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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:44 pm
Takes place on October 23, 2022 after Unexpected.
They met up at a little cafe in the city where there were pastries and breakfast being served practically all day, and as soon as Claire saw the both of them, she went over to first throw her arms around her son, and then Devyn.
Except her excitement was short lived because she absolutely saw both Devyn’s hand and Michael’s face.
“Are you okay?” she gasped in horror at their injuries, although she at least kept herself somewhat contained since they were in public. Even though she just wanted to fuss over them. “We’re fine,” Michael promised with restrained exasperation. “Just the normal dangers of going into a cave.” More or less.
He rubbed at his mom’s back and led her to a seat, where they’d already ordered some coffee -- decaf for Michael because he was trying to be responsible but couldn’t resist. But there was also tea and other beverages available.
“Abby still grounded for life?” he asked, somewhat sympathetically. He’d told Devyn, of course. How could he have not? Even before today, Michael didn’t keep secrets from Devyn. And telling him about how Abby had awakened as Sailor Chibi Eupheme at the beginning of the month was no exception.
“We’ll make sure she gets a chance to… stretch her wings, once we’ve got some places cleaned up. Better that than her sneaking out on her own.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:51 pm
Devyn had never had children that young; Marius and Atticus had been teenagers, and Marius had been so independent already that he was hardly a good reference point, anyway. His only experience with chibi senshi had been his experience as a chibi senshi, and the world was a different place for him back then.
Well, no, he supposed there would be people out to kill her, too. He assumed the worst of the Negaverse.
He didn’t know Abby well, but he’d met her once, and he’d heard stories, and even if he hadn’t known her at all he’d have wanted to help keep her safe.
“You’ve got such an exciting family,” Devyn said as he settled in his chair. “It’s sweet how much you all look after each other.” Which might have been normal, but it was no less endearing for Devyn, who hadn’t had his family looking after him once he’d become a Senshi.
“You’re as lovely as ever, don’t let our bruises and scrapes worry you. We were overzealous on our trip, but everything’s worked out for the best. Michael was, as always, a life-safer. Thank you for letting me borrow all of your sons.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:07 pm
Claire sighed dramatically. “Yes, well, someone has to stay behind and watch the children while the rest of you go off to save worlds.”
She was doing her best to look disappointed that she didn’t get to go with them and help. And she was! But she also knew that the children needed someone there to keep them safe while their parents went to other worlds.
Either way, it was probably for the best since she didn’t have any magic yet, but maybe one day she would be able to join them before she got too old.
While she maintained that she was still young, despite her age, the past year had perhaps added on several years. But for her family she did her best to keep her grief to herself.
“I’m glad you’re both okay. Or at least it wasn’t worse,” she sighed again. “You’re family too, Devyn. You add to the excitement. You look after Michael already, so we really all do look after each other!” Michael just sighed again. He didn’t mind her enthusiasm most of the time, but she wasn’t exactly as young as she wanted to be any more. And he was worried she would get in over her head and then he wouldn’t have either of his parents.
“Devyn takes very good care of me,” he at least agreed, because it was true. And he glanced at Devyn for a moment, before reaching to take his uninjured hand, holding it above the table for his mother to see.
“We wanted to let you know that we plan on getting married,” he said, deciding it was better not to drag things out. Claire just smiled brightly at the two of them, and then looked from Michael to Devyn with confusion for a moment, before asking, “Wait, you weren’t already engaged?” To which Michael sputtered and flushed red.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:19 pm
Devyn had to press his lips together very tightly to make sure he didn’t just tilt his head back and laugh. He squeezed Michael’s hand reassuringly. “No! We only just decided this morning. And you were the very first person we thought we wanted to tell. Atticus doesn’t count, although he already gave us his blessing. We just didn’t realize we were asking for it at the time.”
He seemed comfortable, and while there might have been a brief moment where he felt a little nervous, she eased that immediately.
“If either of us had proposed any earlier, we would have told you! I couldn’t keep something like that a secret from you. We haven’t even made our rings yet. But we wanted you to know, and we wanted your blessing. And I promise to take very good care of your son, and I’ll love him until the end of my days, and longer.”
He glanced at Michael and again had to try not to laugh, if only because he didn’t know what everyone else thought they knew, or what they knew well before he did.
But, at least no one was giving them any grief about it. He might not get tired of Michael’s reaction each time, though.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:58 pm
“Oh! Of course you have my blessing!” she gasped with excitement, and then because she couldn’t contain herself, she got up from where she was at the table and went around to pull them into a group hug, which forced Michael to let go of Devyn’s hand, but he patted at his mom’s back reassuringly.
“I’m so happy, you’re both so good together. I knew when I first met you, you belonged in our family--”“Mom!” Michael sputtered again in disbelief, unsure how she would just assume something like that! What if they didn’t decide this? What if they’d just gone with being friends, or worse, decide they didn’t want to be in each other’s lives?
A thought like that was enough to riddle Michael with anxiety, but he quickly shook it off because that was far from the case. “But thank you for telling me. Michael is usually so secretive about his life--” “Mom!” “Oh, I’m so excited! I’m going to start getting a list of guests ready. What colors are you thinking? For the wedding of course. Golds, blue, teal, and green would be perfect, I think. But I’m open to ideas. I’ll have to figure out a good venue. Do you want a spring wedding? Early summer?”
She obviously had a lot she needed to figure out, but she was also very excited, and didn’t seem to mind Michael’s exasperation.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:31 am
This time, Devyn couldn’t help but laugh. “I love those colors. But we haven’t thought about any of that yet.” He’d given her a good squeeze in response, because even if she was a bit overwhelming in some regards, he appreciated that about her. “But we’ll let you know when we work out some of those details. We’ve only just decided after breakfast, so this is still a very new idea. I appreciate your enthusiasm, it’s very contagious. I don’t know the first thing about Earth weddings. Back home it was always an extravagant affair, but I don’t want to put Michael through that.”
Maybe not publicly, at least. Privately, they could always sneak off. “I’ll be happy with anything, I just want it to be special for Michael,” he assured her, and Michael. “Thank you for saying just kind things, Claire. You’re always so kind to me. It means the world to me that you trust me with your son. I hope I’ll do you and your family proud. Now that I’ve got my home safe, I’m very much looking forward to the time I’ll have here with you all.”
They had a lot of plans–a lot of good plans, and now that he didn’t feel the chaos breathing down his neck he knew they had time to do things. There was still the chaos on Earth to deal with, but that wasn’t something that was going to resolve over night, he knew that.
…And they’d worked so hard.
They’d saved his world. They could save Earth, too.
They deserved some nice things along the way.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 7:47 am
Claire didn’t crowd them for too much longer, and finally went to sit back down on her side of the table. She was still beaming at them, because of course she was excited about having Devyn officially added to the family. In her opinion, he belonged there already, since he was married to the person who used to have Michael’s starseed, from what she understood about it.
“You already make me proud, Sunbeam. But we will definitely have to plan time to spend together. Atticus and Elliot too. Oh! This means Atticus is officially going to be my grandchild, good,” she smiled brightly, obviously thrilled by this realization. Not that she wouldn’t have still spoiled him. Same with Elliot. As expected, Michael was already worn down by the enthusiasm, but he took hold of Devyn’s hand again once Claire went back to her seat, and gave it an appreciative squeeze.
“No big wedding, please,” Michael requested, a bit wearily. “We could do a small wedding and a large reception for everyone else,” he threw out as a suggestion, because he knew Devyn was used to extravagance, so if that was something he wanted, then they could compromise.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 8:42 am
Devyn smiled immediately, because he couldn’t help but be endeared by her nickname, and it was always nice to be reassured. But, Claire had always been so sweet and welcoming, and she’d helped him so much when it came to cleaning up and preserving and reframing Percy’s paintings. He couldn’t imagine her saying a mean thing.
He squeezed Michael’s hand again, as if he could transfer some of his energy and resolve by doing so.
“Whatever you want,” Devyn insisted. “I don’t need anything big if you don’t want anything big. If you’d rather keep it small, I’m happy with that. We could always break it up into little celebrations with smaller groups so we don’t have to worry about anyone getting overwhelmed. As long as you’re there with me, I’m happy,” he promised. He didn’t entirely know how Earth worked anyway, but he didn’t want to put Michael through a big spectacle just so he could walk on eggshells and be stressed about everything; even if he was surrounded by friends and people who cared with him, Devyn still wanted to make sure he was comfortable and able to relax. Just because he liked dramatics and extravagance didn’t mean he’d put Michael through that.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 11:16 am
Michael shook his head. He knew that Devyn was trying to make him comfortable, but it wasn’t just about him. He wanted Devyn to have a good time, too. And if he wanted something bigger, then Michael would work with that. He would just make sure he had some kind of signal for Devyn to know if he was getting too overwhelmed by people.
And hopefully that wouldn’t just be him with a glazed over expression staring into the middle of nothing.
“We’ll figure something out. I want to learn about what your traditions… back home were like,” he said, so comfortable with Devyn that he almost said Alastor, but he had at least some sense of awareness still.
“Maybe we can merge them together.” Or if they were completely different, just do them both. Claire was still beaming. “Who am I allowed to tell? Or would you rather be the ones to tell everyone?” she asked, not wanting to start posting on social media to announce Michael’s engagement to the world if he didn’t want that.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 11:29 am
Devyn could only defer to Michael for who she was allowed to tell; he knew next to no one but the people in Michael’s life, anyway. He didn’t have any sort of social media presence, and aside from going through his contact list and texting everyone he didn’t know how he’d tell everyone.
He probably wouldn’t have done it like that anyway, but to be fair, he also hadn’t considered it at all.
“I don’t know what the Earth traditions are for that,” he said apologetically, but smiled at Claire. She was charming in her enthusiasm, but he didn’t have to worry about being embarrassed or feeling rushed that anyone should know.
“But I’d love to tell you all about things back home and see if you’re interested in any of them. I wish I’d been more invested in learning how to cook back when there were people to teach me. I still have the recipes, or at least some of them probably, but I don’t have the right ingredients. I can’t play any instruments, either, so music’s out. I can sew, though. So I can dress you nicely, at least. But we don’t have to rush, we can take our time to make it perfect.”
He paused, and then glanced back at Michael. “Or we can rush. There’s no rule on how many times we can celebrate a marriage. We can have as many ceremonies in as many ways as we want.”
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:20 pm
Michael paused for a moment, and then sighed. Normally he would have been against telling anyone else. He didn’t want them to bother him about it. But it was his and Devyn’s decision to be together and get married, and what they thought about it didn’t matter.
“Give me a week to tell people, and then you can tell whoever you want,” he requested. He thought he should at least tell the other important people in his life, and not let them find out on social media.
He lifted Devyn’s hand to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of it, giving him a sympathetic look for everything he was going to be pulled into.
Maybe he should have warned Devyn that it was a little more involved, being part of their family, than just being in love and wanting to spend their lives together.
“Don’t tease me, or we’ll end up at the court house this afternoon,” Michael laughed, because as fun as sharing a special day with people could be, he really just wanted to promise himself to Devyn. Really, they didn’t need any of the pomp and circumstance that came with weddings, but he knew it was important to others, and that was the only real reason he would want to hold off.
But he was also trying to think of himself and Devyn, and not about what others thought. Claire gasped at the suggestion, because that would mean she needed to get her hair fixed up and find something nice to wear. But it wasn’t as though everyone didn’t already think they were engaged or at least dating already!
“You better tell me if you’re going to do that, Michael John Gallo,” she scolded him with a pout. Because she wanted to see a big wedding, but she also knew how unpredictable the war they were all fighting was.
“Devyn, I would love to learn everything you know, and you can use my sewing machine any time. I can teach you how to use it. I bet it will be faster than hand stitching, unless you have a machine of your own?”
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:34 pm
If Michael was kissing the back of his hand, Devyn would have let him lead him anywhere, even if it was to the court house, just like this. He squeezed his hand and couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of him. “I’m not teasing you, Michael John Gallo,” he laughed, and gave himself a moment more to trace Michael’s face into his mind before he turned back to Claire.
“I don’t have one, I didn’t know they had machines for sewing. I’ve gotten pretty fast, though, so we’ll have to see if it can stitch quicker than I can.”
He was teasing, probably; even though he liked a good race, he knew that cars were faster than horses, and they could go faster than him, so human ingenuity and all of their technological advances would probably never cease to amaze him.
“I already know you’re a good teacher, I’d like to learn. Especially because I think Atticus might benefit from it, too. I’ve been trying very hard to dress per current standards, I don’t want to make too much of a scene with my clothes.” Only for Michael, though, because if he’d been on his own he’d have dressed however he wanted. Although, if not for Michael, he might still be wandering around powered up, too.
“But Atticus is young, he can get away with much more and I want him to enjoy his youth. I want him to have the skill to tailor his outfits so he can wear anything he wants. Although, I do like embroidery. And beadwork. I don’t know that a machine can match the personal touches like that, but. I’m being good. I’ve worked very hard to keep my outfits subtle, I’m trying not to do too much of either. I feel like I still have so much to learn, though. Like Halloween, I’ve only just started learning about that. Are you dressing up, Claire?”
Because, yes, a part of him was interested in it. And, a part of him was probably just trying to change the subject a bit so he could make sure Michael’s heart didn’t give out. He’d already had so much coffee this morning, Devyn didn’t want to risk it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:12 pm
Michael just sighed, because if he wasn’t being teased, then it would put ideas in his head and he’d already had plenty of ideas put into his head that morning.
He wondered what they would be doing now if Elliot hadn’t joked about marriage and if Atticus hadn’t misheard him.
So Michael just held onto Devyn’s hand, because he was trying very hard to make sure he was doing what Devyn wanted and not just him being compulsive about everything.
He couldn’t help it! He was excited! He was beyond happy that Devyn loved him and wanted to marry him, even with the complexities that came with still being in love with his husband who had died a thousand years ago. Oh, and Michael having his starseed probably made things weird, too. “Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. I can teach you both. Or I can teach you and you can teach Atticus. Don’t let fashion trends hold you back. You should definitely wear whatever you are comfortable wearing,” she insisted with a smile.
“And of course I’m going to be dressing up! I have a pirate costume ready. My book club is having a little party. Chris and Paris live so far from the city that no one would want to walk down their driveway,” she sighed somewhat dramatically.
“You are a wonderful influence for Atticus to have, I think. He seems like he was repressed creatively for a very long time. Don’t underestimate that power you have for him. I bet he has already started copying the things you do. He might just need someone to show him it’s okay for him to express himself,” she hummed thoughtfully. During the exchange, Michael frowned a little. Maybe he didn’t realize how hard Devyn was trying to dress normal.
“You can dress how you want, Devyn,” he said after a moment, looking up at him with an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry. I know for a while we just had my clothes for you to borrow, and I guess I didn’t think about how you might not be comfortable wearing what everyone else does. I don’t mind. I’ve seen Percy’s closets. I know what your clothes are like. You should wear whatever you want. I promise it’s okay.”
He felt guilty about it. He knew he probably at some point told Devyn how people on Earth dressed and provided him with clothes and while he tried to get him clothes he might like that were maybe close to what he would have worn on Alastor, he didn’t think about Devyn’s comfort in them. Instead, Devyn was once again thinking about Michael.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:23 pm
Devyn paused so he could face Michael again, and it was his turn to pull his hand close so he could kiss it. “I’m comfortable. You have nice clothes. And I get to wear my boots, those are very important to me. And I get to do little details on things. And you’ve never fussed about my makeup, or my hair. You know I like my sleeves, though. We’ll see. I know you don’t like a lot of attention, and if I had to choose between dressing like I would back home and you being comfortable while we went out, you know what I’ll choose every time. Besides, I can dress however I want when you’re off at school.”
He couldn’t get over how sweet Michael was, and if Claire wasn’t here he would have certainly kissed him and told him.
Instead, he gave him only one quick, affectionate look, and returned his attention to her. “You’ll have to take pictures of your costume, I want to see it. Atticus is going to borrow one of Elliot’s, I think, but we’ll see. I just want him to be happy. He’s doing a good job, coming out of his shell a little at a time. We were planning on going to the new exhibit at the art museum by that little cafe I like. They’ve got a youth exhibit with applications through to the end of next month and I’ve told him he should enter something but I think he’s still a bit shy. We’ll see, I’m hoping he’ll be inspired. And if he hasn’t worked up the confidence by then, maybe he will after Percy’s exhibit is open.”
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:53 pm
No, Michael had never fussed about Devyn’s hair or his makeup. He’d never fussed about Caspian’s hair or clothing either, but he still felt like he was being misleading by offering Devyn clothes to wear when he could be wearing something else that he liked more.
“Maybe I’ll just start wearing bigger sleeves,” he mumbled behind his coffee cup that he picked up to sip. There had to be winter clothing similar to what Devyn was used to wearing. Maybe he would find a place to order some custom clothing for Devyn. Something that reminded him of home. Lots of silk and gold -- Michael knew that at least. “He’ll get there,” Claire said with confidence. “Especially with parents like the two of you, and Elliot as his friend. Oh, and you must say hello to Oliver and Asher for me. They’ll have to see Percy’s exhibit too. I’m very excited about it. Percy had a very good eye for detail and movement, I think. Good with capturing expressions too. He was hard on himself, wasn’t he?” she asked with a sad, but endeared smile, as if she was trying to get to know him just through his art. But that was the point of it, wasn’t it? “Mom, do you remember that tune you used to sing to me as a kid?” Michael asked, because talking about Percy reminded him that he’d been meaning to ask her about it. Claire nodded without having to be prompted twice, and soon started humming along to the tune that matched the music box Devyn had brought back from Alastor.
“That one?” she asked once she was finished, and Michael nodded.
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