Fic: Holding Back, Chris/Zach, R
Author's name: joanne_c
Written for: less_star
Pairing/characters: Zach/Chris
Rating: R
Prompt: h/c (minor hurt like manflu, or something, is ok), calamities on the set of ST xii
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: None of this is real, I made it all up.
Zach's a very fit man. He works out, keeps his body in shape, and he knows Chris likes it.
But there's one thing he hasn't quite got around to mentioning to his lover yet.
It had started when Zach was five years old and had picked up the measles from Joe, or because they were going around, but Zach always said it was Joe’s fault, whether or not it actually was or not. Zach's immune system is vulnerable to almost every germ that comes along. Travel is one of the worst things for it, Zach suspects it's either the recycled air on the planes or the change in air when he gets out of a plane, and he has a story that he sometimes tells about travelling for Margin Call and collapsing on Jeremy Irons in a flu-induced haze that he (and Jeremy, when they meet up) can laugh about a few years on from the actual event.
It's not that Zach keeps it from Chris deliberately, but there's just so many other things to talk about, like crops and safewords and leather straps to beat him with, and cuffs and paddles, that simple, everyday things seem like they can wait. Some make their way in, of course. How Zach likes his coffee, how Chris really prefers to be ridden when he's tired, what kind of tension easing works best on the other's muscles. It just slips through the cracks of getting to know each other. And while filming, it's easy for it to slide under the radar. Too easy, maybe.
But then filming finishes and though it's easy for Zach to just stay with Chris for a while, inevitably, the nest film happens. So Zach has to fly because there isn’t a way to recreate some things on a soundstage. Chris has to fly too, but unless there's something he hasn't mentioned, it's not the disaster it is for Zach.
Disaster is probably the right word. It's easy to hide the first day, touching down in another state, which has the perfect alien landscape according to JJ, acclimating to the weather, Zach calling off the proposed shopping trip on the first day when they don’t have to film, with a headache. Which isn't strictly true, it's his throat that's on fire. Technically it's a part of his head, he rationalises and doses up with lemon and herbs and other home remedies that have worked in the past. And the two and a half hour nap helps immensely. He isn't even croaky when he joins the others for dinner, and the dragging tiredness seems to have disappeared. He even manages a laugh at karaoke, though he thinks if John wants to ever sing American Pie again, he wants to be in another room.
Zach starts to wonder if he caught this one in the bud. It might be possible. It has happened before. And apparently Chris is too tired for sex tonight as well, if those wide yawns are anything to go by. Somewhere in the middle of Zoe's rendition of I Will Survive, they decide to call it a night, letting Bruce know and sneaking off to Chris's room.
Which, on Zach's waking, might just be a mistake, because he should never, he discovers, be further away from his meds than the length of a room. At most. It's pure luck that Chris has an earlier call and has only enough time to kiss him and inhale a cup of coffee, which Zach manages to protest (the coffee, not the kiss) and then he can get his strength back to stumble to his room and dose himself again. Only the aches are worse now, the germ clearly waging war on Zach's system. He'd be upset if it would do any good at all, but he knows himself too well. He just hopes Chris won't be too upset with him for not mentioning it. He’s more upset about that than admitting it to JJ, and that is either fucked up or sweet. Zach’s head is pounding too much for him to decide.
He takes the couple more hours of sleep he can get, and then showers, the painkillers and herbal concoctions working fairly well, before he goes downstairs. He gets made up and does his job, and luckily he only gets caught out in breaks during filming. When he coughs, he blames it on the recycled plane air - not technically a lie, really.
The day’s shooting done, he drinks a bottle of water and ponders what to do. His body cries out for more rest, but he's not that tired. So he seeks out Chris, watches his last scene, and smiles. They go to dinner, and Zach takes a deep breath and tells Chris.
"You're sick?" Chris's cool fingers test Zach's forehead for fever as he nods. "You're getting as much rest as you can?" Another nod. "Planes are evil. I always get a migraine."
"Better than the flu or a cold," Zach points out. "At least you can just lay in a cool dark room."
"True," Chris smiles. "But you also get me to take care of you. Which I will be doing. You won't be going out after dinner, we'll be retiring early, and yes, Bruce will make remarks, and we'll just let him think that he's right."
"You're not upset that I didn't tell you yet?" Zach asks. He's been worried about that.
"No... I understand that we're still getting to know each other," Chris strokes his flushed cheek. "But if there are any other illness related things I should know?"
"Only the occasional tendency of my knees to give out if we pound too much actual pavement," Zach says.
"That's why you keep detouring to the park," Chris grins.
Zach nods.
"I can live with that," Chris says. "And you are resting - as soon as we eat, you're going back to the room. No matter how many sex jokes we get. If you want to hide being sick from the rest, we can, but you're not endangering your health. I want you here for a long time."
That speech is something Zach's not quite prepared for. He knows he feels... something for Chris. He's still figuring it out and he had thought Chris was too, but this... he'd ask more about it if his head wasn't pounding.
Maybe he can talk to Chris about it later. Or tomorrow. Once he gets some rest, he's going to think about this, at least. Figure out what page he's on and talk to Chris about where his book lies.
But right now, Zach has a date with his bed and some herbal tea. He can't even bring himself to protest when Chris leads him upstairs. And not for the usual reasons.
His eyes close as he feels Chris's cool lips on his forehead. Zach has to admit that he likes feeling cared for. The rest can absolutely wait.
Written for: less_star
Pairing/characters: Zach/Chris
Rating: R
Prompt: h/c (minor hurt like manflu, or something, is ok), calamities on the set of ST xii
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: None of this is real, I made it all up.
Zach's a very fit man. He works out, keeps his body in shape, and he knows Chris likes it.
But there's one thing he hasn't quite got around to mentioning to his lover yet.
It had started when Zach was five years old and had picked up the measles from Joe, or because they were going around, but Zach always said it was Joe’s fault, whether or not it actually was or not. Zach's immune system is vulnerable to almost every germ that comes along. Travel is one of the worst things for it, Zach suspects it's either the recycled air on the planes or the change in air when he gets out of a plane, and he has a story that he sometimes tells about travelling for Margin Call and collapsing on Jeremy Irons in a flu-induced haze that he (and Jeremy, when they meet up) can laugh about a few years on from the actual event.
It's not that Zach keeps it from Chris deliberately, but there's just so many other things to talk about, like crops and safewords and leather straps to beat him with, and cuffs and paddles, that simple, everyday things seem like they can wait. Some make their way in, of course. How Zach likes his coffee, how Chris really prefers to be ridden when he's tired, what kind of tension easing works best on the other's muscles. It just slips through the cracks of getting to know each other. And while filming, it's easy for it to slide under the radar. Too easy, maybe.
But then filming finishes and though it's easy for Zach to just stay with Chris for a while, inevitably, the nest film happens. So Zach has to fly because there isn’t a way to recreate some things on a soundstage. Chris has to fly too, but unless there's something he hasn't mentioned, it's not the disaster it is for Zach.
Disaster is probably the right word. It's easy to hide the first day, touching down in another state, which has the perfect alien landscape according to JJ, acclimating to the weather, Zach calling off the proposed shopping trip on the first day when they don’t have to film, with a headache. Which isn't strictly true, it's his throat that's on fire. Technically it's a part of his head, he rationalises and doses up with lemon and herbs and other home remedies that have worked in the past. And the two and a half hour nap helps immensely. He isn't even croaky when he joins the others for dinner, and the dragging tiredness seems to have disappeared. He even manages a laugh at karaoke, though he thinks if John wants to ever sing American Pie again, he wants to be in another room.
Zach starts to wonder if he caught this one in the bud. It might be possible. It has happened before. And apparently Chris is too tired for sex tonight as well, if those wide yawns are anything to go by. Somewhere in the middle of Zoe's rendition of I Will Survive, they decide to call it a night, letting Bruce know and sneaking off to Chris's room.
Which, on Zach's waking, might just be a mistake, because he should never, he discovers, be further away from his meds than the length of a room. At most. It's pure luck that Chris has an earlier call and has only enough time to kiss him and inhale a cup of coffee, which Zach manages to protest (the coffee, not the kiss) and then he can get his strength back to stumble to his room and dose himself again. Only the aches are worse now, the germ clearly waging war on Zach's system. He'd be upset if it would do any good at all, but he knows himself too well. He just hopes Chris won't be too upset with him for not mentioning it. He’s more upset about that than admitting it to JJ, and that is either fucked up or sweet. Zach’s head is pounding too much for him to decide.
He takes the couple more hours of sleep he can get, and then showers, the painkillers and herbal concoctions working fairly well, before he goes downstairs. He gets made up and does his job, and luckily he only gets caught out in breaks during filming. When he coughs, he blames it on the recycled plane air - not technically a lie, really.
The day’s shooting done, he drinks a bottle of water and ponders what to do. His body cries out for more rest, but he's not that tired. So he seeks out Chris, watches his last scene, and smiles. They go to dinner, and Zach takes a deep breath and tells Chris.
"You're sick?" Chris's cool fingers test Zach's forehead for fever as he nods. "You're getting as much rest as you can?" Another nod. "Planes are evil. I always get a migraine."
"Better than the flu or a cold," Zach points out. "At least you can just lay in a cool dark room."
"True," Chris smiles. "But you also get me to take care of you. Which I will be doing. You won't be going out after dinner, we'll be retiring early, and yes, Bruce will make remarks, and we'll just let him think that he's right."
"You're not upset that I didn't tell you yet?" Zach asks. He's been worried about that.
"No... I understand that we're still getting to know each other," Chris strokes his flushed cheek. "But if there are any other illness related things I should know?"
"Only the occasional tendency of my knees to give out if we pound too much actual pavement," Zach says.
"That's why you keep detouring to the park," Chris grins.
Zach nods.
"I can live with that," Chris says. "And you are resting - as soon as we eat, you're going back to the room. No matter how many sex jokes we get. If you want to hide being sick from the rest, we can, but you're not endangering your health. I want you here for a long time."
That speech is something Zach's not quite prepared for. He knows he feels... something for Chris. He's still figuring it out and he had thought Chris was too, but this... he'd ask more about it if his head wasn't pounding.
Maybe he can talk to Chris about it later. Or tomorrow. Once he gets some rest, he's going to think about this, at least. Figure out what page he's on and talk to Chris about where his book lies.
But right now, Zach has a date with his bed and some herbal tea. He can't even bring himself to protest when Chris leads him upstairs. And not for the usual reasons.
His eyes close as he feels Chris's cool lips on his forehead. Zach has to admit that he likes feeling cared for. The rest can absolutely wait.