Adventures in Dating - 6. Coming Home

Chase was laying on the couch in his and Riley’s shared apartment. He was glad that they had decided to move in together, since it allowed them to pool their money and get a bigger apartment, plus a few bonus pieces of furniture to help make the place feel more at home, like the very couch he was laying on. Of course, it was more of a loveseat than a couch, but that suited Chase just fine, it gave him a chance to be right up close and personal to Riley, who was finally starting to relax and learn to appreciate the little touches that he was so fond of giving the younger blond.

The more Chase thought about it, the more surprised he was. He’d been living with Riley for a few weeks now, and dating for a couple weeks longer than that. As far as Chase remembered, this was the longest he had spent in a relationship with anyone. It wasn’t that he was afraid of dating or getting into something serious… he didn’t think so anyways, he didn’t like to think of himself as afraid of anything. There just wasn’t anyone who really captured his attention.

Chase remembered how he first met Riley, how much they fought and could barely tolerate each other’s differences. Now they were almost inseparable, and it made him wonder if they would have been as close if they had met as college classmates instead of as Rangers. They relied on each other and had to trust each other with their lives. That builds bonds, whether you want it to or not.

One thing that Chase would never have originally thought when first meeting Riley was how well the complimented each other, and how much each was changing for having been so close with the other. Chase was much more organized and even started arriving early to work, and Riley was learning how to relax and be less uptight about what goes on around him. Both still played to their strengths, but they were learning to adapt and become better-rounded people.

It made sense in a way that they were together, they were opposites that attracted to each other and balanced the other out. The fact that Riley was super hot helped too. Chase liked that he knew exactly what to say and do to get under Riley’s skin and provoke any kind of reaction he wanted out of the younger boy. This was something he could get used to and maybe it really was better to settle down than to play the field.

Chase smiled at the thought and got up to leave the apartment. It was almost time to meet Riley, and they had a special plan for the evening.

Riley was working his shift at the Dino Bite. It was late in the evening and the rush was gone, so it was quiet and gave Riley a chance to think about the last couple of months. He wasn’t too surprised that he and Chase became roommates, it sort of made sense since they both needed to save money on housing costs, and it was logical for them to room with each other instead of living on their own or with total strangers. That didn’t even take into consideration what would happen with their Rangering duties if they lived with roommates.

Dating Chase… that wasn’t something he planned for. If Riley was honest with himself, it wasn’t something he thought would ever happened. He had Chase pegged as a straight womanizer from the moment they met, and in hindsight that was an unfair generalization to make without giving Chase a chance to really show who he was under all the flirting and cheesy lines he fed the customers at the café. He was still getting used to the idea. Not just about dating Chase, but dating in general; he figured that was something that would happen later, like after they found all the Energems and saved the world.

Riley always figured that he would date someone like himself. A serious-minded thinker that he could match wits with, and engage in intellectual pursuits that they would both enjoy and learn from. It was the sort of thing that made sense to him, and anything that went wrong could be fixed just by putting their heads together and analyzing how to get back on track. With Chase there was a lot more tension because of how different they were, and that meant that Riley didn’t always know what to say or how to resolve what was bothering them.

Before, Riley was infuriated with Chase. He never seemed to put any effort into things, and the way he did go about fixing problems was more by feel than by any strategy. It defied logic sometimes how Chase managed to get things done, but then there was more to it than just simply doing things at random. Riley knew better now, and he was starting to learn that not everything needs to be analyzed, some things in life could only be felt.

They were good for each other, Riley decided. They didn’t always get along, and their different ways of doing things often meant that compromise was the order of the day, but he could see they were slowly becoming more alike than not. He wouldn’t let his routines get interrupted too much by Chase, but he was enjoying what it was like to just get up and do something different instead of waking up and going through the exact same set of activities as the previous day or week. And he could see that Chase was making an honest effort to keep his life clean and organized instead of letting chaos rule their shared apartment.

As his shift with the other Rangers ended, he didn’t stick around too long to talk and catch up. He would see them all tomorrow, but tonight was a special night and he had no intention of being late. He had an example to set, and he wouldn’t miss what was being planned with Chase for anything.

Chase was just setting down the blanket in Amber Beach Park when Riley found him. It was a good spot and was sure to have a perfect view of the evening’s festivities. Not only had Chase found a perfect spot, but he brought a picnic basket of sandwiches for the two to share while they waited.

Soon enough, it was dark out, and both boys were electric with anticipation. Chase was sitting back, leaning against a tree to keep him upright while Riley laid his head in Chase’s lap. Both boys looked up at the night sky.

Within a few moments, the night sky began to erupt with bursts of colour as the fireworks show began. Both boys knew that there were thousands of people in the park with them and that the other Rangers were somewhere in the park as well. Right now though, the boys only had themselves and the fireworks in their world. They held hands as the sky blossomed into different colours and shapes, gasping at the sound and wonderment expressed in the explosion of each firework. In this moment, the boys couldn’t imagine a more peaceful, perfect way to spend their evening together.

Too soon for the boys, the fireworks ended and the gathered citizens began to retreat from the park back to their lives. Chase and Riley stayed behind, with the younger boy sitting up to reach out and pull the New Zealander closer for a kiss.

Chase couldn’t believe how quickly Riley was learning about him. Where once their kisses were sloppy and tentative, now Riley was assertive, knowing exactly what to do to get a response from Chase. Chase in turn had learned what Riley liked about physical touch, and both boys saw stars in their minds as their kiss dissolved the world into nothingness.

When they broke apart, Riley reached up to brush away a lock of dark hair from Chase’s face. He smiled shyly at Chase, wanting to make the moment last a little longer. Chase smiled back, looking content and at peace.

It was Chase who finally ended the silence.

“Come on Baby Raptor. Let’s go home.”

Riley didn’t say a word. Instead, he packed away the blanket and the remains of their sandwiches into the picnic basket and stood up. He reached out a hand to Chase and helped the older boy to his feet. With one last glance at the spot they shared their evening together, the boys walked hand in hand back to their shared apartment. Their home.