Fic: The Place Where Dreams Come True (1/2)
Title: The Place Where Dreams Come True
Author: therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~14,000
Warning: sick kid
Summary: Zach and Chris meet in the happiest place on earth. (Disney World AU)
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not intended to be a truthful account of Chris, Zach, or the behavior of any actual Disney World employees.
Author’s Note: I love Disney World, and I’ve wanted to write this fic ever since my last trip there in October 2010. That said, for this story I made up a bunch of stuff about it to suit my purposes. Fic includes a ton of references to Disney’s Aladdin, as well as a few other Disney movies and Disney World attractions. The role of Jasmine is played by Naya Rivera (Santana on Glee).
AN3: Thanks to emmessann for the quick and insightful beta!
Part 1 Part 2
Zach was staring intently into the mirror, so focused on making sure he was applying his eyeliner evenly that he almost stabbed himself with the pencil when the door of the dressing room slammed open.
“Jesus, Naya, cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” he asked once he’d recovered, his tone one of playful annoyance.
“Fuck you, Quinto. I’d like to see you drag yourself out of bed on four hours of sleep after a night of cheap whiskey shots with Captain Jack Sparrow.”
“Now, now,” Zach chided, turning to watch her untangle her costume from its hanger. “That’s no way for a Disney princess to talk. Wait, you went out with Parker? I thought he was gay.”
Naya gave him a look. “I highly doubt it.” She turned to shimmy into her flowing blue pants, glancing at him over her shoulder. “We did more than just shots.”
“You’re such a whore,” Zach said wistfully.
“Thanks. How do I look?”
Zach gave her a once over, admiring her flat stomach and checking to make sure her boobs weren’t overflowing the rather revealing top. “I don’t remember Jasmine’s face being that puffy.”
“Fuck you.” She tossed him his fez, which he fastened expertly to his hair with four bobby pins. “Now come on. Let’s go make children smile and middle-aged women wet their panties.”
Zach made a face, and followed her out into the hot blast of Orlando air.
They smiled and waved as they walked quickly through Adventureland, ducking under the arc of water being spat from the mouth of a golden camel as they circled the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride. A line had already begun to form next to the sign that read “Meet Aladdin and Jasmine, 10:00-11:00,” and they took their places as a harried-looking attendant with a superficial grin gave an exaggerated glance at her watch.
Sounds of cheering floated across the plaza , and Zach squinted to catch a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow striding onto the stage in front of an excited crowd. “Are you sure Parker’s not gay?” Zach asked through his teeth.
Naya tipped her head toward Zach and smiled as the attendant ushered the first few kids toward them. “The earrings are deceiving. And we need to get you laid, honey.”
After that, they turned their attention to the endless stream of eager children clutching autograph books, families dressed in matching t-shirts, honeymooning couples, and groups of giggling teenage girls maneuvering to stand next to Zach.
Truthfully, Zach found the 10 AM appearances to be the most bearable. The sun wasn’t yet hot enough to have him sweating beneath his foam-rubber abs, and the kids had a good few hours to go before their mid-afternoon meltdowns. His cheeks weren’t yet aching from the strain of grinning enthusiastically into every camera pointed his way, so his smiles were still mostly genuine. Unlike Naya, who’d taken the job at Disney World to save up for grad school and, apparently, to pick up guys, Zach was there because he loved to perform, because he knew all the lyrics of every Disney song ever written, and because he was the only Aladdin whose hair was so perfect that he didn’t even need to wear a wig beneath his jaunty fez.
And of course, there were other perks, he mused, as he waved goodbye to a sticky-faced toddler and turned to find himself gazing into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. He stared, his smile faltering, and suddenly the sun seemed a little warmer. Naya gave his arm a subtle squeeze to snap him out of it, and he blinked hard, which only resulted in his gaze flicking down to rest on plump pink lips. Sharp nails dug into his wrist, and he was finally able to look away, down to where Naya was crouching beside an adorable, gap-toothed girl in a silver wheelchair.
“Princess Jasmine!”
“Hi, sweetie! What’s your name?”
“Sierra.”
“Are you a princess, Sierra?” Zach asked, bending down. “That’s a lovely tiara you have there.”
Sierra grinned and reached up to touch the plastic tiara, secured over a pink bandana that covered her head. Her cheeks were pink, and she squirmed around in her chair to look up at the guy who stood behind her, hands resting loosely on the handles of her chair. Zach followed her line of vision to Mister Blue-Eyed Hotlips himself, and he felt his own cheeks flush.
“Go ahead, Sierra,” Hotlips encouraged her. He met Zach’s eyes and winked. “Aladdin’s her favorite.”
“Is that so?”
At Sierra’s shy nod, Zach grinned and leaned in close. “Well, guess what - you’re my favorite.” He glanced at Naya out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t tell Jasmine.”
“I heard that,” Naya said, with just the right amount of indignation. Sierra giggled, and Zach risked a glance up to see if her attractive friend was smiling, too. Their eyes met again, and Zach felt his heart do a backflip. He was already crushing hard on this guy, so when he finally noticed the Wishgranters logo stretched across his snug-fitting teal t-shirt, he was pretty sure he was in love.
“Are you having fun at Disney World?” Zach asked. He always tried to spend a little extra time with the Wishgranters kids - whether or not their volunteers looked like they’d fallen straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue - so he kept up a running conversation as he and Naya signed Sierra’s autograph book. “What’s your favorite thing so far? Besides me, of course.”
Sierra giggled, then looked thoughtful. “Ummm…Pirates!”
“Oooh, Pirates of the Caribbean! That’s a fun ride. Not too scary for you?”
Sierra shook her head.
“Have you seen the show yet?”
“We’re heading over there next,” her companion chipped in.
Zach looked up to catch his eye. “Please don’t,” he joked. “That Captain Jack Sparrow is quite the charmer, and I don’t want to be replaced as Sierra’s favorite.” He wondered if he was imagining the hint of interest in the bright blue eyes, and he glanced away. “Heck, even Jasmine here’s got a little crush on him.”
Naya smiled serenely, but he could see her eyes sparking with the litany of retorts she was holding back. Man, sometimes he really loved this job.
“I hope you guys plan to come to the Celebration Parade at noon - we love to have our fans in the audience.”
He handed Sierra back her autograph book, in which he’d written, “To Princess Sierra, Love, your friend Aladdin,” then he and Naya posed with her for a picture.
Sierra wiggled in her chair and reached for the camera. “Now Chris be in one!” she said excitedly. Zach felt a small thrill at finding out his name. The Disney attendant offered to take a picture of the four of them, and Zach tried not to hyperventilate as Chris stood beside him and slid an arm around his waist. Zach slung an arm around Chris’s shoulders - in character, of course - as the camera captured his 100% genuine smile.
“Celebration Parade, huh?” Chris said, his arm lingering after the camera clicked.
“Yep. Noon.”
“It’s a date.”
Then he was walking away, grabbing the camera and pushing the wheelchair away.
“Farewell, Princess,” Zach called after them.
“Farewell,” Chris called back. Zach’s grin widened as he heard Sierra piping up from her chair, “No, I’m the princess!”
He had to strain to hear Chris’s response - “No, I’m pretty sure he was talking to me” - before he turned back to face Naya’s knowing look. He would have blushed if his skin wasn’t already burning, but instead he gave a rueful shake of his head and mumbled something about needing a cold shower.
Naya looked down the line of excited children and families that now stretched beyond their sight, probably all the way into Frontierland by now. “Sorry, sweetie. You’ve got a looong day ahead of you.”
** OOO **
Chris kept an eye on the growing crowd as he licked at the trail of ice cream making its way down the back of his hand. The Florida sun was high in the clear blue sky, and though they’d managed to find a patch of shade, the heat was taking its toll on their Mickey Mouse popsicles. Sierra’s face was a grinning mess of vanilla and chocolate, and Chris’s heart lurched as he was once again reminded why he loved being a Wishgranter.
After their encounter with Aladdin, they’d met up with the rest of Sierra’s family - her mom and two brothers, Tyler and Sean. In addition to handling logistics, Chris’s role as a volunteer was to make it as easy as possible for Sierra and her family to enjoy their trip. He’d offered to take Sierra to visit her favorite characters so Mrs. Reed could finally indulge the boys’ pleas to go on a few of the “big kid” rides. And to be quite honest, he'd enjoyed every second of their morning together.
Together now, the five of them made their way across the park toward the parade route. If Chris had his way, he’d have been waiting on the curb 45 minutes ago, securing front row seats to the show. But he knew that it was important to keep Sierra in the shade and away from the crowd noise for a little longer, in case she needed to rest, so he’d helped them find this spot and tried to relax a little himself as they ate their much-needed snacks.
Chris heard the first strains of music coming from the other end of Main Street, and his heart started pounding a little faster. He quickly slurped the last of the ice cream from his popsicle stick and stood, encouraging Sierra’s brothers to do the same. He’d had his eye on a gap in the crowd, so he grabbed the handles of Sierra’s wheelchair and led them decisively toward it. The crowd parted just enough to let them make their way to the curb, and Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He felt slightly ridiculous for being so excited about the opportunity to catch another glimpse of Aladdin, but he couldn’t help himself. Hell, watching Aladdin at the age of 12 was basically how he’d come to the realization that he was gay - though it hadn’t been until years later that he finally admitted to himself that the Jasmines of the world did absolutely nothing for him.
They waved up at Mickey and Minnie as the first float passed by them. Chris recognized the music as the Disney World theme song that had been playing out of every hidden speaker in the park for the past three days. Next up was The Little Mermaid float, and Chris crouched down next to Sierra to point up at it. “Look, Sierra, who is that?”
“It’s Sebastian!” Sierra cried, clapping her hands together.
“And who’s that?” Chris asked, pointing to the fat blue fish beside him. “Is that Nemo?”
“No!” Sierra said, rolling her eyes in the way that only an exasperated six-year-old can.
“Oh, duh, it’s Dory, right?”
“No, it’s Flounder!!”
“Oh, Flounder, I am so sorry, how could I forget!” Chris said, slapping himself on the forehead.
Sierra giggled and shook her head. “Chris, you’re silly!”
“I am, I am so silly.” As he bantered with Sierra, Chris kept his eye on the rest of the parade, wondering when Aladdin might appear. Pinocchio’s float was in front of them now, and he could see Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book just behind them. He was craning his head to see what came next, trying not to appear too impatient, when a sound like the scratch of a record crackled through the speakers, interrupting the cheerful Disney theme.
“What happened?” Sierra asked. Chris was wondering the same thing, when suddenly they heard a familiar voice over the speakers, singing -
“Gotta keep, one jump, ahead of the breadline, one swing, ahead of the sword-“
Chris and Sierra glanced at each other in awe, then Chris was up on his feet, scanning the parade route. “Over there!” he said excitedly, pointing toward the front, where Aladdin had appeared on top of Mickey and Minnie’s float. He paused to sing the next line, eyes twinkling at the audience - ”I steal, only what I can’t afford - That’s everything!”
He scrambled down off the float, and gave an exaggerated glance behind him, where two cartoonishly menacing figures were dancing and whirling with foam swords.
”One jump, ahead of the lawmen, that’s all, and that’s no joke”
He bobbed and weaved around the Little Mermaid, avoiding a snap of Sebastian’s claws. He was getting closer to where they stood, now scrambling up onto Pinocchio’s float for a bit of choreographed acrobatics. He jumped and spun, ducked, rolled, and came up in a crouch, and Chris could have sworn their eyes locked for just a second before Aladdin stood, catching his foot on something and tripping forward. For one perilous moment, he seemed to teeter on the edge of the float. The crowd gasped out loud, Chris included, but then Aladdin leapt gracefully to the ground, and the audience laughed in delighted relief, realizing it had all been for show.
Behind him, the guards sang as they slashed through the air. Chris assumed they’d move on to the next float in line, so he was taken by surprise when Aladdin stepped off the parade route and into the audience. He was close, only a few people away, and Chris felt his body tensing, skin growing hot as he watched Aladdin step nimbly through the crowd.
”One jump, ahead of the slowpokes-“ Suddenly, Aladdin was right beside them, crouching next to Sierra, a hand on Chris’s hip as if to steady himself as he peered around the wheelchair, the crowd around them laughing at his antics. ”One skip, ahead of my doom.” For a moment everything seemed to move in slow motion, giving Chris time to register the brush of a thumb across his hip, the warmth of the long fingers that seemed to press lightly into his skin. He sucked in a breath, and the world was back again, the music louder, the colors brighter, and Aladdin was two floats away already, climbing up to sit beside a blushing Cinderella.
He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Sierra beaming up at him in wide-eyed wonder. “Aladdin came here!” she said, in awe.
Chris nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Had he been imagining things, or had Aladdin really seen him, picked him out of the crowd, squeezed his hip? It had to be a coincidence, right? Something he did every day, probably without even thinking about it, just part of the routine. Still, that didn’t stop Chris’s heart from racing, his skin from tingling, his - he hopped a little in place. No. He was not going to let Aladdin give him a boner.
The parade continued, and Chris nodded absently as Sierra chatted about the various characters passing in front of them. He swore he could still feel the touch of long fingers against his hip. Just when he’d almost recovered, when he could finally tear his mind away from those dark eyes and long legs and focus on the world around him, the final float approached.
“Look, look, it’s the magic carpet!” Sierra exclaimed. Chris had to bite back a curse as, sure enough, he spotted the Genie waving to the crowd from the helm of the Aladdin float. Behind him, perched on the top, sat Princess Jasmine, and beside her Aladdin, this time in princely garb, a flowy white number topped off with an elaborate turban.
“Jasmine, Jasmine!” Sierra called, waving so frantically that Chris had to put a hand on her chair to keep it stable as the float drew closer. He wondered if maybe Jasmine would recognize them from earlier that morning, but when she smiled and waved in their direction her eyes danced across the sea of people without recognition. Chris dared a glimpse at Aladdin. His dark eyes roamed over the crowd, alighting on Sierra, and he gave Jasmine a nudge. She gave a genuine smile and waved cheerfully at Sierra, sending her into such a frenzied excitement that Chris had to steady the wheelchair with both hands. Aladdin blew them a kiss toward them, and Chris felt his cheeks go hot. He was still wondering if he’d imagined the wink thrown in his direction long after the float had passed and the crowd had begun to disperse.
“Where should we go next?” Chris asked as they strolled down the street back toward the attractions.
“Splash Mountain!” Sierra and her brothers answered in an enthusiastic chorus.
“Alright, alright,” Chris agreed. They’d ridden Splash Mountain approximately seven times the day before, and he’d ended up so sopping wet that he’d had to buy a Buzz Lightyear hoodie to stay warm. Still, he was fine with going again, if it would make Sierra happy.
Not to mention, he could do with a cold shower right about now.
** OOO **
Zach scanned the crowd from his perch on the low stone wall that ran along the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. His shift had ended an hour ago, and somehow his route out of the park had taken him here, right near where he knew the Wishgranters shuttle buses picked up passengers. He’d been watching the guests stream out of the exits for the last forty-five minutes, mildly surprised at how many wheelchair-bound kids wearing pink bandanas apparently visited Disney World every day. He was on the verge of giving up and heading home when he noticed another group strolling toward the shuttle. A woman was pushing the wheelchair, but just behind her he caught a glimpse of broad shoulders and an unmistakable teal Wishgranters t-shirt. Zach grabbed his backpack and hopped off the wall, too intent on catching up with them to remember to be nervous.
“Chris!”
He made his way through the crowd and gave a small wave as Chris turned to see who had called his name. He saw Chris’s brow furrow in confusion, and remembered that he was out of his costume and wearing a baseball cap, that he now looked like a random stranger bumping people aside as he approached.
He watched Chris scrutinizing him as he got closer. Then the crowd jostled him into Chris’s personal space, and Zach saw his eyes light up in startled recognition. “Aladdin?!”
“Would it ruin the magic if I told you my name was Zach?” Zach asked with a grin.
“Uh…” Chris seemed caught off guard for a second, blinking in surprise. Then his eyes flicked down over Zach’s body and back up again, and he licked his lips and smiled. “No,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Pretty sure the magic’s still there.”
Zach glanced to the side, where he could see Sierra and her family moving farther away. “Look, I know you have obligations, and you probably can’t…this is really crazy, actually, but…can I give you my number? I mean, if you have time, or if you live nearby, maybe-“
“Sure.”
Zach was taken aback for a second. “Really?”
“Yeah, give me your number, that would be great. Maybe I can text you, find out where you’re going to be. I, uh…I know Sierra really wants to see you again.”
Zach grinned at that. “Does she?”
Chris met his eyes and the world around them seemed to disappear for a moment. “Yeah. She really does.”
Zach swallowed, and Chris tore his gaze away, straining to see where Sierra and her family had gotten to. Zach quickly pulled out the pen and paper he’d stuck in the pocket of his jeans, jotted down his name and number, and shoved it into Chris’s hand. Chris glanced down at it, then gave Zach an apologetic smile. “I should catch up.”
His goal accomplished, Zach suddenly felt dizzy and breathless, and all he wanted to do was run away. He managed to a weak “See you around,” before he turned away, his cheeks burning as he fought his way back against the flow of pedestrians. It was done, and now he would just have to wait and see if anything came of it. He did know one thing for sure - there was no fucking way he’d be able to sleep tonight.
** OOO **
Chris had dinner with Sierra’s family, then offered to take the boys to the pool while Sierra’s mom got her settled for the evening. They’d had a long day, and after an hour scrambling around the fake fort and plunging down the pirate ship’s waterslide, Tyler and Sean were exhausted. Chris thought he would be, too, but after dropping the boys off and heading back to his room, his body still hummed with adrenaline. He stripped out of his swim trunks, took a quick shower, and flopped onto the bed, trying to decide whether he should read for a little while, or try to sleep, or maybe find something on TV. His eyes flicked toward the bedside table, where he’d carefully set the paper with Zach’s number on it. He’d been trying not to look at it, not to think about it, but he knew that it was the reason he was buzzing with energy, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, not with the number right there, taunting him. He picked up his book and stared blankly at the first page. Then he gave up, dropped the book on the floor, and picked up his phone.
He could practically hear his heart beating as the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Zach? This is Chris. From…Disney World?”
“Oh my god. Hi!”
Chris grinned and squeezed the phone tightly against his ear. “You sound surprised.”
“I am. Pleasantly surprised. I didn’t, uh…I thought you were going to text me.” Chris could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah, well, I just…I mean, I can hang up and text you, if you’d prefer.”
“No, no,” Zach laughed, “this is good, this…yeah, no. Let’s, uh…let’s talk.”
Chris hadn’t thought much beyond the dialing of Zach’s number, and his mind raced to come up with something clever or witty or at least non-awkward to say. His whole body felt hot, and he squeezed a pillow against his chest. “So…my name is Chris…”
Zach chuckled. “Yeah, I got that. And my name is Zach, and I play Aladdin at Disney World…”
“A very sexy Aladdin,” Chris added.
“Yes, a very sexy Aladdin. That’s what Disney World was looking for when they hired me, actually. They were like ‘We need a sexified Aladdin to appeal to the 18-to-35-year-old blue-eyed hotties demographic’.”
Chris laughed and wondered if it was possible for his entire body to blush. “Well, please tell them it worked.”
“Oh, I will.” There was a pause. “Hey, do you think… I mean, is there any way you could get dinner with me tomorrow?”
Chris had to bite the corner of the pillow he was clutching to stifle his grin and regain his composure. He glanced at the clock, as if that was going to help him answer. “Um, maybe? I have to hang out with Sierra-“
“No, yeah, I mean, not if you can’t-“
“-but she’s usually in bed by like 7:00,” Chris rushed on, “and her mom said she’s fine if I wanted to go off on my own one night, so maybe if it’s somewhere close, we could-“
“Yeah, I mean, anywhere, we could get dinner at the park, or your hotel, or-“
“Well, maybe not at the hotel…”
“Oh, right. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, wherever you want…” Zach trailed off for a few seconds before he broke the silence with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I…god, this is so weird. I swear I’ve never done this before.”
“Really?” Chris asked, doubtful. “You’ve never taken advantage of your hot Aladdin status?”
“Not with a guest, no. It’s actually really frowned upon.”
“So you’ve never given your number to a guest.”
“Nope.”
“Never asked a guest out to dinner?”
“Uh-uh.”
Chris felt a sudden rush of giddy bravery and he rolled onto his stomach, hugging tight to his pillow. “Have you ever had phone sex with a guest?”
There was a shocked silence, but Zach seemed to regain his composure pretty quickly. “Why, no, in fact, I have not,” he said, and the interest was clear in his tone.
“Care to remedy that situation?” Chris asked, lowering his voice.
“Uh…yeah,” he said, drawing it out like he wasn’t sure. “Hold on a sec.” Chris heard a rustling and a click, and the huff of Zach’s breath as he put the phone back to his ear. “Sorry. Had to lock the door. Roommates.”
Chris felt a bolt of heat in his gut - shit, they were actually going to do this. He gave an involuntary thrust of his hips, grinding down a little into the mattress. “So, uh…what are you wearing?”
“Wellll…I’ve got this tiny purple vest on…red cummerbund…flowy white pants…”
Chris burst out laughing.
“What about you?” Zach said smugly, clearly enjoying Chris’s response.
“Me? All I’m wearing is a tiara and a smile, baby.”
“Oh my god,” Zach chuckled. His voice was muffled like he was holding a hand over his mouth. “ You’re ridiculous. I really want to kiss you right now.”
“I’d like that.”
“You’ve got really gorgeous lips.”
“Yeah? I know how to use them, too,” Chris purred. There was an awkward silence as he tried desperately to figure out whether it was time to plunge into graphic dirty talk or whether they should banter and flirt for a little longer.
Zach took the lead, his voice husky as he asked, “You hard?”
“Hell yes,” Chris murmured. “I’ve been hard since you answered the phone.”
“Touching yourself?”
Chris rolled over onto his back and gave his dick a few light tugs. “I am now.”
“You, uh…you want me to say stuff? Like what I’m thinking about?”
“Yeah, sure,” Chris breathed.
“I’m thinking about those lips wrapped around my dick. Thinking about you looking up at me with those blue eyes while you suck me off.” He bit off a moan, and Chris imagined him sprawled across the bed, jacking himself to the mental image of Chris on his knees.
“You’re grabbing my hair so you can fuck my mouth while I suck your big dick,” Chris said, his voice low and rough.
“Yeah,” Zach groaned his approval. “Tell me more-“
“I’m taking you in deep, swallowing around you. So fucking hot, I know you’ve got a huge cock hidden under those flowy pants.”
“Nngh, yeah,” Zach grunted in his ear. “I want…wanna see you, wanna watch you come while you-“
Chris didn’t hear the rest, because the image of Zach as Aladdin, jerking off while he was wearing his purple vest and fez, had come unbidden to his mind, and he had to pull the phone away so Zach wouldn’t hear him laughing.
“Chris? You there?” Zach’s tinny voice sounded uncertainly from the cell phone speaker.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, putting the phone back to his ear as he cracked up into his pillow. “I’m totally picturing you as Aladdin right now, I can’t help it!”
“Occupational hazard,” Zach sighed. “You need a minute?”
Chris glanced down at his cock, still rigid in his hand, the dark purple head disappearing into his fist as he gave an experimental stroke. “Would it be totally weird if I told you that didn’t kill my boner at all?”
“Fine by me. I was…kind of in the middle of something.”
“I’m so sorry. Seriously.” Chris rolled onto his side and spat on his palm before resuming his earlier pace, fisting his cock with short, even strokes. He pressed the phone to his ear and dropped his voice. “Come on, Zach,” Chris murmured. “Touch yourself for me. Do it hard and fast. I want you to come so fucking hard you can taste it.”
“Yeah, yes,” Zach panted.
“Put your phone on speaker, let me hear it.”
“Shit-“ He heard Zach fumbling with the phone, then the rhythmic slap of Zach’s hand pumping at his dick, coupled with the sound of his breathing and a low groan in the back of his throat. The sounds drove Chris to the edge and he curled in on himself, his abs tightening as his orgasm exploded through him. At the last second he dropped his phone, reached down to cup a palm over his cock as he came. It didn’t seem right, jizzing on the Finding Nemo bedspread, so he rolled onto his back and smeared it across his chest before he picked up the phone again.
“Zach? Zach? Hello? You there, man?”
“Rrngh. Yeah. I’m here.”
“I thought you passed out or something.”
“Nah. I just…fuck, all my muscles clenched up so hard when I came that I couldn’t talk for a minute there. Shit. That was awesome.”
“Yeah, it was.”
They lay in silence for a few minutes, basking in the hazy afterglow.
“Seriously though,” Chris said, opening his eyes as he realized that he was in danger of drifting off. “What are you wearing?”
“Um. Black boxer-briefs. Why?”
“Oh, just wanted to know how I should picture you when I jerk off again in like an hour.”
Zach chuckled. “And what about you? Are you really wearing a tiara?”
“No tiara.”
“Mm. That’s too bad. Really naked though?”
“Really naked, and now I have a fistful of jizz smeared across my chest.”
There was a beat of silence on Zach’s end of the line, then he cleared his throat. “Okay, well, yeah, that image should hold me for the next hour. Week. Lifetime.”
Chris grinned, enjoying the effect he seemed to be having on Zach. “So, you said something about getting dinner?” he asked.
“Yeah, I thought…well, I mean, that is unless you think it’s too soon. Wouldn’t want to jump into anything.”
“Right,” Chris laughed. “Well, like I said, I should be able to get away for a couple hours tomorrow night. Got a place in mind?”
“Yeah, actually. Meet me at the Africa lodge - you can get a bus there. Maybe 7:30? I know some guys that work there, I can get us a table with a good view of the giraffes.”
“Giraffes? Seriously?”
“Yeah. That okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Just…damn.” Chris heaved a long-suffering sigh. “I’ve always had a feeling Aladdin would ruin me for other guys.”
** OOO **
Chris refilled his Tigger coffee mug twice during their breakfast of Mickey waffles in the resort’s dining area. He shielded his eyes against the clear sky, the heat already creeping up even though it was barely 9:00 AM, and he hid a yawn behind his hand. Even after he and Zach had ended their call last night, he’d lain awake in the darkness, trying to calm his whirling mind and racing heart. Then he’d downloaded a Disney World app to his phone that showed him each character’s daily schedule and discovered that Jasmine and Aladdin would be making an appearance at Epcot’s Morocco Pavilion the next day.
“You guys excited about Epcot?” he asked as they stood up from their table and headed for their shuttle bus. “Who do you think we’re gonna see there?”
“Princess Jasmine and Aladdin!” Sierra said, throwing her arms in the air.
“Really? But didn’t you see them yesterday? Don’t you want to see someone else?”
“No, I want to see them again!” Sierra declared, and Chris was secretly glad he wasn’t the only one.
Their first ride at Epcot was Spaceship Earth, which Sierra’s brothers proclaimed “the most boring ride in the world.” Chris was inclined to agree with them, though he did get a little defensive when they later declared that Captain Eo was “totally weird”.
Chris kept an eye on his watch, and he steered them toward the World Showcase as 11:00 AM approached. They stopped in Mexico for frozen strawberry drinks, and by the time they made it to Morocco a long line had formed for Jasmine and Aladdin’s meet-and-greet. Chris assured Mrs. Reed that he was fine waiting, and the rest of the family headed off in another direction.
Butterflies flitted in Chris’s stomach as they approached, and he chewed on a fingernail, alternating between hoping Zach would catch his eye and wanting to hide behind Sierra’s wheelchair until the very last second. He couldn’t help but dwell on how fucking weird it was that he’d had phone sex with a Disney character actor, who he now felt like he knew in some strange way, and who he was now supposed to interact with normally in front of a very observant six-year-old. He really hadn’t thought this through last night. Luckily, Sierra was chattering happily about princesses and monkeys and magic lamps, distracting him from the inevitable moment when he and Zach would be face to face. He desperately hoped that he wouldn’t spring a boner, but even from here, this far back in the line, the sight of Zach’s dark-rimmed eyes, his toned arms, and those hands, was making a flush spread up from beneath the collar of his purple Wishgranters t-shirt.
Twice he saw Zach’s eyes glance out over the line, and each time Chris’s stomach seemed to tie itself into a little knot and he had trouble taking a breath. But both times Zach seemed to look right past him, and Chris exhaled with a mixture of disappointment and relief.
Finally, when there were only two families ahead of them in the line, Zach’s eyes met his, widening in recognition. He was in the middle of getting his picture taken, and the Disney attendant had to call, “Aladdin, over here Aladdin,” before he managed to yank his attention away from Chris. Chris swallowed hard and stared intently at the ground, avoiding Zach’s eyes for the next five minutes, until they were being ushered into the photo area for their turn.
Princess Jasmine bent down to say hi to Sierra, and Chris and Zach stared at each other until neither of them could contain their grins. Chris had seen the smiles Zach had been giving everyone else in line, so he knew that this one was different, that this one was real, and he felt like he was floating on air. Then Jasmine was standing up, looking back and forth between them with a strange expression on her face, and Chris shook himself out of it and reached down to touch Sierra’s shoulder.
“Hey princess, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask Aladdin?”
He watched as Zach reluctantly shifted his attention to Sierra.
“Where’s Abu?” she demanded. Zach flashed a quick smile up at Chris, a glint in his eye that seemed to say, Watch this, then he shifted smoothly into character.
“Abu? You know, I asked him to come along today - I said, ‘Come on, Abu, you’ve got to meet the beautiful Princess Sierra’, but nooooo, he had important monkey business to attend over in Animal Kingdom.”
Sierra giggled. “Where’s Jafar?”
Zach gasped and darted behind Jasmine, grabbing onto her shoulders and peeking out from behind them. “Jafar?! Where?!”
“Oh Aladdin,” Jasmine chided, shaking her head. “You know Jafar wouldn’t dare show his face around here.”
“Hmm,” Zach mused, moving to her side. “I guess you’re right. But what about that stinky, loudmouthed parrot of his, Iago?” Zach leaned an elbow on Jasmine’s shoulder and gave Sierra a knowing look. “Where’s he, huh?”
Chris crouched down beside the wheelchair. “Where’s Iago, Sierra? Didn’t we seen him somewhere yesterday?”
“Ummm…the…the…TIKI ROOM!” Sierra yelled, throwing her arms up in the air with a gigantic grin as she remembered.
They all laughed, and Chris could see his own giddiness reflected back in Zach’s eyes, in the way he chuckled a little louder and longer than the moment probably deserved. He was still laughing as Chris handed his camera over to the attendant and they shuffled into position for a picture.
Chris was standing behind Sierra’s wheelchair, and he waited with nervous anticipation, wondering if Zach would make a move to stand beside him, or if he’d avoid the temptation altogether. But then there he was, winking at Chris just before he turned to set a hand on Sierra’s shoulder.
“Hi, Aladdin.”
“Hi, Chris,” Zach murmured, and Chris swallowed hard at the sound of his name on Zach’s lips, thinking how unfair it was that he couldn’t return the favor. Zach slid an arm around his waist, and was that - was he - yeah, Zach was actually wrapping his fingers around a loop of Chris’s belt, pulling him close until their sides were pressed together. Chris took a deep breath and brushed his hand across Zach’s back, finding purchase against his hipbone, and he could have sworn he heard Zach mutter a very un-Disney-like curse beneath his breath.
The click of the camera was lost beneath the blood rushing in his ears, and all too soon Zach was letting go, moving away, taking Jasmine’s hand and pulling her up as they turned to greet the next people in line. Chris gripped the handles of Sierra’s wheelchair with sweaty palms. He aimed them blindly in some direction and made himself walk away without looking back, his legs feeling a little heavier with every step.
** OOO **
Zach hummed as he finished changing out of his costume. He pulled a t-shirt over his head and caught Naya’s amused look.
“What?”
“Hot date?”
“No.” Zach suppressed a grin as he pulled on his sneakers. “Maybe.”
“You do realize that you’re humming ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’”
“It’s a great song.”
“Mm-hmm. What are you going to wear?”
“Haven’t decided yet-“ Zach’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, frowning at the screen. The text from Chris made him put a hand over his mouth in dismay.
Can’t do dinner. Sierra’s sick, we had to take her to the hospital.
“Shit.”
“What is it? He cancel on you or something?”
“No, he-“ Zach stopped talking to send a quick text back. Which hospital? “He had to take a kid to the hospital.”
“He has a kid?”
“What? No. He’s a volunteer.”
“A volunteer?”
Zach glanced at her in time to see the recognition dawning on her face, and he felt his cheeks flush. “Oh Zach, no you didn’t. No you didn’t?” Naya crowed joyously. “You’re going on a date with that Wishgranters guy, aren’t you? Oh my god, you are, look at you, you’re totally blushing! I fucking knew you two were making Bambi eyes at each other this morning!”
“We were not, now please shut up.” He was still staring at his phone, waiting for a response that hadn’t come. He huffed in exasperation and typed another text. Chris, which hospital???? “Seriously, Naya,” he said, meeting her eye, “don’t tell anyone, okay? I know it’s crazy, but I really like him and-” The phone buzzed in his hand and he saw Chris’s text pop up on the screen.
children’s
He looked up to find Naya watching him. “I gotta go.”
“Good luck, Zach. Your hot blue-eyed secret is safe with me.”
Zach rolled his eyes and grabbed his costume from the rack where he was supposed to leave it overnight.
“Zach, are you crazy?” Naya hissed, grabbing his arm. “You can’t take that out of here.”
“It’s for a sick kid, Naya.”
“Is it worth getting fired over?”
They glared at each other for a moment, until Naya sighed in exasperation. She told him to hold on a second and disappeared into her dressing room, coming out a few seconds later with a garment bag. Zach’s gratitude shone in his eyes as he let Naya help him zip the costume inside.
“Thank you. Seriously.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. Drive carefully, okay?”
“I will.”
“And Zach…I hope everything’s okay.”
“So do I.”
Part 2
Author: therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: ~14,000
Warning: sick kid
Summary: Zach and Chris meet in the happiest place on earth. (Disney World AU)
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not intended to be a truthful account of Chris, Zach, or the behavior of any actual Disney World employees.
Author’s Note: I love Disney World, and I’ve wanted to write this fic ever since my last trip there in October 2010. That said, for this story I made up a bunch of stuff about it to suit my purposes. Fic includes a ton of references to Disney’s Aladdin, as well as a few other Disney movies and Disney World attractions. The role of Jasmine is played by Naya Rivera (Santana on Glee).
AN3: Thanks to emmessann for the quick and insightful beta!
Part 1 Part 2
Zach was staring intently into the mirror, so focused on making sure he was applying his eyeliner evenly that he almost stabbed himself with the pencil when the door of the dressing room slammed open.
“Jesus, Naya, cutting it a little close, aren’t you?” he asked once he’d recovered, his tone one of playful annoyance.
“Fuck you, Quinto. I’d like to see you drag yourself out of bed on four hours of sleep after a night of cheap whiskey shots with Captain Jack Sparrow.”
“Now, now,” Zach chided, turning to watch her untangle her costume from its hanger. “That’s no way for a Disney princess to talk. Wait, you went out with Parker? I thought he was gay.”
Naya gave him a look. “I highly doubt it.” She turned to shimmy into her flowing blue pants, glancing at him over her shoulder. “We did more than just shots.”
“You’re such a whore,” Zach said wistfully.
“Thanks. How do I look?”
Zach gave her a once over, admiring her flat stomach and checking to make sure her boobs weren’t overflowing the rather revealing top. “I don’t remember Jasmine’s face being that puffy.”
“Fuck you.” She tossed him his fez, which he fastened expertly to his hair with four bobby pins. “Now come on. Let’s go make children smile and middle-aged women wet their panties.”
Zach made a face, and followed her out into the hot blast of Orlando air.
They smiled and waved as they walked quickly through Adventureland, ducking under the arc of water being spat from the mouth of a golden camel as they circled the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride. A line had already begun to form next to the sign that read “Meet Aladdin and Jasmine, 10:00-11:00,” and they took their places as a harried-looking attendant with a superficial grin gave an exaggerated glance at her watch.
Sounds of cheering floated across the plaza , and Zach squinted to catch a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow striding onto the stage in front of an excited crowd. “Are you sure Parker’s not gay?” Zach asked through his teeth.
Naya tipped her head toward Zach and smiled as the attendant ushered the first few kids toward them. “The earrings are deceiving. And we need to get you laid, honey.”
After that, they turned their attention to the endless stream of eager children clutching autograph books, families dressed in matching t-shirts, honeymooning couples, and groups of giggling teenage girls maneuvering to stand next to Zach.
Truthfully, Zach found the 10 AM appearances to be the most bearable. The sun wasn’t yet hot enough to have him sweating beneath his foam-rubber abs, and the kids had a good few hours to go before their mid-afternoon meltdowns. His cheeks weren’t yet aching from the strain of grinning enthusiastically into every camera pointed his way, so his smiles were still mostly genuine. Unlike Naya, who’d taken the job at Disney World to save up for grad school and, apparently, to pick up guys, Zach was there because he loved to perform, because he knew all the lyrics of every Disney song ever written, and because he was the only Aladdin whose hair was so perfect that he didn’t even need to wear a wig beneath his jaunty fez.
And of course, there were other perks, he mused, as he waved goodbye to a sticky-faced toddler and turned to find himself gazing into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. He stared, his smile faltering, and suddenly the sun seemed a little warmer. Naya gave his arm a subtle squeeze to snap him out of it, and he blinked hard, which only resulted in his gaze flicking down to rest on plump pink lips. Sharp nails dug into his wrist, and he was finally able to look away, down to where Naya was crouching beside an adorable, gap-toothed girl in a silver wheelchair.
“Princess Jasmine!”
“Hi, sweetie! What’s your name?”
“Sierra.”
“Are you a princess, Sierra?” Zach asked, bending down. “That’s a lovely tiara you have there.”
Sierra grinned and reached up to touch the plastic tiara, secured over a pink bandana that covered her head. Her cheeks were pink, and she squirmed around in her chair to look up at the guy who stood behind her, hands resting loosely on the handles of her chair. Zach followed her line of vision to Mister Blue-Eyed Hotlips himself, and he felt his own cheeks flush.
“Go ahead, Sierra,” Hotlips encouraged her. He met Zach’s eyes and winked. “Aladdin’s her favorite.”
“Is that so?”
At Sierra’s shy nod, Zach grinned and leaned in close. “Well, guess what - you’re my favorite.” He glanced at Naya out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t tell Jasmine.”
“I heard that,” Naya said, with just the right amount of indignation. Sierra giggled, and Zach risked a glance up to see if her attractive friend was smiling, too. Their eyes met again, and Zach felt his heart do a backflip. He was already crushing hard on this guy, so when he finally noticed the Wishgranters logo stretched across his snug-fitting teal t-shirt, he was pretty sure he was in love.
“Are you having fun at Disney World?” Zach asked. He always tried to spend a little extra time with the Wishgranters kids - whether or not their volunteers looked like they’d fallen straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue - so he kept up a running conversation as he and Naya signed Sierra’s autograph book. “What’s your favorite thing so far? Besides me, of course.”
Sierra giggled, then looked thoughtful. “Ummm…Pirates!”
“Oooh, Pirates of the Caribbean! That’s a fun ride. Not too scary for you?”
Sierra shook her head.
“Have you seen the show yet?”
“We’re heading over there next,” her companion chipped in.
Zach looked up to catch his eye. “Please don’t,” he joked. “That Captain Jack Sparrow is quite the charmer, and I don’t want to be replaced as Sierra’s favorite.” He wondered if he was imagining the hint of interest in the bright blue eyes, and he glanced away. “Heck, even Jasmine here’s got a little crush on him.”
Naya smiled serenely, but he could see her eyes sparking with the litany of retorts she was holding back. Man, sometimes he really loved this job.
“I hope you guys plan to come to the Celebration Parade at noon - we love to have our fans in the audience.”
He handed Sierra back her autograph book, in which he’d written, “To Princess Sierra, Love, your friend Aladdin,” then he and Naya posed with her for a picture.
Sierra wiggled in her chair and reached for the camera. “Now Chris be in one!” she said excitedly. Zach felt a small thrill at finding out his name. The Disney attendant offered to take a picture of the four of them, and Zach tried not to hyperventilate as Chris stood beside him and slid an arm around his waist. Zach slung an arm around Chris’s shoulders - in character, of course - as the camera captured his 100% genuine smile.
“Celebration Parade, huh?” Chris said, his arm lingering after the camera clicked.
“Yep. Noon.”
“It’s a date.”
Then he was walking away, grabbing the camera and pushing the wheelchair away.
“Farewell, Princess,” Zach called after them.
“Farewell,” Chris called back. Zach’s grin widened as he heard Sierra piping up from her chair, “No, I’m the princess!”
He had to strain to hear Chris’s response - “No, I’m pretty sure he was talking to me” - before he turned back to face Naya’s knowing look. He would have blushed if his skin wasn’t already burning, but instead he gave a rueful shake of his head and mumbled something about needing a cold shower.
Naya looked down the line of excited children and families that now stretched beyond their sight, probably all the way into Frontierland by now. “Sorry, sweetie. You’ve got a looong day ahead of you.”
** OOO **
Chris kept an eye on the growing crowd as he licked at the trail of ice cream making its way down the back of his hand. The Florida sun was high in the clear blue sky, and though they’d managed to find a patch of shade, the heat was taking its toll on their Mickey Mouse popsicles. Sierra’s face was a grinning mess of vanilla and chocolate, and Chris’s heart lurched as he was once again reminded why he loved being a Wishgranter.
After their encounter with Aladdin, they’d met up with the rest of Sierra’s family - her mom and two brothers, Tyler and Sean. In addition to handling logistics, Chris’s role as a volunteer was to make it as easy as possible for Sierra and her family to enjoy their trip. He’d offered to take Sierra to visit her favorite characters so Mrs. Reed could finally indulge the boys’ pleas to go on a few of the “big kid” rides. And to be quite honest, he'd enjoyed every second of their morning together.
Together now, the five of them made their way across the park toward the parade route. If Chris had his way, he’d have been waiting on the curb 45 minutes ago, securing front row seats to the show. But he knew that it was important to keep Sierra in the shade and away from the crowd noise for a little longer, in case she needed to rest, so he’d helped them find this spot and tried to relax a little himself as they ate their much-needed snacks.
Chris heard the first strains of music coming from the other end of Main Street, and his heart started pounding a little faster. He quickly slurped the last of the ice cream from his popsicle stick and stood, encouraging Sierra’s brothers to do the same. He’d had his eye on a gap in the crowd, so he grabbed the handles of Sierra’s wheelchair and led them decisively toward it. The crowd parted just enough to let them make their way to the curb, and Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He felt slightly ridiculous for being so excited about the opportunity to catch another glimpse of Aladdin, but he couldn’t help himself. Hell, watching Aladdin at the age of 12 was basically how he’d come to the realization that he was gay - though it hadn’t been until years later that he finally admitted to himself that the Jasmines of the world did absolutely nothing for him.
They waved up at Mickey and Minnie as the first float passed by them. Chris recognized the music as the Disney World theme song that had been playing out of every hidden speaker in the park for the past three days. Next up was The Little Mermaid float, and Chris crouched down next to Sierra to point up at it. “Look, Sierra, who is that?”
“It’s Sebastian!” Sierra cried, clapping her hands together.
“And who’s that?” Chris asked, pointing to the fat blue fish beside him. “Is that Nemo?”
“No!” Sierra said, rolling her eyes in the way that only an exasperated six-year-old can.
“Oh, duh, it’s Dory, right?”
“No, it’s Flounder!!”
“Oh, Flounder, I am so sorry, how could I forget!” Chris said, slapping himself on the forehead.
Sierra giggled and shook her head. “Chris, you’re silly!”
“I am, I am so silly.” As he bantered with Sierra, Chris kept his eye on the rest of the parade, wondering when Aladdin might appear. Pinocchio’s float was in front of them now, and he could see Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book just behind them. He was craning his head to see what came next, trying not to appear too impatient, when a sound like the scratch of a record crackled through the speakers, interrupting the cheerful Disney theme.
“What happened?” Sierra asked. Chris was wondering the same thing, when suddenly they heard a familiar voice over the speakers, singing -
“Gotta keep, one jump, ahead of the breadline, one swing, ahead of the sword-“
Chris and Sierra glanced at each other in awe, then Chris was up on his feet, scanning the parade route. “Over there!” he said excitedly, pointing toward the front, where Aladdin had appeared on top of Mickey and Minnie’s float. He paused to sing the next line, eyes twinkling at the audience - ”I steal, only what I can’t afford - That’s everything!”
He scrambled down off the float, and gave an exaggerated glance behind him, where two cartoonishly menacing figures were dancing and whirling with foam swords.
”One jump, ahead of the lawmen, that’s all, and that’s no joke”
He bobbed and weaved around the Little Mermaid, avoiding a snap of Sebastian’s claws. He was getting closer to where they stood, now scrambling up onto Pinocchio’s float for a bit of choreographed acrobatics. He jumped and spun, ducked, rolled, and came up in a crouch, and Chris could have sworn their eyes locked for just a second before Aladdin stood, catching his foot on something and tripping forward. For one perilous moment, he seemed to teeter on the edge of the float. The crowd gasped out loud, Chris included, but then Aladdin leapt gracefully to the ground, and the audience laughed in delighted relief, realizing it had all been for show.
Behind him, the guards sang as they slashed through the air. Chris assumed they’d move on to the next float in line, so he was taken by surprise when Aladdin stepped off the parade route and into the audience. He was close, only a few people away, and Chris felt his body tensing, skin growing hot as he watched Aladdin step nimbly through the crowd.
”One jump, ahead of the slowpokes-“ Suddenly, Aladdin was right beside them, crouching next to Sierra, a hand on Chris’s hip as if to steady himself as he peered around the wheelchair, the crowd around them laughing at his antics. ”One skip, ahead of my doom.” For a moment everything seemed to move in slow motion, giving Chris time to register the brush of a thumb across his hip, the warmth of the long fingers that seemed to press lightly into his skin. He sucked in a breath, and the world was back again, the music louder, the colors brighter, and Aladdin was two floats away already, climbing up to sit beside a blushing Cinderella.
He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Sierra beaming up at him in wide-eyed wonder. “Aladdin came here!” she said, in awe.
Chris nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Had he been imagining things, or had Aladdin really seen him, picked him out of the crowd, squeezed his hip? It had to be a coincidence, right? Something he did every day, probably without even thinking about it, just part of the routine. Still, that didn’t stop Chris’s heart from racing, his skin from tingling, his - he hopped a little in place. No. He was not going to let Aladdin give him a boner.
The parade continued, and Chris nodded absently as Sierra chatted about the various characters passing in front of them. He swore he could still feel the touch of long fingers against his hip. Just when he’d almost recovered, when he could finally tear his mind away from those dark eyes and long legs and focus on the world around him, the final float approached.
“Look, look, it’s the magic carpet!” Sierra exclaimed. Chris had to bite back a curse as, sure enough, he spotted the Genie waving to the crowd from the helm of the Aladdin float. Behind him, perched on the top, sat Princess Jasmine, and beside her Aladdin, this time in princely garb, a flowy white number topped off with an elaborate turban.
“Jasmine, Jasmine!” Sierra called, waving so frantically that Chris had to put a hand on her chair to keep it stable as the float drew closer. He wondered if maybe Jasmine would recognize them from earlier that morning, but when she smiled and waved in their direction her eyes danced across the sea of people without recognition. Chris dared a glimpse at Aladdin. His dark eyes roamed over the crowd, alighting on Sierra, and he gave Jasmine a nudge. She gave a genuine smile and waved cheerfully at Sierra, sending her into such a frenzied excitement that Chris had to steady the wheelchair with both hands. Aladdin blew them a kiss toward them, and Chris felt his cheeks go hot. He was still wondering if he’d imagined the wink thrown in his direction long after the float had passed and the crowd had begun to disperse.
“Where should we go next?” Chris asked as they strolled down the street back toward the attractions.
“Splash Mountain!” Sierra and her brothers answered in an enthusiastic chorus.
“Alright, alright,” Chris agreed. They’d ridden Splash Mountain approximately seven times the day before, and he’d ended up so sopping wet that he’d had to buy a Buzz Lightyear hoodie to stay warm. Still, he was fine with going again, if it would make Sierra happy.
Not to mention, he could do with a cold shower right about now.
** OOO **
Zach scanned the crowd from his perch on the low stone wall that ran along the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. His shift had ended an hour ago, and somehow his route out of the park had taken him here, right near where he knew the Wishgranters shuttle buses picked up passengers. He’d been watching the guests stream out of the exits for the last forty-five minutes, mildly surprised at how many wheelchair-bound kids wearing pink bandanas apparently visited Disney World every day. He was on the verge of giving up and heading home when he noticed another group strolling toward the shuttle. A woman was pushing the wheelchair, but just behind her he caught a glimpse of broad shoulders and an unmistakable teal Wishgranters t-shirt. Zach grabbed his backpack and hopped off the wall, too intent on catching up with them to remember to be nervous.
“Chris!”
He made his way through the crowd and gave a small wave as Chris turned to see who had called his name. He saw Chris’s brow furrow in confusion, and remembered that he was out of his costume and wearing a baseball cap, that he now looked like a random stranger bumping people aside as he approached.
He watched Chris scrutinizing him as he got closer. Then the crowd jostled him into Chris’s personal space, and Zach saw his eyes light up in startled recognition. “Aladdin?!”
“Would it ruin the magic if I told you my name was Zach?” Zach asked with a grin.
“Uh…” Chris seemed caught off guard for a second, blinking in surprise. Then his eyes flicked down over Zach’s body and back up again, and he licked his lips and smiled. “No,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Pretty sure the magic’s still there.”
Zach glanced to the side, where he could see Sierra and her family moving farther away. “Look, I know you have obligations, and you probably can’t…this is really crazy, actually, but…can I give you my number? I mean, if you have time, or if you live nearby, maybe-“
“Sure.”
Zach was taken aback for a second. “Really?”
“Yeah, give me your number, that would be great. Maybe I can text you, find out where you’re going to be. I, uh…I know Sierra really wants to see you again.”
Zach grinned at that. “Does she?”
Chris met his eyes and the world around them seemed to disappear for a moment. “Yeah. She really does.”
Zach swallowed, and Chris tore his gaze away, straining to see where Sierra and her family had gotten to. Zach quickly pulled out the pen and paper he’d stuck in the pocket of his jeans, jotted down his name and number, and shoved it into Chris’s hand. Chris glanced down at it, then gave Zach an apologetic smile. “I should catch up.”
His goal accomplished, Zach suddenly felt dizzy and breathless, and all he wanted to do was run away. He managed to a weak “See you around,” before he turned away, his cheeks burning as he fought his way back against the flow of pedestrians. It was done, and now he would just have to wait and see if anything came of it. He did know one thing for sure - there was no fucking way he’d be able to sleep tonight.
** OOO **
Chris had dinner with Sierra’s family, then offered to take the boys to the pool while Sierra’s mom got her settled for the evening. They’d had a long day, and after an hour scrambling around the fake fort and plunging down the pirate ship’s waterslide, Tyler and Sean were exhausted. Chris thought he would be, too, but after dropping the boys off and heading back to his room, his body still hummed with adrenaline. He stripped out of his swim trunks, took a quick shower, and flopped onto the bed, trying to decide whether he should read for a little while, or try to sleep, or maybe find something on TV. His eyes flicked toward the bedside table, where he’d carefully set the paper with Zach’s number on it. He’d been trying not to look at it, not to think about it, but he knew that it was the reason he was buzzing with energy, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, not with the number right there, taunting him. He picked up his book and stared blankly at the first page. Then he gave up, dropped the book on the floor, and picked up his phone.
He could practically hear his heart beating as the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Zach? This is Chris. From…Disney World?”
“Oh my god. Hi!”
Chris grinned and squeezed the phone tightly against his ear. “You sound surprised.”
“I am. Pleasantly surprised. I didn’t, uh…I thought you were going to text me.” Chris could hear the smile in his voice.
“Yeah, well, I just…I mean, I can hang up and text you, if you’d prefer.”
“No, no,” Zach laughed, “this is good, this…yeah, no. Let’s, uh…let’s talk.”
Chris hadn’t thought much beyond the dialing of Zach’s number, and his mind raced to come up with something clever or witty or at least non-awkward to say. His whole body felt hot, and he squeezed a pillow against his chest. “So…my name is Chris…”
Zach chuckled. “Yeah, I got that. And my name is Zach, and I play Aladdin at Disney World…”
“A very sexy Aladdin,” Chris added.
“Yes, a very sexy Aladdin. That’s what Disney World was looking for when they hired me, actually. They were like ‘We need a sexified Aladdin to appeal to the 18-to-35-year-old blue-eyed hotties demographic’.”
Chris laughed and wondered if it was possible for his entire body to blush. “Well, please tell them it worked.”
“Oh, I will.” There was a pause. “Hey, do you think… I mean, is there any way you could get dinner with me tomorrow?”
Chris had to bite the corner of the pillow he was clutching to stifle his grin and regain his composure. He glanced at the clock, as if that was going to help him answer. “Um, maybe? I have to hang out with Sierra-“
“No, yeah, I mean, not if you can’t-“
“-but she’s usually in bed by like 7:00,” Chris rushed on, “and her mom said she’s fine if I wanted to go off on my own one night, so maybe if it’s somewhere close, we could-“
“Yeah, I mean, anywhere, we could get dinner at the park, or your hotel, or-“
“Well, maybe not at the hotel…”
“Oh, right. Yeah. I mean, but yeah, wherever you want…” Zach trailed off for a few seconds before he broke the silence with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I…god, this is so weird. I swear I’ve never done this before.”
“Really?” Chris asked, doubtful. “You’ve never taken advantage of your hot Aladdin status?”
“Not with a guest, no. It’s actually really frowned upon.”
“So you’ve never given your number to a guest.”
“Nope.”
“Never asked a guest out to dinner?”
“Uh-uh.”
Chris felt a sudden rush of giddy bravery and he rolled onto his stomach, hugging tight to his pillow. “Have you ever had phone sex with a guest?”
There was a shocked silence, but Zach seemed to regain his composure pretty quickly. “Why, no, in fact, I have not,” he said, and the interest was clear in his tone.
“Care to remedy that situation?” Chris asked, lowering his voice.
“Uh…yeah,” he said, drawing it out like he wasn’t sure. “Hold on a sec.” Chris heard a rustling and a click, and the huff of Zach’s breath as he put the phone back to his ear. “Sorry. Had to lock the door. Roommates.”
Chris felt a bolt of heat in his gut - shit, they were actually going to do this. He gave an involuntary thrust of his hips, grinding down a little into the mattress. “So, uh…what are you wearing?”
“Wellll…I’ve got this tiny purple vest on…red cummerbund…flowy white pants…”
Chris burst out laughing.
“What about you?” Zach said smugly, clearly enjoying Chris’s response.
“Me? All I’m wearing is a tiara and a smile, baby.”
“Oh my god,” Zach chuckled. His voice was muffled like he was holding a hand over his mouth. “ You’re ridiculous. I really want to kiss you right now.”
“I’d like that.”
“You’ve got really gorgeous lips.”
“Yeah? I know how to use them, too,” Chris purred. There was an awkward silence as he tried desperately to figure out whether it was time to plunge into graphic dirty talk or whether they should banter and flirt for a little longer.
Zach took the lead, his voice husky as he asked, “You hard?”
“Hell yes,” Chris murmured. “I’ve been hard since you answered the phone.”
“Touching yourself?”
Chris rolled over onto his back and gave his dick a few light tugs. “I am now.”
“You, uh…you want me to say stuff? Like what I’m thinking about?”
“Yeah, sure,” Chris breathed.
“I’m thinking about those lips wrapped around my dick. Thinking about you looking up at me with those blue eyes while you suck me off.” He bit off a moan, and Chris imagined him sprawled across the bed, jacking himself to the mental image of Chris on his knees.
“You’re grabbing my hair so you can fuck my mouth while I suck your big dick,” Chris said, his voice low and rough.
“Yeah,” Zach groaned his approval. “Tell me more-“
“I’m taking you in deep, swallowing around you. So fucking hot, I know you’ve got a huge cock hidden under those flowy pants.”
“Nngh, yeah,” Zach grunted in his ear. “I want…wanna see you, wanna watch you come while you-“
Chris didn’t hear the rest, because the image of Zach as Aladdin, jerking off while he was wearing his purple vest and fez, had come unbidden to his mind, and he had to pull the phone away so Zach wouldn’t hear him laughing.
“Chris? You there?” Zach’s tinny voice sounded uncertainly from the cell phone speaker.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said, putting the phone back to his ear as he cracked up into his pillow. “I’m totally picturing you as Aladdin right now, I can’t help it!”
“Occupational hazard,” Zach sighed. “You need a minute?”
Chris glanced down at his cock, still rigid in his hand, the dark purple head disappearing into his fist as he gave an experimental stroke. “Would it be totally weird if I told you that didn’t kill my boner at all?”
“Fine by me. I was…kind of in the middle of something.”
“I’m so sorry. Seriously.” Chris rolled onto his side and spat on his palm before resuming his earlier pace, fisting his cock with short, even strokes. He pressed the phone to his ear and dropped his voice. “Come on, Zach,” Chris murmured. “Touch yourself for me. Do it hard and fast. I want you to come so fucking hard you can taste it.”
“Yeah, yes,” Zach panted.
“Put your phone on speaker, let me hear it.”
“Shit-“ He heard Zach fumbling with the phone, then the rhythmic slap of Zach’s hand pumping at his dick, coupled with the sound of his breathing and a low groan in the back of his throat. The sounds drove Chris to the edge and he curled in on himself, his abs tightening as his orgasm exploded through him. At the last second he dropped his phone, reached down to cup a palm over his cock as he came. It didn’t seem right, jizzing on the Finding Nemo bedspread, so he rolled onto his back and smeared it across his chest before he picked up the phone again.
“Zach? Zach? Hello? You there, man?”
“Rrngh. Yeah. I’m here.”
“I thought you passed out or something.”
“Nah. I just…fuck, all my muscles clenched up so hard when I came that I couldn’t talk for a minute there. Shit. That was awesome.”
“Yeah, it was.”
They lay in silence for a few minutes, basking in the hazy afterglow.
“Seriously though,” Chris said, opening his eyes as he realized that he was in danger of drifting off. “What are you wearing?”
“Um. Black boxer-briefs. Why?”
“Oh, just wanted to know how I should picture you when I jerk off again in like an hour.”
Zach chuckled. “And what about you? Are you really wearing a tiara?”
“No tiara.”
“Mm. That’s too bad. Really naked though?”
“Really naked, and now I have a fistful of jizz smeared across my chest.”
There was a beat of silence on Zach’s end of the line, then he cleared his throat. “Okay, well, yeah, that image should hold me for the next hour. Week. Lifetime.”
Chris grinned, enjoying the effect he seemed to be having on Zach. “So, you said something about getting dinner?” he asked.
“Yeah, I thought…well, I mean, that is unless you think it’s too soon. Wouldn’t want to jump into anything.”
“Right,” Chris laughed. “Well, like I said, I should be able to get away for a couple hours tomorrow night. Got a place in mind?”
“Yeah, actually. Meet me at the Africa lodge - you can get a bus there. Maybe 7:30? I know some guys that work there, I can get us a table with a good view of the giraffes.”
“Giraffes? Seriously?”
“Yeah. That okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Just…damn.” Chris heaved a long-suffering sigh. “I’ve always had a feeling Aladdin would ruin me for other guys.”
** OOO **
Chris refilled his Tigger coffee mug twice during their breakfast of Mickey waffles in the resort’s dining area. He shielded his eyes against the clear sky, the heat already creeping up even though it was barely 9:00 AM, and he hid a yawn behind his hand. Even after he and Zach had ended their call last night, he’d lain awake in the darkness, trying to calm his whirling mind and racing heart. Then he’d downloaded a Disney World app to his phone that showed him each character’s daily schedule and discovered that Jasmine and Aladdin would be making an appearance at Epcot’s Morocco Pavilion the next day.
“You guys excited about Epcot?” he asked as they stood up from their table and headed for their shuttle bus. “Who do you think we’re gonna see there?”
“Princess Jasmine and Aladdin!” Sierra said, throwing her arms in the air.
“Really? But didn’t you see them yesterday? Don’t you want to see someone else?”
“No, I want to see them again!” Sierra declared, and Chris was secretly glad he wasn’t the only one.
Their first ride at Epcot was Spaceship Earth, which Sierra’s brothers proclaimed “the most boring ride in the world.” Chris was inclined to agree with them, though he did get a little defensive when they later declared that Captain Eo was “totally weird”.
Chris kept an eye on his watch, and he steered them toward the World Showcase as 11:00 AM approached. They stopped in Mexico for frozen strawberry drinks, and by the time they made it to Morocco a long line had formed for Jasmine and Aladdin’s meet-and-greet. Chris assured Mrs. Reed that he was fine waiting, and the rest of the family headed off in another direction.
Butterflies flitted in Chris’s stomach as they approached, and he chewed on a fingernail, alternating between hoping Zach would catch his eye and wanting to hide behind Sierra’s wheelchair until the very last second. He couldn’t help but dwell on how fucking weird it was that he’d had phone sex with a Disney character actor, who he now felt like he knew in some strange way, and who he was now supposed to interact with normally in front of a very observant six-year-old. He really hadn’t thought this through last night. Luckily, Sierra was chattering happily about princesses and monkeys and magic lamps, distracting him from the inevitable moment when he and Zach would be face to face. He desperately hoped that he wouldn’t spring a boner, but even from here, this far back in the line, the sight of Zach’s dark-rimmed eyes, his toned arms, and those hands, was making a flush spread up from beneath the collar of his purple Wishgranters t-shirt.
Twice he saw Zach’s eyes glance out over the line, and each time Chris’s stomach seemed to tie itself into a little knot and he had trouble taking a breath. But both times Zach seemed to look right past him, and Chris exhaled with a mixture of disappointment and relief.
Finally, when there were only two families ahead of them in the line, Zach’s eyes met his, widening in recognition. He was in the middle of getting his picture taken, and the Disney attendant had to call, “Aladdin, over here Aladdin,” before he managed to yank his attention away from Chris. Chris swallowed hard and stared intently at the ground, avoiding Zach’s eyes for the next five minutes, until they were being ushered into the photo area for their turn.
Princess Jasmine bent down to say hi to Sierra, and Chris and Zach stared at each other until neither of them could contain their grins. Chris had seen the smiles Zach had been giving everyone else in line, so he knew that this one was different, that this one was real, and he felt like he was floating on air. Then Jasmine was standing up, looking back and forth between them with a strange expression on her face, and Chris shook himself out of it and reached down to touch Sierra’s shoulder.
“Hey princess, wasn’t there something you wanted to ask Aladdin?”
He watched as Zach reluctantly shifted his attention to Sierra.
“Where’s Abu?” she demanded. Zach flashed a quick smile up at Chris, a glint in his eye that seemed to say, Watch this, then he shifted smoothly into character.
“Abu? You know, I asked him to come along today - I said, ‘Come on, Abu, you’ve got to meet the beautiful Princess Sierra’, but nooooo, he had important monkey business to attend over in Animal Kingdom.”
Sierra giggled. “Where’s Jafar?”
Zach gasped and darted behind Jasmine, grabbing onto her shoulders and peeking out from behind them. “Jafar?! Where?!”
“Oh Aladdin,” Jasmine chided, shaking her head. “You know Jafar wouldn’t dare show his face around here.”
“Hmm,” Zach mused, moving to her side. “I guess you’re right. But what about that stinky, loudmouthed parrot of his, Iago?” Zach leaned an elbow on Jasmine’s shoulder and gave Sierra a knowing look. “Where’s he, huh?”
Chris crouched down beside the wheelchair. “Where’s Iago, Sierra? Didn’t we seen him somewhere yesterday?”
“Ummm…the…the…TIKI ROOM!” Sierra yelled, throwing her arms up in the air with a gigantic grin as she remembered.
They all laughed, and Chris could see his own giddiness reflected back in Zach’s eyes, in the way he chuckled a little louder and longer than the moment probably deserved. He was still laughing as Chris handed his camera over to the attendant and they shuffled into position for a picture.
Chris was standing behind Sierra’s wheelchair, and he waited with nervous anticipation, wondering if Zach would make a move to stand beside him, or if he’d avoid the temptation altogether. But then there he was, winking at Chris just before he turned to set a hand on Sierra’s shoulder.
“Hi, Aladdin.”
“Hi, Chris,” Zach murmured, and Chris swallowed hard at the sound of his name on Zach’s lips, thinking how unfair it was that he couldn’t return the favor. Zach slid an arm around his waist, and was that - was he - yeah, Zach was actually wrapping his fingers around a loop of Chris’s belt, pulling him close until their sides were pressed together. Chris took a deep breath and brushed his hand across Zach’s back, finding purchase against his hipbone, and he could have sworn he heard Zach mutter a very un-Disney-like curse beneath his breath.
The click of the camera was lost beneath the blood rushing in his ears, and all too soon Zach was letting go, moving away, taking Jasmine’s hand and pulling her up as they turned to greet the next people in line. Chris gripped the handles of Sierra’s wheelchair with sweaty palms. He aimed them blindly in some direction and made himself walk away without looking back, his legs feeling a little heavier with every step.
** OOO **
Zach hummed as he finished changing out of his costume. He pulled a t-shirt over his head and caught Naya’s amused look.
“What?”
“Hot date?”
“No.” Zach suppressed a grin as he pulled on his sneakers. “Maybe.”
“You do realize that you’re humming ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’”
“It’s a great song.”
“Mm-hmm. What are you going to wear?”
“Haven’t decided yet-“ Zach’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, frowning at the screen. The text from Chris made him put a hand over his mouth in dismay.
Can’t do dinner. Sierra’s sick, we had to take her to the hospital.
“Shit.”
“What is it? He cancel on you or something?”
“No, he-“ Zach stopped talking to send a quick text back. Which hospital? “He had to take a kid to the hospital.”
“He has a kid?”
“What? No. He’s a volunteer.”
“A volunteer?”
Zach glanced at her in time to see the recognition dawning on her face, and he felt his cheeks flush. “Oh Zach, no you didn’t. No you didn’t?” Naya crowed joyously. “You’re going on a date with that Wishgranters guy, aren’t you? Oh my god, you are, look at you, you’re totally blushing! I fucking knew you two were making Bambi eyes at each other this morning!”
“We were not, now please shut up.” He was still staring at his phone, waiting for a response that hadn’t come. He huffed in exasperation and typed another text. Chris, which hospital???? “Seriously, Naya,” he said, meeting her eye, “don’t tell anyone, okay? I know it’s crazy, but I really like him and-” The phone buzzed in his hand and he saw Chris’s text pop up on the screen.
children’s
He looked up to find Naya watching him. “I gotta go.”
“Good luck, Zach. Your hot blue-eyed secret is safe with me.”
Zach rolled his eyes and grabbed his costume from the rack where he was supposed to leave it overnight.
“Zach, are you crazy?” Naya hissed, grabbing his arm. “You can’t take that out of here.”
“It’s for a sick kid, Naya.”
“Is it worth getting fired over?”
They glared at each other for a moment, until Naya sighed in exasperation. She told him to hold on a second and disappeared into her dressing room, coming out a few seconds later with a garment bag. Zach’s gratitude shone in his eyes as he let Naya help him zip the costume inside.
“Thank you. Seriously.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. Drive carefully, okay?”
“I will.”
“And Zach…I hope everything’s okay.”
“So do I.”
Part 2