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 Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:15 pm
At first, Devyn nodded appreciatively and resisted the instinctive urge to tell him that he used to go to Percy whenever possible. Partly because he trusted him more than anyone else, and partly because he liked the way Percy fussed over him.
It was better than any sort of doctor, anyway.
“I don’t know what Earth hospitals are like,” Devyn answered honestly, “but if you don’t like them, I don’t like them. So if you think I need to go to a hospital, I’ll go. And if I’m worried about something going on with you,” he made a vague gesture, because Michael had already promised.
“I’m only okay with first aid,” he said after a moment. “I mean honestly, I suppose I’m pretty out of date. I don’t know what Earth has learned.”
He poked at the food left on his plate and then asked, “Where can I learn first aid, do they have classes on that? In case I can do something for you so you don’t have to go to the hospital.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:27 pm
“You wouldn’t like them,” Michael agreed easily. He didn’t need to take Devyn to a hospital to know that he would hate it there. “Too many people telling you what to do, too many weird noises and never quiet enough to rest, but also nothing to do but try to rest. I’ll do what I can to keep you out of one,” he promised. Not just because he knew Devyn wouldn’t like them, but because he didn’t want him hurt enough to need one.
“I can save some videos online for you to click on and watch, if you want. They’ve got classes, but I’ll have to look around to see when any are being scheduled. I can teach you what I know, too, if you want. Same with massages. I could get you one that you can use on yourself, or I can try and figure out where your pressure points you need to focus on are,” he offered.
“It’s not like I have anything better to do. Well, aside from preparing for the science fair. And maybe help Elliot come up with something to do on the side so he feels included when everyone else stays after school to work on theirs,” Michael shrugged. Besides, he was invested in making sure Devyn was comfortable.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:34 pm
It was easy to trust Michael, and Devyn found himself nodding along as he spoke. He preferred hands-on learning, and he’d mentioned this before, but he was also eager to learn as much as he could so starting with videos was the better option until he could get into some scheduled classes, he supposed.
And, learning from Michael seemed good; he was a very good teacher and Devyn was eager to make him proud. Which was a strange sensation, and maybe not even something he was completely aware of, but that was easy enough to brush aside when he liked spending time with Michael, anyway. Learning something was just an added bonus. And staying out of the hospital was, too.
“All of that sounds good, yes. Please. And thank you.” Because he should probably never stop thanking Michael for everything he was doing for him.
“Do you do science for the fair, or just supervise the childrens’ science?” he asked, and tried to accept this strange concept of a fair. With more chemicals than food, and apparently no games. That hardly sounded like a fair at all. Just a conference, maybe. Interesting, but not fun. “And Elliot, is he not going to do science with the others?”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:45 pm
“Mostly just supervising. I’ll be too involved in helping them to judge for winners, but once everyone has their projects completed, there will be prizes given to those who do the best overall project. Sometimes scholarships are given, or even opportunities for internships. It’s a good way for the kids who are really interested in science to make themselves stand out,” he explained, hoping that he was making sense. It was still a lot for even him to know what Devyn was used to or what was new to him, and he didn’t want to seem condescending by telling him everything in detail, especially if it was stuff he already knew. He figured if he was confused then he would ask. If not now, then maybe later.
“Azure has a lot of already well off students, so scholarships to higher education seems like it would be wasted on them. But the ones who do really well are often the ones who have scholarships to Azure in the first place. I would really like to teach at a public school, but I’m not really a teacher,” he admitted, and he felt a bit like a fraud for admitting to it. “I don’t have a teaching license like most other teachers should. But since Azure is a private school, I’m able to teach elective classes -- classes that the students choose to be in and have limited availability.”
He shifted a little, not realizing he would feel so guilty about it until he said it out loud. It was true that he first got the job there at the insistence, and maybe a little help, from his grandmother. But now…? Well, he was good enough of an elective teacher that they let him continue working there.
“Elliot will be starting high school soon. If his current school does their own science fair, it’s not at the same time as Azure’s. But his parents will be busy, since they’re actual teachers, and I don’t mind keeping an eye on him. I just don’t want him to be bored. He seems to do better when he has a goal. Give him something to strive for. Helps focus his thoughts and ideas. And the kid has a lot of ideas. You’d like him. He’s very clever.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:55 pm
These were things that didn’t necessarily make sense to Devyn, who didn’t know that teachers needed licenses, but. Things like scholarships were still foreign to me, but internships he at least understood. He could piece things together, sort of, and Michael had already explained some general academic things to him while talking about his job and where he worked.
“I hope I get to meet him,” he said, but wasn’t entirely sure why. He really wasn’t particularly good with kids in general, but Michael seemed to like Elliot and he trusted Michael’s opinion on just about everything. And, Michael seemed to like him, and it wasn’t like Michael talked about others very often. “And that you can do something to stop him from being bored. Have you thought about getting a teaching license? I think you could do anything you put your mind to.”
Not pointless flattery, he genuinely believed this. “Back on Alastor, if you were proficient, you could teach. You just had to know what you were talking about. There weren’t standardized tests. And everyone taught a different way. So you’d have to seek out a good teacher if you weren’t happy with one you had. I studied with a lot of people when I was a kid, but as the Senshi I sort of had whatever my Council chose for me. I’m grateful they weren’t corrupt, they could have easily given me a botched education. But they gave me a good foundation, and Atrius gave me the resources I needed to branch out. And I got to go to conferences elsewhere to learn about what I wanted to know. And I could go to Sessrumnir and learn anything. I used to just sit in on classes, just to see what was going on.”
There was clearly a part of him that missed easy things like that, but he was adjusting well enough. It was just a constant learning process, and at least things stayed interesting. It was easier not to dwell on the past when he could be caught up in the present and plan for the future.
“I’d like if I could do that here, but I suppose there’s so much that I don’t know about Earth that I might just be lost in all of it.”
And, he had enough to think about and work on, already. He shouldn't add more to his plate. Probably.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:59 pm
“Good motivation for you to learn how to read and write,” Michael suggested with a small grin. “Once you can do that, there are plenty of classes you can take. Whatever you’re interested in learning about. Seriously.”
It wasn’t as though money was an issue. And especially if it was for educational purposes, Michael was more willing to insist on Devyn doing what he wanted. After all, he had a long life ahead of him, and it should be filled with things he enjoyed. What better way to figure out what he actually liked than by taking a handful of courses?
“I’ve thought about getting a license, yeah. But I also feel bad about leaving Azure. It’s an all boys school, and I feel like a lot of those kids don’t have anyone they can really confide in,” he admitted. He knew it was likely the case for every school, but with more privilege means they also have the opportunity to make things better for others. Or maybe that was just the mindset of one privileged person.
“I might look into applying to help with after school tutoring. Maybe even recruit some of my better students to help as well. There’s a lot of paperwork involved, but it could be a good way for them to meet other kids while also improving themselves.”
Or maybe it was the optimist peeking out from somewhere buried deep inside him. It liked to show up every now and then, but with how horrible things have been, it was easy to squash it down.
“I’m sure you’ll get to meet Elliot sooner or later. And I’m glad your Council chose good teachers for you, and that Atrius was a good source of resources. I can imagine it was pretty rough trying to do so many things at once.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:09 pm
Devyn shrugged, a common occurrence when he was brushing off anything that might have been difficult for him. He didn’t like to admit when something was daunting or had given him trouble, even if he’d been young and learning. Sometimes, because it was Michael, he could talk a bit more earnestly about all of it.
After all, he didn’t have to worry about not being able to trust him, none of this information could be used to sabotage Devyn. Who was going to try and overthrow him for a world covered in Chaos, anyway?
And, they’d promised various levels of honesty and truth to each other. If he were going to be secrets, it wasn’t going to be that it had been rough to juggle so much as a kid.
“Got used to it,” he admitted. “There were days that it was hard. I ran away a few times. Not proud to admit that when I was very small I used to find a place to get lost and just cry. And then I’d stay lost for a few hours. Sometimes on purpose. I don’t really have the best sense of direction. I just go where I feel like going. My gut doesn’t always point me in the right direction at first, but I always wind up where I’m meant to be.” He paused, and added, “Eventually.”
His food was mostly gone; he took the last real bite and then set about quietly pushing together what little scraps were left to clear his plate.
“But, I suppose all of it instilled a good sense of discipline in me from an early age. I hated it then, but if I didn’t learn it, I’d have just been out of luck later in life. So,” he paused to sigh heavily, “I guess it wasn’t the worst. I’ve lived this long, so someone must have known what they were doing. It was hard, though. I was miserable, actually.” He thought for a second and then shrugged, “I really do think Percy kept me sane. If I’d had to live my life alone, I wouldn’t be here. I’d have gotten tired of everyone. Would never have learned to take care of myself. I still don’t really know how to. But I got used to Perce looking after me, and he had expectations. So I had to take care of myself because if I didn’t, he’d worry, and then we’d have to spend all our time together with him patching me up. So,” he shrugged once more, but he had a little smile steadfastly in place.
He’d learn to read and write Earth language, because he wanted to be able to take those classes. He didn’t know what he wanted to learn, but he wanted to be ready for it when he did.
“I think you can do anything you want to do, Michael. I bet you help every kid who comes through your doors. No matter where you are, I bet you’d make a difference. And any of them would be lucky to have you.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:19 pm
Michael listened. It wasn’t difficult to be curious about Devyn, even if he wasn’t from another world or time. There was a kindness in his voice, but also a loneliness that Michael felt that he recognized in himself. The rest of his own plate was mostly cleared by the time Devyn seemed to finish going over his memories of how things used to be for him, how things still were for him. And even the words of encouragement that Michael wasn’t sure he deserved.
“I hope you know that I have expectations for you, too,” he said as he leaned against the table on his forearms. “I don’t want to spend all our time together patching you up, either.” Michael lifted his hand to gesture to his own lip. The bruising on Devyn’s face would likely be worse in the morning, but they would try to treat it more, then. The best thing he could do was get some good sleep.
“But I hope you’re right that I could make a difference. Sometimes it feels like nothing gets better, especially when it comes to the war. We’ve tried so many different ways of getting rid of the Chaos here, but… maybe we’ve already lost and they’re too strong,” he suggested and shrugged. Whether or not he believed that, it didn’t matter. He would keep fighting no matter what, but maybe if he could convince Devyn to stay out of danger…
“I’m really going to need your help, trying to figure all this out,” he heard himself say instead.
He couldn’t do it. When it was easy to push others away, he couldn’t bring himself to try and convince Devyn that it was a lost cause. They just needed to try harder.
“Are you hurt anywhere else? I only saw the bruise on your face,” he said after a few moments, because if Devyn was fighting all night, he was bound to have more bruises elsewhere. “You should probably rest for a little while in the bath. I know you don’t like water, but it’ll be good for your muscles,” he insisted.
Another pause, and then because he couldn’t help himself, “Do you think your gut has you where you’re meant to be now? Or are you still searching…?”
Michael pressed his lips together to keep himself from saying or asking more. He shook his head because Devyn didn’t need to answer that, and part of him didn’t want to know.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:29 pm
Briefly, Devyn smiled, and picked up the ice so he could put it back on his lip. Not for himself, it didn’t really hurt. But, Michael didn’t want to worry about patching him up and was fussing over any other injuries he had.
Was he hurt? Not really. Sore, but he could only compare it to a really good workout. It wasn’t worth worrying about. Devyn was hoping that it was enough to leave him exhausted and let him sleep a good few hours. A bath did sound good, and while it was true that Devyn didn’t like sudden rainstorms, or rapid flooding, a bath was luxury.
He could soak in a bath. Would enjoy it, even. He wouldn’t protest.
There were little things that Devyn could have answered, but everything seemed to hold a little less importance when Michael got to his last question.
He didn’t know if there was supposed to be a weight to it, but it seemed to mean something. If not to Michael, to him.
He contemplated for a moment before he answered. “I get restless. And it’s hard for me to stay in the same spot. Except for home, I always come home. So when I’m not there, I’m always trying to get back as quickly as possible. When I’m on Earth, of course I want to go back to Alastor, I have a lot of obligations there. I have to protect it. But.”
Another brief pause, because he was sorting through his thoughts with meaning and purpose.
“When I’m here I don’t feel like I have to keep moving. And even when I’m out in Destiny City, I think about how much I look forward to coming home. Well–here,” he clarified, and then wondered if it was strange to call it as much. But this wasn’t a house? Well, it was. But it was a house he’d been welcomed into. It was safe. There were people he liked here. It wasn’t just the food or shelter, there was something else.
“So,” he nodded slowly, and then with more conviction. “Yeah. I think I’m where I’m supposed to be. I don’t think there’s any other reason that I should have seen a speck of light in the sky that brought me all the way from Alastor right to you. I don’t feel like I need to go running around looking for anyone or anything else. I think I’ve got everything I need right here.”
He’d help Michael in any way he could, and Michael had promised to help–and was already helping–so, was there really any question at all?
This felt right.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:38 pm
He hated that he didn’t understand why his chest felt tight like it did. Michael would blame the starseed again, but he seemed to be doing that a lot. Maybe because he’d been holding his breath and didn’t realize it.
“Okay,” he said with a nod as he tried not to make it obvious that he was reminding himself to breathe again. He was also trying to ignore the heat that wanted to color his cheeks, so he busied himself with collecting things from the table so he could get up and put them in the sink.
After opening his mouth, and then deciding he didn’t know what he was going to say, he closed it and stood up so he could gather everything that he could.
“Well, you’ve got a lot of work to do, getting ready to get rid of the Chaos on Alastor. So you should keep training however you can, but don’t get too hurt. You should go ahead and take a bath and I’ll clean up here,” he insisted, because even if Devyn was currently living there, he was still a guest.
And Michael might have needed some time to understand the strange feeling he got every time he was around Devyn. It was more than just trust in a person. It was as though Devyn knew him -- and maybe he did. Maybe the separation between himself and Percy wasn’t as broad as he would have imagined. Maybe he was never his own person, but just a vessel. Why else would his heart react like it did? Why else would Devyn end up there out of all places he could have arrived?
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said after a few moments of quietly chewing over his thoughts. He gave Devyn a small glance, and then nodded to make sure he knew he could rest. “Let me know if you need anything.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:48 pm
Devyn stood when Michael did, and a part of him really did want to protest letting Michael take on more chores. Michael had made dinner, it didn’t seem very fair to ask him to clean up from it, too. “Okay,” he said, and decided he’d just make up for it tomorrow. Instead of running, maybe he’d straighten up the house, or dust here, or sweep or something. Maybe he’d make dinner.
No, he probably shouldn’t try that yet, he didn’t want to mess it up and have to give him sandwiches. Oh! He could just go pick something up, instead. He’d do that, that seemed easy. He already knew some of the places Michael liked, and he remembered enough about them to know what to order.
Yeah, that sounded like a better plan. No chance of burning the house down, then. And he’d make sure to be home before he was.
He looked at Michael for a second, because he had a lot of thoughts, constantly moving and churning and twisting over in his mind. They weren’t anything that stressed him out. He smiled, even though it tugged at his split lip a bit. “I’m glad I’m here, too. I think I’ve got everything I need. I’ll go take a good soak so you don’t have to worry about me falling apart, though. I’ll see you in a bit. Thank you for dinner, Michael, it was delicious. I’ll clean up after tomorrow’s.”
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