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 Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2023 8:40 pm
The trip back to the food truck felt both long and short. There was so much time for something to go wrong while they were out in the darkness. They could have been attacked, the kid’s friends could have come back. Maybe it was because he was so busy thinking about all of those things that when it came time to actually speak, he realized he hadn’t prepared anything to say.
He cleared his throat.
“I’m Evan,” he said softly. His adrenaline was fading quickly in the cool night and he wanted to be back where he knew he was safe. He pulled the door open and went in first; he didn’t want Riker to feel trapped after everything else he’d already been through.
“You can close the door if you want, or you can keep it open. The kitchen is warm enough. Do you–I have more than just grilled cheese sandwiches. Let me get you a bit of everything. You’ve never eaten here before, have you?”
His hands were shaking a little but he was afraid of being suspicious. Usually, when he was closing up, he’d have shut the window at the counter so no one else came by. He didn’t want to do that with Riker here, he didn’t want him to feel unsafe.
And, if Riker turned out to be some monster in disguise, Evan could just jump out over the counter if he needed to.
“We have grilled cheese sandwiches, broccoli cheddar soup, bacon and cheese fries. Those might be getting a little soft now. And macaroni and cheese. That’s my favorite when I’ve had a bad day. And it’s why I opened this place, anyway. I want to make food that could make your day a little better. Comfort food, after you had a bad day.”
He was talking a lot again, but this was his kitchen. It was his safe space. And he really wanted to prove that he wasn’t a creep or anything. “There’s a mini-fridge right here, you can get anything you want to drink. It’s on the house, I don’t want any money from you. And there’s a sink back here, you can wash your hands if you want to.”
Evan was already picking a bit of everything he’d made earlier; most of it was still fresh enough that he was proud to serve it. The fries weren’t perfect but he had one and figured they were good enough. The fridge had an assortment of soda, some juice, and some water. It looked like stock was running a little low, but Evan had a busy day so it was to be expected.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 6:26 am
Hesitantly, Riker followed Evan. Not because he was intimidated by him. Evan was already shorter than he was, despite obviously being older, and Riker had at least some muscle from playing baseball and track, so it wasn’t as though he couldn’t hold his own in case Evan decided to do something nefarious.
If he was a Negaverse agent, well… that might be something else to worry about. But if he had to power up to defend himself, he would just get his identity changed or something and then everything that troubled him now would be no more.
Oh… maybe he shouldn’t be thinking about things that way. But it seemed like a much better solution to just not exist than figure out how to survive as he was now.
He stayed near the door, but he shut it behind him as offered. He could see out the counter window, but didn’t want anyone to catch sight of him in there. Not because he was embarrassed about being inside a food truck, but if his brother and friends came back…?
Carefully, so he stayed out of the way as much as possible, Riker lowered himself to the floor to sit and take up as little space as possible.
Now that he had a chance to actually catch his breath, he realized how cold he was. And the warmth of the kitchen was enough to make him feel the weariness that lingered over him.
Oh… but Evan was right, he should wash his hands.
Awkwardly, he stood back up, trying not to touch anything as he moved over to the sink to turn on the water.
“Whatever is easiest. Thank you… um… you don’t have any coconut do you? Like… do you put coconut milk in anything?” he warily glanced around the kitchen. His skin didn’t feel itchy so he didn’t think there was any in close proximity, but it was good to just make sure.
Another moment of hesitation and then he sighed and explained, “I’m allergic… it’s pretty annoying because it’s so popular to use these days. Sorry…”
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 7:44 am
Evan paused briefly and considered his menu. He knew it like he knew the back of his hand. But, just in case, he took the time to think about it. “I don’t think there’s ever been any coconut anything back here. Not even anything seasonal. That’s in a lot of vegan stuff, yeah? I don’t think it’s in mine. Actually, no, I know it’s not. But I can double check.”
He carried the food over and set it on the counter near the sink. “You can sit in the chair back here, you don’t have to sit on the floor. It’s probably not that dirty, I clean all the time. But the chair might be a little more comfortable.”
His brain felt a bit scrambled, he needed to reel it in.
Evan drew in a simple, calming breath. He took off the apron he was wearing and hung it up next to the stove. The gloves he’d worn to get the food were already in the trash and now he was just trying to relax a little.
He picked up a bowl of macaroni and cheese for himself, grabbed a fork, and prodded it a bit before looking up at Riker. “So what do I need to know about you? I mean, you said I don’t even know you.” Which was a normal thing for strangers, of course, but Riker had made a point to comment on it and it had been lingering in the back of his mind.
“What’s that all about?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 7:51 am
“It’s… in a lot of things,” he made a face, clearly embarrassed by how silly it was to be concerned over something like coconut. He didn’t think he’d have time to go over all the surprising uses for coconut, be it the actual fruit or milk or oil, but the fact that he wasn’t feeling itchy probably meant Evan was telling the truth.
He mumbled his thanks as he dried off his hands and eyed the food that was set on the counter for him.
This was… weird… He wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe he was being set up. Maybe he needed to stay on his guard and be prepared for… what? Glass in his mac and cheese? Maybe if his brother had his hands on it first…
As if he wouldn’t still do his best to eat it.
The question confused him for a moment, but as Evan continued, Riker could feel his ears starting to burn again. He slumped into the chair that had been offered and did his best to duck down out of view of the window, but he didn’t know how well that was accomplished.
“Just… I mean. You can’t be too careful. There’s lots of weird stuff going on in this city so… It’s just dangerous, you know? I mean. I’m not going to do anything, but… you don’t know. You seem nice, I wouldn’t want something to happen to you,” he finished with an awkward shrug and shoveled food into his mouth so he wouldn’t have to worry about talking for a little while.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 8:13 am
It was impossible to miss the lengths Riker was going through to make himself seem small and out of the way. He’d been sitting on the floor before, was he avoiding the chair because of its proximity to the open window?
Evan looked out into the darkness for a moment and then sucked up his own worries so he could close it–only halfway, but it was enough to obscure them from sight unless someone was really close and trying to peek in.
“Well, you saying that makes you seem nice, too.” Evan had taken a few extra seconds to peer into the darkness and make sure there were no squirming youma or Negaverse-Agents poised to attack. The breeze by the window was too cold so he returned to the stove and began fishing around the kitchen. He was pulling out packages, skimming the back for ingredients, but he seemed to be moving from one to the next fairly quickly.
“I hate going out after dark. It’s too dangerous. I’m not usually out this late alone.” He moved on to another package. Still no coconut anything. “Are you being careful? Those boys you were with didn’t seem like they were looking after you. Are they always like that?”
Ugh, no. He was trying not to nag. It was just hard not to worry.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 8:48 am
“I can look after myself,” Riker said around a mouthful of mac and cheese, maybe a bit too quickly in his defensiveness. He’d tensed a bit, but he knew it wasn’t Evan’s fault. People just didn’t… understand the situation.
He was grateful for the window being mostly closed and mumbled a quiet apology for his jump to defend himself. Oh, and for speaking with his mouth full. He quickly chewed the rest and swallowed before he did anything else that could get him kicked out before he’d fully thawed.
“This is really good, by the way,” he added as he watched Evan look through his packages. His lip twitched a little because he wasn’t used to people actually taking him seriously when he said he had an allergy.
“Coconut milk can be used to replace milk, especially for those who are lactose intolerant so… not always vegan recipes. Just… anything that can be made with milk I’m a little cautious about. I can’t go near a Thai food place without feeling like I’m suffocating. The oil is also used as a substitute for butter, and is apparently good for baking and cooking at low temperatures. So I have to check on cakes before eating them. It’s also in a lot of candies with a hard shell, especially chocolate. And then there’s lotions and shampoo… yeah it’s a pain, but as long as I don’t actually eat a lot of it, it’s fine. Probably. Thanks for checking.”
Evan hadn’t said he was looking through the ingredients for that in particular, but he was looking through the packaging like Riker often did. If he guessed wrong, well… maybe he had too much of an ego.
“But don’t worry about me. I can handle myself. Even when youm--” he paused and pressed his lips together. His face was already flushing red as he tried to decide how to recover. What if this guy really was a Negaverse agent? “Um. When um… you know. Monsters. Just. What kind of cheese is this?”
Oh yes, that was a good distraction.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:03 am
Youma.
Riker didn’t have to say it for the word to finish in the back of Evan’s mind. He nearly dropped the carton he’d been holding but shifted just slightly to try and cover it up.
Monster might as well have been just as telling but he was pretty sure Riker was going to say youma.
The adrenaline was back and Evan’s heart was pounding so quickly that he might have sworn there was a shadow creeping along the corner of his vision.
Knowing about youma didn’t mean he was a part of anything. Evan had known about youma before he’d been a Senshi. He’d been a youma before he was a Senshi.
His vision tilted just slightly but not so much that he was getting dizzy. Yet. It was fine. He could come back from this.
“Mozzarella and cheddar, and a little bit of havarti. Sometimes I change it up but this one always stays on the menu.”
He kept his back to Riker so he could compose himself a bit, and then felt silly for getting so worked up anyway. There hadn’t been any trace of coconut in any of the ingredients he picked out so he was satisfied that there wasn’t going to be any sort of medical emergency while they were out here alone. Though he’d already started snacking, he reached for a grilled cheese sandwich, unwrapped it, and took a bite before he turned around.
If Riker was defensive, he couldn’t blame him. He was probably the same when he was around that age.
“I’m glad you like it. You don’t have to say that if you don’t, though. You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to. I’ve got plenty of leftovers you can have, as long as you don’t hate cheese. Do you get chased by a lot of monsters?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:59 am
He suspected the comment about him not having to eat anything he didn’t want to was in reference to what his brother did. He shifted uncomfortably, almost thankful that the topic had gone back to monsters--
Wait, he was supposed to be avoiding that topic!
“Uh…” he hesitated again. He didn’t feel like he was in danger, but he could definitely pick up some uneasy vibes from Evan.
Was Evan nervous…? Did he think he had something to do with monsters attacking people?
Riker lowered the full fork back to the container as he watched Evan take a bite of his sandwich. There was something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Like they were both trying to figure out answers to things neither of them wanted to ask questions about.
“There have been a few I’ve seen, yeah. Well… I’ve run away from some, but others… I mean… I don’t want them hurting anyone else. It’s not like killing animals! They just… turn into dust. But that’s still something I’ll carry with me. I don’t want to hurt anything, but…”
He didn’t know why he was saying anything. Maybe because he wanted Evan to know that he could take care of himself. Maybe so that Evan would know he was safe with him. And somehow, it was easier than talking about his brother.
“I wouldn’t lie about your food, though. I very much like cheese. I would probably die if I couldn’t have dairy. Especially with how many people are using coconut milk of all things.” It was a joke. It wasn’t very good, but he was trying to lighten the mood a little. After all, Evan didn’t have to help him, but he did. As weird as that was.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 10:38 am
For a moment, Evan was quiet again. He knew he wasn’t particularly clever, especially not when it came to navigating sensitive topics like this. He’d spent years keeping his identity to himself and he didn’t imagine there was any reason to shake things up now.
“Thank you.”
He took a seat in a chair that had been tucked in the back of the kitchen area, though it was less for sitting and more for standing on. He’d brushed it off before settling into it, and pulled it a bit closer before he crossed his ankles together beneath it.
For another moment, he just held the sandwich in both hands. The muddled thoughts in his head untangled suddenly and he shook his head and raised his eyes so he could clarify. “For the compliment, I mean. About the food. It means a lot. I wanted to have a restaurant but I didn’t think I could manage that. I never imagined I’d have a food truck. I don’t even like driving. Usually there’s someone with me so I don’t have to do everything. I hate taking orders. I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with people. I’m just not always the best with them. I like the kitchen, it’s safe.”
Like now. Even if he was nervous about what Riker knew, about what he should say to him, Evan still felt safe here. More than just because of the warmth still radiating from the back of the truck.
“I’ve run into some of those things before. The ones that turn into dust. It’s not–”
He pressed his lips closed tightly and looked away for a second before he was able to force himself to return his eyes to Riker. “It’s not that I don’t think you can take care of yourself. I don’t mean that. Just. Be careful. Don’t go chasing after them unless–”
Unless what? Unless you had backup? Unless you knew you could handle it?
He tasted blood in his mouth but couldn’t bring the sandwich to his lips.
“Sometimes there’s more than one and you don’t always see what else is out there. I don’t mean to sound like a crazy person.I’d have been in a lot of trouble more than once if I didn’t have someone there who bailed me out, I guess, is what I’m trying to say. I don’t know.”
It sounded stupid now that he’d said it, but he couldn’t just take it back. He took a bite of the sandwich, instead.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 10:46 am
Riker was quiet for a while as Evan spoke. Even after he was done speaking and eating his sandwich, Riker chewed over everything they’d both said.
There was something there that he couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t that he was necessarily afraid for his safety, but he didn’t want to inconvenience people if he ended up, well…
And yet… he couldn’t help but think it would be more convenient if he didn’t exist. Not lucrative, but…
“I don’t think you sound crazy. It’s good to have someone to look out for you. I don’t mind looking out for you,” he said, this time offering Evan a small, half smile. “I’m glad you got to do something you really wanted to, though. Wanting to help people feel better… offering them comfort… yeah, that’s a good thing.”
Not something Riker could do. He’d burned too many bridges and could only help out if no one knew. He was fine with no one knowing, that’s why being Reims was so convenient.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:49 am
The corner of Evan’s mouth twitched into a smile, and even if there was a cloud hanging over his head, something in it didn’t seem so dark. “Well, I try not to make people look after me. I stay out of trouble.”
Not like those hooligans Riker had been tailing before. He didn’t seem like a bad kid. There was something familiar about him, but Evan didn’t know if he was just seeing what he wanted to see. Maybe there was some part of him that thought if he could help enough people then it would undo the hurt he’d put on himself.
He wasn’t much for deep thinking, it made him sick to his stomach most of the time. He just wanted to leave the world better for someone else than it had been for him. And things had been looking up now, anyway!
“You’re still pretty young, right? Either that or not eating enough vegetables. My broccoli soup can help with that, I’ll pack you up some to go if you want. I think I knew what I wanted to do when I was like, five. It’s stupid, all things considered. I was really sick and my mom made me mac and cheese. And it was delicious. Like, just right out of the box, Kraft macaroni and cheese. My mom wasn’t really a good cook. Isn’t, I guess. I don’t know, we don’t talk anymore. But back then she was my best friend and I remember thinking that I just wanted to make people feel as good as I did when she gave me that mac and cheese.”
His face was red, he knew it was ridiculous. And teenagers could be so mean, he knew how tacky it was. Evan cleared his throat forcefully and shrugged. “Anyway, this isn’t how I thought I’d get here. And a lot of things are different than I imagined they’d be. But I just sort of held on to this dream for a really long time. I didn’t even think it was going to work out until it did. And then I was afraid I’d fail and no one would like my food and I’d let everyone down. Turns out you practically can’t go wrong with cheese, though. What about you, do you have any idea for what you want to do when you get older?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 5:34 pm
A quiet laugh escaped when Evan suggested that he was young because he was scrawny or something. He glanced down at himself, just to make sure, but it wasn’t offensive or anything like that.
“Hey now, I think I’m bigger than you, but thank you,” he snorted in amusement, but wasn’t upset by the suggestion. He would probably eat it on the way home, just to make sure it didn’t get trashed. Or maybe he could risk hiding it in the back of the refrigerator.
“Cheese was definitely a good choice. Just don’t start using coconut milk,” he grimaced, but it was mostly teasing.
“Me?” he blinked, trying to think about what he would do with his life. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it, I guess. Just getting through high school. Be old enough to… I don’t know… get away from this place. Go somewhere I could start over. I wish I had a relationship like that with my mom, at any point in time, but…”
He shrugged, because it wasn’t as though a stranger actually cared about his personal life.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 5:46 pm
When Riker first spoke, Evan’s smile relaxed and filled up a bit more of his face, but when he mentioned his mother it faded somewhat.
He’d had a good few years with his mother that he could look back on fondly. Maybe those were what made the more recent memories hurt so much. He’d never know if it would have been better to have only the now familiar cold distance between, but he knew he wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
“I’m sorry, that sucks. Do you have a long way to go before you graduate?”
He didn’t want to pry. Well, he did, but the responsible thing to do was to not pry, so he was doing his best.
“College is a good way to get out of town and have a safety net. Kind of. It’s expensive, even if you don’t have a ton of scholarships. I didn’t go to college, by the way. My grades were s**t. You could look into an internship or apprenticeship. That way you’ve got some skills under your belt so you’ve got your foot in the door if you want to leave.” Was that what he was supposed to be encouraging? Should he have said cheer up, it’ll get better?
No, Evan didn’t know anything about Riker’s situation. He was just being practical.
Things didn’t always get better just because you wanted them to, so it was best to be prepared.
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 5:54 pm
“It’s fine,” he shrugged again, not really thinking about it as he took another bite of the mac and cheese. “I’m trying to make up for all the problems I’ve caused my family but I don’t think it’s in the stars or whatever. It’s like I’m always walking backwards instead of moving forward, you know?”
Probably not. And after a few moments he realized that he wasn’t intending to say as much about himself, but it was so weird for someone to seem genuinely curious about things.
He cleared his throat and ignored his burning ears.
“A couple years. I’m a sophomore now. I doubt I’d get scholarships, though. I’m not the best or brightest in my classes, and our sports teams are jokes, even if we’re not that bad. I’ll probably try to save up enough money to… I don’t know. Buy a cheap car to live out of maybe.”
Seemed better than staying at home some days.
“Maybe I’ll get a food truck like you and live and work in the same place,” he snickered light heartedly, because it was clearly a great idea!
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2023 6:38 pm
“What? No, don’t live out of your food truck. I think that’s some health violation or something.” Evan was halfway done with his sandwich but he wasn’t in any rush to finish it off. “I used to couch hop when I was your age, I never wanted to go home. Not like anyone was there anyway, but when they were,” he shrugged. “We just didn’t get along. They got tired of all my problems, too. They were going to kick me out so I left first. I was really lucky I had a friend who let me stay with him. I wound up mooching off of him for years. I still do, kind of. But he owes me. And also is a little overprotective these days. I’m surprised he hasn’t dropped by tonight just to make sure I’m okay. Not that he’d admit that he was worrying, but I know him too well.”
Evan shrugged, he didn’t know why he was talking so much. Maybe it’s because Riker was being vulnerable and he didn’t want him to feel weird for it.
“He’ll make some excuse, like ‘I’m hungry, when are you coming home to make dinner’.” He wiped one hand off on the side of his pants and fished through the pockets of his oversized sweater to pull out a phone with a cute cat on the case. He pressed only one button and then turned the phone for Riker to see.
The most recent text message, from six minutes ago: ‘It’s getting late, when are you coming home to make dinner’
“I have location services on so if I don’t text him he’ll come out to make sure a monster hasn’t eaten me. I’m not even kidding. He knows I have bad luck with them.” He began to text Zac back with one hand but looked up to say, “He was kind of a brat during high school. Kind of like that group you were with. He used to like to push my buttons and see how much it took to make me cry. I’d say ‘you should get better friends’ but I’m kind of a hypocrite. And he only changed because he had a lot going on so you shouldn’t have any faith that they’ll ever get better.”
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