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 Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:30 pm
“Oh, I’m in no rush, remember? I wanted to talk with you more!” Cassidy seemed content. This wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind but he wasn’t complaining. “I was thinking at least an hour or two over here before I even tried to migrate over to the Reids’.”
He laughed softly and looked at Atticus fondly. “You’re so silly, I know you wouldn’t try to take over anything. You want to come learn with me? I mean, I already assumed you and Elliot would be over there, I don’t mind if you want to be in the kitchen with me. Mr. Reid said he’s going to help me follow my grandmother’s recipe so I can make it myself so I brought everything I’m supposed to. Like, I can read the recipe, but I like to watch people. And it’s not like my dad’s ever around so I have to borrow one of Elliot’s since he’s got two.”
Cassidy hummed to himself. “Hey, what about your dads? They better watch out, I might need to learn, hm, I don’t have a motorcycle, maybe Mr. Gallo can teach me how to ride. I’m just kidding, that seems more dangerous than a car,” he laughed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:32 pm
“You can borrow my dads!” Atticus chirped, clearly proud of both of them, and excited to show them off. “I mean, I guess Elliot’s dads are kind of my dads too. Well, they will be when we get married.”
He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Nor could he stop his cheeks from flushing, and he had to place a hand over one of them in an attempt to cool his face a little.
Oh, but that was pretty rude to be bragging about his four dads when poor Cassidy had a dad who was busy all the time.
“But if you really wanted to know how to do something, at least one of them would know.”
Lucien was still content on Cassidy’s back, and made himself loafed and comfortable there, purring all the while.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:33 pm
“You two are going to get married? I mean, obviously, but you’ve already talked about it? I’d call you two cringe but I guess it’s cute.” He didn’t even know if high school relationships worked out but he liked to dream that you could fall in love and stay in love.
His parents had fallen in love in high school but it hadn’t worked out well for them. He didn’t see a lot of Atticus and Elliot in them, though.
“I’ll find something one of your dads can’t do,” Cassidy decided, like it was his new project. Lucien was so comfortable atop of him, he could have fallen asleep like this. The weight, the warmth, the purring…
If Lucien could have fit in his backpack, he might have tried to smuggle him home.
“What about crochet? Apple carving? Glass blowing?”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:34 pm
“Oh no, you think it’s cringe?” Atticus gasped, his smile failing and he covered his face with both hands. “I mean, it kind of is?? Oh my gosh, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
He didn’t blame Cassidy! He just knew he tended to get a little enthusiastic about Elliot.
“He’s just so sweet and kind and he always knows how to make me laugh. I can’t imagine life without him. Oh-- oh no, I’m being more cringe, aren’t I?” he whined and hid his face further into his hands, curling up a little on himself as if that would help him with hiding.
Oh, but it was nice to think about his dads doing things. That was a good distraction.
“Daddy can definitely crochet. And knit. And do needlepoint. And sew. He’s really good with embroidery. I’m going to ask him if he’s worked with leather before. And I bet they can both carve apples. Is that really a thing? I want to look into that, too. That sounds like it could be neat. And I don’t know if they’ve ever done glass blowing, but I bet they’d take the challenge to try.”
Lucien made a small snort of amusement, but made it sound at least a little like it could have been a sneeze. Too bad Cassidy didn’t know about the war or their identities. He would have liked to brag about his bonded and bonded’s family.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:35 pm
“Atticus!” Cassidy laughed. “Relax, it’s not really cringe. You two make it cute, don’t be so scandalized. Just invite me to the wedding. I like the way you two are so mushy. Apple carving is definitely a thing, I’ll send you some videos.”
He was still careful with himself and his movements, but Cassidy stretched his good arm behind him so he could tangle his fingers in Lucien’s fur and pet his hindquarters. Such a cute little sneeze, ugh.
“Your parents are all so cool. I don’t know if mine have much to offer. Unless you need, like, a prescription. Oh, or a tarot reading or crystal synergy or something. Mom’s super into that now. Horoscope stuff and star charts. Tell me if you ever want your fortune read, I’m getting really good at it.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:35 pm
“Of course you’d be invited to the wedding. I’d want you in the wedding party-- oh, if you wanted. Since Elliot and I have all the same good friends, we’d probably just have to let you all pick which side you want to stand on,” he frowned thoughtfully, trying to count how many friends they had and after a moment or two of worrying about the cost, decided that it would be fine. He could already imagine his Papa’s expression if it was suggested that something wasn’t affordable.
“Wait, you can really read fortunes?” Atticus blinked in surprise, obviously curious. “Is that, um… I mean, it’s something you can learn, right? Or, kind of like magic powers?”
He felt silly for asking, wondering if maybe he was missing something. He’d never actually met someone who could read fortunes, but it sounded like it could be very insightful.
Oh… but what if Cassidy read something he didn’t want to?
“Um, you don’t… I mean, you can’t see into my past, can you? Or, uh… would you be able to read my mind? That definitely sounds like a scary superpower if you can. But also really cool!” he added, not wanting to insult Cassidy so he would read his mind!
If he covered his forehead, would he be protected…? Not that he minded most things being read! He just didn’t want to spill any secrets he knew he shouldn’t.
The petting was always welcome, and Lucien adjusted himself to get more comfortable, stretching out all the way across Cassidy’s back and shoulders. He was big enough for it. And Atticus had mentioned before that he enjoyed having him as a blanket.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:37 pm
Cassidy had no time to say that he’d be delighted to be in the wedding party since poor Atticus, in all of his pure-hearted, trusting, gullibility, was getting worried about magic powers.
Oh, Lucien felt so good. Was he trying to lull him to sleep? It was almost working. He wanted to come over more often just to take naps with Lucien.
“No,” he reassured, resisting the urge to laugh. He didn’t want to make Atticus feel bad, he’d already teased him enough. “It doesn't work like that. Most fortune tellers are people who are hoping to scam you. It’s something you can learn but I don’t know if I’d call it a magic power so much as ‘really good manipulation’. Here, give me your hand. Let me read your palms,” he said, and while his good arm was busy scratching Lucien, he held out his free hand to take Atticus’.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:37 pm
Oh, so it wasn’t magic? That was a little bit of a relief. He didn’t know what he’d do if he had to explain how Cassidy knew his secret identity as Ephesus.
With no hesitation, he held out his hand to Cassidy, although he couldn’t imagine why someone would offer someone their fortune and try to scam them. Well, he supposed people liked hearing good things, so that was probably part of it.
“Do you have to say any magic words?” he wondered, tilting his head curiously to see what Cassidy was doing.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:39 pm
“I could if you wanted me to,” Cassidy said, careful to keep himself propped up in a way that would neither hurt himself nor jostle Lucien. “Oh, I’ve got it.”
He took Atticus’ hand gently in his own and traced his thumb over the longest line on his palm. “O mangi questa minestra o ti getti dalla finestra,” and then hummed thoughtfully. “Oh, Atticus. It looks like you’ve got tough times and good fortune in your future. You’ve got an internal struggle going on right now, it’s been weighing on you for a little while already. You’ve got some choices ahead of you but you’re waffling. Hm.”
He moved his thumb over another line on Atticus’ palm. “Oh, but you’re surrounded by loved ones, and you’ll be able to rely on them in the future. Looks like you’ll come out better in the end. I see a lot of hope in your future. A lot of joy, and a lot of love. Oh, but there’s a little bit of a mystery here, with this line. Hm, are you keeping secrets, Atticus? I can’t quite read this one. Hm…I’ll have to check the lunar calendar, it looks like you’ve got something celestial in your future. You’re not planning on becoming an astronaut, are you? Haha, I’m just kidding. It probably means you have a really bright future ahead of you, so keep doing what you’re doing.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:39 pm
Atticus stared in awe and disbelief as Cassidy not only said magical words to start the palm reading, but also had a scarily accurate read on him!
He felt his cheeks burn the moment he was asked if he was keeping secrets. Not only that, but Cassidy mentioned having to check the lunar calendar! And that there was something celestial in his future! And asked if he was planning on becoming an astronaut!
“You can tell all that by just my palm?” he gasped, thinking that maybe this was a bad idea. How did he know?? “Y-you don’t have to check the lunar calendar. Um. But thank you!” he sputtered, trying to stay calm about it.
Curiosity got the better of him, though.
“What-- what did you say? Your magic words? Was that some kind of magical language you learned?”
Lucien was paying close attention to everything going on, his tail swishing a little as he tried to decide if he needed to intervene. It seemed fine, but how Atticus could keep any secrets was beyond him.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:41 pm
Cassidy had to work incredibly hard to keep a straight face. He might have been done with his palm reading but he didn’t let go of Atticus’ hand.
His lip twitched. Twice.
He couldn’t let himself laugh, but maybe Lucien felt the tremors as he tried to hide it.
“It’s Italian. It means ‘eat this soup or jump out of the window’. My grandmother says it when I’m being annoying. She says it like this,” he wriggled his noise and pressed his lips together into a sour expression before repeating the phrase in a shrill, exasperated tone. A smile was on his face again right after “Sometimes I try to annoy her so she’ll say it, it makes me laugh. It means, like. ‘Take it or leave it’. It’s not serious, Atticus, don’t worry.”
He squeezed his hand and smiled up at him. “Most of those fortune telling things are a scam so don’t ever trust any weird strangers. But if you ever want your fortune told, you come to me, I’ll tell you the truth. For example, I definitely see good things in your future. You’ve got a project you’ve been working really hard on, right? I’ve got a feeling, you know, that all that hard work is going to come to fruition really soon. So keep at it and don’t give up. And trust in yourself, your palm says you’ve been worrying a lot. You’ve gotta take a breather and do something nice for yourself soon, okay? And when school starts, don’t let that stress build up, either. We should do a spa day or something.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:42 pm
“S-soup?” Atticus blinked with confusion as he listened to Cassidy’s explanation. And then it clicked (maybe) and he felt his cheeks flush.
“Oh! Oh, that’s funny!” he laughed, even if he was embarrassed. He squeezed Cassidy’s hand in return and smiled brightly for him. “I like that. You should definitely say things in Italian before doing your palm readings. It makes it sound more mysterious!” he insisted. And then laughed a little more because he could imagine Cassidy using the same tone as his grandmother. Oh, maybe it wouldn’t be as mysterious then!
“And um, yeah I have been worrying a lot, but that’s okay. We’ll hang out and yeah! A spa day would be nice. Thank you, Cassidy. I’ve really missed hanging out with you in person. Being online just isn’t the same.
Lucien smiled to himself, but rested his head against Cassidy’s back, purring all the while. It was nice to see his bonded’s son with his friends. And he happened to like his friends, too.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:42 pm
Cassidy grinned but once more kept his laughter under control. His arm was getting tired so with great reluctance he pulled it from Lucien and made a pillow for himself with it.
“I missed this too, Atticus. I mean, honestly, you were great company online.But this is definitely different. Way better. It’s just your whole vibe, you know? You radiate positive energy. It doesn’t come through the phone the same way it does in person. And you know? Maybe it sounds crazy but I definitely feel better now than I did this morning. Lucien is really comfortable and this couch is like, better than my bed, so don’t be mistaken by how easy it would be for me to fall asleep right now–I feel really rejuvenated. Palm reading works up an appetite, can you pass me another cracker?”
He pointed to one of the cracker sandwiches he had on his plate. “Are you worrying about anything I can help with? I know you’ve got Elliot and your four dads to help you but I’m here too.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:43 pm
Atticus was quick to reach over and grab a cracker for Cassidy. He wanted to make sure he was comfortable and happy. Atticus certainly was!
“I know you’re here. I’m really happy you’re here, Cassidy. You’re always so cheerful and funny and you have great things to talk about. It’s okay if you don’t feel confident, you know. I still think you’re really fun to be around. Oh!” he paused, feeling embarrassed that he’d just assumed what Cassidy was saying before as about himself.
“You know, just if you’re feeling like you don’t feel all that confident, then that’s okay! I didn’t mean anything by it, I promise. And you’re welcome over here anytime you want. I can’t say that Riker shows up often, but if you wanted, we could try to invite him over too. Maybe a get together with everyone over the weekend?”
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 5:47 pm
Cassidy gave Atticus a look, and if he were anyone else Cassidy would have given him a hard time about it. Instead, he laughed as he accepted the snack.
“Nobody’s confident all the time. But thank you, Atticus. You’re sweet. If I wasn’t feeling very confident, I know I could talk to you.” Well, as long as he didn’t mind the tears. He knew Atticus would cry, so that was worth trying his hardest to be confident. Fake it ‘til you make it.
He smiled again. “You really think you could convince Riker to come over? I want to hang out. He was so sweet with Julian, what happened! Ughhh. Get togethers could be fun. He might get spooked if there’s too many people, he definitely won’t let me hang all over him. But he should have fun, he’s so hard on himself. He’s so stubborn. Ah, but so am I. One day,” he sighed wistfully.
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