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 Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:30 am
For most of the three days Michael spent horribly sick, he couldn’t even think clearly enough to feel guilty that Devyn was doting on him and taking care of him. Later he would feel bad, because he knew Devyn wasn’t feeling all that great, either. He might have been good at convincing Michael with smiles and sweet words, but Michael still had the necklace that synced up with Devyn, making it easier than Devyn probably liked for Michael to tell when something was off. It wasn’t fool proof, and he was sure Devyn could easily lie to him and get away with it, but Michael thought he was pretty good at telling the difference, usually.
The boys were told, of course, since instead of a day spent on Alastor, it was decided that they would be careful and stay there longer, so as not to bring anything back to Earth. They had to contact Soleiyu, who passed the message along so the boys didn’t have to power up. They even managed to let Atticus see that his dads were okay, if not a bit sick and having to rest, by using Soleiyu’s phone to video chat with Devyn. Regular messages to let them know everything was okay was sent as well.
As for Michael, he slept most of those three days. Or slept as much as his body would let him. He felt achy and lethargic, like a bad flu. But Devyn took such good care of him. He made sure he soaked in nice baths and made sure to use all of his fancy shampoos and soaps to help him feel better. He had a nice fire to keep the room warm, and burned nice incense, and made Michael fresh medicine, and read him stories, and always made sure to have food for him if he was hungry. He wasn’t, usually, but tried to eat a little for Devyn’s sake. The wound he had was bandaged up, but Michael was still rather weirded out about the black on his fingers and hands.
By the fourth day, Michael was starting to feel better, and with Devyn’s help managed to make it out to the garden to rest in the shade while Devyn tended to the herbs and flowers and other things he had growing.
He’d been dozing off when he felt lips on his cheek, and he smiled in the haze between sleep and awake, and opened his eyes so he could smile up at his husband.
But ended up yelping in surprise to find one of those gold horned goats had been trying to nibble at him, instead.
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:41 am
“I have told you, four times, to let him sleep,” Devyn huffed as he took long strides to make it back to Michael’s side. He must have already noticed the goats getting too close because he’d been over in the garden and left Michael under a shady tree and was still there almost as soon as it was bothering him.
The goat wasn’t yet full-sized, and even if it had been Devyn still would have tried to pick it up. He hooked one arm under it and picked it up so he could wag his finger at it. “He doesn’t even have treats. I’ve told you that. I’m sorry, Michael. I’ve spent all morning telling them how soft your lips are, I guess she just couldn’t help herself.”
As he held her under one arm, she went half limp and bleated in protest, but she was small enough that she’d probably been born around here–which undoubtedly meant that Devyn had been picking her up and carrying her since she was much smaller. Despite her annoyance, she didn’t kick–probably because she recognized that Devyn was reaching into his pocket to give her a treat. He hand fed-her a bit of granola bar before he put her down and patted her on the flank to shoo her off.
She didn’t go far. A few feet off, she chewed on some grass and seemed as if she were debating the value in trying again.
Devyn sat down next to Michael with a heavy sigh. His hair was tied up to keep cool but it was clear that he’d been busy at work under the sun. He was ready for a break in the shade, although he would have much rather it been on his own time and not a goat’s. He wiped his hand off on the side of his pants and used his sleeve to brush at Michael’s cheek before teasing his hair. “I hope she didn’t pull you out of a good dream.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:55 am
Despite being kissed by a goat, Michael was first glad that it hadn’t gone after his hair, and the second was that at least Devyn was in good spirits to joke about talking to the goats about his lips.
He blinked blearily as he refamiliarized himself with where he was, and managed an appreciative smile up at Devyn when he sat down next to him.
“My hero. Thank you. Keeping all those kids away,” he snorted softly in amusement. While Devyn brushed his cheek and hair, Michael reached out to drape his arm across Devyn’s lap, if only so he could have a few moments of relishing his presence.
Michael eyed the goats as they bleated and flicked their little tails and looked like they might be ignoring them now, but he could see the way a couple of them stepped so nonchalantly closer as they grazed.
“Not sure if I would call it a good dream, but I think it might have been a memory,” he admitted, although he felt guilty about it because he couldn’t remember all of the details now.
It would have been mean to tease Devyn with mention of a memory without continuing, so while Michael tried making himself a little more comfortable next to his husband, he tried to replay back everything in his head.
“It was dark. Raining. Memories are weird. Most of the time it’s like watching something from a third party perspective. I don’t know how that works, but it does. Or I feel emotions that I can only associate with memories because I don’t think I’d feel that way otherwise. But this time I felt like I was Percy in this dream… In all the dreams I’ve been having in the last few days,” he confessed, although this was the first time he’d mentioned even having dreams.
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:06 am
There was a brief moment where Devyn tilted his head to look at Michael with a questioning look in his eye, but it was short lived and he seemed to relax soon enough. He hadn’t known Michael was having dreams, but Michael was also very sick. It wasn’t something upsetting, though it was still a bit surprising.
He smoothed Michael’s hair again, and with his other hand lightly traced his fingers up and down the arm in his lap.
One of the smaller goats–young, maybe only a few weeks, stumbled closer. It bleated needily, so Devyn absentmindedly reached behind him to scoop it up and put it in his lap next to Michael’s hand before he resumed stroking his arm.
“I suppose that makes sense. You’ve never spent this much time on Alastor. Percy was very connected to this world, he had a lot of memories tied here. Rain, though.” He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “If you remember anything else, let me know. Maybe I can fill in the gaps.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:18 am
There was a part of him that wondered if he should keep the dreams to himself. They seemed personal, and he couldn’t tell if Percy was letting him see them on purpose or if it was just a result of being on Alastor. He didn’t want to bring up any bad memories, especially not when Devyn was likely still feeling a bit under the weather as well.
Michael tipped his head a bit to glance over at the baby goat with a smile, and then let himself shut his eyes again as he enjoyed the gentle touches from Devyn.
“He was crying-- ah, but I guess that’s not going to help narrow anything down,” Michael admitted a bit guiltily. He didn’t want to give Percy a hard time, though. He would never give Atticus a hard time about his emotions, either.
“Kept holding onto his necklace. Which I’m assuming was also common. But he was also calling for you. Desperately. I think you were walking away from him.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:24 am
While Michael spoke, Devyn redirected his gaze to his fingertips against Michael’s skin. The tips of his fingers were a pale grey, almost unnoticeable, especially because he kept digging in the dirt and keeping himself busy. He was more concerned with Michael’s skin, anyway.
The corner of his lip twitch into a smile when Micahel mentioned Percy’s tears. If he was teasing, Devyn wasn’t offended. He loved Percy, loved everything about him. Every last tear was precious to him, even if he’d tried his hardest to keep Percy from ever having to shed a single one.
“I can only think of a handful of times I ever would have walked away from him. If he said my name, I was by his side. Except,” he sighed heavily and leaned back slightly so he could look up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves above them.
“When Marius had me tethered. Such a brat, he made Percy cry so much. But Perce was so clever, he figured it out. He knew I’d never ignore him. Never abandon him. He didn’t give up on me, he went out and solved the mystery and brought me back to my senses. I mean, I was always there. But it felt like being trapped below the ice. I could see the other side but I couldn’t break through. Old magic is dangerous, Michael. I suppose I don’t have to tell you that. Sometimes I wonder if there are still things out there that I haven’t found. If any of that Chaos had gotten ahold of it–if someone got anything they could use to hurt someone else…”
He’d confiscated a number of artifacts over the years, often in large batches that he took by force to prevent misuse and abuse. Now, they were in a trove under the Hall, and he’d started trying to catalog them, but he realized rather quickly that it was too big of a project for him to juggle while managing everything else. He still needed to talk to Peter, but the Hall was safe and secure and livable right now.
“I can’t say I’d understand why Perce would want to show you that,” he admitted. “But we did go to Villefort, so maybe that has something to do with it. You’re sick though, you should be having good dreams.” He sighed wearily. “I wish I had the music box, that would help you sleep.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:27 am
“I’d imagine it would have to be powerful and dangerous to keep you from doing exactly what you wanted -- or didn’t,” Michael frowned as he could only imagine what it would have been like. He didn’t envy Devyn. Nor did he envy Percy.
Still, he wasn’t sure why he was getting pieces of dreams like that. Other than the fact that they’d gone to Villefort, as Devyn had suggested. Maybe that was what triggered those memories, but he couldn’t be sure.
Something told him that there might be more to it than just dreams.
But his head hurt too much when he tried doing anything more than rest.
“I can hear it in my head,” he promised, kneading Devyn’s leg with his fingers as he kept his arm stretched out over him. The little goat was in reach too, and he brushed its fur with the back of his hand. “Or I just imagine you humming it to me when you’re not already doing that. You have a nice voice, Devyn. Maybe I’ll have you record it for me. That way I can always have something nice to listen to.”
He was being sincere! Even if the sickness was making him a little disoriented.
“I don’t understand how you got trapped by a kid, though. You have a soft spot for them, clearly.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:34 am
“Are you saying that because this little one has conned me, too?” he asked; he had gotten distracted petting the tiny goat, whose eyes were fluttering shut at all the attention. When he was certain that Michael was giving her enough attention, he shifted his back to his husband and ran his fingers through his hair instead.
The goat smelled too much like flowers for Devyn to worry about rubbing anything off on Michael.
“I’ll record whatever you like. But I’ll always be here to sing to you, too,” he promised. Just in case any of Percy’s feelings were seeping in. He didn’t want Micahel to be weighed down with thoughts of Devyn’s back or not being able to reach him.
“I hope Percy shows you how pathetic Marius looked back then, you’d have been weak for him, too. Pale, skinny. Gaunt. He moved like a wraith and sickness clung to him like shackles. One foot in his grave, and here he is, using all of his strength to take care of everyone in the village. Nurse, chef, maid, carpenter–everything. He looked so young, too. The tether bound his life force to mine. If I hadn’t gotten stuck in the forest while I was cutting through, he and all of Villefort probably would have perished. He had willpower, but he was on his last leg when he found me. My life, though, I’ve an abundance of energy. So once he got to tap into that,” he huffed. “Busy, busy, busy. But I’m glad it worked out. I bet you’d have met him and thought, ‘I should take this boy home and care for him,’ too. And the worst part was, he was a good kid. Just stuck in a bad position. You’d have liked him,” he said, for the hundredth time.
Sometimes it just felt impossible to bridge the gap of time between then and now. He wished Micahel had a chance to meet him, for all the trouble Marius had put him through. He was quick witted, clever, and cared about people more than himself. A child with too much power, sure, but all the more reason to keep those artifacts out of everyone’s hands, but.” He shrugged. “Better him than someone with a bad agenda, I suppose. Perce,” he said into the air, and turned his attention towards the golden oak. “Show him Marius sometime. I want him to tell me if he could have just left Marius to defend himself.”
He turned back to Michael. “You wouldn't have been able to, by the way. I know you and him too well. He’s too conniving, he’d have played up how pathetic and sickly he was, and you, my hero, would have been his Knight in shining armor.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:37 am
Michael’s lip twitched into a smile when Devyn commented on the little goat in his lap. “You’re pretty good with Atticus and Elliot too,” he pointed out, looking up at Devyn with nothing short of adoration.
“I’ll be sure to try and convince Percy, too,” he said, but there was a teasing tone in his voice. It was bittersweet how fondly Devyn spoke of his past. Or at least the parts that were good. There were obviously some horrible things that had happened, and Michael would listen to anything Devyn felt comfortable talking about. But any little bit was precious to him. It gave him a tiny peek into the world that Devyn lived before Chaos took over.
He was still feeling weak. The sickness that seemed to steep into his very veins felt like more than just a flu. It was difficult to breathe. Difficult to stand. Any movement seemed to expend ten times as much energy than normal.
And he absolutely never wanted to feel this way again. He thought it was a good decision for them to stay there on Alastor. He didn’t want to risk the boys -- or anyone else -- getting sick.
“I do hope I get some memories with Marius, though. I know how important he is to you and Percy.”
He knew he spoke in present tense, because despite Marius being gone in body, it was obvious that his influence lived on. Just as much as Percy.
“I believe you, though. Why do you think I’m a teacher? Ah, well, other than Nana threatening to revoke access to my trust fund when I left the Navy if I didn’t at least get a job. I think she wanted to make sure I could busy myself and not dwell on everything that happened. But that’s not really important. What I mean is… I could have done anything else, but I do like working with kids. It’s difficult not to be able to do more for the ones who need it.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:44 am
Devyn smiled softly and scooted just a bit closer to Michael so he could better play with his hair. He reached for a bottle of water and sipped at it. He knew Michael was tired and he didn’t want him to work any more than he needed to, so he reached for the little pack of ‘necessities’ he’d brought and pulled out a straw. He angled the straw and bottle and held it close enough for him to sip when he was ready.
“Oh, like adopting them?” he teased. As if there had been any other option with Atticus.
Or, maybe there were other things they could have done, he’d just been through so much already that Devyn didn’t really trust anyone else to take care of him.
“You make such a good impression on them. Do you know how much Elliot talks about you? He’s always singing your praises. Not that he needs to do so for me, I already adore you. But he’s looked up to you for a long time, hasn’t he? I think being a teacher was a good choice for you. I bet you’ve helped and inspired a lot of people. Do you think you’d ever want to adopt any more?”
It was just a question of curiosity, probably, not something he’d actually invested much thought into himself. He seemed to realize the potential for that being a deep, lengthy conversation, so was quick to add, “Am I keeping you up though? I suppose we should be glad it was the goats and not the crows coming to pay you a visit. I can chase them off if you want to get back to napping. Or I can get you inside? I could be done out here if you were ready to go in.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:02 am
Michael snorted softly in amusement at Devyn’s tease, but was quiet for a few moments as he thought about his questions. He didn’t have high thoughts about himself, which he knew was hypocritical since he wanted others to feel good about who they were and what they’d accomplished. Things tended to weigh heavily on him, and no matter what he tried to do to convince himself otherwise, it still wasn’t enough.
“Elliot is a good kid,” he said with a smile still on his face. He made sure to push himself up enough to drink from the straw Devyn offered, saying a quiet thanks as he did so.
“I never thought I would have a kid, adopted or otherwise,” he admitted. “I didn’t want one. Too much responsibility. Any free time I had would be gone. How would I explain why I sometimes have to lock myself in my room? How could I keep them protected from the Negaverse? What if something happened to me and left them all alone? Things like that.”
Having a kid wasn’t something he took lightly. Even with Atticus, he was still anxious about things. It was different from being in the classroom and being at home.
“I’m glad we have Atticus, though. I wouldn’t change anything about that.”
Atticus was a special case. He’d already been involved with magic and Chaos through no fault of his own. It was easier to protect him like this, anyway.
“Oh, are you backing out of answering the question, yourself?” he teased, but he knew he didn’t have much attention span for deep conversations, and he’d already worn himself out by talking.
“We can talk later if you want. If that’s something you’re interested in,” he hummed and closed his eyes. “If you’re ready to go in, I wouldn’t mind going in, too,” Michael admitted. It had been a long day. Of restless sleeping, but still.
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:13 am
Truthfully, Devyn probably could have stayed out for quite a bit longer, but he leaned back and surveyed the work he’d done already. He’d never think that he’d done enough. He’d never think that his work was over. There were plenty of things to do inside, he could be done out here.
For all of his time fussing over Michael resting and taking it easy, he didn’t listen to his own advice very well.
“I think I’m ready to go in. It’s a bit warm out here. And I’ll get jealous if the goats are getting more kisses than I am.”
He started to pack up but was careful to take his time. He didn’t want to jostle Michael or startle any of the goats into getting rambunctious. The little one in his lap had fallen asleep and was dozing on Michael’s hand but Devyn was sure he could find a place for her to rest comfortably. Maybe in the cluster of other tiny goats who were nestled together and sleeping nearby. Waiting for treats was hard work, after all.
“Perce and I were going to adopt a whole orphanage,” he mused. “Way back when. I mean, not really, but once it got set up, we’d visit often. We’d always planned to have a big family. The only one we ever really adopted was Marius, and I didn’t have the heart to be a family after I lost Perce. I think, a part of me might miss the little things. I like the wonder children have. The hope. The love. I like seeing who they are before they adapt to the world. But I don’t think I have enough time to take care of more children. Not in the way they’d deserve. Between Earth and Sessrumnir and Alastor, I think I might be spread too thin. And I’d miss getting to spend my time with you. Atticus is old enough that he understands what’s going on, and he’s got Elliot and the Reids.”
If anything ever happened to himself and Michael, he knew Atticus would be taken care of.
But nothing was going to happen to any of them. Devyn wouldn’t let it.
“But I’m glad we have him, too. He’s sweet.” Dependent on them, but not so young that he didn’t understand. And, him being a Knight certainly made things at least a little easier.
“I’m happy with us. I don’t need anything else. If someone else wandered into our lives and needed help,” he shrugged. “We’d figure something out, I’m sure. Maybe the next time someone needs an escape from the Negaverse they can come stay on Alastor for a while. It’s a nice retreat, don’t you think? Very friendly locals.”
The goat in his lap had nuzzled closer to Michael’s hand, and he hadn’t missed how comfortable all of the others seemed to be around the both of them.
Or, maybe they didn’t care about them at all and were just still waiting for more snacks.
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Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 9:20 am
Michael understood what Devyn meant, and he was a bit relieved that his husband felt the same way. He didn’t know what he would do after making the same mistake twice about not having really in-depth conversations about what he and Devyn both wanted for their futures. He thought he knew what Caspian wanted as well, but then was blindsided when he was wrong, after everything.
With Devyn, he felt like he knew him more than just understanding each other. And there would always be a compromise that would work out between them without hurt feelings.
They had lives ahead of them, and this one was already packed full of goals they wanted to accomplish. Spreading themselves too thin wouldn’t be fair to any children they might consider adopting.
“I think Alastor is a wonderful place. Just stay out of toxic mud,” he gently teased as he let his heavy eyes close once more. He didn’t do anything to jostle the little goat, but was also patient when waiting for Devyn to be ready to head in. He didn’t know what he would do without him, and looked forward to everything in their futures.
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