Title: Things Zeke Knows
Author: RagnarokSkurai (ragnarokskuraihd@hotmail.com)
Fandom: The Faculty
Pairing: Zeke/Casey
Rating: PG
Notes: Fluffy angst, if that makes any sense at all.

It's a two-hour drive to an airport that will fly to Maine. Maine, for Christ's sake. To some artsy school in the middle of nowhere that Zeke would mock mercilessly if they hadn't given Casey a full scholarship there and if Casey wasn't so pleased about the idea.

They take care of Casey's luggage first. Then Zeke buys a cup of coffee, very strong. He needs it. The walk to Casey's gate feels something like the road to Hell. Or Purgatory. Zeke's not Catholic but he's still quite familiar with both concepts.

They chat about Stokely and Stan and Delilah, and it's surprisingly easy. Casey's plane starts to board passengers. Zeke hasn't taken a sip of his coffee, but he throws it away anyway.

"Zeke..." Casey smiles and clutches his backpack a little tighter. "Thanks. For everything."

"Hey. Call me, all right?"

"Yeah. Think you can remember how to use the email? I'll email you."

"I'll remember." He buries his nose in Casey's hair and squeezes tight enough to break a rib. "You should get going."

"Gotta let go of me first."

"I know." That's Zeke's whole problem. He doesn't want to let go. He just knows he has to.

"Bye."

"Bye, Case."

He watches Casey rush through the gate and smile at the girl taking the tickets there. It's like a punch to the gut. He knows that smile backwards and forwards. Knows how it feels when he's kissing Casey, kissing around that smile. Knows what to do for that smile to appear. Knows how to avoid the things that knock that smile of Casey's face. He knows so much more too, like the texture and scent of Casey's hair, the little sounds he makes when he sleeps, how Casey fits so perfectly to him. Things he doesn't admit to anyone but himself. Zeke doesn't want to let that go. He wants to run after Casey and pull him back, kiss him and hug him right here in front of all these people, ask him to stay and not leave Zeke alone.

Zeke has issues with being alone.

But Zeke's good at knowing things. At knowing other people's issues. And he knows that Casey can't stay here. He can't grow here, can't be anyone but a high school geek who isn't in high school anymore. Zeke wants other people to see Casey's photographs, wants them to be amazed at how he can make a portrait tell a story or how he can photograph Zeke's car at sunset and make it look like a druidic ruin. That's a gift; Zeke knows that. He knows that it's something that should be shared. Casey won't do that is he stays here in Hicksville, Ohio. If he stays with Zeke.

So Zeke does the only thing he's afraid of doing and the only thing he has to do. He lets Casey go.

Get yourself free