Broken Toys

Chapter 48

Casey was silent, his eyes shining, mouth open slightly, the corners turned up. "You painted."

Zeke pressed close to Casey on one side while Billy wrapped an arm around him from the other. The stood together looking up at the house, the fresh coat of white gleaming in the mid-morning sunshine. Casey turned to look at one, then the other.

"How?"

"The advantage of being the son of a contractor," Billy replied with a grin. It was an old joke - his father actually owned one of the largest construction companies in the world. "I asked for some paint and brushes and he sent a crew instead. They repainted inside too, except where there's wallpaper - we couldn't ask you about that without ruining the surprise. They'll come back and finish when you decide if you want to re-paper or just paint."

Casey turned and looked at the other buildings; they had been painted also, including the white trim on the barn and the shutters on the house and summer house.

"Come see what else." Billy grabbed Casey's hand and pulled him towards the barn. Zeke followed along, easily keep pace with laughing pair. They paused in front of the barn and Billy unlocked the door, opening it and stepping back to allow Casey to enter first.

Closed-backed shelves had been added to the work area off to the side, anchored to the existing support beams and creating a large rectangular workspace. The battered pegboard over the worktable had been replaced and a curious assortment of tools, some suspiciously new looking, were secured there for easy access.

Casey looked over at Zeke and mouthed, "Power tools." Zeke flashed that irresistible grin and took Casey's shoulders, turning him and pushing gently towards the stairs.

"I'll save you, Case."

Billy just laughed and let them go, turning his attention back to the workbench. His dad had donated a few tools that he insisted were essential and Billy had happily accepted. He could hear Casey and Zeke walking around overhead and the muted sounds of voices and laughter. There were other sounds that he recognized too and that was what finally lured him away from the tools.

"... maybe a pale yellow or cream here, something neutral to rest the eye and..." When Casey was this wound up the only thing that stopped his chatter was a kiss and he was on the receiving end of a deep one when Billy joined them.

Zeke moved back slightly and grinned at Casey's slightly glassy-eyed expression. He looked over at Billy and raised an eyebrow, a subtle challenge.

Billy moved closer and pulled Casey close, the smaller body moving willingly, the head tilting at an inviting angle. Billy took the hint and ran his teeth lightly over a certain place on Casey's neck, eliciting a shiver as always. He worked a wet path up, stopping briefly at the earlobe. Zeke's mouth on the back of his neck kept distracting Billy but he finally reached Casey's mouth and spent a long moment in unhurried exploration. Zeke's arms were around Billy reaching out to run teasing paths along Casey's arms and down his sides.

"Maybe we better get to the house," Casey suggested shakily when Billy finally came up for air.

Billy and Zeke exchanged looks and grinned.

Casey led them across the yard, moving quickly but cautiously. He had to wear a leg support similar to a thick sock and without the weight of the cast he had to remind himself not to get carried away. The doctor had threatened to put him back in a cast if he didn't follow all of the instructions he'd been given and he wasn't about to take any chances.

He could see the few places on the porch railing where broken slats had been removed. There weren't many and it didn't look that bad, especially with a fresh coat of paint to brighten everything.

Unlocking the door he took a breath before stepping inside. He was expecting the strong odor of new paint but it wasn't as overpowering as he thought it would be.

Billy and Zeke had stopped to get the supplies from the car and carried them into the kitchen while Casey wandered through the living room to the dining room. The bright new paint here made the living room wallpaper seem shabby. He leaned against the doorway and tried to visualize colors and patterns that would look good in the space.

"Playing decorator again?" Zeke teased, crossing the room to stand beside him.

"Yeah. I think maybe we should just paint this room to match the dining room; get rid of the wallpaper. It's kind of..."

"Fifties?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"Works for me. I'm not a wallpaper kind of person."

"Unless it's porn," Billy leaned in and whispered between them.

"You offering to pose?" Zeke smirked. "Maybe with some of those power tools you're so fond of?"

Casey just laughed and walked away leaving them to harass each other. He stopped in the kitchen and frowned. Something was different...

"Billy?"

"Yes, master?" Billy staggered into the room, Igor style, with Zeke slung over his back. Zeke stood and they both came over to see what Casey was pointing at. "What's that?"

"I think they call that a kitchen."

"Dork," Casey snorted. "I mean this." He reached out and touched the object, turning to give Billy a stern look.

"Hey, don't look at me." He reached out and nudged Zeke. "Talk to prettyboy here."

Zeke shrugged. "Consider it exercise. I haven't given the parent's charge card a workout in a while."

"Zeke, you can't..."

"Sure I can. I have a monthly spending allowance, Case. Haven't used much of it lately." He leaned close. "Who needs parents when you have plastic."

Casey shook his head, looking a bit overwhelmed. He took a step back and turned to look at the dishwasher, running his hand over the controls. He shook his head.

Zeke touched his shoulder. "Before you come up with a list of reasons why you don't deserve this, the paint, whatever else..." He turned the boy gently to look into his eyes. "The circle, Case." He took Casey's hand, then reached out for Billy's. Billy held Casey's and the three of them were linked. "Right?"

Casey swallowed hard and nodded.

"Good. Now come on. You're missing the best part."

"Yeah," Billy exclaimed, "Wait till you see how great my chair looks upstairs." He dragged Casey towards the stairs, missing the grimace on the younger teen's face.

The hall had been painted, but Casey didn't have time to admire it as Billy hauled him up to the third floor.

He blinked, stunned by the changes. It had been transformed from a dusty attic to the nicest room in the house.

Billy's chair sat in the center of the room and Casey laughed at the sight; someone had fitted a paint-spattered dropcloth over it as a slipcover. It looked much better that way.

Beside it was the old rocker, fixed and polished and between them was the old steamer trunk and an old floor lamp.

Casey looked around, taking in the soft white walls and ceiling, the polished floors and the brightly colored beanbag chairs under the windows. There was a worn braided rug under the furniture and along the back wall was a curious arrangement of shelves.

Casey moved closer to investigate, studying the crosswork of wooden shelving that now covered the entire wall. Long boards of honey colored wood were angled so that they intersected to create diamond-shaped cubicles of varying sizes. Some books and a few cds occupied the shelves already. In one cubicle, a small board had been fitted across the space to make a level surface for a cactus plant. The overall effect was visually interesting and Casey was already thinking about adding something similar in his workroom.

"Like it?"

Casey turned to Billy and Zeke and the sunlight made his eyes glitter. He reached out and pulled them close, holding them tightly. "Love it," he whispered, when he was under control enough to speak.

"Even the shelves?"

"They're the best part... I never saw ones like that before."

"My dad put something like that in a loft apartment last year. He really liked the look of it and showed me pictures. I remembered it and..." Billy shrugged. "I thought you might like it."

"It's perfect." Casey grinned. "Now that you have tools, think you can make another one for my workshop?"

Zeke just laughed and shook his head. "Told you, Billy. Looks like you get clean up duty for the whole weekend."

Billy rolled his eyes. "Shoulda known. That's the last time I take you up on a bet."

"Until next time," Zeke tossed over his shoulder, already heading downstairs. "Who's hungry?"

Casey patted Billy's arm sympathetically then hurried after Zeke calling, "Me!"

"Paper plates," Billy called down to him looking over at the shelves again and smiling before following the others to the kitchen.

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