We'll call it six, even if it shoulda been five...
Title: Things We Said Today (Pt. 6- sorta...)
Pairing: C/Z
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Coming home
After saying abrupt goodbyes to Mike (getting some odd looks from him as he returned them) and getting inside the building, Zeke still could NOT get over one detail alone.
“When was your last haircut?” he asked jovially as he opened his apartment door. Casey smiled a little, glancing up at Zeke.
“Can’t really remember, honestly,” he murmured. Zeke rolled his eyes and reached over, ruffling it slightly.
“Turning into a hippie, m’friend,” he said. Zeke opened his door and walked in, motioning to Casey to come in. He looked oddly hesitant but followed anyways. “So,” Zeke started, shutting the door behind them. “What the HELL have you been up to?”
“Was gonna ask you the same,” Casey said; he stopped in the doorway to the living room. “It’s nice,”
“Thanks,” Zeke said. “C’mon, let’s go sit down. You look like you haven’t slept in weeks,”
That was the truth; as Casey turned to him with another weak smile, Zeke could see the darkness under the normally vibrant eyes, irises within them not as bright as they should’ve been. At least by Zeke’s memory… “Hey… same couch,” Casey remarked with a bigger smile as he sat.
“Yup. Didn’t want to part with it.” Zeke said, flopping down. Casey brought his hand to his cheek, resting his head upon it.
“Never dreamed I’d be finding you right in the city. Last I knew you were getting ready to graduate your two year program,”
“Well, I did. Kinda took Valedictorian with it, so here I am, getting ready for Columbia…”
“Serious??”
There was the voice Zeke knew. It made him smile wider, looking over to Casey and beaming. “Yep,”
“Wow… Zeke, that’s awesome. Columbia? Geez…” Casey said, turning his head and staring at the coffee table. “God, never would’ve dreamed it,”
“Well, I’m livin’ it now. No turning back,”
“How did you get to move… in the Village no less?” Casey asked, still staring blankly. Zeke decided to put off his concern for the moment, shifting in his seat.
“Well, you know I had that trust fund. Got it finally when I turned twenty-one,” Zeke explained with a shrug. “So I’ve got a good load of resources there, plus once the house sells…”
“You’re selling it?” Casey asked, sounding saddened. Zeke nodded slowly.
“Yea- I’m not going back,”
“Oh. All right,”
It was quiet a moment, Zeke inspecting Casey through the silence. If one didn’t know him they wouldn’t see the signs that something was wrong, but Zeke knew this kid better than he knew himself it seemed. His eyes kept looking from his face to his hands; the darkness under the eyes, the blank stare… to the slight trembling he had going on in his fingers on one hand. “What’s going on with you?” Zeke asked. Casey shrugged slowly, suddenly yawning heavily. Zeke sat up a bit, blinking fast. “Case? You all right?”
“Is there any way I could crash here, any way at all?” Casey asked, the words rushing out in hurricane speed. Zeke leaned forward, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes.
“Yea, of course,”
“I don’t have a job, I can’t help with bills. But I can cook and stuff, or clean the place y’now…”
Zeke had to laugh. “Casey, don’t worry about it. My place is your place, okay?” he said. “You can stay as long as you want, I don’t mind,”
Casey nodded slowly, sitting back fully and putting his head back. “Thanks.” He said; Zeke nodded slowly as he lit a cigarette.
“You hungry?”
“Yea.”
Zeke nodded again and stood, going into the kitchen. The leftover pizza was gone now, but he’d gotten a few things at the mini-mart that morning. Not much, but it’d suffice for now. Figuring on Casey’s condition as it appeared, he hadn’t eaten much at all… perhaps in days. Some protein would do him good, making him grab a can of chicken noodle soup. As he opened it he sighed. “When was the last time you ate, anyways?”
“Dunno,” Casey replied in a languid, sleepy voice. Zeke blinked hard, pouring the soup into a bowl. He shoved it in the microwave and gave it a minute’s cooking time.
“Have you… been out on the streets awhile or something?” he asked, not knowing if he wanted to think about that sort of thing. It couldn’t be avoided however.
“Not… really,”
Zeke nodded, rubbing his eyes. He’d hoped that once he found Casey his concerns would slip away from him, letting him laugh at his paranoia over Casey who HAD to be just fine. He wasn’t and Zeke knew it. He wasn’t sure on why, but figured he should just thank the Gods above that Casey had found his way here… from wherever he’d come from.
The beeping from the microwave made Zeke snap out of the daze he’d gotten in; he opened it and took out the bowl, grabbed a spoon and went to leave the kitchen. “I got your call a while back, wanted to return it but you didn’t leave…”
His voice stopped in getting back into the living room and finding Casey on the couch, fast asleep. His head had drooped over onto the pillows while he body stayed upright, looking pretty uncomfortable. Zeke turned back to the kitchen and put the soup in the fridge; he went back into the living room and sighed, getting over to the couch and sitting there a moment before reaching down and taking Casey’s feet.
He shifted him onto his back, feeling the muscles in Casey’s legs go from tense to noodle-like. Zeke smiled weakly, undoing the laces of Casey’s sneakers. He slipped them off along with his socks, looking dusty and worn. In looking at his feet, Zeke let out a small, sad breath. Small but painful looking blisters poked out from his heels and underneath his toes; Zeke inspected them carefully, hearing Casey wince in his sleep when he’d touch them too hard. He lifted them off his lap and went to find an extra blanket, wanting to keep Casey as comfortable as he could.
Pairing: C/Z
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Coming home
After saying abrupt goodbyes to Mike (getting some odd looks from him as he returned them) and getting inside the building, Zeke still could NOT get over one detail alone.
“When was your last haircut?” he asked jovially as he opened his apartment door. Casey smiled a little, glancing up at Zeke.
“Can’t really remember, honestly,” he murmured. Zeke rolled his eyes and reached over, ruffling it slightly.
“Turning into a hippie, m’friend,” he said. Zeke opened his door and walked in, motioning to Casey to come in. He looked oddly hesitant but followed anyways. “So,” Zeke started, shutting the door behind them. “What the HELL have you been up to?”
“Was gonna ask you the same,” Casey said; he stopped in the doorway to the living room. “It’s nice,”
“Thanks,” Zeke said. “C’mon, let’s go sit down. You look like you haven’t slept in weeks,”
That was the truth; as Casey turned to him with another weak smile, Zeke could see the darkness under the normally vibrant eyes, irises within them not as bright as they should’ve been. At least by Zeke’s memory… “Hey… same couch,” Casey remarked with a bigger smile as he sat.
“Yup. Didn’t want to part with it.” Zeke said, flopping down. Casey brought his hand to his cheek, resting his head upon it.
“Never dreamed I’d be finding you right in the city. Last I knew you were getting ready to graduate your two year program,”
“Well, I did. Kinda took Valedictorian with it, so here I am, getting ready for Columbia…”
“Serious??”
There was the voice Zeke knew. It made him smile wider, looking over to Casey and beaming. “Yep,”
“Wow… Zeke, that’s awesome. Columbia? Geez…” Casey said, turning his head and staring at the coffee table. “God, never would’ve dreamed it,”
“Well, I’m livin’ it now. No turning back,”
“How did you get to move… in the Village no less?” Casey asked, still staring blankly. Zeke decided to put off his concern for the moment, shifting in his seat.
“Well, you know I had that trust fund. Got it finally when I turned twenty-one,” Zeke explained with a shrug. “So I’ve got a good load of resources there, plus once the house sells…”
“You’re selling it?” Casey asked, sounding saddened. Zeke nodded slowly.
“Yea- I’m not going back,”
“Oh. All right,”
It was quiet a moment, Zeke inspecting Casey through the silence. If one didn’t know him they wouldn’t see the signs that something was wrong, but Zeke knew this kid better than he knew himself it seemed. His eyes kept looking from his face to his hands; the darkness under the eyes, the blank stare… to the slight trembling he had going on in his fingers on one hand. “What’s going on with you?” Zeke asked. Casey shrugged slowly, suddenly yawning heavily. Zeke sat up a bit, blinking fast. “Case? You all right?”
“Is there any way I could crash here, any way at all?” Casey asked, the words rushing out in hurricane speed. Zeke leaned forward, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes.
“Yea, of course,”
“I don’t have a job, I can’t help with bills. But I can cook and stuff, or clean the place y’now…”
Zeke had to laugh. “Casey, don’t worry about it. My place is your place, okay?” he said. “You can stay as long as you want, I don’t mind,”
Casey nodded slowly, sitting back fully and putting his head back. “Thanks.” He said; Zeke nodded slowly as he lit a cigarette.
“You hungry?”
“Yea.”
Zeke nodded again and stood, going into the kitchen. The leftover pizza was gone now, but he’d gotten a few things at the mini-mart that morning. Not much, but it’d suffice for now. Figuring on Casey’s condition as it appeared, he hadn’t eaten much at all… perhaps in days. Some protein would do him good, making him grab a can of chicken noodle soup. As he opened it he sighed. “When was the last time you ate, anyways?”
“Dunno,” Casey replied in a languid, sleepy voice. Zeke blinked hard, pouring the soup into a bowl. He shoved it in the microwave and gave it a minute’s cooking time.
“Have you… been out on the streets awhile or something?” he asked, not knowing if he wanted to think about that sort of thing. It couldn’t be avoided however.
“Not… really,”
Zeke nodded, rubbing his eyes. He’d hoped that once he found Casey his concerns would slip away from him, letting him laugh at his paranoia over Casey who HAD to be just fine. He wasn’t and Zeke knew it. He wasn’t sure on why, but figured he should just thank the Gods above that Casey had found his way here… from wherever he’d come from.
The beeping from the microwave made Zeke snap out of the daze he’d gotten in; he opened it and took out the bowl, grabbed a spoon and went to leave the kitchen. “I got your call a while back, wanted to return it but you didn’t leave…”
His voice stopped in getting back into the living room and finding Casey on the couch, fast asleep. His head had drooped over onto the pillows while he body stayed upright, looking pretty uncomfortable. Zeke turned back to the kitchen and put the soup in the fridge; he went back into the living room and sighed, getting over to the couch and sitting there a moment before reaching down and taking Casey’s feet.
He shifted him onto his back, feeling the muscles in Casey’s legs go from tense to noodle-like. Zeke smiled weakly, undoing the laces of Casey’s sneakers. He slipped them off along with his socks, looking dusty and worn. In looking at his feet, Zeke let out a small, sad breath. Small but painful looking blisters poked out from his heels and underneath his toes; Zeke inspected them carefully, hearing Casey wince in his sleep when he’d touch them too hard. He lifted them off his lap and went to find an extra blanket, wanting to keep Casey as comfortable as he could.