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 Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 7:57 am
When it sounded as though Atticus was going to let them open their eyes, Michael looked up to watch. He wanted to watch their expressions, because he knew it was going to be difficult for them to see Atticus through the disguise. A disguise that looked like him but didn’t. How was he supposed to explain that beyond I have a lot of money? Maybe that was all he could say.
He didn’t glance over at Devyn, but he settled a little closer to him as he held what was left of the sandwich in his hand. Maybe once they figured out what fallout they’d have to deal with from the Reids being potentially skeptical, he would finish it. Atticus held onto Oliver and Asher and leaned into Elliot as he hugged him as well. His heart felt like it was racing, and his palms felt sweaty with anxiety. But as long as Elliot believed him… maybe he could help convince his parents that he was Atticus.
“You can open them,” he sniffled nervously, and instinctively lowered his eyes to the ground so he didn’t have to see their disappointment.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:26 am
Asher opened his eyes first; Oliver’s were still squeezed shut. There was a brief moment where Asher visibly didn’t seem to be able to recognize him, and he looked across the room at Michael, but.
If this was a joke, they’d have looked far more amused, far more ready to laugh.
He didn’t give the silence time to turn toxic, and he saw the way Elliot was looking at him–worried and determined, and with silent pleading. Asher squeezed Atticus again.
“It’s okay,” he soothed again. “That’s a very convincing disguise, I can see why you were so worried. But it’s okay, we know it’s you. Although, I do think you might need a bit more sun. But that’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a little time outside. Maybe one of El’s games.”
Elliot relaxed visibly, and even if Asher really didn’t understand it wasn’t like it was the first time he’d gone along with something without knowing why. There was a time for questions and it wasn’t now, because even if the kid in front of him wasn’t Chad, then he was still nervous and scared and crying and worried and Asher wasn’t going to do anything to feed into that.
Oliver managed to open his eyes, and he had less confusion, less uncertainty in his expression when he looked at Atticus–when he placed a hand on his cheek and then hugged him again. Asher believed it, so why shouldn’t he? His whole family believed, Michael believed. He was nervous earlier; he didn’t want to create waves. If they said this was Chad, born anew, he’d believe it. A new name, a new face. He didn’t have to understand it. Asher believed it, so he believed it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:39 am
Atticus was holding his breath, tense and nervous and waiting to be rejected, or maybe he would have to come up with a list for Asher and Oliver too -- something that they would only know. Maybe about what was in their house. Or maybe he should mention the toothy little gnome outside, or that he knew Oliver liked to play Tetris to relax.
Asher was reassuring him at least, but Atticus still couldn’t bring himself to look up. Not until Oliver put his hand on his cheek and hugged him again.
Oh, but that just meant any attempt at reining in his tears effectively failed.
He held tightly to Oliver and sobbed. From relief. From worry. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him in the future, but he was sure that if they didn’t believe him, then he would have been distraught.
Somehow things seemed like they were going to be okay. Maybe not perfect, but if he had the five of them, he could work with that.
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