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 Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:33 pm
Very frequently, Riker wondered what he did to deserve Julian’s friendship. And it was more than just Julian being friendly with everyone. He felt safe with Julian, just as he felt safe with Dawn. In many ways they were similar, although from vastly different backgrounds. She also gave him a chance when no one else wanted to. And he was positive she’d be one of the people who would want to visit him.
He paused for a moment to think, and not just catch his breath. He didn’t want to use Julian, but if he was offering to help, Riker didn’t want to take that for granted.
“Could you get on the other side of me and let me hold onto you, please? I can probably pull myself up if I had an anchor.” He thought it would be too cheesy to confess that Julian was an anchor to him in many ways, not just to help him up on the bed. That he was really important to him, too.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:34 pm
Julian needed no convincing; as soon as Riker asked he was hurrying to oblige. “Yeah, of course,” he said, as if his nodding wasn’t a clear indication already.
Everything Julian did was careful, and would have been whether or not Riker had been hurt. He seemed keenly aware of the space he took up and the impact he had on the world around him. He was mindful of more than he needed to be but it came in handy for times like this.
He positioned himself in the way he thought would be easiest for Riker but he was ready to move at a second’s notice.
Nothing about any of this seemed silly or unreasonable to him, and Julian even wore a very serious, determined expression as he did his best to help.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:35 pm
After Julian climbed up and over to the other side of him, Riker took hold of his arm and used him to carefully ease himself up onto the bed. It wasn’t done as quietly and gracefully as Riker would have liked.
The wounds were still painful, and he knew he still had a little while longer until he could take more medicine for the pain.
He tried not to whimper or whine as he managed, with Julian’s help, to lean back onto the pillows set up for him, and had his legs up on the bed, but he couldn’t quite manage it.
“Ah… ********,” he hissed, awkwardly trying to wipe away any moisture that formed in the corners of his eyes with his free hand. His other hand still held onto Julian’s arm, and he tried pulling him a little closer so he could give him a side hug in thanks.
“Okay… I’m okay. Thanks, Jules,” he said with as deep a breath as he could manage.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:36 pm
“It’s okay,” Julian reassured, not like he was trying to urge him to silence but because he wanted him to know that it was okay. He returned the half hug but this time he held it and didn’t seem to give any indication he planned on letting go any time soon.
“I’m sorry, you must be in so much pain, Riker. I can only imagine. I guess, maybe it might sound silly coming from me, but I think you’re really brave. And really strong. And I really admire you.”
He was fidgeting a little, and not looking at Riker. He tugged at one of the blankets, trying to at least tuck him in a bit.
“I was really scared when I heard you got hurt. But I was also sure you were going to be okay. Mostly because I know how strong you are. But also because I couldn’t imagine what I would do if anything worse happened to you. So, um. It’s such a big relief to be sitting here next to you.” He leaned into the hug and released a long sigh. “Do you want me to get you an ice pack or a hot pack? We’ve got lots of everything.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:36 pm
As much as everything sucked, Riker felt as relaxed as possible now that he was there, safe in Julian’s bedroom. He knew the likelihood of anyone trying to attack them now was very slim, especially when it was still the afternoon.
Julian was wiggling a bit, but he was hugging him back, so Riker didn’t think Julian wanted to get away from him. Did he smell? No, Devyn promised him that he didn’t, and even put some stuff in his hair to make it less obvious that he could probably benefit from a shower. Maybe he felt anxious about something.
Riker turned his head a little, just enough so he could press a kiss to the top of Julian’s head. He rubbed his arm a little too, keeping him close, but in a loose enough hug that he could pull away if he wanted.
“I don’t think it’s silly. Thanks for believing in me. It’s more than I can say for myself, sometimes,” he admitted, tipping his head to rest his cheek on the top of Julian’s head. “I’m sorry I scared you. I’m mad that it happened. I was supposed to talk to Énna about things, but… well, maybe he’ll forgive me out of pity,” he suggested, and then grimaced. That didn’t sound like a great plan.
“He’s okay,” he added quickly, not sure if Julian heard about what else happened. “He was hurt a bit, but managed to stay out of reach. Uh… I could probably use a hot pack, but not right now. I don’t want you to leave yet.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:44 pm
Julian didn’t pull away, he didn’t want to. His finicky behavior stemmed from a barrage of unchecked emotions but he didn’t want to be anywhere but by Riker’s side right now.
“I don’t want to leave either. You don’t have to apologize for scaring me, it’s not like you did anything wrong. I mean, you did everything right, didn’t you? So I’m really proud of you. You made the best of the worst situation. So, um, really you just gave me more reason to always believe in you.”
His arm was stretched over Riker’s shoulders so he gently rubbed his arm.
“Elliot and Atticus and I met up with Énna while you were still up in Sessrumnir. I wish you’d gotten to talk to Énna without any of that happening. I hope…I really hope for the best for you two.”
He was too optimistic, he knew it. He was too forgiving, too.
Énna owed no one anything, Julian just dreamed of a perfect world where no one ever got hurt and everyone always got along.
He knew it would probably only ever be a wish, but he wanted it even more now that Riker was lying in front of him so badly injured.
“Do you want the heated blanket on? I can reach that from here. You feel a little cold.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:46 pm
“You met up with Énna?” Riker asked before he could think better of it. He knew he sounded stupidly enthusiastic about it, despite the fatigue in his voice. He knew Énna was still mad at him. He knew Énna didn’t have to ever forgive him for being a jerk to him. But his heart still fluttered stupidly, just before his shoulders sank a little with disappointment in himself.
“Oh, yeah… that could be nice,” he glanced down at the blanket Julian mentioned, reluctantly releasing his hold on his friend so Julian could reach down for it.
“You’re lucky you didn’t feel how cold I was before. I guess I lost so much blood that both Atticus’ dad and Énna volunteered to give me theirs,” he admitted, although he was cautious about saying too much that would make Julian uncomfortable.
He was tired, but he was grateful to be with someone he could talk to so easily. He would have liked to stay with Evan longer as well, but knew he likely had to entertain Atticus’ parents and whoever else drifted through. Riker never lingered long enough to meet the other people who lived there. Any sign of someone else and he snuck up to Julian’s room to escape.
“Jules, I’m a Knight now, too,” he whispered, trying not to sound too excited about it. It clearly hadn’t helped when fighting that Captain, but. “I didn’t get a lot of time, but I’m pretty sure my new sword is taller than you.” It was probably taller than Yvoire too, but he didn’t get a chance to hold it up against him.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:47 pm
Julian nodded along as Riker spoke, listening to everything with a dedicated ear. Though Riker released him, he didn’t move. He kept Riker in a half hug and toed at the heated blanket at the foot of the bed until he could pull it closer, and once he had it over Riker’s lap he just had to tug at the cord. It would have been easier if he’d just leaned away to get it but he wasn’t ready to let Riker go. What were a few extra seconds added onto a minor task, anyway?
He pressed the button three times and then relaxed as the blanket began to slowly warm.
“Is it?” he gasped, excitedly whispering back. No one could hear them up here so there wasn’t any need for it but it was better than exclaiming loudly so close to Riker’s ear. “Congratulations! I can’t wait to see, Riker!”
In time, of course. Rest was more important.
“I knew you lost a lot of blood, but that much? I guess that explains some of the medicine you’re supposed to take. Evan was making a lot of iron rich meals. You are looking a little pale but I didn’t want to say that in case you were self conscious.”
He pressed the button a fourth time to hurry up the heat, and rubbed Riker’s arm like that might help, too. “What was Sessrumnir like?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 7:55 pm
Oh, Julian was sweet. Especially with him worried about Riker being self conscious. He didn’t have to stay so close to him if it was easier to move to get the blanket, but since Julian didn’t seem to want to move away from him, Riker shifted his arm back to wrap around him once more. He also made sure to pull the blanket up to share since they were sitting together, anyway.
“Wet,” he grimaced, and then shook his head. “You’ll have to come some day. I’m sure we can come up with an excuse or something. Get Atticus to convince Mr. Gallo that we need a break from the pressure of school or something,” he snickered quietly.
“Definitely keep a bathing suit with you, just in case. It’s not really fun to swim around in full Knight clothes. But it’s more than just a big underground hot springs. There’s tons of rooms filled with books. We didn’t go very far -- just away from some of the humidity. But it seems like the place is huge. Mr. Gallo has a big white dog named Princess that laid on me half the time.”
Another grimace, but it was clear he wasn’t really upset about it.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:07 pm
“Oh, Princess? That’s a cute name. I would have thought Mr. Gallo might pick something more, um, poetic? I’m not judging,” he said quickly. “I like it. I can’t wait to meet…her?”
Was it an ironic name? He didn’t know. He didn’t care, she sounded like she was nice. He hoped she brought Riker some comfort while he was up there.
“I’d like to visit. Maybe we’ll get to go up sometime and no one will be hurt so we can all just enjoy it.” He’d heard about plenty from Atticus but he couldn’t imagine inviting himself or intruding. The others seemed comfortable with it, so his comfort was an extension of theirs. He hadn’t been to many Wonders so he had a natural curiosity about it–especially with it being Mr. Gallo’s!
The blanket was starting to warm up, and though his room was a comfortable temperature for him, he hadn’t lost so much blood that he was still somewhat cool to the touch. “Are you supposed to go back up again any time soon? I don’t suppose they had an idea for when you get to go back to doing things like normal, did they?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:07 pm
Riker groaned a little when asked if he was going to go back to Sessrumnir, and leaned his head back against the pillows set up for him.
“I hope not. It’s fine and all, but I thought my fingers would never stop being prunes after how long I had to sit in the water. I don’t mind water, it’s just… exhausting or something. I don’t know.”
It hadn’t been bad, but he was easily restless and sitting anywhere for too long wasn’t something he preferred.
“I guess when I start feeling better, I don’t know. Mr. Gallo said he would make sure I was covered at school so no one called my mom about it. But yeah, isn’t that name for his dog weird? I think she might have had that name before he showed up to be a Knight, though. Atticus’ other dad seems to have known her from, like… when he was there before.”
It was weird to think about people being over a thousand years old, but he supposed it was just as weird knowing they were magical aliens.
“We should all definitely go sometime. I’m pretty sure Mr. Gallo doesn’t mind, especially if Atticus asks.”
The blanket was comfortable, but he still tried to pull Julian closer, just to be a little warmer.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:09 pm
Julian almost laughed when Riker groaned, just because it was just such a nice taste of normalcy from him. “Was Atticus’ other dad good company at least? I bet the springs would be less exhausting if you had company to pass the time.”
…Knowing Riker, he probably kept up his walls and stayed as distant as possible but Julian didn't want to assume.
“I haven’t found any magical healing springs on my Wonder or I’d invite you up. It was less foggy the last time I went but I still feel like something’s watching me up there. Maybe I just have an overactive imagination,” he said, quick to dismiss anything ominous or worrisome. He loved his Wonder; the rest of Lysithea was safe so he was sure it was, too.
Julian was comfortably settled on the bed and though he moved carefully, he also didn’t seem shy about curling up next to Riker. They’d shared his bed often enough, the only difference now was that he had to be conscientious of Riker’s injuries.
At least the blanket was starting to warm up; he was still going to do his part to hurry up the process.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:09 pm
”He was okay, I guess,” Riker shrugged -- and winced with regret. Now that he was around Julian, it was easy to forget that his shoulder and back had also been injured. He had butterfly bandages holding it all together, and it was healing decently well, but it was still painful.
“Kinda weird. But I guess that’s what you get for being from another time and planet. He said he’d teach me how to fight. I don’t want a repeat of what happened,” he grumbled, but sighed and made sure Julian had enough space next to him.
“Wonders are weird. I doubt you have an overactive imagination. I mean, there’s animals that appear randomly, so maybe you’ve got some curious creatures,” he suggested, trying to stifle a yawn. Now that he was under the blanket and next to Julian, it was suddenly difficult to keep his eyes open. Julian was just so warm! Oh, and the blanket too.
“I’d like to see it someday. If there’s anything you need help with up there, I’m sure we can figure it out. We still have to figure out how to access those Headquarters the Code mentioned,” he mumbled tiredly, and a bit rambly at this point.
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:17 pm
Oh, Riker was fading, fast. Julian didn’t blame him. He’d been through so much. Evan was probably going as fast as he could to get the food together but he might also be getting all the information he needed from Michael.
That was okay. The food would keep.
Riker was hurting, if he could rest for a bit then maybe by the time he woke up it would be time for him to take some more medicine.
“You can come up with me,” he promised. “I’m sorry I haven’t brought you up before. It’s not that I don’t want you up there. I was just hoping I could find a way to make it beautiful first. But maybe I need help. Or maybe wonders are just weird! It’s unpredictable.”
Julian didn’t move from Riker’s side but he did adjust himself just a bit so he could try to make him a little more comfortable. There were still questions he wanted to ask, still things he wanted to talk about. But not right now, Riker would just deny himself the rest he needed to appease Julian.
They’d have plenty of time to talk. Curled up in bed next to Riker, Julian fixed the pillows and drew up the blankets. He didn’t need much room to be comfortable, and even if he suspected his arm would go sore if he stayed like this, it was worth it.
“When you’re feeling better, we can go up and look around. I wasn’t planning on going up by myself any time soon. I’d rather spend time with you, anyway.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:17 pm
“I’ll probably be sleeping most of the time I’m here,” he mumbled apologetically but appreciative of Julian wanting to spend time with him. But Julian was warm, and it was nice to be next to someone he knew he could trust.
More than just trust. He didn’t know at what point Julian became more than just an acquaintance, and then more than just a friend, but there was a deep loyalty and protectiveness he felt for him. It wasn’t unsimilar to how he felt about Dawn, and he still felt deeply for Énna, even if he knew he ruined things between them. Even Cassidy, he was surprised to realize it was more than just friendship that he felt.
Not that he knew what the hell to do with any of that information. Probably just be miserable about it and wallow in confusion and uncharacteristic indecision.
But for now, he was happy to have Julian by his side. Literally. He wasn’t as fluffy as Princess, but it was a familiar comforting weight, and he realized it was because of Julian that he felt comfortable with Princess against him.
“We’ll figure out when to go. Don’t apologize, I get it,” he promised. Wonders were weird.
“Thank you for staying with me,” he sighed softly, unable to keep his eyes open much longer now that Julian had pulled up the blankets and curled up next to him. He was still in pain, but at least he was warm and safe.
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