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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:23 am
Riker was pretty sure he hadn’t slept so heavily before. He was usually a light sleeper, ready to be up at a moment’s notice. Always on alert for any strange noises or angry voices.
Since moving in with Evan and taking up half of Julian’s room, it was easier to fall asleep. That night, though… it must have been the weight of Cassidy’s arm over him and head on his shoulder that kept him from stirring. He’d kept his hand loosely on Julian’s hand the entire night as well, and it wasn’t until the smell of bacon started wafting up through the stairwell that he’d stirred.
He supposed his deep sleep might have also had to do with being exhausted by the Calamitous Hollow, but he liked to believe he’d be able to rest that well again, as long as he had Cassidy and Julian next to him.
Breakfast was delicious, of course. Evan really out did himself. Riker wondered if he’d been preparing for a big meal the day after the expected fight for a while, since he seemed to have all the ingredients he needed to have a full spread.
Evan, of course, got a very good hug in thanks. And help with cleaning up, although Evan insisted that he could get all the food squared away.
“Do you want to stay until lunch? Or longer? I’m not trying to kick you out. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to stay if you’d rather get home,” Riker explained as he made his way up the stairs to his and Julian’s room with Cassidy. Julian said something about needing to talk to Evan about something, or maybe he was looking for a movie to bring up, Riker wasn’t entirely sure. He was tempted to stay downstairs with Julian, but was also aware of giving him some space, especially after being crowded all night.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:24 am
“I’ll stay forever if you ask,” Cassidy answered pleasantly, following behind Riker with a bit of a skip in his step. It didn’t seem as though much had come back online in terms of power or internet, so he was happy to be here for as long as possible. Neither of his parents had come knocking so he assumed they were still busy. Why rush home to an empty house?
When Evan had politely declined any assistance while cleaning, Julian had slipped away to help with something. Cassidy thought it might have had something to do with Maxim–taking him outside?–but Julian was so quiet that it was hard to tell.
Maybe he was just making an excuse to give Riker some time to hang out with Cassidy alone. Or he needed a break from Cassidy? Oh, nonsense. He’d been on his best behavior. He chose to believe that Julian was just being a good wingman.
“But you can kick me out if you’re tired of me. I’d rather you be blunt than overstay my welcome! I like being around you, though. I’ll stay for as long as possible.” Instinctively, he pulled out his phone to check for service but it was unchanged since his last look. “Did you have plans for today or are you winging it? I can come up with something.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:27 am
His ears burned, but he forced a laugh. “Forever? That’s a little crazy sounding, but okay.”
And yet, even if Cassidy was teasing, Riker wasn’t sure if he was actually making things up. He’d gone to Reims when they were worried about the end of the world. He was there with him, now. Riker thought it would be incredibly selfish of him to agree, but the thought of Cassidy staying around forever made the corner of his lips twitch.
“I like being around you, too. You’re not overstaying your welcome,” he promised, thinking he was being very responsible to at least think about asking Evan and Julian if forever was okay--
Wait, no. Maybe Cassidy really was joking. He wouldn’t want to really be around him all the time, even if he liked being around him.
He gave Cassidy a quizzical look when he so easily said he could come up with plans, because other than hanging around the house or leaving the house and wandering around outside, he wasn’t sure he could be very creative.
“I wasn’t really planning on anything. Maybe try to check in with Elliot and some others to see how they’re doing,” he shrugged, making his way over to the edge of the bed to sit. “But probably not until later. Maybe the power will be back by then. Why? What are you thinking?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:31 am
Cassidy joined Riker on the edge of the bed. He sat close, pressing his thigh against Riker’s. He could have given him some space but after spending all night wrapped around him, he assumed Riker was comfortable with his level of attachment. Riker said he liked being around him, after all.
“Everything.”
He glanced around the room, thinking that it was pretty cozy for a space shared by two teenagers. He wasn’t sure what was Riker’s and what was Julian’s beyond the very obvious differences–mostly things he recognized from school. They had a lot of the same, or similar, items.
Checking in with Elliot and ‘some others’ sounded good. He hoped everything would be reconnected by this afternoon but if it was the whole city that was out–
Well, fingers crossed. He knew Mr. Gallo probably had some super generator, so Elliot was probably fine if Atticus was.
“Want to kiss until Julian comes back up?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:31 am
He didn’t immediately react, other than a flush of color to his cheeks. As if he hadn’t been thinking about kissing Cassidy all night or morning. If it hadn’t been for Soleiyu or Zac the night before--
Riker turned enough to be able to plant his hand on the bed behind Cassidy, but did his best not to make Cassidy think he wanted him to move.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been this close to Cassidy, but he couldn’t help but think how ridiculously pretty his eyes were. He was pretty, overall, of course. But his eyes looked like gemstones.
Instead of leaning in right away, he reached for his hand. He lifted it to his mouth, and kissed the back of it.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:32 am
Riker would have had to push Cassidy off the bed if he’d wanted to get it across that he’d like for Cassidy to move. Riker reached for his hand instead, and Cassidy was glad to offer it.
The kiss to the back of his hand was sweet, but Cassidy was greedy and watched Riker with an expectant look in his eye. It was more hopeful than demanding, but Cassidy wasn’t always the best at beating around the bush.
“That’s very gentlemanly,” he said, which was–of course–romantic. He wondered if Riker had been watching movies.
It was charming, but it did little to sate what felt like a scratch at the back of his mind. He was greedy for Riker’s lips and doubted this was his effort at playing coy.
“Shall I kiss your hand, too?”
He leaned in a bit closer.
“Or can I kiss your lips?”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:33 am
Riker somehow managed to hold himself from saying ‘please don’t’ in response to Cassidy asking if he should kiss his hand as well. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but he would much rather kiss his lips. Riker was very bad at teasing, because all he really wanted to do was actually kiss him.
“You can kiss me wherever you want,” he managed to say instead. Which was true! But his cheeks were still red, and he huffed a bit.
“I was trying to be slow about it. You know. Instead of pushing you down on the bed. It’s called restraint, or something. I don’t know. I’m still figuring things out. Anyway, if you wanted to kiss me, you should just do it,” he insisted, because he had to hold his ground or-- something stupid.
No, he wanted to kiss Cassidy. So he did. He tried not to be too harsh and desperate about it. And if he released Cassidy’s hand so he could rest a hand on his thigh it was just because he needed to keep himself balanced.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:33 am
Cassidy liked it. Maybe, sometimes, he looked delicate, but Riker had seen him in fistfights before. Riker had seen him in full on collisions with other players. He’d seen Cassidy eat dirt.
Cassidy wished he hadn’t been in the accident for a lot of reasons, most of which he wouldn’t say. He couldn’t play baseball anymore. He’d spent months ‘taking it easy’. He’d withered away and was clawing back to something like how he used to be.
He wasn’t there yet. He wasn’t ever going to be the same. If he could play again, he’d drag down whatever team he was on.
Cassidy knew that.
He’d have liked if Riker pushed him down on the bed. He’d have liked harsh and desperate.
Riker was so careful with him. Which, of course, was endearing. Cassidy was just used to being handled like glass these days.
He couldn’t blame Riker, who was shy and nervous and still new to kissing at all. Who was so cute and red. He was still figuring out what he liked. Still getting comfortable with being allowed to like it. There was a time when Riker might have panicked if Cassidy just kissed him out of the blue but he was going to make sure Riker remembered he told him if he wanted to kiss him he should just do it.
He put his hand over Riker’s and leaned forward to kiss him–maybe not harsh, but definitely persistent. Definitely desperate, even if he hid it under a facade of cool.
Julian might come up. Or Maxim, or the cat. Riker might be scared off. Cassidy just wanted a kiss so good it could recharge him for the rest of the day, or leave him dizzy, or make him forget that they were still dealing with the after-effects of some giant space monster almost destroying the world.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:34 am
How long had Riker wasted, not understanding that Cassidy wanted this? How much longer would he have denied himself if he hadn’t become a Knight? What if he’d been kicked out of his home with nowhere to go. What if Cassidy had died--
He didn’t want to think about it, but he knew he couldn’t allow things like that to happen again. He couldn’t live a life of regrets or wondering what ifs. He wanted to make up for the time that he’d lost, and the time that seemed to be borrowed, on Cassidy’s part.
Riker’s desperation seemed to match Cassidy’s as he kissed him back. But it was soft and sweet. A little nervous, on his part. Now that the world had been saved, and Cassidy had stayed with them that night, he was feeling a little better about things. But that also meant he was feeling a little shy again.
Which meant he ended up doing something stupid, like pulling back a bit so he could blurt out, “Why do you like me?”
Ah, he could have just kept kissing him, but--
They’d talked about this before, and yet Riker still found it hard to believe. A lot was hard to believe. He was still trying to come to terms with Evan loving him as his own son, and his friends relying on him, but he’d been lying to Cassidy-- or at least not telling him the entire truth about being Reims.
Instead, he was stuck in a stupid cycle of not understanding and also trying to accept it and sometimes being able to believe that he was worth being around. But after years of being told ********… sorry. I just-- you liked me when I was a jerk to you, but I know how shitty I was and am trying really hard not to be like that any more, so, like, I hope you don’t like jerk-me because… I don’t even know what I’m trying to say,” he groaned, wishing he could just go back to kissing and pretend like he hadn’t said anything.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:34 am
Cassidy blinked at Riker, and while he was briefly taken aback by the inquisition, he understood that Riker had deep-seated insecurities.
Very deep-seated insecurities.
Riker didn’t mean to be a tease, but Cassidy felt the very familiar tug of wanting. It felt like a rope sliding out of his hands, to go from kissing to talking.
But, Riker was sweet. He was working through things. Cassidy wasn’t going to chastise him for introspection and trying to be better and trying to understand.
“Are you afraid I won’t like you anymore if you’re not Mr. Badboy?” Cassidy asked. He wanted to keep kissing Riker. He wanted it to be simple and straightforward. He wanted the rush of endorphins without any more mental hurdles.
He wanted Riker to be happy. To be secure. To be comfortable.
Cassidy pushed him back against the bed and moved to straddle him so he could comfortably look into his eyes while they spoke. He kept one palm flat against the bed to steady himself and kept the other over Riker’s hand, still pressed against his thigh.
He leaned low, close enough that he could have summoned more kisses from Riker’s lips.
Cassidy refrained, but he wondered if Riker knew how hard it was.
“You’re thinking about it backwards. I liked you at your worst, right? Imagine how much more I’ll like you when you’re at your best.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:34 am
Oh, if his face wasn’t red before, it was certainly red now.
Riker gaped wordlessly as he was pushed back, but he didn’t struggle. He simply did his best to make it easier and more comfortable for Cassidy to-- oh, that was one leg over him. Okay, this was fine. He just stared up at him with wide, startled eyes. Not because he didn’t like it! He was pretty sure he had dreams about stuff like this before. Except he always woke up before anything--
He cleared his throat and flexed his fingers against Cassidy’s thigh, grateful that Cassidy kept his hand there because he might have pulled it away, otherwise. He just hoped it wasn’t embarrassing with how much he obviously enjoyed this.
“I mean, when you say stuff like ‘Mr. Badboy’ that kind of sounds cooler than… what am I now? ‘Awkward… McAwkward?’”
Oh, he cringed at himself for that one.
But Cassidy’s lips were so close, and it wasn’t like Riker was going anywhere with Cassidy on him like he was. Not that he was complaining! He just had to wiggle around a little to make sure he was comfortable. And that Cassidy was comfortable. This was normal.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:35 am
Cassidy laughed richly and tucked his hair behind his ear so it wouldn’t get in his way as he dipped lower to Riker’s face. “You’re cute,” he said definitively. With one hand still pressed into the mattress to hold him upright and the other on Riker’s hand, he couldn’t reach down to brush Riker’s hair from his face, or stroke his cheek, or any other romantic thing like they always did in the movies.
He doubted Awkward McAwkward was going to have much room to complain or worry, so Cassidy let him wriggle until he was comfortable–Cassidy was still happy where he was–and he leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.
He wondered what gears were churning in Riker’s head, or how hard he was trying to think to rationalize it.
Honestly, he was thinking too much about it. He could just enjoy it now and think about it later. Cassidy was determined to kiss him so silly that the gears fell off track. If Riker couldn’t get out of his own head, Cassidy would drive all the thoughts out himself.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:35 am
Being cute was a good thing, right? He hoped so. Cassidy was laughing and looked so pretty and-- oh, he was kissing him again. Okay good. This was good.
He kissed him back, sighing contentedly through his nose. With his free hand, he lifted it to Cassidy’s face, stroking his thumb across his cheek and tucking some more of his loose hair behind his ear.
He liked this. A lot. And kissing Cassidy always made his heart race. And Cassidy seemed to like it. No, he did like it. Even if Riker was inexperienced. Was it really possible that Cassidy would like him more now? He hoped so, because he liked Cassidy a lot.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:35 am
Cassidy could have had a minute to kiss Riker, an hour, and it wouldn’t have been enough. There must have been some psychology to it, something more than he could understand. As soon as their lips locked, there was some warm, comfortable place in the back of his mind that he could drift to.
There wasn’t anything to worry about. There was no stress.
He felt peace, and calm, and warmth.
Cassidy could have stayed here forever. He could have just slipped away into it.
There was, of course, a voice in the back of his mind that kept him somewhat aware of their surroundings. He had to, didn’t he? If Julian came in, he might be scandalized. And if Evan came in, he might ban Cassidy!
And if Zac came in–well, Cassidy didn’t really know him very well, but he knew that Zac and Riker liked to butt heads. So Zac would probably ‘never let him live it down’ or something. As if Riker had anything to be ashamed of.
Riker might not have been an expert kisser–yet–but he was getting there. What he lacked in skill, he made up for in enthusiasm. Cassidy could teach him how to kiss the way he liked. He could learn how Riker liked to be kissed.
Whatever this was, Cassidy liked it. Lips to lips, maybe a little tongue, why not. Cassidy had been really good last night. Riker had, too. They deserved to go wild, even if they only had a few minutes before they had to reel it in again.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:36 am
Enthusiastic was definitely a good word for it. After a little while, it was easy for Riker to get lost in the sensation of kissing. Of touching Cassidy’s face. His neck. He felt greedy, like he was being given water after dying of thirst in the desert.
He was restless, too. Not that everything Cassidy did wasn’t fun, because it was. But because he was greedy and wanted more.
Which was why, after-- a minute? More? Of kissing, Riker pulled his hand away from Cassidy’s face, and away from where he’d been kneading his fingers into Cassidy’s thigh, and wrapped his arms around him to pull him close--
Before pushing him over onto the bed. Above Cassidy, Riker was more than happy to go back to kissing. He should have been more careful about his weight, but he was too distracted, and if Cassidy had a problem, then he’d surely say something.
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