6. Break Away
Kyn had a fairly good singing voice when he picked something that fit his vocal range. Grimm even gave him some pointers about projection and breathing exercises. Now he really wished he hadn't.
He was sure Taylor had good intentions at first. She introduced Kyn to some radio stations and had cycled through quite a few so he could broaden his taste in music. In doing so, however, he seemed to take a shine to one song in particular...
"I'LL SPREAD MY WINGS AND I'LL LEARN HOW TO FLY, I'LL DO WHAT IT TAKES 'TIL I TOUCH THE SKYYYY~"
Grimm loved him, he really did, but he could only take so much of hearing him belt the same song over and over. He wasn't even trying to sing it, he was loud and off tune, and Grimm partially thought he was doing it on purpose.
"AND I'LL MAKE A WISH, TAKE A CHANCE, MAKE A CHANGE-"
Oh yeah, this definitely had to stop.
"-AND BREAAAAK AAAWAAYYY~"
"Shut UP, KYN."
7. Heaven
Grimm's not the religious type, not by far. However, as he links his hand's with Kyn's as they lay back on the grass and stare up at the sky, he thinks that maybe this is something akin to Heaven.
10. Breathe Again
Wind whips in his face, stealing the air from his lungs and making him turn his face inward against Kyn's chest. The man smiles reassuringly down at him, and Grimm's grip is white knuckled on his shoulders. He trusts the brunette with his life, but he can only bring himself to breathe easily once his feet are on solid ground once again.
17. Blood
Kyn dunks the shirt into the steaming water again, scrubbing furiously. They've been in a lot of fights over the years, ranging from small scarps to near death experiences. So, he thought sourly, he should really know how to wash out bloodstains by now.
23. Cat
Grimm is unsure when it started. He didn't notice, at first, the stray felines that hung around the garden. He doesn't see the small pawprints that start showing up on the kitchen floor either. Kyn typically does the cleaning, so he doesn't really pay much attention. So it's a surprise when Grimm walks into their bedroom to find the window open, Kyn asleep on the bed, and several snoozing felines gathered around him.
Typically, he'd be concerned as to why there were at least 6 strange cats in his house surrounding his husband. But Kyn sighs and shifts in his sleep, causing a fluffy calico that's wormed it's way into his arms to squirm closer before settling back down, and Grimm really can't bring himself to mind.
37. Eyes
"Have I ever told you," Kyn's voice is hazy and slightly slurred, "that you have lovely eyes?" The man giggles then, head falling foreword to thunk onto Grimm's shoulder. He's a little drunk, that much is obvious, and sprawled atop Grimm's body like a cat in a patch of sunlight.
He chuckles at the errant comment, patting the back of Kyn's head and watching his cheeks flush with pleasure at the attention. "Sure, Kyn. Plenty of times."
16. Questioning
It started simply enough. They met in the bar/restaurant where she worked late one night while Grimm was there with a friend. They introduced themselves, shook hands; typical friendly behaviour. Then she smiled and he felt his heart nearly stop in his chest. Her name was a mouthful and a half- Kynareth Fanacasecul, who could even say that in one breath?- and she had an accent he couldn't place, her eyes were wide and green and her hair was curly and brown, her shapely hips swayed when she walked, her lips looked soft and goddamn it he was gay! But he kept inviting her out, kept quelling the urge to kiss her, and he felt if this frustration went on any longer he might literally explode.
(Later, when he walked in on her, shirtless, standing in his bathroom and finding out that 'she' was never a she at all but a he, Grimm had never felt so relieved in his life.)
39. Dreams
"You're not feeling well?" Grimm looks concerned, but Kyn waves him off.
"It is just a headache." He reassures, seating himself heavily on the couch.
"You should take a nap or something until it passes. Just lay down, I'll go make you some tea or something." Kyn complies and Grimm leaves so he can stretch out on the earth coloured sofa and close his eyes. Despite the promise of tea, he's out before Grimm comes back.
When Kyn opens his eyes again, the light is so blindingly bright that he can't suppress the groan of pain. His mouth feels like it's been stuffed with sand, he notices with a grimace. Maybe he was sicker than he thought. He stretches, limbs feelings stiff like he'd been asleep longer than for just an afternoon nap, and flexes his fingers into the... grass? Kyn sits up, eyes wide and heart pounding. This isn't right. He was inside, when did he-
"Kynareth, what are you doing out here? I told you three hours ago to sweep the alter, not to laze around out here on the ground. Do you want the gods to be angry with you?"
He blinks. Lady Kyne's voice was one of the last things he expects to hear. He looks down at himself in confusion, still in his shrine clothes, and swears he had changed. Of course, he was supposed to have been tending to the temple while the girls were at the market, restocking the kitchen. How could he have forgotten?
"Of course, Lady Kyne, right away. My apologies." The words sounds clumsy and wrong as he says them, but he shakes the leaves from his clothes and stands. It was a dream, it had to have been, though he can't remember most of it. Still, as he picks up a broom and starts sweeping, he can't shake the image of purple eyes, pale skin, and green-blue hair.
41. Teamwork (Portal au)
At first, Grimm thinks the moment they hit the testing chambers, they'd be killed by the first turret or stray laser to come their way. He's been a test subject for a while, so he knows what he's doing. The kid he's been paired with, though? Didn't look like he could tell a dual portal device from a calculator. He learns surprisingly quick, though. Kyn, his name is, maybe a few years younger than Grimm himself. His presence makes him painfully aware about just how long it's been since he's seen another living person. It's just been him and GLaDOS for who knows how long, until one day she cheerfully announced she's found another candidate in stasis and they can finally move on to team based testing.
Despite Grimm's initial apprehension, he and Kyn work well together. The brunette is far more willing, even delighted, to use the equipment and methods that scare Grimm shitless. He takes over the parts that involve momentum and aerial faith plates and heights in general. Grimm stays on the ground and focuses on the cube-and-button/laser based test solutions, directing Kyn and navigating them through the various death traps built into the chambers.
He's infinitely grateful to Kyn for this, but unease still twists in his gut. If Kyn overshoots or missteps and falls, he can only rely on quick repositioning of his portals and the long fall boots designed to cushion his fall. And for that, he has to be able to land on his feet. Luckily, neither of them have been seriously hurt yet. Kyn has developed a few bruises from some particularly rough landings, Grimm has obtained some shallow grazes from close calls with the turrets, and both of them have acquired some minor burns from a combination of a misdirected laser or being in prolonged contact with the light bridge.
However, one thing he's learned about Kyn through this endeavor is that he likes to touch. When they complete tests, he'd hug or grab Grimm's hand to lead him to the next chamber. And he can't be blamed if a few times he'd admired Kyn's form beneath the thin material of their standard bright orange jumpsuit pants and white Aperture Science tank tops. The guy has some seriously nice back muscles (and a great ass). It's completely spur of the moment when they find themselves in some small, unsurveillanced cubicle while walking between tests and Grimm spins Kyn around to press their lips firmly together. Despite Kyn's eager recuperation, they have to get moving or GLaDOS will start to get suspicious. It's not often they stumble upon somewhere without a camera hovering above them. The scattered empty cans, coffee mugs and bizarre graffiti doesn't even faze them as they stop just for a few minutes to share a moment.
This can't last, GLaDOS is going to get bored of this eventually and split them up, but Grimm has a plan. He waits, trying to determine what the AI will do next, and Kyn holds his hand even near the cameras for just a few more moments of comfort.