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 Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:06 pm
They made it under the overhang, and Cassidy tugged him to the front door. It took him only a second to unlock it, and when he did so he was quick to guide him into the house.
Things were still in various stages of unpack but it was clear some effort had gone into it. Even now it looked like half a house, though. The rooms were half full, and there were pictures stacked on tables but very little put up on the wall. Everything appeared modern but just old enough that someone else had renovated and cleaned the place up. There were boxes stacked along some of the walls, and miscellaneous things out of place here and there. Cassidy had three pairs of shoes by the door and made it four when he started kicking off his shoes while he simultaneously shook out and closed the umbrella.
The house did not smell like onions, and though Cassidy had already been sure it wouldn’t, he was glad he hadn’t just gone noseblind to the scent in the night.
“Okay! Home sweet home. Welcome. Did you get too wet, do you want a towel? A heated blanket? A long hug?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:09 pm
Riker took the time to look around once they were inside. He carefully removed his shoes and lowered the backpacks to the floor. It looked like they’d only just moved in, but it would have been a couple months by now. Maybe longer. Maybe they just hadn’t had time. Or maybe Cassidy just couldn’t do much with his injury hindering him.
He looked up at Cassidy then, waiting for the tale-tell ‘just kidding’ but it didn’t come. Normally, Riker would have been annoyed by how Cassidy would joke about things and then brush it off like he didn’t really mean it. And obviously his comment was meant to be a joke.
Wasn’t it…?
He didn’t let the questions linger for too long. With his backpacks gone, it was easy for him to lift his arms and pull Cassidy into a hug.
What if he really needed a hug but Riker just brushed it off? No, he couldn’t do that. He knew, with Julian, hugs were rare but precious. Or at least they used to be rare. They were still just as important. And Riker was slowly getting used to more physical touches and affection. Even if it was just to be friendly.
But he knew what Cassidy had been through. When was the last time he’d had one of his parents give him a hug?
So he gave him a hug. A long hug that he’d joked about. Just in case it wasn’t a joke.
Riker sighed and rested his chin on Cassidy’s good shoulder, and gave his back a little rub of reassurance as he waited to be the last to let go. Just in case Cassidy really needed it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:30 pm
What? A hug? Cassidy got a hug for that? Wait, what was it for. Had he asked for one? Oh, he had. But he hadn’t expected Riker to actually go for that, he thought he’d pick the towel instead!
So, for a few seconds, Cassidy forgot what you were supposed to do in a hug.
It was easy to melt against Riker, though, and with a content sigh he leaned into it and wrapped his arms around him. Riker had gotten taller, but not so much that he couldn’t rest his chin on his shoulder. He was warm, too.
His heart was beating quickly but he wasn't sure why. He didn’t feel awkward around Riker. He knew he liked him. This was something else altogether. He just couldn’t place it.
Whatever it was wasn’t uncomfortable, but he felt like a few layers had slipped away, or melted into each other, or–
“Ah, you give good hugs, Riker.”
He hadn’t realized how much he’d actually needed one. He’d have to spend more time around Atticus to sneak in a few extra ones, but for now he just wanted to soak up this moment with Riker. A few more seconds passed before he rubbed Riker’s back, too. He didn’t want to let go but he did kick the door shut to make sure the rain didn’t get in now that the wind had picked up.
“Like. Really good. Like, I might need more of these some time.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:35 pm
Riker clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and gave Cassidy a gentle squeeze. It seemed as though Cassidy really had needed a hug. That was fine. It was just a hug. He could do that. It wasn’t as though anyone else was around to make fun of them.
“Fine,” he casually agreed, because it was really nothing. Riker didn’t mind the hugs. He kind of liked them, anyway. If it made Cassidy happy, then sure.
Mostly he didn’t want Cassidy to feel so alone all the time.
“Just think of it as thanks for getting rid of all your coconut,” he suggested, because he knew it was a pain in the butt to go through everything. Cassidy didn’t have to, but at least Riker wasn’t feeling itchy enough for allergy medicine.
“You gonna show me around?” he wondered, still holding onto Cassidy just in case he really needed it.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:37 pm
Cassidy laughed, because he had actually gone through all of his things to see if there was any coconut oil well before coming over. It wasn’t in the soap or shampoo or conditioner, or the laundry detergent, and it was in some of his chapstick and sunblock but he wasn’t wearing any of that now.
For obvious reasons.
“Okay, okay. Right. Tour.”
Cassidy finally pulled himself away but he did so with great reluctance. He left the umbrella by the door and took off his shoes, waited for Riker to do the same, and then started walking around.
“There’s not much to see. There was a problem with the delivery so half our stuff was missing for a few weeks. Turns out they sent it to Wisconsin first. So like, excuse the mess. It’s a slow process. And dad sucks at home layout, he’s putting things in the wrong spot. I guess maybe he expects me to help unpack but I kinda don’t like it. It’s so tedious. But.”
He looked at a stack of boxes in the hallway and nudged it with his toe. “I guess this is annoying. Wow I guess I should have thought about that some before inviting you over. Well, whatever, I spend most of my time in my room and I unpacked the kitchen so those are the places I prioritized.”
There were some pictures on the wall, mostly of Cassidy, but there were frames that were clearly part of the set and weren’t hung up. Nothing of his mother was on display but Cassidy hadn’t expressed any real hard feelings towards her in any of this. He wasn’t the easiest to read or the most trustworthy in most matters but he seemed to realize the questions that might arise so went on to say, “It’s not like my parents can’t stand seeing each other or anything, it’s just that Mom’s already started dating and Dad doesn’t know if he’s ready to, so I don’t really know how to decorate. But if he starts bringing women home, I thought too many pictures with my mom might be intimidating. Mom’s gorgeous, you know? Don’t want to scare away the competition. Or do I? I haven’t decided yet. If they both start dating, they’ll stop giving me as much attention. And then what–dad always wanted more kids? What if I’m not an only child anymore? What if I have siblings? Ugh, I should put her pictures up.”
He shrugged; the kitchen was large and well decorated, and Cassidy clearly kept it clean. It had an almost rustic aesthetic, and there were pictures of people that looked distantly like Cassidy in surplus, and pictures of what could only have been him and his grandparents, and family in Italy. There was a list of appointments on the refrigerator, and a calendar with them marked out as well. Cassidy and his father shared them, as evidenced by the two distinctly different lettering.
“Are you sure this isn’t boring? This is the kitchen–are you hungry now? It won’t take long to heat up, but we could get a snack now. Oh, and a drink. Come on,” he gestured, and opened the fridge as if he was inviting Riker to just have whatever he wanted. There was an array of leftovers and half-used ingredients, but everything was clean and organized and Cassidy was obviously keeping busy. There were several different drinks and a varied assortment of snacks. “Oh, and the bathroom’s down the hall. Right there,” he nodded, to a slightly more decorated hallway with older pictures and older frames. He’d clutter the house with them if he could but so far he was doing a good job keeping everything orderly.
Cassidy pulled out a soda and a pear for himself but he nodded to Riker as if to come over and pick something out. “My room’s over there, I’ll show you in a minute. I’m not dragging it out for suspense. You’ve seen pictures, right? I post online all the time.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:38 pm
“I’m not really online much,” he admitted as he glanced at everything in the open fridge before reaching in to take a soda and pear as well with a quiet mumble of thanks. “My phone and the computer I use at home is set up with some family cloud service, so anything I do-- I mean, I know there’s ways around it, but it’s really tedious to bother with.”
Was that too much to say? Probably Cassidy talking about anything and everything clearly made it easier for Riker to just open his mouth and let words fall out. He closed it soon after and shrugged.
“I guess I’ll just have to see it now. I don’t mind a snack but, uh… There’s a lot of options and I don’t want to reach in and take, like… what your dad was wanting to eat when he gets home, so this works,” he grimaced as he gestured to the pear he’d pulled out, taking the time to glance around the kitchen the same way he did the living room.
“If you need help with any boxes. I mean… you’re not supposed to be carrying anything. I can at least help with moving them to the general location of where they’re supposed to go. It figures that your mom would be gorgeous, though. I’m guessing you look a lot like her,” he surmised as he glanced at the pictures of Cassidy with his grandparents. He wasn’t jealous of Cassidy having a family that seemed pretty close, except for the divorce, but there was a bit of sadness at the reminder that there weren’t any pictures of him on walls.
He knew he would have to take some pictures with Julian once he saw him again, and they could have some set out. He doubted Julian’s picture was hanging on any walls, either. Along with all their friends. Maybe Evan would let him take a picture. Hopefully that wasn’t weird.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:39 pm
“Aw, you’re sweet. I do get a lot of her looks,” he answered, clearly beaming. He flipped his hair over his shoulder and had a little bounce in his step, because even if he was still in his school uniform and hadn’t freshened up since after lunch, he liked that Riker implied he was gorgeous.
“I might need help with boxes,” he admitted, “but I don’t want to overwork you. You won’t be coming over just once, right? Come over more often,” he insisted. “And not just because you keep offering to help me. We’ve known each other for years! And like–you can’t even go online at home? That’s so gross. I’d hate if my parents saw everything I did. That’s annoying. We don’t have that stuff set up over here so if you ever want to look at dirty websites, you can borrow my laptop.”
He didn’t outright laugh but there was mirth in his voice and he bit into the pear to stop himself from saying anything worse. Poor Riker had already put up with so much already, he just couldn’t help himself.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:49 pm
“W-what?” he sputtered, staring at Cassidy as he tried to figure out if he was being serious or not. “Do you-- I mean… t-there’s nothing wrong with that. I didn’t really think-- I mean-- Do you look at dirty websites? I-- wait. Are you teasing me again?” he asked with increased exasperation, but that didn’t stop the redness from his ears to creep onto his cheeks.
Dirty websites! As if he would even know what to look for! Had he thought about them? N-no! He absolutely-- Why would he? He was just a teenage boy who was probably super repressed and probably closeted-- ugh!! He wished he could erase that conversation he had with Elliot. How was he supposed to think about that and look at Cassidy now?
Riker clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and looked away from Cassidy as if that would make it less obvious that he was clearly flustered.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:52 pm
Cassidy, who had very little shame, just took another bite of his pear when asked if he looked at dirty websites. He spoke around his mouthful, “Uh huh.”
Oh, Riker was cute.
Good, he hadn’t gotten to see him squirm in a little while, he was almost worrying that Riker was getting too complacent.
The counters were clean and there was no one around to nag at Cassidy, so he hopped up to sit next to the stove, and crossed his ankles as he made himself comfortable.
He held the pear pinched between his teeth as he cracked open the soda.
“What, you don’t?” No wonder he was so high strung all the time. “Well, that’s cool I guess. I’m online a lot, don’t be so surprised. And don’t think less of me, either. You already said there’s nothing wrong with it!”
He laughed now, not at Riker or even at himself. What was he supposed to feel, embarrassed? No, Riker had that covered enough for the both of them.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 7:56 pm
“You do?” he gawked, his face most certainly red, and feeling frozen in place as he watched Cassidy make himself comfortable by jumping onto the counter and eating his pear and drinking his soda. What was Riker supposed to do? He absolutely wasn’t going to jump on someone’s kitchen counter!
“I mean…” he tried to compose himself, and take on a more casual stance. He shrugged and awkwardly crossed his arms over his chest, but with the can of soda and pear still in his hands, he had to uncross them because it was weird to just hold onto them like that.
“Yeah, no, that’s definitely normal. Of course I wouldn’t judge you. I… I used to a lot but… I mean, I’ve probably seen it all already, so. I mean. I should probably focus on school work. Yeah, but. Definitely seen a ton.”
That wouldn’t make him look like some weirdo, right? Especially if Cassidy looked at dirty websites.
In reality, even if Riker had wanted to, he knew his mom would somehow find out. He would rather not deal with the fallout of that.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:05 pm
Okay, Riker.
Cassidy just smiled and put on his best poker face not to laugh and call him out on that. He patted the counter next to him, where there was plenty of space for Riker to sit without worrying about hitting his head. There were bar stools on the other side of the island, so he nodded to them, just in case Riker wanted a more practical seat.
“I clean the kitchen before I cook and after,” he said, just in case Riker found some way to worry about sitting in, what, pasta sauce? Or was worried that Cassidy was going to feed him dirty food.
“Well, I think it’s cool that your schoolwork is so important to you.” If he was trying to sound cool maybe he shouldn’t have picked such a nerdy past time. He should have said he was focusing on training for baseball or track but that was okay, it just made him more endearing.
“The offer still stands though, I hope you’ll come over more than just today. I’ll do my best not to scare you away or only put you to work! You go home with Julian a lot, though, don’t you? I’ve seen you and him leave together a few times. Ugh, I guess I can’t steal you from him. Maybe when I get this place cleaned up some you can both come over. I promise I won’t bring up dirty websites while he’s around so you don’t have to worry about me scandalizing him.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:13 pm
Riker eyed Cassidy’s wordless offer suspiciously. He didn’t think that Cassidy would have jumped up on the counter if it was dirty. Despite the clutter of boxes, the house itself looked very clean.
But since he didn’t want to seem like he was just brushing Cassidy off, Riker took a step closer to the counter, and then hopped up next to him.
It took him a moment to get comfortable, glancing over at Cassidy to make sure he wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t be. But Cassidy looked completely at ease.
“I don’t think I’ve ever sat on someone’s counter before,” he confessed, but then quickly nodded about Julian.
“Sometimes it’s just to walk him home. I don’t want my mom to freak out about me just… disappearing. Not because she cares. It’s like… she doesn’t think I should have friends? I guess that’s why I get anxious about everyone being near her at games or meets. You’re usually on the field with us, so you haven’t had to deal with her. I feel bad for Julian and Atticus.”
He was talking too much again, so he quickly took a bite of his pear, eyeing Cassidy to make sure he was being serious about not scandalizing poor Julian with dirty websites.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:14 pm
“Your mom needs therapy,” Cassidy said, but gave no indication that he thought anything Riker said was out of line. He leaned back so he was more comfortable and took smaller bites of the pear so he could talk around it.
“I told you I could sit between her and them,” he reminded. “I’m gonna be real with you. I don’t actually care about anything your mom says. I don’t think she could say anything that could hurt my feelings, I just wouldn’t want to get you in trouble. I know I got spared the worst of it by being on the field but like, I know enough about your mom to know she’s kinda,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shrugged. “You drew the short stick with her, for sure. But if you’re worried about Julian and Atticus, I’ll just make sure I sit between her and them. I can definitely yell louder than her, and if she’s acting up, don’t think I won’t. Nobody’d hear her over my cheering.I said I could yell louder than her and I’m still sure I can.”
And Riker could tell him to lay low all he wanted, and Cassidy might listen, but it just wasn’t in his nature to sit down and be quiet. He didn’t have to yell at her, just over her.
“What’s she got against you having friends, is she trying to scare everyone away? Or is she afraid that if you get too many people interested in you, they’ll start snooping about her or something? Is she into shady stuff?”
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:19 pm
Riker didn’t disagree with Cassidy, but he focused on taking another bite of pear and slowly chewing as he opened his soda to go along with it. He knew that Cassidy had a thick skin and could probably handle his mom and whatever she might throw at him, but that wasn’t really the problem.
Not that Riker was going to start whining about how his mom took out her aggression. He was still trying to seem at least somewhat put together and able to handle himself. And he was! He just… sometimes didn’t have a choice about things.
“I ruined her life and she wants to make sure I remember that, I guess,” he shrugged. Ah, he knew he shouldn’t really get into it. Maybe he could make up something that Cassidy would just accept and move on with.
“It’s fine, she’s just… you know… a helicopter mom or something.”
Or something, indeed… Everything he said about his own life sounded like it was just him whining. Every time he confessed to his friends, he felt like he was just coming up with excuses. He didn’t want Cassidy to pity him. Or anyone else for that matter.
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Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:20 pm
“Uh, I guess, if the helicopter has a bent propeller and is nosediving to the ground.” He sipped at his drink and side-eyed Riker. “Not sure how you could have ruined her life though, you know I’m gonna pry. Like, all that is really not helping her case of ‘that lady needs therapy’ but I don’t really care about her.”
He shrugged once more. He didn’t know her well but he knew enough to know he didn’t have any desire to know more.
“You, I care about. What egregious act did you commit to ruin her life? Spill her mom’s urn on the carpet? Throw up on her wedding dress? Crash her car? She’d better have a good reason for being so dramatic.”
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