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 Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:10 pm
“I can walk now,” Atticus said to Elliot, reaching out to open the front door for them when they reached it. “Unless you really want me to just sit on the couch,” he hummed, kissing his cheek once they weren’t in view of the camera.
The entry way was big enough for a closet and a bit of separation from the rest of the house. Visitors weren’t immediately seen from the kitchen or from the living room, but it only took a couple steps to reach the living room. Unlike when Devyn first moved in, the walls had a few more paintings here and there. It looked much more homey than the catalog image it once was.
“I don’t mind getting the water,” he offered, not wanting Elliot to push himself too much. “Oh, but if you’re hungry, Dad and my Grandmother are really good cooks,” he said with a smile over at Myles, hoping he didn’t feel too nervous.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 6:13 am
Myles was a little nervous, partly because he could tell this was a well cared-for house, and it was so much cleaner and nicer than his own apartment. Not that he and Jeremy didn’t have nice things! They’d just scraped by a lot, and they were both creatures of habit. Jeremy could fix things, and would fix things instead of replacing them if it could save them a few dollars.
“Your house is really nice,” he said, before he could even think about it. “Like something you’d see in a movie.”
Elliot had carefully put down Atticus, even if he didn’t want to. To make up for it, he kept his arm hooked around Atticus’, ready to wrap around his waist if he ‘needed’ to. “It’s a really nice house. Nicer now with Atticus in it,” Elliot chimed in. “Personally, I think you should rest. If you have to go anywhere though, you can lean against me. I can keep my hand around your waist so you don’t fall.”
Atticus probably didn’t need it, he knew that. He just liked the excuse to hold him like this.
“I can help you get the water. And snacks. You have good leftovers.”
“You do–are you sure? That’s so fancy, I don’t need any,” he insisted, and smiled again. “Just water would be great. We probably have pizza. Or lunchables. There’s always something quick and easy back home. I can’t really cook, and sometimes Jeremy’s busy, so there’s plenty at home.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:00 am
Atticus could definitely understand Myles being overwhelmed. While Atticus’ previous home hadn’t been in squalor, he didn’t have access to anything. Not like he did here. He’s been afraid of leaving his room before, but now he was comfortable in the house.
“Thank you,” he said to both Myles’ compliments about the house and Elliot’s fussing. He didn’t wait for Elliot to figure out if he needed to put his arm around his waist. Instead, Atticus gently pulled his arm away from Elliot’s so he could pull Elliot’s arm around him. He kept his hand over Elliot’s on his waist as he smiled up at him and gave him a quick kiss.
“You take such good care of me. If you think I should rest then I’ll rest. I just want to stay near you, though. But. I can wait for you to come back if you’re going to get the water and snacks.”
Elliot was so kind and sweet. Atticus wanted to make sure he had nothing to worry about.
“It’s really okay if you eat whatever you want,” Atticus promised Myles with a smile at him as well, carefully leaning against Elliot as he made his way over to the couch. “It took me a while to get used to it. In my old house, I wasn’t allowed--”
Atticus paused, and then shook his head as if to dismiss it being anything to worry about.
“My dads eat a lot, so they make sure there’s always a lot of food available. Maybe Jeremy would like to come over for dinner when he’s not busy! And my dad could teach you how to cook if you want and your brother is busy,” he offered, but maybe that was rude of him to volunteer either of his dads for that without asking.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:58 am
Oh, Atticus was so bold! So brave! Full of so many kisses! Elliot liked it, and getting drinks and snacks would be easy enough. “Yeah, let’s get you on the couch. We can put your foot up, I can bring some ice. Just in case. But I’ll be quick,” he promised as he guided him back towards the couch.
Myles smiled at the two of them, if only because it was sweet to see how much they cared for each other. And, he was pretty sure they were dating, but he couldn’t really remember what it was like to be fourteen and think you were in love. He was pretty sure he’d done a lot of sloppy kissing, and he couldn’t even remember with who, so this seemed like a much better use of young romance.
Especially because he was piecing together what he could from Atticus’ half finished sentences.
“Well, you’re young and growing, you need a lot of food, too. Jeremy probably wouldn’t say no to a home cooked meal, we don’t really do those a lot. Oh, but he’s so prideful. He’ll probably make some excuse, like ‘I’ve got a car to fix’ or ‘I have to work overtime’ or ‘There’s food at home’. Our father was really big on the ‘you’re old enough to look after yourselves’ after my mother died. I mean, I wasn’t, but Jeremy was, so he wound up looking after me.”
Myles chewed on the inside of his cheek again as he stood in one place, trying not to take up too much room or accidentally wander where he wasn’t supposed to. “I can cook enough to survive. Like, I eat a lot of cereal, and, you know. Sandwiches. Oh, well. I don’t think it’s cooking if you don’t use the stove. Don’t ask your dad to teach me how to cook, if he sees me in the kitchen, he will never trust me to patrol with you.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 12:06 pm
Atticus was feeling so pampered and taken care of as Elliot guided him to the couch and offered to get ice. It was difficult not to be distracted by how wonderful his boyfriend was.
“I’m sure my dad won’t mind,” Atticus hummed as he continued to smile adoringly at Elliot even after he’d gotten him settled and was going to run off to the kitchen. “He taught my other dad how to cook, and he’d never even used a microwave or stove before!”
Oh, was that weird? Maybe he should be careful about telling Myles that Devyn wasn’t from Earth. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him -- especially since Soleiyu trusted him, but still. It wasn’t his secret to give away.
Oh… kind of like how he maybe shouldn’t have told Myles that his dads were a Knight and Senshi.
“You can sit down if you’d like. I know it’s probably weird being in someone else’s house for the first time. I felt like that too the first time I was here. And at Elliot’s too. I wasn’t sure what I was able to do that wouldn’t be getting in the way. I’d rather just not cause problems than have someone ask me to stop doing something,” he admitted. Because if someone had to take the time to tell him to not do something, then he would feel even worse than he would have if he’d just stayed standing still.
“He’s taught me how to cook too. A little. Nothing too complicated. A lot of breakfast foods are easy. Eggs, bacon, pancakes. I’m always afraid of getting burned.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 12:32 pm
“Really? Oh, he must have been very lucky to not have to know how those things worked!” Myles exclaimed. Even if he had a Senshi from another world taking up residence in his living room, it was easy to just assume someone came from so much money that they’d never had to worry about taking care of themselves.
He took a seat across from Atticus and sat upright, with his feet flat against the ground and knees pressed together. He kept his hands atop of them and tried not to look around with too much curiosity; it felt a bit like prying into someone’s personal life, but he couldn’t help but be curious.
“You’re still young, I think you’re supposed to have someone taking care of you at your age.” Although, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint how old Atticus was. He seemed youthful, though! And in cute clothes like that, it was easy to think that someone should be looking out for him. More than just Elliot, who was working quickly in the kitchen.
“I’m glad you do, though. I’m sorry to hear about what happened before you came here.” He didn’t know much of it, but he didn’t need to. Myles wasn’t particularly clever, but he was a bit intuitive. Sometimes. “I hope it’s all worked out now. It sounds like your dads are really nice, I think you deserve that. And I really appreciate you being so nice to me, too.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 5:22 pm
He couldn’t help but giggle when Myles implied that he was old. Talking about how Atticus was young was the second time Myles had indicated that he was older than he actually was. But then again, stress tended to age people quickly.
“You’re really nice, too, so it’s easy to be nice to you. I’m sorry for what happened to you before, too. I’m glad your brother is looking for a place nearby and has been looking out for you. If you ever need anything… I mean, I know we just met, but I don’t want this to be the only time we hang out. My dads are great. Elliot’s dads are amazing too. I got really lucky. I know not everyone gets lucky like I did. I was really worried for a while but…”
Atticus just smiled brighter and shook his head to dismiss the thought. It didn’t matter what happened in the past. They were there now and had everything to look forward to.
“I’d really like to see your candles. I know we already talked about it, but Elliot has tried talking to me about selling some of the bracelets I’ve made. I don’t know if there will be enough demand for them since yours are so cute, so there’s obviously other people selling them too. Maybe I’ll try something new that will be more successful.” Because he wanted to help out a little by at least making some of his own money and not just rely on Michael.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:05 pm
“Oh, you should!” Myles said quickly. “No–don’t make things just because you think they’ll be different, people can tell. If you put your heart into something, I think it comes out. Lots of people sell candles,” he assured, and it seemed like he couldn’t keep himself seated anymore so he stood up and moved closer so he could sit down next to Atticus.
“I hope this is okay,” he said, but he’d pulled out his phone and was clicking on a few links. “I’ll bring you some candles,” he promised, “But this is what my shop looks like. I have an online one, and I have my stall. A lot of times people will come visit me at the stall and then because they know they like something, they can order it online, or if I didn’t make a smell they wanted, they can ask me to make it again. But when I was first starting out, it wasn’t anything big. I actually–I don’t have any pictures of my first ones, but they were not even good. I was really nervous. I had a table and a tablecloth and some jars of candles, but everyone was so nice. I didn’t sell everything, but I was so excited to go home and make more. It was a lot of trial and error. And Jeremy didn’t really understand, but he was supportive. It’s–”
He hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. “I know he works so hard. I know he works hard so I can do what I want to do, too. I got really lucky having a brother like him. And it sounds like you got really lucky with your new dads. But I’m sorry you had to go through everything before you got them. I bet they’re really proud of you, now. And I hope that everything in your past that you don’t like stays there. But it sounds like you’re on the right track!”
He passed over his phone so Atticus could scroll through his shop; it had a basic set up, and some artistic photographs of different candles, and detailed descriptions of each of their fragrances. He liked colors, and had an array of different fragrances, and a number of positive reviews on his shop. “If you’re interested in selling anything, you should come with me. I can let you borrow some of my setup to try it out. But don’t worry about what other people are making. Make what you want to make, and have fun with it. And if you’re worried people won’t be interested, make things that you like, because the worst case scenario is that you have some jewelry that you like. But you should trust yourself. There’s always someone out there who’s going to want what you’re selling, they just need to find you.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:11 pm
“I don’t mind,” Atticus assured Myles when he got up so he could sit back down closer to him. To make things easier, Atticus inched a little closer as well, since it seemed as though Myles wanted to show him pictures on his phone.
“You have an online store?” he gasped in awe, impressed by the website. Atticus knew people sold crafts, of course, but he didn’t know anyone personally. Well, not until now!
“That’s really cool. And really smart. That’s really neat that you have something you enjoy doing and that your brother supports you.” Atticus was basically leaning against Myles’ shoulder as he peered over at the phone, although he didn’t move away when Myles handed his phone to him so he could look himself.
“Okay, I’ll try to make what I like, and you’re right. If people don’t buy it, then I’ll just have things I like,” he nodded, because it was definitely some good advice.
“I know you said you’re lucky to have a brother like Jeremy, but I think he’s lucky to have a brother like you, too. You’re really talented and passionate about what you like.” As was evident in the way he jumped up, despite previously being nervous, to show Atticus his store. “I bet he’s as proud of you as you are of him. I don’t have any siblings, so I guess I don’t know for sure, but I think you’d be a great older brother.”
Atticus loved his dads, and he really hoped he could make them proud. And as horrible as things had been in the past, he would have happily endured it all again if it meant getting to where he was now.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:21 pm
Instinctively, and maybe a bit sheepishly, Myles laughed. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I don’t think I could ever compare to him. I mean, I know all siblings are different, but it’s like–he’s reliable, and hard working, and brave, and reasonable, and strong, and brave, and–I know there have been a lot of times that he wasn’t proud of me. And that’s okay, I didn’t deserve it. So I’ve been working hard. He put me through school.”
He was quiet for a moment, and then leaned against Atticus. “I really love my brother. He gets all cranky if I tell him, so I’m going to tell you. I’m really glad you met him already. He lets me do all sorts of crazy things, and he reels me in when he needs to. It’s because of him that I got to go to college. I’ve taken some business classes, too. That was Jeremy’s rule, that I could stay with him and he’d make sure I had all that I needed as long as I was going to school. But now I’ve been making enough money that I can help out, too! Although, he’s the one paying for the house. He’s so responsible. I’m going to tell him that I really like this neighborhood and I really want to move here. If I’m close enough, maybe we can do some crafting together. I make a few things, more than just candles. It’s just that those are my favorites.”
He leaned forward a little and nodded to the phone, but he didn’t try to take it back or swipe while Atticus was holding it. “I make soaps, and perfumes, too. So it’s good to try new things. I like other things, but I’m not necessarily really good at them. But I love watching people work, so if you ever want to just hang out and craft together, I think that would be fun. Oh, but no pressure! I’d love to see what you make, though. And when things are settled, if you want to see what having a shop is like, you can come be my helper and I’ll walk you through it. If you want! There are lots of events where I could make some space for you to come with me and peddle your crafts, too. I think it’s fun! And it’s less scary or nerve-wracking when you have a friend, I think. Oh! Or we could just fight monsters together. I’m sorry, I know I’m all over the place. I don’t know why I’m so nervous in here. You don’t make me nervous! I’m just afraid of breaking something or making a mess. I don’t want your dads to hate me. They aren’t even here and I’m nervous about making a bad impression.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2022 7:35 pm
“It’s okay, but you shouldn’t be nervous. They helped me without even really knowing me. I actually, um, needed to be saved from a youma and my dad had to power up in front of me. Before we even knew each other. So I really owe them a lot, and I know they’d do pretty much anything to help others out. I mean, they can be pretty scary, but only when they need to, like, when they’re trying to fight the Negaverse. Actually, they’re scary, but also pretty cool since obviously they’re not mad at you but. Um. I guess you’d have to experience it to know.”
There was something about their protectiveness that made Atticus feel safe, despite them being very scary. He certainly wouldn’t want to be on their bad side. Oh. Actually he might be making things worse and making Myles more anxious.
“I would really like the help, if you don’t mind! I’d like to help out and see what you do. I don’t really know what I want to do when I grow up. I didn’t really, um, expect to need to think about things like that until recently. I want to be an artist, but… I don’t know how good I’ll be. I’ll do my best, of course! And I’ll work hard like you’ve been. But I think you’re too hard on yourself. You’re definitely brave. You didn’t have to save me and Elliot, but you did. And you’ve made all these candles and perfumes to sell, so you’re hard working too. And you have to be reliable if you sell things, otherwise you wouldn’t get your products to your customers,” Atticus insisted, using both hands to hand the phone back to Myles. Maybe not so much for himself, but just in case Myles needed an extra moment or two to work on picking it up from his hands.
“Thank you for sharing all of that with me. It’s really inspiring. We should definitely hang out and fight monsters and do crafts. You don’t mind Elliot too, right? I worry that I’m too clingy sometimes, but he’s really important to me,” he added quietly, not wanting Elliot to overhear and worry for no reason.
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:03 am
Myles couldn’t help but smile as he reached back for his phone, and though he was quiet, the smile didn’t waver.
“I like you a lot, Atticus. That’s all so sweet. And very well spoken. You’re very motivational, too. And I can tell how sincere you are, so it means all the more. Elliot can come, of course. I wouldn’t try to separate you two. And he’s strong, so he can help you carry all of your supplies. It’s always good to have a helper.”
The reassurances about his parents were–well, kind of reassuring. A little scary, too, but he was trying to stay optimistic about it all. He pulled back just a bit, and half turned to face Atticus while they spoke.
“Anyway, I can see that you two are a team. When you’re being Knights and when you’re not. He’s more than welcome.” He kept his voice quiet for that, because he’d heard Elliot getting ice, and the microwave was going right now so he knew he must have been heating something up. He suspected that Elliot might have been keeping busy, but he’d seen a head poke out at least once, so he assumed that Elliot was checking in to make sure Atticus was okay. “Especially because he’s important. I haven’t known either of you for very long, but I got the impression that you both cared about each other a lot. It didn’t seem like you were clingy, or like he wasn’t happy to be stuck to your side. Being around you two makes me feel energized. And happy. Like what you two have is contagious, maybe. Oh, that probably sounds a little weird. I just mean that I feel refreshed, and invigorated. Confident, and energetic. You two give off a really positive energy.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:13 am
Atticus smiled as he looked up at Myles when he pulled back a bit. He was not going to cry, but he could feel his eyes get a little misty because everything Myles said was so sweet. He wasn’t used to being told that he was well spoken. He usually stumbled over his words.
But being around Elliot, and their dads, was very encouraging and helped him feel a lot more confident in himself. He could tell that he was slowly coming out of his shell, and it was all thanks to the people who were in his life now.
“I like you a lot, too. I’m glad we met. I’m sorry it had to be the way it was but… maybe it was better this way,” he suggested, because if they hadn’t met that night, maybe they would have never known each others’ powered identities too.
“Thank you, Myles. I think I needed to hear that. Oh, I guess that’s weird. I mean, I guess it’s harder to get a good perspective when I’m so close. I just see how great he is, and maybe miss seeing if he’s not happy. Because that’s all I want for him. Oh! But it’s be really good if you were happy, too!” Because they were friends now, right?
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:21 am
Myles laughed softly and nodded. “I’m happy,” he promised.
“I’m happy, too,” Elliot said, and though he hadn’t been particularly quiet about coming out of the kitchen, Myles still gasped in surprise and sat up straight. He put his hand over his heart as though it had skipped a beat, and Elliot was temporarily alarmed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you heard me coming, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you! I brought the drinks.”
“I’m sorry,” Myles laughed, and shook his head. “I was just thinking too deeply! Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Oh, yeah–here.” Elliot passed over one cup to Myles and then another to Atticus; he put his own on the table. “I’m going to grab the food in a minute, too. If you’re not hungry, it’s okay. I’m sure Devyn’ll eat it when it gets back, so no pressure. But it looked really good so I wanted a little.” Elliot was mostly teasing, but he’d also gotten in the habit of ‘needing a snack’ to encourage Atticus to eat a little more, too. Or, to get comfortable getting food for himself, or asking for it.
Even though the food was microwaved, it was already starting to smell good.
“It’ll be done soon, and then I’ll come out and sit with you. Don’t have too much fun without me. Do you want some ice, Atticus? Or medicine? Chocolate?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2022 6:28 am
Atticus quickly looked up as well, and while his heart also skipped a beat, it wasn’t from surprise. He smiled brightly up at Elliot when he brought the cups in and graciously took the one that was handed to him.
“Thank you, Elliot,” he smiled, because how could he not smile at Elliot? He also wasn’t sure if Elliot did it on purpose, but there were many times that Atticus wasn’t sure if he should get food when he was hungry, but then Elliot would show up with snacks, as if he knew he’d be hungry.
Elliot really took such good care of him. And Devyn and Michael, and Oliver and Asher always seemed to have extra food available and spoiled him needlessly. It was really sweet, and Atticus was slowly getting used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.
“Maybe just some ice, and you, please?” he requested, already missing Elliot but knowing he’d be coming back. In the meantime, Atticus placed his hand gently on Myles’ arm to give him a few comforting pats.
“Um… maybe some chocolate too,” he sheepishly added as an afterthought.
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