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 Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 4:40 am
In his defense, he’d never actually spent the night on Sessrumnir. The whole day? Sure. But he never stayed with the intention of sleeping there and then getting up to do things the next day. If his energy held up, he would have suggested going home and then back, but he doubted he could manage another trip so soon after the first.
Not only that, but it was storming again. It was Jupiter, so it was to be expected. But every flash of lightning was followed by a rumbling thunder that shook the entire building, even if he couldn’t hear the crash very clearly through the thankfully thick and sturdy walls.
The thousand and more year old couch was also not the most comfortable place to sleep. Sure, he could almost stretch out on it, but ended up needing to put his legs over one edge, or raise his knees, or prop his head up. Which meant tossing and turning a little until giving up and putting his pillow under his ankles so he could rest them against the armrest.
He also kept feeling like he was having weird dreams, but was awake enough to not know if it was real or just his imagination. He could hear quiet voices whispering to each other. He could hear the shuffled pacing of feet, or the flip of a book page. It was almost as if every one of his memories were trying to come out, but also not wanting to bother him while he was trying to sleep. He could feel it like an apology in his chest, as if his attempt to sleep was making the memories easier to access, despite what his starseed was trying to do.
Or he was just going crazy and exhaustion was catching up with him.
Again, he thought he heard the sound of a door slowly opening and feet walking quietly across the room. He was willing to keep his eyes closed in case it would help the unseen memory pass more quickly --
Until he felt a blanket being draped over him.
“I thought you were exaggerating,” Michael said as he opened his eyes to look up at Devyn, who apparently was fully rested already, or couldn’t sleep either. Michael had not powered down. He still wore the guise of Sessrumnir, just because he didn’t want to risk making anything more complicated while they were there. And he was using his cape as an extra blanket. One that wasn’t warm enough for the chill in the air.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:25 am
Really, Devyn shouldn’t have been surprised that Michael was awake. Jupiter’s storms were impressive, even in a building such as Sessrumnir. Everything seemed louder at night, maybe because it was just so quiet, but–
It had been quiet today, too. It was only the three of them. It was probably in his mind. Or, maybe Jupiter was just storming worse now than it had been earlier.
For a while, Devyn had laid in bed–on his side, that felt natural, still. He’d invited Princess to be closer, and when he’d convinced he to curl up next to him, he’d tried to nap.
He had tried.
For a brief period of time, he might have dozed a bit, with Percy’s journal resting on his stomach and Princess’ head on his chest. Sometimes, he could feel his mind tugging at the threads of memories. Sometimes, he thought he could hear Percy sleeping next to him, or the sound of a page turning, or strokes of a pen against the page.
All things he remembered, things he could have fallen asleep to before.
But, the storm had worsened. The chill crept in.
Kept creeping in.
He wasn’t unused to it, but he wasn’t so sure Michael was going to be fine in it. And, he’d been restless anyway. It was a good excuse to get up. He needed a snack. He wasn’t getting up just to check on Michael.
He’d left Princess the bed and promised to be back soon, but there was an unused blanket at the foot of his bed that he wasn’t using and when he came out to see Michael like that, he knew it was a good idea that he’d brought it out.
“You know, I should have known you looked too peaceful to be sleeping in this weather.”
His hair was down but the ribbon was tied onto his sash again; he hadn’t powered down because he didn’t know what was here on Sessrumnir. If there was trouble, he wanted to be able to handle it. And, Michael hadn’t powered down.
…And even if Devyn had some immunity to the cold, he didn’t have Percy to snuggle up to, so he was going to take every extra scrap of warmth and defense against the cold that he could.
“Princess is pretty toasty, I could probably carry her out here and tuck you in under her. I’m pretty sure you’ll both fit comfortably.”
No, not really. Poor Michael looked so cramped already.
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 7:42 am
Michael let out a breath of a sigh and lifted one of his hands to rub at his eyes, before pushing himself up to sit, although he kept his feet on the couch -- just pulled them closer to him. Another rumble of thunder shook the structure, and Michael sighed a little more heavily.
“I don’t mind the storms. I don’t think,” he said, but was starting to question what he did tolerate and what was actually keeping him awake. Memories? The couch? The cold? The thunder?
But he did show Devyn an appreciative smile, and even laughed softly at the idea of Princess being put on the couch with him.
“Sure, why not?” It wasn’t as though he could get any less uncomfortable. Somehow he expected to end up on the floor if Princess tried to join him on the couch.
The room itself was dark. Sort of. There was a strange touchpad on the wall where a lightswitch would have normally been found that when touched the crystals dimmed. Even now, they were glowing just enough that he could see the way Devyn’s wavy black hair had been let loose over his shoulders and down his back. He wasn’t trying to think about how it felt when he tied his hair up, or when he brushed his hair off his forehead subconsciously, but it was difficult to forget.
So he busied himself by adjusting the blanket Devyn brought out for him so he wouldn’t have to look at him.
“Have you not been sleeping? I know you said your old scars ache when there’s a storm.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 8:14 am
“I slept.”
Well, he supposed that depended on Michael’s definition of slept, and because he didn’t want to be dishonest, he clarified, “Well, I think I dozed for a bit. I don’t sleep much. I tried a little, but. The storm is a bit distracting. Jupiter,” he shrugged, “What’s there to do about it.”
Although, it did seem a bit louder than he remembered. He couldn’t recall the last time it had stormed so loudly when he’d been with Percy but he hardly thought that counted for anything. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a meat pie, either. It just hadn’t been something he’d thought about at the time, and then the memories faded away.
Another painful throb from his chest; the pain rolled through him like the thunder rolled through the sky. “I think it has something to do with air pressure. It was storming pretty bad when I got it. I know the two aren’t related, but after all this time I still can’t shake it. What about you, have you gotten any sleep?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 4:29 pm
“I think I dozed for a bit,” he admitted, since Devyn was being kind enough to admit to not really sleeping much. “I’m sorry. Maybe we should just head back to Earth? You slept better there, didn’t you? We could always come back some other time,” he offered, because he didn’t want both of them to not sleep.
He was used to not sleeping. But he felt like a bad host since Devyn was also not really sleeping.
“Must have been a pretty bad wound for it to still hurt all this time,” he said quietly, frowning as he thought about his own scars. None of them ached for any particular reason. Some just did. The scars on his face still felt tight, but… they were pretty new, compared to most of the others. Other than the stab wound in his shoulder from Aquamarine, and the gash across his forearm from the floral General.
“If there’s ever anything you don’t want to talk about, or want me to bring up, you can just tell me, okay? I won’t be offended,” he said after a moment, because he didn’t want to make Devyn uncomfortable. He didn’t know what happened with all of Devyn’s scars, or the instances in which people tried to poison him, or why Devyn needed to poison himself for immunity, but he could wait until Devyn was ready. Or maybe he would never know, and that was fine, too.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 5:21 pm
Devyn propped himself up, elbow on the back of the couch. He leaned against it and looked down at Michael. “It’s a nasty wound. I had to stitch it up myself a bit, so it’s pretty ugly. Percy did what he could but I didn’t really have the luxury of worrying about how it was going to scar. I just had to make sure it didn’t kill me. I appreciate you being so considerate, but I don’t think you have to worry too much about that. There’s not a lot that gets to me. I’m not ashamed of my scars. I’ll show you if you want to see.”
He wasn’t jumping to strip, not in this temperature, but he really didn’t seem the least bit self conscious about any of it.
“I’ve been in a lot of fights. But I’ve got a perfect record of coming out on top. The ones I got when I wasn’t expecting to be attacked are the most impressive, because even with a disadvantage, they couldn’t stop me. You can ask me anything, if it’s a bad subject for me, I’ll let you know. But I can’t really think of any right now.”
Well, no. There was one, incredibly specific topic that he was reluctant to talk about, but Michael hadn’t even come close to asking how Percy had died so Devyn wasn’t going to get into that.
He knew he didn’t exactly have to tell Michael that he could do the same thing; Michael was already pretty good at avoiding topics he didn’t want to talk about, and Devyn tried his best not to press the matter if he had any indication that Michael was uncomfortable with it.
“I do sleep better on Earth, but.” He wasn’t really sure he wanted to leave. Michael said they could come back, and Devyn had things to keep him busy. It was just so fast, and–well, he wanted to spend just a little more time with Princess. But, they’d come back. It wasn’t goodbye.
“I don’t sleep so much that it’s bothered me. I got more sleep last night than I have in a while, so I still feel pretty refreshed.”
He hadn’t been so tired that he’d crashed, and he didn’t feel like he was going to any time soon. Devyn had just learned to between perpetual exhaustion and adrenaline rushes. “If you can’t sleep, we don’t have to say. I know Jupiter is,” he paused as a particularly loud crack of thunder reverberated through the halls, waited for it to fade, and then concluded, “Jupiter. I don’t want you to be miserable. It’s a little quieter in the bedroom, I think. Next time, we’ll have to bring something to drown out the thunder. Just in case it’s storming again.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 5:53 pm
Luckily for Devyn, Michael wasn’t going to make him start stripping to show off his scars, but his lip did twitch a little in amusement at the thought of Devyn showing him his scars. Michael had long gotten used to his own scars that they weren’t difficult for him to show off, especially when he didn’t have to explain how he got them.
“Rain check,” he said with a quiet laugh. It was too cold to think about taking off clothes, anyway. “It’s good to know you’ve got a perfect record. Let’s keep it that way when you’re facing off against the Negaverse,” he said as he glanced up at Devyn and the way he leaned over the back of the couch. There was nothing special about the way he was leaning against it like that, but his heart seemed to think differently.
Stop it…
It was probably not normal for him to talk to his starseed like that. If it was even his starseed that was the issue. Yes, it had to be, because there was no other reason he would -- okay, there were a lot of reasons to like Devyn, but he was not going to make things complicated and ruin their quickly growing friendship.
“We can stay. As long as you’re okay with that,” Michael decided, because he could tell that Devyn wasn’t all that eager to leave just yet. “I should get used to trying to sleep here, anyway. Just in case we decide to tackle bigger projects and need to stay more than one night,” he pointed out. And he definitely had larger projects in mind. It was just a matter of getting the time to do them all.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:27 pm
Though Devyn considered this for a moment and did not, he leaned a bit closer, maybe just so he didn’t have to fight to be heard over whatever thunder might come. Maybe just because he was comfortable enough to do so.
“Maybe. But don’t push yourself harder than you need to. Sessrumnir isn’t going anywhere, and it won’t break my heart if we decide to head back and just be better prepared for next time.”
Because, for as much as Devyn did want to stay, he was used to not sleeping. This wasn’t uncommon for him, and it had nothing to do with Sessrumnir, or Michael as a host, and just everything to do with Devyn and whatever horrible rituals he’d settled into to keep himself alive over the years.
He hadn’t been able to afford to sleep before, and now it just seemed too dangerous. He didn’t want to mess up.
Didn’t want to dream, either, but
“If you’re having a hard time tonight, you don’t have to suffer through it. It’s okay to regroup and come back more prepared. I don’t want you to be miserable. And we’d come back soon anyway, right? Or we could try finding rooms that are quieter. Or maybe have a midnight snack and see if the storm abates before we eat everything. Or I can put my hands over your ears and see if that helps drown any noise out.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:54 pm
Michael couldn’t help but laugh as he imagined following through with Devyn’s offer to put his hands over his ears. Even if dulling the sound would help, he couldn’t tease his heart like that. It was already confused enough as it was. Especially since the idea had warmth pooling in his cheeks.
He was not Percy, but he had a strong feeling that his starseed still wanted to be. Maybe. It was the excuse he was going with.
“That’s a kind offer, but I’ll be okay,” he promised. “I’ve managed this long without someone putting their hands over my ears. I’ll bring earplugs next time.” Not that it would help with the vibrations caused by the thunder, but it was better than nothing.
“I’m surprised some of the thunder isn’t your stomach,” he couldn’t help but tease, shifting over some more on the couch as he opened up his subspace to pull out some snacks they’d brought. “We can see if a midnight snack will help. And thank you for the blanket. I’m sorry I didn’t fully believe your warning. I thought you were just being fussy.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 7:12 pm
Devyn hummed, not quite an ’I told you so’, but he was certainly a bit amused about all of it. “Well, now you’ll never know if it’s giving you fair warning or fussing, so it’s probably best to listen, just in case.”
Maybe he was pleased with himself, or the snacks.
“Truth be told, some of it might be my stomach. I think it was bothering Princess more than the storm. She has infinite patience for me, I really don’t deserve it.”
He was comfortable like this, even with the storm. He didn’t have a headache and it didn’t feel like his thoughts were rattling around. He wasn’t worried about a wall of water smashing into the side of the building and breaking out the windows. He wasn’t worried about being swept under the current.
It thundered once more so he rubbed at an ear; it echoed briefly, probably a trick of his mind. It hadn’t hurt, it was just there.
He might not have minded hands over his own ears, but he didn’t want to miss anything Michael said.
“You know, just because you’ve managed doesn’t mean you’re not still missing out. For example, I managed before I had your cooking. But I’ve thought about that soup you made more times than I can count.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 7:20 pm
Michael laughed again, endeared by the compliments because he couldn’t quite tell if Devyn was being just sincere, or if he was exaggerating. He was a bit dramatic about things.
“If I knew you liked the soup so much, I would have made some to bring with us. It’s not too bad cold, if you haven’t already tried it that way,” he grinned, and held up an assortment of snacks ranging from jerky to crackers to dried fruits. They were all things that would last for a good while in his subspace, even if he only just refilled it in preparation for the trip there.
“You good with standing, or do you want to sit?” he offered, nodding to the space next to him. Michael didn’t know if Devyn was too restless to sit at the moment, or if sitting next to him was weird. “I can teach you how to make that soup, if you’d like. I would be happy to make more for you too, of course. But in case you live another thousand years, it might be good to know.”
They still had no idea why Devyn was still alive, or if he would continue to remain in a suspended state of immortality. As much as Devyn might not want to accept it, he was likely going to have to find Percy’s starseed again at some point. Although Michael would keep his promise and survive for as long as he could.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 7:31 pm
Devyn was good with standing, to be honest, but Michael offered him the seat next to him and he couldn’t bring himself to resist. He was–
Restless wasn’t quite the right word. Awake enough that sleep didn’t tempt him, but tired enough that he didn’t feel like rushing around. He settled onto the couch next to Michael and accepted one of the offered snacks. He was used to dried things, and while all of them kept, he had a softness for anything fresh.
The crackers were his first pick, but he would probably pick at just about anything offered to him. If they weren’t thinking they’d stay through the weekend, it just meant he didn’t have to worry about rations.
“I’d like to learn. I don’t know if I have the patience for cooking,” he confessed. “I have a hard time standing there, waiting for it to cook. I can cook. But it’s not uncommon for me to overcook something. I’ll still eat it,” he shrugged, and that probably wasn’t too surprising. He’d have eaten just about anything. “But you know, even if you teach me how to make it, it won’t taste the same. I can follow a recipe,” sometimes, “but it always tastes like something’s missing. Maybe you can help me figure that out, too. I won’t have forever, I don’t want to live another thousand years, I think. I don’t want to forget again.”
He didn’t think he was going to speak anything out loud, but he ate one cracker and the thought just sort of tumbled out. “I don’t want to be alone again.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 7:59 pm
Michael could feel his heart ache. He knew what it was like to feel like he was alone, but he couldn’t say he’d experienced what Devyn had. Being completely alone…? It was no wonder why he made up delusions to keep himself going. It was amazing that he made it as long as he had.
No… amazing wasn’t the right word. Not for Devyn’s perseverance, his determination. He wanted to save his world, and he was staying alive through so much.
He’d half lifted his hand to-- what? Give Devyn a pat on the shoulder? Reach out to hug him? Touch his hair like he said he liked? One of his favorite things, didn’t he say? No, doing any of that was too intimate and they were sitting in Percy’s office, with his memories still pulling at Michael’s heart.
Stop it. He won’t be alone, he thought to himself as his heart felt like it was fluttering anxiously. Michael had withdrawn his hand by then, setting it on his knee as he sat sideways on the couch to look at Devyn. He looked young… and so tired and worn down at the same time. Even if he was maybe in his early thirties physically, he looked like he needed to sleep for a good month to get the dark circles from under his eyes to go away.
“Well… cooking takes a lot of practice, so I’ll probably have to stand around with you to make sure we get it right,” Michael said instead, because it was easier to make up a reason to keep Devyn company than telling him he wouldn’t let him be alone. “And you’ve already promised to teach me to read what you can, and I’ll teach you how to read on Earth. Once that’s done I’ll need someone to help me around the house and we’ll need to come up with a game plan to take out the Chaos on Alastor. And then who knows how long it will take to get rid of the Chaos on Earth.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 8:35 pm
Devyn slumped against the back of the couch thoughtfully and let out a low, thoughtful whistle.
“Well, you make some pretty good points. Hopefully not a thousand years more to get rid of the Chaos on Alastor, or Earth. Do you have a thousand years’ worth of housework built up?”
Doubtful, the house was clean and comfortable and bright. So full of light, and warmth.
But, the idea of something as domestic as helping around the house was foreign to Devyn, and thus it greatly appealed to him. He wanted a change, wanted something stable and consistent. Didn’t want to worry about if there was going to be enough food to scrape by, didn’t want to think about if it was worth dealing with the toxins in something to eke out any ounce of nutrients. Didn’t want to think about getting caught in a storm and swept into the river. Didn’t want to think about lightning starting a fire he couldn’t put out. Didn’t want to think about missing a shadow and being dragged into the darkness. Didn’t want to think about ambushes, or assassins, or challenges, or combat.
He wanted to think about cooking, and dusting, and reading, and helping around the house.
Devyn exhaled, and this unknown world was suddenly the most interesting thing he’d ever dreamed.
He wanted to help around the house. Or find some way to be useful, beyond just fighting Chaos. If that was all he was good for, of course he’d dive into it. He was tired of fighting, but he was good at it, and anything he could offer to Michael, he would. He knew he was far more fortunate in this exchange than Michael was, and he wasn’t used to receiving more than he gave.
So, if there was anything he could do to help, he wanted to.
He looked forward to.
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 8:54 pm
“My garage is always needing to be cleaned, especially if I get engine grease everywhere,” Michael said as he opened a bag of dried apricots to snack on. “But if you’re going to be staying with me, I want to get your room set up to something more comfortable. We can go look at a furniture store -- There’s ways to look at things without seeing them in person, but I think you would appreciate the experience. We’ll need to get you an actual bed, and probably your own desk if you’re going to be learning how to read. I’ve been told my house looks like it’s from a magazine… As in… it’s not very personalized. So we can look at paint colors too if you want. Bring some paintings back from here or maybe Alastor. Maybe get them framed in something more modern. It’ll freshen them up, as mom says with her old paintings she gets reframed.”
He knew he was rambling, talking about anything that came to mind. Wanting Devyn to have something to look forward to, even if it had nothing to do with fighting Chaos. But he deserved to have a nice place to relax and be safe.
“I know you’re not really comfortable in cars, but we’ve got other modes of transportation. There’s always a bike you can learn how to ride. Two wheels. And you need to pedal. So it’ll give you a good way to get out your energy, but also take you to places faster than walking or running. And I’ll let you listen to the music Earth has. See if you like any of it. I’m sure Peter has a list of movies he thinks you should watch. And I can always read to you until you learn how to read yourself.”
More rambling. For a moment, Michael made himself stop and take a breath. It had been a while since he looked forward to things like picking out paint colors -- had he ever? Or furniture shopping. But after a thousand years, he wanted Devyn to rest.
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