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oldchadroman · 3 months ago

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Soul lay beside Griff, his breathing still steadying from their chase, the warmth of the afternoon sun filtering through the trees above them. It was one of those rare moments where the world felt quiet, where nothing was pulling them apart, no battles to fight, no impossible burdens to bear. Just them.

"Hey, Soul," Griff started, his voice uncharacteristically careful, measured.

Soul turned his head to look at him, brows raising slightly at the tone. "What is it?"

Griff hesitated, then took a slow breath. "I just… I wanted to ask you about something." He glanced at Soul, catching the faintest shift in his expression—the way his ears perked slightly, how his hands tensed just a bit against the dirt. Like he was bracing for something.

"Alright?" Soul prompted, though there was a sliver of uncertainty in his voice now.

Griff scratched the back of his head, thinking for a moment before carefully choosing his words. He didn’t want to make this weird. He didn’t want to embarrass Soul, but he had to know.

"Did you really mean all that stuff you said?"

Soul blinked at him, confused. "What stuff?"

Griff turned his gaze back to the canopy above, his voice softer now. "The things you said when I was out. Back at the cabin."

Soul went rigid. His ears flattened, his tail twitched, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. His mouth opened, but no words came out at first, like his brain was scrambling to process what Griff had just said.

"You—" Soul started, his voice caught between a stammer and a choke.

Griff turned his head then, his expression gentle but unreadable, watching as Soul’s entire face flushed beneath his fur. His eyes darted away, ears pinned back, his body suddenly unbelievably tense, as if desperately looking for an escape.

"H-How much did you hear?" Soul finally managed, voice cracking slightly.

"Enough," Griff interrupted before Soul could spiral further, sitting up slightly and resting his arms on his knees. "Enough to know you’ve felt that way for a while. And enough to know I never considered the idea of us actually being… well, a thing. I didn’t realize that’s how you truly felt about me."

Soul froze, his entire body wound so tight it might snap. He was so, so ready to dig a hole in the dirt and bury himself in it.

Griff sighed, rubbing his neck, and after a moment of silence, he finally continued, his voice carrying a note of apology. "And I’m sorry, Soul. For always putting you through so much. For being so oblivious. For not noticing your love in the same way you saw it in me."

Soul sucked in a breath, his heart pounding, his mind scrambling for what to say, but Griff wasn’t done.

"But if…" Griff hesitated, then let out a breathy chuckle. "If the way we are now is what you're looking for—this playful bantering, being close to each other, without the word ‘friends’ keeping us apart—then I'd be alright with that."

Soul stared.

His mind blanked.

His heart pounded in his chest, words jammed in his throat, and for the first time in a long while, he had no clue what to say.

Griff let out a soft chuckle, mostly to himself, as he leaned back on his hands and gazed up at the sky. The leaves above shifted lazily in the breeze, spots of golden sunlight filtering through the canopy, dancing across his face. He sighed, shaking his head with a half-smirk, like the absurdity of it all had just finally sunk in.

"And here I was," he murmured, "thinking I could never find it. Not unless it was with Her."

Soul, still recovering from the emotional wrecking ball that had just hit him, blinked at Griff in confusion. "Her?"

Griff tilted his head just slightly, giving Soul a knowing glance, his smile tinged with something… softer. More melancholic.

Soul’s stomach twisted in realization.

"Oh," he muttered.

Griff didn’t linger on it, though. His gaze wandered back up to the sky, as if watching something far beyond it, something only he could see.

Then, after a beat of silence, he spoke again. "Are you really fine with me?"

Soul stiffened. "What?"

Griff finally turned his gaze back toward him, and for once, there was no teasing glint in his eyes. No cocky smirk, no playful bravado—just earnestness.

"Flaws and all," Griff continued, voice quieter now. "You know who I am, Soul. You know I can be reckless. Selfish. A manipulative, untrustworthy bastard, even to the people I care about most." He let out a slow breath, his fingers idly tracing the dirt beside him. "So are you really fine with me?"

Soul was quiet for a moment, but then his jaw tightened, his brows furrowing.

"You’re an idiot," he muttered.

Griff arched a brow. "That a yes?"

"Of course, it’s a yes," Soul huffed, ears twitching in frustration. "You think I haven’t seen all of that already? You think I don’t know the kind of person you are?" He met Griff’s gaze then, his expression serious. "I don’t care how reckless you are. I don’t care how many times you push yourself to the brink, or how damn frustrating you can be." His ears flattened slightly, and his voice dropped lower. "None of that changes how I feel."

Griff stared at him for a beat, then exhaled a laugh, shaking his head. "You’re a real sap, you know that?"

Soul crossed his arms, ears flicking indignantly. "Shut up."

Griff's grin softened slightly, but then his expression turned a little more pensive. His fingers drummed against his knee. "And what about the others? You know how they’ve teased us before."

Soul stiffened.

That… was true.

The group had never been subtle about it—Blood was the worst of them, always throwing in some sarcastic remark about them being "lovebirds" whenever they were within five feet of each other. Lyria always gave that knowing smile, and Elyas? Elyas was too damn observant for his own good.

Soul let out a long breath, ears flicking in thought.

"If we’re… a thing," he started slowly, "they’re gonna know. They’re gonna pick up on it immediately."

"Oh, definitely," Griff agreed without hesitation. "Blood’s probably going to be insufferable about it."

Soul groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. "Damn it."

"We could keep it a secret," Griff suggested with a teasing lilt, though the mischievous look in his eyes betrayed his real thoughts.

Soul narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah, because that would work out great."

Griff shrugged, smirking. "You never know, we might be able to sneak one past them."

Soul rolled his eyes, but his tail flicked, and Griff caught it. It wasn’t a flick of annoyance.

It was consideration.

Soul exhaled sharply through his nose, arms still crossed, ears twitching in contemplation. His tail flicked behind him, and Griff could see the gears turning in his head. Soul was always like this—overthinking. Calculating every possible outcome before making a decision.

Griff let the silence linger for a moment, then leaned in just a little, voice dropping to a lower, almost challenging tone.

"Well, Soul? What will it be?"

Soul’s brow furrowed, his blue eyes flicking up to meet Griff’s crimson and green gaze.

Then, slowly, his shoulders relaxed.

With a long sigh, he looked off to the side, ears tilting back slightly before he finally—finally—answered.

"Screw it," he muttered, a faint smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. "Let them talk."

Griff grinned. "Oh, they will."

"I know," Soul groaned, running a hand down his face.

Griff chuckled, then nudged Soul’s shoulder with his own, his grin turning a little softer. "Hey, you made the call. No take-backs now."

Soul shot him a halfhearted glare, but the warmth in his expression betrayed him. His tail flicked again—this time, against Griff’s.

Griff caught that too.

Soul’s ears flicked up sharply, his head turning slightly toward the sound of approaching footsteps. He let out a low sigh, muttering, “They’re coming.”

Griff grinned like a fox that had just stolen from the henhouse, resting his chin on his knuckles as he glanced sideways at Soul.

"Alright then, on a scale of one to ten, how obvious should we make it when they get here?"

Soul visibly tensed, tail flicking behind him as his face betrayed the slightest hint of panic.

"Griff—" he started, but the smug look on Griff’s face already told him it was too late. "Hurry up, I need an answer," Griff replied, with a wide grin etched across his face, "Or else I'll just have to assume a ten."

Soul growled lowly, ears flicking back as his tail bristled. "Absolutely not. You are not making this a ten."

Griff laughed, leaning back on his hands as he stretched. "Fine, fine. Nine, then."

Soul grabbed his wrist immediately, glaring. "Three. At most."

Griff arched a brow, smirking as he wiggled his fingers free from Soul’s grasp. "Three? What, you want to be subtle about it? Where’s the fun in that?"

Before Soul could respond, the others were already stepping into the clearing. Too late.

"Ahhhh you guy's finally caught up with us," Griff shot, giving them a playful smirk, "thought we'd have to go back and drag you here ourselves right Soul?" Griff elbowed Soul and Soul grunted, shooting Griff a side-eyed glare, though the faint twitch of his ears betrayed his amusement. "Right," he muttered, rubbing his arm where Griff elbowed him.

Blood stared at them, ears perked as he crossed his arms, his nose twitching like he was sniffing out a secret. "Huh. You two seem… chipper."

Elyas narrowed their eyes, looking between the two of them. "You’re both acting weirder than usual," they noted, tapping a finger against their chin.

Lyria, however, was already smirking, as if she'd figured it out immediately. "You know," she started, folding her hands behind her back, "it almost seems like you two were in the middle of something."

Griff grinned, leaning slightly against Soul as he shot back, "Us? Oh no, we were just taking in the sights, enjoying a little quality time together."

Soul stiffened but quickly composed himself, keeping his expression neutral—though the slight flick of his tail gave him away.

Elyas narrowed their eyes further. "Uh-huh. And exactly how much quality time are we talking about here?"

Griff sighed dramatically, tilting his head towards Soul. "Well, that depends on Soul. He only gave me a three."

Soul’s ears shot straight up, and his fur bristled as he snapped, "Griff!"

Blood immediately choked on air, coughing as he slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a howling laugh. "He what?! A three?!"

Elyas blinked in disbelief, their eyes darting between Griff and Soul. "Wait, hold on—what scale are we even talking about here?"

Lyria, who had already been smirking, now fully grinned, her ghostly form almost shimmering with amusement. "Oh, I think we all know exactly what scale we're talking about," she said with pure mischief in her tone.

Soul, meanwhile, looked like he was about to die on the spot. His fur bristled, his tail lashed, and his ears were flattened against his head. "I—I did not—" He stammered, trying to get words out, but he kept glaring daggers at Griff, who was very obviously enjoying himself.

"Man," Blood wheezed, shaking his head, "you really undersold it, Soul. A three? After all that tension?"

Griff sighed theatrically, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Right? Here I was, being generous, and all I get is a measly three."

Lyria nudged Elyas, whispering, "They’re already acting like an old married couple."

Elyas just groaned, rubbing their temples. "You two are going to be insufferable, aren’t you?"

Griff grinned wider, leaning into Soul’s space even more. "That depends—how much would you rate us?"

Soul let out a deep, suffering sigh, covering his face with one hand. "I hate all of you."

DnD campaign go brrrr, and the GriffSoul ship has finally sailed :D

#art #digital art #oc art #original art #dnd #dnd art #dungeons and dragons #furry art #anthropomorphic #sfw furry #anthro art #wholesome #lgbtq

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