Stumbling Out of the Shadows

by Accidentally The Whole Fanfic

Moving to Castanet with hopes of coming out of his shy, introverted shell and doing something worthwhile with his life, Kasey Manatos finds himself roped into saving an endangered land from itself. But in his absolute willingness to help out and prove himself, his recklessness may wind up causing its own problems, as well... Slash, multi-character focus. Now rated M.

21. Corner of the World

Author's Notes: So, yeah, this was a long time in the works. Long story short, the past few months have been an extremely... difficult time for me in my personal life, and with this being a much more romantically- and sexually-charged chapter than others by far - one for which I'd actually had the ending written months ago - I was having a pretty tough time getting myself into a mindset where I wanted to write it anymore.

But, here I am - and I will just let you guys know in advance, due to some of the stuff that takes place in this EXTREMELY LONG-ASS CHAPTER, I'm officially bumping the rating up to M. It is a bit sooner than I'd thought it'd be, and I was intending to give more of an advance notice for when the change was impending - but things happen how they happen. Since there's been an advance warning in the summary since... forever about the rating going up, though, hopefully that was sufficient. Also - though they share a name I really like - Toby's father, Hiro, isn't intended to be the same person as Hiro from Two Towns.

As usual, thanks to the folks who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed since the last chapter! Lucy Kay, HersheyC101, RedDragon395, fourze, and new reviewers/followers/favoriters Durotos, Kitty_KatAllie, and kornblumen!

Hope you all enjoy this (massive) chapter! Feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and we'll meet again in chapter 22!

...What, you say something looks different here? Yeah, I got my ear pierced. That's probably it.

Chapter 21: Corner of the World

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As Monday night melted into the dark, early hours of Tuesday morning, the snowfall continued to slow in the bitterly cold air, the last flakes finally coming to rest on large drifts and floating chunks of ice while most of Castanet continued sleeping. Faint hints of color began to lighten the edge of the distant horizon for the first time in days, glowing faintly off the piles of snow, and the still-heavy clouds that had finally begun to drift westward. A few of Castanet's early risers observed the sight through their scuffed, worn windowpanes with surprise and relief, and a bit of trepidation as they wondered what exactly would go wrong next.

In the warmth of the Choral Clinic, almost everyone was still dozing peacefully - the only sounds throughout the darkened rooms were faint breathing, gentle snores, the pleasant sound of heated air blowing through the vents, and the ticking of a wall clock here and there.

In the dimly-lit infirmary on the first floor, Toby snuffled softly, jolted from his troubled slumber by the sound of sheets rustling and a quiet sigh. Opening one eye slightly with a confused frown, it took him a moment to recognize Kasey's shadowed form sitting up on the hospital cot, one leg drawn up and arms sitting loosely atop it - Toby noticed that the IV drip seemed to have been removed, as well. Kasey's face was troubled as he stared out the window across from his bed, jaw set, and he seemed to be unconsciously bouncing his foot.

Not sure what to say, Toby instead opened both eyes and cleared his throat gently, causing the other boy to jolt out of his pensive state with a little jump. "Sorry, Kasey," Toby said quickly, holding his hands up in a placating manner as Kasey immediately calmed down and gave him a rueful smile. His voice was a hushed whisper as he went on: "I didn't mean to scare you; how're you feeling?"

Brushing his now-loose hair back over his bare shoulders, Kasey shrugged and hummed, waggling one hand ambivalently. "You're fine, man. I'm... okay," he answered, though his smile widened a bit. "Still kind of sore, but... I'll be alright. Jin came down and ran a few tests earlier - to make sure what..." A shadow fell over his face, and he cleared his throat as well. "...To make sure what happened didn't - you know, mess me up permanently or anything... he said all you guys stayed here with me, too. That, uhhh-" His voice grew a bit hoarse now, prompting him to look away and scratch the back of his neck uncomfortably. "...That you... uhh... stayed..."

Though Kasey's face was turned away now, Toby could easily pick up the gratitude in his voice, and tried to shrug it off nonchalantly despite how warm his chest felt. "Of course. I'm just glad you're okay," he responded sincerely, watching as Kasey turned to look back at him with another smile. Eyeing Kasey curiously, Toby went on: "So... you said something about some tests...?"

"Oh! Right..." Worrying at his bottom lip now, Kasey ran a hand through his rumpled hair and gazed back out the window, the pensive look back in his eyes. "Just - just stuff like... you know, motor skills, checked my heart and lungs... cognitive functions, made sure I was all there. What's my name and his name, your name since you were already there-" They shared a little grin at this, "-what year is it, do I know where I am, what's the last thing I remember... all that stuff. He said Wizard worked really hard to heal me, but after - after... stuff like that happens, sometimes it can... fuck you up pretty badly. But I was all good. Really... really lucky," he finished, voice going soft and brows knitting together. "It's just - it's... so crazy. I'm not sure it's even sunk in all the way yet, to be honest with you. Just been a hell of a week..." Chuckling ruefully, he shook his head. "Good thing it happened last night, and not today."

Confused, Toby was about to ask why exactly that mattered, before his groggy mind woke up with the reminder, and he shared a shy grin with Kasey. "Yeah," he agreed with a little laugh, face warming, "you're not getting out of it that easily, Kasey. Sorry. So, you're still feeling up for it, huh?"

Kasey nodded enthusiastically, his face lighting up completely. "Yeah! Yeah, I - I mean I'm kinda nervous about it, but - I couldn't even begin to tell you... definitely. You?"

Toby returned the nod, feeling his heart begin to beat a little faster now. His stomach flipped briefly as last night's conversation with Chase and Renee came back to him, though he pushed the discomfort aside swiftly. "I'm... pretty nervous, too, to tell you the truth, but... I can't wait, either. Just, uhh... I was wondering something...?" At Kasey's questioning glance and hum, he went on: "Well, after what happened last night, I'm a little... done with the snow and the cold for a while. Perhaps... maybe we could move it somewhere... warmer?"

Still chewing at his lip, Kasey mulled it over for a few seconds, and he nodded shyly after a moment. "Y-yeah, I was thinking the same, too... like... like, at the inn or - or something, or...?"

"Or," Toby suggested, scratching the back of his neck and hunching his shoulders, "or, maybe, ah... we can just hang out at, well... yourplaceormyplace?" The last words came out in a hurried mumble, and he swallowed hard as Kasey chuckled awkwardly. "Well - I mean, it's up to you, I'm... really fine with wherever."

"O-okay, yeah! Yeah, that..." Kasey thought it over - he wasn't sure if Ozzie knew about any of it yet, but as much as he liked Toby's family, he had a feeling the thought of them being nearby in this case would make him even more anxious than being alone with Toby would. "I-if, uhh... my place is fine... we can, I... dunno, watch something, or... or talk, or..." He trailed off as he caught himself, his face growing hot with the implications of what else he'd been thinking. Not daring to look over at Toby quite yet, he shrugged his shoulders, foot bouncing on the bed once again while he worked his mind for any sort of half-decent save. "Or y-you know... go all rom-com and slow dance to some sappy music." When Toby shared a laugh with him at this, Kasey felt his nerves ease up some, and went on: "Or, ah, put on some EDM and rave. Like, really horribly."

Toby snorted. "Sure, I'll just ask Chase if we can borrow his stash of Ecstasy. Or we can do that... what's it called?" Off of Kasey's puzzled look, Toby scratched at the side of his head, frowning. "That one dance... tweaking?"

A moment of silence passed between them before Kasey threw his head back and clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his almost-hysterical laughter, shoulders shaking as he pounded his other fist on the bed and shook his head. "Tweaking?" he repeated in an incredulous squeak, a few giggles slipping out - and Toby suddenly buried his burning face into his palm with an embarrassed grin, realizing how horribly off-course he'd been. "T-Toby, did... did you mean 'twerking'? Because - because 'tweaking' is-"

"Right," Toby cut in, starting to laugh as well when he looked back up at Kasey. "I misspoke. I meant the, umm, butt dance. Not meth."

Snickering as he began to calm down, Kasey pushed his hair back over his shoulders again, idly searching around for his hair tie before giving it up as a lost cause. "The butt dance, huh?" he repeated, still chortling. "Yeah, I - I like you and all, but I don't think I'm ready to do meth with you yet," he teased, eyes twinkling as they met Toby's.

"Oh, good. I can leave the meth lab at home tonight, then. I hate carrying that thing around. Did you need me to actually bring anything, though?" Toby added, the thought striking him suddenly. "I can bring my Wii over, if you want. I don't have a lot for it, but I've at least got Smash and Mario Kart, if that'll work."

Raising his eyebrows, Kasey shrugged once again. "Yeah, sure! That sounds great - and I've still got popcorn left over from last time, if anything good is on... but I kinda like the idea of Smash. I totally suck at Mario Kart," he admitted sheepishly, "but Angie and my dad actually got me into Smash, since they play each other a lot. I've gotten pretty good at whooping their asses with Donkey Kong," he added with a proud, wistful grin. "Haven't played them in a while..."

Toby gave him a small, playful smirk. "Well, we can always see how he handles Pit."

Eyes flashing, Kasey turned and swung his legs over the side of the bed, sticking his hand out for Toby to grab and accepting the challenge. "Bring it on, man. I can take him down, no problem."

"That's what Chase always says before I mop the floor with him," Toby returned confidently, not letting go of the comfortable warmth of Kasey's hand - and, he noticed, Kasey wasn't exactly making any movements to do so, either. The light, teasing atmosphere seemed to tangibly fade away the longer their hands remained clasped. "So... I'm pretty sure I can take you," he went on, his voice getting softer.

Kasey licked his lips and nodded, his smile making Toby's heart pound even faster. His thumb stroked the heel of Toby's hand, and his voice was just as quiet when he responded: "Guess we'll just have to see who comes out on top, huh?"

"Yeah," Toby murmured throatily, laying his other hand atop Kasey's without even realizing it. Their eyes held for a moment, and both boys were by now very aware of the fact that they were still alone together in the infirmary, and that it was still quite early. Not to mention the fact that one of them was currently wearing very little clothing.

Toby found his gaze wandering away from Kasey's dark, intense stare, down to the toned arms exposed by the thin, tight white undershirt, and the sparse patch of hair barely visible on his chest, just above the low collar; over where the bottom of the shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing more hair in a thin trail leading down from under his navel and dipping tantalizingly below the waistband of his underwear; the way his already-short gray boxers had rolled up a little more from sitting on the edge of the bed, revealing his thighs; and, just a bit further up, outlined against the fabric...

With an audible gulp, Toby's gaze darted back up to Kasey's chest before he took his ogling too far, already feeling his sweatpants grow a great deal tighter. He let out a shuddering breath, followed by a shaky, embarrassed laugh. "Wow. Ahh, sor - err, sorry," he mumbled, quickly pulling his hand back and running it through his messy hair, looking away in mortification as his cheeks flamed. He pulled his legs back up onto his chair and rested his arms on them - from the corner of his eye, he could see Kasey was looking the other way as well, though he seemed to have a somewhat-pleased expression. "I didn't mean to... you know. Do... that. Sorry," he repeated quietly, biting at his lip and wondering if Kasey was going to think he was some kind of brazen, horny idiot now.

"Y-you're - you're cool," Kasey murmured, his voice carrying a husky tinge to it now. "I-I, well... I mean, it's not like I've never, uhh, y-y'know... I mean, I've - I've checked you out before..."

If anything, this admission only made Toby's face even hotter, and he found himself wondering where exactly Kasey had looked - especially with his own penchant for wearing loose or baggy clothes. Then again, Julius did compliment my legs that one time. "Oh. Err... w-well, still, you see - it's just... now I'm, well... kind of... ahh, heh." His voice cracked awkwardly, and he found himself unable to say it out loud, simply trailing off with another sheepish chuckle and causing Kasey to echo the sound in realization.

"Oh. Oh... y-yeah, me too," Kasey admitted ruefully, turning back to look out the window and drawing his legs up much like Toby had, arms wrapped around his knees now. "Just... heh, gotta ... gotta love these guy problems, right?" He and Toby shared embarrassed smiles at this, and he went on: "I... I mean, i-if it makes you feel any better, it - it's... I'm... actually pretty flattered."

"...Same here," Toby agreed after a moment's pause, lowering his legs and leaning forward with his arms crossed atop his thighs in what felt to him like a stupid attempt to try and hide his arousal. "Guess it's just... a lot of excitement lately. I'm all wound up."

Snorting, Kasey drummed his fingers on his knees. "No kidding. Tonight can't get here soon enough. ...You know," he continued cautiously, only daring to look at Toby from the corner of his eye as his face once again reddened, "being... being in here right now w-with you... i-it, uhhh... I-I... I mean, y-you don't have to, but it-it's really - I-I'm having a really hard time not... you have no idea how... how much I..." He took a deep breath to try and steady his voice, and just get the words out: "God, Toby, I - I just wanna kiss you so bad right now..."

The words made Toby's head grow light and his stomach do somersaults, and without realizing it, he'd scooted his chair closer to Kasey's bed, slowly stroking the top of the other boy's hand. When Kasey turned to look at him again, breathing getting faster, Toby gulped and licked his lips, his palms suddenly sweating. "Well," he whispered hesitantly, "nobody's saying we can't... right, Kasey...?"

"R-right..." Turning back towards Toby, Kasey grinned nervously at him, fingers running through thick, silver hair, and down to stroke Toby's cheek, his hot breath washing over the tingling skin. Feeling Toby's hand skim up his arm and around to the back of his neck, Kasey leaned in, tilted his head, closed his eyes...

...And froze in place with a choked gasp before their slightly-parted lips could touch, eyes snapping wide open as his ears picked up the creaking of the infirmary door. He heard Toby's breath hitch in his throat as well, and could see the older boy looked as much like a deer in headlights as he felt.

"Shit," Kasey squeaked, feeling his throat tighten at the sound of the mystery cock-blocker coughing.

"I apologize for the intrusion; if you two would like some privacy, I can come back later," Jin suggested politely - to Kasey's relief, if the doctor was surprised or disgusted by the scene he'd just walked in on, he certainly didn't sound it. His tone was as professional and pleasant as ever, as though he was just asking Kasey to sign some paperwork.

Nonetheless, Kasey felt his anxiety quickly ebb away at his arousal - though he noted with some dismay that he was still incredibly, noticeably hard - and he pulled back from a now-chagrined Toby with a disappointed sigh. Sitting back on the bed, he snatched a pillow to unceremoniously press tightly into his lap, not caring how completely obvious he was making his current state with his face still burning. "Y-you're good, Jin. Umm, s-sorry you, uhh, had to see-"

"No worries," Jin interrupted, striding into the room and giving Toby a small nod and a quick "Good morning," which was rather meekly returned. His long, black hair was down and looked as though it hadn't yet been combed out, his white doctor's coat had been thrown on atop his blue plaid pajamas and tan moccasin slippers, and he seemed to be squinting slightly behind his glasses as he adjusted them. "I've been in your position before, trust me. Granted, it's none of my business, though I suppose I can take it as a sign that you're feeling much better?"

"Ahh, pr-pretty much," Kasey agreed with a nervous, squeaky giggle, looking at the wall and scratching the back of his neck. "J-just my, uhh, m-my chest is kinda sore, still, but - but that's it."

Jin gave him a small smile. "Of course - that's to be expected, all things considered. Since the worst of the damage seems to have been mended, I'd just suggest acetaminophen for the remaining soreness. We've got some here, but if you have some Tylenol at home, it's the same thing. And I know you're probably sick of hearing this by now," he went on, expression growing grave once more, "but especially in the wake of last night's events, I just want to remind you to be extremely careful. I know what happened was in no way your fault," he added, seeing Kasey's face fall, "and nobody could've foreseen what would happen in that cave, but..."

Jin paused, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing, not noticing as Toby squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "...It was just very, very close, and we'd hate to have to make that call to your family," he finished soberly, caching Kasey's solemn nod. The professional air seemed to leave Jin's voice and appearance as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his pajama bottoms and slumped against the counter near Kasey's bed, shaking his head wearily and slouching a bit.

In that moment, even with his coat thrown on, Jin looked much more tired and worn-down than Kasey had ever seen him before - as if the cool, composed doctor's mask had slipped away to reveal the otherwise-normal twenty-nine-year-old man underneath who was just as baffled and scared for their fates as the rest of them. "Though I know it does seem very futile and... well, ridiculous to ask you to be wary of forces beyond our control or comprehension, I'm not just saying this to you as your doctor, Kasey. I'm saying this as your friend, too. None of us want to lose you."

Though still wrestling with the tornado of mixed emotions ripping through his chest, Kasey felt his heart swell at Jin's words, and he nodded again with a little smile. "R-right... I understand. I'll do what I can. Thank you, Jin."

"Of course. Sorry to start your morning on such a dour note, but... err, Toby, is everything alright?" the doctor added suddenly, looking over at the boy in question - who seemed to be staring off at nothing. When he realized both Jin and Kasey were watching him with concerned looks, Toby snapped back to Earth and gave a little jolt.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm... here," he answered lamely, picking at the bed of his thumbnail. "Guess I'm still just a bit rattled by what happened, is all..."

Kasey rubbed his shoulder reassuringly, while Jin gave an understanding hum. "I can't say I blame you... but Chase told me last night how quickly you reacted when you saw Kasey was in trouble. I want you to remember that - you did a great job. He might not have made it to the clinic in time otherwise. He's very lucky you two were there with him."

Looking a bit overwhelmed by the praise, Toby hunched in on himself and gave a little bow. "...Thank you, Jin. It... anyone would've done the same, I'm sure."

"The point still stands," Jin insisted - though, noticing how uncomfortable the line of conversation seemed to be for Toby, he quickly shrugged it off and turned back to Kasey. "Regardless... I'm not sure if anyone else is awake yet, but everything seems to be in order, so I'll go get you prepared to head home once you're ready. Everyone's free to stay for breakfast, though - and I'd really like someone to walk you home today," he added, holding up a hand just as Kasey opened his mouth to protest. "Just this once, to keep an eye on you. Better safe than sorry. If you'd like to do it-" He nodded at Toby, who cleared his throat and shared a quick, sheepish grin with Kasey, "-that would be fine, though it is already on the way home for Chase, Renee, and Anissa."

Though the prospect of some more time alone with Toby sounded immensely appealing to Kasey, he quickly quashed it - they'd be seeing each other later that night, either way, and he certainly wanted to see the others once they were all awake. "I-I'll wait for them, yeah," he agreed, relaxing a bit at Toby's understanding nod. "I wanna thank all of them, too."

"That sounds fine, then. I'll go start getting things ready. Come get me if you need anything." Once Jin left them to begin working on Kasey's discharge papers and get breakfast started, the two boys found an awkward silence coming in behind him, though they shared embarrassed smiles.

"That - that was... something," Kasey finally mumbled, running a hand through his hair and groaning. "I-I mean, it could've gone a lot worse, but... God. Glad he was cool about it, though... I-I'm still kind of - kind of jumpy over it."

Toby hummed in agreement, shaking his head in sympathy - he'd accidentally stumbled upon Jin and Anissa having a similarly intimate moment down by the water mill last year. So maybe this is karma. "He's a pretty understanding person, though... heh." When his quiet snicker drew Kasey's attention, he shrugged. "It's funny, we haven't even actually gone on our date yet, and people are already finding out about us. What a weird timeline..."

"You're telling me..." Unconsciously playing with the ends of the pillow he was still pressing against his groin, Kasey grimaced a bit. "A-and... as much as I still want to right now, I - I guess maybe after that, w-we should just... leave, uhh, the-" He cleared his throat, "-w-well, save all that for... t-tonight."

"Yeah," Toby agreed with a wistful, almost-forlorn sigh, though an anxious smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at the floor and wrung his hands in his lap. "So... seven's good, right?"

"Uh, sev - seven's good, yeah," Kasey confirmed, taking a deep breath and looking over at the counter where his clothes were folded, and then down at the pillow. Still? Seriously? he thought, biting back an annoyed groan. His face flushed again, and he was somewhat surprised that he still had enough blood left up there to even blush any more. "I... should probably, uhh... get dressed now..."

Taking the hint, Toby thumbed at the door. "Sure - do you want me to-?"

"N-no, you're fine." Kasey exhaled loudly and moved the pillow aside, hopping onto his feet and quickly striding over to where his clothes were folded up. "I mean, not like I'm undressing or anything," he went on with a rueful laugh as he grabbed his shirt and jeans. "I-I'm just being dumb. These... these damn nerves..." Trying to relax himself, he took in another deep breath, and out again, finding that it at least helped a little. "Alright, there we go."

Trying not to stare as Kasey bent down to slip his jeans on, Toby perched one foot back up on the edge of his chair, arms wrapped around it, and stared pointedly at the door across from him. "Uhh, well, if it's any consolation," he said, unable to help but watch in his peripheral vision anyway as Kasey bent over again to put on his sneakers, "you... ahhh... well... uhh - oh, wow..."

Confused, Kasey straightened his socks and looked over his shoulder just in time to catch Toby looking away and scratching behind his ear. With a wry laugh, Kasey pulled his jacket on next, zipping it up, and finding that his hair tie had inexplicably wound up in the pocket. Feeling his self-esteem boosted by Toby's rather blatant ogling, Kasey pulled his hair back, winding the tie around it, and supplied teasingly as he straightened his hair out: "If it's any consolation, you, uhh... you think I have a nice butt?"

"...I actually forgot what I was going to say, but that sounds about right," Toby conceded, smirking despite his embarrassment at being caught staring at Kasey once again. "Sheesh, you must think I'm some kind of pervert."

Laughing out loud at this, Kasey finished tying his shoes and shook his head. "Dude, did you not see where I was holding that pillow earlier? I don't really have any room to point fingers here, y'know... besides, I don't think you're a pervert," he added, zipping up his jacket and scuffing at the floor with his sneaker. "I... actually think you're re... really... c-cute."

"So, a really cute pervert, then?" Toby amended with a chortle, though the compliment made him break out into a wide grin - which Kasey returned, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as he tossed Toby's hoodie over. "Oh, thank you - they're not mutually exclusive qualities, you know."

Kasey snickered. "God, Toby. You're really gunning for that pervert title, aren't you?"

"Well, it's good to have goals, isn't it?" Toby quipped as he stood and slipped the hoodie on, straightening out the sleeves and holding his arms out to illustrate his words: "Just imagine it on... hmm... a fancy plaque, or something. 'Toby Michael Nishimura - Some Kind of Really Cute, Esteemed Pervert.'"

Though Kasey let out another burst of laughter at this, his expression quickly grew curious despite his amusement. "Michael?" he repeated, cocking his head.

"I know," Toby agreed wryly, "it does sound a little odd, huh?"

Shaking his head, Kasey held his hands up. "No - actually, it sounds really nice. It... it suits you, I just... I just didn't, ahhh..." Suddenly feeling a bit dumb, he scratched at the side of his nose and shrugged. "...Didn't think Japanese people really did the whole middle name thing."

"Well, it actually is really rare over there," Toby confirmed, his smile becoming somewhat wistful and nostalgic as he spoke, "but my dad was the only one in our family who was actually from Japan - the rest of us were all born on this side of the Pacific, and basically, most of us wound up with western names... even Uncle Ozzie's first name is actually 'Austin,'" he explained, watching Kasey's eyebrows go up in surprise at this, "he just likes 'Ozzie' better. My dad really liked those kinds of names, so when he found out middle names were a thing here, he was pretty excited about getting to pick one for his own kid." He chuckled a bit and went on:

"My Aunt Mia told me that when he and my mom found out they were having a boy, he started constantly pestering my mom with these huge lists of name suggestions, first and middle. And apparently, he kept going back-and-forth on 'Hiro Junior' because he couldn't decide whether or not it sounded dumb, or if it would be too confusing. My mom apparently got so tired of it that she told him, 'Hiro, if you don't cut it out, I'm naming our son Sonia Junior.'"

He and Kasey shared another laugh at this, the latter boy sighing and shaking his head. "I dunno, Toby, you look more like a 'Maria' to me." When Toby simply stuck his tongue out in response and told him to put a sock in it, Kasey snickered at him, before rubbing the back of his neck and searching for something else to say. "But seriously, they... they sounded like pretty... cool people."

"Yeah..." Looking out the window, the somewhat-melancholy smile returned to Toby's face for a moment, and he inclined his head slightly. "Yeah, they really were... so," he added, turning to face Kasey once more, "it's your turn now. Let's hear it."

"My middle name?" Kasey asked, letting his hand hang on the back of his neck as he kept rubbing at it. When Toby nodded, he grinned a bit. "Three guesses?"

Here, Toby winced slightly. "Oh, boy. I actually really suck at guessing, to tell you the truth, but... sure, why not? Uhhh... " He rubbed his chin and squinted. "...No, that's Chase's..."

Chuckling, Kasey gestured for him to say it, leaning back against the windowsill and propping himself up with his other hand. "C'mon, let's hear it. Not like people can't have the same middle name - I mean, I think every Lisa ever has the middle name 'Marie,' right?"

"Alright, then... Shawn?" Toby guessed, getting a shake of the head. "Rats. Uhhh... Nicholas? No? Hmmm..." For a brief moment, he almost hoped a crab would scuttle up onto the cabinet he was leaning against and whisper Kasey's middle name to him. Scrunching up his face, he bit at his lower lip to stifle a mischievous smile, and snapped his fingers. "...Oh, I know! Rumpelstiltskin!"

Snorting loudly at this, Kasey looked around for something to chuck at him, ultimately finding nothing. "C'mon, Toby, really?"

"I give up," Toby admitted sheepishly, hands up in surrender. "I'm out of guesses. I'll deliver my firstborn first thing tomorrow morning."

Only a bit disappointed that the guessing game was over, Kasey laughed and waved it off. "Ah, fine... it's Alexander. My mom wanted to go with 'Ulysses,' which is a cool name, but... uhhh... y'know." He reddened a bit. "My, uhh, my initials would've wound up being... err..."

When the realization struck him, Toby's eyebrows shot up under his bangs. "Oh, wow. Yeah, good call on that. But I still like it - at least you share a name with that cool... castle... robot thing from Final Fantasy, though. Gee, what exactly is that thing, anyway?" he mumbled under his breath, suddenly looking troubled by the mystery.

Watching Toby in amusement for a moment, Kasey headed over to the door, sniffing the air and hearing his stomach rumble as he caught the faint scent of eggs, coffee, and toast wafting into the room. He motioned for Toby to follow. "Beats me; it is pretty cool, though. C'mon, I think Jin's almost got breakfast done."

Entering the room behind the clinic's counter - playing host to a cramped little kitchen, a tiny table with three chairs, two worn-down couches, and a few shelves of back-stocked medicine and supplies - Kasey and Toby spotted Jin and Renee tucking into their own breakfasts. To their right, they were treated to the rare sight of Chase sitting on the couch with his hair unpinned, the curls and waves springing out in a wild, shaggy sort of mane. A few bobby pins stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he paused from fixing himself up to nod at them in greeting, and an empty plate and mug were perched beside him.

"Ah, we were just about to come get you two," Jin greeted them. Renee looked up, and - almost as though she'd teleported across the room - promptly pulled Kasey into a tight hug that squeezed a loud grunt out of him.

"Kasey! Good to see you back with us!" She rubbed his back, letting out a relieved sigh and prattling on with an indecent amount of energy for the early hour: "I was gonna come see you when I woke up, but then I wasn't sure if you were up yet and I didn't wanna wake you, and I really needed my coffee first, and I know Toby said he'd keep an eye on you, and Jin told us you were awake and doing fine and all, but still - you are feeling okay, right?"

"Morning," Kasey wheezed in response, hugging back and wincing as the force of Renee's hug caused another short spike of pain to lance throughout his chest. Nonetheless, her caffeinated concern caused him to grin through it. "Thanks, Renee... I-I'm... fine."

Pausing as he slid another pin into place, Chase smirked at them, words slightly muffled from the unoccupied side of his mouth: "Not for long! Snap him like a twig, Renee, c'mon!"

"Sheesh, Chase, how much coffee did you have already?" Toby wondered, getting an offhanded "Enough" in response. Beside him, Renee giggled and let Kasey go, stepping back to observe him.

"Sorry, Chase, but I'd rather not break Kasey right now. God," she went on, looking back at the boy in question, "I'm so glad you're okay - when Chase called last night and told me what happened...!" Letting out a loud breath, she clucked her tongue and pulled Kasey into another, gentler hug. "That scared the hell out of us, you know? Not that I'm blaming you or anything, just-" When her voice caught and trailed off, she simply sighed into the crook of his neck, cheeks puffing out with the action. Pulling out of the hug, she gave him a wry grin and cuffed him on the shoulder. "You're going to have your name engraved on one of the beds here at this rate, Kase!" Despite the teasing tone of her words, there was a note of anxiety laced through them.

The remark drew a somewhat-nervous laugh from Kasey, and he shrugged, turning to accept a plate and mug Jin had fixed up for him. "Thanks, Jin - err, where are Ani and Irene, by the way?"

Mouth quirking up into a slight smile at hearing Kasey using Anissa's nickname now, Jin nodded up at the ceiling. "Making a nameplate for your bed here," he responded dryly, causing Toby to choke on his coffee. While Kasey chuckled and thumped him hard on the back, Jin smirked. "No, actually, Anissa said she just wanted to talk to my grandmother about something. Although..." He strained his ears and nodded primly at the faint sound of footsteps. "Ah, yes - I believe I hear them heading downstairs right now."

Sure enough, the door creaked open moments later, crowding the little room even further as a nightgown-clad Irene swept in and greeted everyone, followed by Anissa. Renee eyed the slightly-oversized, ratty gray t-shirt Anissa was wearing and flashed her an impish grin, prompting the older girl to go pink and shake her head with an embarrassed smile, mouthing Oh, shut up at her.

"So... you guys sleep alright?" Chase asked, leveling a pointed gaze at Anissa and giving her much the same mischievous look that Renee had. He then turned the same look over to Jin, who stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat and nodded tersely in response, giving Chase an exasperated glare.

Grow up, please, the doctor mouthed at him. Behind them, Toby and Kasey looked at each other, trying not to crack grins of their own at the display. Anissa briefly interrupted them to say hello and pull them each into quick hugs, asking how Kasey was feeling.

"Right now, pretty amused," Kasey answered in a whisper, stifling a laugh as Anissa pulled back with a soft groan. He cleared his throat and smiled apologetically. "But seriously, I'm doing good, thanks."

"Well, I slept alright," Irene answered vaguely, watching the friendly teasing Jin and Anissa were receiving and rolling her eyes, muttering under her breath about "dealing with a bunch of damn middle schoolers." Patting Jin on the shoulder as she squeezed between him and Toby to go fix herself a plate, she added, "And I'll handle the dishes when everyone's done; thank you for breakfast."

"Of course," Jin responded politely, though he seemed unable to look Irene in the eye at the moment, while Anissa brushed past him to get some food, as well. "I've also gotten Kasey's discharge papers in order - everything checked out fine, so he should be good to go home whenever he's ready."

"Hey, cool!" Renee cheered from her couch, while Anissa and Irene sat down at the little table with their food. "Let us know when you're ready, Kase, and, uhh..." She looked around at Anissa, who nodded while chewing her eggs, and Chase, who shrugged. "...Yeah, we can walk you home! Give you a little company."

"Great minds," Jin agreed, pointing approvingly at Renee. "I actually suggested the same thing to him earlier."

"Man, hanging around doctors really does make you smarter," Renee cracked, standing up to go around and gather everyone's dishes before Irene stopped her. The two women shared a little smile as Irene gestured for her to hand over the pile of plates and mugs. "Ahhh, right, right, guest and all..."

"You'll get it one of these days, young lady," Irene assured her, bustling over to the sink to start cleaning.

A few short moments later, the others were gathered in the lobby of the clinic, exchanging their round of goodbyes and thanks with Jin; coats were zipped and buttoned, scarves tightened, and gloves straightened. A pink-cheeked Jin watched Anissa return downstairs, having changed back into the clothes she'd been wearing the other night, and advised Kasey once more to be careful. "Actually, that goes for all of you, too," he told them, glancing at each of them in turn. His gaze held with Anissa's a bit longer, and she nodded quietly. "Please, just be safe and keep looking out for each other. Understood?"

"Got it, Doc," Chase agreed, hand out for a firm shake.

Outside, the five friends blinked hard at the sunlight gleaming brightly off the sparkling sheets and piles of snow, the brisk air slapping them all awake better than the coffee had. Much like when the red bell had been rung, there was something else quite... different in the air that none of them could quite put their finger on just yet. On the lower level of town where the pathway stretched out towards the Clarinet District, Simon was out in front of his shop, shovel in hand and a hesitant look on his face while he mulled over whether or not it'd be worth trying to clean up just yet.

"Hey, Mr. Kern!" Renee called, waving, with her other hand half-cupped around her mouth. When the older man looked up and returned the wave with a little smile, she went on: "Think you're good - Kase put a lid on the snow last night! Uhhh, I think, anyway," she continued in a normal voice, turning to Kasey with a worried look. "You think?"

"Ben... uhh, he... he seemed like he was gonna be okay, yeah," Kasey said thoughtfully, getting a hasty thumbs-up at this.

"Works for me! Sorry, Simon - just checking! Kase says it's fine! Shovel your little heart out!"

"Wonderful! You have my thanks, Kasey! Keep up the good work, alright?" Simon called back, seemingly heedless of the fact that the boy in question was leaving the clinic in the morning yet again. Kasey waved back with an awkward little chuckle as the photographer started in on the arduous task of snow-shoveling.

"Ahhh... n-no problem, sir..."

As four-fifths of the quintet began moving towards the sloping path leading past the Hamiltons' residence and the school, Renee looked back over her shoulder. "Hey, Toby!" she called, noticing that the fisherman was hanging back and gesturing for him to join them. "You coming along with us?"

"Ahh - I'm good, actually," Toby informed her, waving it off politely, sharing a smile and a nod with Kasey. "I'd love to, but I was mending some lures at home last night, and I really should get back on that ASAP." And, though he didn't want to admit it out loud, sleeping in that chair all night had been Hell on his back and his limbs - a nice nap in his own bed before meeting Kasey later sounded right up his alley. He gave his friends a slight bow. "But, I'll catch you guys later, okay? Thanks for taking Kasey home."

"Of course," Anissa answered politely, though she glanced quickly between Toby and Kasey, gears starting to turn in her head. They did seem to be trying not to hold eye contact with each other for too long, and... "Thanks for staying with him last night, Toby."

"See ya later, Tobes," Chase added, though he was also observing the scene - Anissa included - with slightly-narrowed eyes. Renee, from what he could tell, seemed to be the only one present not quite picking up on any of it. "Take care, man."

"Yeah, I-I'll see you... later... on... Toby," Kasey managed a bit haltingly, nearly tripping over his tongue as he tried to avoid saying "later tonight" instead. His face flamed, and he coughed into his glove, rocking back on his sneakers as Toby gave a hurried nod and exchanged a final round of goodbyes with the group, waving and turning to head back to the fishery.

"Huh," Renee said as the other four turned and started heading down the opposite path, looking around at her other three friends curiously. "What was that, just now? Is he... okay?" Not noticing Kasey almost stumble next to her, or the slight widening of Anissa's eyes, she went on: "He was acting kinda strange..."

Grimacing, Kasey gulped hard and shrugged, while Anissa and Chase exchanged glances behind them. A wry smile and a little nod told Anissa all she needed to know, and - her heart warming a bit with happiness for him - she gave Kasey's shoulder a quick, soft squeeze before addressing Renee: "I think he was just a little... stressed out still, is all," she explained easily, catching Kasey's surprised but grateful look from the corner of her eye. "I mean, he was in the cave with Kasey the whole time, watching what happened... I can't imagine how terrified he must've been."

Though, Anissa mused to herself, she supposed that she did have some idea - the utter devastation and heartbreak flashing across Toby's face the night before, for that brief moment when they'd lost Kasey...

"Good save, Sellers," Chase muttered as they trooped down past Simon with a wave, his voice low enough so that only Anissa could hear him. She simply looked ahead without saying anything, though Chase could nonetheless see her pleased look in profile - she didn't exactly think Renee would have any sort of problem with the news, but seeing how stressed out Kasey had been the last time the subject had come up...

"Y-yeah," Kasey piped up as they crossed the bridge leading out of town, the water tower at Dobro Ridge starting to bob into view, "he - he probably just... n-needs some space, or... or something..."

Mouth pressed into a thin line, Renee hummed. "Sheesh... poor guy. Yeah, I mean... I know you're okay now, and I know he knows that, but... man, that must've been so brutal for you guys. Hope he's okay." As she said this - though she figured Anissa was right - she couldn't help but wonder, in the back of her mind, if his odd behavior had anything at all to do with the previous night's conversation. Geez, now I feel like kind of a bitch for suggesting it, she thought with a wry grimace, though she quickly brushed off the feeling - Toby and Chase had agreed of their own accord, and it wasn't as though they were doing it out of malice.

"I'll check on him later," Chase lied quickly, the group now crunching up the path to Kasey's house, "but he's a pretty resilient guy. I think he'll be fine." Still, he had to admit to himself that - now that he'd said it aloud - making sure Toby was alright later on didn't actually seem like such a bad idea.

"Yeah, I hope so," Renee agreed, arms folded over her chest. They were stopped in front of Kasey's door now, and she glanced over at his frozen field sympathetically - Anissa was doing much the same. "Geez... hopefully this snow melts fast so you and Ani can get back into the swing of things. It sucks that all this is happening, like... right when you move here." She glanced over at Kasey curiously. "How are you not scared off from farming yet?"

"Well-" Kasey laughed sheepishly, hands jammed into his pockets as he squinted at the display, the sun dazzling and glittering almost too brightly off of the mess of ice and snow, "-I, uhh - w-well, obviously, I didn't think it'd be l-like this, but - I... I mean, I knew starting out wouldn't be easy, either..."

"No fuckin' kidding," Chase said, whistling lowly. "If you're sticking it out through this mess, at least you probably won't pussy out if a hurricane strikes us. I think I'd honestly lose all respect for you if you did, after all of this."

Chuckling at this, Kasey shrugged. "Ahh - I've been through a few hurricanes before... uhhh, I mean - n-not on a farm, but... I think I can handle one."

"Yeah, it's the twisters you've really gotta worry about," Renee teased, cackling at Kasey's horrified expression. "No worries, Kase - they're about as rare up here as a blizzard in Florida! I think the last one we saw was... maybe five years ago?"

"Ah, right, just after the Great Florida Blizzard of '09 - it was all over the news, wasn't it?" Anissa quipped, prompting Renee to respond by making a face at her.

"Right around when I moved here, huh?" Chase mused, exchanging a smirk with Renee. "Awesome."

Giggling, Renee cuffed him on the shoulder. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess Sephia must've been trying to warn us about you!"

"In all seriousness, it is hard work, but I know you'll do fine," Anissa assured Kasey as she turned back to him, though she was already wandering over to the field and squatting down to inspect it. "Hmm... the ice is starting to thin a bit already, at least... I can't tell yet, but it actually doesn't look as bad as I'd thought it would." Her expression grew thoughtful as she mulled over this, remembering her parents - her father in particular - staring out helplessly at their own farm over the past week or so.

"...Let me know when things have thawed out more up here, and I can come and see how things are looking and go from there," she advised him after a moment, looking back over her shoulder at him. He nodded gratefully, face lighting up with optimism, and Anissa smiled at him before turning back to observe the frozen plants with raised eyebrows, humming to herself. Maybe she was just fishing for some sort of promise that she could grab onto, as well - but hopefully, her mother would at least be willing to humor her a bit when she got back home.

"Right... thanks, Ani - err, Anissa," Kasey corrected, a bit embarrassed, though Anissa shook her head at him as she stood up and brushed the snow off of her skirt, looking pleased.

"Oh, don't worry - I don't mind at all."

"Yeah, Kase," Renee chimed in, flicking at his ponytail, "all the cool kids are calling her 'Ani!' Don't you wanna be a cool kid?"

Snickering, Kasey swatted her hand away, holding the other one back when she went to mess with his hair again. "Uhh, isn't that what those chain-smoking, alcoholic, uhh... drug addicts always ask in those after-school specials?"

"Well, I never said I wasn't a chain-smoking, alcoholic drug addict, right? Surprise!" Renee crowed - though she gave up on any further toying with Kasey's hair and adjusted her fuzzy blue gloves. "Speaking of, though, I think I gotta get going soon. Gotta roll around in my hidden stash of crack -" She grinned cheekily at this, opening her arms to hug a laughing Kasey, "-help my parents out around the ranch and check in on my babies. I can swing by later if you want some company, though!"

"Ahh, I - I think I might... uhhh, get a little sleep, actually," Kasey admitted, wondering how to dance around the subject of his date with Toby later, "still a bit sore, but - but I'd love to hang out sometime later, though, definitely!"

Renee nodded, patting him on the chest. "Sounds like a plan! Yeah, you get some rest, and ring me up when you're good, you know the number!"

"That sleep idea sounds pretty solid," Chase agreed, suddenly yawning and stretching - the others noticed that, indeed, he looked pretty bushed. "I mean, the couch was actually pretty comfy, but it's not exactly my own bed..."

"Better stay awake on the way back," Renee warned him lightly. "Ani and I aren't dragging your butt home through the snow, Mister!"

"Pfff," Chase scoffed. "If I pass out before I reach my doorstep, just dump me under the bridge, or in the nearest igloo. I'm not that picky. Alright, so..." He nodded to Kasey. "Catch you later, dude. Take care, and..." Clearing his throat, the next words were a bit of a mumble: "Good to have you back with us and all, so... don't go croaking again or anything, huh?"

While Renee admonished Chase and smacked him on the arm, Kasey smiled wryly, stomach twisting a bit at the reminder. "Y-yeah, I'll... I'll, uhh, work on that, sure. So..." Finding himself appreciating his friends' company and concern - but also wanting to have a little time alone to get the morning's events with Toby out of his system, and process everything that had happened recently - Kasey said his goodbyes to Anissa next, then Chase. Clasping the chef's hand for a quick, firm shake, the two shared a one-armed hug as well. "So, I-I'll catch you guys later, huh?"

The other three voiced their agreements - Anissa reminding Kasey to call her about his crops - before they turned and set off doing the road for Flute Fields.

He watched them fondly for a few moments before slipping indoors, finding that his heater was already running, and welcoming the warmth as he clicked the door shut and slumped against the door. The dark, empty house looked and felt surprisingly cozy and pleasant to him with the morning sunlight shining in through the windows and the snow frosting the sills, and his heart hammered in his chest as he thought ahead to what would be happening later that night. Maybe snuggling up next to Toby on the couch and playing video games, getting cozy, picking up where they'd left off that morning...

Well, except I'll be wearing clothes this time, he reminded himself - though that didn't stop him from picturing a few variants of the scenario where both of them eventually wound up wearing none at all. Letting out a shuddering breath at this, Kasey swallowed awkwardly as he tried to get his overexcited imagination back under control, color rising in his cheeks while something else once again rose further south.

Get a hold of yourself, Kase, he chided himself, though the mental wording didn't exactly help - getting a hold of himself actually sounded like just what he needed, after what had almost happened between him and Toby earlier in the clinic... not to mention the events of the past few days in general. And he had a feeling that if he didn't get some release soon, he'd wind up with such a brutal case of blue balls that he'd probably prefer to be frozen from the inside out again.

With a self-deprecating chuckle at his own self-consciousness, he found himself quickly undressing as he made his way to the bathroom for the nice, hot shower he'd been looking forward to on the way home. If nothing else, it would be great stress relief after everything that had happened recently, though he had to wonder if perhaps all the stress was why he was so worked up - and at the very least, he could kill two birds with one stone before conking out for a while.

Still, as he leaned back in the corner of his shower moments later, working himself slowly under the steaming spray - eyes shut, free hand running through his wet, unruly hair and caressing his lathered-up skin, his husky groans and gasps almost lost beneath the rush of the water - he found his focus starting to inexplicably wander away from the sensual, erotic fantasies about Toby crowding his mind, and towards more troubling matters.

Face twisting into a slight frown at this turn, he started stroking and squeezing himself harder, rocking his hips into his hand and playing with a few other sensitive areas of his body to speed things along, hoping the increased pleasure would push him over the edge faster - and drive away the disturbing thoughts he really didn't want to deal with right now, when he was too close to stop what he was doing.

Regardless, even as he heard himself softly moaning Toby's name and tried to focus on imagining them making love in the shower, he found the distraction wasn't quite working out for him like he'd hoped - he still pictured his inconsolable family receiving news of his death, just like Jin had mentioned earlier; his friends, heartbroken and mourning at his grave; Castanet resuming its slow demise in his absence, even as everyone else helplessly scrambled to pick up where he'd left off...

Why the hell am I still hard, again? he wondered incredulously, panting and feeling the pressure start to intensify as his moans grew louder and more urgent.

When Danny's anguished and tear-streaked face flashed across his mind next - God damn it, are you fucking kidding me?! Really?! - Kasey's shuddering breaths and choked cries echoed off the shower walls as he swore loudly and came hard at the worst possible moment he could've imagined. Instinctively whimpering Toby's name a few more times, his release splashed out onto his stomach and fingers, and his hips give a few more minute, involuntary thrusts, briefly losing himself in the wonderful feelings that were washing over him.

As he rode out the intense waves of his climax with far less enthusiasm than the sensation usually elicited from him, Kasey wondered - somewhere in the back of his disoriented and lust-hazed mind - if his body and brain were conspiring to completely screw with him and piss him off. Usually, touching himself tended to improve his mood afterward, even if for a little bit - not worsen it. Of course, his mind also didn't usually jet off to ridiculously morbid places while he was doing it, either.

Wearing a mortified grimace while he worked to even out his now-labored, shaky breathing, Kasey opened his eyes and let his trembling, unsteady legs give way beneath him to sink into a sitting position in the corner of the shower, the combination of the powerful orgasm and his utter disbelief at what had just happened leaving him too drained and blank to bother washing himself off. He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them, watching the water swirl down the drain while he tried to sort out his thoughts.

Despite how nasty his breakup with Danny had been, and despite how badly he'd fallen for Toby - and Kasey still couldn't believe his luck that the feeling had turned out to be mutual, there - he had to admit to himself: he still missed Danny pretty badly sometimes. Talking with him, kissing him, feeling his body next to Kasey's in bed at night after they'd made love - memories Kasey was starting to look back on fondly now that his anger was starting to fade, though the last one felt fairly tainted in the wake of their final argument.

While Kasey hadn't been the first guy in Danny's life, Danny had been so for Kasey: his first date, first kiss, the one to whom he'd given up his virginity... and someone he'd hoped to spend the rest of his life with, maybe even start a family someday - up until only a few months ago, when Danny had started wanting to see Kasey less and less. When he'd stopped being as affectionate, more reserved, starting to make excuses when Kasey wanted to go out somewhere, or even just be with him. When he'd finally asked Kasey over to talk a few weeks before the move to Castanet, and things had quickly gone to Hell.

Sucking at his teeth, Kasey stood up and rinsed himself off, slicking his soaked hair back and leaning forward to rest his forehead on the cool tiles beneath the shower head. They'd both said things to each other that he was certain they both regretted - he certainly regretted his last words to Danny - and his heart flipped as he thought back to his brush with death.

As much as he was certain that his own mother's parents didn't want anything to do with him or the rest of the family ever again, Kasey had - with great difficulty - found it in himself to try and forgive them for the whole ordeal, hoping in vain that they'd at least someday reach across the divide to try to make amends before it was too late.

And while he certainly still felt intense anger at times for what he'd been put through by the people who had made his life Hell growing up, he was working to forgive them, as well - regardless of whether or not they knew, or even cared. It at least lessened the resentment and bitterness a little, and hopefully the effect would snowball in time.

So, why not spare some forgiveness for someone who had actually loved him? Especially for something that, Kasey had to admit to himself, was largely his own fault?

And if I'd died, and he thought I'd still hated him up until the end... what then?

Kasey's stomach lurched at the thought, and he turned off the water with a sigh, eyes sliding shut. He hadn't wanted to think over this just yet, not when he was just starting over - not when he wasn't ready to think about it. Even so, he still remembered Danny's cell number, as well as the number to his dormitory phone - though the latter possibly meant talking with Danny's roommate and best friend, Carl. And while Kasey generally liked Carl, the two of them had never really progressed past the "acquaintance" stage. Plus, he couldn't be certain Carl wouldn't look out for Danny by telling Kasey he wasn't in when he actually was. On top of that, the thought of going through a middleman to make amends didn't quite sit well with him.

Toweling off and padding out of the bathroom, he wrapped the towel around his waist and sat on his bed, groaning quietly and pushing his tangled, damp hair back from his face. His eyes flicked over to his phone, and he hesitantly leaned over to pick it up - it felt far heavier in his hand than it logically should have, and he found himself staring at the display with his heart pounding in his throat.

"I thought... I guess I figured maybe you'd actually not be so damn dense that you wouldn't realize how you're acting, and I'm just... saying that you're... you're making it... really difficult for me to keep loving you now." Danny swallowed hard and looked Kasey in the eye once more. "You know that, Kasey? And I - I swear, sometimes, I think I'd be better off if I didn't even bother." Seeing the heartbreak on Kasey's face at those words, Danny shook his head and went on: "I mean - you want to totally uproot both our lives forever, just for something you don't even know how to do! You've become such a selfish, inconsiderate little bastard! There's nothing out there for us! So - if you still want to do this, you're the one doing it. You, not us. I'm... I'm done, Kasey."

The words rammed into Kasey with the force of a rockslide, and he felt a knot forming in his throat in tandem with his heart wrenching. Was he serious? Just laying it all out there and dumping it like that? Not even a chance for them to try and work things out? "You - Danny, please, we-"

"-I can't do it, Kasey," Danny interrupted, hands clenching into fists. He set his jaw and looked over at the wall, trying to avoid Kasey's gaze, the way his eyes were starting to shimmer. "It's like - you don't get that I have my own stuff to worry about, too. And you were - you were a pretty important part of it, but... you blew it. If this is what it's gonna be like-"

"Okay, yeah, I get that!" Kasey shouted, his voice cracking. "I get it, okay?! I'm - I'm a fuck-up and you're just - just poor Danny, the victim! I get it now because you waited until the last fucking minute to even tell me what was wrong! Because almost every time I've ever tried to have a serious conversation with you about this, or - or anything, you - you - you change the subject, or you..."

Trailing off, his heart sank as something hit him - they'd never really argued before, or at least not so badly. Nor did they really have too many serious conversations if something seemed to be bothering one of them. They flirted, joked around, bantered - but when the conversations started getting a little more intense, Danny had a knack for redirecting the subject. Usually, those instances wound up with him turning it back into flirting, and... if nothing else, they'd certainly had a very active sex life when they were able to spend time with each other...

"...Oh, God," Kasey croaked, burying his face in his hands and trying to keep his composure under the weight of the realization. "You - all those t-times we - we m-made love, that... w-was that just to shut me up, Danny? Or when - when I - w-when you t-took my... m-my virginity, huh? Was... was I... w-was I just g-getting on your nerves then, too?"

Eyes wide, this question got a stunned and hurt Danny to look back over at Kasey. "Wha - that's bullshit, Kasey! How could you even sa-"

"WAS. I?!" Kasey interrupted loudly, voice breaking as he pounded the tabletop for emphasis. "You can't even - even t-talk to me about anything that's bugging you until now, and - and I asked you, I kept asking you and you - you just - you just made it into an excuse for s-sex all the time, or - or y-you just shut me out, and now it's - it's all my fault?! I'M the selfish one here?!" Stopping and fighting to steady his voice as Danny went quiet with shock, Kasey pushed away from the table and stood up unsteadily, digging into his jeans pocket.

When he pulled out the key to Danny's apartment and threw it on the table, causing the key to bounce with the force of the impact, he turned away and chewed at his lower lip, feeling the tears start to spill over. His voice was hoarse when he spoke once more: "...You know what, though? Fine. E-e-everything's all m-my fault, r-right? I-i-if you'd rather - if you'd rather f-fuck than talk, and - and that's supposed to be m-my fault, then... then you c-can... you can go fuck yourself, Danny."

"I'd probably regret it a hell of a lot less," Danny snapped back, though his own voice was tight and shaky, as well. Watching as Kasey flinched at those words and made his way for the door, Danny snatched the spare key, scratching it around on the tabletop - something he tended to do when he was anxious. "...No wonder you're such a fucking problem for your family," he spat bitterly, right as Kasey started to turn the knob.

Freezing at the door, Kasey felt his blood boil, and clenched his jaw tightly, trying to push the anger and hurt down at that remark. Something changed in the atmosphere of the small apartment, and when Danny spoke up once more, his voice was quiet:

"Shit...Kasey, I... I'm... I-I didn't-"

"No, just shut the hell up," Kasey interrupted, his voice a thick whisper now as the tears continued streaking down his cheeks. "I - I don't want to hear it. You - you just blew it, too." His face flamed with embarrassment at how emotional his reaction was, and anger at everything around him in that moment - including himself. Before he could stop himself, he fired off a cheap shot of his own before leaving: "Y-you know what, though, Danny? At l-least - at least my family actually loves me."

He slammed the door behind him and quickly stormed off for the elevator before he could see how Danny had reacted to his words, or before he could regret them. Once he was inside, he stopped it and sagged against the corner, sliding down to the floor as he broke down into muffled sobs and slammed his fist against the wall.

Coming back from the painful memories into the present, Kasey found that he'd unconsciously dialed Danny's cell while lost in thought, his thumb hovering above the "Send" button. The corners of his eyes burned, and he took a deep breath, shutting them. What Danny had said about his family had been way below the belt, but Kasey hadn't been any better. Hell, it was probably far, far worse - Danny's family had kicked him out onto the streets without a second thought when he'd come out to them. There wasn't really any going back from a remark that low, was there? Who the hell did he think he was, even hoping he could make up for saying something like that?

Clutching the receiver tighter than he'd meant to and hearing the plastic creak in protest, Kasey let his hand drop down to the mattress, anxiety gripping his chest - Danny deserved an apology, that much was certain. And Kasey wanted to finally close that chapter of his life for good. Still... what if he didn't accept it? If he threw it back in Kasey's face? If they fought again? Was he better off just leaving it where it was, with bad blood that he didn't want to risk making even worse? While Kasey figured he'd have that coming, he nonetheless hated the idea of potentially setting off another bomb right before his evening with Toby and having it hanging over his head to darken his mood the whole time.

And, if nothing else, he needed more time to figure out what, exactly, he wanted to say. Give Danny the apology he deserved. And the forgiveness.

Swallowing the slight lump in his throat, Kasey brought the receiver back up and cleared the number off, returning it to the cradle. "...I'm just gonna be selfish a little bit longer, alright? Sorry, Danny," he mumbled to the phone, feeling a bit stupid. He flopped back onto the mattress and gulped again, trying to shove his worries and sorrow aside again, to just focus on the excitement of being with Toby in a few more hours.

---

"Hey, no - get back here! I wasn't done whooping your ass yet!"

Laughing as he kept Pit just out of Donkey Kong's reach, Toby shook his head, sending a few more arrows down at his opponent. "I don't think Pit was enjoying that part, though. He's not used to it, you see."

Nudging Toby in the side, Kasey smirked and followed him around the screen, trying to grab Pit. He spun over the cocky angel, though he quickly dropped down to land a few quick hits while Toby was busy snickering. "He can get used to it, though. DK's just trying to help - oh, shit-!"

He'd just narrowly missed slamming Pit into the ground for another beatdown, only for the angel to rush the massive ape and send him flying off-screen.

"Wheeeee, bye-bye," Toby chuckled, waving at the screen. "He's pretty aerodynamic, isn't he? I kind of want to call him DKasey now."

Snorting at this and sticking his tongue out at Toby, Kasey only pouted slightly when the match ended once more - his third loss against Toby out of four matches. "Alright, uhhh... Tobit," he suggested a bit lamely, "I think you should be more concerned about him finally remembering how to use the shield button, man."

"Ah, so he's smart, too," Toby teased, watching Pit do yet another victory pose. Though his stomach had practically been engaging in an Olympian-level gymnastics routine on the way over, and it was still fluttering even now, the atmosphere in Kasey's house was warm and much less tense so far than he'd worried it'd be - the TV was muted, and Kasey's clock radio was offering up a steady stream of 80s music instead, partly because they'd quickly grown to find Pit's voice extremely obnoxious. Though, Toby supposed flaunting his gaming skills had helped ease his own tension a little bit, as well. "You know, you were pretty close this time, though - I think with a little more practice, I might have to really watch my back."

Grinning at the compliment, Kasey pressed the button to get the next match started - even with his heart jackhammering in his chest at being so close to Toby once again, he was finally starting to sink back into a sense of relaxation once more, driving all earlier thoughts of Danny and his own mortality from his mind. "I'd thank you, but what if you're trying to lure me into a false sense of confidence or something? Get me off my game?"

"...Alright, yes, also that," Toby conceded jokingly, uttering a quiet laugh when Kasey gave him a light shove. "Maybe I should try a new underhanded tactic. That one doesn't work on Chase, either."

"Imagine that," Kasey cracked, watching the match start up - though he frowned as the screen flashed a low battery notification for Toby's remote. "Aww, man... looks like this might be the last match for now."

Grimacing, Toby hummed and looked around. "Shoot, I think I forgot to charge them... you wouldn't happen to have any AAs laying around?"

"I don't think so, no," Kasey responded apologetically, though he hopped up off the couch to go rummage through his kitchen, dresser, and nightstand drawers anyway, just in case someone had inexplicably broken into his house at some point to leave him the appropriate batteries for just this situation. "My TV remote takes AAAs, and my flashlight's a D-ce-" He paused as he heard a noise from behind him, coming from the TV, followed by muffled laughter from Toby. He spun around, eyes narrowed in suspicion, and saw on the TV that Donkey Kong had already sustained slight damage. "...Dude, did you just-?!"

"It was a ghost," Toby answered quickly, though he held up his fist and snickered into it, getting another playful shove to the back of his head as Kasey returned to the couch, tutting at him.

"Alright, you sneaky little shit, I get a free hit for that one!"

"Uh oh. We've been caught, Pit," Toby addressed the screen, not bothering to hide his mischievous grin. He turned back to Kasey after a moment: "Well, there's a problem, you see. Pit says you'll never catch him alive. Sorry."

And, with that and a little "Wheee" from Toby, Pit promptly jumped off the edge of the stage and exploded. Kasey cracked up in disbelief after a moment, before sending Donkey Kong to his own doom. "DK's - DK's gonna follow him to Hell, then!"

"I'm pretty sure Pit's from Skyworld, though," Toby corrected offhandedly, sending his second Pit stock to its demise as well. "He's just... taking the long way back. Uhh, and that... is... apparently through Hell. Well, how about that?"

Kasey simply put his remote down and watched, entertained, as Toby sent the third Pit off to the same fate, with a "'Gee, Lady Palutena, I think my wings stopped working. Whyyyyyyy...'"

Hand over his mouth, Kasey choked back another laugh and shook his head at Toby's antics as the win screen came up for Donkey Kong. "Having fun, Toby?"

"I just have to do that to him a few times whenever I play," Toby explained, green eyes twinkling as he shrugged. "Sheesh, and I said Renee had a dark side..."

"Still true, though," Kasey pointed out, picking up his Wii remote and jiggling it about in his hand - the blue light on Toby's was flashing rapidly now, and he had a feeling that they wouldn't have time for another proper match before it ran out of juice. "Heh, guess we can end the Smash run on that gruesome note, huh?"

Nodding as Kasey shut the Wii off, Toby felt the nerves start to pick back up again, wondering what was next - they'd both already eaten beforehand, so dinner was out, and while the sun had gone down by the time he'd arrived and the night sky was glittering with hundreds of stars, there was something much cozier about staying indoors in the cold weather. He shot Kasey an anxious grin as the farmer watched him curiously, half-turned towards him and dangling leg tapping against the front of the couch, suddenly a little more self-conscious as well.

"S-so, uhh..." Clearing his throat, Kasey scratched at the nape of his neck, the events of that morning quickly rushing back to him - and, he suspected, back to Toby, too. In the background, the radio kept playing a peppy song. Not wanting the mood to plummet, he quickly decided to lighten it back up, nodding over to the still-muted TV, now running the local weather. "So, yeah - I'm gonna have to remember that little stunt you pulled and get you back for that later."

Eyebrows raised, Toby cocked his head to the side in amusement. "Get me back, huh? Not that I'm not looking forward to it, but Pit felt just awful about what he did. That's why I made him commit seppuku to restore his honor. ...Uh, the... Skyworld equivalent of seppuku," he amended after a pause.

Kasey snickered at this unexpectedly grim line of reasoning. "I... uhh, don't think it really counts when you're immortal, though," he pointed out.

"Hmmm..." Rubbing at his chin in thought, Toby nodded, feeling himself start to relax a little more. The conversation was continuing as easily as if they'd never both been freaking out internally over their first date together. "True. It kind of defeats the whole purpose... it's a shame we don't drive around here, though. If I had a car, I could just let you slash my tires or set it on fire, and we'd call it even."

Laughing even more at the mental image, Kasey shook his head. "Actually, it's probably a good thing for you guys that nobody drives around here... see," he explained off of Toby's curious look, "according to pretty much... like... everyone who's been in a car with me, ever, I'm basically a nightmare when I'm behind the wheel. No, seriously!" he insisted when Toby scoffed in disbelief. "Okay, so - my dad grew up in Greece, right? So, a couple years ago, I offered to drive him somewhere for Father's Day, since we were the only ones who both had the full day off - lunch, a movie, golf, whatever. My treat."

Toby nodded slowly, a smirk starting to creep up on his face. "Uh huh...?"

Holding back a snort, Kasey went on: "So, he pats me on the shoulder, looks me in the eye, and says-" Here, he imitated his father's accent: "'Kasey, I love you and I'm proud to call you my son. But the cabbies back in Greece are a hell of a lot less terrifying to ride with. I'm driving. Always.'"

Face going red, Toby buried it in his hand as he cracked up, shoulders shaking while a few faint giggles squeaked out. "How?" he managed incredulously.

"Ahhh... y'know," Kasey answered evasively, with a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. When Toby clucked his tongue in mock-disappointment at this non-answer, Kasey decided to elaborate:

"See, they thought since I've got anxiety issues that I was gonna drive all meek and old-person-y, and I'd be pissing people off by doing five miles per hour in the left lane, blinker on and freaking out... instead, since I've got anxiety issues, I freaked out and got all leadfooted, and cut people off half the time I merged, and if they honked or something, I figured they were gonna follow me to wherever I was going and beat my ass. And if I stopped, I tended to ram on the brakes at the last possible moment-" As he spoke, he was gesturing to demonstrate, miming slamming on a pair of brakes, hands gripping the air like it was the steering wheel, "-and I usually missed turns till the last second, so I'd be all, 'Oh, fuck!' and just take these crazy-ass death turns so I wouldn't have to double back, and, uhh... yeah," he capped off lamely, though Toby's awestruck expression made him grin. "No accidents, though! Err, somehow..."

"Why does that actually sound really, really fun to me?" Toby wondered aloud, scratching his head. "Hmm, hearing it out loud, it's kind of worrisome. Maybe it's a good thing I never learned to drive..."

"I could teach you sometime," Kasey offered teasingly, watching Toby pretend to consider the suggestion. "I mean, I might accidentally run a red light and take out a cornfield or something, but we can - I dunno, jam along to the radio?"

Squinting one eye, Toby pursed his lips and hummed up at the ceiling, arms folded over his chest. "...Well, it sounds pretty fatal, but that 'jamming along to the radio' part might sell me. Ooh, especially if this song's on-" And he went quiet, thumbing over at the radio while Kasey let himself focus on the song in question.

"Hah ah-ah, hahhhh hahh..."

Perking his head up slightly at the sound of Kasey pleasantly humming in time with the radio, Toby shot him a fond smile, feeling a little of his tension dissipate as he joined in and bobbed his head along.

Catching his eye, Kasey looked back over at him and grinned a little bit. "You like this song, huh?"

Toby nodded and bounced his hand about to the beat on the arm of the couch, slightly off-tempo. "I know it's kind of cheesy, but I love that about eighties stuff. Heh, and that's kind of why I suggested this station, actually," he confessed with a little smirk, prompting Kasey to reach over and give him a playful swat.

"Geez, Toby! Shit, and I thought I could trust you," he added, smiling deviously.

"Yeah, I'm pretty terrible, aren't I?" Toby agreed with an amiable chuckle, batting Kasey's hand away and feeling a little jump in his stomach at the fleeting contact. Briefly, the tension returned to his abdomen as he tapped his feet and kept humming along, though his expression thankfully betrayed nothing of it. Still, he scolded himself for his nervousness - he'd confessed his feelings and asked Kasey out. They'd flirted, and he'd blatantly - though not quite shamelessly - eyed Kasey up in the clinic that morning; had it not been for Jin's unintended interruption, maybe they would've even...

You're acting dumb, Toby chided himself, as his mind started to formulate an idea that seemed half-romantic and half-ridiculous to him. So, calm down. If you kiss him...are you nervous because you might get carried away? Because you might like it so much, you think you'll do something to embarrass yourself? You're already here, and you're the one who asked him out...

With another ripple twinging at his insides, he took a moment to screw up his courage and rose from his spot on the couch, gulping as he offered a hand to Kasey. The younger boy looked at it - and then to Toby - with a mixture of hope and uncertainty as the song kept on playing behind them, Toby jerking his thumb towards the radio again. "Hey, so... umm... I know we were kind of joking about it earlier today, but - I mean, it's kind of silly, really - but do you want to...? If you're up to it?"

"You're sure?" Kasey asked, allowing himself a small grin, and lighting up at Toby's apprehensive nod. He took a deep breath and grabbed the older boy's hand, noting how sweaty it was, and how much it was trembling. At least it's not just me."Okay, yeah... I'd love to, actually. I - I'm feeling a lot better..."

"That's good..." Letting out a shaky breath, Toby uttered an uneasy chuckle as Kasey's other hand settled hesitantly just above the small of his back, sending a warm jolt rippling throughout his body. "Oh, wow," he murmured, placing his other hand lightly on Kasey's shoulder and causing the concerned farmer to raise his eyebrows. He made to move his hand off of Toby's back, before Toby shook his head. "It's okay, really... I-I'm fine, Kasey," he stammered, gulping. "I just... I'll be fine." Puffing out his cheeks with an exhale to calm himself, he bit at his lower lip and shot the younger boy a lopsided grin. "Umm, shall we?"

"Yeah... long as you're cool," Kasey responded quietly, even as they started to sway and rock in place, revolving slowly. After a moment's pause, he once again rested his hand on Toby's back, feeling him tense up a little at the touch. "Hey, it's okay. Let me know if you wanna stop, okay?"

Shaking his head, Toby sighed, leaning his head on Kasey's shoulder and humming quietly, albeit slightly off-key. The tension continued to gnaw at him as he tried to will himself to just let go and sink into the admittedly pleasant feelings, even while his heart tried to work a hole through his chest.

Despite everything that had happened between them that morning - despite what Toby had seen that morning - he found himself inexplicably worried about what would happen if Kasey could feel how much the close contact was turning him on. "I know. I don't want to stop, though. I just... it's... fine. It feels really nice, actually," he confessed, starting to let himself enjoy the warmth of Kasey's body against his, and the somewhat-musky scent of his shampoo. Another, much more contented hum from his throat trailed awkwardly into the melody of the song, his eyes sliding shut under the comforting weight of Kasey's head now resting atop his own.

A few peaceful moments later, Kasey's voice broke through the reverie and the saxophone solo, sounding slightly mischievous: "Hey, Toby?"

Eyes opening a bit, Toby made an acknowledging noise.

"I... uhh, well - I wanna try something in a sec, if that's - if that's alright."

With a little snort, Toby lifted his head up and smiled at Kasey, who returned the look with a playful one of his own. "Is it that meth-fueled butt dance I suggested earlier?"

Breaking out into a laugh at this, Kasey shook his head. "No, it's not the meth butt dance! Though I kinda wish you'd demonstrated it for me. I, uhh... I wanna try - y'know, spinning you."

"Spinning me?" Toby repeated, the smile widening. "Really?"

Kasey nodded enthusiastically, dark brown eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yeah! I - I've always wanted to try that! It looks really cool and fun, and... I mean, okay, maybe really cheesy and kinda dumb now that I'm saying out loud... I guess I'm just kind of a sappy person..."

Shaking his head, Toby gave Kasey's hand an encouraging squeeze, trying to let his nerves dissipate once more. This wasn't so bad, after all. "Oh, no - I think it actually sounds really fun. I love sap, honestly. We can go for it, sure!"

"Cool!" Grinning broadly, Kasey nodded towards the radio, listening to the words carefully and steeling himself. He wanted to ease Toby's anxiety as best he could, not send him careening into the wall or anything awful like that. He was already tantamount to Death incarnate on the road. "Okay, just follow my lead on this, alright? Alright - three, two, one... oh, I want the truth to be SAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIID!"he suddenly belted out, giving Toby's flattened palm a light push and sending him into a clumsy half-spin that left the older boy yelping out in surprise.

As their clasped hands stretched their arms out with the momentum, a slight tug had Toby spinning back just as unsteadily and bumping hard into Kasey at the end of it. The impact caused them to grunt and stagger slightly, their socks sliding over the hardwood floor and Kasey grabbing onto the back of the couch to keep them from toppling over.

Blinking at each other in shock, the two were quiet and gaping for a moment, the song playing on behind them despite the needle-scratching awkwardness of their misstep.

The sound of them suddenly cracking up, however, drowned out the song in short order. Toby's hand was still planted on Kasey's chest for support, and Kasey's was settled on Toby's shoulders. "Are you okay, man?!" Kasey giggled, shaking his head apologetically. "Sheesh, I - hahahahaaa! Ahhhhhhh... shit, I almost sent you flying out the window, didn't I?"

"I-I'm fine," Toby responded in-between chuckles, standing up a bit straighter and sloppily readjusting his crooked sock with his other foot while they resumed their slow-dancing, once more rocking gently. "Heh, you can't get rid of me that easily." He gave Kasey a light-hearted shove on the chest, getting a smirk in response. "It was actually kind of fun, though! How do they make it look so easy on TV?"

"Probably special effects or something," Kasey answered in a nonchalant tone, which caused Toby to snicker. "CGI, I bet. Cheating bastards."

"Well, that's very misleading. I'm kind of heartbroken now," Toby responded dryly, before looking back over at Kasey and feeling his heart rate increase once more. His face warmed a bit, and he cleared his throat. "Uhh... by the way, you - umm... you do have a really nice voice, Kasey," he mumbled, prompting Kasey's own cheeks to color as well, though he looked pleased overall.

"Th-thanks..." With a nervous smile, he found he couldn't tear his gaze away from Toby's now. "You, umm... you have r-really... really beautiful eyes," he blurted out, his voice growing husky as the song and their swaying came to a gradual stop - his embarrassment at the sheer corniness of his own words quickly faded at the expression on Toby's face, and the soft, stammered thanks. Letting out a shuddering breath, he watched the still-blushing fisherman's light green eyes go half-lidded, much like his own. It was like they were back in his room at the clinic - except this time, if Jin or anyone else interrupted things, Kasey figured his head would explode. "...Umm... T-Toby?"

His stomach flipped at Kasey's compliment, and Toby found himself moving almost unconsciously as he tried to cast his fears aside, lifting a shaky hand up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind Kasey's ear and hearing the other boy suck in a sharp breath as their faces drew nearer. He stopped himself for a moment with a loud exhale, willing his stomach, his whole body, to just stay still, to just stop trembling for a moment.

Drawing back slightly, he reached his hand up again and hesitantly stroked Kasey's jawline, meeting the shy, concerned gaze with his own after glancing down briefly to the other boy's slightly-parted lips. Another shaky breath, and he haltingly moved back in and swallowed hard, his cheeks blazing as he breathed Kasey's name. Just do it... you've done it before, you know how. Stop thinking about it, and just...

Eyes sliding fully shut and heads tilting, the two finally met each others' silent advances halfway, letting the rest of the world and its concerns fade from their minds. No worrying about the past, present, or future - bells, bitter memories, near-misses - or anything else. In that fleeting pocket of time and space, suspended in the darkness behind their eyes and the warmth in each others' arms, nothing and nobody mattered except for them. Only the faint sound of a new song starting up on the radio dared attempt any sort of intrusion upon their wonderful little corner of the world, though it didn't dampen the thrumming in their bones, or the exhilaration in their chests.

When they parted, lips still warm and tingling, Toby rested his forehead against Kasey's - feeling their hair brush together - and shared a disbelieving grin. He couldn't quite find the words, instead letting out a breathy chuckle in relief. At Kasey's wordless, questioning nod, Toby returned the gesture without a second thought, giving Kasey's shoulder an affectionate rub. "...Yeah," he finally uttered pointlessly, eliciting a happy laugh from the younger boy. "I... wow..."

"I was kinda... thinking the same thing," Kasey agreed readily, uncaring of how hot his face felt at the moment in the midst of the overwhelming joy coursing throughout his veins. Much like Toby had, he let out a loud whoosh of air and smirked a little when he finally let his mind come back down to Earth, catching the song playing on the radio and feeling the slight amusement ebb away a little of his shyness. "Heh, listen - we even made another one of your cheesy eighties songs start playing." In spite of his teasing, he sang along a little with the lyrics, closing his eyes and swaying for a moment: "Now this mountain I must climb... feels like the world upon my shoulders..."

Briefly losing himself in the sound of Kasey's soft baritone and uttering a quiet laugh, Toby pulled back from Kasey, suddenly looking a bit bashful once more even as he regathered his quickly-scattering courage, finding that he wanted more. Just a little bit... "Y-yeah. How about that, huh?" Flashing another crooked grin as they both chuckled, he cleared his throat, feeling his spine tingle at the thought of what he was suddenly longing to do - they could at least go a little further, couldn't they? They'd been close enough that morning - why not? With how wound up he still was, he certainly hoped so. He swallowed hard and licked his lips as he reached out to stroke Kasey's cheek, his voice somewhat husky when he spoke once more: "Umm, Kasey? I don't... really want to stop just yet."

Heat flashing over more than just his face now, Kasey shuddered and felt his breathing quicken slightly at the barely-restrained desire in Toby's voice, normally so pleasant and gentle. Maybe it was the combination of all the stress they'd been dealing with recently - the mixtures of anxiety and excitement - building up and sending their hormones into a frenzy. Kasey didn't know, and he found he didn't really care too much about the cause at the moment. "Yeah?" he responded in a shaky murmur, his shyness once again starting to fade at the smoldering look in the older boy's eyes. The anticipation made his skin prickle when Toby simply nodded and swallowed hard in response. "Well... nobody's saying we have to, right, Toby...?"

As Kasey spoke, Toby's fingers slowly traced down to rest under his chin and incline his head slightly, nerve endings buzzing and bodies reacting before their lips even touched again.

Allowing his inhibitions to melt away in the fresh waves of elation and relief cascading over him, Toby's hand moved up and back to undo Kasey's ponytail, letting the straight, chestnut-colored locks drop and fan out slightly so he could run his fingers through them, tossing the elastic band aside carelessly. His excitement and confidence rocketed skyward with the jolt of wonderful sensations electrifying him, and he found himself daring to slip his tongue into Kasey's slightly-opened mouth to an eager response, deepening the kiss amid the exchange of contented sighs they breathed into each other.

When Kasey's hands pushed needily against the small of his back to get him closer, the action finally set their bodies flush against each other, and Toby's eyes almost snapped open again at the sudden feeling of Kasey, incredibly hard and straining against his thigh, and dangerously close to the bulge in his own jeans. Though the realization made Toby nervous for a second, an excited shiver struck his spine all the same, and he found himself relaxing into Kasey's embrace and pressing back with a low, throaty moan.

Everything he felt and heard became amplified as he allowed himself to be immersed in the moment: Rough hands stroking encouragingly at his arm and over his back, pressing Toby's sweater against his skin and rubbing in soothing circles; soft hair running between his fingers, sliding his other hand down the warm jawline to stroke the side of Kasey's neck; the heat from their blazing faces and the wonderful jolts of pleasure from the friction between their bodies; the sound and feel of their mouths moving against each other, and Kasey's teeth gently tugging at his lower lip; the racing of his heart; the music from the radio filling the small farmhouse; and the quiet, pleased sounds they made before finally pulling apart once more, far too soon for their liking. They were breathing heavily now, eyes slightly glazed.

As if to properly cap off his giddy high before it drained out and left him once again bashful, Toby shamelessly indulged his dorkier side, brushing his nose against Kasey's - causing both of them to smile and laugh softly - and giving him one last, light peck on the lips.

"...Fuck," Kasey breathed eloquently, beaming like an idiot. He licked his now-swollen bottom lip and ran a thumb across it almost-offhandedly, eyes wide as he tried to catch his breath. He was too preoccupied on cloud nine to even care that he was still aroused enough that it showed quite clearly, or be too self-conscious about how intense things had gotten. "Toby, j-just - Jesus Christ, wow. Dude."

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as his short-lived burst of boldness faded, Toby cleared his throat again and gave Kasey a flustered and slightly-lopsided grin, discreetly tugging his sweater down over the front of his jeans in a rather futile gesture - they'd been pressed much too close together for Kasey not to have felt it.

And as much as he'd enjoyed it - especially with the fairly relieving and thrilling knowledge that Kasey once again had been just as turned on as he was - Toby couldn't help but be glad they'd managed to stop before they'd gone too far, especially for their first date. And that was pretty far already... It really had been quite a while for him, he noted idly, hormones still racing a lightning-fast circuit throughout his body. As it was, he knew already that he wouldn't be falling asleep so easily tonight. "Err, that's... that was okay, right?" he asked hesitantly. "Sorry if I got kind of, ahhh... carried away."

"No, n-not at all!" Kasey assured him, though he was starting to feel the self-consciousness finally seeping back in a little. "That - that couldn't have been any better, seriously."

With an embarrassed-yet-pleased laugh at the compliment, Toby raised his eyebrows. "Alright, but you might have to deflate my ego if you want my head to fit through the doorway now."

"I can... think of ways to siphon the air out," Kasey assured him cheekily, though he jammed his hands in his jeans pockets and hunched his shoulders a bit. Part of him - and he knew damn well which part - wanted to pull Toby back in and kiss him over and over, until both of their lips were sore and bruised; but another part of him heard the new song playing on the radio, and he stifled a little laugh at the realization - Kenny Loggins. "S-so, uhhh... how about it?" he suggested, sharing an amused look with Toby. "You up for a trip to the Danger Zone?"

Relief and exhilaration settled across Toby's body, and the sight of Kasey looking so elated warmed him. "With you, Kasey? Absolutely," he responded in a soft voice, sliding his arms around Kasey's waist and pulling him closer. He felt the farmer's own arms wrap around his shoulders, and they ignored the tempo as they resumed swaying slowly on the spot. Their eyes were locked on each other now. "...But you're not allowed to drive us," he added teasingly.

When Kasey snorted and gave him a light smack on the back of the neck for the remark, Toby let a little chuckle escape his throat, followed by a happy sigh. As far as he was concerned, the night could go on forever if it wanted to.