Fic: Somebody
Title: Somebody
Pairing: Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,496
Warning(s): Unbeta'ed
Summary: AU. Zach has an awful love life. Chris works in a diner.
Disclaimer: I do not own these boys. But can you imagine...?
A/N: So I was sitting in my room the other day when my sister put on one of her country CD's. Somebody by Reba Mcentire came on and after listening to it, all I could think was "OMG Pinto!" So I went and wrote it. So Chris's advice to Zach is the chorus of the song, just tweaked a little to make it flow better. Hope you enjoy!
Zach sighs and slides into his usual booth at Johnie’s. His phone vibrates yet again in the pocket of his jacket, and just to satisfy his morbid curiosity, because he is 99.9% sure who it is that’s calling him, Zach takes at his phone and looks at the display.
Kevin calling.
Knew it. Zach sets the phone down on the slightly sticky table in front of him and sits back, glaring at it.
“Whoa. Rough night?”
Zach stops debating the best way to destroy is phone and looks up at the man who has approached his table. It’s Chris, of course it is. Zach is here all of the time, and Chris is always working.
He knows he looks like a wreck, it’s guaranteed. Staying up half the night drinking because your boyfriend cheated on you will do that to a person.
“You don’t even know.”
Chris grins sympathetically and sets down a mug of steaming coffee in front of Zach.
“Wanna talk about it? Friendly ear and all that?” Zach squints at Chris as he takes a long gulp from his mug, finishing most of it in one gulp and relishing the burn.
“Just my horrific love life, as usual.” Zach says, tiredly rubbing a hand down his face, fingers scraping against three day old stubble. He really needs to remember to shave. When Zach looks at Chris again, he just sees an expectant stare.
“My boyfriend cheated on me. Again. And I keep going back to him.” Zach doesn’t know why he feels comfortable spilling his sob story to a man he sees almost everyday, but has never really spoken to, besides having his order taken and engaging in the small talk that seems expected at a diner. “And he keeps fucking calling me and I swear to god I’m about to take that phone and throw it into the deep fryer you have back there.” Zach grumbles, his hand twitching toward the phone. Chris grabs it and moves it safely out of his reach.
“It’s not really the phones fault, is it?” Chris asks, grinning.
“I suppose.” Zach sighs.
“Atta boy. Now, not to be rude, but the hell would you go back to someone who has already cheated on you once?” Chris asked skeptically. Zach shakes his head.
“You tell me, because I have no idea. I give up.”
“You know? I’ve been there.” Chris says quietly, and Zach looks up at him intently, and Chris continues, “But just keep looking. It could be anybody really.”
“Who could be anybody?” Zach asks.
“The one you’re looking for. It could be somebody in the next car, or the person you sit next to on the train in the morning. Or even someone in this very diner that you see every day. It could be somebody you look at, but have never really seen before.” Chris stops talking, looking out the window a little wistfully. Zach sneaks a peek at what he’s looking at, but it’s just the brick face of bank across the street.
“Um,” Zach says, “Thanks. Really.” Chris looks down at him and grins.
“No problem. Just some advice from your friendly neighborhood waiter.” He looks at the mug sitting on the table. “More coffee?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’m going to get going actually.” Zach retrieves his phone from where it was tucked behind the syrup of all places, and follows Chris to the counter to pay for his coffee.
As Zach turns to leave, he’s stopped by a small, “Hey.” He turns back to the counter, and Chris behind it, expectantly.
“Just remember. Somewhere out there is somebody.”
~
Zach stares at his phone as he gets on the elevator in his apartment building. He has seven more missed calls from Kevin, three from his mom, and one from his brother. Instead of calling them back right away like he normally would have, he decides to take Chris’ advice to heart. He watches the other tenants get onto the elevator, some are his neighbors, some he’s never seen before.
One particular man catches his eye. His red hair is scruffy, but his clothes impeccable. Zach is pretty sure the guy only lives a few floors up from him. Could this guy be the one? As Zach stares at him, the guy turns to him and gives him a nasty look.
Nope. Definitely not.
Shocked, Zach turns his eyes to the floor, determined not to look up until he gets to his floor, and maybe not even then.
~
Around lunch time, Zach decided to go for a walk. The apartment had Kevin’s things strewn all over it, and it was all Zach could do not to burn the place down.
Kicking at some fallen leaves in his path, Zach grumpily pulls out his phone, ignoring five more missed calls from Kevin. Seriously. What the fuck.
After doing a lap around the fountain in the middle of the park, Zach settles on a bench and calls his mom.
“Zachary John Quinto. How dare you wait this long to call me back!” Zach winces.
“Ma, I’m sorry-“
“Do you know how worried I was?!” Zach can literally hold the phone a foot away from his ear and still hear his mother perfectly.
“Ma-“
“You just text Joe that your life is in ruins, and then don’t respond to our calls? We thought you’d thrown yourself off a building.”
“Please Ma. Give me a little credit.” Zach interrupts, bringing the phone back to his ear, “I’m not that dramatic.”
“HA!” Zach instantly regrets putting the phone against his ear. “You’re talking to the woman who raised you. I know what you’re like.” Zach glares at the fountain in front of him.
“Whatever you say.”
“Don’t you sass me!”
“I’m sorry. It’s just-“ Zach sighs, “Kevin cheated on me again. And I’m done.”
“Oh honey.” Zach can hear the sympathy in his mother’s voice, and he wishes he could close his ears against it. It’s his own stupid fault, and the pity doesn’t help.
“I think I’ll be okay Ma, I just need to regain my faith in humanity.”
“Dramatic.” His mother hisses, but then laughs, “There’s my boy. Don’t let the bitches get you down!”
“Ma!” Zach cannot believe what he is hearing, “I’ll talk to you soon…or if I happen to forget, I’ll be there for Thanksgiving.”
“Zachary! That is a month away! You had better call me before then!”
“We’ll see. Love you, Ma.”
“I love you too, sweetie.” Zach hangs up and quickly types a text to his brother.
Control your mother. - z
No promises. And she’s your mother too. - J.Q.
Don’t remind me. - z
You doing okay? - J.Q.
I’ll be fine…thanks. - z
That’s what I’m here for. - J.Q.
Before Zach could respond, his phone buzzed again.
Don’t let the bitches get you down! - J.Q.
~
Zach had a very eventful week. He can’t even keep track of the number of bewildered stares he got because of how much he was following Chris’s advice.
Defeated, Zach returned to Johnie’s later that week, ready to get a cup of coffee and berate Chris for being so wrong. As he walked through the door and toward his usual booth, Zach saw Chris’s back as he turned to say goodbye to one of the customers, before he turned back to the counter to gather up some plates.
Chris turned around just as Zach approached him, and before Zach could say anything, Chris had crashed straight into him. Zach and Chris ended up on the floor with food all over the both of them, and a smattering of what looked like gravy across Chris’s face.
“Shit! I’m so, so sorry!” Chris exclaimed, “I didn’t look where I was going! Oh man, I’m so sorry-“
Zach stared in shock at the mess on the floor before looking at Chris. There was gravy right on the tip of his nose, and Zach reached up to wipe it away. As he did so, he met Chris’s shocked gaze. Zach froze in astonishment. He had never noticed how blue Chris’s eyes were before. Zach felt his eyes widen and saw Chris’s widen in response.
“You were right.” Zach muttered, reaching his hand up to brush a lock of dirty blonde hair out of Chris’s face. Chris blinked and furrowed his forehead.
“What?”
“There was somebody out there for me. Right in front of me the whole time.” Zach smiled softly at Chris, who grinned back.
“Told you.” Chris let go of the towel he was clutching and slid his hand up the back of Zach’s neck and found purchase in his hair. Zach leaned in and was greeted with the taste of gravy when their lips met. Laughing into Chris’s mouth, Zach pulled away and flicked a tongue over his bottom lip, chasing the taste.
“You taste like Thanksgiving.”
“Shut up. Your fault.” Chris laughed, “Help me clean this up.”
Zach grinned back, “Gladly.”