Fic: We Hold Our Ground
Title: We Hold Our Ground
Author: jenlynn820
Pairing: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Rating: R
Warnings: mild angst (resolved)
Disclaimer: I don’t know Zach or Chris and I make no profit from this work.
Summary: Zach is a little late for Chris’ 30th Birthday
Beta: eruberueth
Note: Happy 30th Birthday, Chris! Title from Down On Our Own Shield by Jakob Dylan
Word Count: 1298
The steps creaked beneath Zach’s feet as he climbed them slowly. He got to the door, wiped his soles on the mat and took the key out of his pocket. The lock clicked open and Zach stepped inside. The apartment looked exactly as it had the last time Zach was inside it.
The same nine year old couch sat in the same spot it always did. Books were strewn across the coffee table, others were stuffed to overflowing in a beat up bookcase and the ones that didn’t fit there were piled up beside it. On the kitchen table sat the remnants of breakfast, a half eaten muffin, a black, undoubtedly empty, paper coffee cup. In hallway, black and white converse sneakers kicked off and abandoned. In the background Zach could hear water running, and muffled singing. That too, was exactly the same as the last time he was here.
It should have been comforting, reassuring. Nothing had changed in these too long months. But Zach couldn’t shake the idea that something was off-kilter. He felt like a trespasser, wondered if he should slip back outside and knock before-
“Hey, you,” Chris said, emerging from the bathroom. He was freshly showered, wearing jeans that looked like he’d been poured into them and a grey t-shirt. His hair was wet, slicked back, with an errant lock falling right into his eyes. “What’re you doing skulking around out here?”
Zach folded his arms over his chest, a protective, defensive gesture. “I wasn’t skulking,” he said.
Chris stepped closer. “How long have you been here? Were you listening to me sing in the shower again? You know I fucking hate when you do that,” he said, showing how much he hated it by grinning in the most gorgeous, uninhibited way, making Zach’s insides flutter.
“I can’t help myself,” Zach said.
Chris, slipped an arm around Zach, got dangerously close. “You should have come into the shower, showed me exactly how much you can’t help yourself,” he said, leaning close to brush his mouth to Zach’s.
But Zach was too quick. He stepped back, out of Chris’ reach. “Why don’t I feel like I belong here anymore?” he said, apropos of nothing. It was unsurprising when a look of complete bewilderment crossed Chris’ face.
Chris got defensive instantly. Zach could see it, watched Chris’ body tense, his posture change. “I have no idea. Is there something going on that I need to be clued in about?”
Zach shook his head. “No,” he said.
“No,” Chris repeated, nodding a little, his tone measured, the rest of him coiled up. “Then what the fuck, Zach? You tell me you’re coming to LA for a couple days, you tell me you’ll come right to my place, that you’re desperate to see me and I try to kiss you and you fucking pull away? Is there someone else?”
Now it was Zach’s turn for confusion. “What? Why would you think that?”
“Fucking hell, Zach, I don’t know. You’re the one acting like a fucking weirdo.”
“A fucking weirdo? English degree from Berkeley and the best Mr. Ten Dollar Word can do is fucking weirdo?”
Chris made the most adorable face; it was a quarter flabbergasted, a quarter pissed as all fucking hell, and half smiling. “Let’s try this again,” Chris said, closing the distance between them, pulling Zach a little roughly into his arms.
Chris’ lips smashed against Zach’s and this time Zach made no effort to move, to stop the other man. It was a kiss fuelled by months of distance, moments of uncertainty, and years of undiluted need. Zach’s fingers were tangled in Chris’ wet hair, his lips returning the bruising kiss. Their mouths finally parted but their bodies remained flush. “I’m sorry I missed your birthday,” Zach said.
“Is that what this is?” Chris said, furrowing his brows, stepping back finally. “I don’t give a shit.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” Zach said. “I could hear how angry you were that I wasn’t able to be there.”
“Not angry,” Chris said, stepping back, sitting down heavily on the sofa. “Hurt. And, okay, yes, a little angry.”
Zach sat on the arm of the couch, close to Chris. “I was working,” he said.
“Yeah, I know,” Chris said.
“I could have tried harder,” Zach said. “I get caught up in my life, in the moment, in the work I’m doing. And I forget that I still have a life here, people that need me. I thought you’d think I didn’t…”
Chris’ eyes met Zach’s. They were wildly, painfully blue. “Do you?”
Zach slid down off the arm of the couch, onto the cushion, right next to Chris. He slipped his fingers behind the other man’s neck, kneaded the muscles. “I love you,” Zach rasped. “A continent can’t change that. Time can’t change that.”
Chris’ eyes fluttered closed. “I could have tried harder, too. I could have come to you.”
“I know you needed to go somewhere where you could disappear. New York is wonderful but it’s not private and it’s not relaxing,” Zach said.
“No, but it has you-about three days into my vacation I realized that I needed you and you weren’t there. But stubborn bastard that I am I gritted my teeth and forced myself to enjoy the time away.”
“You’re fucked up, my friend,” Zach said.
“Takes one to know one,” Chris said, kissing Zach’s mouth, getting to his feet, pulling Zach with him. He led Zach through the corridor and into the bedroom.
Zach broke out of Chris’ hold and laughed when he saw the mattress and box spring sitting on the floor. “You still didn’t replace your bed?”
Chris shook his head. “I like it this way. It’s a good memory,” he grinned, tugging Zach to him again, a little too hard, sending them both tumbling down onto the mattress.
“We fucked so hard the damn thing broke and you ended up needing stitches because you slammed your head against the splintered wood,” Zach said, once he had Chris pinned beneath him.
“Like I said, happy memories,” Chris murmured, taking hold of Zach’s face and kissing him deep and hard.
“Seriously, you are so fucked up,” Zach rasped, giving in to the kiss.
“You fucking love it,” Chris said, tearing Zach’s shirt off, doing the same to his own.
A smile twisted Zach’s mouth. “Yes, yes, I do,” he said. It was a flurry or movement then. Clothes pulled off, bodies eagerly pressing together. Lips and tongues and teeth battled, skin sliding against skin, Chris yielding to Zach, Zach losing himself inside Chris, and finding what had been missing for so many months.
Zach listened to Chris’ breathing, to the strong thump of his heart. They stayed pressed together, tangled and twisted up in each other. “Happy 30th, Chris,” Zach murmured. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
Chris’ fingers skimmed down Zach’s back, tracing unknown patterns against Zach’s skin. “You’re forgiven. Just make sure you don’t miss the next one.”
“I won’t,” Zach said. “Or the one after that… or the one after that… or the one after that…” Zach’s voice got softer and softer, each repeated phrase punctuated with a kiss down Chris’ chest, then back up, then against his neck, until finally his voice faded completely, and his mouth met Chris’.
“I love you, too, Zach. In case you were wondering,” Chris said.
Zach smiled, let his thumb swipe over Chris’ mouth. “I wasn’t,” he said, pressing close and starting another kiss.
~fin
Author: jenlynn820
Pairing: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Rating: R
Warnings: mild angst (resolved)
Disclaimer: I don’t know Zach or Chris and I make no profit from this work.
Summary: Zach is a little late for Chris’ 30th Birthday
Beta: eruberueth
Note: Happy 30th Birthday, Chris! Title from Down On Our Own Shield by Jakob Dylan
Word Count: 1298
The steps creaked beneath Zach’s feet as he climbed them slowly. He got to the door, wiped his soles on the mat and took the key out of his pocket. The lock clicked open and Zach stepped inside. The apartment looked exactly as it had the last time Zach was inside it.
The same nine year old couch sat in the same spot it always did. Books were strewn across the coffee table, others were stuffed to overflowing in a beat up bookcase and the ones that didn’t fit there were piled up beside it. On the kitchen table sat the remnants of breakfast, a half eaten muffin, a black, undoubtedly empty, paper coffee cup. In hallway, black and white converse sneakers kicked off and abandoned. In the background Zach could hear water running, and muffled singing. That too, was exactly the same as the last time he was here.
It should have been comforting, reassuring. Nothing had changed in these too long months. But Zach couldn’t shake the idea that something was off-kilter. He felt like a trespasser, wondered if he should slip back outside and knock before-
“Hey, you,” Chris said, emerging from the bathroom. He was freshly showered, wearing jeans that looked like he’d been poured into them and a grey t-shirt. His hair was wet, slicked back, with an errant lock falling right into his eyes. “What’re you doing skulking around out here?”
Zach folded his arms over his chest, a protective, defensive gesture. “I wasn’t skulking,” he said.
Chris stepped closer. “How long have you been here? Were you listening to me sing in the shower again? You know I fucking hate when you do that,” he said, showing how much he hated it by grinning in the most gorgeous, uninhibited way, making Zach’s insides flutter.
“I can’t help myself,” Zach said.
Chris, slipped an arm around Zach, got dangerously close. “You should have come into the shower, showed me exactly how much you can’t help yourself,” he said, leaning close to brush his mouth to Zach’s.
But Zach was too quick. He stepped back, out of Chris’ reach. “Why don’t I feel like I belong here anymore?” he said, apropos of nothing. It was unsurprising when a look of complete bewilderment crossed Chris’ face.
Chris got defensive instantly. Zach could see it, watched Chris’ body tense, his posture change. “I have no idea. Is there something going on that I need to be clued in about?”
Zach shook his head. “No,” he said.
“No,” Chris repeated, nodding a little, his tone measured, the rest of him coiled up. “Then what the fuck, Zach? You tell me you’re coming to LA for a couple days, you tell me you’ll come right to my place, that you’re desperate to see me and I try to kiss you and you fucking pull away? Is there someone else?”
Now it was Zach’s turn for confusion. “What? Why would you think that?”
“Fucking hell, Zach, I don’t know. You’re the one acting like a fucking weirdo.”
“A fucking weirdo? English degree from Berkeley and the best Mr. Ten Dollar Word can do is fucking weirdo?”
Chris made the most adorable face; it was a quarter flabbergasted, a quarter pissed as all fucking hell, and half smiling. “Let’s try this again,” Chris said, closing the distance between them, pulling Zach a little roughly into his arms.
Chris’ lips smashed against Zach’s and this time Zach made no effort to move, to stop the other man. It was a kiss fuelled by months of distance, moments of uncertainty, and years of undiluted need. Zach’s fingers were tangled in Chris’ wet hair, his lips returning the bruising kiss. Their mouths finally parted but their bodies remained flush. “I’m sorry I missed your birthday,” Zach said.
“Is that what this is?” Chris said, furrowing his brows, stepping back finally. “I don’t give a shit.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” Zach said. “I could hear how angry you were that I wasn’t able to be there.”
“Not angry,” Chris said, stepping back, sitting down heavily on the sofa. “Hurt. And, okay, yes, a little angry.”
Zach sat on the arm of the couch, close to Chris. “I was working,” he said.
“Yeah, I know,” Chris said.
“I could have tried harder,” Zach said. “I get caught up in my life, in the moment, in the work I’m doing. And I forget that I still have a life here, people that need me. I thought you’d think I didn’t…”
Chris’ eyes met Zach’s. They were wildly, painfully blue. “Do you?”
Zach slid down off the arm of the couch, onto the cushion, right next to Chris. He slipped his fingers behind the other man’s neck, kneaded the muscles. “I love you,” Zach rasped. “A continent can’t change that. Time can’t change that.”
Chris’ eyes fluttered closed. “I could have tried harder, too. I could have come to you.”
“I know you needed to go somewhere where you could disappear. New York is wonderful but it’s not private and it’s not relaxing,” Zach said.
“No, but it has you-about three days into my vacation I realized that I needed you and you weren’t there. But stubborn bastard that I am I gritted my teeth and forced myself to enjoy the time away.”
“You’re fucked up, my friend,” Zach said.
“Takes one to know one,” Chris said, kissing Zach’s mouth, getting to his feet, pulling Zach with him. He led Zach through the corridor and into the bedroom.
Zach broke out of Chris’ hold and laughed when he saw the mattress and box spring sitting on the floor. “You still didn’t replace your bed?”
Chris shook his head. “I like it this way. It’s a good memory,” he grinned, tugging Zach to him again, a little too hard, sending them both tumbling down onto the mattress.
“We fucked so hard the damn thing broke and you ended up needing stitches because you slammed your head against the splintered wood,” Zach said, once he had Chris pinned beneath him.
“Like I said, happy memories,” Chris murmured, taking hold of Zach’s face and kissing him deep and hard.
“Seriously, you are so fucked up,” Zach rasped, giving in to the kiss.
“You fucking love it,” Chris said, tearing Zach’s shirt off, doing the same to his own.
A smile twisted Zach’s mouth. “Yes, yes, I do,” he said. It was a flurry or movement then. Clothes pulled off, bodies eagerly pressing together. Lips and tongues and teeth battled, skin sliding against skin, Chris yielding to Zach, Zach losing himself inside Chris, and finding what had been missing for so many months.
Zach listened to Chris’ breathing, to the strong thump of his heart. They stayed pressed together, tangled and twisted up in each other. “Happy 30th, Chris,” Zach murmured. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
Chris’ fingers skimmed down Zach’s back, tracing unknown patterns against Zach’s skin. “You’re forgiven. Just make sure you don’t miss the next one.”
“I won’t,” Zach said. “Or the one after that… or the one after that… or the one after that…” Zach’s voice got softer and softer, each repeated phrase punctuated with a kiss down Chris’ chest, then back up, then against his neck, until finally his voice faded completely, and his mouth met Chris’.
“I love you, too, Zach. In case you were wondering,” Chris said.
Zach smiled, let his thumb swipe over Chris’ mouth. “I wasn’t,” he said, pressing close and starting another kiss.
~fin