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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:20 am
Quote: The Meteor Shower (3) : It wouldn't be a star festival without a meteor shower! Right on time, a beautiful array of shooting stars graces the night sky. This time of year is unnaturally clear and it's incredibly easy to see the stars. Most meteor fragments appear to be little white or yellow lights streaming across the sky, but if you watch closely enough you may find that some of them seem to be a whole rainbow of colors. The scientists have reported that it's just different components burning up as they enter the atmosphere, but there's something undeniably magical about it.
He didn’t get a lot of that, growing up.
The stars were out in full force that night, scattered across the skyline like someone dumped a bucket of glitter into the inky black. Every so often, one would streak across the sky with a burst of white or gold or something that shimmered like a rainbow. Sure, the scientists said it was just chemicals or whatever burning up on entry, but even Riker, who didn’t usually buy into the mystical bullshit despite being a Knight, thought maybe there was something more to it.
He was grateful Dawn’s mom didn’t care if he hung out when she wasn’t home. He’d known Dawn for years now -- back when she was one of the only people who treated him like a person instead of a problem. Even back then, she’d let him sleep on the couch when things got bad. But now he didn’t come over just to escape her.
Evan was different. Evan was… well… Evan was Everything Riker hadn’t known he could want in a parent. Someone who was kind and cared. Someone who asked if Riker had eaten without acting like the answer might offend them. Someone who didn’t seem to be waiting for him to screw it all up. Evan actually looked happy when Riker came home.
That still messed with him sometimes. In the quiet moments, like this one.
“So I kinda kissed someone,” he blurted, because silence left room for thoughts he didn’t always want. And if anyone should hear about it, it should be Dawn. Evan and Julian already knew, but he lived with them. Dawn had the right to know too, especially after he made her pretend to be his girlfriend so he could dodge questions he wasn’t ready to answer.
He didn’t look over to see her face. He didn’t have to. He just braced himself against the railing and kept his eyes trained on the sky like maybe the right answer would be somewhere in the space in front of him.
There had been a lot on his mind lately. Since the Calamitous Hollow thing, everything had just felt… off… like the world had almost ended and no one wanted to talk about it directly. Or couldn’t figure out a way to bring it up. Julian had gotten quieter. Not a lot, since he was usually pretty quiet anyway, but Riker noticed. Enough that he worried.
Julian said he was fine, but Riker knew how easy it was to lie and keep a straight face and throw in a “don’t worry about it” for flavor. He’d made it a habit of it for years.
And then there was Cassidy.
“Uh…” he grimaced, dragging a hand through his hair, which he’d let down from the low ponytail he usually kept it in. He knew he might as well rip the bandaid off. “It was Cassidy. I uh… I really like him. That’s not weird is it?” he asked, still not looking at her.
It felt weird. Not liking Cassidy. That part was also kind of terrifying, but it made sense. In a way he hadn’t let himself think too hard about before. What felt weird was the fact that Cassidy seemed to like him back. He didn’t know what to do with that. Still didn’t.
“He’s really supportive,” Riker added, a little softer this time, like it was still a secret to be kept. “And, like, I thought he was messing with me for years, and I was a d**k about it. But he wasn’t. He was uh… flirting. Which is so stupid and I should’ve seen it, but… whatever. And then he almost died in that car crash and I just--...”
He shook his head and swallowed hard, trying to make himself act like it wasn’t as big of a deal as he was making it. He was probably so embarrassing to be around.
“It kind of just happened. We were joking around. He kissed my cheek, and now, uh… I can’t stop thinking about kissing him. I mean I did! We do. Poor Julian walked in on us-- I apologized for it!”
He stopped and made himself shut up, at least enough to give Dawn a chance to cast her judgment or whatever. He still wasn’t sure if he deserved what he had now. Not Evan. Not Julian. Not Dawn. And definitely not Cassidy. But he was trying.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:23 am
Dawn had been leaning back against the railing with her head tipped back, long blonde hair hanging over the balcony as she watched the meteors streak through the patch of sky above the roof. She lifted up at Riker’s confession but looked at him without judgement. At most, her expression, often warm and amiable, opened with some surprise—not that he would kiss someone, not even that he might kiss a boy, but that he actually admitted to doing it.
“I don’t think it’s weird,” she assured him. Dawn tried to be careful with her words. She knew how easy it was to nudge Riker toward defensiveness and silence, even inadvertently. “I actually wanted to ask you about him but wasn’t sure how to do it. I didn’t want you to think I was prying.”
Going to different schools and taking part in different activities within those schools meant Dawn didn’t always know Riker’s other friends as well as she would normally like. She knew Cassidy now, of course, but they weren’t close—hadn’t had the chance to be. Staying with him and Cynthus on Reims while the others fought the Calamitous Hollow had naturally piqued her curiosity.
“I figured he was important to you, since you wanted to keep him safe,” she said. “He used to be on your baseball team, right? But you weren’t worried about any of your other teammates, so I assumed you’d gotten close, and since you hadn’t really talked about it…” Dawn shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant about the whole thing so Riker wouldn’t shut down. “I thought there might be something about him you weren’t ready to talk about.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:23 am
Riker groaned softly into his hands.
“I’m not embarrassed, okay? I just--” He dropped his hands but still didn’t look ather. Instead, he tipped his head back to squint at the sky, as if maybe another meteor would streak by and save him from this conversation -- a conversation he started. “I didn’t think you’d say anything that would make it weird. It’s just… this is new for me, okay? Saying it out loud. Like… actual words. Not just… accidentally kissing someone in a panicked moment after a near-death experience.”
He forced himself to exhale sharply, like maybe if he laughed at himself first, it would keep her from doing it. Not that she would. But habits were difficult to break.
“I mean… Elliot was up there with us, but--” He shifted uncomfortably where he stood, scratched at his jaw, still grinning just a little, but now it was more sheepish. “I don’t know. Cassidy’s different. I thought he hated me for, like, most of the time I’d known him. Which was my fault. I just didn’t get him. I didn’t try to. I just assumed he was messing with me and decided to go full jackass in response.”
He finally looked over at Dawn, but briefly. “But he wasn’t messing with me. He was just… being himself. God, he’s cute, though. I didn’t realize how much I liked that until I almost lost him -- did I tell you I had a whole a** panic attack when he showed up at Atticus’s place? I was there to see Elliot but Cassidy was there and-- oh god, I think I told Elliot I might have feelings for him then. Cassidy! Not Elliot,” he sputtered, feeling a little panicked now.
“I don’t think I would have brought anyone else to my Wonder,” he said, more quietly now. “Like, sure, I care about the team, but Cassidy… he’s one of the only people I trust not to make it about me. Or… you know,” he grimaced, which Dawn would understand you know meant that woman.
“Anyway, you’re not allowed to make this sentimental. I already confessed something soft and vulnerable. That’s all you get for the month,” he huffed, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling when he said it. He just tried to look away from her so it wouldn’t be so obvious.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:24 am
Dawn waited and listened patiently while Riker worked through his thoughts and rambled a story that might be missing pieces but ultimately wasn’t too hard to decipher even with the gaps. Riker probably hadn’t had many opportunities to explain himself about anything at home, not with his mom being how she was, so Dawn let him talk as much as he wanted when he actually had something to say.
Then she had to decide what she wanted to comment on. What were the important bits, and what had Riker thrown in there without much thought? Dawn liked to think all of it was important, but she knew Riker probably wasn’t looking for extensive commentary.
“So you like a boy,” she said, figuring that was a good place to start. The small smile never left her face. For a moment, the curve of her mouth acquired a subtle teasing edge. “I suppose Maisie was right.”
Dawn was sure Maisie would be insufferable if and when she found out. At least her heart was generally in the right place even if her words could be… abrasive.
“We talked a bit when we were at your Wonder,” Dawn explained. “About why you lied and said I was your girlfriend, and why I let you. I was vague about it, don’t worry. But Maisie thinks you’ve liked boys for a while and were too afraid to admit it. It’s okay if you were. It’s okay if you still are. You had a lot going on with—”
His mom. His brother. His family which wasn't really a family. Dawn didn’t want to talk about them if Riker didn’t, but she didn’t want him to think he had to avoid the subject either.
“I’ve noticed how you are with Julian,” she said. “You’re softer. Kind of sweet, actually. And it’s not like I don’t know you can be those things, but it seems easier for you, sometimes. With him. I think Maisie’s right and maybe there was something with Énna, too, for a while. And now Cassidy. He’s cute. I think he likes you a lot. He tried to act like he wasn’t too worried, but I think he was. He was really interested in how we all knew each other, and how to become a—
“Oh…” Dawn paused and tried to reorganize the thoughts in her head. “But he doesn’t know you’re Reims, does he? So… you’ve kissed him as Riker, if Julian walked in on you. Or did you kiss him as Reims? Or… have you kissed him as both?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:24 am
Riker scoffed immediately, but it was less defensive and more wounded pride, ears turning red as he scowled about the implications.
“And make me jealous of myself??” he grumbled. “What if he picks one of me over the other? Like--!! Does he like the awkward baseball guy, or the guy in a cape with magic with a whole magical place where he can chill out while waiting for the end of the world?”
He crossed his arms, huffing like he didn’t care, except obviously he did.
“I’m already at a disadvantage. I mean -- he showed me stuff. As Reims. Before we ever really talked about it… normal.” The last word was a bit quieter than the rest. He clamped his mouth shut after it, suddenly wishing he hadn’t said that much. Because “stuff” was Cassidy’s scars. Because “normal” meant all the ways Riker had failed to be a decent person after the accident. He hadn’t gone to the hospital. Hadn’t even tried to get in contact with him. Cassidy had nearly died, and Riker had ghosted the whole thing out of guilt and fear. And when they did see each other again, Riker had still been a d**k. Still hiding. Still mean.
He shifted uncomfortably, trying to shake off the memories, but then Dawn hit him with something even harder.
“Soft and sweet,” he repeated, wrinkling his nose like the words physically offended him. He tried to make a face, something exaggerated to cover the heat creeping from his ears to his cheeks. He didn’t argue, but he did grumble about it.
“Don’t say that to anyone else, or I’ll have to fight you.” As if he ever could when she was the only person who gave a s**t about him for so long.
At the mention of Énna, Riker made a whole show of groaning and dragging his hands down his face. “I do like Énna. Or -- I liked what we had. Reims and Yvoire, I mean. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to a point where he forgives me for being such a jerk to him before. But… I’m trying. He’s trying. We’re trying, okay? Even if it’s just to be friends again.” He hesitated, and then added with a shrug,” At least it means we don’t have to awkwardly skip group events just to avoid each other.”
He let out a breath and looked up at the sky again, letting his thoughts settle. His voice was softer when he spoke again.
“Julian…” It was as though his chest tightened a little, just saying his name. “I don’t want him to slip away from me. Not that he’s going anywhere, but… I’m scared that if I start spending more time with Cassidy, he’ll shut down even more. He already doesn’t talk about the stuff he’s dealing with. Or he tries to, but then backs off like it’s nothing. Like he doesn’t want to be a burden.”
He swallowed and ran his hand through his hair. “I wish I could clone myself or something. Then I could be everywhere. Make sure nobody feels left behind. And I could kiss you, too,” he added, maybe a bit too casually, wrapped up with a short laugh aimed for joking but didn’t quite meet the mark. It sounded lighter than everything he’d just said, but not less honest.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:24 am
Dawn waited again. She wouldn’t pressure Riker, didn’t pick at the trailed off parts or force him to explain exactly what he meant by “stuff” and “normal.” He would if he wanted to, when he wanted to. Dawn had a pretty good idea she knew what it was all about anyway.
“Sounds like someone else I know,” she said, eyeing him purposefully. “Not wanting to talk about things. Backing off like it’s nothing. Not wanting to be a burden to anyone.”
Dawn didn’t blame Riker and so she wouldn’t have blamed Julian if Riker’s assessment was true. People were complicated. Thoughts and feelings could be difficult, especially when the subjects themselves were difficult. Sometimes even when they weren’t. Dawn tried to be understanding because she knew her friends needed it, but also because, if she ever went through something difficult, she’d want the same sort of grace extended to her. Treat others how you want to be treated, and all that.
She followed the threads of different stories as well as she could. Cassidy. Enna. Julian. There was probably something to be said about not having the love of his family leading to Riker looking for love from multiple avenues outside of it, but Dawn didn’t think that was something to tease him for.
“I think the important thing is to be honest. With them. And with yourself,” she said. “If you like Cassidy, and you want to kiss him, and he wants to kiss you, then kiss him. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to mean more than either of you want it to. It doesn’t have to mean nothing either. I don’t know, my experience has always been to go with the flow.”
Dawn turned to lean forward with her elbows on the railing. She never thought of herself as particularly confident, but she did have an ease about her that helped.
“You could kiss me,” she added. “If you wanted. We’ve been friends for a while. I don’t have anything against kissing my friends. It’s nice sometimes, when you let it be easy.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:25 am
Riker choked on air.
“What?” he sputtered, whipping around to stare at Dawn like she’d just casually suggested he jump off the balcony. His ears turned red instantly.
“You mean, all this time, I could’ve just asked to kiss you?” He stared at her, completely dumbfounded. He’d liked Dawn for a long time, once. Maybe still did, in a way that wasn’t about wanting her, just about feeling safe near her. She gave him a comfort that he didn’t often get from other people. At least, not until he started accepting -- and being accepted by -- the small group of friends they’d built around being Knights.
But crossing the line between friends and something else had always felt impossible. Not because she wouldn’t say yes, apparently, but because of him. Because of his family. Because of her.
That woman had always hated how much time he spent with Dawn. Had made it weird. Had sabotaged more than one of his friendships, just to make sure he never forgot he didn’t belong. For a long time, he’d assumed the only reason he and Dawn stayed close was because her mom let him hang around.
“And I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he huffed, flustered, which meant defensive. “Who says I don’t wanna be a burden? Maybe I do want to be one. Maybe I’m a very delightful burden.” But the performance cracked at the edges, and after a moment, he sighed. His shoulders dropped. His voice got quieter.
“...Yeah. I do want to kiss Cassidy. Not just kissing, either, but-- I mean… kissing’s good. Really good.” He shrugged, like he wasn’t sure what to do with how true that felt. Like he still wasn’t used to saying things he actually meant.
Then he looked at her again -- really looked at her -- and squinted. “You’re really okay with it?” he asked, skeptically. “Just… kissing your friends?” She was. He could tell. So he turned to face her more fully.
“Fine,” he said, because it was easier than thank you, or I’m glad you’ve always given me a chance to be myself.
Then he leaned in and kissed her.
It was tentative, cautious, maybe a little awkward -- okay, definitely a little awkward -- but soft and familiar. It was a kind of kiss that didn’t ask for more, because it didn’t need to.
And, mercifully, no coconut. She’d stopped using that chapstick ages ago, and he still appreciated it more than he could say.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:25 am
Riker asked her a question, so Dawn nodded. Then he asked her another question, so she nodded again, the corners of her mouth sliding a little further upward. He was funny without trying to be—a little awkward, maybe, but not in a bad way. More like he was still trying to figure things out and didn’t know how to handle all the sudden stops and turns. Like he was slowly learning about himself and who he was—who he could be—after he’d spent so long being whatever he thought his family wanted, trying and failing to earn a love they never had any intention of giving him.
He leaned in. Dawn met him halfway.
She didn’t mind that he was shy. She didn’t mind that he was careful. She definitely didn’t mind that he took his time, that he didn’t press forward too fast or start something he wasn’t ready for. Riker didn’t try to prove a point and Dawn didn’t demand one. She let it be what it was, what she liked best—simple, straightforward, with just enough affection behind it neither of them had to question the other’s intent.
Dawn smiled through the kiss. She smiled when Riker eased back. She smiled when she brought a hand to his hair, tucking some of it behind an ear.
“In your defense, I could’ve asked to kiss you, too,” she said. “Or I could’ve said something when you tried to pretend you weren’t looking at my boobs. Don’t freak out. It’s fine. Maisie pointed it out, but I kind of already knew. You’ve had so much going on I didn’t want to overwhelm you, and… I don’t know, I didn’t want you to take it the wrong way or think I was trying to pressure you to make choices you don’t have to make with me.”
She leaned in to kiss him again—quick and easy, like they did it all the time.
“You don’t even have to stop at kissing,” she told him. Then she paused and seemed to consider what she’d said. “I mean, really, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not trying to steal you away from Cassidy. I wouldn’t do that. I just meant… You know, as far as keeping things casual… My limits for casual are pretty open.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:25 am
Riker had opened his mouth the moment the accusations came flying at him. Dawn silenced him with a “Don’t freak out,” but his ears were already burning like someone had set them on fire.
“Of course Maisie noticed,” he muttered, mostly to himself, but loud enough that Dawn would hear. “She’s like… psychic but only for embarrassing things.” And then added with a grumbled, “Or psychotic.”
His cheeks were warm and he shifted awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Not because he didn’t want to say anything, but because there was suddenly so much to say, and none of it felt like the right starting point.
“So, what, like… a friends-with-benefits kind of deal?” he asked, trying for casual and landing somewhere between intrigued and flustered. “You’re just… offering that up?”
He huffed and crossed his arms like it might shield him from how stupidly confusing this all felt. “You can’t just… kiss a guy and tell him you noticed him staring at your chest and say your limits are open and not expect his brain to short circuit a little, Dawn.”
His voice cracked slightly at her name, which only made it worse.
“I’m not opposed,” he added quickly. “Like, I’m not saying no. I’m just--... trying to wrap my head around the fact that this is a real conversation and not one of those fake dream scenarios that ends with someone waking me up because I left the cereal on the counter again, or whatever.”
He ran a hand through his hair, and let out a half-laugh, his shoulders relaxing a little. “You’re kind of a lot cooler about this than I thought you’d be. So, uh… thanks. For not making it weird. And for not, like… expecting anything I’m not ready for. I don’t always know where I stand with people. Or where I can stand. You always kinda let me figure that out myself.”
Riker glanced over at her again, but wasn’t sure what to do with the warm way she was looking at him. A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“So, uh… Just for planning purposes. Is this the part where I kiss you again, or is this where you call me a delightful burden and shove me off the balcony?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:25 am
Dawn laughed lightly. Not quite a giggle—she wasn’t cutesy or girlish enough for that—but it was quiet and airy and full of as much fondness as amusement.
“For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t shove you off the balcony even if you were a burden. It’d be hard to clean up the mess,” she joked.
She kissed him a third time to soften the humor. He wasn’t opposed, and she wasn’t the type to hold back if there wasn’t any reason to. She liked the color in his cheeks and the smile on his face and the light in his eyes when he realized he could do what he liked and didn’t have to hide. For years, Riker had been sad and distant and purposefully difficult, even with her, though maybe not to the same extent he’d been with others. It was nice to see him open up. It was nice to see him relaxed. Even if the nerves were still there, some of the old tension was gone.
Her hands went to his shoulders, then her arms slipped over to loosely encircle him. She pressed her chest against his without embarrassment or shame, letting him feel the shape of her. Enthusiasm was evident in the subtle shift of her breathing—a little faster; a little heated.
When the kiss broke, her smile stretched wide enough to make her eyes gleam.
“Sometimes people make it hard to know where you stand,” she said. I don’t really see the point in that. You’re my friend. I know I can depend on you. I’m comfortable with you. I feel safe. I think you feel the same way. You don’t have to hide anything. I like that we can be honest with each other. So…” She paused to tuck another piece of hair behind his ear. “If you’re interested, we can find a more comfortable spot in my room. To kiss, if that’s all you want. But if you decide you’d like to do more…” She pressed a kiss to his warm cheek and whispered the rest into his ear, “... all you have to do is ask.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2025 7:26 am
Riker’s heart was hammering in his chest, but not in a bad way. Not in the way he was used to -- tight, anxious, bracing for rejection. This was something else entirely. This was warm. It was the same feeling he got when he kissed Cassidy.
The heat in his cheeks hadn’t left, and it probably wouldn’t any time soon, not with the way Dawn pressed close and kissed him like it wasn’t a big deal. Like he wasn’t a big deal. Like he didn’t have to earn it, or justify it, or wonder if he was going to mess it all up by being who he was. Or at least who he used to be.
She said he didn’t have to hide. That he could ask. That he was safe. And that meant more to him than he had the words for.
He stared at her for a second, trying to find the right words, but nothing came. Nothing smart, anyway. Nothing funny. So instead of talking, he leaned forward and rested his forehead gently against hers, drawing in a slow breath. Trying to remember that this was real. That it was okay to want.
“...Okay,” he breathed, almost too quiet to hear. Then a little stronger he added, “I’d like that.”
He didn’t say what “that” meant, exactly. Not yet. But he reached for her hand, and let her lead him back inside, heart still racing.
But for once, he wasn’t running away from anything. He was just… following the light. Where it felt like he could finally stop pretending. Where it felt like he was allowed to exist.
Fin!
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