Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2007-03-28 10:22 pm
sophinisba) wrote2007-03-28 10:22 pm
Homecoming part 2
Here is some more Faculty fic! Thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
layne67 for the story idea, encouragement, and now a new title.
Warning/apology: Some real-world badness made its way into this chapter and once it was there I didn't feel like taking it out. Part 2 is therefore much less cute and escapist than part 1.
Still rated PG and I should probably also warn/apologize that I do not really anticipate writing any porn as part of this fic.
Zeke and Casey still try to carry a scat pen wherever they go, but they've stopped taking them on planes, which is one of several important reasons that Zeke tries to avoid flying these days. The fact that there hasn't been another alien invasion (that they know of) in almost six years helps him feel less jumpy most of the time, but he thinks it's better to be prepared.
"How likely is it that we'll be there again when they come?" Casey says. "It'll be some other small town, and somebody else will have to figure it out. We can do more good letting other people know what happened than having the two of us carrying tiny weapons around." But he carries one anyway to make Zeke feel better.
Zeke's still got a large stash of the stuff back in the garage at the house in Herrington, and it's a good thing because Zeke gets pulled aside for a "random" search at JFK, and they actually do study the ink pens in his bag and his pocket, and he's glad they don't find any mysterious powder inside.
Casey gets through security with no problem and waits patiently, sending Zeke sympathetic glances but keeping a respectful distance beyond the gate. And for a second (as he's getting felt up in front of a hundred people) Zeke's jealous of the little-boy face that lets Casey get away with anything, but then he remembers Christmas of 2001 and he's grateful that Casey's got it easier this time.
Casey had figured that Christmas was the best time there'd ever be to come out to his parents, not so much because of the changes in his own life – the fact that he and Zeke had been having sex on a regular basis since May and living together since August and actually using the word love since September – as the fact that since September everyone was making changes, thinking about what was really important and what they wanted to do with their lives. Even his parents were using the word love when he talked to them on the phone. And, as he told Zeke later, "I figured they'd be so happy to have me alive that they wouldn't make a big deal about the whole gay thing."
That was the first time Casey'd been on a plane since September 11th. And Zeke should have gone with him, or should have at least admitted that he didn't want to go because he was terrified and asked Casey to stay with him in New York. But instead Zeke just said he didn't care about going home, which probably made Casey think Zeke didn't care about being with him, and made the whole misadventure worse than it already was. If Zeke had gone with him they could have just hung out at Zeke's house (well, his parents' house, but his parents were in Japan at the time so it wouldn't have mattered) until it was time to fly back.
As it was Casey decided to come back after three days instead of ten, and Zeke didn't mind paying for the new ticket, but someone (they never found out who) thought the change seemed suspicious. So that on Christmas Eve, Casey not only left his parents' home with no intention of coming back, ever, but missed his flight trying to convince airport security that the change in travel plans was for personal reasons, and not because he wanted to blow anything up.
That meant explaining the whole aliens thing again, since that was the first thing that came up when they ran his name. Casey took his old principled stand of "Yes, it really happened the way we said, and if you think that makes me a freak then fine, but it doesn't have anything to do with what we're talking about now," an argument which he found out worked a lot better with his professors than with the FTA. It eventually meant coming out to them too, and telling them that no, his parents hadn't kicked him out but his dad was cold and his mom wanted to find him a shrink (again, he didn't say) and that wasn't how he wanted to spend his holiday. It meant breaking down in tears, and telling them that he loved his boyfriend and he loved his country and he loved New York and begging could he please, please go back to them now.
It was past midnight when he got in, and Zeke wanted to know what the hell had happened but Casey said he'd explain later, that he'd had enough pouring his guts out for this week
Funny how after all that Casey was the one who insisted that flying to Ohio this time made more sense than driving.
And he was probably right. They let Zeke go after five minutes. The flight's smooth and so is Casey's voice, talking to Zeke the whole time. He doesn't hold his hand, knowing that would probably bring more stress than it relieved and knowing something about which battles are worth fighting and when.
Casey also lets Zeke drive the rental car even though they both know Casey's a better driver. Zeke's driving in high school was always more about looking cool than actually being calm, but he's restless with all that sitting and being told what to do, and it feels good to be in some kind of control again.
The rental reminds Zeke a little of his mom's station wagon back when he started driving it, after Elizabeth-who-wasn't-Elizabeth wrecked the GTO. The smell was old-new car, air-freshener and indifference – used but not loved, not sweated in or swerved with or made special. Zeke and Elizabeth-who-was-Elizabeth took care of that particular problem pretty quickly, got it nice and dirty, but Zeke never did get used to driving something that looked so normal and suburban on the outside, even if he wasn't really invested in being a rebel by that point. Mostly he just wanted to graduate and get out. And he didn't mind ditching the car – or the girlfriend – when he left for New York.
Casey's quiet now on their way out of Cincinnati, pointing out exits just once, because Zeke's paying attention. Once they're out on open highway Casey says, "Less than an hour and we'll be back at your house."
"Yeah."
"And a hundred scat pens in the box in the garage. Not that we need them."
"Right."
"And more importantly we'll have some food, and a beer, and we'll have a good time scandalizing the locals."
Zeke doesn't say anything.
"And I'm glad you're taking me on a vacation."
"This does not count as a vacation, Casey."
Casey laughs. "Fine then, we can go to Paris in the spring. But I'm glad we're here."
It takes a little while, another minute of staring far ahead at the road and convincing himself, but then he finds it, between the smell of the car and the relief of being safe on the ground and the distant familiarity of Ohio roads, it feels good, and sitting here beside Casey is exactly where he wants to be. It takes a minute but then he can say it and mean it: "So am I."
Casey nods. "Scat pens, dinner, beer, scandal, and then sex on your couch," he says confidently.
Then suddenly there is somewhere else Zeke would rather be, but it doesn't matter. They're on their way.
next part | series tag | fic index
layne67 for the story idea, encouragement, and now a new title.Warning/apology: Some real-world badness made its way into this chapter and once it was there I didn't feel like taking it out. Part 2 is therefore much less cute and escapist than part 1.
Still rated PG and I should probably also warn/apologize that I do not really anticipate writing any porn as part of this fic.
Zeke and Casey still try to carry a scat pen wherever they go, but they've stopped taking them on planes, which is one of several important reasons that Zeke tries to avoid flying these days. The fact that there hasn't been another alien invasion (that they know of) in almost six years helps him feel less jumpy most of the time, but he thinks it's better to be prepared.
"How likely is it that we'll be there again when they come?" Casey says. "It'll be some other small town, and somebody else will have to figure it out. We can do more good letting other people know what happened than having the two of us carrying tiny weapons around." But he carries one anyway to make Zeke feel better.
Zeke's still got a large stash of the stuff back in the garage at the house in Herrington, and it's a good thing because Zeke gets pulled aside for a "random" search at JFK, and they actually do study the ink pens in his bag and his pocket, and he's glad they don't find any mysterious powder inside.
Casey gets through security with no problem and waits patiently, sending Zeke sympathetic glances but keeping a respectful distance beyond the gate. And for a second (as he's getting felt up in front of a hundred people) Zeke's jealous of the little-boy face that lets Casey get away with anything, but then he remembers Christmas of 2001 and he's grateful that Casey's got it easier this time.
Casey had figured that Christmas was the best time there'd ever be to come out to his parents, not so much because of the changes in his own life – the fact that he and Zeke had been having sex on a regular basis since May and living together since August and actually using the word love since September – as the fact that since September everyone was making changes, thinking about what was really important and what they wanted to do with their lives. Even his parents were using the word love when he talked to them on the phone. And, as he told Zeke later, "I figured they'd be so happy to have me alive that they wouldn't make a big deal about the whole gay thing."
That was the first time Casey'd been on a plane since September 11th. And Zeke should have gone with him, or should have at least admitted that he didn't want to go because he was terrified and asked Casey to stay with him in New York. But instead Zeke just said he didn't care about going home, which probably made Casey think Zeke didn't care about being with him, and made the whole misadventure worse than it already was. If Zeke had gone with him they could have just hung out at Zeke's house (well, his parents' house, but his parents were in Japan at the time so it wouldn't have mattered) until it was time to fly back.
As it was Casey decided to come back after three days instead of ten, and Zeke didn't mind paying for the new ticket, but someone (they never found out who) thought the change seemed suspicious. So that on Christmas Eve, Casey not only left his parents' home with no intention of coming back, ever, but missed his flight trying to convince airport security that the change in travel plans was for personal reasons, and not because he wanted to blow anything up.
That meant explaining the whole aliens thing again, since that was the first thing that came up when they ran his name. Casey took his old principled stand of "Yes, it really happened the way we said, and if you think that makes me a freak then fine, but it doesn't have anything to do with what we're talking about now," an argument which he found out worked a lot better with his professors than with the FTA. It eventually meant coming out to them too, and telling them that no, his parents hadn't kicked him out but his dad was cold and his mom wanted to find him a shrink (again, he didn't say) and that wasn't how he wanted to spend his holiday. It meant breaking down in tears, and telling them that he loved his boyfriend and he loved his country and he loved New York and begging could he please, please go back to them now.
It was past midnight when he got in, and Zeke wanted to know what the hell had happened but Casey said he'd explain later, that he'd had enough pouring his guts out for this week
Funny how after all that Casey was the one who insisted that flying to Ohio this time made more sense than driving.
And he was probably right. They let Zeke go after five minutes. The flight's smooth and so is Casey's voice, talking to Zeke the whole time. He doesn't hold his hand, knowing that would probably bring more stress than it relieved and knowing something about which battles are worth fighting and when.
Casey also lets Zeke drive the rental car even though they both know Casey's a better driver. Zeke's driving in high school was always more about looking cool than actually being calm, but he's restless with all that sitting and being told what to do, and it feels good to be in some kind of control again.
The rental reminds Zeke a little of his mom's station wagon back when he started driving it, after Elizabeth-who-wasn't-Elizabeth wrecked the GTO. The smell was old-new car, air-freshener and indifference – used but not loved, not sweated in or swerved with or made special. Zeke and Elizabeth-who-was-Elizabeth took care of that particular problem pretty quickly, got it nice and dirty, but Zeke never did get used to driving something that looked so normal and suburban on the outside, even if he wasn't really invested in being a rebel by that point. Mostly he just wanted to graduate and get out. And he didn't mind ditching the car – or the girlfriend – when he left for New York.
Casey's quiet now on their way out of Cincinnati, pointing out exits just once, because Zeke's paying attention. Once they're out on open highway Casey says, "Less than an hour and we'll be back at your house."
"Yeah."
"And a hundred scat pens in the box in the garage. Not that we need them."
"Right."
"And more importantly we'll have some food, and a beer, and we'll have a good time scandalizing the locals."
Zeke doesn't say anything.
"And I'm glad you're taking me on a vacation."
"This does not count as a vacation, Casey."
Casey laughs. "Fine then, we can go to Paris in the spring. But I'm glad we're here."
It takes a little while, another minute of staring far ahead at the road and convincing himself, but then he finds it, between the smell of the car and the relief of being safe on the ground and the distant familiarity of Ohio roads, it feels good, and sitting here beside Casey is exactly where he wants to be. It takes a minute but then he can say it and mean it: "So am I."
Casey nods. "Scat pens, dinner, beer, scandal, and then sex on your couch," he says confidently.
Then suddenly there is somewhere else Zeke would rather be, but it doesn't matter. They're on their way.
next part | series tag | fic index
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I want to take your Casey home with me to live - what a thoughtful, sensitive sweetheart. I'm sure Zeke's turn to shine will come.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
xox
no subject
no subject
And no need to apologize for the absence of porn. As long as there's love ... I'm very, very happy.
Thank you, Sophi. Am looking forward to the "Scat pens, dinner, beer, scandal, and then sex on your couch" - especially the last two :DD
no subject
no subject
"It meant breaking down in tears, and telling them that he loved his boyfriend and he loved his country and he loved New York and begging could he please, please go back to them now."
Poor poor boy! I was so sad that Casey's coming out was such a disaster and that he was alone when it happened but glad that Zeke recognizes that and regrets it. They seem so good together but there's this undercurrent of unease, as if Zeke really thinks this whole thing is a bad idea. It's a good tension-builder.
I actuall loved the bit about the car:
"The smell was old-new car, air-freshener and indifference – used but not loved, not sweated in or swerved with or made special."
It really fits Zeke's character and boy-ness that he would relate to cars in that way and the inherent nostalgia in a vehicle like that would get to him. It's a very human thing to switch back and forth in temprement on diverse emotional cues the way you have him doing at the end. Love it!
no subject