Broken Toys

Chapter 61

"There you are." Billy leaned against a tree, crossing his arms, apparently settling in for a long wait.

"You escaped the happy house of parental harmony I see."

"For now. Dad took off a few minutes ago. He's taking the stepmom out shopping. You planning on photographing every blade of grass or just the really interesting ones?"

"Are you suggesting I should photograph boring grass?" Casey rolled onto his back and squinted up at Billy. His clothes were grass-streaked and there were a few old leaves in his hair.

"You're a freak. Come on." Bill pushed away from the tree, reaching down with an open hand. Casey grasped it and let Billy pull him upright. He stood close as Billy pulled the leaves from his hair and brushed the debris off his clothes.

"Is everything...?"

"Yeah. No explosions. It sounded like they were getting ready to leave."

"I couldn't stay there."

"Zeke knows, Case. He knows. It's okay." Billy pulled Casey into an awkward embrace and patted his back. It felt stupid and wrong when they were so intimate, and after a moment, Casey settled into the contact. Finally he felt some of the tension easing out of Billy. They were much more relaxed when they separated.

"I guess we should get back."

"Yeah."

Walking in silence was okay. It put no demands on either of them, and the rest of the tension eased.

"Hey," Zeke called from the porch as they emerged from the trees. The rental car was gone and Zeke seemed okay, if a little tired.

"I cleaned up the kitchen," he told them as they joined him on the porch. "It still kind of smells in there, because of the paint."

"Looks nice though," Casey pronounced as he bent to peer through the window into the freshly painted living room. The room did look nice - brighter and bigger, even with the furniture back in place.

"It's not even suppertime and I'm wiped," Zeke admitted, settling onto one of the chairs and leaning it back on two legs until he was resting against the house.

"Yeah," Billy agreed taking a seat as well, leaving the porch swing for Casey, who settled onto it gratefully.

It was silent for a long time, with none of the young men willing or interested in talking. After a while, Zeke began to snore.

"Guess he was tired," Billy said quietly, making a face that caused Casey to giggle.

"Not a bad idea, though," Casey said almost wistfully. He shifted, resting his head against the arm of the swing.

"Not for long," Billy cautioned. "You'll be knotted up like a pretzel if you sleep like that."

"Just a few minutes," Casey mumbled, already drifting away. Billy just shook his head and closed his own eyes.

 

XXXXX
 

Casey woke gently, coming back to awareness without any panic or anxiety. There had been less of those frantic awakenings lately, but it still surprised him to wake so easily, without his heart beating wildly and his mouth dry.

Stretching to relieve the tension caused by the uncomfortable position he'd ended up in, Casey looked at his partners, still both sound asleep and looking as if they might stay that way for a while. He smiled at the sudden sense of freedom, of having precious time to himself after so much excitement.

Sliding off the swing, he tiptoed off the porch, carefully avoiding the squeaky step. Once in the grass, he kicked off his shoes and wandered off towards Billy's new car. The Dean had promised to help Casey use some of his money to buy a good used car and Casey was eager to get started shopping. He knew it wouldn't be much, but then, honestly, none of them were driving luxury vehicles. Casey just wanted the thrill of being able to go where he wanted, when he wanted. It wasn't just for his freedom, it was also to take some of the burden off Zeke and Billy. He didn't want them to feel obligated to cart him around.

No, a car was another important step in their relationship - a way of making things equal. He'd leaned on Billy and Zeke a lot since their relationship started. He'd needed them and they'd given him the strength and courage to move past the pain towards a future where they could fully support each other.

The wind stirred the trees to his left and Casey headed towards them, no real destination in mind. He just needed to move as his mind worked through his chaotic thoughts.

They had obligations tomorrow - his meeting with the Dean, Billy spending time with his father, Zeke's parents taking them to dinner. On Tuesday it was back to the doctor's for another visit. She'd told them she'd continue to meet with them through the summer. Casey hadn't been happy about that at first, nor had Billy and Zeke. But now... he couldn't make the others keep going, but for himself... perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. At least until the fall when he started his college classes. The Dean had done so much for him - for all of them. Casey wanted to be stronger, to prove their faith in him was justified. But mostly he wanted...

Smiling, he stopped, looking up at the trees for a moment, savoring one more moment of peaceful solitude before returning to where he belonged.

Billy and Zeke were waiting for him, sleepy-eyed and smiling when he walked into their embrace. Casey wrapped his arms around them, closing the circle.

There was leftover pizza in the fridge and a case of beer in the cellar. There might even be a conveniently hidden box of donuts for later. They had more than enough DVDs for a marathon and there was a fresh supply of condoms and lube in the bedroom.

Tomorrow was the start of a busy week, but tonight was all theirs.

"Dibs on the pepperoni!" Casey yelled, wrestling past the others to get into the house and at the pizza first.

"In your dreams, Case!" Billy shouted, chasing after him while Zeke held back long enough to close and lock the front door. He'd take whatever pizza was left. More importantly, he used the distraction to lay claim to the remote. As Zeke flipped through channels, Casey climbed over the back of the sofa and settled in, handing a plate with two slices of pizza to Zeke before taking a huge bite of his own.

Billy settled in on Zeke's other side, leaning down to put Zeke's beer on the floor. He made a feint for the remote, then laughed with his mouth full, making Casey snicker. Zeke settled on a ridiculous teen comedy from the 80's and slid the remote between the cushions of the sofa before picking up his pizza. Casey pressed in a little closer and giggled at the outdated computer used in the movie. Zeke reached down for his beer and felt Billy settle against his arm.

The pizza was warm, the beer cold and the sofa was comfortable. Billy had his arm around Zeke's shoulder tickling the back of Casey's neck and making him giggle even more than the movie. Casey's face was half-pressed against Zeke's shoulder in an attempt to stifle his laughter. Caught in the middle, Zeke, finished his pizza, a smile on his face that had nothing to do with the movie.

::end of Broken Toys::

 

Return to Broken Toys