therumjournals: (bb kirk)
[personal profile] therumjournals
Title: Departure / In Tunisia / Retreat
Author: [livejournal.com profile] therumjournals
Fandom: Star Trek RPF
Pairing: Chris/Zach
Rating: R
Word Count: 2,110
Description: Chris brings the family on location. An epilogue in the Coffee Fix ‘verse.
A/N: I know absolutely nothing about Tunisia.


Departure

“….and my dad’s gonna be my teacher, and we’re going to ride on camels!”

Zach leaned on the doorframe, keeping out of sight as he listened to Jesse finish his goodbye speech to the class. When he heard the teacher thanking Jesse, he stepped inside.

“Dad!” Jesse beamed at him, and he smiled back proudly.

“Hey buddy. You ready to go?”

“Yeah!” Zach took Jesse’s backpack from him as Mrs. Gautier put a hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Quinto, you picked up the curriculum for the rest of the semester, right?”

“Yep, I’ve got it all packed up. Even the math,” he said, giving Jesse a mock-glare. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Gautier, I’ll make sure he keeps up to speed with everything.”

“I know you will. Okay, class, say bye to Jesse!”

“BYE JESSE!” replied a chorus of fifth graders. Jesse grinned and skipped out of the classroom into the hall.

“Dad, you don’t have to hold my hand,” Jesse grumbled, as they exited the school into the parking lot.

“Oh yeah?” said Zach, letting go. “Well what am I supposed to do then, hold your ear?” He tweaked Jesse’s ear playfully and stuck his tongue out when Jesse ducked away. “Alright, I won’t hold your hand. But if you get run over by a car, don’t come limping to me. And if you lose a leg, don’t come hopping to me, either.”

“Daaaad,” Jesse groaned, but he walked a little closer to Zach until they got to the car.

**

“Papa, what does ‘voluptuous’ mean?”

Chris raised an eyebrow and looked over Jesse’s head at Zach. “Zach, what is he reading?”

“Um, I think it’s Clive Cussler. What, it’s about adventures and intrigue!” he said defensively. “He said he wanted to read a grown-up book. It’s not like it’s a Harlequin romance.”

“What’s a Harlequin romance?”

Chris chuckled. “Hey Zach, maybe you should do that thing where you stop talking.”

“I think you’re right,” Zach muttered, before turning to Jesse. “Voluptuous means curvy and full-figured.”

Jesse made a disgusted face and turned back to the book.

“How much longer, Papa?” Gavin piped up from across the aisle.

“Gavin, what did I tell you about this flight?”

“That it’s going to last forever.”

“Exactly. So when forever is over, you can ask me again. Until then, you might as well make yourself at home.” Gavin nodded intently and shut his mouth. Chris leaned across the aisle and poked him.

“Hey. You wanna see if Dad’ll break out the fruit snacks?”

Gavin nodded eagerly.

“Ask him.”

“Daaaaad,” Gavin said. Zach looked over and gave Chris a look like he knew who was instigating this.

“Daaaad,” whined Chris, with a wink in Zach’s direction. “We want fruit snacks.”

“Yeah, Dad, we want fruit snacks!” said Gavin.

Jesse looked up from his book. “Did you bring the good ones?”

“All three of you are huge pains in my butt, I just want you to know that," Zach grumbled as he reached for his bag.

“More like pains in your huge butt,” Chris said, grinning as the boys laughed hysterically.

“No fruit snacks for you, mister,” Zach said, handing one to Jesse and tossing one across the aisle to Gavin.

“Please,” Chris said, batting his eyelashes and reaching over Jesse’s head to grab the bag out of Zach’s hand. Zach grabbed his wrist and tugged him closer and they kissed chastely over Jesse’s head.

“Ew!” Jesse said, ducking. Chris and Zach looked at each other and leaned down simultaneously to kiss Jesse on the cheeks as he shrieked and batted at them.

Across the aisle, Gavin watched the spectacle as he munched on his fruit snacks, amused. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to sit over here.”



In Tunisia

“It’s too FUCKIN- it’s too fucking hot for this, Zach,” Chris said, dropping his voice to a whisper as Zach gestured frantically to the thin walls of their apartment. “Sorry.”

“Fine. Let’s just go to sleep then, and we can talk about it later.”

Chris sat on the edge of the bed and rested his head in his hands. “I fucking hate this, Zach. Why are we fighting again? I thought we had this all figured out.” He kept his voice low and his back to Zach.

“I don’t know,” Zach said, and he didn’t. It wasn’t like any of this was unexpected – Chris had long hours, the boys missed home, Zach had exhausted what he’d thought was an extensive list of “ways to make homeschooling fun”, and they were all on edge. And hot. So very, very hot. So hot that Chris and Zach had spent every night lying in the bed trying not to touch each other – and that was before they’d even started fighting.

Chris lay down on the bed, exhausted. His arm bumped against Zach’s, damp with sweat, and they both flinched away.

**

Joe climbed out of the cab and just managed to pay the driver and set his bag down before he was tackled by two very enthusiastic and very dusty children.

“Ooof! Hey guys!”

“Hi, Uncle Joe,” they said, and Joe looked over their heads at Chris and Zach, chuckling at the desperation that he saw there.

“Hi guys,” he said, a grin playing at his lips. “Am I right in thinking that I’m not really here to spend quality time with the two of you?”

Zach stepped in to grab him a bear hug, turned his head to say in a low voice, “Just hang out with them for the weekend, Joe, please. We need this.”

Joe shook his head but laughed and slapped Zach on the back. “Of course, bro. Of course. You guys take a few days, okay? Go somewhere.”

Zach’s shoulders dropped as he smiled in relief and he caught Chris’s eye and matching smile. “We’ve already got a place booked,” he confessed.

“It has air conditioning,” Chris said in awe, stepping closer to give Joe a hug.

“The boys can show me around, I assume? Teach me the local customs?”

“Yeah, they can. This neighborhood, at least. They run around like little street rats. Zach has no control over them whatsoever.”

“Shut up,” Zach said, punching Chris lightly in the shoulder. “It’s called cultural immersion. It’s the best way to learn.”

“I’ll take your word for it, Professor.”

**

Gavin and Jesse entered their room as Chris and Zach were zipping up their suitcases. The boys looked serious.

“What’s up, guys?” Chris asked. Zach straightened up and they both gave the boys their full attention.

“Well,” Gavin started, “we’re the watchmen, right?”

“Yeah…” Chris said. Why did he have a feeling he knew where they were going with this?

“We think that, um-“ Gavin glanced at Jesse for reassurance, which he got in the form of an approving nod, “that you need to communicate more, okay? And don’t fight anymore.”

Zach nodded and sat down on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “Thank you, Gavin. We know we haven’t been doing the best job communicating lately and…that’s why Papa and I are going away for the weekend. We’re going to talk and figure out how we can stop fighting.”

“Okay,” Gavin said, nodding. “And you won’t leave, right Dad?”

Zach reached for Gavin’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Was there something else, Jess?” Chris asked.

“Noooo…” Jesse said, biting his lip.

Gavin pulled away from Zach and said “Yes there was!”

“Fine, you tell them.”

“No way! Jesse, you said!”

“Fine. Um, um…we also think you guys should kiss more.”

Zach’s jaw dropped and he didn’t look at Chris, too afraid he’d burst out laughing. Chris didn’t even bother hiding his astonishment. “What?!”

“Just, you’re always happy when you kiss. And you haven’t been happy, I think, so I just think…you should kiss more. But not TOO, too much,” Jesse added, just in case they got carried away.

Chris put a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Alright, watchmen. We’ll take your advice. While we’re away this weekend, we’ll talk and kiss, and when we come back, we’ll try not to fight, okay? We promise to try our best,” he said, and he was looking at Zach when he said it. Zach stood and Chris took a step closer, and they pulled Gavin and Jesse in for a family hug.

They looked up in surprise as they felt another set of beefy arms wrapping around them, and Zach rolled his eyes.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something here, Joe.”

“I know. I felt left out.”

They stayed that way for a long moment, until Gavin’s high voice piped up from the middle. “You guys, I’m really hot in here. And Uncle Joe smells.”



Retreat

When Chris and Zach arrived in their hotel room, the first thing they did was turn up the air conditioning. The second thing they did was fuck. And it was fucking, not making love, because it was hard and needy and it hurt a little and it left them both hot and reeling and too spent to fight, and it was exactly what they needed.

Zach climbed out of the bed and took a long hot shower, then he pulled on the fluffy terrycloth robe provided by the five-star establishment and lay on the bed for a while, watching Chris sleep.

Finally, he felt compelled to rouse him, pushing a few stray hairs from his forehead and saying “Chris, baby, wake up.” Chris opened his eyes and smiled at Zach and Zach felt a wave of happiness wash over him, and his first thought was to thank god that feeling was still there. “Take a shower. You’ll feel refreshed. And these robes are like fluffy clouds of joy.”

Chris stretched, smirked, and said, “I always knew you secretly wanted to be a Care Bear.” He didn’t even mind Zach smacking him on the ass as headed toward the bathroom.

**

“When I get home at the end of the day, I feel like…like I’m walking in on your life, like I’m interrupting something,” Chris was saying.

“Great, now you know what I felt like for the last three years.” Despite the air conditioning, Chris could feel the heat coming back, creeping up his cheeks and into Zach’s voice.

“I hate it. I don’t want to be the one out all day, coming home exhausted and cranky and not knowing what the fuck you guys are talking about half the time. I want to be there.”

“Is it that you want to be there, or that you don’t want me to be the one that’s there instead of you?”

Chris shook his head wearily. “No, I’m glad you’re here, Zach. I am.”

“What can I do, Chris? What can I do to make it better?”

“Let me quit.”

“Fuck no,” Zach said with a half-smile. “You have to make the money so you can buy us stuff, remember?”

Chris smiled ruefully. “Fine. Then just, hold me, and tell me that this is what you wanted. Remind me that my sons still love me even though I’m cranky and pissy and gone for fourteen hours a day. And tell me you’re going to stay.”

Zach stepped forward and pulled Chris into his arms, running his hands over the plush softness of the robe he’d refused to change out of all day. “Oh Chris,” Zach murmured, “you have no idea how much I want this. I am the one who should be worried. You let me back in, and sometimes I wonder if I pushed too hard, too soon. It just all feels so fragile and I don’t want this to break again.”

“I can’t,” Chris said, and it was a broken sob into Zach’s robe. “I can’t do that again, Zach, I swear, I can’t do this without you. I need you.”

“I need you too, Chris,” Zach said, and he held him tighter even though it was impossible.

**

“So, what are we going to tell the watchmen?” Chris asked. They lay side by side on the bed, hands resting lazily on bare skin, a pleasant buzz still running through them both. That had been making love.

“Let’s tell them that if they can put up with your cranky ass for six more weeks, when we get home, we’re going to get that puppy.”

“They’ll flip.”

“Yeah, they will.”

“God, six more weeks. Why does that sound like fucking forever?”

“I don’t know,” said Zach, touching his fingers to Chris’s cheek and kissing him softly on the lips. “But forever doesn’t sound so bad to me.”


Continue: Scenes

Date: 2010-05-15 11:00 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lavender-basil.livejournal.com
AHHHHHHHH!!!!! More of the coffee 'verse! If I didn't need to sit down to read it, I would have jumped around for joy when this popped up! My week was *awful*. This happy little story made my day so much brighter!

I love how adorable this family is and I really liked that the boys are still struggling. It felt so real.

You know I want to bribe you with sweets and make you write this 'verse forever. But if this epi is the last we see of this series, it was a perfect way to end!

Also, did I tell you I LOVE THIS? LOVE IT!

Date: 2010-05-15 11:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lavender-basil.livejournal.com
By the "boys" I mean C/Z--not their sons. Sorry! (comment fail!)

Date: 2010-05-16 03:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
yay! so glad i could help brighten your day! and that the "realness" is still there! this series will not get out of my head so there may indeed be more. if so, i expect sweets. :-D and thanks thanks thanks for being a loyal reader and squee-er of this 'verse, it really does keep me going :-)

Date: 2010-05-15 11:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] team-allen.livejournal.com
NO.ACTUAL.WORDS

So, I was thinking of heading to bed and I decided to check my friends list just once more...and oh my heck am I glad I did!

This. It was just perfect. Everything about it. I literally don't know what to say.

♥ ♥ ♥

Date: 2010-05-16 03:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
i'm glad you did too! and thanks so much :-) the first ficlet in this is actually one of the first things i wrote in this 'verse. it was hell having to wait so long to post it!

Date: 2010-05-15 11:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] less-star.livejournal.com
Aw, this is delightful! Love all the boys, not to mention surprise!Joe!

Date: 2010-05-16 03:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks :-) wow, yeah, there are a lot of guys in this series, huh. glad you liked surprise!joe, he's a very handy "character" to have around...

Date: 2010-05-16 12:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hilsongirl.livejournal.com
the more i read, the more i love this 'verse

Date: 2010-05-16 03:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
i'm glad it's still pulling you in! and thanks for letting me know :-)

Date: 2010-05-16 03:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 1lostone.livejournal.com
siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

I'm running out of nice things to say. I mean there's only so many ways to phrase 'i love you and want to be your bitch and also you are the wind beneath my wings' without sounding yanno... repetitive.

But yeah. YOU. THIS SERIES. THE LOVE.

and...

(fluffy sugar nuggets!)

Date: 2010-05-16 03:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
every time you say "i love you and want to be your bitch" it fills me with new joy. so feel free to keep saying that :-)

ps - epic pinto pt II will be coming at you today. if you don't see it, please harass me in a public forum to get my ass in gear ;-)

Date: 2010-05-16 03:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 1lostone.livejournal.com
no problem! :D There should be pinto chat thingy later, so I'll have ample opportunity.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:48 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ladyblahblah.livejournal.com
*squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees*!

OMG OMG OMG THIS WAS THE BEST THING EVER TO COME HOME TO!

This is gonna sound maybe a little bit crazy, but I love that you had them fight again. <3 More specifically, I love that they fought and talked through it and realized it didn't have to be the end of everything. And then they got to laze around in air conditioning and wear fluffy robes!! *snuggles boys*

*snuggles you*

ILU. For realsies.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
this was the best comment to wake up to :-) i don't know why it's so easy for me to imagine the path their life would take, the fights, struggles, resolutions, etc. but i'm glad it's coming across so well and that you're enjoying it.

*snuggles back*

Date: 2010-05-16 03:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] halfbreedchild.livejournal.com
SO GOOD.
Winning last line and everything!

I ♥ this 'verse so much.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
THANKS! i keep thinking of more but then i'm like what if i write a part that's not good and RUIN EVERYTHING? that would be terrible. anyway, glad this wasn't that part :-)

Date: 2010-05-16 05:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anodrethlluvine.livejournal.com
You tied this up so nicely! I adore it. Especially the family interaction and hotel fluffiness and just YAY this is so good! :D

Date: 2010-05-16 03:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks :-) the first part of this is actually the second or third ficlet i wrote in this 'verse. i just love the interaction between them all so i'm glad you enjoyed it too :-)

Date: 2010-05-16 08:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tinocka.livejournal.com
So wonderful!

I love the real feel of it :)

Could there be more of this? ;)

Date: 2010-05-16 03:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks! this family has invaded my brain. if there's more it will be in the form of little scenes interspersed throughout their lives. i'm just trying to figure out whether people would be interested in reading that or if it would just mess with the existing story...

Date: 2010-05-16 01:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] coeurdesoleil.livejournal.com
OMG you cannot stop writing in this 'verse! It just keeps getting better and better!

This was so sweet! I loved that Chris and Zach were still struggling to find time to each other and to learn how to be a family again: it adds to the overall realism of this series. The ending = LOVE.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
ha ha, when you said "you cannot stop writing in this 'verse" i couldn't tell whether it was a demand or a statement (as in, i am unable to stop writing in this 'verse - which is pretty close to the truth!) anyway, thanks thanks thanks, i'm glad you liked the struggles and the ending and continue to find it real.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] to-question.livejournal.com
This is so sad and lovely. And just so real. They're trying so hard to make it work. *sobs*

*giggles* Whenever I read stories about marriages that are in trouble or failing, I think of my parents. My mom tells my dad point blank that he better work his shit out because the only way out is in a body bag. (There might also be some threats as to how soon he wants that to happen). My family has amazing communication skills, obviously.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
ha ha, i love and approve of your mom's attitude :-) that's how i feel too :-) i'm glad you're finding their struggles real. and it's chris and zach so you can imagine that i really want them to make it work :-) thanks!

Date: 2010-05-16 03:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] inpurity.livejournal.com
Oh Gosh, you have no idea how much I love this verse. The interactions, the children, how it feels real and intense.
I love that they are still broken, but they have not given up on each other. I love that they try so hard to make it work, because real families are hard work, real relationships are difficult and painful, but so rewarding.

I just want to live in this verse forever.

Date: 2010-05-16 03:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
i agree completely with what you said about relationships. and i think that's why despite a "happy ending" it still feels real, and i'm really glad that's coming through. so glad you love this 'verse, and the kids too. i may write a few ficlets that go into a little more detail about the kids, so you may be able to visit this 'verse again! and thanks!

Date: 2010-05-16 03:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] inpurity.livejournal.com
I am going to look forward to read more about them and their lives. And let me tell you again how much I love your writing and all your stories.

Laila

Date: 2010-05-16 04:24 pm (UTC)
ext_367923: (Chris and Zach)
From: [identity profile] easilymused1956.livejournal.com
Please keep writing in this verse? I totally enjoyed the realism of the series.

Two men in a high stress profession tying to raise two young boys. Questionable privacy issues. Plus the inevitable angst associated with sometimes having a long-distance relationship.

You have done an outstanding job showing how critical communication is.

Renee

Date: 2010-05-17 12:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks :) yeah i've learned a bit about communication issues in my own life :-) i have a few ficlets in mind interspersed throughout their lives...we'll see...thanks for the encouragement though!

Date: 2010-05-16 08:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] molleo.livejournal.com
Ooh, bb, you never disappoint! How lovely a surprise to find waiting for me. Just like ice cream on a hot day! Thank you so much for adding to the 'verse. You have such a way with them. ((hugs))

Date: 2010-05-17 12:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
aww, thanks! ice cream on a hot day is the best, so that's a great compliment :-)

Date: 2010-05-16 08:55 pm (UTC)
ext_397938: (Default)
From: [identity profile] ashleyj28.livejournal.com
I'm late to the party, once again! Damn it. BUT THIS WAS A PERFECT ENDING! It was actually good to see that everything wasn't completely fixed, and that there were still issues that had to be worked out. Because that's how relationships are, and the difficult parts of them are usually left out of fics. So this was very real! I'm sad that it's over, but what a way to go out.

Date: 2010-05-17 12:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
there you are! thanks so much bb :-) this has been a very realistic series i think. but this may not be the end!

Date: 2010-05-17 12:49 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
ha ha, how can i stop now when i get encouragement like that?! :-D

Date: 2010-05-17 02:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] littlelightss.livejournal.com
This made me smile so much. ♥

I really love that all their problems aren't *~*magically*~* solved, and we get to see that it's still a work in progress, but they remain adorable nonetheless.

Date: 2010-05-18 12:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks :-D ha ha, i'm glad they remain adorable even when they have issues. perhaps even more adorable even. :-)

Date: 2010-05-17 04:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] leopardchic79.livejournal.com
Oh perfect!! *Melts*

Loved it very much!!

Date: 2010-05-18 12:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
aw, thanks :-D i'm so glad you liked it!

Date: 2010-05-17 09:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] foom101.livejournal.com
*SIGH*
This was so good!!! <3

Date: 2010-05-18 12:46 am (UTC)

Date: 2010-05-17 09:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] missestrella.livejournal.com
I HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS AU <3

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* The ending is so perfect for them, and Gavin and Jesse are like angels with their: “Fine. Um, um…we also think you guys should kiss more.”

SO MUCH LOVE!

Date: 2010-05-18 12:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
YAY! thanks for the squeeee :-D so glad you like the ending and the kids. i love these kids :-)

Date: 2010-05-19 03:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-deep-magic.livejournal.com
Yaaaay! I love that all of their problems didn't magically go away, but that they're working through it. And Jesse telling them to kiss more -- TOO FUNNY! I'll miss getting updates on this.

Date: 2010-05-19 11:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
thanks! you might not have to miss this 'verse for too long...

Date: 2010-05-19 08:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aliassmith.livejournal.com
Oh my goddess, I go away for a few weeks and you've created a whole freakin VERSE of awesome! I don't think this tiny comment box will be able to encapsulate the love I have for you right now! This whole series is just so damn sweet, I don't read kidfic usually, but I think you may have sold me. Though that may have everything to do with how gorgeous you make each and every one of your characters. You've managed to keep hold of the realism, the angst and the drama without resorting to toothachey sappiness and chubby baby cheek-pinching to keep your readers hooked. It's Pinto through and through, with two of the sweetest OCs to boot. This verse (and "Chris, Nicky and the Nanny") will forever be my go-to fic(s) to convince me that kid-fic has the potential to become my guilty pleasure :)

Date: 2010-05-19 11:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] therumjournals.livejournal.com
HI BB! And thanks so much! :-D i'm so glad you read this whole 'verse (that's dedication!) and that you loved it! and that i swayed you in the kid!fic direction :-) although i have been guilty of some baby cheek-pinching i think, but i'm glad for the most part you found other aspects of it that you like :-) thanks!!

Profile

therumjournals: (Default)
therumjournals

December 2020

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Aug. 11th, 2025 06:12 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios