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 Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:00 am
Elliot arrived at Michael’s house seven minutes after the text was sent. He’d been up for a short while already, gotten dressed, poured himself some cereal. Got halfway through it before Michael texted and his parents read it out loud to him. He’d downed the rest of his bowl of cereal, rinsed it, put it in the dishwasher.
Ran over to Michael’s before either of his parents could even get dressed.
He liked track, he liked running fast. Sometimes it came in handy for other things.
Elliot ran until he got to Michael’s driveway, and then he jogged up to the door and knocked. Rapidly. Not too loud, but definitely a little too eagerly. He was sucking in deep breaths, quickly and enthusiastically, and then stood up straight and tried to calm down just as quickly. He smoothed out his clothes, fixed his hair, and rocked eagerly on his heels.
And almost started knocking again.
Oh–wait, no. He was going to fix his shoes first, they were on the wrong feet. He shuffled out of them and back in quickly before standing up again.
He tried not to bounce, but ugh, he wanted to see Atticus!
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:05 am
Michael saw Elliot’s approach to the house on his phone, but didn’t immediately go to the door. He wasn’t surprised. He’d already gotten a text from Elliot’s parents about him running out. He was surprised by how fast he made it over though.
He paused by the bathroom where Devyn was helping Atticus with his hair to give him a look and then nodded toward the front of the house where Elliot was already knocking.
“You got here fast,” he couldn’t help but grin when he opened the door to let Elliot in. “You should let your parents know where you’re going.” - Atticus only had enough time to finish his breakfast and then change out of his pajamas by the time he heard a knock on the door.
His heart leapt into his throat and he looked wildly up at Devyn who was trying to help tame his hair.
“He’s here already?” Atticus squeaked in alarm. His hair was still a mess! What if Elliot saw his hair and decided he definitely wasn’t Atticus? Or that he didn’t look nice or something??
“What should I do? Should I wear a hat? What if he thinks it’s stupid?” Maybe he was overreacting but he couldn’t help but worry when Elliot wasn't supposed to recognize him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:16 am
“They knew where I was going,” Elliot huffed, trying to sneak in a few extra breaths without being too suspicious. “I bet they even texted you that I was on my way. Can I come in? My side is cramping.” He put his hand over it and massaged quickly. “I ate real fast. What did you have–bacon? You had bacon and pancakes, I can smell it. Can I come in? I want to see Atticus.”
Oh, he had manners.
“Please,” he added, very quickly.
Devyn could hear when Michael opened the door, but he couldn’t really hear what was being said. He continued brushing Atticus’ hair without much concern. “Just sit still, I’ll be done soon. You don’t need a hat, you look fine. I don’t think he could think you were stupid. If he came over this quickly, he was probably just really excited to see you. It’s okay,” he promised.
He offered a reassuring smile. “I can go faster. Just breathe. Do you know what you’re going to tell him when you see him?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:19 am
“We did have bacon and pancakes,” Michael tried very hard to hold back his amusement, but couldn’t stop the grin from getting wider. Elliot was a good friend. He’d worked very hard on making sure Atticus had everything he needed for when he got back. It was why he couldn’t wait too long to tell him.
“He’s going to look different,” he warned as he stepped aside to let Elliot in the house and shut the door behind him. “He might still be in danger, so we’re doing everything we can to make sure other people won’t recognize him. That won’t bother you, will it? He’ll look the same… but different. Almost like camouflaging.”
It was strange to try and explain things like magic and glamours without actually saying either of those things. Elliot wasn’t stupid, nor were his parents. They would likely know there was more to it than just him spending a lot of money on special disguises or face changing surgery. - Atticus drew in a deep breath as instructed and let it out slowly. He was still holding onto the lion pillow and gave it a tight squeeze to try and calm himself. But his heart was beating so quickly he didn’t know how to make it calm down.
“Yeah,” he said, trying not to move so Devyn could finish with his hair. “I’m going to tell him that it’s really me, and that I appreciate everything he’s done for me and how good of a friend he is, and how much I like my room, even if I couldn’t stay there all night by myself. And that, um, we first talked to each other when I was looking for some old bagels in a dumpster, and that his dad makes the best cupcakes, even if it’s a lot of them, and that he met me in the park after I was out of school after getting hurt and we had dinner on the swings after his dad brought us food on his bike, and that I drew him an octopus with its tongue sticking out, which he put on his wall, and that night that you saved me from that guy with the fire we sat in his dads’ room and played Tetris, and that I really, really like him and want to be his friend for as long as he wants me around.”
Oh, Atticus paused so he could probably breathe, but it was shaky with anxiety when he did.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:32 am
Elliot hurried inside and looked around, and while he wasn’t surprised that Atticus wasn’t there, he still managed to look disappointed.
“I don’t care how he looks, that doesn’t matter to me. As long as he’s safe and happy. You didn't disguise him as a couch or something, right?” He was trying not to sound nervous and shook his head, rubbing his face with both hands before asking, “How different? Like–should I not stare? Is–I mean, tell me, how is he? How hurt is he? Where is he? I’m sorry, Michael. I’m all jittery.”
He wiped his hands off on his pants and sucked in another breath. “I think I’m nervous. Give me the quick run down of everything, I don’t want to mess this up. Please.”
-
“I think I can hear your heart from here,” Devyn said gently, and rubbed his back before he did a few more quick, gentle brushes through his hair. “It sounds like you’ve got a really good plan, Atticus. I don’t think he could have a doubt in his mind. It’s going to be okay. I’m almost done, too. You look good.”
And he was doing a decent job of sitting still, but Devyn could see how excited he was. He knew how much he cared about Elliot, how often he’d asked for him.
He knew how important this was.
“You’re going to do a great job, Atticus. I’m already proud of you.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:43 am
It was sweet, seeing how anxious and excited Elliot was about seeing Atticus. Michael felt bad for the kid, but he knew it wouldn’t be long now. Devyn was thorough, but he was also restless, too. He probably didn’t want to keep Atticus any longer than he needed to. And maybe Atticus was nervous and needed some time to settle himself as well.
“Breathe,” Michael said and gave Elliot a gentle pat on his shoulder, and rubbed at his back. “Come on, let’s wait in the kitchen. He’s been talking about you nonstop. I know he’s excited to see you. He’s probably just getting dressed and getting his hair fixed. It was almost as messy as yours gets,” he gently teased and reached up to lightly ruffle Elliot’s dark hair.
“Do you want some water? Juice? Chocolate milk?” he asked with another small grin. “Well, at least whatever is left from Atticus drinking most of it.”
But he knew Elliot was anxious, so he didn’t keep avoiding the topic. He just didn’t want him so fixated on seeing Atticus that he forgot to breathe.
“He’s okay. He’s probably still sore, but he’s healed up very well. You don’t recognize him if the disguise is working like it’s supposed to, but… What are you afraid of messing up, El?” Michael frowned in concern. He’d known Elliot for a long time, but couldn’t recall seeing him this agitated. Even before debates or games. - Atticus blinked at Devyn’s observation, and then laughed softly and placed his hand over his chest as though that would help calm it down.
“Oh no, that’s not good,” he groaned and rubbed a little more vigorously.
He wanted to jump up and run down to Elliot, but he also wanted to make sure Devyn was finished with his hair. He wanted to look nice. Or… something. Did he care what Elliot thought of him? Or at least how he looked? Well, maybe a little, if he was being honest. He was afraid that he might not look… nice? Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing.
Atticus waited for as long as he possibly could, and the moment Devyn indicated that he was done he jumped up to turn around and give him a tight hug.
“Thank you. Thank you thank you,” he blubbered softly into Devyn’s chest, but tried not to let himself get too teary eyed. “I don’t know what to do. Do I just… go down? Should I wait?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:51 am
“What?” Elliot asked quickly, too quickly, and had to stop and think about how he was supposed to answer. He froze briefly and then shook his head. “I don’t know! Probably nothing. I’ve just been really worried about him. It’s weird, I got so used to him being around that I’ve been kinda restless. And I know you said he was doing okay and Devyn was looking after him, but–a whole week is a lot of time to get some bad thoughts in your head. He worries a lot, I don’t want him to think that I’ve somehow decided I don’t want to be friends or something. I really want to see him and give him a hug.”
He never minded Michael teasing, or messing up his hair, but even as he followed Michael, he smoothed out his hair. It was probably messy from running over here, anyway.
“I’ll be careful when I see him. I won’t squeeze him too hard. Can I have some water, please? –Did he like his room?”
-
Devyn returned the hug immediately, and if he were being honest he was more worried about Atticus’ face getting all red and watery so he rubbed his back and held him like he could protect him from his own emotions.
“We can go down together. It’ll be okay, Michael and I have your back. When we get there, we’ll see what he says. But you can tell him everything you told me and I know he’s going to know exactly who you are. And you two can spend some time catching up, and you can let me know if you need anything at all. I won’t be far. Maybe a room over, if you and Elliot want some time alone. But the point is, you can do this. We’re just going to go out and see your friend. It’s okay. You ready? We can go whenever you are.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:59 am
“He did like his room,” Michael said as he went over to get a glass of water for Elliot and set it on the counter in front of him. “But I think he’s been missing you too much to really look at everything we’ve done. You’ll have to show him later so he doesn’t miss anything.”
And it was a way for them to get some time for themselves.
“He’ll be staying with us where it’s safe. He’s taking Devyn’s last name, DeLunne, as well. It’ll make things easier when we register him for Azure. Will that be okay with you? To have Atticus going to Azure as well?”
Michael didn’t think it would be a problem, but he really just wanted to distract Elliot from worrying so much. - Atticus was ready, and yet he was also incredibly nervous. He didn’t know why! It was Elliot! There was nothing for him to be nervous about! Oh, except that he wouldn’t recognize him. That was scary. What if his disguise really was so good that even anything he had to say wouldn’t matter?
He nodded to Devyn after a moment and then turned so head towards the stairs to go down. But not before taking hold of Devyn’s hand for support -- emotional and physical. If he wasn’t still holding onto the lion in his other arm, he would have reached up to fuss with his hair, even though he knew Devyn did a good job. He squished the stuffed lion closer to him instead.
Oh, and he used it to rub his eyes a little because it was soft.
But when Atticus got to the bottom of the stairs, when he could see Elliot through the doorway to the kitchen, he completely froze.
Everything he wanted to say suddenly left his thoughts. All he could think about was how much he missed Elliot and how afraid he was that he wouldn’t see him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:18 am
Elliot downed half the glass of water without choking or forgetting how to breathe; he nodded along as Michael spoke. “Well, yeah–that’s all great,” he answered enthusiastically, “As long as you and Devyn don’t have a falling out or anything. I mean, if you guys get into a fight and you make him move out, I don’t want Atticus to have to go far.”
He was obviously happy that Atticus liked his room! But he didn’t want something to happen, he didn’t want him to have to leave if something soured between Michael and Devyn! Obviously Devyn would just have to live here forever, where it was in easy running distance, and where he could come visit Atticus whenever he wanted.
But Michael seemed to trust Devyn–trusted him enough to let him live here, to let Atticus borrow his last name. And Atticus could come to Azure with him? Maybe they could even be in the same classes.
-
Devyn didn’t shy away from holding Atticus’ hand; he gave it a squeeze before they descended the stairs, and again once they reached the bottom. He could see Michael, could see Elliot. He didn’t want to rush Atticus, especially because he could feel the nervousness radiating from him.
He didn’t have to say it was going to be okay, he knew it was. He rubbed his thumb along the back of Atticus’ hand to remind him that he was there.
And–maybe it was good for him to listen for a moment and let him see and hear how much Elliot was worried about him and how excited he was for him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:32 am
Michael snorted softly in amusement at Elliot’s concern. If he was being honest, he hadn’t even thought about the possibility of him and Devyn having any kind of falling out. There was a deep trust that had developed when it came to Devyn. He was thoughtful and considerate, and he seemed genuinely happy to be around him.
Not many people were. Michael knew he could be a bit broodish, if not just mean.
“Devyn’s not going anywhere,” he promised. “I hope you don’t mind that, either. And I know I thought it would be like that with Caspian but.” Michael paused and sighed.
“It’s different,” he said, which he knew sounded like an excuse. “Caspian is a lot younger than me. He still has his life to live and things to figure out. It was wrong of me to think he knew everything that he wanted when he’d barely experienced what the world has to offer. We wanted different things. Things we should have really discussed. But I think he might have known it wouldn’t work out. He didn’t want me to meet his family, and we butted heads. He was what I needed at that time in my life, and now he’s moved on, and I have too.”
Maybe it was a little heavy for a fourteen year old, but Elliot was smart and clever and Michael felt guilty for not involving them more in his life when Caspian was around.
“Devyn’s got a big heart, and he’s very strong. He’ll make sure Atticus stays safe if I’m not around. He also knows what it’s like to lose people he cares about, so he’ll be especially good at making sure Atticus is happy. And that means you too, since I suspect you’ll want to be around as much as possible.” - Atticus felt a little guilty about eavesdropping, and his heart would surely give them away at any moment. But listening to Elliot, and even to Michael, was like seeing a side of them he’d not seen before.
Michael seemed intimidating, but he was also someone Elliot obviously liked and looked up to. And he spoke to Elliot like an adult and didn’t just shove things behind you’ll learn when you’re older.
And he did trust that Devyn would protect him. And was glad that Michael didn’t seem to think Devyn would be going anywhere, because he certainly didn’t want to have to leave Elliot.
He was still too nervous to say anything, but he did step a little closer to Devyn so he could lean his head against his arm as they stood together holding hands.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:40 am
Elliot wasn’t used to Michael talking about Caspian, and he didn’t make light of the situation or tease. He listened, because he didn’t really think it was easy for Michael to talk about him.
Except, he wasn’t really talking about Capsian in a way that made it sound like he was upset. Or really even talking about him. It sounded like he was talking about Devyn. Why was he comparing the two? He was certainly talking him up, but–
Michael had moved on from Caspian–okay, good. Elliot wanted him to be happy. Devyn wasn’t going anywhere? Of course he didn’t mind that, he wanted him to stay around. Especially if he made Michael happy, and if he made Atticus safe, and if he was adopting him.
But Devyn had a big heart. And he was strong.
Was Michael planning on marrying him? Was he trying to tell him something?
Elliot squinted, because everything Michael had said was nice, and if Michael and Atticus liked Devyn, of course he did, too. He just couldn’t help but think there was something Michael was thinking, just not saying.
Atticus saved him from Elliot’s questioning.
He saw the movement and his eyes snapped up, and there was Devyn, who was close enough that he’d probably heard everything Michael had said–maybe that was why he was looking at Michael so fondly–and…
If he squinted, maybe it could have been Chad. But Devyn was there, and he was holding the lion that they’d picked out, and maybe this was an elaborate prank! Maybe they’d all laugh and call him gullible.
Or, maybe they were telling the truth, and he’d rather believe that and risk looking silly than making Atticus worry or feel bad.
So, he turned to him and enthusiastically greeted, “Atticus? –Is that for real? You look so cool, come here!”
Except, he didn’t really wait for him to do so, and instead hurried over with open arms.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:12 am
Michael looked up when Elliot did, only to see Atticus and Devyn standing there. How long had they been there? He hadn’t said anything new. Nothing that he hadn’t really said to Devyn himself. At least about Devyn. He didn’t really talk about his life outside of the present much.
Still, he could feel his cheeks warm, and he looked away so he could fill another glass of water for himself. And pretend like he wasn’t flustered about being overheard. When Elliot turned to look at him, Atticus felt his heart jump into his throat. He wasn’t sure if Elliot would accept him for how he looked or if he would believe him.
But not only did he hurry over to him, he didn’t even second guess that they weren’t making things up.
“Elliot,” he sobbed, pulling away from Devyn now so he could throw his arms and lion around Elliot and hug him tight. He couldn’t even think about all of the things he wanted to say. He wouldn’t have been able to say anything even if he wanted. All he could do was sob his relief against Elliot’s shoulder.
“I missed you so much,” he blubbered. “Are you okay? I’m sorry if I’ve worried you. I’m okay,” he promised because Elliot was so sweet, he wanted to reassure him however he could.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:21 am
Devyn stood very close to Atticus, at first, until it seemed obvious that he and Elliot were going to be fine. He made sure to stay nearby–and within eyesight–but he moved into the kitchen to stand next to Michael. He didn’t have to say anything, he just smiled a little and leaned against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to be too intrusive when it came to Atticus’ and Elliot’s moment. He probably could have fished around in the fridge, or gotten himself a drink.
Instead, it was just easier to relax next to him and make sure everyone was doing okay.
Elliot was doing very okay. Even if his friend looked different, he certainly acted the same, and he breathed an easy sigh of relief as he carefully wrapped his arms around him. He promised to be gentle and he knew Atticus had been stabbed so he was gentle in every little movement he made.
“I’m okay! I worried a lot but I missed you even more. Michael said Devyn was looking after you so I knew you were probably okay, but I couldn’t help it. You don’t have to be sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just really glad you’re here! I like your hair. It took me less than ten minutes to get here, we’re going to live so close! And we get to go to school together next year! And I bet Michael will let me spend the night, and you can come stay with me sometimes. It’s going to be great, Atticus. Are you okay, though? Like, really okay? I heard you got stabbed. You’re so tough.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:29 am
Michael knew Devyn was going to stand next to him, which was fine! He didn’t mind. He even wanted Devyn to be close. But he also didn’t need Devyn to see him being weird about things he didn’t have any reason to be weird about.
So he focused very hard on drinking the rest of his water and set the glass down in the sink before finally turning and standing with his arms over his chest next to Devyn against the counter.
But he wasn’t smiling. He was very serious about all of this. And definitely not thinking about how he thought how nice Devyn’s wavy bangs looked as it fell around his face. Or how he liked Devyn’s smile. No, he was focusing instead on… the floor. Or something. “Devyn’s going to adopt me. That way I never have to go back to… that man,” Atticus scrunched up his face as he said it. He didn’t even want to be associated with his father any more. He was happy that Devyn was willing to say he was his son. Even if they didn’t look very much alike. Maybe their eyes had similar blues, but Devyn’s were also sun kissed.
“Thank you, Devyn helped me,” he blushed and pulled back just enough so he could reach up and fuss with his hair a bit. It wasn’t as fluffy as Elliot’s but at least it looked nice. And it was clean because he’d been able to bathe and wash it.
“It took you less than ten minutes?” Atticus gasped, trying to think about how long it would take for him to get from one place to the other. “Elliot, that’s amazing. I mean, I know you’re fast, but that’s really fast. I’m really happy I get to go to school with you. I don’t want to miss any of your games or events,” he sniffled and lifted his hand to fuss with Elliot’s hair now. Not because it looked bad! But he just liked to touch it.
He fussed with his hair first, and then let his hand settle against Elliot’s cheek. He was just so happy to see him. And happy that Elliot believed him.
“I had a whole list of things I was going to say to try and convince you it was really me,” he confessed with another sniffle. “I’m really okay. Yeah I got stabbed, see?” he said as he reluctantly pulled back a little more so he could lift up his shirt. Around his ribs were all bruised, and there was still a bandage protecting the wound, but it was a lot better than before.
“I’m not really that tough. I cried a lot. It really hurt. All I kept thinking about was how I wanted to see you again, in case… I mean… it really hurt.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:42 am
Devyn glanced at Michael and relaxed again. He wasn’t eavesdropping on the boys! Much. He was, but he figured Michael might have been doing the same. And yet, he couldn’t help but smile again, and when Michael crossed his arms over his chest, Devyn shifted again almost as if he meant to match him, and then he couldn’t help but nudge Michael’s elbow with his own as he did so.
Elliot leaned into the touches; he let Atticus play with his hair, let him touch his face. He leaned back a bit when Atticus lifted his shirt and his eyes flashed in obvious surprise when he saw the bruise and all the bandages.
“Well, I don’t blame you for crying! I would have, too, if it was me! That’s not like skinned knees or a bad bruise. Can I see what it looks like when you change the bandage? I’ll probably never see another knife wound again. You can say no, I’d rather see your smile, anyway.”
He leaned over to give him another quick hug.
“You had a whole list of things to convince me? I could have picked you out of a hundred people. With my eyes closed. Michael said you’d look different but I can’t believe how different. That’s so neat! Do you like it?”
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