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 Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 5:49 pm
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Everything was going to be okay. That was what he kept being told. That was what he said in return. He wanted to believe that everything would be okay. That this was just a one time incident and that Lucasta was still exaggerating about how many of the Negaverse would need to die in order to right the wrongs in the universe. To remove the Chaos that caused so much damage and death.
He knew the Negaverse was to blame for a lot of heartache. They were to blame for so much death. It was why he felt guilty for wanting to give them, even the woman who almost killed him, another chance. He felt guilty because Amarynthos could have died. Would he still want to give the Negaverse another chance, then? The grandfather he never got to meet was killed by the Negaverse. Wasn’t that enough pain and suffering for one family to deal with?
He’d used some of his magic before the Captain left, but there was enough to help a little. He hoped. Ephesus did his best to heal Amarynthos’ ribs, and Varuna’s bruises. There wasn’t a lot of time for him to inspect his outfit now that it had changed. He could tell his boots were taller. He could feel the lightweight cape that hung around his shoulders but did very little for warmth. Then again, even without time, it was hard to see anything through his tears.
They’d parted ways with Varuna and Lucasta. They’d powered down. He thought he could walk hand in hand with Elliot, but the strange ache in his chest left him winded and the use of his magic left him even more exhausted.
As promised, he quietly told his dads what happened. The Captain had taken his starseed -- but Elliot got it back for him when Lucasta and Varuna intervened. He couldn’t say he was upset when Devyn quickly scooped him up into his arms, where he tried not to cry the rest of the way home, but didn’t quite manage it.
No one talked much on the way home. Probably safer that way. Michael seemed to be on high alert for any auras in the area, and once he had them stop and wait for a couple minutes, before he deemed it safe to continue.
Once home and set down on the couch, Atticus quickly wrapped his arms around Elliot to sob against his shoulder. Michael said something about going to the kitchen to make tea for everyone and mumbled something about texting the Reids to let them know everything was okay. Apparently they’d been visiting Elliot’s parents when they got the alert and had to drop everything.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to get hurt,” he cried softly against Elliot’s shoulder, his hand lightly placed over Elliot’s ribs. They would go to Sessrumnir tomorrow, of course. Once they’d gotten some food and made sure everything there was settled. Just long enough to make sure they’d healed.
“Thank you for saving me,” he sniffled, trying not to get tears and snot all over Elliot’s shoulder, so he rubbed his face with the back of his hand instead.
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 3:29 pm
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Devyn must have expected the tears, because even though he’d been gone for a moment, he’d returned with a box of tissues and placed them within arms reach for Atticus. He didn’t intrude; he knew the boys would need a moment together. He draped a blanket over their shoulders and squeezed Atticus’ shoulder gently before he stepped back.
He could stay far enough away to give them their privacy, but close enough so that they’d know they were safe. He was worried about Michael, so he drifted into the kitchen afterwards to keep an eye on him and see if there was anything he could do.
Elliot was aware of him–grateful for him–but his attention was firmly on Atticus. The healing earlier had helped, but he had an ice pack on his ribs and was working very hard to play off how much it actually hurt.
He reached for a tissue and passed it to Atticus so he didn’t have to use his own hand, but he drew him close and rubbed at his shoulder.
“I got hurt because I was standing where her foot was, that’s not your fault. I’m sorry you got hurt.” He didn’t want to remind that he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do much if Lucasta and Varuna hadn’t shown up when they did; he didn’t want Atticus to feel hopeless or scared.
“She was a lot faster than I thought. It totally caught me off guard. But it’s okay,” he reassured. “Maybe we got lucky, but we’re all here. And as soon as Michael says I can, I’m going to ask him–him and Devyn–to give me extra lessons. I want to get stronger. Are you okay, is there anything I can do?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:39 pm
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Atticus thought he could have easily burst into tears again when Devyn brought him some tissues. Not because he was upset about that, but because Devyn was always so kind to him and cared about him. The blanket was welcome as well, and he made sure to reach over and carefully pull it around Elliot’s shoulder before making sure it was comfortable for him as well.
He would make sure to thank Devyn properly later. And Michael, who he knew cared about them but he was slowly learning that he offered his care a little more subtly than Devyn, like making sure they were safe. It didn’t really occur to him that it was probably incredibly stressful to feel auras pop in and out all the time, especially as just a civilian. But knowing that Michael could made him feel safe.
“I’m okay,” he promised, even as he took the offered tissue and used it to mop up his face. He was upset that his magic didn’t last long. That it didn’t heal more. There had to be something more he could do than just… heal. He could get stronger too, of course! He didn’t want to be the only one left cowering behind his boyfriend. It would be a lot of hard work, but if it helped keep everyone safe, then he was willing to try something.
“I was really scared,” Atticus admitted after a few moments. “I didn’t want her to hurt you. And I was afraid she was really going to take--”
He stopped himself, realizing his hand was on his chest and he was rubbing at it a little too harshly. For his starseed to actually leave his body was… well, he didn’t want that to ever happen again. To anyone.
“We didn’t even do anything to her,” he mumbled softly, a fresh wave of tears filling his eyes. “She just… attacked us for no reason. She didn’t even know us.” How could anyone just attack someone else so easily? Did the Negaverse really just want them dead?
-----
Michael looked up from where he was leaning against the counter when Devyn entered the kitchen. He had his arms crossed over his chest, one hand around his necklace.
“They doing okay?” he asked, his voice quiet so it wouldn’t carry.
His heart was still racing. Just the thought that the boys could have ended up like the Senshi they’d found in the bushes. The one they’d lied to the boys about saying they didn’t find anyone, that whoever had been in trouble before must have gotten away. He knew it wouldn’t do anything, but at least with Varuna making sure they were brought to a hospital, maybe their family could get some closure.
He just wished he would stop picturing the faces of people he knew in their place.
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:57 pm
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“They’re okay,” Devyn promised as he crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Michael. He could guess what he was thinking about. The expression on his face had said plenty even without Michael speaking.
“A little shaken up. But I can’t blame them.” He’d never had his starseed pulled and he wasn’t eager to find out what it was like. The boys were home though, and safe. That was the most important thing.
He drew Michael close to try and make sure he was okay. And, even if he was, it’s not like an extra hug was going to hurt either of them. Devyn hadn’t mentioned if he was shaken up by any of this, but he was practical. He was already thinking about how to make sure the boys healed up, and how to make sure this didn’t happen again. Any distress was already being funneled into ideas for what he could do to fix this.
-
“Some people are just like that,” Elliot said softly. “I don’t know why. Just mean.” She didn’t seem desperate or scared, just menacing. Out for blood. “She probably would have attacked anyone, I don’t think we had anything to do with it.”
He pulled a few more tissues out and passed them over, but he leaned against Atticus so he could hold him close.
“I was scared she was going to hurt you.” Tissues down, he laced his fingers with Atticus’ to make sure he couldn’t rub at his chest like he had been earlier. “I’m okay though, I promise. I feel a little sore, that’s it. So you don't have to worry about me right now. Your healing helped a lot!”
Not a fabrication or fib; he ached now, but he'd hurt earlier. And now that his adrenaline had faded, he was all the more aware of how much damage the Captain had done.
“You did really good though, Atticus. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I don't want it to happen again. I want to find a way to make sure we can be safer. I'm not going to lose you, ever.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 12:49 pm
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Atticus nodded even as he sniffled and wiped his nose and eyes again. He couldn’t imagine being without Elliot. Especially not now that he’d gotten to know him and spent at least a little of every day with him. It helped when they lived so close, of course.
“You won’t lose me. And I won’t lose you,” he promised, looking up at Elliot with a bit of desperation in his eyes. He believed him, of course. If Elliot said that his healing helped, then it did. But that didn’t stop him from worrying.
“You looked really handsome, though,” Atticus mumbled a bit sheepishly, because he knew this probably wasn’t the time to talk about how nice Elliot looked. “I really thought you were going to be able to hold her off with your magic. She definitely hesitated. That’s really impressive.”
It was a little strange to think that they were both Knights now. He wasn’t sure if he’d done enough to deserve it, but he knew he needed to do something. And to do that he needed more power. Thankfully, it seemed as though the Moon was listening. To both of them.
-----
It was instinctual for Michael to uncross his arms to allow Devyn to hug him, and he put his arms around his husband in return. Devyn was always good at knowing when he needed comfort, and Michael let out a sigh and lowered his head so he could rest his chin on Devyn’s shoulder.
“I’m okay,” he promised, even without Devyn having to ask. Just like he didn’t ask if Devyn was okay. He rubbed his back, anyway. Both Elliot and Atticus had been in grave danger. If Varuna and Lucasta hadn’t shown up when they did, well… Michael wasn’t sure if he could handle losing anyone else.
“They should stop powering up and going out without us,” Michael mumbled. It was the only way they could make sure the boys were safe. But wouldn’t that just make them think that they couldn’t be trusted?
“They should be able to just be normal kids,” he tried to explain himself, because he didn’t want them to resent him for being too harsh about it. “They’re barely even teenagers. I have half a mind to talk to the Code the next time I’m on the Moon. Tell it to stop picking children.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 2:38 pm
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Elliot had been nodding along with Atticus’ reassurances–that they weren’t going to lose each other–and then, because he wasn’t expecting it, a bit of color crossed his cheeks when Atticus told him he was handsome.
“I don’t know,” he protested, but his heart certainly wasn’t in it. He laughed, and smiled, and drew Atticus a little closer. “I need to practice more. A lot more. She hesitated, but that didn’t do much good. I’m going to figure out how to use it and I’m going to be more prepared for next time. We’re not going to do that again. You were amazing though, you know that? That’s like–an organ popped out of your body and when it got back in, the first thing you did was try to help everyone else. You were really impressive.”
-----
“It’s okay,” Devyn reassured, because Michael was preparing for things in his own way. He didn’t blame him for being worried or stressed about any of this, and it wasn’t like Devyn wasn’t very upset about the idea of someone hurting their boys.
There were just some things in the universe that he knew he couldn’t control.
“I don’t think they’ll be going out on their own for a while. Let’s let them make that decision and work with them. We’re going to Sessrumnir tomorrow, we’ll talk to them and see what they want to do. If they’re still thinking about going out after this, we’ll make a plan. But, they could get attacked whether they were powered up or not.”
He wasn’t arguing, he just had different thoughts for them to consider, too.
They were never going to be normal kids. Not with what Atticus had already lived through, not with the Negaverse tearing down Elliot’s house. But, he knew what Michael meant when he said it.
“I just want to make sure they’re safe, no matter what they’re doing. I should ask Peter if I can borrow him to help me go through my treasury, there might be something that can help them.”
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:01 pm
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Oh, Elliot blushing was super cute, and even if Atticus felt exhausted and upset about what happened that night, he still couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
When Elliot turned the compliments on him, it was his turn to blush, and he had to bury his face against Elliot’s shoulder to hide how big his grin grew.
“That’s a little weird calling it an organ, isn’t it?” he laughed, but then paused as he peered up at Elliot again. “I mean… I’ve never seen a starseed before. Is it just like… a seed that’s shaped like a star?”
He just realized no one had described what one looked like to him. Kind of like a soul, it was just… there. Until it wasn’t, and then it was obvious how important something like that was.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he admitted, tucking his head against Elliot’s shoulder again, but curling up a little closer next to him. He reached over to help hold the ice pack against Elliot’s ribs, and squeezed the hand that was laced with his. “I just wanted everything to stop.”
-----
Michael knew Devyn wasn’t arguing with him. He couldn’t recall actually arguing with Devyn before. He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be normal, or if it was unique to Devyn.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t huff about it.
“Yeah, well, we could keep them in our sight forever,” he suggested unhelpfully and pressed his face against Devyn’s neck to let out another sigh. He knew it wasn’t realistic, but it would help him not to worry. Then again, he and Devyn would never get time to themselves. But that wasn’t more important than the boys’ safety.
“Peter would help, I know he would,” he agreed. And Peter liked Devyn. He would likely love to help out.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 3:25 pm
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Elliot was pretty sure he could feel the grin, and it inspired another one of his own.
He was glad for a break holding the ice pack; his hand was a little chilly and he drew it to his face to blow a bit of warm air into his palm. “Well, if you didn’t know what you were doing, it just means that you’ve got a strong instinct. So thank you.”
He took a brief break from exhaling on his cold hand to kiss Atticus’ temple and then continued, “You know, I only saw your starseed for a minute, and I wasn’t really paying attention to how it looked. I mean, I was more concerned with getting it back to where it was supposed to be. But it was really pretty. Not star shaped, though. Or seed shaped. It was kind of like…diamond-y? We should go to the craft store soon, the next time you need beads. I’ll come with you, I’ll see if I can find something that looks close.”
-----
“I know he would,” Devyn said, and while Michael leaned close to him he rubbed his back. “If you want to keep the boys in our sight for a while, we can do that too. They’ll get annoyed with us.”
Or not, they were good boys who hadn’t seemed to mind their company so far.
Oliver and Asher seemed to have the same idea; they’d cut through the backyard, and when Devyn saw them hurrying over, he kissed atop his head. “Company,” he said softly, to give Michael a bit of warning.
Only a few seconds later, they were knocking lightly on the back door. Asher wore a stony expression, but Oliver was biting his lip so hard he’d nearly drawn blood.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:07 pm
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Keeping the boys in their sight would be ideal, but he was also worried about them ending up too dependent on them. If something were to happen to him and Devyn, or if some strange occurrence in Destiny City or Space pulled them apart, he didn’t want them to feel helpless away from them.
Michael squeezed Devyn and mumbled a quiet thank you, before releasing him so he could turn to head towards the backdoor to let the Reids in. But not before reaching behind him to take Devyn’s hand.
“They’re okay,” Michael promised the moment he opened the door to let Oliver and Asher in the house. “Elliot will probably have some bruising until we can get him healed up better, and Atticus is shaken up, but doesn’t seem like he has any physical injuries.”
-----
Atticus kept the ice pack carefully in place, but after a few moments of watching Elliot try to warm up his hand -- and the kiss to his temple of course -- Atticus, gently unlaced his fingers with Elliot’s other hand so he could reach up and take hold of that one instead. He pulled it close to place against his warm cheek.
“Okay,” he agreed easily, because no matter what he wanted a chance to spend time with Elliot. He didn’t want to take any of it for granted.
He hadn’t heard the knock on the back door, but looked up when he saw Michael and Devyn passing by, and he twisted a little where he was sitting to try and see around the corner.
“I think your dads are here,” he said quietly, and normally he would have jumped up to greet them, but he didn’t want Elliot moving while he was injured.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 6:30 pm
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Instinctively, Devyn squeezed Michael’s hand. Oliver and Asher shuffled in, and while Asher had one hand on his husband’s shoulder, Oliver was wringing his hands together nervously.
“Can we see them?” Oliver asked quickly, quietly. His voice was quiet, just above a whisper, but it might not have even been intentional. He had a difficult time raising his voice when significantly stressed or worried, and even if Micahel said they were okay, he was still going to fret.
-
Elliot lifted his head just slightly to listen, and he was pretty sure he caught the soft spoken voices, too. It made sense; he wasn’t surprised if they were over already.
“Oh, okay,” he said softly, and reached for another tissue. “Come here, let me get your face a little. Dad’s gonna cry, it’ll be okay. He’s just worried. He can’t help it, it’s just because he cares so much. And if you cry, it’s okay. He’ll cry more too. But–you know him,” he said. He wasn’t apologizing for his father, he loved him. In a lot of ways, Atticus and Oliver had many things in common, and maybe that was why it was easy for Elliot to be comfortable around Atticus.
Well, that and he really liked Atticus and couldn't help that he wanted to give him a reason to smile.
He was gentle as he dabbed at Atticus’ face, and then kissed his nose while they still had a little privacy.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 7:41 pm
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“Of course, absolutely,” Oliver insisted, and Asher was already nodding in agreement. He was quiet, but visibly chewing on the inside of his cheek while Oliver spoke. “We’d sleep on the floor, we don’t need anything special.”
Oliver tried to smile but it was shaky and uncertain. “We can go get our blankets and pajamas in a little bit. As long as you don’t mind us being over here, we’re more than happy to be here. I mean, I’d rather be here. With them. And you, I know it’s safe with you.”
Asher squeezed Oliver’s shoulder and nodded, and finally he said, “Thank you for looking after them. I know you said it could be dangerous, but.” He didn’t want to say that he thought they needed a break. He just thought it, very loudly.
-----
“It’s okay,” Elliot soothed, and because his parents hadn’t come in yet, he kissed Atticus again–this time, briefly, on the lips. “If you cry, it’s okay. I promise. Just don’t be surprised. You know my parents love you. And they love you for who you are, just like me. Tears and all.”
The tears weren’t so bad, anyway. He smiled reassuringly and dabbed at Atticus’ cheeks gently once more before he balled up the tissue paper and placed his hand over Atticus’ atop the ice pack. “We can get up and go visit them before they get worked up. And maybe we can get some ice cream or something.”
He wasn’t really hungry, but the more normal they acted, the better it would be for all of them.
Elliot was still a bit shaken from everything, and his side hurt, but he wiggled a bit and pushed himself up, even if it meant he had to exhale through his nose as he stood, and squeeze Atticus’ hand a little extra tight.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:42 pm
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“Don’t be silly. You’re not going to sleep on the floor,” Michael insisted. He couldn’t hear Asher’s thoughts, but he felt like he could decipher his expression, and the one he returned in his direction was similar. He absolutely thought that Elliot and Atticus needed a break. They should have a chance to be as normal kids as possible, even if they weren’t normal kids.
“Come on, I’m sure they know we’re loitering out here,” he suggested, making sure the door was shut and locked behind them just in case. “There’s nothing in the area right now,” he hoped to reassure them. There usually wasn’t in that neighborhood, but if they got worried, they could always reach out to Jeremy and Soleiyu, he knew.
-----
The kiss was enough to have Atticus settle a bit. He watched Elliot with adoring eyes, his cheeks flushing darker at Elliot’s sweet words.
He felt as though he knew how Elliot felt, just as he felt the same, but they’d never said it as directly as when talking about their parents. He couldn’t even be certain if Elliot meant to say it like he did, but it didn’t change how he felt.
Would it be wrong of him to say something like that after almost dying? What if Elliot didn’t believe him? No, that wasn’t right. Elliot would. He just wanted to make sure he knew how much he meant it.
“Me too,” he said quietly, carefully pushing himself up as well, keeping his hand holding tightly to Elliot’s as he stood up. “I love you for who you are, too.” He just needed to stop his lip from trembling and keep the tears held back now.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:58 pm
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Elliot looked at Atticus for a few seconds, smiled, and then squeezed his hand again. “Good. Come on,” he encouraged. He moved slowly, but he stood tall and put on his best air of comfortable nonchalance.
It didn’t fool either of his fathers. Asher steeled himself; he pressed his lips together tightly and his brows knitted together just slightly as he looked over the two.
He couldn’t stop Oliver, and made no effort to try. Elliot’s prediction was spot on; Oliver’s eyes were misty by the time he reached them. He’d taken long steps and opened his arms but hesitated just before squeezing them both. “I want to hug you.”
“We want to hug you,” Elliot answered. He lowered the ice pack and opened his free arm to invite his father in.
Devyn briefly tensed, because he knew what Elliot was doing and was concerned with him letting himself get hurt by trying to play it cool. He didn’t want Michael worrying about those things too, so he stroked the back of his hand absentmindedly.
Asher followed after Oliver, only slightly more restrained as he looked the two boys over.
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 6:10 am
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Atticus did his best to follow Elliot’s lead. He stood up a bit straighter, used the back of his hand to quickly wipe away any lingering wetness from his face, and held tightly to Elliot’s hand to make sure he was okay with walking.
When Oliver reached out to them, Atticus wrapped his arm around him in return, although he somehow managed to resist clinging to him. Mostly because he wanted to hug Asher, too.
He knew Elliot was in pain, but he was also so brave and strong, and if he wanted to convince his parents that he was better than he actually was, then Atticus wasn’t going to blow his cover if he could help it.
“We’re sorry we worried you,” Atticus said with as even of a voice as he could manage.
“It’s not your fault,” Michael insisted when Atticus apologized. He was worried about Elliot pretending he was okay for his parents’ benefit, and appreciated the temporary distraction from Devyn.
“We’ll be going to the Springs tomorrow,” he said to Oliver and Asher, although he mentioned something vague about it in a text earlier. Nothing that would make anyone who didn’t already know about Sessrumnir suspicious at least.
“You’re both welcome to come too. I might be able to manage it. Devyn should be able to get there on his own. Not sure if the magic works the same or if it’s a one person thing, but we can find out.”
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