Senses

::Taste::

She tastes vaguely like strawberries.

There's a file in his mind that's called, Things That'll Only Happen in an Alternate Universe, and kissing Casey? Yep, definitely falls under that category. Then again, his brain's been so screwed up these days, he's probably already in an alternate universe anyway, and using that piece of twisted logic, it means that kissing her is actually okay. (It's official. He's gone insane.)

Casey doesn't seem to have much of a problem of it, though, seeing as she's kissing him back (and he's beginning to think that maybe Fate doesn't hate him that much after all.)

He knows that this happening is probably the last thing the both of them expected to happen when they came home from Queens for the weekend. After all, they were there to visit, to see how everyone was doing, especially with baby Sophia, who, by the way, is pretty damn adorable—you can't not love her.

But it was late, and everyone had gone to bed. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he'd gone downstairs for a glass of milk and found Casey watching some lame documentary on TV. Because he couldn't resist, he sat next to her and attempted to grab the remote, partly to change the channel, but mostly to annoy her.

In the middle of their power struggle for the remote, he suddenly stopped when he realized that his hands were over hers. Casey seemed to realize it too, judging by the way she just returned his look. One moment, they were looking at each other, and the next—wham bam, heated lip-lock.

(Just in case you're wondering—he's enjoying this. A lot. But at the same time, he can't seem to get his brain to function properly because she's just so soft and intoxicating and just… Casey, which basically means that she has the ability to drive him completely crazy.)

He feels almost light-headed when they break apart. Her cheeks are flushed and her breathing is labored, but her eyes are wide, in that I-Cant-Believe-We-Just-Did-That way. "Wha-what was that?" she finally manages to get out, and honestly, her expression is kind of funny.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that was a kiss," he replies in a 'duh' sort of voice, and he's proud to say that his voice seems (almost) normal.

"I know that," she snaps.

"Then why bother asking?"

"De-rek!" she snaps, but seeing as she's practically sitting on his lap, the words don't really have the usual heated effect in them. "I meant—what was that for? You—and I—and we--" (He's thinking that he should've kissed her a long time ago, since it manages to get her tongue-tied so easily.)

He grabs her by the shoulders and gives her a look before she can go on Freak-Out Casey Mode. "Casey," he says very patiently, which is a challenge because he really doesn't want to spend this time talking, when they could be doing something else, "Shut up for a minute and listen, okay? This is the way things are going to go. You won't freak out; you will be completely calm. Tomorrow, you won't ignore me, you won't pretend this never happened. We--"

"Wait," she interrupts him. She bites her bottom lip, which she always does when she's nervous, and he can't help but stare. Casey meets his gaze. "Why….why aren't you freaking out about this?"

(Oh, he knows he should be. The only thing is, right now, he's tired of running.)

"Because," he gives her a serious look. A second later it twists into a smirk. "Because I'm not you."

(He may be tired of running, but that doesn't mean he has to stop being him.)

"Derek, I'm serious," she says, and he can tell that she totally is, so he sobers up a bit. She even shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing. "Look…if you did that to mess with me, then you might as well tell me now."

No running, Derek. "I didn't do it to mess with you," he finally says after what seems an eternity (a few minutes actually, but all the drama he gets from Casey has to rub off somehow.)

"Then why…?"

"I think you know why," he says quickly before he can stop himself or chicken out. "Come on, Case, you graduated valedictorian. This isn't rocket science, anyone could figure it out. You. Know. Why."

He notices the corners of her mouth tip upwards, but her eyebrows are still knitted together. That, and the fact that she's still practically on his lap (not that he's complaining), actually makes for a pretty funny picture. "Listen, Derek---"

"Why'd you kiss me back?" he asks before she can finish talking, and by the surprised look on her face, it's obvious she hadn't expected the question. But he's been on the not-so-fun side of the interrogation too long for his liking, so he figures some equal ground is called for here. Besides, now that he's decided to quit running, words are spewing out of his mouth, and he's sure (pretends) that he doesn't have any control over them anymore.

"Wh-what?" she actually gulps and her cheeks flush. "Um, well, you see…that's completely—what I mean to say is---I think you know why," she says, throwing his words back at him. "Come on, Derek, you…well, you were able to graduate. That at least proves something about your brain. You. Know. Why."

He feels his heart (there's no use pretending he doesn't have one, because how can he, when it's beating so fast and so loudly?) doing something strange, almost like back-flips, but it's actually pleasant. It's insane and weird and never did he think it would happen, but miraculously, this time, nothing is one-sided between them. They're actually on the same page for once, and he won't say it out loud, but it's a pretty damn good feeling.

He knows though, that he could make her say it. Say those three little words. But he also knows that if he forces her, she'll force him to say it back (because they might be on the same page and everything, but they're still Derek and Casey, which means that they always need to even out the score.) And he's not so sure if he's ready to say it out loud just yet –especially since he isn't even quite sure what 'it' is--, and by the looks of it, neither is she, so he takes what he can get for now.

He's tired of all this talking, and her lips are suddenly looking very inviting again. So he tugs her closer to him, and she lets herself move closer. A moment later though, she pulls back a bit, and one look is all it takes for him to know she's in Freak-Out-Casey mode again. "Oh my god, what are we doing? We are way in over our heads with this. What about—what about our family? We're going to drive them nuts. Can you imagine how much they'd have to pay to put Sophia in therapy because of us? And, what about---"

"Casey." You give her a look, and she thankfully shuts up. "Enough, okay? Quiet. Stop thinking. Start Feeling." (and it doesn't even enter his head until a few seconds later how hypocritical he must sound like, being Mr. I-Have-No-Feelings and all, but whatever.)

A moment later, he tilts his head. "Okay, so that sounded kind of lame. But pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once. After this, I'm going to kiss you again. And you won't over-analyze, you won't freak-out. You'll just…let everything go. Any questions?"

She looks pretty dazed by his speech, but has enough brainpower to shake her head. "Good," he grins, leaning closer and thinking, Thank God.

A second later, and Derek has a new nickname for the younger brother he's going to strangle tomorrow: Mood Killer.

The moment they hear and see a half-asleep Edwin going down the stairs, they immediately jump apart. Edwin doesn't glance at them, doesn't even look like he notices that there's someone there. He just walks past them and into the kitchen, and a few minutes later, goes back up the stairs with a glass of water.

There's silence in his wake, and Derek's pretty sure that what's happening right now could win Awkward Moment of the Year, hands down.

"So, um," Casey clears her throat as she gets off the couch. Her cheeks are pink, and it looks like she's trying not to look at him (and failing.) "I should, uh, get to bed. You know, to get some sleep, because it's nighttime and beds are made for sleeping, and…uh…"

It's on the tip of his tongue to make a joke about how sleeping isn't the only thing a bed is good for, but she really does look frazzled, so he lets it go for now. (And besides, the thought suddenly fills his mind with images of him and Casey doing stuff on a bed that could only be described as NC-17, and his throat suddenly feels so dry that he can't speak, even if he wanted to.)

"Well, uh, goodnight then, I suppose," she adds, her cheeks tinted pink, and he's sure that his non-fantasies were never nearly as awkward as this. She gives him a small smile and turns to leave, but before she can climb the stairs, he calls her name.

She gives him a questioning look, and he quickly says before nerves get the better of him, (The only things that can make him lose his nerve is hockey, and more recently, her. Because yeah, in case you haven't noticed yet, the Universe has it in for him) "Tomorrow night. Smelly Nellie's."

The look on her face changes into something he can't quite place (it vaguely resembles something called 'joy'). Still, her eyebrow arches. "How romantic," she says, her tone wry, but that smile on her face gives it all away. "Are you paying for everything?"

"I was thinking of doing that," he replies with a shrug. "But then I realized that a modern young woman like you wouldn't mind sharing the bill. After all, knights in shining armors are so overrated, right?"

She rolls her eyes, but her grin just becomes wider. "Goodnight, Derek," she says, her cheeks an even darker shade of pink, like how she gets when she's just done something completely out-of-character but fun. The next thing he knows, she's already up the stairs. He's left alone with the silence, and the memory of what just happened earlier –which, by the way, he's still trying to make complete sense of--, and all of a sudden, he starts to smile.

(He sleeps better than he has in months and strawberries become his favorite fruit.)