thatmysticbafflingwonder:

For @loves-pie, in special thanks for being an awesome beta and encouraging friend. <333
—

“Make This Leap”

When Zach shows up at Chris’ hotel room, Chris expects laughter. He expects not-so-good-natured ribbing. He expects an eye roll, even. Maybe some tsking. He’s completely unprepared for this though.

“Jesus Christ, Pine.” Zach lets the words out in a rush, forced between his clenched teeth.

Chris doesn’t get a chance to say anything in reply before Zach’s pushing them both back into the room, allowing the door to fall shut behind them, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

“What the fuck happened?” Zach’s tone is nothing Chris has ever heard from him before. The strangeness of it reverberates around the silent room and Chris is completely thrown off by the sound.

He feels his face heat and he ducks his chin to his chest. “I happened, Zach. You know my track record.”

“You seriously expect me to believe that you managed to give yourself a black eye?” Zach asks, arms crossed. “I know you’re generally a mess of a person, Chris, but this is farfetched, even for you.”

“It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done it,” Chris grumbles, but Zach doesn’t seem to hear.

“Did you walk into Fatima’s fist or something?” Zach asks, dropping his arms and taking a step closer so he can give Chris’ face a better look. “We all know how fond you are of a casual beating, but throwing yourself at the fight coordinator isn’t the best idea.”

The sarcasm dripping from Zach’s words is comforting. This is more in the realm of what Chris was expecting when Zach found out about his injury. This is almost normal for them. Zach, of course, decides he has to go and ruin that semblance of normalcy by reaching out and gently brushing cool fingers across Chris’ hot cheek. Chris’ breath catches in his throat at the first touch. When Zach’s fingers become more confident in their pressure, Chris’ breath leaves his lungs altogether.

Zach has kept his eyes glued to that bruised patch of skin and away from Chris’ confused gaze since he reached out. When he turns his attentions away from that spot again, though, and their eyes lock, Chris is struck by the depth and multitude of emotions Zach allows him to see.

“You should really be more careful, Pine.” Zach doesn’t say anything more than that. He doesn’t seem able to say anything more. Chris swallows and nods in response.

“I can try,” he assures him.

“Good.” Zach says the word with a firm, little nod.

“Good.” Chris repeats it, for want of something to say.

The air feels electric around them, charged in ways it’s never been. It suddenly feels like they’ve both been keeping secrets and neither one of them can really keep them contained any longer. 

And all the while, Zach is still touching his stupid, marked cheek. Zach indulges himself a moment longer before he goes to remove his fingers from Chris’ face. Chris darts his tongue out, licks his lips, and leans into Zach’s touch before he can pull away completely.

“I,” Chris starts to say, but chickens out. He clenches his jaw tight, against the fumbling admission he almost just made, and he waits. He knows Zach won’t take much longer to voice his own thoughts.

Zach blinks a few times, like his world is shifting and he’s desperately trying to catch up to it. A look of embarrassment blossoms across his features, though, and he smiles bashfully, face a pleasing pink.

“I don’t mean to mother you, you know,” he says, and Chris can’t take it any longer. Something inside him snaps.

“You’re not mothering,” he says on a gust of breath. He takes a step closer to Zach, so close that they’re sharing air. Zach looks both startled and pleased by this turn of events.

“You’re a good friend,” Chris rushes to continue. “The best friend, actually. More even.”

“More even,” Zach repeats. He doesn’t give Chris a moment to clarify what he means because Chris doesn’t need to clarify anything. It’s all reflected very clearly in the words their both not saying and the looks they can’t stop giving one another. Besides, even if clarification was needed, the kiss Zach presses to Chris’ mouth, the one Chris whines into and returns with enthusiasm, would be all the clarification either of them needs.

semperama:

things you said when you thought i was asleep

Chris woke up at least ten minutes ago, but he’s not opening his eyes, not moving. It’s uncomfortable, laying with his head on Zach’s bony shoulder, the arm rest digging into his side, but he can’t resist taking advantage of the situation. Zach smells good, familiar, like home. Calling upon his acting skills, Chris twitches and whuffs and pushes his nose deeper into his neck in a way that he hopes comes across as sleepy restlessness.

“Well, isn’t this just the cutest?”

It’s Zoe’s voice, drifting back to him from her seat in front of Zach. She must have turned around to check on them, or to say something to them. Chris keeps his face placid and wills himself not to blush.

Zach hushes her. “Don’t wake him up.”

“Oh, you know he could sleep through an earthquake,” Zoe says. “Remember the first press tour? When he fell asleep in Karl’s room and Simon kept trying to convince us to do mean things to him?”

A quiet laugh rumbles through Zach’s chest, though he seems to be doing everything in his power not to jostle Chris. “Simon seems to be the only one who’s immune to Chris’s puppy-like cuteness.”

“Well, you certainly aren’t immune. Look at you.”

“Hush, Zoe.”

There is a moment of meaningful silence in which Chris desperately wishes he could open his eyes. They must be doing that thing where they communicate with their eyes. Communicating about what though?

When Zoe speaks again, her voice is barely more than a whisper, and Chris almost forgets himself and leans in to hear it better. “Have you told him yet?”

Told him what? Chris thinks.

“Told him what?” Zach asks, though the tone of his voice says that he knows exactly what Zoe is talking about.

“Come on, Zach. You don’t have forever.” Zoe had that mom voice before she even became a mother, but now it’s even worse. Even Chris wants to crumble in the face of it, and it isn’t even directed at him. “The clock is ticking.”

“He’s staying with me in New York for a few days. I still have time.”

This is excruciating. Chris almost forgets to breathe, he’s focusing so hard on staying still and keeping his expression blank. Come on, Zoe. Don’t let me down. Press him until he talks.

“And I know you, Zachary. You’ll come up with a million excuses not to do it, to put it off until it’s too late. It might already be too late! You’ve been keeping this to yourself far too long.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Zach hisses quietly. “It turns out there’s no good way to tell your best friend you’re in love with him.”

Chris forgets himself and shoots upright, his mouth falling open in shock. Zach tenses, his jaw clenching, his eyes squeezing shut like he’s trying to rewind time and take back everything that just happened. But it’s too late.

“Oh, would you look at that. He’s awake!” Zoe’s voice is exaggerated and playful, and when Chris looks at her, she winks at him, then reaches out to give Zach’s knee a pat. “I’ll let you two talk.”

Zach lets out a long, quiet breath and then slowly turns to look at Chris, his eyes wary, his fingers gripping his own thighs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“Is it true?” The words come out strangled, and Chris can feel his cheeks flaming, but he doesn’t care. He just needs to know if he heard right, if he needs to curb the warmth spreading through his chest before it gets too big and bright.

“Do you…do you want it to be true?”

It’s a cop out—a patented Zachary Quinto cop out—but Chris can’t stop himself from nodding. “Yeah. Yes.”

It takes a moment, but the smile that spreads across Zach’s mouth is possibly the most beautiful one Chris has seen to date. Zach sways forward and curls his fingers into Chris’s shirt, pulling him close again. This time he minds the arm rest digging into his side even less.

Zach lifts a hand to his face and presses his thumb against his bottom lip, like he wants to feel Chris’s smile. “Well, I’ve got good news for you then.”