|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 8:09 pm
Michael was aware this was probably a horrible idea. But the kid needed something to eat, and he needed to get his wound looked at. He knew Devyn’s identity as Sailor Alastor, but it didn’t seem as though he’d seen that Michael was Sessrumnir, despite Princess’ greeting.
“Are you going to be good with him while I make some food?” Michael asked as he led the way into his house. He hoped that they could trust the kid, and his gut told them that they could, but Michael didn’t like taking so many chances.
He went over to the cabinet where he kept a new kit of first aid, just so Devyn didn’t always have to go rummaging through Michael’s bathroom, and handed it over. Chad was speechless as he entered the very nice house. It wasn’t huge, but it was obviously high end. Well, he might have also been speechless because he was exhausted. The walk there had taken a lot from him, and he grew slower and slower the closer they got.
At one point he’d tripped over his own feet and Devyn took his hand to help keep him steady and -- oh, maybe he should finally let go of his hand now that they were inside. Which he did with a quiet mumble of thanks.
He didn’t know what to expect, but he would trust that it was better here than elsewhere.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 8:22 pm
“We’ll be fine,” Devyn promised, and offered another appreciative smile to Michael. His brows had been knit for a while but he was trying to relax his face now that they weren’t out in the dark. He’d made some basic conversation with Chad on the way home, nothing really significant or meaningful. Enough to fill the silence.
“Thank you,” he said, for Michael offering to bring him back as much as for the first aid kit. When Chad dropped his hand, he just put his hand on his back to guide him. “I’m going to keep the door open, just going to use the bathroom over here so we’ve got some good lighting.”
He hoped that if Michael had been uncomfortable with this he’d have told him, but he couldn’t imagine him abandoning some poor kid who was probably still confused and afraid, and clearly exhausted.
“It’s right over here, Chad. You can sit down and rest. You look tired.”
Like he hadn’t slept much at all. Pale, too, but he wasn’t sure if that was because of blood loss or because he was just still shaken about everything.
He stayed close and led the way; the nearest bathroom wasn’t too far, and he flicked on the lights when they got there. “Go ahead and get a seat, you can sit on the edge of the tub if you’re comfortable there. Or the floor, if you want to rest your back, too.” He knew it was clean, the whole place was. “We can take it easy. I get hurt a lot, so I’m pretty good at putting myself back together. Do you think I can get to where it cut you if you roll up your sleeve or do you need help tugging your shirt off?”
Was that a weird thing to say? Michael would have let him, but this was a kid. A spooked kid.
“I’ve got a pajama top you can borrow, it’ll be big on you. Big enough that you’d be able to stick your arm out of it and keep the rest of it on while I take a look at your arm. Do you want me to go grab it?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 8:44 pm
The other man seemed to be okay with whatever Devyn was planning on doing because he didn’t say anything to stop them. Chad was already missing the warmth of Devyn’s hand and how he felt as though there was no way he could fall while holding it, but the touch to his back was welcome enough. He might have flinched if he hadn’t just been holding Devyn’s hand, so he was glad the compulsion wasn’t there at the moment.
“A little,” Chad agreed when Devyn commented on him being tired. He was exhausted, but what was he supposed to do about it? He could complain, but then he would be annoying and then probably be sent on his way.
He rubbed at his eyes again. He could barely remember what he’d talked about on the way to the house. He was pretty sure he told Devyn he thought he had very pretty hair at least twice. Was that weird? It was probably weird. And that wolf was still mysteriously missing…
“Um…” he paused, because he wasn’t sure how well he could roll up the sleeve, so he soon nodded in agreement about the pajama top. “Please? Thank you.”
That way he could make himself as comfortable as possible, while still looking around at everything with wide eyes.
Oh, Devyn told him to take a seat, so… he would just… sit on the closed toilet. No, he felt too shaky for that, maybe the floor would be better.
As soon as Devyn had left to grab the shirt, Chad made an attempt to tug his own shirt off, but it was stuck to his skin and it was hard for him to move his arm. “I don’t think I can get this off,” he mumbled tiredly from where he sat on the floor once Devyn returned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 8:53 pm
Devyn had gone as quickly as he could to fetch the shirt; he had a few different pajama tops so he pulled the nearest clean one and returned promptly. He was still shaking it out when he reentered the bathroom.
“That’s all right. Shoulders are the worst type of injury, yeah? But I’ve got you, we’ll get you out of this, you just sit still.”
He’d done it for Michael not so long ago and didn’t seem the least bit worried about doing it now, either. Well, no. Maybe a little more worried; Michael seemed significantly more durable than Chad. He crouched in front of Chad so he could balance himself, and laid the pajama top over his lap so he could reach it easier.
“I’ll help, just gonna grab the bottom and pull it up, okay? Can you hold your arm out for me just a little bit and I’ll wiggle it off? I’m pretty good at stitching, I can probably get this cleaned and fixed up, too. You’ll be good as new, soon.”
He didn’t move until he had permission, just because he didn’t want to spook Chad or scare him or anything. He was still being cautious because he knew something wasn’t quite right about all of this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:09 pm
Chad looked uncomfortable, not just because he was going to be getting his shirt taken off in front of a stranger, but because maybe he was embarrassed about, well, everything. He’d been told plenty of times how sickly he looked, and yet there wasn’t really anything he could do about it. And he was more embarrassed about the bruises that his shirt usually kept hidden. But he knew he would likely never see Devyn or his friend again, so this was okay.
He winced and groaned in pain as Devyn helped pull off the blood stained shirt, although he tried his best to keep his whining to himself.
“I’m okay,” he promised, even though tears were already in his eyes.
There were various bruises across his torso, some newer than others, but he didn’t seem particularly bothered by them. Well, except for how he moved more gingerly at times when he settled against the side of the tub.
“Thank you. You’re very kind. You didn’t have to help me. Um… what were those things?” he couldn’t help but ask. And maybe it was a good distraction from everything else. Especially if Devyn was going to have to stitch anything. His heart was already racing at the thought.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:23 pm
Devyn tried to look at the cut and just the cut, but it was impossible to miss just how scrawny the kid was. Even if he’d been able to overlook that, the bruises were significant enough and in various stages of healing that he knew they didn’t come from tonight. He ignored them, at the very least because Chad seemed like he was on the verge of tears again. He pretended like he didn’t see them, even if he took careful not to memorize where each one was.
The shirt peeled off carefully and he discarded it on the floor next to him before carefully pulling his much larger shirt on back in its place. As expected, it hung off of him, but it was large enough to keep him covered while Devyn rolled up the sleeve. He could comfortably get to the injury from here and, though it was still bloody, he was glad to see that it wasn’t mangled.
“Dangerous,” he answered. Devyn multitasked, like he was used to first aid situations being something that didn’t allow for any leisurely between-time between one task and the next. He had a numbing spray and a wet wipe equipped in each hand and worked quickly. The spray, first, and then a few seconds later he was gently wiping the blood off his arm. “No wonder you were hiding, he got a good piece out of you, didn’t he? We’ve got some cream, it’ll help you heal. I’m going to stick some little bandages on you to help hold your skin tight to help. Have you ever had a butterfly stitch? It’s not a real stitch, it’s just a little bandage. It’s sticky, and it pulls your skin together so it closes up faster.”
He hadn’t needed to use any of them here on Earth but they were significantly more convenient than what he’d have done if this happened on Alastor.
“Won’t hurt at all, Chad. I’ll be gentle.”
He didn’t want him to cry. He knew it wasn’t his fault that there were tears, but he didn’t want Chad’s emotions to spill over the edge because of something he’d done.
“And when we get done here, you’ll have a good dinner. Then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do tonight. It’s starting to get late, are your parents going to be looking for you?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:43 am
Chad tried not to fidget too much as Devyn worked on getting his arm cleaned. He held it out as still as he could, but thankfully Devyn was very kind and attentive and didn’t make it difficult for him to keep his arm where he needed it.
He let out a notable breath of relief when Devyn mentioned butterfly stitches, and he nodded.
“Oh, yes. I like those more than real stitches,” he confessed, but was obviously more relaxed than he had just been. And the shirt was very nice and warm, even if it was huge on him. Not that Devyn was huge, but obviously larger than Chad was. The fabric was nice, too.
He tried not to watch Devyn as he worked, and instead picked at the hem of the borrowed shirt as he frowned and chewed on his lip.
“I only have my dad and his girlfriend but… I don’t know,” he admitted, because some nights were easier than others to predict. “As long as I’m home by morning, I don’t think they’d notice.”
That would have been nice. He would just be able to show that he was home at some point if he grabbed his lunch box, as useless as it was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:52 am
It seemed like Chad was calming down, but maybe it was just a byproduct of fading adrenaline. It was safe here, though, and he knew that after any source of stress the crash afterwards could be intense. And he was just a scrawny kid! Who had no idea what he’d faced off again.
“Well, we’ll figure that out. If we need to get you home soon, we can. If we need to sneak you in through a window, we can probably do that, too. Don’t tell anyone about that, either.” He probably shouldn’t be suggesting that, maybe it was too much trouble for a sweet, unimposing kid like Chad. He didn’t seem like he’d gotten up to any trouble in his life, so sneaking in and out after curfew didn’t really match Devyn’s impression of him.
He moved from one wipe to the next before he’d cleaned off all the blood, and he was careful while dabbing around the injury. It was a clean cut, not too deep but enough that it would be inconvenient, and probably a little painful if he moved his arm much.
He cleaned what he could on it before he reached for the cream. “This will be cool if you can feel it going on. Smells a little sweet, but don’t worry if it makes you hungry. Food’ll be done soon. And these,” he pulled out the small little bandages to show him what he’d be using to make sure the cut stayed closed, “Are what I’m going to be putting on your arm. Just like a normal bandage, except they’ll lose their stick themselves so you don’t even have to peel them off. You just have to be careful not to pick at it.”
The internet told him as much, so he was happy to parrot it back to Chad while he worked.
“I can work on getting your shirt cleaned up while you eat.” Talking just to fill the silence, a little bit, and because he’d come to know that it was always easier to narrate what you were doing and what your intentions were if you were with someone who was out of their element or scared.
Which was why he didn’t ask how long Chad was hiding in those bushes, or why he was going to see his friend so late. Yet.
“What’s your friend like, the one you were on your way to visit? He’s not playing outside too late, too, is he?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 7:14 am
With Devyn being so kind to him, it was easy for Chad to continue to relax. He wasn’t sure what that other man was doing, other than cooking like he said he would be, but that was okay. Devyn saved him from those creatures and he was helping him get patched up now.
“I’ll be okay,” he promised, because they’d already done so much for him. He could probably make it home by himself. It wouldn’t have been the first time he snuck out if only to stay away. “But thank you, that’s really nice of you.”
Chad also nodded along to show he understood what Devyn was using to put on his arm. Much better than stitches. He sniffled a little, but it was only from the lingering distress and not anything new.
“My friend? He’s so nice. So very sweet. He saved me too, once. Not from a monster like that, but other kids. He has pretty black hair like you, but it looks so fluffy and soft that I just want to touch it. Oh, but I haven’t. I don’t want him to think I’m weird. I like him a lot. But no, his parents wouldn’t want him outside that late. They’re very nice too. I like them. I was supposed to hang out with him this weekend but, um…”
Things didn’t exactly work out as he would have liked.
“I got in trouble for… being ungrateful. I probably should have just left my lunches they gave me in my locker or… or maybe someone else would have wanted it. Oh, but El’s parents always send him to school with a lot of food and he shared with me, so I didn’t have to eat what was packed for me. But then I had to stay in my room and I didn’t get to see him. I don’t want him to be upset with me, so I just wanted to tell him I was sorry but… I’ll see him tomorrow.”
And yet, something about the statement didn’t seem as confident as he would have liked it to be. But he was tired and now he was rambling quietly as Devyn worked. And sniffled a little at the thought of Elliot being upset with him. Okay, maybe that thought was a little more upsetting than he would have liked to admit.
“He’s my only friend. What if I messed things up and he doesn’t want to be around me any more?” he asked as he looked up at Devyn with wet eyes. But he seemed to realize this and lifted his free hand to scrub at his face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 7:40 am
Devyn glanced up from his work; he was already nearly halfway done when Chad reached up to wipe his eyes, and Devyn found himself thinking how the gesture very much reminded him of Percy. It wasn’t the same, not by any means. He’d been nostalgic lately. Pining, really, and trying very hard not to think about it. He’d been around Percy’s artworks a lot lately, and he’d been tasked with coming up with a little bit of information to share along with the few pieces they were going to put up in a gallery.
He didn’t know how he was supposed to cram a lifetime of love into a few little paragraphs. So, maybe that’s why all this sentimental stuff was spilling out. Maybe he was just projecting and needed to take care of someone to distract himself.
“That doesn’t sound like something a friend would do,” he reassured, carefully sticking on another bandage. “I bet he’ll understand.”
He wondered how many kids went by El around here. Chad sounded like he adored the kid, so Devyn could only imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to think that he might not like him. To think that he might not want to be his friend anymore. To think his only friend might decide he didn’t like him anymore.
It was a long, long time ago, but Devyn remembered how horrible those thoughts were.
“You don’t seem ungrateful to me. I think you’ve thanked me already, more times than I can count.” Many more times than he needed to. “You didn’t ditch him because you wanted to, someone else interfered. That’s not your fault. What were you two going to do over the weekend?”
Almost done, just a little more. Then he could get Chad to the living room and let him rest, and eat something, and figure out what Michael wanted to do with him for the night. Devyn wanted to just tuck him in on the couch and leave it at that; it’s what he’d have done if it was Alastor.
…But, Earth wasn’t Alastor, and it wasn’t his house. It wasn’t his decision.
Michael would know the best thing to do, though. He trusted that above all else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 7:53 am
He was doing his best to hold still. The wound stung a little, but Devyn was being so gentle that it didn’t really hurt all that much. And it was easy for Chad to be distracted with thoughts of Elliot.
“We were going to have lunch together, and go to a craft store, and he had a baseball game and I wanted to see him play,” Chad sniffled, obviously distraught that he’d missed out on all of those.
“I sort of had friends before, but when I couldn’t do things with them, they stopped playing with me,” he miserably explained, hoping it would make sense why he was so anxious about Elliot not liking him any more, or wanting to invite him over. Maybe it was better that he hadn’t been able to get over to Elliot’s house. He might have just embarrassed himself if Elliot was mad at him.
He glanced up at Devyn again after scrubbing at his eyes once more. “Did you get hurt when you were fighting that thing?” he asked. Devyn hadn’t indicated that he’d been hurt, but that thing was really scary, and Chad would be upset if Devyn got hurt from it. Especially since he was so nice and gentle. “Everything okay?” Michael asked as gently as he could -- Chad still flinched in surprise, but went back to holding very still and keeping his head down. Michael quietly drew in an exasperated breath, frustrated that this kid was conditioned to react in such a way. Not frustrated at the kid. It wasn’t his fault, but whoever made him feel like a sudden voice or movement was a threat.
He just wanted to check and make sure Devyn had everything he needed. And to maybe offer assistance if necessary. He felt bad that the kid was apparently nervous around him, so he took a step back, away from the bathroom.
“Food’s ready, just wanted to let you know. Take your time.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:04 am
Oh, that sounded incredibly familiar. Like Elliot’s friend, who he’d been sad he didn’t get to see over the weekend. Huh. And his friend’s name was El. Huh.
“We’re doing good. Chad’s been a good sport about all of this, we’ll be out in a minute. Thank you. Chad, this is my very good friend, he’s taken care of me every time I’ve gotten into a tough spot. I trust him with everything.”
Chad knew where Michael lived but he didn’t know his name. It probably wasn’t a big deal, but Devyn didn’t know if there was some other name he’d have preferred to use in this situation. He’d have to ask him next time, or figure out code words or something. “And, his food is excellent. Before I met him, I was skin and bones.”
He looked over his shoulder to smile at Michael, reassuring because he needed him to know that he appreciated him, but there was something just slightly off about all of this. There was plenty that he’d have liked to say, but not much that he wanted to go into detail about in front of Chad.
“We were just talking about baseball. There was a game over the weekend, he’s sad he missed it. He and his friend were going to meet up.”
He looked back at Chad’s injury and put the last few little bandages on, but his smile was gentle again and he kept his voice soft. “I’m sure your friend is just worried about you, Chad. He’ll understand. I’m okay, though, thank you for worrying about me. I didn’t get hurt. Maybe I picked up a papercut? I’m a fast healer, that’ll be gone by the time I wake up tomorrow. Your arm’s all good now, you did a good job. Ready to go get dinner?”
He put the first aid kit on the bathroom counter and scooped up Chad’s shirt over one arm before he held out a hand, ready to help him up again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:26 am
Michael kept his expression as neutral as he could. He could tell that Devyn was being delicate about the topic. Probably for good reason if the kid -- Chad -- was being jumpy. Well, he kept his expression neutral until Devyn introduced him as his very good friend. He couldn’t stop his lip twitch into a small smile.
“Sorry, I forgot to ask if you had any food allergies or anything you didn’t like,” he said, but that shouldn’t be a problem if Chad did. He would just make him something else if he didn’t want to eat what they had. It was just things thrown together from previous dinners during the week, but Michael thought it tasted good.
“I’ve cooked some bacon wrapped chicken, stuffed with cheese and spinach,” he said, hoping that it sounded at least somewhat appetizing. “I can make you something else if you’d rather.”
He let Chad think about it, and took another step back towards the kitchen so that Devyn could help him finish up.
And while he did that, he reached into his pocket for his phone, and typed out a quick message to Asher. He knew it was late, but Asher was more likely to still be awake than Oliver. And Oliver was a little emotional about the topic already.
Is Elliot’s friend named Chad? When Devyn introduced his friend, Chad still couldn’t help but shy away a bit. They were both magical somehow, but he didn’t know what the other man could do. Was he really a wolf? Did he just imagine that? No, he was pretty sure he could still feel the slobber and hot breath…
“Oh… I don’t think I have allergies. That sounds delicious, thank you,” he squeaked softly. His stomach whined in agreement.
He didn’t know why, but he felt as though he could trust Devyn. So if he said that his friend was someone he could trust, then Chad knew he should trust him too.
When Devyn got up and held out his hand, Chad reached up to take it with a quiet thanks. Although once he was on his feet, he hoped Devyn didn’t mind that he didn’t let go. His legs felt shaky still, and he took a deep breath to try and settle himself.
“Thank you for helping me with my arm. And letting me borrow your shirt,” he said as he peered up at Devyn, hoping he didn’t seem too awed by him. He didn’t want to make things weird!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:31 am
Devyn nearly dropped the hand once Chad was on his feet but when he realized that Chad hadn’t made any effort to do the same. So, he didn’t let go of his hand.
“You’re welcome, Chad. I’m glad I could help.” He was quiet for a second, deliberately allowing for silence, because he knew his stomach was about to growl–and it did. He wasn’t ashamed of it; he was always hungry, and Michael’s food smelled good.
“You don’t have to be scared of anyone here. Let’s go eat dinner, and if you’re still hungry afterwards, we can find something else to eat, too. I’ve got a lot of snacks, I get hungry a lot.”
He began to lead him out of the bathroom, slowly, to make sure he could keep up and wasn’t feeling rushed. Devyn seemed to have no issues with holding his hand; he’d had a hard night, and probably more than that considering those bruises. He wasn’t going to give him a hard time right now.
Michael’s phone lit up only a few seconds after his text sent: Yes, why?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:02 am
Chad chewed anxiously on his lip as Devyn led the way from the bathroom. Devyn said he didn’t have to be scared of anyone, and that they could have more food if he was still hungry. The sound of Devyn’s stomach growling had him pausing and looking up at him with concern. He didn’t look like he was having food kept from him, but Chad couldn’t help but worry.
No, he said that there was plenty of food and that he had snacks for when that happened. That he got hungry a lot. And if what he said was true about him being skin and bones before his friend started helping him… well, he did a good job putting on weight.
It seemed as though the other man had brought plates out to the living room and set them on the coffee table. Chad could hear him in the kitchen again, getting glasses of something to drink.
Maybe it was weird that he was in a stranger’s house, eating dinner with them, but he would really rather be there than his own home. He would have liked to see Elliot but… he’d already been lucky enough that day. He didn’t need to push it.
At the couch, Chad finally let go of Devyn’s hand, but only so he could climb up onto it. Sitting all the way back, his feet didn’t quite touch the ground, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Oh, but he should probably say something instead of being rude and keeping everything to himself.
“Is your friend a wolf?”
Hmm, maybe he shouldn’t have asked that question, but it was the thing that was nagging at him the most. Aside from wondering how Elliot was.With the house being as quiet as it was, and knowing that this kid was likely Elliot’s friend, Michael was paying close enough attention to hear what Chad and Devyn were talking about. He snorted softly at the kid’s question, and went back to pouring some milk for the kid. He looked like he needed some extra calcium, anyway.
But before returning to the living room, Michael responded to the text: Found him out by himself. Think he was trying to see Elliot. We’re giving him something to eat while we figure out what to do. I don’t feel comfortable taking him home, but we might not have a choice.
The last thing he wanted was to be accused of kidnapping a minor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
