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]

When things got better he'd have to remember to tell Devin never, ever to repeat that this happened, ever again. But even the embarrassment of it made him smile as much as it made him blush, and his voice evened out a little as he sang.

"Now where are you going / And what do you wish / The old man asked the three / We've come to fish / For the herring fish / That swim in the beautiful sea / Nets of silver and gold have we /
Said Wynken, Blynken and Nod..."

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

Devin nuzzled at his neck a little, curling into him as he started to drift toward sleep, feeeling safe and comforted.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

Warren slid through the song, singing quietly, getting easier as Devin drifted. It tickled a little, when he moved, and felt good in ways that warmed him inside and out, reassured him almost as though he'd felt a lack of it lately. Surely not.

"Now Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes / and Nod is a little head / And the wooden shoe that sails the skies / is the wee one's trundle bed..."

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

Devin curled into him closer smiling a bit more, falling deeper until there was just Warren's voice threading through his dreams.

[firebugwarren.livejournal.com]

"Love you, babe..." he whispered, between songs. "I'm right here."

[killingsoftly.livejournal.com]

Devin murmured something back to him softly, and then he'd slid into sleep.