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 Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:41 pm
There was a very comfortable normal settling in. Devyn was gradually getting used to Earth, and even if sometimes things seemed painfully slow, he was still doing his best to make it through. There were plenty of things to look forward to–the weekends, when Michael didn’t have to work. After school, when Michael didn’t have to work. An infinite number of restaurants, always willing and ready to serve food. Sunlight, and peaceful nights. Large parks, where he could go jogging and not draw any alarm.
He hadn’t really gone out of his way to meet up with anyone, but he’d heard that Ganymede was back, and that took away some of the dire, time-sensitive need to go out looking. Which meant, they could take it easy–sort of. He wasn’t good with ‘easy’, but he was trying. He hadn’t powered up without Michael, and while he sometimes felt an irritating itch to go do something, he’d resisted. For the most part.
He hadn’t gotten into any trouble, that was the important thing.
At the house, Michael had taken him shopping to help him get settled into his room. Really, Devyn hadn’t been picky, he’d have slept on the floor. But, Michael’s suggestions for making the room more catered to him had been a good suggestion, and while Devyn hadn’t had any issue with the room before, he’d grown rather fond of it, now. A few of Percy’s paintings hung on the wall, temporarily there to keep them off the floor. He still had to ask Peter or Michael’s mother for help to make sure they stayed preserved and in their best condition, but there was still enough to keep him busy.
Earth was very busy, after all.
And, sometimes, when he was alone, he let it get to him.
He’d been more restless today than he had been in the past few weeks, and when jogging hadn’t worked it out of his system, he’d wound up back in a seedy group of people looking to make wagers and win fights.
Naturally, Devyn had been delighted. It wasn’t the first time he’d been here, but he’d come sparingly. Mostly while he was bored and didn’t have anything else to do, and Michael was busy with work or obligations that he couldn’t partake in.
Tonight, Michael had parent-teacher conferences and wasn’t going to be back until later.
So, Devyn had indulged in a few fights. The first few had been easy, but he was restless and needed a challenge, so he’d started pushing his luck. Two at a time, for a few matches. Three.
He hadn’t heard the alarm on his phone go off to remind him to go home until after the last match, and he’d been so quick to hurry out that he almost hadn’t even remembered to collect his winnings. It’s not like he needed them, not when Michael had indicated he really didn’t need to work. The idea had been to get home before Michael and take a shower, freshen up. It’s not like he had anything to hide–he’d promised to stay out of trouble, and this didn’t really count as trouble. And, he’d told Michael that sometimes he’d gone to have a quick fight or something. It was just normal for Devyn.
But, he’d still come home with a bruised cheek and a split lip, and Michael was already there. Devyn had worked hard thus far to always be there when Michael got home, but it was probably inevitable that he’d have been late one of these days.
The routine was the same once he was there, though; as he was taking off his shoes he asked, “Hey, how was work?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 8:51 pm
It wasn’t unusual for Devyn to go out while Michael was working or otherwise busy. In fact, Michael encouraged him to do so. He didn’t want devyn cooped up in the house waiting for him to return. He was an adult after all.
From another world.
A thousand years out of sync with the rest of them.
Okay, it was just a little worrying, but Michael did his best not to fuss or be overly picky about where Devyn went. He should explore. As long as he didn’t get into trouble with the Negaverse.
So when he got home and Devyn wasn’t there, Michael did not panic. No, his heart only started to race because… of something else.
That was fine. Devyn was allowed to be out. He would give him another hour before trying to get in contact with him. And luckily, he didn’t have to wait too much longer. Which was good, because he decided to distract himself by making dinner.
He saw the alert from his phone before Devyn even got to the door, so Michael was able to look completely casual and unworried.
“It was fine,” he answered from the kitchen, just out of sight. “We’ve got a science fair coming up, so we had to explain to the parents what was not allowed in the school. The things some of these kids want to do… Some do normal stuff, like building working trebuchets or volcanos, but others want to bring in full fireworks.”
He was glad his voice was calm enough, even though his heart still hadn’t settled. He knew Devyn was out doing something because of the orb he wore around his neck, and he was probably only able to remain as calm as he was because the pulse from the orb didn’t seem like it was in distress.
“What have you been up to? Jogging again?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 9:07 pm
“Yeah,” Devyn answered quickly, because he had just jogged all the way home. It wasn’t really a deceitful answer, but unless Michael was going to think he jogged right into someone’s fist–
“This morning, after you left. And after lunch, and just now. I kept busy today, but it was the same old. Nothing new. Well, mostly. I ate at a new restaurant. It was very spicy, I have no idea what I was eating. Oh, and I had a few bouts. My last one ran late and I didn’t hear my alarm go off, otherwise I would have been back sooner. They have science fairs?”
His shoes were off, and he took a few seconds to straighten himself up. Fixed his hair, fixed his shirt. Poked the bruise on his cheek. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t easily cover up. The split lip, maybe not so easy, but that would heal quickly enough.
“Do they still have games and food or do the kids just build weapons and simulate natural disasters?”
Actually, would he want to eat food from a place like that? Probably, yeah.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:34 am
“There’s usually a dinner after, yeah. Most of the time it’s just pizza, but sometimes they’ll cater a restaurant to bring other foods,” Michael explained as he turned the pork chops over in the pan. “Probably not a good idea to put food near chemicals.”
He looked up from his cooking when Devyn finally made his way into the kitchen -- and he frowned. Just momentarily, before he turned back to the stovetop.
“There’s some gauze in that first cabinet above the coffee maker. Help yourself to some ice, too,” Michael said with a nod to the freezer. “I’m assuming you won. Are you in pain? There’s medicine in the cabinet, too.”
After that, Michael forced himself to shut his mouth. Devyn had managed without having someone harass him about his injuries for so long. The last thing Michael wanted to do was make Devyn want to leave by fussing too much.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:43 am
Devyn laughed pleasantly, because Michael’s concern was far more endearing than it could ever be annoying. “Of course I won. I bit off a little more than I could chew, I think. I was doing pretty good against two, but I said I could take on three at once, and they were a little more coordinated than I thought they’d be.”
He rolled his shoulders and rubbed at his left arm. “And they made me late. Maybe I’ll be a little sore later, but it was a good workout. I’m just going to wash my face, maybe get a quick shower. It’s not bad,” he promised, and made a good show of poking his bruise just to prove it.
“Doesn’t hurt, though. My shoulder might, a little, but I’ll let you know in an hour. Do you need help with anything?”
Not that Devyn had any intention of interfering with Michael’s cooking, but he’d expressed interest before and couldn’t help but lean against the counter so he could watch what he was doing.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 9:58 am
“Three??” came out of Michael’s mouth before he could stop himself. He stared wildly at Devyn for a few moments, reminded himself that Devyn was not a child that needed to be coddled about getting hurt or doing more than he should, and turned back to grumble at the rosemary for not being easy to pick up with the tongs.
“Want to help mash up the potatoes?” he asked, nodding to the pot that looked like it had been recently drained of boiling water. Inside were a few potatoes already peeled and now soft enough to work with. He reached over to pull open the drawer with the metal utensil used specifically for mashing up potatoes.
“Sorry, it’s nothing fancy tonight. I’ve got a salad already made.” Clearly it was his way of staying busy while he tried not to stress.
“You should probably take some medicine, anyway. Just a small dosage. No point in letting your body heal if you’re going to be suffering the whole time. Let me guess, they regretted taking you on in a fight, even if it was three to one?”
Because sure, why not push his luck? At least it wasn’t the Negaverse.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:05 am
Again, Devyn laughed, but this time he at least seemed a bit apologetic. “I’m sorry, Michael. Yes, three. But it’s a safe environment, there are rules. I don’t think I regret it, but they might. It was their own fault for agreeing. But I couldn’t just talk a big talk and then not follow through. It’s not their fault. Technically I’ve got more experience than all three of them combined. They just don’t know that, I’ve been very good at keeping secrets.”
He just didn’t talk to anyone about anything, that was the safest thing.
“I doubt I’ll have to go back any time soon.”
Devyn didn’t argue when Michael told him to take medicine, as soon as he said it he went into the counter and fished around, but all of the bottles looked the same so he just grabbed the first three and brought them over to Michael so he could show him what to take. He didn’t know how much was ‘a small dosage’.
“Dinner looks just fine. It smells good, my stomach was making noise before I got my shoes off.”
He seemed happy to help with any part of dinner; mashing potatoes was something easy that he could do, and it wouldn’t take him long. He just wanted to make sure he took Michael’s advice now before he regretted it later.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:10 am
Michael let out a breath that bordered on exasperation when Devyn said he doubted he would have to go back any time soon. He either had his fill of being punched in the face, or had his energy worn down enough that he could supplement with jogging and working out in other ways.
He glanced at the bottles that Devyn brought over, and picked up one to hand back to him first. “Press down on the cap and twist at the same time. Take just one for now. If you’re still in pain later, you can take another. This one,” he pointed to another, “Is for really bad headaches. And this one is also good for pain, but you’ll want that one.” He nodded to the one he already handed to Devyn, and then took a moment to cringe a little at the bruise on his face and the split lip.
“Make sure you put something cold on that. I’ve probably got a teabag you can put on it for the pain, too.” Oh, right, he was trying not to be too fussy over him.
“What would Percy say if you came home like this,” he grunted, and then mumbled to himself about no wonder Devyn had to lie to Percy about the dangerous things he did, especially if he showed up with a bloody lip and bruises.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:25 am
The child lock foiled Devyn for the first few seconds, but when he slowed down to listen to Michael’s instructions, he figured it out pretty easily. He shook out one pill and popped it into his mouth; he swallowed it dry and then closed the bottle up. He gave the three one last, good look just to make sure he could identify them by sight, and then put them away.
He sighed, exasperated, and almost like a child who should feel guilty. “Percy would fuss over me. He’d make me tell him everywhere I got hit so he could double check that I hadn’t let myself get hurt too badly. He’d probably be worried about me. He trusted me, but he couldn’t help it. If I’d been on time I should have been able to clean up a bit. I never liked him to see me after a fight, he always looked like every injury I had hurt him, too. I always thought his worrying was endearing,” he admitted. “I know it’s because he loved me. Still, I can’t help but think a little part of it stems from him imagining he’d been the one on the receiving end of it all. But those things never really bothered me. It’s just a sport on Alastor. Perce didn’t come from the life I did–which is good. He wouldn’t have enjoyed it. But I do. For all that I complain about it, I do like the rush of it all. And I like winning.”
He reached up to touch at his lip a bit, like he was testing how much damage he’d taken. “Lips always bleed more than they need to. I’ll be healed up by the end of the week, latest. Does it really look that bad?”
Genuine concern, that time, like he was considering that maybe he had overdone it a bit. Briefly, he looked at the freezer, like he was thinking he should go get some ice to make sure Michael didn’t worry, but first he washed his hands, and then grabbed the potatoes so he could start mashing them.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:41 am
While he managed to resist offering to help Devyn, Michael was proud of him for taking a moment to slow down and think about what he was doing. Michael knew it was difficult for Devyn to breathe sometimes, but he was getting better at it, and Michael was proud of him for it.
“Well, when you join fight clubs and come home with a split lip, yeah, I can understand why Percy would fuss over you,” Michael gently teased as he set the pan aside and turned off the stove top. The pork was set on a cutting board to rest while he went to the refrigerator to pull out the salad he’d already made and brought it over to the table.
And since it looked like Devyn was prioritizing food over his own injuries, Michael opened up the freezer to pull out some ice. The gauze was easy to access as well, and soon he had some wrapped around the cubes to keep it from getting too uncomfortable to hold.
With Devyn’s enthusiasm for… pretty much everything, especially when it was something to help Michael… the potatoes were mashed quickly and efficiently.
Which was good, because it gave him the chance to gently reach out and use his fingers to touch and direct Devyn’s chin so that he was able to see his injury easier.
“I’ve seen worse,” he admitted, and because they were about to try and eat, Michael took some damp gauze to gingerly dab away the blood, both fresh and drying, from Devyn’s face. “It’s already starting to swell a bit, so make sure you’re careful when you eat. And put the ice on it between bites. If you can manage that. I know you like to eat fast. I’m sorry that most of dinner is a bit salty.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:48 am
There was a brief second when Devyn looked like he might have tensed, but it was fleeting and gone before he even made eye contact with Michael. He relaxed easily around him, and it seemed like whatever nerves or defenses he’d set up to keep himself alive just came undone when he remembered where he was and who he was with.
He was patient and still while Michael cleaned him up a bit. “I like salt. I’ll be fine. I’ll even try to eat slowly.” He didn’t protest the ice, and even if he didn’t think he needed it, he seemed like he intended to oblige.
Even if there was something of a smile that seemed like it kept trying to twitch into place. The idea of being fussed over didn’t seem to insult him; rather, he seemed amused by it. Probably was even enjoying it a bit. And Michael’s touch was surprisingly gentle, so he couldn’t help how easy it was to just lean into his touch a bit.
“I should have called you to let you know what I was up to. That way it wasn’t a surprise when I came home like this. Or, I’ll just try not to come home like this. I’m still a bit rusty, I think. I’m sorry if I worried you.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 10:58 am
Stop it.
His heart felt like it was fluttering. The same feeling he usually had around Devyn when his starseed was being emotional. Or fussy. Or anxious. Or maybe it was just indigestion. Either way, it was annoying because while he was happy with being Devyn’s friend, there was nothing beyond that.
“I’ll always worry, but that’s not your fault,” Michael sighed as he made sure there weren't any other notable injuries to Devyn’s face, before finally letting him go and taking a step back. “There’s a lot of things that could happen that I know I’m paranoid about. Accidents happening…”
He opened his mouth to say more, but it seemed as though the thought process was either suddenly halted, or he decided it wasn’t worth going over all of the horrible things his mind provided him with when he wanted to worry about people he cared about.
“I trust you. You don’t have to check in with me if you don’t feel like it. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you did. And I can check in with you if I’m running late or…” Again his words halted, which seemed to frustrate him a little, but he distracted himself by turning to inspect the potatoes. He pulled out a large bowl and slid it over on the counter for Devyn.
“Hopefully that’s enough for us to share. If I knew you were out fighting, I would have made more,” he teased, showing Devyn a small smile as he passed over the wrapped ice as well.
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:06 am
Devyn saw the little way that Michael seemed to stop himself from speaking, but he couldn’t really decipher why. He accepted the ice and diligently held it to the corner of his lips.
“I’d like it if you checked in,” he said, rather decisively. “I worry, too. Even when I know you’re just at school, or at your conferences. So if you’re running late and I know why, I won’t think you’ve been abducted and I have to come up with a plan to rescue you. Or come up with some other wild scenario. I spent a lot of time alone.” He shrugged again, like this explained it.
Like it wasn’t just that he liked Michael and wanted to protect him. He’d promised to have his back and he intended to, but he couldn’t very well do that if he didn’t know what was going on.
…He just didn’t want to be clingy or overbearing and bother him.
The potatoes were moved into the bowl and he added, “And if I communicate better about the appetite I’ve worked up, then we’ll never run out of food. I think this is enough, though. And if it’s not, I can just run out and get more. Or make you a sandwich.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:20 pm
A soft laugh escaped at Devyn’s suggestion, and Michael nodded in approval. “You’ve been getting pretty good at making sandwiches. Better than me, I think. I hope you’re taking as much time on your own sandwiches, otherwise I’m going to start swapping them,” he warned, but it was gentle and teasing. There was no point in harassing Devyn about sandwiches of all things. But he also had a suspicion that Devyn spent more time on sandwiches for Michael than he did for himself.
He didn’t say anything for a little while, focused on getting the pork chops onto plates and utensils taken out of the drawer. Condiments were placed on the table as well, just in case Devyn wanted to try something new with his salad, or stick with what he’d been using.
Having someone who didn’t mind checking in with him was… honestly a relief. He was so used to the idea of being overbearing and controlling and not allowing freedoms, of not trusting, that he was now even more careful about what he did and said, lest Devyn end up thinking the same.
“I’ll check in with you,” he agreed, because it was a two way deal. Watching each other’s backs could only happen if they were open with each other, and he had no problem letting Devyn know what was going on, especially with what happened so far that year.
“The Negaverse will have to try very hard to abduct me, and I doubt anyone else would be able to,” he pointed out, still incredibly relieved that Paris was back home finally, even if he was concerned about their new General King. He didn’t have to tell Devyn everything involved with that though… at least not yet.
“They had three of their Generals trying to keep me and Princess from interfering at one point, you know. Not quite three against one.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:32 pm
Devyn’s brows lifted appreciatively. “No, that’s far more impressive. You’ve told me how dangerous they can be. And they don’t have rules to follow. I didn’t have to worry about being stabbed or anything, there were no weapons allowed. And it was all for fun,” he insisted, just to try and ease Michael’s worries. He did have fun, and it was good for him. A nice, healthy workout, and something that was almost a little bit like home.
For the Negaverse to willingly keep three Generals on him probably meant they knew he was a threat, and on one hand, Devyn was relived to know that he’d defended himself so far.
But. They had killed his father. And if he was a target, too…
Devyn would just get stronger. Just in case. So he could make sure he had Michael’s back.
“It’s not pure recklessness,” he insisted after a second. “Sometimes I think Percy worried that I didn’t think things through before acting. And sometimes that’s true. But I also know that I can’t act without thinking and not put myself at risk, or put the people I care about at risk. And when everyone’s got their eyes on you, you can’t really afford to make foolish mistakes. But, I thought this out. There’s a lot of people there, so it’s less likely that someone’s going to do something troublesome that the others disagree with. There are rules, and if you don’t follow them you get kicked out. Nobody knows who I am, and I doubt I’ve got any enemies on Earth who have waited this long to assassinate me. I haven’t turned down a fight yet, but I haven’t had to. And I know that I could.”
Which seemed to be something strange to him. “On Alastor, declining a fight was basically giving up. It was perceived as yielding. Here, they just want to fight. It’s a rush. They like to feel tough, and the illusion of actual combat is enough to sate whatever primal urge they’ve got to fight. But Earth is a civilized world, so there are expectations to be followed, and this is just a little break from that. I promised you I’d be careful. I said I’d run if I didn’t think I could handle something. So this is easy, I promise. It might not be pleasant to look at right now, but it’s really not anything more than a papercut.”
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