Maybe Something More

Part Four

"No... I don't hate you.", Chase said, looking right into Vince's eyes. "However, I do hate being on the same team as you. Playing against you is so much fun.".

Chase swore he saw something flash through Vince's eyes then... something like relief? Why would Vince be relieved, though? What did he say that would relieve Vince...

Oh.

"No... I don't hate you.", his own words came back to himself.

It was true. Chase didn't totally hate Vince, as much as he tried. Well, maybe he did hate Vince when they first met. But, after that... 'hate' wasn't the emotion that Chase felt now, thinking about his teammate, his co-captain, his classmate... his maybe-friend and his maybe-something-more. There was definitely something there that wasn't there before between them... at least from Chase's side, there was.

Chase then remembered the urge to protect Vince he felt yesterday morning when the glass in his window shattered. And then the rage he felt that something — someone — was trying to hurt his... his Vince... he had snapped and turned into his griffin form right in front of the person he had been telling earlier that he didn't want to tell his secret. The next emotion he had felt in that moment was a sense of calmness. He was glad that Vince then knew his secret — that he was a griffin. The only thing was... what if Vince hated him for it?

What if Vince would be disgusted that he was a monster and that he had the capability to hurt people?

Which is why he'd left the dorm room. Then, he remembered that the window couldn't have shattered on its own, so he went to find out the cause.

As it turned out, Chase and Chance's parents had been the reason behind the window shattering. Another one of their 'battles' had taken place, and Chase had been injured. He returned to the dorm room, planning on just resting and recuperating after the fight, but he saw Vince there. Then, the pain and exhaustion took over, and he passed out before even realizing that his brother was also there.

The next thing he knew, he woke up nearly 24 hours later and was almost naked and having breakfast with his maybe-something-more and his family. A perfectly normal weekend, right?

After breakfast, Chase went up to his room to freshen up. He hadn't showered in days — the last time was probably before he had gotten sick — and smelt horrible. It was a wonder his brother hadn't teased him about it. Or, Vince.

Chase found more bandages and the ointment he was supposed to put on by the sink in his bathroom. He then examined himself. He would be able to get off the shin bandage pretty easily. The one on his chest might be a bit tougher. But, the one that was on his right arm would be the challenge. How was he supposed to undo the knot that was there keeping the bandage in place without using two hands?

Then, there was a knock on the door and a voice called in, "Chance told me to come up and help you with your bandages.". It was Vince.

Chance opened the door to the bathroom and let Vince in, leaving the door slightly ajar. The boys stood in awkward silence until Chase spoke.

"Chance told you?", he asked in a slightly teasing manner.

He didn't expect Vince's answer to be quite so honest, "OK... I might have volunteered myself.".

"Why?", Chase asked.

"I think your grandpa already answered that.", Vince said, avoiding meeting Chase's eyes.

"Are you?", Chase whispered, also avoiding Vince's eyes by looking at the floor. The blue tiles on his bathroom floor were suddenly very interesting.