The Devil Child

Chapter Fifty-Nine

 "Are you ready?"

Gryphon was shaking in his seat. He was nervous, beyond belief. Of course he was; this was not like talking at a talk show, or being interviewed like before. Tanner and his father were going to go head to head, and he would be there, with them all.

And, to add more drama to it, he and Tanner hadn't even had a proper conversation since Tanner had confessed his feelings for him. He had so many questions that hadn't been answered, and his chest suddenly always felt tight, and he was always craving cigarettes.

If Tanner was someone different, if he wasn't running for Governor, Gryphon would act on his feelings. But, Tanner was in the lights, always in headliners, always being watched. Him being gay? That would change the results of the election for sure.

I want you too, Gryphon. I want you too.

They'd traveled miles to Burlington, and now wasn't the time to flake. Now wasn't the time to back out, so Gryphon took a deep breath and nodded. He wanted to reach for Tanner's hand to give it a squeeze, but he held himself back.

Somewhere, in another room getting ready, was Tanner's father. Straightening his tie, or going over his answers. Somewhere, Tanner's father was ready to take them down, like he had been during the entire election period.

Gryphon watched Tanner mess with his own tie, fiddling with the position. Unlike Gryphon, he looked ready for action, with his expression determined and his demeanor confident. He was ready for the fight that would ensue, and he wasn't going to back down, not now.

"I'm ready. I'm just... nervous. I won't be up there with you tonight. Will you be okay?"

Tanner turned to face him, his dark hair gelled back. He looked dangerous, lethal, ready to fight for gay rights. Ready to be Governor. In that moment, he looked more grown up than Gryphon had ever seen him. "I'll be fine, Gryph. My father is an asshole who's had it too good for far too long."

Gryphon turned away from Tanner, trying to ignore his feelings towards the older boy. Not a moment later, Lennard stepped through the door of the room they were in, looking more stressed out than Tanner did.

Both brothers wore similar suits, but the difference in age made Lennard seem a little too young to be involved in intense politics, such as becoming Governor. "Tanner, you ready? You go on in five."

Tanner nodded, looking at ease in his chair. "I'm going to squash dad like the bug he is."

Lennard crossed the room and put his hands on Tanner's shoulders, bending low to look into his eyes. "Remember, take what dad taught us, and play it back to him ten times worse."

Tanner grinned, standing up and knocking Lennard's hands off of his shoulders. He placed a hand on Lennard's head and ruffled his groomed hair. "Don't worry lil bro, you've got nothing to worry about. Heart beats politics."

Lennard sure hoped Tanner was right.

Tanner was called from the room from a staff worker, and Gryphon and Lennard both looked at each other, their breath caught in their throats. This was the first time Tanner would go head to head with his father, and both boys knew this was a make-or-break situation.

Gryphon's phone chimed in his pocket, and he fished it out in time to see his Minny's contact number flash on the screen. He pressed the phone to his ear, intrigued. "Benjamin?"

"Gryphon, hey. I'm calling because we've heard some stuff we thought you'd be interested in hearing."

Lennard met Gryphon's eyes. "I'm going out to listen. I'll see you out there?"