Fic: Ankle-biter

[fizzerbass.livejournal.com]

Title  Ankle-biter
Author:  fizzerbass 
Pairing:  My favorite family.  Zach, Shaun, Cody
Rating:  PG-13 (for cussing, pretty boys kissing and implied smex)
Notes:  I was going to hold of on posting this and not spam y'all two days in a row, but then I thought: why should you get so lucky?  *grins*
Disclaimer:  Still not, and never will be mine.  They'll always belong to Jonah Markowitz.

Zach and Cody burst through the door, Zach’s arms full of groceries and Cody’s arms full of Beaner, the Wonder Dog.  Shaun’s standing at the kitchen island, his laptop open and sitting next to the cutting board covered with chopped red peppers.  He murmurs softly to himself as he types a staccato burst of key strokes, before turning to face the trio.

 

“Hey there!”  He tousles Cody’s hair playfully and rubs Beaner’s head.  “How are my two most favorite ankle-biters today?” 

 

Cody laughs and puts the dog on the floor before launching himself into Shaun’s arms.  “I don’t bite your ankles, Shaun, and neither does Beaner.”

 

Shaun jostles Cody in his arms, pretending to almost drop the boy and making him giggle uncontrollably in the process.  “Are you sure?  Sure-sure?  ‘Cause somebody around here sure has been chewing on my ankles lately.  Who can that be, I wonder?”

 

Cody laughs and twists in Shaun’s embrace to point at Zach.

 

“Me?”  Zach puts the groceries on the counter, his eyes opened wide in mock-shock.  “I’m not an ankle-biter!”  He turns quickly and lunges for Cody, wriggling his fingers like dancing spiders.  “I’m a tummy-tickler!”

 

Cody squeals and wriggles in Shaun’s arms as Zach tickles him without mercy.  Shaun gets into the act and the three laughing fools end up in a pile on the floor, Beaner barking and jumping like puppet on a string around their tangled bodies. 

 

“Stop…stop!  I gotta pee!  I gotta pee!”  Cody hops up and makes a mad dash for the bathroom down the hall, leaving Zach and Shaun still chuckling.  Shaun stands, untwisting his tangled t-shirt before reaching a hand down to help Zach up.

 

“Hey, babe.  Have a good time at the beach?”

 

Zach smiles and lets himself be pulled up, not stopping until he’s all the way in Shaun’s arms.  He kisses him lightly, squeezing his waist hard before stepping around him to put the groceries away.  “Yeah.  I think Beaner dug a hole all the way to China, man.  Thing was deep enough for Cody to sit in.”  He pulls out a box of spaghetti and puts it on the island.  “Were you writing or cooking?”

 

Shaun comes up behind Zach, slipping his arms around his waist and trapping him against the counter.  “I was cooking…” he kisses the side of Zach’s neck.  “And then I was writing…” he pulls his head around to kiss the other side.  “And now I’m trying to get a proper kiss hello from my sexy, hot boyfriend.”

 

Zach turns, wrapping his arms around Shaun’s shoulders as he brings their lips together.  Shaun moans lightly, digging his fingers into Zach’s waist as Zach hooks an ankle around Shaun’s calf to pull them closer together.  They’re both starting to breath hard, fingers searching for and slipping under clothes to find smooth skin, when Cody comes sliding back into the kitchen.

 

“Can I take Beaner outside to play?”

 

The men pull apart reluctantly.  Even after two years, they still can’t get enough of each other.  Shaun turns to face Cody, keeping his arm wrapped low around Zach’s waist.

 

“Sure, little man.  Take the Frisbee with you and we’ll throw it around a bit.  I’ll be right out.”

 

“Okay…c’mon, Beaner.  Let’s go, boy.”  Cody scampers out the door with the dog right on his heels, sticking his head back in the kitchen at the last minute.  “Watch out for the ankle-biter, Uncle Shaun!”

 

Shaun flinches into Zach’s side, drawing one leg up as if the floor was covered in knee-high, ankle-chewing aliens.  “Ack, hold me, Uncle Zach.  Don’t let the ankle-biters get me!”

 

The door bangs shut, Cody’s laughter drifting back to them through the screen.  Shaun puts his leg down, hugging Zach sideways as Zach leans in to nuzzle his neck.  Tilting his chin to give Zach better access, he whispers.  “Save me, save me, Uncle Zach.  I think someone’s trying to bite me.”

 

Zach chuckles softly, dragging his teeth across stubbled skin.  “Yeah, but it’s not really your ankle I want to bite.”

 

Shaun groans, closing his eyes and resting his head on Zach’s shoulder.  “That’s okay, it’s not really biting me I want you to do…”  He lets Zach nibble some more before drawing back slowly, smiling when Zach follows his motion as if attached to his neck.  “We should really put this on hold for a bit…don’t want Cody coming back in for a drink or something and catching an eyeful…again.”

 

Zach pops his head up.  “Yeah, right.  That was a little too close for comfort, dude.”

 

Shaun nods his head, agreeing as he runs a hand down Zach’s chest before stepping away.  “Totally.  Kid definitely would have something else to worry about besides ankle-biters if he saw what was really going on that night.”

 

Zach returns to the groceries, his face flushing the same shade as the pink grapefruit juice he’s pulling out of the bag.  “Alright, alright, alright.  I was embarrassed enough when it happened, you don’t have to keep reminding me of it.”

 

Shaun looks up from where he’s closing down his laptop.  “But you’re so cute when you blush, I can’t help it.”

 

Zach narrows his eyes and throws a loaf of bread at Shaun.  “Shut up, dude, or I really will bite your ankles.”  Shaun places it on top of the fridge and holds his hands out for the next thing.  Zach tosses him the pancake mix and pauses before reaching back into the bag.  “Where’d you even come up with that name anyway?  Ankle-biter…”

 

Shaun shrugs, putting the box away and closing the cabinet.  “I don’t know…it’s just something my Mom was always calling me and Gabe.  It was one of her favorite nicknames for us.”

 

Zach snorts.  “Nice nickname, dude.”

 

“Oh, this from the man who spent more than five years of his life answering to ‘Monkey’?”  He picks up the paper towels from where Zach’s placed them on the island and goes around the corner to put them in the pantry, his voice muffled when he continues.  “How the hell did you ever come up with that name anyway?”

 

“Shut up, dude.  I didn’t come up with it, she did.” 

 

Shaun comes back into the kitchen, pausing at the back door to check on Cody and Beaner.  “Yeah, but why?  I mean, come on... ‘Monkey’?”

 

Zach mumbles into the bag still left on the counter, pulling out a mesh sack of oranges.  “Because I was always hanging around her, okay?  Geez, dude, can we just drop it?”

 

“Aww, that’s so sweet.”  Shaun folds up the empty bags as Zach puts the fruit in the bowl on the island.  “So, why’d you call her ‘Monkey’?  What, was she always hanging around you too?”

 

Zach plays with the oranges, smirking shyly.  “No.  I uh…couldn’t think of anything else to call her.”

 

Shaun barks out a laugh, taking the orange from Zach’s hands and starting to peel it.  “Doesn’t surprise me, man.  You’re not the most imaginative when it comes to nicknames.”

 

“What?”  Zach slaps a hand down on the island, cocking his other on his hip as his mouth falls open in shock.  “I’m great at nicknames.”

 

“Oh, yeah, that’s right, I forgot.  You’re the one that come up with the highly creative ‘Codes’, ‘Codester’, and ‘Code Red’ for Cody.”  He pops a slice of fruit into his mouth, dripping juice everywhere.  “Very original.”

 

“Fuck you, dude.”  He grabs the sponge and throws it at Shaun.  “I don’t hear you coming up with anything amazingly unique and artistic.”

 

“Hey!  I just called you my ‘sexy, hot boyfriend’.”

 

“That’s not a nickname,” Zach scoffs.  “That’s a fact of life.”

 

Shaun snorts, wiping the counter before eating another orange section and squirting more juice in the exact same spot he’s just cleaned.  “Better than anything you’ve ever called me, man.”

 

“Not true, dude.  I call you ‘Shauneypoo’.”

 

Shaun cringes, his eyes wincing in pain.  “That’s not a nickname, dude, that’s an abomination.  And besides, it doesn’t count because that’s what Gabe calls me.”  He finishes off the orange, wiping his fingertips on his t-shirt before tossing the sponge in the sink.  “Let’s just face it, Zach.  I’m better at this than you are.”

 

He comes around the corner of the island, cupping Zach’s neck to place a sweet, sticky kiss on his lips.  “I’m the Master when it comes to finding names that make my loved ones feel special and unique.”  He raises his eyebrows in an ‘oh well’ gesture, a wistful smile on his face.  “I’m going to go out back with Cody.”

 

Zach watches him leave, a funny feeling clenching his heart.  Even though Shaun was kidding around, Zach knows him well enough to know he was hiding a bit of hurt behind that smile, trying to shrug off his lack of nickname as a joke.  Bracing his arms on the counter, he listens to the laughter and happy barking coming from the back yard, a smile breaking out on his face as he suddenly realizes something.

 

Pushing through the screen door, he goes outside to join his family.  Cody calls out to him as he steps onto the grass.  “Play with us, Zach!  It’ll be me and Beaner against you and Shaun.”

 

“Okay, buddy.  Let me just talk to Shaun for a second.”

 

He walks over to where Shaun is bent over, trying to wrestle the Frisbee away from Beaner…and losing.  Placing a hand on his back, he waits for Shaun to straighten.  “I do have something I call you…something special and unique and only for you.”

 

Shaun narrows his eyes, skeptical yet hopeful.  “Really?  What’s that?”

 

Zach reaches up to cup Shaun’s neck, his thumbs rubbing softly along the other man’s jaw.  He looks deeply into his eyes, feeling his own smile spread across his face as love storms through his heart.  He leans in, whispering softly before letting his lips settle over Shaun’s. 

 

“Mine.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[boonesfarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Nice. "Mine", I like it.

Chelle

[epicflailer.livejournal.com]

awwwww, that was ridiculously adorable and totally them! nice job!

[torry28.livejournal.com]

As nicknames go, that was very original. "Mine"
I love your boys too and you for writing about them always coming up with special moments for special people.
Thank you and have a lovely Sunday.
Hugs
Torry

[noreins.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's so sweet - and I'll bet it's the best nickname Shaun ever heard.

So, uh, I want to know what really happened the night Cody caught them doing something...;o)

[snowmore.livejournal.com]

Me, too, in nothing less than 2000 words!! ;))

[archylou.livejournal.com]

So cute!

[equally-dour.livejournal.com]

You are a mean, mean woman torturing us with all those daily updates - please DON'T stop. :D

[dragontatt.livejournal.com]

Awwwww....see I knew there was a reason I woke up at 640 in the morning. It was to read this wonderful little story.

Very sweet.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Awww! They're so adorable! ^_^

[spikedluv]

Awwww, sweet. *g*

[diamar.livejournal.com]

Absolutely sweet ^^

[qaf-fanatic.livejournal.com]

Awwe. So sweet. I love it. I love you.

[ayana (now yana_ambf @ lj) (from livejournal.com)]

This was cuteness overload; I literally said "Awww" out loud when I read the ending. Awww, and Zach's hand on Shaun's back. Awwww! I LUV the origins of "Monkey" and the other nicknames--that seems to be EXACTLY how they would come about!

Double posting is very, very nice (and reveals some superhuman typing skills). :)

[brokeback1963.livejournal.com]

Girl, you sure are a miracle or something like that!! How the hell do you do it ALL THE TIME? I’m so amazed and sooooooooooo happy you’re here!!! **claps widly**

This is so special and adorable. I was smiling and even laughing so hard the whole time, and then the ending hit me, because I didn’t expect that so powerful and beautiful word “mine” and it melted my heart with all its delicious sweetness.

I know I say to you this every time, but Susan, this was so Shaun and Zach!! I mean, you really are their voices; they sound so real and true to me, so Shelter. I could quote every word they said because they were pure perfection.

**
“Hey there!” He tousles Cody’s hair playfully and rubs Beaner’s head. “How are my two most favorite ankle-biters today?”

Cody laughs and puts the dog on the floor before launching himself into Shaun’s arms. “I don’t bite your ankles, Shaun, and neither does Beaner.”

Shaun jostles Cody in his arms, pretending to almost drop the boy and making him giggle uncontrollably in the process. “Are you sure? Sure-sure? ‘Cause somebody around here sure has been chewing on my ankles lately. Who can that be, I wonder?”

Cody laughs and twists in Shaun’s embrace to point at Zach.

“Me?” Zach puts the groceries on the counter, his eyes opened wide in mock-shock. “I’m not an ankle-biter!” He turns quickly and lunges for Cody, wriggling his fingers like dancing spiders. “I’m a tummy-tickler!”

Cody squeals and wriggles in Shaun’s arms as Zach tickles him without mercy. Shaun gets into the act and the three laughing fools end up in a pile on the floor, Beaner barking and jumping like puppet on a string around their tangled bodies.
**
“Hey, babe. Have a good time at the beach?”
**
Shaun comes up behind Zach, slipping his arms around his waist and trapping him against the counter. “I was cooking…” he kisses the side of Zach’s neck. “And then I was writing…” he pulls his head around to kiss the other side. “And now I’m trying to get a proper kiss hello from my sexy, hot boyfriend.”

Zach turns, wrapping his arms around Shaun’s shoulders as he brings their lips together. Shaun moans lightly, digging his fingers into Zach’s waist as Zach hooks an ankle around Shaun’s calf to pull them closer together. They’re both starting to breath hard, fingers searching for and slipping under clothes to find smooth skin…
**
Shaun looks up from where he’s closing down his laptop. “But you’re so cute when you blush, I can’t help it.”

Zach narrows his eyes and throws a loaf of bread at Shaun. “Shut up, dude, or I really will bite your ankles.”
**
Zach snorts. “Nice nickname, dude.”

“Oh, this from the man who spent more than five years of his life answering to ‘Monkey’?”
**

[brokeback1963.livejournal.com]

Zach mumbles into the bag still left on the counter, pulling out a mesh sack of oranges. “Because I was always hanging around her, okay? Geez, dude, can we just drop it?”

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Shaun folds up the empty bags as Zach puts the fruit in the bowl on the island. “So, why’d you call her ‘Monkey’? What, was she always hanging around you too?”

Zach plays with the oranges, smirking shyly. “No. I uh…couldn’t think of anything else to call her.”
**
“Oh, yeah, that’s right, I forgot. You’re the one that come up with the highly creative ‘Codes’, ‘Codester’, and ‘Code Red’ for Cody.” He pops a slice of fruit into his mouth, dripping juice everywhere. “Very original.”

“Fuck you, dude.” He grabs the sponge and throws it at Shaun. “I don’t hear you coming up with anything amazingly unique and artistic.”

“Hey! I just called you my ‘sexy, hot boyfriend’.”

“That’s not a nickname,” Zach scoffs. “That’s a fact of life.”
**
He walks over to where Shaun is bent over, trying to wrestle the Frisbee away from Beaner…and losing. Placing a hand on his back, he waits for Shaun to straighten. “I do have something I call you…something special and unique and only for you.”

Shaun narrows his eyes, skeptical yet hopeful. “Really? What’s that?”

Zach reaches up to cup Shaun’s neck, his thumbs rubbing softly along the other man’s jaw. He looks deeply into his eyes, feeling his own smile spread across his face as love storms through his heart. He leans in, whispering softly before letting his lips settle over Shaun’s.

“Mine.”
**

So funny, sweet, gorgeous and brilliant. And OMG, two years already? That’s so great!!!

Awesome piece, Susan!!! Thank you!!!

Lots of love and very big hugs.

Tammy.

[mariska-to.livejournal.com]

Adorable!! :) Thank you so much for yet another update, Fizzer!

[rendrag45.livejournal.com]

Another charming slice of life with Z,S and C -- ooh, and Beaner! Shaun should be real happy with his nickname because no one else in the whole wide world gets to have Zach call him "Mine"! I'd take that over ANY nickname you can think of. It's so definitive! Thanks!

[rendrag45.livejournal.com]

Oh, and what WAS really going on that night??????????

[snowmore.livejournal.com]

“Mine.”

Lovely. And simple. And perfect.

I love how you grasp their every day life, complete with Code and a doggy named Beaner. :)

[jess-d-10.livejournal.com]

You, b*tch, how dare you spam us with these wonderful fics? (said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, in case that wasn't obvious *g*)

Aw, two years in and they can't keep their hands off each other ... I love it! And they're still happy, and they still have Cody, and they have a dog--looks like life is still good!

[sienata.livejournal.com]

that was just wonderful. i really did say "Awwwwwwww!!!" when i finished reading it. you are something else.

now, carry on, please. :)

[dolce-piccante.livejournal.com]

such natural dialogue...and such a sweet story...i loved it!

[bobthesungod.livejournal.com]

LOOOOOVE the origins of "Monkey"; smashing!!