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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:38 am
Michael wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there, quietly thinking as he watched his husband sleep.
His bandaged fingers twitched now and then from where they rested gently against Devyn’s head. Occasionally he’d let them drift, carefully stroking through dark waves of hair that had been let down from the usual ponytail, fanning softly across the pillows.
He’d insisted Devyn take something for the pain. Maybe that was why he slept a little deeper now. Good. He needed the rest. Maybe if he slept long enough, his vision would clear. His wounds needed time to heal. And Michael… Michael could try to remember how to breathe again. Needed time for his heartbeat to settle.
They’d brought the Reids home from Alastor, as planned. Atticus and Elliot had been waiting, anxious but safe. Maybe Atticus more than Elliot, but it was good to make sure they were okay. Michael had offered his own hands for the boys to practice bandaging, letting them fumble through the motions while Devyn rested.
With the boys and Lucien safely over at the Reids for the rest of the night, Michael had been free to hover. To worry. To gently fuss at Devyn until he gave in and laid down.
It wasn’t fair. Not how beautiful Devyn looked in his sleep, but how close he’d come to losing him. How close he’d come to never seeing this again. This quiet peace.
No, that wasn’t fair to Devyn. Devyn was strong and resilient. He could handle a little lightning.
Still… there had been a chance.
While Devyn slept, Michael took the opportunity to check on his wounds. To make sure the stitches he’d put in his side were holding. To see if the bandage around his calf needed changing. The little cuts and bruises would be fine on their own, as long as all of the debris had been cleared from them.
He leaned close to press a gentle kiss on Devyn’s forehead. He couldn’t hear his thoughts, but he hoped they were peaceful.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:39 am
It would have been fair for Devyn to sleep deeply, drifting on some separate dreamscape very different and away from this world. Somewhere peaceful and warm. Somewhere safe.
The universe was hardly fair.
Most of Devyn’s life had been spent treating sleep like an enemy.
Sleep too deeply and miss someone’s cry for help.
Sleep too deeply and you don’t hear the assassin creeping through the window.
Sleep too deeply and the Chaos creeps into the room.
Devyn did not sleep deeply. But, he lingered, somewhere in the state between true dreams and reality. His body rested and his mind fell silent. He floated there, in this comfortable sea of something as much as nothing, where he knew he was hurting but could not feel the pain.
He’d have stayed there for longer was Michael’s kiss not like a lighthouse on the sea.
The corner of his lip twitched. He didn’t open his eyes.
“...Is your worrying keeping you awake?”
Michael had been tender in the most recent checkup. Devyn had felt the way his fingers ghosted over his side, checking to see how eagerly his flesh took to thread. Michael’s fingers had ghosted over Devyn’s leg, as if afraid touching the bandage might remind the wound beneath to bleed. The smaller injuries were nuisances, but no great threat on their own. Michael must have memorized every little scratch because Devyn felt him checking wounds he’d already forgotten about.
His whole body was sore. Everything blended together.
Devyn was in good hands, burned and blistered as they might have been.
“I think you’re supposed to be resting too,” he continued slowly, with a knowing, almost playful tone barely concealed behind the gruff sleepiness of his voice. “If you can’t sleep, come lay down next to me. Put your head on my chest, you can listen to my heartbeat if you doubt its strength. I’ll hold you.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:40 am
Ah. He should have been more careful. Should have kept his hands to himself.
The idea had been to let Devyn sleep, to give his body time to rest, to heal, to do what it needed without interruption. Not to be woken up every time Michael couldn’t resist the urge to touch or kiss him. Or simply check to make sure everything was okay. Again.
He let out a breath of a sigh at Devyn’s voice, which was soft and threaded with knowing warmth. The sigh wasn’t of annoyance, it never was, but there was some quiet defeat in the sound. He shifted and reluctantly eased himself down next to Devyn, moving slowly so as not to disturb him too much. But he didn’t look away from Devyn’s face.
Devyn looked… younger, somehow. Or maybe just more unguarded.
Without all of the makeup he usually wore to mask his reality from prying eyes -- an armor to protect himself -- he looked… tired. Like something old and deep that rest alone couldn’t reach. Not just the exhaustion of injury or pain, but years -- lifetimes -- of being guarded, of not sleeping too deeply. Of never letting himself forget that something was always lurking around the corner.
More than just a spouse who fussed over him while he tried to rest.
Michael’s gaze lingered on Devyn’s face. On the shadows under his eyes. The curve of his mouth -- especially as it twitched in the corner. The way he still didn’t open his eyes…
“Do you think I doubt your strength?” he asked quietly, the question heavier than it sounded. There was curiosity there, yes… but there was guilt too. Because if Devyn even wondered that Michael had doubts… then there was something in the way Michael spoke or acted that failed to show him otherwise.
He did believe in him. Fiercely. He believed that he was strong and resilient and unbreakable.
But that belief wasn’t a shield. He’d believed in others, too.
And sometimes, no matter how strong someone was, there were circumstances that all of the resilience in the world could not withstand. And no amount of love could make someone invincible.
His hand moved on instinct. Michael reached over to place his hand on Devyn’s cheek, gently smoothing his fingertips over his skin, but was careful not to longer too long on any bruises or nicks from the scales.
“I don’t doubt you,” he said after a long moment, his voice quiet. “I doubt everything else.”
The world. The universe. The next impossible fight. There were too many odds stacked against them for his confidence not to waver.
He let his thumb trace just under Devyn’s eye. There was a strange surge of worry, of fear, in his chest that Devyn might not get his vision back. Or that it would be permanently damaged. That the lightning might have done more than they realized.
They would figure it out. They would manage. Adapt. They would wear their shared earrings all the time if it meant giving Devyn a little bit of his sight back, even if it was through Michael’s eyes. Gladly. Without question.
But that didn’t make his heart ache less.
“I know you don’t like when I worry,” he sighed softly, resting his chin against Devyn’s shoulder and his head on the pillow. “But I don’t think I could stop even if I tried. I love you too much.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:42 am
Devyn laughed softly, a little exhale of a breath that grew into something humorous. He did not need his eyes to find Michael’s hand, and he took his wrist carefully, drawing Michael’s bandaged palm to his lips. He kissed gently.
“I suppose a worry born of love is something I should be grateful for. I just don’t want you to worry yourself into a migraine. I think your worrying makes you sick. Does it ever bring you any comfort or do you spend all that energy thinking of new ways to be disappointed in the world?”
As long as he stayed still he could pretend like he might have been thinking about going back to sleep but with Michael laying next to him, he could not help himself. He tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes. He saw only shadows, but it was reassuring to know that what he could not see, he could feel.
He did not need to seek Michael out, he knew where to find him. He leaned forward and planted another kiss on his forehead.
“I’m fine,” he promised, as if it might chase away some of Michael’s worries. “I’ll be good as new soon, just you see. I’ve been through much worse, really. On a scale from one to ten, I’d only give this, hm, maybe a four. How are you feeling, how are your hands?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:42 am
“I’ve been through much worse,” he echoed, breathing out in slight exasperation, but also admiration. “I’m an electrical engineer, Dev. I’ve gotten worse shocks.”
Worse than redirecting the full strike of lightning that could have killed both himself and Devyn? Probably not. But they were both still standing. Just a little singed around the edges. Still breathing.
He could live with that.
He turned his hand in Devyn’s grip so their palms could rest together.
“I feel a little… overcooked,” he admitted after a few moments. “Like someone put me in an oven and forgot to set a timer.” It was an attempt at a quiet joke, but there was still truth behind it. “The muscle spasms aren’t bad, just annoying. My feet are a little sore, too.” Probably from where the lightning exited his body, but Devyn would likely have similar experience with his feet.
He shifted slightly so he could face Devyn more fully, even though he knew his husband couldn’t see him. Even still, he wanted to be close. Devyn’s presence had always grounded him, even before they met. The orb that hung from Michael’s neck might have betrayed Devyn’s heartbeat, but it was comforting to him.
“Your reflexes saved us,” he said quietly, more serious now. “If you hadn’t picked up that shield -- if you hesitated a moment longer -- we would have been cut to pieces by those scales.”
He reached up to gently cup Devyn’s cheek again, brushing his thumb along the line of his jaw. The kiss on his forehead was still warm and lingering. So Michael leaned close to return it with one of his own. He pressed his lips to Devyn’s temple near his hairline and the bruise that he’d been trying not to stare at.
“You’re always protecting me, even when you’re the one who’s hurt,” he sighed. “And I know that you’ve been through worse. I know that. But that doesn’t mean you have to go through it alone. I won’t let that happen.”
Oh, but Devyn had asked something, hadn’t he? About his worrying. Michael huffed quietly, almost a laugh. He shifted again so he could lie more comfortably beside Devyn, propelling his head up just near Devyn’s shoulder.
“Maybe if the world wasn’t such a disappointment already, I wouldn’t have to spend so much energy,” he said, once again echoing Devyn’s words.
“But no. Worrying doesn’t bring me comfort. It’s not supposed to. It just… gives me somewhere to put the fear. My worrying makes me prepared,” he said, voice confident. “Room to plan, to get ready. If I worry -- if I carry that burden, then you don’t have to. You can focus on being perfect and brave and reckless.”
He smiled softly, once again leaning close for another kiss, this time against Devyn’s lips.
“And if I’m going to be sick with something, I’d rather it be love than regret,” he promised. He found Devyn’s hand again and laced their fingers together, despite the soreness in his own hand.
“You’re mine,” he said, his voice gentle. There was nothing predatory in his comment, nor was it possessive. Just the truth. “And I’m yours. So let me worry. Let me carry it for a little while.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:43 am
“As you wish, Love of my Lives. How can I deny you anything when you ask so sweetly,” he laughed, letting the ghost of Michael’s kiss linger on his lips for only a few seconds before he, greedy for more, leaned forward to revive it. And a second after that, for good measure.
He didn’t need eyes to find Michael’s lips.
“But I’m not that reckless. Besides, you’ve said it yourself. I have good instincts.” Because, even skewered and sliced and shocked and sightless, Devyn had the audacity to be smug about it, too.
“I don’t mind getting hurt if I’ve got you there to put me back together,” he said, as if it were simply an excuse to get Michael’s hands on himself. “If one of us must be hurt, I’d rather it be me. Not just because I love you and think you’ve seen too much pain in your life already. But, practically speaking, you’re far better at first aid than I am. And you’re very good at pampering me. I should get hurt more often.”
He paused, and was quick to reassure, “I’m teasing, I won’t. I’m careful for you, I hope you know. And I love you enough to break lifetimes of bad habits to make you worry a little less. I hope you never doubt me when I say I am doing my best to be safe. Even if it doesn’t always look like it.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:43 am
Devyn must have heard the soft inhale Michael couldn’t stop himself from sucking in at the suggestion that he should get hurt more often. Michael hadn’t meant to, but of course he had. Devyn always knew how to tease him to stir up a reaction. Even still, his husband was quick to reassure him, gently letting him know he didn’t mean it.
Placated for the moment, the breath he’d sucked in slipped out with a quieter exhale in resignation. He leaned in close, pressing his lips to Devyn’s cheek… and then again, and again, tracing a soft line of kisses to the corner of his mouth, then across the faint bruising at his temple, then down along his jaw.
“You think you’re cute,” he frowned with no real heat in his voice. The words might have been dry, but there was unmistakable fondness in them.
He adjusted himself so he could lean over Devyn a little more fully, bracing one arm beside him so he could get a better look down at his face. At that exasperatingly smug expression. And the strange, starry look that lingered in Devyn’s eyes, even after several hours had passed since he’d been struck by lighting and the Dark Star had entered both of their minds.
Michael’s expression softened as he smoothed his palm over Devyn’s cheek, fingertips ghosting over his jaw before settling lower. He rested his hand against Devyn’s chest, just above his heart. The beat was strong and steady, and the orb on his necklace pulsed faintly, matching each thrum of Devyn’s heart.
“I don’t want you to hurt,” he said finally. His voice was quiet but firm. “Not even if I get to be the one to patch you up. Not even if it means I get to spoil you after.”
He knew what fighting meant to Devyn. It wasn’t just pride. It was legacy. It was survival. It was proof that he could still win, no matter how the odds were stacked against him.
“You’re right. You do have good instincts. You always have,” Michael confirmed, absently stroking his thumb against Devyn’s sternum, just a gentle pressure meant to be grounding. Devyn’s instincts and reflexes had saved them from a much worse situation they could have found themselves in, and he would always be grateful.
“I’ve never doubted you or your abilities -- not once. I know you’ve never lost a fight, and I’m not asking you to start. But when you throw yourself into danger like you’ve got nothing to lose…” He trailed off, his forehead lowering to press gingerly against Devyn’s temple.
“It scares me,” he confessed, his voice barely a whisper. “Every time. Because you do have something to lose. Because you’re not just fighting for your life anymore. You’ve got a son who watches your every move. You’ve got me -- and you know I’m a chronic worrier.
“But I see how hard you’re trying. You don’t have to convince me that you are, because I see it. I feel it. Every time you pause. Every time you come home. Every time you let me hold you. Every time you let me touch you like this before the bruises fade. And I love you for it. I love you for not backing down when things get hard. For being brave and fierce and unshakable. But I love you more when you let me in. When you let me help.”
There were still times that Devyn tried to brush off his injuries. That he said a bruise or cut wasn’t worth the trouble. Michael knew how hard it was to unlearn or repress survival instincts. And that’s what this was, essentially. To not show weakness. To always be strong. It was the difference between life and death. In many ways, it still was.
He pulled back to look into Devyn’s eyes, despite knowing he couldn’t see him. Then he leaned close once more, pressing a soft, reverent kiss to his husband’s forehead.
“Don’t get hurt for me, if you can help it. But if you do get hurt -- and we both know you will again -- I’ll be right here. Every time, no matter what. Come home to me and I’ll take care of you.”
He paused and then frowned, his expression shifting into that of a grimace, but his voice was still fond.
“And please let me be the one to take care of you. You’re right -- I’ve seen how you handle first aid. How you survived all this time is a mystery.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:43 am
Devyn did think he was cute, and he was very glad that Michael had noticed, because he hoped that would distract him from the bruises, and the worry, even if only for a moment.
It offered a few seconds instead, but Michael was quickly drawn back to it.
Devyn couldn’t see Michael, but he could feel him. He knew exactly what space he took up.
He could feel the weight of his gaze, even when he couldn’t track it. Devyn lay still beneath it, beneath Michael, and let his eyes roam where they willed. He lay equally still as he received those gentle touches, which he supposed must be as much to ground Michael as they were meant to be reassurances for himself, too.
How could he decline such softness? His body ached. He’d take whatever was offered.
“Michael,” he said softly, slowly, dragging out his name just because he liked how it felt on his lips. “If you think this is throwing myself into danger with nothing to lose…”
Devyn laughed, not mocking or bitter. He pulled Michael closer.
“No. I throw myself into danger like I’ve got everything to lose,” he said softly, pressing his lips to Michael’s temple. “Do you think I would know how to go home without you?”
Did Michael think he could?
They’d been living half-lives before they met. They’d each lost too much, hearts and souls hollowed out by loss and grief and the weight of time that never healed. Devyn wasn’t whole, not in the way he had been when he had Percy. Too much of him had been carved out with his death. Stubbornness and an obligation of duty had carried Devyn from Percy to Michael, through a thousand years of hardship.
And, Devyn had endured, long enough to find these hands that could mend the broken parts of him–parts carved so deeply within him that he’d forgotten what life was without the ache.
Michael took care of him.
Michael healed him.
Devyn’s body was strong.
Pain was nothing but loss was everything, and he would subject neither himself nor Michael–nor Atticus–to it, if he could help it.
And he could.
“There were days when I courted death.” Spoken carefully, but firmly. Those days were long past.
“It could not claim me at my worst. Do you think it stands a chance when I am at my best?”
Though Devyn was prideful by nature, he was not arrogant. He had earned his confidence. He was hard on himself but he had never fallen to complacency. He worked to be this strong. So, if–when–he bore the marks of battle, he wanted Michael to see.
He was not ashamed of his scars. Let Michael look at him and see all that he lived through. Let him see every effort to claim his life. Let him look and know how many times he had faced death and won.
“When I die, it will be because I am old, and tired, and the world has no more need of me. And I will die peacefully, because I’ve earned it, and because I am ready for it. No battle will claim me, Michael. I’m not scared to die. But I won’t leave you behind. I’ll never let myself get hurt more than what you can fix. So if you have faith in me and my abilities, have faith that I will never leave your side.”
He raised his hand before ghosting his fingers over Michael’s cheek until he cradled it in his palm. Devyn’s eyes saw only darkness, but the movement came naturally, like his hand simply knew where to be. He brushed his thumb under Michael’s eye, checking for tears as much as he was just appreciating the slope of his features.
His hand fit so well against Michael’s face. He wanted to hold him forever. He wanted to lavish him with kisses and soft touches and gentle reassurances.
In a perfect world, he’d never have worried Michael at all.
But someone had to fight for that perfect world, and Devyn was good at fighting.
Good at winning.
Good at surviving.
Devyn held no illusions; he was just a man. A stubborn one.
“It’s not that I think I can’t die. Just that I won’t. I am careful, for you. Even if that’s not always what it looks like. I am always thinking about how to make it home. Together.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:44 am
Michael closed his eyes and leaned into the touch of Devyn’s hand to his face. He quietly listened as Devyn spoke, letting his words anchor him to the truth of everything they were. Like the pull of a tide that only ever knew how to bring him home. And Devyn was his lighthouse -- always a beacon in the dark night when all other hope was lost.
He let himself settle with the weight and warmth of Devyn’s hand against his cheek. The way his thumb seemed to search for tears under his eye. There weren’t any. At least not yet. He reached up to place his own hand over Devyn’s, pressing it more firmly against his cheek, holding it there.
“Sometimes, I think the scariest thing about loving you is how easy it is to believe you,” he breathed out a quiet sigh, gentle with exasperation and fondness. “I believe you when you say you won’t leave me behind. When you say that no battle will ever be the one that takes you from me. I believe it because it’s you. Because you don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep, and you’ve always kept the ones you’ve made.”
He shifted a little, leaning down once more to press a kiss or few against Devyn’s face. His cheek, his forehead, his lips.
“And if you ever think that my worrying is becoming too much, remind me, okay? I’ll take the bruises if it means I’ll still get to hold you after,” he promised. His hand slid down, fingers lightly brushing over Devyn’s shoulder and down to his side. Checking on the bandaged wounds there for the damage that had been done, for tension, and maybe for a quiet reminder that his husband was still healing.
“I don’t need a perfect world,” he said after a moment, letting his lips linger a bit longer against Devyn’s. “I just need the one you’re in. And if that means trusting you to do what you’ve always done -- to be strong and brave and unbreakable -- then I will. I do. I can hold the line and watch your back, while you win the war. And then we’ll come home together.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:44 am
Devyn exhaled softly when Michael’s fingers grazed over the bandages, not because it made the already aching injuries worse, but because he found relief in Michael’s gentle prying. His worrying.
The corners of his mouth twitched again into a little smile. “Ever the poet, Michael. You have such a way with words. The scariest thing about loving me is that you know I will keep my promises?”
That earned Michael a few kisses. Devyn found his wrist and brought it to his lips, kissing slowly up his arm. If he weren’t certain Michael would chastise him for sitting up, he’d have rolled over so he could hover over Michael’s lips and kiss him silly.
“How horrible,” he chuckled, and when the laughter faded–but not the smile–he said, “I’m so lucky to have you looking after me.” There was such fondness in his voice, like the warmth of his love had taken root in his chest and blossomed sweetly on his tongue. “I trust you with my life. With my everything, really. For you, I will be strong and brave and unbreakable. And, always by your side.”
Another promise settled between them, and like all the others, it was already truth in Devyn’s heart.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:45 am
Michael let Devyn kiss up his arm, let the soft kiss at his wrist ground him, felt as his heart fluttered in his chest.
“I don’t know how you do this to me,” he breathed, voice gone soft and unsteady. “How even your teasing feels like a vow being made.”
He leaned close to kiss Devyn again, slower this time. And not for the first time did Michael really believe that their love transcended lifetimes. That there would always be a way to find each other.
He breathed out slowly, moving his arm so he could shift it down and slip his palm against Devyn’s, letting their fingers twine together.
Devyn was alive. Still smiling and kissing his arm with the kind of affection that made his heart feel too big for his chest.
“I don’t think it’s horrible. Just dangerous,” Michael hummed softly, not to tease but there was fondness in his voice. “You make it easy to believe in impossible things. That maybe nothing will break. That we’ll always make it back to each other. That I’m allowed to have this -- to have you.”
He paused for a moment and let out another small breath, before leaning down to press a kiss to Devyn’s collarbone. And then another, over his heart.
“And if I get a little reckless with how tightly I hold you sometimes, it’s not because I doubt your promises… I just sometimes need to feel that you’re here. The necklace doesn’t always give off the same warmth,” he explained, pressing another kiss to Devyn’s lips as he shifted closer again, and then settled beside him, holding him there, but not so much that he was restraining him.
“I trust you,” he confirmed once more, quieter now. “I love you. And you’ll always be by my side… just like I’ll be by yours.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:45 am
“I know,” Devyn said, with absolute conviction. Like Michael had said something as simple as two plus two was four. Like it was something not just accepted, but provable.
Fact.
If he wanted Michael to trust in his promises, he needed to trust in Michael’s, and when each was swearing to stand side by side from now until there was no more ground to stand upon then there wasn’t any room–or reason–to argue.
“A love like this could never be dangerous. Do you really think those things are impossible? If something were to break, we would just fix it. And my sense of direction may not be the best, but did it not lead me to you? Across the galaxy, to Earth, straight into your life? We will always find each other,” he insisted, fingers laced with Michael’s and curled to hold their hands together. Gently, because they both had injuries to mind.
“No distance could keep me from you.” Not time, not space. They meant nothing in the wake of his love and his promises.
“You are allowed to be happy, Michael. Allowed to be loved. Allowed to have this, and me, and every wonderful thing I can conjure for you in this life, and the next, and all others after it. Not that you need permission for those things, you are entitled to them. You deserve them. And, I will see that you are given them. In surplus.”
He drew Michael’s hand to his lip, still holding it, and kissed the back gently.
“If you need to feel me here, my arms are always open. I don’t think you hold me recklessly. Hold me as tight as you please, I can’t be broken. If I am not lavishing you in enough love, you’re welcome to squeeze it out of me. It’s yours, anyway. I will never be without warmth for you.”
And then, to prove it, he wrapped his arms around Michael and pulled him close, draping warm arms around him and tucking Michael close to him.
Devyn might have needed to rest, but Michael did, too. It was better if they did it together.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:45 am
Michael let out a quiet breath of fond exasperation as he was pulled close. He wanted to warn Devyn about his injuries. He wanted to insist that he try to get some rest. But it didn’t take much for him to realize that Devyn was likely trying to get him to settle down, too. Besides, Devyn said so himself -- he couldn’t be broken.
So he let himself be held, let the warmth of Devyn’s arms surround him. His chest ached with the kind of relief that made his throat tighten. Sometimes it was just incredibly overwhelming to know that he was understood. That he was loved for who he was.
“You say those things so easily,” he let out a breath of a sigh, settling his head against Devyn’s shoulder, able to press a kiss to his neck. Although he held himself up a little to ease some of his weight off of Devyn, he knew Devyn wouldn’t protest and eventually relaxed more fully.
“You say it like it’s the simplest truth in the world. And maybe it is. Maybe I’m the one who forgets, sometimes. That I don’t have to earn it all. That it’s already mine,” he said with a slow and steady exhale. He let himself rest there, against the heartbeat that kept him grounded. Beneath the arms of someone who had waited a lifetime to find him. Whose love felt like a miracle, but not impossible.
No distance could keep me from you.
“I just need you,” he said quietly, letting his eyes close as he was held, his arms settling around Devyn as best as he could manage. “I need you exactly like this. Warm and stubborn and brave. A little smug sometimes. I could do without the recklessness but that’s fine. I can mitigate that,” he huffed, but there was a small smile in his voice.
“We’ll figure things out tomorrow. You should get some rest.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:46 am
The smile on his face had softened, but it was no less present on his features. Devyn’s face had simply relaxed, like he was taking this request to rest very seriously. There was no hidden tension, no effort made to mask pain or discomfort.
He hurt, yes.
But he was happy, too.
He was sore, but he was content. The ache would pass, but the love would linger.
“Of course, Michael. And you should rest with me. Unfortunately, if you’re going to mitigate my recklessness, you’ll need your strength, too. I’m already getting ideas.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:46 am
“Of course you are,” he forced an exasperated sigh, but there was no denying the love in his voice. So he settled close, shifting a bit so he wasn’t going to put Devyn’s arm to sleep with how he was laying on him, and tugged up the blankets to make sure they were both comfortable.
“I’ll be ready,” he promised, letting himself close his eyes. He wanted to check on Devyn again. To make sure his wounds were still covered and on their way to healing, but how could he deny his husband anything, especially when he was requesting so sweetly?
They’d helped stop the end of the world and had survived. Whatever came next, they would do it together, and be stronger for it.
Fin!
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