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 Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 7:26 am
It didn’t matter how exhausted Elliot was, he could at least pull Atticus close and hold him and try to rub his back. There weren't really any words that were necessary, he knew this was just Atticus processing his emotions. He thought it would be better for him to support him as he worked through them, so he gave him some time.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, because he wanted Atticus to know that. Even if tonight had been–well, too much for him to think about. Even now it still felt like a blur. He had a lot of things to work through himself, but the important thing was that they were all here, and they were all okay.
“And it’s okay that you’re crying, just so we’re clear. I understand. But you have to promise to put the ice pack on your eyes after this or else your whole face is going to be sore and I won’t know where to kiss, Atticus. You don’t have to hold your breath or anything. You should cry and let it out, otherwise you’ll give yourself a headache and your throat will hurt. Just breathe, it’ll be much easier. Honest. You don’t have to hold back your tears. Tonight was scary.”
And if Atticus cried himself into exhaustion now, he’d have a good sleep, later. Hopefully with no nightmares, too.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 12:02 pm
“You’ll--” he sniffled, his voice muffled as he tried to catch his breath between quiet sobs. “-- just have to -- kiss me everywhere.”
But he did nod to let Elliot know that he promised. Even though he was worried about getting the bed all wet or Elliot soaked from the condensation.
That night had been scary. And Atticus felt like he was only just now able to process everything. How close they could have been to dying. Or injured so badly that they would take forever to heal. Or something could have happened to his dads.
There was so much that could have happened, and Atticus felt guilty for wanting to still be a Knight. He didn’t want to put Elliot or anyone else at risk.
“I love -- you,” he hiccupped and rubbed at his face again. “I’m sorry… I’m so gross right now,” he practically whined through the tears. Elliot was so supportive of him, he just wished he didn’t look so… blotchy and tear streaked.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:40 pm
Elliot wanted to laugh–not at Atticus! But at his suggestion to kiss him all over. He’d have tried, if he had any more energy. If his back and arm didn’t sting when he tried to move. Maybe tomorrow.
“I love you too, Atticus. You’re not gross.” He’d rather him cry than bleed, so this was far preferable to anything else that could have happened tonight.
“I told you, you don’t have to apologize for crying. Ever. It’s just a part of how you do things. I don’t like when you feel like you have to bottle things up, I don’t think it’s healthy. So I want you to do what feels right, and if it’s crying, I’ll be here to hold you.”
He’d grown up with fathers who were very open and supportive; one was far more emotional than the other, and said other was always there to reassure and care for him. They were good for each other, and they were good for Elliot. And they liked Atticus and wanted to take care of him, and it worked out well because Elliot wanted the same thing–and he’d already had really good teachers show him how.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 6:12 pm
Oh no. Elliot was so understanding and sweet, and it made a new wave of tears fill and fall from his eyes. But they weren’t sad tears! He was just so happy that Elliot was in his life that he didn’t know what to do about it.
“Okay,” he blubbered weakly as he hid his face behind a hand and clung to Elliot with his other. He was going to get the ice pack as he’d promised, but he wanted to make sure he wasn’t crying too much when he got it so his dads didn’t question what was going on. Not that he thought they’d expect him to not tell them if there was something happening that bothered him, but still.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said after taking several moments to calm himself again, even though his voice was still thick with emotion. “Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for always being there for me.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 6:24 pm
Elliot felt for Atticus. He didn’t cry, but his heart always seemed a little more tender whenever he saw Atticus in tears. He wanted to take care of him, wanted to erase all of his hurts. But, he didn’t want Atticus to change.
He liked him exactly how he was, and placed his hand over Atticus’.
He knew these tears weren’t from a place of pain, so he didn’t try to chase them away. “I’m glad I’m okay, too. And I’m glad you’re okay. Well, mostly okay. I want to protect you forever. Really. I know you’re strong, I know you can handle bumps and bruises. I don’t think you’re weak. I just want you to know that. Just because I get in the way and try to protect you isn’t me thinking that you couldn’t handle it. I mean, yeah, practically speaking I think it’s better if I get hurt so you can heal me, but. I don’t know, you’ve been hurt enough. And I think I’m pretty durable. And I’m a fast healer.”
And he’d use tonight as a key example in any argument he had to make about it, even if he did have a bit of extra help.
“I’m going to keep getting stronger and find more ways to keep you safe. You and me, I guess, so I don’t make you worry so much.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 6:30 pm
“I know you don’t,” Atticus promised and made sure to look up at Elliot so he could look him in the eye (even though his were red and watery) and make sure he knew he was being sincere. “You don’t make me feel weak at all. You’re always so encouraging and wonderful,” he said, trying not to sniffle too much.
“I don’t want you to get hurt but… I know I’m not as good with fighting or running. So I’ll do my best to heal you if you do get hurt.”
It seemed fair enough. Atticus knew he wasn’t going to win many fights. Not without Elliot. So he was happy to do whatever he could to help out. Even if it was just as a support.
“You always make me feel safe when I’m with you. So… as long as you don’t feel like it’s a chore to help protect me… oh, but I’m going to work hard to try and make sure you don’t have to as much!” Because it wouldn’t be fair for Elliot to have that much pressure put on him.
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 7:00 pm
“It’s never a chore, honest. I think we’re a really good team. We both have our strengths and weaknesses, and I think we do a pretty good job balancing it out. And the more we work together, and the stronger we get, the better off we’ll be. I’m not afraid to put in hard work, and I know you are too. Maybe we got lucky tonight.”
Because, he could recognize that things could have gone very differently, even if he didn’t have the energy or willpower to have a deep thought about mortality right now.
“But it gave us a chance to learn and improve, and I’m good with that. This was a lesson, and I feel like I’ve already learned a lot. And I’m ready to–well, I’m almost ready to get back out there again. I do think I’m going to rest a little bit, I feel so tired. And I want to practice using those earrings with you. I want to talk to the Code, too. Just to see if there’s anything more we could do. I could use a nice, relaxing day of cleaning up our Wonders, I think. But after that, I don’t know. I want to keep being a Knight. I want to help people. I believe in you. And I believe in myself. And us. And if we get into a situation I’ll fight a little harder for the both of us. Or I’ll pull you into my arms and carry you so you don’t have to run. And if I get hurt, you’ll heal me. But you’re really important to me, Atticus. I wouldn’t trade you for anything or anyone. I’m really glad I’ve got you for a partner.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2023 7:56 pm
Everything Elliot said was just one little bit of extra calm that helped to settle Atticus. He could listen to Elliot for hours and never get tired.
He sniffled a few more times, but seemed pretty settled where he was. Not so settled that if Elliot had to move that he wouldn’t be able to oblige. They were a team, after all.
“Oh, don’t tease me. You know I would love you to carry me around,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss against Elliot’s shoulder before snuggling closer to him. He hoped it was obvious that he was teasing as well. He wouldn’t make Elliot carry him, but he definitely enjoyed it.
“A nice relaxing day sounds good to me. As long as you’re with me, I’ll do anything,” Atticus admitted, although it wasn’t much of a secret. He believed in Elliot too, and wanted to support him in everything he did. Being his partner… oh, no, he was trying not to start crying again. It was just so nice to have Elliot in his life.
“I’m really glad I’ve got you for a partner, too. I, um… I would say a lot more about how wonderful you are, but my head is starting to hurt again and I would probably end up crying more,” he groaned. “But thank you for being so good to me.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:51 am
“Oh,” Elliot said, soft and sympathetic. He wanted to play with Atticus’ hair but he didn’t want to worsen his headache. “Well, how about tomorrow, when we’re feeling better, then you can tell me how wonderful I am. But tonight it’s important for you to take it easy. I need you to be in the best shape possible. So you can take care of me.”
He was teasing, obviously, and smiled to prove it.
“And when I’m feeling better, I’ll find excuses to carry you around. You won’t even have to be in danger for it. We’ll have to be on our best behavior, too. I know your dads were probably pretty worried about us. And I know mine definitely were. I’m glad they weren’t there to see. They can’t even fuss too much because I look fine.”
It was for the best. He was sorry that Atticus had to see him at his worst, though.
“You want to put on a movie or something tonight? We can sleep with something on in the background, maybe.” It wasn’t something he usually needed to do, but he’d learned from his parents long ago that if you were worried about nightmares or being left to your own thoughts in the dark of night, the best thing to do was put on a movie you loved so you could distract yourself.
He wasn’t sure where his mind would be tonight, but he wanted to be safe. For him, and Atticus.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 5:35 pm
Atticus couldn’t help but smile. Even if he could feel heat in his eyes again. Everything Elliot did and said was perfect. How could he not be happy?
“That sounds like a good idea, thank you,” he said as he stifled a yawn. Something in the background while they were falling asleep meant they wouldn’t have to worry about their dreams getting the better of them. Atticus knew he would dream of Elliot, but what state he would be in, he wasn’t sure.
He didn’t ever want to see him so injured again.
Not really wanting to move, but not wanting Elliot to have to get up, Atticus carefully pushed himself up from where he was tangled in Elliot’s limbs, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and unsteadily got himself out of bed.
He had no problem turning on the television, and he had to get an ice pack, anyway.
“Can I get you anything? A snack? Water?” he offered, rubbing at his face and making sure he didn’t mess up the bandage on his forehead too much.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 8:47 pm
Though it had been his suggestion, Elliot still sighed heavily when Atticus had to move, and his eyes followed him the entire time they were separated.
“We should stay hydrated. Water would be nice, but just a bottle from the fridge when you get the ice pack, please.” It was more for Atticus than it was himself, anyway–especially after all that crying. And, if his head started to hurt at all some time tonight, they had aspirin by the bedside already.
“I’ll pick something good for us to watch while you’re getting that. And then all you have to do is come back to bed and I’ll hold you. I think I can do that while I lay on my stomach.”
And, at the very least, he was going to hold his hand. And throw an arm over him, if he could. He hoped Michael had turned down the air conditioning a bit so he had a good excuse to stay close to Atticus all night.
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2023 9:09 pm
Atticus smiled and nodded, and then leaned over the bed so he could press another kiss against Elliot’s face.
“I’ll be back soon,” he promised. Being able to just climb back in bed and be held was definitely something he was looking forward to. He would be careful going down the stairs and letting his dads know he was okay, since he was sure they were still up. After everything they’d been through that night, he wouldn’t blame them if they couldn’t sleep very well.
They might have also been up long enough to make sure he and Elliot seemed to be asleep.
They had no idea what the future would hold, but they were a team -- partners -- and would stay by each other's side, no matter what.
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