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 Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 2:35 pm
Ephesus squeezed Amarynthos in a hug as he settled comfortably against his back, and then pressed a kiss to his temple before lightly resting his cheek against Amarynthos’ hair.
Caia had a good point, though. Senshi had phones, made by Mauvians, but Knights…? They didn’t really have anything to get in touch with other people right? Or maybe he and Amarynthos were just too new to be able to? He wasn’t sure.
“What do you think?” he asked Amarynthos quietly. He didn’t want to make the decision for him, and Amarynthos tended to be more cautious than Ephesus, who liked to trust people. Caia helped them, and he was going to be meeting up with them again, and he would be moving close by (hopefully).
“Would I be too heavy if we powered down? We probably shouldn’t go far past the park powered up, anyway,” he reminded. The farther they kept themselves from their actual homes, the less likely the Negaverse could track them there.
“I think it should be okay. It’ll be easier to reach out. And we can let my dads know, just in case,” he suggested, keeping his voice quiet, but he didn’t seem very suspicious of Caia. He just wanted to give Amarynthos the chance to decide without putting him under too much pressure. “Whatever you think is best, I’ll agree with.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 2:57 pm
Amarynthos was already buttered up and in a good mood from the kisses, and ultimately it didn’t take him long to decide that he was willing to give Caia a chance. “Soleiyu’s friends with him,” he suggested. Soleiyu trusted them, and they trusted him. And more importantly, Michael and Devyn trusted him.
So, it took him a moment of debating before he nodded. “I think it should be okay. You’re never too heavy though, Effie. But I’ll let you know. I think it’s okay.”
He spoke quietly, half turned so they had a little bit of privacy. Caia had half turned away, too; he wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, and he did want to give them a little space to discuss it. It’s not like it was an easy decision! He trusted easily–too easily, probably–especially considering he’d promised his brother that he’d be careful. It wasn’t just Caia at risk if he messed things up, Jeremy had worked hard for his career and to get everything ready for them.
But, the boys seemed nice! And they knew Soleiyu. Soleiyu only knew good people, so he was sure this was fine.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 5:20 pm
Ephesus gave Amarynthos another squeeze and nuzzled his face against the back of his head affectionately, then pressed his cheek against his hair again.
“Okay, but let me know and I can get down,” he promised, and then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and changed back from Ephesus to just Atticus. His clothes were a lot cuter (in his opinion) than they had been less than a year ago. From just basic pants and shirts, Atticus now wore well fitted corduroy pants in a cranberry color, comfortable but fashionable shoes, and a button down silk blouse under a warm, knit sweater.
“Hi, I’m Atticus DeLunne,” he smiled, and lifted a hand to wave. He reached into his sweater pocket so he could pull out his phone. “Here, I can give you our numbers.”
Elliot was right though. If Soleiyu knew him, then Caia was probably someone who could be trusted.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 7:10 pm
Amarynthos took just a moment to power down; he specifically waited for Caia to do the same.
“Oh! It’s nice to meet you, Atticus DeLunne. I’m Myles. Fischer,” he said, and after he powered down he had to brush a few wild strands of hair out of his face so he could see. Half of his outfit was reasonable; he had black pants and boots and jacket, but neon purple socks, and shoelaces, and shirt. He was skinny and long-limbed, and his keychain had half a dozen charms, and he looked like he couldn’t decide what color bracelet to wear when he dressed himself, so he’d just thrown on a bunch of them.
Elliot wore a very practical pair of jeans and a sweater that had been selected specifically to match Atticus. But, he was thinking that Myles looked very familiar, only he couldn’t exactly place it. Fischer sounded familiar, but he wasn’t putting it together. “Elliot, nice to meet you,” he introduced, and shifted only just slightly to get a better grip on Atticus.
It was easier to hold him while he was a Knight, but it wasn’t even much of a strain right now–and he wasn’t going to put him, just in case they did need to run anywhere.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 7:34 pm
Atticus was maybe more excited than he should be. But to have someone to keep the neighborhood safe meant that maybe Michael and Devyn wouldn’t be too worried about them going around and getting a little hurt. Especially since Caia had healing magic!
“Nice to meet you too, Myles,” he beamed, and gave Elliot another gentle squeeze to make sure he was okay. It was good to know that Myles liked bracelets, because Atticus definitely had a new one he needed to make now.
“We should show him where I live, in case he ever needs Michael or Devyn’s help,” Atticus suggested to Elliot, but wanted his opinion before letting Myles know what he thought they should do.
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 8:28 pm
“Are you sure? What if he decides to rob you?” Elliot said, and even if he was only just teasing, Myles still gasped.
“No, I would never,” he insisted quickly. “My brother’s a police officer, we are a very law-abiding family. And anyway, I’ve got everything I could ever want.”
“Oh, well that’s good. Yeah, that’s okay then.” Elliot squeezed Atticus’ leg when he held him, because he still thought there was something familiar about Myles. Carefully, he turned so he could start working his way out of the area. He kept his eyes on the ground and the branches above them; he didn’t want to trip, but he didn’t want to walk Atticus into a tree, either.
“Come on, it’s this way. You’ll have to tell us which house you’re interested in. Or else Attiucus and I’ll have to go through the neighborhood tomorrow and guess.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 8:38 pm
“Your brother’s a--?” Atticus froze, his grip around Elliot’s shoulders tightening as his heart raced and the color drained from his face.
He knew there were lots of police officers in the city, so it wasn’t fair to immediately associate Myles’ brother with those he’d been associated with in the past. Not all were bad! Well, just one that he knew wasn’t bad, but that meant everyone else had been okay knowing how -- that man he’d been forced to live with treated him.
Embarrassed by his reaction, he tried to bury his face against Elliot’s hair to hide. And hope that he could convince himself that he was overreacting so he wouldn’t start crying about it.
“Sorry, I’m okay,” he promised Elliot, knowing he would probably be worried because Elliot seemed to be sensitive to things that bothered Atticus, which Atticus appreciated greatly, but it also made him feel bad.
“Even if he knew my-- he wouldn’t know me, right? The magic--” It had worked so far when it came to completely changing his identity! No one at school who they’d gone to middle school with recognized him, so he was just being nervous about nothing.
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 2:20 pm
Myles seemed to immediately realize something was off, and he slowed just a bit while the worry crossed his features.
Elliot squeezed Atticus’ leg to try and reassure him; he kept walking forwards and said softly, “No one would know,” he promised quietly. He could hear Myles’ uncertain steps behind them, and after a few seconds of it he asked, “And your brother’s officer Fischer?”
He didn’t turn to look at Myles, he didn’t want to trip on something. And, if Atticus was nervous or unhappy, he wanted to get him home as quickly as possible.
“Oh, yeah,” Myles answered, but there was an undeniable question in his voice.
“And he looks like you?”
“I mean, kind of. He’s more in shape than I am. My hair’s a little brighter. He doesn’t have freckles. He looks more mature than me. Not old! Just, you know. He’s got kind of a gruff face.”
“I met an Officer Fischer once. When he was making a report on Chad’s father,” Elliot said, glad to reach the treeline and get into some light. The park was well illuminated, and they weren’t too far from home, which was good because he was determined to carry Atticus all the way there. “He came to my house and talked to my parents, asked a bunch of questions. It was just before Chad went missing.”
Elliot knew Atticus was smart. He didn’t know if it would reassure him or anything, but he figured it was at least a start to let him know that maybe there were still some good people out there. Not that he trusted anyone wearing a uniform, not after what Atticus’ ex-father had pulled.
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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 6:01 pm
It wasn’t until Elliot said Officer Fischer that something seemed to click in Atticus’ thoughts. He’d been so focused on the police aspect that Myles’ last name completely went over his head.
He looked up curiously when Myles described his brother, and then Elliot saying he met an Officer Fischer looking for Chad… to make a report on his father? Had he known they were actually going to try and report that man?
Another, different kind of anxiety swelled, because if that mad had been willing to try and kill his own son, what would he have done to someone as kind as--
“Is your brother Jeremy?” he asked, sniffling a little as emotions swelled inside him. He’d been one of the very few people who’d looked out for him over the years, despite there not being much anyone could do for him.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 5:47 am
Elliot could have breathed a sigh of relief when Atticus asked if his brother was Jeremy, but he wound up holding his breath until Myles answered–just in case.
Myles almost looked skittish when Atticus glanced back at him; he perked up immediately, and then looked a little worried, and then–even if he’d been planning on lying, his expression would have given it away.
“Yeah, it is. Do you know him?”
He seemed visibly hesitant, like he was hoping for the best. He could put two and two together, Atticus knew his name! Or, wait. Had he said his brother’s name at some point? He talked a lot about him up until now, but–no, he was pretty sure he hadn’t.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 6:40 am
There was a part of him that wanted to forget that he was ever Chad. But he met Elliot as Chad. Devyn. Jeremy. People he cared about deeply and knew he wouldn’t be there if it hadn’t been for their kindness and patience.
He thought about just leaving it as a yes for Myles, but it didn’t seem fair. He appreciated that Elliot let him share his story when he was ready, instead of just telling Myles about his previous identity, and leaned close to press a couple kisses on Elliot’s cheek in thanks.
“Your brother was always really nice to me, yeah,” he said, squishing his cheek against Elliot’s hair as he looked over at Myles. “My… the man who I used to call my dad… he’s a police officer too. But he was never as nice as Jeremy. He… I guess… decided he didn’t want me around. The Negaverse was involved. But with Soleiyu’s help, and later the Code, I was able to have my identity changed from… from Chad to Atticus.”
He sounded a little sick, talking about all of it, but he wanted Myles to know how much he appreciated his brother.
“Oh, but please don’t mention those names together. I don’t want to come up with a new name when I really like the one I have,” he requested with a sheepish smile.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 7:07 am
“Oh,” Myles said, and was again torn between perking up and being upset on Atticus’ behalf. He trotted a few steps forward so he could catch up. “I’m good at keeping secrets, honest. Well, only if they’re not my own. I’m not so good with keeping my own secrets. But I’ll be careful with yours, honest.”
It brought Elliot a bit of relief, and even if he was softened by the kisses, or the warmth of Atticus’ cheek pressed against him, he was still being cautious. But, the more Myles talked, the more easily he found himself relaxing in the situation.
He was Jeremy’s brother, which meant that if anything went wrong, Michael already knew Officer Fischer and could sort it out.
“My brother’s a really good guy,” Myles was quick to volunteer, and it didn’t seem like lip service because he couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face when he said as much. “He always tries to do the right thing, even when it isn’t easy. I’m sorry to hear about all that you’ve been through. It sounds like there’s a whole story there.”
Myles was curious, but he didn’t ask. He could see pretty easily that it shook Atticus up.
“I get what it’s like, a little bit. I didn’t have a great relationship with my dad. After my mom died, he was kind of–well, I mean, I guess he always seemed like he had better things to do, but. He and Jeremy used to butt heads all the time. Jeremy left when I was still just a kid, as soon as he could. I think he applied to be a police officer the day he turned old enough for it, you know. I missed him, an awful lot. I made a lot of bad decisions while he was gone, I got into a lot of trouble. I thought he didn’t want me either. But he came back! I guess that was his plan all along. But–we didn’t, I mean, my father really wasn’t a family man. I don’t think he wanted to be a father or anything, so it’s–I mean, it’s much better now, he’s not a part of our lives or anything. But I think Jeremy’s always kept an eye out when somebody seems too good to be true. My dad’s an important guy, so it’s kind of like, nobody's going to think Mr. Perfect’s not–well, perfect. Who was in public wasn’t who he was in private.”
He rubbed at his arm as he talked, absentmindedly picking at the fabric at his elbow. “I think Atticus is a really nice name. Are you okay now? I mean,” he looked at the two of them and they seemed okay, but he couldn’t help but ask. “Well, you know.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 7:12 am
Elliot was so good and so patient. Atticus shifted his hold around his shoulders a bit so he could gently stroke his hair as they listened to Myles. He felt bad for Elliot having to carry him so far, but he appreciated it, and would definitely make it up to him.
As Myles told them more about himself, Atticus could feel the tears burn his eyes. But he was careful not to let them fall because he didn’t want to discourage Myles from talking. When he was done, Atticus nodded.
“Thank you. Elliot and his dads inspired me,” he admitted, a smile on his lips despite the wetness of his eyes. “I’m very okay now, yes. Elliot has taken really good care of me. And his dads and… and now my dads have taken care of me, too. I’m sorry about your mom. Mine died too but… it was mostly my grandmother who took care of me until she passed as well. Then it was just… that man and his girlfriend. They were always so angry and disappointed with me. I don’t know what I did but…”
It had been enough for his dad to want him killed to get him out of his life.
“I’m glad you have your brother taking care of you. Yeah, he is a really good guy. I would like to see him again sometime. Oh, but he wouldn’t recognize me. That’s okay, I would like to thank him anyway. I just hope he’s careful.”
He didn’t know how much the Negaverse was involved with the police, but just being involved with one police officer was bad enough.
“Are you okay, Myles?” Atticus asked. He’d noticed the way he fumbled his phone before, but thought it best to keep it to himself. Knowing that he had to deal with, well, everything he did, of course Atticus was worried. Especially since he feared he could probably relate. Falling down the stairs multiple times wasn’t really normal.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 9:17 am
Myles looked up as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but his face softened quickly. “Am I okay? Yeah, I’m fine. The youma didn’t even touch me. I was just running on adrenaline back there, I was worried you two were going to get hurt. I’m not as brave as my brother, but I try to do the right thing and make him proud. Oh, but he was so mad when he found out I was a Senshi. Not anymore, but he didn’t know. And he hates when I keep secrets from him. And–I don’t blame him,” he insisted quickly.
“I kept some pretty bad secrets before. Badly kept them, too. But I’m doing really well now. I mean–we’re about to move out of our little apartment! But I can’t complain, because he’s never once made me pay rent or anything. And he’s always taken care of me. And I got really luck to have him for a brother, and even if he doesn’t recognize you, he’s gotten really good at figuring out all of this magical stuff. He had a hard time at first, he thought I lost my mind, but now he’s doing really well on his own. He’s not powered or anything, but he knows the Negaverse is bad news, so I’ve never had to worry about him getting in with the wrong crowd. He’s got a really good sense of right and wrong, and I promised I’d be safe and make good decisions, too.”
They were moving away from the park; Elliot’s arms were a little sore, but it was worth it to have Atticus this close and know that he was doing okay. The house was practically in sight, but he wasn’t sure if that meant that they’d be saying goodbye to Myles now or if they should invite him in or something.
It was a problem for a few minutes from now.
“The Negaverse attacked him too. He doesn’t talk about it much. I thought he–well, I thought it was going to be bad. I think he did, too, but. I’ll tell you about that some other time. I bet he’d be really happy to hear from you, though. And to know that you’re okay. He acts all tough but he really does care, a lot. It’s just, he has to be strong because between the two of us, I’m a mess, and one of us has to hold it together.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 10:11 am
Atticus could tell that it might have been getting a little difficult for Elliot to carry him, but he didn’t ask him if he wanted to set him down. He knew the answer and he didn’t want to upset him by making him think that he didn’t believe in him. Because he did. A lot.
To try and make it easier, he shifted a little more to put his weight onto Elliot’s shoulders, and that way he didn’t have to work so hard with his arms.
“We would have been in a lot of trouble if you hadn’t shown up,” Atticus sighed, because he’d already been really worried about Elliot getting hurt. Or at least more than he could heal him.
Knowing that the Negaverse attacked Jeremy was… concerning. The more he heard about the Negaverse and the things they’d done, the less he liked them. Not that he liked them at all to begin with! He was glad that Jeremy was okay, at least physically now. But it was still scary.
“I think you’re very well put together, Myles. You’re strong in your own way. I like your bracelets, by the way,” he nodded to them with a small smile. “And yeah, I would like to talk to Jeremy again when he’s not busy!”
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