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 Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:07 am
Riker had told himself he wouldn’t hover. Elliot was alive, breathing, on the mend — just like the rest of them. So Riker didn’t need to act like some panicked mother hen.
But the closer he got to Elliot’s house, the harder it was to pretend that everything was normal. A starseed being pulled wasn’t something you just got over. Maybe. When they told her what happened, Maisie seemed convinced that Elliot would simply take it as a sign that he would actually never die, before mumbling something about boys and testosterone.
But Riker remembered too clearly the way Elliot had looked. Too pale, too still… He hadn’t been covered in blood like before, but what was worse?
He let out a breath, trying to shake off any discomfort he felt before he climbed the steps of the porch. He wasn’t there to smother anyone. Just… check in. Make sure Elliot was actually okay. Maybe make sure Atticus wasn’t spiraling somewhere in the background. And maybe Atticus had a chance to get more out of Julian than he could, since Riker had to check in with multiple people and not spend nearly as much time as he wanted with any of them.
The container of French onion soup in his hands was still warm. Evan had made way too much and practically shoved it at him with an unspoken take care of your friends. Riker planned to.
He lifted his hand and knocked — just three light taps, not wanting to wake anyone if Elliot had been resting. He’d texted ahead of time, but he knew how quickly plans could change.
“Hey,” he called through the door, trying to sound casual instead of anxious. “It’s me. Brought food. Just wanted to… you know… See how you’re doing.”
No big deal. Just checking in.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:08 am
Elliot answered the door in a faded sweater and sweatpants he’d just barely grown out of but wasn’t ready to give up on. His hair was tied back, and he wore festive socks, probably still new from Christmas. He looked tired, despite the grin on his face.
“Riker. Come inside. It’s too cold to stand on the doorstep. Unless you weren't done admiring the lights? It’s been too cold, dad doesn’t want to take them down yet.”
He gestured for Riker to follow him inside. Elliot had a nest in the living room, where there was a mountain of blankets and pillows on one couch. Scooby Doo was on, and the house smelled like a mixture of cookies and chili.
The Switch on the coffee table was paused, resting atop his closed laptop.
“I told my parents you were coming, but one’s in the garage and one’s upstairs in the shower, so don’t be surprised if they pop out. They already know about what happened, so you don’t have to keep it a secret.”
He paused as he collapsed backwards onto the couch. “Well,” he amended. “I mean, I gave them the abbreviated version. Don’t spook them. They’re already high strung enough about the short version.”
Pulling a blanket over his lap, he glanced at the container Riker brought with barely concealed interest.
“What about you, how are you doing?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:08 am
There was relief when he saw Elliot. Smiling and talking about Christmas lights as though his soul hadn’t been ripped out of his chest. As if he hadn’t survived being stabbed with a sword.
Then the second thought followed close behind.
No Atticus.
Riker glanced briefly over Elliot’s shoulder, instinctive, before he caught himself and adjusted his expression back to something neutral. Totally chill. Normal visit.
He stepped inside, shoulders easing a fraction with the warmth. And then tightened again at the casual mention of Elliot’s parents knowing. His mouth twisted a little before he could stop it.
“Abbreviated version,” he echoed. “Yeah. That’s… probably for the best.”
He set the container down carefully on the coffee table. “Uh—... just in case you and your parents didn’t want to cook.” From his jacket pocket he pulled a bag that was big enough that it was surprising that it even fit, and placed it next to the soup.
“Croutons and cheese. Mom— uh… Evan made a bunch because he knows it’s my favorite, but there’s no way I’ll eat it all. French Onion soup,” he added, because he realized it might not be obvious.
Riker straightened, rolling his shoulders like he could shake the tension loose. “I’m good,” he said easily, too quickly. “Everyone’s alive. That’s… kind of the goal post right now.”
His expression softened a little as he looked at Elliot again, a bit quieter now. “Atticus just… taking a break? Or did I miss him by like five minutes?”
He leaned back against the arm of the couch, trying not to hover. “You look… tired,” he added gently. “But— good. Which I’ll take.”
His own eyes had dark circles from lack of sleep and stress, but at least he didn’t have to worry about his soul leaving his body. Just maybe his ribs breaking again.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:09 am
The corner of Elliot’s lip twitched when Riker said Mom. He didn’t make much of a show of it, not when Riker was still so self-conscious about–well, everything. But it was nice to hear him talk about a parent like a parent, and not some woman hell-bent on making his life miserable.
Elliot didn’t call him out on it. He didn’t want to draw attention to it. Didn’t want Riker to start catching himself before he said something honest.
There were a lot of things to be stressed about. He was glad Riker had someone at home looking after him.
“I am tired, yeah. I was up late. You know.” He leaned forward, cracking open the container to smell the French Onion Soup before nodding approvingly. “Thinking.”
He closed the container, not because he didn’t want to see if it tasted as good as it smelled, but because he and Riker didn’t often have time alone together. He didn’t want to waste it.
“Atticus is at home. Stick around for a while, he’ll be back over. He’s spending some time with his parents. I think they want to make sure he’s okay. They’re probably a little jealous that I’ve been getting him all to myself.”
He cracked another smile, but he watched Riker closely, like he was trying to read between the lines without having to ask.
“Thanks for the soup, Riker. It smells great.”
Riker was tense, wound up. Elliot had seen him roll his shoulders like that a thousand times before. Pacing across the field when a game was going badly.
“Alive’s the first goal post, yeah? What’s the next one?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:09 am
“Thinking, huh,” Riker echoed lightly, like it was nothing — like he wasn’t immediately curious. He didn’t press. At least not yet. He just tilted his head slightly and filed it away.
At the mention of Atticus being with his parents, something in him both eased and tightened at the same time. Relief, mostly. And then the quiet, almost embarrassed realization that… yeah. Of course Atticus had his own family. Of course he didn’t have to be glued to Elliot’s side every second. Riker looked away for a moment, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck.
“Good,” he said simply. “I’m glad they’re checking on him.”
He felt guilty not knowing what happened to most of the others after nearly dying again. But from the way Atticus had been holding himself, he likely had something dislocated. It was probably going to be sore. And for another moment, Riker felt guilty for not actually forcing Atticus to use the magic bone Énna had with him.
He gestured at the soup when Elliot closed the container. “Just… you know, don’t eat it cold. Please,” he added. Half stern, half fond. “Stove is best. Not the microwave. It needs to be hot, almost burning, before you put the cheese on. Otherwise it won’t melt right.”
He leaned back again, quieter now as Elliot let the topic shift to something heavier. The smile faded, replaced with something more solemn. More honest.
“Next goal post,” Riker said slowly. “Is not getting hunted every time we power up. And not getting anyone else hurt.” His jaw tightened. “The ones who had their starseeds pulled can’t step in at all. If Cahir realizes he was tricked…” He shook his head once. “He won’t hesitate.”
He paused, chewing on the inside of his mouth for a moment, but stopped when it reminded him of what Dering had to do to save them.
“I know we’ve got people who want to help. Zac… Atticus’s parents. Ganymede too. Lucien and Soleiyu…” He knew others were involved. The twins had gone to see Lysithea instead of going with the rest of them to the Springs, for one.
“We can’t afford to pull in more people. Not yet. It’s too risky.” He glanced up at Elliot then, searching his eyes, but carefully. Like he didn’t want to scare away something that might be trying to hide. “You were thinking about something specific, weren’t you?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:10 am
Another smile cracked across Elliot’s face. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it wasn’t so far from it. Riker sounded like he was reciting something, in the way Elliot would have parroted his fathers’ instructions.
He sounded confident, too. Like he knew what he was talking about.
It was thoughtful. It was kind.
Riker must have been worried.
“Is that your way of telling me to lay low?” Elliot asked first, a little amused, but obviously unsurprised. He’d been thinking about that, too.
“I was thinking about a lot of things. I don’t really like sitting around and doing nothing.”
Elliot liked to do things. He liked to be productive. Keep things moving. Fix things.
If Cahir realizes he was tricked–yeah, Elliot knew what that meant. For all four of them. Which sucked because he, Halle, Stirling, and Yvoire were all Knights. Strong. Experienced. It wasn’t that the others weren’t, but Dering wouldn’t fight. That’s not where his strengths were. He could shield. Ephesus could heal, but fighting wasn’t his forte. Lisse could fight. Reims could fight.
Rose and Lyon were only Pages. Cynthus, a Squire. By no means helpless, but also by no means expected to handle a General.
“I’m not used to being benched.”
Not quite bitter. Not quite resigned, either.
He was trying to think his way out of uselessness.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:10 am
Riker grimaced despite himself. Not because Elliot was wrong, but because he knew exactly how that felt.
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “I figured you wouldn’t be.”
They’d both spent too many seasons on the field to pretend being benched didn’t rub the wrong way — in all parts of life. Elliot was good. The kind of guy people picked first to be on their team. Everyone knew it. Reliable, fast, clever — the kind of teammate you only pulled if you absolutely had to. And that included their life as Knights. Riker shifted his weight, folding his arms loosely. He glanced down at the soup container like it might have some hidden answers tucked into it, courtesy of Evan.
“I don’t like it either,” he said after a moment. “You sitting out. It feels… wrong.”
He let out a breath and shook his head. “But laying low doesn’t mean doing nothing. It just means not putting yourself where you’re the first target.” His jaw tightened. “I’m not willing to lose you because Cahir decides to make an example.”
Although, he was pretty sure Cahir would murder all of them now, if given the chance.
“We still need to figure out what’s going on with the youma. Where he’s hiding. How he keeps finding us. There’s work that doesn’t involve powering up.”
Then, quieter — more personal.
“I just… don’t want anyone thinking they’ve been left behind.” He picked at the seam of his sleeve. “I’ve done that before. Or thought I had. And it sucks.”
He paused, then continued. “You don’t have to prove you’re useful to me, Elliot. You already are. I just need you here. Alive.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:10 am
It obviously wasn’t easy for Riker to be honest–not in the gentle way that he had to whisper, like he was afraid if he spoke too loud, he’d ruin whatever he was trying to say.
This conversation didn’t feel any better than Elliot expected it to. He didn’t bother pretending like he was in a great mood, but neither did he seem like he was letting it weigh too heavily on his shoulders. Elliot wasn’t prone to bouts of despair.
This was a problem. It could be fixed.
He was just trying to figure out how.
“Yeah, yeah. I know I’m useful. I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone.” Which was true. He was confident, but practical. Hubris wasn’t really an issue he had to deal with, and his pride wasn’t going to push him into making stupid decisions.
This was a minor setback.
He didn’t want to let it become a major one.
“You couldn’t leave me behind if you tried,” he teased. The corner of his lip twitched into a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Elliot knew how dangerous this was.
“I’ll be honest, though. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to help with any of that. I can’t do much about it when I’m not able to tap into my magic. I can’t track youma, or him. I don’t know how to help figure out how he’s finding us. I’m pretty sure everything I can think of doing requires me to have access to being a Knight. Which is a little off the table.”
He shrugged casually, as if this wasn’t eating him up inside.
“I don’t like the idea of everyone going out without me. I mean, I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you guys. I don’t like the idea that you might wind up in trouble while I’m stuck here at home.” He knew he wasn’t totally dead weight but it was too risky to go out flippantly.
“Do you have a plan for anything yet? Are you thinking the rest of you are going to keep patrolling?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:11 am
Riker huffed, low and frustrated as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “I wish I had a good answer for you.”
His ears burned in that familiar, uncomfortable heat that came whenever he felt caught between wanting to protect and knowing he couldn’t actually control anything. He leaned back against the couch arm again, restless.
“I don’t have a plan,” he admitted. The words tasted bitter in his mouth. “Julian’s shaken. Énna doesn’t want to go out. And I can’t exactly tell people to just… stop existing until Cahir loses interest.” A humorless breath left him. “And even if you did power up, I wouldn’t be able to stop you. I know that.”
He looked away, jaw tight. “I hate that.”
For a moment he stared at nothing, his thoughts spiraling. Lyon, whose civilian name he didn’t know — he could reach out to him. He could reach out to the others. But it felt like every option felt like it led to someone else getting hurt.
Then, quieter and a bit reluctant, he continued. “Cassidy mentioned Northpoint in the first place.”
Riker’s fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeve. “He doesn’t know who we are when we’re not Knights. Part of me keeps thinking… if he knew our identities, maybe he’d stay out of trouble. Or at least know when to run.”
He paused and made a face, then quickly shook his head.
“—And that’s stupid. I’m not dragging another friend into this.” He let out a slow breath. “I don’t want anyone else paying for our mess.”
He glanced back up at Elliot, his expression softer but clearly exhausted. “So yeah… for now, I don’t know. Maybe rushing to figure things out will get us better results than sitting around. There has to be something more to this…”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:11 am
Elliot hadn’t really expected an answer. Wanted one, sure.
But he hadn’t been able to come up with anything, either.
“I mean, we can always ask Atticus’ parents. I know you don’t want other people involved, but. They’re smart. They know what’s going on. Lucien’s over there right now, he might be able to help. I don’t know,” he admitted. “It feels like all of my plans right now involve asking someone else for help.”
Elliot wasn’t ashamed to ask for help. He’d grown up with supportive parents who had given him a strong support system.
He didn’t know what they could do. He didn’t want them involved. At all.
“I’ll keep thinking,” he promised. He didn’t look at Riker. His eyes were focused on the empty space across the room. “I’m not the sort to give up. I know you aren’t, either. We’ll figure something out. This part just sucks.”
He exhaled, less to breathe and more to fill the silence.
“How are you doing?” he asked, quieter. “Are you okay? Like, really. Are you taking care of yourself?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:11 am
Riker hesitated. Not because Elliot was wrong — he wasn’t — but because saying yes, they needed help, meant admitting that… well… they needed help.
“Yeah,” he said after a second, nodding in agreement. “We could ask them. I’m not thrilled about it, but… they already know more than most, and they’re not stupid. They’ll probably be able to point out all the things we’re missing.”
He shifted restlessly where he stood against the side of the couch. “I guess part of me’s just worried Zac’ll look at us and go, you’re kids, stop doing this, and that’ll be it.” He paused and grimaced at himself. “I know that’s not really fair. I haven’t really talked to him about it. It’s just—” He shrugged, a little helpless. “Hard not to feel like we’re one bad call away from being benched permanently.”
Since talking in baseball terms made things feel not as horrible.
He glanced back at Elliot then, more confident now at least. “But asking for help isn’t the same as giving up. You’re right about that.”
At the question, his shoulders lifted and fell. “I’m fine,” he said automatically, but then softened his voice a little. “Really. Evan made my favorite soup, so I’m clearly being supervised,” he huffed, but it was fond rather than annoyance.
“I just… worry, I guess,” he added lightly. He glanced over at Elliot again and sighed. “You focus on healing and thinking. I’ll handle keeping things together. Between the two of us, yeah… we’ll figure something out.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:12 am
Elliot gave him a semi-exasperated look. “I’m probably more healed than you,” he pointed out. “I’m sore. Feels like I tackled the ground.” An understatement, but not so far from the truth. The physical force was comparable.
The sensation of fingers in your chest, not quite the same.
Like a tickle in the back of his throat, just a few inches lower. Sometimes it felt like heartburn. Sometimes it felt like a cough that wouldn’t come out. Sometimes it felt like a shiver down his spine.
Sometimes it just felt like a hand wrapped around his starseed.
“I’m glad you’ve got people looking out for you at home. Make sure you let them take care of you, okay? Even Zac. You don’t have to be a tough guy about it. Nobody’s gonna bench us. Well, permanently, at least. We’ll figure something out.”
He wasn’t giving up. Not now, not ever.
There was a solution out there. They just hadn’t found it yet.
“You know Evan’s got your back, no matter what. I don’t think he’d let anyone tie you down. Of course, I’m surprised none of our parents have decided we’re only allowed to go out if we’ve got a chaperone. At least until this guy’s been taken care of.” Elliot cracked a grin that almost reached his eyes. “Might not be such a bad thing, though. I mean, unless you’re worried your parents are going to embarrass you if we all hang out.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:12 am
Riker let out a sort, disbelieving huff. “A chaperone,” he echoed, scowling lightly. “Yeah, that’d go over real well.”
He shook his head, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Honestly, I’m just… glad nobody’s tried to ground us or slap GPS trackers on us.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion. “Though I’d be shocked if at least one Mauvian hasn’t already done that. Feels like something they’d do.”
His expression eased into something quieter and he shrugged lightly as if it wasn’t a big deal when he continued. “Zac and Atticus’s parents have been careful. I get it. Whenever we’re powered, they don’t want the Negaverse figuring out we’re connected. They don’t want to make us targets by standing too close.”
He let out a resigned breath. “It’s smart. It just… sucks sometimes. When we went back to the building, Zac stayed far away. Didn’t even look at me much.” He paused and made sure his expression hadn’t twisted into disappointment. “I know why. I don’t blame him. But for a moment I really wished I could just… stand next to someone who knew what they were doing. Someone who’d done this before.”
He looked back up at Elliot, his expression tightening for just a moment before he smoothed it out again. “I think I just hate how… fragile everything feels right now,” he admitted. “Like if one person steps wrong, the whole thing collapses.”
His shoulders lifted and fell in a small shrug. “I’m used to problems you can train for. Run a few laps. Swing a bat a few times. Throw a ball back and forth. This isn’t that. It’s a lot of waiting and hoping nobody gets hurt in the meantime.”
After a moment, he added more quietly, “I trust you guys. I really do. I just wish trusting people made things magically better.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:12 am
“I know.”
Elliot pressed his lips together into a tight line. “I wish it did, too. I trust you guys. But I guess we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
They hadn’t done things like this before. They hadn’t dealt with threats like this before.
People like this before.
“One day, it’s gonna be us, you know. We’ll be the people who have ‘done this before’. Right now we’re still learning. Nobody expects us to know everything. I think we’re all sort of playing this by ear.”
Everyone was doing their best. And they were all still alive–by luck, skill, or some cosmic force watching out for them.
“And you know? I don’t think I’d care if a Mauvian was tracking me. I mean, technically Atticus has a tracking pen, he can press the button for help. I never really stopped to think if that meant it could be tracked even if it wasn’t pressed.” It wasn’t like they were ever getting into any real trouble, though. He’d rather someone be able to tell where he was if something happened, anyway.
“...But I feel better knowing people have my back. Even if they trust me to go out and make mistakes, first. Not sure if this counts as a mistake,” he said, laying his hand on his chest. He was tender with it, like he had an injury he didn’t want to agitate. “But I keep replaying things in my head. I don’t know what we could have done differently. There’s probably a way to train for this. Sparring or something. We know plenty of people who know how to fight. But I guess, you want to hit up a rage room or something with me sometime? Might not teach us how to fight any better but could be good for blowing off steam. I figure you’ve probably been swallowing all this stress and trying to play it cool, haven’t you?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2026 8:12 am
Riker made a face immediately. “Us?” he repeated, skeptical. “The people who’ve ‘done this before’?” He shook his head. “I don’t know if anyone should be taking notes from me. I mostly just… react. Half the time I’m pretty sure I make things worse before they get better.”
He went quiet for a moment at the suggestion that it wasn’t a bad thing if they were tracked, lips pressing together in thought. He didn’t argue it. Didn’t say out loud what flickered through his head. It was ugly but practical in that if they did have trackers on their body, maybe once Cahir finally did them in—...
Instead of letting the thought finish, he shook his head again, as if he could physically knock it loose. No… he wasn’t going to think about that.
“Being prepared is about all we’ve got right now,” he said instead, pulling himself back to the present. “Paranoid, situational awareness. Watching for strange things. Julian knew something was off about that place way before the rest of us did.” His brows furrowed as he remembered seeing Julian staring into the dark corners like he saw a ghost. “I don’t have his instincts, but… next time, we should trust those odd feelings sooner. Even if I can’t explain it.”
He looked back at Elliot then, more certain. “I’d still go anywhere with you. Benched or not.”
At the mention of a rage room, he blinked. “A what?” Then he snorted softly. “Yeah, sure. Sounds interesting. Very… therapeutic.”
Riker scoffed, folding his arms like he hadn’t just admitted any of that. “And for the record, I’m not ‘swallowing stress.’ I’m fine. Always cool. I can handle anything.”
He paused, then added, maybe a little too quick, “But— yeah… I’d go with you.”
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