The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: The Old Orchard
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor
Word Count: 702
prompt: apples
Finished: October 2018

:::

Zeke stopped the GTO near the clearing. „So, what do you think? It's a great place, isn't it?“

Casey let his eyes wander. An abandoned orchard; old trees, peas, apples, and cherries, which seemed to live in harmony with the nature around. Wildflowers on the ground, ivy covered the trunks of the trees. Birds in the branches, squirrels and a little duck family on its way to the small pond at the end of the clearing. Yes, it was a beautiful place in the dawning sun; he could probably take some interesting photos. Still a riddle, though, why Zeke insisted on driving about 100 miles to bring him here. There were other places similar to this much nearer to Herrington.

„The apples are ripe now; they are juicy and sweet. You need to try them.“

„Okay.“ Casey turned around to his boyfriend, slightly frowning. „Since when do you care about apples?“

„Healthy food.“

„Sure. Says the junk food lover.“

Zeke's grin turned into a soft smile. „I was here often when I was a child. The place was part of a farm back then and not so magic. But I loved it to come here; I was free and happy.“ He paused shortly before continuing. „It was my grandmother's farm. She was great and did her best to keep the farm running. Went to the farmers market twice a week to sell her homemade stuff. Marmalade. Apple wine. I remember, once I sneaked one of the jars.“ He laughed slightly. „Luckily, it was a new one with only a little alcohol, but I got a nice hangover anyway. All she did was to bring me to bed and to tell me: 'That's a lesson only the life can teach you.'“

Casey had listened in silence. It didn't often happen that Zeke talked about his childhood, and when he did, it was mostly depressing memories. He had never told anything about his grandmother before and about his obvious love to her.

„Seems as if she is great,“ he murmured.

Zeke smiled and grabbed for his hand. „She was,“ he agreed. „The rare times together with her were the best of my life. Despite my parents, she was always there for me; she believed in me. My life would have taken a different route if I had grown up with her.

But I wasn't allowed to see her often. My father never was close to her; not a surprise, you can't picture two people more different than these two. When I was eight years old, he said that she had too much bad influence on me, and he decided to send me to a boarding school.“

The grip around Casey's hand tightened; it hurt, but Casey didn't pull back. He had noticed the tears sparkling in Zeke's eyes.

„I have never seen her again,“ Zeke whispered. „She died two years later, and I wasn't even allowed to go and see her for a last time.“

Casey swallowed hard. „I'm sorry.“ This was lame, but what else could he do then offering some comfort? It didn't happen often that he felt so helpless.

But Zeke shook his head. „No need to, Case. Yes, I was broken back then. Full of hate and loneliness, I was sure I would never meet someone like her again. Someone who does believe in me no matter what I do. Who can love me like I am. But then... I met you.“

Not able to hold back any longer, Casey started to sniff.

„Hey, stop that, you dumb shit!“ Zeke pulled his face. „I didn't tell you to make you feel miserable.“

„ I know. It's just...“ Casey breathed in deeply while fighting his tears back. „I'm so happy that you are finally letting me deeper into your life.“ He paused, then he put his arms around Zeke. „Hey, I just got an idea. Why don't we pick up some of the apples for my Mom? I'm not sure if she can't make apple vine, but her German apple cake is delicious.“

„Sounds like a plan.“ Zeke grabbed Casey's hand and pulled him over to the old orchard.

The Walking Dead - written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Daydreaming
Characters: Beth Greene
Word Count: 100
Prompt: clouds
Finished: November 2017

:::

She was lying on the clearing, surrounded by fallen leaves. Gray clouds had chased away the last sunbeams, the air was chilly, but Beth didn't mind. She enjoyed this moment of silence; her mind drifted off. Back to the old times, when she had lain on the meadow behind her grandfather's farm together with Maggie. They loved to watch the various shapes of the clouds, cats, hearts, or flowers; Maggie had insisted once on seeing their grandfather in his rocking chair.

Innocent phantasies of two little girls who didn't sense how their world would look like only a few years later.

The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Teamwork
Characters: Zeke Tyler
Word Count: 148
prompt: school
Finished: November 2017

:::

Zeke dropped his book onto the table. His mood was low. Teamwork. He hated teamwork. Especially he hated teamwork with Casey Connor.

Any other would agree to do the homework alone and to share the result with Zeke; everyone knew he wouldn't be niggard with a thank you. Casey, though, was different, not interested in cigarettes, faked ID cards or porn magazines. He was a good boy, insisting that they would meet at the school's library in the afternoon to do all the work together.

When Casey entered the room, Zeke cringed inwardly. Not because of the too wide jeans or the stupid checkered shirt, not even because of the camera around his neck, which outright cried: I'm the world's greatest geek. It was because of a pair of striking blue eyes that always made Zeke's heart beat faster and aroused dreams he didn't like in the slightest.

Jeremiah (TV) - written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Apple Pie
Prompt: pie
Character: Kurdy Malloy, Mr. Smith
Words: 225
Finished: October 2017

:::

Kurdy's eyes rested on the little guy thoughtfully. Smith was his name, he had told him, but Kurdy wasn't sure if this was true. His worn-out coat, the way he clutched his backpack. The remnants of a life. It couldn't be easy for him in the new world, a world without rules; only the strongest and most ruthless could survive alone on the roads. He looked too small, his voice was too gentle, and the things he had told Kurdy were much too creepy.

But he had saved his life today!

Kurdy knew Markus didn't like strangers in the Mountain, but at least for one night, he wanted to offer some peace. A place to warm up, a comfortable bed, and a good meal.

„So, where do you want to start,“ he asked, pointing at the long buffet table in the cafeteria. Smith still stood rooted to the ground. Kurdy could understand what was going on inside him. He remembered all too well the first time he entered the cafeteria of the Mountain. The sight of all the treats, the smell of hearty meals and fresh coffee. Like a wonderland.

„The stew is delicious. And you should try the roast chicken.“ Kurdy chuckled. „Best to try both.“

„Apple pie.“ Smith whispered, smacking his lips. "I will try the apple pie. With cream.“

The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Rainy Weekend
Prompt: rain
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Words: 409
Finished: November 2017

:::

Casey stared out of the window; rain was pouring down, the sky was gray and dreary. Like his mood. This was not fair. The first weekend for months he was free to do what he wanted. The tests at school were finally over, and his parents were on their way to Idaho to visit an old friend of his dad.

Zeke had suggested a trip to the Moshannon State Forest; he knew Casey well enough to guess what his photographer heart would love. But now, this excellent plan was rained off, literally.

The GTO stopped in front of the Connor's house; quickly, Zeke stepped in and closed the door behind him.
„Puh, that's a foul weather today.“
He bent forward for a kiss.
„Hey, what's wrong? You've a face as long as a fiddle.“

Casey sighed, trying hard to fight his disappointment.
„It's nothing, sorry. But I couldn't wait to finally go to the Moshannon Forest. A nice photo trip, spending some alone time together with you.“

Zeke chuckled slightly.
„I'm here. And a whole weekend is lying ahead of us. Where is the problem?“

„It's raining cats and dogs.“

„Well, sometimes even the best-laid plans can go wrong,“ Zeke agreed.
„And it can never hurt to have an emergency plan.“

„I guess you are right; I'm a drama queen again. Do you want to go over into your garage? We could watch a movie. Maybe order a pizza.“

„Hm.“
Zeke scratched his nose.
„What do you think about the Glenlaurel Scottish Inn?“

Casey smirked.
„Insider tip. Pretty romantic shit. Stan has thought about it to invite Stokes for a long weekend, but she preferred to go to Akron, to the Bloody Con.“

Zeke laughed.
„Why this doesn't surprise me? What's with you? You like romance.“

„Hm. You think Stan is interested in spending a romantic weekend with me? Very unlikely.“

„Good for him.“
Zeke grinned wide and pulled a key out of his pocket.
„A cottage just for the two of us. A fireplace in the bedroom, a whirlpool in the bathroom, a roofed porch. Room service around the clock. We don't even have to leave the bed if we don't want to.“

For a moment, Casey felt out of words.
„You are fooling me; the inn is booked up months in advance.“

„Aawww. Never underestimate your brilliant boyfriend.

So, ready to leave this hellhole of town behind for the best rainy weekend ever?“

The Faculty (AU - Homeland Universe) - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Thunderstorm
Prompt: thunder
Character: Casey Connor, Jason Connor (OC)
Words: 502
Finished: October 2017

Author's note: This story is part of my 'Homeland' Universe, where Casey & Zeke are married and have adopted a little boy, but it can be read as a stand-alone story

:::

The storm had reached its maximum. Lightning bolts followed by booming thunder, and rain was drumming on the porch roof and against the windows. The light was flickering on and off for the umpteenth time.

Casey sighed and closed his book. It probably made no sense to wait for Zeke's call; the telephone connection seemed to be falling off. One last round through the house to ensure all windows and doors were looked up safely. Also the cat flap was locked; Bella had looked for refuge somewhere in the closet, instead of sneaking into Jason's room, where she would sleep side by side with the little boy. Poor kitty; she hated thunderstorms.

Casey went upstairs and almost jumped when he heard a thunderous roll of thunder. Once he reached the upper floor, he decided to look after Jason before going into the bathroom.

There was not much that could trouble their little son, adopted son, to be precise when he had fallen asleep, but right now, the boy was sitting on his bed, knees pulled up, shaking all over.

Quickly, Casey stepped closer and sat down on the bedside. „Hey. Did the storm wake you up? It's loud, isn't it? But no need to worry.“

Jason looked at him with wide open eyes. „Not worried. I'm almost five.“ But his shaking voice told volumes.

Inwardly, Casey smiled; brave little guy, his start into life hadn't been the best, but this had only made him stronger. A fighter through and through. „Do you want to sleep in Dad's bed tonight?“

„Dad? He is home?“

Hopefully, Jason looked up; smiling, Casey shook his head. „He's in New York, you know that. When he comes back this weekend, I'm sure he will bring a surprise for you.“

Outside, the wind was howling, branches hit the window, and another lightning bolt lit the room for a split of a second. Booom. The thunder was not long in coming. Jason winced, and Casey put his arm around his shoulder. Indeed, this was the heaviest, most extended thunderstorm he could remember. Tomorrow, he would have a lot of fun in the garden with the damage it would cause for sure.

For the moment, though, he needed to take care of Jason. „C'mon,“ he murmured. „We will move you into the big bedroom.“

But the boy grabbed his blanket, refusing to stand up. „I can sleep in my room,“ he protested. „I'm a big boy.“

„Sure you are.“ Casey smiled. „But to be honest...“ He bent closer and whispered into Jason's ear. „I could need someone by my side tonight. This storm is pretty wild.“

Jason kept quiet for a moment, chewing on his lower lip like he always did when he was thinking hard. Finally, he nodded. „Okay. I guess I can sleep in Dad's bed tonight.“ He grabbed for Casey's hand. „But you don't need to worry, it's just a storm.“

The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Football Training
Prompt: football
Character: Casey Connor, Mr. and Mrs. Connor
Words: 200
Finished: October 2017

:::

„Bye. I need to go now,“ Casey said and grabbed his camera. „Football training.“

His father looked up from his newspaper. „Again? Since when you are on the team?“

Casey laughed. „Sorry, Dad, but I will never turn into a jock. It's... ähm...“ He paused and blushed slightly. „It's because of Delilah. I've promised her some more pics for the school's magazine.“

The door fell shut behind him, and Mr. Connor turned to his wife. „Did I miss something?“

„Like what?“

„Casey and Delilah Profit? Feels somehow strange.“

„Hm. Don't worry.“ Mrs. Conner smiled. „I'm sure Casey's sudden interest in the Football training has nothing to do with any of the cheerleader group. There is this new guy on the team. Zeke Tyler. Good looking. A bit of a rebel. Casey's takes tons of photos of him.“

„Oh!“ Mr. Conner needed a moment to think about this news. „Do you think it's something serious? Should we talk with him?“

Mrs. Conner put a hand on her husband's shoulder. „The best we can do is to trust him like we always do. He will tell us when he thinks there is something we should know about.“

Jeremiah (TV) - written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Jack O'Lantern
Prompt: pumpkin
Character: Rose Smith, Michelle
Words: 394
Finished: October 2017

:::

„What's that,“ Rose asked and pointed at the big, glaring orange fruit in the middle of the table.

Michelle smiled. „A pumpkin. It's almost Halloween; I thought it might be fun if we would make a Jack O'Lantern.“

Curious, Rose bent forward when the young woman grabbed the knife and carefully started to cut out the stipe.

„Now it's your turn,“ Michelle said, holding the spoon out to the little girl. „You can hollow out the pumpkin. We will use the pulp for soup later; that's delicious. But the most fun is to crave the face.“

„A face,“ Rose asked, and her eyes sparkled.

„Yeah. A spooky face. Later, we can put a candle in the pumpkin, and the light shining through the eyes and the mouth will cast out ghosts.“

„What kind of ghosts?“

„Every kind of spooky creatures you can imagine in your fantasy.“

Rose smiled and clapped her hands. „That's cool.“

„Yes, it is,“ Michelle agreed. She watched Rose working at the pumpkin lantern, entirely concentrated, strands of her long brown hair falling into her face; now and then, she wet her lips with her tongue.

As she had done ages ago, she had been sitting at the old wooden table in their grandmother's kitchen. A fire was burning in the oven, and her grandma made hot cacao and told her stories. Old stories of long forgotten times. Back then, she thought it would always be like that.

But the Big Death had changed everything. Her grandmother died during the first days of the outbreak. Her parents about two weeks later. Like all adults. Only the children did survive. Fifteen years were gone already. First, she had tried not to think about the past too often. Then, she realized that it was her mission to keep it alive.

Even if the memories sometimes hurt, it was important that the past didn't vanish into the void. Otherwise, children like Rose would never learn about it.

„Michelle? Did I do it right?"

She looked up and smiled about the more funny than spooky face Rose had craved into the pumpkin. "It's perfect, “she reassured her.

Rose beamed at her. „Will you tell me a story?“

„Yeah, sure. What do you think about the story of Jack O'Lantern?“

The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Stormy Weather
Prompt: wind
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Words: 304
Finished: October 2017

:::

Casey closed his eyes, fighting against the wind; rain hit his face hard. He had welcomed the first autumn storm of the year. While most other students couldn't wait to escape the unpleasant weather, Casey preferred to miss the school bus and walk home. He had zipped up his coat and put on the woolen hat his grandma had made for him. For a moment, he had felt free like only rarely. Just him and his camera. No one bothered him today; there was no teasing or bullying.

But then, the storm suddenly increased, and he had to put the camera away in his backpack to prevent its loss. Now, he felt tired and chilled, but there was still a way to go.

„Hey, Casey, need a ride home?“

He looked up, right into Zeke Tyler's hazelnut-brown eyes. The king from school, the coolest boy he had ever known, had stopped beside him in his GTO. Suddenly feeling nervous, Casey shook his head. „No, thanks. It's only a few more steps down the road.“

Zeke smirked. „What are you afraid of? Did I ever bite your head off?“

No, he didn't. Casey had to admit that Zeke was none of the bullies; he just hadn't shown any interest in him before. And everyone knew that Zeke never did anything for free.

It was as if he could read his mind. „Would you feel better if I ask you for a favor? This homework for math is pretty tricky.“

Casey huffed. “That's ridiculous. You could do this on your own in the twinkling of an eye. If you would stop acting like an idiot at school.“

Zeke only laughed. „C'mon on, Case, get into the car. No dirty deals, promised, only a ride home.“

The Faculty - Written for Holiday Prompts

[prisca]

Title: Encounter in the Park
Prompt: Coffee
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Words: 483
Finished: October 2017

:::

It was a misty, gray autumn day. Days Casey always enjoyed; he put on his thick old coat, grabbed for the woolen hoodie, and off he was. It didn't often happen that he had the park all to himself on a Saturday afternoon, and he didn't need to worry about it to run into Gabe or one of the other jocks, who were only waiting for the next chance to bully him.

With the camera in his hands, he first walked around the little lake, taking tons of pictures. Finally, he stopped at a small clearing to watch some squirrels jumping around in the fallen leaves. The yellow, orange, and brown mix of colors made a great photo motive.

„Hey, geek boy. What are you doing?“

Torn out of his daydreaming, Casey almost jumped. Instinctively, he tried to protect his camera while he turned around. The bigger boy opposite him smirked slightly.

„Geez, Casey, calm down.“

None of the jocks. Only Zeke Tyler. The rebel from school. He was a year older than him but still in the same class. The girls were crazy about him. Understandable. He was good-looking; he knew how to flirt. Besides that, he was a pretty selfish prick, only interested in his own benefit.

Inwardly, Casey sighed; okay, this was the end of his nice afternoon plans. With Zeke hanging around nearby, it wouldn't be the same anymore. But the older boy held him back when he turned around to leave.

„Hey, wait.“

Distrustful, Casey stared at him. „What do you want, Zeke? It will start to rain again soon, and I'm cold. I want to go home.“

„Mom is waiting?“

„Why do you care?“

„If you don't have anything better to do, I would like to invite you for a coffee. To warm up again.“

Casey blinked flabbergasted. What the heck was this about? Zeke had never shown any interest in him. But now he was here, smiling, his hazelnut brown eyes sparkling. As if he did mean every word. Where was the catch? „Why should you? What do you want?"

Zeke shrugged. „Does everything need to have a reason? Let's say it's a boring Saturday afternoon, and I could need some company.“

Casey huffed. „I bet half of the girls of Herrington would be glad to help you out.“

For a short moment, Zeke's face darkened, not threateningly, more sad and alone, as if a mask had dropped. Casey had never seen him in such a state before and almost regretted his harsh words.

„Well, maybe we could go to Annie's milkbar? It's right at the end of the park, at Hyatt Place,“ he murmured. „Annie makes the best Caramelized Pecan Latte you've ever had.“

To his relief, Zeke laughed. „Sweet tooth! I prefer my coffee with milk, without sugar. But it's okay for me, let head to Annie.“

The Faculty (College AU) - written for Fic Promptly and Allbingo

[prisca]

Title: Roommates
Prompt: any / any / college AU // Dinner Date for One
Character: Casey Connor, Zeke Tyler
Words: 216

:::

Zeke looked at his roommate with a mixture of surprise and awe. Casey Connor was a nerd, only interested in his photo stuff and learning for college. Even on weekends, he rarely met with friends to go to an exhibition or a movie; he never visited clubs or parties as every student did. Zeke had never seen him wearing anything besides ridiculous shirts and too-wide jeans.

Today though... Zeke had to admit that he looked freakingly good in his black denim, purple shirt, and a fitting tie. „Anything wrong,“ Casey asked when noticing his look.

Zeke shook off his surprise and smirked. „Did I miss something? You have a date?“

„Maybe! Why do you care?“

„Just curious. I was sure you only have dinner dates with yourself.“

For a second, Casey looked hurt, then he shrugged. „Better to have a dinner date with myself than to have one with an asshole like you.“

:::

The door fell shut behind him with a loud bang, and Zeke cringed inwardly. Well, knowing that he had fucked it up again. It was a mystery to him. From the first moment, Casey moved into the dorm, he had gotten under Zeke's skin like no one else had before. And he just didn't know how to deal with it.