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 Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 1:41 pm
Maybe he had lost a bit more blood than he realized. Or maybe it was the warmth from Devyn that made him doze off a little as he was carried back to the house. He felt bad about it, because it was much harder to carry limp weight than it would have been if Michael had been completely conscious the whole time. Maybe if they talked more as they traveled, but Michael didn’t want Devyn to get winded, nor did he want to alert anyone else to them.
“Thanks,” he managed to mutter quietly as he blearily glanced around and realized they were in front of the door to his house. He carefully got down from Devyn’s back, and kept a hand on Devyn’s shoulder to keep himself from swaying. It was just slightly concerning, but he was probably also tired.
The gauze only held up so long -- maybe they really should have waited and patched him up better before heading home. But then they were risking another Negaverse agent finding them. When the gauze was oversaturated, the blood simply soaked into his shirt and jeans. It wasn’t the worst injury he’d had, but probably the largest in a while, if only because of the size of the pick’s blade.
He fumbled with his phone to unlock the door electronically, but with Devyn’s help managed to get inside.
“The kit with the most supplies is in my bathroom,” he explained, sounding a little winded himself, even though Devyn had been the one carrying him.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:04 pm
Devyn didn’t want to wrap his arm around Michael’s waist out of fear of agitating his injury; intead, he again placed his hand on his back and seemed ready to give him any extra support.
“We’re almost there,” he reassured, even if Michael already knew that. The walk through the house seemed unnecessarily long; he didn’t take off his shoes, he’d just do the floors tomorrow. It seemed silly to worry about something so trivial when he could smell blood.
He walked in a steady, careful pace to make sure he neither rushed Michael nor wasted any time, and when they were in the bathroom he held his arm out to help him sit down.
“Hold your arms up just a bit, let me help you out of that shirt. I don’t want you tugging at the skin. We’ll get this cleaned up and patch you back together. Then you can get changed and I’ll clean up. You’re supposed to eat red meat if you’ve lost a lot of blood, but I don’t know if I want to stress you out by seeing if I can cook something up. I know you’ve got orange juice, I’ll get you a glass of that.”
He’d been listening to first aid videos while he was practicing in the work books, he was paying attention to what they said for Earth. He just had to learn more about Earth before he could properly apply everything he was learning about first aid.
It was a process. At least he knew where the pain medications were.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:30 pm
It was… strange… letting someone else fuss over him. Letting them fuss over him. But it wasn’t just Devyn expressing worry, but suggestions on how to help. When was the last time someone else helped direct him instead of relying on him for all the answers?
The ledge of the garden tub was wide enough to sit on, and with easy access to both the tub’s faucet and the counter with the sink, it was a much better option than sitting on the lid of the toilet. There was a glass enclosed shower as well, and everything seemed to be in various shades of Michael’s favorite color. Probably one of the draws he had to this house when he was looking for a new one.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Michael said as he managed to offer Devyn a small smile in gratitude. “But orange juice is fine for now. Thank you.” Devyn had watched him cook enough that Michael wasn’t particularly concerned, but he also didn’t want Devyn to be uncomfortable.
As instructed, Michael held up his arms enough for Devyn to help. While he wasn’t necessarily shy, he was still a bit self conscious about his scars, if only because talking about them often led to uncomfortable conversations, if not for him then whoever he was talking with.
The gash from Bloodstone’s pick had cut just above his left hip, which of course meant it was going to be a pain for him to stitch it up, himself. He could use his right hand, but it wouldn’t be as easy.
Most noticeable on his left side were burns and laceration scars that seemed to stretch across his abdomen and around to his lower back. The trunk of the white tattoo of a decorative looking tree on his side over his ribs had been ruined. On the inside of his upper left arm as he lifted it up, Devyn might have seen the pair of swallows hidden there.
“Not exactly what I had in mind for tonight,” he sighed, because it was easier to bite back a wince as the fabric was peeled off.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:50 pm
Devyn was perfectly professional, at first. He removed the shirt with haste and caution and tossed it in the tub for now, just so they wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning the floor, too. He was dutiful, at first looking only at the gash. It was messy, but at least it looked like a clean cut.
“No? What did you have in mind?” he asked. With the shirt out of the way, he bumped the faucet in the sink with his wrist so he could wash his hands without making a mess, and then he returned to Michael’s side with the first aid kit. It would probably be easier for Devyn to do it, but he had no doubt that Michael had superior skills. If it wound up better off for him to just make sure he had what he needed to get this done, he’d do that.
“Do you have–what is it, topical numbing? Would that help you?” He opened the first aid kit and pulled out clean gauze and alcohol pads. Good for cleaning the wound, he could start with that. As long as Michael didn’t mind him touching it.
He hadn’t missed the way the fabric had stuck to him and imagined it was already uncomfortable without someone poking and prodding at it. Or getting ready to stick a needle in it. Just because Michael had a lot of scars didn’t mean he couldn’t still feel pain. And, while he waited for Michael, he couldn’t help but be aware of some of them.
But. Fixing up the current injury was more important than prying about his past injuries. He wasn’t going to start digging a needle into Michael’s flesh without knowing that’s what he wanted, and if he’d rather do it himself, fine. Devyn would just be here to make sure the rest of it was as easy as possible for him.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 4:30 pm
“I think it’s under the sink. Blue top,” Michael said of the numbing spray. “If you ever need to buy more at a store, the cans might look similar, but just remember that the red top burns.” He said it lightly enough that hopefully made it obvious that he wasn’t in agonizing pain, but a little relief wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Again, he was wondering what about Devyn made it so easy to trust him. Maybe because he’d survived for so long on his own. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Maybe it was just the way Devyn was always so confident that left little room to doubt him.
“Oh, I don’t know,” he hummed as he held back a wince. “Maybe plan our next trip off world. See what other things we could find. Look for the rest of Percy’s journals. If he wrote in them regularly, we’re missing quite a few. But instead, we’ll probably sit in the hot springs for a while.” Not that he’d brought Devyn to see the Springs yet. He had no idea if they were what Devyn remembered of them.
“I definitely wasn’t planning on you having to patch me up. But I appreciate your assistance. I’m feeling a little dizzy, I think,” Michael admitted. Trying to stitch himself up might make things worse, but if Devyn handed him the curved needle, then he would try and do his best.
As it was, Michael didn’t seem to have any aversion to being touched. Instead, he moved his arm out of the way to hopefully make it easier.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 4:48 pm
Devyn cast him one quick glance, just to take in what he could, and then he seemed to have made up his mind. “If you need to sit on the ground so you have something to lean against, I’ll help you move. I won’t let you fall.”
So, he hastily went under the sink and got the spray with the blue top–made sure Michael nodded in approval, and then covered the injury. He let it sit for a few seconds before he started gently wiping away the blood with one of the clean wipes.
“If you need more, just let me know.” He didn’t know recommended dose, but he kept it nearby because if Michael didn’t tell him, he’d just play it by ear. Probably would have been really good to be able to read the instructions on the can, but he was working on it. He’d already committed to spending extra time studying.
Needle, thread. Devyn was good at sewing. He’d just been stitching things up yesterday. Not a person, but. He would have rather had magic healing hands than nice stitchwork right now.
He knew Michael could see what he was doing, but he said it out loud, anyway. “I’m going to get started on this in just a second. I’ll go fast, but tell me if anything feels off. Nothing wrong with sitting in the hot springs. They’re the best in the universe, anyway. I always went to soak if I was too sore. Have you found the private ones yet, or–oh, I guess they’re all private now. More room to spread out, I guess.”
He loved the idea of visiting Sessrumnir, and looking for journals, and trying to clean things up, so of course it was a daydream he could have easily gotten lost in. He’d have liked if Michael could, too–mostly because he knew this wasn’t going to be comfortable for him. Hopefully Earth had good medicine. Otherwise, he’d just have to spend the rest of the night making sure Michael was as comfortable as possible.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:28 pm
He was hesitant, if only because he didn’t want Devyn to worry about doing too much. He was still capable of taking care of himself. Usually. As long as he could stay conscious enough to do it himself. Michael knew his solution to the gash on his side would have been using various amounts of medical tape and butterfly bandages to try and keep everything together while he stitched a little at a time. Just in case he ended up feeling too dizzy to continue.
But he waited until Devyn was back and working on cleaning up the wound before nodding in reluctant agreement. It would be easier for him to lean against the tub instead of Devyn having to fish him out if he ended up falling in.
It was going to be more difficult for Devyn to stitch him up on the floor, but it would probably be easier in the long run.
“Thanks,” he mumbled again, trying not to sound guilty about having Devyn do practically everything. He would make it up to him… Then again, Devyn was always talking about making things up to him. Maybe he could just say that this makes up for everything, and then Devyn wouldn’t have to worry about paying him back, or whatever.
“I’ve explored a few of the caverns. I think I found an old office or… something. It had a pool inside and there were plants growing along the walls in planters. Well. Supposed to be growing. It looked like they’d seen better days. I’ve used the big pool a few times… I can imagine it was pretty popular.”
He had a pretty high tolerance for pain, but he still braced himself against the edge of the tub once he was on the floor.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:35 pm
“Very popular,” Devyn said, and he wished he knew Michael’s body just a little better so he could have worked on distracting him instead of having to pay so much attention so he didn’t miss some little sign of discomfort or pain. He waited for him to get settled, gave him another few seconds to prepare. He couldn’t procrastinate for long, and he gave Michael a brief, apologetic look before he pressed the needle into his skin.
It was a texture he’d never like to work with, and there wasn’t really anything artistic about piecing together flesh, but if the alternative was cauterizing it, or pouring sap in it and hoping it stuck together, this was probably the better option.
And, he could go fast. He could get this over with soon. Could get Michael some medicine, some orange juice, some snacks. Fluff up some pillows for him so he could go lay down and rest.
He handled the needle expertly, and now that he’d gotten started he wasn’t going to stop until he was finished. He just needed a minute.
“Percy had a private place where we went when we wanted to use the springs. I liked being sort of away from the caverns a bit, it was just safer. Any time I went exploring, I got lost. Once, Perce got ambushed. Poisoned, too. Had to carry him around in the dark. Really glad Sessrumnir has all those lights or I never would have found my way out. We wound up in some weird place. Pictures on the wall, little building. Lot of water. I don’t know who it belonged to, I never found out. But I borrowed it to patch Percy up. We didn’t stay for long, I was really worried about him. Some bird led us out, we wound up in Valhalla. I suppose it’s safer to explore now when you can just get yourself back to Earth, if you wind up too lost you can just come back for a snack, replenish your supplies, and head back when you’re ready. You’re doing good, Michael. I’m halfway done, how are you holding up?”
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:43 pm
This wasn’t the first time Michael had needed to stitch himself up, and until the war was over, it was likely not going to be the last. He preferred it over hospitals any day, and was content with gritting his teeth and stifling any quiet hisses of pain as best he could.
He didn’t watch Devyn as he worked, and gripped onto the edge of the tub instead. He was not used to being so vulnerable in front of anyone, but he trusted Devyn. Michael just hoped that this wouldn’t make Devyn think he couldn’t take care of himself, or couldn’t handle things. He didn’t want Devyn to think that he always needed help after a cut, but…
It was kind of nice having someone care enough to not just help get him patched up, but to try to learn how to do it, in case it happened in the first place. Obviously Devyn knew enough of the basics, staying alive this long, but not what Earth had to offer. Or techniques, or medicines, or treatments.
“I knew Valhalla was close to Sessrumnir, but I didn’t know they were connected like that,” he mumbled tiredly, doing his best to keep the pricks of pain out of his voice. It was more from the wound itself than anything Devyn was doing. Once it was closed up, he was sure it would start feeling better.
“I’m okay. Just a little sore. Maybe some more of the spray will help… We should go look for that place sometime. Percy sounds like he could be a handful. Too bad he didn’t train to build up an immunity like you, but I hope not too many people tried poisoning either of you,” Michael snorted softly, not really with amusement, but he could imagine Devyn carrying Percy around, keeping him out of trouble. Maybe they both rode around on Princess, too. He hated the idea of people trying to kill them, even if it was so long ago. He felt strangely protective, even though it was probably needless worrying.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:57 pm
As soon as he said maybe some more of the spray, Devyn interpreted it to mean, ‘Can I have some now please’, so he held the thread perfectly still in one hand so he couldn’t agitate the half finished stitching and reached for the spray with his other. Once more, he applied it and gave it a few seconds before he continued.
It was a good distraction, because he could suddenly taste bitter poison on his lips again, and he remembered Percy’s pale face and the gauntness that grew worse by the hour.
He worked the needle with a steady hand, and leaned forward a bit to make sure he could patch him back up as best as possible. Maybe it wouldn’t scar, but if it did he at least wanted it to be as unimposing as possible.
“We should go look for it, I always wanted to go back. It was safe, well protected. Probably still is. I didn’t get a chance to really look, it wasn’t safe. Perce wasn’t really a handful,” he said as he worked. The taste of poison wouldn't leave his mouth, so he bit his cheek. Blood tasted better, anyway.
“Used to take care of me when he found out about my doses. I’m glad he didn’t have to do what I did. Poison used to be common on Alastor. It was quiet, discrete. By the time you realized you were sick, it was usually too late to do anything about it. Could be quick, could be slow. Depending on who wanted you dead and how badly they wanted you to suffer. I was undefeated on Alastor, no one could best me. Not in a direct fight, not in an ambush. The only way they had any chance of taking me out was if they cheated. So, I made sure they couldn't. Well, actually, my Council did. I hated it when I was younger. But it kept me alive, so I can’t complain too much. My stomach’s more invincible than the rest of me. Almost done, Michael. I’m about to tie it off.”
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 6:47 pm
It was what Michael meant, or at least a suggestion for when Devyn wasn’t busy or had his hands full. He didn’t want to interrupt him. He could be patient, but Devyn was quick to act and the tension that was building in Michael’s shoulders eased a bit.
“Try not to drink or eat any poison, here,” he requested, and nodded to let Devyn know that he was okay and that he was fine with him almost being done. It wasn’t so unbearable that he needed to bite onto his belt, but his fingers were still white as he pressed the tips against the ceramic of the tub.
“There’s a lot of man-made poisons. Some are pretty new. Could do a lot of damage,” he warned, although he trusted Devyn would be careful enough to not eat strange things. “I’m glad they failed to poison you. Or kill you. You were really unbeatable, huh? Impressive. I bet people were lining up to try and prove you wrong. That must have been rough.”
He couldn’t imagine having to train, day in and day out, to make sure no one could beat him in a fight. It must have been incredibly difficult on someone who was probably very young still.
“Percy just accepted you took doses of poison? I thought he would be the type to try and get you to stop doing dangerous things. Convince you to stop fighting or getting into trouble. Is that why you had to lie to him in your letters?”
In Michael’s defense, he was really just talking to distract himself. Some of his words were slurred with fatigue and sweat was beading along his brow. Vaguely, he wondered if this was more of a result of shock than the actual pain of the injury. Devyn had almost fallen to his death, after all.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 7:18 pm
Devyn carefully tied everything off as Michael spoke. He wanted to grab a towel and clean him off but he was afraid of damaging any of them, and–wait, Michael could just buy more if he wanted to. Worrying about fabric was a wasted effort. He saw the sweat and as he stood, gently put his hand on Michael’s shoulder. It was only for a second but he was trying to reassure him.
He reached for a hand towel and ran it under cold water, wrung it out, and then returned to Michael’s side so he could wipe at his face.
“Oh, Perce cried the first time he found out. Told me how unfair it was, worried about me. Held my hand so tightly I lost feeling. But I’ve been doing it since I was small. I told him it was better for me to get small doses and work up a tolerance. There’s a science behind it. I don’t know how chemicals are here on Earth, so if you tell me it's dangerous, I won’t eat it. Most of the poisons on Alastor target the immune system, so a little at a time can help you work through a big dose. Probably. I never studied the science of it, I just did what they told me to do. Not all the time, but I did get poisoned once when I was younger. Don’t know where I got it from, I was just a kid, at some festival. Was sick for a week, straight. Couldn’t keep anything down.”
It wasn’t even a fun story, he just kept talking because he needed an excuse to keep Michael focused on something.
“I told Perce the story, he understood. Didn’t like it. Didn’t like me getting hurt. It never bothered me so much. It's not just that I was used to it, it’s just the way things were. We’d have matches, fights, for entertainment. It’s not so different from being a celebrity, it’s just that everyone wants to hit you instead of shake your hand. I didn’t like to lie to him. But he could worry himself sick, didn’t even need poison.”
He dabbed across Michael’s forehead again, his temples, his ears; he tried to keep him clean and cool.
“You want to stay sitting here for a minute? I can get this blood cleaned off of you unless you want me to run you a bath. I can grab you something to wear and help you into bed.” He didn’t want Michael to pass out, he wanted to keep him focused. And, if not focused, at least comfortable enough knowing what Devyn was planning.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 7:50 pm
“You’re very kind,” Michael said as he laughed softly. His smile was small but fond, because somehow through all of this, Devyn hadn’t once made him feel like he was inadequate or that he was doing something wrong. He was just kindly tending to him.
It made his heart ache, but he wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe because he wished he could have had a friend like Devyn sooner, or maybe because he knew Devyn was only his friend because of his connection to Percy. He was still convinced that if anyone else had Percy’s starseed, Devyn would have sought them out to care for and protect and be friends with. He knew he should just accept things for how they were, because he had Percy’s starseed, but… would that mean it wouldn’t be worth getting to know him otherwise?
“I think I’ll be okay without a bath for now. Maybe tomorrow once the wound starts to heal. Or maybe I can try to focus enough for us to go to Sessrumnir,” he suggested, because it probably would be a good idea to sit in the Springs for a bit.
He closed his eyes as Devyn dabbed the cloth across his forehead, wondering when he’d become so deprived of affection that he would take something as simple as Devyn cooling him down with a cloth.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, either,” he reminded Devyn, opening his eyes to look up at him. “I thought -- if I hadn’t had Princess --...”
His heart beat heavily, and he bit his lip to stop himself. It wasn’t worth it to fuss over something that didn’t happen.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 8:06 pm
Devyn paused briefly. “Oh, then I would have just hit the ground. It’s fine, Michael. I used to fall out of trees all the time. It just would have taken me a little longer to get back to you. Probably would have gotten my uniform dirty, too.”
He dabbed at his face a bit more with the cloth, mindful not to just smother him in it.
He was used to thinking very little about his own injuries, and it seemed like it was just a habit to minimize the damage he could have taken. It wasn't meant to be any disrespect to Michael, who obviously knew what could have happened.
…But here he was, letting Devyn worry about him. So it was only fair that he be grateful for the way Michael worried over him.
“Thank you for sending her over. Much nicer to land on her than it was the alternative.”
He knew Michael could have kept her for himself. Might have even spared himself this injury altogether if he’d had her with him instead. “You and her both could probably use a good steak.”
He wanted the hand towel clean, so he set that down on the edge of the tub and retrieved some fresh wipes from the first aid kit so he could return to Michael’s injury. He’d lost enough blood that it was a mess, but Devyn didn’t seem like he was daunted by it. He worked carefully to clean the skin around it and whatever he could reach without further disrobing him.
“If you don’t have the energy to go up to Sessrumnir, don’t worry about it. I know you’ll push yourself harder than you need to. If tomorrow’s a day in bed, I’ll take care of things so you can rest. Maybe you can catch up on some reading.”
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2022 8:12 pm
Michael knew it must have just been easier to not worry about things that didn’t happen. It was easier for himself as well, but that didn’t stop the way his heart had seized in his chest. The thought of losing Devyn was more than he would have been able to handle. Especially not so soon after his father.
“I think she wanted to get to you just as much as I wanted her to,” he admitted, holding still and only wincing a little as Devyn cleaned the blood from around the injury. It might not have been horribly deep, but Devyn had to put a number of stitches in to pull everything back together. It still stung a bit, especially now that the adrenaline had dissipated.
“You don’t have to take care of things. You should rest, too. Make sure that bruising isn’t too bad,” he said, nodding at Devyn’s stomach. “But… if you were planning on studying or… if you wanted company,” he started, but then paused because he wasn’t entirely sure what he was offering. How much company would he be able to offer if he was sitting in bed, or just sleeping? Reading was a good idea if he could manage that, but he also didn’t want Devyn to feel like he was being left on his own.
Unless that was what he wanted. Maybe Devyn preferred the chance to spend some time doing something out of the house.
“Thank you, Dev. I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” Because he didn’t want Devyn to decide that he actually was pretty pathetic.
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