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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 6:45 pm
The drive back to Casey’s apartment took nearly twice as long as it would have in good weather, but Morgan pulled into the parking lot just a moment after he saw Ariel’s text asking if they were okay. He parked the car as close to the apartment as he could, but the rushing water was still high enough to go up to his ankles. He had good boots on so he wasn’t worried, it was just worth noting. He hadn’t seen any downed power lines but the lights in the parking lot were out so he assumed the rest of the complex had lost power as well.
Casey had been asleep for a while now. He hadn’t woken up when Morgan turned the car off and unbuckled, or when he’d snuck out and taken his first trip up to the apartment. Morgan had texted Ariel that he was on his way up; he had taken his duffel bag and the pizza first.
Ariel had set up a few candles in Casey’s apartment, out of reach of Harrison. Morgan had given him a battery powered, high illumination lamp, and then returned to the car with a poncho and umbrella. Luck must have been on his side; the wind battered the far side of the car but there was a break in the gusts for long enough that he could open the door to Casey’s side of the car and gently pull him out without having to fight with the umbrella. The poncho was a quick, makeshift blanket, and Morgan easily balanced him in his arms. He held him close and used the umbrella to buffet the wind and rain.
Of course he’d tried to wake Casey up before deciding to just carry him to the apartment. He hadn’t tried very hard, but he’d put a hand on his shoulder and spoken his name gently.
Besides, Casey’s shoes probably weren’t as waterproof as his were.
Morgan was back at the apartment only a moment or so after he last left Ariel, who looked startled and flustered when he carried Casey upstairs.
“Is he okay?” Ariel blurted, not as quietly as he’d have liked.
“He’s fine,” Morgan assured. Ariel took the umbrella from him and shook it off outside in an effort to help. “Work must have worn him out.”
“I’ll bet. Do you–” he looked at the two of them. “...No, you don’t need any help.” Morgan didn’t seem like he’d broken a sweat carrying him up here.
“I’m going to set him down in a minute, I think he’ll be glad to be in dry clothes. I’ll change in a minute, too. Before I flood the house.”
“Oh, right. Yes.” Ariel set the umbrella by the door and closed it, double checking the locks before he turned to the two. Gently, he put a hand on Casey’s face. “Case? Do you want to wake up?”
…He should, or he wouldn’t get to appreciate being carried all the way up here. How hard had they worked him today? Ariel might have to pick up Harrison and let her kiss him awake.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 7:05 pm
If it wasn’t already obvious, Casey was a deep sleeper. He had to be, what with Harrison rolling around -- oh wait, he rolled around a lot when he was asleep too. Not very restful sleep, but at least he didn’t wake up until his alarm went off. And when he slept through his alarm, Harrison was always kind enough to wake him up.
Even now, once he’d allowed himself to close his eyes, he was out like a light. It was pretty embarrassing, especially since he didn’t want Morgan to think he was helpless or that he couldn’t handle a little bit of work. If he was going to work at the park, he should be able to do a lot of physically demanding things, right?
But he felt warm and safe, despite also feeling like a drowned rat, so it wasn’t until Ariel’s hand was on his cheek and he was coaxing him awake that he actually woke up.
“Hey,” he slurred and-- oh, he was definitely not in his bed or on the couch or in Morgan’s car. He didn’t flail or jerk away, but he looked from Ariel and then up at Morgan as his cheeks turned red.
“Oh… thank you,” he mumbled awkwardly, but made no effort to move.
Well, he would probably have to move because Harrison didn’t like that she was not included. Naturally she had to come up and jump up to see what was going on. Bump against Ariel, then Morgan, and then circle around to see what Casey was doing. All while whacking her tail against anything she could manage.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 7:11 pm
Ariel was tempted to reach down and just help hold Harrison up so she could see him. He smiled at Casey, maybe apologetically, but equally happy to see him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Morgan, just–
Well, it was Casey. His heart was working a little hard around him, these days.
Morgan didn’t seem like he was in any rush to set him down. He stood there and held him like he could have done it for the rest of the night. “That pizza’s not going to stay warm forever. Do you want to go get changed and dried off so you can eat? I’m sure Ariel and Harrison can tuck you in bed if you want to rest up.”
“Oh–yes, I can,” Ariel said; he stroked Casey’s cheek again. “The power’s out so you won’t be missing much if we turn in early. I tried to get Harrison to warm up the bed but she was too busy looking for you. And now she’s excited about the pizza.” And being with Casey. With how excited she was, you’d think they’d been separated for weeks.
…Though, to be honest, the past few days had been so hectic that it really did feel like it. Ariel was hoping that their schedules would line up a bit better because he found himself missing Casey more than he wanted to admit–to anyone, especially himself.
“You’re wet too–is there anything I can do to help?” Ariel asked.
Morgan just shrugged. “I brought a change of clothes, I’ll mop up the floor with the towel I brought in.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind cleaning up if you two want to go put on dry clothes. You should,” Ariel insisted. “I don’t know how long the apartment’s going to stay warm for. The power went out a little while ago and there’s already a bit of a chill. The faster you get out of those wet clothes, the better.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 7:57 pm
“Oh, yeah, the pizza. Thank you Ariel, that was really thoughtful of you,” he said as he suddenly wasn’t sure why his heart was in his throat.
Something about being held in Morgan’s strong arms, and the way Ariel so tenderly touched his face and looked at him like he was something special.
Well… if he hadn’t been certain about parts of himself and his identity before, he was definitely confident now.
“Oh, but I think I’ve got my second wind now. That was a really good nap. I hope I wasn’t asleep for too long. I’m sorry you had to carry me, wow I must have really been tired, sorry about that,” he rambled, hoping he didn’t make either of them worry too much.
“Harrison I’m right here, it’s okay,” he promised as she whined and yipped after not getting proper attention for more than two minutes. “Thank you both for looking after her. Um, but yeah we should get changed. You can use my bathroom if you want. I can wait. I mean, I can just get dressed in the bedroom. I mean you can too if you want. But if you’d rather, um. But this shirt feels pretty stuck, I might need help -- I’m just kidding, I can get out of it. Wow you’re both-- um…”
No, he was not going to blab that they were both very attractive or think about how perfect they were and how he felt like he was in some kind of strange dream.
“... really nice,” he finished with a wince because that didn’t cover nearly any of what he felt about them. “Are you sure it’s getting cooler in here?” he squeaked in mild distress. “It feels pretty toasty to me.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 8:16 pm
“Casey, are you getting sick?” Ariel asked, immediately worried. He didn’t dare voice that he was concerned Casey was saying silly things. If he needed help getting his shirt off, of course he’d have help. Was he uncomfortable, was that why he was talking so much?
…Oh, maybe he was just flustered. Ariel wasn’t even in Morgan’s arms and he felt a bit overwhelmed.
Morgan just laughed softly and set Casey down on the ground. “Go get your clothes and change in the bathroom. Dry off. I’ll change after you, I want to wring out all the water I can.” He patted Casey on the back encouragingly and leaned back, as if he really did intend to confine his water damage to as small of an area as possible.
He even resisted the urge to reach down and pet Harrison, but he looked at her fondly.
The lantern he’d given Ariel was set up in the corner and was bright enough to illuminate the room easily enough to be seen. Ariel hurried to fetch the flashlight he’d left on the couch and pressed it into Casey’s hands. Maybe his fingers lingered for a second too long, but he didn’t want to pull away. It was selfish. It was dangerous. He couldn’t help it. Rain pelted the side of the apartment as another gust blew through, and even if he knew that they were safe here, it was clear that Ariel was high strung and had probably been stressed about this for a while.
Any unnatural noise always had him on high alarm, and he’d spent a good amount of time already worrying about Casey and Morgan actually getting back here safely in this weather. Even the relief on his face was marred with knitted brows and a tired smile.
“I brought over some extra blankets. If you really need help getting out of those clothes, I’ll come with you.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 8:37 pm
Once he was on his feet again, Casey already missed the warmth and strength of Morgan’s arms. Oh, that wasn’t good. He wasn’t supposed to be getting weak-kneed over his and Ariel’s new friend. Especially since Casey was positive that Ariel liked Morgan a lot. It felt like twisting a knife in his gut to think that, but he didn’t want to hold either of his friends back just because he was being selfish!
“Oh thank you, that was so sweet of you. We’ll probably need it,” he let out a sigh of relief that they’d have plenty to keep warm with. And then jumped a little when another gust blew hard against the window.
“Um… yeah if that’s okay?” he winced and clicked on the flashlight before reaching for Ariel’s hand to walk him to the bedroom. He felt bad for just leaving Morgan, but if he had help, then they would be done faster, right?
“Be right back. Harrison, don’t eat the pizza,” he groaned and eyed her, but she seemed pretty interested in making sure Morgan didn’t smell any different than she remembered.
With the bedroom door shut behind him, Casey let out another sigh. “I can’t believe I slept through Morgan carrying me. I didn’t think I was that tired. That’s so embarrassing. Oh… um, you don’t have to help me if you don’t want to. I can probably do it myself I just, well, I feel like it’s been ages since I saw you so. I guess that’s pretty silly since I’ll just… see you after getting dressed,” he frowned, but quickly nudged off his shoes which weren’t as soaked as they could have been, thanks to Morgan. And then went to work on trying to tug off his damp shirt which…
Okay, he was struggling with it a little. It was just so uncomfortable to pull off wet clothes.
“Um… maybe a little help, please…”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 8:47 pm
“Of course,” Ariel said, hurrying over. Who was he to deny Casey, who already did so much for him? And, it was dark enough that he didn’t have to worry about any strange immodesty or–he was overthinking things again.
“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s his job to be able to carry people, right?” Firefighting wasn't all about putting out fires. Didn’t he have to rescue cats in trees, too?
“Here, pick up your arms and bend over a little, I’ll pull your shirt off over your head. You’re so cold, Casey! That water’s like ice? I’ll freeze if you don’t hold me when we go to bed.”
Oh, that was so tacky. It came out sounding so much worse than he’d thought, but at least there was no way that Casey would know that he’d actually practiced the line while he was gone. Harrison had liked it, at least.
Closer to Casey, Ariel lowered his voice. “He carried you up like you were nothing. Maybe if you ‘fall asleep on the couch’ I can ask him to carry you to bed, too.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 8:55 pm
Casey did as instructed and held his arms up and bent over so Ariel could pull off his shirt for him. It was a lot easier that way than trying to struggle with the wet fabric.
Thankfully it was dark enough that Ariel wouldn’t see how flushed his cheeks were. Or the number of bruises Casey hadn’t bothered to count. Work had been rough, and he would probably need a few weeks to really recover. Well… if those few weeks didn’t include new bruises and soreness, so he actually doubted he would ever really fully recover.
He laughed softly at the suggestion of falling asleep on the couch, but then paused to look like he was considering it, and then snickered in amusement. “Maybe you should try it. I’ve already had a turn. Oh, but that’s a good idea to stay close. You always have good ideas. Thank you,” he smiled, feeling a little better and rejuvenated now that he was home with Ariel and Harrison and Morgan there.
“Oh, I should probably get out of these pants too. Uh…” he paused, and he could feel the heat in his cheeks, but… “You can stay if you want, but don’t feel like you have to if that’s weird. I guess I’m not super modest about getting dressed but… I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” he explained as he shivered. He wasn’t about to strip naked in front of Ariel! Not without warning at least. He wanted Ariel to stay around, not to scare him off.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 9:10 pm
Ariel was quiet for a second and then said, “I can keep my eyes closed. I’ll stay here if you need me. I don’t know what I’d say to Morgan if I was alone. It’s hard enough not to stare at his muscles when he’s not soaking wet. Oh, I’m sorry. I did stare.”
Why was he apologizing? …It wasn’t like he and Casey were a couple. Though, he couldn’t deny the chemistry between him and Morgan–and, Morgan had driven him to work and picked him up. He’d practically adopted Harrison. He carried him up the stairs. Ariel couldn’t compete with that. It didn’t matter if the idea of losing Casey made his heart ache, but–
It was so complicated. Especially because he was the one in here helping him change clothes. And he was the one who got to sleep in bed with him.
Ariel’s heart fluttered. He was too old to be feeling so silly about all of this. He didn’t want to think about being in competition with Morgan, how was he supposed to compete? He was going to just be happy with what he had. “He was so serious about coming to get you. He was absolutely not going to leave you at work. I asked him if he was sure he could make it and he said he’d get you back to me safe.” Ariel’s face burned. He’d been talking too fast and hadn’t been able to catch himself. It was what Morgan had said, and Ariel hadn’t corrected him.
He wanted Casey in his arms, safe. He’d been so worried that he hadn’t even had a chance to be selfish. Ariel might not have wanted to be alone tonight but he wasn’t so selfish that he’d have risked Casey’s well-being just to be close to him. “I hope it’s alright that we’re both over tonight. I really don’t want to intrude. But I really wanted to be with you tonight.”
He was quiet when he admitted it, because there was certainly a lot more to that than what he was going to let himself say. For now, at least. His heart was pounding so loudly that he had to hold his breath just to make sure he didn’t miss anything Casey might have said afterwards.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 9:23 pm
Grateful that Ariel wasn’t going to leave him, Casey nodded and quickly went to work peeling off the rest of his wet clothes. He didn’t need too much time to search for something dry to wear, and did his best to make sure he wasn’t putting anything on backwards.
He listened to everything Ariel was saying, of course. Even if some of it made his heart flutter and pull a smile to his face.
But then some of what Ariel said was confusing, and once he was finally dressed he reached out to take his hand again to let him know he was done.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, tilting his head in confusion. “Why would you be intruding? I want you to be with me. If you weren’t over here, I would have cried at your door until you let me in,” he said with a small breath of exasperation, if only because Ariel was so strange sometimes. Well, no… not strange. But he seemed to doubt himself a lot and…
Oh… oh. He wanted to be around Casey? And Morgan was determined to bring him back safe to Ariel?
Now that he had clothes on, tugged on Ariel’s hand to draw him closer, and then reached his other arm around him to give him a tight hug.
“I missed you. I kept worrying if you were okay or not. I’m glad you are. And I’m glad Morgan was able to bring me back to you in one piece.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 9:32 pm
Ariel melted into the hug. Pathetically, he thought, but he didn’t pull away. He wanted it too much.
He draped his arms around Casey and pulled him close, all the while pressing his face into the curve of his neck.
“I’m okay,” Ariel insisted. It was more tired than firm, and not entirely convincing. He was better now, though. That much was the truth. The past few days had been stressful, for reasons he both understood and didn’t. There were things he wasn’t sure he was ready to unload on Casey, so the only thing he could do was think about them until he’d shredded all thoughts to nothingness.
“I don’t know what I’m talking about,” he sighed. “I’ve been so messed up about so much for so long. I worry about everything. I don’t want to be clingy, I just like being around you. You’ve been so good to me. I worried about you every time you had to leave to go to work, I hate how hard they are on you. And this weather, I don’t know. I’m so glad Morgan got you back here.”
He should pull away. He knew he should.
Just a moment more. Casey was a bit cold, he could buy a few more seconds if he rubbed his back. Just to warm him up.
“I know it’s just bad scheduling, but I’ve missed you. I don’t sleep as well when you’re next to me.”
Even before he’d spent the night, he’d always slept better just knowing Casey was there next door.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 9:51 pm
“Oh,” Casey said quietly, a smile in his voice. He rubbed Ariel’s back in return and tipped his head to rest his temple against Ariel’s hair.
“I worry about being clingy too. So… I guess we void each other out, then? If I don’t think you’re clingy and you don’t think I’m clingy… or… I mean, if you do I can do better, but I don’t think you are. You’ve got the right amount of cling. Like saran wrap. Wow, I’m sorry, that was a really bad joke,” he winced and pulled back enough to be able to look at Ariel and offer him a smile.
“You can stay with me anytime you want. I like when you’re with me too. Even if I’m pretty sure I’ve kicked you a few times. Sorry,” he winced again.
“Oh, but we probably shouldn’t let Morgan stand in his wet clothes much longer. I don’t want him getting a cold. But he does have nice muscles. You should absolutely stare! I think he shows them off on purpose. Like being subtle about it but also flexing when he notices you’re looking in his direction!”
Maybe that was a little silly, but Casey didn’t mind if Ariel looked at Morgan! Sure, his heart felt like it was breaking a little because there’s no way he could compare to Morgan, but… if Ariel was happy then that’s all that mattered.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2023 10:05 pm
“Do you think? I thought he was doing that for you, I’ve definitely seen him roll up his sleeves while you were looking. Like he didn’t carry you up the stairs just so you’d feel his muscles! He was probably hoping you’d wake up in his arms so he could show off how built he is.” Ariel forced a huff but his face was a little pink.
He wondered if Morgan’s muscles were as firm as they looked.
“Too bad he probably doesn’t need help getting his wet clothes off.”
Ariel was quiet for a moment and then cleared his throat and shook his head. “I’m so nervous and jumpy from this storm, ignore me. I’m saying crazy things. He’s the one that keeps bringing up that calendar! Ugh, I’m so glad you’re here.”
He hugged Casey once more, a tight, warm squeeze, and then released him.
“I don’t want him to get sick, you’re right. Although, I bet he’d love your chicken noodle soup. I love it.” He loved all of Casey’s soup. It didn’t matter what flavor, he felt like he could always taste the love that went into making it. “Come on, let me get you under a blanket. And fed. You can worry about kicking me later. Oh–you don’t, by the way. Not that I’ve ever noticed. And if you’re kicking Harrison while I’m over, I don’t think she’s even noticed, either. You do hold my hand, sometimes. But I like that, so it’s fine.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 5:27 pm
Casey had to bite his lip to keep himself from grinning too brightly. Ariel was saying some silly things, but that was okay because Casey knew he said really silly things, too. Either way, he liked listening to Ariel talk. He seemed to be a lot more open and comfortable with him than he had been when they had a conversation for the first time. More than just saying hello in the hall.
He stored away all the things he wanted to say to Ariel for a little later. Right now he wanted to make sure Morgan wasn’t freezing.
“I’m glad you look after me,” he did say quickly as he took Ariel’s hand once more and lead the way from the bedroom back into the small living room.
“Sorry that took forever. Here’s the flashlight! Feel free to use whatever towels you want on the shelf in the bathroom. Those are the clean ones,” Casey quickly explained as he held the flashlight out to Morgan.
After leaving the living room and getting dressed, he noticed that it seemed to get a bit chillier. The storm was still raging outside, and the power was still out, but that was okay because they were safe and in good company.
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2023 6:10 pm
In their absence, Morgan had laid his wet towel on the ground to sop up a bit of the water. He stood over it to the best of his ability, but at some point he’d given in to Harrison’s big eyes and knelt to pet her. He rose again when they exited. He’d laid out his change of clothes on the armrest of the couch so when they came out again, he was all ready to go.
“Appreciate it,” he said, and accepted the flashlight as he simultaneously lifted the stack of clothes. “I won’t be long. Go ahead and start eating, don’t wait for me. Harrison’s desperate to see what we brought her.”
He bowed his head just slightly but left, and it was only when he silently crossed the distance between the front door and the bathroom that Ariel even realized he’d already taken off his boots, too. Oh, he was thoughtful. Or just used to doing this. He watched him go but Morgan didn’t seem like he’d hidden some hatchet and was just waiting to jump out and attack them. Now would have been a good time for it, though. Who would come to rescue them?
A shiver ran down his spine and he shook his head before pulling Casey over to the couch. He sat him down but held both of his hands for a few seconds to warm them up before reaching for a blanket and draping it over his shoulders. He bundled Casey up without even thinking about it, and immediately turned to get him some pizza. “I know work was horrible, but I’m going to ask how your day was, anyway. Did you have anything good happen or is the best part of your day coming home to all this love?”
He was talking about Harrison, of course, but his heart skipped a beat when he said it, anyway. Oh, so stupid. He’d just spent all day scolding himself. That word was supposed to be banned.
…Maybe his attempted aversion to thinking about it was why it was at the forefront of his mind.
He liked Casey, but it–this wasn't more than a crush, anyway. Probably. And it wasn’t even supposed to be that.
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