(no subject)
Had MORE Torrin!ideas.
Title: He's Just Like You: Trust
Pairing: C/Z, Torrin/OFC
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don't own!
Synopsis: More future-AU!C/Z-Dads!Fic; Casey's old-fashioned.
Summer colds were always the worst. In the winter, they were expected, the norm. But to be raging sick on such a warm, wonderful summer day was depressing. After two or three days of saying, “I think it's allergies, I dunno,” Casey couldn't deny it any longer. Screw the summer-class program he'd volunteered for at the college. Enough was enough, and like hell his students minded getting an early start to their weekend.
“Ah-choo!” The forceful sneeze he made walking into the house should've shattered windows. The only thing louder than that was the music coming from upstairs. 'Thought the kid had plans with Mikey,' he thought. With a groan, he tossed his briefcase on the floor by the side table, rubbed his eyes and stumbled to the stairs. The next order of business was upstairs: a long, hot shower, boxers, a t-shirt then down to the kitchen to fix something hot to drink. Though he'd never been big on tea, a cup of sweet peppermint sounded great even with the mercury climbing past ninety.
In getting to the second floor, however, there was a slight alteration to his plans. The REAL first task was to let Torrin know that his father was not in the mood for bass-dropping, squealing dubstep. Casey usually didn't mind it-he even found it enjoyable at times, but not today. Knowing the kid wouldn't mind helping Dad out ('Maybe he'll volunteer to bring me my tea to bed...' Casey hoped with a tired grin), he gave one knock to the door, called, “Tory?” and stepped inside.
EVERY plan dissolved when Casey saw what was going on on the bed.
~*~
“Casey? Casey??”
Casey rushed out of the kitchen and down the hall. Zeke had arrived home, looking panicked-understandably. “We have a real, big, fucking problem,” was the first thing Casey said.
“What? What the fuck happened, are you all right??” Zeke asked.
“Yea, it's our son.”
“You said, so what-the fuck-happened??”
With a deep, deep breath, Casey steeled himself to say, “Y'know that girl he told us about last week? The field hockey... chick?”
“Yea...?”
“Well, he wasn't expecting me to be home early.”
Zeke gave Casey a long, questioning stare. “Okay...?”
“What, do I gotta come out and say it, you don't get it? Zeke...” Casey moved closer, leaned in and said, “I caught him and this 'Amanda' fucking each other like rabbits in his room!”
For another long moment, Zeke was still devoid of any reaction. Finally, he made a huff and frowned. “I left work... for that?” he asked.
“Um, yea?”
“Casey, you could've told me over the phone.”
“I didn't want to-DO that, this is a face-to-face deal!” Casey replied. He was surprised to see his husband scoff and roll his eyes. “What??”
“Seriously, I'm missing a day's pay to find out our son got some?”
Casey widened his eyes and dropped his jaw. “He's... he's only fifteen!”
“Yea, and? I lost my virginity at FOUR-teen. It happens,” Zeke replied. He let out a heavy breath as he ventured down the hall to the kitchen. “Well, home now, guess I'll grab a brew...”
The casual, ho-hum reaction was not expected, or wanted. This was, by Casey's estimation, a Big Fucking Deal. He scurried after Zeke, shaking his head. “You find out our kid's having sex and you get a beer for yourself? Zeke!”
“You're blowing this WAY outta proportion.” Zeke opened the fridge, reached in and drew out a bottle of Sam Adams for himself. As he popped it open and took a long swig, he continued, “Fifteen's late, nowadays.”
“Yea, and how the hell do we know if this was his first time? Huh? School's been out for three weeks now, this could've been a repeat performance!”
“If it wasn't, what does that change? Nothing. We can't take summers off, at least I can't. The extra money you're bringing in from the summer shit's golden, so we can't drop that. So, what do you propose? Surveillance cams all over the house?” Zeke replied.
“I... just don't see how you can be so damned laid-back about this,” Casey said, awestruck.
“Is he upstairs?”
“Yea, Amanda all but red-shifted her way outta here an hour ago. I told Tory you'd be coming home and we'd all sit down and talk about this.”
Zeke groaned. “He isn't embarrassed enough? He's probably pissing himself worried, thinking he's never gonna see Amanda again after this.”
“That's a BAD thing??” Casey spat. “We've never met this girl! How do we know where she comes from, what she's up to? Where are her parents??”
“Probably working, like every struggling parent nowadays does.”
“Oh, cut the crap, this is serious!”
“It doesn't have to be, at least to the degree you're taking it,” Zeke said. This made Casey's eyes narrow.
“Well excuse the hell outta me, I'm just his father. I'd thought his OTHER dad would be a skosh more concerned, but screw that. God...” Casey snarled and looked away. “...How I didn't see this coming, I'm an idiot...”
“What? What didn't you 'see coming'?”
“THIS, your whole... 'who cares' thing. You're ready to go up there and give Tory a beer to celebrate, aren't you? Hey, we all got LAID before our voices changed, why not?” Casey retorted angrily.
“Oh no, don't start this,” Zeke warned.
“Start what, you said it, I didn't? You got pussy younger than Tory did, so-BFD, it's okay.”
“Okay. Okay, y'know... you're taking this to a who-o-ole new level,” Zeke said in a drawl.
“No, no, you're right. Who cares? Let Tory bring home TWO chicks next time, no big!” Casey raised his arms and let them down in a slap. “Condoms, who needs 'em? Just take your chances, be a teenaged dad or get diseases--”
“The FUCK, you catch him with a girl and we're talking babies and AIDS? Seriously??”
Zeke's raised voice changed everything-it always did. Casey stepped up his game, almost getting on tiptoe to say, “At least I'm thinking of the implications, going cause-and-effect about this instead of thinking it's oh so awesome that my kid is having sex at fif-fucking-teen!”
“Did I say it was 'oh so awesome'?? QUOTE me, when did I say that?” Zeke yelled back.
“You don't HAVE to, you're standing in our kitchen throwing back a beer instead of marching up there demanding to know just what the fuck our son's up to!”
Zeke opened his mouth wide to bellow his next argument, but stopped when he looked over Casey's shoulder to the front door. “Tory?”
Casey whirled around on his heels; there, getting his sandals on with lightening speed was Torrin. The shake coursing through his body was easy to see. “Torrin... where are you going?” Casey called. When Torrin whipped the door open without replying, Casey jogged down the hall. “Torrin! Come back here, now!” he yelled after stepping out onto the porch, only to watch Torrin's running off down the sidewalk top-speed. Seething and frantic, Casey jumped back inside and went to the desk in the hall. “I'll go after him.”
“Casey, no-stop.” Zeke walked over and took Casey's wrist before he could grab his car keys. “Stop, okay? It won't do anybody ANY good.”
“We can't just let him run away like this! He KNOWS we want to talk with him--”
“Which is why he ran off! He'll fuckin' come back, JE-sus!”
“Okay, you need to let go of me and let me go get HIM, now.”
“Let. Him. GO, Casey. You're not helping.”
“I...” Casey pulled his wrist from Zeke's grasp and seethed, yelling, “I shouldn't have fucking called you, should've fuckin' KNOWN you'd do this! You weren't the one walking in on that shit, YOU weren't the one having to watch some girl freak out and run out--”
“And YOU weren't the one caught having fucking sex by your dad!” Zeke bellowed back, silencing Casey in an instant. After a moment of heavy breathing, Zeke frowned deeply and said, “You never had that happen. You don't KNOW what that feels like, okay? Jesus Christ, Casey, some people don't wait for fucking marriage! YOU didn't!”
“I was nineteen!”
“And I was fourteen, Tory's FIF-teen, there are twelve-year-old mothers in the inner-fucking-city, HIV cases everywhere, shit! Happens! YOU were a parent's dream... congrats! Welcome to the real fucking world!”
Stunned, Casey watched Zeke storm off back into the kitchen. A moment later, the back porch screen door was thrown open and slamming closed in a loud clack! As tempted as he was to charge after Zeke and keep yelling... 'Fuck this,' he thought, grabbing his keys. He wouldn't be out looking for Torrin, however; though he no longer felt congested or groggy, he certainly had a huge migraine going on, and they were out of Excedrin.
~*~
The heat and soothing jets of water of the hot tub usually cleared away all troubles and cares, but at the moment, Zeke was numb and feeling empty. Diving into a few beers helped that, as well. He popped open his third, tossed the cap into the empty flowerpots Casey had picked up at the Agway the day before... 'Fuckin' flowers,' he thought. This was the year Casey was planning some award-winning garden, instead of the smattering of tomato plants and basic annuals planted around the yard and drive. Oh, no... in a month's time, this place would be on the map, according to Casey. Perennials, berry bushes, even an apple tree if the little idiot had his way. When Zeke wasn't pissed-off and grumpy, it was a wonderful idea. But now, angry and stewing, all he could think was how gay it all was. Fuck their BEING gay, a 'Better Homes and Gardens' feature, really?
He straightened and became alert when Torrin, walking slow but with purpose, came from the side of the house and to the back. He headed down the gravel path then stopped once under the veranda, eyes set on Zeke. They stayed quiet for one, two, three moments, until Torrin sniffed and kept moving. “I'm staying at Mike's tonight,” he said.
“Hold up,” Zeke said. Torrin's hand fell on the doorknob but didn't turn it, for now.
“What?”
Sighing, Zeke lifted a hand and patted the water. “Take a seat, kiddo.”
“I don't wanna talk, about anything. I'm gonna run in, grab some stuff and--”
“No lectures, 'k? I promise. Grab your suit from the mudroom, it's dry.”
Torrin's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, but he made a lone shrug and went inside. Barely a minute passed before he returned; Zeke smiled at the sight of the boy in his plaid swim-shorts, towel over his shoulder. Zeke put his bottle aside to grab his cigarettes and lit one, letting the first puff out as Torrin submerged himself on the other side of the tub. “'K. What?” Torrin said with every ounce of attitude he could muster up.
“Is there something wrong with a guy wanting to have a heart-to-heart with his son?” Zeke asked.
“Whatever...”
“Ah, the word of cowards. I said, no lectures, and I meant it. But simple talking's fine,” Zeke said.
“Look. I'm...” Torrin took a deep breath, his stare at the water bubbling along his chest cold enough to turn it into ice. “I'm already embarrassed and pissy enough.”
“Yea, I know.”
“Sure you do.”
“I do. C'mon, kid, you know I wasn't an angel at your age. Hell, I was ten-times worse,” Zeke replied. “That's why I'm not freaking out on you.”
“Well, convince Dad I ain't a demon-child, if you can,” Torrin retorted. Zeke chuckled and shook his head.
“He knows that. You just gotta keep some shit in mind...” Zeke took another sip from his bottle and went on, “...Your dad? He was always queer. He knew that from a real early age, so it wasn't like he felt safe enough to 'experiment'. There wasn't one girl he tried using as protection-even if he HAD faked it, it wouldn't have worked. The slurs and insults would've probably gotten worse, who knows?”
“Um... heard it,” Torrin said. “I know enough of that history shit.”
“Yea, well, I was different. I didn't have anything to prove, no one talked crap about me. I didn't fit the bill. So I DID get laid, first time at fourteen. That's a foreign concept to your dad,” Zeke explained. “To him, you having sex is Hiroshima. A big, fat, fucking deal.”
“So, what... you're cool with it?”
“Ah, didn't say that.”
“Yea, 'course you didn't...” Torrin grumbled. “Knew this was comin'.”
“I also didn't start in on you, did I? Don't make me repeat myself. Again.” Zeke finished his beer and put the bottle aside. He needed to be careful now; Christ, his head felt fuzzy. “So. Amanda.”
“Yea. Her,” Torrin said.
“'She your girlfriend?”
“Uh... duh? Yea.”
“Pfft, well? Having casual flings isn't exactly unheard of.”
“I don't DO that. What, do you think I would??”
“No, no. Still,” Zeke said, shrugging. “How long has this been going on?”
“God...” Torrin said, exasperated.
“C'mon, tell your old man,” Zeke said, chuckling a little.
“She's... ugh, we started hanging out a lot near the end of the year. We paired-up in science for a worm dissection,” Torrin said. “I thought she'd be like all the other girls, practically crying and pissing themselves over the project. But she was more into it than I was.”
“Ah. True love, huh?”
It was good to hear Torrin's amused snort. “Whatever. We just... started talking. We found out we shared the same period for study, so we'd get library passes together and stuff. I dunno. She's just... she's cool.”
“Was today the first time?” Zeke asked. This erased Torrin's easing-up; he straightened and sniffed.
“Why? You gonna tell Dad? No, it wasn't,” he said in a rush. “She came by on the Monday after vaca started, THAT was the first time. Obviously, I didn't say anything. This-crap, was why.”
“Okay. And no, not gonna tell Dad. Maybe YOU can, to clear the air,” Zeke said.
“Oh yea, REAL eager to do that. I can't talk to him about this, he's made that clear.”
Zeke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He just thinks you're too young. That's all. And you ARE... young, anyway. He doesn't know how to take it.”
“He'd better learn, cos' I can't go back in time and change it. I wouldn't, even if I could.” Torrin's expression softened. “I like Amanda. I like her a lot. She's... different from the other girls. Mike's into cheerleaders, I give him shit about it all the time. They're all so... dumb. Well, not Tina, she's okay. I guess. And Annie's on honor roll and stuff, it's... whatever, they're dumb.”
Chuckling, Zeke took a slow drag and turned his face up to let it out in a long stream. “She's into sports, huh? Field hockey?”
“Yea. She can't dunk to save her life, but she tries. Me, her and Mike went to the park the other day. I let her get a few baskets.”
“Aw. What a good boyfriend you are.”
“Like Mike didn't call me on it.”
“Mmm.” Zeke regarded Torrin with a thoughtful gaze. “You careful?”
“Huh? Careful... oh,” Torrin mumbled and rubbed his nose. “Yea. We use protection, and uh... she started doing birth control. Her mom's no nun, she knows.”
“That's good. She younger, older...?”
“A couple months older. She's a sophomore, going into her junior when school starts.”
“Ooh. Older women...”
“Nut-uh, shuttup,” Torrin replied with a wry grin and frown at the same time. His expression went blank again in a snap, however. “Though hell, who knows... after today? Maybe that crap's out the window now.”
“Oh, stop.”
“No, dad saw her all... y'know.”
“So? Your dad's gay, it's not like he checked her out.”
“Oh my god...”
“Zeke?”
Both of them straightened in hearing Casey's calling out from the house. Zeke cleared his throat and yelled, “Back here.” The cigarette in his fingers was put out in the ashtray and another one lit immediately. Casey came through the screen door, turned and stared at the tub.
“Oh. You're back,” he said. Torrin made a lone nod and bit his lower lip, obviously anxious. Casey, however, raised his eyebrows as he looked between them. “You guys look comfy, huh?”
“Yea, it's nice in here, as always. Hop in,” Zeke said. Even if he was on-edge, wondering how Casey was going to react, he wasn't going to shit-around. They ALL needed to talk. But Casey gave a quick shake of his head.
“N'aw, you guys have fun, I'll be inside.”
'Fuck's sake...' Zeke thought. As Casey went back into the house, Zeke looked to Torrin. “He can be a drama-queen, you know that. That's all this is.”
“Whatever.” Torrin said as he got out.
“Yea, I'm getting prune-y anyway,” Zeke replied.
Both of them went to their towels, dried off and made their way inside, Torrin going first. Casey was at the stove, putting some soup together. He glanced up but didn't say anything. Torrin made a light groan and ruffled his damp hair. “I'll get my stuff together and head out,” he said.
“'K,” Zeke said.
“Where are you going?” Casey chimed in. Torrin smacked his lips.
“To Mike's. I'm gonna stay overnight.”
“Yea?” Casey said. At Torrin's nod, Casey sniffed and turned the burner on. “It'd be nice if we were asked, instead of you assuming you could go.”
“Fine. Can I spend the night at Mike's, please?” Torrin said, exasperated.
“Sure. I'd just like to call his parents first.”
Zeke frowned. “We've never called Jessie and Steve about that before.”
“Well, Torrin's never had a girl in his room before,” Casey replied curtly.
“Okay, so now I'm a liar. Go call 'em, I don't care.” With that, Torrin stomped out of the kitchen and went upstairs.
A pit grew in Zeke's stomach as he went over to Casey. “He's not a liar, and you know that. Why are you treating him like a criminal?” he asked in the softest voice he could. He wanted to avoid a fight as much as possible; going by Casey's stern but even expression, he wasn't about to start yelling either.
“I'm not. I'm being his parent, that's my job. He wants to...” Casey made a long pause, his face scrunching up. Before Zeke could ask what was wrong, Casey made an earth-shattering sneeze. “God... y'know, I didn't need this. I feel sick as a dog.”
“Sorry. Look... lemmee get your soup together, go upstairs. I'll make some tea with it and bring it up to you,” Zeke said while rubbing Casey's shoulder.
“Kissing my ass?” Casey said, an eyebrow cocked.
“Kinda. But y'know, I sorta love you and shit, too.”
However small and tired Casey's smile was, it was good to see. “'K,” he said then left the kitchen.
~*~
With Jessie telling Casey, “Oh yea, we're all going to the baseball game between Norwich High and Welle's Academy. Did you and Zeke want to go, too? Pizza's on us after,” it was confirmed; Casey really hadn't needed to call. Torrin wasn't a liar, as Zeke had said. He'd turned down the offer, put the phone aside then enjoyed the hot, soothing lunch Zeke had brought up to him.
Maybe he was taking it too hard, but he still felt Zeke was being too soft. Part of it, Casey had to admit, had to do with WHY Zeke was being casual and cool. It wasn't a secret that Zeke had been with a good number of girls before Casey, when he finally dropped the act and admitted what he really wanted in a relationship... dick, basically. Casey never held it against him, or thought he hadn't-but maybe he did, in a way. At least in this situation, where he was reminded that not every teenager waited like he had. Sometimes he regretted not having 'experimented', but who would've slept with the class nerd to begin with?
His cold symptoms were lessening, convincing him that it was probably a quick sick-blip on the radar. Still, his chest was achy and nose stuffed-up, preventing sleep. He'd tried going to bed early, but it wasn't just the occasional sneeze or cough keeping him up. There was no use; with Zeke having gone to bed early as well, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow (as always, the lucky fuck), Casey slipped out of bed and went downstairs for something to drink. He kept the lights off, not wanting his eyes to hurt more than they already did. The low orange glow of the night-light plugged into the outlet by the kitchen table allowed Casey to grab a glass, open the fridge and get the grape juice out. He sighed to himself before taking the first sip.
'Nice,' he thought as the sweet drink trickled down his throat. His chest clenched a little, making him wince. The answer to the tension and aching was right out the back door, of course. Casey stretched and stepped out; the humidity of the day had tapered-off, leaving the night air cool and dry. That and the hot water would offer a great, soothing contrast. No suit was needed at this hour, of course. Casey smiled, reached to the hem of his t-shirt then stopped dead.
A strangely distinct clack! had come from the side of the house, quickly followed by another. Casey frowned when he heard what sounded like a hissing voice. 'The hell?' he thought as he tip-toed to the corner and looked around. His eyes widened a little when he saw a very familiar young lady standing on the narrow walk lining the driveway.
“Torrin!” Amanda picked up a pebble and tossed it to Torrin's bedroom window. Though Casey couldn't see her expression, she was obviously tense. She bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet as she hissed again, louder this time, “TOR-rin!”
Unbelievable. “Amanda?” Casey said. The moment her name left his lips, the girl whirled around an gaped. “What are you--”
“Shit!” she spat before turning and going to run. Casey shook his head and stepped out onto the driveway.
“Wait-Amanda, wait,” he called out. He was surprised that she stopped running and turned to him, but she still made steps backwards.
“I'm sorry, I kn-know it's late... I just...”
“It's... not THAT late, it's only about ten-thirty,” Casey said.
“I...” Amanda stopped finally, swallowed then said, “I just wanted to see if he was okay. He-wasn't answering his phone.”
“No... yea, he went to stay over at Mike's,” Casey replied.
“Oh.”
Casey nodded a few times and watched Amanda scuffing her sandal over a loose piece of pavement. The poor thing looked lost and troubled-depressed. All of the anger and frustration Casey had held since opening Torrin's door started slipping away. 'They're just teenagers,' he thought. “Why... why don't you come out back?” he said. “We can talk. You... thirsty?”
A long pause followed, until Amanda made a quick shrug. “I... guess,” she haltingly replied.
“Okay. We can stick our feet in the tub, relax,” Casey said as he walked back to the patio, waving her over.
“Yea, you have a nice hot tub, I... like... it...”
Casey almost started chuckling. “You been in it already, huh?”
“Well. Yea,” Amanda admitted.
“That ain't a crime, I guess.” Casey reached the side of the tub, flicked the lights on then pressed the 'START' button. The jets made the top of the water gurgle like a witches' brew. He wasn't sticking to his original plan of skinny-dipping now, of course; instead, he nodded to it and smiled. “Go on. Juice, soda... water...?”
“Soda's okay. Thanks.”
After getting her cola and refilling his juice, Casey returned to the tub and joined her in the foot-bath. “So, um... yea,” Casey started off awkwardly.
“Yea,” Amanda said. She took a sip of her drink and let her legs go up and down against the jet's currents. “I'm real sorry, about... what happened.”
“I know,” Casey replied. “I'm gonna be honest; I don't approve of it.”
Amanda squirmed a little, looking like she was fighting for a reply. “It just kinda went that way, y'know? I dunno.”
“Yea. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, even for my age... but still, I always go immediately to the worst possible scenario. But...” Casey shrugged, took a sip of juice then continued, “...Maybe that's a little unfair.”
“No, I get it. I'm real sorry, Mr. Connor-Tyler,” Amanda replied in a soft voice. Casey smiled.
“It's okay.”
“I just-really like Torrin. I mean, really.” The girl smiled bashfully. “He's my first boyfriend. Well, REAL boyfriend. I don't count my first one, he was a jerk. Anyway... he's just really nice to me.”
“We raised him like that, yea. That's why I feel kind of bad, with how I reacted. I pretty much treated him like a criminal, when really... he's not,” Casey said. He gave Amanda a meaningful look. “You ARE 'careful', right?”
“OH yea, yea... 'promise.”
“Okay. That doesn't mean I'm good with it. We'll... have to talk to Tory about it.”
Amanda nodded slowly and sipped some of her drink. Again, she looked very thoughtful. “Can I just-ask a favor?”
“Sure,” Casey said.
“Can you not... tell my mom, about what happened? I dunno if you have my number, but Torrin does, and... I mean, I don't wanna lie to her about stuff, she KNOWS I'm interested in guys. But... y'know?” she explained haltingly.
“I won't. As long as you be honest with her, talk to her about whatever's going on,” Casey said. “She's your mom and deserves to know.”
“Yea. We kinda have already. She gets it; she started me on the pill a year ago, even though I didn't need it. She just wants to be totally sure I don't end up a mom and stuff.” Amanda sighed. “SHE was real young when she had me. She knows, y'know?”
The more they talked, the more Casey liked this new girl. Torrin had chosen well, in his opinion. More stress and tension disappeared with every passing moment. “Well, look-we're gonna set some ground-rules. Not gonna talk about it now, but... we will, with Tor,” he said. “At least, when he's done being pissed-off at me.”
“Oh. Oh no, did you guys fight?”
“Yea.”
Amanda pouted. “I'm sorry.”
“No, no, we'll figure it out. 'K?” Casey said.
“Yea, okay.” Amanda finished her soda and slipped her legs out of the tub. “I should go; my curfew's eleven, so...”
“Mmm, good idea. I'll let Torrin know you came by.”
“Thanks,” Amanda said, smiling as she got her sandals on. She turned back to face him, bit her lip and shrugged. “So... see you soon, I guess.”
“Yup. Run on home, now,” Casey told her.
They exchanged goodbyes and she made her leave, a small spring in her step. Casey took a deep breath; the weight he'd carried slid off. The clothing soon followed suit and he was in the tub, thinking of how nice it'd be telling Torrin, “She's a really nice girl.” That would definitely ease the tension, even if they'd have to go over 'Rules of the House', as well.
~*~
Five Days Later
The rules were simple and came with a very important concession: no matter how good a parent was, they couldn't be around their kid all day, every day to make sure they didn't mess-up and make bad decisions.
“We can only hope you make the RIGHT decisions,” Casey had said to Torrin when he'd come home from the sleepover at Mike's. Instead of being an obstinate teenager, he'd nodded slowly and looked Casey in the eye as they spoke. Now that they were all trying to meet each other in the middle, there were no raised voices. Just new, simple rules and open discussion.
“You wanna go up to your room, that's fine; the door's cracked-open. We'll knock, but come right in, so keep the clothes on.”
“No sneaking around.”
“We're here if you need to talk to us, about anything. Don't hesitate.”
“We KNOW you're an awesome guy, but you'd better keep it up. She's a nice girl, be good to her.”
Most of the time, Torrin had nodded or said, “I know, I know,” with a tired smile. After that, a dinner invitation was extended to Amanda, which she took eagerly. The surprise of her bringing homemade apple-crumble for dessert was lovely, especially when they all got to taste it. The girl could cook.
Still, Casey was wary. Not stiflingly so, but he climbed up the stairs and went to Torrin's door. He gave it a knock then pushed it open. Both 'Silence of the Lambs' and clothes were on. Casey grinned at the sight of Amanda nestled against Torrin's chest, Torrin behind her and twirling a strand of the girl's long blond hair. “Hey guys,” Casey said.
“Oh... hey,” Torrin said.
“It's almost ten-thirty; finish the movie then say goodnight, 'k?”
“'K, Dad,” Torrin replied cordially then returned to playing with Amanda's hair. Casey nodded and left them to it.
Later on, Amanda was sent home with a kiss at the door and she rode home on her ten-speed, Torrin watching her until she disappeared around the corner. It was easy to see his love-lorn state in his sighing and easygoing gait as he went back upstairs. Once he was out of earshot, Zeke snorted, looked away from the TV to Casey and shook his head. “He's done.”
“Mmm. Lost. Adrift.”
“Whipped.”
Casey frowned, chuckled and turned to Zeke. “Hey, now...”
“Oh come on. He let that girl have the fuckin' remote after dinner. That's whipped.”
“No...” Casey drifted off a moment to take the remote from Zeke's lap. He flipped away from the Sci-Fi network to National Geographic. “That's love.”
Though Zeke rolled his eyes, he tugged Casey over the space between them to press him against his side, his hand running listlessly over Casey's shoulder. As Casey enjoyed his man's warmth and the feeling of security, he thought further.
'That's trust.' Truer words were never spoken, even when it came to channel-flipping.
Title: He's Just Like You: Trust
Pairing: C/Z, Torrin/OFC
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Don't own!
Synopsis: More future-AU!C/Z-Dads!Fic; Casey's old-fashioned.
Summer colds were always the worst. In the winter, they were expected, the norm. But to be raging sick on such a warm, wonderful summer day was depressing. After two or three days of saying, “I think it's allergies, I dunno,” Casey couldn't deny it any longer. Screw the summer-class program he'd volunteered for at the college. Enough was enough, and like hell his students minded getting an early start to their weekend.
“Ah-choo!” The forceful sneeze he made walking into the house should've shattered windows. The only thing louder than that was the music coming from upstairs. 'Thought the kid had plans with Mikey,' he thought. With a groan, he tossed his briefcase on the floor by the side table, rubbed his eyes and stumbled to the stairs. The next order of business was upstairs: a long, hot shower, boxers, a t-shirt then down to the kitchen to fix something hot to drink. Though he'd never been big on tea, a cup of sweet peppermint sounded great even with the mercury climbing past ninety.
In getting to the second floor, however, there was a slight alteration to his plans. The REAL first task was to let Torrin know that his father was not in the mood for bass-dropping, squealing dubstep. Casey usually didn't mind it-he even found it enjoyable at times, but not today. Knowing the kid wouldn't mind helping Dad out ('Maybe he'll volunteer to bring me my tea to bed...' Casey hoped with a tired grin), he gave one knock to the door, called, “Tory?” and stepped inside.
EVERY plan dissolved when Casey saw what was going on on the bed.
~*~
“Casey? Casey??”
Casey rushed out of the kitchen and down the hall. Zeke had arrived home, looking panicked-understandably. “We have a real, big, fucking problem,” was the first thing Casey said.
“What? What the fuck happened, are you all right??” Zeke asked.
“Yea, it's our son.”
“You said, so what-the fuck-happened??”
With a deep, deep breath, Casey steeled himself to say, “Y'know that girl he told us about last week? The field hockey... chick?”
“Yea...?”
“Well, he wasn't expecting me to be home early.”
Zeke gave Casey a long, questioning stare. “Okay...?”
“What, do I gotta come out and say it, you don't get it? Zeke...” Casey moved closer, leaned in and said, “I caught him and this 'Amanda' fucking each other like rabbits in his room!”
For another long moment, Zeke was still devoid of any reaction. Finally, he made a huff and frowned. “I left work... for that?” he asked.
“Um, yea?”
“Casey, you could've told me over the phone.”
“I didn't want to-DO that, this is a face-to-face deal!” Casey replied. He was surprised to see his husband scoff and roll his eyes. “What??”
“Seriously, I'm missing a day's pay to find out our son got some?”
Casey widened his eyes and dropped his jaw. “He's... he's only fifteen!”
“Yea, and? I lost my virginity at FOUR-teen. It happens,” Zeke replied. He let out a heavy breath as he ventured down the hall to the kitchen. “Well, home now, guess I'll grab a brew...”
The casual, ho-hum reaction was not expected, or wanted. This was, by Casey's estimation, a Big Fucking Deal. He scurried after Zeke, shaking his head. “You find out our kid's having sex and you get a beer for yourself? Zeke!”
“You're blowing this WAY outta proportion.” Zeke opened the fridge, reached in and drew out a bottle of Sam Adams for himself. As he popped it open and took a long swig, he continued, “Fifteen's late, nowadays.”
“Yea, and how the hell do we know if this was his first time? Huh? School's been out for three weeks now, this could've been a repeat performance!”
“If it wasn't, what does that change? Nothing. We can't take summers off, at least I can't. The extra money you're bringing in from the summer shit's golden, so we can't drop that. So, what do you propose? Surveillance cams all over the house?” Zeke replied.
“I... just don't see how you can be so damned laid-back about this,” Casey said, awestruck.
“Is he upstairs?”
“Yea, Amanda all but red-shifted her way outta here an hour ago. I told Tory you'd be coming home and we'd all sit down and talk about this.”
Zeke groaned. “He isn't embarrassed enough? He's probably pissing himself worried, thinking he's never gonna see Amanda again after this.”
“That's a BAD thing??” Casey spat. “We've never met this girl! How do we know where she comes from, what she's up to? Where are her parents??”
“Probably working, like every struggling parent nowadays does.”
“Oh, cut the crap, this is serious!”
“It doesn't have to be, at least to the degree you're taking it,” Zeke said. This made Casey's eyes narrow.
“Well excuse the hell outta me, I'm just his father. I'd thought his OTHER dad would be a skosh more concerned, but screw that. God...” Casey snarled and looked away. “...How I didn't see this coming, I'm an idiot...”
“What? What didn't you 'see coming'?”
“THIS, your whole... 'who cares' thing. You're ready to go up there and give Tory a beer to celebrate, aren't you? Hey, we all got LAID before our voices changed, why not?” Casey retorted angrily.
“Oh no, don't start this,” Zeke warned.
“Start what, you said it, I didn't? You got pussy younger than Tory did, so-BFD, it's okay.”
“Okay. Okay, y'know... you're taking this to a who-o-ole new level,” Zeke said in a drawl.
“No, no, you're right. Who cares? Let Tory bring home TWO chicks next time, no big!” Casey raised his arms and let them down in a slap. “Condoms, who needs 'em? Just take your chances, be a teenaged dad or get diseases--”
“The FUCK, you catch him with a girl and we're talking babies and AIDS? Seriously??”
Zeke's raised voice changed everything-it always did. Casey stepped up his game, almost getting on tiptoe to say, “At least I'm thinking of the implications, going cause-and-effect about this instead of thinking it's oh so awesome that my kid is having sex at fif-fucking-teen!”
“Did I say it was 'oh so awesome'?? QUOTE me, when did I say that?” Zeke yelled back.
“You don't HAVE to, you're standing in our kitchen throwing back a beer instead of marching up there demanding to know just what the fuck our son's up to!”
Zeke opened his mouth wide to bellow his next argument, but stopped when he looked over Casey's shoulder to the front door. “Tory?”
Casey whirled around on his heels; there, getting his sandals on with lightening speed was Torrin. The shake coursing through his body was easy to see. “Torrin... where are you going?” Casey called. When Torrin whipped the door open without replying, Casey jogged down the hall. “Torrin! Come back here, now!” he yelled after stepping out onto the porch, only to watch Torrin's running off down the sidewalk top-speed. Seething and frantic, Casey jumped back inside and went to the desk in the hall. “I'll go after him.”
“Casey, no-stop.” Zeke walked over and took Casey's wrist before he could grab his car keys. “Stop, okay? It won't do anybody ANY good.”
“We can't just let him run away like this! He KNOWS we want to talk with him--”
“Which is why he ran off! He'll fuckin' come back, JE-sus!”
“Okay, you need to let go of me and let me go get HIM, now.”
“Let. Him. GO, Casey. You're not helping.”
“I...” Casey pulled his wrist from Zeke's grasp and seethed, yelling, “I shouldn't have fucking called you, should've fuckin' KNOWN you'd do this! You weren't the one walking in on that shit, YOU weren't the one having to watch some girl freak out and run out--”
“And YOU weren't the one caught having fucking sex by your dad!” Zeke bellowed back, silencing Casey in an instant. After a moment of heavy breathing, Zeke frowned deeply and said, “You never had that happen. You don't KNOW what that feels like, okay? Jesus Christ, Casey, some people don't wait for fucking marriage! YOU didn't!”
“I was nineteen!”
“And I was fourteen, Tory's FIF-teen, there are twelve-year-old mothers in the inner-fucking-city, HIV cases everywhere, shit! Happens! YOU were a parent's dream... congrats! Welcome to the real fucking world!”
Stunned, Casey watched Zeke storm off back into the kitchen. A moment later, the back porch screen door was thrown open and slamming closed in a loud clack! As tempted as he was to charge after Zeke and keep yelling... 'Fuck this,' he thought, grabbing his keys. He wouldn't be out looking for Torrin, however; though he no longer felt congested or groggy, he certainly had a huge migraine going on, and they were out of Excedrin.
~*~
The heat and soothing jets of water of the hot tub usually cleared away all troubles and cares, but at the moment, Zeke was numb and feeling empty. Diving into a few beers helped that, as well. He popped open his third, tossed the cap into the empty flowerpots Casey had picked up at the Agway the day before... 'Fuckin' flowers,' he thought. This was the year Casey was planning some award-winning garden, instead of the smattering of tomato plants and basic annuals planted around the yard and drive. Oh, no... in a month's time, this place would be on the map, according to Casey. Perennials, berry bushes, even an apple tree if the little idiot had his way. When Zeke wasn't pissed-off and grumpy, it was a wonderful idea. But now, angry and stewing, all he could think was how gay it all was. Fuck their BEING gay, a 'Better Homes and Gardens' feature, really?
He straightened and became alert when Torrin, walking slow but with purpose, came from the side of the house and to the back. He headed down the gravel path then stopped once under the veranda, eyes set on Zeke. They stayed quiet for one, two, three moments, until Torrin sniffed and kept moving. “I'm staying at Mike's tonight,” he said.
“Hold up,” Zeke said. Torrin's hand fell on the doorknob but didn't turn it, for now.
“What?”
Sighing, Zeke lifted a hand and patted the water. “Take a seat, kiddo.”
“I don't wanna talk, about anything. I'm gonna run in, grab some stuff and--”
“No lectures, 'k? I promise. Grab your suit from the mudroom, it's dry.”
Torrin's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, but he made a lone shrug and went inside. Barely a minute passed before he returned; Zeke smiled at the sight of the boy in his plaid swim-shorts, towel over his shoulder. Zeke put his bottle aside to grab his cigarettes and lit one, letting the first puff out as Torrin submerged himself on the other side of the tub. “'K. What?” Torrin said with every ounce of attitude he could muster up.
“Is there something wrong with a guy wanting to have a heart-to-heart with his son?” Zeke asked.
“Whatever...”
“Ah, the word of cowards. I said, no lectures, and I meant it. But simple talking's fine,” Zeke said.
“Look. I'm...” Torrin took a deep breath, his stare at the water bubbling along his chest cold enough to turn it into ice. “I'm already embarrassed and pissy enough.”
“Yea, I know.”
“Sure you do.”
“I do. C'mon, kid, you know I wasn't an angel at your age. Hell, I was ten-times worse,” Zeke replied. “That's why I'm not freaking out on you.”
“Well, convince Dad I ain't a demon-child, if you can,” Torrin retorted. Zeke chuckled and shook his head.
“He knows that. You just gotta keep some shit in mind...” Zeke took another sip from his bottle and went on, “...Your dad? He was always queer. He knew that from a real early age, so it wasn't like he felt safe enough to 'experiment'. There wasn't one girl he tried using as protection-even if he HAD faked it, it wouldn't have worked. The slurs and insults would've probably gotten worse, who knows?”
“Um... heard it,” Torrin said. “I know enough of that history shit.”
“Yea, well, I was different. I didn't have anything to prove, no one talked crap about me. I didn't fit the bill. So I DID get laid, first time at fourteen. That's a foreign concept to your dad,” Zeke explained. “To him, you having sex is Hiroshima. A big, fat, fucking deal.”
“So, what... you're cool with it?”
“Ah, didn't say that.”
“Yea, 'course you didn't...” Torrin grumbled. “Knew this was comin'.”
“I also didn't start in on you, did I? Don't make me repeat myself. Again.” Zeke finished his beer and put the bottle aside. He needed to be careful now; Christ, his head felt fuzzy. “So. Amanda.”
“Yea. Her,” Torrin said.
“'She your girlfriend?”
“Uh... duh? Yea.”
“Pfft, well? Having casual flings isn't exactly unheard of.”
“I don't DO that. What, do you think I would??”
“No, no. Still,” Zeke said, shrugging. “How long has this been going on?”
“God...” Torrin said, exasperated.
“C'mon, tell your old man,” Zeke said, chuckling a little.
“She's... ugh, we started hanging out a lot near the end of the year. We paired-up in science for a worm dissection,” Torrin said. “I thought she'd be like all the other girls, practically crying and pissing themselves over the project. But she was more into it than I was.”
“Ah. True love, huh?”
It was good to hear Torrin's amused snort. “Whatever. We just... started talking. We found out we shared the same period for study, so we'd get library passes together and stuff. I dunno. She's just... she's cool.”
“Was today the first time?” Zeke asked. This erased Torrin's easing-up; he straightened and sniffed.
“Why? You gonna tell Dad? No, it wasn't,” he said in a rush. “She came by on the Monday after vaca started, THAT was the first time. Obviously, I didn't say anything. This-crap, was why.”
“Okay. And no, not gonna tell Dad. Maybe YOU can, to clear the air,” Zeke said.
“Oh yea, REAL eager to do that. I can't talk to him about this, he's made that clear.”
Zeke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He just thinks you're too young. That's all. And you ARE... young, anyway. He doesn't know how to take it.”
“He'd better learn, cos' I can't go back in time and change it. I wouldn't, even if I could.” Torrin's expression softened. “I like Amanda. I like her a lot. She's... different from the other girls. Mike's into cheerleaders, I give him shit about it all the time. They're all so... dumb. Well, not Tina, she's okay. I guess. And Annie's on honor roll and stuff, it's... whatever, they're dumb.”
Chuckling, Zeke took a slow drag and turned his face up to let it out in a long stream. “She's into sports, huh? Field hockey?”
“Yea. She can't dunk to save her life, but she tries. Me, her and Mike went to the park the other day. I let her get a few baskets.”
“Aw. What a good boyfriend you are.”
“Like Mike didn't call me on it.”
“Mmm.” Zeke regarded Torrin with a thoughtful gaze. “You careful?”
“Huh? Careful... oh,” Torrin mumbled and rubbed his nose. “Yea. We use protection, and uh... she started doing birth control. Her mom's no nun, she knows.”
“That's good. She younger, older...?”
“A couple months older. She's a sophomore, going into her junior when school starts.”
“Ooh. Older women...”
“Nut-uh, shuttup,” Torrin replied with a wry grin and frown at the same time. His expression went blank again in a snap, however. “Though hell, who knows... after today? Maybe that crap's out the window now.”
“Oh, stop.”
“No, dad saw her all... y'know.”
“So? Your dad's gay, it's not like he checked her out.”
“Oh my god...”
“Zeke?”
Both of them straightened in hearing Casey's calling out from the house. Zeke cleared his throat and yelled, “Back here.” The cigarette in his fingers was put out in the ashtray and another one lit immediately. Casey came through the screen door, turned and stared at the tub.
“Oh. You're back,” he said. Torrin made a lone nod and bit his lower lip, obviously anxious. Casey, however, raised his eyebrows as he looked between them. “You guys look comfy, huh?”
“Yea, it's nice in here, as always. Hop in,” Zeke said. Even if he was on-edge, wondering how Casey was going to react, he wasn't going to shit-around. They ALL needed to talk. But Casey gave a quick shake of his head.
“N'aw, you guys have fun, I'll be inside.”
'Fuck's sake...' Zeke thought. As Casey went back into the house, Zeke looked to Torrin. “He can be a drama-queen, you know that. That's all this is.”
“Whatever.” Torrin said as he got out.
“Yea, I'm getting prune-y anyway,” Zeke replied.
Both of them went to their towels, dried off and made their way inside, Torrin going first. Casey was at the stove, putting some soup together. He glanced up but didn't say anything. Torrin made a light groan and ruffled his damp hair. “I'll get my stuff together and head out,” he said.
“'K,” Zeke said.
“Where are you going?” Casey chimed in. Torrin smacked his lips.
“To Mike's. I'm gonna stay overnight.”
“Yea?” Casey said. At Torrin's nod, Casey sniffed and turned the burner on. “It'd be nice if we were asked, instead of you assuming you could go.”
“Fine. Can I spend the night at Mike's, please?” Torrin said, exasperated.
“Sure. I'd just like to call his parents first.”
Zeke frowned. “We've never called Jessie and Steve about that before.”
“Well, Torrin's never had a girl in his room before,” Casey replied curtly.
“Okay, so now I'm a liar. Go call 'em, I don't care.” With that, Torrin stomped out of the kitchen and went upstairs.
A pit grew in Zeke's stomach as he went over to Casey. “He's not a liar, and you know that. Why are you treating him like a criminal?” he asked in the softest voice he could. He wanted to avoid a fight as much as possible; going by Casey's stern but even expression, he wasn't about to start yelling either.
“I'm not. I'm being his parent, that's my job. He wants to...” Casey made a long pause, his face scrunching up. Before Zeke could ask what was wrong, Casey made an earth-shattering sneeze. “God... y'know, I didn't need this. I feel sick as a dog.”
“Sorry. Look... lemmee get your soup together, go upstairs. I'll make some tea with it and bring it up to you,” Zeke said while rubbing Casey's shoulder.
“Kissing my ass?” Casey said, an eyebrow cocked.
“Kinda. But y'know, I sorta love you and shit, too.”
However small and tired Casey's smile was, it was good to see. “'K,” he said then left the kitchen.
~*~
With Jessie telling Casey, “Oh yea, we're all going to the baseball game between Norwich High and Welle's Academy. Did you and Zeke want to go, too? Pizza's on us after,” it was confirmed; Casey really hadn't needed to call. Torrin wasn't a liar, as Zeke had said. He'd turned down the offer, put the phone aside then enjoyed the hot, soothing lunch Zeke had brought up to him.
Maybe he was taking it too hard, but he still felt Zeke was being too soft. Part of it, Casey had to admit, had to do with WHY Zeke was being casual and cool. It wasn't a secret that Zeke had been with a good number of girls before Casey, when he finally dropped the act and admitted what he really wanted in a relationship... dick, basically. Casey never held it against him, or thought he hadn't-but maybe he did, in a way. At least in this situation, where he was reminded that not every teenager waited like he had. Sometimes he regretted not having 'experimented', but who would've slept with the class nerd to begin with?
His cold symptoms were lessening, convincing him that it was probably a quick sick-blip on the radar. Still, his chest was achy and nose stuffed-up, preventing sleep. He'd tried going to bed early, but it wasn't just the occasional sneeze or cough keeping him up. There was no use; with Zeke having gone to bed early as well, falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow (as always, the lucky fuck), Casey slipped out of bed and went downstairs for something to drink. He kept the lights off, not wanting his eyes to hurt more than they already did. The low orange glow of the night-light plugged into the outlet by the kitchen table allowed Casey to grab a glass, open the fridge and get the grape juice out. He sighed to himself before taking the first sip.
'Nice,' he thought as the sweet drink trickled down his throat. His chest clenched a little, making him wince. The answer to the tension and aching was right out the back door, of course. Casey stretched and stepped out; the humidity of the day had tapered-off, leaving the night air cool and dry. That and the hot water would offer a great, soothing contrast. No suit was needed at this hour, of course. Casey smiled, reached to the hem of his t-shirt then stopped dead.
A strangely distinct clack! had come from the side of the house, quickly followed by another. Casey frowned when he heard what sounded like a hissing voice. 'The hell?' he thought as he tip-toed to the corner and looked around. His eyes widened a little when he saw a very familiar young lady standing on the narrow walk lining the driveway.
“Torrin!” Amanda picked up a pebble and tossed it to Torrin's bedroom window. Though Casey couldn't see her expression, she was obviously tense. She bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet as she hissed again, louder this time, “TOR-rin!”
Unbelievable. “Amanda?” Casey said. The moment her name left his lips, the girl whirled around an gaped. “What are you--”
“Shit!” she spat before turning and going to run. Casey shook his head and stepped out onto the driveway.
“Wait-Amanda, wait,” he called out. He was surprised that she stopped running and turned to him, but she still made steps backwards.
“I'm sorry, I kn-know it's late... I just...”
“It's... not THAT late, it's only about ten-thirty,” Casey said.
“I...” Amanda stopped finally, swallowed then said, “I just wanted to see if he was okay. He-wasn't answering his phone.”
“No... yea, he went to stay over at Mike's,” Casey replied.
“Oh.”
Casey nodded a few times and watched Amanda scuffing her sandal over a loose piece of pavement. The poor thing looked lost and troubled-depressed. All of the anger and frustration Casey had held since opening Torrin's door started slipping away. 'They're just teenagers,' he thought. “Why... why don't you come out back?” he said. “We can talk. You... thirsty?”
A long pause followed, until Amanda made a quick shrug. “I... guess,” she haltingly replied.
“Okay. We can stick our feet in the tub, relax,” Casey said as he walked back to the patio, waving her over.
“Yea, you have a nice hot tub, I... like... it...”
Casey almost started chuckling. “You been in it already, huh?”
“Well. Yea,” Amanda admitted.
“That ain't a crime, I guess.” Casey reached the side of the tub, flicked the lights on then pressed the 'START' button. The jets made the top of the water gurgle like a witches' brew. He wasn't sticking to his original plan of skinny-dipping now, of course; instead, he nodded to it and smiled. “Go on. Juice, soda... water...?”
“Soda's okay. Thanks.”
After getting her cola and refilling his juice, Casey returned to the tub and joined her in the foot-bath. “So, um... yea,” Casey started off awkwardly.
“Yea,” Amanda said. She took a sip of her drink and let her legs go up and down against the jet's currents. “I'm real sorry, about... what happened.”
“I know,” Casey replied. “I'm gonna be honest; I don't approve of it.”
Amanda squirmed a little, looking like she was fighting for a reply. “It just kinda went that way, y'know? I dunno.”
“Yea. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, even for my age... but still, I always go immediately to the worst possible scenario. But...” Casey shrugged, took a sip of juice then continued, “...Maybe that's a little unfair.”
“No, I get it. I'm real sorry, Mr. Connor-Tyler,” Amanda replied in a soft voice. Casey smiled.
“It's okay.”
“I just-really like Torrin. I mean, really.” The girl smiled bashfully. “He's my first boyfriend. Well, REAL boyfriend. I don't count my first one, he was a jerk. Anyway... he's just really nice to me.”
“We raised him like that, yea. That's why I feel kind of bad, with how I reacted. I pretty much treated him like a criminal, when really... he's not,” Casey said. He gave Amanda a meaningful look. “You ARE 'careful', right?”
“OH yea, yea... 'promise.”
“Okay. That doesn't mean I'm good with it. We'll... have to talk to Tory about it.”
Amanda nodded slowly and sipped some of her drink. Again, she looked very thoughtful. “Can I just-ask a favor?”
“Sure,” Casey said.
“Can you not... tell my mom, about what happened? I dunno if you have my number, but Torrin does, and... I mean, I don't wanna lie to her about stuff, she KNOWS I'm interested in guys. But... y'know?” she explained haltingly.
“I won't. As long as you be honest with her, talk to her about whatever's going on,” Casey said. “She's your mom and deserves to know.”
“Yea. We kinda have already. She gets it; she started me on the pill a year ago, even though I didn't need it. She just wants to be totally sure I don't end up a mom and stuff.” Amanda sighed. “SHE was real young when she had me. She knows, y'know?”
The more they talked, the more Casey liked this new girl. Torrin had chosen well, in his opinion. More stress and tension disappeared with every passing moment. “Well, look-we're gonna set some ground-rules. Not gonna talk about it now, but... we will, with Tor,” he said. “At least, when he's done being pissed-off at me.”
“Oh. Oh no, did you guys fight?”
“Yea.”
Amanda pouted. “I'm sorry.”
“No, no, we'll figure it out. 'K?” Casey said.
“Yea, okay.” Amanda finished her soda and slipped her legs out of the tub. “I should go; my curfew's eleven, so...”
“Mmm, good idea. I'll let Torrin know you came by.”
“Thanks,” Amanda said, smiling as she got her sandals on. She turned back to face him, bit her lip and shrugged. “So... see you soon, I guess.”
“Yup. Run on home, now,” Casey told her.
They exchanged goodbyes and she made her leave, a small spring in her step. Casey took a deep breath; the weight he'd carried slid off. The clothing soon followed suit and he was in the tub, thinking of how nice it'd be telling Torrin, “She's a really nice girl.” That would definitely ease the tension, even if they'd have to go over 'Rules of the House', as well.
~*~
Five Days Later
The rules were simple and came with a very important concession: no matter how good a parent was, they couldn't be around their kid all day, every day to make sure they didn't mess-up and make bad decisions.
“We can only hope you make the RIGHT decisions,” Casey had said to Torrin when he'd come home from the sleepover at Mike's. Instead of being an obstinate teenager, he'd nodded slowly and looked Casey in the eye as they spoke. Now that they were all trying to meet each other in the middle, there were no raised voices. Just new, simple rules and open discussion.
“You wanna go up to your room, that's fine; the door's cracked-open. We'll knock, but come right in, so keep the clothes on.”
“No sneaking around.”
“We're here if you need to talk to us, about anything. Don't hesitate.”
“We KNOW you're an awesome guy, but you'd better keep it up. She's a nice girl, be good to her.”
Most of the time, Torrin had nodded or said, “I know, I know,” with a tired smile. After that, a dinner invitation was extended to Amanda, which she took eagerly. The surprise of her bringing homemade apple-crumble for dessert was lovely, especially when they all got to taste it. The girl could cook.
Still, Casey was wary. Not stiflingly so, but he climbed up the stairs and went to Torrin's door. He gave it a knock then pushed it open. Both 'Silence of the Lambs' and clothes were on. Casey grinned at the sight of Amanda nestled against Torrin's chest, Torrin behind her and twirling a strand of the girl's long blond hair. “Hey guys,” Casey said.
“Oh... hey,” Torrin said.
“It's almost ten-thirty; finish the movie then say goodnight, 'k?”
“'K, Dad,” Torrin replied cordially then returned to playing with Amanda's hair. Casey nodded and left them to it.
Later on, Amanda was sent home with a kiss at the door and she rode home on her ten-speed, Torrin watching her until she disappeared around the corner. It was easy to see his love-lorn state in his sighing and easygoing gait as he went back upstairs. Once he was out of earshot, Zeke snorted, looked away from the TV to Casey and shook his head. “He's done.”
“Mmm. Lost. Adrift.”
“Whipped.”
Casey frowned, chuckled and turned to Zeke. “Hey, now...”
“Oh come on. He let that girl have the fuckin' remote after dinner. That's whipped.”
“No...” Casey drifted off a moment to take the remote from Zeke's lap. He flipped away from the Sci-Fi network to National Geographic. “That's love.”
Though Zeke rolled his eyes, he tugged Casey over the space between them to press him against his side, his hand running listlessly over Casey's shoulder. As Casey enjoyed his man's warmth and the feeling of security, he thought further.
'That's trust.' Truer words were never spoken, even when it came to channel-flipping.