By the Numbers

"CASEY! Get your ass in here."

"Eight seconds," Casey said in an undertone, looking up from his watch. He pasted on a look of innocent confusion and hurried towards the bedroom. It wasn't wise to keep Zeke waiting when he was grumpy. Besides, Casey had plans for this evening and being in the bedroom with Zeke was critical to their success.

"You called?"

"Damn right I did. You care to explain this? It looks like a clown exploded in here."

Casey giggled, deciding that perhaps he'd been a bit overzealous in his planning. The mass of balloons hovering over their bed seemed a lot bigger than it had when he'd been decorating earlier.

"Happy un-birthday?" he offered with a shrug.

"Have you been raiding my stash and watching Disney movies again?"

"No, we finished the weed last weekend, remember?"

"You haven't been inhaling too much paint thinner?"

"No. That was only once; I learned my lesson." Casey crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to sound annoyed. He did not want to sleep in the guest room tonight.

"So... you're not high and it's not my birthday." Zeke leaned closer to examine one of the balloons. "There's something in this one." He checked a few more. There appeared to be something inside each one.

"Pick one, any one," Casey said trying not very successfully to sound like a carnival barker. He took a large safety pin out of his pocket and handed it to Zeke.

Zeke just shook his head and took the object, a faint smile curving his lips. He opened the pin and stabbed it into the nearest balloon, meeting resistance for a moment before it gave with an unsatisfactory hiss.

"Boring." He pronounced as he grabbed another balloon and stabbed it. This one went with a nice bang and Casey applauded. Zeke concentrated on finding the object that had been inside the balloon and was almost disappointed to discover it was a piece of paper. He opened it and frowned.

"Seven? This isn't one of your damned puzzles is it?" Zeke was tired at the end of a long week, and not in the mood for one of Casey's elaborate games.

"It's not," Casey assured him, taking up a balloon and holding it out to Zeke. "Try another one."

There was an orgy of exploding balloons that left the bed covered in colorful debris and many bits of paper with numbers on them.

"You plan on telling me now?" Zeke asked as he collapsed onto the bed, ignoring the colorful wreckage.

"No, I plan on showing you." Casey knelt on the bed beside Zeke and reached over to extract a sheet of paper from under his pillow. He handed it to Zeke and waited, unable to hide his smile of anticipation.

The page contained a list and Zeke scanned it quickly, his fatigue and annoyance turning into eagerness. He set the paper aside carefully and dropped his hand onto the bed, fishing around until he found one of the bits of paper. He opened it quickly and grinned before turning it towards Casey.

"A seven and a thirteen. You're going to have a very busy evening, slave boy."

"Slave boy is twenty-three. You only get that if I don't find it first."

"Really?" Zeke asked, but he was already using his hands to grab any papers he could, while Casey wrestled with him, trying to claim a few for himself. They ended up slightly breathless, Casey looking up at Zeke with bright eyes.

"Convenient," Zeke said as he dropped a paper on Casey's forehead. "You're in just the right place for a twenty-one."

He leaned down to kiss Casey and was surprised to find himself shifted suddenly so he was on his back with Casey above him.

"You'll get your twenty-one right after I get my fifteen."

"Is that so?" Zeke demanded, reaching for the sheet of paper. He scanned it quickly, then let it drop. "Well then, Mr. Connor. I'm Zeke, your safari guide. Shall we begin?"

Within minutes, the bedroom was filled with the sound of wild animals.

::end::

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