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 Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2024 9:06 pm
Quote: Heat Sick (9) : The temperature is unbearable. Heatwaves have made it impossible to enjoy some of these otherwise perfect days–and they seem to be having as much of an effect on the City as they are on the people. Strange tears are appearing throughout the city, as though something has clawed right through reality. Sometimes you can’t see them, but you can feel them–and the sweet relief of a cold gust of air billowing through the crack. The rifts mostly appear transparent but if you peek in at just the right angle you might see a terrifyingly dark realm. Sometimes items vanish near these weird tears, and sometimes people do as well. Items might be found thrown across the room or across town, or not at all. Thankfully, nobody seems to disappear for long; they always wake up unconscious somewhere else. Sometimes, they don’t remember anything except for a cold breeze. Sometimes they say they were stuck in a strange, dark realm where they heard monstrous wails and saw strange little imp-like creatures scurrying around them. Thankfully, they are ejected before harm can come to them, but the realm is frigid and frightening. Doctors are saying it’s heat exhaustion and that delusions and wandering are common, so they advise staying indoors and staying hydrated.
The bad part of summer meant that there wasn’t anywhere Cary and Teddy had to be, and their uncle’s house was so stifling even before the air conditioner broke. The heat was unbearable but they weren’t allowed to touch the thermostat. They had fans but that did little to combat the heat. The house had turned into an over.
Someone was coming over to fix the air conditioner but that meant they had free reign to leave. They’d been dressed and out of the house less than two minutes–straight to the ice rink.
They had generators in surplus and an air conditioning unit that was working overtime. Cary had breathed a sigh of relief when they opened the doors and were greeted with a burst of cold air.
Naturally, it was busy today. Plenty of people were hoping to escape the heat. He and Teddy had gotten lunch. Skating might have been fun but it was too busy today. The arcade had gotten a few new games in and Teddy had seen some kids from school so went to go play. Cary didn’t have a lot of money; most of what he made immediately went into savings, but he had a part time job here and even if being a janitor wasn’t a glorious job, it also meant that he very regularly found lost arcade tokens. He didn’t play any of the games very often, and since you couldn’t cash them back in he just kept them for Teddy.
He was at his usual table–a place that gave him a clear view of the arcade and was in plain sight enough that Teddy knew where to find him. This particular seat was also one of the best to watch the skaters. There were a few that he recognized, and–oh, there was Ethan.
In the whole crowd of people, he’d been able to pick him out effortlessly. Wow, that was embarrassing. His face burned, and even if Ethan hadn’t seen him, he was still mentally scolding himself. It was always hard not to stare when he was on the ice, he was just so good! And good looking, but that was neither here nor there. It wasn’t like he and Cary were in any of the same circles so they never spoke, they only really ran into each other here. And, even then, Cary was usually working. Being a janitor wasn’t really something he wanted to brag about, nor was it something he wanted spread around school. He usually kept his head down and worked quietly but today was a little different. He had a few fries left to snack on, and the half-finished milkshake he and Teddy had been sharing.
He didn’t have to people watch now, he could just pick at the plastic on the cup. He didn’t want to be weird about anything. He was just here to enjoy the air conditioning and get some peace. And make sure Teddy enjoyed his summer.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:26 am
It was a horrible time to try and train, which was why Ethan wasn’t really focusing on practicing but, well, showing off a little. He couldn’t help it! He liked to believe that his skating was good enough to help encourage those who might not be so confident in their abilities. He didn’t try to offer pointers, because that was probably too weird, but he did help herd some stragglers and those who were skating a bit too recklessly.
He felt confident on the ice. He felt comfortable and at home. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the attention. It also helped that it was nice and cool inside, and he really didn’t want to deal with the heat!
But there was one person who he hadn’t expected to be there that day. It wasn’t part of the schedule, after all. Maybe if he’d noticed, he would have tried harder to make some more room to skate? No, no, he couldn’t do that. He would have plenty of time once the rink closed to the public.
Ethan wasn’t sure what it was about Cary, but he noticed him the first time he started working there. And maybe he tried showing off a bit more around him. He tried making smalltalk, but they were always pulled away to their respective duties. Besides, he didn’t want to get Cary fired for being too chatty while working!
However, Ethan knew he wasn’t working today.
“I think half the city is here to escape the heat. You too?” he asked as he invited himself to the table near the arcade, flashing Cary a bright smile as he rested his hand on his chin.
He wasn’t even sure the thoughts that had gone through his mind that got him to that point. He knew he saw Cary, and must have immediately left the rink. He was smart enough to put the blade guards on his skates, but he must have looked pretty silly walking across the damp, carpeted floor to the young man who helped take out the trash. He was just so thrilled to see him there. They never had a chance to talk!
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:27 am
What was Ethan doing here.
He’d just been on the ice a minute ago and Cary had been scolding himself for watching the skaters too intently. Had Ethan seen? The color in Cary’s cheeks could have easily been explained by the heat but he reached up to fan himself quickly just in case.
Cary was usually in his work uniform, and in the rare circumstances where he wasn’t, he was usually in a few layers of clothes. He liked slightly oversized, comfortable outfits.
It was just too hot for that. He felt extremely underdressed and unfashionable in front of Ethan, wearing just a pair of khaki slacks and an untucked white button down shirt. His hair probably didn’t even look very good right now but he resisted the urge to try and fix himself up.
“Yeah,” he stuttered. Oh! Great way to start the conversation! He wanted to hit his head into the table. No, it was okay. It was just loud here, maybe Ethan wouldn’t have heard. “My brother and I wanted to get out of the house. I’m surprised the milkshake machine isn’t broken today. Our AC couldn’t keep up. And he always has fun at the arcade so, you know. It must be hard to skate out there? It looks crowded.”
Obviously, Cary. Please! It wasn’t too hot to think, Ethan was going to think the sun fried your brain and find someone more clever to talk to! Stop saying silly things, be for real!
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:27 am
Ethan was often told that he could be overbearing. He knew Cary was shy. Maybe his enthusiasm to talk to him was just a bit much? Did he sound insincere in wanting to see how he was doing?
“Oh, yeah,” he glanced over his shoulder at the crowded ice, but it didn’t draw his attention for too long, because there were more important things to pay attention to. Like the way Cary’s cheeks flushed and how he seemed to stutter a little when he was nervous.
Did he make Cary nervous? Probably. He felt bad. Hopefully it wouldn’t be enough to scare him away.
“Are they good?” he nodded to the half finished milkshake in front of Cary. “I’ve never had one from here. I like milkshakes! I’m usually here on the off hours when they aren’t serving any. Ah, well… you know that,” he hummed thoughtfully.
“You’re pretty young to be working as hard as you do. It’s appreciated! I know you’ve got a pretty thankless job. But I notice you.”
Wow, he noticed Cary taking out the trash. That was probably not the best way to encourage conversation.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:28 am
It was difficult for Cary not to jitter, but he was putting so much focus on sitting still that he was worried he was taking too long to focus on how to answer. He fanned himself slightly, glad at least to be able to blame the heat for the color on his face.
Being noticed was embarrassing. He wore a smile and tried his best not to let any sort of embarrassment or shame appear.
He had a job, it was something to be proud of! He had income. He was going to be independent and have his foot in the door! Or, at least, he kept telling himself. His grades were only so-so, it wasn’t like he was going to get into college or anything. If he had a job here, at least it was stable. And maybe he could go to trade school. He could be a mechanic, or–
Or, a janitor, probably. But at least it was a job. And people were always making messes, so he just had to be around to clean them up.
Taunts and teasing and jabs were common enough, he’d grown to expect it. Most people either didn’t notice him or decided to give him a hard time just for kicks.
He didn’t know if he was happy or horrified that Ethan noticed him. He was saying kind things, and Ethan was always so friendly.
And he knew Cary was a janitor. Well, that’s what he got for staring all the time.
“Um, thanks,” he said, because he really didn’t want to make a bad impression by sitting here and being too awkward. “I try to stay out of the way, sorry,” he said, hoping that if Ethan noticed him for anything, let it be him just cleaning up and not wistfully watching how graceful he was on the ice. Except Ethan already supposed he knew that, so–
“I think the milkshakes are good,” he said, not sure if he wanted to change the topic or get confirmation that Ethan didn’t think he was some freak and was just being polite. “I don’t think they’re gourmet or anything, but they’re good. And cold. Do you want one?” he offered, and somehow thought that if he offered to go stand in line and buy Ethan a milkshake that would make him seem less awkward.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:28 am
Ethan knew that Cary was shy. It always seemed like he ran away whenever he tried to approach him. Maybe he was just working really hard, and Ethan knew it would be rude to interrupt him at work, and at school they didn’t really have time to talk, either. It seemed as though they were always in different classes with different lunch periods.
“I’d like one,” he hummed thoughtfully, but glanced over to where the line started and frowned. It was pretty long. He knew they could probably make their way through it, but then they might lose the table. Or if he went to get it, maybe Cary would use it as a chance to escape. Or if Cary went to get it, well… Ethan already knew he worked hard.
“How about a raincheck? When you’ve got some free time, of course. Your brother can come, too,” he added, knowing Cary often had his brother with him. Even if the kid was just sitting somewhere to read or draw what looked like birds in a notebook.
“Is it just you and your brother? I’ve got a twin brother, two older brothers, and two sisters. There’s always a lot going on, but you and your brother seem really close.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:29 am
Cary seemed like he was ready to hurl himself into the line if Ethan had all but thought it, but the suggestion of a rain check gave him pause.
Well, that and the fact that Ethan was talking about himself. Slowly, he relaxed back into his seat. Ethan knew he had a brother? …How much attention was he paying? Oh, it probably didn’t mean anything. He paid attention to everyone. You had to when you were on the ice, right? If he wasn’t aware of where everyone was and what they were doing he might have crashed into them.
He knew bits and pieces about Ethan’s family, partly from just general awareness and partly from picking up small conversations here and there and just putting it all together. Instinctively, he glanced over to where Teddy was still playing at the arcade.
“We’re close, yeah,” he said cautiously. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ethan, it was just–
It was complicated.
“It’s just the two of us,” he finally agreed. Well, and their uncle, but he assumed Ethan was just talking about siblings. He mumbled, not really ashamed but maybe not looking forward to being teased, “We’re close, yeah.”
He wasn't ashamed of it! He’d rather be with his brother than anyone else, anyway. Cary didn’t have much of a presence at school; he drifted from one class to another and kept to himself. It’s not like he’d grown up here and he didn’t put in the effort to break into friend groups. He didn’t have a lot of energy, anyway; it was hard enough not to just fall asleep in class.
It didn’t bother him that Teddy was his only friend, or that it had been an easy thing for others to harass him about. Ethan wasn’t like that, not from what he knew. Or maybe it was just the Ethan he’d conjured up in his head, he couldn’t really remember what he’d imagined or what he knew and he wanted to kick himself for daydreaming so much.
“Are you and your siblings close in age? Well–obviously your twin,” he cleared his throat. Duh.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:29 am
Oh, he was cute. Ethan was trying not to smile, but he couldn’t help it. So he leaned his elbow on the table, trying to hide his face against his palm.
“Yeah, we’re pretty close in age,” he nodded, but he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to go into details about his own life. He wanted to hear more about Cary’s.
“Well, kinda. Jack’s about a decade older than the rest of us. But Glenn is only twenty. And before you ask, none of us have the same hobbies or interests. Jack plays for the Comets -- baseball,” he clarified just in case Cary had no idea what he was talking about. “Glenn is a fire fighter and all around goody two shoes. Ewan would rather be lost in a library. My sisters? They’re horse girls, so I’ll let you figure that out,” he snorted in amusement, but there was nothing malicious about it.
“Do I make you nervous? You look like you want to hide,” he asked before he could consider that maybe putting Cary on the spot wasn’t cool.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:29 am
Cary stiffened and sat up straight in his seat. “No,” he said quickly, but he doubted that he sounded very convincing when he was wide eyed and stumbling over his words. “It’s not–no, it isn’t–”
Yes, he did, but it wasn’t for any bad reasons! It was just embarrassing to admit, and–
Okay, he just had to breathe.
He exhaled and told himself it was breathing out all the bad chaos. He inhaled and told himself it brought him peace and a clear mind.
It sort of worked. Might have even worked better if Ethan wasn’t so cute with his face half-hidden in his palm, resting on the table like that.
“You caught me off guard, that’s all. This heat’s got me all frazzled. Sorry, it’s not you. I like talking with you.” Even if he was making a total fool of himself. Maybe he could still save this and not chase Ethan away by being weird. What if it was their only chance to talk? What if he messed up and Ethan decided he was just ‘that weird kid who picks up garbage’?
His face was embarrassingly warm and he hoped it didn’t look as obvious as it felt. He was trying to play it cool but it was hard to do when he felt like he was melting. He did want to hide! But he also wanted to talk to Ethan. He glanced at the arcade to make sure he could still see Teddy and then looked back at Ethan. Maybe he could salvage something here.
“...I like watching you skate.” Okay, no, weird. Try again. “You’re really good.” He knew Ethan had seen him; he could delude himself as much as he wanted but Ethan was here far too often for him to have never caught Cary watching him on the ice. Cary did his best to sound normal and cool about it but he’d gripped his milkshake with both hands to keep himself from fidgeting. “A lot of people come here, but you might be the best.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:30 am
Somehow, Ethan didn’t think it was the fact that Cary was caught off guard. Or maybe it was. But Ethan was hoping it was more than just being frazzled or nervous around him. And he liked talking with him?? Ethan was practically beaming. And that was before Cary said he liked watching him skate and that he was really good.
“You’re too sweet,” he couldn’t stop the grin from lighting up his face. Maybe he was a little too arrogant about it, but he happened to like it when people liked his skating. It was why he competed, after all. If he didn’t like people watching him, then he would have just kept to himself.
“If you ever get a break, or just want to hang out, I can bring you with me on the ice if you’d like?” he quickly offered. “Your brother too, of course.” He knew how close siblings could get, especially since Cary seemed a bit overprotective of his, so he definitely wouldn’t exclude him.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:30 am
His cheeks were red again and he was running out of reasons to justify why. He wanted Ethan to think he was sweet–wait, right? That was a good thing? It didn’t sound condescending. Ethan had such a pretty smile. Maybe it was the glow from that making Cary’s face heat up so much now.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” he said too quickly, and immediately looked like he regretted it. “No, sorry, I mean–I could try. Teddy would probably like that, I don’t think he’s ever been on the ice. Oh, but, I haven’t either.”
He looked at the people skating, and while no one had crashed into anyone or fallen with enough flair to draw his attention recently he could imagine the damage he’d do on the ice.
“I’d make a fool of myself. I don’t do any sports or anything and I’m not exactly graceful.” Teddy was too young to be self-conscious, he could probably just go out there and have fun. Cary didn’t want to humiliate himself in front of Ethan–who was, probably, the best skater he’d ever seen here! There was a certain degree of bias in his assessment but it was still valid!
“But I–yeah, I’d like to hang out sometime.”
Cary was trying not to sound too desperate but he felt it. And then, he felt guilty. He shouldn’t be hanging out. He should be doing homework, or sleeping, or maybe looking for a second job, or making sure Teddy was looked after, or–
There was an infinite number of things he probably should be doing. But Ethan had offered! And he’d already wasted enough time daydreaming, what difference would it make if he spent that time actually doing something?
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:32 am
“I wouldn’t let you make a fool of yourself,” Ethan promised. “You can hold my hand the whole time.”
Oh, he was pushing his luck, he knew. He was probably one bold comment away from Cary getting up and running off.
He was cute, though. Shy. Quiet. He tried to be invisible, and maybe that was partially why Ethan was drawn to him. He was so used to being around people who were over the top and wanted attention for everything they did. In their defense, it was intended on being their livelihood, so he couldn’t blame them.
But Cary wasn’t like that, and it was endearing.
“If you really don’t want to, we could just get lunch sometime? My treat,” he insisted. It would be better than talking in a crowded skate rink rest area. “Your brother is welcome, too.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:32 am
Cary’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. There were probably a hundred different right answers and yet he felt like he was only thinking about the wrong one.
Would it be worth it to risk going on the ice? Ethan said he wouldn’t let him make a fool of himself but Cary wasn’t sure even he could stop that. But they could hold hands–
His heart ricocheted in his chest. He chewed on the inside of his lip.
They could get lunch–if Ethan was paying then it wouldn’t dip into his savings but Cary didn’t want to seem like a mooch!
I don’t know echoed in his head but he couldn’t just say that. If he said that then it made it sound like he wasn’t interested and he was, he was so interested–
Cary glanced at Teddy again. He was still fine. What would he like more?
They had food. Cary could get food any time.
But getting on the ice? Well–that was as easy as renting skates. Cary could probably even get a discount.
And food, even lunch, it was so personal, and–
Well, maybe he’d make a bigger fool of himself if given the chance.
The silence had ticked on, maybe for too long. He was making it awkward. Ethan could probably see the gears turning in his head. He was going to think Cary wasn’t interested.
His shoulders slumped a little and he was half a breath from giving up and mumbling some excuse. He could keep his eyes on the ground while he worked, he never had to look at Ethan again. Maybe he could just get a new job somewhere else so this wouldn’t be awkward.
…
“I’d like to try skating,” he blurted instead. “I’ve never tried. Not even roller skating. But–you know, no pressure. Teddy’s probably got a better chance of being any good at it than I do. You really don’t mind if he comes too?” he asked, already exhausted from the mental calculations his brain was running.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:33 am
Ethan couldn’t claim that he was particularly patient. He liked to be on the move. He liked to be doing things, especially talking. But he bit his tongue for Cary. He held his hand over his mouth, practically. If it gave Cary a little more time to think things through, maybe Ethan wouldn’t be rejected.
He did his best not to let out an audible sigh of relief when Cary finally answered. Instead, he beamed at him, hoping he didn’t look like he was getting a little too nervous with the long silence.
“No pressure at all!” he insisted. “I don’t mind, I promise.” If Cary was happy, then that was good. And if that meant bringing his little brother along, then of course Ethan would be accommodating.
“I’ll make sure we get the right size skates for you both. They’re not sized like normal shoes, so sometimes people get them wrong. You’ll do great, and I really do promise I won’t let you make a fool of yourself, but you’re too cute for that to be possible anyway.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 7:33 am
At some point, Cary had stopped breathing. Maybe he was holding his breath, or maybe he just forgot to inhale, but seeing Ethan in front of him just slightly off just worsened the alarm bells in his head. He’d been worried that he was annoying Ethan, or scaring him off, or–
He almost couldn’t hear Ethan over the chatter in his mind, so of course he’d second guess himself when he heard Ethan say cute. That was like, a red flag for teasing, right? So this wasn't real? He was looking too far into it. There was no way Ethan–Ethan–would waste his time actually flirting with Cary.
Ethan was talented. Friendly. Attractive. Kind, well-liked, wonderful–
He probably could have asked anyone on a date and they’d have been happy to say yes. So why was–
Well, no, don’t get ahead of yourself, Cary. He hadn’t even said this was a date. It was just skating. And Teddy was going to be there. Stop being so dramatic, get back to reality.
He laughed nervously and hated that about himself. Nervously, he tucked a few loose strands of hair behind his ear. He felt the sudden urge to take his hair down and tie it back up again but was met with the sudden fear that he might have holes in the seams of his shirt or something. What if he was sweating and Ethan saw? –How was he supposed to go out on the ice and not look like a fool when he couldn’t even do that here?
“I think, um, you might be a little overconfident about me on the ice. You’ll probably really have your work cut out for you. But I really appreciate your expertise. I didn’t know that about skates. How–I mean, I think I’ve heard you mention it some before, but how did you figure out you were good at ice skating? Wait, no, I mean–you practiced, of course, I just mean, how did you get into it? Why not, you know, horses?”
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