(no subject)
Banner by aliensouldream
Title: High Society (Pt. 26)
Pairing/Characters: Casey, Zeke, a SLEW of OMCs (sorry for that... maybe I'll make a list so people can keep track... I just LOVE OMCs, what can I say?)
Rating: NC-17
Warning(s): None!
Author's Note: Dedicated to the lovely gloryunderhill!
Synopsis: Set during the Great Depression, there's an industry that's ALWAYS successful, and Casey's desperate--and he's starting to like that desperation.
Previous Parts
At first, Casey thought they were about to spend the night in a roach-filled, five-by-five apartment when they pulled into the back lot of an old, non-descript brick building. “Come on, now. Uppity-up,” Xavier had said with a bright smile as he looked to the backseat at the drowsy boys. Casey went on high-alert, however; who said that Xavier didn’t expect a ‘reward’ for getting them off the streets? Even if they owed him, BIG time, Casey was in no mood to service the man. ‘Maybe tomorrow. Not fuckin’ now,’ he thought as he made his way to the back door of the building with the others, Xavier leading the way.
More hope was doused in going up three flights of stairs, which creaked and cracked with every step. Though there weren’t any rat-droppings and their owners running around, it looked dingy and ready to fall apart at any moment. Perhaps Xavier went low-overhead to enjoy the finer things in life; boy-toys, for example…
“Here we are,” Xavier said. He stopped at a large door; it had no knob, but a handle. Casey blinked as the man unlocked it and pulled it to the side. The sound of rolling, lumbering metal made him snap to attention. “Go on in… but shh, most people here get feisty if it gets too noisy past midnight.”
The boys nodded slowly and stepped inside. It was dark and shadowy, making Casey cringe and shudder a little. But when Xavier hit the lights, each one of them stilled and took in the sights around them. All Casey could think…
‘It’s an artist’s dream…’ Casey glanced to Zeke, who was looking around, awestruck. This wasn’t a simple apartment, but a gigantic loft; the ceilings reached the heavens, it seemed. Large windows, at least eight feet in height, showed off the city streets below, along with shops and apartments across the street. What made Casey’s jaw drop the lowest had to be the wall space. There was miles of it, and nearly every inch was covered in pictures, posters and art. Canvas upon canvas of gorgeous art. “This… it’s…”
“Oh my god…” Zeke murmured, walking over to a long row of paintings, all in a line. He turned to Xavier, who was taking Danny and Noah’s coats to hang on the rack by the door. “You collect Parrish?”
Xavier smiled. “You like his work? Oh, it’s divine, isn’t it?” he said. “I bought most of those at auctions in his home state.”
“Wait, they’re originals?” Zeke said in a splutter. It made Xavier chortle.
“Some are. ‘Reveries’, there…” he pointed to the painting in the middle. “…My favorite. I took one look at it and HAD to add it to my collection.”
Zeke was aghast as he looked upon it. “Can I… can I touch it?”
“Sure! Just be gentle, and don’t poke at it.”
“No, ‘course,” Zeke said.
Casey was approached next by Xavier, his coat being slipped from his shoulders by the surprisingly gallant gentleman. He gave Xavier a small smile. “Thank you… for bringing us here,” he said. “We feared a night spent sleeping in trash bins.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure.”
Danny sighed and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, then waved them at Xavier. “Is it all right if we smoke?” he asked.
“Go on ahead.” Xavier pointed to the window on the far side of the main room. “Just crack that open, if you will. I myself enjoy a cigar from time to time, but I try to keep the air in the place fresh and clean--especially with the artwork.”
Casey almost snorted. The man who smelled of rotting vegetables half the time liked things ‘clean and fresh’? Of course, Casey didn’t utter a word about it; he was starting to feel very, very grateful for Xavier’s help. Casey went over to Danny, who had opened the window and was sitting on a small loveseat. He smiled weakly to Casey as the boy sat down next to him. “Get comfortable for the first time tonight,” he said.
“The couch is special… it folds out to a queen-sized bed,” Xavier said, patting the back of it. “Try not to fight over it, if you can’t all squeeze in. I have plenty of blankets and pillows to share, should someone be cast out onto the floor. Zeke, could you help me get them?”
Zeke turned away from his art-worship to the man, then nodded. “Yea, sure.”
As the two of them left, Noah wandered over to Danny and Casey to squeeze in. He took Casey’s cigarette and enjoyed a puff, then handed it back. He put his head on Casey’s shoulder and sighed. For right now, he needed answers, so he nudged the boy to pay attention, then turned to Danny. “Thanks for looking out for us--what--what exactly happened? How did you… and Xavier…?”
“Long story. I’ll wait until Zeke gets back to tell it, so I don’t lose my voice,” Danny replied.
~*~
The sun was just starting to come up by the time the living room floor had been turned into a first-class suite, complete with sweet-smelling linens, blankets, pillows and a change of clothes. Casey was thankful that he’d packed one of his favorite nightshirts and pair of soft pajama bottoms. The soft cotton of them eased his sore arms and legs as he sat down upon the spot next to the couch bed, where Danny and Noah were relaxing, hanging off the side of it. Though they’d had one of the roughest nights anyone could ever endure, a ‘second wind’ had blown through them all to keep their eyes open.
Zeke arrived from the bathroom, changed into his bedclothes as well. “Xavier’s off to bed. He said he’s gotta try and get a couple hours shuteye before he heads to work in the morning, so we gotta keep quiet,” he told them as he sat next to Casey, who immediately leaned against his side to get even more comfortable. Zeke let him, of course, slinging an arm over his shoulder..
Puffing with greed, Danny exhaled a long line of smoke into the air. “I’ll get right to it--er, well… Noah will need interpretation, of course…”
Casey sighed and shook his head. “Just face him when you talk. He can read lips.”
“Read…” Danny frowned, looked to Noah and cocked an eyebrow. “You can read lips?”
Noah shrugged and signed his reply to Casey, who couldn’t help a smile. “He knows everything you’ve ever said about him, but after tonight, he forgives you entirely.”
“Bastard,” Danny said with a grin. It then faded with his sigh, another drag… “Whatever, not important… anyway, it happened real quick. I was the only one downstairs, and not a lot of guys were there. I’d finished up with Xavier in the fuck-parlor, and he left… but he came back a bit later, panicking to Stephen. The next thing I knew, everyone was scrambling.”
The pause he made next was annoying. No dramatics were needed. “And?” Zeke said. “What happened, exactly?”
“Xavier had stopped into a diner the next block over to make a quick take-out order. He said that when he walked in, he was greeted by a horde of police, all of them preparing to make a big bust. The waitresses were pretty on-edge; when he asked them what was happening, some lady told him that there was a ‘nasty whorehouse’ they were taking down,” Danny explained. “I guess Xavier’s a great actor, because he pretended to be shocked and dismayed, then said, ‘drat, I forgot my wallet! Well, no blueberry pie for me!’ He left the place whistling--then the moment he was out of eye-shot, he leaped into his car and booked it back to Stephen’s.”
“So that’s why we had so much warning…” Casey said.
“Yea. Thank fuckin’ god.” Danny snuffed out the cigarette then lit another one immediately. “So… I start flipping my lid. I even cried--tell no one. Xavier went over to me, told me to get my things and he’d make sure I was safe. For a moment, I thought I was looking at God, y’know? He may be a smelly bastard, but…”
“Oh, you’ve always been his fuckin’ favorite,” Zeke said past a puff of smoke, smirking. “If the place was burning down, he’d run through the flames to save your ass and leave the rest of us to die.”
Danny gave him a glare, but his smiling gave him away. “Any-way, I ran upstairs to snag my bag then shot back down, in about… five seconds. I was pretty goddamned motivated,” he said. “Like I said, everything was happening so quick but Stephen grabbed me before I could leave, all to give me some extra cash--to help anyone out if they needed bail, or a train ticket outta town. So I asked Xav… if he’d drive me around the city to look for the rest of you.”
Casey’s chest felt warm. He’d known all along that Danny cared about them more than he let on, but he had certainly proved how good of a friend he was tonight. It made Casey reach over to Danny’s hand, squeezing it lightly. “Thank you, Danny. You hadn’t needed to do that.”
“Yea, I did,” Danny replied with a small grin, sounding as if it pained him to admit it; but he squeezed back and held onto Casey as he continued. “C’mon, y’know… we’re all friends. I know I’ve been a jackass at times…”
“‘Ad dimes’?” Noah said, giving Danny a sly grin. Danny groaned and blushed.
“All right, all right--I’ve been a very consistent pain in the arse. Happy?”
The boys chuckled lightly. Casey let Danny go to settle further into Zeke, nuzzling the back of his head in the crook of his arm. “So… I take it you didn’t see anyone else, huh?” he asked.
“No.” Danny stared at the ashtray on the floor, then sighed as he slumped down, putting his chin on his arm. The hand holding the cigarette hovered over the tray, fingers flicking tiny bits of ash into it over and over again. “I’m a bit scared for ‘em. I hope the cops haven’t caught up with ‘em.”
“Or worse…” Zeke added; Danny blinked and frowned.
“Why? What’s ‘worse’?”
Oh, fuck. He didn’t know. Casey pursed his lips and glanced between Noah and Zeke before looking back to Danny. “You can’t tell Xavier… unless you want us to be out on the streets again,” he said. He had Danny’s undivided attention, now. “Remember when Stephen called that meeting, and we were all given aliases?”
“Yea…? That’s so the coppers get thrown off.”
“Partly. But… what’s worse, you… did you know that Stephen basically… rented the place?” Casey asked.
“Rented? Rented from who? I thought he owned it.” Danny said.
“He owns the building--but not the block,” Zeke said. “That’d be the mob.”
Danny stared at Zeke a moment, then scoffed. “The fuckin’ mob?”
“Shh!” Casey hushed him, then lowered his voice to a whisper. “Yea, the mob. I actually overheard a meeting Stephen had with them; it was right before OUR meeting. He gave them our fake names; it’s obvious as to why.”
“Um… no, it isn’t. C’mon, stop being so cryptic…”
“If the mob wanted to, they could round us up and take us back to their place,” Zeke chimed in. “Like I told Casey when he told me what he saw--they own the block, so they own us. Stephen goes down and they lose money, but they could recoup funds if they tracked us down. Like hell if we’d have any say in telling them, ‘no, thank you’.”
Danny worried at his lip, looking nervous. “Shit. You… fuck, you guys shouldn’t have kept that secret. It’d have been nice to know this stuff.”
“Sorry. I was clued in by Noah a while back as to who the guys coming around were,” Casey said, nodding to the boy who looked insecure, having this be known. “He could ‘overhear’ by lip-reading.”
“Yea well--since the others don’t know, what if they get snatched? That’s not fair,” Danny said.
Casey couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. He exchanged more glances with the two others, then sighed. “Yea, but… if everyone knew, they might’ve left, too scared to work there. Or if STEPHEN knew we knew… oh, fuck’s sake, come on. You gotta understand how complicated it was. Is.”
“Maybe. But… whatever,” Danny said. He put out the dying cigarette and didn’t light another, choosing to fold his arms to rest his head on. “Xavier said I could stay until I figured out what to do--it shouldn’t take long, especially with you guys here.”
“’Think he’ll take us all on?” Zeke asked. Danny smirked.
“He’s got four gorgeous whores kicking around his place for him to look at. What do YOU think?”
Casey chuckled and shook his head. “Why, what did you say you’d ‘exchange’ for room n’ board, eh?”
“Actually… he doesn’t expect anything in return, believe it or not,” Danny said. “It really seems like he’s just doing this to help.”
“Sweeter than we thought,” Zeke said, looking to the bedroom hallway. “I’d never have taken him for a hero. Huh.”
“Appearance are deceiving, I spos’.” Danny then yawned, hard. His eyes drooped as he smacked his lips. “So, you guys--where’d YOU all go off to?”
Casey rolled his eyes. “That’s another long story. Can we save it for the morning?”
“Yea… a’right. I’m ready to sleep for days. Wanna see if you guys can squish with me and Lip-Reading-Bastard?” Danny asked, nudging Noah playfully. Noah nudged back, chuckled then settled down to sleep.
“No, I’ll take the floor. Thanks,” Zeke said, now moving to his side to lay on the pile of blankets.
“Case?”
Casey sighed. “I’ll stay with Zeke.”
“Mmm,” Danny hummed; an all-knowing smirk came on his lips. “How predictable.”
“What?” Casey said.
“Nothing, nothing. G’night, boys,” Danny replied, yawned again then closed his eyes. Casey frowned and turned to Zeke, who slipped a hand over his hip to hold him close.
“Have we been that obvious…?”
“Hmm,” was all Zeke said before kissing Casey’s nose and going straight to sleep.
~*~
The sun was high in the sky when Casey’s lashes fluttered open. He felt as if he couldn’t move, and not just because of Zeke’s body being plastered to his. Good god, he was sore… he knew he needed to move, however, so he worked on getting onto his stomach and putting his hands to the floor, all to push himself up. The muscles in his arms strained, making him grunt, but he eventually got into a sitting position. He was the first to wake, apparently; Noah and Danny were covered brow-to-toe in blankets, their tousled hair the only part of them visibly. Looking down at Zeke, Casey smiled.
A sleeping-Zeke was a lovely, almost precious sight. Casey placed gentle fingertips upon his brow to brush stray hairs from his eyes; the action made Zeke scrunch his eyes and hum lightly. Not wanting to wake him needlessly, Casey moved away and stood up. Looking past the couch and the wide expanse of the room--which was even more beautiful bathed in natural light--he spotted the small set of steps that led up to a kitchen, its contents gleaming. Marble countertops, bright silver metal chairs… the fridge. Casey’s stomach rumbled, but--could he actually dive into Xavier’s cupboards without looking rude?. Perhaps a few crackers or glass of milk wouldn’t be missed…
In getting to the fridge, its mechanisms humming, he saw a folded piece of paper taped onto it: ‘Boys’ was written upon it. Casey took it and read the small note made inside:
Take whatever you please! You’re probably starving. I’ll get some groceries on my way home. Just stay in the apartment, and don’t make too much noise. The less attention, the better!
--X
Casey smiled warmly. Yes, Xavier was proving himself as a fine, sweet gentleman, despite all odds.
~*~
“He WHAT?”
Casey sighed as he poured out his second glass of juice. “You heard.”
Danny gawked, chuckled and scoffed, all at the same time. He ignored the eggs and bacon Casey had prepared for them all, needing a moment to let the tale sink in. “So, Cal--he’s a two-timing, dirty-minded bastard, then?”
“Pretty much,” Zeke said.
“Come on… as if I wasn’t a whore, sleeping with everyone while he had to watch…” Casey said.
It was Noah’s turn to roll his eyes and scoff, signing, ‘He knew that, though, didn’t he?’
“What’d he say?” Danny asked.
“Nothing.” Casey plopped down in his chair at the table and continued eating.
“I never woulda guessed. I really, really DID think that he was ready to ask for your hand in marriage,” Danny said. “But I guess appearances are deceiving.”
“No shit. Can anyone tell me how it can be so clean here, the blankets freshly-washed, and--for god’s sake, Xavier has expensive bath oils and soaps in the shower…” Zeke said, waving a hand towards the door to the bathroom. “…So how is it he’s always smelled like a fish market?”
“Hey now, don’t make fun! You’d still be wandering around the city, or already put back to work in a MAFIA whorehouse by now if it weren’t for him!” Danny said, tapping his fork in the air at Zeke, who cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh, sure. Says the one who’d never shut up about how Xavier made bile rise to his mouth,” Zeke retorted. As Casey chuckled, Danny put an impertinent expression on.
“Well, things change! I happen to think he’s a knight in shining armor about now,” he said.
“Of course, Danny. We ALL think that. But it really is strange,” Casey said.
Noah now rapped his knuckles on the table, gaining Casey’s attention. He then began signing, ‘Let’s talk about the more important things.’ Casey nodded slowly. “Noah’s right--enough with the idle gossip. Cal and heroes aside, we aren’t going to live with Xavier. We need to come up with a plan.”
The other boys nodded and continued eating, every face emoting concentration and deep thought. “Well… I’m sure there are some farms or… something, up north, looking for a few helpful hands,” Zeke said.
“The job market and plummeting produce prices as they are? Doubtful,” Danny said.
“New England would be the way to go, though, in my opinion. I’m in no mood to travel back to Ohio; nothing there for me,” Zeke replied.
“Me neither,” Casey added.
Zeke sighed. “Well, okay--how much money have we got? That should’ve been our first course of action.”
Casey bit his lip as Zeke and Danny went over to the couch, where their possessions sat. “I’ve got my own money--not much, perhaps a twenty. But like I said, Stephen threw me a wad last night,” Danny was saying as he rifled through his bag.
“I’ve always been prepared. There’s at least sixty tucked in my lockbox,” Zeke said.
“Sixty? Wow, Zeke, you are the practical one here.”
“Casey, Noah? C’mon, let’s pool this shit together.”
Casey and Noah exchanged looks; Casey knew why he was nervous, perhaps even a little excited, but why did Noah look apprehensive? He’d never spent much on their free days, so he had to have had a good nest-egg. Casey finally stood, Noah following, all to join the two boys sitting on the floor with bills and change being piled between them.
“Damn, Stephen trusted the hell outta you,” Zeke said, motioning to the stack of twenties Danny was adding to the pile.
“Well, what else was he supposed to do? At any rate, we can’t split it evenly ‘twixt just us four, just in case we run into any others,” Danny said. He counted it out, piled it together and nodded. “Twenty apiece, split seven ways. We’ll see what goes on the next few days, if Henry or anyone else turns up.”
“Good. That gives me almost a hundred,” Zeke said. “Not fuckin’ bad at all.”
Casey opened his bag and drew out his money satchel, along with the gold bar’s box. It felt even heavier than before, now. He first counted his cash. “Twenty-two dollars, eighty-six cents,” he said.
“Not bad, considering your spending habits,” Zeke teased.
“But… there’s something else.” Casey stilled as the boys looked to him with inquiring eyes. With a sigh, he picked up the box. “I was given a gift… from Cal, on my birthday.”
Zeke’s dark expression was expected, even if Cal was no longer a prospective ‘beau’. “Oh?” he muttered.
Instead of explaining, Casey lifted the lid to show the contents. All the boys could do for a few moments was stare blankly, until Danny blinked furiously and shot shocked eyes up at Casey. “Don’t tell me that’s fuckin’ gold.”
“It’s gold.”
“Holy fuck,” Zeke said, almost growling. “He gave you gold? Goddamned idiot.”
“No, look--he told me, back at the apartment; one of the reasons he gave it to me was because of his… follies. Affairs. Whatever. At any rate, he wanted me to have some security, in case anything went wrong,” Casey said.
“What a hero,” Zeke said.
It was obvious that he was angered by this new piece of information; Casey felt offended. This was supposed to be good news--BETTER than good. “Zeke, we’re set. All right? All of our monies saved is an incredible asset, but this? Once I cash this in, we have no worries for a long, long time.”
“You should’ve given it back.”
Zeke’s retort not only shocked Casey, but Noah and Danny, as well. Danny, being the most vocal of them all, scoffed. “Zeke, shut up. Seriously. Stop being a jealous idiot,” he said.
“Jealous? I’m not jealous. I’m just saying that Cal certainly liked blowing his money, giving pretty things to pretty things.”
This was getting ugly. Something hot and uncomfortable swelled in Casey’s stomach. “I thought you’d be happy,” he said in a soft, sad voice.
“Anything that man dips his toes in, I don’t want a part of. He messed with your head, giving you keys and… fuck, whatever,” Zeke said with as much venom as one could muster.
“Holy fuck--Noah??”
All attention switched from Casey, Zeke and the gold to Noah then. The boy had just removed a satchel from his case and taken out bills, rolled together with a rubber band. A very thick roll, one the boy couldn’t close his fist around. He looked to the others with a blank expression. “I-yuh saveth,” he murmured.
“How… how much…?” Casey asked in a breathless voice.
Noah bit his lip and removed the band; it had to have been under great strain as it snapped away, going a few feet to Noah’s left. The bills flopped out flat; all of them were in fives and tens, by the looks of things. Everyone watched with wild wonder as Noah counted, until he answered, “Two-hunnred addy.”
“Two hundred… eighty?” Casey asked; Noah confirmed this with a nod.
“Jesus Christ,” Zeke said in a breath.
~*~
After an active, money-counting morning, the boys sank back into feeling overtired and bedraggled. The few hours of sleep after such a wild night hadn’t done much, apparently, so one-by-one they sneaked back to the living room couch, mounds of pillows and blankets to collect a few more precious moments of rest. Casey was included in this, only it hadn’t been for long--mainly because Zeke wasn’t as restful as he’d originally felt, either.
The sound of a lighter’s flame being lit made Casey open his eyes. Zeke, who’d professed to needing a few weeks of sleep straight, was sitting on the half-opened window’s sill, blowing smoke and staring at the streets below. Spring was on its way, but the small chill in the air still perked Casey fully awake. Grunting a little, he moved up onto his knees on the couch mattress, careful to not rouse Noah and Danny. Being alone with Zeke was his greatest wish, right now.
“Hey,” Casey said as he approached. Zeke looked over, blinking slowly.
“Hey.”
“Thought you were tired.”
Shrugging lightly, Zeke resumed to his street-watching. “Too much going on in my head. I zonked out for about ten minutes then woke right up.” he rubbed his eyes and snarled a little. “I don’t think I’m gonna get much sleep here.”
“It’s pretty comfortable, though… and it’s not like Xavier expects--”
“I know, I’m just going to feel better once we’re out of this stinking city,” Zeke interrupted to say.
Casey nodded then moved to sit on the other side of the large sill. All he needed to do was hold out his hand; Zeke answered his wordless request for a cigarette, lighting it for him before giving it to him. “Thanks,” Casey said.
“’Welcome.” Zeke flicked ash into the ashtray Xavier had provided; he stared blankly again, until he parted his lips to speak. “I’m sorry for being a jackass.”
“Huh?”
“About the gold. Cal. That… stuff,” Zeke said. Casey watched the older boy sniff and twitch his fingers about; before he could reply, Zeke made a louder sniff, rubbed his nose with his thumb and went on. “If you couldn’t tell already, I’m an incredible case of insecurity and uncertainty. You’ve seen it enough.”
“Yea, I have. It’s okay,” Casey said.
Zeke nodded slowly and took a deep, long drag from his smoke. “When I… was in boarding school, there was this kid--richer than god, a real jerk. He’d hold small get-togethers in his room, or as he’d call ‘em, ‘soirees’. Arrogant bastard,” Zeke said, voice full of contempt. “He was in my grade; by the time we were juniors, he was taking in the underclassmen, making ‘em think that he liked ‘em enough to get such a great invite, y’know? It may have been a classy, expensive school, but a lot of kids weren’t very rich. He’d give them things… money, smokes, alcohol… make them feel special. He especially liked the idiots that’d drink themselves into a coma. He could do things to them when they were ‘out’.”
Casey bit his lip. “You… never fell for that, did you?”
“No,” Zeke said, cringing as if to say, ‘what, do you think I’m an idiot?’ After a small roll of the eyes, he stamped out his finished cigarette then, per usual, lit another immediately. “I just thought--how I’d never do that. Sell myself. That’s something that’s bugged the hell outta me for years now.”
“Zeke…” Casey sighed and moved closer. “Do you think that I ever thought I’d come here and do what I’ve done? That ANY of us did? It’s called ‘desperate’, not wanting to die on the streets penniless, starving and worthless. What that… guy did back at your school? What the people he victimized did, all greed. Stupidity.”
“Cal tried to buy you, just as much as ‘Georgie’ did. Just as much,” Zeke practically spat. He gave Casey a firm look; no malice was behind his eyes, but he was still solid as stone. “I’m not mad at you over it. But I don’t care if he did love you. If he did, really, really, did, he wouldn’t have bought you. He would’ve left you alone.”
“I was a prostitute. One he liked. I never saw much ‘love’ in it, even if I wanted to, even if HE wanted to,” Casey said. “But like he said to me and I told you--he knew it, and the gold wasn’t to make me go to him and be his grateful slave. It was partly because of…” Casey waved his hand around the room, pausing at Noah and Danny as he did. “…This. He knew. And I’m sorry, but we’re desperate, and I’m cashing the gold, whether you approve or not.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Zeke said in a rush, nodding. “I was wrong, getting jealous and pissy over it. I know. Just understand… I want to do those things for you, and having it come from Cal instead… hurts.”
A hard swallow rolled down Casey’s throat. He took the last few inches of distance from Zeke in a slow slide, letting their knees meet, facing each other. “If someone walked in here, right now, offering me riches in the millions, a penthouse by Central Park--an easy, never-worry-again life--with the only stipulation being my leaving you behind--I’d tell them to tie a safe to themselves and hop into the Hudson.”
Zeke chuckled once, then instantly sobered in staring back at Casey’s firm gaze. “Yea?” he said. At Casey’s nod, Zeke licked his bottom lip then put his hand on Casey’s shoulder. It slid up to the boy’s neck and rested there, holding the back of it and giving the tense flesh and muscles a smooth massage. “I’d do the same.”
“I know you would.”
After a quick glance to the sleeping pair a few yards away, Zeke cupped Casey’s chin in his hand and brought him in, letting their lips come together in a warm kiss. A small breeze wafted in through the window, but the heat spreading from Casey’s mouth to the rest of his body barely felt it. He tilted his head and pushed in to get even closer, until he was crawling into Zeke’s lap. The action made Zeke pull away and chuckle heartily. “Um--” he nodded to the window. “--All of New York can see us.”
“So all of New York can see us.”
“Casey…” Zeke said in a sing-song voice.
“Fine, what time is it?”
“Why?”
“Because… Xavier is gone until when, six? And it can’t be past one,” Casey said. A grin grew over his face. “And I’m positive that he wouldn’t mind us using his bed--”
“Ants! Get them… ants!”
The sudden cry from the bed made the two of them look over in a snap. They found Danny, arms and legs open as if he was preventing a fall, now awake with eyes as wide as saucers. Zeke was the first to try and clear the confusion. “Um… ants?”
“Wha?” Danny said, obviously confused.
“You yelled something about ants,” Zeke said.
“Oh… dream… nightmare, really. Fuck.” Danny slipped his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his face. “Giant ants were eating Times Square…”
Even with the disappointment at not getting to sneak off for secret romancing, Casey snorted in amusement and left Zeke with a sigh. “Come on. Let’s surprise Xavier with dinner,” he said.
~*~