fic: The Witching Hour (Part 1/?)
Title: The Witching Hour (Part 1/?)
Pairing: Zach Quinto/Chris Pine
Rating: PG for now
Warning: None
Genre: BFF!fic
Summary: Zach takes Chris ghost hunting.
A/N: This was supposed to be a fill for the Halloween Prompt Challenge at pinto_fic , but obviously that didn't happen. This has been sitting around for months collecting cobwebs and dust, and it's nowhere near finished...I'm not even sure where I'm going with it...but I had to get it out and let people read it. Maybe getting some feedback on this first part will give me inspiration for the rest.
I'm not cross-posting it anywhere yet until I've gotten more written.
Let me know what you think.
When the knock comes at 10:45 Friday night, Chris glances up over the top of his book and scowls at the door.
"Hey, man, I know you're in there! Open up!" Zach's voice floats through from the other side, and he pounds on the door again.
Chris sets his book down on the coffee table and slowly shuffles to the door. He cracks it open, and rests his head against the door-frame, "What do you want, Zachary" he sighs.
A sliver of warm light partially illuminates Zach's features. He's beaming. And before Chris knows it, he's being shoved aside as Zach pushes his way through. "Oh please, do come in" Chris dead-pans as he shuts the door and turns around to see Zach depositing an array of items on his coffee table.
"Hey, you busy tonight?" Zach asks breathlessly.
"No, not really, but--"
Zach whirls around, the smile on his face growing impossibly wider, "Good. We're going ghost hunting."
"I--Wait. What?"
"Ghost hunting" Zach makes a Vanna White gesture to the items on the table, which Chris can now clearly see are two video cameras, what looks like a small digital recorder, two flashlights, and a pile of unopened batteries.
"Zach, what the hell" Chris groans. "We are not."
"Yes, Christopher. We are." Zach wiggles his eyebrows.
"Ghost hunting?"
Zach grins and nods his head vigorously.
"Ghost hunting..." Chris glares.
"What" Zach shrugs.
"Zach, I reiterate..." Chris closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, "What the hell?"
Zach's face falls, and Chris almost feels bad, "It's fun. Don't be so difficult. People aren't going to think you're crazy just because you go ghost hunting."
Chris smirks.
Zach's eyes shift a little, "Yeah...okay, well, that's why we're going alone! Just the two of us. No one else will know about it." He makes a small bow, and puts on a haughty British accent, "Your dignity will remain in tact, fair maiden."
Chris laughes, "Zach, come on. Do people actually do this? Like...for real?"
"For reals, baby" Zach winks.
"Have you?"
"All the time in college" Zach waves his hand dismissively.
"Zach, I don't know. This just seems...weird. Even for you."
"Oh for fuck's sake, Christopher! It's Halloween!" He throws his arms wide, "Just go with it!"
Chris holds up his hands and laughs, "Alright, alright. Fine."
Zach's face brightens instantly, "Yeah?"
Chris sighs, "Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Really, he was already home alone on a Friday night, what else did he have to do.
Zach's eyes crinkle ominously at the corners as he smiles.
What has Chris gotten himself in to...
//
11:45 pm
An hour later, Chris yawns as he flips through the radio stations in Zach's car. "Why are we going so late?"
"'The witching hour'" Zach says simply, his attention focused on the rear-view mirror as he switches lanes. The streets are still wet from the rain that had fallen earlier that evening, and each passing streetlight creates a shiny and surreal world that glitters in the darkness.
"What?" Chris yawns again.
"'The witching hour'" Zach repeats. "It's the time between midnight and 3am whenever paranormal activity is supposed to be at its most active...so they say..."
"Ah, 'When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out'" Chris recites. His head lolls on the headrest as he turns to smile at Zach.
Zach glances at Chris and smirks, "Something like that, yeah."
//
12:15 am
Another half hour passes with nothing more than the quiet drone of the radio, barely audible over the hum of the highway, to break the silence. Chris was feeling drowsy and relaxed, and to keep himself from falling asleep he alternates his attention from the view out his window, to Zach, who looks intense and focused, but full of energy. Ask Chris what his favorite thing about Zach is and you'll always get the same answer--"The silences are never awkward." Chris smiles to himself, and despite his attempts, his eyes close.
He didn't remember falling asleep, but he was suddenly roused by Zach's soft voice as it broke through the silence.
"We're here."
Chris slowly blinked awake, and his heart beat a little bit faster as he gaped at the sight in front of him.
Looming before them was the silhouette of a towering four-story building. An expanse of shadowy turrets that stretched out against the cloudy sky.
"What is this place?" Chris murmurs.
"St. Vincent's Hospital for the Criminally Insane." Zach's voice is reverent and deep.
Chris turns and stares at Zach. "You're shitting me."
Zach pulls up in front of the building and turns off the ignition. The headlights switch off, throwing them into total darkness, and they both lean over to look out Chris's window. "I shit you not, my friend." Zach looks at Chris out of the corner of his eye and grins.
"Zaaaach" Chris groans.
Zach slaps Chris's thigh, "C'mon. Let's go." He opens the car door and steps out on to the gravel.
TBC
Pairing: Zach Quinto/Chris Pine
Rating: PG for now
Warning: None
Genre: BFF!fic
Summary: Zach takes Chris ghost hunting.
A/N: This was supposed to be a fill for the Halloween Prompt Challenge at pinto_fic , but obviously that didn't happen. This has been sitting around for months collecting cobwebs and dust, and it's nowhere near finished...I'm not even sure where I'm going with it...but I had to get it out and let people read it. Maybe getting some feedback on this first part will give me inspiration for the rest.
I'm not cross-posting it anywhere yet until I've gotten more written.
Let me know what you think.
When the knock comes at 10:45 Friday night, Chris glances up over the top of his book and scowls at the door.
"Hey, man, I know you're in there! Open up!" Zach's voice floats through from the other side, and he pounds on the door again.
Chris sets his book down on the coffee table and slowly shuffles to the door. He cracks it open, and rests his head against the door-frame, "What do you want, Zachary" he sighs.
A sliver of warm light partially illuminates Zach's features. He's beaming. And before Chris knows it, he's being shoved aside as Zach pushes his way through. "Oh please, do come in" Chris dead-pans as he shuts the door and turns around to see Zach depositing an array of items on his coffee table.
"Hey, you busy tonight?" Zach asks breathlessly.
"No, not really, but--"
Zach whirls around, the smile on his face growing impossibly wider, "Good. We're going ghost hunting."
"I--Wait. What?"
"Ghost hunting" Zach makes a Vanna White gesture to the items on the table, which Chris can now clearly see are two video cameras, what looks like a small digital recorder, two flashlights, and a pile of unopened batteries.
"Zach, what the hell" Chris groans. "We are not."
"Yes, Christopher. We are." Zach wiggles his eyebrows.
"Ghost hunting?"
Zach grins and nods his head vigorously.
"Ghost hunting..." Chris glares.
"What" Zach shrugs.
"Zach, I reiterate..." Chris closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, "What the hell?"
Zach's face falls, and Chris almost feels bad, "It's fun. Don't be so difficult. People aren't going to think you're crazy just because you go ghost hunting."
Chris smirks.
Zach's eyes shift a little, "Yeah...okay, well, that's why we're going alone! Just the two of us. No one else will know about it." He makes a small bow, and puts on a haughty British accent, "Your dignity will remain in tact, fair maiden."
Chris laughes, "Zach, come on. Do people actually do this? Like...for real?"
"For reals, baby" Zach winks.
"Have you?"
"All the time in college" Zach waves his hand dismissively.
"Zach, I don't know. This just seems...weird. Even for you."
"Oh for fuck's sake, Christopher! It's Halloween!" He throws his arms wide, "Just go with it!"
Chris holds up his hands and laughs, "Alright, alright. Fine."
Zach's face brightens instantly, "Yeah?"
Chris sighs, "Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Really, he was already home alone on a Friday night, what else did he have to do.
Zach's eyes crinkle ominously at the corners as he smiles.
What has Chris gotten himself in to...
//
11:45 pm
An hour later, Chris yawns as he flips through the radio stations in Zach's car. "Why are we going so late?"
"'The witching hour'" Zach says simply, his attention focused on the rear-view mirror as he switches lanes. The streets are still wet from the rain that had fallen earlier that evening, and each passing streetlight creates a shiny and surreal world that glitters in the darkness.
"What?" Chris yawns again.
"'The witching hour'" Zach repeats. "It's the time between midnight and 3am whenever paranormal activity is supposed to be at its most active...so they say..."
"Ah, 'When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out'" Chris recites. His head lolls on the headrest as he turns to smile at Zach.
Zach glances at Chris and smirks, "Something like that, yeah."
//
12:15 am
Another half hour passes with nothing more than the quiet drone of the radio, barely audible over the hum of the highway, to break the silence. Chris was feeling drowsy and relaxed, and to keep himself from falling asleep he alternates his attention from the view out his window, to Zach, who looks intense and focused, but full of energy. Ask Chris what his favorite thing about Zach is and you'll always get the same answer--"The silences are never awkward." Chris smiles to himself, and despite his attempts, his eyes close.
He didn't remember falling asleep, but he was suddenly roused by Zach's soft voice as it broke through the silence.
"We're here."
Chris slowly blinked awake, and his heart beat a little bit faster as he gaped at the sight in front of him.
Looming before them was the silhouette of a towering four-story building. An expanse of shadowy turrets that stretched out against the cloudy sky.
"What is this place?" Chris murmurs.
"St. Vincent's Hospital for the Criminally Insane." Zach's voice is reverent and deep.
Chris turns and stares at Zach. "You're shitting me."
Zach pulls up in front of the building and turns off the ignition. The headlights switch off, throwing them into total darkness, and they both lean over to look out Chris's window. "I shit you not, my friend." Zach looks at Chris out of the corner of his eye and grins.
"Zaaaach" Chris groans.
Zach slaps Chris's thigh, "C'mon. Let's go." He opens the car door and steps out on to the gravel.
TBC