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 Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2023 11:57 am
Quote: Prompt 13 (Winter Rainbow): Winter weather is usually fairly predictable–clouds, rain, snow, and a sunny day if you’re lucky. It’s unwise to predict anything in Destiny City, though. Lately, there’s been an uptick in unnatural rainbows. The sky almost regularly seems to be covered with some sort of pastel shimmer. The clouds have a rainbow sheen to them during all weather, and more than once you can even make out a rainbow from just the moon’s beams. Scientists claim there are just many water crystals in the air–and that checks out. During the frequent snows, it’s common to observe soft rainbow snowflakes that catch the light like tiny suncatchers. Even fallen snow seems to have an iridescent sheen to it. It’s not a common occurrence, but it’s happening often enough that you're likely to see it at least once this season.
Devyn had been gone for longer than he intended. It was dark by the time he returned to Destiny City, and snow had fallen. The moon illuminated the night sky even through the thin layer of clouds shrouding it. The snow was fresh, there were no footprints around. It was probably suspicious that he’d arrived just in time to make a single set with no trail behind him.
He wanted to go home but he didn’t want to bring danger straight to the house.
Devyn pulled out his phone, his real cell phone, and texted Michael that he was on his way home. It was more difficult to text now than it had been before. Away from his world, he was more aware of how painful his bruised and battered fingers were. He didn’t want Atticus to see so he’d pulled gloves from his subspace before he powered down.
For a short while, despite the aching protest of his whole body, he walked in a haphazard trail to disguise the source of his tracks. On another day, he might have enjoyed the crunch of fresh-fallen snow, but tonight he just wanted to be home.
When he thought he’d sufficiently disguised his mysterious arrival, he crouched to the ground and scooped up some snow.
It had a strange shine to it, like a rainbow. It would have been pretty if he’d had the heart to admire anything. The ice felt good against his fingers, and even if he’d lost all the dirt and blood he’d collected when he powered down, he still had some faint hope that it would reduce the swelling and discoloration.
Earth was a pretty place. It was peaceful here. It was no gift of the cosmos that he would have arrived on such a quiet, pleasant night, but he needed that reprieve as he traveled from Alastor to Michael.
He’d put on his gloves while he walked, grateful for their warmth as much as he was their privacy. He’d dressed in a light jacket before going out, but it hadn’t been this cold this morning. His natural heat was an advantage and kept him warm as he walked home, but he liked the brittle chill on his face. It kept him calm.
Home wasn’t so far away. He focused on the cold, and the crunching snow. He lost track of his thoughts for a while, but found himself glad when the well-used road already had enough tracks to hide his. It had started to snow again, so that would help.
Fifteen minutes from arrival to home felt like an eternity, and his heart was met with equal parts guilt and worry as he opened the front door. He put on a quick smile, tired but convincing enough. Just in case Atticus was there.
His hands hurt, he was more aware of that now that he was out of the cold. His entrance was quiet, unusual for him, so he took the opportunity to slide off his boots. He kept the coat on, and his gloves. He couldn’t just pretend like he’d been here all along, and he knew there would be questions about his absence. Usually, if he was going to be late, he told them before they said goodbye in the morning. He didn’t want them to worry so he mustered up what energy he had left.
“It snowed so much while I was gone, what did I miss? It’s beautiful outside, have you seen the moon?” he called from the doorway, just as he finished sliding off his second boot.
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Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:10 pm
It had been a rough day for Michael. Not because of anything going on, but because he could feel the turmoil that swirled inside the necklace he wore. He felt every time Devyn seemed to realize he was letting himself get too emotional, because everything suddenly evened out. He could feel the strain of lifting rocks and the anguish and despair.
Devyn often went to Alastor to clean things up. He often sent messages to make sure Michael knew everything was okay.
Michael didn’t need the messages to know.
After the second message that day, he went to Asher and asked if he and Oliver had anything planned that weekend. He then asked if they would be okay with having Atticus stay with them. Not because he wanted to kick Atticus out, but because if Devyn was putting so much effort into making sure Michael thought everything was fine, that he might appreciate not having to keep up the facade for both him and Atticus.
“Hey, not yet,” Michael answered after a few moments of letting Devyn get in the door and if he was going to try to get anyone’s attention or not. “Atticus went over to the Reids. But there’s pizza if you’re hungry. Did you get all your rocks moved?”
Michael knew it wasn’t just rocks. But if that was the story that made Devyn feel more comfortable, then that was what he would play along with. It wasn’t as though Michael wasn’t guilty of coming up with his own stories to hide truths. Motorcycle accidents and all that.
He was sitting on the couch in the living room, a book now closed but had been used as at least a prop if he wasn’t actually reading it. He rested his arm over the back of the couch as he waited for Devyn to emerge, although he tried not to make it obvious that he was holding his breath.
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Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:41 pm
Oh, of course. Atticus’ shoes weren’t here. Devyn breathed a little easier. Though, it might have been nice to steal a hug from him. He suspected Michael must have coordinated it this way. He was shrewd like that. Devyn was not so arrogant that he thought he could have fooled Michael.
He’d let too much slip, today.
He could see the necklace around his neck. Tricky little thing.
“Probably not. I’ll go back again soon, though.”
Devyn forced his breathing even. He felt like he was walking on glass.
Michael was posed too perfectly. He was too calm.
He knew.
Maybe not everything, but enough.
Devyn had two options, then. Lie, and make fools of them both. Or be honest.
No, neither of them seemed right. Maybe a bit of both, then.
Devyn lingered in the doorway for a moment. He wasn’t hungry, but if he said as much, it only emphasized what Michael already knew. He began to shrug off his coat but the gloves stayed on. He rested it over the back of the couch and moved near enough to Michael that he could kiss atop his head. He lingered there, for a good few seconds, and then stood again.. “I need to wash my hands. I was a little rough on them. How was your day?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:42 am
Michael knew it wasn’t fair of him to be disappointed that Devyn was still keeping things to himself. He just had to wonder how much he’d screwed things up for himself by worrying too much early on in their relationship. Maybe if he’d been more flippant, or maybe if he didn’t try to get too involved, then maybe Devyn wouldn’t feel the need to protect him like he was.
He opened his mouth, paused, and pressed his lips together as he looked up at Devyn. He hadn’t missed the way he was wearing gloves. He hadn’t missed how he hadn’t responded about food.
Devyn probably expected him to be worried and fuss and--
Was that annoying to Devyn…? He wanted to help him and make sure he was okay. He could help but… He trusted Devyn. If Devyn wanted to keep things from him then he wasn’t going to harass him.
“End of the semester is always a pain. Exams and all. I was helping Asher and Oliver with their paperwork a bit, since they’ve got more students than I do for my elective classes. Atticus and Elliot took the afternoon to study in the library, so I’m kind of glad it took a while for you to get home. I’d feel bad if you were stuck waiting for us.”
Don’t suggest using the epsom salt… don’t suggest the ointment to help with healing… don’t be obnoxious…
“I was thinking we could go out tomorrow night for dinner. Unless you had other plans,” he shrugged. He wanted an excuse to spend time with Devyn, before he lost him under the waves.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 9:08 am
Devyn listened. He went into the kitchen and ran the water at the sink. It was cool, but not as nice as the snow had been. He left his gloves by the sink and let his hands just soak under the faucet.
“Other plans? No, I was thinking about taking it easy. I’d love to spend time with you.” His voice carried over the water, but it was soft. Tired. It had a bit of energy to it, because Devyn forced as much. He patted his hands dry. They were in horrible condition. His nails looked terrible, maybe he’d paint them. His fingers were still swollen and bruised, but the blood was at least dried and he assumed that meant he was already healing underneath it.
“I feel bad that you’ve been here all alone.” He could have gone over to the Reids if he wanted company. He was waiting for Devyn, of course. Probably didn’t want him to come home to an empty house.
Devyn smiled softly.
He moved, almost wraithlike, stalking about the house. Partly, because he felt like a ghost out of place. Partly also because he was becoming more aware of how sore he was.
He didn’t dictate his intention but disappeared for a moment. He returned with a first aid kit, carefully balanced in both hands. He sat next to Michael on the couch, close, but didn’t lean into him. Yet.
He also didn’t try to open the first aid kit. He just sat it in his lap and turned it to face Michael.
“I was a bit rough on myself today. I was hoping you could help me.”
Michael would see eventually, so he laid his hands atop the kit so he knew that Devyn wasn't trying to hide things. Not everything, at least. He’d get around to the truth eventually. Probably. Maybe.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:29 am
There was no noticeable reaction to Michael seeing Devyn’s hands. Probably because he’d suspected as much. Or maybe he’d just been holding his breath, bracing for the worst and was relieved that Devyn was still in one piece but couldn’t look relieved, because then Devyn would think all he did was worry.
“I can help,” he agreed softly instead.
And, because Devyn was so close and he couldn’t help himself, Michael leaned close enough to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t feel bad about me being here alone. I had some time to catch up on some reading,” he hummed and nodded towards the book he’d set down.
Oh, did he already seem in better spirits now that Devyn was letting him help? He felt like he was, but he hoped it wasn’t too obvious.
Gently, he took the first aid kit from Devyn so he could set it on the table in front of them. He took a minute to dig through the different types and sizes of bandages they had, and the ointment that would help with the pain and promote healing. Once he had everything laid out, he held out his hand for Devyn’s to inspect more closely once he was ready.
“I’ll have to get you some good gloves -- the ones for protection, not warmth -- to bring with you next time. Although I’m sure mom would love an excuse to take you out to get a manicure.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:56 am
Oh, Mr. Tough guy. Didn’t even flinch. Devyn had been watching his face carefully. The kiss had helped. He’d turned his head to meet it, to make sure Michael knew it was welcome. Devyn knew Michael was a fast reader and that book looked to be open to about the same page he’d had it on the last time he’d sat down with it.
He placed the worst of his hands in Michael’s and spread his fingers out so he could see easier.
“I wasn’t really prepared for it today.” If he’d known what he was getting into, he would have taken more supplies. “I’ll pack a few things before my next trip. Gloves seem like a good idea. I broke the spade. I’m sorry, I know that was a good one. The ground was very dense. Lot of rocks. I’d love a manicure with your mother, don’t get me wrong, but I’d hate if the precursor to our trips was always me maiming myself. I’ll take good gloves and put them to good use, thank you.”
Michael had the best tools, Devyn knew he’d be taken care of. Like he was being taken care of now.
The smile on his face was not entirely misleading. It was tired. He was glad to be here, with Michael. He just had a lot of other things going on.
For a few seconds, he was quiet. He stayed still so Michael understood he was trying to cooperate. He wanted his help. He wasn’t shutting him out.
“I’m sorry for worrying you today.” He didn’t even pretend like he hadn’t, he knew Michael too well. “I went exploring. I forgot that you don’t always like what you find.”
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 5:16 pm
Michael wasn’t looking for Devyn to tell him everything. Sometimes it took time to really feel comfortable, no matter who it was. He knew he still had things he hadn’t shared. Not so much because he wouldn’t share them if Devyn asked, but because some things just had no place in conversation to be brought up.
But that also didn’t mean that Michael didn’t appreciate whatever Devyn felt like telling him.
He didn’t deny that he’d been worried. There was no point. He knew Devyn knew. He just quietly and gently worked on tending to each of Devyn’s fingers.
Exploring definitely came with its risks. The last time they did some deep exploring together, they’d found Lucien. That had been a good ending. But not one that they’d expected. Michael could only imagine what Devyn experienced that broke his heart as it had.
And he wouldn’t pressure Devyn into telling him.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. I’ll have to get you a better spade if the one you had broke. Don’t worry about breaking them. They’re just tools. They can be replaced. You can’t.”
Ah… his worrying nature was seeping through. He hadn’t meant to sound like he was nagging about Devyn being careful. He was sincere when he said Devyn was the most important person in his life.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2023 5:23 pm
Devyn let his eyes drift from the tender care his hands were receiving up to Michael’s face. He knew Michael wasn’t nagging. He knew everything he said came from a place of love. He could feel it.
“I was careful,” he promised. “I always think of what you’d say before I do anything. I had to go into a cave. I didn’t go too deep. And I got plenty of fresh air.”
He knew that might not mean much to Michael, not unless he explained everything. He just didn’t know if he needed to. After a brief silence, he added, “I’m glad you weren’t there.”
There was no coldness to it. He loved Michael. He loved being with Michael.
“I need to get some of Villefort’s mushrooms up there. The whole area’s poisoned, it has been for a while. I don’t know how deep rooted the issue is, but there’s a river there that flows down to Arista. There was a rockslide at some point, I don’t know if another one will shake more loose. So I want to get it all cleaned up, just to make sure nothing gets poisoned downstream.”
He shrugged, maybe there wasn’t enough poison to do that much damage.
…But, just in case.
He was still feeling out the conversation, trying to figure out what he wanted to say, where. He wasn’t very good at this, but he wasn’t trying to keep Michael out. He was still sorting through his own emotions, he didn’t know what to say.
His eyes had fallen back to his hands and he watched Michael work. He brushed his pinky against Michael’s, in silent gratitude. Not just for helping patch him up, but for everything he was doing. For his patience. For his love.
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 7:48 am
Michael glanced up to meet Devyn’s eyes briefly when he said he was glad he wasn’t there. He could feel his shoulders sag a little. Not because he was upset that Devyn was glad he wasn’t there, but because of whatever Devyn must have had to experience that was so bad that he was glad Michael wasn’t with him to experience as well.
“That bad, huh?” he said gently, his focus returned to Devyn’s abused hands. He could probably guess a number of things that Devyn was doing to cause them to be in such bad shape. They looked painful, but Devyn had carefully cleaned them already. The ointment would help, and Michael planned on getting him some ice to help with the swelling.
Poison was definitely a concern, and while the offer to help him get mushrooms from Villefort was on the tip of his tongue, Michael held himself back. Sometimes things had to be done alone, and Devyn knew Michael would always be there if he wanted him to be.
He used a small pair of clippers to cut each side of the bandage down the center of the sticky part so that when he placed it around Devyn’s finger, he was able to fold the bandage across his knuckles in a way that would give him more flexibility with his fingers without having to worry about the bandages sliding off.
“I hope the me in your head is being kind to you. And not giving you a hard time. I trust you. And… I know when we first met I was a little… well, I’ve changed my mind about some things since we’ve met. Things have changed, and so have my opinions. I know you better, for one. I know what you’re capable of. And how big of a heart you have.”
In response to Devyn brushing his pinky against Michael’s, Michael gingerly lifted his newly bandaged hand to his lips to kiss.
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:00 pm
He was worried about upsetting Michael. About disappointing him. About hurting him. The movement was slight, but he noticed Michael’s change in posture very quickly. And yet, before he could protest or clarify, Michael was once again speaking kind words to him.
Devyn thought he understood.
The kiss at the end relaxed him a bit more.
“Thank you, Michael. The you in my head only says kind things to me, too. The clever things I’d forget on my own. ‘Go get some fresh air,’ ‘You need to drink some water,’ ‘Don’t go any deeper alone, you don’t know how stable the ground is.’ You know. The things I might ignore if I didn’t have someone who cared about me so much.”
The soreness was well and setting in by now but he stayed still for now. He could rest later. Michael had put so much care into tending to his injuries, and Devyn was as grateful for that as he was this tenderness.
“It’s dangerous there.” Plenty of places on Alastor were dangerous, and he didn’t think Michael was in any way weak or defenseless, so he explained, “Even I got a bit dizzy after a while. The air was foul. And my mind wandered a bit. Never too far, your voice always called me back.”
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 6:04 pm
Michael kept Devyn’s hand to his lips while he listened to him. He wasn’t going to interrupt or make him think that he wasn’t paying attention. Even if Michael’s own mind was cycling through the different potential scenarios, he knew there was no point in not trusting Devyn.
He’d survived hundreds of years without him in his life to take care of him. He could survive now, as well.
“Well that’s good at least,” he said quietly. “I know you’ll come back to me, even if you need some time away. You always have.”
In the back of his mind, Michael thought about how it even spanned lifetimes, but he didn’t know if it was fair mentioning Percy after whatever heartache Devyn obviously went through on Alastor just a little while ago.
He lowered Devyn’s hand back down and held out his hand for the other to start tending to in the same gentle manner.
“Do you feel up to seeing Atticus in a bit? He was giving me one of his knowing looks whenever he’s asked to stay with the Reids. I think he’s worried even if he doesn’t say that he is. They’ve got enough to distract him though, if you’d rather not. But it’s cold outside, if you meet up in the backyard, so you’ll have to wear gloves.”
It seemed like such a nagging thing to suggest, he knew. But he hoped that Devyn would pick up that, this way, he wouldn’t have to let Atticus see his hands. Not yet at least.
“How are you feeling now? Still dizzy?” He wasn’t trying to sound like he was worrying! He just wanted to make sure Devyn didn’t need some water or anything like that. He couldn’t help himself.
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 6:16 pm
“I’m better.”
For a moment, he didn’t expand on it, but the silence wasn’t unpleasant. There was a calm to it, and Devyn seemed to be soaking it up.
He was better. It wasn’t like a switch had flipped and he was magically cured; his heart still felt heavy. His lungs still burned. His muscles ached.
His hands were starting to feel better, though.
The rest would follow.
He needed a good night’s rest. He needed some time to breathe. To clear his thoughts.
This wasn’t just going through the motions like he might have done in the past. It wasn’t just doing the bare minimum to get from one day to the next.
He was taking care of himself. Or, letting Michael take care of him, because he might not do such a great job, himself.
“I’m still thinking about things. I’ll make a better plan tomorrow, when I’ve had time to sleep on it. I know Lucien helped process Villefort’s mushrooms, but I don’t know if he remembers. I might have to dig through the library and see if I can find anything he can work with.” He sighed, heavy and weighted with more than just exhaustion.
He leaned a little closer to Michael. He might have put his forehead on his shoulder if Michael wasn’t still patching him up. He could wait until he finished.
He didn’t want to burden Lucien but he knew better than to try and do everything on his own. Lot of good that had done, look at the state of his world.
A soreness blossomed again in his chest. He caught sight of the warm glow of the necklace out of the corner of his eye and sighed again like it might lessen the weight he carried inside of him.
“I want to see Atticus, yes. After I’ve had a little to eat.” He wasn’t hungry, but he needed the energy. “He’s so clever, he’ll see right through me if I don’t.” Of course, Michael was clever, too. Atticus was just more earnest with his emotions. More sensitive to them, and the emotions of those around him. Devyn didn’t want to bring him down. “Maybe with softer gloves, too. Mine feel a little tight right now. You don’t think he’ll be able to tell, do you? I don’t know what I’ll tell him about today, yet.”
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 6:38 pm
Better was good. Michael didn’t press Devyn to go into details. He didn’t need to, to know everything was still heavy for him. The necklace confirmed it, but Michael would have known even without it.
“I don’t think he’ll be able to tell,” Michael nodded. Atticus was clever, but he was also trusting. If someone told him something, he was likely to believe it. For the most part. But particularly when it came from people like Devyn and Elliot, Michael noticed that Atticus was willing to accept whatever they said as the absolute truth.
“I’ve got some gloves for you. And a coat,” Michael said as he finished up the last of Devyn’s fingers, then drew that hand to his lips to kiss as well.
“Do you want me to take it off?” he asked after a moment. He didn’t have to indicate what. He’d seen the way Devyn looked at the necklace, the way he tried to settle himself down when he did see the pulsing glow.
Michael didn’t want to take it off, but he knew being able to basically reach into Devyn’s heart and feel his emotions was a huge breach of privacy. Michael understood if he wanted to have time to feel things without someone else prying, even if it wasn’t intentional.
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2023 8:00 pm
“No, you don’t have to do that.” He’d accept the gloves and coat, but he wouldn’t ask Michael to remove the necklace. He’d had it for longer than he knew Devyn, and Devyn knew what it meant to him.
He stroked Michael’s cheek gently with his bandaged fingers, mindful not to undo his hard work or cause himself discomfort. He didn’t want to waste Michael’s effort.
“I’m sorry if it’s bothering you.” If it was, he knew Michael wouldn’t say as much. Despite his best efforts, he knew he hadn’t done a good job keeping his emotions out of it. The necklace was best as a calming tool, he wasn’t doing any favors when he was getting worked up. He had a deep bond with his world, and the necklace was born of it.
…But, his world had also decided to send him to Lucetta.
It wasn’t punishment. Probably.
He thought it was more likely that it was a cry for help.
He wanted to heal his world. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, it never had been. Alastor had been a troubled world even before the Chaos had taken over.
“I’m trying to sort things out.” He moved the first aid kit to the table and lowered his hands to let them rest, just as he finally gave in and let his forehead fall to Michael’s shoulder. “I think I made a mistake, a long time ago. I think people died from it.” He couldn’t be sure. There were a lot of things that could have happened instead. They might have died from any number of other things.
…But they might not have. If things had been different, maybe he would have arrived at Lucetta today and found a flourishing town instead.
It could have been an accident and he’d still have thought he was responsible. He should have done more. Wished he’d done more. All of those years of fighting, of trying to fix things, of trying to help, and there was nothing to show for it.
He was alive, sure. His world was alive.
Was there anyone else?
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