Just...something that kind of popped in to my head last night that I had to get out. Wrote it in about two hours, on and off. Basically it came about after watching Sixteen Sparkplugs and at the end, Casey tries to hug Derek and he shakes her hand. So, yeah, this is about their first actual hug. It's pretty much just nonsense and a little bit of crap. Is it Dasey nonsense and crap? I don't know. It could be. You decide.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything in this story that you've heard of before. I really don't even own Keegan Lewis because technically, he's already a LwD character. I just gave him personality...of sorts. Whatever.
"Here, just--just sit down in your chair and I'll go get you some ice, okay?"
"Casey, I'm not disabled. It's a bruise."
Despite his protest, Derek flopped back in the recliner anyway, grimacing slightly. "And a really bad headache." He mumbled as an after thought.
"Headache? Right. Tylenol and ice. Got it." Casey struggled with both of their backpacks, along with some books, gingerly setting them at the foot of the stairs before rushing into the kitchen. After a few moments, she called to him. "Do you want crushed ice or cubed ice?"
"Does it really matter?" He yelled back. Snatching up the remote, he turned on the TV and began to flip channels. Seconds later, Casey appeared besides him, two clear Ziploc baggies in her hand; one containing cubed ice and the other crushed. Derek gave her bizarre glance.
"I just didn't want to bring one and you actually want the other, you know?" She explained. Silently, he took one of the bags from her and placed it carefully on his temple, where a large bruise had already formed. Casey ran back to the kitchen, placing the unused bag in the sink, then dashed upstairs to her room. Upon finding the bottle she was looking for, she hurried back down the stairs. Unfortunately, she forgot that she had placed the book bags at the foot of the stairs and tripped over them, effectively falling to the floor.
Derek looked over her shoulder at her and didn't bother to control his laughter. As Casey stood up, she gave him a threatening look as he was opening his mouth to comment.
"Don't even think about it." she said, tossing the bottle in his lap.
He thought about it, actually, but he didn't say anything. He simply smirked and popped the lid off of the Tylenol, pouring four tablets into his hand. Casey watched intently from the couch. He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. Neither of them spoke, they simply stared for several minutes. He opened his mouth again, but Casey interrupted.
"What did he say?" She muttered, her eyes never leaving his. Derek's gaze softened and he suddenly began interested in the design of the fabric on the arm of his chair - not that he'd never looked at it before. "Come on, I want to know what could have possibly been so bad you picked a fight with Keegan Lewis."
"No, you don't." He replied under his breath. Derek's mind wandered to the previous events, ones which had led to him on the receiving end of a black eye. Funny, it wasn't how he had pictured the confrontation going initially.
"Yeah, I do, because when my mom and your dad come home and start freaking out over the messages on the answering machine from his parents, I know they're going to want an unadulterated version of the story. And not, 'he pissed me off so I beat him up' either."
"Hey, it's not my fault those Tae Kwon Do lessons didn't do him any good."
Casey smirked. "Ah, unfortunately, the swelling on your face states the contrary."
He rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the television. "You should see the swelling on his face."
She ignored his comment and leaned over the armrest, closer to him. "I wish you would've told me beforehand so I could have come and talked him out of fighting you, too."
"It wasn't exactly something I planned to do, Casey. And I did just fine with out your MacDonald input, thank you."
"I bet The Lewis's don't think so."
With an annoyed sigh, Derek sat up in the chair and pushed his footrest of the recliner down. He turned abruptly to face her, removing the bag of ice from his head. "Seriously, what is the big deal? Some stuff was said in the locker room that I wasn't happy with, so I took care of it."
"So why wouldn't you just handle it like you normally do and prank him? Why does Keegan get special treatment?"
"Have you met Keegan? The kid needs all the special treatment he can get."
"Derek..." Casey started threateningly, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Fine, I guess you're just not going to tell me."
"Nope. Not that it's any of your business, anyway."
With a huff, she got up and grabbed her books, going up to her room.
-:-
Later that evening, Casey was on the phone with Emily, doing some French homework. They were casually commenting on verb endings, when the conversation turned to something a bit more interesting.
"So, how is Derek doing?" Emily questioned once there was a lull in the topic of French.
"Um, he's fine. There's just some bruising." Casey replied absently, filling in the answers on her worksheet.
"He's fine with having to sit out the rest of the season?" Emily asked loudly, making Casey break out of her trance.
"What?"
"Well, with a grade three concussion, don't you have to rest for three months or something?"
"Concussion?"
"Yeah, the one Derek got from Keegan."
"You know about Derek and Keegan?"
"Of course, everyone knows about Derek and Keegan."
"Wait, what does everyone know about Derek and Keegan?"
"Oh, well that Derek challenged him to a fight after athletics and that Keegan used his martial art skills to give Derek a concussion, but Derek fought through it and broke Keegan's collarbone. He's in the hospital."
Casey had to physically push her jaw closed with her free hand, collapsing backwards on to her bed. "Oh, wow, Em. That's so not even close." She then proceded to tell Emily what really happened; how Keegan had said something to piss Derek off, so Derek fought him. "Keegan got a lucky shot in and gave Derek a black eye, but no concussion. And Keegan is definitely not in the hospital. If he has a broken anything, I bet it'll be his nose."
"Or probably his ego." Emily quipped, laughing softly.
Casey laughed, too. "Probably. The only thing is, I have no idea what they were fighting about. Derek won't tell me. He told me that Keegan said something he 'wasn't happy with' and that's all he'll give me." Emily's silence indicated to Casey that girl could possibly know more than she let on. "Em?"
"Well..."
"Em, come on, you have to tell me!"
"Okay, well, I heard from Sheldon who heard from Mark who heard from Justin who heard from Brady who heard from Elise who heard from Megan who heard from Ralph and Sam who supposedly were there..."
"Yes?"
"Well, I heard that they were all just messing around in the locker room after practice. You know, like the hockey team, the basketball team, baseball team, everyone."
"Emily Michelle Davis, tell me already!"
"Keeganwastalkingaboutyou." She said very quickly, running the sentence together.
She literally felt every single muscle in her body lose its strength. "Wh-what?"
Emily sighed. "Okay, well, you know last semester when you body checked him when you were trying to accidentally bump into Max on purpose."
Casey grimaced, not only because she remembered the embarassing moment very well, but also because weeks before she'd had a rather nasty break up with Max, and the subject was still touchy. "Yeah."
"Well, apparently, he's had this major crush on you since you tranferred to Thomspon High - like Tinker type crush - and that I guess sealed the deal for him in a sense. Then you started going out with Max, but now that's done and you still won't give him the time of day. I guess he's pissed."
"Wait, so, what was he saying about me?" She managed to ask while trying desperately not to scream from revulsion.
"I don't know all the details, really. Something about you being so broken hearted over Max and screwing several guys to get over it, including him."
"I've hardly ever even talked to the guy!" Casey screeched, causing Emily to pull the phone away from her ear.
"I guess people will believe anything they hear." Casey couldn't help but agree, thinking back on the crazy story her friend had told her only minutes before about Derek's alleged concussion. "So, I guess this a major break through in the Derek department, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they were practically fighting over you, don't you think? I mean, Derek was like, I don't know, sticking up for your virtue or something. It's like straight out of a period peice."
Casey gasped. She had been so overwhelmed by the thought that someone - Keegan Lewis, of all people - had said such terrible things about her that she'd been too oblivious to realize that Derek had beaten said person - i.e. Keegan - up over that fact.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Casey, dinner's ready." Lizzie said, poking her head in her sister's room.
"I'll be right down." She put a pencil inside her book to mark her place and shut it. "You're right, Em, this is definitely a huge break through. I'll call you later." Then she hung up the phone and began to go to dinner.
"...for three weeks, do you hear me?" Casey heard George's stern voice as she exited her room. Silently, she stopped by Derek's door to listen.
"But, Dad, you don't--"
"No, Derek, I'm tired of you thinking you can just get away with whatever you want to in this house! The only time you're allowed to leave this room for the next three weeks is to go to school, work, or to come eat. Otherwise, you're going to be in here twenty-four-seven, you got that?"
"What about to use the bathroom?" She heard Derek snap.
"Derek, don't push me." The arguing stopped and Casey cautiously stepped back into her doorway. George stalked out of the room angrily, not looking back her way. She heard a sigh and peered into Derek's bedroom, spotting him laying on his bed, hands covering his face.
"He grounded you?" She said, causing Derek to sit up abruptly. He narrowed his eyes at her. She couldn't blame him. Technically, it was her fault he was in this mess; not that she had any idea she cause it until now, of course.
"Eavesdropping?" He barked, rising from the bed and walking over to her.
"I was going down to dinner. I just overheard."
"Same thing." He said, pushing past her. "Not that it matters, though. He'll forget by the time the bruise goes away. I give it three days, tops."
She was about to call him back, but stopped when she noticed he was already three-quarters of the way down the stairs. She's have to wait until after dinner to confront him about the fight.
-:-
Dinner was tense and incredibly awkward. Thankfully, though, it went by quickly enough and Lizzie and Edwin asked to be excused, leaving Casey and Derek with Nora, George, and Marti, who was currently spouting off random bits of information about her day.
"Derek, clear the table and wash the dishes." George commaned in a fierce tone. Derek didn't bother to argue as his father left the table.
"Casey, would you mind helping him? I've got some work to finish up before tomorrow."
"Yeah, sure, no problem, Mom."
Silence filled the room as the two teenagers started to remove dishes from the table. Once they were almost gone, Derek went to the sink and started washing them. When she finished clearing the rest of them, she started to help by drying.
"So, I know what you did to Keegan." Casey stated matter-of-factly, an attempt at starting up a conversation.
Derek eyed her curously. "Of course you do. I already told you what happened. By now, I'm sure all of Thompson High knows."
"Yeah, that's true." Carefully, she reached and put a plate on one of the shelves in the cabinet. "But I bet that they don't all know the true reason why."
A bowl Derek had been scrubbing slipped from his fingers and into the soapy water. He cast a side glance at her through his bangs, only briefly. "And I suppose you think you do?"
"Oh, I know I do." She smirked, leaning her hip against the counter so she was facing him.
"Let me guess, Emily?"
"Perhaps."
"Right, because that's a reliable source."
"When it comes to all things Derek, it is."
Derek stopped now, mirroring her body position, drying his hands with a dish towel. "I thought she'd moved on to Schlepper? No more Derek-love - although, can you really blame her? I mean who would honestly pick him over me, hm?"
Casey rolled her eyes. "That's beside the point, Derek. Why wouldn't you just tell me what he said?"
He ignored her question. "You know, I'm prefectly capable of finishing these dishes myself. Don't you have some math homework or something?"
"Tell me what he said, Derek."
"...because, I know that you're good at school and everything..."
"I just want to hear it come out of your mouth!"
"...but we both know your math skills need some work..."
"I don't understand why you can't just tell me that you were sticking up for me. Is it that hard for you to admit?!"
Derek glared at her for a moment. "Fine. I was. Happy?" Casey smiled slightly, watching as Derek frantically scrubbed the pan Nora had cooked on. "Don't expect me to be like Emily and go into all the gory details, because I'm definitely not."
"You won't even tell me what he said about me?"
"Casey, you don't want to know what he said, okay? I told you that. You don't. Just know that he was talking some major shit and I put a stop to it."
Her smile widened as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to her in a giant hug.
"What are you doing?" He asked loudly, struggling to get out of her grip with out actually touching her.
"Thanking you."
"So do it with words."
"I told you, Venturi, that someday, somewhere we would have our feel good family moment. Just accept it and hug me back."
Reluctantly, Derek's arms closed around her and then almost immediately were withdrawn.
"Okay, moment's over. You know my no hugging policy."
"Oh, can it. That only applies to Edwin. I will keep hugging you until you give me a real, genuine, caring hug...because face it, we both know you can."
Derek sighed. "Okay, okay. Fine. At least let me dry my hands off first."
"Good." Casey let go of him momentarily while he reached for the towel. Seconds after she released him, however, he sprinted around the island and up the stairs. She never knew that boy was so fast.
"Make sure you finish those dishes!" He yelled back to her.
"Ugh..." Casey grumbled. "Derek..."
I know...that ending was pretty lame. I'm sorry. It was the best I could come up with at the time. Depsite all that, you should review for it anyway. That would make me happy. Yay!