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 Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2023 8:24 am
His ribs ached, but it was easy to ignore when he had something else to focus on. Unfortunately for Riker, his options for distractions were limited.
He curled his fingers around the ball in his glove as he walked down the path in the park, then uncurled them, then curled them again, feeling the threads and letting himself try to keep his mind occupied.
But since he was unable to distract himself fully, he was able to easily notice a familiar face apparently sharing a bench with a couple of girls--
Oh… were they girls?
Riker felt his ears heat up, and he frowned at not knowing right away. And he was still not certain.
“Hey Reid, it’s weird seeing you out of uniform,” he greeted cheerfully enough, but cast a mocking look at the two very flat-chested girls with him. Okay, so, they were probably boys. He was just glad his ears were covered by his hair. The weather wasn’t too horrible, so meeting up with Julian in the park sounded nice. Ice cream and chatting about what their plans were for the rest of the summer was the only thing on Atticus’s mind when one of Elliot’s teammates from school showed up.
Atticus looked up to offer the other boy a smile, but immediately felt his cheeks flush at the look he and Julian were being given.
Was it because they were dressed nice? Or was it because they had long hair? Or… maybe it was his makeup? He wasn’t wearing a lot! Just some eyeliner.
No, maybe he was being paranoid. And Elliot’s friend wasn’t talking to them, just Elliot, so… Atticus glanced over at Julian to offer him a smile. They would just go back to talking about Julian’s violin playing once this other boy left.
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2023 8:40 am
Elliot glanced up when he was addressed, and forced a quick smile when he saw Riker. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Riker, it was just that he could sometimes be a bit brash, and judging by the way he was looking at Julian and Atticus, he thought he had a good reason to be suspicious.
“Oh, hey, Riker,” he greeted, with genuine friendliness. He fully intended to give him a chance to play nice. Just because he could handle teasing or roughhousing didn’t mean that he wanted Atticus or Julian to have to. They were both a bit kinder and more sensitive, and Julian had already been tiptoeing around talking about something obviously sensitive to him.
He’d fallen silent almost as soon as the other boy had approached, not because he meant to be unfriendly but because he wasn’t being addressed and didn’t want to intrude, because he was shy around new people, and because he’d been delicately skirting around just how he’d hurt his wrist so badly that it was now a struggle to play.
They’d gotten takeout from a nice little place–because Devyn had insisted they all go try it, and when Michael had encouraged them, how could they not? But, everything had smelled so good, so of course they had a bit extra.
“Do you want to try a bao bun? It’s stuffed with meat, it’s really good.”
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Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2023 6:17 pm
His smirk faltered, because whatever Elliot was offering him looked and smelled really good. And his stomach was starting to feel rather empty.
There were a couple of older kids nearby. They didn’t really seem to be paying attention, but what if they were? What if they knew Beckett? There were more times than not that some random guys did.
Riker swallowed his hesitation and stood a bit more confidently, even if it hurt his ribs a bit more.
“Ew no way. I don’t eat dog,” he scoffed. Atticus felt uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to seem unfriendly. He just didn’t know what to do with one of Elliot’s teammates who seemed like they were trying to start something.
Why, Atticus didn’t know. Elliot was just being nice.
“I think it’s just barbeque pork,” Atticus said quietly as he gently bumped the side of his foot against Julian’s as if to give him a small reminder that everything was okay. Riker snorted in amusement when one of the pretty boys decided to talk.
“What, are you his girlfriend?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 1:03 pm
Elliot’s smile lessened somewhat, and he gave Riker a warning look. “Yeah, Atticus and I are dating.”
He knew Riker was trying to get on someone’s nerves, he just didn’t know why. Maybe he was hangry and just too prideful to accept the food. It wasn’t a big deal, so what. Atticus was pretty, you didn’t have to be a girl to have nice hair or clothes.
Julian tugged at the sleeve of his long shirt and then shifted positions slightly to prop his elbow up on the table. He pressed his cheek into the palm of his hand and looked away, like maybe he intended to just zone out for right now. It wasn’t his conversation and as far as he was concerned, he was better off just a prop anyway.
“If you don’t want any, that’s okay.” Elliot shrugged. “It’s good, though. The bun is really light and fluffy. It’s really not different from barbeque or a hot dog, aside from that. You can still try one if you want.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 6:22 pm
Riker forced a laugh, but could feel his ears burning. Oh, so that was the person he was dating. Oh. Well… He didn’t know what to say to that, but he probably should. He didn’t really care who anyone dated, but he knew others did.
And his stomach was making noises. And it was a pain to be standing.
He gripped the ball in his glove again while he caught movement from the other pretty boy with them.
“So if I agree, does that make it a double date? I mean. I don’t know if you’re a girl or a boy or what,” he scoffed, and glanced over his shoulder where the other teens were --
Oh… they seemed to have wandered off already. So it was just him standing there and being a jerk now.
He shifted from one foot to the other, and --
Fumbled the ball from his glove. It bounced once on the table and then fell off to roll under the silent boy’s feet. Under the table, Atticus reached over to brush the back of his hand against Elliot’s leg in appreciation. He didn’t want to take his attention off Riker, or Julian.
Even though he wasn’t sure what Riker’s problem with them was. He seemed flustered, but also annoyed at them, even though they weren’t doing anything other than sitting there.
Atticus watched as the ball bounced off the table and under Julian. “I can try to get it,” he offered to Julian, so he wouldn’t have to worry about it.
He felt bad. They’d invited Julian to hang out with them, but Julian was being brushed off now that Riker was there.
“You can sit with us as a friend if you want to,” he offered to Riker, making sure his hand was clean before gently rubbing at Julian’s back in reassurance.
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 7:04 pm
Julian bristled at the touch, not because it was unwelcome but because it surprised him. His face was already red because he’d failed in his effort to ignore Riker–who managed to be very loud without raising his voice. He hadn’t quite jumped when Atticus had touched him, and he thought he covered it up very well by bending over to scoop up the fallen ball.
He knew his hair was a bit long. He knew he didn’t wear clothes that screamed masculinity. Really, he couldn't be mad at Riker for not knowing. There was a certain security in being nondescript, and he liked to think it made it easier to just slip into the background.
Not now, so much, but usually.
He placed the ball on the table but didn’t really look up at Riker as he did so. His lips were pressed together and he was visibly chewing on the inside of his cheek. He had a half finished bun in front of him, but his french fries were mostly gone. He thought about picking at them, but he seemed like he might have found some comfort in just sitting still.
Elliot must have caught this, because he’d noticed that Julian was more comfortable around Atticus. He was paying attention, because he always did; he’d seen the way Julian watched him when he talked or moved, the way his eyes seemed to dart to Elliot’s hands when he was gesturing wildly, or the way he’d try to discreetly rub at an ear when Elliot was enthusiastically speaking.
Riker didn’t know these things, and Elliot didn’t even know if he’d care to, so he stood up from his seat at the table so he could open one of the emptied styrofoam boxes. There was an untouched bun, wrapped in wax paper, and a half filled boat of fries. He placed these in the box and slid it across the table to offer to Riker.
“Were you out here practicing by yourself?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 7:44 pm
He didn’t really know what to do now. He supposed there was a chance someone else could see him talking to Elliot and the two boys that looked like girls. They might assume things about him. They might tell people about it.
Riker glanced down at the bun and fries in the box that was slid across to him as he reached to pick up the ball that had been placed back on the table.
He could feel his ears burning. He liked Elliot. He was always nice to him at school, at least. He didn’t laugh about how loud and annoying his mother was, or that she was known for getting kicked out of their games for being too, ah, enthusiastic while under the influence. Or maybe Riker managed to keep his head down enough that Elliot just didn’t realize they were related.
He didn’t exactly look anything like his mother. Or brother.
“Yeah,” he heard himself say as he pressed the ball back into his glove. “I mean. No. I was just out, you know. I have plenty of cooler people to practice with. I was just going to meet them so. Thanks. Or whatever,” he said and took a step back before he was tempted to talk longer. There was a part of Atticus that really wanted Riker to just breathe and sit with them and not be so… he didn’t know the word for it. Antagonistic?
But there was another part that wanted him to go away faster so that Julian would be more comfortable. And he would be more comfortable, too.
He loved Elliot and how friendly he was, and he wanted to be friendly too, but Julian seemed to have completely shut down, and he was their friend. It wasn’t fair to him.
Thankfully, it seemed as though Riker had lost interest in them.
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 7:57 pm
Elliot didn’t seem to take offense when Riker said he had cooler people to practice with. Instead, he just smiled. “Oh, okay. That sounds fun, I hope you have a good time!” He eyed the styrofoam tray he’d just packed, and then looked up at Riker.
“We were thinking about packing up soon, too.” He picked up the styrofoam box and held it out to Riker, like he expected him to leave with it. It was small enough to carry without being too uncomfortable, and the food was practically meant to be eaten with one hand.
Elliot seemed insistent, because if Riker was hangry he was just going to annoy all his ‘cooler’ friends anyway.
He knew who his mother was. He was used to Riker’s posturing. As long as nobody was getting hurt feelings, Elliot didn’t mind.
Julian seemed tempted to look off to the side again but he was doing a good job of sitting still. Except, he was hungry. And Riker was leaving. Elliot seemed comfortable around him, but he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Elliot with his feathers ruffled–outside of when they were dealing with Negaverse Agents, but that was different.
…And the fries were good. The bao buns were good.
He gently swatted at a fly that seemed too interested, and thought that was a good enough excuse to sneak a bite.
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 9:43 pm
Riker stared again, still not sure how to feel. He glanced around him to make sure no one else was looking, and when it seemed as though the coast was clear, he took the box and tucked it under his glove in an attempt to hide it, but also just trying to make it look like that was the most comfortable way to carry it.
“Thanks,” he mumbled awkwardly and took another step back. He couldn’t even sneer at the other two boys. They seemed nice enough, and Elliot was nice when he didn’t have to be.
With nothing else to say, Riker turned so he could leave. He would have to find somewhere to hide to eat the food he had now, but he was grateful. Even if he didn’t know how to say it. Atticus kept a pleasant smile on his face until Riker was a good distance away, and then he let out a breath of relief.
“As you okay?” he quietly asked Julian. So quiet that he didn’t think Elliot could hear him, although he knew Elliot would know what he was asking, anyway.
“That was strange,” he frowned sadly as he glanced back to watch wherever Riker had walked off to. He’d seen the other boy at Elliot’s baseball games and track meets, but they hadn’t shared a class together that year. Probably for the best if he was so high strung about boys not looking traditionally masculine.
But there was something else about the interaction that felt weird to him. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.
“You’re so good and sweet, Elliot. Thank you for handling that.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2023 10:08 pm
Though Elliot watched as Riker left, he didn’t stare. He tilted his head when Atticus spoke and smiled easily. “He’s not a bad person, he’s just kinda testy sometimes. I think he was hangry, he gets that way sometimes before a game. I figured it might just be nerves, but we usually have pizza or something after we play and I think he’s much friendlier then.”
Or, maybe Elliot was just in a better mood after they played so it was easier to see the best in someone. He was always trying his hardest to make sure the rest of the team was in good spirits, especially after they lost.
He’d heard Atticus whisper something to Julian, and though he hadn’t been able to make out the words, he didn’t want to cast an awkward silence over the group, especially because Julian had nodded but not said anything.
“I don’t think he’s got things easy, but it’s not like he talks about it. He gets kind of defensive if you ask, so I don’t.” Elliot shrugged and assumed both Atticus and Julian could understand that. Atticus was honest with him, but Elliot knew what he’d had to deal with before coming to live with Devyn and Michael. Julian kept his secrets, but he’d been slowly warming up to the two of them. He was friendly! Just secretive.
Elliot didn’t mind. He was glad that Julian had agreed to hang out, and that he seemed to be genuinely interested in spending time with them. And, he was eating some more fries, and Elliot was happy to know that he wasn’t getting whatever weird grub they were making him at the dorms.
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Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:57 am
Atticus pressed his lips together with worry. He didn’t know Riker, and he didn’t know what was going on that he didn’t want to talk about. But that also didn’t mean that he had to be mean to them. They hadn’t done anything to him. But in the end, Riker at least looked apologetic, even if he didn’t say anything.
It was as though there was a conflict between what he wanted to say and what he was actually saying.
Maybe all he needed was some food. Whatever it was, he hoped he would feel better, and they could go back to hanging out with their friend.
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