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 Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 7:43 pm
Devyn liked to think he’d done a good job pretending like he’d been taking good care of himself. He slept sometimes. Not often. Not well. He’d eaten decently, and he and Atticus still had plenty to last them for a while.
He’d napped a few times, usually not while Atticus was awake. Although, he had fallen asleep in the Springs with him earlier, but it was difficult not to when it was so warm.
They’d had lunch not so long ago and, after a brief walk, had settled back at the table to work on their projects. Thankfully, Devyn seemed to have a decent recollection of a few different stashes, so he’d collected various tools and supplies. He had more beads than he remembered, and he wound up bringing out a few extra supplies. One box included things he’d collected–odds and ends, probably just junk he’s picked up, or little trinkets from while he was out, and he’d spent a good half hour sharing stories about that with Atticus before he’d even gotten started.
The table was clean–sort of, except Devyn’s end had gotten more cluttered the longer he’d been working. He’d been telling stories on and off while they worked, and for a while he managed to sit perfectly straight in his chair.
Now, he was practically laying in it. Instead of sitting properly, he’d turned in the chair so his shoulders were pressed against one arm rest; one knee was folded over the other and his leg dangled, but he’d dug his other heel into the armrest while he worked.
He’d pulled out some old metal wire and was diligently twisting and twisting and twisting and twisting. His hand moved quickly, like this must have been something he’d spent years practicing–and it showed.
He’d spent most of his time working the antique gold wire into the shape of a flat tree, and the more he worked, the more it grew. He had a set size in mind, and had already created a braided circle with a few beads worked into it.
Now, he was stretching the roots of the tree so that he could carefully wrap them around the ring he’d made. The branches of the tree were covered with a variety of yellow-tinted glass beads worked in. Sometimes, he held it up to the light to make sure the light would pass through just right, and then he went back to work.
Sometimes, Devyn would forget he wasn’t alone and hum, before he’d snap out of it and go back into a conversation, but he always seemed comfortable.
Now, his wire cutters were on his chest, and the tree was upside down as he moved to twist another root into the metal ring he’d made. He hadn’t quite decided what he was making, he was just letting his fingers work. His eyes were a little strained though, so after a few minutes of diligently staring at his project he blinked, shook his head, and glanced over to Atticus.
He set his project down on his stomach and curled and uncurled his fingers to relax them.
“I might have to go soak my hands in the Springs after this, I wasn’t expecting this to get so big. I should have kept to the necklace you suggested. I think I got excited seeing all of my supplies again. How are you doing over there?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 7:53 pm
Somehow, Atticus had always known the day would come where he would either escape his father or not survive the attempt. He’d vaguely commented about his fears before, but with no visibly immediate threat, there wasn’t anything that anyone could have possibly done.
He was certain that if he had survived and was found by someone other than Alastor, his father would have turned it around to make him sound like a troubled, desperate teenager.
And wouldn’t that be the truth?
He smiled to himself as he worked. He was comfortable around Devyn. Devyn made him feel safe. Wanted. Appreciated. Even though Atticus knew there wasn’t much he could offer in return.
He enjoyed Devyn’s stories, and the way he hummed, and seemed like he was always so full of energy. Atticus did worry that he wasn’t getting enough sleep, but there wasn’t much he could do about that either. He had trouble sleeping when the storms were too loud, but most of the time he was usually so exhausted from his body trying to heal itself that falling asleep was easy.
“It looks beautiful. It reminds me of the big oak you showed me,” Atticus smiled as he looked up to see how big the tree had gotten. The ring under the roots was interesting too, but he had no idea what it was supposed to be other than just decorative.
As for his project, he shifted awkwardly in his seat, more comfortable sitting so he could lean on the table for support. He held up a tiny beaded turtle he was working on. Well, the makings of a turtle. It was still missing its shell, so it wasn’t really a turtle yet.
“I just wanted to make him something small so he could maybe put it on a shelf or something.” He was afraid that if he made something too big, that Elliot would have to decide to put it away one day. Or discard it completely.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:19 pm
A tiny little smile twitched onto his face as he lifted it back up, because that was exactly what he’d been thinking of when he was working on it. The whole thing spanned the length of his hand. He looked back at the turtle, and even leaned closer a little bit so he could see it better.
“I don’t know what a turtle is,” he confessed after a few seconds of admiring his work. “But I like how that looks, you’re doing a really good job on that. Remind me to look them up when we get home, I want to see. Maybe I should have made Michael something smaller. I don’t think I can convince him to wear this.”
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Well, maybe.”
No, definitely not. He laughed and tipped his head back as he stretched a bit in the chair. “I thought about making him a dream catcher, but I got distracted thinking about the tree, instead. Maybe he’ll let me hang it up for him, anyway. It’s not done, I have a lot I want to add. A lot of crystals, I think. And moths, around the edge. I’m going to make sure the branches connect to the ring I made, that’ll give it stability. We’ll see. I like your idea, though. I bet Elliot will love it.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 8:27 pm
“I went to an aquarium once when I was in second grade for a field trip,” Atticus admitted, looking down at the light blue and green beaded creature. It was small enough to fit in his palm. “They had a lot of different turtles there. And other animals. Oh, an aquarium is like a zoo for water animals and fish,” he tried to explain, since if Devyn didn’t know what a turtle was, maybe he didn’t know what an aquarium was either.
Oh, or maybe he didn’t know what a zoo was.
“Oh, um… a zoo is for… other animals, and sometimes sea animals, but mostly not.” Okay that was probably the worst explanation he possibly had.
“I like it. I think it would look very nice on a wall. You could probably still make it into a dreamcatcher… Do you have those on Alastor? I know we have dream catchers on Earth, but maybe they’re different.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 9:50 pm
Devyn nodded, grateful for the explanation; the words were familiar enough that he had a vague idea, even if he hadn’t yet made a trip, himself. He could have gone by himself, but with all of the questions that he had…
Better to have someone patient with him so he could ask all his questions and not stick out with everyone who grew up on Earth and knew what they were looking at.
“You have dreamcatchers on Earth? Are you supposed to hang them over your head where you sleep, and they trap the bad dreams before they reach you? Marius was more superstitious than I am, but he had one. He made me one, and Percy. I’ve still got mine, I just didn’t sleep much so I didn’t get to use it. Oh, but I do have some charms. Some of them are very old, protection charms. I’ll use a few of those. If you want one for Elliot, I’ll pull them out for you, too. Will you go to the aquarium with me when we get back? And the zoo? We can bring Elliot, if he wants to come.”
And Michael, he hoped. If he wasn’t busy teaching school again already.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 9:58 pm
“Marius?” Atticus asked, tilting his head curiously. It wasn’t often that Devyn spoke of more than just how wonderful Percy was, so him talking about someone else was, well, noticeable.
But it was something more than that. It was as if that name was supposed to mean something to him, personally. It made a shiver run down his spine. Not in a bad way! At least he didn’t think so. More like in a way that maybe he should know more than he did. Or maybe he knew something he didn’t yet realize.
“Oh, um… I think so. I’ve seen them in movies before. Yeah, they’re supposed to keep bad dreams out, and they’re usually made in a circle like that, and then woven. Kind of like a spider web.” Only not… but he hoped it was enough to make sense.
Atticus felt his cheeks warm when Devyn offered him one for Elliot, which he quickly nodded his head. Anything to help protect Elliot was a good thing. But Atticus didn’t need any extra charms when Devyn was around to protect him from monsters -- creatures and people alike.
“Please? Oh, um, if you wouldn’t mind?” he mumbled, flustered by how nice and thoughtful Devyn was. And, of course, thinking about spending time with Elliot was nice.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 10:10 pm
“I don’t mind, I want to make sure you all stay safe,” Devyn said, and that playful little smile lingered on his lips as he moved his things off of his chest and back onto the table. He wriggled his way up and then reached for one of the boxes under the table, fishing around until he drew out a black, leather pouch.
“Marius is my son.” Maybe Devyn realized he should have said was, and even though he paused for the faintest second, he didn’t correct himself. “The one Percy and I adopted. Those sound like his. He had a lot of feathers in his, too. But there’s a whole story behind that. He was impersonating an ancient god when I met him. Managed to trick Percy for a little while, too. Lucinius. He was the vengeful deity who watched over Villefort, and haunted Blackrot. That was the forest, it was–”
For the first time, he mulled over how he wanted to answer, and then said, “I think I have to give you a very long history lesson before I get into the whole of that story. The short version is that he had a costume they used to perform rituals in, and he used it to impersonate his God to keep the town safe. He had a complicated relationship. He was afraid he’d offended Lucinus by impersonating him, but still drew strength from him. So he borrowed a few of the feathers from that costume and fixed them to his dreamcatcher. Also, he was afraid Lucinius would visit him in his dreams and eat his spirit while he was at his weakest. I don’t know if it made sense to him, he was torn between logic and ritual and tradition and loyalty and betrayal. He was complicated. But he was a good kid.”
Who had grown into a good man, but in his heart, he’d always be young to Devyn.
At this age, everyone was young to him, though.
He chose not to think about that, though; he carefully poured out the bag onto the table between himself and Atticus.
There were a few different charms–some black seemed to be made of some shiny black gemstone, some looked like pearls, some were small stones and little metal discs with symbols carved into it. “I’ve got more back home, but these were all enchanted.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2022 10:26 pm
Atticus felt as though he should have known that Marius must have been Devyn’s son, with the way he talked about him. He’d mentioned a kid before, but it was interesting to hear about him.
He listened with wide eyes, trying to process everything as best he could. A vengeful deity that had feathers? A place called Villefort and Blackrot. There were so many things that Atticus wanted to ask about, but Devyn had already said he would need to give him a very long history lesson, and they were supposed to be taking things slow and easy while he was recovering. And while Devyn recovered his hands and blood that he’d given Atticus, despite him saying he had plenty.
“Maybe, um… you could tell me a little each night before we go to bed?” he suggested, because that was a thing, right? He didn’t ever have a bedtime story before, but he’d seen other kids get them in movies. Oh, but he tried not to look too invested in case Devyn would rather not.
“It sounds like you cared about him a lot. I bet he was proud of you, too,” he said softly as he glanced down at the items on the table, but hesitated as he reached out to touch them.
“Enchanted? Oh… are they safe?” he asked, and then felt his face flush with embarrassment, because of course Devyn would never give him something to look at that wasn’t safe. So to prove that he knew they were safe, he picked up one of the pearls to inspect in one hand, and one of the metal discs in the other.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 2:01 am
Devyn didn’t have to try very hard to be proud of Atticus, because he could see the way he considered his question, and then he picked up one of the charms, anyway. Atticus said many kind things, and Devyn couldn’t figure out how his father didn’t appreciate how compassionate his son was. How wonderful he was.
His loss.
“They’re safe,” he promised, and picked up one of the golden pieces. He smoothed his thumb over it and then readjusted himself so he could get back to work.
“I hope he was proud of me. I tried to do right by him. I was proud of him, but I’m sure that’s no surprise. I did care a lot.”
He always had, just in his own way. Even if their beginnings had been rough.
“Perce used to tell him stories before bed, sometimes. I could do that, I think. I’d love to tell you a little each night. Although, maybe history lessons aren’t the best just before bed, they might put you to sleep.”
He paused, considered this, and then laughed softly. “Or maybe that’s the point. But I do know better bedtime stories. We’ll see. I still remember some my mother used to tell me. And I remember the ones Perce told me, too.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 6:58 am
He weighed the items in his hand, before gently placing the metal disc down. The pearl would be perfect for the little turtle. He just had to make sure it wouldn’t fall out or get lost. Maybe if he set it in the center of the shell and then he could do other little gems around it…
“Is it okay if I use this one?” he asked, because he didn’t want to take anything without Devyn’s permission. He might have offered them, but Atticus wanted to make sure he knew which one was being used.
“I’m proud of you,” he said then, looking up at Devyn almost seriously, except with his cheeks red it probably didn’t look too serious. “I’m proud to know you, and I’m proud of how strong you are, and how kind you are. I know I’m just a kid but… I really like you.”
Maybe that was too much. Maybe he should just stick to saying simple thanks and keeping his mouth shut. But Devyn, and the Reids of course, made him feel like he could open up some more.
“Whatever you tell me, I know I’ll enjoy them. I would love to hear stories that your mother told you, and the ones Percy told you. I… don’t have any stories. I mean, I can read to you, but…” It probably wasn’t the same, and maybe it was weird for a kid to read bedtime stories to an adult.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:22 am
Atticus was a good kid.
Devyn hadn’t ever really doubted it, but he kept thinking about how good he was, and every other sentence or so he was reminded of it in one way or another.
He’d nodded when he asked about using the pearl, and almost worried that he was embarrassed about asking when his cheeks started to change color. When Atticus spoke, Devyn understood, and he smiled again.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. He leaned forward so he could place his hand on Atticus’ head, and though his hair was fine he smoothed it anyway before leaning back into his seat.
“When you have stories you want to share, I’ll listen. There are a lot of stories I haven’t heard here on Earth, I’d be glad to have someone introduce them to me. Thank you, Atticus.”
He hadn’t stopped smiling, though. He was used to criticism–Michael was nice, he said nice things to him. Devyn had years–centuries, though he was reluctant to put such a high number on it–of people unhappy with anything, everything. Hearing nice things about himself had been uncommon except for a small group of people he let himself get close to, and–
Maybe there had been others. Maybe he just focused on the negative because he knew he wasn’t enough. He’d tried his hardest and it wasn’t enough.
He expected that he deserved the criticism.
…But he really wanted to hear nice things once in a while, and with everything else going on, it meant a lot coming from Atticus.
Atticus could have been disappointed in him. Could have thought he wasn’t strong enough, or he took too long, or didn’t act quickly enough.
“I’m proud of you, too. Really proud of you. And happy I get to spend more time with you, too. You’re a really good kid. I don’t know how I got so lucky, running into you.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:24 am
Atticus stared at Devyn for a few moments, and then he couldn’t stop himself from giggling-- and then laughing softly at the thought of Devyn being the lucky one.
“You’re the one who saved me!” Atticus reminded him, still smiling. “Three times at least! If anyone is lucky, it’s me. So thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me. I know it would have been easy to just ignore me. Most people don’t want to deal with me, or look the other way. I just… got so used to people not caring.”
The smile wobbled, but he was trying desperately to keep it in place as he stared at the unfinished beaded turtle in his hand.
But he knew that Devyn would worry, and that he would pick up on his change of expression, so he looked up at him and let his expression fall for a bit.
“I’m not trying to feel sorry for myself! I can work with what I have. I’ve managed this long without help or anyone to talk to, so it’s just… I don’t know. I feel like I don’t have to keep my mouth shut and head down all the time. I know I don’t really have much to say that’s useful, and I don’t know how to say certain things, but…”
He paused, hitting a roadblock with what he was trying to say and what he was actually able to form into words.
In the end, it really did sound like he was just feeling sorry for himself.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:26 am
Atticus’ laugh was pleasant enough, but it was easy for Devyn to trace the way his emotions shifted.
“You’ll get there,” he reassured, mindful to keep his voice soft. He knew, from making the mistake a few times before, that if he sounded too firm he only wound up scaring Atticus. “I don’t think you’re feeling sorry for yourself. You should be gentle with yourself, Atticus. You don’t have made up problems, you’ve had a very difficult hand dealt to you. Just because you can work with what you have, just because you have managed doesn’t mean you have to. I already know you’re resilient and resourceful. But I want you to have more to work with. I want you to have whatever help you need, and someone to talk to. I don’t know how to give up, Atticus. And I’m certainly not going to give up on you.”
Atticus had his full attention. “I don’t want you to keep your mouth shut if you have something to say. I don’t want you to keep your head down, you’ve got a place in this world. You’ve said plenty of useful things, I’ve learned a lot with you already. But if you don’t know how to say something, we’ll figure it out. I care about you,” he said, and he’d say it more often now that he was sure that Atticus needed to hear it.
He needed a new normal.
It would just take a lot of small steps to get there.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:32 am
He was trying not to cry. He was doing really good at not crying. He knew Devyn didn’t mind if he did, but he wanted to show that he could control his emotions.
Ah, except he was sniffling a little anyway.
Atticus set the turtle down so he could rub at his face. He took a shaky breath, and let it out slowly.
And then he let out a quiet laugh as he scrubbed at his eyes some more.
“You say such nice things. Thank you. I really am lucky that you stopped to check on me in that bush,” he admitted with a quiet groan. Not only would he have probably been mauled to death then, but he might not have survived the encounter with the other Chaos Senshi, and definitely not with the guy with the knife.
“I miss Elliot,” he said then, and paused. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but it was easy to talk to Devyn and voice what was bothering him. “I like being with you,” he tried to clarify, maybe a little desperately, not wanting Devyn to think that he wasn’t enjoying his time with him!
It was just… it was Elliot.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:40 am
Devyn smiled again, unable to help himself. “It’s okay. I miss Michael, too. I like spending time with you, but I’d feel better if I could see him. I worry about him all the time. But, I know he’s looking after Elliot right now, so they're in good hands. We should be able to go back soon.”
He didn’t take offense, obviously, to Atticus missing Elliot, and he let out a wistful little sigh as he thought about going home and checking the fridge to see what Michael had eaten. Oh, unless he was getting takeout. Or maybe he was going over to the Reids’ for dinner.
He preferred to imagine that so he didn’t have to think about Michael at home, alone.
“Do you have anything you want to tell Elliot? We can send a message to Michael, he can pass it on. I know it’s not quite the same, but. When we go home, that’ll probably be the first thing we do, I imagine. Go visit the Reids, so they can see that you’re doing okay.”
He didn’t know what Michael had told them exactly, but he knew it was probably going to be impossible to hide it from them forever. They might be keeping secrets now, but he couldn’t imagine they’d be able to do it forever.
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