More Zach and Charlie: Fearful Misunderstandings
Am I on a roll? Hell yes I'm on a roll!
Ps. Please forgive the god-awful title.
Title: Fearful Misunderstandings
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 2,660 words
Characters: Zachary Webb, Charlie Morgan
Pairings: Zach/Charlie
Tags: BL, delicious explicit makeout session, angst, fluff
Charlie braced himself against the sofa pillows and tried to remember how to breathe.
It was movie night. Zach had chosen the movie before sprawling down on the sofa while Charlie prepped the popcorn. It was a sci-fi movie, involving lots of aliens and screaming. It was supposed to be a horror movie - there had been a scene where a person had gotten mauled by an alien; Charlie had to resist the urge to scramble away from the scene. He couldn't concentrate enough to be afraid though. The movie relied heavily on suspense and mystery to incite terror, both of which he couldn't really see because someone kept trying to distract him.
The first time Zach brushed his wrist with his fingers, he'd honestly thought he was just reaching for the popcorn. He'd held back his shiver at the suddenly intimate touch and just retracted his own hand - rather hastily, enough that he hoped Zach didn't notice.
Zach didn't react, merely grabbing a fistful of popcorn and popping them into his mouth. Charlie had been relieved- until Zach leaned down and whispered a warning about the next scene in his ear. His breath ghosted down his neck, his voice giving shivers Charlie could no longer hide, distracting him enough that he jumped visibly as an alien tore out of the lover's body.
It didn't stop there. Zach took every opportunity to touch him without outright holding him- a soft brush here and a swift caress there until Charlie swore he was going to go mad.
"Zach!" he finally yelled in frustration as the other boy turned his head to the side, inadvertently brushing his nose against Charlie's ear. Zach pulled back, smirking slightly - damn him, Charlie thought sourly - and watching Charlie's expression with dancing eyes.
"Yes?" he drawled, looking smug. Charlie reddened, frustration gone with Zach's face so close...
"Will you... Could you..." he stammered, feeling Zach's every breath skimming over his lips.
"Yeeesss...?" He was doing it on purpose!
"S..." Charlie tried to lean back, to get some air and clear his head. To his absolute chagrin, Zach only followed his lead, never letting the distance between them change as he leaned over him. "Just... Stop it!" He finally yelped, losing his balance and falling backwards onto the sofa. Zach stumbled, almost toppling on top of him before catching himself in time.
"Oops." he said, looking completely unrepentant as he looked gleefully down at Charlie from his position above him. Charlie glared at him. He only laughed and leaned down to nuzzle the boy. "You're so cute," he hummed, making Charlie wriggle, one eye forced shut with his affections.
"Oi...!" Charlie turned his face, trying to wriggle away and look at him in the eye at the same time that Zach pulled back to look at him again.
Their lips brushed, shooting electricity down Charlie’s spine. His mouth opened in a gasp, one that was quickly muffled as Zach let their lips brush together again, before finally pressing them together in an open-mouthed kiss.
Hence Charlie’s current predicament.
The kiss was slow and languid, so different from the few times they've made out before, enough to keep Charlie floundering for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. Zach didn't seem to mind, nipping at his lip encouragingly before pressing their lips together again, their breaths mingling in the suddenly stifling air. Fingers fluttered lightly against his side, light enough to feel it through his shirt and still send the barest of tingles teasing through his skin. Charlie squirmed- to get away or to press closer, he wasn't sure; things were turning too hazy to know.
Zach was humming again, his tone both approving, encouraging and... Something Charlie couldn't pinpoint, too distracted by the caresses drifting down his hip and the kisses being pressed against his chin. "Charlie..." Zach whispered, sending shivers through his spine as Zach's nose traced a line down his neck. "Mmm..." Lips replaced nose, his hot breath making Charlie's hands fist in the pillows and his breath leave his lungs in a gasp.
"Zach..." Charlie said weakly, one hand curling into Zach's sleeve. His body felt like it was charged with electricity, ready to burst, and yet at the same time so heavy he couldn't move if he wanted to. And right now, he didn't feel very much like he wanted to. This was so different from all the other times they'd held each other. Burning fire spreading all over his body, heated kisses and tight embraces felt so different from the humming in his bones and the sparks jumping at every fleeting contact between skin.
Then hands pulled up his shirt and warm fingers slid over his stomach, at the same time Zach bit down on a spot on his neck-
"Ahh!" His back arched of its own accord, the moan flying out of his mouth before he could stop it. Zach gave his own groan in reply, burying his face in Charlie's shoulder and licking and sucking on the spot there while his hands roamed over Charlie's exposed chest, until Charlie was writhing and whimpering helplessly underneath him.
"Zah- ah-" Charlie pressed the back of his hand over his lips, trying to keep all the lewd noises from spilling out. He could feel himself blushing red-hot from embarrassment, even as pleasure darted up and down his spine.
"Charlie..." Zach moaned breathlessly, his hands caressing Charlie's ribs, waist, then sliding up to brush over his nipples. Charlie gasped, his body jerking at the touch. He could feel his body reacting, heat pooling below his stomach as his shorts slowly grew tighter. "Oh Charlie..."
"Zach," he gasped, trying to collect his thoughts. His mind seemed to have taken a vacation though. "Zach, I..."
Then Zach raised his head, placed his lips next to Charlie's ear, and whispered three words that shot straight through Charlie's gut and into his head.
"I want you."
"Wh... Wh... What?" Charlie's mind stuttered, trying to reboot and process the statement.
"I. Want. You." Zach repeated, in a low sultry voice that sent each word shooting down Charlie's spine and leaving him breathless. He ended the statement with a little roll of his hips that, while it didn't touch the area that was close to begging for attention, let Charlie know exactly what Zach was feeling at the moment.
"Zach..." Charlie pleaded, fighting to keep his hips from rolling after him.
"Charlie," Zach pleaded back, meeting his eyes with a burning green gaze that forced Charlie to swallow and save his suddenly dry throat. He could feel his body responding eagerly, and it terrified him, the way he could feel the exact line where his control would snap and how close he was to crossing it. He couldn't, he, he had to stay calm, he was the responsible one, dammit and he couldn't lose control, not now, not ever-
A hand slid dangerously close to the waistband of his shorts. He froze. "I know you want it..." Zach breathed into his ear, his tongue darting out to tease heated skin. Charlie couldn't hold back a shudder at the feeling. "After all..." He could feel Zach's smirk bloom against his jaw. "That's not a pen in your pocket, is it?"
Charlie panicked.
"NO!"
THUD.
Zach stared at him in shock, lying on his side on the floor. Charlie hadn't even realized he'd sat up, the only sign being his shirt complying with the laws of gravity and slipping back down over still-sensitive skin. The air was silent, save for the harsh breaths moving in and out of his body and the last dredges of the movie's closing credits.
"...Charlie?"
He looked at Zach and was immediately stabbed with guilt at the hurt filling the other boy's eyes.
"I..." Charlie's mouth opened, but no words came out. How could he justify himself to those eyes that burned only for him mere moments ago? "Zach..."
Zach studied him, his gaze suddenly piercing in a way that made Charlie feel naked and exposed. He looked away, unable to keep eye contact, as if looking him in the eye would expose every secret and every fear he had buried deep inside.
"...Am I doing something wrong?"
His head snapped up, mouth flooding with protests before he could even process what to say. "No! You're not, it's, it's not-"
"Because," Zach cut him off, sharply, with a voice hard as ice but hurt, so hurt, that Charlie's heart ached and made the fear rise again within him, "Because each and every time we've done this Charlie, every time, you've pushed me away. Why, Charlie?" His eyes were green pools of broken trust and accusations.
Charlie could feel the confessions sitting heavy on his chest, ready to be said, but he clung to it and held it down with all the stubbornness he could muster, because he needed to be strong, he needed control, so that Zach would not see the dark void he struggled to contain within him.
If he was any less than what Zach saw him to be, would he leave and never come back?
Charlie wasn't willing to risk that question.
He wasn't willing to lie to Zach either.
"I... I can't..." He focused his gaze on the hands clenched on his lap, fighting to keep the dam from bursting and ruining him forever. "I can't, Zach, I... I'm sorry..."
“Why not?” Zach asked, his voice filled with frustration. “Am I not good enough for you? Is that it?”
“Wha- no!” Charlie cried. “That- never!”
“Then what is it? What’s the problem? I can’t fix it if I have no idea what’s going on, Charlie!”
“I c-can’t, Zach, I-"
"Charlie, please-"
"I can't, I can’t do it, I can't do this, Zach!”
Silence.
“W-wait,” Charlie gasped, the blood draining from his face. The fear was so heavy it was choking him. “I didn’t- I didn’t mean-”
"Fine." Zach stood.
"'Fine'?" Charlie parroted, wide eyes following Zach as the boy moved back and forth across the room, picking up his scattered things.
Zach stopped in the middle of the room and looked him in the eye. Charlie’s throat constricted. His expression looked… resigned. His eyes were absolutely unreadable. “I’m not going to force you, Charlie,” he said, softly, gently.
And that hurt worse than if he’d thrown angry words at him from across the room.
“I’m leaving.”
No. No!
“Wait!” He leapt over the coffee table and almost tripped over a stray pillow, but he managed to grab Zach by the wrist and that was all that mattered. “Wait, Zach, please-”
“Charlie-” His voice was sharper now, the pain clear in the heavy air.
“I’m scared!”
Zach froze.
“I’m scared,” Charlie repeated, his eyes on the ground in a vain attempt to hide the tears flowing freely. His hands on Zach’s wrist trembled, clinging desperately like he was a lifeline.
“I’m scared of, of losing control, and. I don’t, I don’t… want you to see me like that…” His voice petered off as his courage did.
What if I’m not good enough? What if you don’t like it? What if… what if I do something embarrassing? What if I fail?
He couldn’t talk anymore even if he tried.
Zach shifted in his grip. Panicking, Charlie looked up, ready to beg him not to leave- only to stop, protests dying in his mouth as Zach gazed at him, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding and… and…
Charlie’s stomach flooded with a different kind of warmth, filling him with a different kind of thrill and fear all at the same time. Zach shifted his hands until they were sandwiched between his own in a gentle hold, then leaned down and bonked his forehead lightly against Charlie’s. The small smile on his face immediately laid most of the roiling terror in Charlie’s gut to rest.
A soft sigh escaped Zach’s lips, fluttering the bangs around Charlie’s eyes. “But Charlie… I want to see you like that,” he said. Charlie flushed and tried to pull away, but Zach didn’t let him, snaking one arm around his waist and pulling him close while the other cupped his cheek and kept him from looking away. Zach looked at him in the eye, as if trying to make him see what he saw.
“Zach…” Charlie tried to blink away his tears, too embarrassed to look him in the eye but too weak to pull away.
“I mean more than the sex, Charlie.” Charlie stilled. Zach blushed a little at his blunt wording, but forged on determinedly. “I want to know more of you Charlie. I want to know more than the guy I met at the coffee shop, who loves his family and obsesses too much about his work. I want to know all of you.” The way he said it, softly, almost reverently, sent a shiver down Charlie’s spine.
“But… but what if you don’t like what you see?” Charlie finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. He tentatively peered up at Zach from under his lashes.
Zach’s arm around his waist tightened imperceptibly, hearing the real question underneath.
“I will never, ever leave you, Charlie. Never.” His voice was firm, every word a promise. Charlie felt the heat rise to his face again. Gently, Zach traced his cheek with a thumb, catching a stray tear. His smile was soft, earnest, before twitching into a slightly teasing. “Especially for something as silly as getting to see something I wanted to see.”
Charlie really reddened at that, his lips forming an embarrassed pout before shoving at Zach’s face. “Shut up.” The taller boy only laughed, though there was a hint of relief in the creases left by his smile.
“Come on, let’s get back to the movie,” Zach suggested, dropping his things on the floor with a careless ‘thud’.
“The movie’s over, idiot,” Charlie mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“What?” Zach checked the TV in honest surprise. Sure enough, it was back at the title screen, the image of an alien rearing over a human playing repeatedly in the background. “Oh dang. It was a good movie too. We can always watch it again-”
Charlie's hand snaked out and grabbed his arm again when Zach moved to replay the movie. Surprised, Zach turned to look at him, only to find Charlie red as a tomato and looking determinedly at him. “Erm… Charlie?”
Charlie could think of several different reasons why this was such a bad idea. But Zach… Zach had given him this much. The least he could do was move past his fear to get something they both wanted (as much as he denied it). Now if only he could speak-!
“I c-can think of better things t-to do with our time,” Charlie stammered, forcing himself not to look away from Zach’s puzzled green eyes. “Like… like c-c-” Dammit. “Like continuing from where we left off.”
The sight of Zach’s eyes widening was almost enough to make Charlie ever regret he spoke up and flee to his room. He locked every joint he had in his body and forced himself not to move, inadvertently ending up stiffening straight as a board.
“But… but Charlie, you…” Zach spluttered, trying to find his own words to express a quarter of the gazillion thoughts flashing through his head.
This time Charlie really did look away, too embarrassed to look at him in the eye anymore. He still forced himself to speak though. “You’re right, I… I did… I do w-want. It.” He growed under his breath in frustration. “I just need to… I just need to…” He gave up trying to articulate his feelings and just shot a glare at Zach. “It's not like you’re the only one who felt a ‘pen’-” He made his voice as sarcastic as possible, “-poking them in the thigh- mmph!!”
Zach practically tackled him into the sofa in an overly-enthusiastic kiss.
Ps. Please forgive the god-awful title.
Title: Fearful Misunderstandings
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 2,660 words
Characters: Zachary Webb, Charlie Morgan
Pairings: Zach/Charlie
Tags: BL, delicious explicit makeout session, angst, fluff
Charlie braced himself against the sofa pillows and tried to remember how to breathe.
It was movie night. Zach had chosen the movie before sprawling down on the sofa while Charlie prepped the popcorn. It was a sci-fi movie, involving lots of aliens and screaming. It was supposed to be a horror movie - there had been a scene where a person had gotten mauled by an alien; Charlie had to resist the urge to scramble away from the scene. He couldn't concentrate enough to be afraid though. The movie relied heavily on suspense and mystery to incite terror, both of which he couldn't really see because someone kept trying to distract him.
The first time Zach brushed his wrist with his fingers, he'd honestly thought he was just reaching for the popcorn. He'd held back his shiver at the suddenly intimate touch and just retracted his own hand - rather hastily, enough that he hoped Zach didn't notice.
Zach didn't react, merely grabbing a fistful of popcorn and popping them into his mouth. Charlie had been relieved- until Zach leaned down and whispered a warning about the next scene in his ear. His breath ghosted down his neck, his voice giving shivers Charlie could no longer hide, distracting him enough that he jumped visibly as an alien tore out of the lover's body.
It didn't stop there. Zach took every opportunity to touch him without outright holding him- a soft brush here and a swift caress there until Charlie swore he was going to go mad.
"Zach!" he finally yelled in frustration as the other boy turned his head to the side, inadvertently brushing his nose against Charlie's ear. Zach pulled back, smirking slightly - damn him, Charlie thought sourly - and watching Charlie's expression with dancing eyes.
"Yes?" he drawled, looking smug. Charlie reddened, frustration gone with Zach's face so close...
"Will you... Could you..." he stammered, feeling Zach's every breath skimming over his lips.
"Yeeesss...?" He was doing it on purpose!
"S..." Charlie tried to lean back, to get some air and clear his head. To his absolute chagrin, Zach only followed his lead, never letting the distance between them change as he leaned over him. "Just... Stop it!" He finally yelped, losing his balance and falling backwards onto the sofa. Zach stumbled, almost toppling on top of him before catching himself in time.
"Oops." he said, looking completely unrepentant as he looked gleefully down at Charlie from his position above him. Charlie glared at him. He only laughed and leaned down to nuzzle the boy. "You're so cute," he hummed, making Charlie wriggle, one eye forced shut with his affections.
"Oi...!" Charlie turned his face, trying to wriggle away and look at him in the eye at the same time that Zach pulled back to look at him again.
Their lips brushed, shooting electricity down Charlie’s spine. His mouth opened in a gasp, one that was quickly muffled as Zach let their lips brush together again, before finally pressing them together in an open-mouthed kiss.
Hence Charlie’s current predicament.
The kiss was slow and languid, so different from the few times they've made out before, enough to keep Charlie floundering for a few seconds, unsure of how to respond. Zach didn't seem to mind, nipping at his lip encouragingly before pressing their lips together again, their breaths mingling in the suddenly stifling air. Fingers fluttered lightly against his side, light enough to feel it through his shirt and still send the barest of tingles teasing through his skin. Charlie squirmed- to get away or to press closer, he wasn't sure; things were turning too hazy to know.
Zach was humming again, his tone both approving, encouraging and... Something Charlie couldn't pinpoint, too distracted by the caresses drifting down his hip and the kisses being pressed against his chin. "Charlie..." Zach whispered, sending shivers through his spine as Zach's nose traced a line down his neck. "Mmm..." Lips replaced nose, his hot breath making Charlie's hands fist in the pillows and his breath leave his lungs in a gasp.
"Zach..." Charlie said weakly, one hand curling into Zach's sleeve. His body felt like it was charged with electricity, ready to burst, and yet at the same time so heavy he couldn't move if he wanted to. And right now, he didn't feel very much like he wanted to. This was so different from all the other times they'd held each other. Burning fire spreading all over his body, heated kisses and tight embraces felt so different from the humming in his bones and the sparks jumping at every fleeting contact between skin.
Then hands pulled up his shirt and warm fingers slid over his stomach, at the same time Zach bit down on a spot on his neck-
"Ahh!" His back arched of its own accord, the moan flying out of his mouth before he could stop it. Zach gave his own groan in reply, burying his face in Charlie's shoulder and licking and sucking on the spot there while his hands roamed over Charlie's exposed chest, until Charlie was writhing and whimpering helplessly underneath him.
"Zah- ah-" Charlie pressed the back of his hand over his lips, trying to keep all the lewd noises from spilling out. He could feel himself blushing red-hot from embarrassment, even as pleasure darted up and down his spine.
"Charlie..." Zach moaned breathlessly, his hands caressing Charlie's ribs, waist, then sliding up to brush over his nipples. Charlie gasped, his body jerking at the touch. He could feel his body reacting, heat pooling below his stomach as his shorts slowly grew tighter. "Oh Charlie..."
"Zach," he gasped, trying to collect his thoughts. His mind seemed to have taken a vacation though. "Zach, I..."
Then Zach raised his head, placed his lips next to Charlie's ear, and whispered three words that shot straight through Charlie's gut and into his head.
"I want you."
"Wh... Wh... What?" Charlie's mind stuttered, trying to reboot and process the statement.
"I. Want. You." Zach repeated, in a low sultry voice that sent each word shooting down Charlie's spine and leaving him breathless. He ended the statement with a little roll of his hips that, while it didn't touch the area that was close to begging for attention, let Charlie know exactly what Zach was feeling at the moment.
"Zach..." Charlie pleaded, fighting to keep his hips from rolling after him.
"Charlie," Zach pleaded back, meeting his eyes with a burning green gaze that forced Charlie to swallow and save his suddenly dry throat. He could feel his body responding eagerly, and it terrified him, the way he could feel the exact line where his control would snap and how close he was to crossing it. He couldn't, he, he had to stay calm, he was the responsible one, dammit and he couldn't lose control, not now, not ever-
A hand slid dangerously close to the waistband of his shorts. He froze. "I know you want it..." Zach breathed into his ear, his tongue darting out to tease heated skin. Charlie couldn't hold back a shudder at the feeling. "After all..." He could feel Zach's smirk bloom against his jaw. "That's not a pen in your pocket, is it?"
Charlie panicked.
"NO!"
THUD.
Zach stared at him in shock, lying on his side on the floor. Charlie hadn't even realized he'd sat up, the only sign being his shirt complying with the laws of gravity and slipping back down over still-sensitive skin. The air was silent, save for the harsh breaths moving in and out of his body and the last dredges of the movie's closing credits.
"...Charlie?"
He looked at Zach and was immediately stabbed with guilt at the hurt filling the other boy's eyes.
"I..." Charlie's mouth opened, but no words came out. How could he justify himself to those eyes that burned only for him mere moments ago? "Zach..."
Zach studied him, his gaze suddenly piercing in a way that made Charlie feel naked and exposed. He looked away, unable to keep eye contact, as if looking him in the eye would expose every secret and every fear he had buried deep inside.
"...Am I doing something wrong?"
His head snapped up, mouth flooding with protests before he could even process what to say. "No! You're not, it's, it's not-"
"Because," Zach cut him off, sharply, with a voice hard as ice but hurt, so hurt, that Charlie's heart ached and made the fear rise again within him, "Because each and every time we've done this Charlie, every time, you've pushed me away. Why, Charlie?" His eyes were green pools of broken trust and accusations.
Charlie could feel the confessions sitting heavy on his chest, ready to be said, but he clung to it and held it down with all the stubbornness he could muster, because he needed to be strong, he needed control, so that Zach would not see the dark void he struggled to contain within him.
If he was any less than what Zach saw him to be, would he leave and never come back?
Charlie wasn't willing to risk that question.
He wasn't willing to lie to Zach either.
"I... I can't..." He focused his gaze on the hands clenched on his lap, fighting to keep the dam from bursting and ruining him forever. "I can't, Zach, I... I'm sorry..."
“Why not?” Zach asked, his voice filled with frustration. “Am I not good enough for you? Is that it?”
“Wha- no!” Charlie cried. “That- never!”
“Then what is it? What’s the problem? I can’t fix it if I have no idea what’s going on, Charlie!”
“I c-can’t, Zach, I-"
"Charlie, please-"
"I can't, I can’t do it, I can't do this, Zach!”
Silence.
“W-wait,” Charlie gasped, the blood draining from his face. The fear was so heavy it was choking him. “I didn’t- I didn’t mean-”
"Fine." Zach stood.
"'Fine'?" Charlie parroted, wide eyes following Zach as the boy moved back and forth across the room, picking up his scattered things.
Zach stopped in the middle of the room and looked him in the eye. Charlie’s throat constricted. His expression looked… resigned. His eyes were absolutely unreadable. “I’m not going to force you, Charlie,” he said, softly, gently.
And that hurt worse than if he’d thrown angry words at him from across the room.
“I’m leaving.”
No. No!
“Wait!” He leapt over the coffee table and almost tripped over a stray pillow, but he managed to grab Zach by the wrist and that was all that mattered. “Wait, Zach, please-”
“Charlie-” His voice was sharper now, the pain clear in the heavy air.
“I’m scared!”
Zach froze.
“I’m scared,” Charlie repeated, his eyes on the ground in a vain attempt to hide the tears flowing freely. His hands on Zach’s wrist trembled, clinging desperately like he was a lifeline.
“I’m scared of, of losing control, and. I don’t, I don’t… want you to see me like that…” His voice petered off as his courage did.
What if I’m not good enough? What if you don’t like it? What if… what if I do something embarrassing? What if I fail?
He couldn’t talk anymore even if he tried.
Zach shifted in his grip. Panicking, Charlie looked up, ready to beg him not to leave- only to stop, protests dying in his mouth as Zach gazed at him, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding and… and…
Charlie’s stomach flooded with a different kind of warmth, filling him with a different kind of thrill and fear all at the same time. Zach shifted his hands until they were sandwiched between his own in a gentle hold, then leaned down and bonked his forehead lightly against Charlie’s. The small smile on his face immediately laid most of the roiling terror in Charlie’s gut to rest.
A soft sigh escaped Zach’s lips, fluttering the bangs around Charlie’s eyes. “But Charlie… I want to see you like that,” he said. Charlie flushed and tried to pull away, but Zach didn’t let him, snaking one arm around his waist and pulling him close while the other cupped his cheek and kept him from looking away. Zach looked at him in the eye, as if trying to make him see what he saw.
“Zach…” Charlie tried to blink away his tears, too embarrassed to look him in the eye but too weak to pull away.
“I mean more than the sex, Charlie.” Charlie stilled. Zach blushed a little at his blunt wording, but forged on determinedly. “I want to know more of you Charlie. I want to know more than the guy I met at the coffee shop, who loves his family and obsesses too much about his work. I want to know all of you.” The way he said it, softly, almost reverently, sent a shiver down Charlie’s spine.
“But… but what if you don’t like what you see?” Charlie finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. He tentatively peered up at Zach from under his lashes.
Zach’s arm around his waist tightened imperceptibly, hearing the real question underneath.
“I will never, ever leave you, Charlie. Never.” His voice was firm, every word a promise. Charlie felt the heat rise to his face again. Gently, Zach traced his cheek with a thumb, catching a stray tear. His smile was soft, earnest, before twitching into a slightly teasing. “Especially for something as silly as getting to see something I wanted to see.”
Charlie really reddened at that, his lips forming an embarrassed pout before shoving at Zach’s face. “Shut up.” The taller boy only laughed, though there was a hint of relief in the creases left by his smile.
“Come on, let’s get back to the movie,” Zach suggested, dropping his things on the floor with a careless ‘thud’.
“The movie’s over, idiot,” Charlie mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
“What?” Zach checked the TV in honest surprise. Sure enough, it was back at the title screen, the image of an alien rearing over a human playing repeatedly in the background. “Oh dang. It was a good movie too. We can always watch it again-”
Charlie's hand snaked out and grabbed his arm again when Zach moved to replay the movie. Surprised, Zach turned to look at him, only to find Charlie red as a tomato and looking determinedly at him. “Erm… Charlie?”
Charlie could think of several different reasons why this was such a bad idea. But Zach… Zach had given him this much. The least he could do was move past his fear to get something they both wanted (as much as he denied it). Now if only he could speak-!
“I c-can think of better things t-to do with our time,” Charlie stammered, forcing himself not to look away from Zach’s puzzled green eyes. “Like… like c-c-” Dammit. “Like continuing from where we left off.”
The sight of Zach’s eyes widening was almost enough to make Charlie ever regret he spoke up and flee to his room. He locked every joint he had in his body and forced himself not to move, inadvertently ending up stiffening straight as a board.
“But… but Charlie, you…” Zach spluttered, trying to find his own words to express a quarter of the gazillion thoughts flashing through his head.
This time Charlie really did look away, too embarrassed to look at him in the eye anymore. He still forced himself to speak though. “You’re right, I… I did… I do w-want. It.” He growed under his breath in frustration. “I just need to… I just need to…” He gave up trying to articulate his feelings and just shot a glare at Zach. “It's not like you’re the only one who felt a ‘pen’-” He made his voice as sarcastic as possible, “-poking them in the thigh- mmph!!”
Zach practically tackled him into the sofa in an overly-enthusiastic kiss.