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 Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:22 pm
“Isn’t it more romantic to think that even lightning couldn’t keep you from me? I like my version better, yours is too practical. You deserve a bit more whimsy in your life,” Cassidy mused, soaking up all that he could. The light of Riker’s phone didn’t illuminate everything, but he could see enough of Riker to know that he was being honest.
There was plenty else to look at, in the absence of bruises, and Cassidy made a bit of a show when it came to letting his eyes glide over every little curve of Riker’s body. He looked at Riker like he might have been looking at art.
“Or are you saving all your romance for someone else, hm? It’s okay, I won’t tell them. Do you have to put your shirt back on? I could stare for a few more minutes. It might make me feel better.”
He mopped at his face again, this time undoubtedly as if he were either making fun of himself or being dramatic. It wasn’t convincing, either way; he never took his eyes off of Riker.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:22 pm
“I thought throwing pebbles at your window was romantic enough,” he sighed and shook his head, but he was just teasing, even if he was a little embarrassed about being told ‘you could have used the front door’ like he wasn’t trying to make an impression.
The way Cassidy looked at him, though… It made him straighten up a bit, and maybe flushed a little. But if standing there with his shirt off made Cassidy feel better, then he didn’t think it was too much for him to ask.
“Probably by the time we head out to the car,” he suggested, because while he was sure Evan wouldn’t harass him about it, he also didn’t want to explain why he was shirtless after spending much longer than he’d expected making sure Cassidy was okay before ushering him home with him.
“You won’t be on the floor or the couch, in case you’re worried about that. I still won’t move much, even if I’m not injured,” he promised, because he didn’t want Cassidy to think he wasn’t welcome to sleep in the same bed as him and Julian. It was a big enough bed for them! Might as well be comfortable.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
“Oh,” Cassidy sighed, not quite despondently. He was nodding approvingly as he continued to admire Riker. He saw the way he straightened up. He didn’t have to, of course; Cassidy could see him well enough before. He liked looking at him like this too, though. “Right,” he hummed. “I forgot Julian would be there. Are you sure he won’t mind me coming over? I know you two share a bed.”
He almost didn’t sound jealous, but Cassidy never had any venom for Julian. It was like being mad at a big-eyed puppy. Did he kiss Riker, too?
No, Cassidy didn’t want to know. Selfishly, he liked to think that Riker’s lips were all to him. He was still in the closet, so Cassidy had a bit more time to hog him.
“Did you ask him if it’s okay if I come over?” he asked, finally meeting Riker’s eyes. Cassidy’s were still a bit more watery than usual but he almost looked like he was back to normal. “If it gets too hot, you can sleep shirtless, right? And since you’re not injured, I can hold you. Right?” he insisted.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
“I was planning on sleeping shirtless, anyway. Just for you. Usually I wear a shirt when it’s just me and Julian,” he shrugged, but he could see the look in Cassidy’s eyes, and could hear the slight sharpness in his voice.
“He’s okay with it,” Riker promised, taking a step forward, but this time reaching out to place his hands on Cassidy’s hips, pulling him a little closer as he did so. “I mean… he knows what you mean to me. Julian is important to me, but it’s different… ah, that probably makes no sense.”
Riker could have gone into detail about how he and Julian had a lot in common that people might not realize, but that was Julian’s story to tell. He wasn’t going to start talking about his personal life without his permission.
“I was hoping you’d be okay with staying close to me, though,” he admitted, closing the gap between them for a small kiss on Cassidy’s nose. “I hope you’re okay with me holding you, too.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
“He knows what I mean to you?” Cassidy asked, sticking his head out again to wordlessly ask for another kiss, even if just on the nose. “I guess he’s pretty observant, huh? Of course I’m okay with you holding me. If I had my way, it would happen a lot more often.”
Unsatisfied with hands on his hips, Cassidy once more stepped in for a hug. Only, this time he got to appreciate Riker’s raw warmth. Cassidy’s house wasn’t even too warm; the dark night and the bad storm had kept the place cool enough, and the power hadn’t been out for long enough that it was miserable inside. Yet.
Whatever he had going on with Julian didn’t actually make sense, but that was okay. Cassidy didn't need to understand. He was happy with what he got, and if he was being honest with himself, Julian probably helped Riker in a lot of ways that Cassidy could only imagine.
“Do you think I’d scare Julian if I slept shirtless? I’m just kidding. We can do that the next time you spend the night here. My dad’ll probably be busy working so I’ll just turn the air conditioning down real low so we have to huddle for warmth,” he laughed, and even if he sounded like there were still some thoughts weighing him down, he had energy to scheme so he was feeling better.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
Riker easily caved to the hug, and he wrapped his arms around Cassidy to hold him close once more. He rubbed his back and smoothed his palm over where he knew Cassidy’s scars were on his shoulder, trying to soothe whatever ache he might be feeling.
He kissed him, too. On the lips before ducking down a bit to press his cheek against Cassidy’s as he held him. He wanted to tell him things would be okay. That anything he was worried about would be resolved. That the world wasn’t ending -- which he’d promised him that, but he could imagine it was probably a little traumatic to be told it might be ending, then dumped off on another world, and then brought home to be left in the dark.
Okay, that probably wasn’t the best thing he could have done, but he was doing the best he could while running around and checking on everyone that he could.
“Ah, I mean, he is observant. But I also uh… told him I liked you and that I’ve kissed you. Sorry! I know I should have talked to you about it first, but it kind of came out when I said I was worried about you.”
Oh, maybe he should have thought through which lies he wanted to tell and what he wanted to be honest about. Keeping up with lies was so complicated, especially when they were meant to be a kindness instead of malicious.
“I mean…” he frowned, rubbing Cassidy’s back a little more aggressively in his newfound agitation at himself. “Okay, we weren’t going out for dinner. I said I was worried about you and Julian and Evan suggested we invite you over.”
Oh, but that made him sound like he didn’t want Cassidy over. But he did! He just didn’t want to invite someone over when it was only half his room.
“So, uh… Julian is getting everything set up in our room, so don’t be surprised if he’s not surprised about you coming over. Oh, but only they know I’ve kissed you, I promise. I mean, Elliot might know I like you but-- uhhhh…”
His cheeks were definitely burning now, which he was certain Cassidy could feel with theirs pressed together like they were.
“We don’t have to make excuses to take off our clothes, do we? I mean, I’ll keep my shirt off if you’d like that. I don’t mind you with yours off.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
“Aw, you’re cute, Riker. I don’t mind if you kiss and tell. I’m only keeping our secret for you, otherwise I’d tell everyone what a good kisser you are. I don’t ever need an excuse to take my clothes off,” he laughed, but he had a good reason to keep them on, too. He released a soft, contented noise as Riker worked over his back. Physical therapy hadn’t been so rough on him, and the lingering bruises he still had were appreciative of the attention.
Julian was good at keeping secrets too, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t out Riker to anyone. He was a safe person to confide in, undoubtedly.
“I’m glad you didn’t leave Julian behind. I wasn’t going to judge you, but I was having a hard time imagining that you wanted to go out for dinner in this weather! It’s been so weird. I heard the pressure dropped really low at one point and a bunch of windows in my neighborhood broke. Maybe it almost turned into a tornado? You said you were okay, was he okay? You guys didn’t see anything like that, did you?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:23 pm
Oh, Cassidy was so good at keeping all of his secrets. There was a swell of appreciation he could feel in his chest, and he hugged Cassidy a bit tighter for a moment, but pulled back to look at him with concern.
“Windows were shattered?” he stared at him, surprised by the news. Of course, they’d only gotten back to Earth after everything happened, but Cassidy was a lot more social with his neighbors than Riker was.
“Is that why the doors were unlocked? Were you checking on your neighbors?” He couldn’t imagine Cassidy just running in and out of the house in the middle of the night for no reason. Especially when all of the power was out and there was no internet.
“No, we haven’t seen anything, I mean… maybe we’ll see more once the sun is up. I’m glad you’re okay. I didn’t see too much destruction on the way, just… you know, the power being out.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
“Of course I was checking on them. I didn’t just stand around in my room and cry. I didn’t want anybody to be stuck somewhere in the dark, just waiting for somebody to help them. Worse, if they thought they were alone and didn’t know how long it was going to take. You know? But nobody got seriously hurt. My house is okay, and most of the ones in this area are. Jennifer’s husband–they’re half a street down–does window installation and got half the neighborhood a good deal and all of his windows are still intact, so that’s going to bump up his business for sure. I’ll tell you all about it when we get to your place.”
He drew in one big breath and held it, like he had to brace himself for something horrible. Then, with great reluctance, he leaned back just slightly.
“I guess we can’t stay like this forever. Do you think Evan’s worrying? I still have to write my dad a note. It won’t take me long. But I’m glad there’s not much damage that you saw, maybe things aren’t as bad as they were looking.”
He didn’t completely untangle himself from Riker, and he took a few extra seconds to admire him before he had to put his shirt back on. “Thank you for coming to get me, Riker. I’m really happy to see you tonight. Do you know if Elliot and Atticus are okay?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
He didn’t know why he was at all surprised that Cassidy would have immediately left his house, in the middle of the night, to go check on his neighbors. It really wasn’t that surprising, knowing his relationship with them already. But Riker would admit that he tended to have blinders on for anyone except the people he knew actually cared about him. At least initially. And in this case, Cassidy’s neighbors obviously cared about him and vice versa, so it was understandable.
He almost wished that Cassidy was a Knight or Senshi too. He had the personality and drive to be a really good one. Maybe he could get Elliot and Atticus to talk to the Code piece on the Moon. He’d do it himself, but… he was kind of rude to it before. But Elliot and Atticus being Moon Knights certainly meant any recommendation would be highly regarded, right?
But speaking of Elliot and Atticus…
“I haven’t heard from them, but I’m pretty sure they’re okay. They’ve got generators and stuff in Mr. Gallo’s house anyway. They probably didn’t even notice the power going out. I bet they could figure out a way to connect to the internet, too. We can figure all that out tomorrow if you want. And… I’m pretty sure Evan’s natural state is ‘worrying,’” he sighed, feeling guilty about leaving Evan waiting for them for so long. He said he could take his time! He checked in with him once already! But it was getting progressively later.
“Where’s your bag? I can grab that and lock up the back door if you want to collect whatever else you need and write your dad a note?” he offered, rubbing Cassidy’s sides as they took a step back from each other. He would put on his shirt just as soon as he knew Cassidy was okay to let him.
“I’m not going to abandon you again,” he said, quieter than the last time. “I’ll always find a way to make it to you.” Maybe not right away, because he would have respected Julian’s boundaries if he said he didn’t want anyone staying the night, but he would have rushed out at daybreak to make sure Cassidy was okay.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
Cassidy tilted his head just slightly, still observing. “I know,” he said easily. “That’s why I had a bag packed already. I knew you’d be here to make sure I was okay. I never thought you abandoned me.”
He leaned in, maybe for one final kiss, and then moved away to his bedside to grab a pen and paper. “My bag’s by the door, you passed it coming in.” The same one he’d brought with him to Reims was resting by the entrance to his bedroom.
“If you’re good with locking up, I’d appreciate it. You can take your phone, I’ll use mine for light now that I know I can charge it at your place. But be careful and go slow. I really did bump my elbows on just about everything. And I guess you should put your shirt back on so Evan doesn’t think I was trying to tear your clothes off. I don’t want him to think I’m weird, or tell you that you can’t hang out with me unsupervised.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
Whether Cassidy thought Riker had abandoned him at any point in time or not didn’t change the fact that Riker felt as though he had. Which was why he was determined to not be that person.
He snorted quietly as Cassidy moved away from him, already missing his touch. It was dark in the room, but he couldn’t help his eyes from wandering as Cassidy turned his back to him. Especially not when he leaned over to get the pen and paper to work on his note--
Oh right, he was supposed to get the bag and--
In his haste to not be caught staring, Riker had been slowly backing up towards the door, but spun around too close and collided with the open door.
“Yeah wow, definitely gotta be careful and go slow. Good suggestion,” he quickly sputtered as he rubbed his chin. He was okay! Just embarrassed. But Cassidy probably didn’t catch him looking at his legs or a**.
“You’re not weird. Evan already said Zac will probably just be grateful I’m not gonna be able to get you pregnant--”
Riker’s face burned as he realized the implication and quickly tugged his shirt on, his arm only half in his sleeve before he grabbed Cassidy’s bag so he could dart out of the room.
“I’m gonna lock the backdoor now--” he announced, while also not thinking about all of the other innuendos that went with it.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
Cassidy looked over his shoulder as soon as Riker found the door, and while there was a fleeting expression of startled worry on his face, it disappeared quickly. He didn’t see where Riker’s eyes were, but if he had, he’d have stretched out a bit more to give him a better view, anyway.
He was glad he was looking at Riker when he spoke again so he could see his face when he realized what he said. Riker was so quick to hurry out that Cassidy was surprised he didn’t hear more clattering.
Without Riker’s phone, he had to pull out his own; the battery was only at about halfway, despite his best efforts to stay off of it. He had a charger in his bag but if Riker had power then he wasn’t going to worry about conserving it.
He wrote a quick note to his father but didn’t even have much faith that he’d actually see the note. Cassidy would probably be back before his dad but he didn’t want anyone to worry. In a better mood than before, it was easy to shove down all his fears and worries. Now wasn’t a great time to have a breakdown; Evan had been waiting for long enough. And with Julian sharing a room, he didn’t think later would be great, either.
Maybe he could just forego the emotional weight of tonight altogether and just be happy that he was alive and the world wasn’t destroyed and Riker was here to make sure he was okay.
“Hey,” Cassidy called, tearing the sticky note from its pad. He held it carefully as he exited his room, using his phone’s flashlight to guide him. “Since Evan’s already thinking about us and our love-child, do you think it’ll be okay if we sit in the back seat together and hold hands or are you not ready for that much PDA around him yet?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:24 pm
With the backdoor locked, Riker was waiting awkwardly in the hall for Cassidy to finish up. He had Cassidy’s bag in one hand, and his phone in the other. He made great effort to not look Cassidy in the eyes, otherwise he might end up with an even redder face.
Especially with talks about their love-child.
“I was going to offer that. Even if he wasn’t, he knows you’re not a fan of cars. He’s a very careful driver, and it’s Zac’s car. It probably has all of the safety features because he expected Evan to drive it, anyway,” he shrugged, trying to be casual about it and not weird.
Adjusting his hold on Cassidy’s bag to double up with his phone, he held out his hand for Cassidy to take when he was ready. Evan had been waiting, and Riker was very proud of him for not trying to break through the front door yet.
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 6:25 pm
Cassidy wore a look of both relief, and miserable resolve. He didn’t like cars but it wasn’t like you could ride your bike, or the bus, everywhere. The crash had been an accident. He still got in the car with his father, when he had to. It hadn’t shaken his trust in him. If Casey could get somewhere through other means, he would.
But Riker had come here, just to pick him up. Evan had driven to make sure he got there safely.
They were going to take back roads, probably. Through residential areas only. He hoped. He’d ridden his bike before so it was very possible.
Cassidy didn’t want to boss Evan around and demand he take it easy; so far as he knew, Evan was a perfectly safe driver. Who may or may not have been aware of just how deep Cassidy’s aversion to cars went. Cassidy was going to play it cool even if he didn’t feel very cool about it.
There was a bowl for keys on a table by the front door, and Cassidy left the sticky note there instead of putting it anywhere else. He knew his father’s habits well enough to know he’d toss his keys in and see it first thing.
“Zac’s the grouchy one that’s always doing the yard, right?” he asked, just to fill the silence. “What a weird house. I like it, don’t get me wrong. Everybody’s got something different going on with somebody I didn’t expect.” He drew in a breath and, finally, took Riker’s hand. He squeezed Riker’s hand and swung it while they walked. “I don’t look like I’ve been crying or anything, right? It’s okay if you see me, but I don’t want Evan to. Nothing against him! But I want him to like me so I can come over more often. And so he’ll let me steal you for sleepovers sometime.”
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