Sleepless
28.09.09 | 15 | PINTO | Slash | 6,178 words
Summary: Chris can't sleep. Zach thinks he's Johnny Castle.
Warnings: N/A
Spoilers: I really don't think any of these events have transpired or will do in the lives of the people these characters are based on :D
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. These are not the actors you are looking for.
“Zach. Zach? Zach. Zachary?”
Zach sat up. “Jesus what?!”
“You awake?” Chris asked quietly.
Zach blinked, sighed and flopped back.“Yes, Christopher. I am awake.”
“Good. You know, I was thinking--”
“Why? It's three in the morning. Nobody should be thinking at three in the morning. Especially actors. Why are you even up?” Zach asked, utterly tired and exhausted.
Chris was quiet for a moment and then he patted Zach's arm. “Sorry, man. Look, go back to sleep.”
Zach was wide awake now and on top of that, he kind of felt like a toolbag for being so snippy. He turned onto his side with a sigh and rubbed his hand in a hopefully comforting circle over Chris's belly. “You all right? Why can't you sleep?” he asked quietly.
Chris shrugged next to him. “Dunno. I just feel awake. It's weird.”
“Well, we're both awake now,” Zach said with a smile, letting his fingers dance down to the waistband of Chris's sweatpants. “Awake and up.”
Chris laughed next to him, his laugh turning to a sigh and then a groan. “I want to sleep.”
Zach threw a leg over Chris's hip, following up by sliding right on top of the other man. “But, I want you naked.”
Chris was quiet for a long thoughtful moment. “You win.”
***
“He was this complex character, you know? And he's got this totally laughable schizophrenic characterization going on now. I mean, how do you even continue to have a process?” Zach complained.
Sendhil nodded, all serious and pretty with his serious and pretty cheekbones. “I totally agree. I mean, come on, they turned Mohinder into The Fly.”
“That was weird,” Zach said.
“Totally.” Sendhil took a sip his coffee and frowned across the table. “Dude, I think your boyfriend's asleep.”
“What? No. Chris? Chris. Christopher,” Zach said, reaching out and yanking off Chris's sunglasses.
Chris jerked awake, shaking his head and clearing forcing his eyes open. “What? What did I miss? Please tell me it was the part where you bitch about how much your show is sucking.”
Sendhil arched a brow and blinked at Zach. “The sex must be really amazing.”
“It is,” Zach said flatly. “Chris, what is up with you? Are you still not sleeping?”
“Yeah I'm sleeping,” Chris said, pulling a childish face.
“When?” Zach asked sternly.
Chris looked down at his cup of coffee. “I dunno. How long has this been here?”
Zach shook his head. “Seriously, I think you need help.”
“You should probably see someone about the sleeping thing too,” Sendhil said, before turning to Zach and grinning. They laughed and high-fived.
Chris rolled his eyes and put his sunglasses back on.
***
Zach had been in a deep slumber and he was dreaming of nice dreamy things of a nice fluffy dreamy nature which made him smile in his sleep, maybe even grin in a rather doofy fashion. But then there was a jolt. A deep sound reverberated through the mattress, a bounce of a sort. Zach frowned, pouted and opened his eyes before flipping over and glaring at the body next to him.
“Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you,” Chris said flatly.
“I can hear you tossing and turning in my dreams, Chris,” Zach said slowly and tiredly.
“Sorry,” Chris said, sounding pretty miserable.
Zach sighed and held his arm aloft. “Okay. Come here.”
Chris slowly rolled towards Zach as Zach brought his arm back down, his hand going to the back of Chris's head and stroking down.
“Just close your eyes,” Zach whispered quietly. “And breathe, nice and slow. Slow, deep, breaths.”
Chris shuffled a little closer until they both lay there with their knees touching, heads sharing the same pillow, Chris's arms folded across his chest, Zach's hand still stroking down Chris's back.
“That's it, nice and slow,” Zach said, breathing along, feeling his own body get heavier and heavier, his eyes shutting, his mind fuzzing over as he yawned.
“Zach?” he could just about hear Chris. “Zach. You're asleep. Idiot.”
***
“Seriously, man, how do you get your hair to stand up like that?” Milo asked, frowning at the mirror in the make up room.
“Mothers with bowl haircut obsessions,” Zach said frankly. “The whole truth.”
Milo laughed, pushing back his hair and watching it flop forward again, Zach laughing next to him as his phone began to ring.
“Bet it's Captain Kirk,” Milo said with a lopsided grin.
“Screw you,” Zach said with a lazy grin, face going red when he saw Chris's picture pop up on the screen. He rolled his eyes at Milo before answering the phone with a Neroesque, “Hi, Christopher.”
“Zach, hey, I need a favor,” Chris said, sounding a little anxious.
“Oh God. What?” Zach asked, up and out of his chair.
“Okay, first of all, don't turn on the TV or the radio. Second, could you pick me up from the hospital?”
***
“Mom. Mom. Mother, please,” Chris grated into the phone, seated in the corner of the couch with a black eye and busted wrist. “I'm not doing the heroin! I swear! Christ... will you put Dad on, please? Hello? Dad, yeah... no, no, I am not a member of the new bratpack!”
Zach watched, standing over Chris with folded arms and totally judgmental look on his face. Chris deserved the wrath of his parents. Well, maybe. Okay, probably not. Okay, maybe not at all and maybe Zach wanted to hug him until he stopped looking miserable. Wait a minute, why was Zach angry again?
“Okay, you know what, I have to go now. Goodbye, crazy people,” Chris said, switching the phone off and dropping it on the couch. Then he looked up at Zach and said, “Seriously, if you start, I'm just going to... I dunno, like, maybe cry or something.”
Zach blinked. “Really?”
Chris seemed to think it over and then shook his head. “No. These painkillers are awesome.”
Zach snorted and shook his head. “God, you need a kick in the nuts.”
“Why not? It's about the only place that doesn't hurt,” Chris said with a shrug and then winced.
“Chris, what the hell happened? That woman on MTV said you were drunk, you know?”
“Okay, first of all, MTV? Really? And second of all, I... I fell asleep at the wheel.”
Zach let his arms fall to the side as he sighed. He went to the couch and sat down next to Chris. “You need to see someone about this.”
Chris shook his head. “No, it's just a thing. It'll go away. I'll wait it out.”
“How long? I mean, when's the last time you slept?” Chris opened his mouth to answer, but Zach held up a finger. “The ditch you drove the car into does not count.”
***
When Zach woke, it wasn't really because he couldn't sleep. He just sensed something was wrong, missing, gone away. When he opened his eyes and sat up, he found himself alone in bed. He gave the empty spot next to him a sympathetic look and got up.
When he walked into the living room a few seconds later, he saw Chris sitting on the couch, one arm in a sling the other stroking Noah's head as the pooch rested his chin on Chris's thigh. Both pooch and human appeared to be watching some B movie shtick. Zach sidled up to the couch Chris looked up at him with tired, but still too bright blue eyes. Something about his look said Zach shouldn't mention the sleep thing, so he didn't.
“What are you watching?” Zach asked.
Chris shrugged. “Dunno. It has a mummy in it.”
Zach made a face, “You suck at twilight movie viewing.” He went over to the shelf and pulled out a dvd. “Lawrence of Arabia?”
Chris grinned, despite a questioning frown on his face. “Okay.”
“And then later,” Zach said going to the dvd player, “I will be your Omar Sharif.”
Chris laughed. “Is that the accent? It's terrible.”
Zach shook his head and with an over emphasized accent, looked up at the ceiling and said, “Be patient with him, God.” Disc in, he went to the couch and pointed at Noah. “Move it or lose it, dog, the human is mine.”
Predictably, Noah did not move. Chris looked up at Zach and shrugged. Zach rolled his eyes and fell back on the couch, settling for putting his arm around Chris's shoulders, before his fingers started toying with Chris's neck. Chris squirmed and shrugged away from the tickling touch. Noah got bored and jumped from the couch to take up abode somewhere where there was less human frivolity. Zach then took the opportunity to put both arms around Chris and pull the other man down into his lap until he was lying down.
“It won't work,” Chris said, settling his head on Zach's lap anyway.
“What won't work? I just wanted to warm my legs with your big head,” Zach said, stroking the hair on said head.
“Whatever you say, Omar,” Chris said.
“I am a river to my people,” Zach declared.
“That was Anthony Quinn, you moron.”
***
A few days later over a lunch date, concern for Chris's dark circles and lack of attention spread beyond Zach.
“Chris, whatever it is, we're here for you,” Zoe said so earnestly that for a moment Zach actually believed Chris was a coke head and needed help and felt really sad about the whole thing.
Chris took a measured breath. “Okay, for the last time, monkeys, I am not doing drugs.”
Karl, Zoe, John, Anton and Simon looked more sad than offended. Karl said, “I've seen this before. Denial, that's the first stage.”
“Oh, honey,” Zoe said, stroking Chris's face.
Chris sighed and shook his head. “Zach. Do something.”
“He's not a junkie,” Zach said. “He's got insomnia. It's making him dumb.”
Chris stared. “Thanks,” he said flatly.
Zoe sat back and frowned. “You mean this isn't an intervention?”
“Vhat's an interwention?” Anton asked with a grin, receiving a clip round the ear from Karl.
“Get out,” Chris said, pointing to the door.
***
“Chris, stop pouting,” Zach said, wincing a little when he took the corner fast enough to make the wheels of the car squeal. “Okay, that sounded expensive.”“I'm not pouting,” Chris said evenly, quite clearly having been pouting since lunch.
“You totally are. It's kind of cute,” Zach said.
Chris frowned and maybe pouted a little more as he turned to Zach. “Really?”
“For realsies, babe,” Zach said with a nod.
Chris fought against it, but a rather doofy expression made it to his face anyway, and Zach promised to bring some more of that to the yard in the future.
Chris sunk a little lower in his seat and closed his eyes. Zach quickly swatted Chris in the head, making him sit up and yelp, “What the hell, Zach?”
“If you sleep now, you won't be able to sleep later. Stop napping, you idiot.”
Chris glared at Zach. “I'm sure ten minutes won't ruin my already fucked up sleep cycle.”
“Ten minutes is the perfect amount of power nap time. It's known to do more in refreshing and replenishing the body's energy reserves than thirty or forty minutes. It's science, Chris. You can't argue with science. If you refresh yourself now, you'll be awake all night.”
“Oh my God you're so annoying,” Chris said, blinking at Zach like he'd never seen him before and perhaps taking a particular dislike to Zach's hat too.
“Seriously, stay awake,” Zach said. “Then tonight? You'll be out like a light.”
***
Bup bup bup – – – – Bup bup bup – – – – Bup bup bup – – – – Bup bup bup – – – – Bup bup bup– – – – – – Dum dum – – – – – – Dum dum – – – – – – Dum dum – – – – – Dum dum – – – – – –
– – –Tch!– – – – – – – – – Tch! – – – – – – – – Tch!– – – – – – – – – – Tch!– – – – – – – – Tch!
“Tick tock tick tock tick. Tick tock tick tock tick.”
Tch! Tch! Tch!
“Damn it!” Zach yelled and sat up, smacking the beside lamp on.
The blues of Chris's eyes rolled to the corners to look at Zach, mouth pursed in the middle of a whispered word. He had his iPod earphones on and they were sending out soft sounds of various beats. Zach took the iPod and yanked it apart from the headphones. Chris lay there, almost comically straight.
“Too loud?” he asked with a smile that was trying to be polite and amiable.
Zach turned the light off and thumped back down angrily. Obviously he went to sleep with the dumb song stuck in his head. Chris being Chris continued bopping his head to the music he wasn't hearing from the iPod in Zach's grasp.
***
“Decaf. And don't forget, skimmed milk. Actually, make that soya milk,” Zach said thoughtfully.
The man behind the counter gave Zach a disgruntled look and said, “Why don't I just bring you cup of stale air, man?”
Zach narrowed his eyes. “Just bring me my damn order.”
Sendhil leaned in and said. “You know he's going to spit in that now, right?”
Zach sighed and told the man behind the counter, “Forget it. We'll just go to the Starbucks across the street. Or next door. Or the one four doors down.”
True to form, they went to the Starbucks across the street and ordered ridiculous drinks at ridiculous prices while listening to laid back country music, which mostly sucked ass.
“Seriously, if Hayden comes to me about Milo once more, I'm going to kill someone,” Zach said. “I told Milo to keep it in his pants, but nooooo. How could he possibly resist a fake cheerleader?”
“You do not understand the straight man. We're weak. And stupid. And if women knew exactly how weak and stupid, they'd rule the world. But they're too busy trying to figure out how deep and mysterious we are. But we're not. Not deep, or mysterious. Shallow and predictable actually.”
“My God,” Zach said in awe. “The straight man is so similar to the gay man. We should hang out more.”
Zach's pocket began to vibrate. First he thought it was just the effect Sendhil had on people, but then he realised it was his phone. He looked at the phone and saw a picture of Chris pop up, big grin and crazy eyes.
“Hey,” Zach said, instant warm feeling spreading all over.
“Hey Zach. Look, I don't want you to freak out but--”
“Oh my god what?” Zach said, getting up and freaking out.
“Oh is that Chris? Tell him I said hi,” Sendhil said with a grin.
“Sendhil says hi. What's wrong?” Zach said.
“Sendhil? Are you guys joined at the hip or something? I told you about that movie we were in together and he was a douche, right?” Chris actually sounded like he couldn't believe Zach was such an idiot.
“It's called acting, Chris. What the hell is going on?” Zach asked in a tone that suggested Chris was today's appointed moron.
“I'm at the police station, I need you to pick me up,” Chris said.
“What!” Zach spluttered.
“Zach, are you freaking out?” Chris asked gently.
“No,” Zach grated out.
“Okay,” Chris said. “Okay. Don't watch the news or turn on the radio.”
***
“Mom. Mom. Mother!” Chris snapped. Then he instantly calmed down. “No, that wasn't a tone. Look, I swear, I'm not a drunk junkie. Where are you getting this? Okay, you know what, put Dad on the phone. No, Dad. Get – put – Mother – argh!”
Zach watched Chris from where he stood, arms folded, glare on glare. Chris was sitting there, barely healed from the car in the ditch episode, his parents tearing him a new one over the phone. Ha, Zach thought, good. Well, kind of. Maybe. Damn Chris and his super Adonis looks, why was Zach so weak? So shallow and predictable too.
Chris put the phone down and looked at Zach, his mouth clamped shut, tension around the corners of his eyes.
“Are you going to cry? You look like you're going to cry,” Zach said, a little worried.
Chris shook his head to both questions. “I'm keeping that for after you yell at me for humiliating you by having you come to the station and having to pose for photographs with all those officers who kept calling you Spock.”
“I'd forgotten about that until now,” Zach said flatly. “One of them called me Spong.”
Chris nodded, a little miserably. “Officer Eddie. He asked me if I knew Erik Estrada.”
Zach sat down next to Chris and sighed. “Chris.”
“I'll be fine,” Chris said obstinately. “Just... give me some time.”
***
Karl frowned as he read the pages of the National Enquirer. “According to this you went on a drink and drug binge and then had to pull over to throw up on a tree. They've gone onto say that all your friends and family are worried about your self-destructive lifestyle. Especially now that you're close friends with Mickey Rourke and thinking about giving up your movie career for boxing.” Chris fell forward, letting his head hit the table with a thump. Zach looked at him and shook his head. “Do you really know Mickey Rourke?”
“It's the National Enquirer,” Zach said flatly. “What do you think?”
“I think that picture of your boyfriend throwing up on a palm tree is pretty real, Zachary,” Karl said with a big grin.
Zach looked at Chris just in time to see him raise his head and look utterly miserable. “Chris?”
“Look. I was tired and I started feeling nauseous and had to pull over and I threw up. How did I know some paparazzi asshole was going to take pictures?” Chris said.
Zach blinked at him. “How? How about like this?” he leaned back and a bunch of flashes on the outside of the restaurant window went off. “You need to deal with this, Chris. It's been two weeks. How long can you go on like this?”
“I agree with Quinto,” Karl said. “You need to figure out what's keeping you awake, man. You've obviously got something on your mind.”
Chris stiffened a little, looking rather suspect. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, have you ever had insomnia before?” Karl asked.
“No,” Chris said slowly. “I haven't.”
Karl grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “So what happened in the last two weeks, sport?”
Chris's face looked oddly stretched and Zach realised it was because he was doing something that resembled a smile, but totally wasn't. “I dunno,” he said, the words almost indistinguishable from each other. “I'm not attuned to my psyche twenty-four hours a day.”
Zach narrowed his eyes. He always knew an articulate lie by the way it gave him an instant erection. First he thought unsexy thoughts and then he pointed at Chris. “What are you hiding?”
“Nothing!” Chris said. “Don't listen to him. He's a trouble maker.”
“Me?” Karl looked affronted. “Am not! I'm just Karl.”
“Just Karl, my ass,” Chris said, glaring at Just Karl.
“Look, lets calm down before the paps get any stupid ideas,” Karl said. “All I'm saying is, if it's important enough to keep you from sleeping, then maybe you should get it out of your head already.”
Chris was frowning at Karl and Karl had a rather meaningful look in his eyes and Zach totally didn't appreciate the sudden feeling of mental midgetry. Luckily, they were interrupted when a young woman tentatively approached their table with a napkin and shy smile.
“Hi. I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I'd just kick myself if I didn't take the opportunity,” she said nervously.
Zach smiled charmingly and held out his hand for the napkin. “I'd be more than honored.”
“Oh,” she said. “Um, not you.”
Zach pouted as Chris smiled at the woman said, “Don't mind him. He's under the impression Spock's the star of the movie.”
“Oh,” she looked a little embarrassed now. “Not you either, though you were both really good. I mean, really. My mom loves Kirk and Spock.”
Chris and Zach both smiled and Zach was sure Chris's jaw was hurting as bad as his own. The woman looked at Karl and let out the biggest longest sigh known to mankind and probably Urbankind too.
“Mister Urban, could you please sign my napkin? I'm such a big fan of your work,” she said with heart-shaped eyes.
Karl smiled, all charm. Hell, Zach wanted to get his autograph he was so charming. Karl scribbled something on the napkin that made the girl titter and blush. “Oh, thank you so much.”
“It's my pleasure,” Karl said and Zach was sure his accent wasn't usually this pronounced. The guy was such a whore for attention.
The woman floated away on a cloud of Karlish glee. Chris and Zach both gave him matching bitchy looks and got up.
Karl shrugged. “What? It's not my fault! I'm just me. Just Karl.”
Zach and Chris left just Karl to being just Karl and to the bill that just Karl could pay all by his just Karlish self.
***
Zach had been looking forward to an early night, one that included some romping and then some snoring. The plan was to wear Chris out until he had no choice but to sleep. Only Chris called in a an excuse and said he had other stuff and would see Zach tomorrow. Zach knew Chris was lying and if Zach had been as dumb as a ball of hair he'd think Chris was out there Kirking some floozy, but Chris barely had enough energy to put his underpants on these days, which in many ways was a plus for Zach, but also indicated that Chris was in no shape or form to be Kirking anyone.
And this was the reasoning that brought Zach to Chris's place. He opened the door and walked in to find Chris stopping mid-walk from the kitchen to the living room, a bowl of cereal in his hand.
“Cereal over sex? Really?” Zach asked.
“We were going to have sex?” Chris asked. “You didn't tell me that. You said we were going to have an early night.”
“We're young and we're hot. I ask you, what else could having an early night possibly mean to us?” Zach asked.
Chris looked terribly sad. “I think this is making me stupid.”
“You're cannibalizing your brain cells, of course it's making you stupid,” Zach said. The wounded look in Chris's eyes said that Zach was more on the toolbag side of being a boyfriend right now rather than the 'nobody puts Baby in the corner' side. Zach tutted. “Come here.”
Chris looked disgruntled by the too late gesture and said, “Eat it.”
He slumped on the couch with his Cheerios, which was absurd in itself because he wasn't at all looking cheerio. Zach sat down next to him, placing his hand flat on Chris's back. “Soooo.”
“Get your own,” Chris said, angrily munching.
Zach made a face at the cereal. He was pretty sure that eating most cereals probably provided the same nutrition as licking a dildo. Fun, yes, nutrition, not so much.
“I'm talking about the thing that is on your mind, Christopher,” Zach said quietly. “That which is keeping you awake night after night after night. Karl's right. You were fine two weeks ago. A bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young man with an appreciated libido. And now? You're driving into ditches, throwing up on trees and wearing my T-shirt inside out.”
Chris stopped eating and frowned down at the T-shirt. “What? Fuck.”
He all but slammed the bowl of cereal down on the coffee table and stood up, about to take off the T-shirt. Zach laughed and pulled on the waistband of his jeans, only for Chris to pull away.
“Will you just leave it? Jeez, you don't have to change it right now.” Chris was too busy angrily taking it off, turning it inside out and then almost ramming it back on, face flushed pink. “Hey,” Zach said. “Talk to me here.”
“I'm tired!” Chris snapped. “I need to sleep, damn it. And I can't! And I'm really tired,” he said, his voice practically breaking.
He turned away from Zach, lifting his hands to his face, running his fingers through his hair after a few seconds, breathing angry and harsh, sounding congested. Zach got up and gently put a hand on Chris's arm, turning him around, seeing the frustration in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Chris, who came easily into Zach's embrace, pressing his face into Zach's shoulder with a sigh.
“So we'll wait it out,” Zach said gently, pressing a light kiss just under Chris's ear.
“Don't be dumb, Zach,” Chris said without any heat to the words.
“We'll have sex while we're waiting,” Zach said with a shrug.
Chris pulled back. “We will?”
“For realsies, babe,” Zach said with a smile.
Of course, that made Chris laugh and was one instant bonus point in the 'nobody puts Baby in the corner' side of things.
***
Chris had been nipped, licked, tickled, sucked, fucked and kissed to hell and back and Zach was lying in bed doing an imitation of a puddle doing a bad imitation of a man. He was still heated, sweaty and spent, limbs as useless as spaghetti, the most useless of all the pastas. However, as he lay there sleepily peering at Chris, he caught the movement of Chris's eyes blinking alertly, the curl of his lashes meeting, parting, meeting, parting. Blink. Blink. Blink. He was lying there quiet and still, each blink counting off a second. It was barely two in the morning. There were a lot of blinks until daybreak yet.
Suddenly, the sentiment behind Johnny's declaration that 'nobody puts Baby in the corner' made sense. Well, it made sense to Zach. Everyone else could make their own mind up. All Zach knew was Johnny Castle would never let Baby spend the night tediously counting off the seconds with every blink.
Zach sat up and said, “Get dressed.”
Chris stared at him like he was crazy. “Are you crazy?”
“Chris. Just do it.” He got up and then he turned to look at Chris. Trying not to look too shifty, he said, “Wear something pink if you've got it.”
***
Zach hadn't realised that the only pink garment Chris owned was some washed out T-shirt which was about a million years old and had some faded slogan on it which was now unreadable. He was wearing it with black jeans and black cardigan, which ruined everything. Everything that was in Zach's personal fantasy of course.
Chris gave him a look as they walked down the street. “I swear to God, Zach, if you even attempt to make me into Jennifer Grey, I will never speak to you again,”
Zach laughed his 'don't be such a silly' laugh. “You're being ridiculous.”
“Then why are you dressed like Patrick Swayze from Dirty Dancing?”
“I am not,” Zach said with a frown. “It's just a black shirt and pants.”
“Your hair is all Johnny Castle too.”
“It's a charming coincidence?” Zach said innocently.
Chris shook his head. “Whatever.” Then he gave Zach a look. “I'm not doing the dance.”
Zach laughed. “I didn't even – when did I? I never even said anything! I just thought we should go out for a walk. That's all.”
Chris was grinning and frowning at Zach, still shaking his head. Zach decided this wasn't such a bad time to be awake, not with Chris here. He reached out and took Chris's hand in his, holding it tight as they walked. Chris's face lost the laughter and glee to be replaced by something softer and thoughtful. It made Zach hold his hand a little tighter as they walked down the quiet street, all the lights in the houses off, the barest of sounds here and there.
They continued walking for a while and Chris said, “So, can I totally ruin the moment here?”
“Sure,” Zach said quietly. “It's the rule. One of us has to, right?”
“Right.” Chris sighed. “I kind of, I dunno, slipped up.”
Zach frowned, looking across at Chris who looked horribly gorgeous under the streetlights, the blue of his eyes erasing everything else in view. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “I know, in the beginning, this was all supposed to be, you know, casual and fun and stuff.”
“You're not having fun?” Zach asked, pushing forward a smile, though something in his chest was going tight and nervous.
Chris smiled and nodded. “Yeah, of course, always. It's just, I know...” Chris blew out a breath and stopped.
Zach let go of Chris and they both shoved their hands into their pockets, Chris into his cardigan, Zach into his jeans, both men wearing tight smiles. Zach reminded himself to keep the corners of his mouth up and not down where they were threatening to droop.
“I know this wasn't supposed to get all serious, Zach. Friends with benefits, was the term we had a lot of fun with,” Chris said slowly, as if those same words soiled his speech now. “Only...”
“Jesus, Chris, just say it will you? I'm freezing my ass off here for you,” Zach said, too many nerves creeping into his laugh.
Chris gave him an odd smile. Something shy from forever ago when they first became friends. Then he laughed, looking embarrassed. “Did you know I dream about you?”
Zach grinned. “You do? Like what?”
Chris covered his face with one hand for a second, before revealing a grin. “Oh man, I dunno. Just, you. Talking, walking, pulling stupid faces. You know, your usual nonsensical dreamscapes. I think about you a lot actually.” Zach frowned. He felt the corners of his mouth lifting of its own accord.
“Waking, Sleeping. In between. I even hate sleeping in my own bed, when you're not there.” Chris took a deep breath and his face clean broadcast everything. Zach knew he was about to put it all out there, good, bad and ugly, all of it. “It's not... really... casual, not anymore, I mean for me. I, kind of feel more,” Chris said. Zach had no idea incoherence could be this beautiful. “I guess I hated the idea you might feel different, so I...”
“Kept it to yourself,” Zach said quietly.
Chris shrugged. “I figured we could keep going until this came to its natural end, but... it's too hard, Zach.” Chris gave Zach a tilted smile and Zach could see the tiredness around Chris's eyes, the paleness of his skin, the way his shoulders seemed weighed down by exhaustion. Zach was pretty sure no one had ever lost sleep over him before.
Zach wrapped his arms around Chris and kissed him, summoning the strength of a thousands movie kisses, dipping Chris into the line of the moonlight, until they both lost their balance and fell over a hedge onto someone's lawn, the sprinkler system coming on and sending out a wave of water on them.
Chris grinned through the sprinkler rain, squinting up at Zach who was lying on top of him. “I'm going to take that as a positive answer.”
Zach nodded. “As you should. Of course, there will be more affirmative action when we return home.” Chris smiled as Zach got up, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. “You know what this calls for?”
“I'm not doing the dance,” Chris said, quite adamant to ruin Zach's glorious evening. Zach grinned, hoping he could coax Chris into it with his wiles. “You know that song by Meatloaf, I would do anything for love, but I won't do that? This is what he was talking about. He was talking about the dance. And he's right. And I won't.”
“You mean, you would do anything for Zachary Quinto--”
“But I won't do that, yeah, exactly,” Chris said with a nod. He pressed a sloppy kiss to Zach's wet mouth and tugged on the front of his shirt. “Let's go home.”
Zach arched a brow. “The lift?”
Chris burst out into the kind of giggles that were not befitting a man, woman or child. Laughing, he walked on ahead of Zach, letting Zach continue to get watered along with the lawn he was trespassing.
“What's the matter, Pine? You chicken?” Zach called after Chris, spreading out his arms like wings. Chris turned around and gave him an incredulous look. “You heard me.”
Chris narrowed his eyes at Zach and pointed. “Nobody, nobody, calls me chicken.”
Zach steadied himself, legs like iron and thrust his arms out towards Chris. “Then let's do this, Baby. Come on.”
Chris grinned, and then a second later gave Zach a mock stern look. Then he ran at Zach and even as Zach was thinking 'this is the dumbest thing I have ever done and is going to end in someone sustaining a spinal injury', Chris was leaping into the air and Zach's his hands were against his body, lifting him up high.
Then someone yelped and someone else laughed and and they were both falling back on the lawn, somehow untangling themselves from each other only to find each other again, kissing their way into each other's mouths under the cool sprinkled water of someone's ruined lawn.
Zach pulled away breathlessly and said. “You know, I dream about you all the time too.”
Chris's lazy smiled turned into a grin. “Fully clothed?”
Zach winked. “I'm getting there.”
***
Chris didn't get much sleep when they got home, but he and Zach did make many affirmative remarks of appreciation and adoration in the throes of nakedness and when morning came and they still lay there awake, Zach dragged Chris out for a early jog, and then later he dragged Chris out for lunch, and later he dragged Chris to a bookshop where he poured scorn over many books, but mostly Twilight and all the other vampire books that were taking up a promotional display, and then later he dragged Chris out to dinner and later, he steered Chris into the bedroom and said,
“Time for bed.”
Chris gave him a lazy, soft smile, his movements slow as he stripped. Despite looking dead on his feet, he pulled Zach along with him and they both fell on the bed together, locked in a languid kiss, Zach taking his time to stroke his hand down Chris's side, rubbing his thumb over the jut of his hip bone, rubbing his bottom lip against Chris's parted mouth, feeling the touch of skin and stubble, the exhalation of warm breath and watching Chris's eyes flutter shut, his breathing evening out as he fell under the spell of heavy sleep.
Zach's intention had been to let Chris sleep while he would join him later, but it seemed a crime to leave his side and Zach ended up throwing off his clothes and slipping under the covers next to Chris who didn't stir even once. Zach spooned up behind him, hooking his chin over Chris's shoulder, placing a possessive hand flat against his chest.
"I dream about you," Zach whispered softly. Chris shifted in his sleep and sighed. Zach closed his eyes and sighed too. "It's why I love my beauty sleep."
- the end -
Notes: Written for the prompt can I get some sleep-themed CP/ZQ? Shoompy spooning times, humorous lack of sleep times, angsty insomnia times
Alternative link: AO3
