Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2008-01-06 06:43 pm
sophinisba) wrote2008-01-06 06:43 pm
Entry tags:
Homecoming part 5
Okay! So, erm, sorry I haven't updated this story in seven months! Sorry also for posting another version of this part and then taking it down after a few minutes! I still can't promise I will finish, but I am seized by a new optimism!
Title: Homecoming (5/7 or so)
Fandom: The Faculty
Pairing: Casey/Zeke
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1146
Summary: Casey and Zeke go back to Herrington for their five year high school reunion.
Notes: Story concept from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
layne67
Previous parts: One, Two, Three, Four
They have a good laugh practicing the waltz in Zeke's living room, but it turns out there's no dance at the school gym, just a dinner in the cafeteria.
"At least it's catered," Zeke says to Casey as they line up for their food. "Not so many bad memories for you here, are there?"
"Not to do with aliens anyway. Think any of the cool kids will let us sit at their table tonight?"
"We are the cool kids now."
"Sure," Casey says, grinning.
They sit at an empty table, but a few minutes later Stan shows up with a pretty but tired looking woman and a small baby, who immediately becomes the focus of Casey's attention. Unlike his boyfriend, Zeke doesn't have much to say to a baby, so he tries chatting with Stan and Carrie. Soon enough he realizes that he doesn't have much to say about a baby either, and it's hard to talk about anything else with new parents whose baby is right there.
Zeke is annoyed and bored. And, same as last night, everyone else is more or less happy to ignore him while he concentrates on his food and drink. When other people's plates and cups are empty Zeke volunteers to go back and get refills so they can concentrate on making googly eyes at little Christine.
By the time Gabe and his girlfriend show up he excuses himself to go to the bathroom. When he's done pissing he decides he doesn't really want to go back, unless it's to pull Casey away from the others and go on a tour of the school. It's nice to be alone for a minute anyway, have a chance to think. He wishes he didn't have to see his own reflection in the mirror though.
It's just too weird, seeing his face in this setting and seeing how much it's changed. There were a few months there, right before the aliens, when he spent more time in this bathroom than he did in classes, making deals, keeping cool, ignoring the kids in the stalls, whether they were taking a shit or nursing a bloody nose. Zeke never worried back then about how other people felt or what they thought about him. He liked the look of his face in the mirror. He never minded drawing attention to himself.
He pulls one of the pens out of his pocket – he usually just carries one but he's brought three tonight, for old times' sake. He never used his own stuff back then, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea now – give him some extra energy, some extra distraction, some extra assurance he's not someone else in his own slightly aged skin.
"Not the best idea you've had," says Casey from behind him, and Zeke sees both their reflections in the mirror and doesn't turn around, doesn't answer, just goes ahead with it and squints against the burn in his eyes, the sharp sudden headache he's only felt once before and the memories that come back with the pain.
"But I guess you've had worse," Casey finishes. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," says Zeke, turning around, pulling out another pen. "You want some?"
"No, thanks, and I've got my own." He pats his pocket.
"You need to save that, in case you need to –"
"Right, it's okay. We can go home, if you want. I didn't realize this was such a big deal for you. I wouldn't have –"
"It's not a big deal." Zeke's feeling a little dizzy and puts out a hand to lean against the wall. Too bad there are no chairs in here. "I'm just bored, that's all."
"So come back and talk to us?"
"I'm bored with those people."
"You've never even met them. Come one, Carrie's really nice, Christine's adorable, and Danielle's amazing."
"She's not –"
"She's the person who turned Gabe into a reasonable guy. You don't think that takes a pretty impressive personality?"
"We already talked to people last night. I thought we were gonna go back to some of those places, overcome your fears…"
"Um, the place where you kissed Marybeth is not actually a particularly romantic one for me."
"You could reclaim it for yourself."
Zeke grins and Casey's eyes narrow with annoyance but then Zeke's knees collapse. His hand is sliding down the wall and Casey catches him, helps him sit down without too much violence.
"I'm fine," Zeke says quickly.
"Sure you are." Zeke leans forward and Casey rubs his back. "We'll sit here for a few minutes and then go back to your place."
"No. We have to – "
"We don't have to do anything, Zeke."
"Yes we –"
"No, we don't. Look, I came back here because I wanted to let people know I'm okay with who I am now. I wasn't planning on talking to my mom but that worked out okay too. Drinking at Sally's was nice, and your bed was…." Zeke's feeling a little stronger and he sits back so he can see Casey's smile. God, he doesn't get tired of that smile, even when Casey's being smug and superior like this. "Your bed was really nice, but I don't really need...these places. They don't mean a lot to me, okay? I was joking about wanting to go back to the gym and the pool. I don't want to go back to that fucking locker room and I'm not crazy about sitting on the floor of this bathroom either. And I love you, I really do, but I have no desire to make out with you in the science storeroom."
The smile's gone and Zeke decides he doesn't want to look at Casey anymore. "That's not even what I'm talking about." He leans to the side, pushes himself up with his hands. "I'm just doing this for you, you know. But if you'd rather spend time with Gabe Santora –"
"Gabe's a lot more fun to be around at the moment," Casey snaps, and then softens again, standing up and reaching for him. "But it's fine, like I said, we don't need to stay."
But Zeke's feeling steadier on his feet now and he doesn't want to be handled, talked out of his plans or his bad mood. He shoves Casey's hand away and starts walking away. "Don't worry about me," he says. "Have fun with your new friends. I'll come back and find you when I'm done seeing what I want to see."
"Does this place just make you wanna act like your eighteen-year-old self, or is it the drugs?" Casey follows him into the hallway but stops when they get out there; they're heading in opposite directions. "Don't wander into the pool and drown yourself," he says. "Call me when you're done being an asshole."
Zeke just waves as he walks away.
next part | series tag | fic index
Title: Homecoming (5/7 or so)
Fandom: The Faculty
Pairing: Casey/Zeke
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1146
Summary: Casey and Zeke go back to Herrington for their five year high school reunion.
Notes: Story concept from
layne67Previous parts: One, Two, Three, Four
They have a good laugh practicing the waltz in Zeke's living room, but it turns out there's no dance at the school gym, just a dinner in the cafeteria.
"At least it's catered," Zeke says to Casey as they line up for their food. "Not so many bad memories for you here, are there?"
"Not to do with aliens anyway. Think any of the cool kids will let us sit at their table tonight?"
"We are the cool kids now."
"Sure," Casey says, grinning.
They sit at an empty table, but a few minutes later Stan shows up with a pretty but tired looking woman and a small baby, who immediately becomes the focus of Casey's attention. Unlike his boyfriend, Zeke doesn't have much to say to a baby, so he tries chatting with Stan and Carrie. Soon enough he realizes that he doesn't have much to say about a baby either, and it's hard to talk about anything else with new parents whose baby is right there.
Zeke is annoyed and bored. And, same as last night, everyone else is more or less happy to ignore him while he concentrates on his food and drink. When other people's plates and cups are empty Zeke volunteers to go back and get refills so they can concentrate on making googly eyes at little Christine.
By the time Gabe and his girlfriend show up he excuses himself to go to the bathroom. When he's done pissing he decides he doesn't really want to go back, unless it's to pull Casey away from the others and go on a tour of the school. It's nice to be alone for a minute anyway, have a chance to think. He wishes he didn't have to see his own reflection in the mirror though.
It's just too weird, seeing his face in this setting and seeing how much it's changed. There were a few months there, right before the aliens, when he spent more time in this bathroom than he did in classes, making deals, keeping cool, ignoring the kids in the stalls, whether they were taking a shit or nursing a bloody nose. Zeke never worried back then about how other people felt or what they thought about him. He liked the look of his face in the mirror. He never minded drawing attention to himself.
He pulls one of the pens out of his pocket – he usually just carries one but he's brought three tonight, for old times' sake. He never used his own stuff back then, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea now – give him some extra energy, some extra distraction, some extra assurance he's not someone else in his own slightly aged skin.
"Not the best idea you've had," says Casey from behind him, and Zeke sees both their reflections in the mirror and doesn't turn around, doesn't answer, just goes ahead with it and squints against the burn in his eyes, the sharp sudden headache he's only felt once before and the memories that come back with the pain.
"But I guess you've had worse," Casey finishes. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," says Zeke, turning around, pulling out another pen. "You want some?"
"No, thanks, and I've got my own." He pats his pocket.
"You need to save that, in case you need to –"
"Right, it's okay. We can go home, if you want. I didn't realize this was such a big deal for you. I wouldn't have –"
"It's not a big deal." Zeke's feeling a little dizzy and puts out a hand to lean against the wall. Too bad there are no chairs in here. "I'm just bored, that's all."
"So come back and talk to us?"
"I'm bored with those people."
"You've never even met them. Come one, Carrie's really nice, Christine's adorable, and Danielle's amazing."
"She's not –"
"She's the person who turned Gabe into a reasonable guy. You don't think that takes a pretty impressive personality?"
"We already talked to people last night. I thought we were gonna go back to some of those places, overcome your fears…"
"Um, the place where you kissed Marybeth is not actually a particularly romantic one for me."
"You could reclaim it for yourself."
Zeke grins and Casey's eyes narrow with annoyance but then Zeke's knees collapse. His hand is sliding down the wall and Casey catches him, helps him sit down without too much violence.
"I'm fine," Zeke says quickly.
"Sure you are." Zeke leans forward and Casey rubs his back. "We'll sit here for a few minutes and then go back to your place."
"No. We have to – "
"We don't have to do anything, Zeke."
"Yes we –"
"No, we don't. Look, I came back here because I wanted to let people know I'm okay with who I am now. I wasn't planning on talking to my mom but that worked out okay too. Drinking at Sally's was nice, and your bed was…." Zeke's feeling a little stronger and he sits back so he can see Casey's smile. God, he doesn't get tired of that smile, even when Casey's being smug and superior like this. "Your bed was really nice, but I don't really need...these places. They don't mean a lot to me, okay? I was joking about wanting to go back to the gym and the pool. I don't want to go back to that fucking locker room and I'm not crazy about sitting on the floor of this bathroom either. And I love you, I really do, but I have no desire to make out with you in the science storeroom."
The smile's gone and Zeke decides he doesn't want to look at Casey anymore. "That's not even what I'm talking about." He leans to the side, pushes himself up with his hands. "I'm just doing this for you, you know. But if you'd rather spend time with Gabe Santora –"
"Gabe's a lot more fun to be around at the moment," Casey snaps, and then softens again, standing up and reaching for him. "But it's fine, like I said, we don't need to stay."
But Zeke's feeling steadier on his feet now and he doesn't want to be handled, talked out of his plans or his bad mood. He shoves Casey's hand away and starts walking away. "Don't worry about me," he says. "Have fun with your new friends. I'll come back and find you when I'm done seeing what I want to see."
"Does this place just make you wanna act like your eighteen-year-old self, or is it the drugs?" Casey follows him into the hallway but stops when they get out there; they're heading in opposite directions. "Don't wander into the pool and drown yourself," he says. "Call me when you're done being an asshole."
Zeke just waves as he walks away.
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