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 Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:58 am
Elliot squinted a bit; he raised a brow at Michael’s words, because he supposed he had every reason to be suspicious about why Michael was asking. Not for any nefarious reason! But if Michael was asking about which house, and price range, of course he assumed that Michael was going to meddle.
Which, maybe said enough about how much he trusted Jeremy. But if he was willing to stick his neck out and help rescue Atticus, he was pretty okay in Elliot’s book, anyway.
He didn’t say anything about it; he took another bite of cheesecake and nodded so Atticus would know that he was excited about it.
“I’ve never been ice skating,” Devyn confirmed. “I like the idea, it sounds fun. I’ve never done normal skating, either.” He looked at Michael. “You should teach me.” Michael knew how to do everything, after all. And it was a good excuse to go do something together. Also a good excuse for him to dramatically drape himself in Michael’s arms when he ‘fell’, probably.
“Oh, ice skating is fun. I spend most of the time on the ground, but it’s the thought that counts. I think you’ll have fun,” he insisted to Atticus, because he couldn’t imagine Elliot letting him fall. He turned back to Michael a bit. “Jeremy tries to keep everything reasonable. But he’s done a lot of maintenance and repair stuff at the apartment complex, so he’s not afraid of a place that needs a little fixing up, either. The house that we like, he’s a little excited about it, but I know he’s trying not to be. He doesn’t want to be disappointed if things don’t work out, but. I’ll be excited enough for the both of us in the meantime.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:12 am
“You’ll have to point out the houses you’re interested in,” Michael hummed thoughtfully. He would call Jeremy and see if he’s placed an offer on anything, or if there was anything he really liked but was out of his price range. After all, if he liked fixing things up (and Michael knew he did, if he still had that old car of his), then he could use the extra cash.
“I’ll teach you,” he promised Devyn as well, because of course he wanted him to learn anything he was interested in, and skating could be fun, especially in the right company. “I’m no professional, but I’ve got decent coordination,” he said with a quiet laugh. With Devyn’s core strength from fighting, he imagined that Devyn would be pretty good with his balance as well.
But if he did happen to need help or was falling a lot, then obviously Michael would make sure he didn’t.
And of course they’d invite Jeremy.
“Once you’re finished up, I can drive you home,” Michael offered, although there wasn’t really any option for Myles to question it. His expression had fallen a little and he froze for a moment, but only Devyn would have been close enough to tell something might have been off. The far off look in his eyes seemed to indicate that there might have been an aura, at least for a moment, that made him feel uncomfortable about having Myles walk home on his own.
“I’m sure we’ll all fit,” he added with a resigned sigh, because he assumed the boys would want to go with them.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:19 am
Devyn kept his eyes on Michael and then just rubbed his back once more as if to reassure him. He always kept a close eye on him, and if something ever seemed off, he was generally pretty quick to catch it. This wasn’t any different, but as soon as he picked up on it, he just smiled a bit softer.
“Oh, that’s a good idea. They put up some pretty lights not so far down the road, Atticus. We saw them on their way home, I thought you might like them.”
“Are you sure?” Myles asked, but by now he was pretty sure he understood that Michael wasn’t someone who seemed very indecisive, and he didn’t quite seem like the sort to offer anything if he wasn’t willing to follow through on it. “I don’t want to inconvenience you!”
“No, that’s no inconvenience,” Devyn said, “It’ll be faster, anyway. It’s getting late, your brother might worry.”
“Oh, that’s true. You do make a good point,” Myles said, and it didn’t take him long to mull it over before he nodded. “Well–if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it. Now that my adrenaline’s gone down, I think I’m a little more tired than I thought I was going to be, but I wasn’t going to say anything and just try to head out before I fell asleep on your couch.”
“Can I come, too? I can text my parents. They said I could stay out late as long as it was okay with you,” Ellilot said; he was rubbing Atticus’ shoulder and though he’d taken another bite of his cheesecake, he held the next forkful out for Atticus so he didn’t have to move to get to his own.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:28 am
“Please can he come?” Atticus perked up some when Elliot asked, because if he was going to go with Devyn and Michael, he really wanted Elliot to see the lights as well. And he wanted to say hello to Jeremy if he was home. Oh, but maybe that was a little too much to just have everyone show up at his apartment.
But with a forkful of cheesecake in front of him, he couldn’t resist and took the bite offered to him by Elliot. And followed it with a kiss to his cheek for being so sweet and considerate. “Of course,” Michael said easily and with a welcoming smile, because he definitely wasn’t going to let Elliot stay there by himself when there was something lurking in the dark at the edges of his aura.
“It’s no inconvenience,” he promised. “I’d feel better knowing you got home safe. I’ll figure out a time to meet up with Jeremy, so you don’t have to worry about staying up even later. Thank you for helping the boys. They could use someone closer to their age to help them out,” he admitted, because while he knew he and Devyn were capable of helping, sometimes it was awkward asking adults about things.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 8:39 am
Elliot wasn’t the least bit shy about accepting the kiss, and he couldn’t help but beam afterwards. It warranted another bite, so he was quick to present another for Atticus.
Myles didn’t have the heart to say that he wasn’t sure if he was closer to Michael’s age or Atticus’, but he supposed that if he was somewhere in the middle it wasn’t so bad. “Well, I’ll do my best,” he promised, because even if he didn’t think he was the best person to help anyone out, he could at least try his best.
“I really appreciate it, thank you,” he added, and for the first time did actually relax some. Enough to have a bite of the cheesecake and nearly melt from how good it was. He was mindful of his manners though, so swallowed before he spoke again, “You all seem so nice. I’m really glad I got the chance to meet you. I feel pretty lucky to have been in the same area as you two. Maybe I should meet more of Jeremy’s friends, if they’re all as great as you guys are, I’m missing out.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 9:09 am
Michael laughed softly, making a note to himself about what he needed to tell Jeremy when they spoke. While Michael knew things could be difficult with a little brother, it was obvious how much Myles cared about Jeremy and wanted to do right by him.
“I’m glad I finally got to meet Jeremy’s brother. He likes talking about you -- all good things,” he promised. It wasn’t as though Jeremy liked to air his dirty laundry or family drama over a beer.
“Take your time to finish up. Devyn and I will be in the kitchen when you’re ready,” he said as he casually reached over to take Devyn’s hand for just a moment before letting it go again. He didn’t want to draw attention to them, but they had run out at the end of their date.
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