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 Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 5:49 pm
Devyn pressed his lips together to keep from laughing out loud, but he was very visibly amused with Michael. “Oh, aren't you charming. If the boys weren’t here, I’d give you something to blush about.”
He kissed his cheek before he leaned against the wall and tilted his head back. He sighed contentedly and stretched out a bit. “I don’t think I’ll mind the water. Maybe you can teach me to enjoy it.”
Devyn used to like the water, but that felt like a lifetime ago.
The waters on his world might have been tamer now but for too long they’d raged. The water had been a death sentence. Now, the river behind the Hall was almost peaceful. Almost. He’d had enough bad experiences that he hadn’t been tempted to try his luck yet.
But on Earth? With Michael?
New water wasn’t particularly appealing to him, but he trusted Michael. And, he’d have done anything to see him smile.
-
Elliot hummed a bit and rested his cheek against his shoulder as he admired Atticus.
Who was, literally, the cutest person he’d ever seen, wow. This lighting was definitely good for him. “If I get hurt, I’m pretty sure it'll be my fault, Atticus. I don’t think you’ll ever be the reason I get hurt. I mean, I guess if you wanted to get technical, if I get hurt it’s because whoever is picking fights with us got a good one in. But that’s not your fault. I know you’ll always look after me. Just like I’ll always look after you. And we’ll worry about each other, but that’s because that’s what you do when you care. We’ll get as strong as we can. But I’m never going to stop worrying about you, I care about you too much.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:23 pm
“You’d make me blush? Are you sure about that?” Michael teased in return, waiting for Devyn to pull back from the kiss to his cheek before he set his empty thermos down on the edge of the stone pool. He turned then, placing both hands on the edge, one on each side of Devyn so he could look at him.
“If the boys weren’t here, I’d probably take you up on that challenge,” he hummed quietly even as he leaned close to press a teasing kiss to Devyn’s throat. But he pulled back to make sure the boys were still distracted with each other and the Reids hadn’t come back with Princess yet.
“It’s okay if you don’t like the water, you know. I’m not going to force you to like anything you aren’t comfortable with. But if you want to try anything then yes, I’ll be right here,” he promised. - Elliot was right, of course. He was strong and wise and so very kind. It was easy for Atticus to listen to and agree with whatever Elliot said, even if it wasn’t something Atticus thought for himself before. Elliot had a way of expanding his understanding of things, and he appreciated that so much.
“I care about you, too,” he whispered, just loud enough to be over the sound of falling water. “You’re right. We’ve got each other. And we’ve got others who will help us too. I just want to be with you as long as possible.”
Was it weird if he said forever? They were so young, he knew that. But he couldn’t help but want to be by Elliot’s side no matter what.
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Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:19 pm
“Of course you will,” Devyn said confidently. He couldn’t imagine trying anything like that without Michael; it didn’t seem fair to plan a trip to the water just to leave Michael behind, especially when he was the one who might actually enjoy it.
Devyn was just glad for the company.
“It’s very hard not to flirt with you, you know. I don’t want to give the boys any ideas.” He knew how impressionable Atticus was. He probably shouldn’t pull Michael onto his lap and start making out with him.
“Next time, we’ll come up here alone.” Without having to worry about anyone being hurt. Without having to worry about behaving in front of them. He already missed Michael’s lips on his neck.
-
“Same,” Elliot said without missing a beat. ‘As long as possible’ didn’t faze him. Didn’t scare him. He knew it was what he wanted. It didn’t matter if they were young, he couldn’t imagine a life without Atticus in it. He loved the way his life was before he’d met him, but he loved it even more now.
Even if sometimes he wound up with bruised ribs.
“We’re going to be together forever, right? I mean, we’ll always be close, no matter what, already.” They lived next door to each other. Not just in Destiny City, but on the Moon, too. And when he moved out from his parent’s house? Who else was he going to want to live with more than Atticus?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:07 am
“I feel like there’s always something happening. When will next time be?” Michael wondered, inching his hand closer to Devyn so he could place it on his shoulder, kneading into the muscles. His other hand remained on the edge of the pool, keeping himself at a respectable distance for not flirting.
“It’s very hard not to kiss you, you know. But if I do, I might forget that the boys are here,” he admitted and let out a small sigh. He was just so tired. Not so much physically. Not more than he usually was. But with everything going on, it felt as though they rarely had a moment to themselves. And that was okay because he wanted to be around if anyone needed them.
But it was exhausting to be right there and miss his husband. - Atticus was pretty sure he could have cried. He probably was going to cry. No. He was going to be good and hold his breath and not think about how wonderful Elliot was. Or how sweet and kind and amazing he was.
“Yeah,” he wibbled a little, his voice uneven but he quickly cleared his throat and turned his head to press a kiss against Elliot’s forehead. It was easy to ignore everything around them when he had him in his arms.
“How are you feeling? Do your ribs feel any better?” he asked, although he felt a little silly for changing the topic, but if he didn’t he really would have started to cry.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 8:50 am
Oh, that felt nice. Devyn couldn't help but lean into Michael’s touch. He’d been fairly relaxed, all things considered. He might not have slept much last night, but he didn’t have the same knots and tenseness he used to.
Michael was the one who could probably actually benefit from a backrub right now, he was the one who had carried everyone up here.
“If you kissed me, I would absolutely make you forget that boys were here. But we’ll get some time to ourselves soon. I’ll take you out on a proper date, too. You still look a little tired, can I rub your back? It’s the safest way for me to have my hands all over you, anyway.”
-
Elliot was briefly aware how close Michael and Devyn were, and again felt tempted to tease them, or splash water at them or something, but he supposed they deserved some time together. And, he was enjoying the little bit of privacy that gave him and Atticus.
“I feel a little better already,” he promised. “I’m going to be good and take it easy and soak for as long as I can, though. I’m going to eke out every last second I can here. I told everyone I was fine, so I want to make sure that I’m as close to that as possible. I want to be fine, better, good–ASAP. The faster I heal now, the faster you and I can go out and do things again. Whatever we want to do. Isn’t there a craft fair coming up? Maybe we can do that. Well--we can do whatever sounds fun. As long as I get to spend time with you, I'm happy. How are you feeling?"
He didn't know what losing a starseed felt like and he didn't know if it was like spraining an ankle or having a headache--did it get better over time? Did you take medicine? Did it take a while to heal? Was Atticus hurting and not telling anyone because he didn't want them to worry?
Elliot glanced up at him as he rested against him, just to make sure that Atticus knew he didn't want him to say what he thought Elliot wanted to hear--he wanted to hear the truth.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 9:51 am
Michael laughed softly, maybe a little awkwardly because he wasn’t sure what to do about wanting Devyn to touch him, but also being nervous about giving up control of things. He knew he had a control issue. He knew that he needed to just hold onto things and do what he thought was best, otherwise everything would come crashing down.
But he glanced over to the boys to make sure they were distracted enough. He could tell that Elliot kept glancing over their way, but… it wasn’t as though they were telling him to keep his hands to himself.
As Michael looked over at Elliot, he continued turning so that he had his back to Devyn. Although he sunk down in the water a bit as if that would make it less obvious or… he wasn’t sure.
“You’d take me on a proper date?” he snorted quietly. “Where would we go?” - It was good that Elliot was feeling better at least. Atticus let out a quiet sigh of relief and gave Elliot a little squeeze. He knew that his dads were close and that they were talking quietly with each other, but Atticus could only focus on Elliot and how loud his heart was beating in his chest.
“Yeah there’s a craft fair coming up. Myles might need some help getting some stuff set up. Well, maybe not need help, but I would like to help him,” he hummed, reaching up to brush his fingers through Elliot’s hair as he held him.
But he caught Elliot’s glance, and Atticus chewed on his lip a little.
“I’m okay,” he said quietly, and then continued. “I think. I don’t know.”
He knew Elliot was asking about what happened and how he was feeling after it. He didn’t know what was normal after something like that, but he wasn’t trying to lie to Elliot on purpose. “I guess just… really anxious. Being close to you helps. Kind of tired, but… I’ll be okay. I don’t want to give up being a Knight.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 10:09 am
Devyn was already prepared for Michael to reject him so he was pleasantly surprised to have his back presented to him. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on his shoulder before he dipped his hands in the water and gently smoothed it over Michael’s back.
“I know how to work out sore muscles,” he reassured softly. “If the boys get curious, I’ll just teach them when I know.” Or Michael could; Devyn knew from experience that Michael was already very good at working out any tenseness.
He started gently, intent on finding where Michael had built up the most stress and going from there.
“Out of the city for a bit. Maybe to Alastor, maybe down to the reservoir, we could go kayak under the moon and see the stars. Maybe set up a campfire for a bit. Toast some marshmallows. That’s what I want to do most, I think. But I also want to take you out dancing. Dinner and a show, too. I would go anywhere with you, Michael. I just want to make sure you get to enjoy everything life has to offer.”
-
Elliot nodded when Atticus mentioned helping Myles but didn’t interrupt; he liked Myles, but more than that, he liked how much Myles and Atticus had in common. He liked anyone who supported and encouraged Atticus, and Myles was easy enough to be around.
“You’ll be okay,” he promised. “I don’t want to give up either. I just want to,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “I guess I want to just try to get better. To try different things so I’m more prepared. Well. No, I mean, so we’re more prepared. I want to do it all with you. We’re a team. So I guess I want to figure out what you think would be best and work from there.”
He drew Atticus close now so he could give him a bit more reassurance, too. “I’ll stay as close to you as you want, though. And if you want to rest, we can. We could take a nap here, I know Michael and Devyn wouldn’t let anything happen to us. They can wake us up if we need to. Is there anything I can do about you feeling anxious, though?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:55 pm
He tried to relax. He wasn’t very good at it. He trusted Devyn, of course. There was no doubt in his mind about Devyn. It was himself that he thought poorly of, but that was nothing new.
“You would actually want to go kayaking?” Michael asked in astonishment, glancing over his shoulder at Devyn, but not so much that he pulled away from his touch. “I would do any of that with you. All of it.”
Anywhere, anything, he didn’t care. Devyn had a way of easing his mind and heart. They could be sitting around doing nothing, and Michael would have been content. He was certain Devyn could calm him in the most uncomfortable crowds.
“That feels really nice, Dev. I should let you rub my back more often.”
He said it in a way that was somewhat teasing, but he meant it. He just didn’t want to sound like he was desperate for it, which he was realizing he kind of was. Even though he and Devyn were definitely not shy about physical touch, there were still a lot of things Michael was unsure about when it came to his own comforts. Which really was just a problem with his confidence. - “Can we hold hands?” he requested quietly, lifting up one that had been holding onto Elliot, but was free to lace his fingers with him.
“I don’t know what else would help, but my heart eases when you’re with me. That sounds really silly, doesn’t it? But yeah, we’re a team. The best team. We absolutely will get better and we’ll be more prepared,” he agreed, turning so he could press a kiss against Elliot’s cheek--
But stopped and leaned over a little more to kiss his lips instead.
Devyn told him there were a lot of different kinds of love, but he knew why his heart raced the way it did when he was with Elliot. They were young, but it didn’t matter because they wanted to be together for as long as possible. They had Wonders next to each other, after all, so that had to mean something.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 6:41 pm
A little smile twitched onto his face when Michael spoke, and he locked eyes with him briefly as he continued working at his back. “You should,” he agreed. “I like doing it. You’ve got some knots here. I think I could work out for you if you gave me time to do it.”
If he did a good enough job now, he was sure he could convince Michael to let him do it again. Maybe burn some candles, use some oil. Devyn could tell him stories next time, too. Anything to ease him into it. He knew Michael could be a little high strung and reluctant to let down his guard, but Devyn did wonder if he didn’t do more harm than good to himself by always being alert and denying himself such simple pleasures.
“Is it really so surprising that I’d want to go kayaking with you?” he asked, but his smile was gentle and full of love. “I thought it sounded nice. Away from the city, we wouldn’t have to worry about being around anyone. We could just go do our own thing. We could pick a night that worked for the Reids, the boys could stay in with them.” They wouldn’t have to worry about anyone getting into any trouble then.
“I know you like the water, and Destiny City doesn’t have any aquatic monsters or dangerous currents I should be worried about. I think. I like the city, but it’s so bustling. Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming. A break from it every now and then would be good. For the both of us.”
-
When Atticus asked if they could hold hands, Elliot immediately offered his. It didn’t sound silly; he always felt better when he was around Atticus. He was lucky, in a lot of ways. He didn’t get anxiety, he had self-confidence, he was optimistic, and bold.
And yet, he still felt better when he was with Atticus.
When they weren’t together, he thought about him all the time, anyway.
They’d kissed before–lots of little kisses. Mostly on the cheek, but their kisses had been all over the place. On the hand, on the nose, on the cheek, atop the head.
He liked kisses like this most, even if he didn’t really know why. Atticus’ lips were soft, and he liked pulling back so he could see the sparkle in his eye. Sometimes it felt like he could feel Atticus smiling in them, and it just made his heart flutter all the more.
When they kissed this time, he squeezed Atticus’ hand gently. He couldn’t say that he liked it because he didn’t want to pull away, so he figured that was the next best thing.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:21 pm
“Not surprising you’d want to do things with me, no. Just being on the water,” he hummed, feeling himself relaxing some more under Devyn’s ministrations.
“That sounds nice though. I would like that. I want you to be comfortable too, though. It wouldn’t be fun if you were worried about getting stuck in the water. But I would pull you out if I needed to,” he promised, reaching behind him so he could rest his hand on the side of Devyn’s leg. It was the easiest part of him to touch.
“Thank you for being so good to me, Devyn,” he sighed, closing his eyes to just enjoy the massage. He didn’t let himself relax often. Being on alert was what kept him and those he cared about alive.
Except he’d let his guard down when his dad…
“Whatever we end up doing, I’ll make sure you’ll have fun. And I would like to spend more time on Alastor. I’m looking forward to you showing me around.” - Atticus was aware that his dads were pretty close by, but they seemed distracted with each other. And he was distracted by how sweet Elliot was. He knew the kiss they shared was practically chaste, compared to everything he’d read or seen on the television or in movies.
But what he felt for Elliot couldn’t have possibly been replicated in movies or books or anything like that. Maybe like some of the portraits Percy painted of Devyn, or some of the poetry in the pages he found tucked into drawers around the house that he was pretty sure Michael had written.
Cautiously, he turned some more so he could wrap an arm around Elliot’s shoulders and neck, his other hand still laced with his--
Oh, but it was probably a little too much for them to get carried away when their parents were right there, or could be back at any minute.
“I love you,” he whispered when he finally pulled back, his eyes squeezed shut just in case he didn’t understand what Elliot said before and he looked at him like he grew extra heads.
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:32 pm
“I’ve got so much to show you,” Devyn said proudly. “I know the boys are probably old enough to be left on their own for a bit.” Or, the Reids could keep an eye on them if they wanted to slip away for more than a weekend. “But I’m really looking forward to you having some time off this summer. We’ll feel less rushed if we’re not trying to do everything while beating the clock. I’ve got a few things I’m excited about but I’m trying not to ruin the surprises. It’s very difficult, I always want to talk around you.”
His hands worked from Michael’s shoulders, in towards his neck. He paused to kiss the back of it before he continued, “I’m not worried about getting stuck in the water. You’re an excellent swimmer, I know you can just pull me out. And I’m a good swimmer too. Really, it’s the caves I have to watch out for.”
He didn’t like the water. He might never like the water. Sometimes his skin crawled. If it was too cold, he remembered the freezing bite of being trapped for hours. Days. If it was too dark, his mind took him back to the caves. Sometimes the sound of trickling water made his skin crawl. Sometimes the slow climb of water as it raised upwards made him feel sick.
He didn’t have to worry about those things here–the water was warm, and clear. He could see the bottom. He could stand up. He could splash about if he needed more noise. He could hear the voices of the others.
He wasn’t alone, so even if something happened, he knew they’d be fine.
Even if they went under the dark of the moon, they’d be in an open space. It wasn’t worrying if he could see solid land. Wasn’t worrying if he was there with Michael.
-
Elliot could tell what Atticus was thinking, with his eyes squeezed shut like that. He flushed a bit, not because he was unnerved or embarrassed by the confession but because his heart fluttered just to hear it.
He wanted to laugh–still, never because he thought Atticus was funny or worth being laughed at, but because he was just so endeared by how sweet he was.
He leaned forward so he could kiss each closed eye. “Well, good. I love you, too.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 7:37 am
“I’ve been thinking,” Michael said after a few moments, although he would have happily taken longer to enjoy the touch of Devyn’s hands on his shoulders and neck. He tried not to make any pleased noises and ruin the ambiance, but he did sigh contentedly every now and then.
“Once the boys are out of high school, I think I’d like to retire. At least for a while,” he added, and glanced over his shoulder at Devyn. “I don’t want to miss out on this life with you. I want to stay for the boys to give them the support they might need at school, but in three more years when they’ve graduated, I would like to spend a lot more time just… doing whatever.”
He knew he was privileged in that way. Not everyone had the chance to quit their job and just do whatever they wanted. He would make sure the Reids had the option too, of course. He hoped not having a house payment helped them feel more financially secure so that if even one of them wanted to retire early, then they could. Although Michael would be happy to fund both of them retiring.
He knew he had an opportunity that most didn’t, but most people also didn’t have a husband who’d been alive for over a thousand years and was pretty new to Earth.
“But then you can show me everything we haven’t seen already. Definitely don’t wait for three years to surprise me. I don’t think you’d last that long,” he teased with a smile. “We’ll make sure to avoid caves and rough waters. We’ll be safe. I just want to have as much time with you as I can.” - He tensed as he felt Elliot lean closer, but it immediately faded when he kissed his eyes. When he said he loved him too.
Atticus was pretty sure his whole face was flushed red now. Maybe he should keep his eyes closed--
But he couldn’t stop the quiet sniffle of-- oh, no, he wasn’t going to cry.
He opened his eyes anyway so he could look at Elliot because really, he couldn’t get enough of looking at him. He was so sweet and handsome and wonderful. Atticus leaned close to wrap his arms around him, pulling Elliot closer to him so he could continue resting. But Atticus did press a few kisses to Elliot’s temple before resting his chin against Elliot’s hair.
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 1:25 pm
“Oh, I’m a very patient man, Michael. I could probably sit on a surprise for three years. Maybe more. But I think you’d be missing out if I made you wait that long, so I won’t. That’s sweet, though. I want to have as much time with you as I can, too.”
Even the little things like this were fun. He wasn’t the one getting the massage, but he still felt rejuvenated–beyond what he knew Sessrumnir itself was capable of. Probably. Maybe it was working overtime.
“If you could handle a retirement, however temporary, I’d like that. I don’t want you to give up something you love for me, though.”
He liked Michael being honest, though. Liked him being open and vulnerable. Devyn would have supported him if he wanted to take time off from work or quit it or keep working. He hadn’t come here to take anything away from Michael. He just wanted to make sure he was making his life better. “But I love every moment I spend with you, so I promise we’ll make very good use of the time we have together. And we will definitely do this again, won’t we? Before these knots build up again.”
-
Elliot never minded the tears, not when they seemed like they came from a place of happiness. Sometimes Atticus just seemed to be overwhelmed by his emotions, and as long as they weren’t bad emotions, Elliot felt comfortable letting them work their way through him.
Not without a few extra kisses, though. He rubbed Atticus’ back and leaned against him leaned close to wrap his arms around him. He stayed still so Atticus could be comfortable and couldn’t help but smile.
This seemed like a good way to spend today. He was healing up just fine, but he was comfortable, too. Even with all these butterflies in his stomach.
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 6:37 pm
“I love you,” Michael smiled over his shoulder, comfortably relaxed. And to the point that he reached up to gently take hold of Devyn’s hands and remove them from his shoulders, but only so he could pull them around him.
He leaned back some more until his back was against Devyn’s chest. Not because he wasn’t enjoying the backrub, but because he wanted a few moments to be closer to him.
“They’re not that bad, are they?” he hummed in response to the knots he apparently had built up. “I guess we’ll have to take turns.”
He placed his arms over Devyn’s around him, holding onto him as he tipped his head back against his shoulder.
Michael was ignoring the way his heart was pounding. Maybe he was being ridiculous in not being able to let his guard down as easily, but he was trying, and he hoped that Devyn could tell that he was. That he desperately wanted Devyn to know that he trusted him and wanted to have a life with him and do everything with him.
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 7:11 pm
Devyn couldn’t ever say that any part of Michael was bad, including his knots. He wouldn’t complain about taking turns, though. He held Michael close; he could take a hint and welcomed the encouragement.
He tilted his head just slightly as he looked down at Michael, careful not to let his hair fall in his face as he leaned forward to kiss him. It wasn’t a perfect kiss, and it wasn’t even really a comfortable position, but every kiss with Michael was perfect so he thought it was more than fitting to indulge.
He wanted to tell Michael that he was doing good, that he was proud of him, but he was sure if he voiced any of that he’d just wind up embarrassing him. So he just smiled at Michael, and gave him a little squeeze as he held him.
“We should do this more often, too. You fit very well in my arms. I don’t ever want to let you go. You’re just as handsome from this angle as every other, you know.”
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