Gay Chicken | ✓

{28}

A/N: dedicated to IAmChasingBlackStars because it was them who gave me the idea for this chapter back in Chapter 19, cheers!

Chapter Twenty-Eight

There was a distinctive ring coming from Casper's room. He was the only one still awake, going in and out of sleep, staring sleepy-eyed at the television of a late night show he had lost track of from the couch opposite his sleeping parents; his mum, curled up against his snoring dad who had an arm curled protectively over his wife. Like every other holiday, the three of them had a small celebration and stuffed themselves to the gunnels with traditional Christmas turkey and whatnot, his mum had even let him have a few glasses of champagne which decided was an acquired taste.

Casper made pained, exhausted noise as he forced himself off the couch. He felt heavy and achy all over and he stretched quickly before he ran up the stairs to the call of his phone. He heard it stop then after several moments start up again just as he made his way into his illuminated room from the darkness it had been in for the whole night, the light source being what his aim was.

He reached the device, squinting as the light shot through him like a bullet and momentarily blinding him. When he saw the name he smiled and quickly answered it.

"Just can't wait to see me, huh?" He said with a smirk but really was happy inside. It was weird not being able to see James when he wanted to. They weren't always together 24/7 although Casper would like nothing more but the thought that he couldn't just hop two doors down the street was unsettling in way.

"Cas-" James broke off, as if he was about to cry. Instantly Casper shot up, clutching his phone with two hands to his ear.

"James? What's wrong?" Casper demanded over the phone, hearing sniffs coming from the other end.

"Cas I- they know. They all fucking know. Fucking Maureen and- oh God."

"What do you mean they know? Know wha- shit." Casper suddenly pulled everything together." You mean... about us?"

James only sniffed loudly as an answer.

"Shit James. I- uh. I don't know what to do."He said desperately."I don't - Tell me what to do." Casper was crying now, crying from the small, obviously restrained noises James was making down the line. In all his life he had never seen James shed one tear or even look on the verge of it, not since he was young anyway. He couldn't understand how his family had made James make these noises that shot through Casper's soul.

"I'm coming back. I have to come back, nowhere to go. Just be there for me?" the last part was a question, he sounded so desperate, so pleading as if after everything that had happened to him had lost the confidence that anyone was still there for him and Casper couldn't help the sob that escaped from him at that moment.

"Of fucking course I'll be there James."He hissed down the line at him, trying to jump him back into perspective that he wasn't alone. Casper was so angry and wretched for him. "I will always be here for you, for fuck sake James, and don't you ever think otherwise, okay?" He waited for an answer."Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Yeah..." James trailed off and Casper knew he was still unsure but less than he had been. Casper wanted to be there to reassure him, he wanted to grab his face and kiss him all over and hold his hand just to show him that he was serious. Right now, Casper would take the whole world on for him and that didn't even scare him anymore. His feelings for James flared strong and bright. For once he was sure - sure he would stand by him whatever the cost.

"Where are you?"

"I'm waiting on a taxi home, " he gave an empty laugh."I was chased out of the city, isn't that fucking hilarious? I had nowhere to go. Thank God granny May gave me money in a card earlier on to pay for the taxi after the door was slammed in my face. It's snowing down here, did you know?"