Last Time / Dinner / Return (Star Trek RPF Ficlets)
Title(s): Last Time / Dinner / Return
3 Ficlets following Coffee Fix.
Series Master Post
Author: therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,500 total
"Warnings": kid!fic, angst, chronologically whack
Last Time
“I miss…sitting in the living room, drinking a glass of red wine with you, talking, gossiping, just…talking.”
“That sounds nice. Do you actually remember the last time we did that?”
Zach handed Chris a glass of red wine and sat down on the couch next to him as Chris pulled out his phone. Chris smiled at him in thanks, put the phone on speaker and set it down between them as it rang.
“Hello?”
“Zoe!”
“Hey guys!”
“Hey Zoe,” Chris said, “sorry I wouldn’t let Zach talk to you before. I didn’t want him to get all the good gossip first and then pick and choose what he told me.”
Zach stuck his tongue out at Chris as Zoe laughed.
“So, how is everything?”
“You tell us first. Seriously, don’t get Chris started, he’ll talk about the kids for an hour and you won’t get a word in edgewise.”
“It’s true,” Chris agreed, leaning toward the phone. “Tell us everything.”
*
“…so Jesse was a cowboy, and Gavin wore one of my plaid shirts and went around telling everyone he was a ‘mumberjack’.”
“Oh my god, that is adorable.”
“Yeah, it was. We’ll send you some pictures.”
“Of Jesse,” Chris added with a laugh.
“Oh yeah,” Zach said, grinning. “Chris has somehow trained Gavin to literally run out of the room the moment anyone pulls out a camera. It’s quite impressive.”
“Whereas Jesse goes into full-on Vogue mode as soon as someone points a camera at him. Then he tells you to wait there, with the camera, while he goes and changes into another outfit.”
“Wonder where he gets that from,” Zoe said, laughing.
“Seriously, you should see Zach’s face right now, Zo, he looks so proud.” Chris winked at Zach and avoided his playful kick.
“I’ve gotta run you guys, but I’m going to be in LA next month. It would be great to see you if we get a chance.”
“Yeah…” Zach glanced sideways at Chris. “Well, I’ll be here, but Chris is filming on location for two months.”
Chris’s smile faded and he ran a hand over his face.
“Wow, two months. Well, you’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“Not since Jesse was born,” Chris said, slumping back on the couch.
“He’s nervous,” Zach said. “Doesn’t think I can handle the single parenting deal.”
Chris slid an arm around Zach and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s not true. I’ll just miss you guys, that’s all.”
“Well, I’ll give you a call when I’m in town anyway,” Zoe said into the subdued mood. “Maybe I can at least see you and the boys, Zach.”
“Yeah, definitely. It was great talking to you, Zoe.”
“You, too. Goodnight, guys.”
They said goodnight and hung up and Chris stood, offering a hand to Zach to pull him up from the couch. Zach wrapped his arms around Chris and held him close.
“Zach, when I’m gone-“
“Shhh,” Zach breathed into his hair, silencing him. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, Chris.”
Chris set his chin on Zach’s shoulder. “We have to talk about it sometime.”
“Yeah, I know” Zach said, pulling back to kiss Chris on the lips. “Just…not right now.”
Dinner
“I heard they sent you a script for Lawrence of Arabia. You thinking about it?”
Chris shook his head. “No.”
“Why not? You’d be perfect.”
“Three months of filming in fucking Tunisia? I’m not doing that.”
Zach watched in silence as Chris rearranged the food on his plate, refusing to meet his eye.
“You should do it,” Zach said softly.
“Not sure if you recall, Zach,” Chris said, emotion creeping into his voice, “but last time I went away for two months…it fucking wrecked me.” He finally looked up at Zach and his eyes were stormy. “Among other things.”
Zach shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It would be different this time. You know. I learned my lesson-“
“I know, Zach,” Chris interrupted. “I know, and it’s not you I’m worried about, I promise. I just…I don’t want to leave them for that long.”
“So we’ll come with you!”
“Don’t push me, Zach. Please. Don’t push…this.”
Zach leaned back in his chair. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Zach’s phone buzzed on the table between them, and he picked it up. “Movie’s over. Do we want them to go get ice cream?” he said, looking at the screen.
Chris gave him a half-smile. “Far be it from me to stand in the way of ice cream.”
“Do you…want to get out of here?” Zach asked, swallowing hard, looking down.
Chris watched him for a few seconds, bit his lip, and picked up the dessert menu. “Actually, I could go for some ice cream myself.”
He stared at the menu, the words swimming before his eyes as he gave Zach a second to compose himself, could practically hear him pasting on a fake smile before he reached over to pull the menu from Chris’s hands. “Give me that. I promise I won’t order anything with bananas.”
Return
“Papa!”
Chris knelt down and held his arms out as Gavin and Jesse barreled into him full force. He was grinning, and he grinned even harder as he wrapped his arms around them, as if that could counteract the tears springing to his eyes. He’d managed to hold them back by the time he stood up, letting go of the boys only to wrap his arms around Zach.
Zach’s arms tightened around his waist, and he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“Not in front of them,” Chris whispered back, his voice low and rough. Not that Zach had been holding out for a cheerful homecoming.
Zach was quiet in the car as the kids babbled on, and Chris only managed to get in a few words about the wonders of Thailand before Jesse was talking over him about how he’d seen a bear take a poop at the zoo.
*
Zach was leaning against the kitchen counter drinking a gin and tonic when Chris came downstairs. He slid the other drink across the counter. Chris had to admire Zach’s understanding that they were both going to need alcohol for this conversation.
Chris picked up the glass, took a long, cool sip, and set it down. He braced his hands on the counter and looked at Zach. “Are you insane?”
“Chris…”
“Zach.”
“I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“This isn’t about fucking fidelity, Zach. This is about the kids and the fact that there are pictures of their father drunkenly groping another man outside of a club. What the fuck were you thinking, Zach?”
“I was not groping him…”
“Really Zach? That’s where you want to start this? At the groping? Not at the part where as soon as my back is turned you leave your children to go clubbing?”
“Give me a break, Chris. I was with Zoe! She came over, we had dinner with the boys, dropped them at your parents, and went out. That’s all.”
“And then you proceeded to get wasted.”
“I already said I’m sorry, okay? Just, she was telling me about New York and…fuck, Chris, you know I would not trade this-“ he gestured to the stairs, and the house and Chris “-for anything. You know that.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. “Just, sometimes, it’s hard to think about…you know…what it used to be like. So, I got a little morose and I drank too much, that’s all. And I fucking missed you,” he added as an afterthought. “I miss you right now. I’m sorry, I was an asshole.” He stopped, then remembered the rest of the argument, and continued in a rush. “And I don’t even know who that guy was, by the way, and I’m positive he won’t be calling for me, since I barfed all over his shoes five seconds after that picture was taken. And at least there are no pictures of that. But, I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry, Chris.”
Chris tipped his head back, gritting his teeth, wanting so badly to stay mad at Zach, but he missed him, too, like an ache in his gut that had gotten worse in the last hour than it had been for two fucking months. He moved around the counter and pulled Zach into his arms, muttered “You’re not off the hook yet,” and closed his eyes as Zach’s whispered “I know” brushed against his skin.
“I’m never leaving again, by the way,” Chris said, his eyes closed as he breathed in Zach’s scent.
“I am,” Zach said, and Chris stiffened in his arms, pulled away to look at him, confusion furrowing his brow. “I mean, wait. That came out wrong. I mean,” and now Zach was smiling, “I just meant, I got the part.”
“Mutiny on the Bounty?”
Zach nodded. “I just found out today.”
“That’s…awesome, Zach. Congratulations,” Chris said, meaning it. “So…how long?”
“Six weeks in the Caribbean. I should be able to come back halfway through for a few days though.” He held Chris close to him and they swayed slowly in the middle of the kitchen. “Will it be okay?” he asked, letting the uncertainty creep into his voice.
Chris shrugged in his arms, buried his face in Zach’s shoulder. “I hope so, Zach. I really hope so.”
(Continued...)
3 Ficlets following Coffee Fix.
Series Master Post
Author: therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,500 total
"Warnings": kid!fic, angst, chronologically whack
Last Time
“I miss…sitting in the living room, drinking a glass of red wine with you, talking, gossiping, just…talking.”
“That sounds nice. Do you actually remember the last time we did that?”
Zach handed Chris a glass of red wine and sat down on the couch next to him as Chris pulled out his phone. Chris smiled at him in thanks, put the phone on speaker and set it down between them as it rang.
“Hello?”
“Zoe!”
“Hey guys!”
“Hey Zoe,” Chris said, “sorry I wouldn’t let Zach talk to you before. I didn’t want him to get all the good gossip first and then pick and choose what he told me.”
Zach stuck his tongue out at Chris as Zoe laughed.
“So, how is everything?”
“You tell us first. Seriously, don’t get Chris started, he’ll talk about the kids for an hour and you won’t get a word in edgewise.”
“It’s true,” Chris agreed, leaning toward the phone. “Tell us everything.”
*
“…so Jesse was a cowboy, and Gavin wore one of my plaid shirts and went around telling everyone he was a ‘mumberjack’.”
“Oh my god, that is adorable.”
“Yeah, it was. We’ll send you some pictures.”
“Of Jesse,” Chris added with a laugh.
“Oh yeah,” Zach said, grinning. “Chris has somehow trained Gavin to literally run out of the room the moment anyone pulls out a camera. It’s quite impressive.”
“Whereas Jesse goes into full-on Vogue mode as soon as someone points a camera at him. Then he tells you to wait there, with the camera, while he goes and changes into another outfit.”
“Wonder where he gets that from,” Zoe said, laughing.
“Seriously, you should see Zach’s face right now, Zo, he looks so proud.” Chris winked at Zach and avoided his playful kick.
“I’ve gotta run you guys, but I’m going to be in LA next month. It would be great to see you if we get a chance.”
“Yeah…” Zach glanced sideways at Chris. “Well, I’ll be here, but Chris is filming on location for two months.”
Chris’s smile faded and he ran a hand over his face.
“Wow, two months. Well, you’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“Not since Jesse was born,” Chris said, slumping back on the couch.
“He’s nervous,” Zach said. “Doesn’t think I can handle the single parenting deal.”
Chris slid an arm around Zach and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s not true. I’ll just miss you guys, that’s all.”
“Well, I’ll give you a call when I’m in town anyway,” Zoe said into the subdued mood. “Maybe I can at least see you and the boys, Zach.”
“Yeah, definitely. It was great talking to you, Zoe.”
“You, too. Goodnight, guys.”
They said goodnight and hung up and Chris stood, offering a hand to Zach to pull him up from the couch. Zach wrapped his arms around Chris and held him close.
“Zach, when I’m gone-“
“Shhh,” Zach breathed into his hair, silencing him. “I don’t want to talk about it right now, Chris.”
Chris set his chin on Zach’s shoulder. “We have to talk about it sometime.”
“Yeah, I know” Zach said, pulling back to kiss Chris on the lips. “Just…not right now.”
Dinner
“I heard they sent you a script for Lawrence of Arabia. You thinking about it?”
Chris shook his head. “No.”
“Why not? You’d be perfect.”
“Three months of filming in fucking Tunisia? I’m not doing that.”
Zach watched in silence as Chris rearranged the food on his plate, refusing to meet his eye.
“You should do it,” Zach said softly.
“Not sure if you recall, Zach,” Chris said, emotion creeping into his voice, “but last time I went away for two months…it fucking wrecked me.” He finally looked up at Zach and his eyes were stormy. “Among other things.”
Zach shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It would be different this time. You know. I learned my lesson-“
“I know, Zach,” Chris interrupted. “I know, and it’s not you I’m worried about, I promise. I just…I don’t want to leave them for that long.”
“So we’ll come with you!”
“Don’t push me, Zach. Please. Don’t push…this.”
Zach leaned back in his chair. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Zach’s phone buzzed on the table between them, and he picked it up. “Movie’s over. Do we want them to go get ice cream?” he said, looking at the screen.
Chris gave him a half-smile. “Far be it from me to stand in the way of ice cream.”
“Do you…want to get out of here?” Zach asked, swallowing hard, looking down.
Chris watched him for a few seconds, bit his lip, and picked up the dessert menu. “Actually, I could go for some ice cream myself.”
He stared at the menu, the words swimming before his eyes as he gave Zach a second to compose himself, could practically hear him pasting on a fake smile before he reached over to pull the menu from Chris’s hands. “Give me that. I promise I won’t order anything with bananas.”
Return
“Papa!”
Chris knelt down and held his arms out as Gavin and Jesse barreled into him full force. He was grinning, and he grinned even harder as he wrapped his arms around them, as if that could counteract the tears springing to his eyes. He’d managed to hold them back by the time he stood up, letting go of the boys only to wrap his arms around Zach.
Zach’s arms tightened around his waist, and he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“Not in front of them,” Chris whispered back, his voice low and rough. Not that Zach had been holding out for a cheerful homecoming.
Zach was quiet in the car as the kids babbled on, and Chris only managed to get in a few words about the wonders of Thailand before Jesse was talking over him about how he’d seen a bear take a poop at the zoo.
*
Zach was leaning against the kitchen counter drinking a gin and tonic when Chris came downstairs. He slid the other drink across the counter. Chris had to admire Zach’s understanding that they were both going to need alcohol for this conversation.
Chris picked up the glass, took a long, cool sip, and set it down. He braced his hands on the counter and looked at Zach. “Are you insane?”
“Chris…”
“Zach.”
“I didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“This isn’t about fucking fidelity, Zach. This is about the kids and the fact that there are pictures of their father drunkenly groping another man outside of a club. What the fuck were you thinking, Zach?”
“I was not groping him…”
“Really Zach? That’s where you want to start this? At the groping? Not at the part where as soon as my back is turned you leave your children to go clubbing?”
“Give me a break, Chris. I was with Zoe! She came over, we had dinner with the boys, dropped them at your parents, and went out. That’s all.”
“And then you proceeded to get wasted.”
“I already said I’m sorry, okay? Just, she was telling me about New York and…fuck, Chris, you know I would not trade this-“ he gestured to the stairs, and the house and Chris “-for anything. You know that.” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. “Just, sometimes, it’s hard to think about…you know…what it used to be like. So, I got a little morose and I drank too much, that’s all. And I fucking missed you,” he added as an afterthought. “I miss you right now. I’m sorry, I was an asshole.” He stopped, then remembered the rest of the argument, and continued in a rush. “And I don’t even know who that guy was, by the way, and I’m positive he won’t be calling for me, since I barfed all over his shoes five seconds after that picture was taken. And at least there are no pictures of that. But, I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry, Chris.”
Chris tipped his head back, gritting his teeth, wanting so badly to stay mad at Zach, but he missed him, too, like an ache in his gut that had gotten worse in the last hour than it had been for two fucking months. He moved around the counter and pulled Zach into his arms, muttered “You’re not off the hook yet,” and closed his eyes as Zach’s whispered “I know” brushed against his skin.
“I’m never leaving again, by the way,” Chris said, his eyes closed as he breathed in Zach’s scent.
“I am,” Zach said, and Chris stiffened in his arms, pulled away to look at him, confusion furrowing his brow. “I mean, wait. That came out wrong. I mean,” and now Zach was smiling, “I just meant, I got the part.”
“Mutiny on the Bounty?”
Zach nodded. “I just found out today.”
“That’s…awesome, Zach. Congratulations,” Chris said, meaning it. “So…how long?”
“Six weeks in the Caribbean. I should be able to come back halfway through for a few days though.” He held Chris close to him and they swayed slowly in the middle of the kitchen. “Will it be okay?” he asked, letting the uncertainty creep into his voice.
Chris shrugged in his arms, buried his face in Zach’s shoulder. “I hope so, Zach. I really hope so.”
(Continued...)