-- STILL YOUR CURSED TONGUE && [devin]

Devin's tongue poked out between his lips as his fingers shuffled around on the controller, eyebrows furrowed in sheer focus. The images on the screen flashed in front of him, well-designed characters portraying how many people were online around the world playing along with him. He picked up a rocket launcher and had his character stand stock still before making his shot, blowing up a helicopter. "Take that, bitch!" Devin demanded, raising his voice a bit louder than normal. Video games were always a good past time for the Earth student; his homework could wait until closer to its due date before he really sat down to get it done. However, his apartment was really quiet and lonely since he had Autumn walk out of his life. It was for the best, but even so he had those small bouts of loneliness like most people did. The parties and the girls were good enough though. They helped drive all of that away, and was doing a pretty decent job. Today he was supposed to go and hang out with Joshua, but wanted to get a game or two in before making his way towards his house.

Once the round was over, Devin snatched up his stuff--skateboard included--and left the house, locking the door behind him. He was so anxious to have Judith and Athena move back to the Hollow. Over and over he told himself not much longer, not much longer. After October passed, it would only be a little over two months before his family would be back home in Canada again. The family he so dearly loved and cherished. Maybe once they were back here, and they were able to be a family again, Devin could find some sort of normalcy in his life. After dealing with Lauren and everything else, he was looking forward to the reprieve. Stepping up on the skateboard, Devin took off towards his best friend's house to spend the afternoon and have some fun. It took some time to get across town, but with the cooler weather buffering his face Devin was thoroughly enjoying his smooth coast down the sidewalk. He found himself at the gates to Joshua's house and stopped the board, popping it up into his hand effortlessly before walking up the driveway and towards the front door. Devin was smiling and eager to see Josh, but the frown faded as he approached the front door.

Devin heard a rather loud argument coming from the porch, the boy picking up the pace out of sheer curiosity. One of the voices was definitely that of Josh, the other unfamiliar but still set the hairs on the back of his neck into an upright position. Josh did not sound happy. Looking up, the back of the person Josh was arguing with was turned to him, making it impossible for Devin to discern who it was. He felt anxious now, feeling as though he were walking in at the wrong time. "Uhm...should I come back at another time?" Devin called from the lawn, standing just close enough to see the look on his best friend's face. "I feel like I shoulda called first..." Even though that was not entirely necessary, being as he and Josh planned for this, but Devin wanted to avoid confrontation and figured being accommodating was the best route. The last time he stepped back he wound up in a fight with Alexander, a Fire graduate with the temper of an angered bull. Had Josh not been there, Devin's face would probably not be recognizable. The punches were well remembered, but even then the blonde refused to throw up a punch. He could only hope that whoever this guy was riling up Josh was not intending to cause a problem.

There were moments--small moments--where you feel like you're reliving a piece of your childhood. The events were not as monumental, but the images flashed through your mind like a mini-story book. Some were good, some were bad, others somewhat neutral and holding no true meaning. This, however, this right here was like walking back into a nightmare after being told over and over again that the bad guys would not come back while you were still awake. The monster in the closet re-emerged, the boogie monster under the bed cackling maniacally as he smiled in the shadows. Devin swallowed hard as he looked at Joshua, then saw as the other male jumped the porch and approached him. Bryce... It was hard to breathe, to move, to function. His brain flatlined as he attempted to come up with something to say--anything that would make this man disappear forever. "Bryce." Devin replied, trying to keep his voice level and void of the fear that welled up inside of him. He was not a fighter by nature, and knew how Bryce functioned. Knew what he was capable of. It was frightening. Seeing Josh with the blade in his hand only heightened the fear, Devin's blue gaze flicking from Bryce, to Josh, to the knife in no particular order.

The brothers conversed back and forth for a few more moments, the mentioning of Nell setting Devin on edge. If Joshua did not like the way Bryce was talking about the Earth girl, then Devin did not like it either. He was protective of his friend, even if he was not one to throw a punch or speak out against Josh's younger brother. Bryce shoved him hard on the shoulder, which shifted Devin to the side from the impact. He rubbed his arm a bit, waiting until he was out of hearing distance to mutter, "Hopefully not any time soon, bastard." Once Bryce was completely gone he followed Josh towards the house. "I know, but...still. He really shouldn't show up unannounced. I'm not sure his presence is welcome anywhere." Devin was angry, frustrated with the fact that the guy dared show his face around here, but in his voice held a placid calm that only an Earth student could effectively carry. He was still a bit shaken up, still in shock that Bryce was even around. Why was he here? What the hell did he actually want? Surely it was not to see Nell, and Devin decided that that was not going to happen. Nothing good ever came out of meeting up with that kid, not ever. The blonde shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"He needs to go back into the dark hole he crawled out of," Devin stated, still trying to keep himself level. What would have happened if he had not shown up? Bryce was, in his opinion, an evil being. He did not seem to have any concept of remorse or guilt. No sense of morals. Devin remembered when he visited Josh in the hospital after the first attack made by his brother. It was scary, seeing Josh in such a bad state. Devin was lucky that Bryce did not go that far with him when he took to bullying him. Josh protected him quite a bit. He hated it, but at the same time knew that without his best friend there might not have been a large chance for survival. He frowned and placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder in reassurance, even if it was not going to be one hundred percent effective. "He didn't Josh, and won't," He replied, dropping his hand. "Just...let's just act like he didn't show up today. He doesn't exist. Everyone is safe." For now. Devin did not know when Bryce was released or where he was staying, but the fact that he showed up was not good. Not good at all. He was a realist; he knew how people like Bryce functioned. They were relentless. "Not much I guess. Was just looking forward to some buddy time." It was hard to have a decent conversation after all of that.

It was obvious, even to a blind person, at how enraged Joshua was by Bryce’s unwelcome and unexpected visit. The man had done more damage than good, and Devin felt the same edge towards him as Josh did. However, Joshua felt more than just an edge. There was so much more, and Devin knew about a lot of their issues from past to present. The only one he was unaware of was a more recent incident with Nell, which somewhat put the boy at a disadvantage in the conversation. Devin nodded, not ashamed to ask Josh for help should Bryce come around his person any time soon. Had he been a Fire bully on the school grounds he would probably mention something after the one-sided fight, but this was Bryce. His threats were a lot more real, and potentially deadly. After all, he almost lost Joshua to Bryce’s attacks once upon a time. It scared the shit out of him, to be perfectly honest. “I’ll let you know if he starts to come around,” He replied finally, still trying to get over the initial shock of it all. Does he know where I live? He was not so sure. Devin was grateful that Judith and Athena were not around right now, because that would put him on an even higher alert.

Devin blinked a few times at Joshua’s response; he knew that the man was upset by his brother’s appearance, but he was not quite expecting something like that towards him. Being non-confrontational and ever eager to avoid a fight or an argument, Devin nodded and avoided his best friend’s gaze with a slight sting of shame. “Yeah I know what all he’s done. I know. I just…” He just what? Was trying to dodge the issue altogether? To act like it never happened? Not likely. Not for Josh, and to try and erase it right in front of him was probably the wrong move. The next statement was what threw the blonde into a world of utter confusion. Sure, it was Bryce, which would invoke anger in even the most placid of people (like Devin), but this was a bit of new news that was he was not prepared for. Devin flinched. “Already has? You mean…?” A bitter taste soured his tongue at the thought of Bryce even laying a hand on Nell, and could not quite imagine how his best friend was feeling at that very moment. Devin’s bright blue eyes cast a glance at the knife in Joshua’s hand, wary of its presence like one would a venomous snake. One wrong word and the blade could be pointed in his direction. Not that Josh would intentionally harm him, but he knew how the Fire graduate’s temper could be.

“Y-yeah…I know what he does.” His voice was distant and quiet, fearfully thoughtful. Why had he not heard of this? Not that it was any of his business, but Devin had suffered through Bryce too. A heads up would have been beneficial. But it wasn’t needed. It’s not my life. Joshua was a private person, and Devin knew that. To expect a detailed account of everything that happened was foolish. Devin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, feeling awful for even trying to calm his friend down. “I know. I know. And…I’m sorry. I wish there was something we could do to just…make the bastard disappear.” If only magic were made to be a permanent fix. Stuff the dick in a box, wave a magic wand, and poof Bryce would be no more. That would be a wonderful fix to the problem; unfortunately that was not possible unless he was already dead and they could bury him in an unmarked cemetery. Wow, I’m feeling awfully morbid today… Devin thought abruptly, realizing where his mind was drifting. It was hard not to with Bryce, after everything he had done to Josh, himself, and now apparently with threats to Nell. “Why don’t we get us something to drink?” Devin offered with a tilt of the head, hands in his pockets to try and remain as casual and calm as possible. “Maybe a buzz or a good night of sloshing around will do us both some good, eh?” Alcohol could solve their problems for a little while at least. It was better than sitting around and fuming and dreading what lay in the future with Bryce.

Devin flinched back at Joshua's harsh words, blinking a few times. He was not a fighter, not by any means, so even if the Fire were to lash out physically there would be no stopping him. However, Devin trusted his best friend and knew the anger was from Bryce, from his impromptu visit and what the boy was capable of doing to the people he considered an enemy. Nell was now an enemy to Bryce. That was dangerous, and understood Joshua's anger. It was justified. Scary as fuck, but justified. "I wasn't--" The blonde stopped and shook his head, unwilling to even continue the discussion. He wanted Josh to cool down, not flare up again. He wanted to have a nice afternoon with his friend, not get a punch to the face or any more cold words. Thanks a lot Bryce. You know how to ruin just about everything in your vicinity. And he did. He was almost like a toxic gas. He did not have to touch anything to cause problems. Devin was relieved to hear Josh agree to a little alcohol, knowing that it would be a good way to ease into the afternoon.

The livingroom was now dimly lit by the fireplaces Joshua so expertly lit on his own, the low lighting a calming ambiance. With a huff, Devin fell back on the couch and draped an arm over the back. kicking off his shoes and shuffling them over to the side so they were not an obstacle. He often wondered how Josh dealt with so much space and so few people, but figured it was better than too little space and too many people. This mansion felt like home to him. Devin quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know how you drink man," He replied with a chuckle, looking over the bottle in Joshua's hand. The liquor he brandished was probably strong enough to put a horse down. "You know that they use that shit to shellac furniture and stuff? Like a solvent?" He was not surprised that the Dale household carried a bottle of the illegal substance, being as Donovan was a doctor and they could use it medically, but even so the potency was amazing. He's not actually going to drink that, is he? Relief washed over the boy as Joshua put it back. "I don't mind getting wasted, but let's not do ourselves in after a couple of shots, eh?" Devin already had a few of those nights, the ones not too long after leaving Autumn. The bottom of a bottle never looked so glorious. "I'd like to actually have a conversation with you before we start falling over ourselves and drooling into the carpet."

For a moment, Devin's thoughts drifted to some of the past drinking escapades he shared with Josh and with other friends. One of them--who was way too far gone--decided that he wanted to fly and, stupidly, Devin and the others encouraged him to spread his wings and go for it. A broken arm and fractured femur later, they realized that maybe having at least one sober friend present was beneficial. Tonight, Devin did not particularly care. They had not exactly planned this out. "Give me some of whatever you're having I guess," Devin shrugged, not really caring what he got himself into this round (except for the Everclear). Beer was definitely slow, but beneficial for social drinking. They wanted to be social, but after dealing with Bryce it was best to push a little bit past a buzz. From the stories he had been told in the past, he was a bit of...well, an idiot when drunk. He was daring, and liked to do things he normally would not do in the right mind. Devin was a clutz when sober, and depending on how far gone he was that could be amplified ten fold. It was really a sight to see--they had a few videos of his antics somewhere, he was sure. "How's work? How's school? Life?" Devin asked, trying to give Josh something to respond to, to drive the discussion in a different direction. He did not like seeing his best friend so angry. Mainly because of the reason behind it, but also because it was scary. Bryce will be back. I just hope that Nell is not alone when that happens.

"I'm sure it does. I'm glad I don't have any need to have it dumped on an open wound." Devin chuckled, the thought of having the alcohol poured on a cut or gash making his skin tingle with pain. He was not really the toughest of sorts--something he was not ashamed to admit--and would dread having Everclear as an antiseptic. "Well, if for whatever reason you decide to take me out...you at least have a way to do it." Not that someone could get away with a murder like that, though it would be interesting to see on one of those crime shows. With the illegal substance it would be a bit too easy to find the perpetrator though, unless of course it happened at a hospital where it might be more present. Devin allowed his thoughts to ramble for a moment, something that happened on occasion, before being drawn to Joshua's voice. "If you do drink it at least toss it in with something else. That shit can't taste as good by itself." Devin replied, wrinkling his nose at the thought of downing Everclear straight. Alcohol was alcohol of course, but that had over eighty percent alcohol and it had to burn like none other. He was surprised it could not eat through the stomach wall upon contact. The blonde laughed at the image of them both smooshing themselves against the floor, completely wasted and unable to make any coherent sentences. Their means of conversation would be 'ughhh' and 'mmmm' and possibly slurred bouts of laughter in between.

Joshua brandished the bottle of whiskey, Devin merely shaking his head with a smile. It was something he should have expected, but more or less made the statement without much thought. It saved Devin from choosing from whatever else was in the cabinet anyway. "Yeah yeah, you and your whiskey. I guess I'll take some of that, then." He drank just about anything, had no real preference, which he supposed was good considering his lifestyle. The parties normally had a few bottles of the good stuff, but more often than not it was centered around beer and other cheap alcohol. He did not mind much though. He took the other bottle of whiskey and nodded, removing the cap before going to fetch himself a shot glass. Devin preferred it that way; whiskey on the rocks sounded like something he could see his father doing, or Joshua's father. It seemed more...sophisticated. Neither of them seemed interested in sophisticated tonight. The boy plopped back down on the couch with a sigh, setting the shot glass on the table before pouring one for himself. "So let's see how many of these it takes until I become one with the floor, eh?" It almost reminded him of the age old question 'how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?', which made him inwardly chuckle because his mind went straight to the gutter after that. Not that it was difficult to get him there or anything.

"Good! I'm glad to hear it," Devin replied, taking two shots back to back. Joshua was already taking down his own bottle, and he wanted to keep up to an extent. Not that watching your friends act like idiots while you're only buzzed is not fun, but that was not his goal tonight. The blonde reached out and gave his best friend a good firm pat on the shoulder, flashing him a smile. "Congrats, man. That's awesome. I hope college doesn't eat me alive..." Oh how he hated being forced into doing things he did not want to do. Like homework. He wanted to go to college and do something with his life, but at the same time it required so much effort. At least he was going to try and go into some sort of record publishing deal, or something. He had been practicing on his skateboard quite a bit too, and a few years back had aspirations to compete in skateboard competitions, but he put that off. Maybe I should go for it. See what competitions I can find. Then he could avoid busting his ass for school and do something he really enjoyed. It was probably the only thing Devin was not over clumsy about. Lost in thought he missed Joshua's comment on life; even so, he would not have delved any deeper than the surface. Years of friendship led Devin to understand how the Fire graduate worked. "Work is...well, work," The blonde shrugged. "The hours have eased up so I haven't been as tired. School is a bit easier now because of the nicer hours at the club too." The last question brought a bright smile to his face before he downed another shot, as though celebrating the occasion before it had been spoken. "Well, it's a party life right now, but I can't wait for Judith and Athena to come home."

It was not hard to tell that Joshua was kidding around, but at the same time Devin knew that the statement was true. If, for whatever reason, someone wanted to murder him and go without a trace, that would be the way to do it. That and icicles. Those were deadly and they melted, leaving absolutely no evidence behind. Devin actually shuddered at the thought of someone attempting murder via icicle. “And then I would come back to haunt you for the rest of your life. Do you know how many pranks I could pull, and actually get away with? It would be epic.” The blonde grinned, enjoying the back and forth. It was easy to do with Josh, though he wondered if some people would not take his statements so lightly. Years of friendship usually allowed for one person to understand another past knowing the basics. It was easy to read their physical cues, verbal cues, everything. Not every time, but enough to where there was balance. Devin liked their balance. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the description. “You’ve tasted a horses’ ass? I’m thinking me and Nell should establish an intervention soon.” He shifted his eyes back and forth, acting concerned even though there was a faint smile on his lips to betray him. “We’ll save it for another time. I’d rather not die today.”

At one point or another during their conversations—at least recently with school coming to a close—school entered the discussion. It was normal, Devin supposed; he was graduating in less than a month and then he would be off to more adult-like things. Like possibly college. It was so difficult for the boy to imagine himself sitting in classrooms all day. It was not his style. He liked to strive hard for the things he really enjoyed, and although he was quite intelligent school was not something he enjoyed. Learning was not his problem. It was the environment and what they required him to learn. Either that, or he was just making an excuse as to why he was so lazy. That was a possibility. “Well shit I’d be all over that,” Devin replied with a grin. Video game classes? Hell yeah. His eyes went wide for a moment as he looked at his best friend. “They have jobs for that? Well holy hell. I wonder if they pay well…” Oh no, now the boy was considering this as a career path. Skateboarding…video game tester…he weighed them out between one another, wondering if this was all possible. An awesome combination to be sure, but he did not want to get over-eager about it and then not have a chance to execute this lifestyle.

Devin really did lose count of how much that had downed by this point, but he was not exactly caring. Nothing really mattered when you were drunk. Well, except for the things you think matter. Like ceilings. The boy laughed as he lay on the floor next to the couch, also staring up at the ceiling. It was a comical sight, really. Devin’s eyes went wide as though he was seeing the ceiling in a new light. “Duuuude,” He slurred, pointing to it for a half second before dropping his arm beside him. “I like skies. They are so…so pretty.” He rolled his head to the side in attempts to look at Josh, but instead came face to face with the bottom half of the couch. That did not hinder him from talking to it, at any rate. “Hey! The sky can be white if it wants to be. You should probably ask it if it wants to be black.” He nudged the couch as though he nudged his friend. “Ask it, ask it. It’s consiiiiderate.” Because it would be infinitely rude to ignore the ceilings wants and needs just because Josh had a random urge to throw black paint on it. Even if it was his house, and the fact that the house did not have feelings. Why think that deep? That was simply too much effort right now. Devin scooted closer to the couch and nuzzled up against it, rubbing the leather with a gentle touch. “It is a really nice couch…” He trailed off, the movement over his head almost startling him. He looked up to see Josh’s face and passed him a cheesy (drunk) grin. “Uhhh. Stuff. We should…do stuff.” Genius answer.

Devin loved the fact that he could joke around with Josh so freely, because their sense of humor was very much the same. Crude humor was hard wired into them, but Devin most certainly kept his on the down low around certain people. With Joshua, there was really no holding back about any joke. It could go just about as far as they wanted it to and there would only be bouts of laughter in between. No awkward silences, no wrinkled noses or looks of disgust. Nah, it was all fun. The blonde wavered back and forth as Joshua gripped his shoulders, whispering his fears about Nell finding out his 'secret'. Devin shook his head and attempted to keep a serious expression on his face. "Dude, I can't just let you wander around sniffing asses. Love you bro but that's just...that's pushing it, don't you think? I really think Nell should hear about your ass-smelling escapades." He nodded, his bright blue eyes trained on his best friend. It was easy to see the glimmer of amusement in his eyes and the twitch of a smile on his lips. Josh was certainly better at staying serious with his jokes than Devin was. "I know...I know." He patted his friend on the arm. "We'll get you help as soon as possible. 'kay?" Hearing Josh chuckle, the Earth also laughed himself. He loved when they could do things like this, especially after the confrontation with Bryce not half an hour before. Devin actually wondered if their evening would change courses, but it seemed that everything was going well enough. "Tell me about it...I would be really worried about you if you had a fetish like that. I might have to tell Nell that one."

It was not hard to tell that the Fire graduate made easy conversation with the subject of school. When you enjoyed something there was little to no hesitation to make a discussion out of it. For Josh, it was school. For Devin, it was the latest video games or the most recent winner in the X-Games. The kid idolized Tony Hawk when he was younger, and took to watching the games whenever they came around. "Yeah, you would be top of the class without even trying. You could actually teach that class, no problem." Joshua had a knack for the strategy game. Devin was smart, and knew for a fact that he was, but chess was not exactly his forte. That was his best friend's strong point, while his was gaming. It was really amusing to try and play Halo or Call of Duty with Josh, though. Just as Devin was sure his friend got a kick out of him trying to win at chess. "Yeah...that's really true. I thought that maybe the designers tested it themselves, but then again if they did that they could lie on the ratings and pass over glitches." The more he thought about this, the more intrigued he became. Devin would get paid to play video games! How awesome was that? You could not go wrong with an occupation that involved testing video games. That was, unless you did not like them, but there were a lot of gamers out there. It would be really neat to be one of the first few to try out a game before it was tossed up on the shelves. Devin looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding at his best friend. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that. See what all the job can offer me." If he were able to cross that with skateboarding, then that might be even better.

The blonde was completely oblivious to everything around him, and was thus startled when Joshua called out his name. "Holy fuck what!?" He replied with fear in his voice, starting a little. Such a jumpy little thing! It really did not take much. "Oh, it's youuu." Devin slurred after realizing that Josh was talking to him. He shook his head a little bit, the room whirling around in a circle. Pretty circles. "It's not insensitive! It's verrrry polite. Would you be hap-happy if someone just randomly decided to make you black wifffthout permissions?" Ah, ever the logical one...well, it was logical to an intoxicated Earth student at least. Why would anyone want to have their color changed without their consent? That was just flat out rude. Devin continued to snuggle with the side of the couch, patting the leather affectionately. No wonder he did well with sexual interactions when drunk; he was extremely loving. Now, how 'loving' he was depended on the other person too, but that was neither here nor there. "I know I am. Always glad to help out my best buddy! Bbbbest. The word 'B' sounds so fucking weird when you say it over and over again." He rolled back over again to look up at the ceiling. Apparently the letter 'B' was now a word, because that makes total sense. "Hell if I know man! We should...play hide and seek. Do you know how fucking hilarious that would be? You're like, seven feet tall. I'm not sure where to hide you." Devin rolled over on his side and looked over at the fireplace, patting the floor slowly as though trying to follow his own hand movements. He was gone. No doubt about it. When the fires burst to life he sat straight up and hit his head on the couch in the process. "HOLY. SHIT. That fireplace, it could take us straight to Hogwarts! I didn't know you had floo powderrr!" Was Devin actually considering running headlong into the fireplace?...possibly.