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Derek hasn't really seen Casey's husband since he and Skyler practically moved in 3 months ago.
Casey didn't really mention him except in the passing ("Do you maybe have a screwdriver or something? The drawer is jammed again." "I think Peter put it in the garage.")
Derek thought it was a bit weird considering that Derek and his daughter occupied the guy's living space. Well, his backyard would've been more accurate.
Even though Casey and Peter had been married for 14 years, Derek hardly knew the guy.
They were briefly on the same hockey team back in college (Peter was a few years older and actually played instead of just sitting on the bench like Derek did), but the two of them didn't really hang out all that much. Derek left soon after anyway.
A few months after he and his newly formed band started their little improvised tour (and by tour he meant jumping between cities and playing for change - it took them 5 months for someone important to finally notice them and offer them a record deal), Casey sent him a text telling him that she's been dating his ex-teammate Peter.
Derek thought it was an underhanded move on Peter's part. He informed his teammates that his step sister was off limits the day she popped up at one of his practices and the guys kept skating past her like they've never seen a girl in their lives. They all agreed, but apparently, as soon as Derek turned his back, Peter decided to shoot his shot. A dick move for sure, but it's not like Derek could do anything about it. It was his choice to leave and he couldn't tell Casey what to do even if he wanted to.
Over the years to come, Derek met Peter a limited number of times.
Casey's wedding day, his own wedding day, when Luca, Skyler, Molly and Kai were born. And a few random family gatherings here and there.
Derek had a very busy touring schedule, especially after Sky was born and even more so when Sky's mom remarried and Skyler had to come with him to every tour.
Lucky for him, Skyler was very self-sufficient. If she weren't, Derek probably would've gone insane a long time ago. It was bad enough that parenting made him develop an unsavory habit of caring a lot more about other people than he used to. Casey joked that this was payback for him being an unfeeling jerk back in high school and Derek had to agree that this definitely seemed like some sort of cosmic punishment.
So Derek only visited Casey and her family every few years, usually prompted by some huge event (birthday, holiday, promotion). Peter wasn't always present for all of those, but, when he was, he and Derek got on well enough. Usually talking about hockey or their college days over a beer. But, most of the time, when Derek visited, he spent his time hanging out with the kids or annoying Casey in some shape of form.
Him and Casey developed a habit of texting almost every day. After Luca and Skyler were born, Casey and Derek seemed to finally ditch their differences and bond over the fact that "parenting is so hard, I haven't slept in days, how are people doing this". It was nice to know that there was someone going through the same shit you were going through. Especially if that someone had been your unwilling roommate for years (and probably understood you better than any other person in your life - but they don’t really talk about that one).
So after he would finally put Sky to sleep, Derek would call Casey or she would call him and they'd rant about their day, talk about kids, send pictures (Skyler spitting pea mush down her shirt, Luca chewing on a plastic fork) and eventually they'd talk about high school and all of the stupid shit they used to do back then.
Him and Casey officially became friends, casting aside their past rivalries and turning their relationship around. A shock to the entire family and anyone who’s ever known them.
Derek always knew that Casey was fun to be around, but, as fun as getting a reaction out of her could be, talking to her was just good. Parenting may have made him soft, but it would be a lie to say that he didn't always have a soft spot for Casey.
Anyway, it was weird that Casey rarely mentioned Peter. The kids mentioned him often enough (Luca usually complaining that he's never around), but not Casey. A part of him thought that it was out of respect for Derek which was a very fucked up thing to think. Why shouldn't she mention her husband around her step brother? Derek was projecting (a fancy term he heard from Casey) and he knew it.
Even after all these years, Derek still couldn't shed the unwilling infatuation he had with his step sister. It was horrible in high school, realizing you're in love with someone you're most definitely weren't supposed to be in love with. Or in love at all. Derek always took pride in being a ‘no strings attached’ kinda guy. Emotionally shallow, as Casey often said, but he enjoyed his happy, shallow existence. And of course, Casey decided to come along and ruin it all with her stupid planning schedules and girly ballet shoes and doe like blue eyes. Horrible.
Getting used to feeling stuff was difficult for Derek, especially since he didn’t know what he was supposed to feel or what he was feeling. And Casey brought along a wide variety of confusing emotions. Example, Casey yelling at him about this and that made him feel emotions he could only describe with other events. A combination of being in class, a teacher yelling at him, watching TV and being on the stage while the crowd screamed his name.
Needless to say, it took him a while to realize he was in love with her.
----
Life has been good in the new, merged (ex)McDonald/Venturi household.
Casey and Derek's teamwork was a force to be reckoned with even after all these years. It's actually even better now that they acknowledge that it is, in fact, teamwork. Derek looks after the kids when Casey is at work and Derek plays occasional solo gigs in clubs around the city. He hasn't made plans to go on a tour anytime soon and he's completely satisfied just spending his time writing new songs and making sure that Skyler gets used to that family lifestyle she so desperately needed (and Derek needed).
Only downside was that now there's not only one person bossing him around to do chores. There were two. Skyler and Casey with their forces combined were even a bigger force to be reckoned with. But at least the rest of the more laid back kids were being pestered as well, so he wasn't suffering alone.
Ultimately, Derek didn't really mind. He was feeling less stressed than he was in ages.
----
One night, after the kids went to bed, Derek heard Casey's voice coming from the kitchen. She sounded agitated, so Derek assumed she was talking to a rude client who didn't know what work hours meant.
Derek headed towards the kitchen, ready to tell Casey to just hang up and that she's not getting paid to put up with other people's shit, when he heard her say, "Peter, you said you'd be here!"
He paused. Casey was talking to her husband.
Even though he knew that Casey probably deserved some privacy, he just couldn't help himself. His curiosity was far stronger than his feeble morals.
So he listened.
"I told you about the talent show last month. Molly told you herself. You told her that you'll be there."
Derek knew all about Molly's talent show. She thought that since he was a musician he'd be the perfect audience for her performance. She and her friends were doing a very complicated BTS dance routine ("Wouldn't it be better if you danced to one of my songs?" "But your songs aren't nearly as cool, uncle Derek." "Casey, stop laughing, this isn't funny.") and Derek could barely keep up with it. Even though they were slightly out of sync, they were still a lot better than he was at that age. Molly was the best dancer in the group, of course. It was obvious she inherited the dancing skills from her mom (not that he's ever seen Peter dance, so he couldn't compare).
"I managed to get the time off," Casey continued, obviously frustrated. "Had to trade shifts and promise to do paperwork for one of my coworkers, but I got the time off."
Derek decided to take a peek through the slightly ajar door. Casey was pacing back and forth, clutching the phone in her hand so tightly that Derek couldn’t believe it didn’t crack.
"You always say that, Peter. It's getting old," Casey said. She sounded more tired than he's ever heard her. He guessed this was a recurring conversation.
"You know what? Fine," Casey snapped, "Don't come. Father of the year award."
Peter must've shouted something at that because Derek could faintly hear his voice coming from the phone. Casey let out a breath of frustration and hung up.
"Self-absorbed ass," she muttered before putting the phone down and leaning on the counter.
Without a second thought, Derek came inside. Casey turned to look at him, but she didn't seem surprised to see him.
"So you heard that, ha?" she said instead of a greeting.
"Yeah," Derek said carefully. "What was that all about?"
Casey sighed, "Peter isn't coming for Molly's talent show." She closed her eyes, "Molly was so excited about that. How am I going to tell her?" Derek wanted to reassure her, but he didn't know how.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Derek offered even though he hoped she would no. Derek was awful with sensitive subjects, but Casey looked like she could use a break.
"No, it's alright", she said and Derek moved to lean on the counter next to her.
"I just wish," Casey said, her mouth twisting into a frown, "he was more involved in their lives."
"I'm sorry," Derek said genuinely and Casey gave him a tired smile.
"You know what we should do?" Derek said and Casey raised her eyebrows, curiosity overshadowing her glum mood. Her full attention made his skin tingle.
Derek smirked, "Drink."
Casey groaned, "Der-rek..."
"Oh come on. You need to get loose from time to time. And what's a better drinking occasion than feeling shitty."
"That's how you become an alcoholic, Derek. Besides, I don't even have the hard stuff." She paused and quietly said, "But I do have wine."
Derek grinned, "Then we're just going to have to drink more."
----
An hour later, Derek and Casey were sitting in the kitchen, an almost empty bottle of wine between them.
"It's not fucking fair!" Casey wailed, her words slurring a bit. Drunk Casey was always a sight to behold. Unpredictable and saying the wildest shit he's ever heard. He hadn't seen her drunk often, but he still remembered that one party they attended in college when Casey got wasted because she didn't know there was vodka in the punch. A guy at the party said "The Notebook'' was overrated and Casey started a half hour long, one sided argument about how "The Notebook" was a masterpiece and how the guy was probably just too stupid to comprehend it. The argument ended with Casey flipping the guy off (both hands!) and Derek having to drag her out. Derek had to take a 10 minute break because he was doubling in pain from laughing so hard.
"He expects me to work, take care of the kids and do the chores, while he does whatever he likes. I haven't had a night out in years! Not to mention how many times I had to tell the kids he wasn't coming. Do you know how hard it is to watch your little angels' faces fall in disappointment? Do you? Sometimes I really want to punch him in the face."
She took another swig from the glass. "I mean, how hard is it to be there for your kids? Let's take you as an example," she gestured towards Derek, her eyes unfocused, "You dropped everything for Skyler. No consideration. Just to get her to a family environment."
Derek laughed, "But that was only because I had no fucking idea what I was supposed to do. You were the first thing that popped into my mind. I just want for Sky to grow up in a normal, happy environment and I knew I wasn't making that happen."
Casey grinned as if he just proved her point, "See. You care. You're a great dad. Unlike my dear husband who only shows up to get a new change of clothes every once in a while."
Casey took another swig. Maybe he should take the glass away from her. She changed quite a lot of it. "And it's even worse because he knows that my dad was never around. He knows how important this is to me. And he still doesn't care."
Casey suddenly gasped in horror.
"What?" Derek said, feeling a tinge of worry mixed with curiosity.
Casey looked at him with bone chilling horror in her eyes and said, "I just realized…"She paused, taking a shaky breath.
"I married my dad!" she said in horror and covered her face with her hands.
Derek started laughing hysterically.
"This is not funny, Derek," Case scolded, voice filled with misery. "I've read about this and how often it happens and I still did it! What's wrong with me?" She looked at him through her lashes like a kicked puppy.Drunk Casey never disappointed. There were literal tears in Derek's eyes now. That's how fucking funny this was to him.
"You did the same thing, you know?" Casey argued.
"What? Marry your dad?" Derek said through fits of laughter.
"No," Casey said slowly, a grin creeping to her face. "Marry your mother."
Derek stopped laughing and he felt his face grow pale as the words sank in. "No..."
"Yes," Casey grinned.
He paused for a second and then, "Oh, god."
"Not so funny anymore, ha?" Casey poked. "I guess we're both fucked up."
"Fuck that," he took a gulp from his own wine glass and pointed at her. "But I divorced my mother, so I'm definitely less fucked up than you are."
Casey laughed and said, "Maybe I should divorce my dad too."
Derek paused, not sure if he should laugh about it or take her seriously. Casey hesitated for a second, her mind trying to catch up with what she just said.
"Just to be clear," Derek said, "is that a joke or..?"
He expected a ‘Of course it's a joke, Der-rek’, but instead Casey shrugged and said, "I don't know."
"Okay..," Derek said, his booze-addled mind trying to find some sense in the situation.
Casey groaned and put her head on the counter. "Sometimes I think about it, I guess."
Derek went quiet, waiting to see if she'll continue. Casey's head snapped up again and Derek startled. She suddenly leaned closer to him, her face only a breath away from his and Derek's eyes widened. Is she…?
"Can I tell you a secret?" Casey whispered instead.
Of course. What did think she was going to do? She's just drunk and has no concept of personal space.
Derek decided to get his mind out of the gutter because he actually did want to know Casey's secret. He wanted to know all of her secrets, but that was beside the point. He urged her to continue.
"I'm not sure I love Peter all that much anymore," she said and stared at him, apparently waiting for his reaction. The words sent a selfish thrill through him.
"Yeah?" Derek said instead of a victorious Fuck, yes that he originally thought.
Casey nodded and leaned away from him. Derek swallowed back his disappointment.
"I used to love him. I really did. But we've been growing distant for years. I used to miss him when he went away and as the years went by...I missed him less and less, until I just didn't anymore."
Casey reached for her glass again, but it was empty, so she took Derek's and took another sip. Her mouth left a faint trace of lipstick on the glass. "I often hear my coworkers talk about their dead marriages, but I never thought I'd end up here. Don't get me wrong, I love my life. I love my kids, I love my job. It's just… it gets lonely sometimes. It would be great to know someone has your back after a tough day at work. Someone who'll listen to you, someone to talk to, someone to help you with the kids."
She shook her head in annoyance. "Also, do you know when's the last time I've been on a proper date?" She paused even though it was obvious that she didn't expect him to answer. "Two years! Two freaking years. And it was a double date with Peter's teammate. It wasn't even Peter's idea!"
Since Derek wasn't sure how to react to that statement, he decided to one-up her. "You think that's bad? I've been divorced for 5 years and I'm still single. I’ve been on like two dates that ended before they even began."
Casey chuckled, "Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
Feeling honest (he blamed the wine), Derek leaned closer to Casey, just like she did a few minutes earlier, chasing her warmth, and whispered, "Do you want to hear a secret?"
Casey quickly nodded, her eyes more focused than they've been for the last hour.
"I get lonely too," Derek admitted. "And I really miss how things were when we were in high school. I didn't really appreciate it back then, but now I do." His eyes flickered over Casey's face.
"My whole world revolves around Skyler," he continued. "She's the best thing that happened to me. She is also my best friend which is probably sad as shit, but it's true. It's just me and Sky on these tours."
He took in a frustrated breath, "We get home and it doesn't feel like home. We don't get ambushed by other nosy family members, we don't have family game nights. I don't want Sky to grow up and not know what that's like." Derek felt slightly ridiculous for sharing something this personal, but Casey was staring at him intently. She was hanging onto his every word and the words just spilled out of him.
"Thank you for telling me," Casey said as she smiled softly. "I really missed you, Der. I can't explain to you how glad I am that you're here. And Sky as well. I don't remember the last time I've been this happy. And the kids. Your presence was exactly what we all needed. What we both needed, I think."
Derek smiled at her, "Thanks. And for the record I missed you too."
Casey went to pass Derek's glass back to him and he reached out to take it, causing their fingers to brush over the glass.
Neither of them moved. Casey didn't let go of the glass and Derek didn't try to pull it away from her. His gaze was firmly on her and she was looking at him with the same intensity he’d seen on her countless times before. Only this time, it was softer, mixed with shared insecurities, comfort and wine. Her fingers felt electric on his, a thousand little needles under his skin.
If things could only remain how they've been for the last few months. If he could stay here forever. If he asked, would she let him?
Derek finally took the glass from her and brought it closer to his mouth to take a drink, trying to snap himself out of the feelings that were plaguing him. He could feel Casey's eyes on him and his heartbeat started thundering with nervous energy.He needed to leave right now if he didn't want to do something he'dl regret.
He put the glass on the table and said, "I should probably turn in for the night."
"Oh, already?" Casey said, her voice colored in disappointment.
Derek nodded, "And you should too if you want to wake up for work on time tomorrow."
"I always wake up on time," Casey retorted immediately.
"Sure," Derek grinned, "but think about the lovely hangover you'll wake up to."
"Ugh," Casey groaned, "Don't remind me. Let me enjoy my peaceful state of drunk."
"Sure thing, Space Case," Derek said easily.
Casey's face suddenly lit up with a smile that could've easily knocked Derek out. "You haven't called me that in ages."
Derek smiled, "Well, I'm falling back into old habits." Some more dangerous than others.
Derek got up and said, "Night, Case."
"Night," she said and Derek tried to ignore the heat he felt as her eyes followed him as he left.
----
Sun is down,
you and I are in a tipsy haze
all the memories of before mixing with the memories of today.
Complicated, it's complicated.
But loving you is easy.
A lot of love songs Derek wrote have been about Casey. He would've been embarrassed if anyone knew.
He used to have such a hard time writing songs about love and romance (he still remembered the time Sally pied him in the face), but when it was time to create a list of songs for the album, he knew he'd have to feature at least one love song. So he struggled for days to think of something, anything, that might sound even remotely romantic. Then Casey announced that she was getting married and Derek wrote a break up song so petty, he even shocked himself. But underneath all of the bullshit written down, Derek actually saw an outline of something good. Something that sounded genuine.
So he rewrote it and his band mates thought it was his best work yet.
Of course, he only performed the songs he could've passed off as not being about Casey. An imaginary ex girlfriend, an old flame. Couldn't really broadcast that he writes love songs for his step sister.
All of the songs he's ever written and never published weren't even that obvious. They could've been about anyone to anyone else. But they would've been obvious to Casey.
Casey who blasted his songs while she was doing the chores and doing paperwork.
So no, it's better if people didn't know.
----
Molly really was disappointed when she heard that Peter wasn't coming but she took it in a stride. She let out one small "Oh," before saying, "that's okay" and moving on. Luca looked considerably more pissed, offended on his sister's behalf, so he made snide remarks the entire evening.
Derek almost fell asleep at the talent show. It was the most boring experience of his life. Molly and her friends were the only ones there who were actually any good, so it came as a surprise when a kid with a fucking kazoo won.
Fucking kazoo.
Molly didn't look like she minded that much when she found them in the crowd. Derek was holding a sugar-rushed Kai who managed to get his hands on a candybar, while Luca and Sky chatted behind them. Casey ran to hug Molly, "You were amazing, baby."
"I know," Molly replied easily and Derek smirked.
"I can't believe the other kid won. You were far better than him," Derek commented, holding Kai tight as he tried to wiggle free.
"My friend Paula said that his mom bribed the judges," Molly said and Casey immediately went into her lawyer mom mode. "Is that true? If so, the results should be nullified right away and-"
"Relax Spacey, not worth making a scene out of a children's talent show. If you're a loser enough to bribe the judges for this, just let them have it." Casey mulled it over and then sighed in acceptance.
Molly giggled at Derek. "Spacey?" she repeated curiously.
Derek grinned, "Yup. I gave your mom loads of nicknames when we were in high school. Spacey, Space Case, Princess, Klutzilla..."
"Ha, Klutzilla," Molly laughed.
"Derek, don't corrupt my children," Casey said firmly. Derek gave her his most innocent smile.
"Can we go home now?" Sky asked from behind them. She and Luca looked like they were bored out of their minds.
"Yeah, let's go," Casey said and they started heading for the exits. Derek could suddenly feel Casey next to him and, without a moment's warning, she leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Trying not to appear as flustered as he felt, Derek asked, "What was that for?"
Casey smiled and said, "A thank you."
"What for?" Derek asked in confusion, but instead of answering Casey joined the children in the front.
----
Peter finally came back.
He wasn't sure for how long he was staying but Derek selfishly hoped that not for too long. The atmosphere around the house was completely different now that he was back and Derek wasn't sure if he felt like an impostor or if Peter did.
Peter felt out of place there, completely messing up the balance. They still did joint dinners instead of Derek and Skyler eating by themselves, but now with Peter messing up their seat arrangement.
Molly and Kai were overjoyed to have their dad there. And even Luca looked happy even though he refused to admit it. Casey was definitely more tense. She hasn't spoken to him since the fight and she had no idea he was coming. Said he wanted to see the kids, but Casey barely suppressed a frown when she saw him at the door. Derek and him shook hands upon seeing each other and Peter greeted Skyler politaly, commenting how small she was the last time he saw her.
When Derek and Sky moved in, Casey said she told Peter all about it and that he said it was fine since Derek was family to Casey. Derek now suspected that Peter assumed that it was a temporary thing.
Derek thought that too at first, but, as the time went by, Derek was feeling less and less inclined to leave. Skyler seemed happy, the rest of the kids seemed happy. Derek definitely was.
Casey seemed happy.
None of them asked Derek if he and Sky were leaving soon and they continuously made plans for the future ("I want to try that restaurant." "There's a new movie coming out." "Where should we go for the winter holidays.") . Derek (but actually Casey) even signed Skyler into the local high school Luca was attending.
Unfortunately, Peter didn't seem to share this sentiment.
"You're welcomed here as long as you like," he said, but he constantly made little jabs, reminding him that he and Skyler, no matter how well adjusted, were still just guests. Always subtle, always polite, but very clear.
"Are you going to try to move to France again, Derek?" Peter asked one night over dinner.
"I don't know," Derek replied, unsure what to say to that. France hasn't even crossed his mind once.
"Uncle Derek and Sky are going away?" Kai asked, shocked. "Can't they stay?"
Peter laughed, "Well, they're going to have to leave eventually, buddy."
Derek noticed how Sky was shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She and Luca exchanged glances, reminding him very much of the silent conversation Lizzie and Edwin used to have when they were younger (and even now when he saw them).
Derek then looked over to Casey who was obviously not happy with what Peter just said, but she sweetly and firmly said, "They can stay as long as they want."
That very night, when Derek was in bed, he started wondering if he was imposing. He didn't think about it too much before then, but Peter just made him see it a bit clearer.
This wasn't just Casey's house. This wasn't just like the old times. This wasn't the new McDonald/Venturi household where Casey and Derek took over for Nora and George. This was Casey's household and he and Skyler were just guests. They weren't even an actual relation.
Derek has been fooling himself by playing house.
He didn't even think about leaving, but now he knew it was inevitable.
----
It seemed like Casey was going to be the one who finally told him to move out.
Peter has taken the kids out for the evening (even Skyler was invited along) and Derek and Casey were left alone. They decided to watch a movie, so Derek made popcorn and Casey picked a movie, which wasn't the wisest decision since she picked "The Princess Bride" (a movie Derek secretly liked, but he would've rather died than admit it).
They were lounging on the couch, sharing a bowl of popcorn. It was too bad Casey didn't have a recliner, but this was a wonderful opportunity for him to enjoy her closeness without it being too obvious.
Casey looked pensive the entire evening and Derek immediately knew that something's wrong. He decided not to pry since he knew she was going to tell him when she's ready anyway.
Derek had a bad feeling about Casey's mood. Casey was going to ask him to leave, he was sure of it. He couldn't explain how he knew. He just did. Things just weren't the same with Peter around and they both knew it.
Derek noticed the signs. Casey casually leaning over him to check what he was making for breakfast only to jump away as if she were burned the moment Peter walked in. Talking to Sky about her upcoming classes only to grow silent when Peter passed by. Casey would've been sitting on the opposite end of this couch if she knew Peter was here. Even this was distant enough for the two of them. By now, Casey would've taken up half of the couch, stretching out. Derek would complain about it and Casey would put her feet over his lap just to be annoying. Derek didn't think it was annoying though. He knew what he was doing when he complained. But none of that is happening tonight.
Finally, about half way through the movie, Casey turned down the volume and said, "Derek."
Here it goes.
"I've been thinking..," she started carefully.
Derek, impatient as he was, decided to rip that bandaid right off. He could at least spare Casey and himself the discomfort of what's about to come.
"Look, I know what you're going to say. You don't have to worry, me and Skyler are going to be out of your hair in no time. I'll drop her off with her mom while I find us a place to live."
Casey's face fell and Derek had a distinct feeling that he said the wrong thing.
"You're leaving?" Casey asked quietly. "Why?"
Derek raised his eyebrows as if it was obvious. "We've been crashing here for months, Case."
"Is this about what Peter said?" Casey asked, suddenly angry. Why was she angry?
"I guess. It'd be weird if we stayed here now that Peter's back."
"It wouldn't be weird. Why would it be weird?" Casey argued. It would be plenty weird, having your step brother and niece living with you full time for no apparent reason, but Derek decided not to mention it.
Casey's eyes turned cold, "Unless you want to leave?"
"Of course I don't want to fucking leave!" Derek yelled before he could catch himself.
Why did he just say that? It was true, sure, but you couldn't really tell someone that you'd never ever want to leave their home without it being horribly weird.
The implications were even more horrible. Derek should want to move out. He could go on a date, meet someone like his dad did, like his ex did. Start a new family instead of barging in on somebody else's. But none of that sounded half as good as staying with Casey. He thinks of her family like his own in more ways than the fact that those are his nephews and a niece. Just like he thinks of Casey as more than just his step sister.
"I just," Derek started lamely, "assumed that you'd want your own space again."
"Why would you assume that?!"
Derek raised his hands up, "It's a reasonable assumption, Case."
"Well, I don't want you to leave," Case said firmly. "And unless you want to leave, then you'll stay here. No discussions."
"Okay," Derek said carefully, not wanting to anger her any further. He was touched that she wanted him to stay, even though, reasonably, he knew that he couldn't stay there forever.
Even if he were to stay there until Skyler finished high school, he really wouldn't have a proper reason to stay afterwards. 'Except he did have a reason', he thought while looking at Casey who was deep in thought, 'just not an acceptable one'.
"What did you want to tell me then?" Derek asked when he remembered.
"Ha?" Casey snapped out of her thoughts.
"You were going to tell me something," Derek reminded her.
Casey hesitated for a split second before shaking her head, "Nothing we can't talk about later. Now let's watch the movie. I like this part."
She turned up the volume again, signaling the end of the conversation. Derek could barely pay attention to what was happening on the screen after that.
----
Three days later something incredibly weird happened.
While Derek, Kai and Simon (who came over for a visit or, better to say, came to steal food from the fridge) were playing Uno in the living room (Kai was winning even though Simon was obviously cheating), Peter stormed in looking angrier than Derek has ever seen him. He was carrying around a heavy looking suitcase.
He approached Kai and kneel to be on his level. When Kai looked at him, his expression softened, "Hey, buddy. I just wanted to say bye. I'm going to Vancouver to prepare for the next match."
"Already?" Kai asked and Derek was just as confused as Kai was. He thought Peter wasn't supposed to go for another week.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'll see you in a month, though. We'll go check out that new fast food restaurant they opened when I get back. Alright?"
"The one with the ball pit?" Kai asked excitedly.
"The very same."
"Cool!" Kai said as he jumped from his chair. "I'm gonna tell mom!"
Before running upstairs, he turned to Simon and Derek and said, "You'll have to come too. I heard it's very cool." Simon and Derek agreed, faking enthusiasm, and Kai, obviously content, ran upstairs.
There were just the three of them in the living room left. Peter nodded curtly at them and said, "Bye, guys," before walking out of the room. They heard the sound of the front door closing shut.
"Weird," Derek commented and Simon just shrugged.
"Is it just me or does Peter not seem to like me very much?" Derek finally decided to ask a question that's been bugging him.
"Oh yeah, he hates your guts," Simon said casually and Derek turned sharply towards him.
"What?! Why?"
Simon shrugged, "Competition, I guess."
Derek had no idea what that meant.
----
Casey has been acting a bit weird since Peter left and Derek couldn't quite put his finger on why that is. There was definitely something off. So of course, Derek had to know what it was.
Derek waited for the kids to go to school on Casey's day off before ambushing her. She was in the kitchen doing the dishes after the breakfast they all just had. Her back was turned to him and Derek carefully sat on the chair by the counter, waiting for her to notice him on her own. She was softly humming, engrossed in the chore, probably mentally going over a case file that bugged her, even on her day off. Her hair was loose and falling over her back, her sleeves pushed past her elbows. It was incredible how someone can look so similar and different from when they were younger. She grew from her youthful prettiness to a mature beautiful and it was just as appealing as it ever was.
Casey finally turned off the water and wiped her hands on a dishrag. She turned around only to jump startled when she saw him. Her expression was definitely worth the wait.
"Der-rek!" she put her hand on her chest, "You scared me."
Derek crossed his arms trying to appear as serious as possible, "Okay, what's up with you?"
"Well, you scared the hell out of me."
"That's not what I mean. You've been acting weird since Peter left."
"Oh," she said carefully, "that."
"Yeah, that. What happened? Did you and Peter have a fight? He left quite abruptly."
Casey hesitated, but then she let out a deep breath. "Okay, yeah. I've been meaning to tell you..."
She crossed her arms defensively and muttered something under her breath.
"I can't understand you, Case," Derek said in annoyance.
Casey straightened herself. "I told Peter that I want to get a divorce," she said in a single breath and then looked at Derek as if waiting for his reaction.
"Oh. Oh."
"Yeah," Casey said, hugging herself tight.
"That's...uh...I mean." Amazing? Horrible? Wonderful? Spectacular? Sad?
Congrats?
I'm sorry?
"Don't stare at me like that, you're making me feel self conscious," Casey complained. "I'm glad I did it. It was hard, but I'm glad."
Derek finally decided to say something coherent, "Okay, good. I mean, I knew you weren't happy, but you were pretty drunk when you told me. I didn't think...well." He gestured vaguely with this hand. "I'm here if you need to talk. As a fellow divorcee and...uh..," Brother? Step brother? Housemate? Former enemy? Guy who's stupidly in love with you?
"A friend," he settled on. His brain was short circuiting.
Casey smiled at him, "Thank you, Derek." She moved to sit next to him.
"So what made you finally do it?" Derek asked as she sat down.
Casey shrugged. "A bit of everything I guess. Peter's always been so absent and I always looked past it. Because kids needed him. And I thought I needed him, even though that wasn't really the case for the last few years. I thought that's just how it was. But then you and Skyler came along and I was reminded so strongly of how things used to be. Of how things could be. And I realized that the kids deserved better. I deserved better."
Derek was listening to her with intense focus. He wanted to know what that *better* meant to her, but instead he asked, "How did Peter take it?"
Casey sighed, "Not well, but not as bad as I thought he would. I think he saw it coming as much as he didn't. He knew things weren't working between us but it didn't influence him as much as it did me."
"Since he wasn't here anyway," Derek said, his voice surprisingly bitter. Casey put a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay, Der. Really."
She frowned, "I just don't know how I'll break it to the kids."
Derek, feeling a bit brave, put his hand over Casey's on his shoulder and grinned, "Don't worry. I've been there, so I can give you a few tips."
Casey laughed, "How gracious of you."
Derek didn't miss how she squeezed his hand as she said it.
----
The kids took it as well as you would expect. Casey called a family meeting and sat them all down on the couch. Skyler was there too, curious about what was gonna happen. Casey didn't seem to mind. After all, this was a family meeting and Skyler was family too.
So Casey told them. Derek was standing a few steps behind her just in case she needed any help, but she was holding out extremely well, just as he expected. The entire thing reminded Derek of how he and his siblings reacted when his parents told them they were splitting up. He could almost predict their reaction from how him, Edwin and Marti reacted at the time.
Kai was sad, but he didn't seem to understand completely ("So I'm not going to see dad again?" "Of course you will!"). Molly understood it a bit better, but not by a lot, and Luca's face was completely blank. Derek remembered feeling angry when he heard about his parents divorce, but not at all surprised. The kid's probably going to be a mess for a while. Hopefully having a peer around to talk to will help him out a bit.
According to Casey, it's been decided that Peter is going to find an apartment nearby where kids could come visit when he's not traveling. And Casey has already started her divorce procedure. A perk of being a lawyer.
A downside of Casey getting a divorce was the fact that it made Derek unreasonably hopeful.
Casey was available again, single, back on the market, whatever you want to call it.
A part of Derek's brain kept ringing, "Now's your chance!" But what chance? Casey was single again. Big woof. She's been single before. Countless times before. It didn't make her any more available. Not for him. Not for her step brother.
It was actually easier when he knew she was dating someone. It was a *what can you do, it's out of my hands so I might as well accept it* situation.
Now (and all the times before) he knew that the only obstacle keeping them apart was the fact that their parents are married.
Well, maybe not the only obstacle.
He didn't actually know how Casey felt about him. She used to hate him, made it pretty clear. But he always wondered if she hated him in a way that he 'hated' her. If she was so angry because she didn't hate him. If she got high on their little fights, traced every move he made, rearranged everything to talk to him.
Sometimes he did think she felt the same. She'd look at him in a certain way, her hand would linger a moment too long. It was enough to drive him insane. But ultimately it never seemed to matter.
Because they could never do anything about it anyway.
Derek thought that his feelings would go away after a while, that the time and distance would do their work. And they did, for a while. He had Sky, married Liv, sang in his band, only saw Casey every few years. But of course, Derek couldn't just completely disappear. He'd see something that reminded him of Casey during his day and instinctually pull out his phone to text her. Casey was a constant dull thrum in the back of his mind. He never experienced anything so severe until Sky came along. It was easier to manage after that.
Derek could be content with only being Casey's friend. Just to see her face in the morning was effective enough. Things weren't going to change and Derek needed to realize that. He couldn't keep doing the same thing over and over again.
----
Nothing significantly changed. Casey still went to work in the morning, kids to school. Derek met up with the band members discussing their plans for what's to come next (local tours, producing more songs). In the evening there was a family dinner which was often invaded by various other members of the family. Kids were adjusting quite well to their situation, almost like nothing happened (really tells you how much influence Peter had on them).
Peter found a place relatively nearby and kids visited him when he came by. Luca refused the first two times (he's been stuck, shifting blame between his father and Casey, trying to figure out where to put the anger he was feeling), but he gave in eventually. Skyler and Derek still lived there and there was no mention of them moving out any time soon.
Skyler has settled in quite nicely in her new surroundings. She joined several after-school clubs and was acing every subject she had. The fact that she was home-schooled actually helped her instead of holding her back because she seemed to know a lot more than some of the teachers she had did. Casey absolutely loved that and she often talked to Skyler about her own high school experiences. ("Please don't teach her your keener ways." "Someone has to.")
Casey was still acting as her usual peppy self but there was definitely something a lot more airy about her. She had a certain glow. Her lawyer friends dragged her to a few pubs, celebrating her new singleness (who knew lawyers knew how to party). Casey didn't want to go at first, but when Derek reminded her that he can supervise the kids for the night, she gave in easily.
"Sometimes I forget I can just go out now," she joked, but Derek was glad that she trusted him enough to relax.
Derek saw no indications of the relationship between them changing in any way. They still behaved as they did almost a year ago when Derek moved in. They talked, they joked, they took care of the kids, watched movies, went out, met each others friends. Things were going great. The only thing they were all waiting for was the confirmation.
Finally, one afternoon Casey barged in through the front door looking ecstatic.
"It's done!" she yelled, ignoring Derek's confused look.
"What is?"
"The divorce," she said, voice filled with excitement, "It's finalized."
It took Derek a moment to process it. Finally, it hit him and he grinned from ear to ear, infected by Casey’s (and his own misplaced) excitement.
"Congratulations," he said genuinely. “You’re finally a free agent.”
Casey walked over to him and grabbed him by the arms. "We're having dinner tonight. To celebrate," Casey said firmly. "And you're making it."
Derek raised an eyebrow. “So, the deal as usual? Also, are you really sure that the kids would want to celebrate your divorce?”
"Of course they wouldn’t, Derek. It would be inconsiderate to even think that,” Casey said. “The two of us are having dinner tonight.”
“And kids are going to…watch? Seems kinda cruel, Case,” Derek joked.
Casey pushed his chest lightly, “Der-rek, of course not. I already called Lizzie. She said she could take them out for the night."
Derek sighed, feigning annoyance. "Fine. I guess I can whip something up for just the two of us. But don’t expect anything too fancy because I definitely will not deliver."
Casey patted his cheek and grinned, “Of course I don’t think you’ll make anything fancy. I just enjoy the fact that you actually cook now.”
Before Derek could process that, Casey started climbing up the stairs, "I'm going to take a shower. Lizzie is coming in two hours so you better get cooking."
"Yes, boss," he yelled after her and he found himself grinning at nothing in particular.
----
Derek’s idea of a fancy-ish meal was chicken and mashed potatoes with premade sauce. Last time he tried to make his own sauce it came out too bitter and everyone at the table complained. So premade sauce it was.
Lizzie rang on the door just as Derek was pulling the chicken (not burned at all, could be covered with sauce) out of the oven. Derek wiped his hands clean and went to open the door.
"Hey, Derek." Lizzie stood at the door, hands in pockets, looking as relaxed as always. She was still carrying a duffle bag from the gym she went to.
"I take it you're cooking?" she glanced at his shirt which was covered in some residue sauce from before.
"Yeah. Wait in the living room. I'll get the kids."
Lizzie came inside and Derek ran upstairs to call the kids. Kai and Molly were playing in their shared room and Skyler was in Luca's room, helping him study for an upcoming exam. No shouting, so everything was well.
When Derek told them that Lizzie's taking them out (because apparently Casey didn’t) they all came happily enough. Lizzie greeted them when they ran downstairs and they all collectively piled through the door, already familiar with the proceedings.
Before leaving, Lizzie looked at him pointedly and said, "You better get changed."
"I will, I will," he said dismissively, but as soon as the door closed, Derek ran to his room to get changed.
This wasn't a date, he knew. Just a celebratory dinner. A step sibling, friendly, no feelings here dinner. But Derek’s brain didn’t seem to get the memo. He kept wondering why Casey decided to have a night in with him instead of a night out with friends or maybe even a date. The thought that she came right for him made him extremely happy. Unless he wasn’t her first choice, but Derek had a feeling that he was. Her earlier approach was too direct.
So Derek put on his favorite, Skyler approved, shirt and a pair of snug fitting jeans which Casey said she liked on one occasion. He sprayed on some of that perfume thing that technically belonged to Skyler, but Derek thought it smelled really good anyway. Finally, he made his way to the living room where Casey was already waiting for him.
The first thing Derek noticed was how stunningly beautiful Casey looked tonight. Her hair was falling loose around her and she was wearing a black, knee length dress that fit her so perfectly that Derek had a hard time concentrating on anything else.
Casey always tried to look good and she always did look good, but Derek couldn’t help but notice that this was a lot of effort for a simple dinner at home. For a second, Derek almost thought he might've misunderstood her earlier and they were actually going out to some fancy lawyer-ish restaurant.
“Wow, don’t you clean up nicely,” Casey commented as she looked him over. Derek couldn’t help the pang of satisfaction he felt at the thought that she was checking him out.
“Likewise,” Derek said, trying to make it sound as casual as possible. "I hope you're hungry. We’re having chicken and potatoes."
"Yum. I’m starving," she said as she clapped her hands.
Derek gestured for her to sit down while he went to the kitchen to get the food. And a bottle of wine, of course. The light in the living room was dim since Derek didn't bother turning the lights on before he left to change. The light coming from the kitchen was just enough to see comfortably and it created an intimate, 'still-not-a-date' atmosphere.
Casey began telling him about what Bob, a batshit crazy lawyer coworker and Casey's rival ("A rival, ha? Am I getting replaced?" “Don’t worry. Your annoyingness is irreplaceable.") tried to do to her today. Derek found Casey’s rants to be incredibly entertaining to listen to. When she got so invested in the story that she’d start flaying her hands around, almost knocking stuff over 'cause she's a klutz. Usually, in her stories, Casey did something completely insane by any normal person’s criteria, but perfectly normal and in character for her and Derek always wanted to hear more of those.
They were on their second glass of wine when they finally brought up the cause for tonight's celebration.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Derek asked casually, trying to pretend like whatever her answer was won’t affect him too much.
"What do you mean?" Casey sloshed the vine around in her glass.
"Your divorce is official. You're free to do whatever you want." Date whoever you liked. "Are you going to start looking for hot dates?" Derek teased trying to avoid sounding curious. And just to torture himself he added, "I imagine hanging out with your step brother isn't really how you imagined your first night single to go. Couldn’t find a date?"
Case put down her glass. "Someone did ask me out actually," she said casually.
Derek felt his heart drop, "What? Who?" Already? She was barely divorced.
Casey uncommittedly waved her hand, "Just this guy from work. Works in finance. Asked me out the other day."
Why hadn't Derek heard of this before? Did she not want him to know? Well, she wouldn’t be telling him now if she didn’t. Still, Derek thought it was weird she hadn't mentioned it before. After all, they’re friends and friends told each other stuff like this. Maybe she just forgot.
He decided to drop it since it would’ve been weird if he started demanding why she didn’t tell him. "Is there a particular reason you're not celebrating your newfound singleness with some macho lawyer dude?" he asked instead. Not better, but not as weird.
Casey laughed awkwardly, "What? And miss this five star meal?"
“Ha, ha,” Derek said dryly, ignoring the small sense of victory he got from the fact that Casey chose to spend this important evening with him instead.
"So when are you going out with him?" he said as he picked up his glass. He took a large gulp of his wine.
Casey blinked, "Excuse me?"
"You're still gonna go out with him though?" Derek selfishly hoped that her answer would be no, but she had no actual reason to decline a date. Unless the guy was a creep which wouldn't be that far off. Who asks a woman out so soon after her divorce (in different circumstances, Derek would ask her in a heartbeat, but he chose to ignore that)?
"I...," Casey stuttered, "no. I turned him down."
She reached for the glass again and took a sip. She looked nervous and Derek's heart rate picked up.
"Why not?" he pushed. "You're single again."
Casey didn't answer, so Derek continued, "It's been almost a year since you and Peter split up. No one would blame you if you wanted to try dating again." Why was Derek doing this to himself? He could be a supportive friend without trying to set her up with another guy. A guy who is most likely a creep.
"Well, why didn't you?" Casey snapped, suddenly defensive.
Derek's brows scrunched in confusion, "Why didn't I what?"
Casey gestured towards him, "You're single too. You told me yourself that you didn't date much after divorce? Since you're so invested in my love life, it’s only fair if you tell me first."
He needed to tread carefully. Derek couldn't really go out and say 'Because I was in love with you, duh.' It would probably kill the nice dinner mood. (Or make it even better.)
"I don't know, I just didn't," he said.
Casey frowned, "Is it because you aren't over Liv yet?"
"What? No." Not only was Derek over Liv, he was pretty sure that he never fully loved her at all. He loved her in a sense that she was fun and that she was Skyler’s mother, but there was always a sort of an uncrossable distance between the two of them.
"Then why?" Casey persisted
"What's up with you, Case?" Derek asked, bewildered.
"Nothing,” she said quickly, “I was just curious."
Derek sighed, "Look, the reason I don't really date...is complicated."
Casey leaned forward, looking like a hound dog who just sniffed up something good. "Complicated how?" she asked. "Is it about Sky?"
Derek shook his head, "A good guess, but no."
"Is it," Casey looked away as if debating if she should continue, but then she looked at him again, determined. "Is it because of someone else?" Are you in love with someone else? wasn’t said, but it was definitely implied and they both knew it.
Maybe it was the way she was looking at him so intently, but he heard himself mutter. "Yeah."
Casey’s expression was hard to read. They kept looking at each other without talking for a long second before Casey finally broke eye contact by laughing. “Um yeah, okay, that’s a surprise,” she stumbled over her words, breaking them with small nervous giggles.
Derek was having a hard time understanding her reaction when she surprised him even more by saying, “Do I know her?”
“Know who?” Derek asked in confusion.
“The girl you’re in love with,” Casey explained in a tone which usually meant ‘Derek, you’re being an idiot.’.
…What?!
Derek stared at her, hoping that she was joking, but she was completely serious. In what universe had Derek implied that he might be in love with someone else. He only hangs out with his bandmates and old friends sometimes, but he spent most of his time with Casey or the kids. When did he have a chance to see someone? Did she think there was a mystery girl out there somewhere who he was pining on. The only person he was in love with was sitting across the table asking him painfully idiotic questions.
Derek couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s funny?” Casey asked, bemused.
“Nothing at all,” Derek replied honestly, still fighting laughter.
Casey crossed her arms, “Fine. Don’t tell me. I don’t care anyway.”
Yes you do.
“Don’t be mad, Spacey,” Derek said after he finally calmed down. “I might tell you eventually.”
This seemed to satisfy her, but only slightly.
“I probably won’t tell you though,” he said, wanting to see her get adorably pissed again.
“Der-rek!”
Ah, music for his ears.
“Let’s move on," Derek said. "Since we’re done eating, I’m gonna put on some music. Actually, I don't know why I haven’t put it on before.”
Casey didn’t say anything, so he assumed that she agreed to drop the topic. Derek startlingly realized that Casey’s pulled one over on him. She derailed his original question by directing it towards him, making him struggle to find a way to answer. Derek almost wanted to go back to the topic because he really wanted to know why she would try to avoid that question in the first place (If she wasn’t into the guy, couldn’t she have just said it? Or was there something else at play?), but he decided to drop it. He didn’t want to ruin tonight for Casey.
Derek got up from his chair and walked towards the stereo. He fiddled with it a bit until he found the playlist he was looking for. When the music started, Derek turned towards her. Casey’s eyebrows were knitted in concentration as she tried to place the song she was hearing. Finally, it clicked.
“Oh, is this the song we were dancing to in that competition?” she said excitedly.
“The very same,” Derek grinned.
“It’s been forever since I’ve last heard it! How did you even think of it?”
Derek rubbed the back of his neck, “I’ve actually been making a sort of a ‘nostalgia’ playlist. I was going to put it on a CD and give it to you for your birthday, but this seemed as good of an occasion as any.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet of you, Der,” Casey said and Derek gave her an awkward smile in return. “I’m really curious what you put on there. Maybe some D-Rock?”
“Among other things,” Derek replied easily. “A lot of my earlier stuff.”
Casey snickered, “Kinda narcissistic of you.”
Derek grinned, “You love it.”
“That, I do,” Casey smiled, surprising him completely.
Derek decided to ignore the wave of affection that washed over him because of that and he approached Casey and put out his arm for her to take.
Casey looked at his outstretched hand and her eyebrows shot up, “We’re dancing?”
Derek rolled his eyes, “Of course we’re dancing, Space Case. We literally won a dancing competition with this. Let’s see if we can remember the moves.”
Casey laughed happily and took his hand.
They did not in fact remember all the moves and the ones they did remember were definitely intended for people who were younger and still springy. Casey still got it though. She wasn’t as quick as she used to be, probably due to years of being out of practice (Casey told him she sometimes regrets that she didn’t have as much time for dancing anymore, but she was thinking about picking it up again - ballroom maybe), but she still moved with that distinct grace she always had. Well, the grace she had while she danced. She was still a major klutz in all other areas.
The songs kept playing on. D-Rock (but definitely not the Sally song), stuff from Casey’s recitals, Derek’s older stuff. They danced to it all, neither of them getting tired, just enjoying each other's company. Derek spun her and he dipped her and every other thing he could think of. Casey teased Derek about how uncoordinated he was and Derek kept denying it and it was fun.
Another song started, this one slower than the rest and it was Derek’s cheat song. The song was one of his own again and it was one of those written about no other than Casey. Not one of the obvious ones, of course, but he still wanted to push his luck a little bit by putting it on here. A way to tell her how he feels without actually doing so.
“Oh, I love this one,” Casey commented as it started. Of course, she did.
You walked into my life,
to flip it upside down.
I hate it, but I love it,
I can’t say that I mind.
“Are we dancing or not?” Casey said as she outstretched her hand. Derek must've spaced out a bit.
Derek wanted to make a joke about how this is a slow song and that there’s no way he’s dancing with her to that, but she was looking at him expectedly with those big blue eyes of hers and he gave in.
Derek took her hand and her other hand immediately found her way to his shoulder. He was a bit more hesitant before placing his other hand on her hip, placing it there slowly, feather light. After a second, he rested it there fully, comfortably.
They started swaying slightly to the rhythm. Derek liked it way more than he should’ve.
“I really like your voice,” Casey admitted, looking at him directly. “I have to admit though, I never thought you were this good of a singer. Back in high school, you never really sang stuff that wasn’t screaming into the microphone.”
“Back then I thought that singing anything like this would be too embarrassing. Not anymore, but I still sometimes think that people are going to start booing me off the stage when I start a slow song.”
Casey tilted her head slightly. “Remember when Sheldon did that singing performance back in high school? That was also a slow song.”
Derek nodded solemnly, “I used to think that guy was kinda lame, but it turns out he was onto something long before we all were.”
Casey laughed, “Finally admitting defeat, cool guy?”
Derek pointedly turned his head away, “Not at all. I’m a rock star now, Case. There is literally no one cooler than I am.”
The first chorus just finished, but Vasey and Derek didn’t change their slow, lazy tempo.
“You know, this song always kind of reminded me of us,” Casey commented and Derek felt his shoulders go tense. Casey must’ve sensed it because she quickly added, “Not the romantic parts, but just the general ‘turning your life upside down but in a good way I didn’t really appreciate’.”
“Never really thought about it.” A lie. This entire song was all about that very thing.
Casey continued, “I wasn’t really happy with our relationship and situation when it started, but you coming into my life was probably one of the best things that happened to him.”
Derek felt a wave of fondness wash over him. Leave it to Casey to say the sappiest things to him.
Casey continued, “Even though you were a menace 90% of the time, you also helped me grow as a person. I probably wouldn’t be the kind of person I am today if it weren’t for you.”
That sharp warmth he felt in his chest when Casey was around kept growing by the second.
“Yeah, same here,” he managed to reply. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
“Not to mention how great you were these past few months. It really made me appreciate you even more. And I already cared about you a whole lot. That’s actually why I wanted to celebrate with you tonight.”
“I’m glad you wanted to spend tonight with me,” Derek said fondly,”And I care about you a lot too, Case.“
Casey gave him an affectionate smile and neither of them said anything else. Their expressions said all there needed to be said and they sort of just basked in the moment. The song was fading out, but neither of them made any efforts to stop dancing at the same pace. Their bodies were now firmly pressed together and Derek wasn’t sure when that happened. Her hand was hot on his shoulder and their eyes didn’t stray as they gazed at each other. Casey’s eyes held a soft quality to them, the blue in them completely clear despite the dim lighting. She was magnetic and perfect and so close. Her nearness was making him dizzy.
Suddenly, Derek found himself unconsciously leaning forward, chasing Casey’s vicinity. They were so close he could feel her breath on his cheek. Casey wasn’t moving, still rooted in her position, but she inhaled softly when he got neared. Derek never heard a sweeter sound.
This is the perfect moment. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen now.
Derek was so close, so close to finally kissing her when another loud, fast paced song started and snapped him out of his daze.
The reality came crashing down, of what he was about to do, and Derek jumped away from Casey. There was a certain sort of realization in her eyes that he didn’t want to see.
“I..,” he started. Casey was completely quiet, just staring and Derek looked away. Casey was too stunned to speak, he fucked everything up. The fear was creeping in.
She was still silent and Derek wished she would say something. Anything.
He needed to get out of there, he couldn’t bear to look at her. Maybe if he pretended it didn’t happen, she would too. Maybe things didn’t have to be awkward.
“I just remembered!” he said loudly and he noticed Casey jump from the corner of his eye, “Dave told me to give him a call tonight about a song we’re working on. The drum part is not quite right. I should probably give him a call before the kids come back. And since we’re done eating anyway…"
It was an obvious excuse and they both knew it. He just hoped she’d let it be.
Derek headed towards the glass door that led to the back yard when he felt Casey's hand grab the back of his shirt. He paused, fully expecting her to start yelling at him (“Did you just try to kiss me, Derek? What the hell?!”). When she stayed quiet he turned around to face her.
Her face was serious and her eyes were downcast. He waited until he heard her mutter something under her breath.
"Case?"
She looked at him, eyes filled with determination, and spoke more clearly. "You asked me why I turned down that guy."
Okay, not what Derek was expecting.
Casey glanced to the side and back at him again, “Well, it’s because it’s complicated for me too.”
Derek was confused. Dating was complicated for Derek because he loved Casey, but there was no reason for Casey to-.
Wait.
Derek swallowed, "It is?"
She slowly nodded, not breaking her grip on his shirt or the eye contact, "Yeah."
Derek knew what she was implying. He hoped that he knew what she was implying. But he needed to hear it from her, he couldn't afford a misunderstanding. He couldn’t afford for her to say, ‘Oh, it’s complicated for me since I’m still in love with Max’ or somebody else. He couldn’t risk what they have for anything. Not more than he already had.
"Who's-" he stopped to correct himself, "What's making it complicated?"
He could practically hear the pleading sound his words rang with.
Casey took a deep breath, "You."
Derek didn't even hesitate before crashing her mouth against hers.
Casey froze for a split second, but then she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in closer. Fucking finally.
It wasn't the most elegant kiss. There was desperation and fire and 20 years worth of repressed attraction behind it, so you couldn't really blame them if their technique wasn't the best. Derek didn't mind though. He's been waiting for this for years. Waiting, always waiting, even when he thought it wouldn't come.
Casey was tugging on his shirt, Derek's hands were traveling down her back. Casey pulled away, much to Derek's disappointment, but just enough to speak.
"Maybe we should..," she said breathlessly as Derek dragged his mouth over her cheek,"...talk about this."
"Later," Derek said as he nipped her ear.
Casey drew in a sharp breath, "You're right. Definitely later." Casey caught his lips again and Derek felt a current go down his spine.
"How much time do we have until the kids are back?" Derek said against her lips, impatient. He'd bang his head against the wall if the bell rang right now.
"Enough," she said and moved away from him. He didn't get to miss her for long because she grabbed his shirt (Casey grabbing his shirt was always a favorite of his) and started pulling him towards the stairs. Casey was pulling him upstairs.
Derek absolutely loved how this night turned out.
----
When Lizzie rang the doorbell they were both still in haphazardous state of undress. Casey jumped out of the bed (Derek enjoyed the view), panicked, and picked up Derek's jeans to throw them at him.
"Get dressed! Quickly, quickly."
Derek did as he was told even though he would have preferred to just lounge in the bed with Casey for a few more hours. He was in too good of a mood to argue and besides, he didn’t want for the kids to catch them right away. That would be a lot harder to explain.
"Hurry before they notice something is off," Casey whisper-yelled even though there was no way they could hear from outside of the house.
"Relax," Derek said and pressed a quick kiss to her lips (she got flustered, Derek could see it all over her face) before running downstairs.
"Hello children," Derek yelled cheerfully as he opened the door to let them in.
Molly and Kai greeted him just as cheerfully while they ran past him and Sky and Luca muttered half-hearted hellos.
Derek ruffled Sky’s hair while she was trying to get past him and she gave him a bewildered look to which he only grinned. He thinks his face might get stuck like that if he keeps this up.
“You’re in a good mood,” Sky commented, patting her hair to straighten it.
“I definitely am,” Derek said easily and Sky eyed him suspiciously.
“Maybe I don’t want to know,” Sky said as she joined the others in the living room.
Soon, Casey waddled down the stairs with a matching grin on her face. She looked absolutely radiant. Amazing, spectacular. Even the obvious bedhead she was sporting was so ridiculously hot to him at that moment.
"Hello, children!" she greeted. Derek thought about winking at her, but he figured she would kill him if he did.
Lizzie cleared her throat behind him (Derek almost forgot that she was there) and Derek turned around to talk to her, dragging his eyes away from Casey.
Lizzie was wearing a suspiciously amused expression on her face.
"Interesting," she said far too knowingly for his liking. "Very interesting."
----
After they shooed the kids to bed so early that Luca complained and protested all the way up to his room, Derek and Casey sat on the couch and turned up the tv so that the kids thought they were watching something in case they decided to pop up. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the background noise of the TV (commercial break).
They slept together. That was still so difficult to comprehend. If Derek was anyone else, he probably would’ve been wondering if he was dreaming. Casey loved him. Well, she hasn’t actually said it, but it was implied that she cared for him at least in some shape or form. But not cared for him as a family member or a friend, but as someone you’d actually want to sleep with. Mind Blowing.
"So..," Casey said.
"So." Derek said. Another silence.
"Are you freaking out?" Derek asked casually.
"No..,” she paused, “well, maybe a little."
Derek lowered his voice, "So you regret it?"
Casey looked at him directly in the eyes and firmly said, "No."
Derek let out a sigh of relief, "Good. Me neither."
Casey smiled at him and reached over to take his hand. It was such a natural move, as if they were doing this every day. It should be surprising, but it wasn’t. Nothing came natural for the two of them. They always struggled with change, but never with each other. They were each other’s constants. Derek still couldn't get over the fact that this is actually happening. Whatever it was.
Derek put on his most charming smile. "So, couldn’t resist my charms, ha?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Casey quirked her lips, "I think charms is a bit of an overstatement."
"Hm, I don’t know. You seemed pretty ‘charmed’ a few hours ago," Derek said suggestively.
Casey blushed furiously and nudged his shoulder, "Der-rek." Teasing Casey never got old.
"Is it my handsome face?" he leaned closer.
Casey pushed his forehead with her finger. "Don't let it get to your head."
Derek barked a laugh in surprise, "So it is because of my handsome face!"
"Partially," she admitted. Derek grinned victoriously, feeling rather pleased with himself.
"Stop it," Casey whined adorably, "we should talk seriously."
Derek raised his hand, "Alright, Space Case. Let's talk."
Casey paused to see if Derek was messing with her, but when she saw that he actually was being serious she started talking.
"I wasn't lying when I said you were making things complicated." She ran her finger over his palm. "Do you remember when I told you I was getting a divorce? When I told you that I think I deserve better." Derek nodded, not wanting to interrupt her by speaking.
"Well, when I tried to think about what that better was, all I could think about was you."
Derek swallowed. His skin was growing increasingly hot.
"I knew that was wrong of me," Casey looked away, a trace of shame in her tone. "I knew I shouldn't be thinking stuff like that. Not with you. You're my step-brother-" she stopped abruptly and Derek waited for her to continue.
Casey gave him a sheepish smile. "You know, I thought you were just so infuriating when we were younger. Always bugging me, messing with me. Not to mention that you hated me."
Derek coughed embarrassingly, "I didn't actually hate you. I was pissed about my parents and then you invaded my space and I freaked out. I didn't know what to do with that, what to do with you. You were driving me insane. The two of us were too similar, even though it took me a while to realize it."
Casey laughed, "I guess I could understand that. I guess we were both just tip-toeing around each other. Or more like screaming at each. Well, we expressed it in the way we knew best. But we're friends now, we can talk without wanting to kill each other.."
Derek groaned, "You just had to make friends with me."
Casey looked at him in confusion and he continued, "I prefer us like this much more, but, I mean, our fights were extremely hot," (Casey snorted at that), "And our fights kept a sort of distance between us. Much needed in my case. I was really into you, Case, it freaked me out. I thought that I might do something stupid, like tell you, if we started being all buddy buddy around each other. In high school, I had to hang around you, but when we started college, I tried to get further away. Didn't last for long."
"Is that why you left?" Casey asked quietly, looking guilty, and Derek shrugged, "Not entirely, but that was definitely a part of it. Definitely made me more eager to leave. I was a confused mess for a while there."
Casey bit her lip, "I didn't really deal with you leaving in the best way either. I was kinda pissed, wanted to spite you. And I maybe decided," she paused, looking away, "to go out with Peter just to piss you off. A little bit."
Derek looked at her with a slack jawed expression, completely surprised. "You what?!"
"I did fall in love with him eventually," Casey said quickly, "I just might have started it for the wrong reasons. Came to one of the practices to talk to your couch about you dropping out, ran into Peter, he flirted with me and I thought 'Wow, what a perfect opportunity to get some petty revenge'".
Derek stared blankly at her. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or angry because of that," he confessed and scratched the back of his neck. "But while we're confessing," Derek started sheepishly, "I kind of started hooking up with Liv after you told me you were pregnant."
Casey blinked at him, "Well, yes, I know. So?"
"Well, I started hooking up with her only because I was trying to get over you. It was fun, casual. Then one night we were both drunk, messing around and boom. I've got a kid."
"Oh. Okay, wow. I actually don't know what to think about that."
"I know it was wrong, Case. But I was young and you were starting a family and I was just some lovesick creep. Not that you were really getting married for the right reasons either. I seem to recall you trying to ditch your own wedding."
Casey blushed in shame, "Yes, I remember. But I didn’t in the end!"
They made eye contact, both looking out of their element, and suddenly everything felt so ridiculous that Derek had to start laughing and Casey joined him.
"Wow, we're a mess," Casey said. "And probably horrible people."
"That we are," Derek said back. "But, according to you, I always was."
Casey grinned at him, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You have your moments."
"So what happens now?" Derek asked.
"I'm very happy with our current situation," she said and Derek felt a wave of panic wash over him.
He assumed that Casey might want to try something more, but what if he was wrong? Step siblings thing was a pretty big thing to overlook. Or maybe she wanted for them to sneak around. Not ideal, but definitely better than knowing what's like to kiss Casey and to never get to do it again.
But then Casey reached up and cupped his cheek and he felt himself instantly calm.
"I'm happy with how things are," she repeated, "but I think things could be even better."
She pressed her lips against his and Derek felt that familiar shiver run down his spine. "Just in case you haven't got it yet because I know you can be a bit dense," CAsey started.
"I don't think I'm the dense one in this situation-"
"I love you," Casey said firmly and Derek felt a shot of warmth swarm through his chest.
Casey looked at him attentively, "And I think you feel the same way, or at least I'm pretty sure you do-"
"I do," Derek said instinctively. "I love you." Damn, it felt so good to finally voice the thoughts that were swimming around his head since high school. Casey's face lit up with a smile and Derek could spend the rest of his existence just sitting there, looking at her, knowing that she was in love with him.
"I can't believe this is actually happening," he commented out loud and Casey said, "Me neither. But I am so, so glad."
He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, trying to metaphorically seal the deal. Her lips immediately parted and Derek could just drop dead right now from pure glee.
When they parted, Casey looked worried again.
"What?" Derek asked.
"How do we tell people?" Oh shit, Derek almost forgot about that. Weird, considering he spent a huge chunk of his life thinking about that.
"How do we tell our parents?" Casey continued, "What are they going to think?"
"We're not two kids anymore, Case," Derek tried to reassure her. And himself, but he found that he actually gave little to no shits about what people thought about them. He's never letting Casey go and everyone can complain as much as they like. "We're adults with jobs and families. They'll have to understand that we know what we're doing. We doknow what we're doing. And honestly, it's slipping my mind just why we didn't do it before."
"And the kids?"
"They'll get it eventually. Sky's been bugging me that I should try to find someone anyway and she really likes you."
Casey smiled, "And Luca, Molly and Kai are all so very attached to you."
"And me and Sky already live here, so it's not going to be a major change."
Casey sighed, "I better start planning."
Derek nudged her shoulder, "That's my Spacey."
----
Telling kids wasn't nearly as bad as Derek thought it would be.
Casey was the one to break the news as she was afraid that Derek might be too tactless in his delivery. Molly and Kai were a bit confused, but generally happy because they liked Derek. Neither of them thought it was weird that Casey was dating their "uncle", but Derek wasn't about to point it out to them. Skyler didn't seem all that shocked and neither did Luca, but he still wasn't all that happy about it.
"I can't believe you got a new boyfriend so soon after the divorce," he said unhappily, but then he cleared his throat when he saw his mother's hurt expression. "But I do like Derek,” Luca tried. “And you seem happy, so guess I'm fine with it. Just please, no PDA in front of me. I still need to get used to it."
The parents were a lot more shocked. Confusion and disbelief and denial, but eventually they calmed down because, at the end of the day, they were adults and it was their choice to make.
The sibling all reacted with varying version of "Fucking finally!" Even Simon who was actually related to both of them. Saw it coming from a mile away, he said. It would've been weirder if you didn't get together, he said.
After that, everything was much easier and soon things went back to their usual routine. Nothing really changed except for the fact that Derek and Casey could now openly show how they feel about each other (Derek took full advantage of that, stealing kisses every chance he could) and they shared a room.
Skyler still stayed in the guest house, saying that she liked having her own space. This, of course, made Luca pissed off because "Why does she get her own space and I don't?!".
Few months later, when they were in bed (Casey going over case files, Derek writing down some notes) Casey made a comment saying, "I heard from Emily. She and Sheldon are taking this fancy cruise around the Mediterranean next summer. Married couples only. I'm so jealous, I need a vacation."
"You wanna go with them?" Derek asked, not taking his eyes off the notes.
"Didn't you hear me?" Casey complained. "Married couples only."
Derek put down the notes and looked at Casey, "We could get married."
Casey blinked at him, "Did you just propose?"
Derek turned away from her and rummaged through the drawer. Finally, he pulled out a small, velvet box.
"I was going to ask you eventually, so why not now?"
"Derek, there is absolutely no way you're asking me like this," Case said sternly. "So, I'll pretend I didn't see the box and you'll plan a nice, romantic evening for the two of us. And make sure you plan it yourself, you know I find it sexy when you're organized."
When she finished her scolding, Casey picked up the case file again.
"So, are we going on that cruise?" Derek asked.
"Of course we are," Casey said decisively, "I'll call Emily to ask her about it tomorrow."
Derek grinned and put the ring back in the drawer.
Things were looking great.