-- DANCE LITTLE LIAR && [devin]

It had only been a couple of days since the encounter on the street with Calvin. Devin was not the sort of person to hold on to a conversation and let the words nag at his insides like an angry hornet, tugging and twisting and churning every time he thought about it. Gangs, scars, survival. What did all of it mean? Did Joshua witness something that a gang did not wish him to see and try to take him out? That happened a lot in the movies and perhaps it held true in reality. He was a bit oblivious to any possible gang activity that might be lurking in the Hollow, but that did not mean it did not exist. Pretending it was not there did not make it so. He woke up that morning, rubbing at the side of his head. Sleeping in late did have a disadvantage, but at the same time it was oh so sweet. Summer vacation was heaven on earth. Devin stayed up laying playing video games and slept in until the sun was well over the tree tops. Autumn had been staying with him recently, so he did spend some of his evenings watching movies and going out to dinner with her, but his drive to avoid sex with the girl led him to obsess over his video games a little more than normal. Devin was rather proud of himself, actually. However today was different; he was going to go to Josh and approach him about what happened with this...gang that Calvin spoke so lightly of. Wouldn't it have been all hush hush? Why did he make it seem like Josh was part of it? His spine tingled, and quickly the went to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Devin got dressed into a comfortable pair of khaki cargo shorts and a white t-shirt, his black skater shoes sliding easily onto his feet. Wallet and phone in his pockets Devin made way out of the front door, grabbing his skateboard on the way out. As soon as he hit the sidewalk, Devin set the board down and stepped up, pushing off of the ground and taking off towards his destination: Joshua's house. He knew that he and Nell had been living together at the apartment for quite some time now, but figured he would try the mansion first. Annabel was his little sister and he attempted to spend time with her if at all possible when he was free from school and volunteer work at the hospital. If he wasn't there, then that was fine; Devin would just find his way towards Nell's place and see if he was holed up there for the day. It was a gorgeous summer day so it couldn't hurt to ride around a little bit. The sun was bright and warm, and the people in the Hollow were brimming with energy and life. There were quite a few students lingering in the shops and wandering the sidewalks, but some might have been working and getting in some extra hours during their free time. Devin had a few shifts coming up at the club, and was actually going to be working that night. The pay was sure to be good on summer vacation. Finally he made his way through the Hollow and wound up at the gates of Joshua's house, feeling rather anxious.

"He's your best friend..." Devin breathed to himself, stepping off of the skateboard and kicking it into his hand. That was a much faster way to get to his friend's house, and took a note to go by skateboard next time. Eventually he was standing at the front door and swallowed hard, knocking on the door. His palms were sweaty and it took him a moment to keep his fingers from twitching in anticipation. After what felt like forever the man who opened the door was none other than his best friend, and Devin refrained from shaking. "Hey Josh," He piped up, stepping into the house and looking around. It was amazing; no matter how many times he came into the entrance of their home he managed to stare at the place as though he had never seen it before in his life. Devin was content living in his house but he did aspire to live the high life one day. "Yeah, I actually wanted to talk to you about something." He rolled his shoulders a bit to stay loose and relaxed; this was Josh. Would he really get upset if he asked about this? Devin exhaled. "I ran into someone the other day. Said his name was Calvin, and he was looking for you. He didn't know your name, only that you had a scar on your face." He flinched at the word 'scar'. The blonde fought to keep eye contact with his best friend, but it had to be done. If he stuttered and flopped around now, that might make matters worse. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" He rubbed the back of his head.

Relief washed over Devin, although it was temporary. Something still bothered him about Calvin, but was not quite sure what it was. Perhaps it was his boldness to approach him on the street? Or perhaps that he knew who Josh was but knew nothing of his name or his whereabouts? Or even the fact that he knew Devin was friends with Josh, or at least spent time with him? That was highly unnerving to the blonde and felt on edge just thinking about the fact that someone was watching them. "Oh." Was all he managed to say, not wanting to display the temporary relief he felt. "Yeah, said he was a student at the school. A fire student too." Of course that was not really a big deal, but Devin figured he would offer up what information he could to see if Joshua might remember who this man was and what he might have wanted. It was not necessarily Devin's business, but the gang aspect of the discussion set him on edge. After a moment a voice caught his attention and he turned to look at Annabel with a soft smile. "Hey Annabel." It made him miss his own little sister and wondered how she was faring. It had been at least a week or two since they last talked. His sister did not seem to mind that Josh wanted to talk to Devin without her listening in, and went back upstairs. "See you," He called out, nodding to her retreating form.

The living room would not have been the best place, but figured that would have been first choice for Josh. Now that Devin knew Annabel was in the house it seemed less private and it seemed his best friend picked up on that as well. "Sounds good to me," Devin replied, about ready to follow Josh up the stairs before he turned around to offer him something from the kitchen. Any other day the boy might have found himself wanting a drink but he really needed to get this off of his chest first before they could move on to less tense activities. That was, assuming Joshua did not get extremely angry and throw Devin out of the house. He did not know if that would really happen but he tried to keep things realistic. Who knew what would upset his friend? "Nah, I'm good man." It was strange, not having much to say. He felt almost like a mute. That would not last forever though, once he was able to talk to Josh about what was bothering him. Eventually they found their way into the bedroom; Devin heard the click of the door lock and watched as Josh made himself comfortable on the couches. He wanted so badly to sit down and make this an easy conversation, but he was not really sure what was 'easy' about it.

"Well," The blonde started, glancing out of the window. "I know you don't like people prying into your life...and you know that I really avoid doing that to you." There, that was out of the way. He wanted Josh to know that this was not something he had been planning on doing for a long time or thought it would be fun to watch Joshua struggle with talking about something possibly very private. This was a sincere concern and wanted to make sure everything was okay now. "But...when Calvin came to me he made mention of something that made me fearful of your safety." Devin swallowed, fussing with his hair again out of nerves. He did not want his best friend to blow up in his face or shut down. "He mentioned something about a gang. Said that your scar was all you got out of it and you were lucky to be alive. I was just more or less wondering if this guy was just bullshitting me or if I should be concerned that he might be potentially dangerous?" That actually did not come out as bad as he thought it would, so Devin dropped his shoulders a little and flopped on to the couch, glancing over at the dark haired fire elemental with an anxious gleam in his blue eyes.

Devin sighed. Never expected him to find out? Devin tilted his head slightly to look at his best friend, wondering what it was that he meant by that. Part of the blonde wanted to take offense to the statement; Joshua knew a lot of the darker corners of his life--hell, probably some Devin wished he did not know of--and yet here he was finding out about something that was possibly ten times bigger than some of the troubles he dealt with at home. It made him feel like he was not a trustworthy friend, but at the same time understood all too well how Joshua worked. He was sure that the intent was not to insult Devin or make him feel like a bad friend. Maybe this portion of his past was something that was a bit heavier than the rest. The scar on Josh's face and hand was evidence enough of that. Any possible feeling of frustration was quickly diminished as Devin watched Josh fiddle with his hands. "I kinda figured," The boy half whispered, glancing at his lap for a moment while the silence lingered. He wanted Josh to initiate the conversation because this was his past and his memories. How fair would it be of Devin to just shoot off a bunch of questions and push his best friend into a corner over something he was not even supposed to know about? His blue eyes were soft and understanding as he placed a hand on Josh's shoulder.

"Even if you did it's not my place to force the truth. I'm your friend. That's not going to change either way. Okay?" Devin offered him a reassuring smile, just as understanding and warm as his gaze. The initial shock of the news was wearing off, as was the anxiety of having his friend punch him in the face for inquiring. Now only two nagging feelings remained: curiosity and a tad of fear. If Calvin knew who Josh was based on the scars, and mentioned the gang...was he a part of this gang too? What could he want with Joshua now, after all of this time? So many questions rattled around in the blonde's head, but no clear cut answer could be made by himself. He needed Josh to fill in the blanks. However, that was not something he was going to push on the Fire so instead hoped that maybe he would talk about it a little bit. If anything offer enough just to east Devin's mind. He was not looking for a full back story or anything in major detail. All he wanted to know was that his friend was safe. He shook his head at Josh's inquiry, proud of himself for staying discreet. "No, just said that you were my best friend. I never even mentioned your name. I figured if he didn't know it well...he didn't need to." The boy purposely skirted about Joshua's name with Calvin just in case it was something familiar or possibly easy to find. The name was very common but with the scars it would not be so hard to put pieces together.

He scratched his head a little bit and shook it again. "And the only form of contact I gave him was your e-mail. No phone number or home address or last name. I dunno when he plans to contact you but..." Devin shrugged his shoulders lamely, glancing over at Joshua. "At least you have the option of ignoring it and there's no way he can find out much about you." He thought about it for a moment or two, wondering if perhaps Josh was actually interested in meeting up with this guy. Curiosity would eventually get the better of him and he might wind up trying to communicate. Right? Perhaps not. Joshua was not like Devin in that way, at least so far as he knew. Swallowing a little bit, his eyes darted around the room before settling on the window again. He would definitely need to go out and skateboard for a while after this. Either that or go drown in some video games for a few hours. That might work too. "So do you think anything bad will come of this? Like...should I be worried about this guy?" He asked feebly, twiddling with his fingers. Devin was not a fighter by any means. If someone wanted a fight, there would not be much of one. He would much rather toss in the towel before anything even started. He just hoped that no towels would need to be tossed any time soon, whether it be for him or for Josh.

Innocence was such a generic word. It could describe ones lack of knowledge of a particular subject, or possibly basic obliviousness to the world around you, and of course it could be sexual or perhaps deal with something that made you open your eyes to truly see the world for what it was. Devin knew that Joshua was not innocent in many ways, and so the question somewhat threw him for a bit of a loop. Even so the blonde shrugged and squeezed his friend’s shoulder before removing it, hand now resting in his lap. “Nothing will change my friendship with you, or the way I look at you now. That’s not how friendships work.” Devin frowned a little and sighed, feeling bad for Josh. This was something he wanted to keep to himself, and now it was creeping into the open. Although it was only towards Devin, the open feeling was probably quite large considering the way Josh kept his life so private. Even through all of the shit that the Earth student went through over the years—including the more recent encounters with his step mother Lauren—Josh was always there and protecting him. It was time Devin reciprocated the support and protection by letting his friend know he was not about to walk away now. “The past is the past, Josh. That’s why it is where it is.” If people based a person on their past then they did not deserve to have friends. People change. Second chances should be awarded to everyone. Well, that’s how Devin looked at it anyway.

“He has?” Devin asked, lifting an eyebrow. Well…shit. He instantly regretted giving Calvin any sort of information by this point, because obviously Josh should not have to relive any portion of his past. No one should, at least the bad parts anyway. He shook his head and sighed heavily. There was no surprise that they knew one another but still Devin was on edge. He knew nothing about this guy; hell, even Josh knew practically nothing either. Neither male knew the other’s name. How strange was that? It might have kept them safe back then, but having one come back to contact the other and basing their knowledge off of their physical marring was strange at best. “Well, I guess it’s for the best that you stay anonymous then? I mean, based on how you knew one another and all…” Devin floundered around with his words, wondering what to say. It was difficult thinking of anything that did not sound remotely like prying or cornering Josh to talk about what happened. He did not want to do that to his best friend. That was unfair. He did notice that a long stream of air passed through his nostrils as Joshua confirmed that there seemed to be no immediate threat; what would have happened if he had been a threat? How would they deal with it then, being as Calvin was a student at the Academy? You could not just skip around and act like you don’t notice someone, and Josh was kind of hard to miss.

Usually where there was one lie, another was bound to follow. It was not that Josh lied, necessarily, but seriously omitted certain truths about his past. Skirted around Devin with the facts. And for the Earth that was fine, because he understood Josh very well. It did bother the boy that his best friend kept all of this hidden away from him, and even covered it up with something like a car accident. It hurt. He wasn’t doing it to be mean…doesn’t mean he doesn’t trust me… Devin had to reassure himself that this had nothing to do with a lack of trust. It was the only thing that could make him feel better. It reminded him of when Lauren hit Devin again not too long after Joshua placed her to the wall and threatened her within an inch of her life. He never told Josh it happened again; it was not that he mistrusted his friend, but more that he did not want to burden him with a problem he should handle on his own. Maybe that’s what Josh did. “Oh,” Was all Devin managed to say at first, fiddling with his fingers anxiously now. What else was there to say? He felt out of place and helpless as he sat there, trying to think of a way to drop the subject, but nothing came. He sighed a little. “Just…know that no matter what I’m here for you. You don’t have to talk about any of it, but if you want to then I’ve got pretty decent listening ears.” Devin smiled faintly at his best friend before looking at his lap again.

Devin wanted to feel relieved, to feel safe, but he didn't. Just as Joshua did not feel comforted by Devin's support, he did not feel comforted by Joshua's attempt at reassurance. Even if his best friend did not deem Calvin a threat, it was rather hard to believe. How could he, when there was some sort of gang involved? Devin honestly could care less what Joshua did in the past, but when the past came into the present it became unnerving. Calvin was an unknown, a small puzzle piece found under a couch without the other nine hundred and ninety-nine pieces to be found. Devin was not going to search for the rest though, being as it was not his puzzle to put together. He'd rather toss this particular piece in the trash and try to forget about it all instead. That did not mean that there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that made him wary of Calvin, but as Joshua said it had happened years ago. He did not need to know how far back or any exact dates. That was enough for him to leave well enough alone. "And that's perfectly fine," The blonde replied. "I don't expect you to. It's not my place to expect something like that." Had he been anyone else he might have tried to nose his way in, but this was his best friend. He knew him well enough to know where they boundaries lay, and Devin refused to cross them.

He had to admit that it was amusing for Joshua to think he would take something like this personally. This was Devin. Since when did he take stuff like that to heart and fall apart over it? Rarely, if ever. He had his moments of insecurity, but with situations like this there was no room to be offended. This was Joshua's skeletons, not his. "No offense taken, man," Devin said softly, smiling still. His lips tugged downwards for a half second at the mention of Nell, and instantly shook his head, sighing. "You know I would never do that. This is your past, not mine. It's not mine to figure out. Okay?" It was strange that Josh would assume Devin would go behind his back and try to weasel information out of Nell, when that would be the last thing he would ever do. Devin was loyal to a fault, and with his loyalty came the unwavering trust. Although Calvin made him incredibly nervous, it was not Joshua's fault. He trusted his best friend, and that was that. Devin smiled again, nodding before glancing out of the window again. How he wished this visit did not start off that way. Why couldn't it have been something more cheerful? Like a game of pool or chatting about school? Anything was better than making Josh feel this way.

Clearing his throat, the blonde clapped his hands on his knees and stood up, glancing down at the fire elemental. "What say you to doing something entertaining? I'm not sure what, but...I'm up for anything. Interested in a round of chess? I've been practicing." He flexed his muscles and chuckled a little bit with a smirk, glancing at his semi-decent bicep. "I think I can move those pieces around the board like a boss, even if I do lose miserably." He grinned. Devin lowered his arm and shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting to see what it was Josh was interested in doing. If he would rather him leave, that was find too. The entirety of that discussion was a bit heavy, and maybe his friend needed some time to himself. Either way was fine by Devin. He just wanted to leave all of this behind and never discuss it again unless Josh brought it up first. It was all in the past, and that was exactly where Devin wanted to leave it. Nothing changed how he looked at his friend. Not now, not ever.

Although Devin nodded to Joshua’s request, he knew for a fact that he was not going to ask his best friend about anything concerning his past. What would be the point in asking a question that would have no answer? If he wanted to do that then he could just mull it around in his head and consider the possible responses on his own without placing Josh on the spot. It was not Devin’s place to sit there and expect something when he had a gut feeling he would not get anything. It would only lead to disappointment and another awkward conversation. He did not like this awkwardness, and would much rather avoid it if at all possible. Besides, being such a pacifist he would hate to upset Josh and have another problem like they did last year. It was a comment that he had meant in jest, but it upset the fire elemental and he was not really willing to re-experience that. “I can understand,” Devin agreed, not really sure what else to say. He felt like he should leave and let Joshua get back to whatever it was he was doing, but at the same time really craved some hang out time with his best friend. Sure they did not have a whole bunch in common when it came to hobbies, but he enjoyed Josh’s presence none the less. Devin’s smile became more natural when he was not asked to leave, and so did not make way to the door as originally planned.

“Okay, well, whatever you want man. I’m following you.” As Devin always did. He was never much of a leader, and he was extremely indecisive. He dealt better with having someone else give direction because it saved him the trouble of dealing with it himself. Joshua was someone that was easy to follow; Devin hardly questioned much of what his best friend said and trusted him with his life, so that made things a little simpler. They were both standing, and the boy took a moment to realize how much shorter he truly was compared to Josh. It was rather amusing really. Like a giant Rottweiler and his best friend the Chihuahua. It brought a smile to Devin’s face at the thought, and did not mind being considered a yappy annoying furry creature too much. After all, he could get that way if he wanted to. “Really? Congratulations! This beast of a house is finally yours.” The blonde looked around the room as though seeing it in an entirely new light. The furniture was the same, the house smell was the same, the resident was the same, but the entire property was now in the hands of Josh instead of his parents. It was really a neat thing, and it took them away from the previous conversation. “Holy hell you got to keep the pool table? Sweet. I’m gonna have to work on my game so I can come over here and kick your ass.” He was not the strongest of people nor did he like fight, but a competitive game of pool could not hurt in the least.

At the suggestion of the back yard, Devin nodded and walked to the door, opening it. “If Annabel wants to join us, that’s cool. What did you have in mind?” He knew that doing any sports was out of the question; Josh was not a big fan of many sports and Devin knew that. Tennis was probably the only exception. Swimming was also out, because he could not really remember a time when they went swimming together. Devi knew Josh was not a fan of water, but did not know that it was more of a fear than a general dislike. He never questioned it though. When they found themselves outside, Devin stretched out and managed a grunt or two as he loosened up. “So…we should climb trees or something. What I would give for a good game of paintball. Is that something you would be interested in at some point?” Devin had only recently found the urge to go and play a few rounds of paintball, but never discussed with Josh whether or not he would enjoy something like that. It did not require any heavy teamwork; essentially the game was every man for himself. If Josh did not join him he would still be sure to make an attempt to try it out at some point, but it did not hurt to ask.

Devin shook his head a little bit. "Nope, haven't seen the new stuff yet. But we have most of the day. I guess you can show me later on, yeah?" He lifted a brow and watched his friend, now feeling as though things were finding a sense of normalcy again. The original intent for coming to see Joshua had been less than desirable, but like best friends did they pushed through all of the shit so they could get back to the positive things life had to offer. Devin lived realistically and knew that pushing things away in hopes to ignore their existence would not do anyone any good, but who was he to tell Josh that? He cherished their friendship and was in no mood to lose that over his own methods for living. The blonde smirked and chuckled, nodding. "Duly noted, man. So if I ever have this insane urge to just...get beaten down in a game of chess I know who to go to." He knew that Josh was good at the game and there was no denying that. Fortunately Devin was not a lost cause and had other strong points that his best friend did not, so he did not feel all that bad about losing. Maybe if it were a random opponent that he held no ties to, but that was not the case here. He was content losing to Josh, so long as the fire elemental did not start making fun of him or acting like an ass. Josh probably wouldn't, so Devin was not all too worried.

At hearing Annabel would not be joining them, Devin could not help but smile a little bit. He admired the girl but honestly he wanted to spend one on one time with his best friend. Devin understood the bond Josh had with his little sister though, so wanted to ensure he included all who were present in the house. At least his sister was sweet. Annabel reminded him a lot of Athena. Oh, how he missed Judith and his sister. What he would give for them to move back to Maple Hollow. "Sometimes plans are boring," Devin stated, flipping his hand loosely. "Spontaneity is the spice of life. Though I do apologize for the sudden turn up." It was a last minute thought to apologize, being as he was not quite sure whether it was needed. Josh did not seem all too phased by his presence but that did not mean Devin wanted to be rude or inconsiderate. "Ohhh, then we'll definitely have to get us a paintball game set up at some point." The smile on the blonde's face was bright and unwavering. He listened intently to Josh, growing rather excited at the prospect of getting together a bunch of people and splattering them with colored paint. What better way to spend an afternoon than that? "I like laser tag alright, but I think paintball will be much more entertaining."

A silence came between them, which was of no concern. Devin turned up his head to look up at Josh, who seemed to be off in thought as he surveyed the landscape before them. He shrugged and stood there, also taking in the scenery and allowing the warm summer sun to soak into his skin. It was growing really warm; eventually Devin was going to have to resort to taking off his shirt. Maybe go for a quick dip in the lake if Joshua did not mind. He knew his best friend thrived in this weather, but for Devin there was definitely such a thing as too much heat. "Ah, it's cool," He replied when Joshua finally snapped out of his thoughts. In fact, Devin took that time to meander in his own mind for a few minutes. "I honestly don't know what brought it about." Devin replied, shrugging and chuckling. "It was one of those fleeting thoughts that I decided to kinda spit out randomly. I have tried it before though," He added after Joshua asked about his experience with paintball. It was only once, but it was far enough back that the boy hardly remembered the experience. He did faintly recall being pegged mid-run in the balls, which definitely left him a heap of tears and sobbing afterwards. That was the last time he played, and he resolved to wear thicker clothing this time around despite temperature. "Well, for now I suppose we should find something else to do." Devin would follow Joshua's lead; whatever the man wanted to do, he would do as well. He figured he could be entertained by just about anything.