Art, El Toro, and the Bravado family belong to Yours Truly
MallowGryph belongs to  zandenel
Story by  winterwight

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The Bravado family’s couch was a veteran. Few other couches in the world could say, if couches could speak at all, that they had borne the weight of so many occupants overburdened with their own weight. Fewer still could report surviving the trials. Yet the white couch remained in front of the small television of the Bravados’ home, having seen nearly as much Telemundo as fat butts. Of course, a certain weighty disposition was a natural hazard of anyone who came to eat Mama Bravado’s cooking.

The lady of the house was cooking up a storm, despite several admitted concerns. The conflicted mother had her work cut out for her to keep up with her son’s appetite. As Mama noticed Jose’s rear growing wide enough to smother all three cushions of the couch, she wondered if perhaps she should start making lighter meals. Yet the matron knew that she could never let her wonderful son starve! It was a dilemma and Papa had not been bothered to mention it, although he seemed to snort agitatedly a bit more often when Jose was not in the same room.

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of the guest of the night. Still in the midst of frying several dishes at once, Mama could only call out to Papa and Jose to let them know. Had she not, they may not have noticed over the ongoing Telemundo soap opera. Jose heaved himself to his feet, his belly sloshing under his borrowed blue polo. The immense bull lumbered to the door, legs lifting his girth with each step. Even within the restrictive cloth of his shirt, the bull’s chest jiggled with each plodding motion.

At the door was an equally massive gryphon. Mallow smiled and Mama was able to hear their friendly proclamations from the kitchen as the pair struggled to fit their embrace within the relatively small entrance before shuffling their way back to the living room. Jose collapsed on the couch, which groaned along with him in protestation. Papa’s newspaper snapped in time with his snort.

Soon Mama found herself not alone in the kitchen, the cheerful Mallow having made his way in with a silence belying his size and weight. One might suspect that he had managed to glide on his useless wings after all, for how little noise he had made.

“Oh! Joo are Jose’s friend, si?” Mama queried, startled. The suddenly nervous cow busied her hands by drying them with a small towel. “Dinner will be ready soon. Joo should wait with Jose.”

“I will,” Mallow assured her, “but first I wanted to speak with you.”

“Joo wish to speak with me, señor?”

The gryphon nodded. “Yes. It’s about Jose’s weight. You probably noticed.”

“Si, I have noticed. Jose come mucho, he eats all the time! It is beginning to show,” Mrs. Bravado confided.

“Yes it is,” Mallow spoke, his voice shifting. ”It is perfectly well for Jose to be growing this way. You should encourage him no matter what he does."

“No matter what he does,” Mama repeated. “Si! That is just what I will do! Do joo not agree, Papa?”

The grunt and snap of newspaper at Mallow’s side surprised the gryphon as much as his own appearance had surprised Mama and he managed to leap a full inch off the ground. Mallow leaned against the wall and placed a hand over his soft chest, easily feeling his heartbeat racing.

“I did not see you there, Mr. Bravado,” Mallow began, valiantly rallying his composure. “Your son has had a very successful season. Still no losses for the great El Toro! You know, I was quite a fan of yours as well in my youth; I’m glad you’ve passed on your talent. It would be a shame if anything were to stop Jose from becoming the biggest star he can be."

Another snap of the newspaper folding up was all the response the gryphon received from the retired, former El Toro as the bull picked up a beer from the fridge and headed back to his armchair. Finding himself uncharacteristically uncertain, Mallow looked to Mama for interpretation.

“Do not worry joorself with Papa. He is a man of few words, si?”

Mallow nodded solemnly. “Yes, indeed he is. I’ll go join them now. I’m certainly looking forward to dinner…”