FIC: A CASE OF THE MONDAYS 1/4

[carolinablu85]

Title: A Case of the Mondays 1/4
Chapter: 1/4
Author: carolinablu85 or you can call me Ella! (or Al, if you like the song :p)
Pairing: okay, it starts Luke/Reid, but only for a little bit! Then Noah/Luke, I promise!!
Rating: PG to PG-13ish
Spoilers: set in current storyline, after Noah gets his sight back (maybe mid June-ish?)
Summary: The guys try to stay away and come together at the same time, while the world around them doesn't know whether to help or hurt.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? nope, not that.
Author's Notes: This is the first time I've ever posted  a fic on LJ! Please be patient with me while I try to navigate these new waters! This has been posted on some other sites, but I wanted to be here too. Also, if you know me at all, you know I wrote this while on painkillers. So that's why it is the way it is! ;)





…Monday…

Casey entered Yo’s with one thought on his mind. Beer. Lots and lots of beer, maybe some shots, and then more beer. He sat down heavily on a stool, his focus solely on the man behind the bar. The guy nodded to him, signaling he’d be over in a moment. Casey sighed, dropping his head into his hands and running his fingers through his hair. Hoping it would comb out the images he couldn’t get out of his brain. Though, if it didn’t work, he bet lots of beer would.

“Hey.” The person he had sat down next to turned to him with a slightly unsteady, but surprised, move.

Casey turned as well, startled to see Noah on the stool beside his, an almost empty beer mug in front of him. “Noah! What’s up, man?”

Noah smiled at him, and it was friendly but strained. “Not much at the moment.” He drained the rest of his beer, voice quieter. “Not much at all.”

Casey could unfortunately relate. A lot. He looked over at his friend, still surprised to see him here. “Didn’t figure you for a ‘drown my sorrows’ type of person.” He signaled for a drink of his own, thought the better of it, and waved for two instead.

Noah shrugged, setting down his now empty glass. “Nothing else seems to be working, so…” Now it was his turn to study Casey. “Are you okay? What brought you here?”

“Get ready for this,” Casey glanced up as the bartender set two beers in front of him. “I saw Ali kissing my uncle.”

Noah raised his eyebrows, then nodded. “I saw Luke kissing my doctor.”

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Casey slid that second beer over to Noah. “Cheers.”

“Back at ya,” Noah raised his drink, and they clinked their glasses together before taking a big gulp.

************

Two beers and a shot (or two) later finally gave Casey the courage to ask what he wanted to ask. “So, dude, I have to know.” Noah glanced over, setting down his beer, readying himself. Casey shook his head. “What happened with you and Luke? You were supposed to be, like, forever stuff.”

Noah gave a half-hearted laugh that lasted less than a second. “Says who? Not me or Luke. We just… couldn’t keep going like we were. I was a mess, Casey. Am a mess. And Luke was- didn’t…” He sighed. “I could feel it. That it was going to happen.”

“What was going to happen?” Casey asked.

“We were drifting away from each other. Or I was drifting. He was, I don’t know,” he scratched the back of his neck. “He was facing forward. I was facing nowhere. And he wouldn’t let me find my way back to him.”

“What’s that mean?” Casey was momentarily distracted by his beer, but then swiveled back around.

“I couldn’t breathe. And I couldn’t see. It was dark everywhere and suffocating and any time I tried to figure things out for myself, I couldn’t because I felt so guilty about how Luke was feeling and how Luke was doing.” He traced a water ring on the bar top.

“You couldn’t separate things,” Casey suggested.

“Exactly,” Noah said in relief, and they clinked glasses again in celebration. Noah swallowed his beer and then looked down again. “And I know it’s my fault that we broke up, that we headed in that direction to begin with. I know I was an ass. I know if we have any chance of getting back together I have to do it.” He shrugged. “But I don’t know if I’m brave enough. He’s been with Dr. Oliver since before I got my sight back.”

“No way!” Casey nearly did a very flawless spit take. “No way, Luke wouldn’t do that. He…”

Noah shrugged. “He did. I kinda knew when it started, but I didn’t see it for real until today.” He grimaced, “It wasn’t pretty. But I guess it’s what I needed to see, to convince me that Luke and I are really over.” Another long drink from his glass. “I think I’m just destined to be alone.”

Casey nodded, commiserating. “Ali and I had another one of our ‘where are we going talks’ yesterday, and it pretty much headed into Friendsville and never left.”

“Plus there’s, you know, that whole she’s-kissing-your-uncle thing. Do you still want to be in a relationship with her?” Noah asked, doubtful.

“Nope! I know I don’t,” Casey grinned sadly. “But I liked being in one. I like how it feels when someone actually likes me. And I like her. I probably still love her.”

“Just not that way,” Noah finished quietly.

“Yeah,” Casey breathed, stealing a glance at his friend. “Not like you love Luke.”

“Yeah,” Noah said even quieter. They looked at each other and then looked away, almost uncomfortable with everything they’d just confessed. Noah cleared his throat, grabbing his jacket and standing. “So…”

“So,” Casey repeated, doing the same. Then he looked up with a grin. “Same time tomorrow?” And after a moment, he was surprised at how relieved he felt when Noah grinned back.

************

…Thursday…

Luke inched his way backwards from the doorway, smiling when Reid leaned into him one more kiss. “I really do have to go,” he murmured when Reid made no move to step away.

Reid smirked. “No one’s stopping you.”

He smirked right back. “Your hand on my arm seems to be trying pretty hard.” He glanced down pointedly.

Reid followed his gaze, looking a little surprised to see it was true. “Huh, imagine that.” Before Luke could banter back he went in for another kiss.

Luke obliged for a few seconds before gently, teasingly pushing Reid away. As always. He saw the knowing, hurt?-of-course-not!-look on Reid’s face, but ignored it. “Call me tomorrow when your shift is done, I’ll bring dinner.” He pulled his jacket on a little tighter, his subtle signal that he was leaving for real this time.

Reid wasn’t one for subtle, apparently. “Why not just stay here tonight, and I’ll get breakfast in the morning?”

Luke laughed, but it was a little forced. “Maybe next time. But I’ve got early meetings tomorrow, and you’ve got, like, brains to fix or whatever.” Reid stared at him for a moment, making Luke squirm a little. He’d been looking at Luke like that a lot lately, and Luke still hadn’t figured out what the look meant. Part of him was too tired to care. Before any more words could be said, he gave Reid another quick peck and turned to go. “Tomorrow night. Dinner. Call me.”

He wouldn’t admit that he was relieved there was no response. He wouldn’t admit that it felt so weird not to end an exchange with an ‘I love you.’ He wouldn’t admit that he’d be lying if he did end it that way.

He forced back a sigh as he headed towards Old Town, once again pulling his jacket tighter around him, like a shield. Why didn’t Reid get it? He just wanted something simple, casual. He didn’t want this relationship to be another…

Be another Noah, he forced himself to think. It wasn’t often that he let himself think that name anymore, it was just easier to pretend it was a done deal, a finished chapter. No- a finished book, shut and stored on the highest shelf on the bookcase. He hadn't actually seen Noah in weeks, the last time had been right after his sight had returned. And the less thought about that extremely awkward and painful interaction, the better.

Thinking about Noah in any way still hurt. Knowing he was around but hardly ever seeing him, that hurt too. Part of him had to wonder if it was Noah avoiding him or him avoiding Noah. Maybe a little of both? Or maybe neither and it was just Fate telling him that being apart was for the best.

But it’s not like he thought about him all that often. That’s what Reid was good for, forgetting. Reid pushed Luke, challenged him like no other person ever had. He didn’t let Luke get away with anything. And he was smart, confident, good-looking… It was an adult relationship, and Luke was trying to be a grownup part of it. He was more involved in work and Reid than anything else, and that was good. Luke didn’t have time to think about Noah when he was with Reid. And that was what he wanted.

But he didn’t want any more than what they had. Yeah, the physical part of their relationship was great, but he wasn’t ready for another lover. He wasn’t sure he could handle immersing himself yet again in another person and have it fall apart. Luke wasn’t stupid; he knew Reid was the type of person to do what he wanted. And if for some reason Reid decided he wanted to leave Oakdale tomorrow, he would. Luke wasn’t about to watch another man walk away from him.

At least his parents had stopped questioning him about Reid. They still didn’t like him, sure, but they were accepting. Or, well, his mom was accepting. She had stopped making faces when Luke mentioned Reid’s name, and had even grudgingly asked if Reid would like to come to the house for dinner some night. Luke was actually surprised at how supportive his mother was being about it.

His dad, however, was another story. And Luke was admittedly thrown by how much Holden seemed to disagree with this relationship. He didn’t say anything, but Luke knew his dad, knew his silence said way more. And Luke wasn’t sure if it was because Holden loved Noah or hated Reid. Luke would’ve thought it would be his mother to take Noah’s side, but apparently it was his dad.

No. No. There were no sides. His parents weren’t taking sides. This wasn’t a Noah vs. Reid situation. And it won’t be, as long as you never see Noah with your own eyes, he thought. His subconscious had a really funny way of screwing him over, because no sooner had he had that thought when the person in question appeared in front of him.

Noah.

************

Alison had been a little bit wary when Noah had told her he and Casey had been hanging out every night for the past week. She knew it was good for Noah to get out of the apartment (finally) and hang out with friends (finally), but… did it have to be Casey? And what’s worse, they had now apparently dragged her poor brother into the party.

“Oh, Jesus H….” she muttered under her breath as she made her way into Yo’s. Casey and Noah were drunk. Totally and utterly wasted. She expected this from her ex, but from Noah?

Hunter spotted her a second later and frantically waved her over. “Ali! Hi! Hey! What are, what are you doing here?” he tried to be surprised by her appearance.

Casey looked at her blearily, swaying in his seat a little. Noah just pointed at Hunter, not fooled. “She’s here because, because you called her to rescue you,” Noah over-enunciated his words, obviously trying to keep the slur out of his voice. He wasn’t very successful.

Ali put one hand on her hip, wondering if this is what it would be like to have kids. “And it’s a good thing he did, because it’s late and you guys look like you’ve had enough for one night.”

“But we’re celebrating!” Casey protested. “I got a B on my PoliSci paper!”

“Congratulations,” she couldn’t help but smile at the proud look on his face. She turned to her roommate. “And what are you celebrating?”

“He didn’t see or think about Luke today,” Casey supplied helpfully when Noah hesitated. “He’s making progress!”

Both Ali and Hunter tried not to look at Noah as Casey said this. Noah fumbled with his wallet, dropping some bills on the table. “I’m, um, I’m ready to go h- get back to the apartment, Ali,” he said quietly, not looking at any of them. He stood, stumbling over his feet a little. Hunter instinctively stood and reached out to steady him.

Leaving Alison to deal with the other drunk at the table. “Casey? You ready to go too?”

Casey pushed himself up and away from the table, then quickly grabbed onto it to keep his balance. “Where the party goes, so goes I,” he stated formally. “And that means yes.”

“Thanks for the translation,” she grabbed one of his arms and walked him towards the door, trusting Hunter to do the same with Noah.

Noah’s mood was turned back around by the time they got out of the bar, both he and Hunter giggling at the sight of Casey trying to walk and talk at the same time. After Noah assured everyone profusely that he was perfectly capable of leaning against a brick wall, Ali allowed Hunter to leave her alone with Beavis and Butthead so he could head off to the parking lot to get her car.

Noah and Casey were trying to explain to Ali the complicated rules of a drinking game they had invented, when Ali couldn’t stand it anymore and turned to Noah. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked quietly as Casey, oblivious, kept explaining the game.

He gave her the wide smile he always gave when someone asked him that question. “Totally fine. Better than. I’m awesome.” Unfortunately, he’d given that smile enough times that Ali saw right past it.

“Noah, if you ever need to talk-” she tried.

“Don’t need to,” he cut in, leaning forward and almost falling on his face. “Whoa there,” he muttered to himself, reaching back slowly until he found the wall again. Then he turned back to Ali. “Didn’t need, want to talk today,” he somewhat explained. “Needed to drink.” He smiled proudly. “So I did.”

“Yes, you did that very well,” she replied.

“-And if anyone says ‘monkey,’ we all drink!” Casey happily finished up his rules. Noah laughed and pushed himself away from the wall, wobbling forwards until he was next to a bench.

“Noah, come back here where I can keep an eye on you,” Ali scolded, trying to reach for him with one hand while using the other to keep Casey in place.

“Don’t need anyone to keep an eye on me!” he said in a sing-song voice. “I didn’t before, did I? Nope! So don’t now!”

“Noah…” she said in her best warning-voice. Oh my God, this is the voice my mom used to use on me when I was little. I’m way too young to be turning into my mother!

“Ali,” he whined a little, waving his hands in the air. “I’m fine!” As he spoke, he spun around, and suddenly came face to face with Luke.

It was somehow like the scene froze. Ali was afraid to move, and wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the fact that she had to keep a hold on Casey. “Well, guess that celebrating was a bit premature,” he whispered to her.

“You’re premature. Now shut up!” she hissed, eyes fixed on her roommate. She expected him to be frozen too, maybe run away, so it was mildly shocking when Noah grinned widely, this time genuinely.

“Luke!” he waved, walked closer a little unsteadily.

“Oh this is a bad idea,” Casey mumbled, turning his face away. Alison felt like doing the same, but she had to make sure Noah didn’t hurt himself as he stopped to stand in front of Luke.

“Noah…” Luke looked him up and down, completely thrown. “Are- are you drunk?”

Noah nodded determinedly, still grinning. “Very.” He took one more stumbling step closer, holding onto the back of the bench next to them. He gathered all his focus to look at Luke. “Hi.”

Luke bit the inside of his cheek, somewhere between wanting to smile and wanting to run away. “Hi.” He glanced over at Alison, but she made herself busy by bracing Casey, stopping him from falling through a window at Fashions. “Um, how are you-?”

“I still love you,” Noah burst out, his smile not fading. He nodded at the shocked look on Luke’s face, confirming it. “I,” he said proudly. “Am still completely in love with you.” And then, as though he just realized all he had said, the grin slid from his face, leaving a look of complete despair and loss in its wake. Alison bit her lip, heartbroken.

“I…” Luke opened and closed his mouth a few times, eyes wide.

“I’m sorry,” Noah was whispering now. “I shouldn’t be… shouldn’t try to. You’re, if you’re happy now, I don’t want to- I shouldn’t.” He shook his head, a hand coming up to cradle it. “You’re better-”

“Shut up,” Luke cut in, just as quiet. “Just shut up for a second, Noah.” They stared at each other, and now Alison couldn’t look away. God, the two of them were just like magnets, pulling at each other. Why couldn’t they see that? Luke took a deep breath. “Noah…” Then he nodded to himself, as though coming to a decision, stepped forward and pulled Noah’s face to his.

Alison was about to grin crazily, triumphantly, and Casey let out a relieved sigh of his own, but then Noah was pulling away just before Luke’s lips could touch his. “No, Luke, you can’t!” Noah burst out, holding Luke’s shoulders.

Luke’s eyes flashed angrily. “What?”

Noah shook his head emphatically. “No. I’ve been drink- I’m drunk, Luke. You can’t kiss me. You might, you’ll taste the alcohol. No, won’t let that happen.” And now Luke’s smile was as big as Ali’s. He gave a little laugh, his hands staying on either side of Noah’s face. Noah just looked at him, his expression was very determined, almost proud. “See? I’m taking care of you.”

There were definitely tears in Alison’s eyes now, and she blinked them away. Casey was watching them too, eyes wide, swaying. “Wow,” he said softly. “That’s awesome.”

Luke jumped a little, looking over at them as though just now realizing they were there. Ali smiled gently at him, still halfway propping Casey up. “I have to get this big lug back to his place, can you…?” she nodded over to Noah.

Luke bit his lip before nodding as well. “Yeah, I’ll get Noah back to your place.”

Ali reached into her pocket, pulling out a set of keys and tossing them over to Luke. Noah pointed at the keys as Luke held them up. “Hey!” he said brightly in recognition.

Alison tried not to laugh. “Those are his,” she explained needlessly. “Good luck, Luke.” She held his gaze, wishing him luck in more than just getting the poor drunk guy home. He nodded in understanding, looking almost nervous now.

She pretended to be busy fishing Casey’s keys out of his jacket, but in reality she was watching Luke take hold of Noah’s arm, wrap it in his, and walk off in the direction of their apartment, speaking softly as he did so. She turned back to Casey when he started laughing again. “What’s so funny?”

“Them!” he caught his breath. “They, they’re such effing dorks, right? They love each other. They’re gonna get married, like, next week. Why fight it?”

She rolled her eyes. “Casey Hughes, for a pea-brained drunkard, sometimes you talk a lot of sense.”

He sighed, very very serious. “I know. It’s a gift and a curse.”

************

...Friday…

Ali made her way into Noah’s room quietly and carefully. But the second she stepped up close to his bed, he cracked one eye open. She smiled as he looked her up and down, finally recognizing her and scooting over with a soft groan. She climbed into the bed, laid down on the pillow next to his, and stared up at the ceiling. “So, how was your night?” she asked, trying not to sound too eager.

He groaned again, also staring straight ahead. “Pretty much the worst ever, I think.”

“No, that’s your taste in drinking games,” she replied. “How did things go with Luke?”

“Ali…” he sighed, and her smile dropped away for a second. He wouldn’t look at her as he spoke again. “He brought me back here. We sat awkwardly on the couch for five minutes without saying anything, then I talked for five minutes. Which was just as awkward. And then he left.”

“What did you talk about?” she prompted.

Noah was quiet for a moment. “I told him I loved him again,” he finally said softly. “And I told him that maybe I didn’t deserve another chance with him, but I was always going to want one, and always going to love him. And I’d follow his lead on this. I don’t want to screw up again, so I’ll do whatever he wants. But, no matter what, even if he never wants to see me again, I’m always going to be in love with him and I don’t ever want to not be.”

Ali turned her head to look at him while he spoke, smiling again. “That sounds about right to me.”

Noah shrugged, not looking at her. “And then he left.”

“It’s a lot to take in, Noah. I’m sure he needs some time to think about everything,” she reminded him. “Just give him some space today, and I’m willing to bet he’ll be back pretty soon.”

Another shrug. “Either way, wasn’t exactly my best night.”

Ali went back to looking at the ceiling. “Did you throw up at the front door when he brought you home?”

Noah frowned. “No.”

She grinned. “Then your night wasn’t worse than Casey’s!”

That finally got him to chuckle, and he scrubbed his face with one hand, trying to will his hangover away. “Poor guy.”

“Poor Margo,” she corrected, before turning on her side to look at him and growing serious again. “Noah. No matter what ends up happening, it has never ever in the history of the world been a bad thing to tell someone you love them.”

“Yeah?” He looked down at his comforter, fiddling with an errant thread.

“Yeah,” she assured. “I mean,” she amended, laughing a little. “There are better and worse ways to do it of course,” she was glad when he laughed too. “But it’s never wrong.” Nudging his shoulder, “And I think whoever is loved by you is a pretty lucky person.”

He kept his head down for some time, and she stayed quiet, letting him get himself under control. Finally he looked over at her and gave her a movie-star grin. “I love you, Ali.”

She returned the smile for a second before mock-glaring and rolling away. “Nope, I’m not gonna be sloppy seconds, Mr. Mayer.” She sat up and slapped him on the stomach just before standing. “Come on, let’s go eat a giant greasy breakfast. Sound good?”

His hangover came back in full force, and he turned away with a groan. “Never mind. I hate you.”

************

I am still completely in love with you.

Luke couldn’t get it out of his head. Noah’s words, his voice- terrified but sure- as he said them, his face. All of a sudden it was like the last couple months hadn’t happened, and that electric current that came from being near Noah was back in full force. God, he got that buzz just from thinking about him.

“I mean, it’s crazy, right?” he asked his dinner companion. “Noah says one little ‘I love you’ and I’m supposed to go running back to him? I’m stronger than that, aren’t I?”

“Well, first of all, it sounds like Noah said more than one little ‘I love you.’ And second of all, there’s nothing weak about admitting you love someone,” Lucinda pointed her fork at him in emphasis.

He grimaced. “Maybe. But it shouldn’t be like he wants be back and I just give in and we pick up where we left off.”

“Give in?” she laughed. “Is that really what it would be?”

Luke sputtered a little. “I don’t, I don’t know.”

She arched an eyebrow, going back to her filet mignon. “I think you do know.”

He glared, staring down at his own steak. “I can’t believe he just springs that on me and then expects me to…” he stopped himself from saying more, knowing he was being a little stupid. And knowing his grandmother would point that out.

Too late. Lucinda set her fork down, folded her hands, and fixed him with a stare. “It sounds to me like Noah did it right. He told you how he feels, and also said he’d follow your lead on this. I don’t think he was expecting anything from you.”

“It’s just…” Luke searched for the right words, any group of words, that would explain how he felt. “We broke up. Really really broke up, and while I knew it wasn’t how he really felt, he all but said he thought we no longer had a future together.” He traced the condensation on his water glass. “It took me awhile to get past that. To get him out of my system.”

Lucinda huffed quietly. “Well, you’ve certainly been trying, I’ll give you that.”

He rolled his eyes, laughing. “Okay, I guess we can add you to the I-hate-Reid list.”

Another glare. “I don’t hate the man. I admire his work greatly, in fact. And I even think you and he work well together. But I don’t think this relationship you’re trying to force with him is good for you.”

“Wow, Grandmother. Tell me how you really feel,” he tried to say lightly.

She smiled, but it was tight. She wasn’t joking around anymore. “Darling, I think you’re in the middle of a nice, what do you call it…” she waved a hand around. “A nice ‘rebound’ relationship. And sure, maybe you care about the doctor. And he cares about you. But love? I don’t see love. I don’t see a future.”

Luke couldn’t even produce a snappy comeback. He shook his head weakly. “But…”

“Hush. If you were to get back together with Noah, I don’t think it would be ‘picking up where you left off.’ You have both grown a lot in these past few months. I don’t think either of you are the people you were when you broke up. You know me, dear. You know I’d tell you if I thought Noah wasn’t good enough for you.”

Luke felt a twinge in his stomach and fought that natural instinct to defend Noah. He hated when anyone, Noah especially, thought Noah was inferior to anyone. Anything. Noah had gone through the first eighteen years of his life hearing that crap, it wasn’t…

Lucinda was actually smirking at him now, like she knew what he was thinking. She probably did. “It’s no secret I love Noah. And I think he’s good for you. And you’re good for him. You’re old enough now to realize there’s no such thing as a perfect relationship. But it’s the ones that make you think there could be, that are worth it.”

He sat back in his seat so heavily he almost bounced against the back cushion. “I just… I don’t know where to go from here.” He was supposed to have lunch with Reid tomorrow. How was he going to look him in the face, pretend everything was normal, when it so obviously wasn’t?

“Luke, darling. There is a very important first step. Something only you can do.” Her expression softened, even though her eyes were no less piercing. “You have to answer this- is there any chance that you are still in love with Noah?”

************

…Saturday…

Noah considered himself a fairly patient person. He knew you couldn’t just rush through life and get the things you wanted. He knew sometimes you had to wait a long time, like eighteen years, to finally have good things happen to you. Eighteen years was a long time, but he had managed.

But now. God, he could barely stand eighteen hours. He was practically on pins and needles waiting to hear from Luke. He had reached for his phone maybe forty or fifty times to call him, but always managed to stop himself. No, he said he’d follow Luke’s lead, and that was what he was going to do. And Ali seemed so sure that Luke still loved him… Maybe she was right?

He rounded the corner in Old Town, knowing that with the mood he was in, only a milkshake from Al’s could help him now. His spirits were already starting to lift… until he looked in through the glass doors. And there was Luke, sitting with Dr. Oliver.

He stopped and stared, not able to move forward or back. He couldn’t really feel his body, but he was pretty sure he was either hyperventilating or not breathing at all. He watched the love of his life, watched him eat his lunch, talk, smile a little. He tried to shake himself; maybe this was a goodbye lunch or something, maybe Luke was going to tell Dr. Oliver goodbye, maybe they were about to-

But then they were kissing. Dr. Oliver was kissing Luke, and Luke was kissing him back. And Noah was positive now that he wasn’t breathing at all. Looks like Luke has made his choice, then. And really, did you actually expect him to choose you? After everything that’s happened, everything you’ve done? Who would ever choose-

“Noah? Hey!” Hunter was standing next to him, tapping him on the shoulder. “Are you going to get lunch? Me too. I mean, if you are getting lunch, I am too. So that’s… you’re not listening. Are you okay?” He leaned in even closer. “You didn’t, um, suddenly go blind again or anything, did you?”

Noah blinked as Hunter entered his field of vision. “Hunter? No, yeah, I’m fine. I’m, um, I’m just going to…” he turned quickly, feeling like the nonexistent walls were closing in. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t look anymore. It’s your own damn fault, Mayer. Just accept that life as you knew it is over.

“Noah!” Hunter called after him, confused, as he took off and disappeared down a path leading out of Old Town. He glanced back, brow furrowed, in the direction Noah had first been looking. And then his face fell. “Oh.” And then Hunter did the only thing he could- he called his sister.

Explaining everything at the speed of light, he also set off to figure out where Noah had gone to. “And then I look back in Al’s and Luke is there kissing the doctor boyfriend and then I look back and Noah’s gone and I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh God,” Ali sighed. “And I told Noah that Luke would come back to him. Maybe… God, I’m on shift until like 4am.” She went silent for a minute. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think the best thing would be to call Casey.”

“Really?” Hunter wasn’t really sure he saw the logic in that.

“Yeah. He’s Noah’s friend, understands what he’s going through, and he’s good for distractions. Add you into the mix and I think Noah might be able to keep his mind off things at least for a little while.” Ali slammed her locker shut, wishing she could leave the break room and just go home and hug her roommate.

“Okay. Casey it is. I guess. If you think so.”

************

“See, you know a movie is bad when you can honestly say ‘Man, I’d rather rewatch Hot Tub Time Machine than watch this.’ This sucked,” Casey griped, tossing away his empty popcorn bag as they left the theater.

“Well, what do you expect when the best review in the trailer came from a local newspaper in Omaha, Nebraska?” Noah pointed out, picking up the discarded bag and throwing it into the trash bin along with his empty soda can.

“But it was based on an SNL skit! Those tend to do well- Blues Brothers, Wayne’s World…” Casey tried valiantly.

Hunter spoke up. “But there’s also Night at the Roxbury and The Ladies Man,” he shrugged. “Faulty logic.”

Casey glared. “I hate you and your logic sometimes.”

Hunter cocked his head to the side. “I think I’m okay with that.”

Noah laughed at the earnest expression on Hunter’s face, and the slightly outraged look on Casey’s. “Thanks, guys.” He had to look away when they turned to watch him. “Thanks for… um, you know.”

Hunter nodded, offering a smile, while Casey lightly punched Noah’s shoulder. “Seriously, dude, if you want me to go kick Diet Dr. House’s ass, I totally will.”

“Diet Dr. House?” Noah was a little confused by the reference.

Casey grinned proudly. “I thought this up two weeks ago. Diet Dr. House- tastes like regular Dr. House, but with half the coolness.”

A laugh burst out of Noah uncontrollably, even as he shook his head. “Casey, while that was pretty impressive, you don’t have to insult Dr. Oliver.”

“Why the hell not?” he crossed his arms defiantly. “He’s an ass. Everyone knows this. I’m not aware of any redeemable aspect to that man.”

“Luke likes him,” Noah shrugged, looking down again. “So there must be something we’re missing. He kinda helped me to see again, which is nice. And he makes Luke happy, so-”

Casey waved that idea away. “Sorry, Noah, but that guy’s a dick. Luke and Katie are like the only people in Illinois who like him. Just because he helped you, doesn’t mean you have to excuse who he is.” Casey shook his head, counting on his fingers. “You are way better boyfriend material. You’re kind and smart and loyal, you’re funny and can hold your own in liquor, and you’re way better looking than him.”

Noah was shaking his head to everything until that. Then he smirked. “Casey. Do you just say you think I’m good looking?”

He sputtered. “I didn’t- you know I didn’t mean it like that!”

Noah fluttered his eyelashes at Casey, who shook his head exasperated. “Come on, tell me you think I’m pretty.”

Casey sighed and then solemnly put his hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Were I gay, I would take you in a manly fashion.”

“Because I’m pretty?” Noah asked again, still smirking.

“Because you’re pretty,” Casey nodded.

Hunter had been staring at the both of them the whole time, slightly open-mouthed. Then he groaned, holding his face like he had a headache. “And you guys think I’m weird.”

Noah grinned wide then, so grateful that he had these guys after a day like today. He shoved a giggling Casey away from him. “I have to get home, I have a therapy appointment in the morning. See you guys later?”

Hunter nodded. “Maybe tomorrow night or the next we can do that movie marathon- 9, Plan 9 from Outer Space, District 9?”

Casey raised his fists in the air. “Dude, District 9 for the win! Include popcorn and I’m totally in.”

Hunter looked a little mystified as he and Casey headed towards their cars. “I didn’t know you were invited…”

Noah waved goodbye to his crazy friends, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. Straight guys. Man, couldn’t live with them, couldn’t live without-

A hand reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, yanking him backwards. His balance off, Noah stumbled back into the alley behind Yo’s, his arms instinctively going out to try to steady himself. Unfortunately, whoever grabbed him pulled him back into the darkness and wrapped their other arm around his chest, trapping his arms to his sides. “What-?” was all Noah managed to get out.

The hand that had been on his shoulder dropped away momentarily, and then was on his mouth, silencing him. “Shhh…” a voice, deep and quiet, murmured into his ear.

Noah struggled, trying to pull away, but the hands held him tight. And then he realized that the hand over his mouth wasn’t just that- it was holding a cloth against his face. He tried to yell, hoping somebody out in Old Town would hear him, but it came out too muffled. His panic grew when a sickeningly sweet smell surrounded him, overpowering him to the point of where his struggles grew weaker, unable to fight it off. His yells were even quieter now, barely a mumble against the cloth.

“That’s it,” the voice continued in his ear, encouraging. The cloth was mercifully dropped away, and Noah gasped for air. But it didn’t help, he couldn’t work up enough energy to make any noise. That hand was now in his hair, running through it almost gently. Petting him.

He tried to shake free, get away, something. But his limbs were too heavy, and his vision was pretty much swimming now, blurring around the edges. Not good. Why wasn’t he more upset? His legs buckled out from under him then, and he probably would have collapsed to the ground if that other arm wasn’t still wrapped around him.

“That’s it. Good,” the voice whispered again. Two arms were wrapped around him now, holding him up. No, not just that. Moving him. He was being pulled- dragged- somewhere.

Somewhere in the back of his addled brain, Noah recognized this. There was something familiar, this had happened before. Wait. Was he being kidnapped? That lent him a little more clarity, a little more strength. He tried to dig his heels in as they scraped against the ground. “No.” He was impressed with how insistent he sounded. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that loud.

Also unfortunately, the person dragging him didn’t care. The hand was on his mouth again, the cloth back on his face, making him even weaker this time. “No talking, Noah,” the voice said, still so quiet. Noah wished it were louder, so he could see if he recognized it. He also wished he weren’t so tired…

This time when the cloth was pulled away, Noah didn’t- couldn’t- make a sound. His eyes had fallen to half-mast, the rest of his body doing only slightly better. The only thing keeping him upright were the two arms around him, holding him tightly, moving him along. When they stopped, Noah worked up just enough energy to turn his head and see the car before a door was opened and he found himself sprawled across the backseat. He gave another half-hearted protest that was more noise than actual words.

“Shhh.” Again, the hand in his hair, stroking, soothing. Noah’s eyes closed all the way at the feeling, almost against his will. He was lying bonelessly on the seats, and was just about to slip into sleep when the hand dropped away from his hair and moved down to his wrist. Both wrists were being held now, and then they were being held together. And then they were held together tightly, even after the hands dropped away.

Noah’s eyes opened again, albeit barely halfway. His wrists were tied together. What? Oh yeah, kidnapping. The car door was now shut and someone was moving around to the driver side. Noah tried to take that time to sit up, open the door, and escape. But none of those things happened. By the time the person was sitting in the driver’s seat, Noah had only managed to roll onto his side with a very faint moan.

“No, Noah,” the voice sighed. Noah tried to focus, tried to figure out just who this was (and how they knew his name), but his vision was too blurry and it was too dark outside. The figure twisted around in his seat to look at him, then reached out a hand to rub his arm gently, then his back, then his hair again. Petting him again. And once again, Noah couldn’t help but close his eyes, stop fighting. “Lie still now.” Noah relaxed into the touch, it felt so good. It had been so long since someone… “Good, just like that.” The hand rested against his cheek for a moment. “Just like that.”

He let out a sigh, frowning. This wasn’t right, was it? He shouldn’t lie still. He shouldn’t be taking comfort from this person. This was wrong. This was bad. He tried to turn his head away, but it was just too heavy now.

“It’s okay, Noah.” The voice was softer, caring. He turned his face towards it, it sounded nice. “Just go to sleep. Lie still, and go to sleep.” The hand brushed hair off of his forehead, and if Noah had been able to, he would have cried right then. Luke always used to do that. God, how he wished he…

Thoughts were interrupted yet again as the hand pulled away, and Noah felt a tremor under him. The car was starting. Whose car was he in? Noah tried to remember, and he tried to remember why he couldn’t move his hands, but he was just too tired. And the rumble of the engine was just enough to lull him to sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED! Chapter 2