Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Casey grunted as she lifted the last of the boxes out of the car and into the elevator. New town, new me, she jokingly thought to herself. Her family had to move after their old town seemed too unsuitable for her brother Sam, whose autistic. They hadn't moved far however, so that Casey wouldn't have to leave her friends and boyfriend behind. Even though she was 17 and already graduated (she was a year ahead of everyone else), she hadn't found the financial stability to move out fully, and so her mum had made a deal with her. Instead of moving out, she would rent two apartments next to each other. Casey's apartment was small but homey – a simple one bedroom where the bed, kitchen and loungeroom were all in one room. It was smaller than the apartment next to her that her parents would be staying in, but she practically begged them for this deal as she needed the space to herself. Her parents, Elsa and Doug, moved the last boxes in, and she began unpacking and setting up her new space

"I want you to remember that just because you’ve moved here doesn't mean your out of my care. You still come back-" Elsa droned on and on about the rules of their living arrangement until Casey said she was going downstairs to make friends. A simple lie that rolled off the tip of her tongue so easily. Though as she went downstairs, she accidentally bumped into someone

"Watch where you're going," A girl hissed, and as Casey looked up, she saw possibly one of the prettiest girls she'd ever seen.

"Hey, uhh I'm Casey, the new kid from Newton. I just moved here. Do you know where the closest-" Casey was quickly cut off by the girl who sighed

"Look, new kid from Newton, I'm Izzie-" Casey cut Izzie off,

"you can just call me Casey..."

"I'm not looking for change in my life right now, so you can find someone else to bother with all your small talk and stupid questions. I'm sure you were hot shit in your old town-

"wow warm welcome!" Casey sarcastically blurted

"but I heard about you,"

"Good things I presume," Casey joked

"You punched a girl in your old town. I saw it Instagram or something," Izzie scoffed, walking away before stopping after Casey calls out

"Well… Nice meeting you?" Casey says. Izzie mutters a 'sure' in response

Casey groaned as she buried her face in her hands. Such an icy start to a new neighbourhood. She hoped not everyone was like this.

"Hey are you ok?" Someone asked her. She looked up and saw a guy who looked a little bit concerned. "I'm Nate,"

"Casey," She said in reply, "I just moved here... Things are a little bit confusing if I'm going to be honest. I don't even know where to find food,"

"Well I'll be your tour guide, follow me," Reluctantly, Casey followed him. They spent the rest of the afternoon in the apartment café until Nate checked the time. "Well I gotta get home, catch you around, Casey," Casey nodded in response and went for a run around the neighborhood.

Casey loved running. She loved the wind in her short hair, the fresh air going through her, the exhilarating feeling that pulsed through her with each step. But mostly the fact that when she ran, she always felt like she could breath. People often found the difference between existing and truly living, but for Casey, it had always been the difference between breathing and just inhaling air. As she slowed down, she noticed the girl she bumped into earlier- Izzie- waiting for the elevator. And by the looks of it, she too had just been on a run. As Casey stepped inside, the elevator door opened and she quickly joined Izzie inside. They stood in awkward silence until the elevator stopped. The doors didn't open, however, and the lights flickered a bit

"Shit," Izzie muttered. Casey anxiously bit her fingers, not sure what was happening. "The elevators stuck. Usually this happens and stays like this for half an hour but it eventually works. I can call help if you want or we can just wait,"

"Its fine I'm patient enough," Casey said, sitting on the floor. Izzie still called someone, but Casey quickly realised it wasn't a repair company

"Hey, uh I need you to look over the baby for another half hour," After a few more mutters that Casey couldn't quite understand, Izzie hung up the phone to meet Casey's confused face.

"You have a baby," Casey was only 17, and Izzie looked only a little bit older. Was Izzie a teen mom?

"No, I'm 18 and not an idiot," Izzie scoffed, before sitting next to Casey, "But my mom is, and for some reason instead of her being a good mom, I'm stuck taking care of my 3 siblings more than she ever has,"

"My brothers autistic, so sometimes I feel like I have to take care of him," Casey mumbled, lying down on the floor

"I didn't know that," Izzie simply stated, though her voice went soft and she sounded almost guilty

"Dude, there's no way you could've its fine," Casey assures her, then looks to Izzie's phone, "any chance I could get your number," Casey chuckled and in return Izzie giggled, before unlocking her phone and passing it to Casey. Truth be told, Casey was a lot more nervous to ask then she sounded

"Just put your number in and I'll call you later," Casey finished dialling her number and passed the phone back. They spent a little more time talking about shitty moments in their own home lives. Casey picked up how unstable Izzie's home life was- her mom never stayed for long and when she did she was usually drunk according to Iz. Suddenly, however, elevator made a whirring sound and began moving again. She quickly got up as the door opened and stepped out. "That was quicker than last time," Izzie smiled, then added, "seeya, newton," as Casey stepped out of the elevator.

Why the fuck do I feel like this, Casey thought, scratching the sides of her fingernails. She made her way to the family apartment where everyone was sitting at the dinner table. "Honey! Where were you? Did you make a friend?" Casey rolled her eyes at Elsa's questions, before setting her backpack down.

"I guess I made a friend or two?" Casey muttered, as Elsa quickly became excited, "I'm gonna call Evan in my room," Casey quickly ran out of the family apartment before either of her parents could say anything against her leaving.

"-But she's not mean to me anymore so I think we're friends," Casey sighed to Evan, who was on the phone. She went through her day in excruciating detail before her phone pinged. An unknown number appeared on her home screen and the message read 'hey newton' Casey bit the edges of her fingers, before making an excuse on why she had to go. "I'll talk to you tomorrow ok? Bye!" Casey quickly hung up before replying to the unknown number.
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TEXT MESSAGE TO UNKNOWN NUMBER

(?)hey newton

                            (C) Izzie?

(?)haha howd you know :wink_face_emoji:

                             (C)Guess I'm a big brain :shocked_emoji: :brain_emoji:
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Casey quickly changes the contact to 'Izzie <3' before biting her nails and changing it to 'Iz'
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TEXT MESSAGE TO 'IZ'

                             (C) Wanna facetime? Feeling bored lmao

(I) Sure, but I'm with my boyfriend. That all good?

                             (C) Ofc :D
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Casey obviously felt some pang of jealousy, and confusion. She, herself, Casey had a boyfriend. Why did it matter that Iz had one. Suddenly her phone started vibrating, and she picked up the facetime request from Izzie.

"Hey Newton!" Izzie cheered.

"Wait is that Nate? He spent the day showing me around!" Casey looked shocked

"Oh my god no way," Izzie looked at Nate who looked back at her

"Isn't her name Casey?" Nate, confused, muttered, "Well it doesn't really matter because I think my dad wants me home, I'm around the block if you want me," Izzie nodded before kissing him goodbye

"He lives like right near our building, that’s how we met!" Izzie laughed, "Hes always here though because his cousin lives here," The topic quickly changed and before Casey knew it, she was up all night talking to Izzie.

Casey made plans to hang out with Izzie, a bunch of her friends and Nate during the afternoon. Casey swapped outfits until she settled on a back tshirt and some jeans

"Casual," Casey whispered to herself as she looked in the mirror. Elsa then barges into the room "fuck-" Casey yelps, "learn to knock, old lady"

"Yeah yeah…" Elsa mumbled. Something Casey despised about Elsa is that she knew little of privacy towards Casey, "going out with friends?" Elsa asked, to which Casey reluctantly nodded, "ok, love you," Elsa said, kissing Casey on the cheek and left.

"UGH IM SO HUNGRYY" Casey groaned, leaning her head on Izzie's shoulder. So that Casey wouldn't have to spend hours navigating, they all decided to go to the apartment café.

"Why don't you order the pizza?" Izzie giggled and Casey lifted her head from the shoulder and as if words could be said in big bold letters, she said:

"No."

"Why,"
"Because it tastes like toppings on a cracker here. My old pizza place, Don's, has the best pizza ever," Casey laughed before looking at Penelope, Izzie's friend.

"Why don't we go there!" Penelope squealed excitedly

"W-what…" Casey nervously bites the edges of her fingers, "It's too far,"

"C'mon Casey, my car will fit everyone here and its only like a 30-minute drive," Nate said, wrapping his arm around Izzie. Everyone looks like they were almost pleading Casey, and as she looked at Izzie, she quietly mumbles

"please newton?"

The drive to Newton feels short and when they arrive, Casey quickly asks if she can invite her boyfriend. Izzie immediately nods.

"I can't wait to meet him!" Izzie exclaims. Casey told Izzie all about him last night, except it didn't feel right. Something felt wrong with Evan. Casey shrugged it off though. She just needed today to go right, "do you think if we pestered him enough he'd change his name to Tuba Thief?" Izzie joked,

"Then his initials would sound... Just say T twice out loud," Casey deadpanned, looking Izzie in the eyes. After Izzie said it a couple of times, she realised.

"OH MY GOD HIS INITIALS WOULD SOUND LIKE TITTY" She giggled, leaning her head onto Casey's shoulder, who begins to look around. Spotting Evan across the restaurant, Casey quickly gets up and goes up to him and gives him a kiss.

"Hey Case," Evan laughs, pulling her into a tight embrace

"Wanna meet my friends now?" Casey says. Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the table. They were all talking, but Evan seemed disconnected and uncomfortable. Casey noticed easily and announced to her friends. "not to be a dick but I might head off with Evan now and hang out at his if that’s ok," Everyone nodded, except Izzie

"Newtoonnnnnn! Don't leave me," Izzie dramatically whined, pretending to cry.

"Just for that I'm stealing your beanie," She jokes, before taking her beanie and walking out with Evan. "Why don't you like them," Casey asked, crossing her arms as soon as they got to Evan's car.

"You aren't like yourself around them," Evan sighed

"What the fuck does that mean?" Casey said, feeling threatened

"You- you laugh at things you wouldn't laugh at and you act all high and mighty," Evan sarcastically laughs, "were you ashamed of me in there or something?" Evan's expression changes and he's looking at Casey with teary eyes.

Chapter Text

"Evan of course not," Casey sighed, bringing him into a hug

"No… no I can't do this. We can talk later but I need some time to myself," Evan breaks out of her embrace and unlocks his car, "go play games with your new friends, not to mention Nate who's clearly flirting with you."

"That’s not fucking fair Evan!" Casey yells. He went too far, "he literally showed me around and decided to be friends. You can't possibly be jealous of me being FRIENDS with a person who HAPPENS to be a guy! That’s not my fault,"

"Yeah, yea, yeah, sure, Case. Look I'll talk to you later," Evan tries to say casually but each word sounds bitter and harsh. As he gets in the car and drives away, Casey bites her nail beds-unable to stop the tears from spilling from her eyes. After a while, she decides to call Izzie, not wanting to go into the restaurant and have all her new friends see her looking like a mess. For some reason that she can't explain, however, she doesn't care if Izzie sees how she looks right now. So, fumbling at her phone, she clicks on Izzie's profile and presses 'CALL'. Almost instantly, Izzie picks up

"Hey newton, whatsup?" Izzie asks

"Can you come to the parking lot?" Casey stutters. She feels cold and alone, and Izzie can tell just by her voice she's been crying

"One sec," Izzie comes out almost instantly, spotting Casey and pulling her into a hug.

"Evan doesn't like you guys," Casey sighs, "he said I act differently around you guys which ISN'T true and that I act like I’m above him when I'm around you guys. He also said I flirt with Nate and Nate is NOT my type and I just am so pissed right now," Casey feels herself getting hot and has the urge to punch a pillow. Instead, she takes a deep breath and hugs Izzie tighter.

"It's not fair of him to accuse you of flirting with Nate," Izzie says, helping Casey calm down, "as much as I'd like to hug forever, I think we should head inside," Izzie whispers,

"I look like a mess. I'll wait out here for a bit," Casey sighs, running her hands through her hair.

"I've got makeup in my bag… and I'd love to do your makeup," Izzie says mischievously.

"Oh god. Can't you tell I never wear makeup" Casey groaned, getting a giggle from Izzie in response. "besides aren't you like 1000 shades darker then me? I'll look so strange,"

"Chill out I'm not that tan, and besides I have stuff that’s my sisters skin colour. Its similar to yours," Izzie smiled then looks at Casey. "do you trust me?" Izzie asks. In that moment, Casey feels something come over her. The butterflies in her stomach flap their wings harsher, her face goes a little pink, and Casey certainly doesn't miss the way that Izzie bites her lip

"Of course,"

By the time Izzie and Casey go back inside, everyone is ordering more pizza. Nobody really questions why Casey came back, but everyone thinks about it, and Casey can't shake the discomfort as her new friends send sneaky glances towards her that she wasn't supposed to notice.
"You know what newton, I think your right. This pizza tastes amazing,"

Jokingly, Casey replies "Glad you could taste the pure culture in newtons famous pizza," She puts on a posh accent, which makes everyone laugh. After a while, they all decide it's time to drive home. Instead of sitting with Nate in the front, Izzie decides to sit in the very far back next to Casey
"Shuffle over Newton I'm joining you back here," Izzie playfully shoves her shoulder before shuffling into where Casey was sitting. Jokingly, Izzie says "ooo the seats already warm for me thanks newton," Effectively earning a slap on the arm from Casey. The whole car ride while the radio is playing and the others are talking to each other, Izzie and Casey barely break eye contact, talking the entire time in their own separate conversation.  When they get back to the apartment, Izzie asks Casey if she can hang out at hers

"Of course, c'mon let's go!" Casey excitedly says, grabbing Izzie's hand. When they get to the apartment, suddenly they realise they have nothing to do.

"Huh. I'll google for ideas," After tapping at her phone for a bit, Izzie reads out the first result "try something you've never done before," Suddenly something sparks in Izzie and she runs off. "I'LL BE RIGHT BACK NEWTON!" She yells out as she runs to the elevator. When she returns, she's holding soda and vodka,

"Holy shit Iz," Casey whispers

After a good hour, they're both lying down in bed giggling and talking. "y'know I… I think I hang out with Nate mostly to get out of the house," Izzie speaks very slowly, struggling to piece her sentence together

"Not because he's your boyfriend and you love him?" Casey words sound even more disoriented and strange, yet Izzie still understands her and shakes her head no in response.

"Sometimes he feels like… like an alien and he- he invaded my...? Territory? No m-more so my planet… and I mean yeaaah he's trying but he just doesn't really understand me,"

"woahh… philosophical," Casey whispers, trying to focus her eyes on her hand

"Do you ever feel like that with Evan? Like he's foreign or something?" Izzie slurs her words,

"N-nn-" Casey struggles but manages to get it out, "No," Casey sighs, shuffling over to lie on Izzie's stomach. Then, a mutual agreement plagues among the girls that they're going to fall asleep. And they do. But first, Izzie runs her hand through Casey's hair, gently grazing her scalp with her short-ish acrylic nails.

"mmm don't stop doing that," Casey mumbles. She does it gently enough to put Casey to sleep. When Izzie feels Casey's breathing slow, she leaves her hand in Casey's hair and falls sleep.

They are both awoken to the sound of Elsa barging in

"CASEY! DINNER IS REA-" Elsa stops when she sees her with a girl, "Case, is this your… friend?" Casey sits upright, stretching her arms,

"Yeah. Mom, this is Izzie. Izzie, this is Elsa,"

"Well, Izzie, you're welcome to stay for dinner, but you gotta join us in 5 minutes," Elsa smiles before leaving the room. Izzie clutches her head then asks, "Got any paracetamol? My head hurts like shit. Also, a jumper… I'm cold," Smirking, Casey throws her a jumper that in bold letters, says "NEWTON". She also throws a pack of Tylenol, which smacks right into Izzie's forehead.

"Here," Casey says, coming back to the bed with a water bottle and ruffling Izzie's hair, "c'mon cutie, let's go eat," Izzie blushed at the nickname and she wasn't even sure if she intentionally said it or noticed the fact that she said it. As they passed the mirror, Izzie noticed how messy her hair was.

"Casey you destroyed my hair!" Izzie giggled, grabbing Casey's hairbrush, "I do not need your parents thinking I'm a lunatic who can't even brush her hair," Once she was finished, she glanced over to Casey, who was watching.

"You done yet princess?" Casey laughed, getting one of Izzie's giggles in return.

Casey couldn't stop thinking about Izzie. Even as they sat next to each other at the table. Even as she talked. Even as her mom kept asking random questions. Looking under the table, she noticed Izzie's hand, draped over her thigh. Casey wanted to hold her hand and never let go. Why, thought Casey, Why. Suddenly, her phone pinged. When she checked who messaged her, she suddenly felt her world disconnect from her mind and breathing felt like a task she had to complete with such effort. While Elsa and Doug were questioning Sam about his day, Izzie glanced over to see Casey. Noticing the beginning of a panic attack, she subtly reached for Casey's hand, squeezing it before stroking it gently in a particular pattern. Casey's breathing slowed down and when she looked at Izzie, she was already smiling back at her.

"Ms Gardener, the meal was amazing but I think Casey and I are gonna head back to her room," Izzie said,

"Please, call me Elsa! And you're always welcome here. Great to see my Casey's making friends so quickly! Did you know back in our old town she spent 6 months saying she had a friend only for it to be a sn-" Casey quickly covered her mom's mouth

"You CANNOT tell that story," Casey deadpanned

"What if I want to hear it, newton," Izzie whispered flirtatiously- albeit not seriously- into Casey's ear, her voice slightly raspy. Casey felt butterflies hatch in her stomach, telling her she can't say no and so she slumped back into her chair and let her mom finish.

"As I was saying, Casey spent ages saying she had a friend only for it to be a snail!" As Elsa finished her story, Izzie erupted into a laugh.

"Yeah yeah…" Casey rolled her eyes, "very funny," Casey mumbled before grabbing Izzie's hand and dragging her back to her room.

"Casey why were you so panicked, y'know at the table," Izzie asked, sitting down on the bed

"Uh… Evan messaged me," Casey sighed, "I couldn’t read it. I just… can't,"

"I can read it first if you want," Izzie offered. Casey quickly nodded, passing Izzie the phone and burring her face in her hands and lying back onto Izzie's lap. In her best Evan voice, she said "Hey Casey, sorry I got mad. I think I overreacted, do you forgive me?" then in her normal voice, Izzie sympathetically whispered, "there you go, you can breathe again" And as if Izzie could tell that she had been holding her breath, Casey sighed of relief. "now I might have to leave…" Izzie winced, knowing Casey would be disappointed

"Don’t leaaveee meeee!" Casey whined, spreading into a starfish shape to stop Izzie from leaving. However, Izzie was strong and lifted Casey up.

"Sorry Newton, gotta go," And as Izzie approached the door, Casey felt she needed to say one last goodbye, So while Izzie was walking down the hallway, Casey ran up behind her and picked her up, tightly hugging her,

"Mwahaha!" Casey laughed, then put her down, "okok I know you have to go so bye," Casey giggled before running back to her room. Casey quickly fell asleep.

It had been 3 days since Izzie had messaged Casey. It was beginning to worry her, as Izzie read all the messages Casey sent but didn't reply. She anxiously bit her fingers before noticing she still had Izzie's beanie. She quickly grabbed it and headed to Izzie's apartment. After ringing the doorbell twice, Izzie finally came to the door. The surprise on Izzie's face was evident, but that’s not what Casey noticed. Casey noticed how it looked like she had been crying and after pulling her into a hug, she asked if everything was ok,

"No, not really. My mom left for half of the day and when we found her, she was drunk. We brought her home, then she caused chaos, like she always does and left… like she always does," Izzie sighed "I'll text you later ok? I promise," Then Izzie shut the door to avoid further questions. As she leaned against the door and cried silently, Casey continued to knock.

"Izzie, I know your still there. Please open the door," Then as Izzie heard footsteps retreating away from the door, she wiped her tears. But she didn't move. A few minutes later, Izzie heard footsteps returning. "I don't know if your still there but I promise I'm leaving now. Just dropping off your beanie," When Izzie was sure that Casey was gone, she opened the door and grabbed the beanie. Inside was a note; 'don’t ever forget that you can always text me. -love casey' and in that moment, Izzie indeed did open text messages and open her message chain. But she couldn't quite hit send on a message.

It had been 2 days since Casey went to Izzie and Casey began to panic. Though just as she got out of the shower, she heard a knock on her door. "One sec!" She called out, quickly getting dressed. When she opened the door, she was shocked. "Izzie?" Casey looked at her. Her cheeks were wet and she looked like she had just been crying. Because she had been. Casey pulls her into a tight hug. She pulled away and took Izzie's hand, pulling her over to the bed and sitting with her. Looking at her some more, Casey noticed a red mark on her cheek. Instinctively, she traces her fingers along the red mark. "What happened?"

"Well… My mum got really mad because I had to take the kids to my grandmas. I thought she wasn't going to come home for a while so I went in to get my clothes. She was on the couch. She…" Izzie felt tears stream down her cheeks as she continued, "she yelled at me. I yelled back and… she hit me," Casey looked at Izzie, wiping her tears and then bringing Izzie's head to Casey's own chest

"Have you eaten?" Casey asked

"I'm not hungry," Izzie simply stated

"When did you last eat?" Casey said, feeling anxiety creep up inside her

"Two days ago…" Izzie muttered. Knowing how anxious Izzie must be, Casey gets up and decides something in that moment

"Let's bake a cake!" Casey stated.

As they enjoy the cake in the fort they built, Casey gets an idea. "I'm grabbing a scary book," Casey walks over to her bookshelf and after shuffling around for a bit, she found a horror book and a flashlight

"-hear a blood curling scream from inside of the wardrobe. Slowly, you approach the wardrobe and grab the handle. You twist it and inside-"

"THIS IS TOO SCARY!!" Izzie giggled, covering her face with her hands. Casey closes the book and rests her hand on Izzie's waist. When a knock on the door echoes in the room, Casey gives her best scary face

"It's a monster," Casey laughs,

"No, it's Nate… I forgot I told him," Izzie gave a sad smile to Casey, who she knew would be disappointed

"Nooo he's going to ruin our girl time," Casey sighed, to which Izzie apologised. "Hey. No apologising," She stated before getting the door. "Hey Nate"

"Hey dummies," Nate joked

"Let's watch a movie!" Izzie exclaimed cheerfully

"You'll fall asleep," Casey deadpanned.  Izzie rebutted but just 20 minutes into the movie she was fast asleep. "Thanks for being my first friend, by the way. Clayton is such a big and confusing town and I don't think I would've made friends if it weren’t for you." Nate chuckled, mumbling something about how 'the pleasures all his'. Then Nate looked Casey in the eye before leaning over her to kiss her, "Dude what the fuck!" Casey whisper-yelled as loud as she could without waking Izzie

"What, I thought we were having a moment?!" Nate whisper-yelled back, "you can't be mad at me for being a little confused?"

"No and I get to be mad at you right now! This -" Casey gestured between the two of them, "will NEVER happen," Casey clenched her fists before pointing to the door, "Get the fuck out of my house," Casey hissed, standing in front of Izzie in a protective manner

The next day Izzie ends up going home, promising that she'll message Casey with updates. Casey spends most of the day biting the sides of her fingers and decides to write it down on a piece of paper and drop it of at Izzie's. The paper says;
'hey iz,

The other night, Nate tried to kiss me. I promise you I rejected his advances and I'm so so sorry this happened. If you wanna talk I understand. Any questions and ill definitely answer them

Love casey,'

Casey didn’t know how to say it other then be plain and truthful. When she was dropping the letter off at Izzie's, however, the door swung open just as she was placing it on the doormat. "Hey newton," Izzie said, leaning against the doorway, before looking down, "What's this? Did you write me a love letter?" She said with a smirk. Casey noticed how her hair is in a loose bun, her runners are tied tightly and she's wearing tight athletic clothes. She was about to go for a run.

"Uhh maybe later Iz i-it's nothing,"

"c'mon Casey I want it, I love nothing," She said with her added giggle. As she jumps and reaches for it, Izzie successfully grabs it from Casey, who steps back.

"I was going to tell you in person but I chickened out," Casey sheepishly mumbles

"You kissed Nate?" Izzie asks

"NO. Nate kissed me," Casey states,

"That dick…" Izzie looks down, trying to comprehend everything, "well I was about to go on a run and now I think I need to go on a run to clear my head," Casey didn't miss how Izzie's jaw tightened and how anxious and confused she looked

"Ok…" is all Casey can say. Because what else is she supposed to say?

Casey could think of a thousand other things she could've said. That was one of her flaws- constant overthinking until her brain became overwhelmed. As she walked over to Izzie's house, her heart was racing. Even knocking on the door was hard. But when Izzie opened, Casey saw Nate with his arm slung over Izzie's shoulder. "Mind leaving for a sec?" Izzie asks, and at first Casey isn't sure who she's talking to, but then Nate nods and kisses her. Izzie steps outside.

"What-"

"Look, just cut the crap. He told me you kissed him," Izzie rolled her eyes

"WHAT? I didn't though!" Casey says, almost pleading for Izzie to believe her

"I don’t know who to believe," Izzie said with a hint of frustration tainting her voice,

"Believe me! I was there for you! Why would I kiss your dick of a boyfriend?"

"I've known 'that dick of a boyfriend' for longer. So back off Casey," Izzie finally finishes, walking back into her house.

"Casey? What happened to Newton?!" Casey tried calling back to her, but her efforts remained useless.

Over the next few days, Casey constantly received letters in the mail, saying "SLUT" and "HO" and other demeaning words. She felt like crying. She could obviously tell that it wasn’t just Izzie, but also her friends. What could Casey do though? Her mum, noticed all the open envelopes and the notes inside of them and everyday, she'd put in a note about why she loves Casey so much. As stupid as Casey would say it is, deep down it made Casey feel a lot better. However, as the week passed, the cruel messages stopped coming, and before she knew it, it was Casey's 18^th birthday

The morning started rough, Sam waking her up at 3:12 to say happy birthday 19 times. Casey threw a pillow at his head. Next was the chocolate milk. "Mmm" She said "ritualicious," It was the same thing she said every year before tipping it in the sink. Other random traditions spread throughout the morning until Casey went out to spend the rest of the day Sharice and Evan, both of them buying her special treats and random things. Casey loved it and how well they knew her. When they all got home, everyone jumped out at Casey, shouting SURPRISE! Everyone from family friends to old friends from newton even to estranged grandparents were there in union to celebrate her. Even though Casey hated surprises and more importantly parties, she smiled and ended up enjoying herself for a while.

"ICKLE BICKLE BEANSTALK!" Sam rushed to Casey

"Not now, Sam,"

"We have to! I don't want Edison to die," He snapped

"No, I said no Sam," Casey stated. Sam began to pull at the hair on the back of his head before Casey sighed, pulling him into a tight hug just the way he likes it

"I'll leave it for now, but in 18 minutes ill be back,"

"18 because its my 18^th?" Casey asked, Sam nodded and fled,

"Hey girl! We should get a drink or something" Sharice cheered, dancing with Casey. Casey's mind couldn't help but flash back to when she was hanging out with Izzie. She shook it off though.

"Yep! Lotta firsts to do now that I'm at rebellious 18," Casey then wandered off and just as she was about to go upstairs, Evan caught her

"Case! Enjoying the party?"

"Hah so… nope!" She said sarcastically, "I'm gonna go get changed,"

"Alright, so you head on up, lose the sweats and change into something nice," Evan said, to which Casey laughed and ran up the stairs

Casey had lost track of time, dancing with Sharice and Evan. Until Sam snuck up behind them "ITS BEEN 18 MINUTES CASEY!" Sam announced

"Cool cool, yeah… so no,"

"ICKLE. BICKLE. BEANSTALK." Sam repeated, this time angrier

"Has it really been 18 minutes?" Casey asked, then checking her fitbit, "alright Sam,"

"Evan!" Sam tapped on his shoulder, "hide this, its Ickle Bickle Beanstalk," Evan, confused, just nodded and left, "now Casey, perform swish swish boom with me," Casey sighed, but eventually did it. Then, the door opened, and in came Izzie and her friends.

"Hey newton, hey sam," Izzie smirked. Casey stumbled back. Why where they here!? She thought, after looking Izzie in the eye with the most disgusted look, she went into the kitchen, where her mom was

"Having a good time, superstar?" Elsa said,

"Yeah I was until someone invited those Clayton bitches," Casey bit at the edges of her fingers

"I invited them…" Casey angrily looked Elsa dead in the eyes, "I thought it'd be a good way to mend fences,"

"That’s not your place!" Casey yelled

"Do you want me to kick them out?" Elsa said,

"Yeah and while your at it, kick everyone else out too. I wanted something small but you never listen," Casey's tone didn't step down from yelling, and as much as Elsa wanted to defend herself, she just stopped talking.

"Hey don't be a brat," Evan said, butting into the conversation

"What the fuck, man," Casey said,

"ICKLE BICKLE BEANSTALK!" Sam yelled, running into the kitchen. But Casey just stormed off, "Evan didn't go over there, you nut!

Casey begins to yell "LEAVE ME ALONE! I don't care about Ickle Bickle, or your stupid rituals, everything's all about SAM SAM SAM," She stormed out and went to her room, as she sat down on the bed and plays her music

You can't force them to love you

Three knocks echo in Casey's small apartment, "Go away Evan or Elsa,"

They can't expect you to be alright

Izzie opens the door and Casey can't hide the shock that spreads on her face, "can I come in?" Izzie whispers. Casey nods

With all the bullshit they give you

Casey looked at her, noticing the way her hair was perfectly curled- albeit naturally. The way she tucked her hands into her jumper that hangs loosely on her shoulders. The way her eyes were filled with regret and anxiety, "Dude I'm sorry," Izzie sighs, "I've been a complete dick and I know you wouldn't kiss Nate,"

You wake up drenched in mosquito bites

"I was scared of losing the person I love and trust the most," Izzie said,

"I would never come in between you and Nate," Casey insisted, but Izzie just laughed

"No, I was afraid of losing you," Izzie smiled, "And now I just want my girl back,"

But if you fall in love with a girl-

'Let's forehead promise to never leave each other again," Izzie whispered. Casey nodded, but then looked at Izzie confused, before Izzie leaned forward, "here touch foreheads with me,"

She'll make you feel like the work is on your shoulders when you're holding her hand

Casey smiled as their foreheads pressed, "Can you tell I just made this up," Izzie giggled

And the first time that you kiss you'll smell lilacs on her lips

Then they're both kissing. It feels so right- but then they pull away from each other. Casey looks at Izzie and how she bites her lips and they look like they’ll kiss again, but this time, Elsa barges in

And when you need a little space you know she'll understand

"Casey I'm so-" Elsa stops when she sees the two girls pull away from each other, "Oh I- I'm sorry," Is all she can manage to sputter out, knowing they were about to kiss, "I just came to let you know that cake is ready…" Elsa looked to the floor before leaving

That boy, let them go

"Izzie I-"

Lights are on, but no ones home,"

"Casey it's fine…"

Enough's enough

Casey looks at Izzie without regret,

Find your pearl

Casey reaches over Izzie, hovering just above her lips

And fall in love

"Casey," Is all Izzie can manage

With a girl

And then they're kissing again. When they stop, Casey walks to the door. "I'm gonna go get some cake,"

Chapter Text

Truth was, Casey didn't go back into her parent's apartment. Instead, she went on a run. Once she found the track field, she continuously ran. Lap after lap until her legs gave out and she fell. Instead of getting up, she just laid there. There was no where she needed to be, no one she needed to see, nothing she felt like doing. That obviously wasn't true and as she stayed on the ground, she heard footsteps approaching. "Hey case," Evan muttered

"Evan what are you doing here?" Casey said, biting the edges of her fingers.

"Uh I'm here to pick you up," He said. Casey looked at him. She still loved him, but she didn't love him in that way anymore. Not in the same way she loved Izzie.

"I kissed someone," Casey says.

"What?!" Evan looks shocked and taken aback. Tears start to well in Caseys eyes as she scratches the skin from the sides of her fingernail beds, "what do you mean,"

Casey stifled the lump in her throat, "I… I have feelings for someone else,"

"W-wh… Is this some sort of payback? You mad at me for calling you a brat?" Evan couldn't comprehend what Casey was saying. She shook her head

"No I- I don' want to hurt you," Casey stuttered

"Well you already have!" Evan says, yelling, "d-do you love him?"

"She's a girl," Casey said. Evan looks taken aback

"What so you’re a lesbian and you've just been stringing me along this whole time? What kind of sick joke is this?"

"No I- I definitely like both girls and boys and I wasn't just stringing you on I-"

"Look Case, I don't care," He sighed, running his hands through his own hair, "I'm leaving,"

Just like that, he was gone and she was alone. Casey reached for her pocket, her phone spammed with texts from Elsa. Reluctantly, Casey calls her, "Hey mom can you pick me up?"

"Honey have you been crying? I sent Evan to pick you up,"

"We… we broke up," Casey tripped over her words and stuttered. Elsa was speechless

"I'm coming now,"

The car ride home was silent, except for the slight chewing sounds of Casey eating the thin mints Elsa bought for her, "If you ever want to talk or…" Elsa tried to get Casey to talk about how she was feeling, but every time, Casey would just shake her head no. Elsa decided to talk about her own experiences, "you know, when I was your age, I was still in school and met this wonderful girl," Casey looked at her mom, "she was so vibrant and amazing, we kissed and-"

"EW MOM!" Casey shrieked

"She was like a girl version of you dad," Elsa laughed, to which Casey pretended to gag.

It had been few weeks since her birthday, much of the time spent making out with Izzie. Casey was alone at the moment, hanging out at her parent's apartment, and wanted an excuse to go to Izzie's. "hey mom? Can we go to 711? I need to pick up some Twizzlers?" Excited, Elsa grabbed the keys

The next day, Casey knocked three times on Izzie's door. When Izzie opened, Casey felt her face get red, "I bought some Twizzlers," Izzie giggles

"My favourite!" Izzie quickly looked behind herself, as if she was checking something, then quickly biting her lip, she asks, "do you wanna come in?"  Then, without question, Izzie grabbed Casey's hand and pulled her inside.

"Who's this?" Izzie's siblings asked,

"This is Casey, Casey this is Tyler, Bea and Rose, my siblings but forget about them, let's go upstairs,"

When they went to Izzie's room, Casey instantly kissed Izzie, pushing her against the wall. Izzie ran her hands through Casey's hair, gently scratching her scalp.

"KIDS I'M HOME!" Casey hears this from the downstairs and pulls away from Izzie,

"Shit my mom's home," Izzie quickly reaches for her door and locks it.

"Izzie?" Ms Taylor says, knocking on the locked door, "Izzie Taylor open the door right now,"

"Fine…" Izzie opened the door and Ms Taylor's eyes landed on Casey

"Hi Ms Taylor, I'm Casey," Casey is cautious around her

"Call me Sasha, sweetie," Sasha laughed, looking Casey up and down, "can I do your tarot?

"I'm good thanks I just wanna hang out with Iz," Casey nervously smiles, Izzie grabbing Casey's hand

"well ok I guess," Sasha said, with annoyance and disgust tainting her words, "Izzie, Marc is coming over later, I want you out of the house,"

Izzie tilted her head at her mom, "No? I'll just chill in my room," Sasha scoffed at Izzie

"Very well then," Sasha muttered, leaving the room

"I definitely don’t like her…" Casey whispered, to which Izzie giggled, pulling her into a hug, kissing Casey on her lips, "I don't feel the best to be honest and I didn't quite get a lotta sleep last night,"

"We can watch a show, we'll both fall asleep," Izzie whispers, kissing Casey on her forehead.

Izzie gently stroked her nails through Casey's hair as she dosed off. When she woke up, it was to the sound of pots and pans clashing, and Sasha angrily yelling Izzie's name. Noticing that Izzie was still asleep, Casey snuck to the door and locked it. Only when Casey was out of her embrace did Izzie wake up. "What's happening and what's all the noise downsta-" Izzie stopped, before realising it was her mom. "Shit, shit, shit. Casey you should leave, I'll come down with you-" Casey shook her head no

"I want to stay," Casey stated, looking Izzie in the eyes, "what can I do to help?" Izzie shrugged hopelessly before feeling tears come to her eyes. Hoping Casey didn't notice, she quickly buried her face in her hands. However, Casey did notice and pulled Izzie into a tight hug, Izzie burying her head into the crook of Casey's neck "wanna talk or anything?" Izzie shook her head no, so Casey slowly leaned back on to the bed, holding Izzie tight until she fell asleep. However, the nap didn't last long as Sasha began to pound on Izzie's door

"Izzie, I know you stole my birth control, you jealous maniac!" Sasha screamed, clearly drunk. Casey felt Izzie shiver in her arms, but Izzie's grip on Casey's waist didn't waver

"Izzie, it'll be ok," Casey whispered, "how about, when your mom calms down, we drive your siblings to your grandma's and you stay at mine," Izzie pulled away from Casey

"She won't get mad at my siblings, she's mad at me. And it's fine… I don't wanna throw myself on your family," Izzie muttered, looking away

"Iz look at me," Casey made sure she was holding eye contact before continuing, "I would never think of you staying at my house like that. Besides my mom loves you, and I really want you to come over," Casey watched as Izzie bit her lip and smiled.

"Only if you're sure,"

Izzie and Casey walked into the family apartment. Casey could feel how Izzie was nervous, "Hey mom, Izzie's staying with us for a few days," Elsa gasped out of excitement

"Yay! Casey you never have friends over," Something stung in Casey about Elsa saying 'friends', "Do you want me to set up another bed? I don't know if your bed is big enough for the two of you… You'd have to be cuddling all night!" She joked. Casey smirked at Izzie who was evidently blushing

"Uh… we don't need another bed," Izzie said, although a little quietly. Elsa gave her a thumbs up in response

Back in Casey's room, Iz and Casey were kissing on the bed, Izzie slightly leaning over Casey who was sitting cross legged around Izzie. Casey was slightly pushed against the head of the bed, but held her arms around Izzie's waist. Izzie ran her nails through the back of Casey's head, just how she loves it. "Casey, Izzie. Time for-" Elsa barged into the room, giving them not enough time to break out of their embraces, "Oh…" Elsa whispered, "how long has this been a thing?" Just as Izzie was about to respond, Casey quickly cut in

"Not until recently," Casey muttered, "and your supposed to knock?"

"Your right… I'm sorry honey," Elsa nervously said, "dinner's ready… so come out of your room at your own pace," Elsa then left the room

"If I had told her we had been…" Casey didn't want to call it anything that made Izzie feel uncomfortable, "hanging out for more than a week-"

"Hanging out?" Izzie giggled "What are we? Seven-year-olds building a fort,"

"Hmm kinda? We did build a fort the other night. And what would you call it?" Casey asked

"Dating?" Izzie didn't miss the smile that crept on Casey's face

The dinner was delicious- Elsa had made her famous lasagne- and conversations were floating around the table as they ate. But Elsa didn't stop glancing over at Izzie and Casey and smiling. "Hey your mom thinks were cute or something…" Izzie whispered to Casey, "she keeps on glancing over at us," Izzie giggled, making Casey laugh

"Hey so Case, guess whose now an EMT student?" Doug chuckled, "your boyfriend made it in!"

"Ex-boyfriend, dad, we aren't dating anymore,"

"Yeah, yeah who knows maybe you'll forgive each other," Doug says with a shrug, "But anyways-"

"Dad no. I've moved on," Casey was mad, Izzie could tell, so she held her hand and gently stroked it under the table, calming Casey down much more then she'd like to admit

"Look, I'm just sayin', you never know what'll happen. Maybe you guys decide you wanna date again. Everything's confusing at this age," Izzie knew that was the breaking point for Casey, but what Casey did next surprised her. She kissed Izzie on the lips and stormed out. Izzie felt the blush creep onto her cheeks and embarrassment set in.

"Oh," Doug says, "w-what so you guys are like-" Doug gestured between Izzie and where Casey had been sitting.

"Uh…" Izzie didn’t want to answer. Not when Casey should be, "maybe you should ask your daughter," Izzie muttered before approaching the door

"I knew about them dating," Sam stated, causing Izzie to turn around, "you can tell whenever Casey gets mad. Izzie knows how to calm her down and whenever Izzie hears Casey's name she blushes. Although I wasn't sure if it was like me and Bailey Bennet last year where we were strictly kissing only," Sam sounded so natural. Izzie, realising Sam had finished talking, went to Casey's apartment.

"I'm sorry," Casey sighed as she sat on the end of her bed

"Case its fine," Izzie said, "Whose Bailey Bennet by the way?" Casey death stared Izzie

"The girl I punched…" Casey mumbled. Izzie broke out into a laughing fit, "how did you find out her name-"

"Sam used to kiss her apparently" Izzie said, not answering to the question. Casey looked shocked

"What?!" Casey laughed, "you know who I want to kiss," Casey said with a smirk, slowly pulling Izzie into a kiss.

Chapter Text

"Hey Iz?" Casey whispers, breaking the kiss, "can we cuddle for a bit?"

Izzie strokes Casey's cheek as Casey rests her head on Izzie's chest, "Do you want to talk?" Izzie asks gently,

"Kinda,"

"You've been biting your cuticles a lot more than usual lately. You only do that when something's bothering you," Izzie calmly states, not wanting to scare or intimidate Casey,

"I've been scared to tell my dad to be honest," Casey sighs, "I didn't know how he'd react and I think I fucked up but, in that moment, I was so mad. And thinking about Evan hurts. Because I didn't love him like that anymore but I didn't want to hurt him," Casey feels tears welling in her eyes and Izzie wipes them,

"It's ok newton," Izzie smiled, purposely using the nickname to help her feel better, "you didn't fuck up. I'm so proud of you for telling Doug, no matter how you did it. And I know how hard breaking up with Evan must be and feeling like you betrayed him," Izzie sighed, "I'm here for you, ok?" Casey nodded, feeling a lot better. A knock echoed in the apartment, "you should get that Case, I think it's your dad,"

"The door's open," Casey calls out, not wanting to get up,

"Hey Casey can we talk?" Doug asks, walking in. Izzie gets up,

"I'm gonna go chat with Sam," Izzie whispered to Casey, leaving,

"Look Casey, I- I dunno what all this means for you but I uh I'm sorry kid,"

"Sure whatever its fine," Casey muttered, looking away from her dad,

"No seriously I wasn't thinking about how you felt," her dad sounded genuine, "I know this won't make it all up but I did a little bit of research and I heard there was a pride parade coming next month," Casey looked intrigued, "if you want, I could take you and Izzie,"

The streets were filled with people holding flags and banners, marching to find deals on rainbow items or finding new people to meet. Casey wore rainbow sneakers and a rainbow pride flag on her back with a white shirt and light jeans. Izzie wore a shirt with the lesbian flag colours across it and black jeans, with sunglasses that had a mini rainbow attached to the corner. Casey's dad stood behind them, in a t-shirt that had painted on 'pride parent'. Casey pointed to a witchy bar selling rainbow beer, "Lets go there Iz, c'mon!" Casey giggled, grabbing her hand and running towards the bar

"Hello my name is Erika, happy pride!" The bartender smiled. She had short black hair and slightly tan skin

"Hi Erika, can we get the rainbow beer?" Izzie asked, putting her arms around Casey's waist,

"You could, but maybe try a rainbow non-alcoholic drink…" Erika says,

"Yes of course," Doug says, "just because it's your first pride doesn't mean I'll chase after two drunk girls,"

"First pride? Must be a big deal," Erika said, throwing bottles behind her and doing crazy amazing tricks,

"Yeah! Hey… just asking but can we be friends?" Izzie said to Erika. Casey will never understand how Izzie didn't sound anxious. But Casey noticed how she began drawing random patterns on Casey's thigh. She was a little bit nervous but didn't want to show it.

"Sure, here my business card it has my number on it too," Erika was able to throw it through the air so that it landed on the top of the beer. "bon Appetit," She said with flair. Casey and Izzie tried it, and fell in love with it

"What did you put in that?" Doug asks, "got these girls on a love potion," Everyone laughed while Casey jokingly slapped her dad's arm.

"Hey I've been thinking-" Izzie started, Casey quickly cutting her off,

"Don't lie," Casey deadpanned, "sorry that's my shit-telling instincts," she said sheepishly

"Well, do you wanna join a track team? It's like a whole school based on running, and since I took a gap year and you can't go to college until next year, you could join and we could try to get into UCLA, since they do recruit from there," Izzie smiled, and Casey felt her chest get a little lighter,

"Did Sam tell you I did track?" Izzie nodded, "are you in the track school right now??" Casey asked

"Yeah, I'm team captain…" Izzie said quietly,

"WHAT?" Casey looked shocked, "how come you never told me," Casey whined, leaning her head on Izzie's shoulder, "but, regardless of you not telling me that you do track, I think that sounds awesome," Izzie kissed Casey on the lips

"There's a uniform…" Casey said in disgust. It had been 3 hours since they got home from pride and Izzie was showing Casey about the school as they sat in Izzie's room,

"Ok so it's a little prestigious, but you only have to change when you have both a theory lesson and a training or running session," Izzie smiled, closing her laptop, "besides, its how I met Penelope and Quinn and all the others," Casey weighed her options

"Hm, I'll ask my mom to book me an interview… will you come?" Casey asks, kissing her,

"Fine," Izzie smirks, kissing Casey. And then like that they were making out until her mom came upstairs with some guy, "hey mom I'm a little busy right now?" Izzie said as Sasha pushed open the door. Neither Casey nor Izzie moved from where they were sitting,

"Cockblock them!" The random dude cheered from the back, Sasha laughed,

"I want you and I suppose your… Lumberjack lesbo of a girlfriend to meet my BOYfriend, James,"

"James? What happened to Mark?" Izzie said, knowing that would get her mom to leave

"DON'T BE DISRESPECTFUL!" Sasha shouted, walking away,

"Are you ok Case?" Izzie turned to her, noticing how she tried to push her tears down, "it's ok you can cry I wont judge," Izzie whispered, pulling Casey into a hug,

"Am I really that? A lumberja-"

"No, Casey. My mom is just homophobic," Izzie said, stroking the back of Casey's head, "she doesn't understand that people can genuinely date the same gender," Casey sighed, resting her head on Izzie's chest.

Casey woke up alone but still in Izzie's bed She quickly got up, approaching the stairs, but stopped at the top when she heard Izzie talking to her mom,

"It's not ok to say those things to my girlfriend, mom," Izzie groaned, Casey could feel her losing patience

"I'm just saying the truth," Sasha doesn't seemed to sound caring of anything Izzie is saying

"No, you're not. And besides, your opinion literally means nothing to me," Izzie sighs

"You're probably going to break up with her soon," Sasha shrugs. "Relationships with girls are just times to have fun," Casey practically sprinted down the stairs to stop Izzie from blowing up, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist.

"Hey Iz," Casey whispered, "it's not worth it,"

"I know but she's telling me this is a phase," Izzie whispers back, clearly pissed. "she's just jealous that our relationship is lasting longer than any one she's been in," Casey starts laughing,

"What? Do you have something to say, Izzie?" Sasha crooked her head, squinting at the two girls

"We're going to Casey's, bye," Sasha tried to say something in protest but the girls didn't listen, running out the door.

"Hey mom, when's the interview?" Casey said, piquing Izzie's interest while she was talking to Sam,

"Three days," Elsa said after checking her calendar,

"Have I shown you Sphen and Magic?" Sam asked, flipping the pages in his drawing book

"No, you haven’t," Izzie says, "Can I see?" Sam nodded his head,

"They're gay penguins in Sydney, duh" Sam says, as if it were a fact everyone knew, "here have this," Sam says, carefully tearing the page out and handing it to Izzie,

"Sphen and Magic remind me of you and Casey. Except for their child. They named it Sphengic. It's a terrible name," Sam says, "I think Casey wants to talk to you," He points at Casey, whose watching them talk

"Sphen and Magic…" Izzie giggles, kissing Casey

"You're so nice to him," Casey said, looking at Izzie, "not many people are like that," Izzie wraps her hand around Casey's waist, and shrugs

"There's no reason to judge him," Izzie states simply, "I'm feeling kinda stiff… wanna go for a run?"

When they got home, Izzie rested on the bed in her sports bra and a pair of shorts. Izzie was just playing games but Casey watched as her tongue poked out slightly and her eyes fixated on her phone. Despite noticing Izzie's intense concentration, Casey went over to the bed, leaning in front of her. She kissed Izzie, who set her phone aside. "You're hot and heavy,"

"Just think you look gorgeous in this sports bra," Casey whispers, kissing Izzie's neck. Casey had never done this before. Izzie bit her lip, before saying something risky;

"Yeah? How much more gorgeous would I look without it," Casey stopped, leaning back before tracing Izzie's sports bra.

Chapter Text

"Clayton Prep is so… fancy," Casey muttered, discomfort tinting her voice. Casey was surprised when Elsa had told her that she couldn't come to the interview. So, Izzie and Casey walked down the hallways of Clayton Prep together. It was a Tuesday, so students were bustling through the halls to find their classes

"That's private schools for you," Izzie said in reply, "I've got practically showered in countless scholarships to come here, so I went here for most of secondary school,"

"And how come you can just join the track team without going to the school?" Casey asked,

"Because it’s a separate program run by the school. The reason I got scholarships to this school though was so that I would join the track team. Usually they only accept people who are graduates from Clayton but I'm sure they'll make an exception for you," Izzie smiled, kissing Casey briefly as they came to a stop at a door that read 'COACH CROWLEY'

"She sounds scary," Casey laughs nervously,

"She isn't… more-so awkward to be honest. Besides I'll be there the entire time," Izzie said with confidence. Casey wore a polo top with a pair of black loose jeans and her converse, but brought a change of exercise clothes in her backpack just in case.

"Hello Casey, nice to see you again Izzie. Please take a seat," Crowley gestured to the chairs that stood in front of her, "so Casey, Clayton wants to know why we should have you on our team,"

After lots of conversing about her average running time, videos of Casey at races and many more details, Crowley reached for the paperwork under her desk, "Clayton Track team is prepared to give you a scholarship to join our track team,” Casey excitedly looked at Izzie, who reciprocated her feelings, “we actually managed to get a recording of one of your races and I think your the missing piece to our team,” Coach Crowley put the forms in an envelope and handed it to Casey

“Thank you Ms-” Casey started, but Izzie quietly corrected her,

“Coach,”

“Coach Crowley,” Casey said, flawlessly correcting herself

“Full scholarship?! Damn newton you must be amazing,” Izzie laughed, kissing Casey as they left the room,

“Shut up,” Casey laughed, throwing her arm around Izzie and pulling her in, 

Casey hadn’t seen Izzie in a week, and it was driving her crazy. She’d spent so much time filling out paperwork for Clayton track and then spent two days sleeping after feeling overwhelmingly burnt out. But a quick text sent Izzie straight to Casey’s apartment Izzie and Casey barely made it passed Casey’s apartment door before they were kissing, Casey reaching to pull off Izzies shirt,

“Is this ok?” Casey asked to be sure, Izzie nodded. They sat on the bed as Izzie pulled off Casey’s shirt. Izzie slipped her finger under the waistband of Casey’s shorts until the door abruptly swung open, Elsa barging in, “MOM!” Casey shrieked as Elsa came in, but quickly covered her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to!” Elsa said, leaving the room. Casey was mad, and although Izzie was a little bit flustered, she managed to stop Casey from instantly leaving the room to yell at her mom,

“Case calm down it was an accident,”

“She knows to knock,” Casey complained, calming down a little as Izzie ran her hand through Casey’s hair, “sometimes it feels like she doesn’t even know what privacy is,” Casey grumbled, her head sinking into Izzie’s shoulder,

“I know,” Izzie whispered, kissing the side of Casey’s head, “why don’t you go out there and talk to her, but put on a shirt,” Izzie smirked, biting her lip, “this sight is only for me,” 

“Dork,” Casey giggled, throwing on a loose shirt and walking out. When she walked into her parent’s apartment, she saw her mom anxiously tapping her foot, “how many times do I have to tell you to knock?” Casey said, annoyance edging each of her words,

“Honey I’m so sorry,” Elsa sighed, “I promise I’ll try-”

“That’s what you said when you walked in on me kissing her,” Casey began to get more annoyed,

“Oh sweetie I-”

“No! Save it for someone who wants to hear it,”

“Whoa whoa whoa what’s happening?” Doug says, trying to relieve the situation

“I forgot to knock on Casey’s door while she was having… a private moment with Izzie,”

“Casey, she's your mom, forgive and move on,” Doug said with a sigh. Casey was frustrated and didn’t want to spend another moment near her dad or her mom, so whilst slamming the door, she left the room,

“Fuck them,” Casey groaned, flopping on her back onto the bed,

“Newton, chill out,” Izzie sighed, resting her head on Casey’s shoulder, “maybe you just need a break from them… Wanna get slurpees?”

“Hm that’s not a bad idea,” Casey and Izzie quickly grabbed her parent’s keys

After 3 hours of driving, Casey and Izzie finally found a gas station with root beer slurpees, they both sat in the backseat as they blasted the heater to battle the cold winter breeze

“Newton to be honest, I don’t regret this, but it’s already getting dark and it takes ages to get back to Clayton,” Izzie smiled, resting her head, “but I have something I wanna tell you,”

“Hm?” Casey mumbled, a little sleepy,

“I love you, Casey,” Izzie said softly. Casey’s eyes widened,

“I love you too, Izzie,” Casey whispered, kissing her girlfriend gently

The drive home was slow and gentle- Izzie ended up driving home so that Casey could sleep. And Izzie even carried Casey inside to avoid waking her up. As Izzie carefully placed Casey on her lap on the bed, she noticed how peaceful she looked. Casey stirred in her sleep, mumbling Izzie’s name and asking if they were home. Izzie whispered a quiet ‘shh’ before stroking her hair, putting her back to sleep. It worked, and within moments, Casey was fast asleep. Izzie didn’t feel tired and decided to scroll on instagram. After a few minutes, Izzie heard a few knocks on the door, “Come in,” Izzie said, loud enough so that they could hear but not so loud that Casey would wake up.

“Oh, hi Izzie,” Elsa whispered, noticing her child asleep, “Casey’s really mad with me at the moment,” Elsa sighed

“She just thinks you don’t… respect her privacy?” Izzie muttered, looking down at Casey,

“Sometimes I even question whether I do. I’m gonna try harder though,” Elsa nodded,

“I think she’ll appreciate that… Good night Elsa,”

“Good night Izzie,” Elsa smiles,

It was the morning and Casey woke up to Izzie in a bra and shorts, waking up at the same pace as Casey, “Well why do I deserve such a beautiful sight,” Casey flirted, reaching over to Izzie to give her a goodmorning kiss.

“Let’s get breakfast you dork,” Izzie mumbled, still a bit tired. Casey went to get up, but Izzie grabbed her wrist, “Before you go… I talked to your mom yesterday,” Casey rolled her eyes,

“Was she being annoying?” 

“Newton, no. She said she was going to try harder to respect your privacy,” Izzie smiled, “She was definitely being genuine too. Try to be nice?” Casey sighed

“Fine…” Then, Casey smirked, “only because you asked,” As they entered Casey’s parent’s apartment, she was greeted by Elsa’s excited squeal

“Guess who made it into Clayton Track?” Elsa cheered, “I even made pancakes shaped like ‘C’s” Casey reached over to Izzie, who tightly hugged her back,

“It’s me, right?” Casey sarcastically deadpanned, earning an eye roll from Elsa in return

“Ha. Ha,” Elsa said, “You start in a week! Let’s eat breakfast!”

Chapter Text

Izzie watched as Casey ran laps. Izzie sprained her ankle the night prior and had to sit on the bleachers. Casey slowed down as she approached the bleachers. “Hey love,” Casey puffs, her stamina quickly adjusting, “how’s the ankle?”

“Hurts like a bitch,” Izzie whined,

“Hey it’ll be ok,” Casey whispers, kissing Izzie’s cheek, “talk when we get home?” Casey asked. Izzie nodded, watching Casey dash down the bleacher stairs.

Izzie struggled down the bleachers- Casey quickly running up to her to aid her. “Case I’m fine,” She said, face palming herself. Casey retracted- looking a little hurt- and Izzie instantly held the side of her face, “Casey no it’s just,” Izzie sighed, “Sometimes it feels like I need to be perfect,” 

Casey scoffed, “You’re already perfect,” Casey said, winking. Izzie felt a red blush creep onto her face,

“Casey!” Izzie shrieked in a giggle, leaning forward and gently kissing Casey,

Izzie was alone in bed, the apartment creepily quiet. Izzie brought her wrist close to her face, seeing the bright lights of her watch glowing up and the time reading: 1:00am. Fuck, thought Izzie. She shuffled around in bed, trying to get comfy until she heard a quiet knock on the door. Izzie snuck to the door- albeit strangely as she limped on her sore ankle, opening it and to see Casey,

“Casey?” Izzie whispered, rubbing her eyes,

“I woke up to get some water and checked my phone,” Casey muttered, trying not to wake anyone up. Izzie tilted her head still confused, “you synced your watch to my phone the other night, it said you were still awake,” Casey waved her phone slightly. Casey invited herself inside,

“Casey, you should go back to bed,” Izzie sighed, “you have a home too,”

“Yeah and my home is literally right upstairs,” Casey said, approaching Izzie’s room, “look if you really want I’ll go home but you could literally cuddle your girlfriend to sleep,” Casey smirked, leaning against the door frame of Izzie’s room.

“Shut up,” Izzie said with a smile, pulling Casey by the waist and into her room. As they both laid down in bed, something caught Casey’s eye.

“You got this framed? No way!” She grinned, picking up a photo of her and Izzie from the sleepover,

“Yeah… it's one of my favourite pictures of us,” Izzie said, kissing Casey before yawning and leaning into her. As Casey laid back, Izzie rested her head on Casey’s chest, and they both fell asleep.

“NO IZZIE YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!” Casey woke up alone in the bed to the sound of Sasha yelling, “I DON’T CARE IF YOU HAVE TRACK, THAT’S A DEAD DREAM ANYWAYS,” Casey then heard Izzie shriek, and just before Casey was about to get up, she hears running up the stairs accompanied by Izzie bursting into the room and slamming the door,

“Casey, Casey, Casey,” Izzie cried, limping and falling into Casey’s open embrace, Casey hugging Izzie tightly “you need to go home, you can’t deal-” Izzie was cut off by the door swinging open- Sasha screaming. Casey reached for the desk, grabbing a pocket knife and extending the blade,

“Stay back,” She said, her voice shaking as she held the knife up, “get the fuck away from my girlfriend,” Sasha looked shocked and bewildered, 

“You wouldn’t have the guts,” Sasha laughed sarcastically, reaching for Izzie’s jellybean jar on her bookshelf and smashing it on the floor. Casey felt Izzie shiver underneath her as she turned around. Sasha reached for Izzie’s books, a necklace. But then, something caught Sasha’s eye. The photo in the frame of Casey and Izzie. She grabbed it and threw it to her feet. The frame shattered- glass flying around. Izzie’s eyes shrunk to pin pricks and a loud ringing echoed in her ears. The tears stopped and Izzie choked out words through her dry throat,

“Get. Out.” Izzie said, limping up to her mum. Sasha tried to say something, but she was cut off by Izzie slapping Sasha on her cheek. The slap reverberated in the room and yet Sasha just turned around and left. Izzie’s siblings came running into her room,

“Bubby!” Bea cried, flopping into Izzie’s arms,

“Beatrice, I’ll tuck you in bed in a second,” Izzie sighed, “Rose go with Tyler into your guys room,” Izzie then turned to Casey, “go home, please Casey,”

ONE MONTH LATER

Casey was laying in bed. Over the past two days, Elsa and Doug walked in her room, trying to peel Casey out of bed. She’d felt like that ever since…  Nothing was interesting enough to excite Casey until four knocks echoed in Casey’s apartment, “Come in,” Casey sighed

“Casey I’m taking you to track,” Sam stated, “I can officially drive,” he said, holding up his license,

“No way dude!” She said, sitting up. She tapped her chin before shrugging, “ok let’s go,”

When Casey arrived and said goodbye to Sam, she immediately looked at the stand. Casey spotted Izzie, staring off into the distance. Casey ran up the stairs, approaching Izzie.

“That wasn’t fair,” Casey said, giving Izzie a fright, “breaking up with me,” 

“Casey-”

“Izzie I don’t understand why you broke up with me,”

“Casey my life was too unstable,” Izzie whispered facepalming herself, “and your dad-”

“What about my dad,” Casey said, her eyes widening,

“Nothin-” Izzie tried to shrug it off, looking away. But Casey narrowed her eyes at Izzie,

“DAD WHAT THE FUCK!” Casey yelled, bursting the apartment door open,

“What Case?” Doug sighed,

“You’re the reason Izzie broke up with me,” Her tone was stern, “just so you know, she moved out of her mom’s apartment and I’m going to her house tonight,” Casey slammed the door shut. In her own apartment, she got changed. She wore a tight checkered shirt with denim shorts, a leather jacket hung on her shoulder.

After minutes of confusion, making sure it was the right house and sending a message to her dad to not text her, she finally went up to the house and rang the doorbell “Hey Casey,” Izzie smiled, leaning on the doorframe. Effortlessly, Izzie grabbed Casey’s hand and pulled her inside, “I’ll order pizza, want a drink?” Casey nodded, sitting down on the couch. The home was bigger than Casey’s and certainly nicer and more homey.

“Hey Iz?” Casey called out from the living room,

“Yeah Newton?” Izzie hummed, covering the speaker of the phone

“Vodka and soda? For old times sake?” Casey didn’t miss the way Izzie’s cheeks went red,

“I’ll see what I have,” Izzie whispered, walking into the kitchen

Casey and Izzie were giggling on the couch, after drinking a lot and enjoying large slices of pizza, “Caseyyy~” Izzie whispered in a sultry tone, lying down on Casey’s lap

“You ok Iz?” Casey hummed, stroking the side of Izzie’s face

“I- I missed this,” Each word took monumental effort to say whilst Izzie’s mind was doing cartwheels and yet, she felt like she could say anything. Casey leaned into Izzie and kissed her- albeit carelessly. Izzie kissed back, pulling Casey into her arms. Izzie pulled off Casey’s leather jacket, throwing it onto the floor but then pulled away, “nothing more than kissing, ok? We’re both drunk,” Izzie whispered, tracing Casey’s lips with her index finger

“You… that’s my girl,” Casey mumbled, kissing Izzie,

Casey woke up in Izzie’s arms. For the first time in a month, she felt at home.

Chapter Text

Izzie’s arms cuddled around Casey. As Izzie woke up, she stretched her arms and unravelled her hug. Although after Casey whined, pulling Izzie’s arms back into a hug, Izzie kissed the back of Casey’s head and laughed,

“Casey…we should get up,” Izzie whispered, “and my head is pounding,”

“Fiiine,” Casey mumbled, flipping her body over and nuzzling her head into Izzie’s chest. Izzie stroked her nails through Casey’s hair,

“Maybe we can sleep for longer,” Izzie muttered, sinking back into the bed

“No.. no,” Casey stretched, “you’re right… I’m going to get your Tylenol,”

“left cabinet,” Izzie said, sitting up as she watched Casey walk into the bathroom. Casey came out with a glass of water and a packet of Tylenol,

“Already swallowed mine,” Casey hummed, before becoming distracted by her phone pulsing on the nightstand. Looking at the phone, Casey groaned, “it’s my dad… I may have gotten mad at him…” Izzie narrowed her head at Casey,

“Is this my fault?” Izzie said, running her hands through her hair, Casey shook her head no but Izzie facepalmed herself, “Casey, pick up the phone,” 

“Hey dad,” Casey sighed, putting the phone on speaker,

“Look Case, I’m sorry,” Doug said,

“Yeah, it’s fine dad,” Casey exhaled, slightly rolling her eyes. Izzie whacked Casey in a teasing manner, and Casey leaned into Izzie, “Talk later? I’m kinda busy,”

“Oh ok,” He said before Casey clicked the hang up button. Casey buried her head in Izzie’s shoulder,

“Casey, I love you but you need to talk to your dad,” Izzie firmly said, “c’mon, let’s go Newton, get dressed and walk to your house,” Izzie whispered, sliding off the bed and walking to the wardrobe. Casey quickly followed her, grabbing some of Izzie’s clothes and taking off her shirt, “cute bra,” Izzie whispered, hugging Casey’s waist and kissing her cheek, “did you sleep in it?”

“I mean yeah.. we were drunk?” Casey laughed, “you think I cared?”

“Hah no,” Izzie unravelled herself from Casey, got changed and went to the bathroom, “want me to do your makeup?” Izzie called out to Casey,

“Absolutely not,” Casey replied,

“Then let’s go,” Izzie hummed,

Casey sighed as she reached for the door knob of her parent’s apartments, “Case I shouldn’t come in…” Izzie said, watching as Casey turned her head to Izzie

“What?” Casey muttered, beginning biting her nails,

“Hey, hey, hey Newton it’s ok,” Izzie brushed the side of Casey’s cheek and grabbed her hand, “you have me and I have you, ok?” Izzie kissed Casey gently, “I’ll come in,” Casey let out a sigh of relief, going into the apartment,

“Hi dad…” Casey said, scratching the back of the head,

“Hey Case,” Doug stuttered, also watching Izzie walk in with her, “wanna talk?”

“Yeah…” Casey nodded,

“Want privacy?” Izzie whispered into Casey’s ear, lightly scratching her back,

“Maybe talk to Elsa or something,” Casey replied, kissing Izzie on the cheek lightly,

“How’d it go?” Izzie asked as Casey walked up behind her,

“It went well… I suppose,” Casey rested her arms around Izzie’s waist, “let’s go to my apartment,” Casey said in a whisper, “please?”

“Ok,” Izzie replied, waving a small goodbye to Elsa. By the time Casey and Izzie made it into the apartment, they were profusely making out,

“I love you,” Casey said under her breath in between kisses,

“I love you too,” Izzie replied, slipping a hand underneath Casey’s jumper and the other into Casey’s short brown hair. Casey’s eyes- once locked on Izzie’s lips were now looking into Izzie’s eyes,

“Iz,” Casey smiled, leaning her head into Izzie’s collarbone, “you’re gorgeous,”

“Do you wanna have se-” 

“Yeah” Casey exhaled, cutting Izzie off

“Take off your shirt,” Izzie said with a laugh and a joking eye roll

Izzie had become increasingly busy since Casey and Izzie had last seen each other. However, Izzie’s birthday was coming up and Izzie wanted nothing more then to spend the day with Casey

“Hey Casey,” Izzie hummed, resting her arms around Casey’s waist as Casey sat in Izzie’s lap “so… uhh I don’t think I told you but my birthday is-”

“Tomorrow. Yep, your 19th,” Casey was playing games on her phone while sitting on Izzie’s lap in her home, “you better be free the entire day… also I’m staying over today for… secret purposes,

“What are you up to… you rat,” Izzie giggled coyly,

“Dunno…” Casey joked, turning and kissing Izzie

Casey woke up at 4AM but nothing she wasn’t used to. The first challenge of Izzie’s birthday was untangling herself from Izzie- something she hated to do. Izzie was a heavy sleeper but on the off days that Casey had to leave early, Casey learnt how to escape Izzie’s sleeping hugs. Slowly pulling herself out of Izzie’s embraces, Casey watched as her sleeping girlfriend stirred in her sleep. Casey replaced where she once was with a pillow, which sent Izzie snoring again.

“I’m so excited” Bea cheered as Casey held her. Next to Casey was Tyler and Rose,

“Yep, just give me a sec to open the door,” She said, putting Bea down and reaching for the keys. Casey grabbed the breakfast she had prepared and gave it to Rose, “Ok Rose, go in there and say happy birthday ” Casey whispered, patting Rose on the back,

“Hap’ birfday sis!” Rose cheered. Izzie sat up in bed, a little bit dazed

“Thought we could have breakfast with your siblings,” Casey muttered, biting her nails,

“Aww, Caseyy~” Izzie smiled, clearly sleepy. Casey walked up to Izzie and gave her a kiss, earning a loud ‘EW’ from Tyler, “Shuddup Ty,”

After they all ate breakfast, Casey and Izzie walked Tyler, Rose and Bea home. As they stood outside the apartment, Casey watched as Izzie nervously twiddled her thumbs, “Hey dork,” Casey said softly, “look at me, what’s wrong,” Izzie’s eyes flashed up to Casey,

“It’s nothing,” Izzie muttered, looking away from Casey. Casey turned Izzie’s head using her index finger,

“You can’t possibly be ok right now,” Casey mumbled, “let’s get outta here, kay?” Izzie nodded slowly,

Casey managed to lead Izzie over to a lake, where she had set up a picnic. “Casey…” Izzie hummed, hugging Casey’s waist. They sat down on a pink picnic rug as Casey opened the basket,

“And what do we have here?” Casey said, her tone evoking Izzie’s curiosity, “Twizzlers, your favourite, M&Ms, my favourite, jam sandwiches, orange juice and…” Casey reached into the basket and revealed a small white box with a ribbon around it, “I… I don’t really know how to be romantic and shit like that but I uh bought this for you,” Casey mumbled, handing over the box to Izzie, who’s blushing face was painted with a wide smile,

“Come here Newton,” Izzie giggled, wrapping herself around Casey. Once Izzie was lying down on Casey’s lap, she gently unravelled the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace with an infinity symbol, “I also got myself a matching ring,” Casey said, reaching in her pocket and putting it on.

“Casey-” Izzie whispered, her breath taken away, “I love it,” Izzie beamed, propping the necklace around her neck.

Casey and Izzie looked up in the sky, gently sharing kisses as they watched the clouds pass by. At one point, Izzie kissed Casey while a random guy was passing by. “Fags” He said rolling his eyes,

“Excuse me?” Casey said, intimidatingly. The dude shrunk a little as Casey stood up, the height difference becoming apparent. However, the only apparent cowardly trait was the way his voice shook ever so slightly. Izzie smirked, raising an eyebrow at him as she sat up. Casey noticed that the guy looked just about their age, before Izzie laughed,

“You went to Clayton… Your name’s like Lucas or something,” Izzie said recognising him

“So what,” He said crossing his arms, “gay bitch,”

“Just as fucked up as everyone else there,” Izzie muttered, “look just leave us alone. We never asked for your opinion,” Izzie scoffed, before watching Casey cross her arms and tower over him,

“Get out of my sight,” She hissed. Lucas stumbled back and ran

“That was hot,” Izzie muttered, her gaze falling to Casey’s lips,

“Oh yeah?” Casey smirked, raising an eyebrow and kneeling down to bow over Izzie

“I-” Izzie stammered, Casey’s lips barely hovering away from Izzie’s. Casey loved watching Izzie blush as she teased her, “C-Casey…” Izzie stuttered as Casey smirked, Casey finally leaned into the kiss. One of Izzie’s hands slipped into Casey’s short brown hair, and Casey clutched Izzie’s waist. Casey moaned into the kiss, Izzie smiling as she felt Casey pull her closer. Izzie wrapped her legs around Casey and Casey’s grip tightened,

“Stay,” Casey whispered leaning into Izzie’s touch, “never leave me again,” Izzie pulled away from the kiss and nuzzled her head into the side of Casey’s neck. As much as the both of them wished they could stay in their state of bliss, Casey and Izzie knew that it was nothing but a desire,

It took 10 seconds for Izzie to throw herself all over Casey, roughly kissing her. Casey eagerly returned the passion when they fell through Izzie’s apartment door and onto the couch, “Can I?” Casey panted, reaching for the hem of Izzie’s singlet,

“Yeah, mhm,” Izzie muttered briskly, helping Casey take it off. Casey looked at Izzie, noticing a bandaid just underneath her bra. Casey brought her index finger to the bandaid, tracing along the outside softly

“What’s this,” Casey asked. The concern that flashed in her eyes was definitely noted by Izzie, however Izzie’s eyes dilated even more then what Casey deemed possible- only a thin brown ring on the outside of her black pupil. Biting her lip, Izzie ripped off the small bandaid, revealing a tattoo of Casey’s initials.

“Didn’t even hurt,” Izzie smirked calmly,

“Fucking hot,” Casey muttered, matching Izzie’s smirk. Before they both knew it, their lips were crashing together again.

A few days later, Izzie went over to Casey’s, but she very quickly noticed something was up. Casey was biting her fingers a lot more lately, and when Izzie looked at Casey, she noticed how… exasperated (??) she looked around her family. Yet Izzie couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Whilst watching a show, Izzie devised a plan in her head. She knew that Casey felt safe- both in Izzie’s arms and in her own apartment- and so she decided to talk to Casey now, rather than delay it. After the episode ended, Izzie turned off the T.V and faced Casey, “What?” Casey said, quirking her head

“What’s been bothering you,” Izzie asked, brushing a loose strand of hair from Casey’s face and tucking it behind her ear

“What are you talking about,” Casey mumbled, biting her cuticles. Izzie quickly grabbed Casey’s hand, holding it firmly as she pressed a kiss onto it.

“You’ve been acting distant,” Izzie stated, “you don’t act like this often. Please tell me what's going on,” Izzie said, her voice tinted with worry. She got through to Casey, who let out a sigh

“I- I don’t know…” Casey muttered, to which Izzie narrowed her eyes, “just I’m around my family so much it’s suffocating,” Casey leaned back into Izzie’s toned arms, feeling waves of annoyance already leaving her, “every second of every day my mum is constantly bugging me it feels like,” And as if it were planned, 2 sharp quick knocks echoed in her apartment, “exhibit a,” Casey groaned, unlatching herself from Casey and opening the door,

“Casey!” Elsa cheered

“Elsa!” Casey said acrimoniously. However, Elsa definitely didn’t pick up on it, only Izzie who watched from the couch that was mere meters from the door

“Is that Izzie?” Elsa gushed, to which Casey nodded before slamming the door shut,

“Newton, that’s not different from her usual,” Izzie said, raising an eyebrow, “maybe you just need to move out?”

“Hah real funny, my job doesn’t pay nearly enough money for me to live on my own,” Casey caustically laughed,

“No, Casey, but you could move in with me,” Izzie’s words were slow and purposeful and whilst it took a second, Casey realised that this was realistic.