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 Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 8:41 am
Devyn’s bed was comfortable. Soft sheets, nice blankets, a good mattress. Michael had made sure he had nice things in his room. Even if Devyn could have made due with the floor or the couch and wouldn't have complained, he still liked his bed.
But Michael’s was better. He couldn’t quite place why, because in theory there wasn’t really anything special about it. It had a nice mattress, he’d brought his pillow and a blanket. Maybe it was that the room was just a nice temperature, or that the space was so carefully designed that he felt comfortable.
Maybe it was just Michael there next to him.
He’d stayed in his room last night to make sure that Michael was comfortable and had everything he needed while he was recovering. Orange juice and sleep, and a few bandaids and pill weren’t enough, apparently.
But, that was to be expected.
They’d known it was likely that they’d wind up visiting Sessrumnir’s healing springs today.
While Devyn had only dozed for most of the night, he felt oddly refreshed even before they’d packed up to leave. He’d first fallen asleep sitting up, and then again with his head tipped back against the headboard, and then the third time when he’d just sort of slumped against his propped up pillow. The fourth time, he’d at least been laying down and actually slept.
Not deeply enough that he couldn’t hear if Michael needed something. Or if he was trying to sneak out of bed to do something Devyn could have done for him.
But, he’d slept well. Better than he wanted to admit, even. He almost dread going back to his room tonight.
That was a problem for later; for now, he’d hooked Michael’s arm with his own just to make sure he didn’t fall and tear open his stitches. He had a bag of supplies thrown over his other arm—food, first aid, anything they might need for their trip.
When they’d made it to Sessrumnir, he didn’t let go. Didn’t ask for Princess to be let out either, even though they’d brought her a nice piece of meat because she was such a good girl. It didn’t matter that she was a Summon, Devyn couldn’t think of her as just magic. She deserved everything. Including a good squeeze.
But, for now they needed to make sure that Michael made it to the Springs and had a chance to heal, so they’d stayed powered up and made their way towards the Springs.
He was excited to see it, in the way he was to see all things Sessrumnir-oriented, but it didn’t seem like he was ever going to shake the sensation that things were just different with empty halls. He let Michael direct him and used that guidance to try and judge how he was doing. Of course, a part of him wanted to just scoop Michael up and carry him, but he was trying not to be too pushy about all of it.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 9:40 am
It was a strange experience, to be taken care of. The last time he’d been significantly wounded was when he’d had his face gouged by that half youma. But afterwards he’d been too concerned about making sure Caspian was okay after almost having his starseed taken that he didn’t bother to do more than put a bandage on it.
Probably why it ended up scarring.
But Devyn did more than just make sure he had his wound patched up -- which he did most of himself. He’d stayed with him, gotten him more pain medicine when he needed it, made sure he was comfortable and that his wound wasn’t opening back up.
Michael felt flustered by it. Maybe it was just because he was used to being the one who took care of others and did the bare minimum for himself. Or maybe it was because it was Devyn.
“I’m honestly surprised there aren’t any slides,” he grunted as he let Devyn help him down the path to the Springs. He only knew what was probably considered the main entrance where the decorative interior’s tapestries disappeared and were replaced with mosaics. They clearly didn’t want to deal with mold.
The entrance had a large fountain that emptied into a channel that led the rest of the way to the natural springs. A huge cavern of pools and rock formations and glowing crystals. A large portion had been modified so that the floor was tiled and even. There were hallways carved into the stone that led to changing rooms for people to clean off before getting in. Since they were the only ones going to be using the Springs, there was probably no point.
“Is here good? You’ve probably been here more than I have,” he frowned. He’d stopped near the main pool, which he’d gone in before.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 9:58 am
“If there were slides, would you use them? I’ll build you some if you would.”
He looked across the room, maybe surprised by how empty it was. “Here’s fine, though. It always looked smaller before. I suppose because it was always so busy. I’ve never used this one, but I think it should be fine. I got spoiled with all of the private ones, but there’s really not enough competition to need those.”
Well, unless Michael wanted to use the springs privately. Devyn didn’t really need to, but he’d started to feel the repercussions of his fight shortly after he’d woken up. The discoloration had started to settle in, and honestly he’d have been a bit impressed at the damage if he wasn’t still so upset about Michael’s injuries.
He’d promised to take care of himself, so it really wasn’t much to ask that he took it easy while his bruises healed. Anyway, he’d gotten the better deal out of the two of them, so it was only fair.
“Do you need help getting out of your clothes?”
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 10:55 am
Michael snorted softly in amusement and shook his head. “Not right now, but thank you for the offer.” Maybe he would use them but didn’t feel like admitting it to Devyn, or himself, at the moment.
“I guess we can try the different pools and see what is our favorite,” he suggested, although he didn’t know if he would be getting in and out very easily to wander between them with his injury. He hadn’t forgotten about Devyn’s, although he didn’t want to make a big deal about it if he was saying he was fine. A papercut kept being mentioned, which Michael really didn’t think was a good comparison.
He hesitated when Devyn offered to help him with his clothes, but ended up sighing, because he knew he was going to be pretty helpless when it came to moving around until he was healed a little more.
“Please? If you don’t mind,” he agreed, and since there was no danger that he could feel, he powered down. There were significantly less pieces of clothing when he wasn’t Sessrumnir. He hadn’t bothered taking off his necklace when he powered up, so it rested over his chest now.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 12:04 pm
A smile twitched onto his face because the answer wasn’t a no for the slides, and trying different pools seemed more like an excuse to have fun than something to do when you were trying to heal.
“I don’t mind at all, happy to help. Let me start with the shirt, you just stay as still as you can. Thank you for letting me fuss.”
He waited until Michael was comfortable and carefully worked the shirt up and off of him.
“I think I’ll help you in first, and I’ll join you in a moment. I want to pull out the towels and get everything settled. It gets a little chilly if you don’t dry off quickly enough, so I’ll get them all laid out. But you should take advantage of every second you can get in that water. Do you want me to pull out some snacks, too? Unless you’re worried about getting crumbs in the water. I packed some fruits and things, too, though, so it’s not all messy.”
Maybe he’d packed a little more than he needed to, but he didn’t want Michael to worry about anything. He should have packed a book in case he wanted to read, too.
Oh well, next time.
…Although, hopefully neither of them would be getting hurt next time.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 12:45 pm
It was incredibly sweet how much Devyn fussed over him, so of course Michael was going to let him. He didn’t really have many who thought to fuss over him. He was used to saying he was fine and that being it. Or maybe they would make sure he was okay for that day, and then after he would be on his own again.
“You can pull out whatever you’d like,” he couldn’t help but laugh softly -- which he regretted because it still hurt. So he quickly stifled it and just smiled instead. The pain medicine was doing its job, although every so often there was a stabbing feeling of pain. Oh, and whenever he laughed.
“Make sure you pull out enough for yourself. You’re doing all the heavy lifting here,” he pointed out as he reached down to push at the waistband of his pants.
There was only a moment of hesitation. He wasn’t shy, but--
No, Devyn had already seen him without most of his clothes. And he’d done his best to be honest with him. Especially after keeping secrets of who he was.
“Thanks for fussing. I didn’t think I’d say it but… it’s nice. But don’t feel like you have to push yourself on my account,” he warned, waiting for Devyn’s help again before making any attempt at getting into the water when all that was left on him was his necklace.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 1:02 pm
For as much as Devyn cared about clothes, he was a bit careless when it came to undressing. Or, maybe it was just that he was more concerned about Michael’s well-being than he was his clothes. He kept one arm around Michael’s as he helped him into the water. “I don’t feel like I have to do anything. I want to. I think I like fussing over you, you’re a good sport about it.”
He’d made sure that Michael was safe and seated before he started moving again. He picked up Michael’s clothes and folded them while he walked a few steps away. They weren’t too far away from them, just far enough away that the clothes wouldn’t get when they got out of the pool.
He worked diligently, but quickly; he moved the towels over to the other side of the pool so they were within reach but still dry, and pulled out a few snacks to lay out, too. Just so the bag didn’t get wet. It probably only took less than a minute before he powered down and was peeling off his own clothes.
“How’s the water?” he asked when he’d worked off his shirt. He didn’t seem in any rush and the necklace didn’t indicate that he was worked up or nervous about any of this. Even if he did take a moment to scrutinize the spreading bruise on his abdomen.
Considering the rest of his old scars and marks, it probably wasn’t much of a surprise that he didn’t seem too concerned about being kicked. Nothing was broken inside, he could still move. Being stiff and sore was hardly the end of the world.
If ever he’d been self conscious about his scars, that time had long since faded. He’d taken a lot of damage in his life, but more than that he’d lived through it.
And, he planned to live through a lot more, too.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 4:57 pm
“You’re not overbearing about it,” Michael countered over his shoulder, although the comment was light. Devyn fussing over him didn’t stress him out like others could have. There was just enough that Devyn did where he helped him without making Michael feel like he was still being smothered.
He grit his teeth as he was helped into the water, but with the warmth pushing the pain away, it was a relief to just sit and relax and watch Devyn as he collected their things.
It was sweet, really. How he folded up their clothes and got their towels ready and made sure some snacks were accessible. It took Michael a moment to look up when asked how the water was, having been watching Devyn get undressed.
Oh… should he have given him more privacy? He didn’t seem like he was shy about taking off his clothes, but it wasn’t as though he had before. So of course Michael was curious about the scar that told him when it was going to rain, and he was concerned about his injuries from the night before.
“Water’s nice. Not too scalding. That looks pretty bad, Dev,” he frowned, feeling guilty that Devyn had been fussing over Michael’s injury when he should have been worried about his own.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 5:31 pm
Devyn clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “It does look pretty bad. Looks worse than it feels though, honest.”
He resisted the urge to poke it, he knew it was just going to hurt if he did. He shrugged; socks and shoes were off, so he tugged off the rest of his clothes and left them with the rest before he worked his way into the pool.
The water was nice, and he was tilting his head back to sigh pleasantly even before he was properly submerged in it. “Oh, that’s nice.” He resisted the urge to dip completely below it, if only because he didn’t want to have to fix his hair or the bit of makeup he still had on from yesterday.
It wasn’t much, Earth was so much more tame than he was used to on Alastor, but he didn’t see any harm in making sure he always looked his best. Which was probably more important now because he had this bruise to contend with.
He rested against the pool’s wall and then, finally, picked his head back up and looked at Michael. “Don’t judge me too harshly, I’m still getting back into shape. You look good though. I’m surprised you don’t show off more.”
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 5:47 pm
Michael tilted his head curiously when Devyn asked him not to judge him. But then glanced down at himself, although only his shoulders were now above the water. He eased his arm up onto the edge of the pool, although left the other in the water so he didn’t pull the stitches too much.
Was he showing off now? Maybe just a little. But only because Devyn commented about it. And only as a joke.
“You look good to me. You look like you’ve gained a good bit of weight since getting to Earth, although I’m assuming you’re not back to being one hundred percent? If you gain too much more weight, I’ll need to get you new clothes.”
Not that Devyn gaining weight was a bad thing. The clothes he was borrowing from Michael were still rather loose on him, but since Devyn had yet to put his wedding ring back on, Michael could only guess that Devyn was still working on it.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:16 pm
Devyn seemed in good spirits and nodded as he mimicked Michael’s movement, although he was arguably quite a bit more dramatic about it.
“I’ve put on some! Not enough. But I’m getting there. I suppose I shouldn’t go out and pick any more fights until I’m back to where I want to be. Especially after last night. I used to put up a good fight even while I wasn’t powered up at all. Seems like in all this time, Chaos has gotten quite a bit stronger. I’m lucky whatever’s on my world is just…”
He pursed his lips and shrugged. “Well, whatever it is.”
He wasn’t very lucky with the rest of it, but at least he’d been able to fend it off by himself for so long.
Devyn didn’t really want to dwell on it right now; they were supposed to focus on healing.
“Your tattoos,” he said, and though he couldn’t see most of them right now, he’d seen enough to remember them, “Do they have meaning? I’ve only known a few people who had any, and they were all for vanity. But you don’t strike me as being very vain, and I’m ignorant of tattoos and their importance to Earth culture.”
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:39 pm
He couldn’t help but snort softly again when Devyn also put his arm up on the edge. Even if he wasn’t at his peak, it was difficult for Michael to not admire him --
There was nothing wrong with that, right? Devyn didn’t seem as though he was self conscious. He’d even said Michael looked good… although, that might have just been because he was being polite. Or maybe he was looking at gaining enough weight and muscle back that he looked similar in build to him.
That was probably all that he meant by it. After all, he only just found out that he’d repressed the memories of his husband being dead. It was completely inappropriate for Michael to think --
Then what about him staying in his bed the night before? Sure, it was for Devyn to make sure Michael didn’t need anything, but Michael could have refused. He could have insisted that he was okay and just needed to sleep.
But he’d been grateful that Devyn was there…
“Some of them were probably more for vanity at the time,” he said as he glanced down at the tattoo on his shoulder, which was the easiest to see at the moment. “I haven’t gotten a new one since… becoming a knight. I was young then. Wanted to fit in, I guess,” he explained, his voice quiet for a moment before he nodded to the red and black one on his shoulder, although it had been damaged by a youma at one point.
“It’s from a fictional story that… is somewhat similar to what we’re going through now with the Negaverse. This symbol was worn by resistance fighters… the Alliance Starbird. I guess when I got it, I felt that it symbolized the fight and hope for a better future. Of loyalty and standing up for what you believe in. It’s also seen as a representation of a phoenix, rising from the ashes. Ah, I was a little more optimistic in my youth.”
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 6:52 pm
Devyn listened with obvious interest, and like always he seemed to have no judgment. He was curious about the tattoos and what they meant to Michael. It wasn’t what he expected, but he was pleased all the same.
“What a valiant symbol. Good choice. Looks like it’s taken a little damage, but I think that makes it more striking. I don’t know what I’d get if I were getting a tattoo. I don’t have that much skin that doesn’t have a mark already.”
He looked at his chest and then his arms, and while there were certainly parts of him that seemed fine, he had plenty of old and faded scars. Very few looked fresh, and very few looked as bad as the one on his chest.
“I don’t know what I’d get, either. Too many options. And I don’t really have a very artistic eye, not for things like that. Have you got all of them that you want to have?”
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 7:10 pm
“A lot of people get tattoos to cover up scars. Besides, I think you have plenty of skin you could decorate if you wanted. But you also look just fine as you are.”
Was that weird to say? It was probably weird to say. It wasn’t as though he was looking. Much. They were in the baths together, so of course there was bound to be a glance here and there. Completely normal. And it wasn’t his fault that Devyn was attractive.
In a… completely normal… once upon a time was married to the person who had his starseed before him kind of day. Michael couldn’t help but admire nice things!
“I don’t know. Sometimes I think about getting another, or maybe a whole sleeve.”
He carefully lifted his arm that was still in the water, since it was the only way Devyn could see two of his other tattoos.
“Sailors often got swallow tattoos for every five thousand nautical miles. Represents experience and curiosity and willingness to explore. They’re also considered a good luck charm and protector of travelers. Also freedom and --”
There were two of them on the inside of his arm, but Devyn didn’t need to know they were seen as connecting people together. To care for and protect them. It hadn’t exactly worked out, anyway.
“The tree,” he segwayed as fluidly as he could, nodding to the white inked tree on his side over his ribs. “Is from another fictional story. Kind of a symbol of unity. The lore suggests the tree had magical healing properties at one point in time. It was descended from the divine embodiment of light and life…”
He paused again, because he realized he was getting a bit wordy, flashed Devyn a small grin and shrugged. “And it looked cool. I’ve got an anchor on my calf that keeps me grounded.” Or he tired himself out from talking. Besides, anchors usually spoke for themselves for their meaning.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 7:18 pm
While Devyn wasn’t sure what answer he’d get, or how receptive Michael would have been to the questioning, he nodded along and seemed pleased with these answers. They were important enough to Michael that he chose to carry these images with him, on his body. He’d put thought into all of them.
It said a lot about Michael, he thought. Diligent and hardworking enough to have experience, and he was proud of it. Curious, maybe with the heart of an explorer. Drawn to a magical healing tree. He could have laughed, but it made him smile instead. Fighting for good. Proud to resist an oppressor. Determined to rise up again to fight for what was right. He might not have cared as much for water as Michael, but he knew that anchors were strong and stable, enough to hold fast even against surging water.
He smiled again, unable to hide his fondness for it all, and leaned back against the side of the pool again.
“You must have had a lot of patience to get them done.” And resilience, he couldn’t imagine it was a comfortable procedure. “I like them, they fit you. Do you have a favorite?”
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