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 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:20 am
Backdated to April 19 The room had been cleaned, organized, cleaned, organized, cleaned, organized--so many times, and yet...
It looked the same.
Almost.
What went into the closet stayed there, mostly. But slowly, over the weeks, Julian had gone into the boxes, and taken one thing out, and then another, and another. It was an incredibly slow reclamation of the space he shared with Riker, and what had been retrieved could have probably all been packed into a single box or two as well, but Julian didn't like change.
Even if he'd been the one to cause it.
Making a new normal took time, and he'd spent his energy elsewhere.
Or, maybe, saved it, for this.
A soft towel lay atop his desk, and his violin, freshly polished, was atop that. He had angled his desk lamp to see better, and even though a window was open, the room still smelled faintly nutty. He sat in his chair, one leg folded underneath himself, as he diligently restrung what looked to be the last string left.
The television was on, with the volume loud enough that Julian might have been somewhat paying attention to the show in the background. Obviously part of a larger series, the man on screen was taking his time to go over the ways to safely remove old tree stumps or fallen trees as he cleared out an overrun hiking path.
The door to the room had been closed earlier, not because Julian wanted privacy, but because he knew the fumes from the polish could be a little overwhelming. Once he finished, he’d gone downstairs while the smell thinned out. The house was somewhat empty today, and since everyone seemed to have somewhere to be, Julian took advantage of their absence. He and Maxim had played outside for a while before he went back upstairs to finish the job. Maxim stayed downstairs.
Julian's hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and he'd rolled up the sleeves of his sweater to his elbows so he could work.
Riker had spent last night elsewhere, and Julian predicted he'd be back a little later in the evening. They came earlier than expected, but Julian heard the footsteps on the stairs and recognized them before the door opened.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:23 am
The trip home had been shorter than Riker originally planned. Cassidy had insisted he take some cookies home — biscotti, still wrapped carefully in parchment — and somewhere along the way Riker had decided he'd rather spend the rest of the afternoon at home than out. Evan had offered to help touch up the red in his bangs again, though it hardly needed it. It was really just an excuse to let him spend time with people without having to admit that was what he wanted in the first place.
By the time he climbed the stairs, his hair had been left loose around his shoulders instead of tied back, still faintly damp around the dyed strands near the front.
He recognized the television before he reached the room. The door was closed.
Riker paused outside for a moment, balancing the small paper bag against his hip before lifting his hand and giving the wood a couple light knocks.
"Hey, Jules?" he called through the door, just loud enough to be heard over the television. "Can I come in?"
He waited for the answer before easing the door open. The first thing he noticed was the smell. It wasn't unpleasant. Then he spotted the polish and the towel spread across Julian's desk/ And then his eyes drifted to the violin in Julian's hands, and a small smile pulled at his lips without thinking.
"...Oh."
It wasn't often he got to see Julian working on it like this.
"I didn't realize you were restringing it." His attention lingered for another moment, before he lifted the paper bag slightly. "Cassidy sent you cookies," he explained, although he grimaced a little at himself as he spoke. "Or… he sent me home with cookies and said I had to share." As if Riker wouldn't share everything he had with Julian.
He stepped inside all the way and closed the door behind him to keep the smell from drifting through the house.
"I can leave them over here if you're in the middle of something," he offered, glancing back at the violin. "I don't want to distract you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:23 am
"Oh--no, it's okay. I'm almost done," Julian said, shifting positions just slightly so he could push himself up with his knee. He didn't look up immediately, only because he seemed to be completely focused on the last string.
His hands moved with certainty, but he was slow and careful all the same.
"It doesn't smell too badly, does it? I finished about an hour ago. Um, I left the window open so I was hoping it wasn't too bad." It wasn't even too warm in the bedroom, and the open air had refreshed it. The curtains were pulled back, brightening the room up.
"Did you and Cassidy have fun? I thought you might be out for a little later, sorry about the mess. It won't take me long to clean. I'm just on the last string right now, and--"
He finished, obviously, because he finally turned and looked at Riker. His brows furrowed in slight confusion, but the small smile affixed to his face never wavered. "Oh, you did your hair? It looks really good."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:24 am
Riker glanced over at the open window when Julian mentioned the smell and shook his head. "No, it's fine," he assured him. "I noticed it when I came in, but it doesn't smell bad."
He stayed near the door for another moment, watching Julian finish with the string. The room didn't look messy to him, either. There were things out, sure, but Julian was using them. It wasn't like Riker had any room to complain about someone taking up space in their own bedroom.
"It's not a mess," he added, brow furrowing faintly. "You don't have to clean anything up because I came home."
At the question about Cassidy, Riker's attention dropped briefly to the bag in his hand.
"Yeah," he answered after a breath. "We had fun."
The words were simple enough. Probably safer that way. Riker wasn't going to lie to Julian, but he also wasn't going to explain what his definition of fun with Cassidy sometimes involved. It wasn't any of Julian's business, and he didn't make it a habit to go around sharing private things just because someone asked a perfectly innocent question.
Still, the thought made his ears burn before he cleared his throat and lifted the bag again, giving it a small shake.
"Cassidy made cookies," he reminded him, as though Julian might have somehow missed the important part the first time. "Biscotti. He said I had to share."
Riker finally crossed the room and set the bag on the dresser, safely away from the violin polish, although he kept glancing over at Julian as he did.
The compliment caught him a little off guard.
"Oh." His hand lifted toward his bangs, fingertips brushing the darker red strands near his forehead. "Thanks."
It really wasn't much. The red barely stood out against the rest of his hair unless the light caught it properly. It would have definitely looked brighter against Julian's blond, but Riker liked it anyway. Evan kept his own bangs dyed, and even if Riker didn't always say it out loud, he liked that something as simple as hair color made him feel connected to him.
"Evan helped me touch it up," he said instead. "It didn't really need it. I think he just likes having an excuse to make me sit still for a while." As if Riker wasn't happy to sit for Evan if it meant spending time with him.
He looked back at Julian's violin, then gestured toward it with a small tilt of his chin. "Do you have to tune it now, or does it need to sit first? I don't know how much different it is to my guitar."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:24 am
“Oh–right,” he smiled at the biscotti. “Thank you, I’ll be ready soon. I want to wash my hands and–well,” he looked back at his violin. “I don’t have to have it perfect by today. I do need to get it close. But I’ve been tuning it as I go along. The strings have to be close to where I want them so they can stretch right, but you can’t fine-tune them until they are all on or else the new one changes the old one. So–I can actually finish it later. Well–I need to get this last string. Is that okay? I’ll go fast,” he said. He left his violin where it was, and didn’t pick up the bow, either; he seemed prepared to either wait for an answer or a rejection.
But, before the silence could stretch into enough space for a response, he added, “You can keep talking, too. I can do this quietly. Um, I mean. If you wanted. I can go outside, too. If you were thinking you might like a little quiet.”
Because, Julian wouldn’t say it, and maybe he wasn’t even thinking it, but Cassidy could be a little loud. He liked to talk. A lot. Julian didn’t mind listening, but after a long social outing, he did like to come home to a nice, quiet room.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:24 am
Riker stared at him for a moment.
Julian was just being Julian. Riker knew how quickly he rearranged himself around everyone else, how easily he treated his own presence like it was something that needed permission. Knowing why didn't make Riker like it, but pushing too hard would only make Julian think he'd done something wrong.
"You don't have to go fast," he said, gentler than his expression. "And you don't have to go outside."
He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, close enough to watch without crowding him.
"I came home because I wanted to be here," he added. "I missed seeing you. Or talking to you. Or just… being in the same room."
The admission felt more vulnerable out loud, so he glanced toward the television to give them both some space to settle.
"You can finish it. I don't mind watching." His attention shifted back to the violin and Julian. "Unless you don't like people hovering while you work. I can stay over here."
He leaned back slightly, studying the strings. "I actually want to see how you do it. Guitar strings are annoying enough."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:24 am
“You missed me?” The corner of Julian’s smile tugged a little. “That’s really sweet, Riker. I missed you, too. But I hoped you were having fun. Maxim and I had a sleepover last night.” It was hard to be lonely when Maxim decided you were his pillow.
“Um, you can watch, of course, but–”
He looked at the violin, and then back at Riker. “I’m not really good with having eyes on me, so I’ll probably make some mistakes. But I promise I know what I’m doing.”
Like all things, Julian performed best when there was very little pressure, and that included even the most mundane of tasks. It didn’t matter if he knew what he was doing; the sheer overload of what might go wrong, and how he would need to fix it, tended to muddle the process.
But, he stepped to the side to make sure Riker could see.
“I can kind of do this just by plucking the strings so it might not be exciting,” he said, and plucked the most recently strung one–obviously out of tune, then he plucked the first string–much closer to correct, but still a little off. He tightened the newest string and plucked again, and then repeated the process.
“It’s not much harder than a guitar,” he suggested. “I mean, if you do it a few times, it kind of comes naturally. I’m a little rusty but my fingers know what to do. And my ears know what it’s supposed to sound like. I think the biggest thing is just that sometimes parts of the violin don’t want to stay where they’re supposed to. But it’s okay, you just have to be careful.”
He almost reached for his bow, stopped, and then just plucked the strings individually, tightening a little each time as he went along.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:24 am
Riker felt heat creep into his face at Julian's smile and looked away for just a moment.
"Yeah," he said, quieter than before. "Of course I missed you."
The fact that Julian had missed him too settled warmly in his chest, even if he didn't know what to do with it beyond letting a small smile pull at his mouth.
"I'm glad you had Maxim," he added. "He probably took up more of the bed than I do."
When Julian warned he might make mistakes, Riker's brow furrowed a little. "You don't have to promise me anything," he huffed lightly. "I know you know what you're doing."
He stayed where he was on the bed, making a point not to lean closer when Julian shifted over for him. He wanted to watch, but not enough to make Julian uncomfortable.
"I can look away if it gets distracting," he offered. "Or pretend I'm watching the TV."
His attention followed Julian's hands as he adjusted the string, listening to the small differences each time he plucked it. Riker couldn't have said exactly what had changed, but he could hear it getting closer.
"That's still more than I know how to do," he admitted. "I mostly just have you to tune it for me, or Mr. Reid has a few times. He showed me his tuner but I don't think I can get even that right."
He watched Julian reach for the bow and stop, but didn't comment on it.
"It sounds better already," he said instead. "You can take your time."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:25 am
Julian flashed another quick smile; he kept his eyes on the strings, not because he needed to, but because it was easier. He could pretend like he was alone if he wasn’t looking, but even if Riker hadn’t been speaking, he had a way of warming up the room.
“It gets easier,” Julian promised. “Once you do it enough you can do it by ear. And then, even if you’re rusty–” he plucked the string and adjusted it once more, but then when he plucked again, he seemed happy with it, “–it still comes back.”
He plucked all of the strings–fixed one, plucked them all again, and then immediately began to clean up.
“It just takes practice. Anyone can do it. I used to have a really hard time. Actually, I used to play on bad strings, too. But restringing a violin can get really expensive so I tried to push it off as much as possible. Um, but then sometimes the strings can snap, and it’s a little, um–well, you shouldn’t do that. It’s bad for you, and bad for the violin. But, um. I can finish this later. It’s–you know, it can make some not pretty sounds while it’s settling. And I’m–you know, rusty.”
He hurried to clean up the things he was already done with–the polish, and the box of strings, first. “Did you and Cassidy do anything fun? Or just the usual?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:25 am
Riker listened without interrupting, his attention following Julian's hands as he tested each string and made the final adjustments. He knew Julian hadn't played in a while. Seeing the violin out at all felt… important… even if Riker wasn't going to risk saying so and making Julian self-conscious about it.
"It probably helps that you've been doing it for years," he said. "I still feel like I'm going to break something every time I touch mine."
Technically, it wasn't really his guitar. Julian had brought it back from his Wonder and gifted it to him, which meant it had belonged to Cyril first. Riker tried not to think too hard about that whenever his fingers slipped or a string made a sound it wasn't supposed to make.
When Julian began hurriedly packing everything away, Riker opened his mouth to tell him he didn't have to stop.
But then Julian asked about Cassidy.
Riker choked on absolutely nothing.
"We— What?" Heat rushed into his face so quickly that there was no chance of pretending the question hadn't affected him. Of course Julian didn't mean anything by it. To Julian, the usual probably meant talking too much, watching movies, or Cassidy finding some new excuse to hang all over him. Which… they had done all those things, too.
"Yeah. We did normal things," Riker sputtered. "Fun things. He— We made cookies."
That was true, more or less. Cassidy had made cookies. Riker had mostly watched. And distracted him.
He glanced at the paper bag as if it was some kind of escape route.
"Actually, you should try one."
Riker stood quickly and retrieved the bag from the dresser, carrying it over before Julian could ask any more questions. He opened the parchment and held it out with determined insistence.
"They're good. Cassidy made them himself. Said his grandmother taught him." He paused, then added, maybe a little too defensively, "And you don't have to put everything away. I said I didn't mind."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:25 am
Julian caught the sputter and the flush, and the quick return to the cookies. It was odd, but maybe Riker was just always cagey about Cassidy. He wasn’t very good at not being suspicious about it, but Julian made a note to tread carefully.
He grabbed some hand sanitizer–the closest thing he had to wash his hands with, and then wiped them off on his pants.
When Riker offered the bag, he was careful to reach in and only touch one. He pinched the biscotti carefully, extracting it without even touching the walls of the bag.
“Oh, it smells good.” And, because Cassidy made it, he knew it was already made with care and consideration.
And Riker really wanted him to try one.
It was softer than he expected, but he still turned behind him to pick up his cup of tea. It was half finished, but warm thanks to the cup-warmer Riker had gifted him. Julian had it on the edge of the desk, within reach, but safely away from spilling.
He took one bite over the cup, just to make sure he didn’t spill any crumbs, and savored the flavor. Then, he dipped it in his tea and tried again, but the cookie didn’t really need to be softened.
Julian’s jaw didn’t act up too much, but every now and then it still cracked, and while it had been a painless surprise before, now the sound just felt uncomfortable. He was careful, like always, but maybe Cassidy had noticed if he was sending Riker home with soft biscotti to share.
While he chewed, he nodded approvingly.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:25 am
Riker watched Julian take the first bite, and used the moment to force himself to settle down. It wasn't like he was trying to hide anything. There was just… no version of explaining what he and Cassidy usually did together that Julian would actually want to hear. And the longer Riker thought about those usual things, the more likely he was to make the whole thing awkward for himself.
When Julian nodded, some of the tension left his shoulders.
"Good, right?" he asked, sounding perhaps a little too pleased on Cassidy's behalf. He waited until Julian had finished chewing before taking one for himself, then sat back down on the edge of the bed. His attention drifted toward the violin again, but he resisted asking Julian to keep going. He'd already said he could finish later, and Riker didn't want to turn interest into pressure.
Instead, he took a bite of the biscotti and glanced over at him.
"Do you have any new updates with the fish eggs?" he asked. It had been a little while since he'd heard about their progress, although that could have been because there wasn't much to report. Eggs probably weren't especially exciting most of the time.
"And everything's okay with Cyril?" he added after a moment. "He's not mad I haven't played his music for him yet, is he?"
Riker frowned slightly at the thought. He'd been practicing, but he didn't want to play it for Cyril until he could do it properly. Or at least well enough that he wouldn't make Cyril regret trusting him with it.
"I don't want to mess it up when I play it for him," he explained. Then, after another bite, "Did the roseberries grow any more?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:26 am
“Um, not really any big updates,” Julian said, though seemed reluctant to have only that to share. His lips pressed together briefly and he shrugged, and reached up like he was going to untie his hair but forced his hand back to his side.
He stirred the spoon in his mug instead, eyes fixed to the way the liquid swirled behind the spoon.
“But sometimes no news is good news right?”
And sometimes it was just grasping at straws.
“Cyril is doing okay, too. He asks about you sometimes, but it’s never about anything bad. We talk about a lot of things. He asks how you’re doing. Actually, he mentioned that I should take some more instruments. He was telling me that he’s a bit disappointed to see them in the state they’re in. The way he talks about them, I think he could fix them if, well,” Julian shrugged again a bit helplessly.
“All the humidity has really done a number on them. I was thinking I should take some pictures and ask Mr. Reid if he thinks any of them might be salvageable. I mean, I’m sure they are.” With enough money, everything was possible, right? But he was a little limited in that regard, so it required more planning.
“I’ve got so many projects going on up there, though. It’s hard to prioritize them.” Julian’s eyes had opened a little, and there was a bit of a spark when he spoke. The tasks weren’t daunting–he wasn’t overwhelmed. He was excited, even if it was a quiet, subdued sort of enthusiasm.
“I might spend a little more time up there during the summer. I mean, that’s a whole other thing to figure out, though. And I hope you can come up with me again, if you want. You don’t have to work with me, but I could show you around. And I think Cyril would love good company. But, um. In the meantime, I really wish I could bring more of Dering home with me to work on throughout the week. I feel like there’s so much more I should be doing.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:26 am
Riker noticed the way Julian's expression changed when he talked about the instruments. It wasn't anything dramatic, but there was a spark there that hadn't been there a moment ago, and Riker found himself smiling faintly around another bite of biscotti.
"I want to go," he said, maybe a little too quickly. He cleared his throat and looked down at the cookie in his hand.
"I mean… if you want company. I can help, or stay out of the way if you're doing something you don't want me touching. But I'd like to see more of it. And Cyril."
The invitation was more important to Riker than he knew how to say. Julian kept so much of himself private that being asked to come back felt like being trusted with something special.
He hesitated before continuing.
"Maybe don't bring all the instruments back at once, though."
Riker glanced up quickly, wanting to make sure Julian didn't mistake caution for doubt.
"Not because I don't think you can fix them. Just… things on my Wonder started repairing themselves after a while. You saw the stained glass. There's no way I did that, and I definitely didn't fix the organ."
He shifted slightly on the bed, thinking everything over.
"Maybe Dering will do the same. Or help enough that they're easier to repair later. You could take pictures first, like you said, and maybe move them somewhere drier if there's a room that actually keeps the moisture out."
He wasn't sure there was. From what he'd seen of Dering, keeping anything dry might be its own project.
"But I can help with that," he added. "Moving them. Cleaning. Whatever you need," Riker promised. He studied Julian for a moment before his voice softened. "You don't have to do all of it at once, Jules. It doesn't mean you aren't doing enough."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 10:26 am
Julian wore a small, practiced smile that said nothing, but he didn’t seem to be carrying any tension in his shoulders.
“I was thinking I might try one at a time.” He looked at his desk, like this was all the space he might allow himself to work, sipped at his tea, and then smiled again.
“I asked Soleiyu about a dehumidifier. I took measurements of the room already. He thinks he can have something built before I go back next week.” Obviously, Julian didn’t doubt him. Soleiyu could do anything, and while he sometimes huffed at all of Julian’s questions, he also rewarded his curiosity with well-thought answers, and he was constantly building things.
It was never easy for Julian to ask for anything, but it was even harder to say no, so when Soleiyu offered to make something, when he insisted, Julian had no fight. Only an immense, unending well of gratitude.
“I keep the room pretty clean. I have been afraid to touch some of the instruments just because they’re so fragile. I hope Dering might be able to heal itself. But…I think it needs a little more work. I can’t ask much of it right now. Cyril says parts of the forest are still very sick. I hope those are the parts that might heal first.”
He hadn’t seen them, not really. Only where he’d wandered, apparently so close to danger then that Cyril had to intervene to redirect him. Julian hadn’t gone back. He went where Cyril approved, and no further.
“If I can help, even in any small way, I’d like to try.” Something twisted in his stomach, but he drew in a slow breath. “I’m still trying to figure out where I belong up there.”
If he belonged up there.
“I’ll have to ask Cyril if he’s noticed any parts of the forest repairing themselves. He’d know better than anyone else, but he hasn’t mentioned anything. I might be doing something wrong.”
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