, the smell making his stomach grumble.. For a while, he had forgotten how hungry he was, given that big ol' distraction that sat before him with that s**t-eating grin. At this point he could feel his stomach cramping in places, and didn't care which one he grabbed first, he only picked it up, unwrapped the sandwich and took a big bite out of it.
.... Ugh, even if this man was an a*****e the drilled-in need to be a proper host was there, and out of the 4 half-subs he had ordered, he slid one closer to the man. A vague thought crossed his mind, what if he had been so angry to begin with or rude because he was just, as the kids call it, *hangry*? ... It wouldn't be the first time, but he'd keep that thought to himself.
"... If you want something to drink, the mini fridge in the living room has various things. Just don't leave that area you're in, and you'll be fine. I won't beat you to death with a cast iron skillet." For emphasis he reached under the counter and pulled up one with a single hand that landed on the counter with a loud clank! The other hand still held the sub he was eating.
Ugh, he had to be joking- But even ‘joking’ was better than rage-screeching and throwing money at him like he was a two dollar stripper. Now that- That would actually be pretty funny, wouldn’t it? Maybe Gryphon found that he wasn’t personally all that upset as that initial spike of irritation had made it seem like. It was a little of a pain to not be able to just do his job and leave, but sometimes it happened that you just had to follow where life led.
And apparently life wanted him in blondie’s kitchen. Who was he to argue with that?
“Yeah?” He prompted, shooting the other man a lopsided grin. “An’ I expect you want me to bow and kiss your feet too, is that-” He cut short, blinking down at the wrapped half sandwich Landry pushed his way. Gryphon squinted at it. He wasn’t one to try and pretend that he was the brightest crayon in the box and didn’t always have the capacity to pick up on hidden meanings of things.
But even to him this felt suspiciously like a trap.
He didn’t know what that trap could be, considering he had watched this food be delivered, and here Landry was eating it and seeming fine about it. Gryphon hummed softly, a sound of indecision. It could just be an excuse to get mad all over again, eating Landry’s food without spoken verbal permission from His Majesty, or whatever, but-
Gryphon wasn’t going to pass up on free food, so he took the offered sandwich. “Hey, thanks, mate. You done being unreasonable, then?”
How pleasant. The man finally shut his mouth for a few seconds, and Landry simply relished in the moment, taking another bite with his nose somewhat in the air. One could only look *so* dignified while chomping on a meatball sub.
Of course, the silence only lasted a moment before Landry's eyes narrowed again.
He was beginning to hate smiling.
"Don't you ever shut up?"
All in all, there wasn’t that much to complain about. Even if the whole deal was taking longer than he thought it would, it wasn’t like Gryphon had plans or anything. He unwrapped the offered sandwich and took a bite. It was from some one-off place he’d never heard of and probably wouldn’t ever set foot in. For all the decade he’d spent here, Gryphon found that there were still so many little businesses that he just didn’t know about. Or care about.
Not bad, though.
He shrugged. “Figure trying to have a conversation with you is less awkward than you glaring at me like you have been. Hasn’t really stopped you, though, has it? If it’s so aggravating to you, I’ll shut up, then, Your Majesty.”
"I'm not one to not have a conversation with a guest in my home, but so far you've been nothing but an a*****e, and completely unwelcomed. I don't care whether or not you keep talking, in this case, so good, stay quiet, and stay there." Scooping the rest of the sandwiches back into the bag, he carried them over to the couch behind where Gryph sat. There wasn't too much distance between them, but it was as they said, out of sight, out of mind, and the mounted 60 inch television was more than enough to keep the man completely out of both.
"If you're still hungry, there are sweets on the counter, help yourself, just stay quiet."
“I’ve been an a*****e?” Gryphon snorted. “Haven’t screamed at ya or insulted ya or done- well, anything to ya, to be honest. You just got all riled at me for a job I got told to do, that someone else in your home knew about, just you didn’t.” He rolled his shoulders and took another bite of sandwich and said, mouth still full, “Sorry it offends your poncy, delicate sensibilities.”
As Landry headed toward the couch, Gryphon had the distinct recollection that he’d been told there was a mini fridge in the living room. That part was of no interest to him, beyond just that he had been granted permission to go into said living room, where Landry was now-
Though now it was ‘stay there.’ And also ‘don’t care whether or not you keep talking’ and simultaneously ‘stay quiet.’ Twice. He’d said that last part twice.
But there was a lot of conflict in all that was being said, so Gryphon figured it was up to him to make his own choice on the matter. He slipped off the barstool and rounded the end of the couch to plop down at blondie’s side. It wasn’t his fault Landry’s instructions were unclear! “Y’know, it does smell really good in here. I kinda thought maybe you had some girly body wash, or something, but-” He peered over the back of the couch, back toward the kitchen counter, where there was something back and sweet set out on top of it. “Guess that wouldn’t make the whole place smell like that, huh?”
"You pushed into my house, slammed my door shut, and put your hand over my mouth to *silence me* when I was clearly upset that you trespassed when you were explicitly told to go away. So yes, you've been an a*****e, and it has nothing to do with my 'poncy, delicate sensibilities'." He winced at the sound of talking with his mouth open and shuddered, glad the man was behind him and out of sight.
... It didn't last long. Apparently nothing did when it came to this man who was suddenly at his side on the couch. This time he didn't protest, only moving as far away from him on the stupidly large sectional as he could. Out of peripheral vision was still, technically, out of sight. And a mountain of pillows between them helped him keep his space to himself as he pressed play on the paused episode of "The Great British Baking Show."
"Why would you assume it was *me* when there is, in fact, a woman living here too?" ... He ignored the fact that most of his shampoos and conditioners were specifically 'edible' smells. Apples and vanilla, those sorts of things. He hated the super masculine scents that came from Axe and Old Spice. "And what sort of body wash smells like cinnamon rolls?"
“Hey, I didn’t slam the door,” Gryphon retorted. “And I only tried to quiet you because you were screamin’ like a maniac.” For all the ‘stay quiet’s the other boy was shooting at him now, Gryph was a little surprised Landry had made so much noise to begin with. “You’re trying to ‘silence me’ now, anyway, aren’t you? You just don’t have the balls to do it same way as I did.” He leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head as he made himself comfortable on Landry’s couch.
He would not ever admit to that niggling in the back of his mind, prodding a reminder at him that all blondie’s stuff was way too nice for him to look at, nevermind sit on, as he was now. Gryphon rolled his shoulders dismissively.
“You were the first thing I saw,” Gryphon replied with a shrug. “Didn’t see no girl, even if she does live here. Figured you were leaving all the smells behind, ‘stead of someone not even here now.” And as Landry had pointed out just a moment ago, Gryphon had had his hand over his mouth. He’d been close. But even Gryphon wasn’t quite so dumb- “And I know you smell good. I was standing right next to you.”
Well, maybe he was.
“I dunno? You saying there isn’t a cinnamon bun body wash?” He’d passed by that Bath & Body Works store, and if anyone tried to tell him there weren’t any cinnamon smells in there, he’d say they were lying. “I bet there is. Or a lotion. You probably use lotion, don’t ya?”
"You kicked the door shut regardless. There's probably a footprint there too, so you can't even deny that. And yes, I am trying to silence you, but clearly you don't listen. And why would I want my hands *anywhere* near you? Makes me feel like I need a scalding shower to burn my skin clean just thinking about it." Gryph was right though, Landry wasn't about to go out of his way to silence the man physically. He'd hate to admit it, but he was a fragile man, and bled and bruised easily.
Ugh... and the man talked about how he knew Landry smelled good. It sent a shiver right down his spine... How could Lori know such a creep like this?!
Never mind, he knew exactly how she could know someone like him, and was certain he'd lecture the hell out of her when she got home.
"Does any of what you smell smell like that artificial gag-worthy nonsense from those cheap dime-a-dozen places? Those lotions are garbage, and dry your skin out, I wouldn't be caught dead there."
Make it sound all violent and psychotic, why didn’t he. Gryphon rolled his eyes. “I nudged it with my foot. I’m not denying that.” He’d deny that there was any kind of evidence there that he had, though. It wasn’t like he’d been aggressive, but it didn’t matter. Even if barging in had somehow been reasonable, he was sure Landry still would’ve felt slighted by it.
He seemed slighted by everything. Didn’t want Gryphon looking at him or touching him, or saying his name, and fine, whatever, Gryph got it, but ********. He wasn’t diseased. Or a beast. Or a monster. He’d hardly done anything at all.
But Landry was a snooty rich boy, and it didn’t matter that the alternative could have just as easily been someone who was aggressive and mean. It just mattered that someone had invaded his space.
“It was shitty,” Gryphon grunted. “Sorry.”
And now he really did want to leave. He wasn’t abrasive himself and even thought he had a decent tolerance for it, but that wouldn’t ever mean he enjoyed being metaphorically looked down on and spit at. “I dunno, Your Majesty, it all seems the same to me. Just something with a smell you rub on your skin. Dunno the difference between one that’s ‘dime-a-dozen’ and one that ain’t.”
The apology did wonder to appease Landry, who's expression finally relaxed a little. Still a scowl, but less 'murdery' than it had been.
"There, was that too hard to do? I suppose you *can* be civilized, hmm?" Landry taunted, getting up for a drink and grabbing two cold sodas from the fridge. When he returned, he dropped one into Gryph's lap, then sat back down on the couch.
Heh.. The "your Majesty" wasn't bad either.
"Imagine the difference between alcohol evaporating from your skin, and the water actually absorbing, and that's how you can tell. With the cheap stuff, you're just as dry as when you started, so it's useless. And it smells way too strongly."
Gryphon squinted at the other man from ‘his side’ of the array of pillows that divided them, and then as Landry stood and moved away, Gryphon watched him. He’d argue that he was civil, usually, that he didn’t usually push his way into people’s houses or usually manhandle anyone’s face. ...Admittedly, he didn’t usually deal with anyone like Landry, either. His ‘friends’ were all in the same business he was, their clients all irrationally unstable and moody in unpredictable ways and sometimes woefully desperate.
And Landry was… definitely very clearly high maintenance. Easily among the highest of maintenance people Gryphon had ever met. But he was at least lucid, and acting what he thought constituted ‘normally,’ given the circumstances.
...And his legs were nice.
Alright, look, Gryphon wasn’t blind, okay. He could at least admit that much. Skinny pretty boy with long, pale legs and an attitude that Gryphon supposed was warranted this time.
He tipped his head over the back of the couch and sighed softly. When a drink was dropped in his lap, he smiled. “Hey, thanks, Lan- Er. Your Majesty.” Granted, blondie was a little ridiculous too. He cracked open the soda and took a sip. “I dunno, I guess it’s all the same to me.” The lotion, he meant. “I don’t really use any of that stuff to begin with, so…” He shrugged. “I just like the way it smells.” He rolled his eyes. “Even the strong ones. Yours was nice too, though.”
Hearing 'your majesty' several times over was certainly *something*. It amused Landry greatly, and eased his worries just a bit more. The man could listen, *sometimes*.
He appreciated that, and chuckled to himself at hearing the large man catch himself.
Maybe he was a little deserving of a break, especially given that food in his belly helped clear Landry's agitation. Maybe he really was 'hangry' and that just made his attitude worse. No matter the case, he'd give Gryphon just a tiny bit of slack. And only once.
"I'd say it's pretty creepy, saying someone smells good the first time you meet them in circumstances like this. But I suppose I can say 'thank you.' I like scents that smell more like food... Vanillas and the like. Natural and light..." His eyes glanced over to the man for a moment, then disregarded what he saw, unimpressed and chose to instead focus on the food that went about the TV.
"So... Gryphon the drug dealer. Why in the world are you making house deliveries? Don't people in your... *occupation* normally deal it out in clubs or on the corners of bars? Didn't you think you might be a bit terrifying showing up on a girl like Lori's front step? She's not in debt, is she?"
“I don’t think it’s that creepy, mate,” Gryphon replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He could definitely concoct some situations where it might be, but sitting on the couch in near-ish proximity to each other? Nah, it wasn’t that bad. “If I’d been a stalker or murderer, or somethin’ along those lines, all hoverin’ over you and sniffing your hair and whatnot, that’d be creepy.”
‘Why in the world are you making house deliveries?’
An unasked for stab of frustration pierced Gryphon’s thoughts, and he groaned in annoyance. “I dunno, man,” he replied, and managed to make it sound like a complaint as he scrubbed a hand down his face. He’d wondered the same thing himself, earlier, when it had felt distinctly like this was some kind of unfortunate set-up. If Landry hadn’t looked like the girl he was trying to find, he definitely would’ve been more wary. “I don’t usually. Not my cup a tea. But I don’t wanna spend all day in a smoke-smelling pub or hanging out in an alleyway, y’know? I get bored.”
“So… I dunno. I guess your sis gets what she wants, since she can pay for it, and being as I can’t be trusted to hang out and sell, might as well send me off to something more direct.” That was about all he could do to give reason to it. It’s not like Gryphon had made the decision himself, or anything. “And I’ve met your sister once or twice. Gotta say, not sure she’s terrified of much, mate.”
"I did say specifically *situations like this*. Where the first whiff of me you got was holding your hand over my mouth. " Or had he meant now, that they were on the couch? It wasn't as if he used something all that strong, and even if he did, the smell of the second sub he unwrapped seemed to beat everything else out.
"I suppose that makes sense. Getting bored from the whole monotonous thing, day in, day out... Lori... Well, you've met her, and she's insane. Far too outgoing, trusting... Diving into the pleasures of life instead of thinking of the consequences. But to think she knew someone like you... Now that's a surprise." Now he was curious, and leaned a little more on the pillows to give Gryph a more proper once over, taking a big bite of the sub as he did so.
Needless to say, Gryphon was *something else* compared to the people Lori brought home. Had he looked closer, he wouldn't have taken the man as her type right off the bat. Very tall, taller than Landry atleast, and wide... One of the very definitions of 'masculine', and older... Lacking in fashion, but that was to be expected.
"I always imagined her as a club hopper, not a bar drinker... It's hard to imagine someone like you in those loud places. How old are you anyway? Aren't the standard drug dealers all young people, hard on life and what not?"
“Yeeeah… Yeah.” There was perhaps the span of a second where Gryphon thought to justify it, ‘You were makin’ me nervous, screamin’ like that!’ But he didn’t even have to let the excuse fully flit through his mind before he dismissed it. He wasn’t necessarily sorry for it, since nothing he said seemed to calm Landry down, but he could at least admit that it might, maybe have been the tiniest wee bit frightening, despite Gryphon’s assurances that he “wasn’t gonna do nothin’” to the other boy.
His sigh was soft when it escaped his lips. ‘Work’ in itself wasn’t really his favorite, and he knew that among all the jobs he could have, there probably weren’t many that granted him the schedule this one did. “It’s not… I wouldn’t call it ‘monotonous,’” Gryphon admitted. “Sometimes things can get wild, and ya never know when it could.”
Cops, rival dealers, heck, Gryph’s own boss threatened him reasonably often. There were stressers and excitement around every corner. And even his clients came in various shades of crazy and needy.
But Gryphon only enjoyed it in doses. “I like being distracted,” he admitted with a shrug. “People like your sister are fun when that’s what I want to deal with, but tiresome when it isn’t. I like a little bit of activity, but sometimes I don’t. Just a mood.” He shrugged.
And shot a grin Landry’s way. “To be honest, I’m surprised too,” He admitted. “Ya’ll look so alike, live together and whatnot, so why’s she out there and not you? I don’t know her well enough to know… mmm… much of anything about her, to be honest. But I know she’s out right now, and you’re at home. I know she buys ecstacy, and you don’t want it in your house. What’s up with that?”
“And, hey, I’m not old mate, and I ain’t afraid of noise, ‘less it’s someone screaming their head off in a place like this, like you were. I’m thirty-five, and not sure age matters much in the business, since once you’re in, kinda hard to get out, y’know?” If there were more younger people, it was probably because most of them got offed before they had the chance to grow any older, by Gryphon’s knowledge.
"I think I understand that, enjoying being distracted, but wanting to be in control of when that happens." It wasn't possible to compare the different types of distractions they enjoyed. Landry enjoyed being at home. He enjoyed being alone, or when he did leave his comfort zone, he wanted to do it on a solo venture. Not with friends, not with Lori, but on his own. Being alone allowed for him to further control what happened next, whether he continued his adventure or decided he could simply head off on his own, further down a new experience, without consideration of whoever he was with.
"I didn't say you were afraid of noise, did I? I simply said you don't look like someone who would enjoy being in a place like the clubs Lori goes to. You aren't dressed for it, at the very least." Who in the world wore cargo shorts and a T-shirt to a club? Even Landry knew that was not the type of outfit you would wear if you were out looking to get lucky. " Another glance was offered to Gryphon, curious, but then falling into a scowl as he was compared to Lori. Landry knew that it was to happen, especially when he was met second, her first, but it didn't mean he enjoyed the comparison.
"Just because we share the same face doesn't mean we share the same thoughts." It wasn't hard to snap at the man, those agitated feelings from before only having recently subsided. "I'm here because I want to be. I don't need to find validation or pleasure in going out to clubs, buying drugs, or sleeping around. She can have her fun, and I can have mine. Someone needs to be the responsible twin after all."
The old phrase of 'am I my brother's keeper?' came to mind, though he kept that to himself, finding it cheese and unnecessary. It was true though, in this case it was sister, not brother.
Gryphon chuckled. ‘Control,’ what a funny word. He couldn’t say for sure if he ‘controlled’ much of anything in his life, when it always felt as though he was just kind of along for the ride. Coming here hadn’t been his idea, staying this long hadn’t, his job as it was had certainly never been something he’d expressly wanted… But that’s how it went, and there was nothing to do about it now.
“I’m not sure anyone could say they really ‘control’ how things end up, though, y’know? There’s always something you can’t plan for that just has to happen...” He propped an arm over the back of the couch and twisted so that he was more facing Landry, and- Jeeze, blondie really did look incredibly judgemental every time he set his eyes on Gryphon, didn’t he? Gryph ignored it, and shot him a grin. “Even though you stayed home by yourself and made these plans for your night, do you feel a great lot of control right now?”
He was a bit confused, though, and blinked down at his shirt as Landry pointed it out. “I’m not dressed for-? Eh? You don’t think so?” He plucked at the fabric of his t-shirt, giving it the tiniest frown. “This is always how I dress,” he admitted. “And it’s not- Well, it’s not a nice club, or anything, y’know? Way down in the boonies. Don’t matter how you dress down there.”
His gaze had managed to wander back to Landry just in time to catch the return of the irritated downward quirk of his lips, and Gryphon opened his mouth to- Well, he didn’t know. He wasn’t actually sure what the problem was, yet.
But it was easy to figure out. Landry didn’t seem able to resist any opportunity to snap at him. “Er, no, not the same thoughts. I’m not judging you for wanting to be here, or anything…” He didn’t like being compared to his sister or talking about her or something like that. Frankly, Gryphon wondered how much Landry liked her, at all, given the comments about the drugs and the partying, and how aggressive he was over her choices.
“I guess I just assumed, sorry, given you must’ve grown up pretty similarly, that you’d… I dunno, have those experiences that made you enjoy similar things, is all.” But it wasn’t like he knew anything about either of them.
So, he shrugged. “Sorry.”
"Just because I cannot control 'everything', doesn't mean I cannot attempt to. You are the perfect example of an unwanted wrench thrown into the gears of my workflow. I did try to take back control before you barged in, and was almost back to a state of contentment until Lori had the nerve to call." No matter how he tried, he couldn't simply relax around this man. The threat of him doing something awful had subsided, but he was still a stranger in his home. Why was he expected to treat him cordially? And why did the man keep acting like he was in the wrong?
It was incredibly frustrating, to be sure. "... What the hell is she doing out there in the boonies..."
"You sound like you're judging me for being here, *in my own home*, as if I don't have any right to be. What if I had worked a 12 hour shift? What if I had been sick this whole time and was recovering from it? Yes, we grew up similarly, but that does not make me a clone of my sister. When you're left alone in the world with only a sibling left, and that sibling is too busy having fun to care about the realities of not being homeless, of not being taken advantage of, of not *caring about the future*, you have to step up. So yes, be sorry, and keep your nose out of my business."
“Sounds tiresome,” Gryphon replied. Trying to control everything and make everything work and then being mad when it didn’t… It really was too much effort, wasted effort, at that. But then being angry in general seemed tiresome to him, and Landry got annoyed over everything Gryphon said.
Even now, Gryph wasn’t even sure why. When he specifically said his feelings, Landry either didn’t believe him or outright denied it. ‘You sound like you’re judging me.’ Because he’d asked a question? Didn’t most people like other people being interested in them? He’d said he was sorry. More than once. And there just wasn’t much else to do for it beyond that.
But of course someone like Landry wouldn’t like someone like gryphon asking any questions or trying to be friendly or showing interest.
He didn’t say anything else, and tugged his attention away from Landry, back to his phone. Gryphon didn’t prefer to be distracted by screens, but considering the limited options, it seemed like his best bet to not be distracted by anything of Landry’s, lest His Majesty be annoyed at Gryphon seeing stuff in his house, or whatever.
"It *is* tiresome. Is it so wrong to just want to enjoy what little moments I have?" Everything about his life felt tiresome, and he was far too young to be feeling *this* worn out.
What he wouldn't give to be more like Lori, having that freedom and run around like nothing else in the world mattered. Focusing on pleasure and fun... He wished so badly he could just do that and not give a single ******** about anything else.
But he couldn't. That wasn't him.
Admitting it out loud was freeing, in a way. Most of his thoughts on the matter were left silenced because it often felt wrong to admit those weaknesses. Speaking to a stranger about it, one that he couldn't exactly escape from felt a little nice.
The room was silent for a long while, the television playing in the background and Landry managed to relax a little more, resting his head on the couch's arm. Sweet after sweet was made, but Landry found a little pleasure at watching a grandma suffer while making another pavlova. It was amazing how the silence could help better his mood. All he needed now was his kitten to come back for cuddles, then he would be content.
That, and this man finally leaving.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 1:17 pm
They enjoyed different things, obviously. Gryphon’s thoughts wandered as his fingers scrolled down his phone screen, paying little attention to what was actually on it. Gryph could hardly imagine being cooped up in his home for more than an hour, and it sounded like that was all Landry wanted. That was something depressed people did, wasn’t it? Sat at home by themselves grousing and complaining when anything else intruded.
Horrible. Boring. He would die. Maybe a little of an exaggeration, but he would go crazy at the very least. Not that he had a sister who lived with him to distract him, or anything…
‘On your marks, get set… Bake!’
Gryphon’s gaze flicked briefly up to the screen, then down again. He couldn’t say he had a personal vested interest in cooking or watching others cook. Whatever this show was seemed to mostly have flustered old ladies and gay dudes trying to piece together complicated (and not always tasty-sounding) treats in a stupidly small amount of time.
...There’d been cinnamon buns on the counter. It smelled like treats in Landry’s house, and he must have enjoyed watching this on some level, or he wouldn’t have chose to put it on.
It sometimes felt like gryph didn’t know what he was looking for when he looked at his phone screen. People these days had it easy, everything they wanted- information, food, other people- right there in the little box at their fingertips. It was a bit overwhelming to Gryph, to be honest. But he knew of things he liked: watching youtube videos about learning how to music, reading articles about advancements in vehicle technology, and… the park. It happened that when he looked at their public park’s homepage, as he sometimes did to see if anything of interest was happening, there was, in fact, something unexpected.
‘Annual Cupcake Festival hosted by the Lyon’s Club’
Gryphon didn’t know Landry, besides that blondie definitely didn’t like to hear Gryphon talk. But he liked watching baking shows and must not have hated treats himself, if he kept them in his home.
He glanced over the wall of pillows to see His Majesty resting against the armrest.
It would be a shame to bother him when he seemed to be content to ignore Gryphon, but it still nagged at him, how he’d hate to be at home by himself, even if Landry snapped that it was all he wanted. “Hey.” He sat up a bit straighter, peering over the pillows at the other boy. “You wanna go out this weekend? There’s a cupcake something-something or other at the park. It’ll be cute, I bet. Wanna go?”
As the next round finished and the next baker was sent home, Landry hadn't really moved, far too focused on ignoring the man and keeping his eyes on the television to shift or anything. When Gryph did though, he looked right over at him, wondering if he was going to stand up and leave and getting all the more hopeful for it.
Then he blinked, a little surprised at the sudden offer. Too surprised to scowl or make that normal angry faced he had.
"... What?" This time he sat up as well, confused and taking a moment to process what was asked of him. "A... Why would you want to go with me? I clearly don't like you and want you to leave."
It was abrupt. He understood that just as well as he understood that Landry didn’t like him and was probably justified not to. But even if abrupt, Gryphon didn’t find it particularly strange. No one liked being hated, did they? And Gryphon didn’t think his offenses were that grievous, particularly if Landry was accustomed to dealing with his sister’s chaotic actions and the company she kept.
“I dunno,” he replied quietly with a roll of his shoulders. “I guess I thought it sounded nice and that maybe you might like it, since you’re watching a show like this, and all.”
The activities weren’t those that Gryphon would usually seek out himself, but they were outside, at least. He did like being outside… “Oh.” Since it was outside and soon enough that they might be able to see what the weather was like, might as well pull up the forecast too.
“I guess it won’t be sunny, though,” he admitted, looking at his weather app. “Not rainy, either. At least you wouldn’t burn? It won’t be as hot…”
This man was out of his mind, for certain. How else could he truly expect Landry to want to do *anything* with him...?
... What was he trying to get out of this?
The idea of it though was nice. Landry didn't stick his head out into the world too often, competition time was winding down, and he just didn't make cupcakes anymore when there were better things to make, so it hadn't even crossed his mind to look for them. When was the last time he went out for the fun of it instead of to perform some specific task then scuttle back home? Months, really, not including the spa day or the times he wanted to see Vivre and hang out, but even then that was work.
"Didn't you come here to sell drugs to my sister? Now you want to go to a 'cupcake something-something or other' as if we're friends? You are a very strange one, Gryphon." The way Gryphon had replied, that softness that was behind it, the consideration... Alot of it was new to Landry, and he wasn't quite sure how to respond.
At the very least, yelling wasn't needed, so his own response had been a normal tone and scowlless.
"If you're going to ask me to do something, provide more details. What's the event actually called? Which park? Why did you check the weather first?"
“That was what brought me here,” Gryphon agreed with a nod. “But I guess it doesn’t…” How to explain? He wasn’t really sure how to begin, when ‘why’ was sometimes just a feeling. “I dunno. I just don’t feel like it has to be why I’m here, when life sometimes leads you to do things you didn’t expect for reasons you weren’t aware of.” It just could’ve ended up differently, couldn’t it have? But since it hadn’t, explaining the ‘why’ seemed too challenging and unnecessary.
“I dunno why we can’t be friends, anyway,” he added as he pulled the cupcake page back up on his phone. “I already know some stuff about you, like your name and where you live, and,” he inclined his head toward the tv, “a hobby. That seems like a good place to start. And even if you don’t like me, I don’t dislike you. Maybe you could’ve liked me, if the situation had been different.”
He passed his phone with the details over the pillow barricade and toward Landry’s side of the couch. “Here’s the information page. I just wanted to check the weather to see what it would be like that day, since it’s at the park. Think most of it is outside? Though maybe there’s a rec center-type building where the make the stuff. I’m not very sure about that.”
“It sounds like you are about to see something nonsensical like ‘fate’ brought us here or something like that.” He rolled his eyes at the thought. Being bound by fate, some predestined meeting to start with rage but to end up with some man, some *drugdealer* sounded incredibly dull.
Landry would have to admit though, having Gryph around thus far certainly wasn’t dull. Irritating as hell, but not dull.
Taking the phone and scrolling a bit, he found himself a little more interested than he was before. It was a lovely park (not one out in the run down part of town), and a few of the companies that would be up for display were recognized, Places he hadn’t been to himself, but had heard of. There were both inside and outside venues... Food trucks... A few give aways for fancy bake sets, and a meet-and-greet with a local celebrity baker.
Damn, it was right up Landry’s alley of things he might look into on a day he wasn’t that busy. But going with Gryphon the Drug Dealer who had been so very pushy with him seemed like an awful idea.
“I’d say you know too much about me. You don’t even know my last name, do you? Or what I do for work. And I hardly know a thing about you besides you deal and likely do drugs, have no manners, and prey on young men and women in their homes to sell drugs. I don’t believe I’d have a very good time being around someone like you by choice, I most certainly am not right now.” Even as he said this, he kept scrolling, remembering names of places he’d have to stop by if he went.
“A’right, I’m not gonna fight about it,” Gryphon said as he extended his hand for his phone back. “Just thought I’d ask. And at least now you know about it, so if you happened to be bored, opportunity’s there.”
The rest wasn’t anything worth arguing about either. ‘Fate’ isn’t the word Gryphon would use for how some things fell into place. It implied there weren’t accidents, which he wouldn’t say was true. But he’d be lying if he said he thought that nothing ever happened without reason, and sometimes it was just easier to follow that path.
He did like easy.
He could complain that he couldn’t be expected to know much about Landry, seeing as how they’d met only a handful of minutes ago. Or that he didn’t do drugs, did have manners, and wasn’t a predator, since that would involve seeking others out against their wills, when really it was more of a ‘people coming to him’ situation. Irrelevant, though, and not worth pitching a fit about.
“You certainly give up easily now that you’re in my house.” Landry scooted a little further away from Gryphon, curling up with his knees closer to his chest as an added barrier between him and the larger man. The phone was still in his hands, and he’s scrolled through it some, pressing a few buttons here and there.
“I guess after you got what you wanted, being in my home and what not, you lost your ‘balls’.” He peered over the phone to give him a brief smirk, then looked back at the phone again, scrolling through contacts this time.
“So which one is the real you? The a*****e who breaks into people’s homes, the sap who apparently thinks fate is a think and asks out people they’ve offended, or a ball-less jerk who sits with his tail between his legs?”
Was he gonna give that phone back, or what? Even if there wasn’t anything worth hiding on it, Gryphon still felt strangely peeved that someone so on about a property violation would do the same damn thing and start snooping through his stuff. “You act like I came here with the specific intention just to piss you off. But I didn’t. Just came to do a job I got told to do, and now that it’s resolved, I’m not tryin’ ta-”
Landry smirked at him, and Gryphon’s eyes narrowed. What the ********, mate. He kept it to himself.
“-ta make your night worse, Princess.” Should he be amused? Offended? He didn’t hate the look, despite still feeling a little wary of Landry’s piss-poor moods. “Funny thing is that people tend to not be just one thing, oi?” He grunted, watching blondie fiddle with his phone. “I could ask you if you’re that scaredy brat screaming his head off when he sees a big black guy, that petulant child throwing tantrums when things don’t go as planned, or…”
Pillows were not an effective barrier. Gryphon reached over them, snatched up one of Landry’s ankles (easy, given the knees-up position he’d taken), and dragged the smaller man across the couch toward him. “The tease you’re being now, hm?”
Landry continued to poke and prod at at the phone, rolling his eyes when it seemed like his words got the large man worked up.
None of it mattered, though being called ‘princess’ earned only another eyeroll. He knew how he acted, each one being completely justified. He was about to protest about being scared of a ‘big black guy’, as that fear came from someone pushing straight into his house, but his leg was grabbed first, half dragged on top of the pillows.
This time he didn’t shout, gasping in surprise and swinging his free leg towards the man’s chest in hopes of freeing himself.
“Let me go this instant!” No, he didn’t shout, he hissed, twisting and yanking his leg in more and more awkward angles to try to get it free.
“I am no tease to the likes of you! Unhand me now!” Even still, he kept the phone tight in his grasp, though he had half a mind to chuck it across the room.
To put it simply, Gryphon couldn’t tell what was going through Landry’s head. He was clearly too uptight to be playing around, but it definitely felt like he was distinctly trying to work something out of Gryph, though he couldn’t say what. Was he just pleased he had something of Gryph’s to hold over him? No, surely not. That’d be childish nonsense.
But he sure was clinging to Gryph’s phone like he owned it and was afraid of it being taken away, or something. And he was apparently prepared to physically fight him over it.
“Lan, watch it,” Gryph grunted as the blond boy’s other foot collided not-especially-gently with his shoulder. Jeezus, he was doing a lot of squirming. “Landry,” he complained as he caught the boy’s other ankle as well. “Stop that, you’re going to hurt yourself- Fine.”
He tugged Landry near enough to him so to practically be against him, swept both his legs to the side to pin them against the back of the couch with his own bulk, so as to keep Lan from kicking out at him, and dropped his other hand to the cushion just above Landry’s shoulder, hovering over him. “I’ll take that back now, a’right?” Gryphon’s other hand hovered just next to where the smaller man held his phone.
Pain shot through his ankle at some point and a hiss of pain escaped his lips, but he did not stop trying to escape. It was clear though, he was far less stronger than Gryphon in this state, his legs being swept aside like they were nothing.
His hair was a frazzled mess by the time he was forced to settle down, shirt pulled up to expose his bare, markless belly thanks to the friction between it and the couch. Even his shorts had been pushed up his thighs, and he was left a panting, miserable mess under Gryphon.
And ********, his ankle hurt something fierce...
“Get off of me... *Now*.” He hated how weak he was as a civilian, trying to catch his breath from just that small bit of struggle. But he refused to give the phone back, turning it around to show the screen to the b*****d who had him pinned.
Showing him not only a picture of that same smirk he made when glancing over his phone, but the phone number left within. “I should toss your phone into the toilet, you ******** brute....”
It was… kind of embarrassing how immediately pitiful Landry’s efforts at escape were. Granted, Gryphon had a lot of weight on him, and he certainly didn’t expect there were many who’d be able to fend him off if he really wanted to go for something. But it wasn’t just a strength comparison so much as an endurance one.
He wouldn’t even call what they’d done a ‘scuffle,’ since Gryphon didn’t feel like he’d exerted that much energy, no more than carrying a sack of groceries to his apartment.
But Landry certainly looked like he’d put in way more effort than Gryphon thought he had. Hair disheveled and tangled, breathing heavily, clothes all rumpled and displaced. Sunny orange eyes flicked briefly down to the rapid rise and fall of Landry’s bared, very pale chest, and heat crawled up the back of Gryphon’s neck. “Er…” His own dark skin hid the encroaching flush. And as landry showed him his phone, the tiniest of frowns settled across his lips.
It was a confusing night.
“Why would you do that?” He asked, settling back on his knees and giving the smaller boy the opportunity to move away. “For all the fussing you were doing?”
The moment Gryphon let him go Landry fled back to the other side of the couch, most, if not all the pillows having been scattered to the floor. From where he deemed ‘safe’, he tossed the phone on the cushions between them, favoring the nursing of his slowly bruising ankle than to play keep away with someone who hardly seemed to know their own strength, or Landry’s regrettable fragility.
Once deeming his ankle a lost cause, he fixed his clothes hoping to hide some of his own blush that started to crawl across his face as he realized how exposed he had just been.
“Had I said no, I wouldn’t go? I was asking you questions, and you so horribly attacked me out of nowhere... I suppose you are the brute I figured you are. I am a fool for thinking you’d be anything but.”
He was definitely pretty sure he’d been told no, but it wasn’t as though he was angry about it. Anything else would’ve been a surprise, so ‘no’ was the outcome he would have expected and was overall fine with. “I think so?” Gryphon answered, flitting through his memories of the past few minutes of conversations. He’d definitely been insulted enough that anyone with half a brain cell would have assumed the obvious answer.
Landry was too smart not to know that.
“But I guess not,” he relented after a moment, no matter how sure he was that the other man knew exactly what he’d been doing. And knew what he was doing now, too. “C’mon, Lan,” Gryphon grumbled, leaning closer to peer at the ankle Landry acted like he’d broken. “I didn’t hurt you. I wasn’t that rough.” He squinted down at the appendage, and maybe it looked a little splotchy. But it could have just as easily been the shadows. “Do you want me to getcha some ice?”
“I, in fact, did not say no.” Landry simply replied, straightening a little more on the couch.
The nickname surprisingly didn’t bother him right now, maybe because the thought of kicking the man in the face as he looked over his ankle was a little too amusing not to consider. Yet he did not, this time.
“You said I would hurt myself in my struggles, and I did, no thanks to you. I bruise easily, bleed easily, always have. Imagine then if I would have been truly injured. Blood does not come out of carpet well.” He wanted no one’s mercy, especially in his own home. Knowing he shouldn’t, Landry stood up anyway, biting his lip and wincing, but still heading over to the kitchen to retrieve his own ice packs. The freezer had more than a few, given the frequency to which he bruised.
“You have my number now, and I know yours, so you can leave now. I’ll give you a call when Lori gets home, or better yet, I’ll have her call you.”
“So you admit it was you hurting yourself?” Gryphon prompted as Landry stood. That was what he’d just said, after all. He rose to his feet as well, and trailed after the younger man as he limped toward the kitchen. He hadn’t been rough, Gryphon thought. It hadn’t felt like he’d used any more pressure than someone would experience as normal, in any average day.
...But maybe when people sequestered themselves inside, away from sun and activity, that’s what happened.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he hummed softly, now leaning against the counter as Landry pulled ice packs out of the freezer. “Wasn’t tryin’ ta hurt ya, and I’ll be more careful next time.” Which he assumed there would be, since as far as he’d heard, there still hadn’t been any mention of a ‘no.’
He picked his bag up from beneath the counter and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll come pick you up Saturday ‘round noon, kay?” Given that he hadn’t tested the number, he couldn’t say if he really had any easier means to get into contact with Lori. He did assume it would be fine, since landry had said it would be, and he still knew where they lived, after all. Still a pain, but he’d let it slide, for now. “It’s a date, Lan.”
“You must have gone deaf in your old age with how often you seem to want me to repeat myself.” Ice pack obtained, Landry made for the couch again, ankle now swollen and red.
How surprising again, he was actually leaving. Only a tiny part of Landry was disappointed at that, but it was there atleast. Despite how aggravating the man was, the bit of excitement that came with having met him was not entirely unwelcome.
“Next time you best keep your hands to yourself. Saturday then. Please keep your drugs and horrific habits at home. And I suppose you have permission to call me by my name, though keep ‘your majesty’ in your thoughts.”
Gryphon chuckled softly. For all the times he’d called Landry a kid, he supposed he should be grateful that this was the first time he’d specifically been called ‘old.’ Granted, there’d been enough other insults to go around. Maybe ‘old’ was too easy a shot.
“Wha’ssat, son?” He quipped, cupping his ear and leaning in Landry’s direction. “Bring drugs and bad habits from home, ey? I can do that, don’t you worry.” Horrific habits? Had he really done anything worse than just standard rudeness? He couldn’t change that in a handful of days… A question for another time.
But all jokes aside, “You better make sure she calls me,” Gryphon warned as he pulled open the front door. It would still be really unfortunate if he were to get in trouble for his job and skimping on making the run he’d pointedly been instructed to make. “Ya won’t hear the end of it, if she don’t.” His tone was teasing, but he pulled out his phone and gave it a waggle at the blond boy as he stepped outside.
Landry clearly had no idea how dangerous it was to just hand out his number.
No matter how irrationally pleased it made Gryphon that he had. He didn’t often do impromptu activities with other people. It happened that most people liked plans farther in advance than that, but Gryphon generally gave… a few hours notice. Even the few days he’d granted Landry was abnormal. Still, he thought it’d be fun! He was very hopeful this grouchy kid would enjoy it, at least he thought he would…
Keep ‘His Majesty’ in his thoughts, indeed. Gryphon was grinning as he left.
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