Fic: Grown-up (Ch. 8)

[unavez18.livejournal.com]

Title: Ch. 8
Characters: Zach, Shaun, Cody
Rating: PG13?
Spoilers: End of movie
Notes:  Not a whole lot going on, but someone I think mentioned they wanted to know more about a character I introduced earlier (Shaun's friend).

Their lives fell into a steady routine over the course of the next two weeks.  Zach moved all his work shifts to coincide with Cody's school hours so that he could pick him up and help him with his homework afterwards.  Shaun started to write more and was forced to admit that it was a good thing Zach had taken a job because he "wouldn't have been able to avoid temptation" if Zach had been home all day.  Cody was adjusting well and catching up to his peers (who had almost all been in preschool) under Zach and Shaun's steady tutelage.  The apartment was soon littered with Cody's art and schoolwork, tacked on the refrigerator as well as the walls.  And in those same two weeks Shaun's place finally ceased being "a place to live" and became a home.

 

Zach arrived with Cody on a Friday afternoon to find two glasses of red wine sitting on the kitchen counter.  Cody pushed past Zach to hug Shaun before tossing his backpack down and jumping into a chair at the table for his afternoon snack.

 

"What's this for?" Zach asked, pointing to the wine as Shaun placed a cut up apple in front of Cody.

 

"This is for me having my book mostly figured out in here," he said, pointing to his head.  "And having a decent amount of it in there," he motioned to his laptop which was still propped open on the table.

 

Zach took his glass of wine as he asked, "Can I read it?"

 

"Nope.  Not till it's done," Shaun laughed, then nonchalantly added,  "Also, Ana called and wanted to know if we'd like to have dinner and drinks at her place tonight, and I thought this would mellow you out."

 

Zach glared, putting down his glass.  "I don't need to be 'mellowed out' to meet people," he said.

 

"Fine, then it's just for me," Shaun laughed so that Zach knew he was only teasing.  "So, do you want to go?  You did say you wanted to meet my friends."

 

Zach sighed.  A part of him was becoming increasingly content to be a homebody, but he didn't really want to become a hermit.  "And Cody?" he asked.

 

"And Cody.  I told you, she has a daughter."

 

"Alright, guess so," Zach shrugged, picking up his wine and finishing the glass.

 

***

 

Zach really hadn't learned much about Ana since their accidental encounter at the store.  On the ride over to her house he managed to find out that she was an English teacher at a junior college, her husband Brad was a lawyer, and that they had all met in undergrad.  Cody had dominated the rest of the conversation with endless questions and stories about school and life, and since Shaun's latest read child-rearing article had stressed the importance of keeping children's minds stimulated, they had humored him.

 

As they pulled up to the house Zach immediately started to feel out of place.  It wasn't nearly as grandiose as Shaun and Gabe's home, but he knew from the location in LA and the size that it had cost a pretty penny.

 

Ana opened the front door and warmly greeted both Zach and Shaun with kisses on the cheek.  "So glad you could make it!" she gushed.

 

Cody trailed behind Shaun, holding his hand.  As they stepped into the house, Zach could see that someone was standing behind Ana as well.  Ana turned around and bent over a little as she spoke to her daughter.  "Maya, this is Cody.  Why don't you take him to your play room?"

 

The little girl stepped forward, and Zach was surprised to see that she was of Asian descent.  She wore red osh kosh b’gosh overalls and her jet black hair was tied in two pigtails with little red ribbons.  His eyes quickly darted up to a nearby wall where several pictures were hanging and landed on one of a tan Latina Ana, a younger Maya, and a tall white man.

 

"Looking for the family resemblance?" Ana laughed as she followed Zach's eyes.

 

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you Ana's daughter is adopted," Shaun said over his shoulder.

 

"Oh, that's . . .cool," Zach said, feeling like an idiot already.

 

Maya extended her hand to Cody.  "Do you want to play?"

Cody looked up at Zach, and Zach nodded.  "Okay!" he smiled, and the children took off.

 

Ana lead them to her living room where they sat in comfortable but fancy looking white chairs around a glass coffee table.  Her husband Brad appeared carrying a bottle of wine and a tray with glasses and set it down in front of them before greeting them with a handshake.

 

Ana, Brad, and Shaun quickly engaged in easy banter that bespoke of their long-term friendship while Zach tried his best to appear captivated.  Ana had clearly been briefed on their relationship, and chose to steer clear of any mention of Shaun's ex.  Zach hoped he wasn't drinking his wine too quickly, and as he sat there in the room with the vaulted ceilings and arched windows he couldn't help but feel a little like he was just "playing grown-up" in this very foreign setting.

 

Ana leaned forward a bit, setting down her glass on the coffee table and catching Zach's attention.  "So, have you given any thought as to what kind of career you'd like to have after you graduate?" she asked.

 

Zach blinked a few times, hoping an answer would come to him, but the truth was he hadn't yet thought much beyond getting to explore his artwork further.

 

Brad intervened on his behalf.  "Give him a break, Ana.  He hasn't even started school yet; he's just a kid."

 

Zach's cheeks turn crimson as he suddenly felt frustratingly inadequate to be conversing in this circle of "adults."  But before he could come up with a response, Cody came running around the corner, his shirt pulled up to expose his small stomach.

 

"Zach, I have to go to the bathroom and you made me wear this dumb belt and I can't get it off!" he cried.

 

Zach silently thought thank you, Cody as he excused himself from the awkward moment and walked with the little boy to the hallway bathroom.  He didn't notice Ana, Brad, and Shaun's eyes following him, their conversation momentarily suspended, as he knelt down and undid Cody's belt and pants button. He waited outside the bathroom for Cody to reemerge while the conversation picked up again, but reasoned that he was far enough away that he didn't have to participate in it.

 

After a couple of minutes Cody popped out, his belt hanging undone in front of him.

 

"Did you wash your hands?"  Zach admonished him.

 

Cody halted mid-step and dashed back into the bathroom.  He emerged a few seconds later displaying his damp hands, and Zach fixed his belt before he ran off to play again.

 

When he finally sat back down in the living room Zach noticed Ana and Brad exchanging knowing smiles.

 

"I take that back," Brad said.  "You're not really a kid.  I know a parent when I see one."

 

 

***

 

Brad brought the emptied dinner plates to the sink after waiving off everyone's offers to help.  Cody and Maya had long since left the table and were bounding around the adjacent family room, pretending to be tigers as Ana, Zach, and Shaun stood watching them.  Ana kept smiling at Shaun in a way that made Zach feel both comfortable and uncomfortable; comfortable in that it seemed he had earned her approval, and uncomfortable because it meant that they were communicating about him secretly right over his head.

 

Cody leapt over Maya with a roar that caused them all to laugh before Ana turned to Zach with a questioning look.  "So, do you think you'd ever want to adopt him?" she asked.

 

Zach took a deep breath.  He hadn't really asked himself that question before, though both he and Shaun had skirted around the issue of custody on several occasions.  It was difficult for him to untie his feelings for Cody from his desire to have Jeannie step up to her responsibilities.  But as he watched Cody zip around the room and heard his little laugh-- the same laugh that had been filling Zach’s heart for the past five years-- things suddenly seemed to become clearer.  He realized that he didn't want to go a day without seeing his face, Jeannie or no Jeannie.

 

"Yeah, I think I would, if it came to that," he said very softly, still not taking his eyes off of Cody.  He felt Shaun's hand come down on his shoulder.

 

"I think we would," Shaun corrected him.

 

Zach let the warmth in his chest expand into a smile as he leaned back so that his body connected with Shaun's.  "Yeah . . . but it's complicated."

 

Ana nodded. "Yeah, Shaun told me," she said, compassion in her eyes.

 

"Was it hard to adopt Maya?"  Zach asked.

 

"Well, the first hurdle was the emotional one," she confided.  "I come from a large Latino family, and the idea of breaking out of that mold was difficult.  In the end though I realized that all that really mattered was that I found someone to share my love with."

 

Zach nodded appreciatively.

 

"On the logistical end, we had to have patience of course, but we also had help.  A friend of Brad's does family law and really helped us out.  We could put you in touch with him, but I know your situation is . . . different."

 

"Yeah," Zach let his eyes fall to the floor, trying to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach.

 

"Well, whatever happens, whatever you decide," Ana said, meeting Zach's eyes, then Shaun's "I think you are doing an amazing job with him."

 

Brad passed by with the last of the dirty glasses and kissed Ana quickly on the cheek as he did so.  "Almost done, amor," he said, the last word carrying a relatively decent Spanish accent.

 

Ana sighed contentedly.  "He's good to keep around, isn't he?"  Then she lifted her hand up to partially cover her face as she whispered to Zach with a wink, "Even if he does shoot blanks."

 

*

 

At the end of the evening the four adults stood in the doorway exchanging hugs goodbye.  Cody was asleep in Shaun's arms, his mouth open so that a bit of drool had landed on Shaun's shirt.  Ana whispered in Zach's ear that she thought he was a "really great guy" and that she hoped they could get to know each other more in the future.  Then she turned to Shaun and rubbed his arm warmly.  "So, you found it, huh?" she said with a smile.

 

"Yeah . . . yeah I did," Shaun replied, smiling back.

 

As they got in their car and drove away, Zach couldn't help but ask, "Found what?"

 

Shaun glanced in the rearview mirror at a still-sleeping Cody in his car seat before meeting Zach's eyes and lingering there for just a moment longer than he should have, considering he was driving. 

"What I was missing," he said.

Next: community.livejournal.com/shelter_diner/174340.html

Comments

[abaylor22.livejournal.com]

i was thinking Ana was Latina. I like Ana. ALOT! Happy she saw theinterply between the Codster and Zach(washing of thehands LOL!) Love the secret communication between between real friends.(Shaun/Ana)

I too drink my wine tooooo fast. It's just so dry and spicy. Yummy!

I think it's too early for Zach and Shaun to want to adopt Cody so early as a couple. But if they are soul mates and adopting with their unconventional situation with take a longggg process, then......

[unavez18.livejournal.com]

wanting to and doing are different, and I'm not gonna write about an adoption process 'cause I don't really know much about that, so don't worry

[figaro23.livejournal.com]

Hi, I don't think it's too early for them to discuss adoption. Shaun is a guy who has been around the block and knows what he wants. Both are very family oriented and comfortable with each other and seem pretty ready to settle down. The whole thing smacks of permanence- they will be together for the next 60+ years.

[figaro23.livejournal.com]

Adorable piece! I really enjoyed the description of Zach's initial awkward feelings and feeling like he was "playing grown up." Seems very in character. Zach is such a parent. Glad Shaun's friends saw that he's not just some "kid."

[shelterseeker.livejournal.com]

Wow, another heartwarming chapter. You are definitely an inspiration to other gay writers (me, lol) who would love to someday pump out chapter after chapter of such happiness. Half of what I read ends up in tragedy, and the other half is blah. It is nice to find a place where guys like you write uplifting stuff. Thanks!

[unavez18.livejournal.com]

aw thanks. Sometimes I think my stuff is blah too but it's nice to hear people say they like it :)

[scoutdaniels.livejournal.com]

Lovely update; even in my mid 20s I still feel at times as if I'm just playing at being a grown up so I can totally relate; and way for Brad to recognize that Zach may be young in age but he's mature enough to hang with the adults. Great addition to the series

[bbmaniac.livejournal.com]

this is incredible...

[unavez18.livejournal.com]

thanks everyone, I wasn't really feeling this one

[ltklo.livejournal.com]

I love how you are taking it step-by-step. And hopefully, Cody is building a group of people that make him feel safe.

And this was sweet
"What I was missing," he said.

[girloftheburbs.livejournal.com]

I loved this one the most so far, especially these lines:

"I take that back," Brad said. "You're not really a kid. I know a parent when I see one."

and

Cody leapt over Maya with a roar that caused them all to laugh before Ana turned to Zach with a questioning look. "So, do you think you'd ever want to adopt him?" she asked.

Maya and Brad really cut to the chase, don't they? Although they seem like genuinely wonderful people. Of course they are, they are Shaun's friends, aren't they? :)

[unavez18.livejournal.com]

yeah, well they've adopted so they'd probably think of that sooner than other people :)