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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:06 am
Evan had a plate full of grilled cheese and was focusing on the last two. He’d made a few more than necessary so it was obvious that Zac’s stolen grilled cheese wasn’t going to leave anyone going hungry. He was so focused on the stovetop that he didn’t see Riker approach, but he recognized the arms as soon as they were around him.
“Riker,” he greeted, and half turned from the stove to hug him. He flipped one grilled cheese at a time but wrapped his other arm around Riker, even if only at an awkward angle.
“You’re down here so soon? It’s only been a minute. I’m almost done with the sandwiches, are you hungry? I cheated with the soup, I’ve just reheated some that I froze from last month.” Though he sounded apologetic, he wasn’t sure anyone would know or care.
“How is everyone? How are you? Here, taste test,” he said, picking up the topmost sandwich on the stack and holding it out for Riker to take a bite.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:08 am
“Sorry, I’m not trying to rush you,” he promised before opening his mouth to take a bite, but then reached up to take the sandwich from Evan so he wouldn’t have to worry about putting it back down.
“These are always so good,” he sighed contentedly around his mouthful, but he was careful to at least place the back of his hand over his mouth so he wasn’t spitting food everywhere. “Seriously, there’s no way I can eat any other grilled cheese and not judge them harshly.”
He took a step back now that he had a grilled cheese in his hand, but he stayed close to make sure he could get a look at Evan’s face. He wanted to make sure he was okay.
“Julian and Cassidy are okay. Hoping that Jules will fall asleep by the time I get back up. I mean, he took medicine so his intention is obviously to stay up, but he looks so tired. And Cassidy is probably exhausted too. Is it weird that I’m looking forward to sleeping? I mean, not just sleeping, but with them. Ah, that sounds weird when I say it out loud. I liked it before when Cassidy stayed over when I was hurt, but. I mean. I’m not hurt now, and I wasn’t kissing him before. We won’t do anything, I promise! I don’t want Julian feeling weird or out of place more than he already does. Just ran into Zac. Saw he stole one. It was weird. I mean, not the sandwich. He said I did a good job tonight. Although I think he might just be glad we didn’t have to worry about a hospital trip on top of everything else.”
Oh… Riker shoved another bite of the sandwich into his mouth to stop from talking for a moment. He couldn’t help that he felt comfortable enough around Evan to talk about anything that came to mind.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:08 am
“You’re not rushing me,” Evan reassured, smiling softly again at Riker’s critical assessment of all other grilled cheese. Evan judged everything harshly. He’d been accused of being a picky eater before, and it was in part, true. He’d eat it. He’d just judge it, too.
There were worse habits Riker could have gotten from him.
He could feel Riker searching his expression but Evan didn’t know what he was looking for. He was only ever very slightly successful when it came to hiding his emotions. His brows were knit now because he had a lot to think about, but he didn’t seem upset. The weight of the world wasn’t on his shoulders. He was tired and confused and stressed–but happy to be home, and happy to be with his family.
“Well, you did do a good job tonight,” Evan agreed. “He hates hospitals too, so I’m sure he’s glad we all get to sleep at home in bed, too. But I’m sure that’s not just what he’s glad about. Julian and Cassidy will be okay. I hope nobody’s asleep, I got some lactose free cheese for Julian to try. I mean, I guess tonight’s not the best night for a taste test, but I made him one of each.”
Another half-hug, another kiss. Evan seemed to find it comforting and thought Riker might, too. Maxim’s tail wagged from where he was laying in the kitchen but he was too tired to get up. He was waiting for more cheese treats and watched Riker’s sandwich.
“I don’t think it’s weird that you’re looking forward to sleeping. I think there’s some hormone that releases when you sleep next to someone? So it’ll be good for you to double up. You’ve all had a rough…” Evan shrugged after a few seconds of unproductive thought. “I guess it’s been a while. I hope Maxim sleeps with me on the couch,” he said loudly. Maxim wagged his tail thoughtlessly, but he was usually very good at knowing when Evan needed attention or when the boys did. If Maxim wound up sleeping upstairs, Evan would just have to ask Soleiyu.
“Thank you for being a responsible teenager. If you, um. Well, if you need to have–’the talk’–just, um. Well, let me know. Not tonight! Wait–I’m not saying that to embarrass you. Promise.” He planted a half a dozen kisses atop Riker’s head again, though it wasn’t easy to reach. Thankfully, Riker was a good boy who was still somewhat stooped for him. When did his hair get so messed up? He raised a hand to smooth it out.
“Sorry, I’m tired. I’ll be smarter tomorrow. I mean, maybe a little. I’m not making any promises. Let’s just take it easy tomorrow. Is Cassidy staying over all day, do you know? For breakfast, at least.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:08 am
If Evan thought that Riker enjoyed the kisses and the hugs and smoothing out his hair and every other bit of affection he was getting, he would be absolutely right. Riker couldn’t help but grin as he leaned down for Evan to reach him easier, and made sure to give him a hug in return whenever he could.
Oh, but ‘the talk’ had his ears burning and he let out an awkward, embarrassed noise of distress.
“I mean I guess!” he sputtered, because it wasn’t as though he’d had more than health class explanations of things, and even then, it was a classroom full of boys who giggled the whole time. Not that he didn’t join in the giggling to fit in, but still.
But not that night. He didn’t need to think about it when he would rather curl up in bed with his friends and get a good sleep. That might be why Julian was okay with him being close while they usually slept, if Evan was right about the hormone or whatever. He did feel bad about Evan sleeping on the couch, though.
“I think you’re smart,” Riker protested around another bite of sandwich. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but the sandwich was good, and he didn’t want Evan thinking he thought he wasn’t smart! “Definitely for breakfast. I don’t know how long he’ll want to stay. Maybe until the power comes back. He left his dad a note, but his dad is usually gone all the time. He gets lonely, and I feel bad that I, you know… never visited him in the hospital when he was dying,” he cringed with shame and embarrassment. He doubted he’d get over that guilt any time soon. Along with everything else he felt guilty about.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:09 am
Evan’s face had turned red at some point, which might not have been a good indicator of his preparedness for any sort of talk, but it was better him than Zac. Probably.
He rubbed Riker’s back as if to reassure him but if he didn’t make a big deal out of it, then maybe Riker wouldn’t feel like he had to, either.
Thankfully, Riker’s quick shift in conversation topics helped. The grilled cheese were off the stove, and while he held Riker with one arm, he worked to get everything plated with the other. “Being in the hospital is hard. I mean, even just visiting is hard. I’m sure he knows it’s not because you don’t care.” Especially if they were kissing. And Cassdiy did always seem to enjoy hanging all over Riker. Evan hadn’t had a chance to see if he was like that with other friends, but he’d definitely witnessed Cassidy’s aggressively enthusiastic cheering from the stands during their baseball games so it might not have been surprising if he just had a lot of energy.
“Have you two talked about it? He can stay as long as you want him around. But if he wears you out or you need a break, let me know and I’ll figure something out. Julian, too. I know he won’t tell me when he needs a break. But I know you’ll keep an eye on him. And if you ever think he could benefit for some peace and quiet, tell him I asked him if he could help me with something.”
The grilled cheese sandwiches were all done, and Evan had three cups of soup. He could have gone for bowls, but he’d obviously been planning to carry everything up in one trip, so three mugs with handles each made sure he wasn’t going to drop anything. “Do you want to help me carry anything?” he asked, even though he didn’t need the help. Riker just seemed to feel better when he was contributing.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:09 am
Riker was quiet for a few moments as he worked some thoughts through his head.
Having come down with the intention of helping out anyway, he nodded and held out his hands, which were now free of the grilled cheese that he finished off by shoving the rest of into his mouth. It gave him some more time to not have to respond.
He knew he’d talked to Cassidy about it before, but there was a huge difference between someone who wanted to kiss him and -- well, Evan kissed him, but that was different. Evan was a parental figure!
“I care now,” he finally admitted. Even though Cassidy said he forgave him and didn’t consider him to have abandoned him, Riker still felt festering guilt from his actions. “At the time… Ugh, he was so annoying. He was always saying how good I looked and giving me these weird looks-- I know! I thought he was making fun of me. I was really high strung, especially whenever that woman was around. The team all went to visit him. When I finally worked up the courage, he’d been moved, so I never actually got to see him. He’s shared more about the accident with Reims than with me, so… I don’t know. It’s really difficult not wanting to ask more and already knowing and what if I ask him the same thing twice?”
Okay, he knew he was getting worked up over nothing. He was supposed to be helping Evan bring the food upstairs, not dump all his problems on him.
“I like him a lot. I don’t want to screw things up.” He already did with Énna. “But… yeah, I’ll let you know if we need anything. I can’t imagine not wanting to be around both Jules and Cass but Jules might need a break.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:09 am
Evan listened with an open mind. It wasn't surprising to him that RIker was all over the place, now especially. He wasn’t exactly a paradigm of emotional stability himself but he was doing the best he could to look at things practically. He didn’t want to give bad advice or say the wrong thing.
“Well, you didn’t know, Riker. It’s okay. You’re allowed to make mistakes. If you feel bad about it now, it means you’ve grown. And he’s still hanging around–kissing you–so I think he’s probably okay, right? If he told Reims, he’ll definitely tell you. So, ask. It’s okay. He’ll probably like that you’re taking an interest in him, right? Everyone likes talking about themselves.”
Well, no, Julian was literally right upstairs. But Cassidy and Julian were totally opposite ends of the spectrum.
“If you ask him the same thing twice then maybe you get a different answer than the first time. Sometimes people don’t always give you the full story on the first go around, anyway. It sounds like Cassidy’s been trying to get your attention for a while. It’s okay if you give it to him. I don’t think you’ll screw things up.”
He hadn’t yet, and now that he knew what he was dealing with, what worse could happen?
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:09 am
Riker sighed, but it was obvious that he was feeling a little better about everything. He always appreciated talking to Evan, and definitely wanted to take any advice he had to give.
“He’s really cute,” Riker admitted sheepishly, making sure to balance the plate of grilled cheese in his hands, and held a hand out to take one of the cups of soup. “Is it always like that, though? I mean, I think other people are cute too, but I’m not kissing them. I’d like to. Is that weird? I feel like I’m doing too much. Maybe I’m just tired,” he lamented, knowing he was still rambling, but with the suggestion to just talk to Cassidy about things, he felt like he at least had a direction to go.
“Are you going to eat anything?” he asked, glancing at the food Evan had prepared. There were plenty of sandwiches at least. He just wanted to make sure Evan was taking care of himself, too. If not, Riker would just have to step in. If not him, then Zac.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:10 am
“You’re a teenager, I was trying to kiss everyone when I was your age. Trust me, you’re doing fine.”
He shook his head when Riker offered to take a cup of soup; Evan could balance these easily enough and Riker was already doing too much. He waited for Riker to lead the way only because he wanted to make sure he didn’t cut him off while he still had things to say.
“You’re still figuring out what you like. You should kiss everyone now, while you have the chance. I mean–well,” he was quick to correct, “be safe about it, obviously, but–you know, you’ve got time to figure things out for yourself. You’re here, you’re safe, and I’ll love you no matter who you’re kissing. They just have to treat you right and make you happy. And they have to like me, I don’t want to wind up in a weird relationship with your partner. I want you both to be happy when I say ‘come over for dinner, I made your favorite’. I mean, you could also just never move out, too.”
Could Zac just keep building onto the house? Should they keep an eye on the market for another house? Brooklyn was already staying in one right next door so plenty was possible. Maybe he was selfish for wanting to keep his family close.
“Well, just think about it. You’ve got plenty of time. I like you being here.” There was a surplus of sandwiches on the plate Riker had collected, but Evan nodded to the oven, which was turned on low. “I put a few in there. And I ate an ugly one while I was cooking the others. I wanted to make sure you boys had enough first. It’s easy for me to make more. I’m not even going to clean up tonight. But I’ll have more when I get settled in on the couch. I might have ice cream, too. Maybe even wine.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:10 am
“I don’t even want to think about moving out,” Riker frowned, casting a wary glance over his shoulder at Evan. He’d only just moved into a place where he felt welcomed. Why would he want to lose that? He liked being there, too, but he didn’t want to say more because either he or Evan would start getting emotional about it.
“I think you’re pretty impossible not to like, though. Especially when you can bribe with food,” he teased, making his way to the garage door and pushing it open. Cautiously. He didn’t want to interrupt anyone by busting in.
“Maybe you’ll get some company. I feel bad about leaving you downstairs by yourself,” he frowned, making sure the door was open for Evan to follow.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:10 am
Truthfully, Evan didn’t want to think about RIker leaving, either. He didn’t do a good job hiding his sigh of relief when Riker said as much.
“You’re so sweet. And good for my self esteem. I’ll be okay, don’t worry about me. If you don’t believe me, you can always come check. But I think you’ll have your arms full.”
Evan hoped he did. He wanted Riker to have a good night,and surrounded by his friends was a good way to spend it. Maybe it would be enough to chase away nightmares and doubt and worry. For the first time in a long time they could relax, as long as they let themselves.
It was a good lesson to keep in mind for himself, too.
Maxim was lazily following them so Evan side-eyed him as he followed after Riker. “Maxim will stay with me,” he insisted, more for the dog than for Riker, like if he said it convincingly enough then even Maxim would understand. He wagged his tail but his eyes quickly found the plate of sandwiches again.
“Even if I have to bribe him with food.”
Upstairs, Cassidy laughed at something, but judging by the way it was his voice that carried from the room, he must have been telling a story. It was hard to make out much of his story, but he was enthusiastically filling Julian in on some internet drama.
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