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 Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 12:00 pm
“You haven’t given me any trouble at all, Atticus. I’m glad I’ve got the chance to worry about you. So don’t apologize for any of this, don’t feel bad about any of this. There’s no point in me having any of the power that I do if I’m not using it for the right reasons. I’m glad I was where I was, when I was, so that I could meet you.”
He eased into the back of the chair, more comfortable now than he had been before, but mindful to make sure that he was prioritizing Atticus’ comfort and well-being. Devyn wasn’t the one who had been recently stabbed or bitten, after all.
“I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. Not just from the Negaverse.” Not just from his father. Devyn hadn’t asked Atticus about what he wanted to do about that and he wasn’t sure if he should right now. Atticus hadn’t asked about it, hadn’t said anything, and it didn’t seem like a conversation Devyn should force him to have, either.
“From everything that’s troubling you, too. It means you’ll be fed, clothed, sheltered. I suspect it also means you’ll be able to visit Elliot all the time. Maybe Michael can pull some strings to get you into the same school, too. I don’t know what goes into that, but if anyone can help, I know it’s him.”
He held Atticus gently and made sure he had space to move if he wanted to; sometimes he took a break from rubbing his back to smooth his hair down, but he never stopped trying to make sure Atticus was comfortable.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 12:09 pm
Being able to visit Elliot all the time was definitely something Atticus wanted. And his heart skipped a little at the thought of somehow going to the same school as Elliot. He didn’t know how but… if Devyn was right about Michael being, well, financially comfortable… and he did work at the same high school as Elliot’s parents, so maybe…
It seemed almost too good to be true. Everything in his life had seemed to change in the last few months, ever since first talking to Elliot. He felt incredibly lucky, but that also made him wonder if something bad would happen because… so many good things happening all at once just meant something bad would happen, right?
Atticus was comfortable with Devyn, and he probably could have fallen asleep while sitting on his lap. But, oh, that probably wasn’t very comfortable for Devyn. He didn’t want Devyn to start resenting him because he was being too needy or any of that.
“I’m glad I got to meet you too, Devyn. Whatever I can do to make things easier… I want to help,” he insisted. He was going to be as little of a burden as possible, if he could help it. He knew that Devyn told him not to feel bad about any of this but… it was easier said than done.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 12:21 pm
“You’re already helping,” he promised, and tilted his head back a bit to peer at the shelves of books behind him. They’d dusted off many books, and set aside the ones that were too damaged to safely return to the shelves. “This place needs a lot of love, and you’ve shown remarkable tenderness and patience for all these scattered pages. I have a hard time sitting still and doing paperwork things, sometimes, so it helps me a lot. I know you probably can’t make much sense of the text on the pages, but you sorting them out and organizing them like you’ve been has already been a huge help. And I like the questions you ask, you’re wonderful company.”
If Devyn was the least bit uncomfortable, it was impossible to tell. He seemed like he’d completely relaxed into the chair and he continued to alternate between rubbing Atticus’s back and smoothing his hair. They were familiar gestures, almost soothing to Devyn, too, as he lounged.
Sometimes, he thought about the times in his life where he’d gone without speaking to another person. Sometimes, he forgot how long it had been since he’d had such closeness. Fighting wasn’t the same, the contact was not meant for comfort. It was a challenge.
Sometimes, while sleeping in bed with Michael, he drifted a little closer to him in the night. Once, he’d even awakened to find that at some point he’d reached out and took hold of Michael’s arm.
So, there must be some part of him that still needed this. Whatever this was.
The hugs were nice. He’d missed them.
Maybe he just didn’t realize how much, until he was sitting here with his arms wrapped around Atticus.
“I have faith in you, Atticus. I’m looking forward to the future. I want to see you flourish. I want to see all the art you’ll make. All the things you can create. I’m not the best with school things around here, maybe you can teach me what you’re learning so I can catch up, too. But we’ll make sure you can focus in class and that you have everything you need to learn.” Like lunch, for starters. Michael would have better advice for the rest of that.
He tried not to let himself be nervous or worry; as he held Atticus, he closed his eyes and leaned into the back of the chair.
He knew Michael would help him, knew he’d support him. He just wanted to make sure Michael was happy. He didn’t want to do anything that would make his life harder.
Even if Atticus was a great kid, it was still a big decision.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 12:37 pm
With Devyn rubbing at his back and smoothing his hair, it was very difficult for Atticus to want to move at all. So he didn’t. He just rested a bit heavily against Devyn, keeping his head on his shoulder as he hugged him.
He wasn’t used to so many people having faith in him, or wanting to see him flourish and grow. Elliot and his parents were wonderful, and he felt comfortable around them. But looking forward to the future really wasn’t something Atticus had thought about.
“I can teach you! Oh… I’m not that good with school things either, but I’ll teach you what I learn so we can learn together, if you’d like?”
He knew he would need extra help, but he had Oliver and Asher and even Michael was a teacher, right? He should be able to help.
“Thank you, Devyn. I think I’m looking forward to the future, too.” Especially if it meant he could visit Elliot all the time and work on art and not have to worry about anything.
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