Fandom : Life With Derek'
Pairing: Derek/Casey
Rating: T
Words: Around 550
Disclaimer: If it was mine, Derek wouldn't ever need unnecessary extras. Like clothes. And also, all the italicized quotes are from the show.

"You're in way over your head"

Maybe if they weren't constantly caught in stale-mate, he'd never have fought with her (like always) and gotten drunk on cheap beer and the glare of the too-bright lights and the flashy, too-easy girls.

Welcome to college, baby.

"Since when do you care about Casey so much?"

Maybe if it (they) hadn't been so goddamned obvious, his roommate wouldn't have called her when he was slurring his words a little too much. After all there was Sandra (or was it Elsa?) And last week there'd been Sally (or was it Kyla?)

Why Casey? Why was it always Casey?

"Brother"

"Step-brother."

"Same difference."

Maybe if she hadn't ranted about their parents on the way back to her dorm and called him her brother one time too many, he wouldn't have laughed like that. Harshly and too loudly and with too much truth. She was the stupidest smart girl he'd ever known. Didn't she know alcohol had this way of making a person blurt out what should have been a lie.

But wasn't.

"De-REK"

Maybe if she didn't break his name ever so often, in that half breathless tone, half-pleading, half-angry tone; he'd never have wondered about the many other situations in which she'd say his name like that.

"Give. That. Back."

"Make. Me."

Maybe if her hair hadn't been so…ugly… and brown and her eyes… stupidly wide… and blue. And maybe if she hadn't started on her job description as a sister.

And maybe if she hadn't been…her…he'd never have kissed her. Cutting her off mid-rant. Hard and with a little too much tongue. Maybe if there hadn't been so much desperation, so much incompletion everywhere it would never have happened.

"Haven't you ever wanted to live a little dangerously?"

Maybe if he had never dreamed of this all too often, and maybe if he hadn't stopped with names in bedroom altogether with the (other) girls because he was afraid that it'd only take that one moment of letting go to never surface again. Maybe then he'd never have slipped her dress off her shoulders.

"Please."

Maybe if…maybe…

"Casey, Casey, Casey"

Maybe if he hadn't been such a good actor. Maybe if he had ever actually ever gotten drunk on three glasses of beer…

Maybe then...

Maybe then he'd actually have had an excuse.

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