'Cause I'm burning for you
Burning for you just like a candle
&&&
Their meetings are always behind closed doors.
His room or hers, it doesn't really matter.
Right now her hands are twined tightly in his hair, his chestnut locks tangled into her palms. His fingers are splayed across her stomach, tracing invisible patterns into her skin, she sighs and he smiles against her neck.
Their fights are fake these days; she screams until her throat is sore and then kisses him until her lips are numb. They haven't been at it for long, a couple months. A couple months too short, and he thinks he is the biggest fucking idiot - he wasted so much time. Graduation approaches fast, he holds her close and there is less doing and more memorizing. He knows she'll leave and become great, he'll go wherever he's accepted and that will be it (he doesn't want to be forgotten.)
His tongue traces that spot on her throat, she shivers then grabs a fistful of his shirt and pulls his lips back to hers. His smile never leaves when they're together, and he swears he'll never forget this - he'll never forget her. The way she breathes: strangled ooh's and ahh's that hitch when he touches the right place. The way she says his name: Derek, and its always two syllables long, perfect. The way they fit: its crazy and she's Casey, but her body fits his like a glove. Long dancer's legs that intertwine with his in a way that drives him completely mad and her face, God, her face with those eyes that could bring him to his knees.
He doesn't like the word forever, but that's it, that's how long he wants to spend with her.
&&&
"What are we gonna do, Case?" He asks, his breath hot on her cheek as they tangle together in their favorite supply closet.
She looks at him, her beautiful face saddened by the topic, the one that makes her stomach hurt with anxiety, her palms sweat with dread. She pulls back, leans against the opposite wall, the heals of her hands push against her eyes, trying to clear her mind.
She takes a deep wavering breath, and he hates to hurt her (even though this doesn't really qualify, he's just bringing up a subject that has to be discussed.)
"Everytime I think about it, I just feel sick."
She shakes her head, curls an arm around her stomach.
"We don't have to talk about it," he steps closer and she sighs as she leans into him.
"I'm tired of avoiding, though, and its coming, Derek. Getting closer everyday."
He nods, his teeth making bite marks on his lip, sorry I know its coming Casey and I hate hate hate having this decision and all these words I just want you, yeah, forever, and I couldn't really give a fuck what else happens.
"What do you want, Derek?" She asks, her eyes reading through a thousand complications inside her head.
"I think its pretty obvious, isn't it?"
She smiles, warm and his, and he answers it with a grin, pulls her close and kisses her lips like he's never going to get another chance.
"Then that's it. We'll figure it out. We're gonna be okay."
He nods, and yeah the anxiety is still there (its just a part of this relationship), but he has faith in her; she always figures things out and this should be no different.
&&&
"Quiet," is whispered into the collar of his shirt as she crashes him against his door.
"Always." He replies, his world spinning, drunk off of her mere presence.
She can't get his shirt off fast enough and he wonders if the others know, not Marti or the parents, just Liz and Ed. They are so observant, always watching and filing away everything that they see; they probably know. They probably know and they are smiling to themselves in the games closet, they probably had a bet going, he wonders who won.
"Hey," she says, eyes alight with excitement, "I figured it out."
He smiles, his arms wrapping around her waist.
"No.."
"Yeah, for real."
"Okay," he smiles wider with anticipation, "lay it on me."
"We run away, me and you. We get in the prince and just drive - wherever we wanna go."
He smirks, "I don't think so, Case. You have too bright of a future to waste. Plus, the prince just isn't equipped for a road trip."
She snaps her fingers in mock disappointment, "Damn, I was banking on that."
He laughs, kisses her cheek.
&&&
"George?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you noticed something... different between Casey and Derek?"
"No. Have you?"
"I think they're getting along."
"Really? Took them long enough."
"There's less yelling."
"Well, if there's less yelling, I really don't care what's going on."
&&&
"I think I've got it."
"Oh?"
She's lying across his bed, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling. She's been quiet for the past ten minutes and he's been screwing around with his iTunes.
She sits up, fixes her ponytail.
"Alright, I got accepted to Toronto, really great school, wonderful theatre program, and you got accepted too, right? It's actually really simple. We just both go."
He doesn't think its possible for something involving them to be so simple, but it actually is and they've been stressing over nothing. It's like when he was in Algebra (fun fact: he was an advanced math student), and everything was really complicated, but then they would get to a unit that was like super easy. He couldn't accept that it was so straightforward. So he beat it to death, confusing and complicating the whole thing until it seemed plausible. (That teacher hated him, by the way.)
He doesn't want to be pessimistic and he doesn't want to believe that there's a catch (because it always seems like there's a catch. Example: here's the girl of your dreams Derek, but wait, she's your step-sister.), so he just smiles at her.
&&&
They planned the whole thing out.
Here's how it happens:
They're eating dinner on a Wednesday night, it quiet and Casey says I've got an announcement to make.
Everyone looks up from their dinner and she takes a breath, I've decided on Toronto.
Nora smiles, but she thinks her daughter could do better. She won't pass judgment though, because Casey's always been pretty much an adult, and she thinks she knows what's best for herself.
"Oh, that's wonderful, honey."
"Toronto's a great school," George says, nodding as he takes another bite of spaghetti.
Derek laughs a little and she whips her head around to look at him, "What?"
"Nothing, nothing, it's just that I, um, decided on Toronto, too."
George's head snaps up, "You got accepted to Toronto?"
"Derek that's great!" Nora says, and Casey makes a disgusted noise.
"You're kidding me, right? Am I being Punk'd? Because no way in hell did you get accepted to the same place I did."
"Language," Nora warns.
"Acutally, Case, not only did I get accepted, I might even get a partial scholarship for hockey."
George's eyes widen.
"Derek, that is just... I am so proud of you!"
"Oh God, I thought I was free," she whimpers.
"Casey, be nice! Plus, this way, the two of you could share an apartment! We would save so much money."
"What?!" They chime in simultaneously.
"Oh, we'll talk about it another time, let's finish dinner."
Casey smiles and she turns to see Lizzie staring hard at her.
---
That night, when everyone's asleep, he slips out of his room and glides quietly over to hers. He is stopped halfway between doors, however, by a nosy fourteen year old.
"Edwin! Holy shit, you scared the hell out of me!"
Edwin rolls his eyes.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Waiting on you, D. There are some things we need to discuss, like, maybe, what you're doing out here?"
"Getting a glass of water."
"Sure, whatever."
Derek crosses his arms, "Okay, what else would I be doing?"
Edwin rolls his eyes again, looks pointedly at Casey's room.
"I'm not blind, you know."
"Whatever you're implying, it's wrong. Now go to bed before you wake somebody up."
"Alrght, bro, but remember: I'm not a rat, I'm your brother. We have to stick together."
Derek nods; even though that line was way corny, it still feels good to hear. And, having someone else in on the secret might not be such a bad thing. (But he's still not going to admit to anything.)
(He knew it. He knew that they knew. What?)
Author Note - twoshot, and I actually liked this one. Review because they help. Second Chapter should come soon. Review!(: