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 Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:23 pm
“Believe it or not, I’m usually very confident in myself,” Michael sighed, his eyes also closed. He couldn’t help but feel at peace with Devyn beside him. And the boys were safe in their room. Maybe it was just an accumulation of everything that happened over the years, wearing down on his mind and heart.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t know what was going on off of Alastor. We’ve got time. We’ll make up for any that we’ve lost,” he insisted, and tilted his head up so he could press a kiss against Devyn’s forehead.
“The same goes for you, you know. If there’s anything that’s bothering you, or anything you’re not sure about, you can talk to me.” Just like with him talking to Devyn, he hoped Devyn knew that Michael wouldn’t judge him for anything.
“And I know I’m so old and weary compared to you, but I’m so tired, Dev,” he mumbled, trying to stifle a yawn. Falling asleep would be easy.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:28 pm
Devyn laughed softly, briefly, and then when that hadn’t been enough, he laughed again. This time, he did convince himself to move, and he was glad that he did so. It didn’t hurt, aside from a residual soreness as his muscles protested; he wrapped his arms around Michael and pulled him close.
“Well, I’m looking forward to making up all that lost time with you. Starting tomorrow, because I’m tired, too. And I’m not sure that the boys won’t be in to make sure we’re still here, so if we’re going to sleep like this we should make the best of it. Of course, we’re going to have to tell them sometime. If you want to.”
Although, he wasn’t sure if he could really keep it a secret from either of them; Atticus was too sweet to lie to, and Elliot was too shrewd to lie too. Together, it was only a matter of time. Devyn had less at stake to lose by voicing anything about any relationship, so he wanted to make sure that Michael could control what was shared, and when, because if one of them knew, they’d both know. And Elliot’s parents, too.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:34 pm
Just as easy as it would have been to fall asleep, it was easy to settle closer to Devyn, especially with his arms around him.
“Oh…? What would we tell them? That we’re madly in love with each other and you’re determined to properly court me?” he teased, but he scratched at the back of Devyn’s head in compensation.
Although, the idea of telling anyone was… well, not bad. Maybe after the last time he was in a relationship, he was surprised at how willing Devyn was to tell others.
“My ex didn’t really want to introduce me to his mother. I took his phone and called her myself, eventually,” he hummed thoughtfully to himself. “I guess I should have taken that as a sign that I needed to slow down and figure things out.”
It hadn’t been all bad with Caspian, but he was definitely younger, less mature, had a life ahead of him and things to explore and not be held back by someone old and stuffy like Michael. Maybe he got himself a dog, which Michael completely refused.
“I would like to tell everyone about you, Dev. As long as you’re comfortable with it. I’m not sure if it’s different on Alastor, but on Earth… If we’re in an exclusive relationship, that would make you my boyfriend. And me yours.”
Well, he had been exhausted, but the talk of their relationship made his heart flutter and he could understand why Devyn said he felt like a teenager at times.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:41 pm
Devyn started with a purr and shifted just enough so Michael had free reign to touch as much of his hair as he wanted. It wasn’t any secret that Devyn liked all of it, and it was a struggle to stay still and be patient about it.
“We should tell them that, yes.” How was he supposed to be ashamed if Michael was telling people they were madly in love with each other? And, he was determined to properly court him. “It sounds just about the same here as on Alastor. And I was never ashamed to announce when I was in a relationship. I liked talking about Percy, I was always proud of him.”
And, he knew Michael said it was okay that he’d still talk about him, and if there was one thing he was worried about it was that he wasn’t sure he’d know how to balance talking about Percy and talking about Michael. They occupied different parts of his heart in the same way, and he knew he didn’t have to learn how to be perfect immediately but he wanted to.
“I’ll have to meet new people so I can talk about you, too. I’m sure your mother and Oliver don’t need to hear me fawning over you. But I will, anyway.” He shrugged; it was an inevitability and he wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it.
“I don’t really have anyone to introduce you to. But if I did, I’d have liked to take you home to meet them. There’s not really much left of the place where I was born, but. We could go some time. I haven’t been back–” he shrugged. “Well, it feels creepy now, so I haven’t been back in a very long time. But there’s nothing there but ghosts. But I can take you to Arista. There’s nothing left but gravestones, but we should go. Even if it’s only to pay respects. I’ll take you to visit Marius, and Atrius, and Virgil, and Madison. They were all important to me.” And Percy, but he supposed Michael might already know that.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:47 pm
It was Michael’s turn to laugh, and he scratched at Devyn’s head a little more enthusiastically, but never to hurt him. He eased back into just brushing his fingers through his hair after a few moments.
“No, I don’t think my mom and Oliver need to hear you fawning over me,” he laughed again, but smiled warmly, if not a bit sadly, even with his eyes closed.
“I would like to pay my respects. Atrius was… the mayor of Arista while you were growing up, right? And I know Marius,” he hummed softly.
“I don’t think it would be creepy to visit gravestones. We’ll have to figure out a better way to get around though. Maybe we can see about bringing bikes with us when we visit Alastor. Have you ridden a bike before? We might need to get you up to speed with that. And get you a helmet at the very least. Bring a couple for Atticus and Elliot too.”
Oh, maybe he was thinking too far ahead. Was it too much for him to plan on bringing things to Alastor? He wanted to make things easier for getting around, especially if it was a bit treacherous.
“I can bring a chainsaw to clear the path. I can teach you how to use one, too, and we can get twice the amount of work done.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 9:52 pm
A part of Devyn wanted to say, ‘Well too bad because I’m going to fawn over you in front of them,’ but he let that be with just a smile. The necklace felt a little warmer when Michael mentioned Atrius and Marius and wanting to pay his respects. “No, those gravestones aren’t the creepy ones. Arista was still beautiful the last time I went. Hardly even looks like ruins. It’ll be easy to get there, the forest probably won’t even try to swallow us up.”
Ideally.
“My village is much further away. And, probably buried under a mountain now. There are a lot of places I want to take you, but I know we’ll have to pace ourselves. There are parts of the world that I know are untamed and unkempt. But I’m so excited, Michael. And if there are people that are still out there…”
He held the thought in his mind but didn’t really finish it. In his heart, it wasn’t an if. There had to be at least someone. But, he was good at living in denial, and he didn’t want to deal with the alternative, anyway.
“Mostly I just walk everywhere, I’ve never ridden a bike. But I’d like to learn. I don’t think the terrain on Alastor will be forgiving, but we can figure it out. I know you’re a skilled outdoorsman.” Devyn was tired but he still sounded excited about all of it. “I know I should start small, but I want to fix up the Hall. But also clear a path through the forest. And I have to take you and the boys to Arista. I don’t know where else I’ll go from there. I owe it to Marius to check on Villefort.” If anyone was going to be alive, no doubt it would be out there, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:05 pm
“If there are people out there, we’ll find them and make sure they’re taken care of,” Michael finished Devyn’s thoughts for him. It didn’t matter what the likelihood of there being anyone left alive was. As long as Devyn wanted to look for others, Michael was going to help him.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get some nice mountain bikes, or I can look into getting some motorized sports bikes if we need to set our sights on anything farther away,” he hummed to himself as he brushed his fingers absently through Devyn’s hair.
He hoped it wasn’t too much that he was already making plans for what they were going to do on Alastor.
“We’ll do what we can around the Hall, and then make a day trip out to Arista and then plan for a longer trip to Villefort. Unless you can magically take us there directly from Earth.” That would be convenient. Maybe too convenient.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:13 pm
“I might be able to,” he mused. “Soleiyu said all I had to do was focus on where I wanted to go. I’ve always gone to the lobby or my room, but I could pick between the two of them. So I might be able to save us on travel time if I can imagine it clearly. Since there aren’t any horses around right now, I suppose bikes are the next best option. I wish I could go back already,” he said, and sighed wistfully.
It took a great effort to relax already, but he knew he needed to take care of himself–especially if he planned on healing so they could go back to work on things so soon.
“Now that things have cleared up a bit and I can go to other places without worrying so much, I’ll have to try it. I’ll let you know how it works. I love you, by the way.” And all of his enthusiasm and ideas for putting Alastor back together. And everything about him. He smiled and pressed another gentle kiss to his lips. “Do you want to take it easy tomorrow or can I take you out for dinner? There’s a park I like, I can make dinner to go and we can watch the sunset over the water. Unless you’ve had enough water for this weekend. We could always have a picnic on the roof, instead.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:30 pm
“You’re already asking me out?” Michael laughed softly again, but there was only fondness and affection in his voice. “I would love to have dinner and watch the sunset with you. I love you, too.”
He really, really did. His heart kept fluttering in his chest, especially when Devyn had kissed him again.
“While you recover your strength, we can make plans on what we should bring with us. Power tools and things like that. We can bring some solar panels to recharge those portable generators you’ve already got there. I bet if we really wanted to, we could recruit the boys to sweep the floors and dust. I’d like to see the lobby back to its former glory. Maybe get the fountains working again.”
Oh, maybe he was getting too far ahead of himself. But Alastor had helped him clean up Sessrumnir, so it was only fair that he helped Devyn with his world.
“You said there was a portal or… doorway in your room? We could look at that, too. I don’t know what it would require to work again, but it’ll be worth it if we could take turns going from one place to the other.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:39 pm
Devyn smiled again, and for as heavy as his eyelids were, he was still beaming. “Those all sound like good ideas to me. I’d like to get the doorway fixed, if you’re up for it.” No pressure, he didn’t want for Michael to feel like they had to see if there was a way to reconnect their worlds, but he was hopeful given that he was the one to suggest it.
“I want to visit Sessrumnir and squeeze Princess, too. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get to sleep, I keep thinking of everything I want to do. But I know if I try to get up, my knees will remind me why I’m supposed to be resting. But yes, tomorrow–oh, I brought back some maps and things, maybe you and I and the boys can go over some of them, too. I’ll give you a proper tour of the Hall. I do want it back to its former glory, that’s what I want you all to remember. Not some spooky fortress. It's got good bones though. It needs some roof repair, some dusting, and some landscaping. Oh, and that east wall will need mending. And then I’ll have to see about getting some bridges installed.”
Because, if there were people on the other side of the river, he wanted to make sure they could get to safety. “And I want to thank your brother, it was good to see him.” Albeit briefly, and without much conversation, but he knew Peter was still sorting through things. “And Chris and Paris, too. And Lucasta. Especially for looking after the boys. You know, I thought I was tired, but now I’ve got all this energy in my mind. My body disagrees. We might have to put on that music box if I have any chance of getting to sleep tonight.”
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:55 pm
Michael just laughed again, because he felt the same way. He was getting worked up about things he was excited about, but he knew he needed to try and sleep, otherwise they would definitely regret it in the morning. Not that they couldn’t just sleep in, but he didn’t want the boys worried about breakfast or if they were doing okay.
“We’ll get everything done, a little at a time. I’ll have to figure out how to get a bridge up. It might involve rerouting the river temporarily so we can work. Maybe we’ll be able to figure out a way to transport bigger machinery to use,” he hummed thoughtfully.
But he agreed with everything Devyn was saying, and he pulled himself reluctantly away so he could reach over to the music box beside the bed and wound it up a couple times.
Once it started playing, he turned back to Devyn to give him one last kiss for the night.
“We’ll see everyone again soon. And we’ll go over the maps and figure things out,” he promised. He settled with his arm around Devyn, happy to be close to him, and happy that they all made it home safely.
“Good night, Devyn. I love you.”
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