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 Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:42 pm
“You don’t need to get me anything,” Michael insisted, but smiled at the kiss on his cheek and opened his mouth to take a bite of the offered granola bar. “Like you said, every day with you is a present itself.”
He said it sincerely, because he truly meant it. He didn’t know how he got through everything before. Not that all of it was bad but there were things that he could look back on now and wonder how he managed. He wasn’t perfect by any means, but Devyn made him feel alive in ways he never thought possible.
“Alright let’s see where you were hiding then,” Michael smiled, appreciative for the clue, although once he was behind the wheel and looking around, he could tell that he was at least close.
Not stairs or a railing, but a bench.
He had to take a step to the side, away from the wheel to be able to see around the mast, but glanced curiously back at Devyn when he spotted the well made trunk.
“How long have you been planning this?” Michael gave him a forced, vaguely exasperated look. He was really just amused, but had to put up something of an act otherwise Devyn would get it into his head to go over the top. Maybe.
The trunk was obviously a recent addition, otherwise it would have been worn down, likely. Or the humidity would have done something to the gold. Then again, he wasn’t sure how well Alastorian metal held up to the seemingly constant rain.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 12:58 pm
If Michael didn’t put up his stern act, Devyn would have tried to do things to surprise him all the time.
“Just a little while,” he said in a playful, dismissive tone that said probably a long time. But then, time was such a fickle thing. Neither answer would have been wrong considering what time meant to him.
He half-turned but couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. He took another bite of the granola bar–and then another, just to finish it off.
The trash was pocketed and he wiped his hands on his pants.
“The faster we get across the river, the faster you can see what’s inside.” He knew he didn’t need to get Michael anything, but he couldn’t help himself. If he saw something he thought Michael would like–if he could think of anything he might like, he couldn’t help himself.
And, judging by the way he had a bit more energy in every step, and the way Michael’s necklace was glowing right now, he was obviously excited about whatever he’d hidden inside.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:06 pm
Michael pressed his lips together as if to try and give Devyn a serious look, but he really was just trying to keep himself from smiling too much. He could definitely feel the way his necklace pulsed with excitement, and he didn’t want to do anything to dampen Devyn’s mood.
Especially since it was brightening his mood more by just being with him.
“Alright, let’s hope those currents aren’t too strong then. There’s a dock on the other side, I’m assuming?” he hummed, running his hand over the wheel, then gave it a little turn one way and then the other to test the sensitivity of the rudder.
With some maneuvering and help from Devyn, it didn’t take too long to get the boat out onto the open water of the river. Michael could feel the way the current was flowing, and it took a little bit of coaxing to convince the sails to work with him. But once he had the hang of it, he didn’t think there would be any problem getting across the river.
“I love you,” he said in the meantime, making sure he caught Devyn’s eye. “Thank you for doing this and thinking about me. I wish I could be here more to help. Once everything is wrapped up at school, maybe we can come up here more. I could always send the Reids and Atticus on a vacation somewhere,” he suggested, because Oliver and Asher deserved some time to relax as well.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2023 1:20 pm
Devyn nodded to confirm there was a dock on the other side, and he already knew it wasn’t rotting out because he’d checked. A little less clean than the ones on this side of the river, but it hadn’t needed any immediate repairs that he could see.
“I love you, too,” he said, always looking for an opportunity to tell Michael as much.
“You do so much to me, don’t wish you could do more. I’ll be happy for all the time we have. If you want to spend time up here, it’ll be a very busy summer. Those four could probably use a nice vacation. Maybe I’ll get things cleaned up enough around here that they can have a vacation here with us, too. We’ll see.”
They had time to figure it all out. He was just excited to spend a little time with Michael today. He was going to make sure they both got to enjoy it.
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