AN: Know that I've had my taste of sadness I'll write one that's somewhat in-between. When I was writing this I couldn't decide if what song I wanted use but I finally decided on Transatlanticism by Death Cab, but I don't know if it classifies as a songfic because the song is just there, the story doesn't revolve around it, oh well who cares right? Well as always I hope you enjoy this fic, because you guys are part of the reason that I write them…that and my overactive imagination.
Casey drug herself sluggishly up the stairs of the house that she had lived in for the last few years. It had been a hard day for her as all of her teachers had decided collectively to make her life hell by piling on homework and filing there final exams with questions that eve made her sweat. As she tiredly passed her step-brothers room on the way to her own she was pleased to find that his door was wide open signaling that he was not home. With a small tired smile she walked into her room, flopped down on her bed and reeled in the silence that filled the normally chaotic household.
It remained like this for nearly an hour and right as Casey found herself dosing off, the front door slammed sending a shock wave of noise through the once quiet house. She was quickly awakened by the loud sound and let out a growl of frustration in the form of a single name, 'Derek.' She listened in distaste as he slammed his way across the living room and the kitchen until his foot falls were heard stomping the steps slowly one by one. Getting up, she sat by her window and leaned her head against the wall behind her as she prepared herself for the loud slam of the door followed by the extremely loud music that always seemed to becoming from his door especially during this last week as his behavior became increasingly annoying. However, much to her surprise none of the noise ever came. In fact, once he reached the top of the staircase his footfalls became quiet as they padded softly to his door, which was not slammed once he reached the room. After a long five minutes no loud music came and the house was quiet once more. The only sign that Derek in deed remained in the house was the occasional cough or rustle of paper from his bedroom.
Being a teenage girl made her inheritably nosy and the silence from her usually noisy step-brother disturbed her greatly. Now getting up and making her way to the door she thought back on how all this week his behavior had been strange. Sure he was annoying as usual, but there was a certain shyness that she observed in his demeanor that she had never seen before or at least toward herself at any rate. Right as she reached her doorway was when she heard it and it made her stop in her tracks. It was a soft cord played on the guitar and it resembled nothing that she had ever heard Derek play before. She immediately recognized the song as Transatlanticism, a song that a week before was made fun of by Derek as whinny bullshit, was coming from his doorway softly calling her from her spot. She listened to the call and leaned herself against the doorway as he continued to play with his back toward her, oblivious to her presence. It wasn't the best that she had heard him play, the cords sounded forced and it seemed that it was only by chance that he landed them but she was still captivated nonetheless and then the song truly begun.
The Atlantic was born today and I'll tell you how…
The clouds above opened up and let it out
His gruff voice made the sound even more heartfelt for her as she listened. It was nothing like Ben Gibbard's voice, it was lower and huskier and it reminded her a cross between the way Schlepper sung at the battle of the bands and Johnny Cash, not of her tone deaf step-brother singing 'She Said It Was Over,' loudly in her living room. When she tuned back in he had started to sing again.
I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole.
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean,
Making islands where no island should go.
Oh no.
The guitar began to play a slow string of chords that she heard him stumble through. Casey wanted to say something, but she knew that if she did, this rare moment of compassion that Derek was showing would disappear as would the show that she was currently enjoying, so she remained silent and moved slowly and quietly into the room increasingly closer to him with every passing note.
Those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
It seems farther than ever before
Oh no.
I need you so much closer
I need you so much closer
I need you so much closer.
As he finished the final note as sat still with his back to her; Casey who was still in awe finally spoke up.
"That was beautiful Derek." She whispered so softly that she thought he wouldn't hear. But he did and it was enough to startle him out of whatever reverie that he had been in before her voice sounded through the quiet room again.
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you weren't home, fuck Casey give me a God damn heart attack why don't you!" Derek yelled once the alarm had faded from his eyes and was replaced by anger.
"Well sorry but I hate to have to inform you that I live here too, whether you like it or not." She snipped back at him with a glare.
"And what exactly are you doing in my room?" He asked his voice dangerously low and he had gotten her.
In all honesty, she didn't know what she was doing in his room. She had felt like she had been called in there by the soft sounds of his guitar and was cemented there by his husky singing voice, but what she was doing still in his room? As she looked down at him, guitar still sitting in his lap, though now loosely, and as she saw his glare that had soften somewhat but was still on his face she knew that she had trespassed on a moment that was meant for no one and she had to vacate the area quickly before he did something drastic. She felt his eyes on her back the whole way out of his room and still felt them well after she had quietly shut his door behind her. She walked to her room with a small frown on her face wondering what exactly had she just witnessed as she closed her door behind her and once again crawled into bed as the silence eloped the house, however this time in an eerie way.
Later on that night after she suffered through an incredibly awkward dinner, she found herself alone in her quiet room lost in her thoughts and day dreams of the husky voice and the forced guitar chords with the clock ticking toward midnight and everyone sound asleep in their respective beds. She didn't like the feelings that he had made her feel through the singing of that song. Well at least she didn't want to feel them more so than disliked; in fact they flat out scared her. However she didn't have time to ponder her thoughts for as long as she would have liked for when a million and one emotions were running through her head she heard her door creak open revealing a extremely rumpled sleep deprived Derek in her doorway. He stared at her for a moment before he walked quickly across the room pulling her computer chair the side of the bed where she sat and flopped down into it with a sour look on his face. He sat there for a while every so often opening his mouth to speak before slamming it closed before any words could come out. Finally getting quickly annoyed with his antics Casey snapped.
"Derek if you have something to say spit it out." She snipped at him while glaring straight at him. He stayed quiet for a few moments before dropping his head in his hands.
"What do you want to know?" His voice was a mumbled wreck that she had to strain to hear.
"Why did you play that song? I thought you hated it." She asked bewilder
"I did."
"Then why?"
"Because it reminded me of you." He said curtly his voice quiet with this new revelation. "You drive me insane. I hate you, you know that. But I hate you for entirely different reason than you hate me. I hate you because you made me love you." He said leaning toward her his voice a harsh whisper.
"I made you love me, how?"
"I don't know, but you did and for the last two years I've had to live with the fact that I could never have you because one you're my step-sister and two you hate me." He said pointedly.
"I don't hate you."
"Sure you don't Case." He said annoyed though unconsciously leaning closer to her.
"I don't Derek, I'm serious." She said leaning till there faces were millimeters apart.
They stared into the others eyes for a long moment before Derek screamed a mental fuck it and reached out and kissed her. Much to his surprise and enjoyment she snake her arms around his neck and pulled him closer till he was laying on top of her on the bed. Smiling slightly he shyly ran his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss sliding his tongue in her mouth when she gasped slightly. The kiss lasted for more than five minutes before they both had a hard time breathing and had to break it off though neither really moved far from the other staying in the same position and resting there foreheads together.
"I've never hated you Derek, I've just been annoyed."
"Then I never want to see what your hate looks like." He laughed as he looked into her eyes.
"I made you love me?" She asked again this time a little more accepting of it.
"You made me love you." He confirmed with a smile
"And that song?"
"You were never supposed to hear, but really, I'm glad you did."
"And here I thought you were always tone deaf. I mean come on, Nah, Nah, Nah." She said sarcastically while laughing at the glare she received.
"Shut up MacDonald."
And with that he kissed her again, and she knew that this time it was just to shut her up. In all honesty she couldn't object even if she tried because the feelings that had been scaring her shitless to admit to herself he had been struggling with since he met her and feelings were that she loved him and all she had to thank for the make out session that she was receiving was the sweet melody that nobody was supposed to hear.