Fic: 36 Days
Title: 36 Days
Author: jenlynn820
Pairing: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Rating: NC17
Disclaimer: I don’t know Zach or Chris and I make no profit from this work.
Summary: Zach’s in LA to see Noah. Yeah… Noah…
Beta: eruberueth
Note: This story is based on actual events. In certain cases, incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. No actors were harmed in the writing of this fanfic. The fic in large part was inspired by this picture of Zach and Noah's reunion, tweeted by Zach.
Word Count: 2382
Zach was overcome with love. The kind of pure, perfect love that was so seldom experienced. He reveled in it, lapped it up, snuggling into the warmth that was so easily given to him. When a big, wet stripe was painted over his face Zach only laughed. “I missed you too, buddy, I’m so sorry I stayed away for so long,” Zach said, rubbing Noah’s back, cuddling the dog as close as he would allow.
“Isn’t this a touching reunion,” came a familiar voice.
Zach looked up, from beneath Noah, who was standing on Zach’s chest right now, licking his face gleefully. Zach grinned. “Hey, you,” he said.
Chris smiled, arms folded over his chest. “Hey,” he said. “Sorry it took me so long to get over here. I was at the gym, didn’t hear the phone.”
Zach waved off Chris’ apology. “You’re here now,” he said.
“And I feel like I’m intruding. You need some more time alone?” Chris asked, mouth curled in an amused little smirk.
“Hey, it was 89 days, man. That’s a long fucking time,” Zach said.
Chris laughed. “You counted the days you and Noah were apart?”
“Of course. I missed him like crazy the whole time, you know that,” Zach said.
“Yeah but I didn’t know you counted the days,” Chris said, eyes dropping for a moment, something flickering across his face that took Zach a few beats to categorize.
Zach shook his head a little and gave Noah a kiss on his nose before getting off the bed. He stepped close to Chris so that there was only an inch or two between them. He laid his hand flat against Chris’ chest, over the very soft plaid shirt, right on top of Chris’ heart. Zach waited for Chris to lift his head and when he finally did Zach leaned in close, lips softly brushing Chris’. “Thirty six,” he breathed.
Chris lips quirked into a deeper smile even as they remained pressed to Zach’s. “Did you do that in your head just now?”
“No. I counted every day I didn’t get to see you. Every day I didn’t get to touch you. I missed you every minute of every single one of those days,” Zach said.
Chris’ mouth opened for Zach then as Chris’ arms slipped around Zach’s body, pulling him flush. Zach took the invitation, kissed Chris hard, a bruising, aching show of emotion that had Chris’ heart slamming beneath Zach’s palm and left Zach dizzy with desire.
“Did you miss me more than Noah?” Chris rasped, stepping forward, hands going to Zach’s hips to push him down onto the bed.
Zach gave Chris a look. “Don’t push it,” he said.
Chris let out some breathless laughter, backing Zach further on to the bed, crawling until he was on all fours above Zach. “Oh, come on, Zach, just admit you love me more than your dog,” he said.
Noah barked and both men laughed. Chris turned his head. “Noah, you think you could give me and your dad here some privacy?”
Noah looked suspicious and downright stubborn. “Noah, give daddy and Chris some privacy, okay?”
Noah woofed again, slobbered over Zach’s face and then jumped off the bed, trotting out the door. Chris was shaking his head when Zach reached for his face, taking hold of it in both hands and yanking Chris down for another kiss. Chris made a face when their lips parted. “You taste like dog,” he said.
Zach smirked. He kissed Chris again, lips moving from the other man’s mouth to his jaw, his neck. He buried his nose against Chris’ shoulder and let his hands move down to undo the buttons of Chris’ plaid shirt. He pushed it open and stroked his fingers down Chris’ chest, over his nicely muscled arms.
Zach breathed in deeply. Chris’ skin smelled like Ivory soap and a hint of sandalwood. It was the smell of Chris. Of Los Angeles. No. It was the smell of home. New York. Los Angeles. Location didn’t matter. Geography was irrelevant. This was what Zach longed for, what he ached for deep in his soul, the one place he knew he would always yearn to come back to.
The scent pervaded Zach as he inhaled it, as it worked through his veins, coursing through his blood, settling low in his belly. It transformed into hunger, into a quiet, sharp need. Zach reached for Chris, tearing at the shirt, yanking it off his body. It went on like that. A flurry of limbs, bodies shifting and twisting as every last stitch of clothing was removed until Chris was naked in Zach’s arms, until there was nothing but air between them.
Zach took his time now, fingers caressing down Chris’ spine, roaming over his shoulder blades, sliding down as far as they could, teasing the backs of Chris’ thighs, painting sweeping strokes over Chris’ sides, his hips. Chris moaned, reared up onto his knees again, curling his shoulders and attaching his mouth to Zach’s neck, lips suckling on the skin there, teeth scraping, marking Zach.
Want coiled in Zach’s stomach, pulsed through his groin. He gripped Chris waist and used his strength to drag Chris down against him. Chris’ knees gave out and he crashed down against Zach with a thud. Zach locked one leg behind Chris, held Chris in place and kissed him hard, pushed his tongue into Chris’ mouth and rocked his hips.
Chris’ hips snapped, his cock pushing against Zach’s, the heat and friction sending tiny shocks of pleasure through Zach’s body. Zach whimpered, tangling his fingers into Chris’ hair, the longish strands threading through his fingers like silk. “Want you,” Zach said, his voice low and raw.
Chris broke out of Zach’s hold, getting to his knees again. Zach heard a drawer open, heard the sound of things rattling against each other. Zach closed his eyes, opened his legs wide and bent them, feet against the bed. Zach shivered when he felt the first touch of Chris’ finger against him. “No, not like that,” Zach said.
“Zach,” Chris’ voice came, soft, the unasked question heartbreakingly sweet.
Zach opened his eyes and almost drowned in the blue he saw. The color was wild, luminous. Zach reached his hand out, his fingers skidded down Chris’ cheek, felt the rough stubble, the scarred skin, then smoothed over Chris’ warm lips. “Thirty six days,” Zach said. “Too fucking long.”
Chris blinked, brushed a soft kiss against Zach’s mouth and withdrew his hand. Seconds later Zach’s legs were wrapped tight around Chris’ waist and Chris was still kissing him with the same tenderness as Chris’ cock pushed inside Zach, in a rough, stuttering motion. The heat consumed Zach, burned through him. He let out a wordless huff, oxygen forced out of his lungs as Chris took over, as Chris filled him, devoured him.
Chris’ kiss remained light, his lips gentle against Zach’s as he began to rock his hips, to drive himself into Zach. Zach shook with each thrust, dug his nails into Chris’ strong arms, lifted up to urge Chris deeper. It couldn’t last, nothing this frenzied, this longed for, could.
Zach counted the kisses, each soft brush of Chris’ mouth to his, each swipe of his tongue, every whispered promise of unending love. Zach’s eyes fluttered shut again and he held tight to Chris as the other man’s hand found his cock and started to tug, Chris’ fist squeezing around Zach’s flesh as Chris sucked on Zach’s lower lip.
“Chris,” was all Zach could manage as he came, shuddering against Chris, his heart pounding, his mouth still against the other man’s. Chris’ hips still moved, his thrusts erratic, the rough, violent heat making Zach shiver. Zach brought his lips to Chris’ neck, to his ear. “Come on,” he rasped and felt Chris’ body shake, felt Chris slam into him, and then heard the gorgeous, wild moans that came from Chris as he found his release.
Zach ran his fingers through Chris’ hair, through the damp tendrils at the base of his neck. He inhaled again, felt his heart constrict. The scent was even better now. It wasn’t just Chris. It was them. “God, I missed L.A.,” he said.
Chris let out low, rumbling laughter. He was looking into Zach’s eyes, a hazy, satisfied look on his face. “L.A., huh? And yet you stayed away for 89 days,” Chris said.
“I was busy,” Zach said.
“Yeah,” Chris said.
“What?” Zach asked.
“Nothing,” Chris said, smirking. “I just don’t think its L.A. that you miss.”
“You’re right. It’s my dog,” Zach said.
Chris was full out grinning now. “Yet you managed to stay away for 89 days. Three months.”
“Are you insinuating I did not miss Noah?” Zach asked.
“Not at all.”
Chris had one of those smug looks on his face. The ones he got when he was sure he’d cracked some code, discovered something about Zach that he was sure no one else knew. “All right. You win.”
“I always win,” Chris said. “But what exactly have I won this time?”
“I could stay away from Noah for 89 days. If you hadn’t come to NY to see me…” Zach shook his head.
“Yes?” Chris prompted, the smugness increasing by leaps and bounds as his eyes started to glimmer.
“I wouldn’t have lasted 89 days. I think… I think 36 is about all I can manage.”
Chris’ grin was still plastered on his face as he kissed Zach. “So you do love me more than Noah,” he said, triumphant.
“Just don’t tell him,” Zach said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Chris said, continuing the kiss.
The sound of paws on the hardwood floor interrupted their kiss. Zach pushed at Chris’ chest. “Get your clothes on.”
Chris looked befuddled. “Noah’s seen me naked before, I don’t think he’ll be too terribly shocked.”
“Just put your clothes on, I want to cuddle my dog some more,” Zach said.
Chris laughed but complied. He got off the bed, dragging his jeans on and then his plaid shirt. Zach got back into his grey t-shirt and blue jeans and then flopped back onto the bed. “Come here, big boy,” Zach said. Chris took a step. “Not you.”
Chris snickered as Noah bounded onto the bed, cuddling into Zach’s arms. “It’s kind of unhealthy, you know? How attached you are to each other.”
“Shut up,” Zach said, kissing Noah, starting to tell him what a good boy he was and how much he missed him.
“Stay still for a second,” Chris said.
Zach looked up and saw that Chris had his Blackberry out and was pointing it at them. Zach settled into a good position, wrapping Noah up in his arms as they looked at Chris.
Chris shook his head and smirked. “Too much. I could die of how cute you are sometimes,” he said, snapping the picture.
“You could die of how cute I am?” Zach teased.
“I meant Noah,” Chris said, fiddling with his phone.
“Sure you did,” Zach said. He picked up his iPhone and saw that Chris had emailed him the picture. “Wow, we’re pretty fucking handsome, huh, buddy?” he said, showing the picture to the dog. Noah barked happily. “This picture is for shit though, when are you going to ditch the Blackberry and get with the times, dude?”
Chris flipped Zach off. “If you don’t like my picture feel free to delete it.”
“Are you kidding? I love it, crappy quality aside. I’m putting it on twitter later.”
“You’re nuts,” Chris said.
“Oh, admit it, you love my nuts,” Zach said.
Chris laughed. “I do have a rather deep affinity for your nuts, this is true.”
“Everyone does,” Zach said.
“Everyone better stay the fuck away,” Chris said. “Come on, you’ve had enough alone time with Noah. Time to see your other baby.”
Zach grinned. “Come on, Noah, let’s go see your brother.” Zach got off the bed and they made their way to the front door. He grabbed Noah’s leash and followed Chris outside. They got into Chris’ car, Noah in the back.
“We smell like sex,” Zach said, after they were on the road for about two minutes.
“We can shower at my place,” Chris said.
Zach nodded, satisfied with that idea, imagining getting wet and soapy and pinning Chris to the tiles of his shower, making him scream Zach’s name this time around.
“Oh, just something you should know,” Chris said, nonchalantly.
“What, is Harold okay?”
“He’s fine. But he responds to Harry now.”
“Harry. You renamed my cat.”
“Well, I gave your cat a nickname. Dirty Harry. He’s hardcore.”
“Harold is not hardcore,” Zach said.
“No, but Harry is,” Chris smiled. “And he likes me better than you.”
“Does he?”
Chris nodded. “Most definitely. But he still missed you. Counted the days, even.”
“Ninety one days since I’ve seen Harold. Eighty Nine since I’ve seen Noah,” Zach said. “I suck.”
Chris reached over and squeezed Zach’s hand. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
Zach tightened his fingers around Chris’. “I’ll always come home.”
“They know that,” Chris said, his voice whisper-soft.
“You know that, too, yeah?” Zach said.
“Yeah, I do,” Chris said, parking the car and then leaning in for an eager kiss. “Let’s go see your cat.”
“I’m not calling him Harry,” Zach said, getting out of the car with Noah and following Chris into his apartment.
Chris just laughed and shrugged, leading Zach up the steps. Zach was smiling, too, as Chris opened the door and announced, “Hey, Harry, daddy’s home!”
The cat came trotting out of the bedroom, paused for a second to rub against Chris’ calf before going right over to Zach, circling his legs, pressing against them. Zach got onto his knees and picked the cat up, snuggling him close. “I missed you, too, Harold.” Harold made an unhappy noise. Zach looked at Chris who gave him an expectant look. “Harry, I meant Harry.”
Harold-Harry, purred happily now and bumped his head against Zach’s. Noah barked and pressed against Zach’s side. “Get over here,” Zach said.
Chris came over, crouched down and got in the middle of the Quinto family reunion. “Welcome home,” he said.
Zach kissed Chris on the mouth. “Feels like I never left,” he said.
~fin~
Author: jenlynn820
Pairing: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Rating: NC17
Disclaimer: I don’t know Zach or Chris and I make no profit from this work.
Summary: Zach’s in LA to see Noah. Yeah… Noah…
Beta: eruberueth
Note: This story is based on actual events. In certain cases, incidents, characters and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. No actors were harmed in the writing of this fanfic. The fic in large part was inspired by this picture of Zach and Noah's reunion, tweeted by Zach.
Word Count: 2382
Zach was overcome with love. The kind of pure, perfect love that was so seldom experienced. He reveled in it, lapped it up, snuggling into the warmth that was so easily given to him. When a big, wet stripe was painted over his face Zach only laughed. “I missed you too, buddy, I’m so sorry I stayed away for so long,” Zach said, rubbing Noah’s back, cuddling the dog as close as he would allow.
“Isn’t this a touching reunion,” came a familiar voice.
Zach looked up, from beneath Noah, who was standing on Zach’s chest right now, licking his face gleefully. Zach grinned. “Hey, you,” he said.
Chris smiled, arms folded over his chest. “Hey,” he said. “Sorry it took me so long to get over here. I was at the gym, didn’t hear the phone.”
Zach waved off Chris’ apology. “You’re here now,” he said.
“And I feel like I’m intruding. You need some more time alone?” Chris asked, mouth curled in an amused little smirk.
“Hey, it was 89 days, man. That’s a long fucking time,” Zach said.
Chris laughed. “You counted the days you and Noah were apart?”
“Of course. I missed him like crazy the whole time, you know that,” Zach said.
“Yeah but I didn’t know you counted the days,” Chris said, eyes dropping for a moment, something flickering across his face that took Zach a few beats to categorize.
Zach shook his head a little and gave Noah a kiss on his nose before getting off the bed. He stepped close to Chris so that there was only an inch or two between them. He laid his hand flat against Chris’ chest, over the very soft plaid shirt, right on top of Chris’ heart. Zach waited for Chris to lift his head and when he finally did Zach leaned in close, lips softly brushing Chris’. “Thirty six,” he breathed.
Chris lips quirked into a deeper smile even as they remained pressed to Zach’s. “Did you do that in your head just now?”
“No. I counted every day I didn’t get to see you. Every day I didn’t get to touch you. I missed you every minute of every single one of those days,” Zach said.
Chris’ mouth opened for Zach then as Chris’ arms slipped around Zach’s body, pulling him flush. Zach took the invitation, kissed Chris hard, a bruising, aching show of emotion that had Chris’ heart slamming beneath Zach’s palm and left Zach dizzy with desire.
“Did you miss me more than Noah?” Chris rasped, stepping forward, hands going to Zach’s hips to push him down onto the bed.
Zach gave Chris a look. “Don’t push it,” he said.
Chris let out some breathless laughter, backing Zach further on to the bed, crawling until he was on all fours above Zach. “Oh, come on, Zach, just admit you love me more than your dog,” he said.
Noah barked and both men laughed. Chris turned his head. “Noah, you think you could give me and your dad here some privacy?”
Noah looked suspicious and downright stubborn. “Noah, give daddy and Chris some privacy, okay?”
Noah woofed again, slobbered over Zach’s face and then jumped off the bed, trotting out the door. Chris was shaking his head when Zach reached for his face, taking hold of it in both hands and yanking Chris down for another kiss. Chris made a face when their lips parted. “You taste like dog,” he said.
Zach smirked. He kissed Chris again, lips moving from the other man’s mouth to his jaw, his neck. He buried his nose against Chris’ shoulder and let his hands move down to undo the buttons of Chris’ plaid shirt. He pushed it open and stroked his fingers down Chris’ chest, over his nicely muscled arms.
Zach breathed in deeply. Chris’ skin smelled like Ivory soap and a hint of sandalwood. It was the smell of Chris. Of Los Angeles. No. It was the smell of home. New York. Los Angeles. Location didn’t matter. Geography was irrelevant. This was what Zach longed for, what he ached for deep in his soul, the one place he knew he would always yearn to come back to.
The scent pervaded Zach as he inhaled it, as it worked through his veins, coursing through his blood, settling low in his belly. It transformed into hunger, into a quiet, sharp need. Zach reached for Chris, tearing at the shirt, yanking it off his body. It went on like that. A flurry of limbs, bodies shifting and twisting as every last stitch of clothing was removed until Chris was naked in Zach’s arms, until there was nothing but air between them.
Zach took his time now, fingers caressing down Chris’ spine, roaming over his shoulder blades, sliding down as far as they could, teasing the backs of Chris’ thighs, painting sweeping strokes over Chris’ sides, his hips. Chris moaned, reared up onto his knees again, curling his shoulders and attaching his mouth to Zach’s neck, lips suckling on the skin there, teeth scraping, marking Zach.
Want coiled in Zach’s stomach, pulsed through his groin. He gripped Chris waist and used his strength to drag Chris down against him. Chris’ knees gave out and he crashed down against Zach with a thud. Zach locked one leg behind Chris, held Chris in place and kissed him hard, pushed his tongue into Chris’ mouth and rocked his hips.
Chris’ hips snapped, his cock pushing against Zach’s, the heat and friction sending tiny shocks of pleasure through Zach’s body. Zach whimpered, tangling his fingers into Chris’ hair, the longish strands threading through his fingers like silk. “Want you,” Zach said, his voice low and raw.
Chris broke out of Zach’s hold, getting to his knees again. Zach heard a drawer open, heard the sound of things rattling against each other. Zach closed his eyes, opened his legs wide and bent them, feet against the bed. Zach shivered when he felt the first touch of Chris’ finger against him. “No, not like that,” Zach said.
“Zach,” Chris’ voice came, soft, the unasked question heartbreakingly sweet.
Zach opened his eyes and almost drowned in the blue he saw. The color was wild, luminous. Zach reached his hand out, his fingers skidded down Chris’ cheek, felt the rough stubble, the scarred skin, then smoothed over Chris’ warm lips. “Thirty six days,” Zach said. “Too fucking long.”
Chris blinked, brushed a soft kiss against Zach’s mouth and withdrew his hand. Seconds later Zach’s legs were wrapped tight around Chris’ waist and Chris was still kissing him with the same tenderness as Chris’ cock pushed inside Zach, in a rough, stuttering motion. The heat consumed Zach, burned through him. He let out a wordless huff, oxygen forced out of his lungs as Chris took over, as Chris filled him, devoured him.
Chris’ kiss remained light, his lips gentle against Zach’s as he began to rock his hips, to drive himself into Zach. Zach shook with each thrust, dug his nails into Chris’ strong arms, lifted up to urge Chris deeper. It couldn’t last, nothing this frenzied, this longed for, could.
Zach counted the kisses, each soft brush of Chris’ mouth to his, each swipe of his tongue, every whispered promise of unending love. Zach’s eyes fluttered shut again and he held tight to Chris as the other man’s hand found his cock and started to tug, Chris’ fist squeezing around Zach’s flesh as Chris sucked on Zach’s lower lip.
“Chris,” was all Zach could manage as he came, shuddering against Chris, his heart pounding, his mouth still against the other man’s. Chris’ hips still moved, his thrusts erratic, the rough, violent heat making Zach shiver. Zach brought his lips to Chris’ neck, to his ear. “Come on,” he rasped and felt Chris’ body shake, felt Chris slam into him, and then heard the gorgeous, wild moans that came from Chris as he found his release.
Zach ran his fingers through Chris’ hair, through the damp tendrils at the base of his neck. He inhaled again, felt his heart constrict. The scent was even better now. It wasn’t just Chris. It was them. “God, I missed L.A.,” he said.
Chris let out low, rumbling laughter. He was looking into Zach’s eyes, a hazy, satisfied look on his face. “L.A., huh? And yet you stayed away for 89 days,” Chris said.
“I was busy,” Zach said.
“Yeah,” Chris said.
“What?” Zach asked.
“Nothing,” Chris said, smirking. “I just don’t think its L.A. that you miss.”
“You’re right. It’s my dog,” Zach said.
Chris was full out grinning now. “Yet you managed to stay away for 89 days. Three months.”
“Are you insinuating I did not miss Noah?” Zach asked.
“Not at all.”
Chris had one of those smug looks on his face. The ones he got when he was sure he’d cracked some code, discovered something about Zach that he was sure no one else knew. “All right. You win.”
“I always win,” Chris said. “But what exactly have I won this time?”
“I could stay away from Noah for 89 days. If you hadn’t come to NY to see me…” Zach shook his head.
“Yes?” Chris prompted, the smugness increasing by leaps and bounds as his eyes started to glimmer.
“I wouldn’t have lasted 89 days. I think… I think 36 is about all I can manage.”
Chris’ grin was still plastered on his face as he kissed Zach. “So you do love me more than Noah,” he said, triumphant.
“Just don’t tell him,” Zach said.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Chris said, continuing the kiss.
The sound of paws on the hardwood floor interrupted their kiss. Zach pushed at Chris’ chest. “Get your clothes on.”
Chris looked befuddled. “Noah’s seen me naked before, I don’t think he’ll be too terribly shocked.”
“Just put your clothes on, I want to cuddle my dog some more,” Zach said.
Chris laughed but complied. He got off the bed, dragging his jeans on and then his plaid shirt. Zach got back into his grey t-shirt and blue jeans and then flopped back onto the bed. “Come here, big boy,” Zach said. Chris took a step. “Not you.”
Chris snickered as Noah bounded onto the bed, cuddling into Zach’s arms. “It’s kind of unhealthy, you know? How attached you are to each other.”
“Shut up,” Zach said, kissing Noah, starting to tell him what a good boy he was and how much he missed him.
“Stay still for a second,” Chris said.
Zach looked up and saw that Chris had his Blackberry out and was pointing it at them. Zach settled into a good position, wrapping Noah up in his arms as they looked at Chris.
Chris shook his head and smirked. “Too much. I could die of how cute you are sometimes,” he said, snapping the picture.
“You could die of how cute I am?” Zach teased.
“I meant Noah,” Chris said, fiddling with his phone.
“Sure you did,” Zach said. He picked up his iPhone and saw that Chris had emailed him the picture. “Wow, we’re pretty fucking handsome, huh, buddy?” he said, showing the picture to the dog. Noah barked happily. “This picture is for shit though, when are you going to ditch the Blackberry and get with the times, dude?”
Chris flipped Zach off. “If you don’t like my picture feel free to delete it.”
“Are you kidding? I love it, crappy quality aside. I’m putting it on twitter later.”
“You’re nuts,” Chris said.
“Oh, admit it, you love my nuts,” Zach said.
Chris laughed. “I do have a rather deep affinity for your nuts, this is true.”
“Everyone does,” Zach said.
“Everyone better stay the fuck away,” Chris said. “Come on, you’ve had enough alone time with Noah. Time to see your other baby.”
Zach grinned. “Come on, Noah, let’s go see your brother.” Zach got off the bed and they made their way to the front door. He grabbed Noah’s leash and followed Chris outside. They got into Chris’ car, Noah in the back.
“We smell like sex,” Zach said, after they were on the road for about two minutes.
“We can shower at my place,” Chris said.
Zach nodded, satisfied with that idea, imagining getting wet and soapy and pinning Chris to the tiles of his shower, making him scream Zach’s name this time around.
“Oh, just something you should know,” Chris said, nonchalantly.
“What, is Harold okay?”
“He’s fine. But he responds to Harry now.”
“Harry. You renamed my cat.”
“Well, I gave your cat a nickname. Dirty Harry. He’s hardcore.”
“Harold is not hardcore,” Zach said.
“No, but Harry is,” Chris smiled. “And he likes me better than you.”
“Does he?”
Chris nodded. “Most definitely. But he still missed you. Counted the days, even.”
“Ninety one days since I’ve seen Harold. Eighty Nine since I’ve seen Noah,” Zach said. “I suck.”
Chris reached over and squeezed Zach’s hand. “You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
Zach tightened his fingers around Chris’. “I’ll always come home.”
“They know that,” Chris said, his voice whisper-soft.
“You know that, too, yeah?” Zach said.
“Yeah, I do,” Chris said, parking the car and then leaning in for an eager kiss. “Let’s go see your cat.”
“I’m not calling him Harry,” Zach said, getting out of the car with Noah and following Chris into his apartment.
Chris just laughed and shrugged, leading Zach up the steps. Zach was smiling, too, as Chris opened the door and announced, “Hey, Harry, daddy’s home!”
The cat came trotting out of the bedroom, paused for a second to rub against Chris’ calf before going right over to Zach, circling his legs, pressing against them. Zach got onto his knees and picked the cat up, snuggling him close. “I missed you, too, Harold.” Harold made an unhappy noise. Zach looked at Chris who gave him an expectant look. “Harry, I meant Harry.”
Harold-Harry, purred happily now and bumped his head against Zach’s. Noah barked and pressed against Zach’s side. “Get over here,” Zach said.
Chris came over, crouched down and got in the middle of the Quinto family reunion. “Welcome home,” he said.
Zach kissed Chris on the mouth. “Feels like I never left,” he said.
~fin~