Genesis
In the beginning, he fought Casey every step of the way, because that was his nature.
This intro is too long, that segue�s not clean enough, why don�t you stick to your own side of the office? He hadn�t wanted a partner, didn�t need one, didn�t need this unwelcome man cluttering up his space and his airtime.
Then it was smoother, and he didn�t know if he had changed or if Casey had changed for him, but it didn�t matter because the results were the same.
It wasn�t until years later that he realized Casey would never change for him.
Exodus
He shifted in his seat, restless as any child, and Casey put a distracted hand on his arm to keep him still, not lifting his eyes from his magazine.
He tried to watch the movie, but it was some good cop turns bad cop crapfest, and he couldn�t even keep his eyes on the screen, let alone his mind. This was New York, this was it, and there sat Casey beside him, the very definition of calm. He considered asking if he was even nervous, but he didn�t have to, because the subtle tapping of his shoe gave him away.
Samuel
There were things he hid, even from Casey�especially from Casey�and they would creep up on him sometimes without warning.
It was always right before airtime, when he knew he couldn�t afford to waste the precious seconds, but found himself there anyways.
On his knees in the bathroom, tears streaming from his eyes, stomach rebelling, praying that no one would walk in. No one ever did, except that once, when it was Casey standing there behind him, Casey who rubbed his back while he choked helplessly, and who didn�t quite believe him when he said it was just a stomach virus.
Proverbs
The stories had been told so many times they were legend now, and the jokes had become classics, just by virtue of being spoken so much. The others never understood why the boys found so much enjoyment in their overplayed jokes and clich�d catchphrases.
But they knew, and that was all that mattered. Casey could lean over to him during a break and whisper a word that had no meaning to anyone else, and Dan would be bent over in peals of laughter.
Because the words transported them, to another time, to another place, where things were right between them.
Acts
It was the little things that started breaking his heart. The way Casey would disappear after the show, without a goodbye, without even glancing in his direction. The way they bounced ideas around the office like grenades, each trying to hit something vital.
It shouldn�t have happened this way, but it had, and in the face of such harsh reality he had only one option. Dana was gone already, Natalie had one foot out the door, and something had died between all of them long ago.
So he packed, and this time there was a goodbye, but that was all.
Revelation
It was raining when he opened the door, and he watched the water run from Casey�s hair into his eyes for a moment before he held the door open for him with trembling hands.
It wasn�t supposed to rain in LA, not on the night when the man you had loved for longer than you�d care to admit showed up on your doorstep with empty hands and desperate eyes. But it was raining now, and he discovered that he could taste the water on Casey�s lips, his face, the delicate skin of his throat.
It tasted like home, like forever.