shelter_diner | The House Guest

Title: The House Guest
Author:

jess_d_10
Fandom: Shelter
Rating: R
Pairing; Characters: Zach/Shaun; Gabe, Cody
Chapter: 1/9
Summary: Gabe needs help more than he ever has before, and Zach and Shaun step up to the plate.
Notes: This is a multi-chaptered story, but I've already completed writing the whole thing, so I should be posting chapters fairly quickly. I had so much fun writing this ... I hope you'll all have fun reading it!

Chapter One

Zach

“I’ve honestly never heard him sounding so down,” Shaun told his partner. “I think realizes he really screwed up here.”

“Sounds like he’s getting a wake-up call,” Zach said. It was late in the evening and they were sitting in their office/studio where Zach had been sketching. After speaking to his brother on the phone, Shaun had just finished informing Zach of what Gabe told him: that he had failed all of his classes for fall quarter and was on academic probation, that he had blown the limit on Larry’s credit card for the second time that month, and that two days ago, he was arrested for public intoxication. Gabe said that he thought that it was the arrest that had done it: Larry was cutting him off. He refused to pay for Gabe to continue going to school if he was going to throw it all away, as he put it. So academic probation or not, Gabe couldn’t continue into winter quarter at UCSB since he didn’t have the cash for tuition. He also didn’t have the cash for rent, food, gas, or anything else since his sole source of income had been cut off.

Shaun looked at Zach squarely in the eyes. “We need to help him.”

Zach nodded. “Of course.”

“I didn’t offer yet, but …” Shaun hesitated for a moment, and took a deep breath. “Well, I was thinking maybe he could come live with us for a bit.” Zach was not surprised. He nodded, and Shaun continued: “We would have to set some guidelines. It would only be temporary, just to get him back on his feet. He would have to find a job. I was also thinking he wouldn’t have to completely drop out of school. Maybe he could go to Glendale Community College and take care of some of his Gen. Ed. requirements, get his G.P.A. back up.” Zach nodded again. “But, of course, it’s only if you’re OK with it. This should be a mutual decision, and if you don’t want my brother coming to live with us, I would completely understand. It was just an idea; anyway, we don’t have to—”

“Shaun,” Zach interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“Gabe’s family. Of course we have to help him. I think having him move in with us is a great idea.”

“Really?” Shaun sounded somewhat incredulous.

Zach smiled. “Yes, really! He needs our support, and … and we have a futon with his name written all over it.” In unison, the two men turned and looked at the blue futon that took up a corner of the room they were in. It was their only offering for any overnight guests they had, other than the living room couch.

“That futon does seem to scream out Gabe, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. So …”

“So?”

Zach grinned. “Let’s do it.” It had been a year and change since Shaun had said those very words to him, and Zach was grateful for every moment since then. What had started out as something new and exciting, albeit frightening, had become life as Zach knew it. A couple of months ago, Zach had gotten full, permanent custody of Cody, so they could finally, officially, call him their son. They lived in a nice apartment in Valencia, where a eucalyptus tree brushed against their dining room window, and sun streamed into their bedroom every morning. Zach was loving school, and had a job at a café that he didn’t hate. Shaun’s second book was finished, soon to be published, and he had already received a healthy advance for it. He was also doing some freelance writing for literary magazines, and was feeling more inspired than he ever had in his life. Cody was doing great at school, still loved to surf and was getting better at it each time they went. They had good friends, and a strong family. They had a lot to be happy about. So when Zach heard that the man who was his best friend and his partner’s brother was in trouble, there was no question of whether or not to help him. He never turned his back on family, and he considered Gabe family now more than he ever had before.

“All right then,” Shaun said. “I’ll call him in the morning.”

* * *

Shaun

“Dude, are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Now quit being a pain in the ass and start packing.”

Gabe’s chuckle wasn’t his usual, easy laugh. “Sorry, but I just … look, I don’t want to be in your way—”

“You won’t be.”

“And I don’t want to cramp your style—”

“Our style? Gabe, we have a six-year-old kid. We have no style.”

“I can’t ask you to do this.”

“You didn’t. We offered, and now you’re going to accept. Come on, you know it’s your best bet.”

Gabe was silent for what seemed like a long time to Shaun, before he finally said: “Fine, OK. You know, you’re pretty awesome, big brother.”

Shaun smiled. “Yeah, well, it’s not just me, remember. Your best friend is pretty cool too.”

“Right, I know. Dude, I’ve known that for years.”

Shaun resisted the urge to say, “Me too.” Instead, he asked, “So, when do you want to move in?”

“Uh, as soon as possible? I gotta find some way to pay my roommates this month’s rent, and then I’m out of here. Would Sunday work for you guys?”

It was already Thursday, but Shaun saw no reason why Sunday wouldn’t work. “Yeah, sounds good. You need us to come help you move, or can everything fit in your car?”

“My car should be fine. I’ll give you a shout if I need another vehicle.”

“All right then. I guess we’ll see you Sunday.”

“Yeah.” Gabe was quiet for a moment. “Seriously, man, thanks. You’re saving my life here.”

Shaun thought for a moment of his partner, of the sacrifices he had made for his family in the past. This little act of kindness toward his brother felt like nothing compared to that. “Don’t even mention it, Gabe.”

And like that, it was settled. Gabe would be moving in with them for a temporary, but as yet undefined period of time. Shaun and Zach had discussed the details the night before, and Shaun passed them on to Gabe when he called to make his offer: they couldn’t help him out with that quarter’s tuition at UCSB, but they could certainly help out with paying for a few classes at Glendale, the closest community college. There, he could take some transferable General Education requirements, and hopefully improve his G.P.A. He’d probably have to get a part-time job, though, to cover some of those costs. Gabe said he thought it all sounded good, and despite some hesitancy over whether or not he would be a burden to them, seemed relieved to have a potential solution to his problem.

As much as Shaun wished the circumstances were better, he was kind of excited to have his kid brother come stay with them. For years, Gabe had been the connection between him and Zach, and the three of them had always gotten along perfectly. Cody thought he was hilarious, and even though he knew it wouldn’t (and definitely couldn’t) be a full time party, it would be fun to have Gabe there. He thought that Larry was being a jerk for abandoning his son just when he obviously needed help the most. He knew it was petty, but he also sort of liked how taking Gabe in when Larry had cut him off was a little act of defiance toward his step-father.

That night at dinner, he and Zach told Cody about the new addition to their household.

“He’s going to live here, like, all the time?” Cody was sitting on his knees on his chair, bouncing, swaying, and squirming, his usual, constantly-moving self.

“Yeah, Codes, all the time!” Zach said, grinning. He seemed to be pleased with Cody’s obvious enthusiasm over the idea of Gabe moving in.

“Well, all the time, but not forever. He’ll just be here for a few months,” Shaun clarified.

Cody stopped moving for a moment, suddenly deep in thought. “How long is a few months?”

“It’s pretty long, Cody,” Zach said. He speared a broccoli floret on his plate. “It’s lots of sleeps. Like, maybe a hundred.”

“A hundred sleeps? Is that how long we’ve been living here?”

“No,” Shaun said, “we’ve been living here more than a hundred sleeps. We’ve been living here … hmm. More than four hundred sleeps.”

“So how long is a hundred sleeps?”

“It’s still long, Cody,” Zach said. “Finish your milk, please.”

As Cody concentrated on the task of picking up his cup of milk with both hands and taking an admirable gulp of it, Zach and Shaun shared a look. Shaun loved how after only a little over a year, they could already communicate so much with just a look. This one said, Thank God he’s excited by this idea, maybe this will all work out great after all, man, our son has an endless supply of energy, let’s hope he and Gabe don’t run us ragged, oh, and also, I love you. Pretty much all their looks, in some way or another, said I love you. At least, Shaun thought so.

* * *

Zach

Friday night was New Year’s Eve, and Zach and Shaun spent it at home, with Cody. They ordered Chinese food, played board games, and told Cody he was allowed to stay up until midnight. Of course, the little boy was sound asleep before ten o’clock, so after carrying him to his bed and tucking him in, the two men played one round of cribbage, and then toasted the New Year with sparkling wine, and lots of kisses. Zach thought it was a perfect New Year’s Eve, and wouldn’t have wished for it any other way. His friends from Cal Arts thought he was crazy. They were all going to what was supposed to be an amazing party at a club in L.A., and had tried to convince Zach and Shaun to get a babysitter and join them, but Zach had turned them down. He wanted to spend the night with his family, and that included Cody.

On Saturday, they tried to clear out as much space as they could in the office/studio/guestroom for Gabe. They moved Zach’s sketching table to their bedroom, and put a few boxes they had been storing in there into the laundry room. They put sheets and pillows on the futon, and moved a small table that had been in a corner of their living room to the make-shift bedroom for Gabe to use as a bedside table.

Sunday was there before they knew it. Gabe had said he was going to try to get going early, and had insisted that he would be at their place before noon. Unsurprisingly, it was past two when Zach’s best friend arrived, his car filled to the point that it looked like it would burst with his ill-packed possessions.

The three men were easily able to transport the car’s contents into the apartment, and Zach and Shaun helped Gabe arrange everything in his room. It took no more than an hour to move Gabe in and suddenly, Zach realized, he and his best friend would be living together, something that they had discussed many times before. What they had not previously speculated about was that that they would be living together with Zach’s boyfriend and their son. Not for the first time since agreeing to this arrangement, Zach was apprehensive.

“So,” Gabe said, rubbing his hands together as they all stood in the living room after finishing with the unpacking, “what now? I say we pick up some beers and celebrate this joyous occasion. What do you guys say?”

Shaun cleared his throat. “Actually, Gabe, I found a few job postings on Craigslist I thought you might want to check out. I was thinking maybe we could try getting the ball rolling and set up some interviews for this week.”

Gabe groaned. “Oh come on, man, I don’t want to worry about that shit now. I just moved in! Dude, let’s do something fun tonight. Let’s go out.”

“Gabe, we have a six-year-old. We can’t just ‘go out’ anytime we want.”

“So what? Just get a babysitter, no big deal.”

“It isn’t that easy. And anyways, I don’t think going out tonight is a good idea. Did you already forget why you’re here?”

Zach watched the exchange between the two brothers in silence, not really sure whose side to take. He knew what Shaun was thinking, and he partly agreed: Gabe’s partying had finally caught up with him and, even if only temporarily, had screwed up his life. Zach was sure there would be nights while Gabe lived here that they let loose and had some fun, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to start things off that way, considering the circumstances. On the other hand, he thought Shaun could ease up a bit on his brother. Zach knew he was only trying to help, but when Shaun got into protective older brother mode, he could sometimes be a little over-bearing.

“Look,” Zach finally said after a silence that felt long, “I’m working at six o’clock tomorrow morning, so I don’t want to do anything crazy tonight anyways. Let’s just save it for another time, man. Maybe we could find a babysitter next weekend, and we can all go out and do something.”

Gabe sighed. “All right, man. Sorry, I didn’t realize you had work so early.”

They were fortunately saved from any further awkwardness by Cody bounding into the room. “Are you guys done with moving yet?” He had been asked to play in his room while they helped Gabe get settled.

“Sure are, buddy,” Shaun said, a smile finally brightening his features. Zach made a mental note to tell his partner how fucking good he looked when he smiled.

“Can I show Gabe my room now?”

“Heck yes, you can,” Gabe said. “Lead the way, dude.”

The rest of the evening passed by without any more unpleasantness. They ordered pizza for dinner, and then played a few rousing rounds of Go Fish before Cody went to bed. They didn’t stay up much later than that—Zach wanted to get to sleep early, so he and Shaun retreated to their bedroom while Gabe stayed up and watched TV.

They changed into pajamas, then settled into their bed: Zach, stretched out on his side, flipping through one of Shaun’s issues of Esquire, and Shaun sitting up, two pillows behind his back, and his laptop open on his thighs. The room was filled with a soft glow from their two bedside lamps. It felt comfortable. It felt like home.

“Do you think I was pushing too hard today with the job listings?” Shaun asked suddenly.

Zach looked up at Shaun from his magazine. “I don’t know. I guess you could’ve waited for a bit to bring that up.”

Shaun nodded. “Yeah. I just … I want to help him. I want this all to work out.”

“I know,” Zach said, reaching out a hand to place on Shaun’s thigh, “and I know Gabe knows it too. Let’s just let him get settled, though. He doesn’t need to find a job tomorrow.”

Shan sighed. “You’re right. This is all going to work out, right?”

Zach smiled up at him. “Of course it is.”

Shaun closed his laptop and leaned over to slide it under the bed. Then he lay down on his side to face Zach. Zach shut his magazine and tossed it over onto his bedside table. Shaun reached out and stroked his fingers down the side of Zach’s face, then across his lips. Zach kept his eyes open, looking into Shaun’s.

“I love you, you know.”

Zach smiled. “I love you too.”

Shaun leaned over and kissed Zach’s forehead, his nose, then his lips. “So, work at six?”

“Yeah,” Zach whispered. He slipped his hand around the back of Shaun’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss.

“I guess … you probably want to … get to sleep then,” Shaun mumbled between kisses.

Zach pulled back and looked at him. “I could stay up for another … fifteen minutes or so.”

“Fifteen minutes, eh? I think that could be arranged. Even less, if you really want.”

Zach shook his head. “No, I think fifteen minutes will be just right.”

“OK, then. I’ll start my stopwatch.” Shaun did no such thing, though. Instead, he leaned in towards Zach again. Within seconds, their shirts had been tossed aside, and their pajama bottoms balled up at the foot of their bed. If they had been timing the session, they would have realized that their activities had taken them a full seventeen minutes. This was mostly Zach’s own fault, owing to the pleasure he took in teasing his partner for as long as they both could stand before allowing either of them their release. Neither of the men complained, though, and Zach felt adequately rested when his alarm went off at five o’clock the next morning.

TBC ...