The House Guest

[jess-d-10.livejournal.com]

Title: The House Guest
Author: jess_d_10 
Fandom: Shelter
Rating: R (For this chapter, warnings include some recreational drug use, along with the usual language, etc.)
Pairing; Characters: Zach/Shaun; Gabe, Cody
Chapter: 2/9
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!

Previous chapters:
Chapter One

New Chapter:

Chapter Two

Gabe

Gabe didn’t know what to expect when he agreed to move in with his brother and his best friend, but for some reason, it hadn’t been this. “This” being the steady rhythm of their day-to-day routine, and the mundaneness of it all. After a week of living with them, Gabe didn’t see this mundaneness as a bad thing. There was something relaxing about it. He supposed that was what was so unexpected: not so much that they had their own normal, boring lives together, but that he might actually like being a part of that.

Zach usually worked early morning until mid-afternoon. He was at the café full-time until he went back to school in two weeks. Shaun worked from home, and was glued to his laptop for most of the day, stopping only for meals, and to bring Cody to school in the morning (Zach usually had the responsibility of picking him up in the afternoon). Zach would help Cody with his homework, and he and Shaun took turns making dinner each night. Sometimes they had errands to run, and chores to do. Sometimes they spent their evenings watching TV or a movie, sometimes they played cards, and sometimes they would stretch out on the couch together, Shaun with a book, and Zach with his sketch pad.

Gabe spent his first day living with Zach and Shaun playing games on their X-Box, reading other people’s statuses on Facebook, and watching TV. By day two, he was already bored, and realized that his brother was right: he needed to find a job. He polished his resume, and sent it to prospective employers. Over the next few days, he went to three interviews, and had gotten three job offers: one to work at the front desk at a gym, one at the Gap, and one at a surf, skate and snowboard shop. The gym manager who had interviewed him seemed like a dick, and he didn’t really see himself selling people polo shirts and khakis, so he took the job at the shop. The place was called Swell/Snow/Sidewalk. He would start the following week.

On Friday, Gabe offered to make dinner. After a week of eating the fruits of Zach’s and Shaun’s labors, it seemed like the least he could do. He wasn’t much of a cook, but there was one thing that he could make and, he thought he could make it pretty well: lasagna. Knowing how to make it came in handy when he really wanted to impress a girl: a pan of lasagna, candles, roses, and a pint of gourmet ice cream usually meant a sure thing for him.

Gabe set to work early chopping vegetables, and soon had a pot of tomato sauce simmering. Zach was home, playing some kind of game with Cody in the living room. Shaun was in the bedroom, working. Gabe felt very domestic as he gave the pot of red sauce a stir, and pulled mozzarella and parmesan out of the refrigerator. Going through the familiar motions of cooking something he had made many times before had a calming effect. His roommates would probably laugh if they saw him now, actually enjoying his Friday night of cooking and family time. He smiled to himself at the thought of it, but then stopped when he realized they weren’t his roommates anymore. Instead, he set out searching for a box grater, opening and shutting every one of Zach and Shaun’s cupboards. After a thorough search of the kitchen, the object he desired was nowhere to be found, so he figured he had better ask one of the guys.

He stepped out of the kitchen and into the apartment’s main hallway, and froze where he was. He knew he had walked in on something intimate, something not meant for anyone else’s eyes, but he was afraid of moving again and making a noise that would reveal his presence. Zach and Shaun stood together a few paces away from him, facing each other, with Zach’s back pressed against the wall and his arms draped around Shaun’s neck. Shaun’s hands were just above Zach’s waist, hidden underneath his t-shirt. The guys were nose-to-nose, not quite kissing, but doing something that almost seemed more sexual. Shaun whispered something and Zach laughed quietly, dipping his head slightly. Shaun gave him a gentle nuzzle, then brushed his lips across Zach’s. Zach’s hands slipped down from around Shaun’s neck, and his palms pressed against his chest. Shaun pulled Zach in closer and Zach leaned in and said something into Shaun’s ear. They pulled back and looked at each other, then kissed again. That was when Gabe decided that they were both distracted enough for him to slip back into the kitchen, unnoticed.

Gabe’s heart was beating fast as he stood again at the kitchen’s island. He didn’t know why he felt so … so … he didn’t even know what. It wasn’t as though he was surprised: he knew very well what the nature of Zach and Shaun’s relationship was. He had seen them hold hands before, he had seen them kiss, and he had heard them say they loved each other, but none of that had been like this. This had been something so … private. It was not as though he hadn’t known that they had an intimate life together, a sex life, sure, but also a closeness that only two people in love shared. Seeing a hint of that, though, had felt somehow revealing. And, he admitted to himself, it ultimately made him sad.

Fuck, he thought, sad? Really? Less than a week in my gay brother’s house, and I’m already turning into a chick. He decided to recommence his sweep of the kitchen in search for a box grater. My gay brother and my gay best friend, he corrected himself. My gay brother and my gay best friend who love each other. So maybe that was it, he realized: maybe it was all stupid jealousy. Gabe didn’t even know what he was jealous of. He was pretty sure he didn’t want a serious relationship, and he was definitely sure he didn’t want to be raising a kid.

“How goes it, chef?”

Gabe jumped a little at the sound of Zach’s voice. He had been crouched down on the floor, halfway crawled into a cupboard. He pulled himself out and turned to look at his best friend. “Where the hell do you guys keep your box grater?”

“Ah,” Zach said. He walked over to the oven and opened the drawer at the foot of it. Inside was a jumble of kitchen tools and gadgets, including a box grater.

Gabe snatched the device out of the drawer and stood up. “The oven drawer? Who keeps their grater in the oven drawer?”

Zach shrugged. “We do.”

“But that’s for pots and baking sheets and shit like that. You should keep this—” Gabe shook the grater at him, “—in a cupboard or something.”

Zach raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know you were such an expert in the subject.”

Gabe smiled in spite of himself. He was getting a little overly worked up. “I’ve been searching for a while. You want to help me grate some cheese?”

“Yeah. Want a beer?”

“Sure.”

Zach got them each a bottle, and then set to grating the mozzarella. Gabe pulled a tub of ricotta out of the fridge, and started combining it with egg, pepper, and cooked spinach.

“So,” Zach said, “Shaun and I were thinking we’d call Tammy—she’s the mother of one of Cody’s best friends—and see if she wouldn’t mind the boys having a sleepover at their place tomorrow night. Then, the three of us can do what we want tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Gabe said. Suddenly, the prospect of going out was not as appealing to him. An idea was forming in his mind, though.

“You guess? Dude, since when have you not been down to party? Come on, we can finally celebrate you moving in.”

“You know what? I’ve got a better idea. Don’t call your friend. Instead, I’ll stay here with Cody, and you guys can go out.”

Zach stopped grating and stared at Gabe. “What’s going on? Why don’t you want to go out? You feel OK, man?”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Dude, I’m fine, I’m just trying to do something nice for you guys. It’s the least I can do. When was the last time you guys had a romantic night together?”

“Gabe—”

“I can see it now: the two of you, a candlelit restaurant, a bottle of wine. Admit it, you guys need this.” Gabe winked.

Zach sighed. “I guess it would be kind of nice to have a night out. You sure you don’t want to come, though? I could call some of my friends from school, we could—”

“Zach, just shut up and say yes. You know you want this.”

Zach shook his head, but he said, “OK, fine, yes.” He picked up the cheese and set to work again. “And thank you.”

*          *          *

Zach

Zach studied his childhood best friend from across the table. It was Gabe alright, telling some outrageous story about last spring break, which he spent in Tijuana with a large group of friends. Fortunately, for Cody’s sake, he was regaling them with the PG version of the story, but it was just as hilarious and entertaining as ever. There was something that was different about him though, Zach thought. Something seemed to have changed, almost switched over.

Zach thought about the day Gabe had arrived, and how Shaun had so quickly jumped to parent-mode, making very clear what he thought would be the responsible thing for Gabe to do. When Zach had agreed to help Gabe, he wasn’t sure that he and his partner had quite the same idea of what that help would entail. He thought it had mainly been giving his friend a place to live while he got things sorted out. Shaun seemed to think that this help also included giving Gabe mature role models to look up to. Zach knew that Shaun and Gabe had always had this dynamic: Shaun was the significantly older brother, there to be a friend, sure, but also to teach Gabe things, to give him wisdom and advice. This had never been the dynamic between him and Gabe: they had grown up together, made mistakes together, and had been there for each other. Did being with Shaun change that? Zach didn’t want it to.

A burst of hysterical laughter from everyone else at the table startled Zach out of his reverie, and he quickly joined along, though he had no idea what everyone was laughing about. It seemed that Gabe had come to the punch line of his story.

“Well,” Shaun said as the laughter died down, “I think Cody and I have some work to do cleaning this place up, right buddy?”

Cody looked less than enthusiastic about the prospect of cleaning up after dinner. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, Codes, you do,” Zach said. “But don’t worry; we’re all going to pitch in.”

“No,” Shaun said, “Cody and I are going to do the work this time. You guys did the cooking.”

“I barely did a thing. It was all Gabe.”

“You helped. Come on, it’s a beautiful night. Why don’t you guys go sit out on the porch and relax?” Shaun gave Zach a pointed look that told him he clearly didn’t want to hear any argument. Zach wondered if he was just being nice, or if Shaun had somehow sensed his thoughts and was giving him an opportunity to talk to his best friend. The latter wouldn’t have surprised Zach: Shaun was extremely perceptive.

So, Zach and Gabe retired to the bay chairs that sat on their small porch, looking out over a small green space, and a quiet residential street. An occasional breeze filled their nostrils with the refreshing aroma of the eucalyptus tree that stood just to their right.

As soon as they had sat down, Gabe pulled something out of his jeans pocket. “Do you mind?” he said, holding up a joint.

Zach hesitated for a moment, but then thought, who gave a shit? “No problem.” He grabbed an empty beer bottle that had been sitting on the corner of the porch to use as an ashtray.

Gabe lit the joint and took a deep inhale. After holding it in for a moment, then letting it slowly out, he held it in Zach’s direction. “Want to join me?”

It seemed like it had been a long time since Zach had smoked, but he had always found the effects enjoyable enough. Mostly it relaxed him and kept his worries at bay for a brief time. He didn’t really see any reason why he should refuse tonight. “Sure,” he said, taking it in his fingers.

Moments later, he let out a great sigh of contentment. “It is a beautiful night.”

Gabe snorted, and was soon laughing uncontrollably. “Fuck,” he gasped, clutching his stomach, still in hysterics.

“What?” Zach asked, puzzled, but starting to be amused by his friend’s fit.

“Dude,” Gabe managed to get out, “that was so gay.”

“What?” Zach said again, but started to laugh.

Gabe seemed to barely be able to breathe. “It was just—” They looked at each other, and suddenly, Zach had joined Gabe in his laughing fit, not entirely sure about what was so funny, but enjoying it all the same.

“Shit,” Gabe said when they finally managed to get a hold of themselves, “sorry. I don’t even know what that was about.” He picked up the doob, which had been resting precariously on the mouth of the beer bottle, and took a long haul.

Zach pointed at it. “I think it was about that.”

Gabe snorted. “Brilliant observation.”

Zach shrugged. “I try.” He took the joint from his friend.

“So,” Gabe said, “how do I rate as a houseguest so far? I hope I’m not causing you guys too much trouble.”

Zach rolled his eyes. “Come on, man. You know you’re no trouble. You’re totally welcome here.” Gabe didn’t say anything. “So, you start the new job soon?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Tuesday.”

“Looking forward to it?”

Gabe shrugged. “I don’t know, man. You know I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“What? Worked?” Zach grinned at him.

“Fuck off, man, you know what I mean. I’ve never done this kind of work, you know?”

“Well, welcome to the trenches, my friend. Welcome to serving the public, who are mostly assholes, by the way, on your feet, all day, for very little pay.”

“Wow, thanks for the encouragement.”

Zach looked at his friend when he didn’t hear the tone of amusement he would have normally expected in his voice. “Hey,” he said, “listen, it isn’t bad. Actually, your job sounds pretty rad. You get to be around surf and skate stuff all day, right? Should be cool.”

“Yeah. They sell snowboards too. I don’t know anything about that shit.”

Zach shrugged. “They’ll train you. Or they’ll keep you in the sections that you know about. Come on man, it’ll be great. I’ll bet everyone who works there is really chill.”

Gabe nodded and gave him a half smile. “Yeah.”

They were both quiet for a moment. This definitely wasn’t the Gabe he had always known. The Gabe Zach had grown up with didn’t get nervous or have insecurities. He also didn’t lapse into contemplative silences. That was usually Zach’s department.

“So,” Zach said, “how’re you finding it here? I guess it’s kind of a big change living with a little kid 24/7.”

Gabe smiled. “Nah, come on, Cody’s great—I like living with him. I like living with all you guys. You three are really … you’re really a family now, yeah?”

Zach looked down at his hands, smiling to himself. He looked back up at his friend, realizing that there was no reason to hide that smile. “Yeah, we are.”

“That’s good.”

Zach nodded. “Yeah, it is.” He chuckled. “Dude, if a little over a year ago, you had told me that this would be my life, I never would have believed you.”

“Dude, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.” The two friends locked eyes for a moment, before looking away again.

Gabe leaned down and picked up the joint again. He turned it over in his fingers for a moment, then took a long drag. He closed his eyes as he held the smoke in his lungs, and then released it slowly with a sound that was almost a moan. “Fuck, that’s some good shit. Got it from my roommate—ex-roommate—Kyle. Probably the last I’ll get from him. He isn’t too happy with me right now.”

Zach frowned at him. “Why? Weren’t you able to pay your last month’s rent?”

Gabe nodded, his eyes still shut. “Yeah, but … well, it wasn’t supposed to be my last month. I kind of screwed him and the other guys over with leaving just like that. Now they’ve gotta find someone else fast. And also … well, some other shit went down that just … shouldn’t have happened.”

Zach didn’t know what Gabe was talking about, but he decided not to ask. “Well, I’m sure they’ll find someone. A lot of people need a place to live.”

Gabe nodded. “Right.” He held the joint out to Zach.

Zach took it, and inhaled, not as deeply as Gabe, and only held it in his lungs for a few seconds, before letting it out. He was quickly going from feeling relaxed to feeling like a bowl of Jell-O, and he was pretty sure he didn’t want to go beyond that. They had almost smoked all of it anyways. He leaned down and balanced the roach on the opening of the beer bottle. He sat up to see Gabe staring at him with a mischievous half-smile on his lips, looking more like Zach’s best friend than he had in days. “What?” Zach said.

“I want to ask you something, but I’m trying to figure out if you’re just going to get pissed at me.”

Zach slumped back in his chair. “Dude, I am way too blazed to get pissed.”

“You’re not blazed. You barely smoked any of that.”

“Fuck you, fuck. Yeah, I fucking did.”

Gabe snorted. “I take that back. You are fucking blazed—you can’t even talk. Lightweight.”

“Fuck off. What did you want to ask me?”

 “Oh, yeah. I’ve asked you this before, but you got pissed.”

“I told you, I’m not gonna get pissed. What is it?”

“OK, fine. Do guys give better head?”

Zach’s eyes had been closed, but he opened one to look at Gabe. “Seriously? That’s what you want to know?”

“Hell, yeah, I do. Come on, everyone’s heard it, so is it true?”

“Why haven’t you ever asked Shaun this question? He has more experience in the subject than I do.”

The two friends looked at each other, then started laughing uncontrollably, once again. Zach didn’t even know what was so funny. It just felt good to laugh.

“I don’t want to ask Shaun,” Gabe finally said, “he’ll just try to give me some sage advice about how it’s about how you feel about the person who’s blowing you, not whether they have a dick or a pussy.” Zach snorted. Gabe was probably right. “So come on, do guys give amazing head?”

“You realize that I’ve only been with one guy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you also realize that that guy is your brother, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So you’re basically asking me if your brother gives good head.”

Gabe shrugged. “I guess. So, does he?”

Zach shook his head, not in answer to Gabe’s question, but in incredulity that he was really being asked this. “You really want to know?” Now, for some reason, Zach kind of wanted to give Gabe the honest answer. Must have been the pot.

“Have I not made that clear?”

“OK, fine, the answer is yes. Yes, your brother gives fucking amazing head. Best I’ve ever had. Better than I’ve ever imagined. He does things with his mouth that I didn’t think were physically possible. And the man has no gag reflex, I swear to God. I don’t know about other guys, but I can say for sure, your brother gives an unbelievable fucking blow job. And yes, he does swallow. So, there. Are you happy now?”

Gabe was staring at him, eyes wide. He didn’t seem pissed, or grossed out. He just looked surprised. “I can’t believe you just said all that.”

Zach shrugged, feeling his cheeks go warm. His guard might have been down, but his inhibitions weren’t completely gone. “You asked.”

Gabe laughed. “Yeah, I did, and I’m glad you answered. Come on, every friend is happy to know that their buddy is getting good head, right?”

Zach laughed. “Sure, I guess so.”

“So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you give good head?”

Zach felt his cheeks grow hotter, and he looked away from his friend to stare straight ahead. Talking about getting a good blow job was all fun and games, but talking to Gabe about giving one? That went way beyond his comfort zone.

He was miraculously saved by Shaun, who had just opened the sliding door behind them and stepped outside. “Hey—” he started to say, but then stopped as he breathed in the air they were sitting in. “Wow, it smells … just awesome out here. Are you gentlemen having a good time?”

Zach looked up at his partner and saw that he was smiling, clearly amused by their pleasantly baked state. “We’re having a great time.”

Shaun moved beside Zach and perched on the wide arm of his chair. “Kitchen’s all cleaned up, and Cody is curled up in front of a movie.”

“Awesome, babe,” Zach said, placing his hand on Shaun’s knee and giving it a squeeze. He forgot to be more modest in front of Gabe.

“So, what were you guys talking about?” Shaun asked.

“Blowjobs,” Gabe volunteered without a moment’s hesitation.

Shaun raised his eyebrows. “Blowjobs, huh? Need some advice to give your girlfriend?”

“Anytime man,” Gabe said easily. “But actually, I was just asking Zach if he gives good head, and when you came outside, he was busy being shocked and embarrassed. Anyway, you’re probably the better guy to ask that question to, right?”

“Of course I am,” Shaun said, much to Zach’s surprise, who would have expected Shaun to steer his brother away from this topic of conversation. “And the answer is yes. He gives fucking great head.”

“You know,” Gabe said, a distinctly satisfied smile on his face, “he said almost the exact same thing about you.”

The two brothers laughed and before Zach joined in too. He couldn’t help himself.

The three of them sat out there talking for a while longer as the air grew cooler. Gabe’s uncharacteristic solemnness seemed to have gone, at least for the time being. It was fun, the three of them being together again, Zach thought. Just like old times.

Eventually Shaun stood up and stretched. “Well, I guess I’d better get Codes into his bed. He’ll be asking for a goodnight kiss in a few minutes from you too, babe,” he added to Zach.

“I’ll be in soon,” Zach said, but the two friends remained outside for a moment longer after Shaun had returned into the apartment.

Gabe had lapsed into silence again, and was staring with unfocused eyes out towards the street below them.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zach said, “Hey, man, is everything OK with you?”

Gabe started shaking his head slowly, and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he stopped abruptly. “Yeah, man, of course,” he said, leaning down to tip the smoldering roach into the empty beer bottle. “I’m good.” He stood up quickly and walked into the apartment.

Zach sat there for a moment, looking out at the same spot Gabe had been staring at before, as if it would give him some clue as to what was going on inside of his friend’s mind. The empty street held no answers, though, so he stood up as well, and went to kiss his son goodnight.