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 Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 8:56 pm
Michael tried not to seem too excited about Elliot’s ball game. Just as he tried not to seem too excited about having Elliot, Asher, and Oliver meet Devyn. He didn’t know why he was actually looking forward to them meeting. Maybe because he wanted Devyn to experience everything possible, and also because he knew he could trust his friends. Oh, and he adored Elliot, so of course he wanted Elliot’s approval for--
His and Devyn’s… friendship? Well, that wasn’t right. He didn’t need anyone’s approval to be friends with Devyn, or anyone else. But maybe he thought it would be nice if his friends all got along.
He tried not to think about it too much.
Except that he got Devyn a teal shirt to match Elliot’s uniform. Michael had one as well, of course. He even got Devyn a baseball hat to wear, if he wanted. Otherwise sunglasses were the other option. Sunscreen was a must, especially if Devyn was used to living under cloudy skies.
The parking lot was already getting full by the time they got there. The teams were there early to practice, and there was more than one field, so it meant quite a number of young children running around. Michael made sure to park far enough away to hopefully avoid any balls being hit over the fence. Although those playing were still pretty young, so maybe they couldn’t make it that far.
“Asher. Oliver,” Michael greeted his coworkers with a smile when they found them. He wore both a baseball hat and sunglasses, although he hadn’t shaved yet. Instead he trimmed it so it wouldn’t look too scraggly.
“This is Devyn DeLunne,” he introduced, placing a hand on Devyn’s shoulder as if he needed to make it more obvious that Devyn was with him. Well. Physically with him. Not with him. They were just friends. “Devyn, this is Asher and Oliver Reid. Elliot’s parents. He’s probably practicing right now, but I’ll introduce you when he gets a break,” he promised.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:04 pm
Devyn learned quickly that baseball was not a particularly fashionable endeavor. Michael made it look good, and Devyn made it look good, because he wasn’t going to let Michael down, but it was not what he was used to wearing.
He applied sunscreen, because red did not go with teal and he’d already made the mistake of incurring the sun’s wrath all of one time already since he’d been on Earth.
He’d done his hair in a simple ponytail and pulled it through the back of the baseball cap. Of course he’d done his makeup up a little bit, and was delighted that the outfit matched his eyes. Even if he was wearing sunglasses, too.
“Michael!” Oliver greeted; he and Asher were in matching outfits–teal and white team shirts with gold embroidery. They wore black pants and sunglasses. Asher had a baseball cap, but Oliver had a sunhat with a teal ribbon.
They eyed Devyn in tandem, gave Michael a look simultaneously,
“It’s nice to meet you, Devyn,” Asher said; he held out his hand first, and Devyn shook his and then Oliver’s.
“Nice to meet you,” Devyn parrotted, with his most charming grin. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
“No, we’re glad to have you. Michael never brings any friends,” Oliver said, and there was something in his smile–and the way he kept looking at Michael–that said he was more than pleased with this sudden plus one.
“We saved you space, come get comfortable. El’s a little down today, but he’ll be glad to have you here, Michael. He’s missed you,” Asher added.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:13 pm
Michael saw their look and pressed his lips together in slight exasperation. They could think what they wanted, but they would be wrong.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been available after classes recently,” he said as he made his way onto the bleachers so he could take a seat. He took a moment to turn to Devyn and shake his head to clarify, “Not because of you. There’s end of year work we have to do. It’s been taking more time than I would like.”
He didn’t want Devyn thinking him not being around as often had anything to do with him. Elliot seemed to understand, at least. Especially since both of his dads were teachers, too.
“What’s happened with Elliot?” he asked then, allowing his obvious concern to come to the surface. “He’s not being picked on at school again, is he?”
It wasn’t too frequent these days, from what he understood, but kids could be cruel to each other when they didn’t understand or were taught to think differently. And given who Elliot’s parents were, well… Michael had a lot of heart to hearts with his students when he felt it was needed.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:28 pm
“No, no. He’s made a new friend and they were supposed to go hang out today. He didn’t show up, and we don’t really have any way to reach him,” Oliver reported; he had a tall metal water bottle, but judging by the color of his straw he was probably having lemonade. Predictably.
“His friend at school is having some trouble at home. His father seems like a real piece of work.”
“Piece of garbage,” Oliver muttered, and Asher absentmindedly squeezed his shoulder.
“Just doesn’t seem right. You know the type,” Asher expanded; he had a hand on Oliver’s back as they walked, just to make sure he didn’t lose his balance.
“Piece of garbage,” Oliver repeated, and sat down with a heavy sigh. “So Elliot’s a little disheartened, we were really looking forward to having him here. He’s a sweetheart. You’ll get to meet him, I’m sure. I think Elly’s got a crush. Maybe not, he’s so hard to tell. He’s nice to everyone, but he gets so excited when he’s talking about his friend. It’s cute. But I worry.”
“You don’t have to worry, he’ll be okay. Tell us about your friend, Michael. I’ve noticed you were a bit busier than usual. Outside of school things.”
Devyn followed after Michael, paying attention, listening, but content to let Michael take the lead–especially considering how little he understood about the conversation they were having. He was a guest, and curious, and content to listen more than speak if it meant he could learn more about Michael’s normal.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 9:36 pm
Michael frowned. Knowing anything about Oliver and his assessment of Elliot’s friend’s father, Michael did know the type. But since there was really nothing they could do at that moment, he didn’t press the issue. Obviously if he needed to assist in some way, he would.
He didn’t get much of a chance to think about it though, because Asher was already asking about his--
“What friend?” he blinked, wondering if it was too soon to blame the sun for the color in his cheeks.
“Oh,” Michael continued when, oh, of course he was being asked about Devyn. Which was a perfect way to start talking about someone, clearly.
“College friend. Recent college, from a few years ago. We were both getting new degrees,” he lied, hoping it was at least believable enough, and glad that his sunglasses hid his eyes. He made a point to never play poker.
“He doesn’t have anywhere to live right now, so he’s staying with me.” That at least was the truth.
“You, uh… Got your degree in… art, didn’t you?” he asked as he turned to Devyn, hoping it would be easy for Devyn to at least talk about his favorite artist.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:08 am
What friend? Really? Oliver and Asher were both looking at Michael over their sunglasses.
“Oh. Yeah,” Devyn answered; he didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic. He’d been caught a little off guard but supposed that was an easy cover. He knew absolutely nothing about art unless Percy was involved. Although, he’d gone to enough galleries, maybe that counted for something. He didn’t really have an equivalent degree, even from Alastor. He’d gotten his basic schooling and then tutored with diplomats and fighters. The only extra learning he’d gotten had been because he loved Percy and wanted to support him.
He wasn’t very helpful with the lie but he also didn’t seem particularly bothered. He planted his hands on his hips and looked around, taking in the whole field and how energetic everyone seemed to be.
“I didn’t know you had a friend living with you. How long has that been going on?” Oliver asked, sipping at his drink again. “And an art degree? That sounds so exciting. Elliot’s friend is into art, I wish he was here. I would have loved to let him pick your brain a little bit about all of it.”
Asher had raised both brows and was looking at Michael with a subtle inquisitiveness. “Maybe we can have you all over for dinner?” he suggested. The table might be a little cramped, but they could make it work. “It’s been a while since we got together. You and Devyn should come by when we’ve got him over, one of these days.”
After Chad got a little more comfortable with them. And, after he could pry out some more information about Michael’s friend. Who lived with him.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 9:50 am
Michael shifted uncomfortably. How did this turn into an interrogation about Devyn, who was also very attractive and just happened to be living with him? There was nothing weird about that! They didn’t have to look at him like that!
“How long has what been going on?”
He did not mean for his voice to rise in pitch, and he quickly cleared his throat so he didn’t seem as suspicious as he probably was. How could he explain what Devyn was doing, living with him, without giving it away that he wasn’t even from Earth. Or this time.
“Oh. Maybe a couple months? I think? So Elliot’s friend is into art? That’s cool. Is he going to Azure too?”
Because yeah, talking about their son and his friend seemed like a good distraction. Ah, except they were also inviting them over for dinner.
“We could probably manage that, as long as Devyn isn’t busy working on things,” he said, already wishing he’d planned a little further ahead for potential questions. He was hoping Asher and Oliver wouldn’t be nosey, but that clearly wasn’t the case.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 10:00 am
Asher and Oliver fully and completely intended to be nosey, because their attractive, single friend, who’d been having a particularly hard time recently, had an attractive (possibly equally single?) friend living with him.
And he hadn’t told them about this friend.
Interesting.
“I don’t think so. We’d like for him to,” Asher said, “But that’s not really our decision. He thinks he’ll probably wind up in Meadowview.”
“We’ll see. I’m thinking about kidnapping him.”
“No, we aren’t,” Asher quickly assured.
Oliver just shrugged and sipped at his drink again. “What sorts of things are you working on?” he asked, using the excuse to look Devyn over again.
“Art things,” Devyn answered, but seemed to realize this wasn’t a particularly good answer. He sat down on the bleachers and rested his elbows on his knees as he hunched forward a bit. “Working on getting a few pieces cleaned up. Old things, really impressive. We’ve been talking about getting them into a gallery. I want to keep them together, and I want them somewhere where they’ll be safe. They’ve been in a private collection for a while, and I just think they’re too beautiful to keep in storage. I want to do right by the artist, so everything has to be perfect. I’ve got a few small restoration projects, but those paintings are my priority.”
He glanced at Michael, just to make sure that was a reasonable story. He was doing his best! He didn’t know what you did with an art degree. Art???
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 10:19 am
Maybe he hadn’t told them because he didn’t want to play twenty questions. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Devyn to meet his friends. He did! He wanted Devyn to know the people Michael trusted, so that in case something happened, he would know who to go to. In case he couldn’t get to anyone in Michael’s family, at least.
When Devyn glanced at him, Michael did his best to silently reassure him that… sure! That seemed like it was a reasonable thing to do with an art degree. He didn’t know, and he was hoping that Oliver and Asher were just as clueless. But working on anything… art seemed like it was good enough to him.
“Devyn has this old clock he’s been working on. It’s really interesting to see all the pieces come apart. I’m used to taking apart bigger things,” Michael admitted, which would have been easily known by his two overly curious friends because he kind of taught stuff like that as an elective at Azure.
“Even if he goes to Meadowview, he and Elliot should be able to hang out after school, won’t they? Oh, I guess unless Elliot has clubs or sports events,” Michael hummed with a small frown. He didn’t like knowing that Elliot was unhappy about something, so if there was anything he could do to help, he would.
“Well, if we need to, I can always pick his friend up to bring back to Azure for after school things.” Maybe that wasn’t what they’d end up being able to do, but Michael would at least offer.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 10:44 am
Asher smiled softly and shook his head. “Elliot’s already started asking when we’re going to teach him how to drive. I’ve had to remind him we’re still a few years off. But that’s sweet of you, Michael, thank you. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I don’t want to think about him driving,” Oliver sighed, slouching on the bleacher. He could drive, he just didn’t like to. “But I think El’s really invested in this friendship. You know how he is, he’s good with all his friends, but there’s just something about this one that’s got a hold on him. And I don’t blame him. He’s got Asher’s heart,” he said, and patted his husband on the knee. “Brave and strong.”
Asher tried not to be flattered but he wasn’t very good. They didn’t often involve themselves in physical displays, but for a brief moment he rested his hand over Oliver’s.
“Elliot’s excited for Azure. He wants to take classes with you, has he told you, Michael? I’m worried about him biting off more than he can chew. He wants to keep up with baseball and track, and he wants to stick with debate. Oh–there he is.” Oliver waved to Elliot, who had trotted off to refill his water bottle. Elliot had obviously been looking for them, and immediately brightened when he saw Michael. He waved enthusiastically to the group before hurrying to get his water. Oliver couldn’t help but smile, obviously beaming with pride. He didn’t take his eyes off of Elliot when he asked, “What are you and Devyn going to do after the game, anything exciting?”
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 11:06 am
“I can teach him how to drive,” Michael offered as well, and couldn’t help the small grin from pulling at his lips. “That way you won’t have to worry about it. Take the afternoon for yourselves and I’ll bring him back after spoiling him with ice cream or something.”
It wasn’t a secret that he adored Elliot and wanted to do everything he could for him. Besides, he was a good driver and worried about so many things that it was probably dizzying. So he would be absolutely safe with Elliot in the car with him.
Not that he expected Asher and Oliver not to fuss.
When Elliot came out to get more water, Michael lifted his hand to wave back. He was a good kid and he was glad that he got to have fun and do the things he liked.
“Let me know if you need any help with his friend situation. If there’s something going on, I can see what I can do.” He could always give Jeremy a call and ask his advice if they suspected something was going on at home.
“But no, we don’t have anything planned,” he confessed with a glance over at Devyn to make sure he didn’t have something he suddenly needed to work on. Michael didn’t want to make him feel like he didn’t get a say in things.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 11:17 am
Devyn seemed content to let Michael answer the questions. The whole thing was a lot to take in, and he just seemed happy to be there–watching the teams, observing the rest of the park, basking in the sun. The food stalls smelled good, those were distracting, too, but he didn’t want to head over so soon. “No, nothing exciting. Just a night in. I might try to finish that clock.”
“Oh,” Oliver hummed. “Well, that’s sweet. I hope you take a picture when he’s done, Michael. I’d love to see.”
Asher nodded, and for as much as they seemed like they wanted to harass Michael about his new friend, they’d at least toned it down. A bit. “I can see why the two of you might have gotten to be friends if you’re both interested in restoration and fixing things. You sure you want to teach El how to drive, though? You might wind up having a lot more to fix if you get him behind the wheel, you know how energetic he can get…”
Devyn almost asked Michael if that was something he should consider learning, too, but he had enough on his plate right now and there didn’t seem to be much of a need to drive when so much was in walking distance. But then, there were probably whole parts of the city he hadn’t explored because of the distance. He kept the thought to himself and instead allowed himself to be humored by the idea of actually meeting Michael in school, and wondering how they might have met if it had been the truth.
Oliver was laughing at the idea of Elliot breaking anything while Michael was nearby; he shook his head. “He’d be on his best behavior! I bet he wouldn’t break anything. You can take him for the afternoon, he’d love that. Asher and I can catch up on some schoolwork.”
Asher snorted but had no objections to Michael teaching Elliot if he wanted; they both trusted him, and Elliot wouldn’t have had a single objection to having the opportunity to hang out with Michael outside of school. “He’s still a little too young, let’s not jump the gun. But you’re welcome to borrow him for an afternoon. So Oliver and I can catch up on some schoolwork."
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 4:37 pm
Now it was Michael’s turn to turn and watch Oliver and Asher with amused interest.
“Come on, you’d really spend an afternoon without Elliot in the house on schoolwork?” he tilted his head at the two. “Isn’t there at least a movie or something you’d like to watch? Or, I don’t know. Pamper yourselves. Take a nap,” he suggested, because he was sure it was exhausting to have a kid running around all the time.
While he loved working with children, he couldn’t say he’d ever imagine himself with one of his own. Peter was a handful but he was an adult and doing his own thing now. Clearly, since he has basically been living with his friend for the past couple months.
“Elliot would absolutely be on his best behavior. You’ve got a good kid. I’ll have him race Devyn around the neighborhood or something. Tire them both out,” he joked, glancing over at Devyn to make sure he knew he was teasing.
Wait, that wasn’t weird that he would try to tire his housemate out, was it? Maybe a little weird. But Devyn had a lot of energy, and so did Elliot, so it was okay, right?
“I won’t let him do anything dangerous or illegal, don’t worry,” he promised, because he would rather not Elliot think things like that were okay.
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 4:50 pm
Asher wore a very knowing smile, because there were plenty of things he would prefer over doing school work. “Elliot’s not a little trouble maker anymore, we don’t have to keep such a close eye on him anymore. When he was a toddler? Yes. Absolutely. Thankfully, now he’s old enough that we can nap in peace. Sometimes.”
He didn’t tease Michael for needing to wear his attractive roommate out, but he wasn’t even being discreet about how amused he was by all of it.
Devyn took no offense, and had even cracked a grin at the suggestion that they could race. He’d have to see how fast Elliot was; he was pretty sure he still had an advantage. He wasn’t above competing with a child, anyway.
“You know we trust you, Michael,” Oliver assured, and for all his teasing, he meant it. “You’re a good role model. We’re lucky to have you. And we’re happy to have you here, too. He doesn’t have the benefit of a big family, so this really does mean a lot. And we’re glad you brought your friend. Do you like baseball, Devyn?”
Because, maybe Oliver knew that Michael got squeamish if he got too much praise, so he wanted to give him an easy out to know he didn’t have to respond.
Except, that meant Devyn was back up for questions.
“I don’t know, I’ve never been to a game. But Michael made it sound like a lot of fun.”
Oliver laughed and shook his head. “I wouldn’t ever go to a game if it wasn’t Elliot playing. I think it’s supposed to be more fun when you’re playing, but I’ve never played a game where I didn't get hurt. So, no thank you. I’m glad Elly has better teammates. But the kids get excited. We’ll make sure you know where El is and when he’s doing good, but since you’re here with Michael, you have to help us cheer for him.”
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Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 5:03 pm
Michael was grateful that Oliver, and Asher, knew him so well. Because just when it got to the point where he was starting to get uncomfortable by the praise, the question was redirected to Devyn.
He was glad that it wasn’t immediately flagged as weird that Devyn, the completely normal artist from Earth, had never been to a baseball game before. But then again, Michael was from a family that was pretty big into baseball.
“I’ll have to check with Chris about getting tickets for one of his games,” he decided as he waited for the color in his cheeks to fade after having so many nice things said to him. “You’re both welcome to come. It’s no problem. But if you want another evening to yourself, Devyn and I can take Elliot. And Elliot’s friend if we can get ahold of him,” Michael offered.
“Chris plays professionally,” he explained to Devyn. “I can’t remember if I told you that. It’s fun watching the kids play, especially Elliot, but there’s a different atmosphere when it’s a Major League game. And there’s a lot of food there too,” he added, because he knew that would be good motivation for Devyn to be interested, if he wasn’t interested in the game itself.
“We’d rather you not get hurt playing though,” he added to Oliver with a little smile, obviously fond of both of his friends. Even if they were teasing him about Devyn.
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