[sub] Collab with [@Snagglepuss89] and [@lovely complex][/sub] In tune with himself as he sizzled bacon, Riley muttered, [color=seagreen]"Sorry 'bout that Ron, I didn't mean to let my anger get the best of me."[/color] His anger could have been worse but he held himself from having a huge outburst. However, his words stung even for him and he felt the pain his twin was probably feeling. Patiently waiting for the last buttermilk pancake to cook, the big man shrugged to the smaller man, [color=f26522]"Don't worry about it, kid. I have sibs too, I know how it goes."[/color] There was a moment of silence between the two who strongly respected each other and Ron inquired further like a worried father, [color=f26522]"Ya not gonna go after her? I can hold down the fort."[/color] Flipping the bacon over and staring into deep space, Riley shrugged, [color=seagreen]"She's an adult. I shouldn't chase after her like I did when we were little."[/color] His voice was monotone as he avoided his emotions of feeling like shit for making his other half run away. What a great brother, right? Kylie was the only woman that made his emotions go haywire. He just couldn’t understand how someone that came out of the same womb, near the same exact time as him, was so different than him. She was also the most worrisome out of his army of sisters. At least Olivia helped mom around the house and was incredibly obedient for a teen. His twin, on the other hand, gave their late parents hell. Of course, it didn’t help that they enabled her and so now she was passed the point of no return. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. A bit busy at the time, he decided to check it on his break. Just when Ron was going to say something to lighten the mood, Sophi stormed in and startled the two cooks with her loud (filled with hurt) voice, [color=dodgerblue]"I'm taking a break!"[/color][sub][@The Muse][/sub] Turning his head as he heard her voice choke up, Riley’s brotherly signals tingled, but before he could even ask what had happened she was already out the back door. [i][color=seagreen]"WTF?”[/color][/i] His face whitened as something dawned on him. There was no one… waiting… There was no one… in the front. Wait, the diner just had two cooks right now-- fucking really? They hadn’t been here for even an hour and they were already this understaffed. Why the fuck did he even bother?! He was always left to pick up the pieces of everyone’s shit. Ron placed two plates of stacked pancakes on a tray and went to grab a glass of orange juice. Tossing his worry out the window, Riley put the nice, extra greasy bacon on a separate plate beside one of the stacks. Taking off his apron, Riley threw it on the counter and washed his hands. With a long, deep breath in, he stared at his faint reflection on the silver faucet. Today was going to be a long day... Swiftly drying off his hands, he accepted the tray from Ron and put his natural, charming smile on (which wasn’t hard to do). Unlike his sister, Sophi, who needed to act for customer service, Riley was pretty good with most people. Before exiting to the front, the twin gave his buddy a thumbs up while his other hand held the tray filled with food. [sub][@GrafRoy Zeppeli][/sub] Exiting the kitchen, Riley saw people chatting by the podium but didn’t bother analyzing them yet. He went straight to their best table where an interesting style man was sitting alone and under five seconds, the food was placed in front of him, [color=seagreen]”You must have one hell of an appetite. I hope you like the bacon, it’s extra greasy like you asked!”[/color] Waiting for the guy’s reaction, Riley didn’t want to keep the other two men waiting so he nodded and spoke honestly, [color=seagreen]“I’m glad my sisters didn’t scare you off. Today seems to be quite an angsty day.”[/color] Running his hand through his red hair, he chuckled at the thought of the eventful morning. With that, the twin dismissed himself respectufully, [color=seagreen]”If you’ll excuse me. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”[/color] He gestured to the podium, his blue eyes gleamed appreciatively, [color=seagreen]“If you need anything else, let me know.”[/color] The thing about Riley’s customer service was he was pretty down to Earth. He tried to be extremely real and honest with his customers and most of the time, they appreciated that. [sub][@Athinar][/sub] Elliot didn't so much ignore Axel coming back into the Diner as his brain refused to process the information. He gripped Anthony's shoulder to steady himself one last time before offering the man a weak smile, ignoring the accusing look on the man's face. He was still alive, and that was something, although the situation was certainly leaning towards the worst possible outcome. "[color=00FFBF]Thanks for the help...[/color]" With a tired sigh, he continued; "[color=00FFBF]... It's a really long story though, and I think she deserves to hear the whole story first. We'll just say I made a pretty big mistake awhile back and have been avoiding dealing with it.[/color]" With tray in hand, the twin approached the podium where a quite fit and a bit taller, dark haired man stood and… [i][color=seagreen]”No fucking way.”[/color][/i] Rye stopped in his tracks, pretty surprised at the sight of the unkempt mess of a human that stood before him. [i][color=seagreen]"That’s Elliot? Elliot Longstreet?"[/color][/i] He thought to himself. The mirage before him looked incredibly different… a bit of a mess, kinda smaller than he remembered, and a cane? Approaching the two man cautiously, with a feeling of disbelief, the young man inquired with a sad undertone in his voice, [color=seagreen]”Elliot, is that you?”[/color] This would explain a lot. Elliot was practically Sophi’s best friend back in the day and he left without a word. Riley would be lying if he said he wasn’t hurt. He viewed this man like the brother he wished he had. Don’t get him wrong, he loved James but Elliot was different, you know? He never judged Riley for being a massive nerd and a teenage pervert. But more importantly, he made Sophi smile more than anyone else. Stunned, Riley couldn’t find it in him to apologize to the stranger that was caught in the middle of this. His grip on the tray tightened. How should he feel right now? Elliot didn't have a chance to explain further before Riley entered the room carrying the roommates' orders. Sophi was already practically an adult when Elliot left, so she looked more or less the same. Riley though, he'd barely been a teenager, and now he was a working young man. Elliot watched him, noting and blaming himself for the slight irritation that he picked up in his eyes, and taking in his new appearance. He hadn't gotten a good luck at Kylie during the panic outside, but it definitely seemed like the two still held a remarkable resemblance. However, it didn't long for him to be noticed by the Reese boy. "[color=seagreen]Elliot, is that you?[/color]" At the mention of his name, he physically winced, the already darkening bruise on his cheek pulsing with pain. He half expected to be hit again, but hopefully Riley hadn't changed that much since he was a boy. Elliot scratched the back of his head sheepishly while thinking of a way to respond. He felt much the same way Riley did towards him, like a sort of brother. Elliot never did have siblings of his own, the Reese's were almost a surrogate family to him. "[color=00FFBF]Ah, hey Riley, it's been awhile.[/color]" The man was a mix of emotions at this point in his day, but more than anything else he was exhausted, and the irritation from earlier in the day had returned. Holding up a hand to tell Riley to give him a moment, he made his way over to one of the tables and sat down with a long sigh. [i][color=00FFBF]This is the last day I ever leave the house without a cup of coffee.[/color][/i] That last thought was grounded with more determination that Elliot had ever felt in his life. He tok a look around the Diner, guessing that the Reese family pretty much ran it by themselves now that they were all old enough to lend a hand. Which meant... Between school... Elliot threw Riley a look of true pity. He had helped out the Reeses' many times when he was younger, knew what a pain in the ass this Diner was when understaffed. This, by the look of it, was nostaffed in comparison. "[color=00FFBF]Please, just get me a cup of coffee and I promise I'll explain later. I wouldn't trust myself to carry food out but I can lend you a hand in the kitchen if the menu hasn't changed.[/color]" He folded his arms on the table and rested his face in them, finishing with a muffled: "[color=00FFBF]I really need a drink first though.[/color]" With a smile that was similar to an expression he would make when he was a kid, Riley listened with care in his eyes. He wasn't going to brood on unpleasant thoughts. Instead an idea popped in his mind that would surely get him in trouble but at this rate, he could careless. The twin just wanted to catch up with his friend. He brought his attention to the other boy (Anthony) and asked, [color=seagreen]"You're with him?"[/color] After waiting for a response and realizing that Elliot came here alone, he nodded, [color=seagreen]"I hope you enjoy your food!"[/color] With that, Riley scurried to the kitchen and made an announcement while getting a to-go coffee cup, [color=seagreen]"Ron. I've decided. Today's our day off. I'm closing shop. There's no point in doing rush hour if it's just gonna be us. I mean my friend offered to work here, but he needs to go through training first."[/color] Agreeing with the red haired boy on making a wise decision, Ron didn't complain. This was a salary job and he had paid time off, [color=f26522]"I'll close shop and make sure our guests leave with a smile."[/color] The big chef could see the tiredness in Riley's eyes and thought for once, the young twin was doing what was best for the family and the diner's reputation. Grabbing a piece of paper and marker, Riley wrote in big letters: PERSONAL DAY. CLOSED. After he grabbed a strip of tape, he brought the coffee and paper to the front. Putting the coffee in front of Elliot and making his way to the glass door, Riley slapped the paper on the door and flipped the hanging sign to CLOSED. The world was dead to him. Elliot was devoid of thoughts, devoid of emotion, and only distantly aware that he wasn't being punched in the face at the moment. If anything mattered to him anymore, he would have been thankful at Riley's restraint, but alas that was not the case. He was an empty shell, filled with the darkness of the abyss, the emptiness of the void. And then... [b]LIGHT[/b] The holy grail had been lain in front of him, a fresh cup of morning brew still steaming. Elliot took no sugar or cream to hide the bitterness, wasted no time for it to cool. That cup had become his singular existence, and he drank of it like the night drank of sunlight to become day. Despite being underweight and weak, he took no notice of Riley tugging on him. It was like trying to move a mountain, or the earth itself. Finally, finishing it in one long breath, light returned to his eyes once more and he gently set his savior upon the table. It was truly time to face the horror of another fucking day. With that, Rye went to the last and only customers of the day (Anthony and Axel), [color=seagreen]"Your meals are free today. Ron, the other cook, will take care of you during the rest of your stay. Sorry about the chaos. Today just seems like a bad day for my family. I hope you come by again... maybe when we get more help."[/color] Giving them a grin, he waved and then returned to Elliot's side, [color=seagreen]"Get up, we're going out."[/color] Checking his phone, he realized his best friend Tara texted him and replied nonchalantly as he waited for Elliot's reaction. [sub][@Knight of Doom][/sub] To: Tara~ :D [color=seagreen]Meet me at the mall. I'm taking a day off.[/color] The text sent and then he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Helping his friend up, he stuck out his tongue playfully, [color=seagreen]"We have a lot of catching up to do."[/color] Elliot grabbed his cane and stood up, finally relenting to Riley's tugging, finally hearing that he was being spoken to. Elliot nodded, renewed determination in his eyes. He had one ally at least, this day could still be salvaged somehow. "[color=00FFBF]You've got that right, sorry for kinda closing the Diner for the day, and you're welcome for a day off.[/color]" [color=seagreen]"Haha, don't worry about it. I fucking need it."[/color] With that the two left the diner and went to Riley's late mother's van. To the mall, to the mall they would go.