A VIOLENT CRIME -- DEVIN

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

As he was going to be hanging around his best friend for the day, Joshua had made plans to stay at his parents house. Not overnight, just for a few hours so that he and Devin could have their buddy time without having to worry about getting in Nell's way. He was sure his girlfriend wouldn't mind if he hung out with Dev at her apartment seeing as they were all friends but as he could make other arrangements and he didn't want to inconvenience her he'd gone ahead and done it anyway. It was cold outside and there was a blanket of snow on the ground, changing any plans that might have been made to hang around outside. He could keep himself warm with heat but there was always a danger in trying to keep others warm, too. Heat melted snow, you see, and the mortals would ask questions if you walked along a snowy road and carved a path through it as you went. It would expend more energy than it was worth to keep the heat carefully monitored so that it both stopped them from freezing their asses off and didn't alert anyone to the fact that something was up. True, there was winter wear that could fight off the cold, but Josh didn't like bulky clothing. Perhaps it was a Fire elemental thing? He didn't even like sleeping with a shirt on, though he always did feel slightly strange if he stripped it off in Nell's apartment seeing as she'd quite literally freaked out when she'd once seen him in his boxers. Sure, it was a little different in that he'd not been wearing any pants, either, but he was still a little more careful about it nowadays.

He was with Annabel now, helping her prepare for her best friend's party. Normally this would have been the job of Patricia but she was away at another one of her business meetings and so he was stuck in the house with his little sister and his father. He wouldn't have minded so much if things between he and Donovan weren't so tense. They tried to hide it around the youngest member of the family but she was no longer a gullible seven year old. She might not have known why they had a falling out but she could tell that things were not always as they were. "Hold still," he scolded with a gentle laugh when Annabel lapsed into a fit of giggles. "That tickles, Josh!" He was attempting to help her fix her hair up the way she wanted it... attempting. "I'm already unsure if I'm getting this right, it's even more difficult with you moving around all the time!" Though he was being serious, his tone was light and possessed no real anger. He could never be truly upset with his baby sister. They were a full seven years apart and thus he'd always felt like he needed to assume the role of the protector. Heck, he'd probably have felt that way if she was only a month younger than him, older than him even. Joshua was just a protective guy. "It's just hair," she giggled. "Mum can do it perfect." She did not sound indignant and thus he was not offended. "Yes, Belle, but I'm not Mum and I'm afraid I've never aspired to be a hairdresser."

After trying a few more things and trying to be gentle so as not to pull his sisters hair, Joshua stepped back with a critical frown. It looked okay to him, but he was not one to be the judge of such things. "How's that?" She practically pranced over to the mirror in order to inspect herself, fluffing her blonde curls with a hand and then turning to him with a wide grin. The young girl threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek in a gesture that would have gotten anyone else decked in the face but which only recieved a smile in return. "It looks great," the girl reassured her older brother with a nod. "Thanks." It felt good to have that sort of closeness they'd experienced when they were younger back in his life once more. Annabel detached herself from his neck and stood back on her heels, having to stand on tip-toe thanks to Josh's height in comparison to hers. She said something about doing her make-up but of course he could not help with that and thus just sat on the end of her bed and held conversation whilst she went about her business. "Doesn't Mum advise against that?" he wondered. He had heard Patricia tell Annabel off once or twice for putting on too much make-up but felt awkward bringing it up around his sister, who merely shrugged. "Mum's not here." This made him feel even more strange but he also didn't feel that it was his place to tell her off when he'd just been gone for several months. She didn't seem to notice his discomfort, turning around and posing. "How do I look?"

After telling her to take it easier on the lipstick (advice which she thankfully listened to) Annabel left with their father and Josh was finally free to go and pick up his friend. He was a little relieved that they were going to have the house to themselves--Donovan was heading out to meet a colleague after he dropped Annabel off at her friend's. Normally he wouldn't have cared. The mansion was so large that every person in the house could have company over and they wouldn't have ran into one another a single time. He loved the house he'd grown up in and knew that his parents were planning to give it to him whenever Annabel was ready to move out and they, roles fulfilled as parents, were going to find some place with a bit of a smaller scale. It wouldn't be for some years yet, he knew, but it was something to look forward to. He didn't run into much traffic on the way from his house to Devin's fathers. He felt a stirring of trepidation and dislike almost automatically upon pulling into the driveway and stepping out of the car, glaring distrustfully at the house as he pushed the scissor door closed. He went up to the door and knocked on it, wondering if The Bitch was going to be home or whether Devin had gotten off lucky.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

The past week seemed to drag on forever. Just a few days ago, Devin waved farewell to Judith and Athena at the airport, watching with a distant expression as the plane took off towards the United States. They were far away now. There was no way to physically reach for them anymore. At least, not on a daily basis. A phone call every other day was okay, but it was not good enough. Devin missed them terribly. However his thoughts could not linger for very long anymore; every time he seemed to get a bit of time to himself, Lauren pushed him to do something around the house or be productive. It was like the woman had a sixth sense; like she knew exactly when the blonde was not doing anything ‘important’. Screw homework, screw friends, screw it all. He had to drop what he was doing and cater to her every whim. In the end, it was worth it all. For that day he was going to escape the hell hole and go spend time with Josh. Finally. But it came at a price. Devin had to spend the past day or two cleaning up after his step-mother and his dad; Lauren claimed it was his way of making up for leaving the house for the evening. It was only going to be for a few hours, and yet he spent two days doing all of her dirty work.

“Devin!” A shrill but familiar voice reached his ears from down the hall. Great. Rolling his eyes Devin put his controller down and peered out of his new bedroom—it was greatly lacking in furniture or anything to give it the appearance of a bedroom. He had a TV, his gaming platforms, and a mattress. Lauren would not allow Devin to move his other furniture pieces into the house. Lauren was coming down the hall, apparently upset as she held a baby in her arms. Yeah, she decided to produce spawn with his father. Fucking great. “Yes ma’am?” Devin replied sweetly, trying to placate the angry woman so there would not be any more loud discussions in front of a sleeping child. She truly was a bitch. That baby deserved better than this. Lauren stopped in front of him and held the baby out to him, who started to cry from the sudden jerk of her thoughtless movements. “Take him. Watch him until your friend arrives.” Little did Lauren know that Joshua was the friend coming by to pick him up; they were not supposed to have been home that day, so when Josh came to get him there would not be an issue. Devin swallowed; his throat was like sandpaper as he took the baby and held it gently against his chest. It instantly stopped crying. Laruen glared for a moment before turning heel to go towards her bedroom.

Bitch. Was the only thought that crossed his mind as he rested his lips on the baby’s forehead. She was truly that awful; her own child freaked out whenever she was around. It killed him to know this baby had to be raised by Lauren. After a moment of standing in his doorway, he abandoned the game he was previously playing and walked into the living room. His dad was not home at the moment, off meeting a friend of his for a quick game of pool. Lauren smiled sweetly and told him that Devin and the baby would do okay at the house with her, but boy that wench could lie through her teeth. As soon as that man was gone, things turned upside down. Devin had already been pushed once today—the wall had a small dent from the impact. He rotated his shoulder to try and keep it from forming a large bruise. Then, there was a knock at the door. With an eager smile on his face Devin went to the door and supported the baby with one arm while he opened it. Standing there was his best friend. Relief flooded through him. “Hey man. Come on in. Give me a minute to get ready okay?” He hurriedly shuffled over to the baby rocker and settled the little one inside before going into his room to grab his jacket. Little did he know that the knock on the door alerted Lauren, and the door to her bedroom opened. Her face contorted with anger as she came out and shut the door behind her. “Devin!” She screamed at the boy, who was just coming out of his room with a jacket now draped over his shoulders. “Yes?” He replied, raising his eyebrows. Then, reality hit him. Shit. Josh.

“What is he doing in my house!?” Lauren shrieked, pointing a finger at the fire graduate. Devin grew angry and clenched his fists, trying to remain calm. “He is my best friend, Lauren. I’m going over to his house, remember? I spent two days keeping up the house so I could go.” It sounded so stupid when it floated around in the air—the woman actually made him do housework for a few hours of freedom. In the background, the baby started to cry, which for some reason only infuriated the woman even more. Before Devin could blink, Lauren pushed him back against the wall, his head hitting the drywall with a dull thud. It sent pain through his entire body. “You aren’t going with him.” For once, a burst of anger coursed through Devin’s body, and he removed Lauren’s arm from his chest with great force. His face was hard and expressionless. “I’m going. You can’t stop me.” As though the woman was completely unaware of who was present in her house—unaware of what said person was capable of—she hauled off and smacked him across the face with the back of her hand. He kept his face turned to face Joshua, eyes pleading. What do I do…? The woman continued to wave her finger around, eyes wild and full of fury. “I said you aren’t going with him.”

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was relieved to see his friend again, even though his smile was a tad worried as he greeted him. "Hey, DJ." There was something weird about being here, chilling. Just knowing that the woman lived in this house made him want to shudder with disgust. He did his best to keep his attitude light in front of Devin, however, because this was his buddy and he didn't want him to realise how uncomfortable it made him. A lot of things were changing lately. His best friend had moved back to this hell hole, he had reconciled with his parents, the trial had went well... things were shifting and he wasn't sure if he welcomed all of the changes. Joshua was nothing if not composed, however, so he merely stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him. "Cute kid," he remarked. Of course, the child was probably Lauren's but he wasn't going to blame a baby for the fact that the woman was a raving loon. He might not have been a people person but Josh had practically helped raise his sister so he had nothing against children. It was strange to think of how different things had been the last time he'd been anywhere near Lauren. He'd been younger, then, Devin had been younger, too. He remembered seeing the bruises and worrying over what was going to happen to Devin and Athena if they had to suffer under her care for much longer. Then Judith had came along and stopped all of that. Jesus Christ. Why America? Why now? He didn't really blame Judith, either, but he couldn't deny that her work had horrible timing. If they'd just waited a little while longer then Dev would have been fine to live in the house on his own, no emancipation or any such thing needed.

The Fire graduate felt a sense of unease as his friend disappeared inside the door to his room, as if the house itself had something dangerous lying in wait. Don't be ridiculous, she might not even be here. Would Devin had invited him in if she was? Joshua was just pondering that, unsure, when the woman herself answered his question. He could immediately feel the hatred as he glanced toward her, hating her, but he did not display it in any way other than an unintentional stiffening of posture. His expression screwed up with disgust as she shrieked--god, what a horrible sound that was. He forced himself to hold his tongue, actually clenching his jaw to prevent a retort. What were all the rules of etiquette and politeness that his parents had taught him, that he'd been raised with? Her house, her rules. Yeah, his father used that one on him all the time to explain why an over-eighteen year old would have to obey any sort of curfew when coming home. It had usually worked since he hated finding hotel rooms to sleep in. He didn't even try to manage a smile, already knowing that he would be unable. Joshua might have been capable of staying composed and silent but acting like he could tolerate this woman was another matter entirely. You made his life hell, you witch. Shit, she was barely doing anything and he already wanted to start something with her. He put his hands in his pockets to stop from curling them into fists as Devin emerged from the room. Joshua shot him an apologetic glance and made a minute shrug as if to indicate he had no idea what Lauren's problem was. He hadn't done anything.

Or, well, maybe he had. According to Lauren his presence was enough for her. The graduate could not stop himself from narrowing his eyes, a subtle frown starting to play his lips of its own accord. She could have asked me that herself, he thought darkly but just set his jaw even tighter to resist the words slipping out. Devin's words appalled him. Two days? Jesus Christ, it's not like he asked permission to go and rob a bank! Devin wasn't even sleeping over at his house, they were just going to have some time as friends for a while. He'd forgotten just how bad the woman could be. Life with Judith had relaxed Josh and convinced him that his friend's life was looking up. He'd had no reason to dwell on the shit that had happened with Lauren in the past because he'd figured it was a closed chapter. The shove evoked an immediate reaction in Joshua--he stepped forward with a sharp intake of breath and might have acted further if Devin hadn't pushed the woman away himself. "Leave him alone," he said dangerously, speaking for the first time since Lauren had emerged. He knew what it was like to challenge the wrath of someone because of his own father (though he gave back as good as he got). When she slapped Devin across the face, however, that just sent Joshua's temper over the edge. The helpless way that Devin glanced at him certainly did not help. You did not touch his friends. You could push him around and insult him all you wanted and he might be able to keep his mouth shut and his hands to himself but if you so much as thought about causing problems for his friends, you had another thing going for you.

Violence was dangerous, he could go to jail for what he was about to do, but that did not matter to Joshua. He shoved Lauren against the wall much like she'd done to his friend, only Joshua was much stronger than she was and his anger was causing his pulse to pound in his ears thanks to the adrenaline. "I told you," he hissed, "to leave Devin the hell alone, didn't I?" He did not remove his arm from where he was holding her against the wall but he did meet her eyes, his sharp gray ones filled with the hatred that he felt. He raised his other hand and brought it across her cheek in a glancing blow--he hit hard, but not hard enough to cause any significant damage. He was making a point, here. He didn't give a shit if she pressed charges. He'd tell the cops what a crazy bitch she was and let them handcuff him. You didn't hurt his friends. "How does it feel?" he demanded in a low tone. "Devin might not be a fighter but I don't have a problem with it, and if you ever touch my friend again I can do a lot worse." He had no qualms against hitting a woman if she was this abusive, this callous, this much of a bitch. His temperament did not discriminate against gender, age, skill level... anything. If you pissed him off he was going to attack you no matter who you were or what you could do to him. "Oh," he added, "and I'd keep my mouth shut about this, if I were you." He didn't explain further, feeling that to be ominous about it made it all the more threatening. That was what he was going for. Breathing hard and feeling as if he'd very much like to strangle her, he increased the pressure holding her against the wall for a moment to give her an idea of his strength and then shoved away from her. He was trembling, but from a combination of rage and adrenaline rush rather than fear. He wasn't scared of this bitch. He'd prove it, too, if she did this to him again. "Come on, Devin," he said coolly, though it was clearly not his friend he was angry with. "We should get going."

[He backhanded her, btw, if there was any doubt. xD Josh doesn't slap xD]

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

It was amazing how quickly children were thrown into the depths of hell for someone else’s benefit. For their own selfishness. They wanted what they wanted, and no one could stop them from getting it…even if it was in the presence of someone so young and innocent. Devin turned and looked at Josh after putting the baby down, a smile on his lips. “Isn’t he?” There was so much more he wanted to say; Devin wanted to talk about how torturous it must be to be raised by Lauren, that the child deserved better, that he would gladly take the baby and raise it as his own if he were able. Unfortunately with Lauren right down the hall none of that could be said. Instead, Devin merely shrugged and shook his head towards Josh to indicate the pity he felt for the little guy. He was actually of Lauren’s blood. That was embarrassing in and of itself. What was worse, however, was how his step-mother treated him on a daily basis. The baby would never have to deal with this abuse because he would end up being related to the woman. The step-child always received the worst of attention, at least in this household. What Lauren did not realize, though, was that Devin had people outside of this family that were highly protective and did not take bullshit. Like Joshua.

The minute Devin passed him a helpless glance, Josh was on top of the situation in a second flat. He could only stare in shock as his best friend shoved Lauren into the wall, his strength and anger coming off of him in waves. It was frightening. The fire graduate warned the woman to leave Devin alone at first, but of course he was trying to handle the situation on his own. Lauren did not seem to take heed. “I’ll do whatever I damn well please in my house,” She hissed darkly towards Joshua, her eyes alight with a dangerous fire. The blonde flinched at the words before feeling the sting of a slap across his face; it was in that moment that he saw the truly dangerous fire standing the house—Josh. That contact with Devin’s face was apparently enough to send his friend over the edge, and he could only watch helplessly as Lauren yelped and tried to break free of Joshua’s hold. “It’s not your house, you nasty boy. Get your filthy hands off of me!” Her shrill voice broke through the air once again, this time fear laced every word and Devin knew that if she tried anything something bad would surely happen. He wanted to try and placate Joshua, to try and get him to let go and leave everything be, but he knew that would do no good. Devin remembered the last time he tried to be light and humorous and make a situation better—he did not talk to Josh for weeks. Not again.

SMACK.

Then silence. Blinking a few times, Devin edged away from the wall and stood in the middle of the hallway to see Joshua taking a back hand to Lauren’s face. He actually hit her. Part of him felt fear rising up into his throat, but the other was a sadistic pride in his best friend for doing what he had wanted to do so many times since knowing the woman. She was cruel, cold, and a heartless bitch. That slap…if only Joshua had clenched his fist and laid into her. Maybe then Lauren could feel the pain he had been dealing with, even before he moved in with Judith. Devin stopped his thoughts. No. Even though Lauren was probably the scum of the earth, two wrongs did not make a right, no matter how right the wrong felt. The woman merely stared at Joshua, not answering his question; Devin caught the faint quiver of her lower lip before his best friend emitted a warning, pressed against her for assurance that he was not to be fucked with, and then backed away from her. She slumped to the ground in a heap, arms shaking and hardly able to support her weight. The blonde wanted to smirk, to give her a swift kick to the side, but that was not in his personality to take someone while they were down. Hell, he did not take anyone even if they were standing up and fully functional, let alone someone who could not even defend themselves. No one can defend themselves around Josh.

Joshua’s voice broke his concentration on Lauren; the man was shaking and clearly angry. Devin swallowed hard and took a few steps back towards the front door. “Okay. I’m ready to go.” Upon hearing the baby’s cries, however, the boy stopped and soothed him before turning heel and walking out the front door. Once out in the crisp, clean air, he crumpled. Devin leaned against the post of the front porch and buried his face in one hand, tears streaming down his face. It was not stoppable. The anxiety he felt, the shock, the fear, the adrenaline…it all caught up to him and left him a large emotional heap. Devin wiped his face a few times to try and push away the emotions that flooded through him, but it was not without difficulty. He did not want to cry in front of Josh, or anyone else for that matter. He burdened his friend enough today.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Heck, if Joshua had thought it would accomplish anything he would have punched her. He didn't normally take the backhanding route and he never really slapped anyone--he preferred the full force of a closed fist to that of an open hand. At the moment, however, Josh was just giving as good as his friend had gotten. A part of him wanted to do more but he knew that it would only get him into more trouble. He was already seething with the force of his anger when he stepped away from her, trying anything else would surely push him past his limit of control. He had slowly gotten better in the control of his temper over the years but the fact that he'd went for Lauren in the first place clearly displayed the fact that the control was not, indeed, very remarkable at all. He knew that he needed help for it but the stubborn Fire refused to accept or even consider it. Why should he? Why should he let some stranger in on his life and explain the things that made him angry? The anger was a part of him, he embraced it even though he hated how it sometimes came between his friendships. It had damn near came between the friendship with Devin, too. Right now it had protected Devin. Even if Lauren wasn't actually going to cause any real damage to the Earth element, to his best friend a single slap was enough. The shove had been enough. The harsh words had been enough. Maybe it was because Joshua knew what it was like to be pushed around whilst being unable to fight back or maybe it really was just because he'd known Devin for so long but the anger he felt toward anyone that hurt him was immense.

He was entirely unsympathetic to Lauren as she slumped against the wall, turning his attention instead to the child when Devin comforted it. That poor kid. Though not empathetic, even Josh didn't like to know that a baby was suffering a life with this woman. Even if she didn't hurt it like she hurt Devin it still wouldn't have a very good life with her as a mother. Still, his thoughts did not dwell on that for long as he nodded and followed his friend from the home without a backward glance or a single word to Lauren. The blast of cold air was unexpected as it hit his face and Josh drew in a slow breath to let the frigid air fill his lungs. The cold gave him something to think of other than anger for a moment and it was refreshing. He was still trembling ever so slightly and would probably need to pull over for a bit after they got away from the house and calm down so he didn't get into a car accident but now that they were away from the source of the anger he felt a lot better. That is, until he caught sight of his best friend. His mood shifted from bitter to concerned as he noticed that there were actual tears streaming down his friends cheeks, something he was not entirely accustomed to. Not a lot of people cried around him, or at least if they did it was because they'd been driven to it by Joshua himself. The graduate abandoned his own current concerns and rather awkwardly approached his friend so that he could offer some sort of comfort. He wasn't good with tears. What did you do with people who were crying? He didn't know, because honestly Josh didn't do a whole lot of that himself. When he let his emotions get to him he was usually alone and thus didn't know what sort of consoling was most effective.

He hesitated for a moment. Devin's your best friend, Josh reminded himself. That was true. This was his best buddy who was hurting even though the Fire wasn't entirely sure what had drove him to tears. Had the slap hurt that bad or was it something else? God, why did he have to be so bad at this? He was brilliant in academics but when it came to feelings... heh, unless you were his girlfriend you were usually shit out of luck. Even with Devin he didn't know him that well. "Hey, man, you gonna be alright?" Though not good with comforting people he at least was not an idiot. Asking if someone was alright when they were crying and had just gone through a hellish ordeal with their seriously wicked step-parent was like asking if someone was in pain when they had their arm cut off. 'Duh' was pretty much the only acceptable answer. He knew Devin wasn't alright--and hated that he couldn't figure out exactly why--but he wanted to feel reassured that this was going to pass. He could not deal with both Devin and Nell falling to pieces right now, no matter how well they tried to hide it. He just couldn't. His life was enough of a mess without scrambling around and trying to repair the wounds of the ones he cared about the most. Why was it that the often callous and arrogant Fire graduate ended up with the sweetest and most innocent friends? They didn't deserve what they got in life and it made him feel bad to see them suffer. True, it wasn't like his life was all fine and peachy at the moment but at least one could say that he 'deserved it'.

If this was Nell he would have hugged her but since Joshua wasn't someone likely to give out hugs he merely rested a hand on his best friend's shoulder for a moment. "This is really tough on you, dude. Are you sure you don't just want to go to the States?" It would be hell to lost his best friend because of a bitch like Lauren but he also couldn't bear to watch that vile woman hurt him any more. As far as he knew Devin's dad was fine save for the fact that he let it all go on but Lauren was not someone so safe. Joshua would definitely be up for confronting the woman again if she tried something funny but he didn't exactly trust Dev to tell him. Earth students were such forgiving bastards, he'd never understand that. He wasn't vindictive like a Thunder but if you abused him constantly he definitely wouldn't be opposed to someone giving you a piece of their mind. Or a couple of pieces, either way. He knew that it gave him a certain rush of pleasure to hear about any injured or imprisoned members of the gang he'd once thought was so enthralling. Why wasn't Devin the same? I'll never understand, no use questioning it. Suppressing a sigh, he said, "If she ever bothers you again, you can tell me. I'll sort shit out." He wouldn't kill the woman. No, even Josh wasn't that violent. But if she continued to abuse his best friend then she had another thing coming for her. Hopefully she would be smart and keep her mouth shut in terms of the authorities, though--there wasn't much Josh could do sitting in a jail cell, was there?

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Devin always strived to make everyone happy. You could be the worst person in the world and still the boy would always attempt a smile or a friendly word to keep the peace. He hated fights, he hated shouting, he hated physical and emotional attacks—it was all stressful and unnecessary. None of it was necessary. It took him a few moments to try and compose himself to try to rethink the situation as well as he possibly could. What could he have possibly done to cause such an outburst? Lauren was a bitch, but between him going into his bedroom and coming out something drastic had changed. It was possible that Joshua’s presence really did set her on edge—he had been around when Devin first gained his powers and shoved the woman neck deep in soil, and he was pretty sure the guy was around when Lauren began to physically abuse him. Even the worst of people feared something. Apparently his step-mother feared Joshua. After today, he had a feeling that the fire graduate would forever haunt her in her dreams. Secretly Devin hoped she would watch over her shoulder; maybe living with them would be a little less shitty after that. On the other hand, Devin wished that he could be tough and defensive over himself like Josh was. It was hard. No matter how many times he tried to be angry or aggressive, it disappeared as quick as it reared its ugly head. He was not hard-wired to be that way. It made him feel guilty that Joshua had to take up for him. Devin felt guilty a lot lately.

He jumped at the sound of Joshua’s voice, and quickly tried to be rid of the stray tears on his face. It made his eyes burn after he cried; it was one of the reasons that he tried to avoid shedding tears in the first place. No matter though, Josh probably saw them, and his question confirmed it. Devin nodded fervently and tried to smile; it was really hard when your body was quaking with more emotion than it could handle all at once. “I’m fine man. Really. Just releasing the tension is all.” That was at least partially true, but Devin did not want to worry Josh any more than need be. I wonder what Judith and Athena would think… He had not talked to them in a couple of days with them trying to settle in and get all of their situations in order. Athena would surely freak out like she did every time Devin was injured—the girl always worried, even needlessly over silly trivial things. The boy loved his sister dearly and would prefer for her to question him than not talk to him at all. Strong bonds were always important. It was one of the reasons he stayed here in the Hollow. The bonds with his friends—especially Josh and Autumn—were like super glue and he was not going to let that go just to avoid his step-mother and run away from the inevitable. Devin did believe in fate, and to him this was all supposed to happen at some point in time. The game was merely guessing when. It surprised him to have Josh place a hand on his shoulder, but did not dwell on it for long.

“I’m staying here, Josh.” His voice was firm and unwavering. The decision had been made a few weeks back, and not once did Devin regret the choice he made. Putting up with Lauren was small compared to the thought of leaving these people behind. I couldn’t live without my best friend. Or the girl I love… Autumn did not know that Devin loved her, but it still mattered to him none the less. His eyes remained focused and hard for a moment—a bit out of character—before softening again. “I can’t deal without you. Soon I’ll find a job, and when I’m eighteen I’ll get my own place. Then there won’t be any worries.” The disc jockey position at Club Corrosion was still wide open, but due to his age it made things a little difficult in the hiring process. They said to wait until he turned eighteen to re-apply, and there was a very high chance he would be hired on the spot. Devin was sure that Josh did not know of his knack for the turn tables, but decided it was not a very big deal and not worth discussing. At least, not today anyway. His eyes grew distant as he added. “You, and Nell, and Autumn…you’re worth staying for.” Josh was also probably unaware of his new found feelings for Autumn, but again the timing was not quite right to go into detail. At least Nell knew, and that was all that mattered. It was no longer bottled up inside.

What Devin wished were bottled up inside were all of the little facts and details that Josh knew about his family. Lauren was abusive, his dad did not care, and he had no real mother to make up for Lauren’s lack of motherhood—or humanity. He missed his mother terribly on days like this, at least, more so than usual. The only blessing that happened out of her death was Athena, which was why he strived so hard to protect her. That was why he was here, and she was not. Simple as that. The blonde glanced at Josh at the offer to take care of his problems here at home, and flinched. There he went, adding another burden onto Josh without even meaning to. Never the less, he smiled and waved it off as though it were nothing; as though it never even happened in the first place. Devin knew his outlook on the situation would upset Josh, but he was not exactly able to change who he was. “I’m pretty sure she won’t bother me again, dude. You scared the shit out of me, so I can guarantee you scared the shit out of her.” He wondered what coming home that night was going to be like, but refused to dwell on it. Instead he approached Josh’s car and waited to get away from this house as quick as humanly possible.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He was not surprised that Devin was firm in his decision and so merely nodded rather than arguing it. It had been worth a shot at least. He really hated the fact that his best friend had to go through all this hell with Lauren just to hold down a few friendships and some semblance of a life but what could one do, really? He couldn't help Devin more than he already had and he couldn't convince him to stay. "Sucks it had to happen this way," he sighed. Though disappointed in the way things had turned out in their separate lives, Josh was not going to spend the entire time hanging out with Devin moping over it. He wasn't like that. He did blink at Devin when the boy mentioned Autumn and Nell, though. That was it? Just those three friendships? What about Athena? Judith? His own fucking freedom? Of course, there was something Joshua did not know, and that was the fact that Devin loved the Earth girl named after the windy season. If he had been privy to this knowledge then the graduate would have understood the whole situation a lot better. See, Josh had also made sacrifices for the girl he loved, except for the small difference in that she actually knew and they had been dating when it had happened. Joshua was not oblivious but as he had never really hung around the two in a group he'd not had the chance to pay attention to how they behaved around one another. Heck, he might not even have noted it if he did. Josh didn't spend too much time studying other people. Call him self-absorbed, perhaps, but unless he was with one single person he tended to be the odd one out in a group.

He gave his friend a searching look. Scared him? He hadn't been aware that he'd frightened Devin at all, forgetting that his anger about the scar might have been what he was indicating. "I've never attacked you," he said with mild confusion. Joshua knew that he could be a pretty frightening guy if he wanted and he had used that to his advantage with Lauren. He hadn't needed to draw the switchblade or use his powers to induce fear, he'd only needed to return the favour on what she'd done to Devin and hiss a couple of threats to get his point across. He tried not to think too much about the reason he was so self-assured and confident. The gang had been what changed him. It was so ironic that it had a positive affect in a way but also a drastic negative as well. If he concentrated too hard on his past he'd only start to feel the guilt seeping through the cracks. Not wanting that, it was normally ignored. "I'd better have," he said darkly. He'd be pretty displeased with Devin if the Earth boy tried to hide the woman's evil attitude from him in the future because of the violence but in a way he'd also understand it. Sometimes Joshua got out of hand. Just because he realised it didn't mean it would change, but at least there was acknowledgement. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye out myself. Yes, he could do that. He'd watch for any sort of subtle change in Dev and hope that there was none, or if there was that it was for the better.

The graduate pressed the button to unlock and lift the doors, getting into the driver's side and holding his hand out in front of him for a moment. Though still shaking, it was more of a minute tremble as opposed to anything severe. He clamped both hands on the wheel for a moment, took a breath and nodded. "I'm good," he said, mainly to assure Devin that he wasn't going to get them killed. He pulled out of the driveway and took the long way around to his house. Devin might notice as they'd taken trips back and forth many a time in youth but he made no comment. In Josh's own mind it was just so that he could let the drive relax him. He loved driving--the feeling of absolute control he had over the vehicle was marvellous. He liked the feeling of being in control of something. Not in the sense that he was a controlling person--no, he was actually quite easy-going and lax in most situations. It was more of a desire for control over his life and not the people in it. He hated being manipulated or cheated, hated feeling powerless. Anything that soothed that hatred was welcome. Eventually they were pulling up to the gated house, Joshua opening the gates himself rather than buzzing up. Hey, he lived here, he had the means. He parked the Aventador in the garage and got out, yawning. "My parents and Annabel are out," he said. "Dad was supposed to be here but he had to drive my sister to her friends and then he's meeting some friend of his, so we've got the house to ourselves."

Once inside the mansion Josh called out an experimental, "Hello?" just in case. The only answers came from one of the maids that poked her head out from the living room and gave him a friendly wave and Eris, his cat. The too-fluffy calico bounded down the stairs with a loud meow as she wound her way through his legs, coaxing a smile from the boy. "Hey, Er." He scratched behind her ears for a moment before leaning against the railing to the stairs. "What do you want to do?" They hadn't really planned this out and there sure was a hell of a lot of things you could get up to in a mansion like the Dale's. "We've got movies, pool, TV, tennis--it's cold out but I can remedy that of course--pretty much anything in the backyard... well, you know the drill, eh? I'd mention the yacht or the lake but I'm not too fond of the water in the cold and Dad's got the boat keys anyway." He lied without even fully registering that he was doing it, subtly covering up his hydrophobia with believable excuses. Nell and his parents were the ones who knew he was afraid of water, that was it. He was a bit too embarrassed to admit it to anyone else. Fear was a weakness and he hated weaknesses.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

“It’s all good. Focusing on all of the positives helps.” And so Devin did. Even when the darkest of moments happened upon the blonde, he strived to keep his eyes on the goal. The prize. The final stretch. And once he reached that point he knew that he could safely say it was all worth it in the end. Being here with Josh and Nell and Autumn would make it all worthwhile. No regrets. It left a bit of a physical reminder that making these decisions did have their repercussions, but with his personality Devin was bound to bounce back before he got in over his head. Today was a weak moment, but Joshua was there and put fear into Lauren. Maybe, just maybe home life would go a lot smoother after that. It was a far reaching hope, but what else could he cling to? The cold bit at Devin’s nose; he took the palm of his hand and rubbed it on his face to help warm it up. It worked, but only for a few moments. The cold really was relentless this time of year.

Upon hearing Joshua’s statement, Devin frowned. Since when did he ever accuse his best friend of attacking him? That made no sense. Josh was an abrasive person and had a foul temper but never had the fire graduate laid a hand on Devin. Verbal confrontations happened every now and again, but even those were rare. All of it left Devin turning his head to look up at Josh, brows furrowed in confusion. “I know you haven’t.” The more he thought about it, the more Devin assumed that maybe his statement came across the wrong way. He did state that Josh scared him; maybe his friend assumed that it was from something else other than the confrontation with Lauren only a few minutes before. Devin could not help but chuckle and lift his shoulders, trying to ensure that Josh understood his words were not intended to hint at some sort of physical issue between them. “I was referring to back in there, actually,” Devin replied, gesturing to the door behind him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that angry.” The boy tried to think back to a time where Josh displayed himself as he had done towards Lauren, but no instance came to mind. It made him silently appreciate that this man was his best friend.

Finally, after a moment or two Josh opened the car doors and he quickly got into the driver’s seat. With one last look at the house, Devin turned and got into the car, enjoying the sudden difference in temperature. His best friend assured him that he was okay, but not without a doubtful glance from Devin. Joshua’s outburst would be hard to settle down from, even for someone like Devin if he reached that point of anger. That was practically impossible for someone like him, and often times the thought of getting that furious made his stomach upset. He would leave that to his best friend. “If you’re sure, man.” Silence encompassed them as the car took off down the road, the smooth ride a comfort to the boy who had a lot on his mind. His outward appearance seemed rather calm and collected, however. That’s how it needed to be. If not, then Joshua may feed off of it even more. The long route towards his friend’s house was definitely the route of choice, only solidifying Devin’s decision to keep his mouth shut and school his expression as well as possible. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the large mansion, riding around in Joshua’s car. Every trip seemed incredibly short. “Aw, that’s too bad. I was at least hoping to say hi to Annabel. But that’s cool. A giant house to ourselves sounds excellent.” Out of the Dale family, aside from Josh of course, Annabel was the only other family member that did not make him feel out of place. Donovan intimidated him, and his interactions with Trish were very few and far between to have any sort of connection. With Annabel it was a sort of sister/brother type affection for the blonde haired girl, and he hoped that seeing her would give him the feeling that he was not going to be sibling-less forever. I miss Athena…

When they entered the house, they met silence. Joshua seemed to instinctively call out and check for any signs of life, but the only reply was that from a maid down the way. Devin had no idea what it was truly like to have someone cater to his every whim; in fact, he felt more like the maid while Lauren lived in the lap of flipping luxury. He was not quite sure how that worked out, but apparently it did. At least he wasn’t sleeping in a box on the side of the street. Waiting on Lauren was at least better than that. Always the positives. He jumped at the sight of the cat approaching them, but smiled none the less. Devin never owned a pet, and admired Eris greatly when he came to visit. “Hey you beautiful feline,” Devin chirped sweetly as he kneeled down and loved on the cat, who seemed pleased to see Josh and get attention. Cats were solitary animals until they decide they want your focus, and there was no denying them then. Once the cat seemed to have its fill it wandered away from the blonde and he stood up again, watching Eris with an amused expression on his face. “I love that cat. I wish…” He stopped. Autumn instantly crossed his mind for some reason, and he almost voiced his thought aloud. Not now. He was glad for the distraction when Joshua asked him what they wanted to do. Hell, what couldn’t they do? The place was gigantic.

“Hm. Geez, do you really have to toss all of those options at me? All of those sound like a good idea so…” Devin tapped his chin and took a step forward, glancing around as though in deep thought. “You know what, a game of pool sounds really good, unless you prefer something else.” He shrugged lightly, still looking at every possible point in the room other than Josh’s face. Maybe we can just talk. I don’t know. Maybe he should know about Autumn… Devin felt a pang of guilt for keeping it from his best friend, but knew that Josh had a lot of shit to deal with. Listening to his girl problems were probably the last thing he needed.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

It seemed to dawn on him as Devin explained a little, his expression clearing. He relaxed now, knowing that there hadn't been some minor disturbance in their friendship that had caused some sort of fear. As self-absorbed as he could be at times it was not so much that he didn't care about how his friends perceived him--he would have felt bad carrying the knowledge that he'd scared his best friend unknowingly. Not too bad, of course, given the whole 'pride against guilt' thing, but still enough to be noticeable in his own mind. "My bad," he chuckled. It was clearly not an apology as he laughed along with it and didn't sound regretful but that was mainly because he was pretty sure Dev didn't take offence. He'd gotten angry in defence of him, after all. To react to this in a negative way would have been confusing. Ungrateful, even. He didn't blame him for getting scared because Josh knew he was a frightening guy when he wanted to be. Sometimes even when he didn't want that. "You haven't." It was said simply and accompanied by a shrug but there was also something about the way he said it that was... different. Almost distant, even. No, he'd never let his friend see him like that before because he didn't like his friends to see that side of him. To know that he was a lot more volatile and dangerous than they even sometimes imagined. He worried sometimes about being judged for it but he knew that Devin probably wouldn't judge him. He wouldn't have left the house with him if he did, right?

A rare smile touched Joshua's lips. It always made him feel good to know that his friends were nice to his sister. Heck, they wouldn't be his friends if they weren't. He was not one of the older siblings that shunted their younger one aside and encouraged his circle of friends to make fun of her and treat her like a little kid. Maybe it was because of how well their parents had raised them. They'd always been treated equally and so they'd grown to view each other as equals rather than finding a cause for jealousy. "She might get back before you leave," said Josh in reply. "Her friend's mother is driving her back." His father planned on staying with his colleague a little longer and that was perfectly alright with him. Joshua was supposed to babysit his sister until his father returned, of course. "I hope you don't mind if she does?" It was said as a question. He doubted it with Dev, but knew that some of his friends got irritable if they had to stick around when he was catering to her needs. He didn't care. No matter who you were, his sister came first. With Nell and Annabel it was practically a tie. The girl he loved and the sister he cared about. Thankfully they got along well enough and so it was hardly ever a problem. "She'd probably just hang around in her room anyway," he shrugged. She knew how to give him his space when he had friends over because he always returned that courtesy to her.

If Eris could talk, Josh was sure that her answering meow to Devin's comment would have been very diva-esque and selfish. The cat had always been a priss but he loved her as much as his other three and the dog, too, of course. "The others are probably about somewhere -- you're just the loudest, aren't you, Eris?" She meowed again, louder this time, and flicked his leg with her tail before trotting toward the kitchen. Maybe she was looking for the chef to see if the man would sneak her something. It "wasn't allowed" but even the family members themselves sometimes gave in to their pets. "You wish...?" He was wondering what had crossed his mind before Devin had interrupted himself. Shrugging, Joshua listed off the things they could get up to in the mansion regardless. He had missed having the free reign of his--the house. You don't actually live here, remember? It hurt to think about that every time. He had told Devin that he was still living with Nell but had fed him the excuse that he just liked hanging around with her. They were a couple, he was pretty sure that was plausible. It might have given Dev the wrong idea but that was something Josh was totally alright with. He didn't care what people thought he and Nell got up to because the two of them knew the truth. I'll tell him I've moved back in when I think it's safe. Would he actually move back in? He was skeptical. It meant that he was also planning to lie to his best friend in the future but this did not bother his morality. He lied about a lot of things to a lot of people.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "I suggested it, of course I'm fine with it." He did notice that Devin seemed distracted. If the Earth boy had been anyone else he would have just waved it away but this was his best friend and best friends, unfortunately, did not get off that easily. Josh could be a bit of a troll if you really got to know him well. He smirked, waving his hand in front of Devin's face when he noticed the other elemental wasn't looking at him. "Hey, man, you going blind? I'm over here!" His tone was joking but it turned a little more serious after that as he said, "What's with you, DJ?" His buddy looked like he was avoiding his gaze or something and this was really throwing Josh for a loop. If Devin gave him an excuse then Joshua might have dropped the subject depending on how valid it was but he always felt strange when his friends weren't behaving as per usual. He'd felt absolutely lost when he'd started noticing the very subtle changes in Nell. Heading up to the second floor, Josh led the way into a shadowy room that looked all the more dark thanks to the dark yet reddish woods and matching furniture. There were light sources in the room but they were rarely used--instead, Josh waved a hand and lit the two different fireplaces. It cast a warm glow across the room and provided decent visibility. It was a games and entertainment room and even had a bar at one end which Josh ignored today. Donovan kept all the liquor locked up unless they were hosting a party and even though Josh could break into the cabinet he knew he'd get in shit if he did. Not because he wasn't old enough to drink (he was) but because it was 'disrespectful'. He set up the table and lazily chalked the end of one of the cues. "Haven't played in a while," he mused. "I used to play a lot at Blackjack, though. It's fun."

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Even though Devin had a sister of his own, it was nice to know that he had at least some semblance of a younger sibling in Annabel. In all truth, both girls were very similar and wondered if they would get along had Athena stayed with him when Judith left for the states. It made the boy smile to think that maybe they would have, and it was possible that some time in the future there would be a chance of their meeting. It was not like Devin to think Athena would not come back to stay in the Hollow with him in the future—there was always room and time to look on the brighter side of life. Had he not, there may have been a more serious mental issue after dealing with Lauren on a day to day basis. Some people may eventually crumble under the abuse, but not Devin. He wanted to rise above it and be who he wanted to be. Who he wanted to be was happy and uplifting to others with a joke or two thrown in. Not all were appreciated, but it was better than moping and whining about every little thing in life. That did not do well for anyone involved. “That would be cool to see her before I go. Hopefully she does come home. If not I’m sure I’ll see her sometime soon. It’s not like I live two hours away or anything.” Lauren would surely stunt his visiting rights, but he would work something out. Devin nodded and smiled Josh. “Of course not! For one, it’s her house, and for two, it’s Annabel. She’s like my sister too, you know.” Even if she did go and leave them to their hanging out time, Devin at least wanted to give her a hug and say hello.

Petting Eris was a rather soothing action; the softness of her fur and the open affection was appreciated by Devin. He laughed at her response to Joshua as though she could understand and speak human—Devin believed it was possible for animals to comprehend their human counterparts better than most assumed they would. I think they like to play stupid, He thought, smiling as the cat took off into the kitchen. It seemed that the smile would only last for a half second as Joshua seemed to catch on to the fleeting thought attached to the end of his sentence, and questioned him about it. What was he supposed to say now? Devin wanted to hear Joshua’s opinion on the matter of Autumn, but thought maybe a less direct approach would be more beneficial. Devin knew how Josh felt about Nell, but as to how it happened was beyond his comprehension. He wanted to know the feelings, the thoughts…something to help him better understand his own in regards to the blonde female who haunted him at all times of the day and into the night. However, the inquiries would wait until they got into their game of pool. Then at least there would be a distraction to make the discussion easier on both parties involved. Joshua would not feel like Devin’s gaze was constantly on him, awaiting an answer and Devin would not feel like he was interrogating his best friend. So, finalizing that decision he waved it off. “Nah, it’s nothing.”

What Devin did not expect was for Joshua to catch onto his other physical cues—apparently looking around the room was a tell tale sign that something was up, and now the blonde was stuck in quite the conundrum. Instead of allowing the awkward moment to take over and hold them in a silence that neither wished to deal with, he once again dismissed Josh’s questions. Devin turned his head and looked his best friend straight in the eyes. “Hm? I know you are. I’m still just a little dazed by earlier is all. A good game of pool will help me out though.” He smiled cheerfully as he followed his friend upstairs and into the dark room, which was soon lit by the glow of the fireplaces courtesy of Josh; having a fire elemental as a best friend did have its perks, especially in the winter. The entertainment room was actually relaxing considering the dark color scheme—it made Devin feel like he did not have to be overly chipper, and encouraged a more solemn atmosphere. Almost immediately it did just that. Devin watched Josh chalk up a cue, and took that as an invite to grab his own and set up his pool stick for the game. He smirked; the boy used to play quite a bit himself, but it had been a while. The game was sure to be interesting. “I haven’t had my hand at it in some time myself,” Devin replied, adjusting the cue ball on the soft felt. “But I might be a decent opponent.”

The opening break shot was thus taken by the blonde, who narrowed his eyes to take focus on the colored spheres in his line of vision. He reached back and took the hit, thus shattering the group into a few smaller ones on the far end of the table. None of them fell into the pockets, however; Devin sighed and nodded to Josh to signify his turn. “Hey, Josh…can I ask you something?” Instead of waiting for his friend to accept his request, Devin took to glancing at one of the nearest fireplaces. The flames danced around within the hearth, drawing forth a sort of placid glaze in Devin’s eyes. He shook his head; now was not the time to get lost in the glow. “When you…when you started falling for Nell, what exactly did you feel?” Josh was a very private person, and so he added with a faint smile, “You don’t have to go into any detail. I was just…was curious. I know you and I were a lot alike before Nell. What changed?” Subconsciously the boy bit his lip and stared at the felt on the pool table, Autumn’s face a vivid image in the forefront of his mind.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

He nodded in response to his friend's words. It was nice to have someone in his life that was nice to his little sister without it seeming forced or like a requirement. Josh would not be a very good guy to befriend if you weren't willing to put up with Belle when she was around and so it was lucky for Devin that he had no problem with her. He wondered if Dev often felt the same way about Athena and then concluded that he probably did--little sisters just evoked that sort of protective instinct. Annabel had always been the baby of the family and his parents had drilled it into him that he had to look out for her, that it was his responsibility as an elder brother to ensure that she turned out alright. They'd probably just said that in youth to try and stop them from developing a rivalry but the young boy of seven years old had taken that to heart. He knew that his parents looked out for Annabel as well but it always gave him a sort of satisfaction to see her safe because of him. It backfired sometimes, like when he broke someone's arm for pushing her around and got banned from the school property. His parents had been furious when the family of the injured had pressed charges and he could remember the backhand he'd gotten from his father when he went home that night. "She'll be happy to see you, too, I'm sure," he said. "It's been months, after all." Joshua had not been here in months because he'd been fighting with his parents but he had not told Devin the exact length of time--even this was not suggesting he'd disappeared from her life for months, just that Devin hadn't seen Annabel in that long.

Completely unaware of the fact that Devin was lying to him, Joshua accepted his friend's words with a nod. The graduate hated being lied to but he had no reason not to accept the words as factual and thus did not pick up on it. Besides, it made sense that someone would be pretty distracted if their wicked witch of a stepmother had slapped and shoved them around not too longer before. I hope he's alright. The thought was fleeting but still caused a stir of unease. He was worried about how Lauren was going to treat his friend when Devin went home again. He would definitely be going over there to have a word if he heard about things getting any worse because the Earth elemental deserved better than that. "Ah, okay. You just seemed distracted -- my bad, man." He waved his hand dismissively and headed toward the room. He didn't mind the fact that Devin was going to break, leaning against the support column near the table and watching lazily as the balls ricocheted off the sides. As the room was longer than it was wide, the column helped to support the extra weight from the ceiling. It blended in well with the rest of the room, having been painted the same dark colour as the walls and decorated with a couple pictures on the sides. "We actually found something we're both good at, for once," he chuckled. "Man, I remember playing in Corrosion when I was drunk a few times. The guy I was playing with nearly took my eye out." He laughed, the sound genuine. It was easier to relax around a friend, especially as he was in the comforts of the place he'd grew up in.

He shot Devin a quizzical glance as he pushed off from the column and headed toward the table to take his own shot. "Sure thing," he replied, expression slipping into one of concentration as he bent over the cue and fired the white ball into a small cluster. Most of them barely moved from where they were thanks to the lack of power behind the shot but the solid red one strayed dangerously close to the center left pocket and then dropped over the edge. Meh. It wasn't a fancy move or a multi-ball shot but at least it was something. "Solids," he said. Straightening up, he focused his attention back on his friend. "What's on your mind, Dev?" As his best friend, Joshua felt like he had some sort of obligation to hear him out and so he certainly wasn't going to deny him some chance to talk. The question surprised him and Josh blinked his gray eyes, analysing again just to make sure he had heard him right. How I feel about Nell? Why does Devin want to know that? They'd never really discussed his romance with the Earth elemental before and so it seemed to have come completely out of left field in Josh's eyes. Plus he wasn't used to being asked such personal questions, not even from his best friend. Devin seemed to realise and amend this a moment later, coaxing an amused half-smirk from Josh. It was nice when people understood that he had limits and he was glad Devin respected them. He did feel comfortable around Devin, though, more than most people, and so he actually considered the question.

How did I feel? First and foremost he needed to ask himself that question. He knew how he felt about her now and he could still remember the first time he'd really noticed his feelings but to explain them? That was a lot more difficult. "It's a bit hard to explain, to be honest," he chuckled. He wasn't good with discussing feelings. They were there and he acknowledged them but, well, putting them into words was a bit more of a headache. "I think it was a gradual thing, really. We were friends and I just sort of realised that I might like more than that, if it makes sense?" He hadn't even had it in his mind that he was going to ask her out in Tim Hortons until they'd been nearing the grand finale and she'd mentioned something about flexibility. His thoughts had needlessly gone straight into the gutter and in trying to convince himself that he was not supposed to think that way about his friends he had realised that he really wouldn't mind having more than a friendship. The feelings had happened before then, though. It was all too complicated to explain and he didn't feel like getting into it all but he left it there. "I got into a relationship, that's what changed," he shrugged. "I never liked any of the girls the way I liked Nell. They knew that. I never did the whole 'dating' thing, Dev." All of his one-night-stands had been just that. No strings attached. "I care about Nell enough that there's commitment." He figured it was a simple enough concept to grasp. Furrowing his brow, he said, "Why'd you want to know? I've been dating her for a while, you could have said something before."

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Devin subconsciously released a small sigh of relief when Joshua dismissed his blank stares and awkward behavior. The boy really tried his best to keep others from digging too deep into his thoughts, especially after a day like the one they experienced. Lauren slapped him, Josh slapped her, and the anger filling the room was enough to suffocate anyone. It was a very interesting morning, to say the least. So when Joshua prodded at little as to what was wrong, the issue with his step-mother was a perfect deterrent, and it worked quite well. Playing pool with his best friend certainly took the edge off of his anxiety and the thoughts swirling through his mind, and so tried to focus on their game instead of everything else. It was hard. Joshua noted the common ground he shared with Devin, eliciting a small chuckle and a nod from the blonde. “Yeah, now it’ll be a fair game.” It took him back to their differing strengths when it came to games—Josh did well with strategy like chess, but Devin did well wish strategy in video games. They were both a strong point, but it was not without weakness. When it came to pool, however, they both were quite well matched and Devin did not feel ill-equipped for the game. “There are some pretty crazy people at Corrosion. I’m sure they’d try to take your eye out whether there was alcohol involved or not.” Devin replied, smiling. The thoughts drifted from drunk people playing pool to Harley and that night on the dance floor, and the rest of the evening following. Devin frowned; He felt awful for doing what he did, even though the end result was very satisfying. Harley would always remain a friend, no matter what past they shared, but it still bothered him that he resorted to sex to escape the stress he felt with Autumn.

Once his turn was done he allowed his friend to take over the table and make his move. The room was dark but relaxing, so Devin took to leaning against his cue with a contented stare. He watched as Joshua broke a small group of the balls, a few remaining rather static while one strayed away just far enough to go in. Devin smiled. “Stripes for me then,” He stated as he searched the table for his next opportunity. Josh asked him what was on his mind, and of course he tossed the question back at the fire graduate, he was not quite sure what to expect. Would he be upset that Devin tried to delve into their relationship, or would he give him a short answer with no real meaning? The man liked to keep things to himself, especially about Nell, and would not have expected much less and prepared not to take offense. Thus when he actually decided to answer Devin glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow. It was a silent curiosity but allowed Josh to speak without any interruption. The blonde took the opportunity to lean over the table and take a hit at a striped ball; it was positioned straight for the corner pocket and it fell in with a muffled clack. Devin huffed a bit of a laugh in amusement before focusing on their discussion once again. “Your go, man.” He understood it was hard for Josh to explain these sorts of things; he passed him a brief sympathetic look while still smiling. “It makes sense, actually. I guess it’s just one of those things you…you just know.”

And better than anyone else, Devin knew, but did not speak more on the matter. It was strange discussing this with Josh of all people, but maybe it was for the better. It made Devin feel good to know that his best friend was sincerely answering his question without turning him away or getting upset. That was proof of how solid their relationship was. He was grateful. Josh went on to discuss how he felt for Nell differently than any of the other girls he dealt with in his past, and felt she was worthy enough for a true relationship instead of hitting and quitting. Devin felt ever more disgusted with himself that he did try to date girls, but they always fell through. Always. And now, with Autumn, it fell through without a relationship existing in the first place. It must be a talent. He thought bitterly as his eyes grazed over the felt of the table, taking in the positioning of the balls and what his next possible move could be. It took his mind off of Autumn and the feelings of hatred he aimed at himself, at least for a moment. Commitment. It was a bitter word for Devin, knowing that none of the girls before felt that it was important. Possibly because of the fact that he was a flirt and did not mind sleeping with a girl for just one night without regret—or maybe it was merely life mocking him. It taunted Devin, making him feel like that he was not worth keeping around more than a few hours of fun before taking off. Is that all I’m really worth? It stung.

“I know I could have, but…” Devin knew all too well he could have asked Joshua about his relationship with Nell, but at the time it did not matter. Josh kept his love life to himself, and as his best friend he was to respect that. But now that it was possible his emotions for Autumn were the same as Josh’s were for Nell, he felt it a good time to ask and find out what he could without being overly nosy. The day was just picking up after the shitty morning with Lauren; he did not want the wrath of his best friend added to the list. Devin shrugged his shoulders and tilted himself to the side; his head rested limply on the smooth wood of the cue stick. “But I think I might be dealing with the same feelings now. About someone else of course.” The boy’s eyes focused solely on the leather pocket closest to him, fingers running over the polished wood as though diverting his anxiety into the object nearest him. “I just wanted to see if maybe the way you felt about Nell was similar to the way I feel about Autumn.” For an instant, Devin lifted his eyes and stared at Josh to await his reaction before grabbing the chalk and fiddling with the cue tip. Slowly his world was changing, and it was hard to adjust. He went from floating to sinking in a few seconds flat, and all it took was a blonde haired girl named Autumn to tell him how she felt. The words were simple, but they had since then ingrained themselves into his memory. He chuckled. “It’s crazy…me. Falling in love with someone, huh?”

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

The graduate laughed a little at Devin's comment. Like Nell, Devin had a calming effect on him at times. It was not as prominent as with his girlfriend--it still took him a long time to calm down, he just wasn't quite so volatile with the boy himself unless Dev said something wrong. "Too true." Corrosion got a lot of shifty customers thanks to the fact that it was a rather cheap place for beer and the like. A lot of people got right nasty once they'd had a couple of drinks in them. Joshua could be one of those people if he drank too much, but for the most part he was an adventurous drunk that liked to have fun. It was only when drowning his sorrows that he got snappy and irritable under the influence. He tended to avoid other people as best he could when he was in these moods and so he was pretty sure Devin had only seen him drunk a couple of times at parties. Parties were safe zones for him. He usually went there to have fun and so he didn't get dangerous when drinking--at least, not toward other people. That wasn't counting any injuries he might pick up when attempting crazy stunts or staggering into the furniture. He used to joke that waking up in the mornings was an adventure in and of itself--"What sort of injuries have I picked up today, I wonder?" He was easing up on his alcohol consumption lately. Had Devin noticed? "Have you ever been thrown out of the Club?" he asked Devin. "You're under age, after all." He grinned devilishly--at nineteen, he could drink legally. And so maybe he was rubbing that in a little, but only in a friendly way.

It was indeed rare for him to give any sort of insight into his personal life. He understood that and noticed it just as much as his best friend. Still, he trusted the Earth elemental. Befriending Joshua meant that you could trust him. He kept to himself and didn't tell secrets, not his own nor those of others. But to get him to trust you? That took much longer. When he didn't push you away upon asking a personal question, especially when it involved something as intimate and complicated as a relationship, that showed trust. It didn't mean that he would always answer Devin's questions or that he wouldn't get touchy and cautious about personal things any more, it just meant that he was comfortable enough to share at least a little something. "Yeah," he agreed. "You'll know." Even Joshua had realised what he was feeling eventually, and that had been coming from a guy that had never developed so much as a crush on a girl before. Oh, there had been physical 'crushing', but that was different. It was more akin to lust than affection, whereas he felt the opposite with Nell. If all he wanted from the Earth girl was a physical relationship then it wouldn't have worked out at all. "I would have thought you'd know this," he said, frowning as he realised something. "You've been in a relationship before." Sure, they hadn't worked out. He always seemed to land with the bad girls. But hadn't he still felt something for them? Maybe it's different for Devin. He didn't know how his best friend's mind worked.

He shot the white ball into the solid orange--it clattered into a pair of others and sent them both into the hole nearest. Unfortunately for Josh, one of them was a stripe. "Well shit," he said, chuckling at himself. He didn't really get competitive when he played things with friends. He wasn't a competitive guy--knew that if he played to win and ended up losing that he'd be temperamental and sulky. Instead, he tried playing to have fun. It didn't mean he enjoyed losing, only that he wouldn't be that guy in Corrosion trying to spear someone with a pool cue because they'd beat him. He leaned against the column again and lifted an eyebrow about Devin as he spoke. "Oh? Who's the lady?" When his best friend revealed Autumn to be the object of his affections, Josh was a little surprised. She was a mutual friend of theirs and Joshua knew her fairly well but he wouldn't have expected his friend to fall for her. Not after this long, anyway. Look at you and Nell, though. He supposed there had always been some sort of attraction to Nell even though it had taken him a while to acknowledge it. She was hot, he'd known that before he'd even got her name. But why else would he have tolerated her presence long enough to build a friendship if there wasn't something more? Maybe Autumn and Devin were similar. "Well, how do you feel about her?" He wondered whether this was just one of those fleeting 'friend crushes' he'd heard so much about or whether it was genuine feelings his friend had.

Josh snorted. "Hey, if someone can win me over then anything's possible for you, DJ." His gray eyes were light as he chuckled a bit. It was strange to think he'd once pictured himself alone because now the future included Nell whenever he thought about it, however fleetingly. Once you had something, it was always difficult to recall what it had been like without it. "Have you told her? Any idea if she likes you back?" He got that it could be hard to risk a friendship with a girl you really liked in order to confess feelings. What would have happened if Nell had rejected him? They might have remained friends, sure, but that would probably stick with him. And her, too. Would she have always wondered if he had given up or whether there was still some hope? He could definitely understand why some people withheld their affections. He'd just taken a shot in the dark. "Heh. Who'd have thought I'd ever be giving you girl advice?" Joshua had never really been a Casanova, he'd just been a loose guy with no commitments. Some girls went for the whole 'no strings attached' deal and he got lucky. Sure, he hit on girls sometimes (not any more, of course) and he wasn't exactly bad at it, but it wasn't like he had groups of ladies swooning over him. It was probably a personality deal. He was easy to sleep with, not so easy to get along with. Well, then.

[DEVIN JAMES THATCHER]

Devin tapped the pool cue against the side of his head for a moment as if in thought; had he been thrown out of the club? Sure he was under age and did have his fair share of alcohol, but he could not remember any specific time when they grabbed him by the collar and tossed him out of the building for doing so. Maybe he was drunk when it happened—that would not be surprising. Devin was not a frequent drinker, but when he took to the alcohol he took to it like a leech. That was one of the main reasons he refrained from consuming the substance often. He got drunk fast, and rarely remembered anything the day after. The blonde pulled away from the stick in his hand and smiled a little, catching the devilish smirk on his best friend’s face. “If I did, I don’t remember. But I’m sure it’s happened a few times, especially with my being such a lightweight. Doesn’t take much to put me over the edge.” He chuckled, remembering the night he met up with Josh after those few weeks of silence. The alcohol tasted like honey and went down smooth as silk; maybe it was the desperation to wash away the burdens pressing down on his shoulders that made the Patron function like water—that was, until it numbed his senses and left him a bumbling heap on the bar. The talk with Joshua sobered the blonde up somewhat, but he was not without a hangover the next morning. “You know…I think I remember one time, but that was because the bartender didn’t like that I was flirting with her.” He smirked at the memory and shook his head.

Sure, the boy had been in plenty of relationships; there were those that lasted for a night, and some that lasted for a few weeks. If he remembered correctly, the longest lasting relationship was about three months, and only after the girl dumped him did he find out that half of their time together was spent cheating on him. Devin felt stupid and ignorant of other people, which was one reason he stuck more with his sex sessions than attempting to keep a longer affiliation together. It only hurt him in the end, and that was simply a waste of time. And the one person I think would be worth the time does not need me in her life…at least, not like that. Devin heaved a sigh as he stole a glance at the fireplace nearby; the fire was always so captivating and drained him of all negative emotion. Only when Josh spoke did he pull away from the flames and look at his friend. “Well, yeah of course I have,” Devin replied, shrugging, his hand gripping the side of the pool table as though analyzing his next move without even awaiting Josh’s. “But this…this is different man. It’s not the same. I feel different.”

It was not that he did not feel devoted to the girls he was with before—hell, he would not have wasted time trying to date them if he did not feel they were worth something—but Autumn drew his attention in a different way. Unfortunately it took him crushing her heart to realize what was standing there in front of him all along. Life had a funny way of handing you the right people and keeping them just under the radar right before you say or do something stupid to make you realize what you just lost. Devin had a knack for saying and doing things that hurt others, even if completely unintentional. I was lucky Joshua even accepted my friendship again after what I did. Although at the time it did not seem like a big deal, it was to his best friend and that was most important. Whether Devin found it vital or not did not matter—it was those who he spoke to that counted. If it bothered Josh, then it would bother Devin…or at least should. Which after their little spat he found it very bothersome. Not a day went by that he did not regret being such a jokester, especially about a sensitive subject like scars. The sound of the pool balls clacking together drew his attention to the table, and a smile of satisfaction crossed Devin’s features as Joshua put one of his stripes into the pocket. “Aw, rotten luck man.” He teased, resting the stick on the side of the table in preparation for his turn. The boy observed the positions on the felt, preparing for any repercussions should he mess up. If he missed, one ball could make or break the entire game. Sighing he moved around to the other side of the table and took his shot, the ball of choice bouncing off of the corner and resting next to the eight ball. “Seems like your shitty luck is rubbing off on me. Damn.” After a moment, the smile faded as Devin tried to sort out his thoughts. Autumn was one hell of a distraction.

“Don’t say that,” Devin scolded gently, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Josh. “You make it sound like you were destined to live your life alone. And I don’t believe that. You’re a good guy. You deserve Nell, and she deserves you.” The boy shook his head slightly, but was now smiling. It was true. They were good for one another. It made his heart ache at the thought that he practically ruined any chance of being with the girl that would be good for him. The one that turned him around and made him doubt everything he ever thought to be a benefit to his life. Devin closed his eyes for a moment to keep his emotions at bay. “And no. I haven’t. I felt she deserved someone better than me so I…I pretty much broke her heart and did not really return her affections when she told me. Even though at the time I wasn’t sure what I felt.” The boy flinched at his own words, knowing full well that the source of the guilt was not entirely based on that one instance. “It didn’t help that I tried to forget about her by sleeping with Harley…” Devin had a horrible habit of forgetting negative emotions and bad memories by having his one night stands or wasting away inside of a bottle. He silently wondered how harshly Joshua would judge him for such an action, but it was fleeting. All that mattered was how he felt, and he felt absolutely miserable about it. Devin drew his eyes around the room for a moment before resting his gaze on Josh. He chuckled a bit at his friend’s comment. “Who knew that I would ever need any?” Devin Thatcher, for once in his life, felt lost and hopeless about a girl.

[JOSHUA DONOVAN DALE]

Joshua was not too distracted to focus and thus his next shot rolled the solid red straight into one of the pockets, the white cue ball resting dangerously close to the edge. He held his breath for a moment in anticipation and then relaxed a little when it stayed where it was instead of falling in. The eight ball had been mostly avoided, though the strength of the shot had rolled it an inch or so away from the white ball when the cue had moved away. "Speak for yourself," h4e chuckled in response to the comment about lucky. He wasn't feeling particularly cocky today so it was mostly joking. The game of pool was meant to take the edge off things for the pair, not to create any more unneeded tension as they got too competitive. He hated competing against his friends especially. If it was a stranger he could feel a sense of triumph and satisfaction if he cut them down. He did not enjoy putting others down to get ahead but at very least it could eliminate any guilt if he didn't know a person. Kicking the ass of a friend was a little different, and so was losing against them. Any bitterness and jealousy from a loss would feel misplaced and stupid. So he was perfectly content to just watch more and more of the pool balls disappear down the pockets and roll into the little clear tube in the side, not caring who was winning and who was losing because his mind was on other things. Mostly on Devin, at the moment, seeing as they were hanging out with one another. He wondered briefly whether Annabel was having fun at her friend's house and what Nell might be up to but then he refocused himself on the conversation at hand.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Don't assume things," he shot back. "Nell's a good catch, I'm not complaining." Devin might have been the type that could turn down a girl because he felt a certain way about her but Joshua was not so selfless toward others. He knew that he wasn't exactly the best match for Nell but he never considered leaving her and letting her find someone better. There was the old phrase, 'If you love something, let it go,' but unfortunately for the Earth girl he didn't put any stock in such things. He loved her and he was determined to hold onto that as long as possible. Maybe she'd realise some day that he wasn't such a saint and ditch him but he wasn't going to tell her that and be the first to leave. No. "I'm not you, Dev. I'm taking full advantage of the fact we're together." And maybe taking advantage of the girl's trust and naivete, as well, but he didn't mind so much. He didn't necessarily think of himself as a terrible person that didn't deserve love. Heck, he'd done a lot for Nell. He was starting to think that he deserved their relationship a lot more than he'd first considered. Selfishness again. He wondered sometimes if Devin looked down on the rather self-absorbed way his best friend sometimes viewed things. He was a loyal friend and a damn good boyfriend if he did say so himself but he had a habit of putting himself first sometimes. "Besides, I never said I was destined for anything. I don't believe in that shit." Fuck fate, he was happy and that was all he cared about right now.

The Fire graduate remembered having a similar conversation with Autumn when he'd gotten a little of the other side of the story. She had told Devin that she liked him and he'd turned her down, apparently, but this had all been before prom. He knew that the two had went together but he hadn't really been following the progress of their endangered friendship like some story from the tabloids. He'd had his own shit to be dealing with, mostly with Nell, and so he'd pushed that aside in order to get dealing with it. Now he recalled it all and frowned for a moment before giving Devin a sharp whack to the back of the head. "You're an idiot, Thatcher." It wasn't exactly the lightest gesture but it had not meant to be violent or cruel, either. Joshua just tended to act on impulse and impulse was telling him that Devin needed some sense knocked into him. "Didn't I tell you that you needed to be selfish sometimes? Your selflessness fucked up your relationship with Autumn—sorry, potential relationship—and now you're complaining about it?" He shook his head. He really didn't understand some people. Devin had told Autumn that he didn't have feelings for her and then Autumn had told Joshua. Now Devin was telling him that he did like her, after all, and he just thought that she was too good for him. What a fucking idiot. "I love you and all, man, but that was just stupid." His tone was serious as he shook his head. This was why he didn't regret his own selfishness. If he really cared about how 'good' he was for Nell he might not have risked their friendship in the beginning but he had and now he was happy with where he was. Devin hadn't and, well... yeah.

And then there was Harley. He was probably closer to the fiery redhead than Devin, though not in that way, so to hear that they'd slept together wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing. They served as each others rebounds, most likely. At the same time, he wasn't the sort of person that interfered with or chastised that kind of thing. They were both old enough to make their own decisions—stupid ones or otherwise—and he'd just let well enough alone. Devin had been trying to get over Autumn and he was almost willing to bet that Harley had been looking for something to take her mind off Samson. My friends are a fucking mess. He almost rolled his eyes but kept that to himself. "You'd better tell that chick that you're sorry, Devin, or you're in deep shit. Not with me—I don't really care what you do—but with her." He might not have understood girls that well but even he wasn't that stupid. Autumn would be upset—she was upset, he'd talked to her. "She came to me, you know. She really likes you and if you like her for fuck's sakes why didn't you just go for it?" This was giving him a headache. He really, really did not understand Devin sometimes. He had half a mind to hit him again for good measure but kept that impulse to himself this time. "And you're not a bad guy, DJ, but even if you were, who gives a shit? Do something for yourself for once." Okay, so maybe his advice wasn't exactly the most compassionate. He was basically suggesting that Devin disregard his flaws and take Autumn anyway but hell, why not? Besides, he didn't want his friends moping about one another all the time. That was just annoying.

[Oh Josh. -headdesk- It's like "Well, how are you going to react to that, Josh?" "I'm going to whack that idiot upside the head, that's what " "..." xD]