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 Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:38 am
Takes place after Christmas 2024. Follows Raincheck
They behaved. For the most part.
Riker purposefully sat across from Cassidy once everything was ready, but it was difficult to forget the looks Cassidy gave him as they taste tested the food. Without thinking about it, he’d placed his arm around Cassidy’s waist as he leaned close to try some of the sauce, and since then it had been burned in the back of his mind.
Conversation was mostly just letting Cassidy talk about himself, and about his grandmother, and the recipes he learned from her, and Italy, and how they’d have to take a trip at some point. It was cute. And Riker felt content, and genuinely enjoyed the evening. Even if he was pretty sure the flush to his face was never going to fade.
He’d helped clean up, of course. Cleaning off plates and washing out pots was an easy task. Same with wiping off the table and getting everything put away. He’d told Cassidy several times how good the food was, and it was nice to see how pleased Cassidy was.
With everything put away, Riker agreed to the promised jacuzzi. It was freezing outside, and there was a slight chill in the house, so it was a good excuse for him to wear a short sleeve shirt with his swim trunks. Part of him wished he’d brought a long sleeve shirt, because the scars up and down his arms were a little too visible for his liking. Especially the one that seemed to stretch all the way from his wrist to his elbow.
He just hoped he could distract Cassidy in other ways.
“Do you want me to get some towels?” he offered once he’d finished getting changed and stepped out of the bathroom. Not like he wouldn’t have to be shown where to find the towels, but at least he could carry them and hide his arms. And hands. And the makeup would probably wash off. And there were just a few other bruises that could be excused with clumsiness or whatever.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:41 am
Cassidy appeared in the door frame with a stack of towels and one long, fluffy robe. “I mean, you could wrestle me for them. Here,” he said, offering the robe. He was already wearing one that must have come from the same set. They were the same colors but inverted; Cassidy’s was teal with white trim and Riker’s the opposite.
“I was thinking you could help me carry out the drinks but we could swap it up. I got everything else ready for when we come back in. Heated blankets are warming up, I turned on the heater. Slippers and drinks are by the door, the walkway’s cleared. The jacuzzi is going. I don’t think we’ll be able to see the stars because of all the city lights so I turned on the ones in the backyard. It’s pretty, come on,” he said, and impatiently waited for Riker to put on the robe.
Of course he looked Riker over while in the meantime but his eyes never lingered for long and if he saw anything out of the ordinary, he kept it to himself.
“It’s only going to get colder the longer we wait so there’s not point in dragging our feet. The jacuzzi’s hot so I can’t even use the excuse that I need to snuggle up to you for warmth! You could hold my hand so I don’t slip when we walk out,” he teased but with his now free hand he offered it to Riker.
The walkway was clear, it wouldn’t have had any time to ice over. Cassidy was undoubtedly just being silly.
Except, he still held his hand out and wiggled his fingers expectantly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:42 am
As if Riker needed to be tricked into holding Cassidy’s hand. Even if the walkway was clear, it was often a good idea to be overly cautious. Ending up in the hospital for falling while in a bathing suit in the freezing cold was probably not a good idea.
He pulled on the robe, even though it would be taken off soon, and took hold of Cassidy’s hand. He was just making sure he wouldn’t slip! Especially if he was distracted. He was grateful for Cassidy’s preparedness, impressed that he even had slippers ready for them.
“I can get the drinks,” he agreed, noting that they had indeed been placed by the door. But first, he wanted to make sure that Cassidy was settled. With slippers now on as well, he walked with him out of the house, immediately shivering but looking around at how strangely magical things looked with the steam and the snow and the lights. Maybe he was a little too excited about a hot tub. Surely it was just a normal thing for a lot of people.
“Here, I’ll put the towels down,” he offered as well, making sure he helped Cassidy set them down where they wouldn’t fall into the water or the snow, and then held out his other hand to help Cassidy with his robe if he wanted. If not, he could at least help him into the water.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:43 am
Cassidy kept his laughter to himself because he didn’t want Riker to be self conscious about how excited he was. It was cute. If Cassidy drew attention to it, Riker would only wall himself up and deny himself any joy.
The backyard had an inch of snow, untouched beyond where Cassidy had shoveled the walkway. An awning covered the patio, and strings of light had been strung up neatly. It was decorated neatly, with a table big enough to fit four, despite the three chairs around it. A gazebo on the other side of the yard had lights, and though they were on Cassidy had not cleared a path over there. There was a firepit, unlit, but easy to see in the lighting. The fourth chair was there.
The entire backyard was fenced in, and every twelve feet of fencing had a ten foot pole that towered over the six foot fence. Lights were strung from each pole and illuminated the whole backyard in a warm, gentle glow. The golfball sized lights were plentiful but not intrusive.
There were lights in as many areas as seemed possible–lining the house, up and down some pillars, strung from the patio to the tree in the corner.
Cassidy couldn’t have done all of this on his own and assumed Riker would already know so he explained, “The neighbors helped me. Lacy Jicson’s husband runs a professional light hanging service, she’s my neighbor down the road. We met at a neighborhood barbeque a little after I moved in. I was all busted up back then, I still looked pretty pathetic, so I made a lot of friends. Mostly housewives. Everybody was really nice to me. So we got to talking, and he needed some new promotional pictures–my backyard is on the website, I’ll show you later–so in exchange for me helping scan her photo albums, he put up all these lights for me. What a bargain, huh? She and I used to go walking in the mornings but we haven’t really since I got back to school.”
He shrugged off his robe and let Riker help him with that, even though he didn’t really need it, but he took his hand again and took a slow step in. He stood on the seat but not for long; usually he might have waited to adjust but it was too cold so he sat down quickly.
The water only covered up to his collarbone, and Cassidy was only wearing a tanktop. Some of his scars were plainly visible but he was too busy making sure his hair was still tied up in a sloppy bun and not touching the water to worry about that.
With himself seated, he held up his good arm to Riker as if to help him in, too. “I go hang out at the tennis courts a lot. I can’t play much–don’t tell anyone what I’m doing, Riker! My doctor would be mad at me!–but on Saturday mornings we play and then get brunch, me and a few other ladies. You should come sometime, they’d love you.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:43 am
“Why would a bunch of housewives love me?” he snorted quietly in amusement as he waited for Cassidy to get settled into the water before looking at the hand being offered to him.
He wanted to get in, but he held up a hand to indicate that he would be just a moment. He wanted to make sure they had their drinks with them, especially since Cassidy took the time to make them.
It didn’t take long to turn around and collect the drinks by the door. Once he returned, he placed them down at the edge of the pool, slipped out of his slippers and robe, and took hold of Cassidy’s hand so he wouldn’t fall as he got into the water as well.
“It looks nice,” he nodded at the backyard as he carefully lowered down into the water on a seat opposite Cassidy. And then, after a moment of feeling around what was going on under the water, he shifted over so he could sit next to him instead.
He was quiet for a moment as he looked at his friend, with Cassidy’s bright eyes and a lazy grin, but clearly happy and having a good time. He was talkative and excitable. It was cute.
How long had it been since Cassidy first started trying to flirt with him? And in all that time, Riker had been absolutely convinced that Cassidy was just making fun of him. He’d been so used to it. It was second nature for him to expect the worst. It was easier to be disappointed by everything than hopeful.
“You look nice,” he said quietly, watching the way the light from the backyard seemed to dance in Cassidy’s eyes. Riker wasn’t sure entirely how he felt. He knew he felt very deeply, and he was still trying to understand just the surface of everything. Especially since there were others he cared deeply about, too.
Gently, he moved his hand under the water to bump the back of his fingers against Cassidy’s thigh. It was purposeful, but maybe not in the way he could have done it. Not so long ago, Cassidy had nearly died, and Riker knew the scars were there, and how he’d been saved only thanks to a lucky wallet.
“So… what are you going to do for me so I don’t go straight to your doctor about your forbidden exercising?” He was teasing, but he tried to keep a straight face at least.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:44 am
It didn’t take long for Cassidy’s lazy smile to turn into a playful smirk, and his eyes narrowed like he was ready to accept a challenge.
“I could kiss you until you forget what I’ve said.” He’d brushed his teeth after dinner just in case.
His toes curled beneath the water and he thought he deserved some credit for not giggling when Riker went after his thigh. Some parts were especially ticklish. Some parts didn’t feel much at all. The corner of his lip twitched though; he was still holding back.
Cassidy’s cheeks were pink but he didn’t feel too flustered right now; it was cold outside, and he was warming up quickly in the water.
“I like when you tell me I look nice.” Even though his hair wasn’t as perfect as it could be. “You look nice, too. I wish I brought my phone out so I could take a picture and show you.”
He left his phone inside–a great feat, considering he was often glued to it. He didn’t want any distractions, he just wanted to spend some time with Riker.
“Being around cute young men makes the housewives feel fun and youthful. And you can help them put up shelves and other manly things so of course they’d fawn all over you. Come with me some time, I’ll show you.” He nudged Riker’s foot with his own, gently, and leaned a little closer.
Naturally, he’d take any excuse to spend more time with Riker. Even if it meant hanging out with the neighborhood ladies.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:44 am
“You don’t need to do that,” he snorted quietly again, not thinking it was necessary to have pictures taken of him. His ears felt hot, but he doubted he’d managed to get rid of his flush ever since arriving at Cassidy’s house.
It was definitely a nice little ego boost to be told by someone who was so pretty that he looked nice. And he was trying hard not to think about Cassidy’s suggestion that he could just kiss him into forgetting.
“Other manly things,” he let out a quiet laugh now. “I guess I’ll have to start watching more YouTube videos so I’ll be more useful than just hanging shelves. I suppose I can carry heavy things, too.”
He was pretty sure Cassidy was close enough to hear the sound of his heart racing, even with the jets in the water. He hadn’t done anything to discourage him from touching him, so Riker leaned a little closer as well.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:45 am
“I suppose you can, if you wanted to,” Cassidy agreed, with his playful little smile set perfectly in place. “But I think you’re perfect just the way you are.”
The warm glow of lights all around them illuminated Riker well enough to see his flush. Cassidy didn’t think he could get any redder. A part of him was tempted to try.
Another part of him was determined to make sure Riker actually got to relax in the jacuzzi. He’d been waiting so long to indulge! It wasn’t fair to distract him so much.
It wasn’t often that he could be this close to Riker; there was usually some other distraction, or some quick escape. If Riker tried to get out of the hot water he’d just be accosted by the winter chill. All the more reason to stay close to Cassidy!
“I could find some chores around the house for you to practice with, too.” Just another excuse to have him come over more often but Cassidy enjoyed him for more than what tasks he could complete! Maybe Riker was finally, actually, getting that!
“If you scoot a little closer, there’s a jet that’ll get right into your back. It feels really nice,” he encouraged, like Riker wasn’t already close. He could have rested his forehead against Riker’s, or put his head on his shoulder, or kissed him–
Ah, but was it too soon? Cassidy was greedy and he wasn’t shy about what he wanted, he was just also very aware of how easy it was to fluster Riker. Which was fun! But, maybe it was fun to let him just relax a little, too.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:46 am
“You’re really full of it, you know,” Riker shook his head, but was still grinning flusteredly. Calling him perfect just the way he was? Please. Riker knew he had plenty of flaws.
What he was trying to figure out was what Cassidy was trying to butter him up for. It wasn’t like Cassidy was trying to kiss him again. Maybe he was just satisfied with him being in the hot tub with him? That seemed too tame.
“I can help with whatever you need,” he agreed. He was trying to do his part around Evan’s house. Preferably without Zac harassing him for it. He didn’t do much, but he made sure to wipe surfaces down, or if he saw some dust collecting on a table he’d clean that off as well. Swept if it looked like Maxim had a little too much shedding. Helped with the dishes, at least when no one else was around. Nothing big.
And if Cassidy was still hurting, it would be painful to have to lift things. Riker didn’t mind helping. He might actually enjoy being around Cassidy, too. And it wasn’t just because there was a chance at kissing.
As Cassidy suggested, Riker inched closer to him where the jet was. With no where for his hand to comfortably go, he adjusted it to slide over Cassidy’s thigh--
It was completely innocent! And easier for Cassidy to put his arm around his if he wanted. Or to lean against him. Or whatever. Whatever! He wasn’t thinking about anything beyond just moving closer like Cassidy said! Maybe he was trying too hard to relax.
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:47 am
It felt like an open invitation. Riker was so close to him that Cassidy’s body naturally shifted to accommodate him. Maybe, if they’d been sitting on the couch and watching a movie, he’d have thrown his hand over Riker’s shoulder.
It was winter. It was cold.
Cassidy’s arm snaked behind Riker’s back, completely underwater so he could stay warm and not at all because it was a good excuse to rest his hand on Riker’s waist. He angled himself so Riker wasn’t missing out on the best of the water jets. It would have served Riker right if Cassidy tickled him now.
He didn’t, no matter how tempting it was. Especially with how aware Cassidy was of that hand on his thigh.
“Oh, my Knight in Shining Armor, huh? You’re so sweet, Riker. Even if you do say silly things like ‘I’m full of it,’” he snorted. “You should like that about me. It makes me good company.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:47 am
“You are good company,” Riker agreed, adjusting as well to make sure it was comfortable for Cassidy with his arm behind him. He leaned close, but he pressed his lips to Cassidy’s forehead.
He knew he’d probably be considered a coward for kissing his forehead instead of his lips, but he was still trying to figure out if Cassidy actually wanted to kiss him again, or if it was just a few times thing. Maybe the excitement of a white whale wore off faster than he thought.
Ah, but he knew that wasn’t right. Cassidy had made it clear that he was interested. Riker was just convincing himself otherwise.
“I don’t know about Knight in Shining Armor, but I like to think I’m pretty reliable,” he huffed. And if he absently brushed his thumb against Cassidy’s thigh, it was just because it was an unconscious movement, because what else was he supposed to do?
He sighed contentedly, closed his eyes, and leaned a bit heavier against Cassidy.
“This is nice. Thanks for convincing me to come over.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:47 am
Cassidy laughed and tilted his head to rest against Riker’s. “You’ll have to let me do it more often. Even if you’re just coming over for the jacuzzi, it’ll still be fun.”
Riker had kissed his forehead so naturally Cassidy was beaming. What was he going to do, be mad that Riker was being more affectionate to him?? Throw a temper tantrum because he didn’t get another kiss on the lips? No! There was going to be plenty of time for that!
Even if he had to bribe him with food, or a jacuzzi, or air hockey!
No, he had Riker right where he wanted him. Cassidy did have to bite his lips though; Riker’s thumb was probably not there by accident and it was very difficult to keep how ticklish he was in check. He curled his toes and put his energy into focusing on that instead of squirming away from him.
He liked this too much to let Riker chase him off!
“You can pay me back with another kiss if you’re feeling like you owe me. My lips are getting a little chilly.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2025 8:48 am
The idea of visiting Cassidy more often was definitely tempting. And not just because he wanted to spend time in the jacuzzi. It was clear that Cassidy was lonely. Riker didn’t think he was pitying him, but he was realizing that he should probably be a better friend.
Or a friend in general. It had taken too long for him to realize that the world might not actually be against him. That there were some people who actually wanted to spend time with him. Who cared about him. Who would literally give their breath and blood and energy to him.
It made him feel… strangely vulnerable. But not in the way that he usually felt with his family. He felt as though he could be vulnerable and let down his walls and just exist without having to worry about the ax to drop.
While he knew he could probably tease Cassidy and get him to laugh some more, he knew he had a lot to make up for.
So he adjusted his arm, lifting it from the water to place around Cassidy’s shoulders to pull him a little closer as he kissed him as requested. After all, he wouldn’t want Cassidy’s lips getting chilly.
Fin!
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