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 Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 10:56 am
Devyn looked from his shoulder to his face and back again before nodding. “Oh, yes. I’ve got old scars that act up in the cold. This one,” he tapped his chest, “I can always tell when it’s going to rain. It doesn’t like snow, either. I’m not the best at first aid, but I think if you’ve had to keep something bandaged for a few weeks and it’s not healed yet, it might have something else going on.”
His lips pressed together and he was thinking that it wasn’t his place to fuss, but–
Not everyone had a Percy to worry about them like he did.
“Do you want me to take a look at it?” He spooned a bit of soup into his mouth and it was every bit as good now as it had been this morning, and any other time he’d had a bowl. “If it’s not in a good place, I can help bandage it.”
The offer was there, but he wasn’t pushy about it. Peter hadn’t mentioned that Michael had an injury so he suspected Michael might not have wanted anyone to know. And, given the rest of what he’d learned today and in the past few days, he wasn’t holding his breath. But, the offer was there, regardless.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:50 pm
Michael took another couple bites of soup as he contemplated Devyn’s offer. Did he want Devyn to take a look at it? Not really. He didn’t want to give anyone the chance to worry about him. If Peter saw the extent of the injuries he got, he would never give him a moment of peace. It was bad enough when he came home with his face half torn open. Thankfully the wounds had healed and there was just scaring left.
He lowered his spoon into the bowl, stirring it and collecting the larger bits from the bottom. He already knew what he was going to say in response, but holding himself back seemed like a good way to really make him try to understand why he wanted to answer in such a way.
“Okay,” he said quietly, knowing that Devyn was right. If there was something wrong with it, he should have it bandaged properly. Why it was so easy to agree-- to trust Devyn, he didn’t know. But at the moment there was no reason to guard himself.
“Once you’re done with your soup. I’ve got a first aid kit in my bathroom,” he said, lowering his eyes to the bowl in front of him. Maybe if he wasn’t looking at Devyn he wouldn’t have to answer so honestly and agreeably.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 6:57 pm
Devyn didn’t celebrate when Michael agreed; he nodded to confirm the plan but didn’t immediately say anything. He wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it; it didn’t need to be anything more than what it was.
Especially if Michael was guarded about things like this.
He stirred the soup, took a spoonful, swallowed. Held the bowl up to his lips and then just down it like it was a glass of water. He wasn’t rushed about any of it, and this wasn’t the first time he’d finished off a meal in this way.
“No rush, I’ve got all night. We can look at it when you’re finished with yours.”
He seemed at peace, oddly comfortable in the stillness of the night. The falling snow from the other side of the window caught his eye. “I’m glad you made it home when you did. Especially if it’s going to keep coming down like this.”
It wasn’t quite rain, but he felt it in his bones. A distant ache in his chest almost warranted his attention but he ignored it instead.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:04 pm
Michael looked out the window as he worked on his soup. The snow was heavier now, and he nodded in agreement that it was good he made it home when he did. He probably would have been fine being out later, but that meant Devyn would have been waiting up even longer.
Did he do it on purpose? Or was he just up and happened to see him coming home? Did he just happen to have food ready because he had been hungry, or did he plan to make sure Michael ate something? Because Michael had planned on, well, not.
“Whose woods these are I think I know,” Michael said quietly, almost as a prayer as he looked out into the falling white. “His house is in the village though. He will not see me stopping here, to watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near, between the woods and frozen lake, the darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep,” Michael muttered to himself as he stirred the soup again. “And miles to go before I sleep.”
It was then that he glanced up at Devyn with a small shrug. “Reminded me of something I read once,” he explained as he nodded to the snow, as if he didn’t just spout off a whole poem he’d obviously memorized. Why he felt comfortable enough around Devyn to just start spewing that stuff, he had no idea, and he hated that he could feel color rise in his cheeks.
To distract from all that nonsense, he quickly lifted the bowl to down what was left as he decided the best way to change the topic.
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:29 pm
“Only once?” Devyn asked, and if he was teasing, it seemed to be good natured. It sounded like poetry, and he found that he was particularly flattered that Michael would share that with him. Peter obviously knew his brother fairly well.
“I can’t say that I know much poetry. Nothing you should recite to someone you’re not trying to woo, probably. You sound like you’re quite skilled at it. You have a nice voice, it’s very peaceful. But, is it supposed to be a sad poem?”
A frozen world, on a dark evening. A silent world. A tempting forest, and busying promises. Miles to go. A faraway promise of sleep.
It sounded lonely. And, exhausting.
“I’m not the best at understanding art,” he admitted after another brief pause. “I’m still learning. But I admire anyone who can dedicate themselves to learning any such craft. Do you write any of your own?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 9:37 pm
”Maybe a couple times,” he admitted, a smile pulling at his lips. It was easy for him to remember things that he could feel. Things that he could hear in his heart, even if they were meant to be sad or painful.
Maybe he wouldn’t tell Devyn that he’d reminded him of the horse in the poem, how he pulled him from his thoughts of being swept away by the snow in the night. He did have too much to do, too many promises he needed to keep.
“It could be a sad poem,” he answered, but was purposefully vague. Poetry wasn’t for him to decide the full meaning. “It could also be a reminder to persevere,” he suggested. Because no matter how tempting it was to lay down and let the snow cover him, he had his brother to look after, he had the project he was working on with Chris and his father. He had Devyn to keep out of trouble until the time came--
At some point he’d absently reached up to touch the necklace through his shirt, and he was glad he did because while he didn’t want to bring attention to it, he also had to remember to keep it from Devyn. When he looked at his shoulder, he would have to make sure the necklace was removed.
“I used to write some. But I haven’t felt anything recently,” he shared, which was more than he thought he was going to. But again, Devyn was easy for him to talk to. He never sounded like he was judging him or expecting anything from him. He was just. There. With his surprising patience and kindness for someone who was completely displaced from everything they knew.
“Once you’ve gotten everything sorted out on your World, maybe I’ll share some with you,” he offered, because whether or not Devyn actually wanted to hear his old poetry, he wanted to give him something to keep moving forward towards. A promise that Devyn could hold Michael to keep. Maybe that would be the motivation he needed to keep going.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:53 am
Devyn seemed to take a few seconds to consider that the poem could have a different meaning, and when Michael suggested it, he smiled again. Or, maybe that was because Michael had offered to share his poetry.
“I’d like that,” he said, in a tone that made it easy to believe he meant it. Probably because he did.
“I don’t know how long it’ll take me to sort out my world, so you’ve got a bit of time to pick your favorites. Or make new ones, if you find the muse. I can’t tell if I feel more creative or less during winter. More, because it’s cold, and I want to stay inside and be warm, or less, because I want to eat and sleep through it.”
He clicked his tongue and seemed briefly exasperated, but not unhappy. He was still smiling, at least.
“But, I suppose I should be productive and persevere. I like that meaning for the poem, more, by the way. I’ll have to think of it the next time I’m feeling a bit worn down.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:52 pm
Michael hated that Devyn was so easy to talk to. If things were different… if Devyn hadn’t been married to a thousand year old ghost… If he hadn’t given up wanting to ever have a serious relationship again…
No, that wasn’t fair for him to think that. Devyn had no idea what heartbreak was in store for him. He was still optimistic about finding Percy. He was patiently waiting to find some answer to all the questions he had. And Michael knew better than to think anyone would want to stick around him long enough to weather all his problems.
He didn’t blame Caspian for things not working out. It wasn’t as though Michael disclosed all of his demons up front. Just like he was withholding information from Devyn now.
So Michael tried not to smile at the thought of Devyn thinking about how he should persevere because Michael had made the comment, or look forward to the poetry Michael suddenly wondered if he would regret offering to share.
How was he supposed to tell Devyn that the person he loved and was looking for had been dead for so long already?
“You’ll be able to sort out your world,” Michael agreed, trying to ignore the tightness in his throat. “And if you need help, you’ll know where to find it.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:26 pm
“I appreciate your confidence in me. And I hope that offer means what it sounds like, but I don’t want to presume. I’ve already asked so much of you.”
Or, really, they’d offered, but it was the same thing, he figured.
Michael and Peter had been–
Well, he didn't really know what to call them. They’d gone out of their way to see to it that he was safe here. They’d taught him about powered things, and everyday things, though he was still wrapping his head around all of it. They’d fed him, shared resources.
“I’m not very good at asking for help,” he said. “I don’t like to admit when I need it. But, I do. If I didn’t, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad back home. But I don’t want to be greedy and ask more of you, especially when you’ve got things on Earth that need your attention. But. I’ll help here, if I can. I don’t even know how to take my world back.”
He fell quiet for a second, and then quickly added, “Yet,” because he still had absolute faith that the answer was here, he just had to find Percy so he could help him figure it all out.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:53 pm
”It means exactly what it sounds like,” Michael said as he looked across the table at Devyn. He was guilty of not asking for help, too. But he supposed if he had someone who was also working on asking for help, then he should try to do the same thing.
He drew in a breath and let it out, before standing from the table finally. He took both his and Devyn’s empty bowls to rinse off and place in the dishwasher, before turning back to him with a small nod of his head.
“Come on, you’re going to help me with my shoulder, aren’t you?” he asked, lifting his hand to rub at it again. “You’re helping me now, and it’s not greedy when we’re the ones offering,” Michael insisted, waiting for Devyn to get up so he could lead the way to his bedroom, which was on the same floor and past the living room.
Just like the rest of the house, there was hardly anything personal on display. There were no photographs, no decorations. There were a couple large bookcases filled with various books, but other than that, Michael’s room was plain. It had a bed. A dresser. A couple side tables with lamps. He turned the lights on with a flip of the switch and made his way towards the modern bathroom. Glass doored shower and separate tub.
From under the sink he pulled out a very worn medical kit. The items had been replaced over the months, but there were a few things that were obviously original to the set, such as the tweezers and suture set -- all of which had been sterilized of course.
He tried not to make a face as he pulled off the sweater he wore, and then pulled his right arm out of the sleeve of his shirt so he could pull it up to his shoulder for Devyn to check out the still red and inflamed stab wound. It looked like it had started the process of healing, but had either gotten infected or just agitated, which slowed the process down. That, and his whole back was still bruised from the incident.
Michael was careful not to let Devyn see the necklace he wore, not wanting to explain that, but he couldn’t exactly hide the scars down the outside of his right arm, nor the starbird tattoo it cut through. His back was marred with scars as well. Various lacerations along his upper back, and burns across his lower.
“It probably just needs a new bandage. I can’t always reach it easily,” he sighed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:49 am
Devyn didn’t have to say anything for it to be clear that he understood what Michael was offering now, nor did he need to express his gratitude for it. His demeanor had changed again, subtle, but he seemed more comfortable. He trusted Michael, and what he didn’t say out loud he still managed to convey in simple body language.
He followed Michael through the house, through his room. Of course he looked, how could he not? He didn’t tell Michael that his room was incredibly plain. Practical, obviously. He probably knew where to find everything he was looking for. And, he had a whole house to hide anything important. Devyn had just gotten used to squirreling away his belongings in his room, so of course his was a bit more–
Exciting.
Exciting was the nice word for it.
But, maybe Michael found his excitement in books and didn’t need shiny trinkets and baubles and projects scattered everywhere.
Devyn wasn’t the best at first aid, but he’d been good enough to survive on his own when he had to. Of course, he had someone to go to when he needed more than bandages and a few slopping stitches.
“You said weeks?” he asked, and he couldn’t help but look at the bruises while he worked off the old bandages. “You should eat more vegetables. Unless these are newer than that. Your body might be throwing a temper tantrum to try and force you to rest a bit. Of course, on your back, where you can’t see, but I’d give it credit for trying, at least.” The bandage came off and his attention was immediately on that. “Oh–yes, it looks angry, Michael. It’s not bad, you won’t die from it, but it’s no wonder you’ve had to be careful with it.”
He didn’t see the necklace. He saw the scars, but those weren’t so abnormal. His own weren’t anything special–badges he’d won from simply surviving. Of course he was curious, but Michael was trusting him to look at his current wound, not his past ones. Everyone had scars, anyway. Some just more than others.
He didn’t make a big deal out of them. The tattoos were a little more interesting because those were choices, but he was being good and diligent, and focused on the injuries.
“Do you have disinfectant? Just to be safe. I have a cream that helps but–oh, I’d have to power up for that. Probably not worth making you sit here and wait for me to run off and go get it.”
Although, he would have, especially if it meant easing the wound at all.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 5:44 pm
“I have disinfectant,” Michael said, reaching for the kit and pulling out an almost empty tube and handing it to Devyn. He sighed though, because he thought he did eat plenty of vegetables, but Devyn was apparently the expert on it. After all, he wasn’t covered in bruises or knife wounds.
The smile had crept onto Michael’s face before he realized it, and he quickly tried to let it ease into something more neutral as soon as he realized. He couldn’t afford to let himself get attached to someone like Devyn. Someone who already had their soulmate and lost them likely in such a way that the trauma blocked it from his memory. He couldn’t risk being charmed by Devyn’s kindness and endeared by his curiosity.
“Next time we’re out, if you want to grab some cream, maybe it’ll be better than the stuff I have. Oh, and I’ll have to stop by the store tomorrow to pick up supplies for both my kit and replace whatever you’ve used of yours. I can’t have you going back to your world without proper supplies. I would be a terrible host if I did.”
Because how long had Devyn gone with nothing?
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:44 pm
“Hosts have gotten more generous since the last time I had one,” Devyn said rather pleasantly; he examined the disinfectant. The letters on it looked somewhat familiar but he couldn’t make out what they said. There was no reason not to trust what Michael had handed him, though, but if he was going to be trusted to put it on, he was going to do it right.
He set the tube down on the counter and rolled up his sleeves so he could wash his hands. Every inch of him was pale, so much so that it wasn’t exactly easy to pick out the scars up and down his arms. Most of them were small and faded, and if he didn’t think much of Michael’s, he thought next to nothing of his own.
“Or, I’m just lucky I wound up with you. You look like you’re nearly out of this. My kit’s probably pretty bare too, though. But this should be enough, yours isn’t that bad. It might get bad if you keep pushing yourself. Will you try to take it easy on yourself for a little while?”
It’s not that Michael owed him anything, and Devyn paused because he didn’t want to seem demanding, or any more imposing than he already had been. “I know you’re busy working. And looking after everyone. But I think if you can sneak in a little time to rest a bit, it might do you some good.”
He dried his hands and then uncapped the tube “I’m going to put the cream on now.” He didn’t know if it was going to be cold or anything, but he figured a little warning was better than none. Devyn was no stranger to first aid, and for as unskilled as claimed to be, he seemed to have more than enough experience to apply the antiseptic gently enough to avoid much more agitation.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 7:12 pm
“I wish it was that simple,” Michael admitted as he held still for Devyn to help him with trying to fix up his wound. He wouldn’t have cared if he just slapped a bandage on it -- it probably would have been better positioned than what he could have managed.
“We don’t have a lot of time to rest. The longer we wait the more chances the Negaverse gets to kill someone else, or corrupt them,” he said, but his voice was quiet, as though saying it out loud would make things even more difficult for them. He didn’t want to give them bad luck. He wasn’t superstitious, but he had a bad feeling about the whole thing, even if it would help them in the end.
“If I asked you to try and take it easy on yourself, would you?” he wondered, glancing over his shoulder at Devyn. Even with him not knowing Devyn that well, he gave the impression of someone who wouldn’t stop, no matter what. They would push themself as hard as possible without concern, even if it hurt them.
He’d seen the scars on Devyn’s arms when he washed his hands, and while he didn’t say anything about them, he filed the information away for later.
“Thank you, Dev,” he said just as quietly as before. And then realized again that he’d shortened Devyn’s name. His cheeks turned just a bit pink, wondering why it was so easy to just shorten Devyn’s name. Especially without permission.
“Uh… I guess I get lazy when I’m tired. Sorry. Devyn,” he corrected. “That was rude of me. I don’t respond to anything but Michael. Or Gallo. I’ll be more careful.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 8:07 pm
Again, Devyn laughed. “If you think that’s rude, I’m starting to see why you apologized before. It’s still my name. Part of it, anyway. Close enough. I don’t mind. But only my friends call me Dev, so if you want to, just know what you’re signing up for. Almost done here, though. Just a minute.”
There was a little bit left in the tube when he finished applying it, not enough to do anything like this again but maybe enough for something smaller. If Michael was going to replenish his stock tomorrow, it wasn’t worth worrying about. But, he capped the tube just in case.
He didn’t immediately answer Michael, because a part of him suspected Michael knew what his answer would be, but Devyn did him the courtesy of at least trying to think it over.
He was nearly finished preparing a bandage by the time he actually answered. “If you asked me to try and take it easy, I would try. I’m just not good at it. And I try to find loopholes. ‘Try to rest your arm’ means I’ll rest it, but I’ll work the other one twice as hard. Circumstances don’t always allow rest. I could say, ‘You’re not responsible for fixing everything’. Except, I get the impression that you know that, but it’s not going to stop you from trying. And, I wouldn’t want anyone to try and stop me from doing what I thought was important, so I won’t try to stop you. But, if I’m being honest?”
…Why was he being honest?
“I’m not easy on myself, I don’t know how to be. But I think I take better care of myself if someone’s asked me to. So, I'd try. I don’t want to let them down.”
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