Gryphon didn't know why he followed Tanner. He had no reason to. It was true that he had no business being in the family reunion that was taking place in the dining room. He didn't know the girl with the purple hair, and he didn't know the boy that accompanied her. But, despite not knowing them, that didn't mean he had to follow Tanner.

You know why, the voices in his head told him, but he ignored them. He refused to listen to them. To believe them. Instead, he followed Tanner down the hallway, towards the staircase. It was there that Tanner turned on him, determination in his eyes. It matched the determination that he had when he was beating the gay out of Gryphon. Those hard set eyes, wanting to fix the world.

"You're following me. Why?"

Gryphon didn't have an answer, but he forced himself to speak. "I have no reason to be in that dining room." It was the truth. He wasn't like the rest of them. He didn't belong. Polly had always known she was gay, and she didn't lose faith in herself. She was strong where he was weak. Kenzie too. He knew nothing of her, except that she was with Polly. Outwardly gay. Out of the closet. Not a coward, like Gryphon was.

Gryphon hated himself so much he told himself the gay camp worked. That he was cured, as if being gay was some sort of illness that was plaguing him. Keeping him from truly living.

"And you have reason to follow me?" Tanner's voice was hard, but not uninviting. It was hard, but not mean spirited.

Gryphon hesitated for a moment. What reason did he have, to follow Tanner? The man in front of him was the same man who ruined his childhood. But the man in front of him looked worn. He looked tired. His brown hair was messy. His shirt was nearly halfway unbuttoned, and untucked from his pants. He looked worse for wear, but not evil. Not like the man in the camp.

"You inspired me, when you said that speech. I just... I felt like I should follow you." And now, you're tripping over your words. Get a fucking grip. Gryphon itched for a cigarette. He almost itched to be back in school, where his worries were smaller, less prominent, easy to run from. Here in this house, his problems were in his face. Demanding. Not as easy to run from.

Tanner gripped the staircase railing tightly. "Then come upstairs. You can stay, but you have to be quiet."
The way Tanner spoke to him sounded like he was speaking to a child, but Gryphon didn't care. He probably would have, at one point, but his abrasive personality was dampened here. He saw no reason to be loud and obnoxious in this house. In front of Tanner.

Upstairs, light spilled through the windows. Tanner didn't look back at Gryphon, not once, not even when he entered his temporary room. It was nothing more than a guest bedroom with a desk, but that was enough for Tanner.

He sat down at the desk and pulled out a notebook from the bag slung across the back of the chair. Immediately, he put pen to paper and began to write furiously. The sound of the pen on the paper was hard, demanding. Desperate. The wrote fast and clumsy, no time for correcting any mistakes.

Gryphon was entranced. As someone who barely wrote anything by hand anymore, it inspired him. He didn't know why, or how to even put it in words, but Tanner was inspiring him. It was a terrifying thought.

Gryphon sat on the bed gingerly. Beside the bed was a book on the bedside table, right beside a lamp. It was a hardcover book without a sleeve, and the gold words on the spine were in a different language.

"You speak more than just English?" Gryphon couldn't stop the question from being asked.

Tanner continued to write, his back straight. For a moment, Gryphon thought he wouldn't answer, thinking perhaps Tanner was in his own world and didn't hear him. But then, Tanner stopped writing, and he turned around in his chair.

"Yeah. My mother, she was bilingual. Mostly because her girlfriend wasn't from here. She was dutch. That book is also dutch. My mom gave it to me when I was younger, and told me that one day, when I was finally fluent in the language, I would read it. Of course, as a child, I thought it was some magical quest. That the book would answer all of my questions. After my mom died, I really believed it. So, I studied the language, and finally read the book."

Gryphon picked it up, thumbing through the pages. He understood none of it. "And did it answer your questions?"

Tanner laughed. It was carefree; the laugh of a boy who had no worries in the world. "It was about a power hungry man who started with nothing, but became the king of the land. And his son, the prince, followed in his footsteps. When the prince took over, he was the same type of ruler as his father. It doesn't have a happy ending."

The book was well-read. The pages were dog-eared, teared, stained. "So, it did have a moral. Your mom was obviously thinking about your dad and about you. And about what would happen if you lived with him."

Tanner cocked his head to the side, confused, but said nothing. Gryphon was right, of course. The story was similar to Tanner's life, and he's surely seen the parallels, but it wasn't something he talked to others about.

Gryphon set the book down. "You could make it a happy ending, Tanner. You may have grown up with a power hungry father, and grew up into his shoes, but you can make a change in yourself. People are depending on you to make that change."

"Why do you even talk to me? I destroyed you."

Gryphon couldn't meet his gaze. His cheeks felt on fire, but he knew his dark skin would hide it. His felt embarrassed for how he was acting. He should have been angry. He should have ruined Tanner the moment he had the chance, and now he did. The man was in front of him, completely vulnerable.

"Because you're not the same person you were in those camps. You're different, and I'm healing. I went to therapy for years after that camp, and while I thought it was stupid and a waste of time and money, it did help me. It helped me move on from the anger I felt. I'm healing, Tanner. I'm realizing that what you did to me in there, it didn't change a thing. I'm still gay. I always will be."

It felt good to admit it, finally. To stop pretending he was fixed. That he was something he so clearly wasn't.

Tanner didn't have an answer for Gryphon. Instead, he turned to his notebook and stared at the angry dark lines, dug deep into the paper because of how hard he'd been pressing the pen while writing. He took the notebook in shaking hands, and released a deep breath.

"Let me read this to you. Tell me what you think, please. And don't hold anything back. I want all your critiques."

Gryphon listened, and what he heard was emotional. It had more urgency than the one he said in the dining room, but the speeches were similar. This one was more planned, it was raw, it was passionate. Just listening to Tanner speak made Gryphon forget that this man wasn't gay. Because the way he talked about LGBTQ rights made Gryphon believe that he too was a part of the injustice. That he was being targeting for his safety as well.

That was how good it was. That Gryphon forgot Tanner was straight.

It was a punch to his stomach, seeing him read off of the page, his back bent, his hands shaking with the intensity of the grip he had on the notebook. The tips of his ears were red, his voice was loud and hard, and while he was only reading to a boy on his bed, Tanner sounded like he was delivering a speech to the entire state.

If anything, Tanner had no issues with public speaking.

"It's good, Tanner." Gryphon's voice shook. "It sounds like you have a personal stake in this. Like your father becoming Governor would ruin your life."

Tanner stood up so quickly that the chair fell backwards. He didn't face Gryphon, though, but the boy knew Tanner was crying from the way his shoulders shook with what could be sobs. "It would ruin my life! Seeing Polly locked away because of me again? Seeing you locked away? That would ruin me. And it would be all because I forced you both to come out of the closet for this!"

Gryphon didn't know how to react. If this was a girl, he'd get up and wrap her in his arms. He knew how to react around women, because he'd been with so many, despite the lack of attraction. He knew how to sweep a girl off of her feet. But Tanner? He was stiff on the bed, unsure if he should hug him.

Hug the man who tortured you. You're sick in the head!

Gryphon stood and placed a hand on Tanner's shoulder. "Tanner, it'll be alright."

Tanner turned, his hands dropping the notebook and gripping Gryphon's shoulders tightly. He was crying, his eyes red and his cheeks wet. "No, it won't be! If this all fails, I'll be the one responsible for ruining you and Polly both! I couldn't live with myself for that. I can't afford to fail."

Gryphon's shoulders were hurting from how hard Tanner was gripping them, but he said nothing. The man was hurt, obviously. Crumbling under the pressure he had to win, to save everyone in the state from his own father. The confident man he once knew was gone.

He grabbed Tanner's face with both hands. "Tanner, you need to focus. You're the only one who can do this. You know how to be a politician. You know how to win people over. You've been doing it for years with your smiles, your promises, your outwardly appearance and niceties. You know how to play dirty. Now, you have to do it against your father. But if any of us can do this, it's you."

Gryphon tried not to focus on the stubble beneath his fingers. He tried not to focus on the fact that Tanner's face was in his hands, and he could pull the man to him so easily. Just a few more inches, and they would be kissing.

But, Tanner was broken, and the last thing he needed was a kiss from a hormonal boy. Especially because he was straight. Especially because he was a torturer.

"Gryphon, what if I fail? Minny and Lennard believe in me. Maybe Polly does. Maybe you do. But my father is a cunning man. And he has control over the entire state. He'll win for sure. And then you're fucked. If you do this, if you come out in front of everyone and I lose, there will be no going back."

Gryphon gripped Tanner's face harder. "No. You will not go there. You need to focus. You need to get back to that notebook, and you need to write. You need to think of your mother, and what she would want. You need to think of all the training your dad put your through. You need to be in the mindset of a politician. You need to breathe."

Tanner laughed, despite the situation occurring. "Out of everyone, why is it you helping me out? After all I've done?"

Gryphon wanted to ask himself the same thing. Why was he doing this? He could just as easily run away from this all together, and he'd be safe. He'd continue to pretend to be straight, and things would continue to go smoothly.

But even he knew that lifestyle was horrid. And he knew he wanted to be a part of the change. And that included Tanner.

But this? This was extreme. Even for him.

"Because someone has to."

Tanner released him, and Gryphon followed, letting go of his cheeks. His shoulders were surely covered in bruises from how tight Tanner had held him, but he wasn't complaining. Instead, he was strong. He needed to be.

"I'll get you some tea or coffee. What do you need?"

Tanner sat down and looked up at him, his eyes wet and wide. "Tea. I'm sure Lennard has mint; it's my favorite."

Just like Benjamin and his mint gum, Gryphon recalled. So, the two were more like brothers than Gryphon originally thought.

He turned from the bedroom and once in the hallway, he collected himself. He controlled his breathing. He closed his eyes. And he tried to forget about how much he had wanted to kiss Tanner a few moments before.

You're gay, but he isn't. He tortured you. He's straight. His reminders were sounding less and less important to him.

Downstairs, he didn't bother bothering Lennard. He dug through the cupboards in the kitchen until he stumbled upon coffee and tea, and of course, mint tea was sitting there. When he took down the box, he noticed it was nearly empty. All of them have a thing for mint. All three of them.

He didn't noticed the girl behind him until she was behind him and he tripped over her when he went to step back. His head hit the ground, but the pain wasn't too bad. Just dull and aching.

"What the fuck?"

The girl looked at him, her head cocked. She looked curious, but not trusting. If anything, she didn't get too close to him on purpose, unless she was looking to trip him.

"Why did you do that? Fuck, my head hurts." When Gryphon pushed himself to a sitting position, the girl flinched back in fear. Quick as her fox friend, she stood and grabbed the mint tea, then went back to all fours. Almost fast enough to miss.

"Hey, I need that for Tanner." Gryphon leaned forward to swipe the box, but she was faster. She dodged him, but cornered herself in the process. The sound that came from her throat sounded like a whine.

"Okay, okay. You don't want me using the mint tea. Is it because Lennard likes it? You're worried I'm stealing it from him?"

He knew she wouldn't answer, but the whining she made got the attention of the person he knew would help him out. Lennard rounded the corner into the kitchen fast, surveying the scene before deeming it safe.

"What's happening?"

The girl moved to him immediately, hiding behind Lennard's legs.

"She tripped me because I was trying to make Tanner some mint tea. Apparently, she thinks I'm stealing it from you."

Lennard didn't bother helping Gryphon up. Instead, he spun and bent down to his girl. He grabbed her chin softly, lovingly. "Hey, it's alright. I know that it's my favorite, but I can afford to share. Thank you for guarding it, though. That was sweet of you."

She ducked her head, shy and embarrassed. She slid the box towards him, not meeting Lennard's eyes.

He brought her face back to his. "Hey now, don't be like that. I'm not mad at you." He kissed her forehead softly, his lips lingering there for a beat too long. Then, he stood and handed Gryphon the tea.

"She's protective. I hope you will forgive her." His words translated to: if you don't like her, you can leave.

Gryphon took the tea. "It's alright. She's forgiven. It just frightened me, is all."

There was so much Gryphon wanted to ask, like why the girl was even there, but he knew better. He knew his place, and he knew when he would overstep. And he didn't want to know what would happen when he overstepped.

Lennard leaned against the counter. "Funny, how all three of us like mint. Must've been a trait from our asshole father."

Gryphon steeped the tea in the hot water. "I was just thinking about that. Though, Minny likes mint gum more than tea, I think."

Lennard nodded his head, humming. "That's because our mom used to have this mint leaf plant. He would chew on them all day when we were kids. Mint gum was the next best thing after the plant died. After our mom became a shell of who she was."

Gryphon wanted to ask, but didn't press it. He felt like he wasn't close enough to Lennard to ask that. He wasn't even close enough to Minny to ask that.

"Ah. So you and Tanner prefer brewing the leaves, but Ben likes to chew them. How... odd."

"Ben," Lennard mused. "It's weird that you call him that."

Gryphon took the steaming mug off of the counter, turning towards Lennard with it in his hands. "Is it? That's what he goes by in school."

Gryphon caught on fast that he went by Minny, but Gryphon didn't know that side of him. He was Benjamin to him. Freshly pressed, neat, well groomed. This Minny version sounded much more wild, much more enthusiastic than the boy he saw in school.

"Well. I'm going to bring this tea to Tanner, I guess." Gryphon held up the tea as a gesture to leave, and Lennard accepted it, though he could have kept Gryphon waiting. Secretly, he was glad Lennard didn't ask any questions, because he wasn't sure how he'd answer them.

When he entered Tanner's bedroom, gone was the man who'd been crying. The man at the desk looked different, more put together. He'd swapped his unbuttoned shirt for a fresh one, that was now tucked in and buttoned. His hair was brushed. He looked much more put together.

When Gryphon handed him the mug, Tanner smiled. It was professional, but it was stunning. Trustful. Welcoming. Everything that Tanner had been in the camp. And Gryphon knew just how deceiving it was.

"Thank you, Gryphon. Now, let's write that speech."

* * *

Sorry not sorry that there is something romantic going on

how is everyone?? enjoying their weekends, hopefully!!

It's the last week of classes for me, and then finals. Soooo the year is almost over

(thank god)

how do you feel about tanner and gryphon?

love you all! xoxo