Pillow Talk

Title: Pillow Talk
A Shelter One-Shot
Author: Jessica ([info]sam_cdn )
Disclaimer: I do not own and did not create the film Shelter. I am making no profit off of this.
A/N: This bit of silliness came to me in a flash, and I had to write it out. At the very least, I hope it's entertaining!


Shaun blinked slowly, half-expecting that when he opened his eyes, he would see a cold pillow beside him, and not the face he had been dreaming about in agony the past few weeks. But as he opened his eyes, he saw that yes, his dreams had come true, for here was Zach, staring right back at him. Shaun smiled, and Zach did too and inched a bit closer. They were lying on their sides, facing each other, having just made love for the first time since that horrible day that Shaun hated to think about when Gabe had come back, and he had called Zach a coward, and Zach told him that they were done.

Shaun blinked again, this time to try and help compose himself, to force himself to not think about that time. Instead, he focused on what had happened that day: this morning, he had been packing his bags to go back to L.A. alone, and now he had Zach in his bed and Cody, safe, in the room just across the hall from them

Zach reached out and brushed a hand down the side of Shaun’s face. Shaun smiled comfortably, and caught the hand, drawing it in to his chest.

“You’re beautiful too, you know.”

The statement came so suddenly and so unexpectedly, it took Shaun a moment to take it in. Was it really Zach saying these words? “What?” he said, because it fell out of his mouth before anything more coherent could.

Zach turned red suddenly, and pulled his had away. “Nevermind.”

“No, no,” Shaun said, forcing himself not to grin and divulge how incredibly adorable he was finding Zach just now. “Babe, I’m sorry, I heard you. I just … wasn’t expecting it.” He reached out and grabbed Zach’s hand again. “Thank you.”

Zach smiled a little with the side of his mouth. “I just … I don’t think I ever said anything like that to you, and … I just wanted you to know … I mean, I wanted you to know that I do notice—I mean, when I look at you, I—”

“I know,” Shaun said, deciding it was about time he relieved Zach from his embarrassment. God, this kid can get embarrassed easily, he thought, then had to stop himself from grinning again. “I know it’s hard for you, and I really appreciate you saying it now.”

“Well … you’re welcome.”

“Zach,” Shaun said, ”you haven’t done anything worth being embarrassed about. Somehow, you just made me happier than I already was, and I wouldn’t have thought that was even possible.”

Finally, Zach smiled. “I’m happy too.”

They grinned stupidly at each other for a moment longer, before Shaun pushed the covers off the bed. “Now,” he said, allowing his eyes to feast on Zach’s naked body, “I think I might have mentioned this before, but I find you to be quite attractive as well.”

Zach raised an eyebrow. “Really? Wow, I never knew.”

Shaun nodded solemnly, and started to run his hand down the length of Zach’s body. “Yes, I know, I normally hide it so well.”

At this, Zach burst out laughing. “Dude, you’re so weird sometimes.”

Shaun grinned back at him, then grabbed Zach suddenly, and pulled his body up to his. “What did I say about calling me dude in bed?”

Zach hadn’t stopped laughing. “I’m sorry, what’s better? ‘Man’? ‘Bro’? ‘Partner’?” Zach stopped laughing suddenly, and his eyes widened.

Shaun grew serious as well, and even though he knew that wasn’t what Zach meant, he said: “What did you say?”

“I—I didn’t mean … I just meant it like ‘howdy, partner,’ you know? Shit, never mind, I’m an idiot.”

Shaun chuckled. “No, you’re not. I know that’s what you meant.”

“Right. So, let’s just forget it.”

“Sure,” Shaun said, but then thought about it for a moment. He didn’t want to push Zach, or make it too much too soon for either of them, but after the day they had had, it somehow seemed right. And considering the opportunity that had just arisen, he was tempted to think that it was fate. “Or, we could not forget it.”

Zach looked at him with a guarded expression. “What d’you mean?”

“Well, listen, if you’re not into it, it’s fine, but what if we did start using the term partners?”

“Instead of boyfriends?”

“Yeah.”

Zach looked down at the bed, and Shaun could practically see the wheels turning in his brain. “Sounds kind of like we’re business partners or something.”

“Yeah, I know, it isn’t the best term, but it’s fairly universal now. People know what it means. It’s just … it’s a way of saying we’re together that’s a little more serious than saying we’re boyfriends.”

Zach nodded, but didn’t say anything. “Listen,” Shaun continued, “if it’s too serious too soon, that’s totally fine, we can wait.”

“Well, we are going to live together.”

“True.”

“I’m not crazy about calling you my boyfriend either. It sounds so … high school.”

Shaun chuckled. “I know.”

Finally Zach looked up and met Shaun’s eyes. “All right, let’s do it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Shaun grinned. “Cool.” He paused. “I’ve never called any guy my ‘partner’ before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

There was a comfortable silence before Zach said: “So … should we shake on it or something?”

Shaun grinned. “I can think of something better than shaking.”

Zach bit his lip, and reached under the covers to slide his hand along Shaun’s thigh. “I was hoping you’d say that.”