Broken Toys

Chapter 16

Billy slid out of bed carefully, trying not to disturb his sleeping companions. Zeke was curled around Casey, his head resting on the smaller boy's chest while Casey's arm was draped over Zeke's back.

The early morning sun was gone, hidden behind thick clouds that promised a storm. Billy wrapped himself in the blanket that Casey had abandoned earlier and stood gazing out at the ocean.

A part of him thought he should analyze things, figure out the why of what had happened a few hours ago. The rest of him just wanted to cherish it, not pick at it until it lost its shine.

Sometimes you just had to accept. It was like that with the bad, why couldn't it be that way for the good? Yes, it was different with Zeke, and with Casey for that matter, but things hadn't gone as far with him. But it didn't really change anything important, at least not the way he'd feared it might. His memories of Joey were still clear and pure but they no longer burned.

A soft movement beyond the window drew Billy's attention and he squinted at it, then smiled. It was snowing.

*****

Casey was content. Zeke didn't even have to open his eyes to see it, he could feel it in the way Casey held him, one hand playing with Zeke's hair while the other held Zeke's hand, their fingers interlaced.

Zeke could feel the steady rhythm of Casey's breathing and he was tempted to let it lull him back to sleep. In the distance he heard muted voices; Billy must be watching TV.

The morning air was cool on his exposed skin, but Casey and the blankets kept the rest of him comfortably warm. It would be so easy just to stay here and drift.

The soft kiss on the top of his head changed his mind.

"Hi," Casey whispered when Zeke looked up at him. "Surprise." Zeke blinked in confusion, then movement beyond Casey caught his attention.

A shifting curtain of white danced outside the window. Snow.

Zeke smiled back at Casey. "Got a surprise for you, too, Case."

"Really?" Casey's eyes lit up, a vibrant blue. "What is it?"

"Gonna make you something special for breakfast, but I'm not gonna tell you what. You'll just have to wait and be surprised."

Casey faked a pout, then relented and kissed him.

"You ok?" Zeke asked, pulling away long enough to shift up and draw Casey against him, bringing the blanket up and tucking it around them.

The smaller boy's eyes were bright but he thought carefully before answering. He looked directly into Zeke's eyes as he spoke.

"I never imagined that anyone could love me, let alone trust me with something so precious..." He blinked against the sudden moisture in his eyes. "For you and Billy to let me..." his voice broke and he shook his head, overwhelmed.

"It wasn't letting, Case, it was sharing. The three of us." Zeke cradled Casey's bandaged arm in his hand and gently stroked it.

"We need you, Casey. You have to promise me, promise us, that you'll never, ever hurt yourself again."

Zeke didn't struggle against tears, he let them flow, washing away the lump of pain and fear he'd been carrying in his chest since finding Casey leaning over that sink with his blood flowing.

Casey crushed himself against Zeke, fingers clutching, hurting just enough to ground them as they exorcised some of their fears. It was like a storm on the ocean, tossing them helplessly, battering them. but they clung to each other until it passed.

"Am I gonna get my surprise soon?" Casey asked quietly after they'd calmed. Zeke managed a laugh.

"Yes, I must get his majesty's breakfast." Zeke sat up fast with a groan, then leaned back and kissed Casey on the nose.

"You can take a shower first, if you want," Casey offered magnanimously.

"You are too kind," Zeke joked, finally hauling himself up out of the bed. He cast one last look back at the dual temptation of Casey and that big, soft bed before dragging himself off to the bathroom.

*****

"So you are still alive," Billy commented by way of greeting. He watched Zeke descend the stairs and head into the kitchen getting a hand on the shoulder in greeting as Zeke walked by.

"Casey around yet or is he still sleeping?"

"Last I saw he was taking pictures of snowflakes. Probably won't see him `til the film runs out."

There were all kinds of intriguing pan clanging and drawer opening sounds coming from the kitchen so Billy shut off the TV and went to investigate.

"Dean Parker called a little while ago. Said the storm was pretty bad up there; the roads are a mess. He told us to stay here another day and not risk driving in this. Seems a lot of students aren't going to make it back in time for classes tomorrow."

Zeke looked towards the window and frowned. "It doesn't look that bad here, but I wouldn't want to drive into anything heavier than this; the visibility would be pretty bad."

"He said he'd call tomorrow morning around 10 and let us know if it was safe to drive back." Billy smiled and stretched. "Meanwhile, we'll just have to make do, all alone in this little cottage."

Zeke snorted and set a frying pan on the stove. Then took the apron from where it was folded over the oven door handle and put it on.

"Nice," Billy smirked.

"Yeah? You should see it on Case." Zeke opened the fridge and foraged, emerging a minute later with the saucepan he'd been simmering yesterday.

"So what is that?" Billy asked, unable to restrain himself. He and Casey had gotten strict instructions not to peek into that saucepan.

"A surprise," Zeke said, then grinned because Casey was in the living room trying to balance on one foot while he twisted and turned his head and his camera to capture the snow at strange angles. It was quite amusing to watch.

"Think I'll go play prop for a while, see if I can keep him from falling over." Billy went to help Casey and Zeke busied himself with making breakfast.

*****

"I smell pancakes," Casey announced happily, stopping to snap Zeke's picture as he hobbled into the room.

"Crepes," Zeke corrected, looking up to enjoy Casey's reaction. "With apple filling."

"Really? Like real French crepes?" Casey came closer and examined the thin, pale batter frying in the pan. The saucepan with the apple filling was warming on low heat on a back burner.

"Yeah," Zeke grinned. "Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful." Casey leaned against Zeke for a minute, giving him an armless hug, then headed across the room to the dish cupboard. "I'll set the table."

"Anything I can do, Zeke?" Billy asked from the doorway.

"Yeah," Casey said before Zeke could answer. "We need music."

"But none of that crap you like, Billy!" Zeke yelled after him. Minutes later a classic rock tune was playing and the three of them were singing along.

*****

"Those crepes were delicious," Casey exclaimed again as he put away the last of the clean dishes. He closed the cupboard door and hopped over to Zeke for a hug.

"So what do we do now?" Billy asked. "We've got a free day."

"Well...." Casey said, exchanging a look with Billy. "There is one thing I'd like."

"What's that?" Zeke asked.

"A shrubbery!" Casey yelled, laughing. Billy headed off to get the video ready while Casey dragged a groaning Zeke to the sofa.

Just before the movie started, Casey leaned over to Zeke and asked: "Have you ever heard of Inigo Montoya?"

"I'd say no, Case, but that would be...inconceivable."

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