fic: with a heart in the middle (greek; cappie/casey)
Title: with a heart in the middle
Author: empressearwig
Pairing/Fandom: Cappie/Casey; Greek
Rating: G
Spoilers: All Children... Grow Up
Word Count: 1270
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all for fun. This hasn't happened. Yet. Etc.
Summary: Summer in Ohio means festivals.
Author's Notes: Written for the prompt "summer holiday/festival" for schmoop_bingo.
Summer in Ohio means festivals. Every weekend, in every small town and big city, there is a different festival for a different thing. Violets, sauerkraut, tomatoes, they all have a festival in their honor.
Cyprus has a pie festival.
Casey didn't learn this until the summer after freshman year. It was the summer after she and Cappie broke up, the first summer that she and Evan were together. It was the summer that she and Ash moved into the ZBZ house as full sisters. It was the summer after she stopped liking pie.
She went to the festival of course, the whole house did. She went with Evan on her arm and a sick feeling in her stomach. She refused offer after offer of different kinds of pie, turning down apple and banana cream and chocolate, sure that one bite would taste like Cappie and the past she was trying so desperately to forget. The future was what mattered, her future with Evan. A future without pie.
She left without trying a single bite. She never went back.
***
Casey stays in Cyprus for one last summer after graduation. She's not entirely sure why. Sure, she has her internship with the Logan campaign office, but there's nothing else tying her to this place. Ashleigh is gone, off to New York and her unpaid internship doing what she loves. Evan and Rebecca went to Europe together, and Casey finds that she misses them both desperately, in spite of the fact that she never thought she'd put the words miss and Rebecca together in the same sentence. Rusty has gone back to Chicago to a job in some lab, and Cappie... Well, Casey doesn't think about Cappie.
But when the pie festival rolls around at the end of July, Casey does something she hasn't done in three years; when her sisters head downtown to join in the pie eating festivities she goes with them. The festival is exactly like she remembers it, with booths selling crafts, pie and other food lining the sidewalks and the streets crowded with people. It smells like the inside of a bakery, only to a power of about a million. The air is thick with the summer humidity, and Casey wonders if she made a mistake in coming. The appeal of the air conditioned ZBZ house grows with every step she takes.
But something keeps her there. She loses her sisters at the stand selling frozen lemonade. She wanders the streets alone, not sure what she's waiting for, but knowing that it's something.
When she runs straight into a very familiar chest, Casey knows what she's been waiting for.
Hands grip her shoulders to steady her and she hears the voice that she knows so well. "Whoa, there. Are you --"
The voice trails off when she looks up. "Hi, Cap," she says, trying for a smile. "How's it going?"
"Casey," he says with surprise. "I didn't -- I mean, I wasn't expecting -- What are you doing here?"
She swallows heavily. Her throat is suddenly very dry. She takes a step back. His hands fall away from her shoulders. "Here here or Cyprus here?"
"Either. Both. I thought --"
"You thought what?"
He looks away. "I thought you'd be in a hurry to get to Washington."
She cringes at the bitterness she still hears in his voice. "Cap..."
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."
"It's fine," she says. It's not. She never meant to hurt Cappie like that. What he never understood was that she hurt herself just as much. She couldn't find a way to make him understand that. She turns to go, but he grabs her elbow to stop her.
"Case, wait."
She stays where she is, but she doesn't turn around. "Why? We've been through this all a million times, Cap. What could there possibly be left to say?"
She wants so badly for their to be something left to say. She's not remotely prepared for what comes out of his mouth.
"Let's have some pie."
"What?" The single word falls from her lips as she spins around to face him. He's smiling in that infuriating way of his, the one that fools ninety percent of the world into thinking he doesn't care about anything. That smile doesn't fool Casey, it never has. His eyes give away how nervous he is about her answer.
"Pie," Cappie says again. He gestures expansively at the street. "We're at a pie festival. Let's have some pie."
"You want to have pie?" she asks skeptically. "With me? Really?"
He nods, as solemn and serious as she's ever seen him. He reaches out to take her hand and threads their fingers together. "Yes."
She looks down at their joined hands. Nods once and raises her eyes back to his. "Okay."
A real grin breaks out on his face. She's missed that grin more than she can put into words. "Yeah?"
"Yes."
They stare at each other for a moment more until someone bumps into Cappie from behind. They start down the street, hand in hand, neither of them speaking. Casey sneaks glances up at Cappie; she can't tell what he's thinking. She has no idea what she's thinking. Or what she's doing. This is probably a terrible idea, but right now, in this moment, it feels like the most right think she's done in months. Cappie's hand in hers feels right in a way she's never been able to put into words, it simply is. Maybe she's an idiot for giving up on that, maybe --
Fingers snap in front of her face. She blinks. "What?"
"Earth to Case," Cappie says, looking amused. "Where were you?"
She shakes her head. "No-nowhere. Did you ask me something?"
"I"ll let that one go. Because I'm hungry." He nods his head towards the pie stand that they're standing in front of. "How do you feel about blueberry?"
"I have very warm feelings about blueberry."
He raises an eyebrow. "Case, I never knew --"
She elbows him in the ribs. "You were saying?"
"I was saying nothing. Absolutely nothing."
She smiles sweetly at him. "That's what I thought."
He lets go of her hand and hooks his thumb towards the booth. She misses the contact immediately. "I'm just going to buy us some pie."
She nods and he walks off. She watches him go. This is nice. Everything else, all the hurt feelings and disappointments, aside, she just missed him. Life seems less without Cappie in it. She's not naive enough to think that they can fix things by sharing a piece of pie, but maybe it can be the start of something else. Something new. Something that can actually work. That would make this whole miserable, lonely summer worthwhile.
Cappie heads back towards her with a plate of pie and two forks in his hand. They settle on an empty bench, placing the pie between them. He passes her a fork. She scoops up a bite and waits for him to do the same. He quirks an eyebrow at her, waiting. She taps her fork against his like they're toasting. "To -- to old friends," she says. The words seem inadequate.
"To new adventures," Cappie says, looking her straight in the eye. There's forgiveness in them. For the first time in longer than she can remember, she believes that things will work out the way that they're meant to.
She smiles and taps her fork against his again and eats her pie. He does the same. It's a start.
***
Casey likes pie again.
Author: empressearwig
Pairing/Fandom: Cappie/Casey; Greek
Rating: G
Spoilers: All Children... Grow Up
Word Count: 1270
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is all for fun. This hasn't happened. Yet. Etc.
Summary: Summer in Ohio means festivals.
Author's Notes: Written for the prompt "summer holiday/festival" for schmoop_bingo.
Summer in Ohio means festivals. Every weekend, in every small town and big city, there is a different festival for a different thing. Violets, sauerkraut, tomatoes, they all have a festival in their honor.
Cyprus has a pie festival.
Casey didn't learn this until the summer after freshman year. It was the summer after she and Cappie broke up, the first summer that she and Evan were together. It was the summer that she and Ash moved into the ZBZ house as full sisters. It was the summer after she stopped liking pie.
She went to the festival of course, the whole house did. She went with Evan on her arm and a sick feeling in her stomach. She refused offer after offer of different kinds of pie, turning down apple and banana cream and chocolate, sure that one bite would taste like Cappie and the past she was trying so desperately to forget. The future was what mattered, her future with Evan. A future without pie.
She left without trying a single bite. She never went back.
***
Casey stays in Cyprus for one last summer after graduation. She's not entirely sure why. Sure, she has her internship with the Logan campaign office, but there's nothing else tying her to this place. Ashleigh is gone, off to New York and her unpaid internship doing what she loves. Evan and Rebecca went to Europe together, and Casey finds that she misses them both desperately, in spite of the fact that she never thought she'd put the words miss and Rebecca together in the same sentence. Rusty has gone back to Chicago to a job in some lab, and Cappie... Well, Casey doesn't think about Cappie.
But when the pie festival rolls around at the end of July, Casey does something she hasn't done in three years; when her sisters head downtown to join in the pie eating festivities she goes with them. The festival is exactly like she remembers it, with booths selling crafts, pie and other food lining the sidewalks and the streets crowded with people. It smells like the inside of a bakery, only to a power of about a million. The air is thick with the summer humidity, and Casey wonders if she made a mistake in coming. The appeal of the air conditioned ZBZ house grows with every step she takes.
But something keeps her there. She loses her sisters at the stand selling frozen lemonade. She wanders the streets alone, not sure what she's waiting for, but knowing that it's something.
When she runs straight into a very familiar chest, Casey knows what she's been waiting for.
Hands grip her shoulders to steady her and she hears the voice that she knows so well. "Whoa, there. Are you --"
The voice trails off when she looks up. "Hi, Cap," she says, trying for a smile. "How's it going?"
"Casey," he says with surprise. "I didn't -- I mean, I wasn't expecting -- What are you doing here?"
She swallows heavily. Her throat is suddenly very dry. She takes a step back. His hands fall away from her shoulders. "Here here or Cyprus here?"
"Either. Both. I thought --"
"You thought what?"
He looks away. "I thought you'd be in a hurry to get to Washington."
She cringes at the bitterness she still hears in his voice. "Cap..."
He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded."
"It's fine," she says. It's not. She never meant to hurt Cappie like that. What he never understood was that she hurt herself just as much. She couldn't find a way to make him understand that. She turns to go, but he grabs her elbow to stop her.
"Case, wait."
She stays where she is, but she doesn't turn around. "Why? We've been through this all a million times, Cap. What could there possibly be left to say?"
She wants so badly for their to be something left to say. She's not remotely prepared for what comes out of his mouth.
"Let's have some pie."
"What?" The single word falls from her lips as she spins around to face him. He's smiling in that infuriating way of his, the one that fools ninety percent of the world into thinking he doesn't care about anything. That smile doesn't fool Casey, it never has. His eyes give away how nervous he is about her answer.
"Pie," Cappie says again. He gestures expansively at the street. "We're at a pie festival. Let's have some pie."
"You want to have pie?" she asks skeptically. "With me? Really?"
He nods, as solemn and serious as she's ever seen him. He reaches out to take her hand and threads their fingers together. "Yes."
She looks down at their joined hands. Nods once and raises her eyes back to his. "Okay."
A real grin breaks out on his face. She's missed that grin more than she can put into words. "Yeah?"
"Yes."
They stare at each other for a moment more until someone bumps into Cappie from behind. They start down the street, hand in hand, neither of them speaking. Casey sneaks glances up at Cappie; she can't tell what he's thinking. She has no idea what she's thinking. Or what she's doing. This is probably a terrible idea, but right now, in this moment, it feels like the most right think she's done in months. Cappie's hand in hers feels right in a way she's never been able to put into words, it simply is. Maybe she's an idiot for giving up on that, maybe --
Fingers snap in front of her face. She blinks. "What?"
"Earth to Case," Cappie says, looking amused. "Where were you?"
She shakes her head. "No-nowhere. Did you ask me something?"
"I"ll let that one go. Because I'm hungry." He nods his head towards the pie stand that they're standing in front of. "How do you feel about blueberry?"
"I have very warm feelings about blueberry."
He raises an eyebrow. "Case, I never knew --"
She elbows him in the ribs. "You were saying?"
"I was saying nothing. Absolutely nothing."
She smiles sweetly at him. "That's what I thought."
He lets go of her hand and hooks his thumb towards the booth. She misses the contact immediately. "I'm just going to buy us some pie."
She nods and he walks off. She watches him go. This is nice. Everything else, all the hurt feelings and disappointments, aside, she just missed him. Life seems less without Cappie in it. She's not naive enough to think that they can fix things by sharing a piece of pie, but maybe it can be the start of something else. Something new. Something that can actually work. That would make this whole miserable, lonely summer worthwhile.
Cappie heads back towards her with a plate of pie and two forks in his hand. They settle on an empty bench, placing the pie between them. He passes her a fork. She scoops up a bite and waits for him to do the same. He quirks an eyebrow at her, waiting. She taps her fork against his like they're toasting. "To -- to old friends," she says. The words seem inadequate.
"To new adventures," Cappie says, looking her straight in the eye. There's forgiveness in them. For the first time in longer than she can remember, she believes that things will work out the way that they're meant to.
She smiles and taps her fork against his again and eats her pie. He does the same. It's a start.
***
Casey likes pie again.