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 Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 4:17 pm
Evan’s skin was doing that thing where it started to crawl. He’d been out for a few hours and the sun was down already. It always got dark so much faster these days. Usually he had help, but tonight he was on double duty at both the counter and stove. Today hadn’t even really been planned but he’d been a bit antsy, and maybe he was worried the food was going to get too close to expiration. It wasn’t, realistically knew that, but he’d just been anxious anyway.
Business was good, but probably because there was a chill in the air.
It had slowed down significantly; there were a few people around that he could see but most of them had either been fed or didn’t seem interested.
He had a bit left–not too much, but still too much to take home.
He could stick it out for a few more minutes. Half an hour, maybe.
At least it was warm in the truck; he was at the counter and rubbed his hands together but he could argue that the temperature was pleasant when he had the heat of the oven to keep him warm.
Usually doing this alone made him nervous, and–to a degree–today was no different. He didn’t like taking orders, but he did like seeing people enjoy his food. The comfort of knowing he could leave at any time was reassuring, at least. And he hadn’t been attacked once in his food truck, so he felt pretty safe here, anyway.
He could do half an hour more. Especially when it was such a beautiful night.
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2023 6:25 am
“Why is he still following you. Dude, he’s ******** obsessed.”
A small group of teenagers were approaching the area, kicking stones and throwing sticks and whatever else they could get their hands on because for whatever reason they just wanted to throw things. One was passing a bottle around, but despite its nondescript design, it was likely alcohol of some kind. Another was blowing smoke after taking a drag from whatever he was keeping down by his side as if that would keep it hidden.
They were laughing as they looked over their shoulders at the younger teenager who’d clearly been trying to keep up with them. One of the boys, blond with cold blue eyes sneered when it was indicated that they still had that kid to deal with.
“My ******** mom won’t just get rid of him. It’s that dumb b***h’s fault he even exists. But she’s getting bank from child support.”
One of the other boys made a suggestion about what the blond boy’s mother should have done instead, which prompted some more laughter.
“Hey, watch this,” the blond said to the others as he spotted the food truck and the young man at the counter and approached after once more glancing over his shoulder to the dark haired boy who finally caught up, out of breath.
“I want a-- what is this? I don’t care, just give me whatever you have,” he demanded. His friends were gathered around as well.
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Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2023 5:21 pm
Evan didn’t like teenagers. This group was rowdy, and they seemed like they were up to no good. He had to remind himself that he was an adult, with an established business. He was fine. They were just customers. They’d order their food, they’d leave, he’d go home.
And if they gave him any trouble, he could just run them over!
Okay, no. Obviously not. Evan didn’t know why his stomach was churning, maybe it was just supposed to be time to go home soon.
Evan didn’t really greet them; one of the kids was already ordering whatever, which wasn’t an easy order when he had to worry about picking the wrong thing. He had a few things made in back, but he supposed the safest bet was a grilled cheese sandwich.
He disappeared from the counter for only a few seconds, not because he was that passionate about serving them but because he was still pretty sure that the faster they were gone, the faster he could get his heart back to a normal pace. He placed it on the counter, wrapped in wax paper and perfectly ready to go.
He put on a quick customer service smile. “Grilled cheese. Do you want anything else?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 5:45 am
“Grilled cheese?” the blond sneered as he swiped the wrapped sandwich off the counter. “I guess that works. Baby food for a baby.”
The comment got some snickers in agreement from his buddies, and a confused look from the younger teen who was clearly trying to catch his breath.
“Hey, Riker. Got you a sandwich. Now you can’t say I was never nice to you,” the older boy turned to the younger, waving the grilled cheese for him to see.
Riker froze in his tracks and stared at his brother, and then wearily at the group, but showed them a cheerful smile nonetheless.
“Oh. Why would I ever say that? Thank you,” he said graciously, although it hadn’t passed his notice that Beckett hadn’t yet paid for the sandwich from the nice looking young man inside the truck. He cautiously held out his hand to take it, but instead of placing it in his hand after he’d held it out for him, Beckett jerked the sandwich away.
“Hold on, hold on. I have to make sure it’s good enough quality for my baby brother,” he insisted, voice mocking as he pulled open the wrapper.
“You don’t have to do that,” Riker quickly mumbled, feeling his ears turn red with embarrassment. He felt bad for the young man who made it, too. He was sure it was fine.
“Just. A. Moment,” Beckett insisted, and unwrapped it to inspect. He peeled apart the bread to the melted cheese and clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “It looks pretty under seasoned to me.” And with that, Beckett leaned down to purposefully rub the sandwich into the dirt.
“That’s better. Here you go,” he sneered as he put the bread back together and held out the ruined grilled cheese to Riker. “Go on, don’t be rude,” he said, shoving it at Riker when there was obvious hesitation.
“Y-yeah… thanks,” he mumbled, but did as he was told and took a bite while his brother’s friends laughed. But… if he ate all of it, maybe they would actually start to respect him and see him as cool enough to hang out with.
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 11:05 pm
“Hey, don’t eat that,” Evan blurted. His face was red, not just from the cold but because of the sudden anger that flooded through him. “That was a perfectly good sandwich, why would you do that?”
No, he already knew the answer. He didn’t need to know more than what he’d seen to have a good understanding of the situation. He’d been there, desperate to fit in or please a group of kids he should have known better than to put up with. In hindsight, he hated what he’d done when he was younger but he hadn’t known any better.
Baby food for a baby? Teenagers were ruthless, this was good food for anyone. Until you smeared dirt on it.
If Zac were here he probably would have hopped out of the window and shoved their faces into the dirt to try and teach them a lesson. Evan didn’t have the spine for that. He had some knives and hot oil but he couldn’t imagine attacking children so violently.
“Spit that out, you don’t have to eat that,” he told Riker, but his eyes went back to the ringleader. “That’s just mean and you’re old enough to know that. There’s nothing wrong with my food and there’s no reason for you to pick on him like that.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:37 pm
Riker froze again, but this time instead of being embarrassed, he could feel the color drain from his face. He had the gritty bite of sandwich already in his mouth, and he had no intention of stopping. Not when he’d already heard one of his brother’s friends comment on how he was actually eating it.
Still… he felt as though his soul had left his body, wanting to stop this guy, who seemed perfectly nice, from getting involved in something.
“Dude what’s your problem,” Beckett barked at the young man. “He’s not even complaining about it. Aren’t you happy to get a five star review on your shitty sandwiches?”
A couple of the other teens were vocal in their agreement. And a couple others had gotten bored and were busy trying to knock over a sign that requested visitors in the area to pick up after their dogs.
Stubbornly, Riker took another bite, although he hadn’t quite managed to get himself to swallow the first. The taste probably would have been good, but there were bits of rock and probably glass and other pollutants that -- oh, yeah, his stomach was not happy with the idea of actually swallowing. Maybe he could just stuff his cheeks until it was done and then spit it out.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 7:01 pm
Evan’s face colored a bit more. Practically speaking, he had a decently successful food truck, so the words of one bratty teenager should mean nothing. Emotionally speaking, Evan was not good at conflict, and insecurity was constantly creeping in the back of his mind.
This kid hadn’t even tried his sandwich and was calling it s**t.
It was fine. He was a teenager. They were stupid, and mean, and–
Why was this kid still eating.
Evan knew. He’d taken another bite even after Evan told him to stop. He was determined to do whatever that other boy said. Maybe it was loyalty. Maybe it was fear.
Neither mattered, Evan was a stranger in all of this and he didn’t expect teenagers to listen to or respect anything he had to say about it.
He shouldn’t have wished it, but he wanted a youma to come running out of the bushes just to chew on that brat’s leg a little bit.
Evan pressed his lips together and held his breath before he shrugged.
“Whatever. Are you paying with cash or card? I have to pack up soon. And I’d rather leave before you smash everything up and the police come asking around like they did last week. I’m not really looking to get anyone in trouble but it’d be kinda shitty if they asked for my security tapes and I had to hand them over with you stealing.”
One camera seemed angled down at the counter, but the other one was pointed ahead enough that it wouldn’t have been a stretch of the imagination to think it had a perfect view of the boys beating on a sign.
Evan felt like his skin was crawling and he wanted to squirm. They were just teenagers. They were brats. He could run them over. The door was locked. He had a bucket of hot cheese. There wasn’t anything to worry about.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 7:26 pm
“Are you threatening me?” Beckett was clearly both amused and perplexed by the suggestion that he would be turned in for stealing a sandwich. “You think the cops really care?”
He laughed again, clearly unphased by the idea of getting into trouble. He had plenty of privilege. And besides, it was Riker who was eating the sandwich.
Which… Riker seemed to have realized when Beckett turned to gesture to him.
He was still trying to keep the bits of food in his mouth, but his stomach churned uncomfortably with every foreign texture that he new shouldn’t be there.
“Go on, Riker. You’re the one eating it. Pay the man.”
But… Beckett knew Riker didn’t have any money with him.
Riker stared with wide eyes from his brother to the young man in the truck to the other kids he was so desperately trying to impress.
And then--
He couldn’t take it any more. The moment he tried swallowing, his body rebelled and he immediately threw it -- and everything else in his stomach -- back up.
He was grateful that he’d managed to turn and drop to his knees in a nearby patch of grass before he got sick, but he could hear the other boys howling with laughter, and Riker felt like he would just rather disappear.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. He’ll pay once he’s done. Guess you won’t get a good review after all,” Beckett snarked at the man and waved him off with the back of his hand. He and the others clearly had no intention of staying around now that Riker was preoccupied with something other than following them.
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Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:51 pm
Did Evan think the cops would care? No. And he wouldn’t have talked to them, anyway. He might have been an adult, but he absolutely would have preferred if someone with more authority could just solve all his problems for him. It didn’t matter, though. The boys were leaving.
Well, most of them. The ones Evan didn’t want to deal with, at least.
He hadn’t waited long to exit his truck, just long enough for their voices to fade enough that he didn’t have to worry about thinking they might come back to harass him. Or their little friend that they forgot.
Evan was mad and flustered but it didn’t stop him from grabbing a handful of napkins and a cool bottle of water. He hurried out of the truck and to Riker’s side but he kept a bit of space. Teenagers were teenagers and he was a stranger. “Hey,” he said, far more gentle than had been when speaking to the other boys. “Here.” He offered the drink and napkins. “I wasn’t going to make you pay, I’m getting ready to head out. So I usually give away the last few sandwiches. I’m sorry, they’re not supposed to taste bad. It’s supposed to be comfort food.”
If he didn’t talk too much he was just going to clam up and he didn’t think it would be any more productive to freak out and throw a water bottle and a fistful of napkins at this poor kid.
“Are you okay?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 9:34 am
It was fine. He would just catch up with the others later. Once he could breathe again. Once he got that taste out of his mouth. He could feel himself shaking from the effort of expelling all the foreign particles from his mouth and throat, and was almost glad that he was left behind.
“I’m fine,” he insisted weakly, after making sure he wasn’t going to just retch again. He glanced up to eye the water bottle skeptically, but shakily held out a hand to take it and the napkins since it was offered.
“Sorry, he’s just… he’s stressed and… He’s not that bad,” Riker promised, even though he doubted this other guy would care for excuses. He was grateful for the napkins and water at least, and was able to wash his mouth out some.
“I don’t think it was your food that tasted bad,” he grimaced, embarrassed about how things turned out.
Everything felt heavy, like it was pressing down on him. He could feel his emotions like waves in a storm, but did his best to take a few deep breaths and push everything down.
“Thanks… for the--... for everything,” he mumbled. His ears felt red again.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:07 pm
“You don’t have to defend them,” Evan said, but he bit his tongue quickly afterwards. It wasn’t his place to nag, that never got anyone anywhere. “I don’t care about them, anyway. Only you. That wasn’t funny, that was just mean. Stressed or not. And it’s so cold out here.”
He looked back at his truck and thought of the warmth by the oven, and he couldn’t help but think that it must be colder on the ground. And this kid looked like he was struggling to catch his breath, and–
“Do you want to come in for a minute and sit down? I’ll get you a real sandwich. You can catch your breath and warm up.”
It wasn’t safe outside, not in the dark. He still had a weird feeling about everything, and it was hard enough to be out here on his own, anyway. He didn’t want anything else bad to happen to this kid, he seemed like he was having a rough night already.
“I won’t bother you if you want to be alone. I’m sorry if I made things worse. I just. I just thought you deserved better. I don’t like seeing people be like that.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:28 pm
Riker was quiet while the young man spoke. Offered to let him come into his food truck to warm up. To get him a real sandwich.
As if prompted by the suggestion, his stomach made an embarrassing groan, to which he grimaced and forced an awkward laugh as he rubbed it. His stomach was empty now, and while he still felt rather queasy, he thought maybe… maybe taking a moment to rest somewhere warm wouldn’t be so bad.
He wasn’t used to people sticking up for him. Then again, he was usually the one making people feel bad. But he was so desperate to be accepted sometimes that he got carried away.
“Riker,” he finally introduced, feeling crummy and embarrassed about this whole situation. Not that this guy probably even cared about who he was or his name, just that he didn’t… die or something from contaminated grilled cheese.
“You don’t even know me,” he pointed out, his voice a little weaker than he intended it to be, but he pushed himself up to stand and brushed off his knees. Luckily he didn’t make too much of a mess of himself.
He wanted to say ‘maybe I got what I deserved’ because of all the mean things he’d done to other people in the name of trying to get his brother to actually like him. But he figured he would likely not see this guy again, so he didn’t want to unload his problems on him.
“But… okay. Thanks.”
Just for a little while… It wasn’t as though his brother was waiting for him to catch up again.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:43 pm
Evan nodded and gestured for him to follow as he made his way back to the truck. He might not have known exactly what he was doing, but he knew that he could just leave the kid out here, all alone. Not after what he’d seen.
There were an infinite number of things that could go wrong, and youma and Negaverse Agents weren’t even the only thing to worry about. Evan didn’t want the other boys to come back. He wanted them to go on their way and get into whatever trouble they were going to get into. Preferably none at all, but he doubted there was much anyone could do to stop them from screwing up someone’s night.
A shudder ran down his spine.
His night wasn’t ruined. Maybe this kid’s didn’t have to be, either.
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