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 Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:40 pm
“Oh, which one? I know a few. And Lysithea. You look a little pale.” Not that Evan was staring, he was just being observant.
The coole was only a few steps away and Evan barely had to look to open it and pull out a can of Dr. Pepper. He opened it and set it on the counter for Riker.
“I bet you’d be gentler if you were cleaning my arm up for me. Just pretend like you’re taking care of someone else.” Evan was multitasking, and he moved a chair closer so Riker didn’t have to wonder. He stopped by the sink again to look at the water. It didn’t look like it had any dirt or grime in it. It wouldn’t have, though–would it? There was a certain magic in powering up that separated one form from another.
“How about I dry that off, put a little alcohol on it–sorry–and get you bandaged up? You can sit down while I do it, have a drink. A sandwich,” he said, and grabbed one from the rack by the stove. “I have some medicine too, if it’s starting to hurt. Sorry, I know I’m bombarding you with a lot right now. I’ll back off soon and let you breathe.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2024 8:07 am
He didn’t blame Evan for being curious about which Lysithea knight he’d run into. Of course he’d be curious if he knew some and Lysithea herself. He would have been curious too if someone mentioned having met another Ganymede knight, or some other teenagers who were also knights.
Maybe it was jealousy, or just insecurity that had him scowling down at his arm. He was reminded of all the Lysithea knights that seemed to appear out of nowhere on Cybele and have no interest in him, except by association with Dering.
It was just one more reminder that he was an outcast.
“Mechelen, I think,” he mumbled, trying to sound like he wasn’t entirely sure. “She was interested in stripes. And bugs.” Not at all accurate. And he knew that he was being moody, but the adrenaline was starting to wear off and his arm was starting to ache more and more.
He didn’t comment on whether or not he’d be gentler with Evan or not, and defiantly hesitated when the chair was pushed closer to him, but eventually sat down and took the soda can with his free hand to sip at. He shrugged when Evan apologized and said he’d back off soon, but knew the gesture was too harsh and dismissive… which wasn’t what he wanted to relay at all to one of the few people who took any time for him.
He felt guilty and selfish about it, knowing he could just text Evan and then show up and be fed. Maybe he shouldn’t show up so often if he was just going to be moody and seemingly ungrateful…
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:38 am
“Ew,” Evan said instinctively, and his nose wrinkled at the thought of bugs. “Well, I don’t know that one.”
He didn’t seem intimidated or pushed away but Riker’s attempt at being brusque. He’d just rubbed hand sanitizer all over his hands and now he looked apologetic as he held up a freshly opened alcohol pad. “Okay, this might sting. But I’m going to do it and I’ll show you how to be gentle about it. But we’ll get this on, I’ve got neosporin, I’ve got butterfly stitches. Then we’ll wrap it up in a bandage, and then I’m going to wrap that sash around your arm. That way you won’t get your jacket messed up. And you can throw it away when you get home, you don’t have to keep it. I get the impression it’s not quite your color.”
The stained glass pattern on the sash was colorful, and sort of matched the purple dye in Evan’s hair.
He’d given Riker the run down and then sucked in a breath when he was preparing to wield the alcohol pad. “I’m gonna go fast. Don’t hate me if it stings.”
He dabbed at his arm quickly but despite his haste he was only ever gentle. He seemed to have a lot of experience, and wanted to be done with anything that could cause him pain.
“I have the stuff to make French Onion soup today, did you see my post online? I was really happy when you texted you were going to come by. I hoped you would.”
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:45 am
Not quite his color.
Riker stared down at the pretty sash that was likely going to be bloodied and ruined by the time he was done using it--
And then hissed when the alcohol pad made contact with the gash. He nearly jerked his arm away, but instead gripped his hand into a fist and turned away, as if not looking would make it hurt less.
“I saw,” he said through gritted teeth. He had been in more pain than this! And it didn’t hurt as much as it stung. Still, he shifted a bit so he could put his other arm on the counter and dramatically pressed his forehead against it as Evan worked on patching up his injury.
“I wanted to get here earlier, but--”
He ran into that girl. Who commented on the pinstripes that he didn’t even pick out on his own. He didn’t get to choose anything about his outfit. He didn’t get to choose what he looked like, either.
“I didn’t get to pick what colors I have,” he grumbled, and he knew it was probably really weird to complain about something like that but… No one seemed to understand how it felt to literally be the black sheep or ugly duckling. Except he doubted a swan was the end result for him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:17 am
Evan glanced up with one brow raised. “...I meant, I’ve never seen you wear those colors. You’re always wearing something dark or desaturated. I didn’t pick my colors either. Except I did dye my hair to match. I used to dye my bangs red, but that was so edgy. I mean, that’s what I was going for. I also used to wear a lot of face piercings. I wanted to look tough. You know. Because I thought that meant people would think I was tough. And I thought that meant they wouldn’t mess with me. Surprise, it didn’t matter. People suck.”
Even up close, it was hard to see where his piercings used to be, and he didn’t elaborate. He’d moved on from the alcohol and Neosporin and was now carefully using the butterfly stitches to pull Riker’s skin together. It didn’t look deep enough that he needed medical attention, so Evan wasn’t immediately trying to call every Senshi with healing magic over to the food truck.
“But if you, Riker, like these colors, that’s fine. I like them.” Obviously, they were in his hair. “I was really embarrassed when I first powered up because I thought they were too soft and everyone would think I looked stupid. But the more I wore them, the better I felt. I was terrified to be a Senshi, I didn’t want it. I didn’t ask for it. I’d just spent a year as a youma and could hardly even go outside. Go ********’ figure, a Mauvian would jump me. I ran all the way home. Practically crying. I never wanted to go outside again. Sorry, that’s probably dramatic. I don’t care, I was messed up. I’m not ashamed of it anymore. Mostly.” Sometimes. He sounded like he was trying to remind himself not to feel bad about it more than he was trying to convince Riker.
“Do you not like your Knight get-up?” he asked, if only because Riker had seemed a little defensive about it. “I thought you looked really suave. Was that a sword?”
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 12:30 pm
It didn’t matter what he thought or what he felt. In the end it was just one more thing that he was going to mess up or be dramatic about.
Evan was being nice, he knew that. Riker knew Evan didn’t know how he felt, and part of him, despite really liking Evan and trusting him, didn’t think he, or anyone really, actually cared. It was just a part of life. He needed to suck it up and get over it. No one had time to deal with a teenager who didn’t know anything, anyway.
Eyebrows furrowed with frustration because--
How could Evan ask was that a sword as if he didn’t just say he’d spent a year as a youma??
“What do you mean you were a youma??” he sputtered with distress, lifting his head to stare incredulously, but clearly worried, at Evan.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 12:44 pm
“Huh? Oh. Yeah, sorry. I guess that’s old news for me. This Negaverse lady kept harassing me and one of my friends–it’s complicated–was in the Negaverse. I didn’t know. He was tired of her bothering me and was afraid she’d take my starseed so he tried to bring me into the Negaverse. Only, the whole thing got messed up and I got turned into a youma instead. And then he spent a year or so trying to figure out how to undo it It’s–”
Evan was quiet for a second and shrugged as he put on the last bandage, and then looked up to flash a quick smile as he fumbled with the stripe of gauze he’d pulled out. He wasn’t a medical expert, but he wanted the skin to have a chance to close, so he readjusted himself and began to carefully wrap the gauze up his arm. “It’s a long story, it’s complicated. But a group of Senshi came together, a Court, and managed to burn out all of the Chaos. Cosmos was there, I don’t know if you know her. She’s like a Princess but. Different. Youma used to be humans, you know. Some of them can still be saved. Not all of them. Most of them can’t, I mean.”
He shrugged, and seemed torn between being apologetic and grateful. “I was starting to lose it towards the end, but they saved me. It took me a long time to feel normal again. Sometimes I still don’t feel like I’m in the right body. But, I mean–I’m here. And I’m happy. I didn’t have that before, not really. So. It sucks, because I feel like I’ve lost so much of my life. I wasted a lot of years before I was a youma. But I was, I don’t know. Nineteen, I guess? Almost twenty. It was a long time ago. I’m going to be twenty eight this year. Almost my seventh year as a Senshi. How long have you been a Knight for?”
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 7:19 pm
How was he supposed to respond to all of that? He listened, of course. He wanted to know more about what happened to Evan but… there was so much and so many questions that kept popping up that he didn’t even know where to start or what was more important or if he was just going to say something stupid.
He lifted a hand to rub at his forehead and temple, trying to stop it from spinning. Cosmos? A Court? Turned into a youma by a friend in the Negaverse? He was glad that Evan was Evan now, but… seven years as a Senshi?
“I… I don’t know,” he mumbled, feeling overwhelmed. It didn’t help that his arm hurt. He didn’t know what was worth saying. He didn’t think anything in his life was that interesting or concerning as turning into a youma.
“Sorry… I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He didn’t know what else to say, but he felt a little lost trying to navigate through it all.
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2024 7:50 pm
Evan tied off the gauze but looked it over for a few seconds more before he finally reached for his sash, and tenderly wrapped it around Riker’s arm. It was thin, but he was confident that it would spare his jacket if any blood made it through the bandage.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot. We can talk about it more later.”
Riker looked like he was struggling with everything, but maybe his arm was just really hurting. Evan rose once more and flitted about the kitchen. First, he rinsed his hands, and then he pulled out a lionhead bowl and ladled some soup into it. He moved as if he could have done all of this with his eyes closed. He pulled two slices of bread out of a toaster oven. They were still warm and slightly crisped. One went into the soup, the other was kept off to the side. Then, he retrieved the cheese from the fridge and layered it on top. He made it a little different when serving from the food truck, but this was supposed to be done right.
“Anyway, you don’t have to apologize for anything. It was really shitty, all of it. And it messed me up. But some good came out of it. I might not have my food truck if it weren’t for the people I met afterwards. And a lot of people have purified out of the Negaverse. And even some youma.”
He made a plate up and served the extra bread and bowl on it. Cutlery was on the side–all real dishware, not the styrofoam and plastic he gave everyone else. He’d brought these specifically. “The cheese just needs a minute to melt. But you have to try this. Sorry, I know I’m bouncing around. But this is definitely going to be better than fighting a youma. Can I get you anything else? Oh, like–Tylenol? I’ve got some. And Ibuprofen. Maybe something else, I can check.”
Not that either of those had coconut oil–probably–but he wanted to double check anything else he might have had to offer just in case.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:09 am
He felt guilty. All of his own perceived problems and Evan had spent a year as a monster. How he was standing there now was hard to believe, but he didn’t think Evan was the type to lie about things like that.
All of this time, they were just talking about cheese and soup, when they could have been talking about the other side of things.
Maybe if Riker had trusted him earlier…
He knew he likely wouldn’t have cared if Evan knew who he was that night, even without being a Senshi. He was ready to reveal his identity to him if it meant keeping him safe. Yet it was Evan who was taking care of him. Evan making him soup and getting him medicine. Yeah, sure, Evan was an adult or whatever, but…
“...Is it okay if I just sit here for a while?” he asked quietly as he stared down at the soup. He gingerly flexed his arm to see how it was holding up, eyeing the pretty sash for a moment, and then carefully tugged his hoodie sleeve back down over everything.
“If you have to move the truck, I can get out or… I don’t know, I just don’t want to go home right now.” He knew he should probably ask for medicine too, but he was afraid of saying the wrong thing if he kept his mouth open for too long.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 7:32 am
Evan tilted his head just slightly. “You can sit here for as long as you want. I’m going to close up for the night. Oh, and get my knives.”
He looked at the open window like he expected another youma to come flying through. The night outside was still, but his trust was broken.
Even in leaving, Evan didn’t abandon Riker. He sucked in a breath and exited through the front door, but as he was outside, hastily collecting his knives, he spoke. It was sort of for himself, so Riker would know if something was wrong. It was mostly for Riker, so he’d know it was okay to relax.
He hadn’t said anything important; he’d talked about how he was surprised there was no one here now because it had been so crowded early. He’d been getting so much attention that another food truck had drive a few blocks away so they didn’t have to compete.
Seven knives and four sandwiches later, he came back inside, and finished with, “I sort of wish you could come by while I was busy so you knew that other people do actually come eat my food, but I like when you come late because it means I know my food won’t get wasted. And it means we can talk.
The sandwiches were unsalvageable; there were claw marks through all of them that their wax wrappers hadn’t protected them from the youma. He tossed them with a little sigh and closed the window. He turned out the lights outside of the truck and closed the front door, and now if a youma decided to attack again it would have to break through first.
Evan rolled up his sleeves so he could get started cleaning. He had a ritual, but Riker being there didn’t interrupt him. He glanced at him to make sure he was comfortable, and then said, “I can turn on some music, if you want. Or we can keep talking.” He wouldn’t ask why Riker didn’t want to go home right now. “The medicine is here on the counter when you’re ready, I can pass it over. You can just take it easy.” Please take it easy. Evan had budgeted to spend a few more hours out today, so it wasn’t like RIker was keeping him from anything. Evan would have made time anyway.
Even if he’d asked if Riker wanted music, as he lathered the sponge with soap he asked, “You’re pretty used to taking care of yourself, huh?”
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:07 pm
Riker was grateful that Evan spoke while collecting the stuff from outside. He peeked over the edge of the counter a few times to try and see if he was okay, or if he needed help, or if there was a dark shadow lurking in the bushes. Thankfully nothing happened and Evan joined him in the food truck once more.
He quickly made himself look like he wasn’t being nosey by taking a big bite of the soup. And then staring down at it in surprise, before taking another bite.
It was really good. And he would have said as much if he wasn’t worried about interrupting Evan or bothering him.
“I’ve seen what it’s like with people here,” Riker admitted, and then glanced sheepishly over to where Evan was working on getting prepped to start cleaning. “I didn’t want to bother you. It looked like you had help, anyway.”
He definitely didn’t want Evan to have to introduce him to someone else. What would he say? The kid that comes by to take advantage of free food?
As for taking care of himself, he shrugged, but was a little more invigorated with the soup and bread. He took another sip from his drink as well, and finally did pick up the medicine on the counter, only needing to lean over a bit more than was probably wise. But he didn’t fall over!
“This is really good, Ev. Oh… Evan. Sorry, is that weird? That’s probably weird,” he made another face because it was probably weird giving an adult a nickname.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 4:42 pm
Evan glanced over his shoulder. “What, that my food is good? No, tell me how much you love it. I have really bad imposter syndrome and have to trick myself into thinking I’m a good chef. And teenagers can be vicious so if you tell me it’s good, I’ll believe you.”
He paused for a few seconds and then shrugged. “Actually, no. I feel like you’d tell me nice things. But it’s food, so you have to tell me if you actually like it, because if it’s not the best you’ve ever had, I’ll keep trying new recipes until I find the perfect one.”
A second passed and he looked up at the roof of the truck before he said, “Wait, you weren’t talking about my food. What was that, the nickname? You can call me Ev, all my friends do.”
And Riker might have been younger than he was, but Riker had literally just told Malus–him–that Evan was important to him.
“You won’t bother me if you come to visit while I’m busy. If you feel bad, you can always come in back and help me. I’ll pay you.” He hummed. “In more than just sandwiches and cheese. Sometimes I have help, though. I’m trying to be more independent, but man. Sometimes it sucks. I had to hang a sign for a while asking people to please be patient because it was just me. Most people were really nice though, so that helped me get better at doing it by myself. I still hate driving the truck, but I’m much better at that now. Promise I won’t crash us if you need a ride home.”
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:59 pm
“Don’t you think I should probably learn what to do before you need help during the busy hours?” Riker frowned as he stirred some of the pieces of toasted bread to the bottom of the bowl to mix with the cheese. He clearly liked playing with his food as much as he enjoyed eating it. Especially since he didn’t feel itchy and could still breathe.
He paused after a moment, not really sure what he meant by what he said. Was he volunteering to help Evan out? Well… he would like to help, yeah. Mostly so he could spend more time with someone who didn’t seem to mind him.
“I think your food is really good,” he said after another few moments, not because he really had to think about it, but he wanted to make sure it was fair to Evan. “Honestly, if I could eat from here for every meal, I would probably think I’d died and gone to heaven. Or whatever,” he concluded with a mumble. He wasn’t trying to suck up to Evan. He already got free food and company from him, so why would he bother lying?
“If this isn’t the best I’ve ever had, I can’t remember it. Maybe because I was always too worried about having to go to the hospital.”
He’d said it as a joke, but he knew Evan knew there was more truth in his words than not.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:58 pm
Evan instinctively brightened, even if he was trying to hide it. He wasn’t looking at Riker at the time and was instead focused on scrubbing some dishes clean, but he wasn’t angled away enough for the smile to not be visible from where Riker was sitting.
“Well, stop by more often. You’re young, the cheese probably won’t mess up your cholesterol. I can teach you some easy recipes if you want to make things at home. But,” he nodded to the display case that currently housed a dozen grilled cheese sandwiches, wrapped and ready to go. He’d turned off the fryer earlier but it wouldn’t have been hard to make up the batch of potatoes he had out and ready to go. And the soup, what was he even going to do with the rest of it. “I can send you back with a lot of this. I can’t sell any of this after tonight, it won’t taste as good tomorrow.”
He wasn’t too broken-hearted about shutting down early, or the financial loss of tonight, but he stopped for a moment and leaned his side against the counter. “Would you want to learn how to do things? It’s no pressure, you can say no and I’ll still try to offload all this food on you. Cooking was really good for me when I was your age. I mean, I learned out of necessity. My parents kind of found a way to always be gone. But I guess it worked out in the end.”
He pressed his lip together for a moment, like his thoughts wandered, and then he shrugged again. “They’d probably just take credit for my success if they knew anything about it. So I’m glad they’re not around.”
Evan didn’t ask about Riker’s family, but he tilted his head and eyed the scratches on his face again–just for a second–and then went to get himself a can of Dr. Pepper, too. Maybe he was looking too much into it. There were a lot of ways to get hurt. A lot of reasons not to get along with your brother. A lot of things to make you not want to go home.
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