After seeing Derek and Casey's uber--unsibling-like and intensely charged dance routine, I couldn't help but write a fic. Really, there was no other option.
Also, one note: I'm being pretty loose with the time line (not that it's ever really clear on the show either, lol). For the purposes of this story, Derek and Sally are broken up, but still working together. Also, Casey and Max are through, too.
--
Prologue
--
PRESENT TIME
--
If he could just stop caring about her…
He knocked on her door again, his head lying heavy on the wood. "Can we just talk? Without the screaming?"
"I HATE YOU!!!"
I'll take that as a 'no', Derek thought wryly.
He sighed. "How many times do I have to say 'I'm sorry?'"
"UNTIL YOU MEAN IT!!"
"I DO MEAN IT, YOU CRAZY SPAZZO!"
"I'M NOT A SPAZZO! YOU—YOU ASS!!"
"Oh, how original."
He cursed and there was a burning in his fist. Oh, right, must have been that whole punching the wall thing he'd done without thinking. Derek grimaced and nursed his fist as he stalked outside her door.
They'd been here before—literally dozens of times over the last three years. He'd prank her. She'd nag him. He'd insult her. She'd rat him out. They'd both do nothing, and then they'd argue for the just hell of it. Fighting was not new. It was required.
But, then sometimes…they fought for real.
And, that generally sucked.
"You really hurt my feelings!" came Casey's voice again, still booming yet softer round the edges.
"Oh, really? I wouldn't have guessed that from you throwing a hissy fit and barricading yourself in your bedroom."
"You don't even care about me!"
"Right. And, this is me showing how much I UN-care about you: by standing outside your door arguing with you like an idiot for twenty minutes straight."
His voice was glib, sarcastic. His eyes were stormy, intense. His body was stiff as he stood there, arms folded across his chest.
"Open the stupid door!" he shouted before his brain could catch up with his nerves.
"Make me!"
"Maybe I will!"
"Maybe you won't!"
Touche, he thought dryly. He wasn't a fireman—no matter how many times Marti had made him dress up like one. He couldn't exactly kick through the door with his brute strength either. Or maybe he…
No; no. He definitely couldn't.
He grunted, cursed one more time, and then headed for the steps.
As much as he hated it, he needed help.
******
72 HOURS EARLIER…
Derek had always been territorial. Whether it was his house or his car or his food, they belonged to him, and he didn't like to share. Casey—although she'd pummel him with a thousand textbooks if he even suggested it—was no exception.
It wasn't intentional. It hadn't happened overnight. But, somewhere between the first and one-thousandth fight, between the bickering and the yelling, between the crowded bathrooms and the angry car rides, between the burning of their retinas from glaring and staring at each other so damn much, an attachment had formed.
Less bickering, more bantering. Warmer smiles. Softer smirks. Baked treats and occasional good advice.
No hand holding. No kissing.
They didn't even like each other half the time.
But, it was there. And he didn't like to share.
--
One step in the house and, damn, there was Noel again. That scruffy, dorky poet guy he used to almost like. That was until he started touching Casey. No,' dancing' with Casey, Derek reminded himself bitterly. Casey's words, not his. As far as he was concerned, their 'dancing' was much too close to his favorite backseat pastime for him to like.
Pressed up bodies and spin moves and holds.
SLAM.
The hinges shrieked and so did Casey as the front door shut.
"Gah!" She spun out of Noel's arms, mouth agape as she turned to the broody hockey player, "De-rek! What is your damage?"
He ignored her, his face shadowed as he shoved his sports bag into the closet. She was wearing spandex. A tank top. Her hair was down like he liked it. He cursed under his breath.
"Um, hello? I'm right here, talking to you."
He said nothing and pulled the scarf from off his neck. Her cheeks were red and he knew it drove her crazy when he didn't pay her attention. But, hell, it drove him crazy when Noel touched her. Granted, she didn't know that--but, still; it drove him crazy.
"Just ignore him," Noel said, earning a dark glance from Derek, "You can't expect 'Your Majesty' to be bothered with social peasants like ourselves."
Casey shrugged, but didn't look at Noel, instead focusing rather sullenly on "her Majesty." Derek unzipped his coat and answered him."And, yet, here you are, Ned: bothering me."
"Newsflash: my name's Noel. No, reason you should get that I guess, what with me only being over here every other day. I realize you must be really busy with those pucks and sticks and pucks and sticks…"
"Riiight. That's rich coming from a dude who spends his spare time in a tutu groping my stepsister."
"De-rek! Stop it."
He blinked. Her palm was on his chest and for the first time he realized he'd been moving—rather menacingly—toward Noel as he spoke. He brushed her hand away. But, not before letting his rough fingers linger over hers.
She watched wordlessly as he stalked up the steps.
--
"Hey."
Derek glanced up from his computer and offered a stiff nod. "Hey."
Casey was leaning on his doorframe, swallowed up in an old hoodie and those same stupid stretch pants. He forced his eyes above her neckline.
"What do you want, Spacey?"
"To know what's wrong with you," she answered, slowly making her way across his bedroom. She ended perched on the edge of his desk, legs crossed towards him. "You've been acting assier than usual."
"Well," he shrugged, "I am an ass. We done here?"
His laptop shut instantly, almost catching his fingers. "Not even close."
"Right," Derek muttered. He knew that tone. He knew that look. This was going to be one of those talks.
"We need to talk," Casey said, confirming his suspicions, "About Noel."
"Who?" Derek asked, arching a brow and adding a smirk just because he knew it'd piss her off.
"My dance partner," she said with a tight voice.
"Oh, oh,you mean Ned?"
"Right; 'Ned,'" Casey echoed dryly. "Whatever you insist on calling him, you need to back off. It's not funny anymore and I can tell it's starting to get to him."
"Case, come on. He's not an eight year old. You don't have to come up here and defend him like I'm trying to steal his lunch money or something."
"Fine, but are you sure you're not the eight year old?"
When Derek rolled his eyes and looked away, Casey grasped his chin, pinching with her thumb and index finger, and pulling his gaze back. She leaned in. "Look. I think it's uber sweet n' all that you've suddenly grown one single, obnoxious protective bone in your body for me; but, I'm a 'big girl' and I need you to back off so I can get this routine down."
"Big girl, huh?" Derek said, slipping back from her grasp, "Does that mean no more diapers now?"
"Hilarious," Casey deadpanned.
"And, I'm not being 'protective, okay? I'm being annoyed. This guy is so obviously trying to get into your sparkly ballerina pants it's ridiculous. Even I can see it, and I'm oblivious."
"Derek!" she hissed
He knew that 'Derek'. He knew that blush. He'd crossed a line.
"Noel is my partner; that's it!"
She flew from the desk and for some reason Derek instinctively rose with her. He hulked over her, using his height in a way he knew aggravated her. "He has his sweaty little boy hands all over you, and you call that dancing?"
"Yeah, actually, I do. As opposed to miming which it would be if we never touched each other, you moron." She stabbed her finger in his chest and he winched, but didn't back down, "Noel respects me. Noel helps me. And, yes, Noel touches me. But, unlike you…" another stab, "It's not automatically a prelude to tongue wrestling in his backseat."
Touche, Derek thought. But, still, it pissed him off.
"Right." His voice lowered darkly and he knew he was being an ass. " 'Cause I'm sure you'd like it somewhere more romantic, huh? Like on a picnic blanket with doves crying in the background."
"Oh—Ungh!!"
Her cheeks exploded with red. Her breath quickened. She looked like she might slap him. Literally slap the hell out of him right there.
"You are so classless it's disgusting."
She was strutting out of his room before he could even blink.
"Watch out for him, Casey," he called after her, "He's not as harmless and clueless as you might think."
SLAM.
The door swung shut. Her this time, not him.
--
PRESENT TIME
Asking his ex-girlfriend for help with another girl was awkward. Even if the girl was his stepsister, it still demonstrated a level care and attention he'd never quite mustered up for her—at least according to her many, whiny complaints.
"Well, look who finally grew a heart," Sally said, yet not meanly, as she stirred the coffee before her. She and Derek were hidden in a back booth of the coffee shop, their prime spot for taking unofficial and unpermitted breaks on shift.
"Cute," Derek said. "Now are you going to give me some advice or diss me for an hour?"
Her eyes lit. "Actually, that's tempting; but I'll save it for later." Derek rolled his eyes as she leaned forward on her elbows, "It seems pretty obvious to me. You've got to fix this yourself, Derek. No amount of explaining or groveling…"
"I do not grovel."
"…is going to make up for what you did. You're gonna have to show her you care about her feelings."
He snorted. "I don't."
"Or at least that you care about her," Sally said tiredly.
His smirk dulled, then dwindled. "Fine," he muttered, "So what do I do?"
--
24 HOURS AGO
Derek glanced through the peep hole and rolled his eyes. Noel: the UnSuprise of the century. With a sigh he opened the door.
"Hey, Cas—" Noel faltered. "Oh, Derek, it's…you."
Derek flashed a large grin. "Neddy boy. How nice of you to stop by. I just was saying how I never get to see you anymore."
Noel rolled his eyes, craning his neck to glance over Derek's shoulders. "Is Casey in? We're supposed to be practicing."
"Practicing, huh?" Derek asked, leaning on the door frame and getting good and comfortable as he blocked the entrance, "Funny; it looks a little less like practicing, and a lot more like you trying to score with my stepsis to me."
Noel's cheeks pinked. A shade of anger and embarrassment. "It's not like that. I respect her."
"Right," Derek muttered, "So, I've heard. Too bad I don't buy it."
Noel sighed and moved to walk past him; but, Derek simply straightened, arms crossed and not budging.
"Are you going to let me in, or not?"
"Um, let me think?" Derek titled his side to side, face scrunched in mock contemplation, "I'm gonna go with 'no', Ned."
"Look, dude," Noel said, stepping forward. His voice was definitely cracking now, "You need to back off, okay? What me and Casey do is none of your business."
Derek made the sound of a buzzer. "Anhh! Try again. You groping Casey in my house day in and day out is definitely my business." He leaned towards him, lowering his voice, "I'm not fooled by your nice boy, poet, pansy act, okay? I wrote the book on macking and I can spot an amateur act a mile away."
Derek's hand was on Noel's collar now, but he smacked it away. Then he gave Derek his own shove.
"You are the biggest idiot I've ever met. And, luckily, Casey's smart enough to see that, too. So, go ahead and keep harassing me. But, when you're looking and when you're not looking, and in your house and out of your house, I'm gonna put my hands wherever the heck I want—ahh-unngh!"!
There was a burning in Derek's fist. Oh, right, it must have been that whole punching Noel thing he'd done without thinking.
--
"You've never punched anyone, ever, in your entire life! Not even that fridge guy whose brother beat up Edwin. And, now, now, of all times, you decide to pummel Casey's dance partner?!"George cried in Derek's bedroom.
The teen lay dejectedly on his mattress, with an exasperated Nora sitting at his desk, and George wearing angry holes into his carpet..
"For the last time," Derek said tightly, "He started it."
"Right," Nora said, "Casey''s ninety pound dance partner shoves you and you, the captain of the hockey team, punch his lights out. That's really a fair fight, Derek."
"I didn't say it was fair. I said he started it," Derek grumbled.
"You do realize you're grounded forever?" George asked, his face dark red, "I mean literally forever. Your great grandchildren will be grounded."
Derek rolled his eyes and Nora sighed, cradling her face in her hands. "Noel broke his ankle when he fell. Casey's dance recital...it's pretty much ruined. I mean, it's only two months away they've already been practicing for six weeks. Any guy remotely interested in dance has probably already been snatched up."
"She'll get over it," Derek mumbled, although he couldn't quite meet their eyes as he said it, "It's not the end of the world."
"No," George said tiredly, "Just the end of her dream. Congratulations, Derek. It looks like you've finally won your silly, childish war with Casey."
--
PRESENT TIME
Somewhere between her twelfth and thirteenth kleenex, Casey heard her door creak open. Which made absolutely no sense, considering she'd locked it and all. She didn't know how ,or why, but she knew it had to be him. "De-rek!"
It was him, she discovered as she yanked the door open completely, revealing a crouched over Derek fiddling with her lock.
"What are you doing?!"
"Making you open the stupid door."
"Pfft."
Casey huffed at him and stomped back towards her bed, where she collapsed dramatically. Derek rolled his eyes, but followed behind her, reaching to retrieve the discarded tissue box on his way. The mattress dipped under his weight and he reached over her, from where her back was facing him, and placed the tissues by her head. "Go ahead. Cry me a river. I deserve it."
"I'm not crying over you, you ass," Casey said, sniffling, "I'm crying because of my senior recital. Which you singlehandedly sabotaged, 'cause, hey, I guess you figured you just hadn't tormented me enough for the last three years."
"Get over yourself," he said sharply. He could see her stiffen, but he kept on, "This was about me hating Noel, not you." His hand was hovering over her shoulder, almost grazing her skin; but it faltered at the last moment. "Don't cry," he said lamely.
"I hate you," she hissed.
He flinched and his voice was firm, almost defensive. "No, you don't."
She wouldn't turn to him. She wouldn't take it back.
Then..."No." She sighed. "I don't."
Derek sighed then, too, and some of the tightness left his shoulders as he leaned over her. "Duh," he whispered.
The bed creaked and she spun to him suddenly, almost knocking Derek off his balance as she spat, "I don't know why though, when you treat me horribly." She slapped his shoulder. More like smacked it. He knew she could hit him harder if she wanted.
He winched, because then she did hit him harder. "Ow."
He rubbed his arm, and she chewed at her lip, yet didn't apologize. They stared at each other for a moment, before Derek spoke again.
"Sally says I should dance with you."
"Is Sally smoking crack?" Casey mumbled dryly, her fingers pulling stray threads from her quilt.
"Possibly," he said with a smirk. Casey wasn't smiling though, so then neither was he. "We should...I mean...why not?"
"Because I can't stand you, you're irresponsible, and you can't dance."
"Woah, don't hold it all in there," Derek mumbled.
His tone was light, but his his eyes were heavier from her words. Casey sighed, and despite herself, reached and stroked by his knee, letting her fingers trail unconsciously to his quads. Derek tried to focus on her words and not her hand.
"I think...it's just over," she said.
"You can't give up," Derek, his hand instinctively removing hers and setting it on the pillow so he could think straight.
"Why? 'Cause you'll be grounded forever?"
"I'm grounded forever regardless. Probably beyond forever," he said dryly.
"Then why do you even care?"
He knew that look. He hated that look. She was getting all LifeTime movie moment on him.
"You know why," he mumbled. "Let's just...try it, or whatever. If it doesn't work, then...let's just try it."
Casey let out a breathy laugh and stared up at him. "You're really serious, aren't you?"
He nodded and she shifted up so they were eye level on the bed. She studied his eyes and Derek felt like he was being scanned by a robot. "We have to practice every day," Casey said finally, her voice hardening into her most driven tone, " Because we have a lot of ground to cover. And, you'll have to try, really try; no goofing off." He quirked a brow. "Fine. Less goofing off."
"It's a deal."
"And, you have to be on time."
"It's a deal," he said again.
"And, no backing out."
"It's. A. Deal."
He held out his hand.
"I'm trusting you," Casey said, before holding out her hand, too, and taking his.
--
End prologue.
--
As, if it weren't obvious, all feedback is appreciated. :)