whee, I've been writing today. WOW! :D
New story I started today...
Title: Electricite
Pairing: Casey/Zeke
Rating: PG/PG-13
Synopsis: No one believed them, and Casey paid for it. Not anymore, though.
There were many ways to try and convince someone that what they saw with their own two eyes wasn’t actually real; there was psychology in general, psychotherapy, electric shock therapy, parents who’d see your head was on fire and they STILL wouldn’t believe in your need for a hose. It was all happening now- right now, when belief was needed the most.
Zeke was lucky; he’d gotten one phone call from his mother who was out in Switzerland… or Sydney, he couldn’t keep track anymore. She’d just asked if he was all right and that she’d heard of the strange happenings back in Ohio through friends, even newspapers and the like. Zeke gave her a bland explanation, mostly consisting of ‘Yeas’ and “It’s good.” She wasn’t here, she wouldn’t know and wouldn’t understand. Granted there was still pressure from all sides; all because one kid wouldn’t fucking shut up, thinking like some goddamned Pollyanna. Thinking that people would actually believe their story. He got the psychology; psychotherapy, electric shock therapy and bitter fucking parents that would rather watch their son’s health and mind deteriorate than say, “Hmm, I wonder where that entire day and night went,”
Daily business was the usual by now; Zeke had just up and left school, not giving half a shit. He’d gotten his GED, passing with flying colors to the point where the program director had asked just WHY he’d quit. A shrug was his reply as he got handed his paperwork and went off to look for a job. He found one quick at the industrial park putting together guns. Seemed appropriate.
Casey called almost every night after the rounds of therapies were done and he decided to play along. They’d talk for hours, every other line of conversation consisting of Casey asking for constant assurance that everything DID in fact happen. Some things he’d forgotten but damn, he held up nicely with all they’d done to him. Zeke surmised that Casey was more strong willed than anyone thought. Well, a kid taking beatings the way he had all those years PLUS killing a huge alien queen could do that. ‘Gotta watch the silent types’, as they say.
Even though Casey had been shipped to a private boarding school at the other end of the state, he’d sneak these calls constantly. He insisted on calling instead of Zeke doing so, saying he had a stack of phone cards to not have the calls show up on the bill. Zeke knew why; if Casey’s mom and dad knew he was talking to him, they’d send him out of school and back into random hospitals and psych wards. It didn’t matter if he just wanted to call and get the recipe for Zeke’s famous ‘Pépites de fromage de poulet’; they’d see the call and commit him all over again. So they led a secretive calling life together, and Zeke enjoyed it to the hilt. Talking to Casey took him back and away from the humdrum of life. Casey just did that for him- Zeke knew why. They’d been there… done that.
Casey NEEDED this rebellion, no matter how insignificant it was, and Zeke was proud of him for it. He was still just another outcast at his school, but he wasn’t taking shit anymore. The first guy who tried showing dominance ended up losing it entirely through a good, hard punch Casey ducked from and got one in return. Zeke would chuckle to himself in imagining the scene; lil’ Casey Connor beating someone up wasn’t exactly the norm, but it was now. No one messed with him now; sure there were whispers, and Casey knew it. Still they’d backed off, and Zeke was thankful for Casey’s new approach to bullies.
Zeke had just gotten in from work, having left early due to one of the main machines breaking down. As he opened a pack of chicken nuggets the phone rang. “Hello?” he said into it, balancing the phone on his shoulder as he prepared his lunch.
“Hey,” Casey said. Zeke grinned wryly.
“You fuckin’ psychic ‘er something?”
“Huh?”
“I’m normally at work right now, you know that,”
“Oh… I had the feeling you’d be home,” Casey said casually. Zeke shook his head.
“What’s up?”
“Not much,” Casey replied, sighing into the phone. “What’re you doing tomorrow night?”
“Uh… nothing. That’s my usual Friday night; I’ll probably get a six pack and watch westerns. Why?”
“Wanna take a drive out here?”
Zeke’s eyebrows rose. “A drive… to your school? Isn’t that like- illegal?” he asked. Casey laughed.
“Yea well, the SWAT team planned a dance; they’re all goin’, so I’ll be able to take off unseen,” Casey joked. “No, that ain’t it. It’s a free weekend for us- they’re letting us outta here for whatever we want,”
“Lemmee guess; the ‘rents have no clue about this,” Zeke said.
“Nope.”
“How sweet,” Zeke said, pouring nuggets onto a pan. “What do you wanna do?”
“I dunno. I don’t care either. Anywhere is better than here,”
“Cool, cool. Want me to pick you up right after your classes so we don’t waste time?”
“Yea… they muzzle and lock up the dogs about three, right after my photo club meeting,”
“Okay. I’m not going to work tomorrow. This is all very convenient,” Zeke told him. He suddenly winced as his fingers bumped into the trays within the oven, getting a hot sting. As he stuck his hand in the sink Casey groaned.
“Zeke?”
“Yea?”
“Did you just burn yourself?”
“Yea, burns like hell.”
“Thought so,” Casey said, a bit of a shake in his voice. Before Zeke could ask why he’d asked, Casey chuckled. “See ya tomorrow then,”
“Yea… cool as cool is,”
Zeke felt like such a badass right now; it was hilarious. Two younger students of Casey’s school passed between his car and another parked in the street by the main gate, looking at him with confused frowns. He stared back at them, lighting another cigarette. Zeke was sure nearly ninety percent of this school consisted of lil’ rich boys that had never even SEEN a public school, never mind attended one. There were plenty of stories that came out of private schools, pretty bad ones too; Zeke didn’t get this impression from this place so far.
More students were spilling out now, meeting up with parents in cars or taking off down the street. Zeke waited impatiently, huffing out a breath every now and again. If the truth were to be told, he was more than a little excited; he hadn’t seen Casey in well over eight months. He’d come home for summer vacation just a few months ago, but his parents whisked him away on vacation, visiting family on the east coast. It’s been a bummer; Casey had wanted to do something with Zeke, but found out last second about the trip. It was kind of special how Casey ducked away to make a phone call on the way in Pennsylvania, just to inform Zeke of all this.
Zeke was swiping his lap frantically at a burning ember that had fallen there when a voice came from the passenger side window. “Burning yourself again?” it asked. Zeke looked up and found Casey hanging his head in the car, smiling in amusement.
“Shut up,” Zeke said, unable to keep his own lips from curling up. Casey opened the door and got in; he wasted no time in giving Zeke a long overdue hug.
“Fuck, been too long,” Casey said. Zeke chuckled, hugging him back.
“Yep, it has,” Zeke said. They pulled away; Zeke looked him up and down, huffing out chuckles. He wore a stark white button up shirt, red and black tie, a jacket with some sort of school insignia and black slacks. “Well then. You’re certainly the good schoolboy of the year,”
“Yea, yea,” Casey said, looking down on his uniform. “I brought some of my NORMAL clothes with me. I’m gonna change once we find someplace to go, crash… whatever,”
Zeke sighed, turning the car on. He was about to ask ‘where to?” when the sight of Casey taking out a pack of cigarettes from his bookbag and lighting up shocked him. “FUCK all, Casey- where did all your ‘smoking kills’ preaching go??”
“Straight out the window. These fucking things have saved my ass the last year or so,” Casey muttered, blowing out a long stream of smoke. “They’ll kill me someday, I accept it,”
Zeke shook his head, beyond hilarity now. “Well… let’s get the hell outta here. It’s like looking at a group of penguins around here,” he said, making Casey laughed. Before taking off from the curb at the speed of sound Zeke caught a glance at Casey, who was loosening his tie from his neck. It looked good for whatever reason.
“Aw, you looked kinda good in that there uniform,” Zeke said upon finding Casey in a ‘Cake’ band t-shirt. Casey looked down and laughed.
“It itches like crazy, especially the jacket,” Casey told him; Zeke extended his large order of chili cheese fries to him and joined him on the hood of the car. “Besides,” Casey continued, already getting cheese on his fingers and licking them. “When do you compliment my style of dress?”
“Come on, man. It’s like a schoolgirl uniform; they’re MEANT to make some student look hot,” Zeke replied, making Casey chortle.
“So I’m hot, that’s new,” he said while chuckling madly. Zeke started in on his hot dog, watching others mill around the diner. Fall was well on its way; the sun had already started sneaking towards the horizon, and it was only seven o’clock. He was going to miss the long, warm days of summer. The view wasn’t that bad still, though; many scantily clad girls were roaming around, drinking sodas and chatting with friends.
“Must suck being in an all guys school,” Zeke said. Casey shrugged.
“You get used to it,”
“I don’t see how,” Zeke said, shaking his head slowly as a girl in a very short skort and tank top passed by. Casey followed his gaze and smiled.
“You just do. Besides, you still get hit on,” he said; Zeke turned his head, giving him an incredulous look.
“By WHO? Your fellow classmates??”
“Nooo,” Casey said with a roll of his eyes. A mischievous smile came over his lips as he picked up a fry. “If my parents KNEW how many teachers perved on me, they’d have pulled me out of that school MONTHS ago,”
It was time to choke on some soda according to Zeke’s poor throat, his cheeks puffing out to accommodate his shocked coughs. Managing not to spit all over himself Casey and the car he swallowed hard and let it out. “Wha-at??” he stammered, pounding his chest. Casey nodded slowly.
“Yuuup,”
“What the holy HELL??”
“Oh, half of ‘em are just teaching there for the view, I’d say,” Casey said, shrugging. “One went so far as to brush my cheek ever-so-slightly when the students had spilled out. Wanted to ‘congratulate’ me on the work I’d done for his calculus class,”
Zeke couldn’t help from laughing; he stared at Casey, blinking fast. “That’s fucking nuts!” he declared.
“Like I’d said… you get used to it,” Casey replied. The way he sounded… no…
“Casey?”
“Ya?” Casey said past a mouthful of chili.
“You haven’t…” Zeke started, feeling his cheeks flush red. “Y’now…”
“What?”
“Taken anyone… UP… on such things, have you??” he finally managed to ask. Casey outright guffawed.
“OH my GOD, noooo,” Casey almost yelled. “Why, SHOULD I???”
“NO!!” Zeke yelled back. The both of them just laughed a while after this, the ice broken completely.