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 Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:22 pm
Cassidy knew the jump was coming. There had been a brief second where he wondered what Reims was doing, but when it clicked he just wrapped his arms around him and held on tightly.
He hadn’t needed to; Reims had a good, safe grip on him from the get-go. It was just a good excuse to stay close.
And Cassidy had enjoyed it. He’d burst into laughter and seemed delighted by the whole ordeal. The only reason he was quiet at all was because he was trying to make sure he didn’t wake up any neighbors.
“Do you want to jump over any of the houses? I’m about halfway to the back on this side. I’m kidding, I don’t want the neighbors to see you. The only reason I thought you might like to stay back is just in case anyone has those cameras. I didn’t want to blow your cover. I live at 412. But if you keep walking to the right, you’ll wind up at a fountain. I thought that might be a nice place to sit. There’s tree cover, and a bench. You don’t feel any evil in my neighborhood, do you? The reviews said this was a great place to live but I bet they didn't have a magical radar to tell them when there was a danger.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:25 pm
Oh right, cameras. He felt a little guilty because while he didn’t have to worry about things like that, he didn’t want Cassidy getting in trouble or being caught on cameras.
“It’s okay. My cover won’t be blown by cameras. They can’t see past the magic disguise. But… sorry, I’ll try to stay away from the houses. Maybe you should cover your face so no one can see you,” he suggested, but looked around to figure out the best way to get around the houses to the fountain and bench.
“No evil that I can feel, but you can never be too careful. They’ll be able to feel me, too, if they were close. And I think I heard there are some people who can sense auras even without being -- you know, powered up like me.”
It sounded silly to say out loud, but he didn’t know any other way to describe it. He made his way through the shadows, avoiding streetlights.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:27 pm
“Really? I wish I had that. It’d be easier to stay safe. And to find you.”
Reims was really strong, wasn’t he? He’d hurried all this way, leapt over a gate, and still had the energy to stand here and hold Cassidy? Not that he was complaining; he liked the closeness. He was completely relaxed in Reims’ arms. If it had been anyone else, maybe he’d have been tense enough so he could catch himself if they decided to play a prank and drop him but after all this?
No, he didn’t think Reims would do that to him.
“I’m not worried about people seeing me, don’t worry. I’m not the one with a secret identity and magical lifestyle. I’ll hurry off if I can grab my bag first, it’ll only look suspicious if I show up without it. But I don’t mind staying in your arms for a moment longer. You’re really strong, Reims. Really comfortable. I don’t even want to move. But I don’t want you to be hungry, so that’s the only reason why I’m alright with you putting me down.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:29 pm
Cassidy was flattering him again. His ears were just constantly red at this point, and he was trying not to puff up like some dumb, smitten rooster or whatever. Cassidy could be a lot, but after they’d spent this time together, it was hard for Reims to imagine him being disingenuous about everything.
“It’s the magic,” he insisted about his strength. And it was true! He wasn’t actually as strong as Riker as he was as Reims. Oh, but he needed to put Cassidy down.
Carefully, and making sure he wouldn’t put him on anything but a flat surface, Reims lowered Cassidy’s feet to the ground, making sure he was stable before letting go. He then fished his backpack out of his subspace pocket to hand over.
“I’ll just sit over at the fountain then?” he verified, gesturing over to the fountain and bench Cassidy had mentioned before.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:29 pm
A long, exasperated sigh fell from Cassidy’s lips as his feet hit the ground. He missed Reims’ arms already. He begrudgingly pulled his bag over his shoulders and took a few extra seconds to adjust it properly so he could procrastinate on running off.
Just in case Reims decided he actually didn’t want to wait, or something.
Cassidy didn’t think he was the sort to just ditch without saying anything, but if some youma ran out or someone else needed saving? Maybe.
“Yeah, that should be good. And if you get bored you can send me one of those magic letters so I know what to expect? No pressure. I’ll go fast, though.”
He rocked on his heels, like he was reminding his legs how to work. He was procrastinating. He didn’t want to leave.
…But poor Reims was starving. And the longer he waited, the hungrier he’d get. And the more risk there was that someone else might sense Reims here.
Cassidy stretched, the same as he always did before a game, but clearly without the same mobility as before. He was more careful with his right side, and his arm never raised more than a ninety degree angle. He just needed his legs to work.
One last wave, and then Cassidy trotted off.
In baseball, he could sometimes be a bit reckless. He’d push himself a little harder just to see if he could do it. The risk was worth it. He’d throw himself at a ball, at a base, like his body was invincible.
There was something different with how he carried himself now, like he knew he wasn’t. He had a bit more bounce in his step, like he was trying to be lighter. He didn’t move as quickly or with as much force.
He managed to make it look like he was just going for a leisurely jog and not like he was trying to trick his body into working right.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:31 pm
Reims snorted in quiet amusement at Cassidy’s exasperated sigh. As if he actually didn’t want to be set down.
Reims didn’t want to set him down. But obviously they couldn’t do anything with him carrying him around.
“I’ll send you one when you get back,” he promised. “I don’t want magical pieces of paper to appear out of nowhere in front of someone.” He wasn’t sure how it worked, or if the magic made it automatically discrete, but he didn’t want to run the risk.
He watched as Cassidy sauntered off, although Reims could tell there was something different with his step than what he was used to seeing from him. He looked stiff, but was doing his best.
Reims tried not to watch too closely. Especially not at how long Cassidy’s legs were. He was athletic like Énna, but they had different types of muscle development since Énna was a dancer. The most he could really remember seeing of Julian’s legs were when he wore his tights as Dering. But that was okay! Julian was much more modest in the way he dressed and behaved, but he was still charming. Dawn wore her cheerleader outfit frequently, so of course he saw her legs--
But why was he suddenly thinking about them all?
He frowned and took a seat on the bench and worked on unrolling his sleeves. There was nothing wrong with appreciating nice legs, right? He liked them as people, including Cassidy -- at least when he was behaving and not harassing him.
Reims definitely didn’t want to tell him he was Riker, otherwise it might just ruin whatever was going on between them.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:33 pm
Cassidy was gone for four and a half minutes, which felt like an eternity for him but he could literally see the microwave ticking away the seconds.
Patience was not his speciality.
He took some medicine and chugged a drink while he waited, and packed up one of the little bento boxes he used for packing his lunch at school. He grabbed a bottle of water–and a Gatorade, because, why not. And a few crackers.
It wasn’t an amazing display but he’d make up for it with the tomato pie. This was just microwaved leftovers and it would have to be good enough for now.
His house was empty, but that wasn’t a surprise. There had been a chance his father would be home. Just not a very big one. It just meant he was free to come and go as he pleased without needing to come up with any excuse or explanation.
He left his backpack by the door so if his dad did come home before he was back, it might just look like he’d gone to bed early. It would buy him some time, at least.
Though Cassidy didn’t have the same energy on his way back to Reims as he had when he left, he still made good time, and he brightened when he saw the knight still sitting at the fountain.
“Oh, good. You’re still here. Did you miss me?” he said, settling down on the bench next to Reims and passing over the bento box and a spoon first. It was warm to the touch, but the chili inside wasn’t so hot that it would be uncomfortable to eat.
“I brought two drinks, too. You have to be warm in all those clothes so I don’t want you to overheat.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:34 pm
“You were barely gone,” Reims snorted softly, preventing himself from saying yes, he had missed him. It was a weird feeling, to actually look forward to seeing Cassidy of all people. But he’d been nice. Sweet, even. He showered him with compliments that Reims didn’t think he deserved. He shared things about himself that he never would have guessed, and now he wanted to see what he could do to help him.
He held out his hands for the chili and couldn’t help but laugh at Cassidy’s reasoning for bringing two drinks.
“You don’t want me to overheat, but you brought me chili? It’s fine, I promise! I’m just teasing. It smells really good,” he hummed, opening the box so he could stick his spoon in and scoop out a bite.
He hesitated for just a moment and brought the chili to his lips, allowing himself to have the smallest taste before lowering it back down for a minute or so.
“What kind of drinks?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t an obvious distraction. He’d already seen what drinks Cassidy brought, but he could claim it was dark and he hadn’t noticed.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:38 pm
Cassidy laughed. “I’d have brought you something else if I thought it was good enough! I almost brought ice cream but you said you didn’t like sweets.” So, cold drinks seemed like a close second.
“Instead, you’ve got water and Gatorade,” Cassidy answered, but his eyes were already on Reims’ lips. He saw him take a bite and wait. It didn’t just smell good, it tasted good too. So what was he waiting for?
Cassidy watched but he didn’t comment on that. Instead, he filled the would-be silence with more words. “Blue, the good kind. Keep up your electrolytes. I can get you more if you want. Or if the chili isn’t to your taste. You’re not allergic to anything, are you? I don’t want to poison you. It’s pretty straight forward, natural ingredients. All organic. My dad’s a snob like that. So am I.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:38 pm
“What?” Reims forced a laugh and shook his head. “Oh, no… no, I’m okay! It tastes really good,” he promised and took a whole bite off the spoon.
He supposed it was worth the risk. He didn’t start itching right away, so that was a good sign. He just didn’t want to suddenly have a medical episode because of fancy organic ingredients.
He was lucky that it seemed like a different type of oil was used, which made more sense with chili, but people were weird.
“Thank you for looking out for me,” he nodded, setting the box on his lap so he could take the offered Gatorade, and nodded. “Definitely the best. Did you bring anything for yourself or are you going to eat when you get back home? It’s getting kinda late,” he noted.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:39 pm
“Oh, I guess it is a little more suspicious that I didn’t bring any food for myself. But I’m not trying to poison you or anything. The truth is,” he scratched his chin and leaned back against the bench. “I was so focused on making sure I got you your food quickly that I forgot about making anything for me. I had a few quick bites while I was in the kitchen but I’ll have some more when I get home. I’m not doing anything tomorrow so I’ll probably stay up late and sleep in. If you were worried about my beauty rest, I’ll get plenty.”
He seemed comfortable, and even if he was still favoring his arm he was still able to throw it over the back of the bench and relax.
“You seem like the type of person to fib if they liked something or not just so you wouldn’t hurt their feelings.”
He rolled his head to the side so he could watch Reims again.
“It wouldn’t hurt my feelings, just so you know. I’d rather people give it to me straight. I don’t like the fluff. If you said you liked it when you didn’t, I’d try to bring it to you again. And then you’d be stuck eating it and I’d be stuck trying to learn how to make it perfectly for you. You won’t hurt my feelings. And if you do, I’ll just get over it!” he laughed.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:43 pm
Reims paused when Cassidy made the comment about I guess it is a little more suspicious. He narrowed his eyes skeptically at him, and glanced down at the chili as if trying to determine if Cassidy really was trying to poison him since he was making such a big deal about it.
But then he snorted quietly, and then laughed, because of all the things Cassidy could do, he doubted he would poison him. Not when there was so much Reims could offer. Especially the friend with healing magic.
“Oh? You think I’d lie about liking something? Well, I can’t say I’m lying about this,” he gestured. “Although a little more cheese or sour cream would be nice.”
He was teasing! He even held out the box to Cassidy to see if he wanted a bite.
“Next time we’ll just have to make sure there’s enough for both of us. How’s your arm? Do you put heat on it to help with the pain?” He was used to injuries like that. He could tell that Cassidy wasn’t in top form. “You know, you seem like the type of person to fib if they weren’t okay, just so they wouldn’t have to be looked at like they couldn’t handle things on their own.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:44 pm
Cassidy laughed like he’d been told a good joke. “Oh, you’re silly. Me, fib? Oh, not about that. You know, I posted all sorts of pictures when I got hurt. Anyone who knows me could see how bad it was. Well, no, that’s not entirely true. I do have some really gross pictures I didn’t post. Because I didn’t want to get banned. I’ve still got them on my phone. But,” he shrugged, a moderately fluid effort. Maybe he felt better. Maybe he was just really good at making it look like he felt better. “Most of my friends don’t want to see any of it. Too bad! If they saw what I lived through, I bet they’d never look down on me!”
He laughed again but there was something just a bit guarded about it this time. “I’m definitely the sort of person to make sure everyone knows how miserable and hurt I am! And I’ll just start crying if I don’t get my way. Everyone’s so nice if they think you’re having a hard time! And if someone’s yelling at me, or if they’re ignoring me, or if I’m not getting enough attention…I’m in a really good position, you know! But don’t tell anyone or you’ll ruin what I’ve got going. And then you’ll never get my tomato pie. Oh, but the chili.”
He sat up a little straighter and nodded. “I’ll have a bit if you’re offering, just as long as you’re not afraid of my cooties. I like sour cream and cheese on mine too but I was trying to figure out if you were secretly lactose intolerant. Next time, I’ll bring enough.”
Even if Reims was only teasing, he liked the idea of next time.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:45 pm
Reims listened as Cassidy spoke. As he laughed. As he shrugged with grins and giggles and confessions about his scheming to get people to give him what he wanted.
He held the spoon out to Cassidy, a scoop of chili already in place. He was thinking too deeply to care about things like cooties. And as Cassidy brushed it off, Reims’s frown deepened. He wasn’t mad about anything, just pensive.
“I wasn’t talking about you physically being okay or not,” he admitted, his voice quieter than Cassidy’s cheerful chatter.
Reims knew what it was like to put on a show to get people to think a certain way. He did it before for his brother and brother’s friends. He wanted to prove that he was cool or whatever. It was all an act. And he felt as though he could see through acts, at least sometimes.
People like Énna made things easier. He often seemed sad and depressed. Julian, though… he hid his troubles behind agreement and redirecting attention to others in positive ways. Evan hid his troubles by worrying about others. As though the harder he worried about someone, the less people would focus on him.
Cassidy paraded around with cheer and charm. But if anything reveals cracks in that facade, it was the casual dismissal that he couldn’t play baseball any more. He’d smiled pleasantly at the time, but Reims knew how he would have felt, not being able to do something he enjoyed so much. And he didn’t know how he’d feel if he’d been trapped in a wreck, possibly dying, for what likely felt like ages.
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Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2024 8:50 pm
Cassidy hummed thoughtfully but he took his time to take a bite of the chili. It wasn’t slow because he was trying to make a show of it, or because he thought it might be too hot.
It was just because he was taking time to think of what he wanted to say in as inconspicuous a manner as possible.
He kept the food in his mouth and chewed slowly as he leaned back. It took him almost half a minute to finish.
“Well,” he said finally, “everybody fibs about things like that every now and then, don’t they? Besides, everyone wants to hear that I’m fine. Nobody wants to actually think about what happened. Nobody wants to think that much about it. Like, ‘oh it was just a car accident’,” he shrugged, but this time he misjudged what his shoulder was capable of. He winced. He hid it poorly. He rolled his eyes at himself and had to sit upright and gently move his arm back so he could rest his hand on his knee.
“And then some things changed. And life goes on. And you have to go on, too. You know, roll with the punches. Nothing stays the same forever. Sometimes it’s bad, sometimes it’s good. Can’t think about it for too long or you miss out on the rest of life, right?”
There was still a lighthearted tone to his words, like he wouldn’t let himself be too serious. Nobody wanted too serious.
Nobody wanted to grapple with the reality of it. It was just an accident. And he was fine. Obviously. He flashed a grin just to cement it.
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