Gryphon's Glenn

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN
Sleeping on a Pirate ship had been surprisingly soothing to Hiro. Apparently, being surrounded by water was good for him. He woke up to Jason writing furiously on a pad of paper.

"Are you alright, Jason?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah... I just got inspired to write a song," Jason replied.

"What's it about? War? Danger? Super powers?"

"Not exactly... I call it, Moon Maiden."

"That's an interesting title..."

"I thought calling it Luna would have been too obvious," Jason said with a grin.

"Jason... Are you seriously crushing on the leader of the Pirates?" Hiro asked in surprise.

"About as much as you're crushing on Jen," Jason teased him.

"I... I never said-"

"Hyung, I'd have to be blind not to see the way you look at her. Also, you gave off some serious jealousy vibes when I kissed her. I thought you were going to punch me." He laughed.

"Is it that obvious? I don't usually act like this..." Hiro felt himself blushing. "She's an empath... I think I'll die of embarrassment if I find out she picked anything up on me..."

"Relax, Hiro. Jen doesn't read her friends when she can help it, remember? Anyway, I think she likes you, too. You should totally ask her out."

"We're in a battle between good and evil. Now's not the time to go on a date."

"Now's the perfect time to go on a date! We could die any second, so we'd better live while we can!"

Hiro tensed. "That's not funny, Jason."

"I know. I'm not cracking jokes. I'm being realistic. If we live every moment to the fullest, we'll have no regrets. So ask Jen out... As for me, I'm going to find a way to get on Luna's good side."

"Luna doesn't let anyone in. She takes care of the Pirates, but only Sphinx gets by her walls. I think Holly Lynn will, too... She has that affect on people, and Luna's developed a soft spot for her."

"So help me, Hyung. Tell me what Luna's into."

"You should try to figure that out for yourself. It will mean more to her if you try to get to know her the old-fashioned way... But she's a tough one, Jase. It won't be easy to win her over."

"That's what makes her interesting, Hiro. She's not like the other girls. They fawn all over me but have no idea who I really am... If Luna falls for me, at least I'll know it's real and she's not just after me because I'm an idol."

Hiro saw something genuinely vulnerable in Jason's eyes. "You've never had that, have you?" He asked softly.

"Every girl I've dated or hooked up with cared a hell of a lot more about Kwan Jason the idol than Jason Kwan, the kid from L.A. They never took the time to get to know me... We never fully connected. It sort of sucks when every relationship you have leaves you feeling empty."

"I'm sorry, Jason. That sounds awful." Hiro felt bad for Jason. Sure, he'd never been abused by the people who were supposed to protect him, but he'd been through his own share of pain.

"It's fine," Jason said, trying to brush it off.

"Jase, you can talk to me... We're brothers," Hiro said softly.

Jason smiled at him, but Hiro caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes. "I'm okay, Hyung," he promised. "Sometimes, I just struggle with Depression. I'm also a ball of anxiety some days, but I hide it well most of the time now. When I was younger, it was harder. I broke down in tears on stage a couple of times. Once, when I was fourteen, I got swarmed at the airport and I had a full-blown panic attack and shut down completely. My manager had to pick me up and carry me out."