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 Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:19 pm
When things were quiet again, when Soleiyu had left with Brooklyn, and Elliot and Atticus had gotten back on their feet to start heading home, that was when Michael and Devyn made their presence known. They stepped out from behind some nearby trees and reassured the boys that they weren’t spying or eavesdropping, but had gotten Atticus’ text and arrived shortly after the youma had been dusted.
While Atticus sobbed into Devyn’s arms, apologizing for worrying them, Michael took the time to check on Elliot’s wounds. Ephesus’ magic helped a significant amount it seemed, but he was concerned about the bruising around Elliot’s ribs. And even more concerned to find out that Elliot had been coughing up blood.
Which led to two options, of which Dairy Queen was not one: going to the hospital or going to Sessrumnir.
Michael wasn’t heartless, though. They did stop by a Dairy Queen to pick up food. They collected some supplies from the house, let Asher and Oliver know that the boys were fine, just going to make sure things didn’t suddenly get worse.
The grand tour of Sessrumnir would have to wait for some other time, unfortunately. Michael had powered up and took them directly to the Springs. He knew it was Elliot’s first time there, but he was also concerned about his injuries. They’d brought a stack of towels and clean clothes, and once they were in one of the sectioned off areas with some of the smaller pools used specifically for observed healing, Michael helped Elliot into the water.
He and Devyn had stepped out of the man-made room within the caves, telling them to just shout if they needed anything because they’d be close by.
Atticus had his legs drawn up against his chest as he sat at the edge of the pool next to where Elliot was resting his head. He had his hand gently brushing through Elliot’s hair, and was doing his best not to start crying again. He didn’t like seeing Elliot hurt, but he was grateful that Michael had a place to take them to heal faster.
He didn’t know what to say. His throat felt raw and his emotions were frazzled. He knew they were planning on talking to Brooklyn the next day, but he wondered if it would be better if it was just Elliot who talked to her.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, because everything he did felt like it had been done wrong.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:26 pm
Elliot must have said he was fine a dozen times, and he’d promised he’d only bitten his cheek when he landed, and busted his lip some. He felt sore, and that was it. And hungry. Even if he’d just had dinner not so long ago, he’d burnt up a lot of energy.
Emotions were exhausting.
But, Michael was great. Devyn was great. Sessrumnir was great.
Atticus was great.
It would have been easy to fall asleep here, in the warm pool, while Atticus played with his hair. He didn’t want to admit that he liked the tenderness, and he wasn’t as tough as Michael or Devyn, even if he did try his hardest. He didn’t want Atticus to have to worry about him any more than he already was.
He knew there were problems stirring even before Atticus apologized.
Elliot rolled his head a bit so he could look up at Atticus.
“Hey,” he said gently. “I promise, Atticus, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”
He kept his voice low, just in case Michael and Devyn weren’t as far away as they said they’d be. “I’m really proud of you. You did a really good job today. It would have been much better if I hadn’t gotten distracted and got hurt. Your magic really helped, though. I’m so glad you’re on my team.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:37 pm
Atticus chewed on his lip, his chin resting on his knees. He could see and feel Elliot turning his head to look up at him, but Atticus couldn’t bring himself to meet his eye. He knew Elliot was proud of him. Elliot was sweet like that. But Atticus wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong when it came to their friend. Brooklyn had been clearly upset with him to the point of ignoring him, so he couldn’t have done all that well that day.
And he hated feeling like that. He didn’t like questioning himself again, not after finally getting used to being more confident in himself. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Devyn what was upsetting him, but he could tell that his dad suspected he was being hard on himself.
He combed his fingers through Elliot’s hair a few more times, and then he pulled his hand away. He quickly tugged off his shoes and socks, but that was all before he lowered his legs into the water, and then slid all the way in next to Elliot. He didn’t need the healing magic from the Springs, but he needed to be close to Elliot.
“I’m glad you’re okay and that my magic helped,” he sniffled a little, his arm already settling over Elliot’s waist and his cheek rested against his shoulder. “I wanted to help you. I didn’t want to hide. I wasn’t trying-- I just wanted to make things easier for you,” he tried to explain, his voice quiet but the distress growing with each word.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 1:47 pm
When Elliot realized what Atticus was doing, he moved just enough that when Atticus joined him, he could easily wrap his arm around him. He was being good and soaking, even if he was pretty sure Michael was being a little dramatic. It was better than the hospital, even if he was sorely tempted to slip out of the springs and try to explore some.
“You did make things easier for me, Atticus,” he answered. He listened to what Atticus said, he always did. He wanted to hear what he was saying and what he wasn’t. “I wasn’t sure what was following Soleiyu. He said it was a youma, but there’s too many of them to know. I figured if it was big enough that it was chasing him, it was probably dangerous. But that means we couldn’t let it run free.”
He rested his head against Atticus; he’d seen how he’d been a bit avoidant before, so Elliot didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. They could hold each other and be close, that was good enough for him.
“I thought the smartest thing to do would be to call your dads, because if it was something really bad, we wouldn’t be rushing into an unwinnable fight. We couldn’t see the enemy and we didn’t have time to talk. I’m sorry, I was probably bossy. I thought, if you took Soleiyu and Brooklyn to the bathroom, you could call for help. I thought, I’m fast. I can outrun it. I’ve got an energy signature, it’ll see me as a threat and buy you some time. I didn’t really anticipate Brooklyn was going to be a Knight, too. I mean, not like that. I was going to ask if you wanted to go up to the Moon and talk to the Code to see if it could help, but I guess something else was keeping an eye out for her.”
He might have been a Squire, but he still didn’t really understand all of it. He was just trying to be careful, trying to make sure that he didn’t rush into things he wasn’t prepared for. He didn’t want to make his parents worry, or Atticus, or Michael, or even Brooklyn. Now that she knew what was really going on.
“I guess, I never saw it as you hiding,” he admitted. “I thought, ‘Atticus has the most important job, he needs to get help’. I didn’t think you were weak. I mean, I know I’m faster than you,” he said, but it wasn’t with any attempt to hurt Atticus’ feelings. “I have more stamina. And, I’m way more annoying, so I was really sure I could distract the youma. But I wasn’t even planning on fighting it, I just wanted to buy time. I knew that if I got hurt, you could heal me. But I can’t heal like you can. I’m sorry, Atticus. It made sense in my head. I didn’t realize that those things could come across like I thought you couldn't handle the fight. I mean, when Sol first came out, I wasn’t sure if we could handle it. He knows way more about this stuff than we do, and he was spooked. I thought the safest thing to do would be to get help. But I don’t want you to ever feel like you aren’t an equal part on this team, and I don’t want to ever make you feel like I don’t need you, or that I think you’re weak or anything. Because, I really, really don’t think you’re weak. I know you’re not a coward. You’re smart, and resourceful, and compassionate, and I trust you completely. But if I made a bad call and made you feel bad today, I don’t want to do it again. We can talk about it, and the next time something else happens, we’ll be ready for it. We can figure out other options instead. We can work on plans that we’re both happy with.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 2:23 pm
Atticus was quiet as Elliot spoke. Or at least as quiet as he could be while sniffling to himself. He wasn’t trying to make a lot of noise. He wanted to hear everything Elliot said, and not just because he really liked his voice.
As he spoke, Atticus gently brushed his hand over Elliot’s side where he’d been injured. He had no healing magic when he wasn’t Ephesus, but he hoped Elliot could understand how much he cared about him with just a gentle touch.
“I know you didn’t think that. I didn’t think that, either. Not… not until…”
Atticus hadn’t considered himself being weak or a coward until Brooklyn accused them of saying she was. And then he wasn’t so sure.
Elliot was resting his head against him, and he didn’t want to jostle him but --
Carefully, he pulled away. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt Elliot as he moved and shifted some, kneeling up a bit so he could look at Elliot better, even if it was a little awkward in the water. He reached up to place a hand on Elliot’s cheek as he looked at him for a few moments, and then leaned close to kiss him.
“I trust you, Elliot,” he whispered as he pulled back, resting his forehead against Elliot’s for the moment. “And I want you to trust me, too. Which means if you need me to do something, I want you to know that I’ll do it. That’s… that’s what I did. When I got to the bathroom, I texted Devyn for help. Brooklyn was already upset so I couldn’t call them but--”
But Devyn and Michael showed up, even if it was after the youma had been dusted, so they would have had help if they needed it.
“You weren’t being bossy. I’ve never thought you were bossy. I’ve always thought you were very intelligent and clever and, I mean. I know you know I’m not a good runner, so I thought you wanted to buy time I just… I couldn’t convince her to trust you. I’m sorry. You didn’t make a bad call. I just… I wasn’t able to do my part well.”
Because then Elliot got distracted and then hurt, and Atticus blamed himself for that.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 2:32 pm
“Don’t say that,” Elliot said, and it was his turn to draw back for just long enough to kiss Atticus’ forehead. He was quick to return to the position they’d been in before and he gently rested his forehead against Atticus’. “You did your part well. Really well. I had absolute faith in you, Atticus. Without a doubt in my mind, I knew I could count on you. You did everything perfectly. And I really appreciate you trusting me. And having my back. I think we’re a really good team. I think,” he drew in a breath, and seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
“Brooklyn is just used to taking care of herself. I don’t think she really knows how to trust anyone. If I had to guess, I’d bet that she’s been let down before, so it’s easier for her to trust herself. But, I don’t know. She was scared,” he shrugged. “Youma are scary, I don’t care what anyone says. I mean, maybe not to your dads, but they are definitely the outlier. But, I guess she’s afraid of people seeing her as weak. I don’t know. It makes sense? But it doesn’t make sense, too. Everyone’s different. I just hope Sol can talk to her and make her feel better about things. It’s a lot to take in. I was really lucky that I had you with me. And we’re really lucky that we have Devyn and Michael to help us. I’ve never doubted any of you.”
He knew Brooklyn didn’t have that. Logically, he could explain it. Emotionally, he had hurt feelings. Physically, he hurt, but he’d be fine.
“I’m really proud of you, Atticus. You did your part perfectly. And we’re all okay. I mean, maybe a little worse for wear, but we’ll talk to Brooklyn tomorrow and get things sorted out. But. You’re not weak. And you’re not a coward. And if anyone would know, it’s Devyn and Michael, and I’ve never heard them say anything except for how proud they are of you. I don’t want you to get stuck thinking about that though, okay? I know you’re hard on yourself. I know you’re used to criticizing yourself and trying to figure out what you need to do to ‘be better’, to make other people happy, but I just want you to know that I wouldn’t change a thing about you. I think you did great today. And you were so cool when you came over and healed me. You’re getting so good at that.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 2:57 pm
“I just wanted her to be safe,” he let out a quiet sob. “I want her to be happy. I know what it’s like to… to have nothing. I know I might have had a roof over my head and the illusion of a parent but they were horrible to me. I know that now. Before I just thought it was normal. What they did, what they put me through--”
Atticus made himself stop talking about it before he could get even more upset. He didn’t want to start crying again. He didn’t think he had any tears left in him, anyway. Well… no, he was pretty sure he could cry more, but it was so exhausting.
“I’ve never thought of her as weak. I’ve only thought of her as a friend. And running from a youma doesn’t give us much time to think.” He would have tried to strategize with her once they got to the bathroom, but her becoming a Knight and insisting on fighting when he was trying to make sure Elliot could power up without being seen--
He knew Brooklyn told them she wouldn’t give their identities away, and he believed that, but there were so many unknowns. The fact that she’d been in contact with a Negaverse officer interested in her recruitment was still very concerning because she was in danger of them trying to go after her.
But Elliot’s comment about him being cool had him letting out a disbelieving breath, and he pulled back just a little to give him a wary and skeptical look, yet still filled with so much fondness.
“I don’t know if that’s the right word for it. Sol is really heavy, you know.” It was a struggle to carry him over, and he could hardly see through his tears.
“I’m proud of you, you know. I always am. You’re always so kind and thoughtful. I know my emotions catch up with me sometimes… Thank you for not seeing me as weak or a coward. I was scared. And I don’t think it’s wrong to be afraid. Just as long as it doesn’t make you forget what’s important.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:04 pm
The corner of Elliot’s lip twisted into a smile when Atticus looked at him like that. “It’s the right word, Atticus. I was starstruck. And Soleiyu is a big cat, but you carried him around and kept him safe. You know, not that I would judge someone–probably–if they were weak, or a coward, but. Being afraid and still acting is not cowardly. That’s the exact opposite. Being scared and still rushing into danger is very brave.”
He drew Atticus a little closer, partly so he could lean against him, and partly because he just wanted to plant another little kiss on his cheek.
“You were really heroic. And I’ll always do my best to make you proud. My emotions catch up with me sometimes too. Just in a different way. Anyway, no matter how scared I ever get, I’ll never forget what’s important. Which is you, by the way. I’d do anything to keep you safe. And not because I think you’re weak, but because you’re important to me. And I think we’re a better team than we are solo. Hey, but I’m really proud of you for acknowledging that they were horrible to you, before. I know you always try to see the good in people, so I know that’s probably not easy for you. But that’s not how you ever should have been treated. You,” he drew him a little closer, “deserve to be spoiled, and pampered. You saved me, can you imagine how much Michael would have nagged at me if he saw how beat up I was before? I’m glad we got to come here instead of the hospital. This is much better. And this is where you and Devyn came before? It feels a little spooky. But I like it. You know, like a home away from home? …I really want to go exploring.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:10 pm
He was still looking at Elliot a bit skeptically, and squeaked a little when he was pulled closer, but settled easily against Elliot once he had another kiss on his cheek.
“You were in a lot of pain,” he gently reminded Elliot, now knowing he was definitely being a bit silly saying he was starstruck. But he appreciated the praise Elliot gave him, and returned his own kiss to Elliot’s cheek.
“Yeah, this is where Michael brought me after I was hurt. Devyn stayed with me,” he confirmed with a contented sigh as he rested his head on Elliot’s shoulder. Oh, but he was close enough that he could tilt his head back and kiss his jaw if he wanted to. Which he did.
“It’s more spooky here than in the rest of the building. It’s really cool. I hope we have some time to explore. There’s a bunch of different libraries, and a lot of art that Percy did. I’m surprised we haven’t felt more of the thunder. When I was here last, it was storming really bad. I mean… we’re on Jupiter.”
Every so often there was a rumble, but it was quiet.
“Thank you for always being so supportive, Elliot. I think we make a really great team, too. I always feel more like myself around you. And I hope you don’t mind if I spoil and pamper you, too.” Because Elliot deserved everything he could give him.
And for now, it was another kiss.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:23 pm
The kiss was obviously appreciated, and Elliot beamed shortly after receiving the attention. “Oh, I’d love for you to spoil and pamper me. This is definitely a two way street. I’m happy with you no matter what’s going on, so if you’re pampering me, or I’m pampering you, or we’re pampering each other, I’m happy.”
The water felt nice, and though he was tempted to close his eyes for a moment, he managed to resist that–and the urge to sink a little lower and try to doze in the comfortable pool.
“I hope you always get to be yourself. I’ll do anything I can to make sure that you get to be. I’m so lucky to get to know you, I just want you to know that. Like, I’ve had friends before, good friends, but I feel legitimately lucky to be your friend. Or maybe that’s just my heart talking. I don’t know.” A kiss, because maybe it didn’t matter.
“Michael needs to bring us up here more often, not just when we get hurt.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:35 pm
Atticus could feel his heart fluttering as Elliot spoke. He always said such kind things, Was always gentle without treating Atticus as though he were broken. Elliot had always made him feel like he was worth something, and Atticus couldn’t remember feeling like that before.
“My heart feels the same,” he said quietly, fingers carding gently through Elliot’s dark hair as Atticus rested beside him in the warm water. “I like how I feel when I’m with you. I like how you make me feel. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I’d gotten the courage to talk to you sooner. Instead of you finding me in a, um, awkward situation.”
Being caught scrounging for food in a dumpster wasn’t exactly the most romantic first meeting, but Elliot had been compassionate enough to give Atticus a chance at friendship. And then more.
“I guess it’s not fair for me to question if you really felt starstruck or not,” he admitted with a soft sigh, pressing another kiss to Elliot’s cheek, and then his ear. “I feel starstruck whenever I see you. My heart skips beats when you smile, and your voice is so kind and soothing, I could listen to you for hours.”
He knew he was lucky to be Elliot’s friend, and even more lucky that Elliot was interested enough to be his boyfriend. While Atticus didn’t want to mess things up between them, he knew in his heart that, as long as things continued as they were, there was little to no possibility of that happening. Not when Elliot was so kind and understanding.
“We should absolutely ask him to bring us here more. There’s so much to explore. Devyn and I only stayed to the places where he was most familiar, but there’s so much, Elliot.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:45 pm
Elliot laughed softly and pressed a little closer. He had a smile on his face that reached his eyes, and even with as tired as he was he couldn’t help how giddy Atticus made him feel.
“I wish we’d gotten to talk sooner. I don't know how much would have changed. I would have still wanted Michael and Devyn to adopt you. But I would have liked to be your friend. I just think about all the years we missed out on, and all the things I wish I could have done to make your life easier. But. I know we can’t change the past or anything. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you have a really good future, though. And I’m really looking forward to it. All of it.”
The warmth of the pool and the comfort of Atticus next to him could have easily lulled him to nap, but the excitement of Jupiter was enough to keep him awake. For now.
“Especially exploring new places with you. I don't know, it feels so exciting. And this place feels…kind of like I’m itching to run around and do something. Maybe it’s all the electricity in the air. I feel like there’s something I forgot to do that I have to go check on. Like I’m late to return a library book.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 3:54 pm
Atticus laughed softly as well, comfortable with his forehead pressed against Elliot’s cheek, and his arm over his chest.
“I’m really looking forward to a future with you. We have so much to do. Sessrumnir to explore. Alastor. The moon. Maybe even Stirling, if Brooklyn wants company,” he hummed softly. He felt light and warm, and it had nothing to do with the water.
And as excited as he was that Elliot was his boyfriend and they had plans to have a future together, his tongue still held back some of the things he wanted to say. Maybe because he didn’t want to push his luck, or maybe because he didn’t want Elliot to feel like he was being forced into feeling things he didn’t feel. Atticus was happy being Elliot’s friend -- his boyfriend. Excited to share every adventure with him.
Just because he held it in his heart instead of saying it out loud didn’t mean he didn’t feel deeply for Elliot. But… it had been easy to tell Devyn how he felt. Maybe because it meant something different than the way he felt about Elliot. Loving someone as a parent was different than how he felt for someone he would have happily called his soulmate. Ah, but they were also still young. Maybe that was another reason why Atticus held himself back.
Instead he just held onto Elliot and let out a contented sigh.
“Whatever you want to do, I want to do. Even if it’s running around. I’ll help you find which library to return your book to,” he gently teased, but he hoped Elliot knew he just meant he felt the same way.
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 4:12 pm
“It’s a good thing we awakened so young, we’ll need all that extra time to fix up the Moon,” Elliot mused. “And Sessrumnir, and Alastor, if they’ll let us. We have to go bother Devyn, I want to go back. I hope Stirling wants help,” he sighed. “I’d like to show her the Moon, I feel like she’d like it. It’s very peaceful up there. And if we can get all those flowers growing again? I bet it would be even better. Ah,” he sighed contentedly, with great enthusiasm.
He was tired. But it was hard to want to sit still around here. He wanted to go tell Michael that he was feeling better already, but practically speaking, he knew he still needed to take it easy. His parents would be worried if he didn’t heal all the way, and he supposed he should make the best of as much time as they had here.
“Healing springs are pretty cool, I guess. My skin feels kind of tingly. Or maybe that’s just because you’re sitting so close,” he teased, and kissed Atticus so he’d know that he was happy with their closeness.
“I wouldn’t make you run, we’ve had enough of that for today. Do you think Michael would let us borrow any books if we found any that looked interesting? I mean, we’d take good care of it. I’m just kind of curious, you know? I wonder if we’ll be able to read any of it. Or Devyn, maybe?”
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 4:20 pm
He liked the kisses, and the reassurance, and everything that has to do with Elliot. He was still a little upset that Elliot had been hurt in the first place, but he was relieved that he was mostly healed already.
“I hope Michael will let us. We could definitely ask,” he agreed, because there were a lot of things he would like to look through, even though he wasn’t that great when it came to reading. And books in another language seemed to be even worse of an idea.
“If anyone could read them, Devyn would. I bet he’d know which books had the best stories. I know there’s a lot of books with maps and pictures. I guess they kept track of those kinds of things here.”
It was all pretty neat how much information and art was kept there. It was almost like an endless library or museum or art gallery, or all of the above.
He kept his hand on Elliot’s chest, his fingers gently brushing along the submerged fabric of his shirt. Atticus had his own reasons for not wanting to take off his clothes to get into the water, but he couldn’t say he would have been disappointed if Elliot at least took his shirt off. Oh, but maybe he should be thinking more about Elliot getting better rather than thinking about how athletic he was, even though he was only a teenager.
“I like being close to you. I feel safe when I’m with you,” he smiled as he closed his eyes again, listening to the sound of the water and distant thunder and Elliot’s voice. “And I would like to read all of the books here with you. Or at least look at the pictures if we can’t understand what’s written.”
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