Restless Hearts (Closed to Melia)

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"No," Chris answered, a bit enthralled with such an average compliment, "if I was expecting someone, I would have cleaned up." He smiled, the comment clearly a joke and Chris took his coffee without incident and watched as Zach did the same. He took a careful sip from the cup, always wary of burning himself and losing all sense of taste and feeling. Luckily, hot coffee did little to dull his sense of observation and Chris hadn't missed the way that Zach's brown eyes had lingered over him, a motion that his own eyes often took on when it came to the other man—not being as subtle was going to be a change.

Kicking a stray pair of dark jeans toward a pile of the same fabric, Chris used his foot to scoot the pile toward the hallway where the washer and dryer sat, tucked away into a small closet. "You don't have to do anything," Chris said with a soft laugh, "I wasn't serious about you doing my laundry." He set his coffee down on the edge of the counter before getting the laundry started, quietly thankful to whatever god was out there that he had enough detergent and fabric softener.

With the push of a button, the first load was in the washer and Chris felt rather productive. "You can just sit there and look pretty," he added, as if his first attempt at flirting was something of an afterthought. Now rummaging around through the cupboard under the sink, Chris looked for furniture polish and a rag, knowing that pretty much every surface in his place needed a good dusting. All of his relentless energy tended to come in handy for times like this, large cleaning sprees that meant nothing because he wasn't home very much.
 
While Chris had no intentions of letting him help with laundry, Zach knew better than anyone that the task of folding laundry was always easier when two people tackled the job. Especially with sock loads. But if Chris wanted him to sit and look pretty, he was fine with letting the other man think that.

"So I will sit here and model for you while you... Prance around like a housemaid?" Zach chuckled, not beyond noticing the dust cloth and polish. "This is quite the first date."

He wouldn't have it any other way though. There was something so comfortable about this experience compared to other dates he'd had. Other dates required him to be on his best behavior. Trying to impress the other man. With Chris, the foundation of friendship was already there, which made everything feel surprisingly natural. He definitely couldn't complain.
 
"I prefer strut," Chris explained with a grin as managed to grab a yellow can of cleaner from the back of the cupboard by the sink and an old t-shirt that had long since been turned into a dust rag. Standing, Chris swore that he could feel his cheeks heat up as Zach mentioned this being a first date—it was an odd thing to hear and an even stranger concept to consider when just hours before, he had been hiding all of his feelings and the practice had nearly cost him a very important friendship. Inwardly, Chris reminded himself to take things one step at a time and if the moment was good, he should live in it without thinking too much.

Crossing over from the kitchen, Chris began to clear his coffee table. "I thought so," he agreed, "what's more charming than a can of lemon Pledge and the soft sounds of the washer in the background? This is the most romantic thing I've ever done." At the very least, their banter was still a thing and Chris could appreciate that as he began to clear the dust away from the wood's surface.

"But really," he went on, running the rag over the stack of books that had been dumped onto the couch, "I like this. I'm happy with it."
 
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Admittedly, Zach couldn't complain either. There was something very soothing about the sounds of a washing machine running. He felt the same way about the quiet hum of a dishwasher too. And nothing quite boasted a clean house like the smell of lemon pledge. All things that he found comforting as well.

Chris was cute, blushing and perhaps Zach had a bit of an evil streak if anyone were to go by how entertained he got at the ease of flustering Chris.

"I like it too," Zach said honestly. "But don't work too hard. Is there anything I can help with?"
 
It was easy for Chris to be pleased with the sincerity in Zach's voice, and how genuine everything felt in that moment. Although this was hardly what he'd expected for a first date with anyone, let alone Zach, the blond man didn't regret his choices. After all, this was similar to the first time the two had gotten together outside of Star Trek, just something casual, a relaxed atmosphere while Chris simultaneously ran lines and picked up around his apartment—starting there again was natural and Chris appreciated the parallels.

"I don't know," Chris answered, lazily running the rag over the legs of the coffee table before dusting the bottom ledge as well. "Do whatever you want." The thought of Zach cleaning his house just seemed odd, especially when it was something that he was perfectly capable of doing himself. Had this been a normal relationship, free of rules and regulations, Chris would have bothered with dinner reservations and getting dressed in something beyond jeans and a t-shirt. Already, his secrets were stifling.

With the coffee table now dusted off, Chris replaced his various books and remotes for the TV, along with a magazine or two and whatever other decorations had been piled on top of it. He moved on after, over to another stand that was sporting a visible layer of dust.
 
Zach rolled his eyes and pushed himself up off the couch and started helping with tidying up the clutter but putting books back on the bookshelf and folding blankets from Chris' nights and days on the couch. He didn't think it strange at all and found anything too formal a strange idea as well. There was too much comfort and friendship between them for anything to get too formal. At least that's what Zach thought. Besides, it was simply polite to help. And neatness was his forte.

The morning light filtered in through the blinds in the living room and made the atmosphere pleasant and cheerful. Zach threw open a window because lord knew how long the flat had been shut up with no real air movement. Fresh air certainly wouldn't hurt anything and it was early enough that the outside temperatures weren't scorching yet.

It was odd, to think that just the night before, they had been having such a personal conversation, something that Chris was clearly uncomfortable with talking about, and today, it was as though everything were normal. But both of them knew that at the back of each other's mind was the conversation from the night before.
 
Over the next year few hours, Chris made an incredible amount of progress on his laundry—washing and drying it, at least. The clothes from the dryer had been left to pile up on the couch, which left him questioning how he had fit so much into his suitcases to begin with. However, the laundry was something to be dealt with later, folded when he had nothing better to do, and actually having one room in his apartment clean prompted him to do the rest. It mattered very little that he was hardly ever around to enjoy the space, but Zach was correct in thinking that a clean house meant a clear mind and after their conversation from the night before, Chris just wanted his thoughts to settle.

"We should do something later," Chris mentioned just as he finished pulling the sheets from his bed. "An actual something that isn't cleaning my apartment." There were several ideas swimming around in his mind as he loaded the sheets into the washer, and it was hard to pick just one. After all, first dates were supposed to be special, fun memories to look back on and possibly laugh about—he and Zach couldn't do that if they had to hide from everyone.

Now that the washer was started once more, Chris moved back into the kitchen and picked up his cold coffee, the cup half full as he went to finish it off. "Yes, no?" Chris asked, eyebrows raised as he looked to Zach who had busied himself with something else that needed picking up.
 
Chris may have planned to fold his laundry later, but Zach was content to pick up that duty for him. That way, Chris could zip about his apartment cleaning while Zach buried himself in stacks of Chris' clothes. Namely, his boxers. He'd folded Chris' laundry before but somehow, the knowledge that Chris had deeper feelings for him made the process much more intimate. And funny. Some of the boxers definitely needed replacement and feeling quite domestic and hoping that Chris wouldn't notice that his stock of underwear had shrunk, Zach tossed the holiest of boxers and socks in the trash just as Chris returned to the room.


"I'm down for that," Zach said nonchalantly, returning to his spot on the couch folding laundry. "We could just stay here and watch a movie, if you want. We don't have to go out. And I can make that Italian dinner that you wanted so bad." The good news was that Chris didn't live too far from a grocery store. And a solo trip there wouldn't bring on that much attention. And a good Vienna sausage dish did sound appetizing today. And Zach was convinced he could far outcook anything that could be found at Olive Garden. Though the breadsticks were hard to beat.

"You know what movie I haven't seen yet is that new Star Trek film," he joked. "I think we should watch that."
 
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Staying in and having dinner sounded like the perfect night to Chris, who was still looking for ways to decompress and detach from the press tour. On top of that, dinner together was the chance to do the previous night over, to make up for the way he'd acted and currently, Chris couldn't think of anything more intimate than a bottle of wine, something Italian, a bit of candle light and a movie. In a way, their first date was about to perfectly sum up their friendship, which had always been so easy and warm and as an added bonus, it was about to get much less complicated. Being secretive didn't have to mean a life of boring dates.

"Oh, yeah?" Chris asked, smiling as he moved over from the kitchen to pick up a pile of folded jeans, and a much smaller stack of boxers. "Isn't Chris Evans in that?" Because Hollywood was overrun by white dudes named Chris. "We could watch it—I kind of have a thing for Spock. Those ears really do it for me." Punctuating his sentence with a laugh, Chris was soon back down the hall, ready to haphazardly fit clothes into drawers instead of suitcases.

After the clothes had been put away, Chris came back out into the living room to join Zach and pick up another pile—this time it was socks, which there were significantly less of than he remembered bringing with. "What are you going to make me?" he asked, reaching around the other man for a stack of t-shirts.
 
Zach couldn't help but smile to himself as Chris walked away with his pile of clothes. He had to admit he liked flirty Chris. Flirty Chris was certainly more of an improvement to nervous/ scared/ lying Chris. Everything felt so much more natural and comfortable now. It made him very glad that he had called instead of texted the night before. Their conversation had been much needed. And the mood had lightened significantly.

He laughed and called back to Chris, "I gues the bowl cut never really did it for me though the intelligence factor was a turn on." Nothing like a little self indulgence. "But I've really got more of a thing for Jim Kirk. Such a flirt. It's rather cute. And he's so classically handsome."

As Chris returned and reached around him for the shirts it brought the pair of them quite close together for just a brief moment they locked eyes. "Well hello there," Zach said coyly with a flirty smile. "What would you like me to make you?" His voice dipped lower, the power of the Zach flirt. It was a force to be reckoned with. The shift of sexual tension in the air was palpable and left even Zach breathless from their physical closeness.
 
There was nothing like a humble-brag to remind Chris of why he liked Zach so much. He supposed that if they really were the characters that they portrayed on screen, the Vulcan's intelligence would have definitely peeked Jim's interest and in the real world, Zach's mind had always been something that Chris had wanted to figure out; unspool those thoughts and discover what made the dark-haired man tick other than a compulsive need to be neat in every aspect of his life. Still, the compliment, the returned flirting put a smile on Chris's face, made him giddy to realize that all of this was really happening. That conversation from the night before, while it had made him something of a nervous wreck, had clearly been a step in the right direction.

With the same smile still on his face, Chris returned from his bedroom and found himself caught in a heated look with Zach, the other man's lowered voice catching his attention almost immediately after those powerful brown eyes locked onto his own blue irises. They were so close, and Chris had anything but food on his mind as he stood there, a sock pile and washer-soft t-shirts in his hand of all things when his fingers could have, and should have, been everywhere else. There was a part of Chris that wanted to lean in, close the gap between them for a light peck, a tease of what could come later, but the timing didn't seem right—not yet.

"I think you said something about risotto last night," Chris answered and straightened up, shifting the folded shirts to the crook of his elbow before letting his hand lightly squeeze Zach's hip. He was solid, the right kind of warm and the blond didn't want to let go. "But you can make whatever's easiest. I'm not picky."

Another truth and Chris let it linger before he disappeared back down the hall. Thoughts buzzed at the back of his mind, a wish that Zach would follow. The new tension that had erupted between them was nice, the sexual charge of it all that Chris knew he would get used to much too fast if anything came of this first date.
 
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"Tease," Zach muttered as Chris walked away down the hallway again. How could he possibly have resisted that smolder? A hip squeeze? Please. He knew Chris was much more soft than he was, emotionally and he suspected romantically as well, though he was sure to find out soon enough.

He wouldn't follow after him though. It wasn't Zach's style to follow. It was Chris that had chosen to stretch that sexual tension by walking away. And Zach would respect that. Chris was very new to this and it was cute, but he also had to remind himself that he would likely not get returned aggressive flirting techniques. Especially from someone who was not at all used to flirting with guys. Particularly flirting with Zach, who was particularly good at it.

It may have come with practice but it also was part of who he was. A go getter and assertive. Chris could be quite shy at times which also made Zach feel protective of him. He took his smoldering down a few notches and left it at a gentle simmer.

"Hmm risotto would be good too. I've got a few good ones up my sleeve." He pondered a bit, his lips purposely forming a flirty pout. "How about a sausage and spinach risotto? I need some spice in my life." He wiggled his eyebrows and gave Chris a quick wink as the other man reemerged from his room, the last pile of laundry put away.

"But the day is young and dinner is far away. What shall we do in the mean time? Binge watch all the TV shows we missed while we were on tour?"
 
Admittedly, it had been a long time since Chris had flirted with another man and even longer since he'd perused a relationship. Still, the blond didn't think that he was all that rusty, and sometimes, his own brand of sweet and straight-forward affection did it for people. Of course, whether or not it would ever work on Zach was a mystery, and Chris didn't honestly think that he was the other man's type—rather introverted, shy about the weirdest things, much too California and more than a little vanilla. They were complete opposites in that respect and some days, Chris was amazed that they had even become friends and now, all of that was about to change as well.

As he put another armful of clothes away in his bedroom, Chris heard Zach agree to risotto. If nothing else came out of this non-traditional first date, at least there was good food. After sliding the last drawer closed once more, Chris wandered back out into the hallway and was just in time to see Zach wink at him. He laughed, surprised by the Zoolander-ish expression. "I can't believe you just winked at me," he said, still very amused as he considered whether or not sausage and spinach sounded good, or if Zach was simply trying to force more vegetables on him—probably the latter. "As long as it's not kale, you can make whatever you want."

With the last of the laundry now put away, and the washer still running through its cycle, Chris felt comfortable enough to deem the apartment clean. He felt rather accomplished even if he hadn't bothered to get rid of the sad lime that continued to be the sole occupant of his fridge. "There's a month of Dexter on there somewhere," Chris mentioned, referring to the DVR, which he hoped hadn't become full while he was away. "And maybe some Lost, but I'm not sure." It was hard to take fog monsters seriously and honestly, good TV was low on his list of priorities when he was hardly ever home.

Moving about the room, Chris picked up the cleaning supplies and was quick to store them back under the sink before snagging the laundry basket and putting it back on top of the dryer where it belonged. Now that the couch was free of all laundry, Chris picked up the remote from the coffee table and handed it off to Zach before sitting down.
 
Chuckling, Zach made himself comfortable on Chris' couch once again with remote in hand. "Dexter, yay. Lost, nay. I can not handle Jack. I'm so over that heroic character trope and there he is being the main character all over the place. Just a little too much drama for me. Now Dexter I can relate to. Murdering sociopaths are just my type." At least his acting type. Zach did love such out there roles.

Trying to remember how to work Chris' remote proved to be a challenge though. It'd been far too long since he'd played with this TV and sometimes technology could be so difficult.

"Not sure if I've even got the right remote here. How do I find your DVR?" he asked, squinting at the buttons on the remote. "I think I've got the TV remote..." Zach dug between the cushions in search of the cable remote, finding it sunk between two cushions and likely been there for months. "Let's see," he said, thinking out loud. "Cable, input- no- that's my TV. Agh I don't know what I did..." Zach whined, passing the remote to Chris. "It's your TV you figure it out. We need popcorn. I'll figure that out."

He got up again and wandered to the kitchen digging through the cupboards. Zach was usually against popcorn in the living room at his place, simply because the kernels always ended up all over the place no matter how hard he tried to keep them in the bowl. But Chris' place was different and popcorn seemed perfect for a TV binge.

Way in the back of the cupboard above the fridge, Zach found the microwavable popcorn, slightly expired, but probably still just as tasty with a few extra duds than the average bag of popcorn.
 
"You play one homicidal sociopath and suddenly you're an expert," Chris grinned, laughing softly as he watched Zach struggle with the remote. In all fairness, there were three or four of them lying around and because he was hardly ever home, Chris had never bothered to get something universal. Still, he offered no help as Zach went about pressing buttons, pointing at various devices on his television and finally sticking his hands between the cushions of the couch to find another long, lost remote. The TV itself was rather unresponsive, and Chris chuckled again as Zach gave up, regulating himself to popcorn duty. "It's probably expired," he warned, which was another fault of never being around.

Picking up one of the remotes, Chris turned the TV on with ease and kicked his feet up onto the freshly dusted and polished coffee table. After, he found the DVR without batting an eye and waited for Zach to be done in the kitchen before turning on the oldest recorded Dexter episode. It had been such a long time since Chris had watched any type of show, and he barely remembered what was going on anymore. It didn't really matter, of course, this was just a way to pass the time before it was late enough to have dinner, and truthfully, Chris didn't mind wasting time with Zach—it was what they had always done as friends and it was clear that the routine wasn't going to change very much.

"Was I right?" he asked when Zach returned to the couch, "was it expired?" Chris gave the bowl a questionable look and wondered how bad old movie theater butter could possibly be for a person. He settled down beside the other man on the couch, not much space between them as he hit play and a new episode started on the large screen in front of them. Against his better judgment, Chris reached for a few kernels of popcorn and popped them into his mouth. "Good news," he said after discovering that there was nothing suspicious about the taste, "I'm not going to die on our first date."
 
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"Only a bit expired," Zach said through a mouthful of popcorn as he plopped down on the couch next to Chris, their shared weight on the cushions creating a dip that encouraged their bodies to lean against one another. Zach let the bowl rest on each of their legs and helped himself to another handful.

"Never said I was an expert though. Each serial killer has his own unique motives and brand of crazy. I find Dexter an interesting piece to study, if you will. To hone my acting skills. Who said learning couldn't be fun??" he exclaimed with a dramatic flourish of one hand. He settled comfortably against Chris and watched the television, unable to stay quiet for too long. He always had to have a running commentary of whatever he was watching.

"This is one of those times where I'm glad they have a recap because I can't remember anything from where we left- oh yeah! Shit! I forgot about that!" He pointed enthusiastically at the TV as the episode reminded them of what was going on.

Halfway through he told Chris that he thought they'd already seen this episode but it was probably good to have a refresher. And later about how brilliant the writers were. Except for that one predictable part. And then how he didn't see that coming. But that he totally saw coming. And it was a good thing blood didn't bother him in the slightest, as he continued to enjoy his popcorn and the closeness to Chris.
 
Episodes that came with some kind of recap were infinitely useful, and just like Zach, Chris had forgotten almost everything that had happened on the show since the last time he'd tuned in. Although his career was something akin to steady before Star Trek, landing the movie made him so much more busy, and there was less time to take a Saturday and clean out his DVR while laying on the couch in his pajamas. It felt good to relax, though, especially after a solid of month of touring to promote the film. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get much of a break because pre-production on his next project was set to start in two weeks and the blond knew that he was going to have even less time to spend with Zach.

As the episode began to run its course, Zach announced that he had seen it before, and thinking on it, Chris had as well. However, he wasn't in any rush to reach for the remote, feeling that the coffee table was much too far away, and he truly didn't mind a re-watch when part of his brain still had no idea what was happening. "I don't remember the end of this," Chris admitted, gesturing toward the screen. "Maybe I fell asleep." That was a regular occurrence for Chris—passing out on the couch with fifteen minutes of something left, doomed to never see the ending.

After reaching for another handful of popcorn, Chris leaned his head against Zach's shoulder. It was less cautious than his previous touch, but the prolonged contact brought them much closer together. In a way, Chris was just testing the waters, trying to calm the rapid beat of his heart, or brace himself for Zach pulling away after deciding that it didn't feel right. He didn't glance up at the other man, blue eyes continuing to watch the action on screen because at least that was something to focus on.
 
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Chris falling asleep during movies or television shows was not new news to Zach. He chuckled quietly as they continued to watch, having experienced it on more than one occasion himself. At the time it had been slightly annoying, especially when he wanted to talk about the film they had just seen only to find Chris dozing next to him. And he never did very well explaining what had happened, generally ending the conversation with "You had to see it." It was likely to happen today. Possibly even a few times.

As Chris lay his head on his shoulder, Zach heavily suspected that such a thing may just happen sooner rather than later, and that he may just fall asleep on him. The weight of the other man's head felt nice, however, and the clean scent of his shampoo wafted into Zach's nose. Hesitantly, he nuzzled his nose closer, letting the fine strands of blond hair tickle his upper lip.

Being on tour had left little time for any kind of serious relationship. Lighting guy aside, when that had gone belly up and there had been some tension during filming, he hadn't made too terribly much effort to seek out a relationship, knowing full well that he would be too busy for it, as well as there being a significantly higher risk of him being outed against his will to the public.

With Chris, this felt more natural and he knew he could trust the other man to keep it to himself. Especially when he was so closeted himself. Zach knew eventually he would come forward with it, when the right time and place arose. And it would suck for awhile, the media attention, but he hoped people would move on and he could go back to a more peaceful lifestyle. Peaceful like this was in this very moment. He smiled, letting his arm drape around Chris' shoulder and pulling him closer.
 
Although the jet-lag had worn off, and his sleep schedule had finally returned to normal, Chris was always magically able to sneak in a good nap whenever there was time. After spending the morning cleaning his apartment from top to bottom and doing enough laundry to remind him of how big wardrobe had gotten, sleeping on Zach's shoulder didn't seem like a bad thing. On top of that, he wasn't terribly interested in what was happening on screen, even though the next episode of Dexter was brand new, and the current one offered an ending that he had previously passed out on, just being with Zach was enough to satisfy Chris for the moment. He was a simple man, quick to be content with just the simplest touch, or a sincere smile.

In retrospect, bracing himself for some kind of horrible rejection had been for nothing. It was obvious that Zach wanted to be there, or he wouldn't have come over so early and folded clothes that weren't his own, and after their conversation the night before, Chris should have known better that Zach wasn't going to randomly decided that all of this was wrong. Sometimes, it was hard for the blond to believe that other people wanted to stick around for him, and he suspected that it had something to do with lingering insecurities from years ago. He had never been the most popular or sought after guy, and he wasn't used to getting exactly what he wanted, either. After being told that he had absolutely had to stay in the closet in order to get work, cuddling with Zach was that much sweeter.

Having Zach's arm around him only relaxed Chris further, but he couldn't manage to hide his smile. After months of trying to hide his crush on the other man, going to work and pretending that everything was normal between them, and being scolded every time he got too close, he finally got to be himself. It didn't matter that a key aspect of he was needed to stay behind closed doors because for now, Chris was more happy than he'd been in the last year. He cuddled closer to the other man as his hair was nuzzled at and soon enough and just as the episode was starting to come to an end, his eyes slipped closed.

The only thing that prevented his nap from lasting longer was the timer on the dryer, buzzing loudly and interrupting absolutely everything. Chris made a noise, a cross between an annoyed huff and a tired whine. At some point, he'd managed to slide down from Zach's shoulder and onto his chest, which he offered a sheepish smile for. "Morning," he joked, laughing softly before sitting up to give a stretch. "I'm not good at TV—I feel like we should have learned our lesson by now."
 
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As suspected, Chris was asleep in no time. Zach smiled and brushed his fingers lightly through the other man's hair, content to continue watching as Chris snoozed. He couldn't imagine the relief that the blond was feeling. Zach had come to terms with his sexual orientation years ago, but he remembered how freeing and relaxing it was to finally acknowledge who he was and who he loved. For Chris, this was new and scary and Zach wanted to make sure that it wasn't crippling for him either. The brunet often came across as hard, perhaps emotionless, but he did care. He cared that Chris remain protected at such a vulnerable time. He cared that the other man feel safe and not judged. Even if for some reason this didn't work out, Chris was still his friend. A friend he cared very deeply about. It made him pull his arms around the sleeping man tighter, more protectively.

He would make sure that Chris would be alright with whatever choices he made and he knew he would stand by his side through thick and thin. Which to be honest was more than he could have said for some of his previous lovers. It didn't feel wrong to feel that way about Chris and Zach liked that. And he felt safe in a way too. Safe in knowing that the effort he would put in to this would not be wasted because he knew Chris and he knew Chris respected him.

Dexter rolled on in the background and was well into the next episode when the buzzer on the dryer woke a sleepy, teddy bear Chris. Zach's smile was tender when his eyes met the drowsy blue eyes of the other man. "I don't mind. Want me to get that? You don't have to get up." He would have been content to watch Dexter all day while Chris slept on him. He could definitely get used to this.
 
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