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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:03 pm
Riker tipped his head toward the tree Zac had nodded at, squinting as if by doing so he could picture the whole thing. “Yeah… sounds nice. Guess I could handle a little manual labor if it means I get to say I helped build the ‘peaceful and quiet’ corner.”
Still, it was strange that Zac would tell him about it. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to really care if anyone else had an opinion. Was it possible that helping out with the backyard wasn’t just about making a spot to relax? After all, if Zac would be there with him while they worked…
He wasn’t sure if he should be flustered or flattered. Maybe a little of both. Not that he had anything confirmed, but it made the most sense.
“Making a place for everyone to relax and reset would be a good investment,” he said as he rolled the ball between his palms. His eyes drifted curiously over to Zac’s beer. “Speaking of investments,” he said casually, although there was an edge of a challenge in his voice. “Think I could get, like, one sip? Just to make sure it’s not, you know, totally disgusting.”
Maybe it wasn’t really about the beer. Half the fun was seeing if Zac would let him. But Riker stayed slouched in his chair, as casual as possible, as if it didn’t matter either way.
“I mean… I’ll probably hate it,” he added, as if that somehow made the request more reasonable.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:03 pm
Zac scowled at Riker. “Pushing your luck already? Of course you’ll hate it, your palate is absolute s**t. You’ve had no time to develop it. It doesn’t taste like Dr. Pepper, you know. You’ll say it’s too bitter, that sip’ll be wasted on you. You’re too young to know what’s good.”
Of course, Evan’s tastebuds hadn’t developed much either, not when it came to a good drink.
With a grumble, he lifted the bottle and took a sip. There was enough to share but he didn’t feel particularly swayed.
Maybe it was a bit hypocritical; he’d been drinking when he was Riker’s age.
…Or maybe that was a good enough reason not to let him.
Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Zac’s mood shifted somewhat and he shrugged.
“You know what? You can have a sip if Evan says it’s okay. But I don’t want to deal with his nagging if he doesn’t like the idea, so you get permission from him, first.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:03 pm
The corner of Riker’s mouth twitched like he was trying not to laugh. “Wow. Didn’t think I’d get a ‘go ask your mom’ so soon.”
His teasing was mild, and there was a flicker of genuine warmth behind it. If Zac was willing to defer to Evan instead of shutting him down outright, that had to mean something. Somehow… it helped him relax a bit more, his heart fluttering strangely. He was… letting him stay there, just having a normal conversation. Not shutting him out, even if he was just some dumb teenager who was desperate for a family.
“Maybe I’ll take my chances,” he forced a stubborn huff, but it was difficult not to grin like an idiot. “Evan’s probably already keeping a running tally of all the dumb stuff I do. You know, probably to make sure I won’t do it again. What’s one more for the list?”
He glanced at the bottle again, but didn’t push it. Instead, he glanced back to the fire, letting his gaze rest on it and the curl of smoke that drifted in the air. It was a peaceful night, and he wanted to remember all of it.
“Guess that means I’m sticking to Dr. Pepper tonight,” he shrugged, conceding. “But I’m still getting a lesson on firepit safety this weekend, right? Maybe Evan will let me try then.” Just in case Zac thought he was giving up completely.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:05 pm
Zac snorted again. “Yeah. Maybe.”
He sounded doubtful, but he’d talk to Evan about it later. If Riker was going to drink, better to do it at home where they could make sure he was doing it safely. All teenagers did stupid things. Zac’s first time drinking had been at a friend's house and he’d gotten so drunk the headache hadn’t left for days. Evan’s first time drinking had been worse.
…Where was Riker going to go to get drunk? What friends did he have that weren’t goody-two shoes?
Oh, no. It’d be Cassidy, Zac would bet money on it.
A kid with low parental supervision, who already talked about what wine paired best with what meals, and who was naggy enough he could probably do peer pressuring really well. And Riker was already spending so much time with him.
There was a recipe for trouble in that, Zac just wasn’t sure what flavor.
Zac tapped his finger on the bottle and looked at the liquid left. A sip, maybe.
He passed the bottle over. “If you’re going to make stupid choices, do it now. While I can still bail you out. You’re still getting the firepit safety lesson this weekend so don’t make too many plans. Unless you’re inviting your friends over for s’mores afterwards, or whatever.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:05 pm
Riker stared for a moment when Zac held out the bottle, straightening up a little in his seat. The flutter in his chest wasn’t subtle at all this time. Maybe because it wasn’t really about the drink, but because he was being trusted to try. Kind of like a right of passage.
His hand hesitated just a moment before taking the bottle, holding it carefully. With the ball still pressed into the palm of his other hand, he reached down to brush his fingers against his pocket, just for a quick, subconscious check that his epipen was still there. Not that he wasn’t ninety-nine percent sure that Evan wouldn’t have allowed anything with coconut within fifty feet of the house, but old instincts didn’t fade easily. He rested his lips on the edge of the glass at first, just enough to taste the air above the bottle. No reaction. No tingling on his lips.
Only then did he take a cautious sip, making sure it was small and slow. The taste hit him like bitter smoke and bread crusts and something sharp around the effervescent texture that he couldn’t quite place. His face twisted before he could stop it.
“Wow. Yeah, that’s… not Dr. Pepper.”
Still, there was a flicker of amusement as he handed it back to Zac. “Guess it’s an acquired taste. Not terrible, though. Thanks.”
He leaned back again, watching the fire as it flickered. Zac was already offering new ways for him to stay around, even giving him a chance to be a kid by suggesting having friends over. He nodded, grateful but desperate to seem totally chill about it.
“Yeah, no. My only plans are making sure the yard is in perfect condition so we can start prepping our garden project after this. If that’s okay, yeah. I’d like to have some friends over.” How could he pass up a suggestion like that?
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:05 pm
Zac scoffed once more but this time he was more amused than not. There wasn’t much left so he finished off the bottle in one last swig before he picked up the bottle of water and had a good sip of that.
“If you’re going to make sure the yard is in perfect condition, sure. That deserves a reward, it’s a lot of work. And I don’t want to do it all by myself. So, I guess it’s only fair to let you have some friends over. Maybe I’ll put them to work, too.”
Did Riker have friends that weren’t Julian’s friends? He felt like he only ever saw the same faces between them so it didn’t much matter to him who was inviting them over.
Zac wasn’t too serious about it; for all the help he might have liked, he had a control problem. He’d rather do most things himself, anyway.
“Just check with Evan so he knows if he’s cooking or if we’re ordering pizza or something. And if they’re spending the night,” he shrugged vaguely, “Get all that sorted out, too.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:06 pm
Riker wasn’t going to take Zac’s offer for granted. Even if Zac made it sound like the “reward” of having friends over was contingent on doing the work right. As if Zac would allow it to be done wrong. And that was fine. If Zac was going to let him help, he was going to do his best to make sure the yard was perfect. He knew he had a long way to go to prove himself, and he figured this might be a good way to start.
“Don’t worry,” he hummed, almost too casual, but there was a serious note underneath. “You won’t have to do it all by yourself. And I’m not gonna make Julian or our friends work. They’d never come back.”
Although he was sure they would all pitch in. He just didn’t want them to worry about things like that. In his head, the rest of his plan was already taking shape. He had enough saved up from working on the food truck to cover the cost of whatever food they needed. Pizza, snacks, drinks, all the s’mores ingredients. Sure, it might eat away a big chunk of his savings, but that was fine. They deserved a summer night without worrying about money or chores or school or the Negaverse or anything else.
For a moment, he could picture it. The low voices and quiet laughter mixed with the crackle of the fire, flickering across familiar faces, the air sweet with toasted marshmallow and freshly cut grass. It seemed simple, but a calmness settled into him. Maybe enough to tug at his emotions.
“I’ll check with Evan,” he nodded before his throat got too tight to speak clearly. He leaned back again as if it was all just a casual conversation about the weekend, and not something that already felt like it would add to the meaningful things happening to him all at once.
“We’ll make it easy. I’m not going to let him cook. He deserves a break too. I can just order pizza,” he decided, picking up the ball from his lap to squeeze between his hands. “You won’t have to worry about anything except showing up.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:07 pm
Did Zac look like the kind of guy to worry? He huffed indignantly but was amused nonetheless. Riker’s expression had relaxed for long enough that he realized the teenager must be thinking deeply about something–something he cared enough about to let his guard down for it.
Zac didn’t interrupt. He sat quiet and still, moving again only after Riker spoke.
He didn’t ask what Riker had been dreaming about. He probably could have guessed.
“Wow, look at you. So grown up already,” he teased. His phone lit up; Evan had texted back and he could tell it was a wall of text.
Zac decided to ignore it; Evan would be fine for a few minutes.
“...Don’t grow up too quickly, though. You’ve been trying to rush it so you can take care of yourself.” Which, he got. It sucked to be dependent on someone, especially when you couldn’t trust them.
“You should do more annoying teenage things. Ask for an allowance. Be loud. Complain. Ask questions. Be obnoxious. Give Evan a hard time, it’ll be good for him. Nag him like he nags me. Push his buttons. And will you talk to him when you have a problem? Don’t just bottle it up. Talk to me if you have to but I’m not good at that s**t,” he grumbled, in the way that said it didn’t matter how good or bad he thought he was, he’d still be there.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:08 pm
Riker clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth when teased, though it didn’t come with any real heat. He tipped his head back a little, lips pressed together in thought as Zac continued. Some of it made him want to roll his eyes, but the rest… well, he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had actually encouraged him to be a kid, other than Evan. Not in a condescending way. Just… like it was allowed.
Since Zac was the one who suggested it… “Can I have an allowance?” he asked, his voice dry and a bit teasing. The corner of his lip twitched, breaking whatever mocking illusion he was attempting, and there was just enough hope in his voice to soften the joke, as if maybe he wouldn’t mind if Zac took it seriously.
Besides, it was easier to hide behind the joke than admit how much he liked the idea of having permission to be annoying, to push buttons, to have someone expect him to talk instead of keeping everything buried. He knew Evan already worried too much. He didn’t want to add to it. But if Zac was telling him to go to Evan… and telling him it was fine to lean on him as well, at least as a last resort… maybe it wouldn’t feel like he was asking for too much when he did need to talk.
“Maybe I’ll even complain about dinner once in a while,” he scoffed, as if he would ever say anything to hurt Evan’s feelings. Evan had already done so much for him, the least he could do was make things as easy as possible for him. It was difficult to even think about nagging Evan.
“But, uh… thanks. I’ll do my best to be obnoxious and annoy you, since you asked,” he reminded him, just in case Zac wanted to change his mind about it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:09 pm
Once again, Zac scoffed, but the corner of his lips had tugged into something almost like a smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes but it didn’t have to. “Just make it interesting. And if you’re going to be a brat, you’d better be ready to get as good as you give.”
Riker was comically easy to rile up, and Evan had nagged at Zac already not to push Riker’s buttons for fun.
Zac had fewer reasons now than ever to resist temptation.
“Let’s see how this weekend goes. If you do a good job, maybe I’ll pay you some allowance,” he said, in the tone of a man who was willing to bribe a kid to do hard labor and call it allowance.
“You’ll be able to sucker Evan out of more than you’ll get out of me. Just saying.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:10 pm
Riker huffed, but it was closer to a laugh than any airing of grievances. “Yeah, alright. We’ll see how the weekend goes,” he agreed, his tone steady like he was accepting a challenge that he didn’t mind taking on.
Evan already gave him too much. More than anyone ever had. Meals, rides, patience, a home that felt safe. Every bit of it was more than Riker believed he’d ever get. The idea of asking for more -- money, attention, anything -- felt like he was pushing his luck with something he hadn’t actually earned.
But of course Zac would make it sound like he had to earn it. That was fine. That was something Riker understood. He’d already decided to put in the work, so it didn’t feel like a punishment. And if it meant Zac was willing to keep him around for more weekends like this, then he’d make sure the yard was immaculate.
What still pulled his thoughts was the other half of it. The part that didn’t sound like it was something he had to earn. Zac was telling him he was allowed to complain, to nag, to talk. That he could be obnoxious without it meaning he’d pushed too far or asked for too much. It almost felt like he was giving Riker just one more safe place to just exist.
“Evan’s already stuck with plenty,” he said as he rolled the ball between his palms. “I don’t think I could sucker him out of anything, even if I wanted to.” He tried making it sound like a joke, but the softness in his voice betrayed the truth. It was probably obvious that he adored Evan. He didn’t want to add to Evan’s already endless load.
“But you’ve got it. I’ll do my best to be an interesting brat,” he scoffed, but it was difficult not to grin.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:10 pm
He should have brought two beers, but then he’d probably have had to share more. Sipping a plastic water bottle was hardly mysterious or imposing, but Zac hadn’t been drinking to get drunk and Evan would nag if he wasn’t hydrating. So, he smirked as he took a deep swig.
“You don’t have to try too hard with that last part, I think you’ve already got that in the bag.”
Zac might not have teased him if Riker’s grin weren’t so prevalent. He didn’t want to break that smile. Riker didn’t need to be coddled–not by him, at least. It probably would have been insulting if Zac tried to be too kind.
Evan could get away with it, because he had that perfect blend of good-intentions and pathetic-delivery. When Evan lavished love and worry he did it from a place that was too honest to inspire insult. There was a hole in Evan’s heart, cultivated over years of hurt and loneliness, and he drew his care from the well of self-comfort he’d given himself to try and patch the gap.
There was no pity in Evan’s softness, he simply mirrored for them what he wanted for himself.
Evan was better at taking care of others than he was himself.
Riker was in good hands.
Evan was, too.
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