|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 6:40 am
"Probably both," Peter said with a small shrug. Michael was so secretive about things that Peter could only guess how he felt. Sometimes he was right, and sometimes he wasn't.
"Doesn't want people to worry about him and doesn't think he deserves it. I guess he got into a fight the other week because I caught him trying to patch up a knife wound on the back of his shoulder. He said he was fine, but, I mean. I'm not going to harass him to make sure it's not infected or anything like that," Peter said with a sigh. All he could do was make sure Michael didn't look like he was getting sick.
"And people lie for a lot of reasons. Or at least omit the full truth. Sometimes it's easier to say something everyone else will expect instead of something that will make them think poorly of you," Peter explained, but Devyn seemed so confident in himself that he probably didn't have to worry about things like that.
"Anyway… whenever you do manage to get everything fixed on your world, I think it would be nice for Michael to have a friend--... Oh, I mean, I didn't mean to assume you'd be friends, but he can obviously tolerate you so that's nice. Better than him being depressed all the time. It's exhausting, you know? Not just for me. He doesn't have many friends."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 8:05 am
Devyn seemed to take everything Peter said to heart; there was no reason for him to be insincere or deceitful, and Peter had something that just felt honest about him.
“I don’t either,” he said, and he understood. Or, he thought he did. Maybe he understood what Peter was saying a little better than he wanted to admit, but it was probably fine to omit the full truth a little bit. People lied for a lot of reasons.
Except, Peter was here lamenting that Michael did.
There was no part of Devyn that misunderstood his importance here; he was a guest of a few days, which was not even remotely comparable to a brother you’d known your whole life.
“I’d like that. To be friends. I can’t promise to be good at it. But I’ll try. Maybe I understand your brother, a bit. I omit the truth. I don’t like to lie. But I have. And I will. I don’t like to share my problems. Where I’m from, we don’t do that. You don’t want the wrong person to know your weakness and use it against you. Even with Percy, I don’t tell him everything. Not for those reasons, though. I trust him with anything. Everything. But, Percy worries,” Devyn said, something of a warning. If Peter was going to meet him soon, he might as well get that out of the way. Devyn never said anything that could have even been remotely misconstrued as insulting or hurtful towards Percy; that Percy worried was simply a fact, and it was something that Devyn said with no reproach or criticism. Somehow, he even still managed to sound fond of him for it.
“I don’t want him to, but it’s a byproduct of him caring so much. He knows that if I’m keeping a secret, it’s for the best. I wouldn’t lie to him to hurt him. If I know I can get through something, why should I make him worry, too? Although, he’s not really very good at keeping secrets from me, so it’s a little unfair. And I worry about him, too,” he said, although it sounded a little like he was just thinking out loud, now.
He held the bowl to his lips and downed a few mouthfuls before he spoke again.
“I hope Michael finds someone like that, that he can talk to about anything. I don’t have to worry that Percy will think less of me because I’m not doing well or because I need a little extra support. Michael should have had that too. I’m sorry that he didn’t. He seems like a good person, so I’d be glad to have a friend like him. I’m not afraid of stubbornness. Or scars. Or secrets.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 8:27 am
It was difficult not to ask about Percy. Peter knew very little about Percy, of course, but what he did know was something that Devyn either didn't know, or had repressed because it was too difficult for him to process. Or he was from a time before Percy actually died.
"What's he like? Percy. Other than worrying too much and knowing how to solve all problems," since that was what Devyn seemed to insist on when it came to Percy. "He's your… boyfriend? It sounds like he's had a huge impact on your life. It's good that you can share it with someone," Peter said with a nod as he took a couple more bites of his soup.
"It does sound like you understand Michael a bit, which is also good, because sometimes it's like… dude, just let people help you. But no, he has to be stubborn. Stubborn, but he also caves easily, depending. I think it's easier for him to suffer in silence than make a big deal about something that bothers him. So it's good that you can handle stubbornness."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:25 am
For as much as Devyn liked to talk about Percy, he had left out a few significant details of their life together. It wasn’t that they weren’t important, it was just that it wouldn’t have changed anything to know or not.
He set his mostly empty bowl back on the counter to answer, and pulled his necklace from under his clothes. The chain itself was sturdy, but the ring was the obvious prize, which probably said enough about their relationship. He slid his ring finger up to test the ring, and while it almost seemed to fit, it wasn’t tight enough for him not to worry about it sliding off.
“My husband.” He tried the ring on a few other fingers, just to test it, and then returned the chain and ring under his clothes. “But, he’s perfect. Kind, and wise, and clever. Big heart. Very smart. A little shy, but he’s very likable. The most creative person I know, and the best artist I’ve ever met. And I’m very proud of him. He works very hard. He’s honorable, and brave. Resilient. Friendly, compassionate, patient.”
The list could go on and Devyn seemed acutely aware of this, so he just flashed a smile and cut it short. “You’ll see.” And be better off for it, he had no doubt of that. “Maybe being stubborn helps keep Michael together. It’s kept me in one piece more times than I can count. I don’t quit, so,” he shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t, either. Before Percy, I kept everything to myself, though. It wasn’t until I met him that I had anyone I could talk to. I wouldn’t be who I am today without him, so sometimes it’s just about meeting the right person.”
And, Percy was absolutely the right person.
“I used to be angry all the time. Had to keep everything bottled up, didn’t want anyone to think I was weak. Had to solve all my problems by myself because I thought I needed to prove that I could. But, meeting him,” he shrugged. “It opened up a lot of doors for me. Made it easier to ask people for help. Made me understand that I’m allowed to have bad days, and that he’d help me through them, and he didn’t think any less of me for having a hard time. He believed in me when no one else did. I mean, I’m strong. He just makes me stronger. And, he makes me a better person. Always has.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:47 pm
Peter pressed his lips together, but he smiled regardless. It was sweet, the way Devyn talked about Percy. It was going to be difficult then when he found out… if he wasn’t a time traveler.
“I would like to meet him,” he said honestly, because Percy did sound like someone who would be interesting to meet. He was sure they could have a lot of fun conversations if he really was as clever and smart as Devyn paraded him to be.
“You’re probably right. Michael just hasn’t met the right person yet. Or… another right person,” he paused and shrugged again. “He had someone that he was friends with -- probably more -- back when he was in the Navy. I think he’s all that’s left of his team though. Bad accident. Michael was one of the only two who survived but, uh… the other guy didn’t last long. I guess he couldn’t take the survivor's guilt. But Michael got one of those medals for it,” Peter said, nodding to the drawer. “He quit the military soon after that all happened, so… maybe he’s not as stubborn as you are.”
He glanced up at Devyn and let out a quiet sigh. “I’m glad you got to meet Percy. I think without him, we wouldn’t have been able to meet you, and I’m glad I met you. And I think Michael is too.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 5:38 pm
Oh.
Well, that was different. Devyn felt a strange, distant ache in his chest, and he knew it was tethered to the unpleasant thought of losing someone you cared for so deeply. It was a thought he wouldn’t humor in the slightest; he didn’t try to put himself in Michael’s shoes.
He didn’t want to think what losing someone so important could do to someone. Could do to him.
“I wouldn’t be here without him,” Devyn said with certainty. “Percy is responsible for every good thing to happen in my life, in one way or another. I don’t know where he is now, but I know he’s led me here. He has a way like that.”
He had such absolute faith, like it wasn’t even remotely a question. For him, it was just a fact.
He looked towards the drawer again; it didn’t have any more answers for him, and he’d seen the medals. Seeing them wouldn’t change anything, least of all the past.
He couldn’t know if the conclusions he’d drawn were correct, and he couldn’t just ask Michael if anyone was right about what they were assuming. To him, it looked like Michael was trying to bury a past he couldn’t quite shake off. There were probably a thousand reasons why. A guilty conscience, maybe. Or trying to hold onto the good parts while navigating the bad parts. Being rewarded for living through something that killed your allies–friends? lovers?–why would he want to be rewarded for that? Why would someone want to give him award for that? Why would he want to stay with people who wanted him to wear a reminder of what he’d lost?
Devyn didn’t blame him.
His stomach felt a bit unsettled; he knew it wasn’t full, but it was just a general unpleasantness. He wasn’t going to be sick, the soup was delicious and he was probably going to have a third bowl within the hour.
“Maybe he can help Michael,” he said, even if he didn’t want to share Percy. “He’s good at healing, too.” More than just in body, in spirit and in mind, too. Maybe Michael just needs some time to heal. Sounds like he keeps pushing himself. Percy told me, a wound won’t heal if you keep it open. You have to stop and let it rest a bit. Even when it’s hard to stay still.”
Maybe you couldn’t heal from the past if you kept running from it.
Or, maybe he didn’t know what he was talking about.
Devyn hardly ever stopped moving, himself; it wasn’t like he was an expert on healing, anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 6:35 pm
“Yeah, I hope Percy can too,” Peter agreed. He knew what was likely the truth, and he doubted that Devyn would stick around once he found out -- if he found out -- but it was nice to think that someone like Percy had existed at some point in time.
“It sounds like there’s nothing Percy can’t do. Are you sure he’s real?” he asked, but he showed Devyn a small smile to let him know he was just joking around. It was easy to be blinded from the flaws of the people you cared most about.
“Here, I’m gonna try to put what’s left into a big bowl for whenever Michael gets back,” Peter said, looking at the pot on the stove. “Want some more before I do that? I don’t know how late he’ll be. Sometimes he won’t bother eating unless it’s set out for him, so I’m going to try and stay up to make sure he gets at least something. Not all of us have a Percy, but I can try to help. Gotta make sure he stops and rests for a bit.”
He almost wanted to keep everything secret from Devyn, if only it meant he would stay there longer, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. Maybe he would come back one day, after he got everything sorted out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 8:10 pm
“Oh, yes, please. It’s good.” He slid the bowl closer to Peter. “You don’t have to stay up unless you want to. I’ll be up, I can make sure he eats. I’ll probably be hungry by the time he comes back.”
He sighed, like this was an exasperating hobby. He enjoyed it! And the food was good! But it was tedious. He wasn’t going to complain, though; he’d rather have food than not.
“And, I’m not going out tonight or anything.” Not that he really did without Peter or Michael; he hadn’t had a reason to need to slip out on his own since they’d invited him to stay here. And, it was particularly cold today. Devyn wanted to go out and be productive, but…
Sometimes you just needed to stay still and stop and heal and rest for a bit.
He wasn’t sleeping much, but every little bit helped, and he felt better now–stronger–than he had in–
A while. A long while.
“I might not be as skilled as Percy, but I’ll have you know that I can be very good at looking after someone. And, anyway. That’s what friends do for each other, isn’t it?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 8:44 pm
Peter took the bowl as it was passed back to him, and ladled some more soup into Devyn’s bowl, before fishing out a larger container from one of the cabinets for what was left. He was tempted to stay up and find out what Devyn was going to do to convince Michael to eat, but figured he would just let him try. It wasn’t as though Michael wasn’t an adult and couldn’t take care of himself. He just… didn’t want to, sometimes.
“Alright, but if he gives you a hard time, just let me know and I’ll come and scold him for being rude,” he half joked, since Michael had already apologized to Devyn about giving him a hard time. He likely would try not to be too hard on him from then on.
“Yeah, that’s what friends do for each other,” he agreed with a small nod. Devyn might be a time traveler or maybe a thousand years old, but at least he could tolerate Michael enough to try and be nice to him. Michael would probably think it was more than he deserved, but maybe their friendship wasn’t so bad. Maybe Devyn wouldn’t even need to know everything about Michael to be his friend.
Or at least Michael could enjoy a nice friendship while it lasted.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
