For Warren and Aislinn

[killingsoftly]

He'd had enough. Enough of Warren feeling guilty. Enough of Aislinn's tears and clinging. Enough of Warren's fear. Enough of Aislinn's fear.

There really wasn't anything more unpleasant than being caught between one's lover and one's mother, especially when both of them needed taking care of and you weren't really the taking care of people type. Byron...could deal on his own for now. He had other people to watch over him, Doc, the blonde girl, him--the Sorcerer, but who watched over Aislinn or Warren but Devin?

Watching over Aislinn was habit by now. Danu knew someone had to. It had been easier when he could trust Byron to do it, but that hadn't been the case for a while now, so. He convinced her to come to the hotel they were staying in while Warren had run out to pick them up some more snacks. She was quieter, more subdued than she had been, and it occurred to him he hadn't seen her for a couple of days. He could occasionally go months without seeing her (and more than once, years), but lately she'd been clinging to him and unwilling to go very far.

"Where've you been?"

She shrugged, curling up on the end of the sofa.

"Are you all right?"

A nod.

"Eating?"

Another shrug. "I went to a poetry reading last night."

"Haven't you got anyone regular?"

"He died."

Oh. Well, that explained some of it. She tended to be mopey for a while when one of her artists shuffled off the mortal coil.

"You could go to..."

"No." She looked up sharply. "He doesn't want me and I won't go where I'm not wanted."

It was such a familiar sentiment that there wasn't anything he could do but settle next to her and wrap his arms around her loosely, snuggling up. She leaned her head on his shoulder, hand over his heart.

"Want me to sing?" he offered softly. If she wasn't eating...well. He'd had some very successful gigs the last month. He was fine.

She bit her lip, then nodded a little. He had a gig later that night. He could recharge then. He smiled a little and kissed her forehead, then sang to her softly until Warren came back, letting her take what she needed.

Comments

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren was at least feeling somewhat better. Talk had helped. The sex hadn't helped as much as the contact and cuddling involved with the sex had, although that was good in and of itself. Always good. The patience, the amazing amounts of patience and tolerance that Devin had shown helped immensely. Part of him had expected to be screamed at the second Devin found out. The same part of him that expected, every now and again, to be arrested. Or something.

But things were starting to be better, and he was starting to relax.

But he wasn't sure what to do when he came back to the hotel room and heard singing through the door. He had to put down the bags to fumble with the keycard, wondering what was on the other side.

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

Aislinn was always gentle when pulling anything from Devin. It was symbiotic, really. There were times when she'd been on the other side, and the energy flowed easily enough between them both. She'd taken only what was absolutely necessary and stopped with that a while before, just listening to him sing now.

It was one of their things, something they shared through all the ups and downs of their relationship. He'd sing and she'd just...float with it. Or she'd sing and he'd smile for hours.

Hearing Warren on the other side though, made her stiffen and Devin fell silent in reaction, fingers brushing through her hair soothingly.

"I should..."

"You won't." People were being so firm lately. She scowled a bit, not sure she liked it. But she settled back obediently, tense again.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren dragged the two plastic bags in, letting the door shut behind him a little harder than he'd meant it to do.

Devin and Aislinn... he wasn't sure what to do. Look over, or not look over, or stare, or not, or just act like everything was normal, and how was that, anyway? Funny how you lost all your perspective on normal when you needed it most.

He settled for putting the snacks away, over and around and in the minifridge. "Hey..." He tossed a smile over his shoulder for Devin, for Aislinn.

Not feeling guilty or nervous or tired or sad or scared was probably useless. Trying to suppress it would only make it worse, and, hell. Empaths. Both of them. But he could at least act like he wasn't any of those things.

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

"Hey." Devin's smile was easy, warm, happy to see him. Aislinn curled up tighter against Devin. She didn't glare, but she was wary, uncertain of her welcome now from this boy who'd taken over far more of her Devin's heart and didn't like her.

Devin closed his eyes briefly fighting back against both of their far too similar emotions and tried to do nothing but radiate calm and love for them both.

"I thought we should all talk." God, what was he becoming?

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"'kay..." He didn't even ask about what, although he wanted to, just to stall for time. It wasn't in him, though. Not so much a might as well get this over with as a this needs to be dealt with. The knowledge pushed through the discomfort.

But Aislinn was curled up against Devin and he didn't want to push her out so he sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, away, not far enough that he was in danger of falling off. The sight of them made his chest tight, made his throat close up and his eyes prickle. He pushed it all back, stomped on it and kicked it into a corner of his mind. Not. Now.

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

Did they have to make it so bloody obvious they weren't getting on? He couldn't...

Devin held out his hand for Warren. "C'mere?" Not plaintive, not really, but he needed the reassurance as much as they did.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Well...

He went, slipping his hand into Devin's, lacing his fingers through. Settling against his side carefully, because, really, there was room for all three of them on the bed. He just wasn't sure... Something.

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

That was better. At least he had him close. Devin squeezed Warren's fingers gently, and gave him a small smile.

Then he was stumped. He'd never mediated before, let alone between the only two people who really meant anything to him. He had a feeling there was a lot of misunderstanding going on, and really, how could there not be? Warren was used to him and he was hardly a model to follow to understand someone like Aislinn. And Aislinn could be maddening without meaning to be if you were trying to have a rational conversation with her when she was upset.

Aislinn was still watching Warren warily, but she didn't move away.

Devin sighed. "Right. Um..." He'd called the meeting, as it were. "So, what happened?"

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"I..." Warren started. Because it had started with him, he suspected. Or at least what he said.

Only now he couldn't figure out which of the things it was. "I'm not sure..."

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

"He wanted me to go talk to Byron and called me stupid and silly." Her voice was soft, not accusatory, though she slid her head back to Devin's shoulder.

"I want you to go talk to Byron."

"He won't..." She shook her head. "He can't hear me..."

"Then go as his lover, not his muse."

She sort of looked at him blankly, then retreated back to her point. "I'm not stupid. Or silly."

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren cracked half a smile at the back and forth.

"I was upset. And impatient..." he offered, quietly and still a little withdrawn. "I'm sorry..."

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

She half-peeked at him, still very solemn and wary. Devin ran his fingers through her hair again, soothingly.

"You're not stupid or silly," he assured her quietly.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"No," Warren's smile faded. "And I shouldn't have said that, and I'm sorry."

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

She smiled, just a hint of one, like she wasn't sure she could trust it, but wanted to. "Thank you..."

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

He smiled a little, rueful and sad, and reached out his hand in a sort of tenative truce. He wasn't sure what else he could say.

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

Devin smiled a little, starting to relax, just a bit, even if neither of them was looking all that happy. They were at least not screaming at each other.

Aislinn bit her lip for a second, then slid her hand into Warren's gently.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren squeezed her hand gently, tried to project some kind of reassurance. He still felt guilty. Still felt exhausted and kind of small, young. But he tried anyway.

"I still .. I agree with him, I think you should go talk to him. But.." A rueful smile flickered and was gone, thinking of his father. "I think I can understand why you wouldn't want to. And it's not any of my business anyway. I got upset over something that wasn't my business."

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

Devin snuggled her closer with a small smile and she looked between them, managing somehow to seem heartbreakingly young.

"He thinks I took everything away. But I didn't. It wasn't me..."

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren tried to remember if he'd said anything like that. "If he still thinks that, he didn't... y'know, go off about it to me or anything. Maybe he changed his mind."

He offered another small smile. "Anyway, you could always tell him that, and call him stupid."

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

She blinked at the mere idea of saying anything like that to Byron, but smiled a little back.

"I guess..." Then her face fell. "I don't think he wants me there."

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"He sounded like he misses you," he offered. "Just. You know. From a fluent speaker of 'guy.'"

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

She bit her lower lip again, worrying at it, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really?"

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren nodded, a little of the worry creeping back in. "Uh-huh."

[alainn-aislinn.livejournal.com]

She glanced at Devin who nodded a little as well, then sighed.

"He's going back in time to meet a woman..."

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"That doesn't mean he doesn't still love you," Warren told her, with quiet certainty.