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It was cold. Too cold in fact, that instead of just throwing on a plain tee and his scorpion jacket, along with some jeans, he had to bundle himself up in multiple layers. But hey, that's what you get for running away to Wisconsin, right? Running away wasn't quite the right term. It was more of a "suddenly moving without telling anyone" type of thing. But could you even blame the guy?? All he did was drive criminals around, and constantly got hurt doing just that. But here, here he felt more at home then anywhere else. it was calm. not alot of people to bother him for jobs, no one-night stands that left him feeling worse then he did before sleeping with them, it was peaceful. And it has been, since he moved here, six months ago.
But there was one person in particular that he created a strong bond with, Lars Lindstrom. The quiet guy who always tried doing the right thing for those around him. He was sweet. But as Casey got to know him better, he realized there was alot more to learn about him. His trauma, his past relationship, it all struck a cord in Casey's heart. He felt... drawn to this boy. But why? Did he like the way he fiddled with his hands when he had nothing else to focus on? His slick back hair with lose strands that hung over his forehead? His pink cheeks that looked so kissable? It was everything. Yeah, Casey has been with men before, but this is different. WAY different. Lars made him feel something in his chest and stomach every time they were around each other. He felt like some highschool girl crushing on a boy in her math class or something. He felt stupid. But it felt good to like this guy. No, LOVE this guy. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he'll get to that later. He had to focus on what was happening right now, which was the fact he was sitting on Lars' bed, pinkies intertwined like some rom-com. It felt perfect, but Casey felt himself sweating.
This was... New. For Lars, at least. Being this close to someone in terms of friendship was one thing, but being this close to someone in person, pinkies brushing against each other with some silent agreement of "yeah this is okay" from the both of them. It was extremely new, for both Lars and Casey. Lars' body was still getting used to the sensation of touching, but he's getting better about it, all thanks to the physical therapy he's been having with Dr Dagmar. Right now, he felt warm, but not too warm. It was the perfect type of warm, the type you get when drinking hot chocolate after being out in the cold all day. The kind of warm you feel when that special someone holds you close. Lars felt like he wanted to get closer, to hold Casey against him. He really, really wanted to. But he didn't even know if his body was ready for that, let alone Casey. He let his hand inch closer and closer, until their fingers were fully intertwined.
"Is... Is this okay with you, Casey?" Lars spoke up, his voice was barely above a whisper, he didn't want to spook Casey away. He was always so tense, and Lars wanted to smooth that tenseness out.
"Yeah. It's fine." Casey said. He was obviously trying to hide the fact his brain was running a hundred miles per hour, he was nervously tapping his foot as softly as he could, to not alert Lars. But Lars had already noticed this, a while ago to be exact. It was their first "date" when they went out to some Italian place in town, when him and Lars got especially close due to the cold weather. Casey isn't used to touch from people, due to the fact he tries to shift away from that affection stuff. But now that he's here in Wisconsin, away from those terrible past jobs he once did, and sitting here with a man he surely thinks is the cutest boy he's ever laid his eyes upon, how couldn't he be nervous?
Casey and Lars' thighs were brushed against each other, Lars shifting a bit closer so he could sit more against Casey.
"Are you feeling alright, Lars?" Casey asked, his tone flat.
"i'm feeling amazing because I'm touching you" is what Lars would have said if it wasn't for the fact he's still Lars, still that shy boy from years ago. Sure, he's honest, and forward about a lot of things, but with how... Romantic, this all felt, it felt to him as if he couldn't even speak.
"I'm doing perfectly fine, dear." Lars replied, but it was far too late to realize the pet name that had slipped out. Casey's face was already flushed, and this praiseful nicknames made it all come crashing down in his head.
"Ah... Alright. Uhm. Just— I'm just checking on you. You aren't usually this touchy. I hope you don't feel pressured into holding hands with me or anything."
"No, no, I want to. I want to do this, to hold hands and be close. I've been trying new things lately and one of the things I've been meaning to partake in more is physical touch. And I thought, who else is better than you of all people to try it with, huh? And right now, I'm not feeling any pain. I'm sure the therapy is working just fine."
Lars was speaking all of these words, all of these things to Casey so naturally, but all that was happening in Lars' head was much more different. All he was thinking about was how must Casey's lips feel against his? Would they be soft or chapped? He didn't even care if they were any or either, he was craving this closeness, now that it dealt no pain to him. He needed to be like this with Casey.
Casey on the other hand, could feel his gaze on his lips. But he wasn't any better either. He knew he was staring at Lars' lips, the way they parted when he spoke. The view was intoxicating. He could feel himself leaning in closer, but he couldn't catch himself.
Lars' noticed this, he hesitated for a quick second before slowly bringing one hand to cradle Casey's cheek in his palm before bringing his face closer and closer, until finally their lips met. At first, they didn't move. But both of them melted into it, relaxed, and they felt themselves scooting closer. Casey lifted his hand up to Lars' shoulder as the kiss deepened. Not by alot, but their lips finally started to dance in small movements. Lars' eyes fluttered closed, trying to feel. To feel everything, the hand on his shoulder, his small movements of Casey's lips on his, the softness of Casey's face... It made him see stars behind his eyelids.
They slowly pulled away, their gaze settling on each other as each of them caught their breath. Casey smiles softly, more of a smirk, but it was soft, tender, it was a genuine smile instead of a flirty, over dramatic forced smile he gave to those he barely cared about.
Lars' face was flushed, his lips red and slightly swollen from the kissing. His pupils are blown, and God, does he look absolutely beautiful like this.
Lars buried his face into Casey's neck, inhaling his scent slightly as he savored the touch. Casey slowly slid his hands up to rest on Lars' shoulders, nuzzling his nose into Lars' hair. He smell was nice. He smelt like fresh redwood, with notes of incense and dried roses. It was a safe scent that made Casey relax into Lars' arms. It was one of those rare moments where Casey genuinely relaxed and felt safe.
Lars planted a small kiss behind Casey's ear, before pulling away.
"Do you want to stay here for the night? I could see if Karin and Gus could help me make breakfast for us." Lars asked, Casey responding with a nod.
If you were to ask Casey how he thinks he would up tonight, he would definitely not tell you he was expecting to be tangled up under blankets half naked with the man of his dreams. But here he was, exactly that, but that man was Lars. And for once, Casey felt like he was exactly where he wanted to be. And it couldn't get better than this. He loved Lars Lindstrom. And he felt proud for admitting that, because he knew it was true. And laying here with his boyfriend curled up against his back spooning him, holding him close, was the only confirmation he needed to know that this was real, and maybe it wasn't so bad being here, because he felt he was where we was meant to be.