Aaahh thank you very much! I usually don’t take much time for my works but sometimes it’s not case ( and here’s that case!), so I understand your struggles too!
Chris almost trips over his own feet, a deeply embarrassing and snorty laugh turning into a series of curses before Zach catches him by the elbow to steady him. How Zach has the wherewithal to steady anyone is a mystery, but then again, Chris hadn't been paying attention to how much Zach was drinking. He assumed they were equally soused, but now, as he drags his eyes up to Zach's face, he realizes he might have been mistaken. Zach's expression manages to convey both disapproval and amusement at once, but either way--his gaze isn't unfocused, his mouth isn't slack, and he's steady as a rock as he draws Chris in and puts his arm around his waist, holding him upright.
"Were you not drinking?" Chris slurs as he steps ungracefully on the back of Zach's shoe. Flat tire! he wants to crow into the night, rowdy and immature, but he bites down on the inside of his cheek.
"Sure I was," Zach says. "In a responsible manner."
He tugs Chris toward the curb, and Chris does his best to put one foot in front of the other and follow. Mostly, he succeeds. At least he doesn't scrape his shoe against Zach's heel again. Zach guides him to a stop and then puts his fingers to his lips and whistles so clear and sharp that Chris's head rings with it for long moments after it's over. A cab has swerved toward them before Zach can even put his hand in the air.
"You have superpowers," Chris says, inanely, as Zach all but manhandles him into the back seat. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Chris," Zach sighs. The door shuts behind Zach, and in the dark, Chris can barely make out the slight curl at the corner of his mouth, the merest hint of a smile. "You've seen me do that a hundred times."
"And yet it's still magical." Chris lets out a sigh himself and sinks down in the seat, letting his head tip back and closing his eyes. He knows from experience that if he watches the city lights fly by, he'll only end up feeling dizzy and sick. He's not so drunk that he's worried about puking on one of Zach's expensive rugs, but that could still change. The night is....well, it's not young, but it's not over yet, either.
"Hey." Zach's elbow knocks into his, and Chris opens one eye a smidge to look at him. "You doing okay?"
Chris chuckles at that. If only Zach could peek inside his mind and feel how he feels right now, wound up and exhausted at the same time, the kind of mood he only finds himself in after a good night out. "I'm great," he says. "Never better."
"Good."
They knock elbows again, and this time Chris isn't sure whether it was his own doing or Zach's. Or maybe it was the cab driver, who weaves through traffic at a clip that has Chris's head rocking gently back and forth on the seat.
"What about you?" Chris asks belatedly. "How come you're so sober?"
When Zach doesn't answer right away, Chris peels his head up off the leather and opens his eyes, forcing himself to focus on Zach's face. Zach looks back at him like he has nothing to hide, but his eyes are shuttered anyway, his mouth rigid in that way he gets when he's holding something back. Chris almost lifts his hand to reach out, but he thinks better of it when he realizes that's not something he's allowed to do. Not something he usually does, anyway, although it's hard now to understand why.
"Zach?" Chris prompts.
Zach twitches his shoulders, almost a shrug. "One of us had to be able to get us home."
Chris doesn't like that answer. Sure, he's drunk, but he's not so drunk he couldn't have called for a car--or, hell, it's a nice night, they could technically have walked. Maybe Chris wasn't too steady on his feet coming out of the club, but he was adjusting. He would have been fine. They've gotten themselves back to hotel rooms and rental houses after wilder nights, stumbling over each other and laughing to the point of tears.
The car pulls up outside Zach's building, and they both clamber out into the cool night air. Zach takes Chris by the elbow again, and even though Chris doesn't need the guidance anymore, he doesn't pull away. And when they make it to the door, Chris grabs for Zach's hand instead, pulls him to a stop.
"Zach," he says, and tugs Zach again, tugs him closer. "What--"
He doesn't know what he's going to ask, but he doesn't need to, because before he can speak, Zach backs him into the shadows beside the doorway and puts a hand to the side of his face, thumb nudging up under his jaw in a way that makes his pulse kick up.
"I didn't want to do anything stupid," Zach says. "Okay?"
Chris nods, slow, and the V of Zach's hand pushes against his throat. He's hot, suddenly--hotter than he was in the club, in the middle of a press of bodies, staring past the girl he was dancing with and seeing Zach staring back at him from his seat at an empty booth.
"Okay," Chris agrees. "So don't do anything stupid." And then he hooks his hand around the back of Zach's neck, pulls him in, and kisses him.
6. If you’re really concentrating, how many words can you write in a day? If I’ve been bitten really hard and I’m on fire and I’m just fucking dumping every single thought that comes into my head re that bunny, I can easily slam 10K in a day. But that’s a very specific sort of vibe and it only happens if the light from Saturn is glinting off a scratch in my glasses or some other magical fuckery.
30. Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future. God there are so many untouched WIP ideas in my folder labeled “Don’t Fucking Touch Until You Finish Something You Already Started Posting Dumbass”. Win A Date With Chris Pine AU is one I eyeball a lot.
@rabidchild67 replied to your post “@thatmysticbafflingwonder replied to your post: first of all, let me...”
Gbbo is my comfort binge so hmu if you want ideas/recipes. They generally start the seasons off on the easy side, with cake or biscuits being up first since I think most folks have a go to in that area. Bread and pies are also often in the early weeks if you want others to choose.
@rabidchild67 replied to your post “first of all, let me state that i have a pinto fic i want to finish...”
How many weeks does your character last? I’d be happy to brainstorm some bakes for u
y’all are amazing, i can feel the love :’) i’m thinking i’d like to take them to the semi-finals?? you know, like they’ve made it far enough on sheer dumb luck and spite, and then they actually start genuinely enjoying it and then don’t make it to the finals? crushing defeat, we love to see it
rabidchild67 replied to your post “Okay, pinto beans, this is a plea for help. I want to actually start...”
Specifics?
Lol, my first thought when I saw this was that’s a bit of a weird title. XD
Basically, Chris is getting anonymous and increasingly threatening letters that turn to full out violence. Zach moves in with him in a show of support, but finds it difficult being so close because of how he feels. So basically it’s a story about danger and pining. XD
