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therumjournalsTitle: A Bad Week / A Good Night
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,170
Description: It got worse, but then… (Coffee Fix ‘verse)
A/N: Only two this time, but I don't think you'll mind.
A Bad Week
It got worse before it got better.
Sometimes they’d start thinking things were okay, like when Zach suggested that the four of them take a weekend trip to San Diego to go to the zoo, and Chris actually considered it. Until he got a call from a friend giving him a heads up that Zach had answered a question about their relationship and their kids in an interview. And Chris almost hated to pick up the phone to start everything all over again, but of course he did, because it was one of their rules, and hadn’t Zach been the one talking about following rules?
On the other end of the phone, Zach’s apology and justifications came out weaker than he intended, and he floundered, frustrated that he’d lost his edge around Chris, that Chris could cut him down and make him feel it and convince him that he was the uncaring asshole that Chris made him out to be.
And Chris hung up feeling like shit, only slightly justified shit knowing that Zach was on the other end of the line feeling worse, and then he took the boys out for dinner to make himself feel better, and the waitress gave him her number.
And then he called her on Tuesday night when the boys were with Zach and they went out and got drunk and had sex, and Chris left in the middle of the night and pulled over on the way home to throw up. And he couldn’t get it out of his head and all he wanted was to talk to Zach, to really talk to him, but he stopped himself and stopped himself until 11 PM on Friday night. And when he called, Zach answered, and Chris wasn’t sure why the fuck he’d answered because it was obvious that he was out at a club, and Chris hung up and threw up again.
Then he locked his computer in the closet so he wouldn’t go looking for pap pics of Zach and whoever.
The next day he went looking for the key to the closet so he could get his computer back out, and he found it in the garage next to a box of pictures and memories of a life together, which he pushed to the floor in disgust, so that he had to look at each and every piece as he filled the box back up. And by the end of it he was sobbing and pissed and he punched a wall and it fucking hurt. And an hour later he had to call Zach and ask him to pick Jesse up from Patrick’s birthday party because he had to drive himself to the Emergency Room with a broken hand.
And when Zach called a few days later and asked if he could switch and have the boys on Wednesday instead of Thursday, instead of sobbing into the phone like he wanted to, Chris just said no, and Zach curled his lip and asked why Chris couldn’t be fucking flexible for once in his life, and slammed the phone down. And Chris made himself chocolate milk and watched Disney movies and iced his hand until it was time to pick up the kids. And that night he made himself take a few deep breaths and he pulled the covers up over his head and wondered if he should have just agreed to go to the fucking zoo.
A Good Night
Gavin and Jesse spent most of dinner looking curiously between the two of them for signs of...something. It's not like the four of them hadn't had dinner before, but usually they were out, and usually their dads didn't smile at each other so much. And then there were the recent ice cream and movie outings with Uncle Joe, not that they were complaining, but Jesse had climbed under their sheet and sofa cushion fort and whispered to Gavin that Dad and Papa were on, like, dates and now they were watching across the dinner table, wondering if those smiles meant their whispered hopes had come true.
**
“So, will you be treating us to any after-dinner theater this evening?” Zach asked, setting his fork down.
Jesse grinned and nodded enthusiastically and Chris told them they could be excused. Jesse grabbed Gavin by the wrist and yanked him off to the bedroom for rehearsal.
“Wine?” Chris asked, pushing his chair back.
“Obviously,” Zach responded, grabbing the plates and following Chris to the kitchen.
They carried their wine glasses to the couch and Zach slid an arm around Chris, breathing a small sigh of relief when Chris inched closer instead of pulling away. They talked softly and laughed and that was how Gavin and Jesse found them an hour later, Zach murmuring into Chris’s ear and Chris playing idly with Zach’s hand where it rested in on his shoulder.
“Hey, look who’s back!” Zach said, straightening up when he saw the boys watching them from across the room, mouths slightly agape in surprise. Zach smiled a little at their expressions. “What have you got for us?”
They recovered quickly and took the “stage” in front of the couch, as Jesse announced, “Okay, I’m a lion trainer, and Gavin is the lion. And, um, we’re a traveling circus and we’re in Romania!”
“Romania? Where do they get this stuff?” Chris whispered to Zach.
“No idea,” Zach replied with a shrug, and they leaned back to watch the show.
**
“Bravo, bravo,” Zach shouted as they clapped wildly for the performance. To be honest, it had been pretty impressive, despite Chris having to step in and draw the line at the use of actual ketchup to represent blood after Gavin mauled Jesse.
The boys jumped on the couch next to them and Gavin climbed on to Chris’s lap. “Papa, can Dad stay over tonight, pleeeease?”
Chris raised an eyebrow and looked at Zach. “I guess so, as long as he doesn’t mind sharing a bunkbed with you,” he said, winking.
“Yeah! Dad, stay in our room!”
“No way,” Zach said. “You guys snore.”
“No we don’t,” Jesse corrected him tolerantly. “YOU do.”
“I do, it’s true. So we’ll just have to make sure you fall asleep first. Come on, I’ll read you something nice and boring.”
“Like Harry Potter!”
“Yeah, Harry Potter!”
“Harry Potter is not boring.”
“We promise to fall asleep,” pleaded Gavin.
“You promise? Okay, fine. Harry Potter until you fall asleep. Papa, did you slip them the sleeping potions in their dinner tonight?”
“Sure did.”
“Great. Let’s go!”
**
Chris woke up when he heard his bedroom door open, and he propped himself up on his elbows to look at Zach. The clock on the bedside table said 1:30 AM.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Zach said softly, as the door clicked shut behind him.
“You know, you didn’t actually have to sleep in the bunk bed.”
“I fell asleep,” Zach confessed.
“Comfy, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“C’mere.” Chris lifted the blanket and Zach slid under the covers and into his arms.
(Continued...)
Author:
therumjournalsFandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,170
Description: It got worse, but then… (Coffee Fix ‘verse)
A/N: Only two this time, but I don't think you'll mind.
A Bad Week
It got worse before it got better.
Sometimes they’d start thinking things were okay, like when Zach suggested that the four of them take a weekend trip to San Diego to go to the zoo, and Chris actually considered it. Until he got a call from a friend giving him a heads up that Zach had answered a question about their relationship and their kids in an interview. And Chris almost hated to pick up the phone to start everything all over again, but of course he did, because it was one of their rules, and hadn’t Zach been the one talking about following rules?
On the other end of the phone, Zach’s apology and justifications came out weaker than he intended, and he floundered, frustrated that he’d lost his edge around Chris, that Chris could cut him down and make him feel it and convince him that he was the uncaring asshole that Chris made him out to be.
And Chris hung up feeling like shit, only slightly justified shit knowing that Zach was on the other end of the line feeling worse, and then he took the boys out for dinner to make himself feel better, and the waitress gave him her number.
And then he called her on Tuesday night when the boys were with Zach and they went out and got drunk and had sex, and Chris left in the middle of the night and pulled over on the way home to throw up. And he couldn’t get it out of his head and all he wanted was to talk to Zach, to really talk to him, but he stopped himself and stopped himself until 11 PM on Friday night. And when he called, Zach answered, and Chris wasn’t sure why the fuck he’d answered because it was obvious that he was out at a club, and Chris hung up and threw up again.
Then he locked his computer in the closet so he wouldn’t go looking for pap pics of Zach and whoever.
The next day he went looking for the key to the closet so he could get his computer back out, and he found it in the garage next to a box of pictures and memories of a life together, which he pushed to the floor in disgust, so that he had to look at each and every piece as he filled the box back up. And by the end of it he was sobbing and pissed and he punched a wall and it fucking hurt. And an hour later he had to call Zach and ask him to pick Jesse up from Patrick’s birthday party because he had to drive himself to the Emergency Room with a broken hand.
And when Zach called a few days later and asked if he could switch and have the boys on Wednesday instead of Thursday, instead of sobbing into the phone like he wanted to, Chris just said no, and Zach curled his lip and asked why Chris couldn’t be fucking flexible for once in his life, and slammed the phone down. And Chris made himself chocolate milk and watched Disney movies and iced his hand until it was time to pick up the kids. And that night he made himself take a few deep breaths and he pulled the covers up over his head and wondered if he should have just agreed to go to the fucking zoo.
A Good Night
Gavin and Jesse spent most of dinner looking curiously between the two of them for signs of...something. It's not like the four of them hadn't had dinner before, but usually they were out, and usually their dads didn't smile at each other so much. And then there were the recent ice cream and movie outings with Uncle Joe, not that they were complaining, but Jesse had climbed under their sheet and sofa cushion fort and whispered to Gavin that Dad and Papa were on, like, dates and now they were watching across the dinner table, wondering if those smiles meant their whispered hopes had come true.
**
“So, will you be treating us to any after-dinner theater this evening?” Zach asked, setting his fork down.
Jesse grinned and nodded enthusiastically and Chris told them they could be excused. Jesse grabbed Gavin by the wrist and yanked him off to the bedroom for rehearsal.
“Wine?” Chris asked, pushing his chair back.
“Obviously,” Zach responded, grabbing the plates and following Chris to the kitchen.
They carried their wine glasses to the couch and Zach slid an arm around Chris, breathing a small sigh of relief when Chris inched closer instead of pulling away. They talked softly and laughed and that was how Gavin and Jesse found them an hour later, Zach murmuring into Chris’s ear and Chris playing idly with Zach’s hand where it rested in on his shoulder.
“Hey, look who’s back!” Zach said, straightening up when he saw the boys watching them from across the room, mouths slightly agape in surprise. Zach smiled a little at their expressions. “What have you got for us?”
They recovered quickly and took the “stage” in front of the couch, as Jesse announced, “Okay, I’m a lion trainer, and Gavin is the lion. And, um, we’re a traveling circus and we’re in Romania!”
“Romania? Where do they get this stuff?” Chris whispered to Zach.
“No idea,” Zach replied with a shrug, and they leaned back to watch the show.
**
“Bravo, bravo,” Zach shouted as they clapped wildly for the performance. To be honest, it had been pretty impressive, despite Chris having to step in and draw the line at the use of actual ketchup to represent blood after Gavin mauled Jesse.
The boys jumped on the couch next to them and Gavin climbed on to Chris’s lap. “Papa, can Dad stay over tonight, pleeeease?”
Chris raised an eyebrow and looked at Zach. “I guess so, as long as he doesn’t mind sharing a bunkbed with you,” he said, winking.
“Yeah! Dad, stay in our room!”
“No way,” Zach said. “You guys snore.”
“No we don’t,” Jesse corrected him tolerantly. “YOU do.”
“I do, it’s true. So we’ll just have to make sure you fall asleep first. Come on, I’ll read you something nice and boring.”
“Like Harry Potter!”
“Yeah, Harry Potter!”
“Harry Potter is not boring.”
“We promise to fall asleep,” pleaded Gavin.
“You promise? Okay, fine. Harry Potter until you fall asleep. Papa, did you slip them the sleeping potions in their dinner tonight?”
“Sure did.”
“Great. Let’s go!”
**
Chris woke up when he heard his bedroom door open, and he propped himself up on his elbows to look at Zach. The clock on the bedside table said 1:30 AM.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Zach said softly, as the door clicked shut behind him.
“You know, you didn’t actually have to sleep in the bunk bed.”
“I fell asleep,” Zach confessed.
“Comfy, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
“C’mere.” Chris lifted the blanket and Zach slid under the covers and into his arms.
(Continued...)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 01:29 am (UTC)And then I was all like, "!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
You have me on a crazy roller-coaster of emotion here! BUT YOU SEEM TO BE GETTING CLOSER TO FIXING IT SO I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR THE LOW, LOW, LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW POINTS TO WHICH YOU ARE SUBJECTING ME.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 01:45 am (UTC)OMG I LOVED THE ANGST SO MUCH!!!!
Holy shit that was intense. When Chris puked I totally felt it. Are we getting a scene where they confess all the others they've been with? Or would that just be too much? I just got the feeling Chris really, really wanted Zach and wanted Zach to know. Am I projecting? Prolly.
I LOVED IT!!!
AND D'AWWW! I basically squeed my pants when Chris inched closer to him on the couch. And UNF HE CRAWLS INTO BED WITH CHRIS!!!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:05 am (UTC)i also plan to use the phrase "squeed my pants" from now on.
thanks, bb! :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 02:09 am (UTC)YAY to both. LOVE it! I especially melted at the image of Zach murmurng in Chris's ear & Chris holding his hand. *le sigh*
:)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:06 am (UTC)thanks :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 08:45 am (UTC)AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
I am melting. I´ve melted. There is a puddle of very happy goo typing this...
Also, happy birthday! :)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:09 am (UTC)thanks thanks thanks!!!!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 06:50 pm (UTC)Now, the ficlets:
The first one was probably the hardest ficlet to read in this 'verse yet because the emotions, the angst was so raw and real.
The second one made me go :DDDDDD
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:10 am (UTC)so glad you liked these, even if the first one was hard to read (it was actually fun to write, but a little stressful too).
no subject
Date: 2010-05-04 11:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-05 01:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-05 02:30 pm (UTC)Part one was so raw. It sounds funny to say, "I loved it!" Because, man, there was nothing to love in what was happening in that relationship. However, I loved how you've handled a breakup. You've made no one the evil villain. This makes it possible for me to year for these two to reconcile. I hate stories where the behavior of the couple during the breakup is so AWFUL that I want to scream, "Why are you getting back with him/her!! This is not healthy!"
And then part two made me swoon! My favorite part was the guys on the couch! It was such a gentle moment. Plus, as you might have guessed from my other comment, I LOVED seeing their sons interact with them.
I can't wait for more! This series is totally happy making!
no subject
Date: 2010-05-06 02:16 am (UTC)You've made no one the evil villain.
Thanks so much for saying that - that was one thing I was really aiming for. I love them both so much, and I didn't want one of them to be in the wrong...just a series of misunderstandings and the gradual falling apart that can happen... so yes, thank you.
i love the scene on the couch too. happy sigh :-) and i'm glad you liked the kids :-) there is more of that coming up (yes i will be posting more...soon, i hope!). :-)