I haven't touched this account in *checks profile* like a year and a half, but here we are. I recently started this on Ao3 and I dropped it on Wattpad, so I figured I might as well drop it here, too.
This was a complete impulse decision, so I'm not entirely sure if this thing will end up continuing. If it does well and the current hyperfixation stays strong enough, then I'll continue it. Anyway, this came to me when I heard a rumor that Griff was originally gonna be queer coded. DO NOT quote me on this, I don't remember where I read it. True or not though, our beloved Invisible Man being gay just ... makes a lot of sense to me, which is how I ended up here.
Also, I've never written for this fandom before, so I really hope this is good and that everyone is in character, at least for the most part.
Last but not least, please do not repost this anywhere, or book bind this without my permission‼️ Heard a rumor that's been an issue apparently, so I'm not taking any chances
Hope you enjoy!
Griffin leaned against the window sill of his room, taking in a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air wafting in. It felt good to be back at the hotel. It was great seeing his friends again downstairs after spending a year apart and keeping in touch by phone, but now he was looking forward to settling in and resting after the long trip from England. Being a full-time chemist was definitely exhausting, so spending a week here to relax and cut loose was going to be very much appreciated. He stared out the window, up at the stars, wondering what shenanigans this year's party was going to lead to. Probably gonna end with the hotel being an absolute mess, us adults hungover, and the kids in a sugar coma, like every year. Griffin thought to himself with a chuckle.
"Griffin, did you finish unpacking?"
"Huh?" Griffin gasped, getting pulled out of his thoughts. He whirled around to see Crystal standing by the closet, which was now loaded with a variety of her sundresses. "Oh, yeah! You know me, always packing light! Didn't take long to get unpacked at all."
The lenses of Crystal's glasses curved upward into a smile. "Okay, good. I can't wait to, like, see what this week has in store for us. It's gonna be a-ma-zing!" she said enthusiastically, as she walked over to the bed and dramatically fell backwards onto it.
"Definitely," Griffin agreed, taking a seat on the other side of her. "Speaking of 'zings,' do you think this might be the year?"
Crystal knew this was coming. "Come on, Griff, what do I tell you, like, every year?"
Griffin sighed before raising his tone a few pitches in a lame attempt to do a voice impersonation of his best girl friend. "Your true zing isn't going to come if you keep, like, actively pursuing it. Just be patient and, like, let fate work its magic."
Crystal gasped in mock offense as she sat upright. "I do not sound like that!" she laughed as she gave Griffin a gentle shove.
Griffin laughed as well as he purposefully fell over. "You do, too!"
"Oh, sit up. I, like, did not push you that hard," Crystal chuckled.
"Ugh, you wound me!" Griffin jokingly groaned as he sat back up.
"But seriously," Crystal said, her tone losing its playfulness. "Like you said, you just, like, gotta be patient. Every year, more and more monsters come into the hotel. One of these days, your zing will, like, walk right through that door."
"Yeah, I know," Griffin sighed. "I just don't know how much longer I can wait. It sucks being the only single guy in the friend group. And besides, I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep up this charade of 'being zingers.' Or how much longer we'll even be able to stay closeted. I want them to know and to be able to tell them ourselves, but…."
"You're, like, scared of how they're gonna react," Crystal said, finishing his thought. "I get it, Griff, I'm also nervous. But, like, they're our friends, they're bound to be understanding, right? If they could, like, be accepting of humans, then I'm sure they could be accepting of us being gay."
"They also seem to like Cordelia," Griffin added. "They know you two are close, so hopefully they won't be too taken aback when you come out."
"That's actually something I wanted to, like, talk about," Crystal began. "Cordelia and I were talking and, like … we're thinking about coming out this week."
"Wait, really?" Griffin gasped, his lenses widening in surprise.
"Yeah. We're planning on telling them that we've, like, been dating since last year. But you don't have to, like, come out with us if you're not ready yet. You can just say you, like, were supportive and wanted to help cover for me while I waited to get ready," Crystal explained.
Griffin smiled. He admired Crystal for being braver than him, and he was grateful that she was still willing to cover for him while he also mentally prepared himself, even if she was already out. He knew they promised each other when they first became friends that they'd keep each other's secret until ready, but it didn't lessen his gratitude. If things go smoothly for her, perhaps it will give him the confidence he needs to come out himself. "Sounds great! Good luck, Crystal."
"Thanks!" Crystal said with a grin. "Speaking of Cordelia, I should, like, go check in and see how she's doing. Gotta make sure they gave her a bathtub with enough swim room. You can, like, come along if you want."
"I'm sure swimming isn't the only thing you want there to be room for," Griffin teased as Crystal got up to leave the room.
He laughed to himself and stood up as well when he heard her sputter a bit. "Griffin!"
"What?" he asked in an attempted innocent tone. "Obviously I was referring to the cuddle time you two value you so much!"
"Uh huh. Sure," Crystal said sarcastically as she left, Griffin right at her heels.
The invisible duo didn't have to walk far. They only had to go next door. Crystal took the honors of knocking. The door almost immediately swung open. Standing in the doorway was a tan skinned woman with long gray-ish blue hair. She was wearing a bright blue spaghetti strap tank top accompanied by a black short skirt with a white stripe down each side. Her lips immediately formed a smile when she saw the familiar pairs of floating glasses. "Crystal, Griffin, come on in!"
Crystal eagerly rushed into the room while Griffin casually trailed in behind her, shutting the door behind him so the two zingers could have their privacy. Once it was insured the door was shut, Cordelia picked up Crystal by the waist and gave her a spin. Crystal yelped in surprise before laughing. "So glad to finally be here, this place is amazing!" Cordelia exclaimed.
"Isn't it?!" Crystal agreed as she got set back down. She got onto the balls of her feet a little to give Cordelia a quick kiss. "I'm, like, so grateful you were able to come with us!"
"Anything for you, baby!" Cordelia promised, booping Crystal on the nose (with surprisingly good accuracy). "Based on the stories you told, I knew I couldn't miss this! I mean, of course I'm gonna miss my babies back home, but I'm sure they're gonna be okay."
"They have, like, some of the best marine doctors looking after them, they're going to be just fine," Crystal assured, taking hold of Cordelia's hands.
Griffin folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, smiling as he watched the two. He was happy for them, and they looked so cute together.
"So! What do you think of the room? Is it, like, comfortable enough? Anything you need?" Crystal asked.
"The room is just perfect. Nice and cozy, and the bathtub is actually pretty roomy and comfortable!" Cordelia explained. "I still have some water in it from an earlier test run, come look!" She eagerly led Crystal into the bathroom and beckoned for Griffin to come with.
Just like she said, inside the bathroom was a bathtub that was larger than average, filled with cool water. Cordelia immediately slid into the tub. As soon as her skin touched the water, green scales took over and covered her body from head to toe. Blue scales also appeared, creating spotted patterns on her face and arms. Her legs conjoined and her feet grew and became more see through, taking the form of a fish-like tail. Gills formed on her neck, so she laid down just enough to keep her neck submerged so she could breathe properly. Even when lying down, she still had plenty of room for her to move around without feeling cramped. Finally, her ears also took on a more sea monster like appearance. She was now in her true form. A siren. "You were definitely right about this place, Crys!" Cordelia said, her black irises shining with amazement. "This place really did think of everything!"
"I'm so glad you like it here!" Crystal beamed. "And this is just, like, only the beginning!"
"I can hardly wait! And I especially can't wait to spend it with you, dear," Cordelia said. Crystal's lenses curved into a smile and she leaned down so they could press their foreheads together.
"Ugh, I can get diabetes just from watching you two!" Griffin joked.
The two girlfriends blushed and pulled away. "Griffin!" Crystal scolded with a flustered laugh.
"Oh my, where are my manners?" Cordelia said, laughing as well. "I'm sorry, Griffin, I was just so excited to finally have a moment with her. How are you doing?"
"Pretty good, now that we're finally at my home away from home," Griffin said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his invisible slacks and leaning against the wall. "I'm really glad you're finally able to come visit this place with us. Thanks for coming!"
"But of course!"
"Crystal told me you two are also planning on coming out this week, huh? Can't wait to see how that goes," Griffin said.
"Oh, yes. It's … definitely going to be a little scary, but it's also really exciting. Soon we're not gonna have to act like we're just best friends in the group chat anymore!" Cordelia said.
"Or in general!" Crystal agreed.
"Hats off to you two. Hope it goes well," Griffin said. "But knowing you two, it will."
"Thanks, Griff," Crystal said as Cordelia gave him a nod of thanks.
"No problem. Now, I'm gonna let you girls have some time to yourselves. Just make sure you're downstairs in time for dinner, the buffet's gonna open in an hour," Griffin informed, pulling himself away from the wall and starting to leave the bathroom.
"All right, good to know. I'm starved!" Cordelia commented.
"See you in a bit!" Crystal said. One of the sleeves of her sundress lifted a bit, indicating a wave.
Griffin could only nod in acknowledgement before turning around and leaving the room. As he walked down the hall, he looked around, sighing in contentment. Yes, it definitely felt good to be back. He decided to head back downstairs to the lobby to continue catching up with the Drac Pack. When he got there, it didn't take him long to find the others. "Heyo!" He greeted them when he arrived.
"Dang, Griff, I didn't see you there!" Murray quipped, causing the rest of them to laugh.
"Ha ha, very funny," Griffin said sarcastically. He lost count of how many times he's heard that one at this point.
"Did you get settled in okay?" Drac asked.
"Sure did! And Crys is making sure Cordelia is settled in as well," Griffin confirmed.
"Wonderful."
"It was great finally meeting her!" Frank said, recalling how the pair of invisible people introduced them to the siren in person not long ago.
"Yeah, she's gonna be a great hang this week!" Murray agreed. He had always found Cordelia fun to talk to in the group chat, so he was looking forward to hanging out with her in person.
"Crystal and I are glad you like her already," Griffin said. More than you even know. He silently added to himself. "What about you guys? Settled in okay?"
"Oh yeah. Feels great being back, doesn't it?" Frank asked.
"Yeah! Can't wait to see how the party goes this year!" Murray said enthusiastically.
"I was actually just wondering that myself," Griffin chimed in. He chuckled a little before continuing. "It's probably gonna end the same way it always does."
"If it does, that would be fine by me," Murray said.
"Speak for yourself, I'm gonna try not to get hungover this year. Do you have any idea how bad a headache is when you have over a hundred kids?" Wayne asked.
"That's valid, but you gotta admit, it's a good excuse to have a nice bowl of monster ball soup," Frank said, practically licking his lips at the thought of Martha's beloved recipe.
"Oh, yes. That soup always has done wonders," Drac said, fondly. There was no mistake that he was perfectly happy with Ericka now, but it was still nice to recollect on his past with Martha every now and then. His tone suddenly shifted to a more serious one as he went back on track. "Anyway, hopefully it won't end with part of the hotel getting destroyed again, but if it does, whoever is responsible better help this time." To make a point, he looked directly at a wall that was freshly built.
"Oh, come on, Drac. I'm sure people won't be as careless this time!" Frank assured him.
"Yeah! I'm sure everyone here learned their lesson from last year," Wayne added. He shuddered a little, recalling Drac's anger.
The conversation carried on, but something from the corner of Griffin's eye caught his attention. He turned his head to see the revolving door turning. It was unsurprising since monsters were still coming in and he was quite used to seeing that. What got his attention was a complete stranger walking in.
A man that appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties at most in human years paused in the doorway, taking in his surroundings with a seemingly expressionless face. He was somewhat tall and fair with black hair falling down to his collarbone. Red, orange, and yellow ovals decorated the top half of his face, almost like a mask. Matching markings decorated his shoulders and biceps. His attire was simple, a black turtleneck tank top, red suspenders, and red jeans that were slightly worn at the knees. His hooked bird-like nose and hands were a bright yellow. Long, sharp, black nails grew from his fingertips, like talons. His ears were more like tiny red and gold feathered wings. His golden eyes were lined with sharp black eyeliner. The most eye-catching feature, however, was the giant pair of red and gold feathered wings coming from his back.
Griffin's lenses widened when he saw the newcomer. He felt his heartbeat start to speed up and butterflies started to flutter in his stomach. Heat rose to his face and he was thankful that his invisibility could hide his blush. The icing on the cake was a flash of pink sparkles that glossed over Griffin's lenses before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Now, Griffin had never actually seen the sparkles before. Not in his own eyes, not even in someone else's eyes. But he has heard enough stories and done enough research to know exactly what they meant.
I just- oh, Satan, I actually just-! Why does he look so serious? What is he thinking? Wait, does he see me? Or my glasses at least? Am I ready to talk to him? Dear Satan, he's hot. Oh, what have I gotten myself into?! Why so sudden?! And why in front of my friends of all people?! Wait, did they notice my glasses?! I don't think they did. I hope they didn't. Oh, crap, he's coming this way! Griffin's mind rambled as gay panic took over. He snapped out of it once he noticed that the winged stranger was, in fact, walking right in their direction. In a moment of panic, Griffin decided to do the first thing his gut told him to - get out of there. "Oh! I just realized I have to, um … handle something in my … room. Yup! Got something to take care of! I-I'll see you guys later!" he blurted before sprinting off. He didn't even want to stick around to see what the guys' reactions were.
Once he was out of sight (or at least once his glasses were), Griffin risked peering back at the scene he abandoned. Murray, Frank, and Wayne seemed confused and were looking around. No doubt in his mind that they were looking for him. Drac, on the other hand, was now talking with the feathered newcomer. Discussing a room, most likely. Griffin let out a breath of relief, realizing he seemed to have gone unnoticed by the stranger. This is not how I thought I was gonna react. Why did I have to get so nervous? Is that a normal response? I need to get it together so I can make a good first impression on him. Oh! Crystal! I gotta tell her!
Without a second thought, Griffin bolted up the stairs, straight to their rooms. He had a feeling Crystal was still in Cordelia's, so he went there first and thumped his fist against the door. "Crystal! Crystalcrystalcrystal!"
The door swung open almost immediately and Griffin rushed into the room, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.
"Woah, Griffin, what's going on?" Crystal asked.
"You're not … gonna believe this," Griffin struggled to say since he was still panting.
Crystal hesitantly reached out and grabbed his hands. "Oh my- you're, like, shaking!"
Griffin's glasses shook up and down, indicating a nod. "I know." Shaking? I must be panicking more than I thought!
Cordelia stepped up, now in her human form again. "You were only gone for not even ten minutes, what happened down there?" she asked. She and Crystal both looked at him, evidently concerned.
"It happened!" Griffin gasped.
"What did?!" Crystal asked with more urgency.
"I…." Griffin started, taking one final breath to calm his racing heart from the sprint. Come on, spit it out! He mentally demanded himself. His lenses curved downward in a smile of relief. He looked between the two of them before finally saying it.
"I zinged!"