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 Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 1:24 pm
Prompt True to its name, this time of year is unnaturally clear and it’s incredibly easy to see the stars. They sparkle with more colors and vibrancy than usual. Sometimes you can see odd lights, but everything is so far away it's hard to tell what's real and what's an illusion, but it's a magical and overwhelming sensation all the same. Every year there is a meteor shower at this time, and this year is no different; the sky is full of shooting stars, so now's the perfect opportunity to find a dark place to watch the stars and make a wish! Whatever wish you make, you wind up having the most surreal dream of it being granted. What did you wish for--and what direction did your dream take? What happens when you wake up to reality?
Sometimes it happened that Gryphon needed to be out after dark to handle work-related matters. It wasn't how he'd choose to spend his free time, but neither was it something he was actively frightened of. Not when it led him outside to the warm summer evening air and the scattered remains of star lights and barbecue smells from some event and that had occurred at some point during the day.
He couldn't say for sure if any of his clientele had been active participants in the events (it could've been wild out here. How was he to know?), or if the cover of a crowd had made it feel like the ideal place for a standard business transaction. Whatever Gryphon had to do, he'd do, that was all there was to it.
...Maybe he ought to be more careful.
Even Emilio warned him against doing anything that could 'endanger the business, Padre,' but Gryphon wasn't entirely sure what that entailed? Don't be obvious, he supposed. And he was usually friendly, so he didn't fear anyone stabbing him in the back or nothing. He shook his head. Didn't matter, since it was done for now, and he didn't plan on doing much else in that regard this night.
Gryphon pulled out his phone to check the time. 10:28. It really wasn't super late, in the grand scheme of things. He personally got text messages this late and later still all the time- and not just because dealings in his business felt more secure after hours. The only problem being that some people weren't exactly on the same chaotic sleep schedule as Gryphon was, and 'schedule' might even be stretching it a bit, as he tended to simply fall asleep when he was tired and remain awake when he wasn't, regardless of time of night or day.
Landry probably didn't live like that, though. He really might be asleep at 10:28 in the evening. Gryphon couldn't say he had any idea at all what a 'normal' day was for the younger man.
...Ehhhh- But what did that matter? If he was awake, he'd answer (probably, maybe), and if he was asleep, one buzz wouldn't wake him! Probably. Maybe. He glanced up to the clear, starlit sky overhead and decided there wasn't really anything to lose, and he wasn't personally doing anything of great importance, and since he was near enough to where he knew Lan's condo to be, might as well?
He typed a short message: 'You awake?' and hit send before he could add anything else. As soon as he did, Gryphon decided he had more to say, and he couldn't just leave it at that, could he? Two texts, then. Just two. It'd be fiiiine.
'Was out working-' No, wait, Landry didn't need to know that. He deleted that part. 'Was out doing festival,' Much better, and only kind of a lie. He was on festival grounds, wasn't he? 'and looked up at the sky and thought of you sittin at home avoidin the outside as you do. It's pretty tonight though and not as busy as during the day. I'm close by. Want me to come get you?'
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 1:25 pm
Despite it being pretty much mid July, Landry was playing the role of the Grinch as he sat comfortable on his couch.
Yes, there was a party, and yes, there was so many events to do in the city thanks to this weird 'festival' the officials decided to come up with, but he was in no way interested in any of it. There was just so much noise in the city, every little thing got on his nerves, and he was in no mood to brush elbows with anyone who happened to bump into him.
... Someone would get sued tonight if they tried.
So rather than risk any of that unfortunate aggravation, he choice right and remained at home, baking a bunch of cookies to snack on later and now relaxing on the sofa without a care in the world for once.
Yet that peace was short lived as a tell-tale ding broke through his quiet. No one texted him unless it was to ask for something. And he was certain that Lori was probably out drunk somewhere, so she wouldn't message him at all. And Winter... Well, they had just made up, and it was easier to keep contact through their Negapads rather than text, given the whole claw thing.. That left only one person who would be bothering him, especially this late at night.
And Landry was right, and only sorta rolled his eyes at the text that he got from Gryphon.
How much of what he said really was true? Landry was certain being out meant selling drugs to random party goers, and he had no desire to be part of it. As he was readying to type out a firm and solid 'No', he paused at the sound of the TV in the background. Talks of stars being bright tonight even in the city, and something about a meteor shower too... The aesthetic craving man in him kinda wanted to go see it..
Gryphon wasn't too bad either.. He grew on Landry, in a way he imagined moss growing on a tree. Probably not the best thing to have around, but he was there... And like moss did to the tree, Gryphon made him feel... Soft. A little more... Well, he didn't know how to describe it, but it wasn't the worst feeling to have...
After a moment, Landry typed a response, then tossed his phone on the couch as he headed to his bedroom to put something more appropriate on.
'If you're going to come over, hurry up. It's late and I don't want to be out too long.'
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 3:28 pm
Gryphon's truck waited for him at the edge of the parking lot. He didn't intend to give Landry too long to answer him, pretty much just the time it took to get from where he stood beneath a tree strung with streamers and littered with red solo cups at the base, across the parking lot, and to his vehicle. Maybe a bit down the road, so long as he hadn't already headed too far in the wrong direction, and-
Ah, who was he kidding. If Landry had agreed at any point during the night, Gryphon probably would've made his way over, even if he'd already made it to bed, himself. It was still a bit of a new thought that Princess Lan would deign him worthy enough to agree to anything with Gryphon, despite it having happened before, and he wasn't one to miss such a rare opportunity.
Thankfully, his phone buzzed just as he settled into the driver's seat and slammed the door of his truck shut.
True, the response could've sounded a little more enthused, but that was hardly surprising. Gryphon flashed his teeth at his phone, grinning as though Landry was here to see it because, well, it hadn't been a 'no' had it? And frankly he could hardly ever hope for more than that. He typed a much shorter message, 'b there in a few' and started his truck. And now he had a few minutes to figure out fully what he wanted to do with Lan on such a pretty night.
He had an idea, of course, but... well... He somehow doubted Landry would be amenable to it. Gryphon could try and coerce him, he supposed... Maybe it wouldn't be that hard if he just tried and did his best to sound reasonable about it.
Still, they'd only met twice before, and Landry wasn't exactly the most outgoing or sociable or brave or experimental... But whatever. It'd be fine.
He was already marginally more familiar with the drive to Landry's condo than he had been the last time he'd done it. Though, there was, admittedly (and quite obviously, if he was being honest) a suspicious squint tossed at him by the security watchman in the lobby as he passed. The guy didn't approach or try to stop him, so Gryphon didn't try to explain himself. It wasn't like he was someone particularly easy to forget. If the guy had been on shift during either of his previous visits, he probably at least vaguely accepted that gryphon wasn't up to much.
He took the elevator to Lan's floor, and despite knowing the time and knowing even better how annoyed Landry would be if he did- "Oi, Princess?" Gryphon called as he knocked. "Ready?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:04 am
As Landry stood infront of the mirror in his room, adjusting a stray wave to be pushed off his shoulders, he paused, frowning at himself.
What am I doing...? Gryphon didn't care about what effort Landry put into his looks. It was bed time anyway, and he was suddenly being called out for no damned reason. The man deserved his worse, just going out in sweatpants and a grubby old t-shirt (neither or which he had). And it was night time now, no one could stare that hard at him anyway... So rather than fuss with his clothing again, he slipped on a hoodie and a pair of jeans and called it good enough. Low-key fashion, and... It was dark, he reminded himself again. No one would see him. It didn't cross his mind until he passed the mirror that he was wearing the hoodie that Gryphon had given him on their last 'date'.
Whatever, let the man think he wore this because of him. It didn't matter any way.
Just as he was settled in, he heard someone knocking on the door and rolled his eyes hard. Can't he just knock and not say anything? Why the commentary? Why all this... Annoying nonsense? But slowly he was getting used to it, and rather than storm over and swing the door open, Landry behaved and just unlocked the door with a sigh.
"It's late, you know. Couldn't you have a little bit of that decency? Why did you even come up? It's not as if you're coming in." To emphasis, he quickly closed the door and locked it behind him. "People these days text when they arrive and not disturb my neighbors."
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:53 am
He really shouldn't have been so stupidly pleased to see His Majesty standing in the doorway. Landry had given him permission to come over, so it would've been strange if he'd decided not to answer the door, but looking at him in a more comfortable hoodie and jeans, normal clothes- his hoodie- just made Gryphon feel all the more... strangely relaxed around him. Heat crept for his face, and he grinned as the other stood before him, looking marginally more at ease than Gryphon was used to seeing him. "Ey, I used my inside voice, Lan," he replied as he leaned in to hum the quiet words more closely over Landry's head. Fingers flicked down the front of his shirt, dusting over the print on the front of the hoodie. "It looks good on you..." Huge, obviously, but still pleasing to see an obvious sign of loosening up.
"Now, c'mon. Yer parking garage ain't that small, and I didn't want you to get annoyed trying to figure out where I parked." An annoyed Landry was a particularly unreceptive Landry. He reached, threading his fingers through the younger man's as he turned back the way he'd come and tugged him gently along. "'M not... even sure if you've ever seen my truck, now I think about it? Have you?"
Landry hadn't left the apartment on their first meeting, and they'd walked to the park on their second, so..? No, right? ...Ey, Gryphon almost wished he'd thought about it before, but he doubted Lan's standards would allow him to be caught dead in anything Gryphon drove...
But that was just too bad, he supposed.
Maybe Landry would relent if he was really persistent, and if he didn't, well, there just wasn't that much to keep Gryphon from scooping him up and tossing him in the passenger's seat, and hauling off, anyway. Even if he was grumpy for a few minutes after, Lan would be fiiiiine.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:33 pm
"Indoor voice or not, just text me next time. I'm not so spoiled not to go down my own elevator to meet you first." Though it didn't show on his face, Landry thoroughly enjoyed Gryphon's reaction to him wearing this hoodie, as unintentional as it was. He was beginning to rather like that stupid grin the man wore nearly constantly. It was calming in a way, like nothing could really bother him while they were together, except for Gryphon himself. "And what I chose to wear was just a coincidence. As if I'd be caught dead wearing this in the sunlight. It only serves to better hide me in the night."
He made no movement to let go of Gryphon's hand, finding it comfortable to hold. Thanks to Vivre, he got used to being close to another person, and it felt almost strange to be with someone who wasn't exactly an enemy and not be connected somehow.
"You could have just parked out fright where Valet is. They wouldn't have mind if you said you were meeting me and used my name. They know me here." And, after their last 'date', he did trust the huge man, somewhat. Atleast enough that he didn't assume anything bad was going to happen... Just in case he gave the doorman a little nod, and the telling snap of a photograph being taken echoed in the otherwise quiet lobby.
If he died, they'd have a suspect right off the bat.
"So where's your car? And where are we going?" It was a little late to ask now but oh well. As long as it wasn't that nasty looking truck they seemed to be heading towards, he'd be alright.... But knowing what little he did of the man, that probably was it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:47 pm
"Mmm..." Landry had never 'dated' before; he'd told Gryphon as much, so it likely shouldn't have been surprising for him to not expect those weird little gestures that came from wanting to be next to someone. Like... meeting them at the door. True, no one had explicitly said 'date' this time around, and Gryphon was far from such a gentleman, but still- "Tha's, ah... Not really how it works, Lan." He had less than zero idea of how to explain how it did work, but he could settle for what he could say.
"It's not much that I think you're too spoiled to come to me." This time. "But that I wanted to come to you, an' I liked... seeing you standing there in your big hoodie, frownin' at me as you do, holding my hand-" he lifted their fingers. "Letting me walk you to my car and open the door for you..."
That, and obviously he hadn't known anything about how to use valet or what privileges the building granted to its residents. Never in his life had he picked anyone up from a building so posh, and even last time he'd come to Landry's door to retrieve him, so that was the easiest step for his mind to take. That was what he should do because it's what he'd done before, and Landry hadn't corrected it before, so-?
Gryphon wasn't blind. And he wasn't deaf. Before he could wonder aloud what Landry was nodding at in the lobby, he heard the shutter-like click of a picture being taken, and unease shot up his spine.
...He got it, to some extent. It was fine that Landry didn't trust him. It was fine that no one in Landry's building trusted him. But places like these had to have video recordings in the lobby. Even Wal-Mart kept footage of its store. Landry had acknowledged this picture. It felt like an attack at him personally. Why would they need that. It would be so easy for Landry to get him arrested. Why would he do that. Gryphon dropped Landry's hand and instead fumbled with his phone or his keys or anything else.
"Er, it's- I don't- I dunno..." He muttered stiffly, now paying almost no attention to the younger man's questions as he stepped ahead of Landry and toward his truck.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:51 pm
... Alright. Gryphon was good with his words sometimes. That talk about seeing him and liking him... It caused his cheeks to redden, and his grip on Gryphon's hand tightened.
Then suddenly, it was gone, and Landry looked up at him, confused, which then melted into irritation all too quickly. Instead of following still, he stopped and crossed his arms.
"Apparently you don't like holding it enough, huh? Tell me, where are we going?" It was obvious that shady as hell truck was their destination, but if he knew exactly where they were going, he could tell Lori. Not that she could do much.
"Use your words, Gryphon, or I'm heading back inside."
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 3:33 pm
It was fine, Gryphon tried to tell himself. It was fine, he got it, it was fine. Even if the worst possible thing he could imagine happened, it wouldn't be unbearable. He wasn't all that frightened of anything Landry and his pictures could do to him. ...Besides that he was pretty sure poncy rich boys with agendas could probably pull all sorts of s**t to make an immigrant drug-dealer's life absolute trash. He grit his teeth because even though he didn't fully believe Landry would do that- there wasn't anything to gain from it, ...besides that his sister would have one less source of drugs and Landry would have one less person harassing him- And there was still the 'you don't belong here' lingering oppressively in the back of his ******** god, why would he do that.
His truck was old. Old enough that it didn't have an automatic unlocking key fob, and he fumbled with his keys in the lock of the passenger door. He should tell Landry to go back to his room. They really didn't have any business doing anything together. People like him did not hang out with people like Landry.Gryphon glanced up from his truck's door handle to see Lan still standing well away from him.
'Use your words, Gryphon, or I'm heading back inside.'
Landry didn't trust him. Hell, Landry didn't even like him. Every second they spent together had to be coerced out of him, with the asterisk that Lan wasn't pleased about it. Landry would leave. He would complain. He would get frustrated and snap. Gryphon had wanted to do something that would make him smile, that would make him relax. But that wasn't Gryphon's talent, and Landry barely trusted him to try.
Gryphon sighed. "It's pretty tonight," he murmured softly. 'It's pretty, and I thought of you.' "I wanted to take you outside the city, away from the lights, maybe we'd just spend some time looking up."
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 4:30 pm
The mood had shifted between them, and Landry couldn't pin point why exactly it was happening. Was Gryphon over thinking something? Was he actually plotting something bad?
No, that couldn't be it. Something else had caused that grin to fade away. It was only natural for Landry to feel uneasy. And with that unease, came the need to fix things.
"That sounds really nice, actually. I haven't seen real stars in years, the city's so bright..." After the door was opened, came closer and sighed too, placing his hand over Gryphon's for a moment.
"Alright, spill it? What's wrong? You're acting... Well, you're acting like me, all weird and moodswingy. Did I do something wrong? I thought I was in a good mood and it seemed like it."
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:20 pm
Gryphon scoffed softly. "No one acts like you, Lan," he muttered. Pale fingers laid over top of his, Landry's long, slender, manicured digits a stark and obvious contrast to the dark, heavy, and rough set of Gryphon's own. They really were nothing alike, and he had no business being 'moodswingy' over Landry's... precautions. Assuming that was all it was and not some attempt at sabotage, which was, admittedly, probably not something to be immediately ruled out.
The thought of it stung, though. Whether it had any business to or not, it did. "I, uh- It's... nothing," he decided at length. "Nothin' that's your fault, nothin' you can do anything about." Gryphon understood the need, so why did it bother him like this?
"I've had a really good time with you, Lan, y'know? Even when it's just watchin' you glower at me over a pile a pillows or eat a cupcake. It's like- It's like... watching someone explore," he settled on. "No matter how mundane the activity, when I see you do something, it always looks like you're going at it like it's something new. Doing something new, or lookin' at something new. Doing a judgement on something new..."
"And that is kinda funny to me, to watch you like that. So I like hanging out with you, and I'm trying really hard, Landry, cause I know you aren't so easy to please."
He twisted his hand beneath Landry's, putting his palm up, so the other man's was laying in his. "You don't trust me." It was fine, for all the moodswing Gryphon was going through, maybe that meant he didn't really trust Landry, either. "I know it's how you are. You can't help it. But if you aren't at least enjoying what we do together, please stop wasting my time, because if I cause you more agitation than happiness-" As often seemed the case. "I'm not going to keep bothering you."
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 6:02 am
"Whether or not it's my fault doesn't matter. If something's bothering you, I want to hear it. It's not as if you've kept your thoughts to yourself before." All this talk, this flatterying, saying how much he liked Landry was bothering the blonde boy. It felt as if hew as laying it on thick just to make sure that he didn't get upset. Understandable, of course. Landry did have a habit of getting flustered or angry about the tiniest thing.
And then it clicked. You don't trust me.. It was the photograph, wasn't it? The way the cameras followed him, and how he had clutched his phone, ready to send a text message to Lori the moment he felt ill at ease. His shrewd expression softened and he sighed, tucking the phone back into his pocket.
"If I didn't like you, you wouldn't have been able to come into this building. If I didn't like spending time with you, I wouldn't have responded to your text, or would have blocked your number.... Yes, I don't trust you, but you said so yourself before, I'm boring and stay in my house constantly. It takes a long time to warm up to anything." After Gryphon held his hand again, he smiled just a little, giving it a little squeeze before letting it go.
"You know what I do like about you? That you try. Like you said, you try really hard to make me happy even though you get nothing out of it except a smile here and there. I hope you can look past this distrust. Just call it paranoia, or a hangup." With his hands free, he grabbed onto the seat of the truck and hoisted himself up, trying very, very hard to ignore the dirt that was surely going to be covering him later.
"Now, hurry up and get in the truck. Talking about wasting my time... I came down here to spend time with you, and if you're not in here beside me, then what am I here for?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:03 am
"I know. I really do, mate. I get it." Gryphon tried to assure him. "'M not, I dunno, mad or nothin.'" There were at least a dozen avenues with which Lan could take to be rid of him, and none of them were quite as convoluted as the worst Gryphon could come up with. And there really wasn't anything for either of them to do about whatever trust deficiencies they had besides just... be patient. That, or stop hanging out entirely. But besides their first meeting, Landry hadn't been entirely cold to him or actively pushed him away, such to imply that he didn't want the company.
...Gryphon didn't really understand the why of that, but he did know that someone as high-strung and prone to feeling hurt as Landry did had reason to be wary of him. He got it. Or that's what he kept telling himself.
Landry climbed in (Gryphon was all too aware of the lack of complaint, which he'd been all but expecting), and Gryph shut the door behind him, causing a familiar, though still slightly disconcerting, rattle. He'd probably never know what it was. He rounded the back of his truck toward the driver's side, raking a hand back through his mauvey tight curls as he did. He did try. Maybe not with his job, maybe not even with his life, but when it came to people, particularly those who so desperately needed to be unwound, he did try.
He wanted to keep trying...
He slid into the driver's seat, and turned the key in the ignition. His ol' girl came to life with a rumble and a roar, and Gryphon leaned back.
"Y'know, it's... kinda new for me too," he hummed quietly. "You're not used to going on dates, but I'm not really used to going on dates with someone with quite as high standards as you've got." That, and it'd be hard to classify anything he'd done since coming to America as a 'date.' ********' crike, he was moody. He squinted into the mirror as he backed up. "Anyway, sorry it's festy in here. Didn't actually think of comin' to snap ya up til I already wanted to."
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:01 am
He was going to die, wasn't he? Not from Gryphon doing anything horrid to him, but just the state of this vehicle and how loudly and painfully it grumbled and roared. They were going to get stranded on the side of the road and then a murderer was going to come out and kill them both.
... No, he was a Corrupted Senshi, he reminded himself. He had the power to protect himself, to protect the both of them... It would be fine. With that reminder he loosened his grip he had on the inside of his sleeves and let out a breath he was holding.
"I don't mind the mess.. If anything is making me uneasy, it's this truck. I haven't been in something this noisy... Ever, I think. Are you sure it's gonna take us where you want to go?" His nerves wouldn't exactly let him go, so he sought out comfort in the form of reaching out to grasp onto Gryphon's hand after they had got on their way. Surely he only needed one hand to drive and he could cling to this one.
"Hmm... It's nice to hear that, in a way. I feel less at a disadvantage in this whole dating thing. If you get bored of me being all high strong, it's not hard to simply never contact me again." He paused, looking out the window, then returned his gaze to Gryphon. "Though I'm sure I'd be sad if I didn't see your rather s**t-eating grin every now and then."
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2019 7:11 am
Gryphon shot the other boy an incredulous look. "Scared of Fat Amy?" He asked, having thought absolutely nothing of the security of his vehicle since... Well, since he'd gotten her, probably. Maybe it was a possibility that the ol' girl would go down, given her age and the rather demanding load Gryphon expected of her, but he'd always imagined he gave her enough attention to keep her wanting to live for him.
"She won't let me down, Lan," Gryphon promised with a decisive nod. "Just has lots to say and wants you to listen, is all." But despite what he thought were words of comfort and assurance, Landry's fingers found and clutched at Gryphon's own.
He felt himself relax further at the contact and lightly rubbed his thumb against the back of Landry's hand. "S'alright... Even if we break down in the middle of an intersection and get plowed by someone not paying us no mind, Fat Amy's got the protective girth to keep us from getting banged up too bad." But he really ought to quit talking like that. What the hell would he do if he didn't have a car to go places? Would it even be worth living...?
Probably best not to think on that too much, either.
He snorted softly. " I dunno if 'bored' is the right word, mate..." Gryphon teased softly. So much as futile. If it ever began to feel completely futile that he could at least make this poor blond boy relax a little, then... Well, it wouldn't make him feel particularly great about himself, would it? "Don't figure you have to worry about that, though, Lan. It'll always be you who's the one that can call those shots."
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